Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Mets (30-28) are playing Game 59 of the 2008 Regular Season against the San Diego Padres (24-37) at Petco Park.  It’s the first game of the four-game series.  The game began at 10:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Schneider, Chavez, Mike Pelfrey (2-6).

Padres Lineup: Gerut, Iguchi, Giles, Gonzalez, Kouzmanoff, McAnulty, Greene, Carlin, Josh Banks (2-0).

At the Plate

How does a company like Petco get naming rights on a ballpark?  Since Big Pelf has lost the last 6 games, I’m hoping that I can see him win since he was able to postpone his demotion during his last start.  I hope he’s able to prove that Mets management made the right decision.  I don’t want to assume that when a pithcer pitches that it’s an automatic loss.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes was able to get to third but ended up stranded there because nobody could drive him in.  Pelfrey made it through the Bottom of the 1st only giving up a hit.  In the Top of the 2nd, Banks pitched a 1-2-3 inning and even fanned Delgado to the point where it made him look silly.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Adrian Gonzalez led off by lining the ball to left and Endy did what Endy does by making a spectacular turnaround catch that may be on Web Gems later.  McAnulty lined a two-out double to left, but he was left stranded there after Greene lined out to right.  In the top of the 3rd, Banks retired the side in order with three ground outs.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Banks hit a chopper to third where he beat out the throw by Wright for his first Major League hit.  Gerut followed that up with a single up the middle, and Banks advanced to second.  Tad Iguchi of all people lined a no-out double RBI double down the left field line which scored Josh Banks, and Gerut went from first to third.  Pelfrey walked Giles to load the bases which is no good.  Pelfrey was able to get Gonzalez to pop up to right to get the second out, and Gerut held up at third because he didn’t want to test Church’s arm.  I love it when a player’s reputation can stop you from doing what you want to do.  Kouzmanoff worked himself into a full count before grounded out to short to end the inning with the bases loaded.  Pelfrey was extremely fortunate to get out of that jam.

In the Top of the 4th, Beltran lined a one-out double into left center but got stranded there.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pelfrey quickly retired the first two batters and had a full count on Carlin who ended up droving the ball 400′ for a damn triple off of the wall in right center.  Banks grounded out to short to end the inning with Carlin stranded on third.  In the Top of the 5th, Banks pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Iguchi lined a one-out double over the head of Church and just off of the tip of Church’s glove in right.  Pelfrey walked Giles.  Pelfrey then walked Gonzalez to load the bases.  Vargas began warming up in the bullpen.  Kouzmanoff grounded to short, and Reyes tagged second unassisted and turned the double play leaving the bases juiced.  Somehow Pelfrey got out of another bases loaded jam.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes beat out a ground ball to short for a leadoff infield single.  Castillo dropped down a sacrifice bunt down the third base line, and Carlin made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Reyes is out there sliding back and forth which is distracting Banks, and Banks doesn’t want to throw the ball home.  David Wright grounded a one-out RBI single up the middle which scored Jose Reyes and tied the game.  Beltran grounded into an inning ending double play.  In the Top of the 6th, McAnulty lined a leadoff single into center.  Greene popped up in foul ground, but Schneider caught it and ended up walking down the steps of the third base dugout.  Carlin grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as McAnulty moved over to second.  Clark grounded up the middle, but Reyes made a diving stop and then the out at first to end the inning.  After six, this is a pitchers dual.  You see, and I was all worried about Pelfrey.

In the Top of the 7th, Black replaced Banks with Hampson who pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Feliciano.  Iguchi lined a one-out single up the middle.  Giles drew a one-out walk.  Feliciano fanned Gonzalez so Willie came out to make a pitching change.  Randolph replaced Feliciano with Smith to face Kouzmanoff who grounded to short, but the ball hit Iguchi for the final out of the inning (Iguchi had to come out of the game after falling down on the ground).  In the Top of the 8th, Black replaced Hampson with Bell.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Castillo has gum on his helmet, and Reyes beat out the throw by Carlin as he stole second.  Bell struck out Castillo looking to end the inning with Reyes stranded on second.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Randolph replaced Feliciano with Sanchez.  Greene lined a one-out single into left center.  Carlin popped in foul ground near the bleachers, and Wright made the catch.  Gonzalez lined a two-out single into center, and Greene went first to third.  Beltran tried to get the out at third, but it was not in time.  Gerut grounded right back to the pitcher, and Sanchez made the out at first leaving runners stranded on the corners.  Thank God.  Somebody has to break the tie or it could be a really long night.  In the Top of the 9th, Black replaced Bell with Hoffman.  Hoffman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Randolph replaced Sanchez with Schoeneweis.  Schoeneweis had an 0-2 count on Hairston and ended up walking him to give the Padres a leadoff runner.  Giles worked the count full before drawing a no-out walk.  Gonzalez grounded off to the pitcher, but the ball deflected towards the first base line.  Schoeneweis made the out at first, and both runners advanced a base.  Schoeneweis intentionally walked Kousmanoff to load the bases.  This is scary.  Scott Schoeneweis drilled Paul McAnulty in the arm which scored Scott Hairston who is the winning run.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - San Diego Padres 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Scott Schoeneweis (0-2) got the loss and Trevor Hoffman (1-4) got the win.

Game Notes:

• Mike Pelfrey pitched a pretty good game.  Lots of base runners, but only one run in 6 innings.  He gave up 8 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 1 SO. 
• The Mets could not score enough runs to win.
• Scott Schoeneweis lost another game in stupid fashion.  I got pissed for like two minutes, and then I started cracking up because who hits a batter?  Between Heilman and Schoeneweis, if I don’t laugh I’m going to break a lot of household items.

Series Notes:

• The Padres are leading the series with the Mets 1-0.

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-w-l.
• The Mets are currently 2-2 on this road trip.
• The Mets are one game over .500 with a 30-29 record.

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The New York Mets (28-28) are playing Game 57 of the 2008 Regular Season against the San Francisco Giants (25-33) at AT&T Park.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 10:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Easley, Wright, Beltran, Church, Tatis, Delgado, Castro, Martinez.

Giants Lineup: Lewis, Durham, Winn, Molina, Rowand, Bowker, Aurilia, Vizquel, Zito.

At the Plate

Barry Zito (1-8) was the starting pitcher for the Giants.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes grounded to third but Aurilia (Error on Rich Aurilia) misfielded the ball so Reyes ended up on first giving the Mets a leadoff runner.  Easley lined a no-out single into center, and Reyes went first to third.  David Wright hit a sacrifice fly to right which scored Jose Reyes.  Beltran grounded to short, and turned the inning ending double play.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Tatis drove a one-out double to the gap in left center.  Delgado worked the count full before lining out to left.  Zito intentionally walked Castro.  Martinez grounded to short, and Vizquel tagged second to end the inning leaving runners on first and second.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Easley lined a one-out single into center.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran popped up along the first base line, and Molina made the out.  Church flied out to left to end the inning leaving runners on first and second.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Castro lined out to left.  Martinez grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Delgado advance to second.  Reyes grounded to third, and Aurilia tagged third to end the inning leaving two Mets stranded.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Easley drew a leadoff walk.  Wright grounded a on-out single through the hole on the left side, and Easley went to second.  Carlos Beltran lined a no-out RBI double down the left field line which scored Damion Easley, and Wright went from first to third.  Ryan Church hit a sacrifice fly to center which scored David Wright, and Beltran tagged up and went to third.  Tatis drew a one-out walk.  Carlos Delgado grounded to short, but Vizquel tried to tag second himself but Tatis was already there and then the throw to first was not in time so everybody is safe.  Zito gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Zito left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 6 Runs, 5 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Bochy replaced Zito with Vinnie Chulk with one out in the Top of the 5th.  Ramon Castro lined a single into shallow right center which scored Carlos Beltran, and everyone moved up a base.  Pedro Martinez lined an RBI single over the head of Durham which scored Fernando Tatis, and everyone is safe.  Jose Reyes grounded to second, and Durham (Error on Ray Durham) could not field the ball properly so Carlos Delgado scored, and everyone is safe.  Damion Easley lined a one-out bases clearing double into the gap in left center which scored Ramon Castro, Pedro Martinez and Jose Reyes went from first to third.  Wright flied out to right.  Beltran flied out to center to end the inning stranding Easley on second base.  Chulk gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Church grounded to first but Bowker (Error on John Bowker) botched the ball so Church ended up on first giving the Mets a leadoff runner.  With Tatis in the batters box, Chulk threw a wild pitch so Church stole second without a throw.  Tatis grounded to second, and Denker held up Church at second before making the out at first.  Delgado grounded to second, and Denker made the out at first as Church moved over to third.  Castro popped up to shallow left, and Vizquel made the out stranding Church on third.  Chulk gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Chulk left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Bochy replaced Chulk with Patrick Misch to begin the Top of the 7th.  Misch pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Misch retired the side for the second inning in a row.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Misch now retired the Mets for the third straight inning.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Pedro Martinez (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Lewis grouned a leadoff single up the middle.  Durham flied out to left.  With Winn at the plate, Lewis stole second on a bad throw by Castro.  After the ball went into center field, Lewis went to third.  Randy Winn lined an RBI double down the left field line which scored Fred Lewis.  Molina grounded to short, and Reyes made the throw to third because Winn took off for third and Wright applied the tag.  Rowand flied out to center to end the inning.  Martinez gave up 1 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pedro walked Bowker on four straight pitches to give the Giants a leadoff runner.  Aurilia flied out to right.  Vizquel flied out to left.  Zito grounded to second, and Easley tagged second himself to end the inning leaving Bowker stranded on first.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Durham drew a one-out walk.  Pedro struck out Winn swinging.  Molina grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first to end the inning stranding Durham on first.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Bowker hit a routine fly ball to left which Tatis (Error on Fernando Tatis) dropped so Bowker ended up on second.  Aurilia grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first as Bowker went to third.  Martinez intentionally walked Vizquel.  Zito grounded to short, and Reyes got the force out at second to end the inning leaving runners stranded on the corners.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in te 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lewis led off with a Ground Rule Double to right.  Denker is pinch hitting for Durham, and Denker lined a no-out single into right, and Lewis moved over to third.  Randy Winn lined a no-out RBI single into left which scored Fred Lewis, and Denker advanced to second.  Molina flied out to left, and both Denker and Winn tagged up and advanced a base.  Aaron Rowand grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first so Travis Denker scored and Winn went to third.  Bowker flied out to center to end the inning with Winn stranded on third.  Martinez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Aurilia drove a leadoff double to the gap in left center.  Vizquel grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Aurilia advanced to third.  Horwitz is pinch hitting for Chulk, and Pedro fanned Horwitz.  Pedro struck Lewis out looking.  Durham grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning with runners stranded on the corners.  Martinez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Martinez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

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

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Feliciano pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Holm is pinch hitting for Misch, and Holm drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Lewis drew a no-out walk.  Travis Denker hit a no-out 3-run shot to left field scoring Steve Holm and Fred Lewis.  Winn lined out to second.  Molina grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Schoeneweis gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Billy Wagner with one out in the Bottom of the 9th.  Rowand grounded to short, and the Mets turned the game ending double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 9 - San Francisco Giants 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Pedro Martinez (1-0) got the win and Barry Zito (1-9) got the loss.

Game Notes:

• Pedro Martinez was pretty effective in his first game back from the DL.
• The Mets put up an 8 spot in the 5th.
• Barry Zito sucks so I’m glad we didn’t get him.  I wanted him to come to the Mets until he expressed his contract demands, and then I didn’t want him on the Mets anymore.

Series Notes:

• The Mets evened up the series with the Giants 1-1.

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w.
• The Mets are currently 1-1 on this road trip.
• The Mets are one game over .500 with a 29-28 record
• Jose Reyes had an 18-game hitting streak, and a 33-game on-base streak which came to an end tonight.

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The New York Mets (27-27) are playing Game 55 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (27-28) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the final game of the four-game series.  The game began at 8:05 p.m., and it was aired on ESPN.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, Young, DeWitt, Maza, Kuroda.

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

On the Mound

Johan Santana (6-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pierre led off with a double down the third bas line.  Matt Kemp lined a no-out RBI single into center, and Juan Pierre came around to score.  Santana struck out Kent looking.  Santana picked off Kemp at first, and the Mets got Kemp in a rundown and Reyes applied the tag.  Santana struck out Loney looking to end the inning.  Santana gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Martin drew a leadoff walk.  Santana fanned Young.  Santana struck out DeWitt on three straight pitches.  Maza drew a two-out walk.  Kuroda popped up to first, and Delgado made the final out of the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Kemp beat out a one-out infield single to short that Wright barehanded and threw to first.  Kent grounded to short, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Santana retired the side for the second straight inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Pierre lined a leadoff single up the middle.  Kemp grounded to short, and Reyes got the lead runner out at second.  Kent grounded to third, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Santana gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the7th, Loney lined a leadoff single up the middle.  Martin flied out to left center, and Beltran made the catch.  Young grounded to first, and Delgado made the throw to second to get the lead runner out.  Santana struck out DeWitt looking at strike three.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Pierre drew a two-out walk.  Kemp grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Pierre advanced to second.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 7.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Smith hit Kent with the pitch which loaded the bases.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Loney grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning with the bases loaded.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 9th.  Feliciano slammed the door on the Dodgers.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Hiroki Kuroda (2-4) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes beat out the throw as he stole second base.  Castillo flied out to center, and Reyes held up.  David Wright lined a one-out RBI single into right, and Jose Reyes came around to score.  Beltran hit a slow ground ball towards third, and Kuroda made the out at first as Wright advanced to third.  Delgado flied out to center to end the inning with Wright stranded on third.  Kuroda gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Kuroda pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Kuroda gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes lined a one-out double into the gap in left center.  Castillo grounded to short, andent made the out at first as Reyes moved over to third.  David Wright grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the left side, and Jose Reyes scored.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-out 2-run bomb to right field scoring David Wright.  Kuroda hit Delgado with the pitch.  Ryan Church drilled a two-out 2-run jack to right field scoring Carlos Delgado.  Schneider pulled a two-out double down the left field line.  Kuroda intentionally walked Chavez.  Kuroda gave up 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  Kuroda left the game after pitching 2.2 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Torre replaced Kuroda with Hong-Chih Kuo with two outs in the Bottom of the 3rd.  Santana grounded to first, and Loney tagged first to end the inning.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the Bottom of the 3rd.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright grounded a two-out single up the middle.  With Beltran at the plate, Wright beat out the throw by Martin as he stole second.  Kuo intentionally walked Beltran.  Delgado lined out to left to end the inning leaving Mets on first and second.  Kuo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Church led off with a leadoff double over the head of Loney.  Schneider grounded to short, and Maza looked Church back to second before making the out at first.  Chavez grounded to second, and Kent made the out at first.  Santana lined out to left ending the inning leaving Church stranded on second.  Kuo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Kuo pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Beltran grounded to short but Maza (Error on Luis Maza) made a wild throw to first to Beltran is on first.  Delgado grounded to second, and Kent got the lead runner out at second.  Church grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side, and Beltran advanced to second.  Kuo struck out Schneider looking.  Chavez lined out to left to end the inning.  Kuo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Torre replaced Kuo with Cory Wade to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wade quickly retired the side in order.  Wade gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 1 - New York Mets 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (7-3) got the win and Hiroki Kuroda (2-5) took the loss.

Game Notes:

• Johan Santana pitched a great game tonight allowing only 1 run.
• David Wright drove in Jose Reyes twice.
• Carlos Beltran hit a 2-run bomb the second game in a row.
• Ryan Church had a 2-run jack in his first game back from the concussion.

Series Notes:

• The Mets won the series against the Dodgers 3-1.

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w.
• The Mets are currently 5-2 on this homestand.
• The Mets are one game above .500 with a 28-27 record

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The New York Mets (26-27) are playing Game 54 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (27-27) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the third game of the four-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

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

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Chavez, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Schneider, Tatis, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (2-6) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pierre grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Kemp lined a no-out single down the right field line so Pierre went first to third, but Kemp tried to make it a double but Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) could not catch the throw so Kemp was safe at second while Juan Pierre scored.  Kent grounded to short, and Kemp moved over to third.  Loney grounded to second, and Easley made the throw home and Schneider applied the tag in time.   Martin lined a two-out single up the middle.  Ethier flied out to center to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, DeWitt grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Maza grounded to second base, and Reyes tagged second and turned the double play.  Pelfrey fanned Billingsley to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Kent lined a two-out single up the middle.  Loney flied out to left to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Martin drew a leadoff walk.  Ethier worked the count full before lining a no-out single into right, and Martin went from first to third.  Blake DeWitt lined a no-out RBI single into right which scored Russell Martin, and Ethier went to second.  Maza flied out to right, and the runners held up.  Billingsley struck out trying to bunt with two strikes.  Pierre flied out to left to end the inning with two Dodgers stranded.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Pelfrey pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Pelfrey now retired the side for the second straight inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pelfrey retired the side for the third straight inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner was throwing some serious heat (97 mph on the gun) and struck out the side.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Chad Billingsley (4-6) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Billingsley retired the side with three ground balls.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado lined a one-out opposite field single into left.  Easley grounded back to the pitcher, and Billingsley made the out at first as Delgado advanced to second.  Schneider grounded to second, and Kent made the out at first to end the inning.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes lined a two-out single into right.  With Chavez in the batters box, Reyes took off for second base and beat out the high throw by Martin.  Chavez lined out to center to end the inning.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright drew a leadoff walk.  Beltran worked the count full before drawing a no-out walk.  Delgado lined out to center.  Billingsley struck out Easley looking.  Schneider flied out to center to end the inning leaving two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Tatis beat out a ground ball to third that DeWitt (Error on Blake DeWitt) misfielded to give the Mets a leadoff base runner.  Pelfrey dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Martin made the out at first as Tatis advanced to second.  Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Chavez grounded to second, and Loney made the out at second.  Wright grounded to short, and Maza made the out at second leaving Mets stranded on the corners.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Billingsley pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Schneider grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Tatis lined out to right.  Casanova is pinch hitting for Pelfrey, and Casanova grounded a one-out single down the third base line as Schneider went from first to third.  Reyes popped up in foul ground near the third base line, and DeWitt made the catch.  Chavez worked himself into a full count before popping up to third leaving Mets stranded on the corners.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Billingsley left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Torre replaced Billingsley with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drove the ball to the base of the wall in right center for a leadoff double.  Carlos Beltran crushed a no-out 2-run shot to right scoring David Wright which tied the game.  Delgado lined a no-out single into center (Evans came in to pinch run for Delgado).  Easley dropped a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Loney made the out at first as Evans advanced to second.  Broxton intentionally walked Schneider.  Fernando Tatis grounded an RBI single up the middle which scored Nick Evans to give the Mets the lead, and Schneider went to second.  Broxton gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Joe Beimel with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Castillo grounded to second, and Maza made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Beimel intentionally walked Reyes to load the bases.  Beimel fanned Chavez to end the inning leaving the bases loaded with Mets.  Beimel gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 2 - New York Mets 3.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Duaner Sanchez (2-0) got the win and Jonathan Broxton (2-2) blew the save and took the loss.

Game Notes:

• Mike Pelfrey had a solid outing tonight.  He pitched 7 strong innings allowing only 2 runs, he had 6 K’s, and he retired 13 hitters before being taken out of the game.  That’s impressive for his standards and those of the 5th starter.
• Carlos Beltran tied up the game with a 2-run jack in the 8th inning.
• Fernando Tatis drove in the go ahead run in the 8th inning.
• Billy Wagner slammed the door on the Dodgers by striking out the side in the 9th for the save.

Series Notes:

• The Mets are ahead in the series with the Dodgers 2-1.

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-w.
• The Mets are currently 4-2 on this homestand.
• The Mets are back to .500 with a 27-27 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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Die Hard Mets Fan would like to wish all of you a Happy Memorial Day.  Well, the good news is that Willie is sticking around…unless you wanted him out.  It could be a whole lot worse.  Most people have assumed that if you bring in a fiery manager then the Mets will win a championship.  But, what if it backfired?

Here’s the probable pitching matchps for the Marlins-Mets series:

• 05/26/2008 - Ricky Nolasco (3-3) - Mike Pelfrey (2-5)
• 05/27/2008 - Andrew Miller (4-3) - Johan Santana (5-3)
• 05/28/2008 - Scott Olsen (4-2) - Oliver Perez (4-3)

Mets.com:

Mailbag: What’s motivating the Mets? - Marty Noble fielded questions posed by Mets fans.

After Santana, Mets drafting to restock - Anthony DiComo discusses the MLB Draft.  “This June’s First-Year Player Draft will give the Mets new opportunities to fill in the blanks throughout their farm system, and new chances to replenish the talent that they lost in January’s trade for Santana.”

Mets hoping home cooking helps - Owen Perkins put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.

Newsday:

Rockies beat Mets, Willie to meet Wilpons Monday - David Lennon summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Latest gaffes by Mets too much to overcome

Keith Hernandez rips ex-mate Gary Carter on air - After how Gary Carter publicly stated that he was available to coach the Mets, Keith Hernandez had this to say about Carter during the game,

I have great respect for Gary as a player. He’s a Hall of Famer. When Johnny Bench left the game, he was the premier catcher in the National League. But that being said, and I’ve kept quiet for such a long time, but for the people out there listening, just go in the dictionary and look up ‘unconscious’ and you’ll find a picture of Gary Carter. I know that’s strong, but it just happens too many times and it’s just, you’re walking around unconscious.

New York Daily News:

Willie Randolph survives to manage the Mets another day

For Jose Reyes as for Willie Randolph, can it possibly get any worse?

Latest flop by slumping Mets may be Willie Randolph’s last - Adam Rubin also summarized yesterday’s Mets-Rockies game.

Mets mull minors stint for struggling Aaron Heilman - “Aaron Heilman’s struggles may land him in the minors. Mets officials have discussed demoting Heilman and replacing him with Triple-A closer Carlos Muniz, who had three scoreless appearances with the Mets in April, the Daily News has learned.”

Mets minor league report

New York Post:

WILLIE’S FATE IN WILPONS’ HANDS

WRIGHT TAKES 5TH ON WILLIE SUPPORT

HARD TO ARGUE IF MANAGER GETS CANNED

The Star-Ledger:

Willie remains Mets manager

D-Day for Willie?

Marlins smell a bit fishy

Willie waits for the word

Maine hands over ball, but Randolph gives it back

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For one day, the Mets were clicking on all cylindars.  It must be that Rocky Mountain air.  They scored 5 runs in the first inning and kept tacking on insurance runs.  Vargas was pretty solid today.  He only allowed 2 runs in 6 innings.  And what a great Evans had in his Mets debut.  Perhaps the Mets will be able to win this series before coming home.  I would love to see that.

Mets.com:

Evans makes his mark right away - Nick Evans made a name for himself in his MLB debut today so Owen Perkins lets us know all about that.

Randolph keeping eye on the ball

Mets’ skid stretched to five at Coors - Owen Perkins summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Mets turn to Vargas on short rest - Owen Perkins put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Minaya reiterates support for Randolph - Here’s part of what Omar Minaya stated about Willie Randolph.  Check out the article to find out more.

Willie Randolph is our manager. He has my support. He has our ownership’s support. I am here to support Willie. I’m here to let him know my support, to encourage him and to let him know we believe he can get this team on track. Willie’s totally dedicated to doing that, and I believe he can do that.

The team’s not playing well, and sometimes as the general manager, you have to see how the team is playing. This is one of those situations that you always leave open the ability to visit the team and see the team. We had a good [series] last weekend with the Yankees, but the fact that we didn’t play well — we played some good games, but the bottom line is we lost in Atlanta — and I felt it was important for me as the general manager to be with the team now, especially finishing off the road trip.

When we get back to New York, we’ll sit down and talk and look each other in the eye. Sit down in a room and have Willie have a little bit of a conversation with the ownership and myself and tell us why he felt those things were said.

Mets, Randolph focused on playing ball

Anderson exits with pulled hammy - Owen Perkins lets us know that Marlon Anderson left last night’s game because he suffered a strained left hamstring.

Woozy Church out of starting lineup - Owen Perkins pointed out that Ryan Church sat out for the third straight game after suffering from a mild concussion.

Newsday:

Minaya gives Randolph vote of confidence

Church still dizzy from apparent concussion

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and at Yankee Stadium on May 23 of a year in the past.

New York Daily News:

Willie Randolph gets stay of execution as Mets rock Colorado - The AP wrote up a game summary for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Gary Carter would love to take Shea reins as Mets manager - Adam Rubin found out what Gary Carter said about managing the Mets when asked by “The Mike and Murray Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio.

Mets lose in 13 innings to Rockies, drop fifth straight - Adam Rubin also summarized last night’s Mets-Rockies game.

Pedro Martinez wants to pitch - Pedro Martinez said, “My dad told me he wants to see me pitch again”

Ryan Church Bering head woes

New York Post:

RANDOLPH’S ON A ROCKY ROAD

PATH TO REDEMPTION STILL OPEN TO WILLIE

NO HOLLIDAY FOR AMAZIN’S IN COLORADO

MARTINEZ’S DL RETURN DELAYED BY TRIP TO D.R.

New York Times:

Mets Win and Change the Subject for a Day - Ben Shpigel summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

After Minaya Supports Randolph, Mets Lose in 13 - Ben Shpigel summarized last night’s Mets-Rockies game.

Wright Wants Mets to Take Losses Personally

The Star-Ledger:

Final: Mets 9, Rockies 2 - Jeremy Cothran wrote up a game summary about today’s Mets-Rockies game.

Game 47: Mets at Rockies - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Closing up shop (finally) in Denver

Church a scratch, dizzy after flight

Who’s in line for Willie’s job?

Omar offers Randolph a vote of confidence

Mets reportedly call up Nick Evans

Omar: We’re going to support Willie

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The New York Mets (22-24) are playing Game 47 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Colorado Rockies (19-29) at Coors Field.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

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

Rockies Lineup: Podsednik, Herrera, Holliday, Helton, Stewart, Smith, Iannetta, Quintanilla, Francis.

At the Plate

Jeff Francis (1-4) was the starting pitcher for the Rockies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  With Wright in the batters box, the Mets put on the double steal without a throw.  Wright drew a no-out walk which loaded the bases.  Carlos Beltran drove a no-out bases clearing double into the gap in left center which scored Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and David Wright.  Tatis grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side, and Beltran advanced to third.  Francis fanned Delgado.  Ramon Castro grounded an opposite field RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Carlos Beltran came home to score and Tatis went to second.  Nick Evans lined a one-out opposite field RBI double into the right field corner so Fernando Tatis came around to score while Castro went first to third.  Vargas lined out to second.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the inning with runners on second and third.  Francis gave up 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, David Wright went yard with a solo shot to right.  Beltran grounded out to second.  Francis fanned Tatis.  Francis gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Evans lined a two-out opposite field double into right center.  Francis fanned Vargas to end the inning.  Francis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Francis hit Wright with the pitch to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  With Beltran at the plate, Wright beat out the throw as he stole second base.  Francis struck out Beltran swinging at ball four stranding Wright at second.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castro drew a two-out walk.  Evans worked the count full before grounding out to second.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Francis pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Francis left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Runs, 6 Hits, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Hurdle replaced Francis with Alberto Arias to begin the Top of the 7th.  Arias hit Tatis with the pitch to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Delgado grounded out to first to end the inning.  Araias gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Castro lef off with a Ground Rule Double to left center.  Nick Evans grounded an opposite field RBI double down the right field line, and Ramon Castro came around to score.  Chavez grounded out to second, and Evans advanced to third.  Reyes grounded to first, and Helton held up Evans at third and tagged first.  Luis Castillo lined a two-out RBI opposite field double down the left field line which scored Nick Evans.  Arias fanned Wright to end the inning with Castillo stranded on second.  Arias gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Arias left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Hurdle replaced Arias with Josh Newman to begin the Top of the 9th.  Carlos Delgado crushed a solo shot to right field.  Castro grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Easley grounded to short, but Quintanilla (Error on Omar Quintanilla) threw the ball to second off target so Herrera was off the bag and then Castro beat out the throw at first.  Chavez lined out to first to end the inning with two Mets on base.  Newman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Claudio Vargas (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Matt Holliday hit a two-out jack to left field.  Helton grounded out to first to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Francis drove a one-out single off of the right field wall.  Podsednik grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first and made the throw to second to second but not in time.  Jonathan Herrera lined an RBI single into shallow right, and Jeff Francis came around to score.  Holliday grounded to short, and Reyes got the force out at second to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Helton drew a leadoff walk.  Vargas then struck out Stewart, Smith, and Iannetta to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Quintanilla grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Francis dropped down a bunt down the first base line, and Delgado made the out at first as Quintanilla moved over to second.  Podsednik flied out to left, and Quintanilla tagged up and ran to third.  Herrera lined out to left leaving Quintanilla stranded on third.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Vargas retired the side for the second straight inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Vargas left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Vargas with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Stewart drew a two-out walk.  Smith flied out to left to end the game and the Mets finally won a game.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 9 - Colorado Rockies 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Claudio Vargas (1-2) got the win and Jeff Francis (1-5) got the loss.

Game Notes:

• Carlos Beltran hit a bases clearing triple in the first inning to set the tone in this game.
• Nick Evans went 3 for 4 in his MLB debut with 3 opposite field doubles and 2 RBIs.
• Ramon Castro had 3 hits.
• Claudio Vargas had a solid outing today.

Series Notes:

• The Mets evened up the series with the Rockies today with one game to go.
• Carlos Delgado hit a homer in each game this series, plus one in Atlanta on Thursday night.

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.
• The Mets ended their 5-game skid.
• I do believe that the Mets will win the next 4 games to even out losses.
• The Mets are 3-5 on this road trip.
• The Mets are now one game under .500 with a 23-24 record.

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The New York Mets (22-23) are playing Game 46 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Colorado Rockies (18-29) at Coors Field.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 9:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Anderson, Schneider, Chavez, Perez.

Rockies Lineup: Taveras, Barmes, Holliday, Atkins, Helton, Spilborghs, Baker, Torrealba, Reynolds.

At the Plate

Greg Reynolds (0-1) was the starting pitcher for the Rockies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reynolds pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Reynolds fanned Delgado.  Anderson lined out to center.  Reynolds got Schneider looking at strike three to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Chavez beat out a ground ball to second for a leadoff single.  Perez drew a no-out walk.  Reyes grounded to second, and Baker made the out at second so Reyes arrived at first safely while Chavez advanced to third.  Luis Castillo slapped a one-out RBI single into left which scored Endy Chavez, and Reyes moved over to second.  Reynolds struck out Wright swining.  Beltran flied out to the warning track in center with Mets stranded on the corners.  Reynolds gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, (Anderson injured his hamstring running out a ground ball, and Willie and the Trainor had to carry him off the field so he will have to be replaced) Reynolds retired the side in order.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Reynolds retired the side for the second straight inning.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Wright grounded to third, and Atkins made the out at first as Castillo advanced to second.  Beltran grounded to second, and Baker made the out at first as Castillo moved over to third.  Carlos Delgado hit a two-out 2-run homer to center scoring Luis Castillo.  Tatis replaced Anderson, and Fernando Tatis hit a two-out solo shot to center.  Schneider grounded out to second to end the inning.  Reynolds gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Reynolds left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Hurdle replaced Reynolds with Jason Grilli to begin the Top of the 7th.  Chavez grounded a leadoff single down the left field line.  Easley is pinch hitting for Smith, and Easley grounded a single through the hole on the left side so Chavez went from first to third.  Jose Reyes popped up to shallow left, and Endy Chavez tagged up and scored.  Castillo grounded to short, and the Rockies turned the inning ending double play.  Grilli gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Grilli pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Grilli gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Grilli left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Hurdle replaced Grilli with Manny Corpas to begin the Top of the 9th.  Tatis lined a leadoff single into right.  Schneider dropped down a bunt in front of home plate, and Torrealba made the out at first as Tatis went to second.  Chavez grounded to second, and Baker made the out at first as Tatis advanced to third.  Casanova is pinch hitting for Schoeneweis, and Casanova grounded out to first stranding Tatis.  Corpas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Hurdle replaced Corpas with Brian Fuentes to begin the Top of the 10th.  Reyes drove a leadoff double into the gap in right center.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes was picked off at second base.  Castillo flied out to right.  Fuentes fanned Wright to end the inning.  Fuentes gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 10th Inning.

Hurdle replaced Fuentes with Taylor Buchholz to begin the Top of the 11th.  Delgado drove a one-out double into the gap in right center.  Tatis grounded to second, and Herrera held up Delgado before making the out at first.  Buchholz got Schneider on a check swing to end the inning with Delgado stranded on second.  Buchholz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Buchholz retired the side in order.  Buchholz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Top of the 13th, Wright lined a one-out single into right.  Beltran popped up to short, and Quintanilla made the out.  Delgado lined out to first leaving Wright stranded on second.  Buchholz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 13th Inning.  Buchholz left the game after pitching 3.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (4-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Barmes hit a one-out Ground Rule Double to left field.  Holliday flied out to right.  Garrett Atkins hit a two-out 2-run bomb to left field scoring Clint Barmes.  Helton lined a two-out opposite field single into left.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk.  Perez struck out Baker on three straight pitches to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Reynolds drew a one-out walk.  Taveras lined a one-out single into right center, and Reynolds advanced to second.  Perez fanned Barmes.  Holliday grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Atkins lined a leadoff single into left.  Helton grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk.  With Baker in the batters box, Schneider threw out Spilborghs as he attempted to steal second base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Baker drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Torrealba flied out to left center, and Beltran made the catch.  Reynolds bunted in towards the pitcher, and Perez made the out at first as Baker advanced to second.  Taveras grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first stranding Baker.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Atkins drew a two-out walk.  With Helton at the plate, Perez threw a wild pitch so Atkins moved over to second.  Helton drew a two-out walk.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Baker flied out to right to end the inning with the bases full of Rockies.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Torrealba beat out a ground ball to third for a leadoff single.  Herrera is pinch hitting for Reynolds, and Herrara drew a no-out walk.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 8 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Joe Smith with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Taveras worked the count full before he dropping a bunt down towards first, and Smith made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Clint Barmes pulled a one-out 2-run double down the left field line which scored Yorvit Torrealba and Jonathan Herrera.  Holliday lined out to left.  Smith struck out Atkins looking.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Spilborghs drew a one-out walk.  Podsednik replaced Baker, and Podsednik grounded into an inning ending double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Schoeneweis pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Matt Holliday hit a one-out solo shot to center field.  Atkins lined a one-out single into center.  Helton lined a one-out single into center, and Atkins went first to third.  Spilborghs grounded to short, and Reyes got Atkins to hold up at third and then made the out at first.  Podsednik worked himself into a full count before popping up to short to end the inning.  Wagner gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Torrealba beat out a ground ball to third the Wright (Error on David Wright) misfielded.  Herrera is pinch hitting for Fuentes, and Herrera grounded to second so Castillo made the out at first as Torrealba went to second.  Wagner struck out Cook, and Schneider threw out Torrealba as he attempted to steal third.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 10th Inning.  Wagner left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 12th.  Podsednik grounded to the pitcher, and the ball deflected towards second so Podsednik beat it out for a two-out single.  Torrealba popped up to second, and Castillo made the catch to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 13th, Herrera grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Francis is pinch hitting for Buchholz, and Francis dropped down a sacrifice bunt which allowed Herrera to move over to second.  Heilman fanned Quintanilla.  Matt Holliday grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Jonathan Herrera came around to score.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 13th Inning.  Heilman left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Colorado Rockies 6 (in 13).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Aaron Heilman took the loss (0-1) and Taylor Buchholz got the win.

Game Notes:

• Delgado hit a 2-run solo shot.
• The Mets made a ton of mistakes and should’ve won the game in 9 innings.  The problem was that the Rockies made just as many mistakes so nobody wanted to win.

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.
• It is the first time this month that the Mets lost 5 straight games.
• The Mets are now two games under .500 with a 22-24 record.

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After a four-game skid, the Mets have to figure out how to turn it around.  Once the losing streak ends, I do believe that they will go on and win exactly that amount of games because that’s trend that they’ve set in May.  Hopefully, the Mets can smack the ball all over Coors Field.  In appearance, Coors Field looks exactly like Citizens Bank Park (except it is purple instead of red) so maybe the Mets will have success just like they did in Philly.  Perhaps being a mile high and some thin air might do them right.  Omar changed his plans for the weekend to go and be with his team.  Hmmm…

Mets.com:

Mets visit Rockies on FOX Saturday

Mets undone by Braves’ late rally - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

Steadier footing sought by Mets - Ryan Lavner put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Randolph weighs in on instant replay - Willie Randolph had this to say about intant replay in MLB, “If they’re going to do something maybe on those controversial home run calls, I can see maybe doing something.”

Retirement not entering Pedro’s plans - Pedro Martinez was quoted as saying, “I feel great physically, and for the record, I haven’t considered retirement. Retirement would only take place if my arm is badly hurt and if I have to face surgery or something near that nature.”

Strained calf lands Alou on 15-day DL - Ryan Lavner reported that the Mets placed Moises Alou on the 15-day DL.  I was hoping that wouldn’t happen.

Newsday:

Braves beat Mets, 4-2, earn four-game sweep - David Lennon summarized last night’s Mets-Braves game.

Wilpons put Mets manager Randolph on hold - Willie attempted to call the Wilpons, and stated, “I reached out to both of them, and when I spoke to Omar [Minaya] after that, he said that they got my call and they’d get back to me. But I don’t read into anything.”

Mets usually try to tune out criticism

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and at Yankee Stadium on May 23 of a year in the past.

Baseball working on replay plan for home run calls

New York Daily News:

Mets swept by Braves in Atlanta, Willie Randolph’s job in jeopardy - Adam Rubin wrote up a game summary for last night’s Mets-Braves game.

SNY voices’ silence on Willie Randolph speaks volumes

David Wright: I didn’t rip my mates - Adam Rubin reponded to David Wright’s post game comments that he made on Wednesday night.

Pedro Martinez has toss time, visits ailing father in Santo Domingo

Moises Alou back on DL as Mets scramble for outfielders

New York Post:

SWEEP-WALKING - Bart Hubbuch summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

UNCONFIDENCE GAME - Bart Hubbuch stated that the Mets owners’ silence may spell doom for Randolph.

MOISES BACK ON THE DL

PEDRO: ‘I HAVEN’T CONSIDERED RETIREMENT’

SILENCE FROM OWNERS DOESN’T WORRY WILLIE

New York Times:

Ace Can’t Stop Mets From Loss, Fourth of Its Kind - Ray Glier summarized last night’s Mets-Braves game.

Alou’s Calf Injury Adds to Randolph’s Troubles

The Star-Ledger:

Omar en route - Jeremy Cothran pointed out that Omar Minaya is on his way to Colorado.

Santana can’t save Mets

Alou on disabled list again

Final: Braves 4, Mets 2 - Jeremy Cothran wrote up a game summary for  last night’s Mets-Braves game.

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