Die Hard Sports Fan

John Maine got placed on the 15-Day DL with a mild strain of his right rotator cuff, according to Anthony DiComo of Mets.com. Billy Wagner suffered a stiff left forearm last Tuesday in Florida which created a need for another bullpen arm. Wagner will have an MRI on the forearm this Tuesday in New York, and he isn’t expected to pitch again before at least Wednesday. The Mets filled the hole by selecting the contract of Double-A closer Eddie Kunz from Binghamton. To make room, they placed John on the disabled list. The move is retroactive to July 29 and will force Maine to miss his scheduled start on Aug. 8. But he will miss only one start.

DiComo lists these as options for the Mets to fill Maine’s spot in the rotation, “Though the Mets could pitch Oliver Perez on Friday and use a spot starter for Saturday’s game against the Marlins — a sequence that would allow them to call up top pitching prospect Jonathon Niese — manager Jerry Manuel said that he would be more inclined to give Perez an extra day of rest and use a spot starter Friday. Claudio Vargas is the likely candidate to take Maine’s spot in the rotation.”

I agree with Manuel wanting to give Ollie an extra day because Ollie was moved up a spot in the rotation to take Maine’s place today. Otherwise, you are looking at having Perez moving up a spot in the rotation for two consecutive starts. It’s better that Vargas starts even though you never know what to expect, but you don’t know with Ollie either. I can’t wait till Johnny’s back.

Share This

A couple of hours ago, Anthony DiComo of Mets.com reported that John Maine will not make his start on Sunday. He is still out of action with a strain of his right shoulder’s rotator cuff, and Oliver Perez is expected to move up a day in the rotation to fill the void. Maine said, “I’ve had soreness back there, but this is the first time I’ve actually had any arm problems. It’s a good thing that it’s nothing serious. A couple days off and it will be fine. I try to do everything I can to keep my arm in shape, and I think I’ve done a good job. I’m 27 years old, and this is the first time anything’s ever crept up, and it’s nothing serious.” The Mets have an off-day on Monday which allows them to play it safe and give John some extra rest. So this means that we won’t see him on the mound until August 8 against the Marlins.

I know the media tried to make a big deal out of this situation. They thought the Mets were concealing information and thought that the injury was much worse than the Mets stated. However, it seems like everything is fine and he just needs a few days off.

Share This

The New York Mets (30-32) are playing Game 63 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Arizona Diamondbacks (34-30) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Diamondbacks Lineup: Young, Drew, Hudson, Jackson, Reynolds, Snyder, Upton, Salazar, Micah Owings (6-4).

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Alou, Schneider, Chavez, John Maine (6-4).

In the Top of the 1st, Drew lined a one-out single up the middle.  Hudson drew a one-out walk.  Conor Jackson grounded a one-out RBI single threw the hole on the right side scoring Stephen Drew, and Hudson went from first to third.  With runners on the corners, Maine struck out Reynolds and Snyder to get out of the inning limiting the damage to a run.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes chopped an infield single over the head of the pitcher which redirected towards second giving the Mets a leadoff runner.  With Castillo at the plate, Snyder threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Wright grounded to first, and Jackson tagged first for the second out as Castillo advanced to second.  Beltran grounded very slowly to short and beat it out for a two-out single, and Castillo went to third.  Carlos Delgado grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle scoring Luis Castillo, Beltran went from first to third, and Delgado slid into second base because Young bobbled the ball in center.  In his first at bat back from the DL, Moises Alou lined a two-out 2-run single into left scoring Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.  Schneider drew a two-out walk so Price came out to visit Owings.  Chavez popped up to short to end the inning after the Mets took a 3-1 lead.  In the Top of the 2nd, Salazar drew a one-out walk.  With Owings in the batters box, Schneider threw out Salazar as he attempted to steal second.  Maine struck out Owings looking to end the inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Castillo slapped a two-out single through the hole on the left side.  David Wright smoked a two-out two run shot to left scoring Luis Castillo, and there was no doubt about it.  Beltran flied out to right to end the inning after the Mets took a 5-1 lead.  In the Top of the 3rd, Hudson grounded a two-out single up the middle and Reyes stopped it from going into center but made no throw.  Jackson drew a two-out walk.  Maine fanned Reynolds to end the inning stranding runners on first and second.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Schneider drew a two-out walk.  Chavez lined out to right to end the inning stranding Schneider on first.

In the Top of the 4th, Maine pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Castillo grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Wright flied out to the warning track in right center to end the inning stranding Castillo on first.  In the Top of the 5th, Owings grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Maine struck out Young looking.  Drew flied out to left.  Orlando Hudson hit a two-out 2-run bomb to right field scoring Micah Owings.  Jackson flied out to center to end the inning after the Diamondbacks made it a 5-3 game.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Beltran grounded to the grass at second and Hudson dove to stop it and threw it to first as Beltran dove in for a leadoff single.  Delgado flied out to right.  Owings hit Alou in the back with the rear.  Melvin replaced Owings with Cruz.  Schneider popped up to second on the first pitch.  Chavez flied out to center to end the inning leaving runners stranded on first and second.  In the Top of the 6th, Randolph replaced Maine with Vargas.  Reynolds drew a leadoff walk.  Snyder lined out to left.  Vargas hit Upton near the knob of the bat, and Randolph came out to argue the call.  Salazar grounded to the pitcher, but the ball redirected to second so Castillo made the out at first as both runners advanced a base.  Ojeda is pinch hitting for Owings, and Augie Ojeda lined a two-out 2-run double through the hole on the right side scoring Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton.  Young flied out to right to end the inning stranding Ojeda on second, but the Diamondbacks tied up the game at 5-5.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Melvin replaced Cruz with Slaten.  Tatis is pinch hitting for Vargas, and Tatis lined a leadoff single into right center.  Reyes flied out to left.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Diamondbacks turned the inning ending double play.

In the Top of the 7th, Randolph replaced Vargas with Feliciano.  The game has gone into a rain delay because the thunder and the lightning has begun, but not the rain.  The grounds crew just covered the infield with the tarp because the wind is blowing paper around.  After an hour rain delay, Feliciano retired the first two batters.  Randolph replaced Feliciano with Smith.  Smith got the final out to retired the side.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Melvin replaced Slaten with Qualls.  Qualls retired the side in order.  In the Top of the 8th, Chris Snyder hit a one-out solo shot to left.  Smith struck out Upton looking.  Salazar grounded out to second to end the inning after the Diamondbacks took a 6-5 lead.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Melvin replaced Qualls with Peña.  Easley lined a leadoff single through the hole on the left side.  Schneider dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and Snyder made the out at first as Easley advanced to second.  Chavez lined out to short.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Smith, and Anderson flied out to left to end the inning leaving Chavez stranded on second.  In the Top of the 9th, Randolph replaced Smith with Sanchez.  Romero replaced Salazar, and Romero lined a leadoff double down the left field line.  Young grounded back to the pitcher, and Sanchez looked Romero back and made the out at first.  Stephen Drew smoked a one-out 2-run homer to right center which scored Alex Romero.  Sanchez fanned Hudson.  Conor Jackson smoked a solo shot to left field which just cleared the foul pole.  Reynolds lined a two-out single into left.  Snyder lined a two-out single into left, and Reynolds went from first to third.  Randolph replaced Sanchez with Heilman.  Upton popped up to first to end the inning with runners stranded on the corners.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Melvin replaced Peña with Lyon.  Reyes grounded a leadoff double down the right field line.  Castillo grounded back to the pitcher, and Lyon made the out at first.  Wright flied out to the wall in right field, and Reyes tagged up and went to third.  Beltran grounded out to first to end the game with Castillo stranded on third.

Final Score: Arizona Diamondbacks 9 - New York Mets 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Joe Smith (0-1) took the loss and Chad Qualls (1-5) got the win.

Game Notes:

• Johm Maine was decent at best tonight.  He only pitched 5.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ERs, 3 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.
• Claudio Vargas gave up a 2-run double Ojeda that allowed the D-Backs to get tie up the game.
• David Wright crushed a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning which seemed like it broke the game open at the time.
• Duaner Sanchez gave up 3 runs on 2 dingers in the 9th.

Series Notes:

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

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-w-l-l-l-l-l.
• The Mets are currently 0-1 on this home stand.
• The Mets are three games under .500 with a 30-33 record.

It really bothers me this season when the Mets actually score a few runs early that they cannot tack on more runs or have the bullpen shut down the opposition.  It seems like when they get rolling early that they still end up losing the games.  Nothing is going right for them.

Share This

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

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

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

On the Mound

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

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

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

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

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

At the Plate

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

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

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

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

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

Game Notes:

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

Series Notes:

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

Other Notes:

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

Share This

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

Share This

I really believed that the Amazin’s were going to win 5 straight to offset the 5 game losing streak.  That is the first time this month that the Mets didn’t follow that trend, and it’s pretty late in the month.  So the Mets lost again, and Willie’s big meeting with the Wilpon’s is tomorrow.  During the past ten days, the local press and sports radio stations like The Fan have made this a gigantic story.  I was bored of it last weekend, and it’s not over yet.  Let’s see what happens to Willie tomorrow and in the upcoming weeks.

Mets.com:

Long ball tops Maine, Mets in Denver - Owen Perkins summarized today’s Mets-Rockies game.

Church improving but still woozy

Pedro champing at the bit to return - Owen Perkins lets us know the latest on Pedro Martinez, “Pedro Martinez was scheduled to throw a bullpen session in the Dominican Republic on Sunday and is expected to return to Florida on Monday.”

Minaya sees calmer waters for Mets - Omar Minaya was quoted as saying, “We understand there’s other drama around the team, but we’ve got to win games. I think [the drama] is over. Once Willie apologized, that’s it, move forward.”

Evans, Vargas give Mets a boost in win - Owen Perkins summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Tatis’ hard work paying off with Mets - Owen Perkins wrote up a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Delgado homers past Dawson - Carlos Delgado passed Andre Dawson for sole possession of 35th on the all-time list with 439 home runs.

Anderson latest Mets outfielder to sit - Owen Perkins reported that Marlon Anderson is listed as day-to-day.

Newsday:

On hot seat, Mets’ Willie becomes Good Humor man - David Lennon wrote up a game summary for yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Evans’ three-double debut leads Mets

LETS RANT

One watcher’s ride on Mets history by the numbers

Surprise starts: Which teams will stay hot, cold

New York Daily News:

Slumping Mets can’t solve Rockies’ patchwork lineup - The AP summarized today’s Mets-Rockies game.

Willie Randolph gets stay of execution as Mets rock Colorado - Adam Rubin summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Ax Willie Randolph? Omar Minaya deserves share of blame

Win some games, Willie Randolph

The Willie Randolph I know well

Willie Randolph tries to stay upbeat as meeting looms

Pedro Martinez is ready, Mets aren’t

Called-up Nick Evans makes mark on the double

Gary Carter just Kidding, now backs Willie Randolph - What’s wrong with The Kid?

New York Post:

BACK TO SLEEP - Bart Hubbuch wrote up a game summary for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

‘KISS OF DEATH’

RANDOLPH WINS A REPRIEVE - FOR NOW

25 BEST MOMENTS AT SHEA: NO. 18

METS’ YOUNGSTER IS ‘DOUBLE’ THE TROUBLE IN MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT

VARGAS MAKES PITCH TO STAY

WILLIE RESIGNED TO FINAL CUT

New York Times:

Mets Loss to Rockies Adds Pressure on Randolph - Ben Shpigel summarized today’s Mets-Rockies game.

The Star-Ledger:

Final: Rockies 4, Mets 1 - Jeremy Cothran put together a game summary for today’s game between the Mets and the Rockies.

Maine no-hitter finished

Game 48: Mets at Rockies - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for today’s Mets-Rockies game.

Finally, all goes right for Mets

Rookie arrives double time

Willie prepared for talk

Share This

The New York Mets (23-24) are playing Game 48 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Colorado Rockies (19-30) at Coors Field.  It’s the final game of the three-game series.  The game began at 3:05 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Schneider, Evans, Chavez, Maine.

Rockies Lineup: Podsednik, Herrera, Helton, Spilborghs, Smith, Stewart, Torrealba, Quintanilla, Cook.

At the Plate

Aaron Cook (6-3) was the starting pitcher for the Rockies.  In the Top of the 1st, Cook pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Evans grounded to third, and Stewart made the out at first to end the inning.  Cook gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Chavez grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Maine dropped down a sacrifice bunt down the third base line, and Stewart made the out at first as Chavez went to second.  Jose Reyes lined an RBI single into shallow center, and Endy Chavez came around to score.  Cook picked off Reyes at first.  Castillo dropped down a bunt towards third, and Stewart made the out at first to end the inning.  Cook gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Cook retired the side in order.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Cook retired the side in order for the second straight inning.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Maine grounded to third but Stewart (Error on Ian Stewart) batched the ball so Maine ended up on first.  Reyes grounded to second, and the Rockies only got the lead runner out on the double play attempt.  Castillo grounded to the pitcher, and the Rockies turned the inning ending double play.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Beltran lined a one-out single into the gap in right center.  Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Cook struck out Schneider swinging.  Church is pinch hitting for Evans, and Cook fanned Church to end the inning with two Mets on base.  Cook gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Cook pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Cook slammed the door on the Mets.  Cook gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (5-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Podsednik drew a leadoff walk.  With Herrera in the batters box, Schneider threw out Podsednik as he attempted to steal second.  Herrera grounded the ball through Delgado’s (Error on Carlos Delgado) glove and into right field which allowed Herrera to end up on second base.  Helton grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Herrera advanced to third.  Maine caught Spilborghs looking at strike three to end the inning with Herrera stranded on third.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Maine struck out the side.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Helton drew a one-out walk.  Spilborghs grounded the ball through Jose Reyes’ (Error on Jose Reyes) legs so everybody is safe.  Seth Smith crushed a one-out 3-run homer to right center which scored Todd Helton and Ryan Spilborghs.  Stewart lined out to short.  Torrealba flied out to center to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Quintanilla drew a leadoff walk.  Cook dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards first, and Maine made the out at first as Quintanilla advanced to second.  Podsednik flied out to center.  Maine fanned Herrera to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Helton lined a leadoff double into the corner in left.  Spilborghs lined out to first.  Smith drew a one-out walk.  Stewart grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side to load the bases.  Yorvit Torrealba hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Todd Helton tagged up and scored.  Maine fanned Quintanilla to end the inning with the bases juiced.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 3 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Cook drew a leadoff walk.  Podsednik grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Herrera grounded out to short to end the inning.  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 retired the first batter.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ERs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Matt Wise with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Wise got the two batters he faced out.  Wise gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Colorado Rockies 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (5-4) got the loss and Aaron Cook (7-3) got the win.

Game Notes:

• Reyes drove in the only Mets run today.
• Maine only gave up 3 hits, but he gave up a 3-run dinger in the 4th.
• Maine had 8 K’s.

Series Notes:

• The Rockies won the series 2 games to 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.
• For the first time this month, the Mets did not win as many games as they lost.
• The Mets finished this road trip with a 3-6 record.
• The Mets are now two games under .500 with a 23-25 record.

Share This

The New York Mets (22-19) are playing Game 42 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Atlanta Braves (22-21) at Turner Field.  It’s the first game of the four-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

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

Braves Lineup: Escobar, Kotsay, Jones, Teixeira, McCann, Francoeur, Johnson, Blanco, Glavine.

At the Plate

Tom Glavine (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Braves.  In the Top of the 1st, Luis Castillo somehow pulled a one-out solo shot down the left field line.  Wright grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Church lined a one-out opposite field single into left, and Wright advanced to third and Beltran advanced to second.  Moises Alou lined out to third, and the runners stayed put.  Delgado lined out to right to end the inning with the bases juiced.  Glavine gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Glavine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Glavine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Glavine retired the side again.  Glavine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Glavine retired the side for the third time.  Glavine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Glavine now sent the Met down in order for the fourth straight inning.  Glavine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Glavine now sent the Mets down in order for the fifth inning in a row.  Glavine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Glavine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Cox replaced Glavine with Will Ohman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Ohman pitched a 1-2-3 inning also.  Ohman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Ohman struck out Schneider before Cox made a pitching change.  Ohman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Ohman left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Cox replaced Ohman with Blaine Boyer with one out in the Top of the 8th.  Reyes lined a two-out single into right.  Castillo grounded out to third to end the inning.  Boyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Cox replaced Boyer with Manny Acosta to begin the Top of the 9th.  Beltran lined a one-out single up the middle.  Church grounded to first, and the Braves only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Alou grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Church advanced to second.  Delgado grounded to first, and Teixeira made the toss to Acosta who tagged first to end the game.  Acosta gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (5-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Escobar lined a leadoff double down the right field line.  Kotsay grounded to short, and Reyes made the throw to Wright who tagged Escobar as he was sliding into third.  Jones grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Kotsay advanced to second.  Mark Teixeira lined a two-out RBI single into center, and Mark Kotsay came around to score.  McCann popped up to left, and Alou made the final out of the inning.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Blanco drew a two-out walk.  With Glavine in the batters box, Blanco beat out the throw as he stole second safely.  With Glavine at the plate, Maine threw a wild pitch so Blanco advanced to third.  Glavine grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Escobar grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  With Kotsay in the batters box, Schneider threw out Escobar as he attempted to steal second.  Kotsay lined out to left.  Jones lined a two-out single into right.  Teixeira grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Jones advanced to second.  Brian McCann lined a two-out RBI single into center, and Chipper Jones came around to score while Teixeira moved over to second.  Francoeur popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the out leaving to Braves on base.  Maine gave up 4 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Johnson drove an opposite field leadoff double to the gap in left center.  Blanco drew a no-out walk.  Glavine dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Yunel Escobar lined out to right, and Kelly Johnson tagged up and scored while Blanco advanced to third.  Kotsay popped up to left, and Alou made the final out of the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Jones drew a leadoff walk.  Teixeira beat out a ground ball down the third base line for a no-out single, and Jones moved over to second.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Scott Schoeneweis with no outs in the Bottom of the 5th.  McCann grounded to first, and Delgado made the throw to Schoeneweis at first for the out while both runners advanced.  Schoeneweis intentionally walked Francoeur to load the bases.  Kelly Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Chipper Jones tagged up and scored while the other runners held up.  Blanco grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Gotay led off with a pinch hit ground ball through the hole on the right side for a single.  Escobar flied out to left.  Kotsay flied out to left.  Jones popped up to first to end the inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Shoeneweis left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Teixeira drew a leadoff walk.  Brian McCann crushed a no-out 2-run home run to left center which scored Mark Teixeira.  Francoeur popped up to short.  Johnson grounded out to second.  Blanco grounded out to first to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Matt Wise to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Kotsay grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Wise got Jones looking at strike three.  Wise gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Atlanta Braves 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (5-3) got the loss and Tom Glavine (2-1) got the win.

Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-?.  Each time they lose one or more games, they mitigate a losing streak with the exact number of wins.  Once the Mets win enough games to offset the losses, they lose again.  That question mark is for today’s which game which resulted in a loss.  The unpredictable part of this is trying to determine how long the losing streak will be.  The Mets haven’t lost more than two games in a row this month yet so it seems like the worst thing that can happen is that the Mets loss two games before winning two games to go even with the Braves.

Isn’t it funny how Tom Glavine can pitch effectively against the Mets?  When he was on the Mets, he can pitch well except every team except the Braves.  That is why I always thought he was secretly on the Braves payroll because he got like one win in 6 years against the Braves.  I thought the Mets were going to knock Tommy out of the game in the first inning, but the Mets only got one run.  After that, Glavine retired 17 straight Mets.  I wanted him to feel devastated.  Maine didn’t have it today which is unfortunate because we’re playing the Braves.  Willie was kind enough to bring in Heilman for an inning so we can watch McCann hit a 2-run homer off of him.  The last thing I want to watch is the Braves tack on runs even if Willie didn’t think the team could come back and win the game.  Don’t give them the satisfaction.  The Mets only got 5 hits today.  We’ll see what happens tonight.

Share This

I’ve read a bunch of articles about everyone thinks that the Mets are doing the right thing by holding back Johan Santana until Friday night against the Yankees.  I strongly disagree with this concept, and I can care less what the Mets do in the interleague games.  The Mets need to win as many interleague games as possible, but not as much as they need to win division games and NL games.  The Mets make sure that their aces face the Yankees every year.  Last season, if they lost one more game against the Yankees and won one more game in their division then they would’ve won the NL East and played in the Playoffs.  The Mets are playing a four-game series against the Nationals right now.  They lost one already so they need to slam the door on the Nats.  So I believe Santana should remain in his normal spot.  Should New York bragging rights cost the Mets the division title?

Mets.com:

Order is restored - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets anything but conventional - Marty Nolbe wrote a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets make several roster moves - Marty Noble lists all of the roster moves that the Mets made yesterday.  The New York Post covered this yesterday.

Shea Apple may move over to Citi Field - Marty Noble stated that the Home Run Apple may move over to Citi Field.  Mets COO Jeff Wilpon stated that it hasn’t yet been determined whether the old one can handle the move or whether a replacement will be necessary.  This is already old news.  This was released during Spring Training.

Newsday:

Church leads Mets to victory over Nationals - Anthony Rieber also summarized last night’s Nationals-Mets game.

Mets cut Figueroa loose

Vargas, Wise, Tatis replace Figueroa, Sosa, Pagan

Looks like Mets will have big apple at Citi Field

New York Daily News:

Ryan Church, John Maine lead Mets past Nationals 6-3 at Shea - Adam Rubin also put together a game recap for last night’s game between the Nats and the Mets.

Forget collapse, time for Mets to avoid a May daze - John Harper believes that the Mets have to take advantage of winning in May so they don’t have to worry about must wins in September when they may be unable to do it.

‘Girls’ can cheer as Figgy gets cut

Mets finally relieved of Jorge Sosa

New York Post:

METS GOING TO CHURCH - Bart Hubbuch summarized last night’s Nats-Mets game.

SANTANA GETS OK TO START VS. YANKEES

CITI FIELD SHAPING UP - Howie Rumberg describes how far along Citi Field has come.

New York Times:

For the Mets, New Faces, Better Result - Ben Shpigel summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets also.

Mets Making Moves and Noise

The Star-Ledger:

Clearer picture at new ballpark

Church rings true in win

Santana will start vs. Yanks

Final: Mets 6, Nationals 3

Thank you, Rick Peterson… - Dan Graziano thanks the Mets as an organization for pitching Johan Santana against the Yankees.

Game 37: Nationals at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for last night’s Nats-Mets game.

Share This

The New York Mets (19-17) are playing Game 37 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (16-23) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the second game of the four-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Dukes, Nieves, Lannan.

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

On the Mound

John Maine (4-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Maine hit Lopez with the first pitch of the game to give the Nationals a leadoff runner.  Guzman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force out at second.  Maine fanned Zimmerman.  Johnson grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Kearns grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Dukes drew a one-out walk.  Nieves grounded to short, and Reyes got the lead runner out at third.  Lannan grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Guzman beat out a ground ball to second on a bad throw by Easley (Error on Damion Easley) to give the Nationals a one-out base runner.  Ryan Zimmerman crushed a one-out 2-run homer to left field scoring Cristian Guzman.  Johnson grounded out to first.  Maine struck out Milledge again to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Maine pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Maine retired the side for the second straight inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Milledge grounded to second but it went through Easley’s (Error on Damion Easley) legs so the Nationals have a two-out base runner.  Maine struck out Kearns looking to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 5 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Matt Wise to begin the Top of the 7th.  Dukes grounded a leadoff double down the left field line.  Nieves grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first as Dukes advanced to third.  Mackowiak is pinch hitting for Lannan, and Rob Mackowiak grounded out to second which scored Elijah Dukes.  Lopez grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Wise gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Wise with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Guzman drew a leadoff walk.  Zimmerman flied out to right.  Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Sanchez fanned Milledge on three straight pitches.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Boone is pinch hitting for Hanrahan, and Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Wagner fanned Lopez to end the game.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

John Lannan (3-3) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright lined a two-out single to left center.  Beltran popped up to first to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Alou grounded to deep short but Guzman threw off the bag so Alou ended up with a leadoff single.  Delgado dropped down a bunt towards third (because nobody was there) so he ended up with a no-out single, and Alou went to second.  Easley drew a no-out walk on four straight pitches to load the bases.  Brian Schneider grounded to first, and the Nationals only got the out at second on the double play attempt as Moises Alou came home.  Maine bunted towards the pitcher, and Lannan made the out at first as Schneider moved over to second.  Reyes grounded to short, and Guzman made the out at first leaving two Mets in scoring position.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Ryan Church smacked a solo shot to dead center to lead off the inning.  Wright grounded a no-out standup double down the right field line.  Beltran grounded out to short.  Alou popped up to shallow right, and Kearns made the catch.  Delgado grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Schneider grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Maine lined a one-out single into left, and Schneider advanced to second.  Reyes grounded to third, and the Nationals turned the inning ending double play.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Beltran lined a two-out single up the middle.  Alou grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Beltran advanced to second.  Delgado flied out to the warning track in dead center to leave two Mets stranded.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Schneider lined a one-out single into center.  Tatis is pinch hitting for Maine, and Tatis lined a one-out single into right so Schneider went to second.  Lannan fanned Reyes.  Ryan Church lined a two-out 2-run double over Kearn’s head which scored Brian Schneider and Fernando Tatis.  Wright grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Lannan left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 12 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Acta replaced Lannan with Luis Ayala to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Ayala retired the side in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Schneider led off by lining an opposite field double down the left field line.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Anderson drew a one-out walk.  Jose Reyes lined a one-out RBI single up the middle which scored Brian Schneider, and Anderson went first to third because Milledge (Error on Lastings Milledge) bobbled the ball.  Ayala gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Ayala left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ERs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Ayala with Joel Hanrahan with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Ryan Church flied out to right, and Marlon Anderson tagged up and scored.  With Wright at the plate, Hanrahan threw a passed ball and Reyes advanced to second.  Wright flied out to center to end the inning.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 3 - New York Mets 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (5-2) got the win and John Lannan (3-4) got the loss.

Well, the Mets settled the score with the Nats.  It’s even at one with two games to go in the series.  Maine pitched another pretty good game.  Good enough to win the game.  The Mets scored 4 runs off of Lannan, and then they were able to add on 2 insurance runs against the Bullpen in the 8th Inning.  Schneider had the most hits in the game (3), and Church had the most RBIs in the game (4).  So the former Nats made a statement against their former team.  Yesterday, Milledge was the hero.  Today, he was the goat.  He went 0-4 with 3 SOs, and a costly Error out in center field.  And most importantly, the win keeps the w-l-w-l-w-l-w-l streak going.  For the ‘08 Mets, it’s all about .500.

Share This