Die Hard Sports Fan

The Metropolitans finally decided to place Luis Castillo on the 15-day DL this morning, according to Mets.com.  Argenis Reyes from Triple-A New Orleans will take Castillo’s roster spot, and they also recalled outfielder Chris Aguila from New Orleans on Thursday, optioning reliever Carlos Muniz back to the Zephyrs.

I’m thrilled that Castillo was placed on the DL, and I would be even happier if they just got rid of him.  Unfortunately, Castillo is another old injury prone player on the Mets that Omar did not have a backup plan for so he is better than our other current options.  However, the Mets have a much better record when Castillo is not in the 2 hole.

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Tonight, Pedro will make his second start of the season.  Hopefully he can last out there on the mound until he gets pulled by Willie, not by injury.  I have no long-term expecations of No. 45, but it would be nice to see him pitch a few good games before he gets injured again.

Mets.com:

Mets trying to move up All-Star ranks - Anthony DiComo pointed out that, “the Mets still don’t have a single player leading in voting for this summer’s All-Star Game, according to a second round of online tallies released on Tuesday by Major League Baseball.”

Amazins deal with ‘Met lag’ in San Fran

Perez’s short night sinks Mets - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

Martinez set for latest comeback start - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

Mets keep Pelfrey in rotation - Marty Noble detailed the moves that Mets made to accomodate adding Pedro Martinez to the roster.

Mets to face lots of lefties, miss aces

Newsday:

Perez shelled in Mets’ 10-2 loss to Giants - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Giants game.

Pedro, Joba to the rescue tonight

Is he still the same Pedro?

Mets-Yankees on 9/11 would be a big hit

Alou joins teammates in San Francisco

Muniz likely odd man out with Pedro back

New York Daily News:

Oliver Perez, Mets take Giant beating - Adam Rubin put together a game summary for last night’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

For Mets & fans, ESPN rides rough

Pedro Martinez: I’ll be a leader

Mike Pelfrey stays in rotation as Carlos Muniz heads back to Triple-A

New York Post:

TO THE RESCUE

WITH PEDRO, TOO, IT’S AN OPENING DAY FEEL

MUNIZ DEMOTED, PELFREY SPARED

OLLIE FAILS TO SURVIVE 1ST INNING

New York Times:

Pérez Sleeps Well, but Doesn’t Pitch Well - Ben Shpigel summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

Two Months Later, Martínez Comes Back

The Star-Ledger:

Game 57: Mets at Giants - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for tonight’s Mets-Giants game.

Perez shelled, Mets never recover

Church in lineup back-to-back days

Final: Giants 10, Mets 2 - Jeremy Cothran summarized last night’s Mets-Giants game.

Remembering another N.Y. phenom - Steve Politi compares how different it was when Doc came up to Joba.

Pedro eager to lift Mets

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The New York Mets (28-27) are playing Game 56 of the 2008 Regular Season against the San Francisco Giants (24-33) at AT&T Park.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 10:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Tatis, Delgdo, Castro, Perez.

Dodgers Lineup: Winn, Castillo, Rowand, Molina, Aurilia, Durham, Horwitz, Burriss, Sanchez.

At the Plate

Jonathan Sanchez (3-3) was the starting pitcher for the Giants.  In the Top of the 1st, Wright lined a two-out single into center.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Church drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Sanchez struck Tatis out looking to end the inning with the bases loaded.  Sanchez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Delgado led off with a double to the base of the base of the right field wall.  Castro grounded to third, and Delgado held up.  Sanchez fanned Vargas.  Jose Reyes lined a two-out RBI double down the left field line, and Carlos Delgado came around to score.  Castillo popped up in foul territory along the right field line, and Winn made the catch to end the inning with a runner on second.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Wright struck out swinging at a wild pitch that went to the backstop so he ended up beating it out to give the Mets a leadoff baserunner.  Sanchez fanned Beltran.  Church grounded to first, and Aurilia got the lead runner out at second.  Tatis grounded to short and beat out the throw by Burriss for a two-out single, and Church moved over to second.  Delgado popped up to shallow center, and Burriss made the catch to end the inning with Mets stranded on first and second.  Sanchez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castro drew a leadoff walk.  Vargas bunted towards third, and Castillo made the out at first as Castro advanced to second.  Reyes lined out to second.  Luis Castillo grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle, and Ramon Castro came around to score.  Wright grounded to deep second, and the ball deflected off of the glove of Durham (Error on Ray Durham) so Wright ended up on first and Castillo on second.  Beltran grounded to short, and Burriss got the force out at second to end the inning with runners on first and second.  Sanchez gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Sanchez hit Delgado with the pitch to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Castro grounded to third, and Castillo made the out at second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Beltran grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Sanchez fanned Church.  Tatis grounded to third, and Castillo made the final out of the inning at second.  Sanchez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Sanchez left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Bochy replaced Sanchez with Billy Sadler to begin the Top of the 8th.  Sadler pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sadler gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Sadler retired the side in order for the second straight inning.  Sadler gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.  Sadler left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (4-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Randy Winn led off with a solo shot to left.  Rowand pulled a one-out double down the left field line.  Bengie Molina lined an RBI single into left, and Aaron Rowand came around to score.  Aurilia drew a one-out walk.  Ray Durham lined a one-out 2-run double to the gap in left center scoring Bengie Molina and Rich Aurilia.  Brian Horwitz crushed a one-out 2-run homer to left scoring Ray Durham.  Burriss drew a one-out walk.  Perez gave up 5 Hits, 6 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  What starting pitcher only records one out?  It was like Tom Glavine on that Sunday in September against the Marlins.

Randolph replaced Perez with Claudio Vargas with one out in the Bottom of the 1st.  Sanchez bunted right into the glove of Delgado.  Vargas fanned Winn to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Castillo grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Vargas struck out Rowand on three pitches.  With Molina at the plate, Castro threw out Rowand as he attempted to steal second.  Molina grounded a two-out single through the hole on the left side.  Aurilia grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at second to end the inning stranding a runner on first.  Vargas gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Durham grounded the ball down the first base line but got thrown out by Church when trying to take second base.  Horwitz grounded out to third.  Burriss grounded out to short to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Vargas retired the side for the second inning in a row.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Vargas left the game after pitching 4.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Vargas with Carlos Muniz to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Durham lined a leadoff single into right.  Horwitz grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Durham went from first to third.  Burriss grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Jonathan Sanchez hit a one-out 2-run double off of the right field wall which scored Ray Durham and Brian Horwitz.  Winn lined out to right, and Church doubled up Sanchez at second.  Muniz gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Rowand grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Molina lined a one-out single into left, and Rowand moved over to second.  Aurilia grounded to third, but Wright could not field it properly so everyone was safe.  Ray Durham drew a one-out walk which scored Aaron Rowand.  Brian Horwitz hit a sacrifice fly to center which scored Bengie Molina.  Burriss drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Muniz gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Muniz left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Muniz with Aaron Heilman with two outs in the Bottom of the 7th.  Bowker is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Bowker flied out to right to end the inning with the bases loaded.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Winn drew a leadoff walk.  Castillo hit a no-out Ground Rule Double to center, and Winn ended up on third.  Heilman hit Rowand with the pitch which loaded the bases.  Aurilia popped up to second, and Castillo made the out.  Durham grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Heilman left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Final Score: New York Mets 2 - San Francisco Giants 10.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (4-4) took the loss and Jonathan Sanchez (4-3) got the win.

Game Notes:

• Oliver Perez gave up 6 runs in 1/3 of an inning which was too much for the Mets to climb back from.
• Ryan Church had 2 assists from right.

Series Notes:

• The Dodgers are winning the series against the Mets 1-0.

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l.
• The Mets are currently 0-1 on this road trip.
• The Mets are at .500 with a 28-28 record
• Jose Reyes has an 18-game hitting streak, and a 33-game on-base streak.

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The New York Mets (26-26) are playing Game 53 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (26-27) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the second game of the four-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, Ethier, DeWitt, Maza, Kershaw.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Tatis, Castro, Delgado, Evans, Maine.

On the Mound

John Maine (5-4) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pierre drew a leadoff walk.  With Kemp at the batters box, Pierre beat out the bad throw by Castro as he stole second.  Maine fanned Kemp.  Kent grounded to third, and Wright looked Pierre back to second before making the out at first.  James Loney drove a two-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and Juan Pierre came around to score.  Russell Martin lined a two-out opposite field RBI double down the right field line, and James Loney came around to score.  Andre Ethier grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Russell Martin came around to score.  DeWitt grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Maine now retired the Dodgers for the second inning in a row.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Russell Martin hit a leadoff jack to left field.  Maine fanned Ethier.  Maine struck out DeWitt on a foul tip.  Maza grounded out to third to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Maine retired the side in order.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Martin lined a two-out single into left.  Ethier grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 1 BB, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 7th.  DeWitt lined a leadoff single into left.  Maza grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play (Castillo had to leave the game after this play, and Easley replaced him).  Park grounded towards the pitcher, and Feliciano made the out at first to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Pierre beat out a ground ball to short for a leadoff single.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Feliciano left the game after pitching 1.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman with no outs in the Top of the 8th.  Matt Kemp drove a no-out double into the gap in right center, and Juan Pierre came all the way around to score.  Jeff Kent lined a no-out opposite field single into right, and Matt Kemp came around to score (Hu came in to pinch run for Kent).  Loney grounded a no-out single through the hole on the right side, and Hu went from first to third.  Russell Martin grounded a no-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Chin-Iung Hu, and Loney went from first to third.  Heilman gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Scott Schoeneweis with no outs in the Top of the 8th.  Schoeneweis threw a wild pitch that hit the bat of Ethier and redirected to the backstop, and James Loney came home to score and Martin advanced to second.  Schoeneweis struck out Ethier looking.  Blake DeWitt lined a one-out RBI single into center which scored Russell Martin, and then the Mets got DeWitt caught in a rundown as he attempted to go to second and Delgado applied the tag.  Maza grounded to first, and Delgado tagged him to end the inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 9th.  Muniz pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Muniz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Clayton Kershaw (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Luis Castillo pulled a no-out 2-run shot to left scoring Jose Reyes.  Kershaw struck out Wright looking.  Beltran grounded out to short.  Tatis grounded out to second to end the inning.  Kershaw gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Kershaw pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Kershaw gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Wright drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly to deep center field, and Jose Reyes tagged up and scored as Castillo tagged up and advanced to third.  Tatis gounded to third, and DeWitt made the out at first leaving Mets stranded at the corners.  Kershaw gave up 0 Hits, 2 Run, 3 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Castro lined a leadoff single into left.  Delgado lined a no-out single into center, and Castro went to second.  Evans lined a single into left, and both runners advanced to load the bases.  Maine grounded to third, and DeWitt got the lead runner out at home while Maine ended up on first.  Jose Reyes grounded to third, but DeWitt could not field it cleanly so Ramon Castro scored and everybody is safe.  Castillo drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Kershaw gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Kershaw left the game after pitching 3.2 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Torre replaced Kershaw with Chan Ho Park with two outs in the Bottom of the 4th.  Wright grounded to short, and Maza made the out at first to end the inning leaving the bases full of Mets.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Park retired the side in order with three ground outs.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Casanova drew a two-out pinch hit walk.  Reyes grounded out to second, and Kent made the force out at second to end the inning.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Wright drove a one-out double to the base of the center field wall.  Park intentionally walked Beltran.  Tatis lined a one-out single through the hole on the right side to load the bases.  Ramon Castro grounded back to the pitcher, and the ball redirected off of Park and towards third so DeWitt made the out at first as David Wright came home to score.  Park intentionally walked Delgado to load the bases.  Park fanned Evans to end the inning with the bases full of Mets.  Park gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Park left the game after pitching 3.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Torre replaced Park with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Broxton pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Broxton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Takashi Saito to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Tatis grounded to second, and Maza got the out at first and Beltran moved over to second.  Castro got hit by the pitch.  Delgado grounded to second, and Maza made the out at first to end the game.  Saito gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 9 - New York Mets 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Aaron Heilman (0-2) blew the save and took the loss and Chan Ho Park (2-1) got the win.

Game Notes:

• Luis Castillo hit another 2-run dinger.
• Aaron Heilman blew the save giving up 4 runs without recording an out.

Series Notes:

• The Dodgers and the Mets are tied up 1-1.

Other Notes:

• Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-l-l-l-l-w-l-l-w-w-w-l.
• The Mets are currently 3-2 on this homestand.
• The Mets are now one game under .500 with a 26-27 record.

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So Mets.com wrote an article stating that no Mets have been voted to the top of their respective positions in the early tabulations of the All-Star ballots.  The funny thing about it was that I was going to discuss it today anyway.  Now, I have some supporting evidence thanks to Marty Noble.

Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until 11:59 p.m. ET. on Wednesday, July 2. Starting rosters will be announced during the 2008 All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Chevrolet on TBS on Sunday, July 6. Baseball fans around the world will then be able to select the final player on each team via the Monster 2008 All-Star Final Vote at MLB.com.

As usual, fans can vote so go out and vote if you haven’t done so already.  Obviously, I encourage you to vote for all of the Mets.

1. First Base - No Mets are currently in the Top 5.
2. Second Base - Luis Castillo is currently 5th in the All-Star ballot.  I have no idea how that happened.
3. Third Base - David Wright is currently 2nd in the All-Star ballot.  Even though Wright is struggling, vote for him over Larry Jones.
4. Shortstop - Jose Reyes is currently 3rd in the All-Star ballot.
5. Catcher - No Mets are currently in the Top 5.
6. Outfield - Carlos Beltran is currently 4th, and Ryan Church is currently 13th in the All-Star ballot.  Church has to make it in the outfield, and he should be ahead of Beltran right now.

If you want to vote for the 2008 All-Star Game, click here.

Mets.com:

Latest injury most disappointing for Alou - Moises Alou had this to say, “I got known as the person who gets injured all the time, and it’s embarrassing getting that label this late in my career.”

Mets starting slowly in All-Star ballots - Marty Noble pointed out that no Mets have been voted to the top of their respective position in the early tabulations.  The All-Star game is what I wanted to talk about today.

Santana puts a stop to Mets’ slide - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Wagner only concerned about winning - Jon Blau put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Wise the latest Mets player on the DL - Jon Blau reported that Matt Wise was placed on the 15-day DL because of a right rotator cuff tendinitis.  Carlos Muniz was called up from the Minors to take his place on the roster.

Newsday:

Santana gives Mets much-needed win - Anthony Rieber summarized last night’s Marlins-Mets game.

If Mets don’t win now, they could have long wait

Church sees neurologist, takes night off

Randolph’s mood brightens as job status improves - Anthony Rieber pointed out that,

Randolph joked with reporters before last night’s game against the Marlins. He was particularly comical about a photo on the front page of the New York Post that he said made him “look ugly.”

“You couldn’t find a better picture than that?” he asked. “That was a tired picture. Do I look that bad? It was a big ‘ Moon Mullins’ shot. I looked tired. They made sure my eyes were a little bit closed.”

Marlon, Wise are hurting

Marlins showing they are more than spoilers

Vote of confidence for Mets’ Randolph could be kiss of death

New York Daily News:

To Omar Minaya, racial divide on Mets sounds altogether wrong

Mets surpass Knicks at doctoring attendance figures

Thanks to Johan Santana, Mets and Willie Randolph get much-needed win - Peter Botte wrote up a game summary for last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Johan Santana aces Mets’ gut check

Ten ways to fix the Mets - Peter Botte provided a list of, “10 things the Mets need to do to save their season and/or Randolph’s job over the final 112 games.”

Ryan Church’s bell is still ringing

Backup plan is a hit - Mark Lelinwallasays, “Maybe Willie Randolph should give his starters the night off more often.”

Tuesday the target for Pedro’s return

Brochure chumps make ‘07 Mets champs - Brendan Brosh found out that, “A tourism brochure, printed for $9,300 by the borough president’s office, hails the Mets as winners last year - when they endured a historic collapse to miss the playoffs.”

New York Post:

SANTANA & SUBS SUBDUE MARLINS

RANDOLPH WARMS UP HIS BENCH

QUEST FOR LEADER LOST IN TRANSLATION

CHURCH MIGHT GO ON THE DL

New York Times:

Santana Provides Relief for Mets - Ben Shpigel summarized last night’s Marlins-Mets game.

Doctors See Danger in Letting Church Play

Delgado Benched as Slump Deepens

The Star-Ledger:

Ryan Church update

Ryan Church fallout

If it ain’t broke, why fix it? - Colin Stephenson provided the lineup for tonight’s Marlins-Mets game.

Shakeup helps Mets get a win

Church told to stay away from Shea - Jeremy Cothran noted that, ”a neurologist ordered the right fielder to stay home.”

Final: Mets 5, Marlins 3 - Jeremy Cothran summarized last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

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The Metropolitans were unable to provide Willie with a post-meeting victory last night.  Various Mets were asked if Willie should be their manager, and only Wagner stated that he supported Willie.  Other players danced around the question, and tried to be politically correct.  Delgado got really weird about the question.  I’ve been trying to find the full quote, but none of the papers got it.  Here’s a portion of what Carlos said, “I’ll tell you what I think. I think we need to play better. I think they don’t pay me to think. They pay me to play baseball. … (That’s) not a good question to ask.”  When I listened to it, he finished the last question by saying that it’s not a good question to ask in front of everybody.  So when should reporters ask the question?  Also, Delgado was very nasty to the reporters after the first couple of questions.  He began swearing which is probably why I can’t find it in the papers.  Remember this, Delgado didn’t want to be on the Mets so he went to the Marlins instead.  So what did Omar do?  He went out and got Delgado.  Carlos had one good year on the Mets in ‘06.  In ‘07, he had a .258 average and was bored.  This year, he has a .215 average.  He’s a classless bum so get rid of him.  The team chemistry should improve a little bit from this.  I’m sure there’s more problems, but this is a good start.  Thanks Willie for benching Delgado tonight.  There are much bigger problems than Willie.  Omar believes that he has championship talent so he is the first person that needs to wake up and smell the coffee.  Once he realizes how wrong he is in his assessment, he will have to get rid of the bums and bring in championship talent.  Even if these players have the physical talent, they don’t have the mental talent.  Take Reyes for example.  He has been great until Willie benched him.  Once there was adversity, he has sucked.  Down the stretch in ‘07, he sucked.  Now that the Mets are supposed to win, Reyes sucks and the Mets are playing .500 ball.  Reyes was able to succeed without pressure.  After the collapse, my question was whether or not Reyes was injured or childish.  I was upset with the Mets for not stating what the problem was until Spring Training.  I thought Reyes should’ve been dealt to the Twins if he was being childish, but not if he was injured.  In Spring Training, we found out that he was being a baby and he’s still on the Mets.  Omar needs to take a better look at this team, and there are so many more issues.

Mets.com:

Mets reliving a bit of history - Marty Noble compared the ‘08 Mets to the ‘04 Mets.

Mets held at bay by first-place Marlins - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Heilman locating pitches better of late - Jon Blau put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Pedro to make return on June 3

Randolph to remain manager of Mets

Church to see a neurologist - Marty Noble reported that Ryan Church, “is to be examined by a neurologist.”  Also, Marlon Anderson was, ”assigned to the disabled list because of a strain of his left hamstring.”

Tigers and Mets have common ground - Fred Claire believes that the Mets and the Tigers are struggling despite big offseason moves.

Newsday:

In the end, this town could make Willie toast

Same old ending as Marlins top Mets, 7-3 - Arthur Staple also summarized last night’s Marlins-Mets game.

Randolph still Mets manager after meeting

Beltran on manager situation: It’s a distraction - Carlos Beltran had this to say about Willie’s status:

I think they should say that and come out with something like that. Because it is a distraction. The reality is people say, ‘No, that doesn’t affect the ballclub,’ but it does. It does because you come to the ballpark wondering what’s going to happen. It’s natural as players, we all think like that.

At one point, I was in that situation when they were talking every day about me being traded when I was in Kansas City. To me, it was thinking it might be today. Tomorrow might be the day. It’s not fun coming wondering like that every day to the ballpark.

Randolph saga is field day for media - I bet it is.  It’s been so overdone.  I was bored of the story after the first two days.

Lightning kills former Mets pitcher Gonzalez - The AP reported that “Former Mets pitcher Geremi Gonzalez was killed by a lightning strike in his native Venezuela on Sunday. He was 33.”  I’ve never actually knew anybody that was killed by lightning.  That is an awful story.  Die Hard Mets Fan sends our prayers to Geremi Gonzalez.

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium on May 27 of a year in the past.

New York Daily News:

Embattled Mets manager Willie Randolph has brass’ support - for now

Fielding gaffes fail to boost Willie Randolph and doom Mets vs. Marlins - Peter Botte wrote up a game summary for last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Willie Randolph survives to manage the Mets another day

One meeting can’t clean up the Mets

Met players: It’s on us and not Willie Randolph

Thank Aaron Heilman for preventing blowout vs. Marlins

Ryan Church service still on hold

Lightning kills ex-Met riding boat

New York Post:

THERE’S A WILL, BUT NOT A WAY

DON’T BLAME WILLIE

THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB ON A TEAM OF GOATS

PELFREY’S PUZZLED BY POOR START

BLAME FOR THIS MESS GOES BEYOND DUGOUT

JOSE’S HOT BAT CAN’T START FIRE

WILLIE’S REPRIEVE

PLAYERS: BLAME SHOULD FALL ON US

WILLIE RANDOLPH KEEPS HIS JOB

TRADING PLACES - Dan Tomasino pointed out that, “The first-place team in the NL East will play at Shea Stadium tonight, but it’s not the hometown Mets.”

New York Times:

Randolph Is Still Mets’ Manager

No Good News for Randolph as Mets Lose Again - Joe LaPointe summarized last night’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

The Star-Ledger:

Game 50: Marlins at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Wise placed on DL - Jeremy Cothran reported that, “Matt Wise was placed on the 15-day disabled list with weakness in his throwing (right) shoulder. To fill the void in the bullpen, the Mets called up RHP Carlos Muniz from Triple-A New Orleans.”

Somebody has to go, but it’s not Willie

Players speak volumes by staying silent

Reyes continues puzzling season

Willie will, for now

It’s all about the manager right now

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

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

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

On the Mound

Johan Santana (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Weeks grounded to short and under the glove of Easley for a leadoff single.  With Kapler in the batters box, Santana threw the ball in the dirt so Weeks stole second.  Kapler lined out to left.  Fielder lined a single into left field which moved Weeks over to third.  Santana fanned Braun.  Hall grounded to short, and Easley made the force play at second to end the inning.  Santana gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hart grounded to third, but Wright (Error on Wright) made a poor throw to first which gave the Brewers a leadoff runner.  Hardy drew a no-out walk.  With Sheets in the batters box, Santana threw a wild pitch which advanced both runners.  Sheets dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Santana made the play at first as Hart came home to score.  Kendall flied out to left.  Santana got Weeks looking at strike three to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana sent the Brewers down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Hall led off with an opposite field shot to right center.  Santana caught Hart looking at strike three.  Hardy grounded out to third.  Sheets grounded out to the pitcher.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Weeks belted a one-out solo shot to left.  Braun flied out to center.  Fielder popped up to short.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Braun grounded to short and beat out the play.  Hall popped up in foul territory near home plate.  Hart grounded through the legs of Wright (Error on Wright) for a one-out single.  With Hardy in the batters box, Schneider threw out Braun as he attempted to steal third and Hart stole second safely.  Santana got Hardy swinging at strike three to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Weeks drew a two-out walk.  Kapler jacked a two-run shot to left field which scored Weeks and himself.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 6.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Scott Schoeneweis with two outs in the Top of the 7th.  Fielder flied out to right.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 8th.  Muniz sent the Brewers down in order.  Muniz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Iribarren is pinch hitting for Shouse, and Iribarren grounded a one-out single up the middle.  With Kendall in the batters box, Muniz picked off Iribarren at first.  Kendall flied out to left.  Muniz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Ben Sheets (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Pagan lined a leadoff single into right.  With Castillo in the batters box, Sheets threw a wild pitch moved Pagan over to second base.  Castillo grounded to short, and Hardy made the out at first while Pagan advanced to third.  Wright hit a sacrifice fly to foul territory in right field which scored Pagan.  Beltran lined a two-out single into right.  Delgado crushed an RBI double off the wall in left center which brought Beltran home to score.  Church flied out to right to end the inning.  Sheets gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Easley grounded to third, but Hall (Error on Hall) couldn’t get a grip on the ball which gave Easley a leadoff single.  Schneider lined a single into center which moved Easley over to second.  Santana dropped down a bunt in front of home plate, but Kendall got the force out at third as Santana arrived safely at first.  Pagan flied out to left field, and the runners stayed put.  Castillo drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded out to second to end the inning.  Sheets gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Sheets sent the Mets down in order.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Sheets retired the side in order again.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, an he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Sheets pitched his third 1-2-3 inning now.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Sheets retired the side again.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBS, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Sheets now retired fifteen straight.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Pagan flied out to the warning track in left center.  Castillo grounded down the first base line, and Sheets made the throw to first in time.  Wright jacked a two-out solo shot to left.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Sheets gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Sheets left the game after pitching 7.2 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Yost replaced Sheets with Brian Shouse with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Delgado grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.  Shouse gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Yost replaced Shouse with Eric Gagne to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Gagne sent the Mets down in order.  Gagne gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 5 - New York Mets 3.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (1-2) got the loss and Ben Sheets (2-0) got the win.

Well, Johan didn’t make any lasting impressions in his Shea debut.  He just didn’t look good at all.  He gave up 5 Runs and four of them were earned.  The Mets did a good job with the base runners because Schneider threw one runner out stealing third, and Muniz picked one runner off at first.  However, Wright had two errors today which didn’t help.  Sheets started out not so hot, and then he retired 18 straight at one point.

The Mets (5-5) are back to a .500 record which puts them in second place.  The other NL East games are in progress or start later.  The Mets and Brewers will play the rubber game tomorrow.  Suppan is expected to pitch against Perez at 1:10 p.m.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 7 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and was aired on SNY.

Phillies Lineup: Victorino, Bruntlett, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Kendrick.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Easley, Schneider, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pelfrey sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Pelrey struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Jenkins grounded a single through the hole on right side which moved Burrell over to second. Feliz grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Reyes) flipped it to Easley but it went into center field which loads the bases.  Ruiz grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Burrell.  Kendrick grounded to first, and Delgado made the out at home plate.  Victorino grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first.  Pelfrey gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Pelfrey retired the side in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Feliz drew a one-out walk.  Ruiz grounded into a double play.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Bruntlett drew a two-out walk.  Utley doubled with a gaper to left center which scored Bruntlett.  Howard grounded out to first to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Pelfrey pitched 5.0 Innings and allowed 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Sosa got three batters to ground out.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Sosa had another 1-2-3 inning.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Bruntlett lined a leadoff single into center.  Utley flied out to left field.  Feliciano struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell grounded a single through the hole on the right side as Bruntlett advanced to second.  Werth replaced Jenkins, and Werth drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Feliz popped up to shallow center to end the inning.  Feliciano allowed 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 9th.  Muniz fanned Ruiz.  Coste is pinch hitting for Seanez, and Coste lined a one-out double into the left field corner.  Victorino grounded out to short as Coste moved over to third.  Bruntlett popped up at home plate, and Schneider made the final out.  Muniz allowed 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Kyle Kendrick (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan grounded to the pitcher, and Reyes advanced to second safely as Kendrick made the out at first.  Wright grounded to second base which bounced off of Utley (Error on Utley) and went into center field as Reyes came home to score.  Beltran line out to deep right center.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Church drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Easley grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the out at first to end the inning.  Kendrick gave up 0 Hits, 1 Run (Unearned), 3 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Schneider drew a leadoff walk.  Pelfrey dropped down a sacrifice bunt along the first base line to move Schneider over to second while Pelfrey was tagged out.  Reyes grounded to first, and Howard flipped it to Kendrick at first as Schneider advanced to third.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Wright drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Kendrick gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Delgado hit a leadoff double that one-hopped the wall in left.  Church lined a single to center which moved Delgado over to third.  Easley grounded an RBI single through the hole on the left side to score Delgado and advance Church over to second.  Schneider lined out to first.  Pelfrey dropped a bunt right in front of home plate, and Ruiz (Error on Ruiz) attempted to make the out at third, but Feliz couldn’t make the catch so the bases are loaded.  Reyes grounded to short, but Brutlett (Error on Bruntlett) couldn’t field the ball which led to Church coming home to score and the bases remained loaded.  Pagan grounded an RBI double over the third base bag and into the left field corner which scored Easley and Pelfrey and moved Reyes over to third.  Kendrick pitched 2.1 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 7 Runs, 1 ER, 6 BBs, and 0 SOs.

Manuel replaced Kendrick with Chad Durbin with one out in the Bottom of the 3rd.  Wright grounded an RBI single under the glove of Bruntlett (Error on Bruntlett) on the left side to score Reyes and moved Pagan over to third.  With Beltran in the batters box, Durbin threw a wild pitch which led to Pagan scoring.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado lined out to right field.  Durbin struck out Church to finally bring the inning to a close.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Durbin retired the bottom of the lineup in order.  Durbin gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Durbin sent the top of the lineup down 1-2-3.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Durbin retired the side again.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Durbin pitched 3.2 Inning allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Manuel replaced Durbin with Clay Condrey to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Easley drew a leadoff walk.  Schneider lined a single into right which moved Easley over to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Anderson flied out to the gap in left center, and Easley moved over to third.  Reyes grounded to second, and Schneider stalled running to second which allowed Easley to score before the double play was complete.  Condrey allowed 1 Hit, 1 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Condrey with Rudy Seanez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pagan drew a leadoff walk.  Wright lined out to short.  Beltran flied out to right field.  Delgado flied out to left.  Seanez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 2 - New York Mets 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (1-0) got the win, and Kyle Kendrick (1-1) got the loss.

I’m very happy that the Mets sent a message to the Phillies by beating them 8-2.  Prior to the game, I was very concerned about Pelfrey.  Pelfrey looked really good tonight.  One of the runs he gave up in the 2nd Inning was the result of an error on Reyes which should’ve resulted in at least one out and maybe a double play.  The Bullpen put up the goose eggs today which does not follow the early trend.  The Mets only had 5 Hits today, but they cashed in on 9 BBs and 4 Errors.  With the Mets winning tonight, at least they have a shot at winning the series tomorrow with Maine on the mound.  The Mets need to win the series against the Phillies since they lost the last series to the Braves.   Last, the Amazins’ finally ended the 9-game winning streak that the Phillies were on…which is huge!

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Injuries are the biggest Mets stories of the day.  We saw that Castillo was replaced with Easley in the 5th Inning of yesterday’s game, Castillo has soreness in his knees, and is listed as day-to-day.  Matt Wise was placed on the DL due to forearm strain.  El Duque is going to be inactive for two weeks due to a strained tendon in his right foot.

The good news is that the Mets have a 5-1 lead over the Phillies right now.  We’ll bring the game summary shortly.

Mets.com:

In last Shea opener, Mets fall to Phillies - Marty Noble summarized yesterday’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

Pelfrey set to make first start of 2008 - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

Wise lands on DL with forearm strain - Marty Noble reported that “The assignment was made on Tuesday, retroactive to April 2, the day after Wise surrendered the walk-off home run to Robert Andino in the Mets’ 5-4 loss to the Marlins. The club recalled right-handed reliever Carlos Muniz from its Triple-A New Orleans affiliate to take Wise’s place. Muniz pitched the ninth inning of the Mets’ 5-2 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday.”

Mets return to past in final Shea opener -  Anthony DiComo wrote about how Bill Shea threw out the first pitch to kick off a year-long celebration.

The future looms large over Shea - Marty Noble describes how far along Citi Field has come.

Castillo leaves with right knee soreness - Anthony DiComo reported that Luis Castillo left Tuesday’s Mets Home Opener against the Phillies after four innings with right knee soreness. Castillo is listed as day-to-day.

Feliciano arrives late to home opener - Anthony DiComo pointed out that Pedro Feliciano had his original flight from Puerto Rico canceled which is why he was unable to pitch in the Home Opener.

Newsday:

Mets’ 9th straight loss to Phils recalls collapse

Rollins loves to fan the fire - Roderick Boone captured the throughts of Jimmy Rollins after yesterday’s game,

I’m almost disappointed - I always expect more. But it’s like the fans aren’t at the game yet. And then when they come in, the game is already going, so it’s like, ‘Ah, well, you missed your chance to do the big boo.’ But it helps you concentrate. It does make the games more interesting because the fans are going to do their best to get under your skin, try to get in your head. So when you smile and give it to them back, then they’ll realize, ‘That’s a pretty good dude. All right, I’ll keep booing him, anyway.’

Randolph critical of Perez’s good outing for Mets

New season, but Phillies still own Mets

Cheer up Mets fans: You can’t collapse in April

Tearing down Shea still unthinkable - Steven Marcus tells us why tearing down Shea Stadium is unthinkable.

Beautiful Citi Field makes switch from Shea easy

Castillo forced out of home opener with sore knee

Strawberry to be joining ‘86 teammates on SNY - Neil Best explains that Darryl Strawberry will be working as a studio analyst with SNY for 15 games beginning April 28.

New York Daily News:

Mets still can’t solve Phillies as final Opening Day at Shea ends in loss

Willie Randolph ignores fans’ sentiment about Scott Schoeneweis - Willie shouldn’t ignore it because Scoeneweis is a steroid user and he sucks.

Never too early to begin booing

Darryl Strawberry joins SNY April 28

Carlos Delgado throws away his good day with error - Christian Red pointed out that Carlos Delgado was having a good day at the plate before the throwing error that costed the Mets two runs.

Jimmy Rollins’ band makes noise 

Billy Wagner throws heat at idea of Mets’ ‘baggage’ - Anthony McCarron wrote that, “Wagner bristled at the suggestion that his team has lost confidence against the team that has beaten the Mets nine straight times. He also griped about some television analysis in which one Daily News reporter said the Mets are bringing psychic baggage into games with the Phils.

Shea patriarch missed at final opener

Mets’ fans wipe tears at last opener in old park, but Phils rain on parade

Pedro Feliciano’s travel woes deprive Mets of relief

New York Post:

PHILS HAVE THEIR SHEA WITH METS

IT COULDN’T START MUCH WORSE THAN THIS

PHILS STILL ROLLIN’ ALONG

BROKEN CLUTCH - Mark Hale pointed out that the Mets are not hitting in the clutch.

FELICIANO ARRIVES IN 7th INNING

DELGADO’S THROW A BACK-BREAKER

IT’S DEJA BOO - Kevin Kernan takes some jabs at the Mets bullpen.

METS DROP FINAL SHEA OPENER

New York Times:

Familiar Bullpen Job Ends in Familiar Way

With Words or His Bat, Rollins Shakes Up Mets

Strawberry Joins SNY as Part-Time Analyst

The Star-Ledger:

Game 7: Phillies at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for today’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

El Duque shuts it down - Jeremy Cothran reported that, “El Duque has a strained tendon in his right foot and was placed in a protective boot. He’ll be inactive the next two weeks and will then be evaluated.”

Mets suffer 9th-straight loss to Phillies in final Shea Stadium opener

Castillo’s knee forces him out

Company line on Philly needs to be rethought

Even when he’s down, it’s hard to get Rollins out

Final: Phillies 5, Mets 2 - Jeremy Cothran summarized yesterday’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

I mean, seriously? - Jeremy Cothran wrote a quick blurb about Delgado’s throwing error in yesterday’s game.

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The Mets honored William A. Shea in a pregame ceremony on the field.  The Mets retired the Shea name and hung up the plaque next to the other retired numbers.

The New York Mets are playing Game 6 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  Today’s game is the 2008 Home Opener for the Mets, and the final Home Opener at Shea Stadium.

Phillies Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Werth, Feliz, Ruiz, Moyer.

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

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Victorino dropped a one-out single into shallow center field.  Perez hit Utley with the pitch.  Howard popped up to center, and the runners held up.  Perez caught Burrell looking at strike three.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and Struck Out 1 in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Werth grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Feliz grounded out to first, and Werth was off the bag so Delgado got the unassisted double play.  Ruiz popped up to shallow center to retire the side.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez sent the Phillies down in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Perez hit Utley with another pitch.  Perez struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell lined out to right.  Werth grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at second to retire the side.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Ruiz lined a one-out single into right field.  Moyer drew a one-out walk.  Rollins grounded to third, and Wright made the out at second.  Victorino popped up to shallow left field to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Utley popped up to shallow center field.  Howard also popped up to shallow center.  Burrell drew a two-out walk.  With Werth in the batters box, Perez was called for a balk and Burrell advanced to second.  Perez threw a passed ball on ball four, so Burrell took off for third as Werth was granted first base.  Perez pitched 5.2 Innings giving up 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he Struck Out 2.

Randolph replaced Perez with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 6th, Feliz drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Ruiz grounded out to short to leave three Phillies stranded.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Taguchi is pinch hitting for Moyer, and Taguchi grouned out to second.  Rollins lined a one-out single to left.  Victorino grounded a single up the middle, and Rollins moved over to second.  Shoeneweis hit Utley with the pitch to load the bases.  Howard grounded an RBI single to first, and Delgado hit Utley in the back as he was running to second which scored Rollins and Victorino (an Error by Delgado allowed Victorino to score).  Shoeneweis pitched 0.1 Innings giving up 2 Hits, 3 Runs (1 Earned), 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Top of the 7th.  Burrell lined out to right field, and Utley tagged and moved over to third.  Werth grounded an RBI opposite field single through the hole on the right side to score Utley.  Feliz popped up to shallow center to end the inning.  Sosa pitched 0.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ruiz drew a leadoff walk.  Taguchi laid down a sacrifice bunt towards first, and Heilman made the out at first.  Rollins pulled an RBI single into right field scoring Ruiz.  With Victorino in the batters box, Heilman threw a passed ball which moved Rollins to second.  Victorino drew a one-out walk.  Utley pulled an RBI double into right that one-hopped the wall and scored Rollins.  Heilman intentionally walked Howard to load the bases.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Burrell, and Jenkins popped up to first.  Werth lined out to right to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 3 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 9th.  Ruiz retired the side in order.  Ruiz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Jamie Moyer (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Wright flied out to the warning track in center field.  Beltran grounded out to third to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado belted a leadoff home run off the scoreboard in right center.  Pagan flied out to deep left center.  Moyer hit Church with a pitch.  Schneider grounded into a double play to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Moyer got all three batters he faced to ground out.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright flied out to deep right center, and Victorino collided into Werth but held onto the ball.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado softly hit an opposite field single into left as Beltran advanced to second.  Pagan grounded hard to second and beat out the play at first to load the bases.  Church grounded out slowly to first which scored Beltran, and the runners advanced to second and third.  Moyer intentionally walked Schneider to load the bases.  Moyer struck out Perez swining to limit the damage.  Moyer gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Wright pulled a two-out double into the left field corner.  Beltran lined out to deep center to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he did’t Strike Out anybody.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Moyer sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 6th Inning.  Moyer pitched 6.0 Innings and gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 3 BBs, and he Struck Out 1.

Manuel replaced Moyer Chad Durbin with to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Church led off with a ground ball up the middle.  Chavez replaced Pagan, and Chavez grounded to short and the Phillies turned the double play.  Reyes grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Easley replaced Castillo, and Easley flied out to the warning track in left field to end the inning.  Durbin gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Durbin with J.C. Romero to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Beltran pulled a line drive down into the left field corner for a one-out double.  Delgado grounded out to second as Beltran moved over to third.  Clark is pinch hitting for Chavez, and Clark drew a two-out walk.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Romero gaveup 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he Struck Out 1 in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Tom Gordon to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Gordon struck Schneider out swining.  Chavez grounded out to the pitcher.  Reyes flied out to the warning track in right to end the game.  Gordon gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 5 - New York Mets 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Oli pitched shutout ball through 5 2/3 innings before the Bullpen gave another game away.  It was a good thing that the Mets beat the Marlins in the 2008 Season Opener because they were unable to win their final Home Opener at Shea.  The Bullpen gave away 3 straight games to the NL East contenders which is really bad.  The Mets need to win the final two games of this series so Pelfrey needs to step up big tomorrow night.  Even more than that, the Bullpen needs to resolve their issues so the Mets can win some games.

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