Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Mets (18-16) are playing Game 35 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (15-22) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of a three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

Today is “Mother’s Day at Shea”

Reds Lineup: Freel, Votto, Griffey Jr., Phillips, Encarnacion, Dunn, Keppinger, Bako, Cueto.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Alou, Delgado, Schneider, Perez.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Griffey drew a two-out walk.  Phillips flied out to right.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger lined a two-out single into center.  Perez caught Bako looking at strike three.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Phillips drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Eencarnacion popped up near home, and Schneider made the catch.  With Dunn at the plate, Phillips stole second with no throw.  Perez fanned Dunn to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Keppinger drew a leadoff walk.  Perez struck out Bako swinging.  Cueto dropped down a bunt down the first base line, and Delgado made the out at first as Keppinger advanced to second.  Perez hit Freel with the pitch.  Perez fanned Votto to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Griffey drew a leadoff walk.  Phillips hit the ball foul of the right field wall, and Church made the out.  Encarnacion lined the ball to deep left, and Alou dropped it so Encarnacion ended up with a double as Griffey went first to third.  Adam Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Ken Griffey Jr. tagged up and scored and Encarnacion tagged up and went to third.  Jeff Keppinger worked the count full before lining a two-out RBI triple to the gap in left center, and Edwin Encarnacion scored.  With Bako in the batters box, Perez threw a wild pitch that went to the backstop and Jeff Keppinger scored.  Bako flied out to center.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Freel dropped a one-out single into left.  Schoeneweis picked off Freel at first, and the Mets got him in a rundown and then got Freel out at second.  Schoeneweis struck out Votto looking.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Phillips grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Encarnacion drove a one-out single to the gap in right center, and Phillips went first to third.  Schoeneweis struck out Dunn swinging.  Schoeneweis gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Smith fanned Keppinger.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 9th.  The inning has been slowed down because the Reds batted out of order.  It seems like the Coaches and the Umpires don’t know how to deal with the situation.  Ross grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Freel grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first as Ross advanced to second.  Votto grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first to end the game.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Johnny Cueto (2-3) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes lined a leadoff single to center.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second by a mile.  Luis Castillo hit the ball into the gap in right center, and miscommunication between Griffey and Freel allowed the ball to fall so Castillo ended up with an RBI triple while Jose Reyes came around to score.  Wright flied out to shallow center, and Castillo held up at third.  Carlos Beltran lined a one-out RBI double into the gap in left center, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Church lined out to first.  Moises Alou lined a two-out opposite field RBI double to the right field corner, and Carlos Beltran scored.  Delgado flied out to center to end the fun.  Cueto gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez drew a one-out walk.  Reyes popped up to center, and Freel made the catch.  With Castillo at the plate, Perez stole second with no throw because the Reds were very confused.  Cueto struck Castillo out on a called strike.  Cueto gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Wright drew a leadoff walk.  Cueto struck out Beltran swinging as Wright took off for second, and Bako threw Wright out at second.  Cueto fanned Church.  Cueto gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Delgado drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Schneider popped up foul of the third base line, and Encarnacion made the catch.  Perez dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Cueto did not field the ball properly so Perez beat it out and Delgado went to second.  Cueto got Reyes swinging at a pitch in the dirt to end the inning.  Cueto gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Castillo beat out a slow grounder to short for a leadoff single.  Cueto fanned Wright.  Carlos Beltran crushed a one-out 2-run homer to right field scoring Luis Castillo.  Ryan Church followed that up with a solo shot to center.  Alou grounded out to short.  Cueto gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Cueto left the game after pitching 4.2 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Baker replaced Cueto with Bill Bray with two outs in the Bottom of the 5th.  Bray fanned Delgado.  Bray gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes grounded over the third base bag and down the line for a two-out double.  Bray gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Bray left the game after pitching 1.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Baker replaced Bray with Jared Burton with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Easley replaced Castillo, and Damion Easley lined a two-out RBI single into right which scored Jose Reyes.  With Wright at the plate, Burton threw a wild pitch and Easley stole second.  David Wright worked the count full before grounding an RBI single through the hole on the left side which scored Damion Easley.  Beltran grounded to third, and Encarnacion made the force out at second to end the inning.  Burton gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Baker replaced Burton with Jeremy Affeldt to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Delgado dropped a two-out opposite field single to left.  Schneider grounded to the pitcher, and Affeldt made the out at first to end the inning.  Affeldt gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Baker replaced Affeldt with David Weathers to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Anderson pinch hit for Smith, and Anderson led off with a leadoff double into the right field corner.  Reyes chopped the ball to third and beat it out without a throw, and Anderson went to third.  Weathers caught Easley staring at strike three.  With Wright at the plate, Weathers threw a passed ball so Reyes stole second.  Weathers struck out Wright swinging.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Weathers gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 3 - New York Mets 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (3-3) got the win and Johnny Cueto (2-4) got the loss.

The Mets were able to win on Mother’s Day, and they were able to win this series against the Reds.  Oli pitched in classic Oli fashion as he pitched 5 shutout innings and then gave up 3 runs out of no where.  The ‘pen put up goose eggs today.  The offense scored 8 runs, and Beltran led the charge again with 3 RBIs.  The best thing about the past few games is that other batters are driving in runs while David is in his slump.  In April, Wright drove in almost all of the team’s RBIs.  For this team to dominate, everybody needs to contribute.  If nobody else drove in the runs then the Metsies would lose these games against the last place teams.  I hope it’s a good sign of things to come.

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The New York Mets (17-15) are playing Game 33 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (14-21) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Reds Lineup: Patterson, Freel, Griffey Jr., Phillips, Votto, Encarnacion, Keppinger, Ross, Belisle.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Alou, Delgado, Schneider, Santana.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Patterson dropped down a bunt towards first and Delgado made a bad flip to Santana so Patterson beat it out for a leadoff single.  With Freel at the plate, Santana threw to first and the Mets tagged Patterson in a rundown.  Freel grounded out to first.  Griffey lined a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Phillips lined a two-out double into the corner in left, and Griffey went from first to third.  Votto lined out to right leaving two Reds stranded.  Santana gave up 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger drew a one-out walk.  Ross popped up to second.  Santana struck out Belisle to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Freel lined a one-out double near the left field line.  Griffey popped up to short.  Phillips grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Edwin Encarnacion drove a one-out solo jack over the left field wall.  Keppinger flied out to center.  Santana fanned Ross.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Belisle grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Santana struck out Patterson on a foul tip.  Freel dropped a bunt towards third, and Wright made the out at first as Belisle advanced to second.  Griffey grounded out to second to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Phillips lined a leadoff triple into the right field corner.  Votto popped up to short.  Edwin Encarnacion grounded a one-out RBI single under the diving Wright, and Brandon Phillips came home to score.  Keppinger grounded a one-out single under Reyes’ glove, and Encarnacion moved over to second.  Santana got Ross looking.  Hatteberg is pinch hitting for Belisle, and Scott Hatteberg lined a two-out RBI single into right while Edwin Encarnacion scored and Keppinger went to third.  Santana fanned Patterson to end the inning.  Santana gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 10 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, and he had 5 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Freel lined a leadoff single into left.  Griffey lined out to center.  With Phillips in the batters box, Freel stole second without a throw.  Phillips drew a one-out walk.  Joey Votto lined a one-out RBI double into left, and Ryan Freel scored and Phillips advanced to third.  Heilman got Encarnacion swinging.  Keppinger grounded out to short to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ross lined a leadoff single up the middle.  Hairston is pinch hitting for Lincoln, and Hairston popped up to center and Beltran made the catch.  Patterson popped up to third, and Wright made the catch.  Freel lined a two-out single into center, and Ross moved over to second.  Ken Griffey Jr. drove a two-out 2-run double halfway up the wall in right field which scored David Ross and Ryan Freel.  Patterson grounded out to second to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 9th.  Votto drew a leadoff walk.  Encarnacion grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Keppinger grounded in front of home plate, and Schneider made the out at first to end the game.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Matt Belisle (1-2) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Belisle fanned Church to leave two Mets stranded.  Belisle gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Alou lined a leadoff single into center.  Delgado drove a single into the gap in right center, and Alou moved over to second.  Schneider grounded to first, and Votto only got the out at second.  Santana struck out, but Ross could not handle the ball and it went to the backstop so Santana beat out the play at first while Moises Alou came home and Schneider went to second (Since first base was occupied, Santana could not take first base so Schneider is the only baserunner).  Reyes flied out to left to end the inning.  Belisle gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Wright lined a no-out single into right, and Castillo went from first to third.  Carlos Beltran lined a no-out RBI single into center which scored Luis Castillo, and Wright advanced to second.  Church grounded out to first, and both runners advanced.  Moises Alou dropped a one-out bloop single over the head of Phillips, and David Wright and Carlos Beltran scored.  Delgado grounded to first, and the Reds turned the inning ending double play.  Belisle gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Belisle pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Belisle gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Castillo grounded to the pitcher but Belisle (Error on Matt Belisle) made a bad throw to first so Castillo went to second.  Wright lined a no-out single, and Castillo advanced to third.  Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Luis Castillo tagged up and scored and Wright tagged up and went to second.  Ryan Church lined a one-out RBI single into right center, and David Wright came around to score.  Alou grounded to third, and the Reds turned the double play.  Belisle gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Belisle left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 6 Runs, 5 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Baker replaced Belisle with Bill Bray to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Delgado lined a leadoff double down the left field line.  Schneider lined a no-out single into right, and Delgado advanced to third.  Bray gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Baker replaced Bray with Mike Lincoln with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Easley is pinch hitting for Santana, and Easley grounded to third and was thrown out at first by Encarnacion.  Reyes drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Lincoln caught Castillo looking at strike three.  David Wright drew an RBI two-out walk which brought Carlos Delgado home.  Carlos Beltran lined a two-out 3-run triple down the right field line which scored Brian Schneider, Jose Reyes, and David Wright.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lincoln gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Carlos Delgado hit a one-out jack to right field.  Brian Schneider followed that up with a solo shot of his own to the right field corner.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Lincoln fanned Chavez.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the inning.  Lincoln gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Lincoln left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOS.

Baker replaced Lincoln with Jeremy Affeldt to begin the 8th Inning.  Affeldt pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Affeldt gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 6 - New York Mets 12.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (4-2) got the win and Matt Belisle (1-3) got the loss.

The Mets put up double digits for the second game in a row.  The entire lineup was hitting except for Reyes and Castillo.  Delgado had 3 hits, and Beltran had 5 RBIs.  Santana got the ‘w’, but he didn’t look so good on the mound.  He gave up 10 hits, and had men on base all game.  Somehow, he got out of it only giving up 3 runs.  Heilman and Feliciano were responsible for the rest of the runs.

The Reds and the Mets will begin the second game of the day at 7:30 p.m.

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For one day, the Metropolitans were able to put it all together.  They came home from their west coast trip with a 3-3 record.   The Mets are sporting a 17-15 record now.  Kinda boring, huh?  It seems like they are always around .500.  My expectations of the ‘08 season are dwindling because they aren’t showing me anything special.  Something isn’t right with the team, and it doesn’t make sense because I thought they had a shot at winning the World Series a month ago.

When I just watched the Giants win the Super Bowl, they did it by having a chip on their shoulder.  They got into that ‘us against the world’ mindset in Week 3 in Washington when they had the goalline stand, and they carried it through the Playoffs.

The Mets don’t have that chip on their shoulder, and they should because they never won anything yet.  Except their division in 2006.  When Beltran stared at strike three in game 7 of the NLCS, the team should’ve had a chip on their shoulder to do it again in 2007 and gone even further.  That didn’t happen because of the collapse.  By now, they should have a chip on their shoulder for ‘06 and ‘07, but they appear content playing .500 ball.  These are the four players that have been in the lineup since 2006: Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and Wright.  These are the players that should have the most to prove now.  Beltran declared that the Mets are the team to beat, but hasn’t backed it up on the field.  Delgado appears to be in the twilight of his career.  He was bored in ‘07 with a .259 average, and it’s even worse now.  Reyes has all of the skills in the world, but he appears to be too soft mentally to play the game.  Wright has been the only one of these four to play at a high level consistentely since ‘06.  On the mound, the Mets mostly have the same rotation: Martinez, Hernandez, Perez, and Maine.  Pedro and El Duque have barely pitched since going on the DL a few days prior to the Playoffs in 2006.  Perez has remained inconsistent since then, and Maine has improved a great deal since then.  These players need to communicate how pissed off they are for not winning the World Series in ‘06 and/or ‘07 in order to motivate them to play at the highest level each and every game.  Nothing less than the best should be tolerated.

Mets.com:

Beltran waiting for something to click

Mets run on all cylinders in LA blowout - Anthony DiComo summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Mets return home, aim to impress fans - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for Friday’s game between the Reds and the Mets.

Mets cautious with Pagan after catch - Anthony DiComo reported that Angel Pagan will have an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury.

El Duque cleared for next step - Anthony DiComo informed us that Orlando Hernandez had the protective boot removed.  He will begin a rehab program soon.

Beltran fights flu, returns to Mets’ lineup

Mets falter against Dodgers - Anthony DiComo summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Mets anticipating Castillo surge - Anthony DiComo wrote up a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Boras: Perez, Mets on good terms

Newsday:

Mets’ bats wake up, back Maine in rout of Dodgers - David Lennon also summarized today’s Mets-Dodgers game.

Maine goes into 9th on eve of 27th birthday

Mets’ Pagan may have to pay for hard-nosed play

Mets fall to Dodgers, 5-4 - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Dodgers game.

Mets’ Martinez shows some progress

Agent Boras shows up to support Mets’ Perez

New York Daily News:

John Maine dominant as Mets deck Dodgers in Los Angeles

Angel Pagan hits seats and maybe DL

Ryan Church brushes off Brad Penny’s brushback

Inside-the-park homer, strikeouts doom Mets in loss to Dodgers

Omar Minaya sees Pedro’s progress

New York Post:

AMAZIN’S AWAKE FROM LUMBER SLUMBER

PAGAN HURTS SHOULDER AFTER GREAT CATCH

METS, MAINE MAUL DODGERS - Bart Hubbuch summarized yesterday’s Mets-Dodgers game.

IT’S AN INSIDE JOB - Bart Hubbuch describes the inside the park home run that Blake DeWitt hit on Wednesday night.

WISE WILL SHAKE UP WILLIE’S PEN

New York Times:

Hitting the Wall and the Ball, the Mets Lack for Nothing

Randolph Preaches Patience While Rotation Tests His

The Star-Ledger:

Mets put it all together

acrobatic catch bangs up Pagan

Final: Mets 12, Dodgers 1

Church can’t corral ball as Mets drop another

Dodgers catch Mets napping

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The New York Mets (16-15) are playing Game 32 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (19-14) at Dodger Stadium.  It’s the final game of a three-game series.  The game began at 3:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Pagan, Anderson, Casanova, Maine.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Ethier, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, DeWitt, Hu, Penny.

At the Plate

Brad Penny (5-2) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Top of the 1st, Penny retired the side in order.  Penny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church lined a one-out single into center.  Pagan lined a one-out opposite field single into left, and Church moved over to second.  Marlon Anderson worked himself into a full count before driving a one-out RBI Ground Rule Double over the center field fence, and Ryan Church came around to score while Pagan advanced to third.  Raul Casanova grounded a one-out 2-run single through the hole on the right side which scored Angel Pagan and Marlon Anderson.  Maine dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Penny made the out at first as Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Luis Castillo grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which brought Raul Casanova around to score and Reyes advanced to second.  Penny fanned Wright after the Mets batted around the order.  Penny gave up 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Beltran led off by grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Church hit a no-out broken bat line drive into shallow right, and Beltran went first to third.  Angel Pagan grounded to second, and Kent only made the out at second while Carlos Beltran scored.  Anderson flied out to the warning track in right.  With Casanova at the plate, Pagan stole second by beating out the pitch out.  Casanova grounded out to second to end the inning.  Penny gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castillo lined a two-out double down the right field line.  Wright grounded out to third to end the inning.  Penny gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Penny hit Church with the pitch to give the Mets a one-out base runner.  Chavez replaced Pagan, and Penny fanned Chavez on three pitches.  Anderson grounded to short, and Anderson beat out the throw for a two-out single as Church moved over to second.  Casanova worked himself into a full count before drawing a walk that loaded the bases.  John Maine lined a two-out 2-run single into center which scored Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson while Casanova advanced to second.  Reyes drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Penny gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Penny left the game after pitching 4.2 Innings allowing 10 Hits, 10 Runs, 10 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Torre replaced Penny with Scott Proctor with two outs in the Top of the 5th.  Luis Castillo drew a two-out walk which brought home Raul Casanova.  David Wright drove a two-out Ground Rule Double over the left field wall which scored John Maine and Jose Reyes while Castillo advanced to third.  With Beltran in the batters box, Proctor threw a wild pitch which brought home Luis Castillo.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Proctor gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the Top of the 5th.  In the Top of the 6th, Ryan Church hit the first pitch of the inning over the wall in right center.  Chavez flied out to center.  Proctor struck out Anderson swinging.  Casanova drove a two-out double that one-hopped the wall in left center.  Proctor fanned Maine on three straight pitches.  Proctor gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Proctor left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Torre replaced Proctor with Chan Ho Park to begin the Top of the 7th.  Park pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Park sent the Mets down in order again.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Maine was still batting and he struck out looking.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Ethier flied to foul territory along the left field line and Pagan dove over the wall to make the catch and landed on his head in the stands (Randolph and the Trainors came out to check up on him, and he got up eventually and recieved a standing ovation which is the opposite of what Reyes got in Philly).  Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Maine retired 6 straight Dodgers.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Hu pulled the ball down the right field line for a leadoff double.  Penny popped in foul ground along the third base line, and Wright made the catch.  Pierre grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to leave Hu at second.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Maine pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Loney drove a leadoff double into the gap in left center.  Martin drew a no-out walk.  Maine fanned DeWitt.  Hu grounded to second, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Maine retired the side in order again.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Maine now retired 10 straight (John Maine is the first Mets pitcher to record an out in the 8th Inning).  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Jones blooped a pinch hit double near the right field line.  Pierre drew a no-out walk.  Ethier lined out to deep left.  Matt Kemp lined a one-out RBI single into center which brought Andruw Jones around to score and Ethier moved over to second.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 8.1 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Duaner Sanchez with one out in the Bottom of the 9th.  Young grounded to third, and Wright tagged third and attempted to make the out at first but Young beat it out.  Sanchez struck out Loney on a check swing.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 12 - Los Angeles Dodgers 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (4-2) got the win and Brad Penny (5-3) got the loss.

Close, but no cigar.  The Maine Man was two outs away from handing the Mets their first complete game shutout of ‘08.  I knew this game was over when Maine drove in 2 runs in the 5th, and Maine only allowed 1 hit up to that point.  Maine went into the Bottom of the 9th with a two-hit shutout and got into some trouble and gave up a run.  Once the run scored, Willie replaced Maine with Sanchez.  Offensively, the Mets batted around in two separate innings.  Everybody but Reyes got a hit, but Reyes did walk twice and score once.  Church had 3 Hits today including a solo shot.

It was a great game for the Amazins’, but they lost the series to Dem Bums.  The Mets finished their road trip 3-3 against the team with the best record and against the hottest team in baseball.  3-3 isn’t good, but it could be worse.  The Mets have an off day tomorrow before they host the Reds for a weekend series.

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The New York Mets (16-13) are playing Game 30 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (17-14) at Dodger Stadium.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 10:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Schneider, Castillo, Perez.

Dodgers Lineup: Furcal, Pierre, Kemp, Kent, Martin, Loney, Jones, DeWitt, Billingsley.

At the Plate

Chad Billingsley (1-4) is the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Top of the 1st, Billingsley got Reyes to pop up to third before fanning Church and Wright.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Alou flied out to right.  Delgado pulled a one-out double down the right field line as Beltran went first to third.  Billingsly got Schneider to chase strike three.  Castillo grounded out to third leaving two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  With Church in the batters box, Reyes stole second.  Church grounded to second, and Kent made the out at first as Reyes moved over to third.  Billingsley fanned Wright leaving Reyes on third.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Schneider dropped a two-out single into center, and Delgado advanced to second.  Castillo grounded out to third to leave two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Church drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded out to deep short, and Furcal threw a rocket to first to get the out.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Beltran led off by pulling a triple down the right field line.  Moises Alou grounded a no-out RBI single up the middle which brought Carlos Beltran home.  Delgado grounded to short, and the Dodgers turned the double play.  Schneider grounded out to third.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Perez, and this move brought Torre out for a pitching change.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Billingsley left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Torre replaced Billingsley with Joe Beimel with no outs in the 7th Inning.  Pagan flied out to right.  Reyes flied out in foul ground along the right side line, and Kemp made the catch.  Beimel fanned Church.  Beimel gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Torre replaced Beimel with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Top of the 8th.  Broxton retired the side in order.  Broxton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Takashi Saito to begin the Top of the 9th.  Saito wiggled a lot as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Saito gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-2) is the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Rafael Furcal led off with a solo shot to left center.  Pierre lined a single into center.  Kemp flied out to right near the line.  With Kent at the plate, Pierre stole second safely as Schneider’s throw went into center field.  Kent grounded to the pitcher, and Perez made the out at first as Pierre moved over to third.  Russell Martin lined a two-out RBI single into center field which brought Juan Pierre home.  Loney grounded out to second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez got Jones and DeWitt to ground out before getting Billingsley to look at strike three.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Perez pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Martin grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Loney swung at strike three while Martin was stealing second, and Schneider (Error on Brian Schneider) threw the ball into center so Martin advanced to third.  Jones popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the out to leave one Dodger stranded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Blake DeWitt led off with a solo jack to center.  Perez fanned Billingsley.  Furcal popped up to third.  Pierre drew a two-out walk.  Matt Kemp crushed a two-out 2-run shot to center scoring Juan Pierre.  Kent grounded hard to third, and Wright made a beautiful dive and throw to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Loney drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Jones grounded to third, and the Mets completed the double play.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Schoeneweis pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Kemp lined a one-out single into right.  Kent flied out to center.  With Martin at the plate, Schneider threw out Kemp as he attempted to steal second base.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Los Angeles Dodgers 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-3) got the loss and Chad Billingsley (1-4) got the win.

Oli took another beaten today, but not as bad as it was against the Pirates on Wednesday.  Oli pitched 6 innings, but he gave up 3 homers and 5 runs.  Going into the game, I was confident that Perez would beat the pitcher with the 1-4 record that he faced.  The Mets must’ve left their bats in the desert because they only put up 1 run.  Or maybe it was a long flight.  It’s tougher to win a series when you drop the first game.  Now, the Mets need to win the next two to win the series.

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The New York Mets (14-12) are playing Game 27 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Arizona Diamondbacks (20-8) at Chase Field.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 9:40 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Casanova, Castillo, Maine.

Diamondbacks Lineup: Young, Byrnes, Hudson, Jackson, Reynolds, Drew, Upton, Montero, Owings.

At the Plate 

Micah Owings (4-0) was the starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes led off with a triple off the wall in right center.  Ryan Church hit a sacrifice fly to center field which brought Jose Reyes home.  Wright lined a one-out single up the middle.  With Beltran at the plate, Owings threw a wild pitch so Wright took off for second.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Moises Alou grounded an RBI single under the glove of Hudson and into center field so David Wright came around to score and Beltran went first to third.  Carlos Delgado grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which brought Carlos Beltran home and Alou advanced to second.  Casanova flied out to center, and the runners held up.  Castillo grounded a ball that rolled in front of home plate, and Montero made the out at first to leave two Mets on base.  Owings gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Maine grounded out to third.  Reyes dropped a one-out double into shallow center.  Ryan Church drove an RBI double into the gap in right center which scored Jose Reyes (Church has 2 RBIs in 2 attempts already which further confirms that he should be in the 2 spot).  Wright popped up to shallow right, and Hudson made the catch.  Beltran popped up to second, and Hudson made the catch.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 1 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Owings caught Casanova looking at strike three.  Castillo grounded to second, and Hudson made the out at first to end the inning.  Owings gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Ryan Church lined a two-out solo shot to deep right field.  Wright pulled a two-out double down the left field line.  Beltran grounded out to first to end the inning.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Delgado dropped a one-out single into right field.  Casanova flied out to center.  Castillo grounded to short, and Drew tagged second for the force out to end the inning.  Owings gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Reyes lined a one-out opposite field single into left.  Church popped up in foul ground along the third base line, and Reynolds made the catch.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole second.  David Wright pulled a two-out 2-run jack over the left field wall which scored Jose Reyes.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Owings left the game after pitching 5.2 innings allowing 11 Hits, 7 Runs, 7 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Melvin replaced Owings with Brandon Medders with two outs in the Top of the 6th.  With Alou at the plate, Beltran stole second.  Alou drew a two-out walk.  Delgado flied out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Medders gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Melvin replaced Medders with Doug Slaten to begin the Top of the 7th.  Casanova drew a leadoff walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Diamondbacks turned the double play.  Easley is pinch hitting for Maine, and Easley grounded out to third.  Slaten gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Melvin replaced Slaten with Juan Cruz to begin the Top of the 8th.  (Reyes is in need of a Home Run to hit for the cycle) and Reyes drove the ball off of the high wall in dead center, and he attempted an inside the park home run but got thrown out easily at the plate (so he only ended up with another triple).  Church flied out to center.  (Wright is in need of a triple to hit for the cycle) and Wright struck out swinging.  Slaten gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Melvin replaced Slaten with Tony Pena to begin the Top of the 9th.  Pena pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pena gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Young led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Byrnes popped up to second.  Hudson flied out to left.  Jackson grounded hard to third, and it bounced off of Wright (Error on David Wright) and went into left field so Jackson is on first and Young advanced to second.  Reynolds grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to leave to D-Backs on base.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Upton drove a one-out stand up double off of the wall in dead center.  With Montero in the batters box, Maine threw a wild pitch so Upton moved over to third.  Miguel Montero drove the ball over Beltran’s head for a one-out RBI double, and Justin Upton came home to score.  With Owings at the plate, Maine threw another wild pitch so Upton is at third now.  Owings drew a one-out walk.  Chris Young grounded an RBI single up the middle which brought Miguel Montero home, and Owings moved over to second.  Maine fanned Byrnes.  Hudson popped up in foul territory along the left field line, and Wright made a beatiful diving catch to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Maine pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Owings drew a two-out walk.  Maine fanned Young.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Hudson pulled a one-out double down the right field line (Hudson injured himself on the play and had to leave the game so Ojeda replaced him.  Jackson lined the ball off of Delgado’s glove, and the ball went into right field so Jackson ended up with a one-out single and Ojeda advanced to third.  Maine fanned Reynolds.  Drew flied out to left to leave runners on the corners.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Maine retired the side in order.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Maine with Joe Smith to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Smith pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Drew drew a two-out walk.  Upton grounded a two-out single under the glove of Reyes, and Drew went first to third (I thought Wright tagged Drew in time).  Upton advanced to second when the throw was made at third.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Montero grounded out to third to leave to D-Backs on base.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Sanchez slammed the door on the D-Backs.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 7 - Arizona Diamondbacks 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (3-2) got the win and Micah Owings (4-1) got the loss.

So all it took for the Metsies to get hot was a little bit of sunshine.  The Mets continue to play unbelievable baseball in the desert.  You can just look at the scoreboard to see what type of game it was, and it went quickly for a game with 9 runs.  Maine was struggling, but he pitched 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs.  The bullpen put up gooseggs with Smith, Feliciano, and Sanchez.  The offense was smokin’ hot.  Reyes and Wright each nearly batted for the cycle.  Church batted in the 2 spot, and you know what that means…the Mets win.  It was Alou’s 2008 debut, and he had 1 Hit, 1 RBI, and he had 1 walk.

The Amazins’ stole a win from the D-Backs because the pitching matchup was in their favor.  Tomorrow, it’s in their favor again.  However, it’s in the Metropolitans favor on Sunday with Santana on the mound.  It was a great game.  The Diamondbacks were 20-8 so they can afford to take a few losses.  Maybe Pelfrey can steal another win from Arizona tomorrow so Santana can steer New York to an unlikely sweep.

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The Mets are out in Arizona right now.  The first game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks is set to take place in about an hour.  The way the pitching rotations are matching up is clearly in their favor because our ace doesn’t pitch until Sunday.  Fortunately, the Metsies have had success out in Arizona over the past few seasons so maybe that will continue.  Here’s the probable pitching matchups for this series:

• 05/02/2008 - John Maine (2-2) - Micah Owings (4-0)
• 05/03/2008 - Mike Pelfrey (2-1) - Brandon Webb (6-0)
• 05/04/2008 - Johan Santana (3-2) - Dan Haren (4-1)

Mets.com:

Prized acquisitions square off on TBS - Steve Gilbert pointed out that Dan Haren and Johan Santana will lead their new squads in front of a national audience on Sunday.

ROBINSON’S NEW PLAQUE UNVEILING POSTPONED - Mets.com reported that this event ismto be rescheduled for a date during the summer.

Newsday:

On air, Mets’ Wagner continues criticism of Perez - Jim Baumbach found out that Wagner had more to say about Oliver Perez in his weekly interview with Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN Radio.  How annoying is it to listen to Michael Kay?  I was listening to 1050 ESPN one day when I was driving because WFAN was in commercials.  Michael Kay was explaining how he need his toilet paper to come down.  As soon as my mind began to process an image of this dude dropping a duece, it grossed me out and I changed the dial back to WFAN.  What does Michael Kay taking a dump have to do with sports?  Good thing I’m not a Yankees fan because it’s tough to listen to that guy.  Kay on tv is better than Sterling on the radio.  If you’re a Yankees fan then you have nowhere to go to listen to the game, except in the Stadium where they have the best voice in sports.

Mets’ second spot in lineup: Go to Church! - David Lennon believes that the Mets perform better with Ryan Church in the 2 spot rather than Luis Castillo.

Mets’ Wright needs to step right up, knock club - Johnette Howard believes that Carlos Beltran or David Wright should also be calling out their teammates like Billy Wagner did after Wednesday’s whooping by the Pirates.

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday tells us what happened at Shea Stadium and at Yankee Stadium on May 2 of another year.

New York Daily News:

Mets not afraid of Snakes - Adam Rubin reminds us of all of the success the Mets have had in the desert.

New York Post:

TRYING NOT TO TRIP OUT WEST

REYES CAN’T SHAKE SLUMP

The Star-Ledger:

Welcome to the artist formerly known as the BOB

Mets need to bring ‘A’ game to Arizona

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The New York Mets (14-11) are playing Game 26 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-16) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the second game of the two-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Sanchez, Bay, Doumit, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Gomez, Gorzelanny.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Molina, Perez.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Bay drew a two-out walk.  Perez fanned Doumit to leave one stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Nady drew a leadoff walk.  Perez caught LaRoche looking at strike three.  Bautista drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gomez drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Tom Gorzelanny grounded slowly to second, and Castillo (Error on Luis Castillo) barely release the ball so it ended up on the ground while everbody is safe and Xavier Nady came home to score.  Nate McLouth drew a one-out walk which scored Jose Bautista.  Freddy Sanchez grounded a one-out RBI single up the middle so Chris Gomez came home to score, and the bases remained loaded.  Jason Bay hit a one-out sacrifice fly to center, and Tom Gorzelanny tagged up and scored.  Ryan Doumit pulled an RBI single over the third base bag which scored Nate McLouth, Sanchez went first to third, and Doumit got out of being caught in a rundown and advanced to second.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 4 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 2 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Nelson Figueroa Jr. with two outs in the Top of the 2nd.  Nady dumped a 2-run single into right which scored Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit.  LaRoche drew a two-out walk.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to stop whatever it is that I’m watching on television.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, McLouth grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez flied out right to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Nady drew a two-out walk.  LaRoche grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side which moved Nady to second.  Figueroa also caught Bautista looking to leave two Pirates on base.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Gomez grounded out to short.  Grozelanny popped up to short.  McLouth grounded a two-out double over the first base bag.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single into left as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Figueroa fanned Bay on three straight pitches to leave one Pirate on base.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 3.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Doumit led off by hitting a Ground Rule Double over the left field wall.  Xavier Nady drove a no-out RBI double to the gap in left center, and Ryan Doumit came around to score.  Sosa fanned LaRoche.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first while Nady advanced to third.  Gomez grounded to third, and Wright (Error on David Wright) bobbled the ball so Gomez was safe at first while Xavier Nady scored.  Bixler is pinch hitting for Gorzelanny, and Bixler hit a two-out broken bat single into right center as Gomez moved over to second.  Nate McLouth drove a two-out 2-run double over the head of Pagan which scored Chris Gomez and Brian Bixler.  Freddy Sanchez drove the ball to deep left field, and Pagan (Error on Angel Pagan) dropped the ball so Sanchez ended up with a double as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Bay lined out to short to end another ugly inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 5 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 7th.  Nady grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side (Mientkiewicz is pinch running for Nady).  LaRoche grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Heilman retired the side in order again.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Tom Gorzelanny (1-3) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran also drew a two-out walk.  Gorzelanny fanned Church to leave two Mets on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pagan drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gorzelanny struck out Molina on three pitches.  Figueroa lined out to center to leave one Met on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Grozelanny sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Gorzelanny caught Beltran staring at strike three.  Church drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Delgado grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side, and Church went first to third.  Pagan blooped the ball into shallow center, but Sanchez made the running catch.  Molina popped up to shallow right, and Nady made the catch leaving Mets standing on the corners.  Gorzelanny gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of 5th, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Castillo popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Doumit made the catch.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Gorzelanny left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Russell replaced Gorzelanny with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church drove a no-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and Carlos Beltran came all the way around to score.  Delgado grounded out to short.  Van Benschoten fanned Pagan.  Molina flied out to right to end the inning.  Van Benschoten gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Van Benschoten retired the side in order.  Van Benschoten gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Van Benschoten left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Russell replaced Van Benschoten with Evan Meek to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a leadoff walk.  With Beltran at the plate, Meek threw a passed ball so Wright moved over to second.  Beltran popped up to short, and Gomez made the catch.  Church grounded out to short.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Pagan also drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Molina grounded out to first to leave the bases juiced.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Meek retired the side in order.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 13 - New York Mets 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

The Mets already had to play a day game following a late extra innings night game.  Then, today’s game was delayed 40 minutes because a water main broke.  Oli was simply awful today.  He pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 7 runs while 5 were unearned.  The Mets made 3 errors today which made everything worse than it could’ve been.  The Bullpen allowed even more runs to score.  The offense isn’t even worth discussing since the Mets only put up 1 run on the scoreboard.  This was torture to watch.  On the Pirates, X-Man was on fire today.  Nady was 3 for 3, with 3 RBIs and 2 walks.  I hope Omar goes after him.  The Pirates put up 12 of their 13 runs in just 2 innings.

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The New York Mets (13-11) are playing Game 25 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-15) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Gomez, Sanchez, Bay, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Paulino, Snell.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Casanova, Chavez, Santana.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Nate McLouth led off with a solo shot to right.  Gomez grounded out to third.  Sanchez grounded out to second.  Santana fanned Bay.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, LaRoche drew a one-out walk.  Santana caught Bautista looking at strike three.  Paulino grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Jason Bay hit a one-out jack to left.  Nady flied out to left.  Santana fanned LaRoche.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Santana sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, McLouth drew a leadoff walk.  Santana got Gomez on a called strike three.  Sanchez flied out to left.  Bay drew a two-out walk.  Santana hit Nady in the arm to load the bases.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the 6th Inning.  LaRoche popped up to short to leave the bases full of Pirates.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Bautista grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Paulino drew a no-out walk.  Morgan is pinch hitting for Marte, and Morgan popped out in shallow left.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 7th.  McLouth grounded to second, and Castillo tagged Paulino as he was running to second.  With Gomez in the batters box, Schoeneweis threw a passed ball.  Casanova threw the ball to Schoeneweis who tagged out Bautista as he was going home.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Gomez led off with a line drive into left field.  Sanchez pulled a no-out double down the left field line, and Gomez went from first to third.  Sanchez fanned Bay.  Nady drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Adam LaRoche drew a one-out walk to bring home Chris Gomez.  Bautista grounded to third, and Wright made the force out at home.  Paulino popped up to shallow right, and Castillo made the catch.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Doumit is pinch hitting for Grabow, and Doumit grounded to short.  Delgado couldn’t hold onto the catch from Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) so the Pirates have a leadoff runner on base (Bixler is pinch running for Doumit).  With McLouth in the batters box, Wagner threw a wild pitch so Bixler moved over to second.  Wagner got McLouth swinging at strike three.  Gomez grounded out to short as Bixler advanced to third.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single to the gap in right center, and Brian Bixler came home to tie up the game.  Wagner fanned Bay.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Top of the 10th, LaRoche hit a one-out opposite field double off of the wall in left field.  Bautista flied out to center.  Paulino grounded out to short to leave LaRoche standing on second.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 11th.  Gomez grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez popped up to shallow center, and Beltran made the catch.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

At the Plate

Ian Snell (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes dropped a bunt in front of home plate and beat out the throw for a leadoff single.  With Castillo at the plate, Paulino threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Castillo flied out to left.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first to leave Wright on base.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Snell retired the side in order.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Chavez flied out to center.  Santana flied out to right.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Pirates turned the double play to end the inning.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church tied up the game with a one-out 2-run homer to right scoring Carlos Beltran.  Delgado flied out to left.  Casanova grounded out to first to end the inning.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Chavez led off with a line drive to left.  Santana attempted to bunt on strike three, but he missed the ball.  Jose Reyes hit a one-out RBI triple off of the right field wall, and Endy Chavez came around to score.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  David Wright grounded to short, and Sanchez (Error on Freddy Sanchez) mishandled the throw from Gomez so everybody is safe and Jose Reyes scored.  Beltran drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Snell gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Snell left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Russell replaced Snell with Damaso Marte with one out in the Bottom of the 5th.  Marte caught Church staring at ball four which resulted in a strike out.  Marte fanned Delgado.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Marte worked a 1-2-3 inning.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Russell replaced Marte with Tyler Yates to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  Yates fanned Wright.  Beltran flied out to left near the line.  Church grounded out to second to leave two Mets on base.  Yates gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Russell replaced Yates with John Grabow to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Chavez lined a two-out single into shallow center.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Grabow fanned Pagan to end the inning.  Grabow gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Russell replaced Grabow with Franquelis Osoria to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Reyes led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Castillo dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright flied out to right, and Reyes stayed put.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave Reyes on base.  Osoria gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Osorio retired the side in order.  Osorio gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Russell replaced Osorio with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Chavez hit a broken bat single up the middle to give the Mets a leadoff runner.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Van Benschoten was called for a Balk so Chavez moved over to second base.  Anderson dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Chavez advanced to third.  Van Benschoten intentionally walked Reyes.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes went to second and it was called defensive indifference.  Castillo drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  The Wright Stuff crushed an opposite field single that hit right of the foul poul and fell in fair territory so Endy Chavez came home to score.  Van Benschoten gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 4 - New York Mets 5 (In 11).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Another game, another win.  Santana gave up two solo shots.  He threw a lot of pitches, and he only went 5.2 innings.  The Mets got off to a slow start tonight offensively.  Church tied up the game at 2 in the 4th.  Jose was on base 6 times tonight and went 3 for 6.  Endy was 3 for 5.  Wright was 0-4 before he hit the walkoff.  I wish that the Mets didn’t have to go to extra innings against the Pirates, but it is what it is.

The Metropolitans are 14-11 now.  The Mets will host the Pirates again tomorrow for a day game.  After that, they head out west.

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The New York Mets (11-9) are playing Game 21 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-16) at Nationals Park.  It’s the final game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Happy 31st Birthday to Carlos Beltran!

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Casanova, Perez.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Kearns, Pena, Boone, Harris, Nieves, Hill.

At the Plate

Shawn Hill (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Hill sent the Mets down in order on nine pitches.  Hill gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church drove a one-out double off of the wall in left center.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the out at first as Church advanced to third.  Pagan grounded out to short to leave Church on third.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Casanova pulled a ground ball through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Nieves made the out at first while Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes grounded out to first, and Casanova advanced to third.  Luis Castillo lined an RBI single into shallow center which brought Raul Casanova home to score.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave two Mets stranded.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Church drew a leadoff walk.  Hill got Delgado to chase strike three.  With Pagan in the batters box, Church stole second.  Pagan drew a one-out walk.  Casanova flied out to center, and Church tagged up and went to third.  Oliver Perez grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Ryan Church and Pagan went first to third.  Reyes flied out to right to end the inning with runners on the corners.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castillo grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  With Wright in the batters box, Hill threw a wild pitch so Castillo advanced to second.  Hill got Wright to stare at ball four, but the Umpire called it a strike.  With Beltran at the plate, Hill attempted to pick off Castillo and the ball hit Castillo and went into center so Castillo went to third.  Hill caught Beltran looking at strike three.  Ryan Church lined a two-out RBI single into right field, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the force out at second to end the inning.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Hill left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Acta replaced Hill with Michael O’Connor to begin the Top of the 6th.  Casanova drove a one-out single off of the wall in center field.  Perez bunted and the ball landed into the glove of the pitcher, but O’Connor dropped it and then only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.  O’Connor gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced O’Connor with Saul Rivera to begin the Top of the 7th.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-out solo shot that barely got over the high wall in right field.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ayala sent the Mets down in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Jon Rauch to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Marlon Anderson led off with a solo shot to right.  Reyes grounded a no-out single up the middle.  Castillo grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  Wright flied out to center, and Reyes tagged up and went to third.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  With Church at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Church flied out to center to leave two Mets on base.  Rauch gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Harris flied out to right field to leave one man on base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Nieves drew a leadoff walk.  Hill dropped down a sacrifice bunt down in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as Nieves moved over to second.  Lopez drew a one-out walk.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to leave two Nationals stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Zimmerman beat out an infield hit to short for a leadoff single.  Kearns lined out to center.  Perez fanned Pena.  Boone popped up near first, and Castillo made the out to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Harris drew a leadoff walk.  Nieves grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Harris advanced to second.  Belliard is pinch hitting for Hill, and Perez walked Belliard to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez grounded a no-out 2-run single up the middle which scored Willie Harris and Wil Nieves, and Belliard moved over to second.  Guzman lined out to center, and Belliard tagged up and went to third.  Ryan Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Ronnie Belliard came home to score and Lopez moved over to second.  Kearns grounded hard to third, but a diving Wright made the stop and the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pena grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Boone lined a no-out single over the head of Reyes and into left, and Pena moved over to second.  Harris dropped a bunt down in front of home plate, and Perez got the lead runner out at third.  Nieves grounded to first, and Delgado tagged the base as the runners advanced.  Milledge is pinch hitting for O’Connor so Randolph is making a pitching change.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Aaron Heilman with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Milledge drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez crushed a Grand Slam to right off of Heilman which scored Aaron Boone, Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge, and of course himself.  It’s like deja vu.  How many times do I have to watch that?  Guzman lined a two-out single to center.  Zimmerman lined a single into left, and Guzman advanced to second.  Heilman fanned Kearns to end the end of the Mets chances to sweep this mini-series.  Heilman gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Boone grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) misfielded it so Boone is on base with one out.  Harris drew a one-out walk.  Wil Nieves grounded a two-out RBI single under the glove of Delgado and into right field as Aaron Boone came around to score and Harris held up at third.  Estrada is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Johnny Estrada grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Willie Harris while Nieves advanced to second.  Lopez popped up in foul ground near third, and Wright made the catch.  Cristian Guzman lined a two-out single to right which brought Wil Nieves around to score and Estrada went first to third.  Zimmerman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to end another inning of hell.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pena grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Felician fanned Boone.  Harris grounded out to short to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Washington Nationals 10.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-1) got the loss and Shawn Hill (1-0) got the win.

All I can say is that it started out well.  The Mets were in complete control of this game until the Nationals tied it up in the Bottom of the 5th.  Then the Nats just kept scoring like Forest Gump kept running.  And just like the Yankees, the Mets got attacked by Gnats.  So Johan saved us yesterday, but Oli couldn’t provide the Mets with the opportunity to win the ballgame.  Then came the Heilman/Sosa tandem…they allowed 5 runs combined.  How are we going to win this series against the Braves this weekend if we can’t sweep a two-game series against the Nats?

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