Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Mets are playing Game 9 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Brewers Lineup: Weeks, Gross, Fielder, Braun, Hall, Hart, Hardy, Parra, Kendall.

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

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa (0-0) was the starting pither for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Figueroa looked sharp in as he retired the top of the lineup down in order only throwing eight pitches.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the heart of the lineup down in order.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Figueroa sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Figueroa pitched perfectly the first time through the lineup.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Figueroa sent the top of the lineup down in order again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hart drew a two-out walk to mess up Figueroa’s perfect game.  Hardy pulled an RBI double into the corner in left field as Hart came around from first to score.  Dillon is pinch hitting for Parra, and Figueroa caught Dillon looking at strike three.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  (Randolph replaced Reyes with Easley due to a tight hamstring, and he replaced Easley with Anderson to begin the Top of the 6th)  In the Top of the 6th, Weeks drew a one-out walk.  Gross flied out near the warning track in right field.  With Fielder in the batters box, Weeks stole second safely.  Fielder lined an RBI double into the gap in left center which scored Weeks.  Braun flied out to deep center field where Beltran made a beautiful catch.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 7th.  Hall grounded to third, but Wright (Error on Wright) made a bad throw to first which allowed Hall beat out the play.  Hart grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second but Hart was safe at first.  Hart took off for second before Hardy grounded to second, and Anderson got the out at first.  Counsell is pinch hitting for Riske, and Counsell grounded out to short to end the inning.  Smith allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman sent the Brewers down in order.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Manny Parra (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Pagan lined a one-out single into shallow left field.  With Wright in the batters box, Parra threw the ball into the dirt and Pagan stole second safely.  Wright flied out to left.  Beltran lined out to third to end the inning.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Easley grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Church got caught looking at strike three.  Casanova popped up to shallow right, and Weeks made the catch to leave one runner stranded.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Parra sent the Mets down in order.  Parra gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright lined a leadoff single into shallow left center.  Beltran worked himself into a full count before drawing a no-out walk.  Delgado pulled a ground ball under Fielder’s glove and into right field which scored Wright and Beltran moved over to third.  Easley sacrifice flied to left field which scored Beltran.  With Church in the batters box, Parra threw a wild pitch and Delgado took off for second base.  Church grounded up the middle to as Delgado advanced to third.  Casanova lined an RBI single into left field which scored Delgado and moved Church over to second.  Figueroa dropped down a bunt, and Kendall stalled hoping it would roll out of bounds.  The ball stayed fair, and Kendall (Error on Kendall) threw it off the bag as Figueroa beat out the throw to first so the bases are loaded.  Reyes grounded to third, and the Brewers turned the double play to end the inning.  Parra gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Parra left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Yost replaced Parra with David Riske to begin the Bottom of the 5th.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Delgado popped up to shallow left, and Hall made the catch to end the inning.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Riske sent the Mets down in order.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Riske left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Yost replaced Riske with Salomon Torres to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Smith, and Chavez drew a leadoff walk.  Anderson dropped down a sacrifice bunt which moved Chavez over to second.  Pagan grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Chavez.  Wright lined a single into center field, but Gross misplayed the ball so Pagan advanced to third.  Beltran grounded to the pitcher, and the Brewers were able to turn the double play to avoid a big inning.  Torres gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Torres sent the Mets down in order.  Torres gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Torres left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 2 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) got the win and Manny Parra (1-1) got the loss.

It’s been a while since a Mets starter that had a poor performance.  The last one I remember was Maine’s first start in Atlanta.  Figueroa pitched another gem for the Mets since nobody knew what to expect from him.  It was his first win since 2004, and he retired the first 14 batters he faced.  The Bullpen put up goose eggs tonight which is where the problems have been.  So the Mets took the first game of the series which gives them a 5-4 record, and the aces will face each other tomorrow as Santana will take on Sheets.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 8 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of the first home series of the year.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Phillies Lineup: Victorino, Bruntlett, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Coste, Eaton.

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

On the Mound

John Maine (0-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Victorino grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Bruntlett popped up along the first base line as Victorino took off for second, but Delgado made the catch and throw to Easley at first for a double play.  Utley flied out to left to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Jenkins lined a two-out double off the wall in left center before Feliz flied out to center to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Coste drew a leadoff walk.  Eaton dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards first base to move Coste over to second, and Maine made the out at first.  Victorino grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first as Coste moved over to third.  Bruntlett flied out to center to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Burrell drew a two-out walk before Jenkins grounded out to first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Maine retired the bottom of the lineup 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, Victorino drew a leadoff walk.  Bruntlett flied out to right.  With Utley in the batters box, Victorino took off for second and Schneider threw him out (Schneider made a great throw to Reyes).  Utley grounded to first and the ball hit first base and shot up in the air so Easley came towards first to field it and flipped it to Maine on the bag, but Utley beat out the play and collided with Easley.  Howard drew a two-out walk.  Burrell drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Peterson paid a visit to the mound, and Smith and Schoeneweis are warming up in the bullpen.  Jenkins grounded to second, and Easley made the force play at second to get the Mets out of a jam.  Maine gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Ruiz led off with a solo shot down the left field line.  Coste lined a no-out double off of the wall in left field.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run (1 ER), 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Maine with Pedro Feliciano after Maine faced two batters in the 7th and retired none.  Werth is pinch hitting for Eaton, and Werth drew a no-out walk.  Feliciano struck out Victorino, Bruntlett, and Utley to leave two runners straned.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Howard led off by jacking a solo shot to deep center field to make it a one-run game (Heilman keeps on giving up homers in the 8th).  Burrell drew a no-out walk, but Taguchi is pinch running for Burrell.  Jenkins pulled a single into right field as Taguchi advanced to third.  Feliz grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first as Taguchi came home and Jenkins moved over to second.  Heilman fanned Coste.  Werth grounded out to first to end the inning as the Shea Faithful boo Heilman.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Rollins is pinch hitting for Romero, and Wagner caught Rollins swinging at strike three.  Bruntlett flied out to right field.  Utley drew a two-out walk.  Wagner fanned Howard.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 10th.  Jenkins drew a one-out walk.  Feliz flied out to center.  Coste lined out to first.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Top of the 11th, Werth grounded to third and beat out the throw at first.  Hamels is pinch hitting for Seanez, and Hamels dropped down a bunt in front of home plate and Schneider fell so everyone is safe (Hamels was credited with the hit).  Bruntlett struck out trying to bunt.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 11th.  Utley grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Jenkins grounded hard to second, but Easley (Error on Easley) couldn’t field it cleanly or make the throw on time whcih gave the Phillies a two-out base runner.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the Top of the 12th.  Feliz grounded to third, and Wright got the force play at second to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.

At the Plate

Adam Eaton (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Eaton sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Church grounded a single through the hole on the right side as Delgado moved over to second.  Easley grounded to short, and the Phillies turned the double play to end the inning.  Eaton gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Eaton retired the side in order.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan lined a leadoff single into shallow left field.  Eaton caught Wright looking at strike three.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado grounded to second, and Utley made the out at first as the runners advanced.  Church lined an RBI single into left center which scored Pagan and Beltran.  Easley grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the force play at second.  Eaton gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Eaton pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pagan lined a leadoff double into the corner in left field.  Wright grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the out at first as Pagan advanced to third.  Beltran lined an RBI single into right which scored Pagan.  Eaton fanned Delgado.  With Church in the batters box, Beltran took off for second and was thrown out by Coste.  Eaton gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Eaton left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 3 Runs (3 ER), 2 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Manuel replaced Eaton with Ryan Madson to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Easley lined a one-out double into the right field corner.  Schneider lined out to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Anderson grouned out to short.  Madson gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Madson with J.C. Romero to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Reyes grounded to short, but Reyes beat out the throw to first for a leadoff single.  Pagan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards third, and Romero made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Romero intentionally walked Wright.  With Beltran in the batters box, the Mets put on a double steal as Reyes and Wright advanced safely.  Romero fanned Beltran.  Delgado grounded out to third to end the inning while leaving to men on.  Romero gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Brad Lidge to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Lidge got Church swinging at strike three.  Easley grounded out to third.  Schneider drew a two-out walk.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Wagner, and Chavez grounded out to short.  Lidge gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Manuel replaced Lidge with Rudy Seanez to begin the Bottom of the 10th.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  With Beltran in the batters box, Wright stole second base.  Beltran worked himself into a full count before swinging at strike three.  Seanez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Manuel replaced Seanez with Tom Gordon to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Gordon sent the Mets down in order.  Gordon gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 12th, Schneider popped up to second.  Clark replaced Church, and Clark grounded out to third.  Reyes hit a two-out gaper to right center for a double.  Pagan grounded up the middle to bring Reyes home, and Reyes may have been safe or may have been out.  The Umpire called him safe.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 3 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (0-1) and Adam Eaton (0-0) each got a no decision.

The Mets were able to grind out a win tonight so they won the series against the Phillies that they needed to win.  The Brewers are coming to Shea for a three-game series tomorrow, and then the Nationals come to Shea for a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Mets got themselves back to a .500 record (4-4) which moved them up to 2nd place.  Atlanta (3-6) went out to Colorado, but the game was postponed due to snow.  Go figure.  The Marlins beat the Nationals so the Marlins are 6-3 and the Nationals are 3-7.

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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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Proir to the Mets-Braves game, the Nationals lost last night so the Mets moved into first place.  Let’s hope they stay there until they clinch the NL East.  The Mets are playing Game 4 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta.  It is the first time they face each other this year.

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

Braves Lineup: Escobar, Kotsay, Jones, Teixeia, McCann, Francoeur, Diaz, Prado, Hudson.

At the Plate

Tim Hudson was the starting pitcher for the Braves.  Hudson got the first three Mets to ground out in the Top of the 1st.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hudson got Beltran to ground out.  Delgado grounded a single up the middle, and then Church grounded a single up the middle to advance Delgado to third.  Pagan hit a ground ball to short where the Braves made the out at second but couldn’t turn the double play which allowed Delgado to score.  Hudson fanned Schneider to end the inning.  Hudson gave up 1 Run on 2 Hits while Striking Out 1 in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Hudson retired the side in order while Striking Out 2.  In the Top of the 4th, Hudson retired the heart of the Mets order.  Hudson gave up 0 Runs and 0 Hits in the 4th.  In the Top of the 5th, Church hit a leadoff single into center field.  Pagan slapped an opposite field single into left which moved Church over to second base.  Schneider grounded out to first which advanced both runners.  Clark was pinch hitting for Maine, and Hudson hit Clark with the pitch to load the bases.  Reyes slapped a single into center field that hopped before a diving Kotsay got the leather on the ball.  The Mets thought it bounced, and the runners took off so the Braves turned the double play (On the replay, the ball clearly bounced before Kotsay caught the ball).  The call was reversed after the Umpires had a meeting of the minds.  The Umpires called it an RBI single for Reyes, and the runners were allowed to advanced one base which scored Church.  Castillo hit an RBI ground out to second which scored Pagan and moved the runners over to second and third.  Wright grounded out to third to end the inning.  Hudson gave up 2 Runs, 3 Hits, and 1 HBP in the 5th.  In the Top of the 6th, Hudson gave up 0 Runs, 1 Hit, and Struck Out 1.  Hudson pitched 6.0 Innings giving up 6 Hits and 3 Runs while Striking Out 4.

Cox replaced Hudson with Peter Moylan to begin the Top of the 7th.  Schneider lined a leadoff single into center.  Chavez is in to pinch hit for Schoeneweis, and Chavez grounded hard to second.  The ball bounced off of Prado and into right field so the runners are on first and second (It was ruled a hit).  Moylan worked himself out of the jam leaving two Mets stranded.  Moylan gave up 2 Hits and 0 Runs in the 7th.

Cox replaced Moylan with Royce Ring to begin the Top of the 8th.  Beltran led off with a double that one-hopped the left field wall.  Delgado pulled an RBI double into the right field corner which scored Beltran.  Church grounded out to first, and Delgado advanced to third.  Pagan lined an RBI sacrifice fly to left field which brought home Delgado.  Schneider grounded out to second to end the inning.  Ring gave up 2 Hits and 2 Runs, in the 8th Inning.

Cox replaced Ring with Rafael Soriano to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Figueroa, and Anderson lined out to right field.  Soriano struck Reyes out swinging.  Castillo popped out to short to end the game.  Soriano retired the Mets in order in the 9th.

On the Mound

John Maine was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Maine caught Escobar looking at strike three.  With one out, Kotsay grounded a single through the hole on the left side.  Jones lined a single into right field, and Kotsay advanced to second.  Maine walked Teixeira to load the bases.  McCann hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right field which scored Kotsay and Jones advanced to third.  Maine struck out Francoeur swinging.  Maine is throwing heat but doesn’t look sharp as he gave up 1 Run, 2 Hits, and 1 Walk while Striking Out 2 in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Prado flaired a one-out single into right and that was it.  Maine gave up 1 Hit and Struck Out 2 in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Jones grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Maine walked Teixeira…again.  McCann flied out to center, and the runners held up.  Francoeur blooped an RBI single into shallow left field which scored Jones and advanced Teixeira to third.  Diaz hit an RBI single into center field scoring Teixeira and Francoeur advanced to second.  Prado grounded out to second to end the inning.  Maine gave up 2 Runs, 3 Hits, and 1 Walk in the 3rd.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Maine struck out Hudson, and then he walked Escobar.  Kotsay popped up to left, and Escobar stayed put.  Jones singled up the middle to advance Escobar to third.  Teixeira pulled an RBI single through the hole on the right side to score Escobar and advance Jones to second.  McCann popped up to short to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Walk, and Struck Out 1 in the 4th.  John Maine left the game after pitching 4 Innings giving up 8 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BB, and 5 SO.

Randolph replaced Maine with Joe Smith to begin the 5th Inning.  Smith sent the Braves down in order, and he Struck Out 1 in the 5th.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Gotay came in to pinch hit for Hudson.  Gotay hit a leadoff single up the middle.  Escobar sacrifice bunted to the pitcher, and Smith made the play at first while Gotay moved over to second.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis with 1 Out in the 6th Inning.  Kotsay ripped an RBI single into right field which scored Gotay (Gotay got his revenge on the Mets).  As Kotsay took off for second base, Church threw out Kotsay.  Jones popped up just foul of the first base line to end the inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit and 1 Run (Charged to Smith) in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Sosa fanned Teixeira.  McCann doubled into the gap in right center.  Francoeur grounded the ball through the hole on the left side for a single which moved McCann over to third.  Sosa then fanned Diaz.  Sosa walked Prado to load the bases.  Johnson is in to pinch hit for Moylan, and Johnson lined a Grand Slam into right field scoring McCann, Francoeur, Prado, and himself (a pinch hit Grand Slam…that is the last thing I ever want to see the Braves do).  Escobar lined out to right to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 Walk, and Struck Out 2 in the 7th.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Nelson Figueroa Jr. to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Kotsay grounded out to second.  Jones grounded out to first.  Teixeira lined a single into right.  Figueroa walked McCann.  Francoeur lined into center, but the diving Beltran couldn’t get to the ball in time, and Teixeira and McCann both scored.  Diaz flied out to center to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, and 1 Walk in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Atlanta Braves 11.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine got the loss (0-1) and Tim Hudson (1-0) got the win.

What an ugly game down in Atlanta.  Maine was throwing heat, but couldn’t locate his pitches.  The Bullpen gave up a ton of runs after Maine gave up 4.  Larry and Francoeur each went 3-5.  Teixeira was on base too much.  And worst of all…the Grand Slam by the pinch hitter, Kelly Johnson.  That’s not what I expected with Johnnie on the mound.  The Amazins’ will find out how for real Santana is tomorrow when he goes up against Smoltz.  The Mets need Santana to be the stopper that they paid $150 million for because they need to even out this series at 1-1.

On more of a positive note, the Phillies lost to the Reds, and the Nationals lost to the Cardinals which means that the Mets are still tied for first place pending the outcome of the Marlins-Pirates game where the Marlins have a 1-0 lead over the Pirates in the 2nd Inning.

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The Marlins hosted the Mets at Dolphin Stadium for a 7:10 PM start.  The Mets trailed 4-0 early as Pedro got rocked and injured, but the Mets fought back to tie the game.  The Bullpens held it down until Wise gave up a walkoff home run to Andino in the 10th.  The Mets can still win the series with a win tomorrow.

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

Marlins Lineup: Ramirez, Uggla, Jacobs, Willingham, Cantu, Gonzalez, Treanor, Amezaga, VandenHurk.

At the Plate

VandenHurk was the starting pitcher for the Marlins.  VandenHurk got threw the Top of the 1st only giving up a hit where Castillo beat out a ground ball to short.  In the Top of the 2nd, VandenHurk walked Pagan with 2 outs.  Then Schneider singled through the hole on the right side to advance Pagan to third, but VandenHurk struck out Martinez during a 12 pitch at-bat to retire the side.  In the Top of the 3rd, Reyes lined a leadoff single to center.  Castillo dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Reyes to second, but VandenHurk got through another scoreless inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Delgado drove the ball up the middle for a leadoff single.  Church pulled a single through the hole on the right side to advance Delgado to second.  Pagan also pulled an RBI single through the hole to score Delgado and advanced Church to second. 

Gonazalez made a pitching change so Pinto replaced VandenHurk.  Schneider lined an RBI single up the middle to score Church and Pagan advanced to second.  Martinez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners.  Reyes sacrificed flied to left scoring Pagan while Schneider remained on second.  The Mets got 3 runs back in the 4th.  In the Top of the 5th, Wright lined a leadoff single into left field.  Pinto walked Beltran on 5 pitches before striking out Delgado.  Pinto walked Church to load the bases.  Pagan sacrifice flied to center to score Wright which tied the game.  Pinto got out of the 5th only giving up 1 run.

Gardner replaced Pinto for the Marlins in the Top of the 6th, and Gardner retired the Mets in order.

Kensing replaced Gardner in the Top of the 7th, and Kensing pitched a scoreless inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Kensing walked Schneider with one out.  Gonzalez replaced Kensing with Tankersly.  Tankersly retired the two Mets he faced.

Gregg replaced Tankersly in the Top of the 9th, and Gregg pitched a scoreless 9th.

Miller replaced Gregg in the Top of the 10th, and Miller pitched a scoreless 10th.

On the Mound

Martinez was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Martinez hit Ramirez with a pitch to give the Marlins a leadoff runner.  Uggla lined a 2-run shot to left to score Ramirez and himself.  Pedro got out of the 1st giving up 2 Runs.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Gonzalez drove a solo shot to deep center to lead off the inning.  Amezaga beat out a ground ball to second base with one out, and then VandenHurk sacrifice bunted to advance Amezaga to second.  Ramirez drove the ball to the wall in right center for a triple scoring Amezaga.  Pedro walked Uggla to put runners on the corners before getting Jacobs to fly out to center.  After 2, Pedro gave up 4 runs.  Martinez retired the side in order in the Bottom of the 3rd.

In the Bottom of the 4th, Randolph came out to mound to pull Martinez because Pedro pulled his hamstring after getting the first batter out.  Sosa replaced Martinez.  Amezaga hit a ground rule double to right center off of Sosa.  Pinto sacrificed bunted to advance Amezaga to third.  Sosa intentionally walked Ramirez to put runners on the corners, but Sosa was able to get out of the 4th inning without any damage.  With 2 outs in the Bottom of the 5th, Sosa only gave up 1 Hit.  In the Bottom of the 6th, it was a little hectic, but Sosa got out of the inning without giving up any runs.

In the Bottom of the 7th, Schoeneweis replaced Sosa.  Ross pinch hit for Jacobs.  After Schoeneweis got Ross out, Randolph replaced him with Smith.  Smith got the two batters he faced out.

In the Bottom of the 8th, Heilman replaced Schoeneweis on the mound.  Heilman pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th.

Wise replaced Heilman in the Bottom of the 10th.  With two outs, Andino jacked a walk-off homerun to left field to win it for the Marlins.

Final Score: New York Mets 4 - Florida Marlins 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Mets.com:

Santana as advertised as Mets roll - Marty Noble put together an extensive article about Johan Santana’s Opening Day performance.

Wright doesn’t miss a beat in opener - Charlie Nobles pointed out that David Wright extends his two-year hitting streak to 18 with two doubles.

Forecast mixed for Pedro’s debut - Marty Noble provided the weather forecast as Pedro Martinez is about to take the mound.

Johan shows off ability to vary speeds - Charlie Nobles describes Santana’s performance on Opening Day.

Concepcion makes trip to see Santana - According to Joe Frisaro, Dave Concepcion, also Venezuelen, flew in from his native country specifically to see Johan’s debut as a Met.

Santana’s debut brings smiles - Fred Claire captured the thoughts of Willie Randolph regarding Santana’s debut as a Met.

Newsday:

Santana takes charge as Mets top Marlins in opener

Mets come out swinging in knockout of an opener

Randolph gets third degree after Mets win - David Lennon tells us why Willie got angry at the reporters after the game.

Don’t celebrate yet, Mets fans

Good day for ex-Mets - Newsday let us know how Lastings Milledge, Paul Lo Duca, Tom Glavine, Guillermo Mota, and Carlos Gomez did on Opening Day.

New York Daily News:

Johan Santana is best changeup of all

Johan Santana wins debut as Mets down Marlins 7-2

Impressed Pedro Martinez sings Johan Santana’s praises

New York Post:

PEDRO PUMPED FOR 2008 DEBUT

FIREWORKS IN THE 4TH - Bart Hubbuch noted how hot the bats were in the 4th Inning yesterday.

PERFECT RX AFTER LONG WINTER - Mike Vaccaro offers his thoughts on Johan.

WILLIE’S GAMBLE WINS BIG - Bart Hubbuch tells us what he thought when Randolph brought in Jorge Sosa.

New York Times:

Santana’s Start Helps Mets Forget Finish

The Star-Ledger:

Diagnosis: Strained left hamstring

Breaking: Pedro’s out with injury

Hurk OUT

Pedro Update

The Incredible Hurk

Petey’s progress

From the clubhouse

Million Dollar Men - Joel Magaraci lists how much 5 Mets are making this year.

Smoke and a Pancake? - Jeremy Cothran tells us a little bit about tonight’s starting pitcher for the Marlins, Henricus VandenHurk.

BREAKING NEWS: Mets writers are huge wimps

Mmmm….burgers…. - Dan Graziano preps us for tonight’s game.

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The Florida Marlins will host the New York Mets at 4:10 PM tomorrow.  The game will be aired on SNY.  It was those same Marlins that kept the Mets out of the Playoffs.  Once the fight broke out, the Marlins used the anger to stomp the Mets when it mattered most.  The Mets need to sweep the three-game series just like they did when they opened up the 2007 season against the Cardinals.  After the Mets play the Marlins, they head to Atlanta for a three-game series.  After that, they host a three game set with the Phillies at Shea Stadium.  Nine straight NL East games to kick off the season.  It will be interesting to see where the Mets are after that.

Mets.com:

Mets roster moves - MLB.com reported that the Mets added Brady Clark and Raul Casanova to the 25-man roster.  Duaner Sanchez, Orlando Hernandez, and Ramon Castro, was placed on the DL.  Brian Stokes was added to the roster while Fernando Tatis, Nelson Figueroa, and Ricardo Rincon were sent down to the Minors.

Last few Mets roster spots up in the air - Late last night, Anthony DiComo reported that the Mets reassigned backup catcher Gustavo Molina to Minor League camp.  The Mets had to make their 25-man roster by 3:00 pm today.

Memphis sees a slice of Cooperstown - Anthony DiComo noted that Major League Baseball brought the Hall of Fame plaques for Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson sent down to Memphis from Cooperstown so fans can check them out. 

Aaron a perfect stand-in in Memphis - Barry M. Bloom loved the idea that Hank Aaron stood-in for Commissioner Bud Selig at the Civil Rights Game.

Newsday:

Morris to Santana: Ease up on changeup - Ken Davidoff found out what Jack Morris, a Twins television analyst, thinks of Johan Santana.

Mets cherish experience from Civil Rights game - Mark Herrmann captured the thoughts of various Mets players about playing in the Civil Rights Game and about the extracurricular activities they attended.

Will things ever be right in left? - David Lennon asks and answers four questions about the Mets.

Mets’ Smith escapes jam; will he make team?

New York Daily News:

Mike Pelfrey becomes Mets fifth starter; El Duque starts season on DL

Mets can finally put 2007 to bed - Since Opening Day is tomorrow, Adam Rubin says that the Mets can forget about 2007.

El Duque might start season on DL

Mets moved by visit to Lorraine Motel

New book lets the Mets down - David Hinckley criticizes the author, David Green, of a new book about the Mets titled “101 REASONS TO LOVE THE METS”.

New York Post:

Pelfrey is No. 5 starter

OUR NEW BASEBALL BARONS - Kevin Kernan lets us know that we are in a new era of baseball in New York now that the children of the Steinbrenner’s and the Wilpon’s are running things.

METS’ PAIR PITCHES PERFECTLY - Mike Vaccaro described the performance of John Maine and Smith in yesterday’s Civil Rights Game.

SAINTLY PITCHER HAS DEEP ROOTS - James Fanelli and Katie Orlinsky say that Santana owes his success to his childhood.

THE WRIGHT THING TO DO - Kevin Kernan tells us why David Wright cut down on endorsement deals and promotional activities.

DARRYL WATCHES HIS SON THE SON - Brian Lewis told us that Darryl Strawberry went to see his son D.J. play an NBA game last night.  D.J. Strawberry plays for the Phoenix Suns who were in town to play the New Jersey Nets.

The Star-Ledger:

Sunday afternoon musings - Dan Graziano tells us what he thinks about the 2008 Mets.

Mets Keep Ducks On Golden Pond - Matthew Artus offers his thoughts on the ‘08 season.

Mets moved by visit to Civil Rights Museum

Still no decision on No. 5 starter

Mets are eager to answer the bell

Lisa Kennelly’s Mets preview

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Unfortunately, the Mets fell to the Marlins this afternoon.  Even though the Mets did pretty well in Spring Training, it doesn’t mean anything.  Only 5 Days until Opening Day.

Mets.com:

Pedro: Human or superhuman? - Anthony DiComo lets you know of Pedro Martinez’s outing against a Minor League club.

Wright, Delgado prove clutch in loss - Marty Noble summarized today’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.  Florida beat New York by a score of 7-5.  Robert Parnell got the start.  The Mets are 18-10-1 in the Grapefruit League standings.

New batterymates have prior history - Marty Noble felt the need to tell us that Brian Schneider took a photo with Martinez when he was a teenager.

Easley to play utility role, that’s for sure - Marty Noble says that it is unknown if the Mets will rely on Damion Easley to backup in the outfield.

Sosa may get rotation shot - Since El Duque and Pelfrey are not performing too well, Marty Noble thinks that Jorge Sosa may be suitable for the 5th spot in the rotation.

Alou eyeing April return - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou is hoping to return to the Mets by the end of April.

Newsday:

Mets’ Santana can’t wait to pick up bat again - I don’t know much about Santana picking up a bat, but I love when a title begins with “Mets’ Santana”.  Jim Baumbach and David Lennon pointed out that Johan Santana hit his last triple in Dolphin Stadium which is where Santana will make his first start wearing orange and blue.

Mets’ Alou swears he’ll come back strong

New York Daily News:

Mets hoping new ace Johan Santana can help them forget historic collapse

Billy Wagner: Johan Santana is so good he makes bullpen better, too - Billy Wagner is always complimenting other pitchers.  I’m waiting for him to say that he is going to make the team better.

It’s hard to Shea goodbye

Moises Alou eying April return

The ‘Not’ Corner: First base used to be glamour position in New York - What’s wrong with Delgado and Giambi? hahaha.

Fans get into act on SNY - Bob Raissman talks about how SNY now has interactive TV where the fans can call in and discuss what’s on their minds.  That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me.

Minor adjustment a big-league help to Johan Santana - Adam Rubin pointed out that Santana’s inaugural spring as a Met ended quietly with an intrasquad game against minor-leaguers.

Raul Casanova ready to catch on - Adam Rubin believes that Raul Casanova appears to be the catcher on the Opening Day roster due to injuries to Schneider and Ramon Castro.

New York Post:

FIFTH AVENUE - Bart Hubbuch believes that Claudio Vargas may have what it takes to get the 5th spot in the rotation.

JOHAN’S THE MAN

WHAT METS NEED TO WIN - Bart Hubbuch has all of the secrets.

WHOLLY MOISES!

The Star-Ledger:

South American adventure over - Jeremy Cothran is back and ready to bring us through the 2008 season.

A Steady Diet of Curveballs - Matthew Artus extensively explains what the Mets can do to fill the 5th spot in the rotation.

Alou eager to return to Mets

Bullpen taking shape - Lisa Kennelly found out that, “The Mets placed reliever and Rule 5 pick Steven Register on waivers yesterday.”  Kennelly believes that Joe Smith and Brian Stokes will fill the void until Sanchez is ready to return.

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In the bottom of the 9th, a single to right by Raul Arroyo drove in the winning run.  It’s always nice to see the Mets beat the Braves.  Even more so in the regular season, and even more so in the Playoffs.

Eight years later, A-Rod is upset about turning down the Mets offer.  Too bad for him.  He’s such a phony that I don’t think he has feelings.  He just wants Mets fans to love him.  Screw that…  He’s a Yankee, and he should worry about Yankees fans loving him.  Try winning a championship already.

Mets.com:

Arroyo lifts Mets past Braves - Marty Noble summarized today’s game between the Braves and the Mets.  New York beat Atlanta 5-4.  Jonathon Niese got the start on the mound.  The Mets are 18-9-1 in the Grapefruit League standings.

What’s in a name for Mets? - Marty Noble discusses Port St. Lucie since the Mets showed up to town in 1988.

Maine looks ready to meet his goals - Anthony DiComo captured John Maine’s goals for ‘08 which are pitching 200 innings and a Playoff berth.

Top Mets arms done with spring games - Anthony DiComo covered the story about Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez not pitching anymore in Grapefruit League games which the New York Post reported yesterday.  The only difference in the story is that DiComo stated that Maine may not pitch in the Grapefruit League anymore either.

Newsday:

Heilman seems at ease with setup role for Mets - Jim Baumbach noted Aaron Heilman’s contributions to the Mets.

Maine continues to pitch well for Mets - Jim Baumbach points out how Maine has dominated the Grapefruit League this year.  Baumbach also reported that Omar Minaya planned to have discussions with team officials regarding Reed Johnson because “the cost is not that much.”

New York Daily News:

A-Rod regrets saying no to Mets, doesn’t make same mistake with Yankees - I would like to thank Alex Rodriguez for not coming to the Mets.  Shortstop was the weakest link offensively when Rey Ordenez was at short so A-Rod would have been a huge upgrade.  But, when a guy who wants his own hotel, plane, locker room, and $250 million he is not a team player.  A-Rod is one of the biggest dusch bags in the game so I’m glad the Yankees locked him up for 10 years and nobody else has to deal with him.  He’s robotic.  Until resigning with the Yankees, he never left a dime on the table to pay anywhere he wants.  So he doesn’t need to whine about it now.  Do not even attempt to get Mets fans to feel sorry for you because we’re not buying it.  On a sidenote, how do people that don’t help teams win championships get paid more than the ones that do?  I mean key players not bench players.

John Maine locks up spot in rotation

Improvement is a relief to Joe Smith - Adam Rubin pointed out that Joe Smith’s performances are “steadily improving”.

New York Post:

METS’ MAINE MAN IS COMIN’ UP ACES

BROOKLYN NATIVE GOING LIVE AT FIVE - Bart Hubbuch believes that Nelson Figueroa is picking up steam as a fifth-starter candidate.

New York Times:

Mets Commit to 5-Man Rotation, No Matter What

The Star-Ledger:

Game 26: Mets vs Braves - Lisa Kennelly provided the lineup for today’s game between the Braves and the Mets.

A-Rod Just Won’t Go Away

Figueroa may take the fifth for Mets

Standing ovation for Maine

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Yesterday, bowling was on ESPN so I’m really getting ancy for some baseball games.  The Mets will play their first Grapefriut League game tomorrow against the Tigers at 1:05 p.m. at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, FL.  Mike Pelfrey is scheduled to start for the Mets opposite Jeremy Bonderman.  I’d prefer to skip Spring Training and fast forward to March 31, 2008.

Mets.com:

Martinez will not broach contract talks - Marty Noble reported that “Pedro Martinez will not approach the team about a contract beyond 2008 — though he would be willing to discuss the matter if the club broached the topic.”  Pedro needs to show he can go out there and pitch before the Mets should even have to talk to him.  How many millions of dollars has Pedro collected while on rehab?

Mets salvage tie against Michigan - A tie between a college squad and a pro team?  How are the Mets supposed to beat the Marlins on opening day?  Marty Noble provided a summary of the game, and he pointed out that David Wright and Michael Abreu each hit a 2-run homers.

Citi, Mets unveil Citi Field logo - Anthony DiComo has an picture of the new Citi Field logo.  Willie was able to lie through his teeth by saying, “It’s a beautiful logo, it’s a great marriage with Citi Bank and the New York Mets. It’s a great day, and I can’t wait to see it all over Shea Stadium. It’s going to be fun.”

Notes: Sanchez takes first step - Marty Noble takes us through the return of Sanchez.

Mailbag: Who else will be a leader? - Marty Noble fields questions from the fans.

Newsday:

Sanchez is relieved to be back

Citi Field mock-upgives feeling of new home - Yesterday’s intrasquad game was played on a Citi Field mock-up so they can see how Citi Field will play, according to David Lennon.

SPRING TRAINING: E-MAIL FROM PORT St.LUCIE - I cannot figure out why David Lennon wrote this email.

New York Daily News:

Mets want ’small ball’ from Jose Reyes - John Harper stated that the Mets want Jose Reyes to go back to beating out ground balls.

Sanchez, Padilla off to solid start - Adam Rubin lets you know how Duaner Sanchez and Juan Padilla performed in yesterday’s outing.

Tony Bernazard high on minors

New York Post:

WHATTA ‘RELIEF’ - The Amazins’ are ecstatic about Duaner’s first outing, according to Bart Hubbuch.

SMITH LIKELY ODD MAN OUT - Joe Smith hit a batter and gave up a two-run triple while Sanchez threw a scoreless inning so Bart Hubbuch believes that Smith is less likely to make the roster.  Hubbuch also wrote a few other things:

• “The Mets open their exhibition schedule here at noon today against the University of Michigan, which was invited in part because it’s the alma mater of Amazin’s owner Fred Wilpon.”
• “Pedro Martinez, who has yet to throw to hitters this spring while the Mets move at his pace, was excused from camp yesterday to tend to personal business.”
• “David Wright returned after his grandmother’s funeral and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the scrimmage.”

WILLIE HOPES TO BE ‘POPS’ TO METS’ YOUNGSTERS - Willie must be thinking he’s aged quite a bit.

The Star-Ledger:

Theme of the morning — bullpens

How Hard Is It To Say Goodbye to El Duque? - Matthew Artus got his hands on an article written by Jon Heyman of SI.com.  In this article, Heyman wrote,

The Mets quietly sought trade offers for Orlando Hernandez late this winter, with the idea that if anyone bit, they would sign Lohse. But apparently there were no takers.

Artus examined how ‘08 would be with and without El Duque.

Catching up in a hurry - Jeremy Cothran pointed out that Schneider is establishing a rapport with Mets pitching staff.

Big step for rehabbing reliever - Jeremy Cothran also lets us know how Sanchez performed in yesterday’s outing.

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I have expressed my concerns regarding the Mets already as we head into ’08.  On of my biggest concerns is this guy, Duaner Sanchez.  I was thrilled to hear that Sanchez was able to pitch today, and he didn’t give up any runs in his first outing since ‘06.  Duaner is the one player that I’m going to zone in on more than any other.  The biggest reason why the Bullpen was so much better in ‘06 then in ‘07 was primarily because of Sanchez not being there.  Bradshaw was also very successful, but Omar let him go so it’s not worth arguing that point.  It is very infrequent when pitchers come back from injuries and pitch as well as they used to.  So what we will get out of Duaner?  Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m looking forward to watching him.  If he can hold down the 8th inning like he used to then the Mets are going to have a great season.

Mets.com:

Smith aims to regain early ‘07 magic - As a Mets fan, I also want Joe Smith to regain that early ‘07 magic.  I’ve read that Smith just ran out of gas in ‘07 so he hopefully he got on a better conditioning play this offseason.

Notes: Santana leaves mark — literally - In batting practice, Carlos Beltran ended up getting hit by one of Johan Santana’s pitches in the tricep.  Beltran said “he got me pretty good.”  Marty Noble was seeking for a story and came up with this, John Maine went on the internet for the first time last week.

Newsday:

Beltran survives Santana fastball, but sidelined - David Lennon also lets you know how Beltran is feeling after getting belted by Santana in BP.  Beltran is a big boy…he’ll tough it out.

SPRING TRAINING: E-MAIL FROM PORT St. LUCIE - David Lennon reported that Santana pitched his second BP yesterday.

SPRING TRAINING: Willie carries message to Reyes’ home - David Lennon tells us about a “14-person Mets contingent that visited Reyes at his parents’ house in a village outside of Santiago” which Willie was part of.  Willie stated that “I went because I wanted to talk to him about his mind-set moving forward. We didn’t get into what happened last year.”  If 14 Mets go to DR to see Reyes then it goes to show you how important Jose is to the team.  Does anybody find it odd that they went to Reyes’ parents house?  Does Jose have his own house in DR?

Randolph in better humor for 2008 - David Lennon pointed out that Willie Randolph is smiling and cracking jokes now.  That’s all good during Spring Training, but Willie needs to crack the whip in ‘08 after the collapse.

New York Daily News:

Duaner Sanchez pitches scoreless inning in Mets’ intrasquad scrimmage - The AP reported that Duaner got to pitch as expected, and he threw a scoreless inning in his return.

John Maine is Mets’ ace in the hole - John Harper raises this question.  How good is John Maine?  Then Harper tried to get the answers to his question.

Duaner Sanchez springs into action - Sanchez was expected to pitch in a game today for the first time since ‘06.

Ex-Mets adjusting to life with Twins - Anthony McCarron lets us know how Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra are doing in Twins camp.

Carlos Beltran not ready for spring games - Adam Rubin provided the status of six Mets that will not be ready in time for the start of Spring Training.  These players are Beltran, Castillo, Chavez, Easley, Johnson, and Valentin.  All of them are suffering from leg injuries.  Also, Rubin wrote that El Duque threw his second BP.  Juan Padilla was supposed to pitch today after not pitching since having Tommy John surgery performed in March 2006.  Last, Angel Pagan swept every event to become the best athlete in camp and the first Met to do that.

New York Post:

PLEADING THE 5TH - Bart Hubbuch has the latest and greatest on that final spot in the rotation.

MINAYA’S BRAND OF BASEBALL - Mike Vaccaro lets you know what kind of GM he thinks Omar is.

FROM BELTRAN TO WELT-RAN - Bart Hubbuch also provided the details about Beltran getting belted by Santana.

New York Times:

The Skinny on the Mets’ New Reliever? Great Changeup, Bad Luck - Ben Shpigel tells the story of Matt Wise.

The Star-Ledger:

Citi Field Logo: Thoughts? - Yesterday, Jeremy Cothran was very excited about seeing the Citi Field logo.  He has a picture of it and it is ugly.

Don’t Call It a Comeback - Matthew Artus wrote about the return of Sanchez.

No rush to play ailing players - Jeremy Cothran also covered the injured Mets.

Mets pitcher regains control of his career - Jeremy Cothran also discusses Wise.

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