Die Hard Sports Fan

Due to last night’s rainout, the Pirates and the Mets will only play a two-game series.  Last night’s game will be made up on August 11, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ET.  Johan Santana and John Maine will be the starting pitches in the two-game set.  These are the Pirates so I’m looking forward to a mini-sweep.

Mets.com:

Series opener vs. Bucs postponed - Marty Noble lets us know that last night’s Pirates-Mets game is to be made up on Aug. 11 at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Delgado looks to stay hot vs. Bucs - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

MUSEUM TO UNVEIL NEW ROBINSON PLAQUE SATURDAY - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will unveil a new plaque of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, featuring updated language to further honor his legacy, this Saturday, May 3, at 1:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Gallery. The ceremony will feature Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, as she shares her thoughts on her late husband’s legacy.

Alou’s MRI postponed - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou was unable to fly to New York early enough to make it to the Doctor yesterday because of the weather.  Alou had to postpone his visit to the foot Doctor until today.

Newsday:

Mets’ Delgado: I wasn’t sending message to fans - Katie Strang found out what Carlos Delgado had to say about not coming out of the dugout when the fans called for a curtain call.  Delgado said,

I hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. We were winning by two. All I did was add another run. I didn’t think that was the right moment. It wasn’t a walk-off home run, it wasn’t a tiebreaking home run. It was a home run in April.

Rain puts Santana’s return to Shea on hold

New York Daily News:

Carlos Delgado says staying in dugout was his choice and not slight to fans

All wrong bringing David Wright into Carlos Delgado’s mess of nonsense

Media to Met fans: Boooo!

Curtain call Q&A with Carlos Delgado

Jane Jarvis recalls the happy times and tunes at Shea

Johan Santana goes after rainout - Roger Rubin informed us that Johan Santana will make the start tonight even after he was supposed to pitch last night, but the game got rained out.

Brian Schneider gets swell news - Roger Rubin reported that Brian Schneider could return shortly from an infection in his left thumb.

New York Post:

DELGADO NOT BUYING BOOS

THUMBS DOWN FOR SCHNEIDER

CURTAIN SNUB DESERVES CHEER

METS-PIRATES RAINED OUT

New York Times:

Nady Could Fill the Void He Left

Delgado Will Wait to Take His Bow

The Star-Ledger:

Delgado has no regrets about curtain-call snub

Revised pitching rotation - Colin Stephenson tells us how the rotation was affected by the rainout.

Mets rained out

Some days, it rains

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So I had a wonderful time at the wedding in S.C., and now I’m back.  I feel like I missed so much between the NFL Draft, the Braves-Mets series, and the Rangers-Penguins series.

So the Mets were able to take two-out-of-three from the Braves, which is awesome.  I only watched Friday’s game so far.  I’m in the Top of the 4th of Saturday’s game now.  Beginning tonight, the Mets will host a three-game series with the Pirates.  Here’s a look at the probable pitching matchups:

• 04/28/2008 - Ian Snell (2-1) - Johan Santana (3-2)
• 04/29/2008 - Tom Gorzelanny (1-3) - Oliver Perez (2-1)
• 04/30/2008 - Zach Duke (0-2) - Mike Pelfrey (2-1)

Mets.com:

Mailbag: What about Alou at first? - Marty Noble answers Mets fans’ questions.

Next up for Mets is Pirates, Snell - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Newsday:

Delgado (2 HRs) snubs curtain call in Mets win

Church chips in with big catch, deft sidestep

Possible fracture slows Alou’s return to Mets - Anthony Rieber reported that Moises Alou might have a fracture in his left ankle.  Rieber wrote,

Minaya said a CT scan taken Friday showed “there might be potentially a slight fracture in there.” Alou is scheduled to travel to New York today for a possible MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery. “The CT scan shows something,” Minaya said. “What that something is, they want to be able to see here in New York.”

New York Daily News:

Carlos Delgado’s two homers power Mets past Braves, 6-3 - Peter Botte summarized yesterday’s game between the Braves and the Mets.

Applaud slumping Carlos Delgado for tuning out Shea cheers

Arm woes hit John Smoltz - Roger Rubin reported that John Smoltz had to have his shoulder looked at by medical staff after yesterday’s outing.

Moises Alou to have MRI as ankle delays return

New York Post:

NO CURTAIN FOR CARLOS

WAGNER SEES STREAK GO OUT WITH A BLOOP

NEGATIVITY ALWAYS AT-BAT

UNLUCKY BREAK FOR ALOU

New York Times:

Delgado Homers Twice but Isn’t Taking Any Bows

The Star-Ledger:

Fan Blogger: Snub just puts more pressure on Delgado

Mets-fans relationship on the rocks despite win

Alou’s ankle could keep OF out even longer

Delgado opts to ignore fans’ curtain call

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 Yesterday, I asked for Johan to save us.  The game was 2-2 for a while so I wasn’t sure if he was going to stop the bleeding, and then the Metropolitans put together a rally in the Top of the 6th to give the Mets a 5-2 lead.  At that point, I felt much better.  The Mets tacked on two more runs in the Top of the 9th.  So we all need to thank Santana for stopping the 3-game skid.  Now we need Oli to pitch a gem so we can sweep the Nats.

Mets.com:

Do-it-all ace ends Mets’ slide - Anthony DiComo tips his cap to Johan Santana for last night’s outing.

Church, Schneider glad to be with Mets - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Mets to pay tribute to Lang - MLB.com wrote, “The Mets are to pay tribute to Jack Lang and raise funds for the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island Saturday afternoon before and during their game at Shea Stadium against the Braves. The club the late baseball writer began covering in 1962 is to present a program prior to the 1:10 p.m. game and present video clips about Lang between innings.”

Delgado drops to sixth in Mets’ lineup - Anthony DiComo informed us that Willie Randolph moved Carlos Delgado to the sixth spot in the rotation last night.

Schneider dares Nats baserunners - Anthony DiComo pointed out the Brian Schneider was back in the lineup to face his former team last night.

Newsday:

Santana does it all as Mets end three-game slide

Breaking news: Harold Reynolds joins SNY - Neil Best reported that SNY hired Harold Reynolds as a part-time studio analyst.  I am very disappointed with SNY for hiring a guy who was fired by ESPN for allegations of sexual harrassment.  He must’ve done something wrong if he got fired for allegations.

Reyes, do you want to be a Jeter or a Rey Ordonez? - Wallace Matthews brainstorms the question in the title about Jose Reyes.

Mets’ Delgado dropped to sixth in batting order

New York Daily News:

Johan Santana, Mets beat Nationals - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s Mets-Nationals game as well.

Harold Reynolds joins SNY as Mets analyst - At the bottom of this article written by Bob Raissman, SNY’s executive producer, Curt Gowdy Jr., stated, “We are always looking to make the product stronger. Harold’s studio experience, keen insight, and strong relationships with current and former players will enhance our baseball coverage.”  Apparently, making the product stronger comes before the safety of the women in the workplace.  Obviously, SNY is a NY media outlet.  What if your sister worked there and Reynolds sexually harrased her, what would you think about it or do about it?

Willie Randolph shakes up order

Brian Schneider’s catching up - Adam Rubin also noted that Schneider played last night.

New York Post:

CHURCH HOPES TO SCHOOL NATS

AMAZIN’ STOPPER

DEEP SIXED - Bart Hubbuch also wrote an article about Delgado being moved down in the lineup.

SCHNEIDER SHAKES OFF BAD FOREARM BRUISE

SANTANA, METS BEAT NATIONALS

SCHNEIDER RETURNS TO SLUMPING METS

New York Times:

Santana Helps Mets End Skid at 3

To Raise Their Offense, the Mets Lower Delgado

The Star-Ledger:

Mets’ Schneider sent home with thumb infection - Apparantely returning to the lineup wasn’t such a good idea for Schneider.  Brian was sent to New York to have his thumb checked out at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

Mets need a sweep

Santana puts brakes on Mets’ skid

Randolph defends Delgado

Nice rally… - Dan Graziano takes us through the Top of the 6th of last night’s Mets-Nats game.

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The New York Mets (10-9) are playing Game 20 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-15) at Nationals Park.  It’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

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

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Johnson, Kearns, Milledge, Pena, Nieves, Redding.

At the Plate

Tim Redding (3-1) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Redding sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 BBs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran pulled a leadoff double into the right field corner.  Church grounded to first, and Johnson tagged first base as Beltran moved over to third.  Carlos Delgado hit an RBI ground out to second, and Carlos Beltran came home to score.  Pagan grounded out to first to end the inning.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana lined a one-out standup double over the head of Milledge.  Reyes flied out to left.  Redding caught Castillo looking at strike three to leave Santana standing on second.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Church grounded to first, and Johnson tagged first as Beltran advanced to second.  Delgado grounded out to second to leave Beltran on second.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Santana also drew a one-out walk.  Reyes grounded to short, and Guzman only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes stole second safely.  Luis Castillo hit a chopper towards second base, and Castillo beat out the throw to first as Brian Schneider came home to score and Reyes advanced to third.  Wright grounded out to short to leave runners on the corners.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Beltran lined a leadoff single into left.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Redding left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Acta replaced Redding with Ray King after facing one batter in the Top of the 6th.  Church grounded a slow spinning ball to third, and Zimmerman (2 Base Error on Ryan Zimmerman) made a bad throw to first so Church ended up on third and Carlos Beltran came around to score.  Delgado popped up in foul territory along the third base line, and Zimmerman made the out.  Angel Pagan grounded towards first base, and King hit Pagan with the throw to first so he was safe and Ryan Church scored.  With Schneider at the plate, Pagan stole second.  Then Pagan stole third.  Brian Schneider grounded to the pitcher, and the ball deflected off of King’s glove and landed in Guzman’s glove.  Guzman made the out at first as Angel Pagan came home to score.  Santana pulled the ball into the right field corner for his second standup double of the night.  King gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Saul Rivera with two outs in the Top of the 6th.  Reyes grounded out to third to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Rivera with Joel Hanrahan to begin the Top of the 8th.  Delgado grounded a one-out single to deep short.  Pagan flied out to left.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Santana, and Anderson flied out to left to end the inning.  Schneider lined a single into center, and Delgado went first to third.  Hanrahan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Harahan with Jesus Colome to begin the Top of the 9th.  Colome fanned Reyes on three pitches.  Castillo lined a one-out single into right.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first, and Castillo advanced to third and Wright to second.  Ryan Church lined a two-out 2-run single over the head of Kearns in right which scored Luis Castillo and David Wright.  Delgado lined out to left to end the inning.  Colome gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Guzman lined a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Zimmerman flied out to the warning track in left.  Johnson grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pena grounded hard to third, but he beat out the throw by Wright for a two-out single.  Nieves grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Pena advanced to second.  Santana fanned Redding to leave two Nationals stranded.  Santana gave 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Guzman lined a one-out single over the head of Reyes and into left field.  Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Guzman moved over to second.  Santana caught Johnson staring at strike three to leave Guzman on second.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pena lined a two-out single into left field.  Nieves lined a two-out single into right, and Pena moved over to third.  Tim Redding drove a two-out 2-run double that one-hopped the wall in left center scoring Wily Mo Pena and Wil Nieves.  Lopez grounded out to second to leave Redding standing on second.  Santana gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Santana pitched his first 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Santana retired the side again.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Boone is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Boone drew a one-out walk.  Lopez grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Sanchez sent the Nationals down in order.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Kearns drew a leadoff walk.  Wagner struck out Milledge on three straight pitches.  Pena flied out to center.  With Nieves in the batters box, Kearns stole second.  Wagner fanned Nieves.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 7 - Washington Nationals 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (3-2) got the win and Ted Lilly (3-2) got the loss.

The stopper, Santana, did his job tonight by holding the Nats to 2 runs.  The 3-game losing streak is over, and the Mets have a chance to sweep this mini-series before coming home to battle the Braves over the weekend.  Santana pitched 7 innings so Willie didn’t have to make 4 pitching changes in an inning.  Sanchez and Wagner put up O’s in the eigth and ninth.  Beltran was smoking hot tonight.  Castillo had two hits tonight.  One of them didn’t really count as a hit, but the other was a line drive to right.  I tought when Castillo lined out to center was his best hit of the night, but it was caught by Milledge because Milledge was playing shallow.  Church had two hits as well.  So did Santana…2 standup doubles baby.  Pay your respects to him.

The Mets are 11-9 now.  I’m just waiting for them to get on a roll.

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Yesterday was yesterday, and today is a new day.  I hope that brighter days are coming now.  It’s imperative because the Mets are going to face the Nationals and the Braves for five games.  These are the games that matter more than any other.  If the Mets can walk out of D.C. with a mini-sweep then maybe it will give them enough mojo to win the series against the Braves over the weekend.

Here’s a picture of the new Nationals Park which replaced the ugliest stadium in sports, RFK.  I went there once, and they needed a new stadium.  If you never made the trip to RFK then you didn’t miss anything.  Anyway, Washington is only 2-5 in their new park so New York doesn’t need to make it easier for them to get closer to a winning record at home.  Santana is on the mound tonight, and he has to stop the bleeding.

Mets.com:

Capital time to visit Washington, D.C. - Jon Greenberg put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Alou finding timing in rehab outings

 Can’t Compare - Anthony DiComo is taking in Yankees and Mets games on the same day — in Chicago.

Newsday:

Trouble at first glance - David Lennon summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Pedro can return to mound in 10-14 days - David Lennon found out that Pedro Martinez can return to the mound in 10-14 days.  At that point in time, Martinez will need about three weeks before he can return to the Mets.

DEBATE: Who hurts his team more: Delgado or Giambi?

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Find out what happened on today’s date at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.

New York Daily News:

Don’t expect to see El Duque or Pedro Martinez soon - Adam Rubin informs us about Mets injuries.

Met bullpen implodes against Cubs - Adam Rubin criticizes how the Mets bullpen performed in Chicago.

New York Post:

LIFELESS METS PUT TO SWEEP - Bart Hubbuch asks where the offense was in the Mets-Cubs series.

SOSA FAR, SOSA NOT GOOD - Bart Hubbuch pointed out how poorly Jorge Sosa has been so far.

HEILMAN NO WORRY TO WILLIE - Willie Randolph had this to say about Aaron Heilman’s struggles, “He’s just going to have to make pitches. That’s the life of a set-up guy. I’m going to use him like I’ve been using him. He’s healthy, and I’m not ready to reduce his role a month into the season. He’s fine. He’s strong. It’s early. That [workload] will even out later on. I’m not concerned about it.”

New York Times:

For a Day, Chicago Becomes a New York Kind of Town - Jack Curry wrote up an article about how the Mets played the Cubs and how the Yankees played the White Sox on the same day in Chicago.

The Star-Ledger:

Delgado looking powerless - Jeremy Cothran breaks down the struggling Carlos Delgado.

Infield blunder opens floodgates

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Losing a two-game series 15-2 is very deflating.  Maybe the flights had a little bit to do with it, but the Mets played some ugly baseball the last two days.  Maybe a change of scenery will make a difference.  The next stop is at our nation’s capital for a two-game series with the Nationals.  Here’s a look at the pitching matchups:

• 04/23/2008 - Johan Santana (2-2) - Tim Redding (3-1)
• 04/24/2008 - Oliver Perez (2-0) - Shawn Hill (0-0)

Mets.com:

Offensive well runs dry in Chicago - Jon Greenberg summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Mets making do with bumps, bruises - Jon Greenberg discusses the injury status of the Mets.

Put simply, Mets outplayed by Cubs - Anthony DiComo summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Majors dream continues for Figueroa - Anthony DiComo wrote up a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Confident Pagan accepting of role - According to Anthony DiComo, Angel Pagan has no problem returning to a backup once Alou returns.

Schneider sits for second straight game - Anthony DiComo reported that Brian Schnieder will sit out in today’s game as well.

Newsday:

Another strong outing for Maine but no W - David Lennon also summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Pagan will soon find it tough to get playing time

New York Daily News:

Mets get slammed as Ronny Cedeno powers Cubs to victory - The AP summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Met bullpen implodes against Cubs - Adam Rubin summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs also.

Billy Wagner dogs Hank’s take on Joba, thinks rookie should stay in bullpen

Shea, Meadowlands among facilities helping spread green message

HoJo: Carlos Delgado not in slump - Adam Rubin captured the thoughts of Howard Johnson on Carlos Delgado’s lack of offense.  Here’s what HoJo said about Delgado:

It’s possible to have good at-bats without hits. Carlos has been a guy who has been very competitive in that he has not gotten himself out as much. During that Phillies series, one day, he was like 12 inches total from having three or four hits. Those things change the numbers. Those are good, quality at-bats. … He wasn’t getting himself out like the Carlos of last year. Last year I saw him get himself out a lot - when you’re ahead in the count chasing balls you shouldn’t be chasing.

New York Post:

METS SLAMMED BY CUBS - The AP put wrote up a game summary for today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

DAZED AND ABUSED - Bart Hubbuch put together a game summary for last night’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

DELGADO’S NO BIG HIT - Bart Hubbuch talks about Delgado’s lack of success.

RYAN’S BEEN ALL RIGHT - Brett Cyrgalis compliments Ryan Church for his early season success.

New York Times:

Offense Again Fails Mets in Chicago - Ben Shpigel provided a game summary for today’s Mets-Cubs game.

Mets Say Delgado Is Not Playing as Badly as He Looks

The Star-Ledger:

Mets fall to Cubs, 8-1

Checkin in from the North Side - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineups for today’s Mets-Cubs game.

Cubs flatten Mets

Schneider sits for another night

Final: Cubs 7, Mets 1

Game 18: Mets-Cubs - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineups for last night’s Mets-Cubs game.

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The New York Mets (10-8) are playing Game 19 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Chicago Cubs (13-6) at Wrigley Field.  It’s the second game of the two-game series, and the final game of 2008 at Wrigley Field.  The game began at 2:20 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Clark, Casanova, Figueroa.

Cubs Lineup: Johnson, Pie, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, DeRosa, Cedeno, Blanco, Lilly.

At the Plate

Ted Lilly (0-3) was the starting pitcher for the Cubs.  In the Top of the 1st, Lilly sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Lilly retired the middle of the lineup in order.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Lilly now pitched perfectly the first time through the lineup.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Lilly got Reyes swinging at strike three.  Pagan drove a one-out double into the gap in right center.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran also drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Delgado popped up in shallow left, and Cedeno made the out.  Easley popped up to shallow right, and DeRosa made the catch to leave the bases juiced.  Lilly gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Clark led off by lining a single into right.  Casanova grounded slowly to third, and Ramirez made the out at first as Clark moved over to second.  Figueroa grounded out to short.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Pagan popped up to second base to leave two Mets on.  Lilly gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th,  Beltran drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Delgado lined a one-out single into right.  Easley dropped a one-out single into shallow right.  Brady Clark grounded to second, but DeRosa only got the out at second so Carlos Delgado came home to score.  Casanova grounded to short, and Cedeno made the force out at second to leave two Mets on.  Lilly gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Lilly left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Piniella replaced Lilly with Bob Howry to begin the Top of the 7th.  Howry sent the Mets down in order.  Howry gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Piniella replaced Howry with Carlos Marmol to begin the Top of the 8th.  Marmol breezed right through the Mets.  Marmol gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Piniella replaced Marmol with Kevin Hart to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Anderson drew a one-out walk.  Casanova grounded a one-out single up the middle, and Anderson advanced to second.  Chavez grounded to first, and Lee made the force out at second as Anderson moved over to third.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the game.  Hart gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Figueroa pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Ramirez drew a leadoff walk.  Fukudome grounded the ball to first under the glove of Delgado and into right field so Fukudome arrived safely at first as Ramirez went first to third.  DeRosa drew a no-out walk to load the bases.  Figueroa fanned Cedeno on three straight pitches.  Blanco grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to get Figueroa out of a jam.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Pie grounded a hard two-out single to first which hit Delgado and went into right field.  Lee lined out to left to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Fukudome grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  DeRosa flied out to center.  Ronny Cedeno lined a two-out double into the right field corner, and Kosuke Fukudome came around to score.  Figueroa intentionally walked Blanco.  Lilly grounded to second, but nobody covered first so Lilly beat out the play to load the bases.  Reed Johnson lined a two-out 2-run single into left scoring Mark DeRosa and Ronny Cedeno.  Pie grounded out to first to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lee drew a leadoff walk.  Ramirez flied out to right.  Fukudome drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  DeRosa flied out to right, and Lee tagged up and went to third.  Cedeno lined out to right to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Blanco led off by grounding a single under Reyes and into left.  Fontenot is pinch hitting for Lilly.  This move brought Randolph to out to the mount to make a pitching change.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Scott Schoeneweis with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Fontenot dropped down a sacrifice bunt along the first base line, and Scoeneweis made the out at first as Blance advanced to second.  Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Pie grounded right in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Lee flied out to the warning track in dead center, but Beltran made the out to leave two Cubs on base.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Ramirez grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the left side.  Fukudome drove a no-out double that one-hopped the wall, and Rameriz went first to third.  Mark DeRosa lined an RBI single into right center, and Aramis Ramirez came home to score and Fukudome advanced to third.  Smith caught Cedeno swining at ball four to strike him out.  Smith gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Soto is pinch hitting for Blanco, and Feliciano threw a wild pitch to Soto so DeRosa moved over to second.  Soto drew an intentional walk to load the bases.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Murton is pinch hitting for Howry, and Murton grounded to first so Delgado made the out at home.  Johnson popped up to second to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Pie lined a leadoff single into right.  Lee grounded a no-out single through the hole on the right side, and Pie moved over to second.  Ramirez flied out to the warning track in left.  Fukudome drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  DeRosa grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at home as DeRosa beat out the relay throw to first.  Ronny Cedeno smacked a Grand Slam near the foul poul in left scoring Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and Mark DeRosa.  Soto lined a two-out single into left.  Marquis popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the catch to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Chicago Cubs 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-1) got the loss and Ted Lilly (1-3) got the win.

OUCH!!!  It bothered me a little bit when the Mets lost the final game of the Phillies series, but I figured that the Mets would recover quickly and sweep this mini-series.  As you can tell by the scoreboard, the Mets got stomped twice by the Cubies.  The Mets starters pitched decently.  Wright was the one that stopped driving in the runs.  He’s been the only one doing that for the Mets so if he stops then the Mets only put up a run a game which isn’t enough.  This Cedeno kid beat the Mets by himself.

The Mets need to get out of Chicago ASAP.  Maybe things will turn around as soon as they get off the plane in Washington.  The Mets are 10-9 now.  They are disappointing me right now.

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The New York Mets (8-6) are playing Game 15 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies (8-8) at Citizens Bank Park.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

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

Phillies Lineup: Taguchi, Werth, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Ruiz, Bruntlett, Hamels.

At the Plate

Cole Hamels (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Top of the 1st, Church drew a one-out walk.  With Wright in the batters box, Hamels threw a passed ball so Church advanced to second.  David Wright drove an RBI double off the left field wall which scored Ryan Church.  Beltran lined out to short, and Wright was in between second and third so the Phillies turned the double play to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a two-out single through the middle.  Castillo flied out to left to end the inning leaving one stranded.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 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 on four pitches.  Church flied out to the warning track in center.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole second safely (However, Reyes slid into Utley’s knee which knocked the wind out of him for a minute.  Randolph and the trainors checked him out on field, and they let him play on.).  David Wright lined an RBI triple that a diving Werth couldn’t catch so the ball kept rolling toward the fence, and Jose Reyes came around to score.  Beltran flied out to left to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Schneider lined a two-out double into right.  Castillo grounded out to third, and Feliz made the out at first to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hamels pitched his first 1-2-3 inning.  Hamels gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Wright lined a leadoff single into left (Wright needs a home run for the cycle).  Beltran grounded out to short, and Bruntlett made the force out at second.  Delgado popped up to second.  Pagan lined a two-out single into right, and Beltran moved over to second.  Schneider flied out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Hamels gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Hamels sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Hamels gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Church led off pulling the ball off the wall in the right field corner for a single.  Wright lined a no-out double into the left field corner, and Church went first to third.  Hamels intentionally walked Beltran to load the bases.  Hamels gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Hamels left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Manuel replaced Hamels with J.C. Romero with no outs in the Top of the 8th.  Carlos Delgado grounded an RBI single to first, but Howard bobbled the ball and made the tag at first as Ryan Church came home to score.  Angel Pagan lined a one-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and David Wright came around to score and Beltran moved over to third.  Brian Schneider grounded a one-out RBI single through the hole on the left side scoring Carlos Beltran and Pagan advanced to third.  Castillo grounded to third, and Feliz made the out at first as Schneider moved over to second.  Romero fanned Santana to end the inning.  Romero gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Brad Lidge to begin the Top of the 9th.  Church lined a one-out single into right.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran grounded to first, and Howard (Error on Ryan Howard) deflected the ball so everyone was safe.  Carlos Delgado sacrifice flied to left, and Ryan Church came home to score.  With Pagan in the batters box, Lidge threw a wild pitch so both runners advanced.  Pagan flied out to left to end the inning.  Lidge gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (1-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Santana sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Burrell lined a one-out single into left.  Feliz lined out to center.  Ruiz checked his swing, but the Umpire said he went around to leave one runner aboard.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Utley grounded a one-out single through the legs of Delgado (Error on Carlos Delgado).  Santana caught Howard to chase strike three.  Burrell lined out to center to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Santana retired the side.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Santana sent the Phillies down in order for the second straight inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of thr 7th, Chase Utley led off the inning with a solo shot to deep center field.  Howard grounded out to first.  Santana struck Burrell out swinging.  Feliz grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Ruiz lined a leadoff single into left field.  Bruntlett lined a no-out single into shallow center, and Ruiz moved over to second.  Coste has been announced as a pinch hitter.  Santana gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning. Santana left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 10 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Aaron Heilman with no outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Dobbs is pinch hitting for Coste, and Greg Dobbs jacked a 3-Run shot to right field scoring Carlos Ruiz, Eric Bruntlett, and himself.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Taguchi, and Jenkins flied out to right center.  Werth grounded out to second.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Feliciano struck out Utley swinging to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Wagner retired the side in order to get the save.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 6 - Philadelphia Phillies 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (2-2) got the win and Cole Hamels (2-2) got the loss.

The Mets are on a roll now.  They just won four straight division games.  Santana pitched a gem tonight against Hamels who also pitched well.  Wright continues to lead this team by going 4-4 at the plate, he drove in two runs, and he had a walk.  Delgado had two RBIs without even getting a hit, but he made positive outs.  Most of the lineup contributed to tonight’s offensive attack which is a good thing.  The only issue I had tonight was the 3-run homer by the pinch hitter Dobbs.  Heilman continues to give those up.  Fortunately, the Mets added an insurance run in the Top of the 9th, and held onto the lead.  Hopefully the Mets will be able to win at least two out of three this weekend down in Philly.

The Mets are 9-6 now which moved them into 1st Place.  Atlanta is the only team in the division that is still in progress, but they only have 6 wins and can’t skip my boys in orange and blue.  See what a 4-game winning streak can do?  Let’s see if the Mets can run away with the division now.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 14 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  It’s the final game of the three-game series, and the Mets have the opportunity to take the brooms out tonight.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.Nationals Lineup: Guzman, Belliard, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Pena, Nieves, Lannan.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Delgado, Pagan, Clark, Casanova, Castillo, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Belliard drew a one-out walk before Figueroa had back-to-back strike outs to Zimmerman and Johnson.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the Nats down in order.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Zimmerman grounded to first, but it bounced off of Maine and towards Reyes so Zimmerman beat out the play for an one-out single.  Johnson crushed a one-out 2-run homer over the right field fence scoring Zimmerman and himself.  Milledge dropped a one-out single into shallow right field.  Kearns grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first but Milledge took off for third so Delgado threw the ball to Wright and Milledge slid in safely.  Pena popped up to third to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Lannan lined the ball to the pitcher, and Figueroa caught the line drive with his back to the plate (It was beautiful).  Figueroa sent the Nationals down 1-2-3.  Nieves gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pena drew a two-out walk.  Nieves flied out to right.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman retired the side.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner retired the side.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 10th.  Nieves drew a two-out walk.  Harris flied out to center.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Top of the 11th, Guzman lined to third but the ball bounced off of Wright’s glove so the Nationals have a leadoff runner.  Belliard bunted in foul territory and Casanova dove for it to make the catch.  Sanchez got Zimmerman to chase strike three.  Sanchez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Milledge grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to leave two Nationals stranded.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Kearns got hit with a pitch to give the Nationals a leadoff runner.  With Lopez in the batters box, Smith pitched out and Casanova threw it to Reyes as Kearns was stealing.  Reyes and Delgado got Kearns in  rundown and eventually out.  Lopez grounded out to second.  Smith struck out Nieves trying to check his swing.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 12th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 13th.  Harris flied out to right.  Guzman grounded out to short.  Belliard drew a two-out walk.  Zimmerman lined a single into center, and Belliard advanced to second.  Johnson popped up to shallow center to leave two Nationals on base.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 13th Inning.  In the Top of the 14th, Kearns lined a one-out single into right field.  Hanrahan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Sosa made the out at first and Kearns moved over to second.  Sosa fanned Nieves to leave one National on base.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 14th Inning.

At the Plate

John Lannan (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes grounded up the middle for a leadoff single.  Church hit a fly ball to deep left, and Pena got his glove on the ball but couldn’t hold onto it so Church ended up with a no-out RBI double and Reyes came around to score.  Wright lined out to third.  Then Lannan fanned Delgado and Pagan to leave one runner stranded.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Lannan sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Lannan retired the side.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lanned now retired 12 Mets in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lannan is up to 15 in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes lined one-out single into right.  Lannan fanned Church.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Lannan left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 11 SOs.

Acta replaced Lannan with Saul Rivera to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Delgado drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan lined a no-out single into right as Delgado advanced to second.  Clark dropped down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, and both runners moved over.  Casanova lined out to third.  Castillo grounded out to third to leave two runners stranded.  Rivera gave up 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Church grounded to second, and Belliard (Error on Belliard) couldn’t field the ball so Church arrived safely to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run (Unearned), 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Acta gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th.

Acta replaced Rivera with Jon Rauch with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Delgado lined a two-out RBI single into right field which scored Church and moved Wright over to second.  Rauch caught Pagan looking at strike three to leave two Mets stranded.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Castillo lined a two-out single near the left field line.  With Beltran in the batters box, Castillo stole second.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.  Rauch left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Acta replaced Rauch with Jesus Colome to begin the Bottom of the 10th.  Church drew a one-out walk.  Wright hit a sacrifice fly to center field as Church advanced to second.  Colome intentionally walked Delgado before Pagan lined out to second leaving two Mets stranded.  Colome gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 11th, Chavez grounded a leadoff single to short because Guzman couldn’t field it cleanly.  With Casanova in the batters box, Colome threw a pitch out and Nieves caught Chavez stealing second.  Colome fanned Casanova.  Castillo grounded to first to end the inning.  Colome gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 11th Inning.  Colome left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Colome with Ray King to begin the Bottom of the 12th.  Easley led off by grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher for a single and Easley advanced to second.  Church also bunted to the pitcher, and King made the force out at third (Willie Randolph came out to argue the call).  King gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Joel Hanrahan with one out in the Bottom of the 12th.  Wright grounded out to short, and the Nationals turned the double play to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 13th, Sosa drew a one-out walk.  Chavez also drew a one-out walk.  Hanrahan caught Casanova looking at strike three.  Castillo lined out to short to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 13th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led of grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes popped up a bunt, and Hanrahan made the catch.  With Church in the batters box, Easley took off for second as Church swung at srike two and Easley was safe.  With Church in the batters box, Hanrahan attempted to pick off Easley but the ball went into left field so Easley advanced to third.  Church worked himself into a 2-2 count before striking out.  Wright worked himself into a 2-1 count before drawing an intentional walk.  Hanrahan intentionally walked Delgado to load the bases to get to the pitcher.  Schneider came in to pinch hit for Sosa, and Hanrahan threw a wild pitch on the first pitch to Schneider which brought Easley home to score.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 2 - New York Mets 3 (in 14).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Both starting pitchers got a no decision.

WOW!  Now that’s an extra innings game worth watching.  Both starters, Lannan and Figueroa pitched really good games.  Lannan got on a roll and retired 16 in a row.  The Bullpens got in and out of jams until the Bottom of the 14th.  Both teams left runners on base in multiple innings.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led off with a single to left.  The Nats made two blunders which moved Easley to third.  Two intentional walks to Wright and Delgado.  With the bases loaded, Hanrahan throws a wild pitch on the first pitch to bring Easley home.  That’s what led to a sweep over the Nationals.  It was crazy.

So the Mets are 7-5 now.  They play the Phillies this weekend down in Philadelphia.  It’s late and I have to wake up early.  Good night.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 11 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of the three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

Prior to the game, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Johan Santana were given their Gold Gloves from 2007.

Brewers Lineup: Weeks, Kapler, Braun, Fielder, Hall, Hart, Hardy, Suppan, Kendall.

Mets Lineup: Pagan, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Easley, Schneider, Perez.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Perez hit Weeks with the pitch to give the Brewers a leadoff runner.  Kapler lined a no-out, two-run shot near the foul pole in left field which scored Weeks and himself.  Braun grounded out to third.  Fielder flied out to center.  Perez fanned Hall to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hart lined a leadoff single into center.  Hardy grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  With Suppan in the batters box, Perez threw a passed ball which allowed both runners to advance safely.  Perez caught Suppan swinging at strike three.  Kendall popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the out.  Weeks drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Perez struck out Kapler to get out of a jam.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez got the heart of the lineup to fly out.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Hart lined a leadoff single into center.  Hardy drew a no-out walk.  Suppan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards third, and Wright made the out at first while both runners moved over.  Kendall grounded a one-out 2-Run single up the middle scoring Hart and Hardy.  Perez caught Weeks looking at strike three.  Kapler pulled a two-out double down the third base line.  Braun lined a 2-Run single into left which scored Weeks and Kapler, and Braun advanced to second when the throw came home.  Fielder grounded out to second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hall flied out to center.  Hart lined a one-out single into left.  Hardy drew a one-out walk.  Dillon came in to pinch hit for Suppan, and Randolph came out to make a pitching change.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Perez left the game after 4.1 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Top of the 5th.  Dillon popped up in foul ground near first base, and Delgado made the out.  Kendall flied out to center to end the inning.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Weeks led off with a homer to left.  Kapler drew a no-out walk.  With Braun in the batters box, Sosa threw a wild pitch and Kapler advanced to second.  For the second time, Sosa threw a wild pitch and Kapler moved over to third.  Sosa fanned Braun.  Sosa intentionally walked Fielder.  Hall popped up to short.  Hart lined an RBI single into left field which scored Kapler, and Fielder advanced to second.  Hardy flied out to left to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Sosa left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Iribarren lined out to short.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 0.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with one out in the Top of the 7th.  Weeks grounded to third, but Delgado (Error on Delgado) dropped the throw from Wright which gave the Brewers a one-out base runner.  With Kapler in the batters box, Weeks stole second.  Kapler grounded an RBI double over the first base bag, and Weeks came around to score.  Smith caught Braun looking at strike three to end the inning.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 0.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run (Unearned), 0 BBs, and 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Feliciano got Fielder to chase strike three.  Randolph went out to the mound and made a double switch.  Feliciano left the game after pitching 0.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman and Clark replaced Church with one out in the Top of the 8th.  Heilman threw strike three right by Hall.  Hart popped up to shallow right field, and Castillo made the out to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Heilman hit Kendall with the pitch to give the Brewers a two-out base runner.  Weeks grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Jeff Suppan (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright jacked a two-out solo shot to center field, the 100th Home Run of his career, scoring himself.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Suppan gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado drew a leadoff walk.  Church lined a no-out double to the right field corner as Delgado went first to third.  Easley grounded to second, and Weeks made the out at first while Delgado came home and Church advanced to third.  Schneider grounded an RBI single under Weeks and into right center as Church came home to score.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to towards the pitcher, and Suppan made the out at first as Schneider advanced to second.  Pagan grounded out to short to end the inning.  Suppan allowed 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Castillo had a broken bat flair over the head of Hall to lead off the inning with a double.  Wright grounded to short, and Weeks made the out at first as Castillo moved over to third.  Beltran lined a one-out RBI single into right center as Castillo came in to score.  Delgado grounded to first, but Fielder couldn’t field it properly so Beltran advanced to second and the Brewers ended up getting Delgado out at first.  Suppan intentionally walked Church with two outs.  Easley grounded a single up the middle and Weeks ended up fielding the ball, but Easley beat out the throw to load the bases.  Schneider lined a 2-Run single into center field which scored Beltran and Delgado, and Easley went first to third.  Suppan got Perez looking at strike three.  Suppan gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan led off with a double to the gap in right center.  Castillo grounded up the middle for a no-out single, and Pagan moved over to third.  Wright popped up to shallow center, and the runners held up.  Beltran lined out to first, and Fielder made the force out at first because Castillo was off the bag.  Suppan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Suppan left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 9 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Yost replaced Suppan with Salomon Torres to begin the Bottom of the 5th.  Delgado drew a no-out walk.  Church grounded to second, and the Brewers turned the double play.  Easley lined out to left to end the inning.  Torres gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Schneider grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Chavez grounded into a double play.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Castillo also drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded to third, and Hall made the out at first to end the inning.  Torres gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Torres left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Yost replaced Torres with Brian Shouse to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Beltran drew a leadoff walk.  Delgado grounded slowly to second, and Weeks only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Church grounded a one-out single by Hall and into left field as Delgado advanced to second.  Easley grounded a one-out RBI single by Hardy and into center field as Delgado came around to score.  Schneider grounded to second, and the Brewers turned the inning ending double play.  Shouse gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Yost replaced Shouse with Guillermo Mota to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Clark lined a leadoff single into center.  With Pagan in the batters box, Clark stole second base.  Pagan dinked a no-out single over the head of Hardy in left field which moved Clark over to third.  Castillo grounded to first, and Fielder made the tag at first and then made the out at the plate as Clark was coming home.  With Pagan at second and Wright in the batters box, Mota threw a wild pitch and Pagan moved over to third.  Sosa threw back-to-back two-out walks to Wright and Beltran to load the bases.  Delgado flied out to right to end the inning leaving three Mets on base.  Mota gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Yost replaced Mota with Eric Gagne to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Gagne fanned Anderson.  Easley grounded out to second.  Schneider lined out to short to end the game.  Gagne gave up 0 Hits, Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 9 - New York Mets.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Both starting pitcher got a no decision.

Today’s game was poorly played by both sides.  You can tell by the score alone.  Perez got rocked and gave up 6 runs in 4 1/3 which is horrible.  Sosa also got into some trouble in the 6th.  After that, Willie used a bunch of relievers to get through the game.  They did so without giving up any more runs, but it was too much to overcome.  The Mets put 7 on the scoreboard, but there were some lost opportunities.  Especially in the 8th inning with Mota on the mound.

The Amazins’ lost a series that they should’ve won.  When another pitcher wins the first game, and Santana is pitching in the same series then the Metsies should win the series.  But, it didn’t happen.  The Mets are now 5-6 on the season.  They have an off day tomorrow, and then the Nationals show up for a three-game series on Tuesday.

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