Die Hard Sports Fan

Somehow, the Mets need to figure out how to win tonight so they can get back above .500.  They already got smoked three times by the Braves in this series.  They keep losing, all of this drama is going on with Willie, Church had a concussion on Tuesday, and Alou left last night’s game which makes all of this even worse.  I guess this is more my fault than the Mets fault.  In 2007 and 2008, I actually had high expectations for them.  The Mets had the biggest collapse in MLB history in ‘07, and it isn’t very sunny these days in Queens.  I’ve always been a pessimistic Mets fan so the Mets always exceded my expectations, except last year and this year.  It made me happy when I watched them because I didn’t think that they were capable of making it to October baseball.  I get really amped when they make the Playoffs.  When they go deep into the Playoffs like in ‘99, ‘00, or ‘06, it raises expectations for the franchise.  The Mets have never been an organization that has been able to sustain success over an extended period of time so it’s my fault for buying into what they are selling.  I will go back to being the old Keith, and expect nothing.  If they do nothing then I won’t get all worked up.  If they do something then I will get pumped up.

Mets.com:

Wright expresses dismay at losses - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

Mets need to replace outfield duo - Ryan Lavner put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

Grogginess clears for Church - “Less than 24 hours after he suffered an apparent concussion, the Mets’ starting right fielder said he was free of concussion symptoms and concern about his latest medical episode.”

Alou leaves early with left calf strain - Marty Noble reported that Moises Alou left last night’s game in the fourth inning.  “The club announced shortly thereafter that Alou had a strained left calf. The outfielder will be heading back to New York for an MRI on Thursday.”

Randolph apologizes for recent remarks

Newsday:

Fan dies after fall at Braves-Mets game - The AP reported, “Alcohol was a factor in the death of a 25-year-old man who fell down a stairwell at Turner Field during the game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.”  Whatta shame.  The guys fell off the escalator at Shea, and now a guy fell down a stairwell at Turner Field.

Mets’ Randolph sorry about inflammatory comments

Mets, Pelfrey no match for Braves in 11-4 loss - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Braves games.

New York Daily News:

Mets blasted by Braves again as Willie Randolph back-pedals - Adam Rubin wrote up a game summary for last night’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

Man dies from injuries in fall at Turner Field during Mets Braves game

Willie Randolph apologizes to Mets, SNY

Ryan Church is OK to play

New York Post:

GETTIN’ UGLY

DAMAGE CONTROL - Willie Randolph is sorry for SNY flap and remarks on race.

PEDRO’S DAD HAD SEIZURE

THERE’S NO DOUBLE STANDARD - IT’S ABOUT WINNING

PEDRO’S RETURN ‘ON HOLD’

WILLIE SAYS HE’S SORRY

New York Times:

Mets Lose in Nine, but Their Misery Goes Extra Innings - Ray Glier summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Braves.

‘Unnecessary Distraction’ Brings Randolph Apology

With Mild Concussion, A Met Hopes to Return

The Star-Ledger:

Instant replay on the horizon in MLB?

Pedro: Not so fast

Mets fall to .500 with loss

Mets’ Randolph issues apology

Concussions a concern

Wrapping up from Turner Field - Jeremy Cothran is thinking out loud about what’s wrong with the Mets.

Final: Braves 11, Mets 4 - Jeremy Cothran summarized last night’s Mets-Braves game.

Alou leaves game

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Coming off of the Bronx Beatdown, I hope that the Mets go down to Atlanta and sweep Larry and the Braves.  I hope they win 3 out of 4, at a minimum.  I hope that the Mets knock Tom Glavine out of the game faster than he got knocked out of that game against the Marlins.  After this game, I want to hear Tommy say that it was devastating.  I want Chipper to go 0-for-the-series.  And most importantly, I don’t want to hear any Braves fans doing that stupid tomahawk chop chant the entire series which would mean that the Amazin’s swept the Braves with ease.  Here’s a look at the probable pitching matchups:

• 05/20/2008 - John Maine (5-2) - Tom Glavine (1-1)
• 05/20/2008 - Claudio Vargas (0-1) - Jorge Campillo (0-0)
• 05/21/2008 - Mike Pelfrey (2-4) - Jair Jurrjens (4-3)
• 05/22/2008 - Johan Santana (5-2) - Tim Hudson (6-3)

Mets.com:

Mets answer Church’s prayers to play

Perez cures all that ails Mets in Bronx - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Yankees.

Mets coach tossed after close call - Anthony DiComo explained why Jerry Manuel got ejected from last night’s game against the Yankees.

Mets head to Atlanta wanting more - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for the first Mets-Braves game tomorrow.

With Alou at DH, Anderson plays left - Marty Noble pointed out that Willie Randolph used Moises Alou as the DH in last night’s game against the Yankees.

Newsday:

Mets’ subway sweep lobs more pressure on Yanks - Erik Boland also summarized last night’s Mets-Yankees game.

Reyes watches and learns for Mets

Delgado shows signs of life

Sore Alou as DH: ‘I’ve got an old body’

Manuel gets ejected instead of Randolph

New York Daily News:

Mets maul Yankees, overcome negated homer to take both games at Stadium - Anthony McCarron put together a game recap for last night’s game between the Mets and the Yanks.

Mets talk a good game, then dominate Yankees in Subway Series

Mets show life in Bronx romp

Umpire admits he fouled up Carlos Delgado home run call - Christian Red got the quote of the umpire that made the incorrect call, and here it is, “I —-ed it up. I’m the one who thought it was a —- foul ball. I saw it on the replay. I’m the one who —-ed it up so you can put that in your paper. Bolts and nuts, I —-ed up. You’ve just got to move on. No one feels worse about it than I do.”  You would think that Bob Davidson would not speak with as much of a potty mouth, but what do I know.

New York Post:

AMAZIN’S SURVIVE SOME FOUL PLAY

OLIVER ON HIS GAME IN BRONX

REYES POWERS UP

WILLIE MUM AFTER BLOWN HOMER CALL

A REAL FOUL-UP

WEEKEND WARRIORS - Mike Vaccaro asks what a difference a weekend makes for the Mets.

New York Times:

Weekend in Bronx Revives Mets

Pole Leaves Mark, but Not on Outcome

The Star-Ledger:

Mets sign Abraham Nunez - Jeremy Cothran reported that “The New York Mets announced today that they have signed infielder Abraham Nunez to a minor league contract and assigned him to New Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.”

Back on the road

Yanks better set for future - Steve Politi debates why the Yankees are better set for the future than the Mets.

Fan sees play up close and personal

Mets Sweep Yankees, Look Ahead to Braves

Davidson: I blew Delgado call

Bench coach Manuel has some choice words

Mets blast Yankees 11-2

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The New York Mets (21-19) are playing Game 41 of the 2008 Regular Season against the New York Yankees (20-23) at Yankee Stadium.  It’s the second game of the two-game series.  The game began at 8:05 p.m., and it was aired on ESPN.  We will have to suffer through hours of Joe Morgan just to watch a Mets game.  In my opinion, a Subway Series should never have national broadcasters.

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

Yankees Lineup: Damon, Abreu, Jeter, Matsui, Giambi, Cano, Cabrera, Gonzalez, Molina.

At the Plate

Chien-Ming Wang (6-1) was the starting pitcher for the Yankees.  In the Top of the 1st, Wang retired the side with three ground outs.  Wang gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Wang now retired the first six Mets that he faced.  Wang gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Wang now retired the Mets in order the first time through the lineup.  Wang gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Reyes led of with a double that one-hopped the right field wall for the Mets first hit of the game.  Anderson grounded to the pitcher, and Wang turned around and made the throw to second which got Reyes in a rundown.  Jeter made the throw to Gonzalez who applied the tag on Reyes as Anderson ended up on first.  Wright grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side, and Anderson went to second.  Beltran drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Ryan Church grounded to first, and Giambi threw it off target to second to the point where Jeter had to stretch and eventually come off the bag so Marlon Anderson scored and everybody is safe.  Moises Alou lined an one-out 2-run single into right, and David Wright and Carlos Beltran came around to score as Church went first to third.  (Carlos Delgado crushed a no-out 3-run home run which hit the foul poul in left field which would’ve scored Ryan Church and Moises Alou, but the Umpires screwed up the call and it doesn’t count which is bull.  Where is the instant replay?)  (Jerry Manuel was Ejected from the game for arguing the call.)  Carlos Delgado ended up grounding a one-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Ryan Church, and Alou advanced to second.  Schneider grounded to second, and Cano made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Castillo drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Reyes flied out to left leaving the bases filled with Mets.  Wang gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Wang quickly retired the side.  Wang gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Ryan Church belted a leadoff solo shot to straight away center field.  Alou grounded out to third.  Delgado flied out to left.  Schneider grounded out to second to end the inning.  Wang gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Wang retired the side in order with ground ball outs.  Wang gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Wright led off with an opposite field double down the right field line.  Beltran hit a slow ground ball in front of home plate, and Wang made the throw to first to get the out while Wright advanced to third.  Wang intentionally walked Church.  Moises Alou hit a sacrifice fly to right field, and David Wright tagged and came home to score while Church went to second.  Wang gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Wang left the game after pitching 7.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 7 Runs, 7 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Girardi replaced Wang with Ross Ohlendorf with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Ohlendorf intentionally walked Delgado.  Brian Schneider lined a two-out RBI single to right so Ryan Church came around to score, and Delgado went first to third.  Luis Castillo grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the left side which scored Carlos Delgado, and Schneider advanced to second.  Jose Reyes drilled a two-out 3-run homer over the short porch in right which scored Brian Schneider and Luis Castillo.  Chavez replaced Alou, and Chavez grounded out to first to end the inning.  Ohlendorf gave up 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Girardi replaced Ohlendorf with Jose Veras to begin the Top of the 9th.  Veras pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Veras gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (3-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Jeter drew a two-out walk.  With Matsui at the plate, Jeter stole second without a throw.  Matsui lined out to first to leave Jeter stranded at second.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Giambi drew a leadoff walk.  Cano grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first as Giambi went to second.  Cabrera flied out along the right field line, and Church ran a long way over there to make the catch.  Gonzalez lined out to right leaving Giambi standing on second.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Perez pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Jeter grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Hideki Matsui crushed a no-out 2-run jack to right which scored Derek Jeter.  Giambi popped up in foul ground behind home plate, and Schneider made the catch.  Perez hit Cano with the pitch.  With Cabrera in the batters box, Cano beat out the throw as he stole second.  Cabrera popped up to shallow right, and Church made the catch.  With Gonzalez at the plate, Perez threw a wild pitch so Cano advanced to third.  Gonzalez popped up to second leaving Cano on third.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Molina led off by lining a double off of the right field wall.  Damon grounded to first, and Delgado tossed it to Perez who tagged first as Molina moved over to third.  Perez caught Abreu looking at strike three.  Jeter flied out to center leaving Molina standing on third.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Perez hit Giambi with the pitch to give the Yankees a leadoff runner.  Cano grounded to the pitcher, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Perez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Perez retired the first two batters before Randolph made a pitching change.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 7.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Joe Smith with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Jeter grounded out to second.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Schoeneweis hit Giambi with the pitch to give the Yankees a one-out base runner.  Cano flied out to left.  Cabrera grounded to the pitcher, and Schoeneweis made the out at first to end the game.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 11 - New York Yankees 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (4-3) got the win and Chien-Ming Wang (6-2) got the loss.

By the time this game was over, the Mets were able to turn Yankee Stadium into Shea Stadium.  The fans were standing and clapping for Schoeneweis rather than the batters which meant that they were Mets fans.  I mentioned yesterday that the Mets needed to cash in in that 4th inning because they didn’t get much out of the situation.  Today, the did just that by scoring 4 runs in the 4th inning and that’s without Delgado’s 3-run blast that didn’t count.  The Mets swept the Yankees in this two-game series.  I thought the Mets would win two game after they lost two games because that’s the .500 trend that the Mets have been keeping pace with.  Perez pitched better as the game went on.  The Mets batted around in the 4th inning and the 8th Inning so everybody contributed for the most part.  The Mets are the kings of New York for another month until they face each other again.

Onto Atlanta.  I hope the Mets sweep the Braves, but they will probably will lose the first game because that will follow their l-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w pattern…what’s next?  Unfortunately, a loss or a losing streak before they get on a winning streak.  Or just maybe, this meeting by Willie will really be what the Mets needed to get to the next level.

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The Mets have to opportunity to go into the Bronx and sweep the Yankees tonight.  Even though it’s just interleague play, the Amazin’s do need to win some games to improve upon their less than stellar record.  We all know how great Wang has been during the regular season of the past two seasons, but maybe Oli can keep our boys from Queens in the game tonight.  Or maybe the Mets can figure out how to get Wang out of the game as fast as possible so they can get to the bullpen.  After the Mets sweep the Yankees, the Mets travel to Atlanta tomorrow and play a four-game series with the Braves.  It begins with a day/night double header on Tuesday.

Mets.com:

Mets’ winter prize pays early dividends - Mike Bauman likes what he’s seen from Johan Santana so far in 2008.

Randolph confident in Reyes’ focus - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Yankees.

Mets’ win not without crisp defense - Marty Noble explained how well the Mets played defense in yesterday’s game against the Yankees.

Close call won’t linger for Easley - Marty Noble captured Damion Easley’s thoughts on striking out with the bases loaded in the fourth inning in yesterday’s game against the Yankees.

Cathedral doesn’t disappoint Alou - Marty Noble found out what Moises Alou thought about playing in Yankee Stadium for the first time in his long career.

Newsday:

Pitching matchup: Tonight’s game

Santana hardly dominant but stops Mets’ bleeding

Pettitte glides along until fourth inning - Kat O’Brien walks us through the fourth inning of yesterday’s Mets-Yankees game.

Reyes enjoys big day against Yankees

Church to Castillo to Schneider makes Omar proud

Mlicki still a fan favorite in Subway Series - Jim Baumbach found out what Dave Mlicki thinks about that memorable shutout he pitched in the first-ever Mets-Yankees regular-season game in 1997.

Mets win with fire and passion for Randolph

Wagner sounds off with a save

New York Daily News:

Victory takes a strong Will

Johan Santana wins battle of lefties as Mets beat Yankees in opener - Mark Feinsand wrote up a game summary for yesterday’s Mets-Yankees game.

Billy Wagner pitches like he talks

Billy Wagner douses the fire

Jose Reyes’ power returns - I don’t know if I would call ‘power’ a home run over the short porch at Yankee Stadium, but his production is more than welcomed.

Ryan Church answers his critics with solid numbers for Mets

Mets’ arms wake up in Subway Series opener on Saturday

Billy Wagner, following in long line, makes his talkie gig a must-listen - Bob Raissman discusses athletes who do weekly spots on local radio shows.

Nelson Figueroa’s statements show it’s A-OK to go gender bashing

New York Post:

MET LOAF ALWAYS ON MENU - Phil Mushnick wrote another article about nothing.  It’s either that or complaining about something.

SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH… - Ryan Church.

BIG CY OF RELIEF

HAUNTED HOUSES - Mike Vaccaro explained why, “Tough-guy, no-nonsense managers from the past such as Billy Martin and Gil Hodges wouldn’t necessarily fare so well in today’s baseball.”

BILLY CLOSES OUT YANKS, COMMENT CONTROVERSY

25 BEST MOMENTS AT SHEA: NO. 19

REYES BESTS JETER

WILLIE OR WON’T HE? - Joel Sherman stated that, ”Mets’ management is still waiting for Willie Randolph to improve the energy and effort seen daily from a club that has been underachieving far too long.”

New York Times:

In His Former Home, a Spirited Randolph

Sealing Victory, Wagner Is Happy to Talk About It

The Star-Ledger:

Another Raindy Day in the Bronx

Desperate houseguests - Lisa Kennelly explains why both the Mets and the Yankees needed the victory yesterday, and then Kennelly offered her thoughts on how it played out.

Wagner lets his arm talk

Hitters heat up with big homers

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If you remember how I was bitching yesterday that Santana shouldn’t have been held back a day to face the Yankees because the division is more important then listen to what I’m pissed off about now.  That was before last night’s game and today’s game.  How good of a game did Vargas pitch last night?  He pitched 6.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits and 2 Runs.  Pretend that was Johan’s line, and then Heilman came in and gave up 4 Runs while only recording one out.  Or better yet, how great was Pelfrey today?  He pitched 7.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits and 1 Run.  The Bullpen subsequently came in and put up zeroes.  Santana was suppposed to pitch today so pretend that he pitched as great as Pelfrey did.  The problem is that the Mets wouldn’t have won either game because the offense sucks.

The only thing the Mets did differently today is mess up that w-l-w-l-w-l thing.  Now, they lost two in a row to the last place Nats…and at home to boot.  The Mets lost the series 3 games to 1, and the Mets finished the homestand with a 3-4 record against the Reds and the Nationals.  It’s kind of pathetic.

Mets.com:

Pelfrey flirts with no-no, loses to Nats - Anthony DiComo summarized today’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Castillo returns to lineup for Mets

Schoeneweis OK after trip to hospital - Anthony DiComo reported that Scott Schoeneweis suffered severe abdominal pain which sent him to the emergency room.

Heilman’s rough outing dooms Mets - Anthony DiComo summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Versatile Tatis a diamond in the rough - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis between the Nationals and the Mets.

Pedro pain-free in simulated game

Castillo could be headed to DL

Alou ejected for arguing strike call

Newsday:

Mets waste Pelfrey’s gem in 1-0 loss to Nationals - The AP also summarized today’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Heilman ruins good outing by Vargas as Mets fall - David Lennon also summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets’ Schoeneweis rushed to hospital; OK now

Mets waste game for Vargas and unfortunate fans

Mets reliever Schoeneweis had hospital visit

Santana’s talk of Subway Series, but won’t talk

Castillo trying to avoid the disabled list

New York Daily News:

Billy Wagner rips Mets teammates for ducking media - I don’t even understand how the Mets allow the players to not be available for questions.

Mike Pelfrey flirts with no-hitter, but Mets bats fall flat in loss to Nationals - The AP summarized today’s Nationals-Mets game.

Mets should admit to flaunting Johan Santana vs. Yanks in Subway Series

Aaron Heilman allows three runs in 7th inning, dooms Mets vs. Nationals - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s Nationals-Mets game.

Moises Alou tossed into Bronx debut

For Scott Schoeneweis, tough to stomach

New York Post:

NO RELIEF IN SIGHT - Bart Hubbuch stated that Aaron Heilman’s relief efforts last night were ”frightening”.

PELFREY LOOKS TO SETTLE IN VS. NATS

MARTINEZ’S SIMULATED ‘PROGRESS’

METS NEED MORE VARGAS

OFFENSE STRUGGLES AGAIN

New York Times:

Alou Loses Cool, Heilman Loses Control and Mets Lose a Game - Joe Lapointe wrote up a game recap for last night’s game between the Nats and the Mets.

Castillo Will Probably Go on the D.L.

The Star-Ledger:

Final: Nationals 1, Mets 0 - Jeremy Cothran also wrote up a game summary for today’s Nats-Mets game.

No, No, Luis Castillo - Dan Graziano believes that Castillo had to score on the ball that was dropped by Austin Kearns.

Pelfrey looking sharp

Game 39: Nationals at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for today’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Heilman ruins debut for Vargas

Pedro making progress

Final: Nationals 5, Mets 3

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The New York Mets (20-17) are playing Game 38 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (16-24) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the third 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, Boone, Kearns, Dukes, Pena, Flores, Redding.

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

On the Mound

Claudio Vargas (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Lopez lined a leadoff double off of the right field wall.  Guzman flied out to left.  Vargas fanned Zimmerman.  Boone popped up to first.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Flores drew a leadoff walk.  Redding dropped down towards first, and Delgado got the lead runner out at second.  With Lopez in the batters box, Vargas threw a wild pitch so Redding went to second.  Lopez drew a one-out walk.  Guzman flied out to left.  Zimmerman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force out at second to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Boone beat out ground ball to deep short for a single to lead off the inning.  Kearns flied out to center.  Dukes grounded to short, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Vargas pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Lopez drew a leadoff walk.  Guzman grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play.  Ryan Zimmerman tattooed a two-out solo shot to the upperdecks in left.  Vargas fanned Boone to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Dukes drew a one-out walk on four straight pitches.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Vargas left the game after pitching 6.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ERs, 4 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Vargas with Aaron Heilman with one out in the Top of the 7th.  Pena grounded to third, and Wright made a barehand throw to first to get Pena while Dukes moved over to second.  Jesus Flores grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Elijah Dukes came around to score.  Harris is pinch hitting for Redding, and Harris drew a two-out walk.  Felipe Lopez grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Jesus Flores, and Harris went first to third and Lopez went to second as the throw came home to the plate.  Cristian Guzman grounded a two-out 2-run single up the middle which scored Willie Harris and Felipe Lopez.  Heilman did what he does best by giving up 4 runs while only recording 1 out.  Heilman gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 7th.  Smith struck out Zimmerman on three straight pitches to end the nightmare-ish inning.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Smith retired the side in order.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

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

At the Plate

Tim Redding (4-3) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Redding retired the side in order.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Redding pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Redding now retired the lineup in order the first time through it.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  Church popped up in foul ground near the Nationals dugout, and Zimmerman made the catch.  Wright lined a no-out single up the middle, and Reyes advanced to second.  Beltran lined to third, and Zimmerman threw the ball to second before Reyes could get back to the bag to end the inning.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, (Moises Alou struck out and subsequently slammed the bat down on the dirt and got ejected) Brian Schneider crushed a two-out solo shot to right.  Easley drew a two-out walk.  Redding fanned Vargas to end the inning.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Redding pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Redding left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Acta replaced Redding with Saul Rivera to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chavez replaced Alou, and Chavez grounded a one-out single to the pitcher who bobbled the ball.  Delgado grounded a one-out single off of the pitcher and through the hole on the right side, and Chavez went first to third.  Brian Schneider grounded out to first, and Endy Chavez came home to score while Delgado moved over to second.  Easley grounded out to the pitcher, and Rivera made the out at first to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Anderson lined a pinch hit opposite field single to left to give the Mets a leadoff runner.  Reyes flied out to left.  Church drew a one-out walk.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright flied out to center.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Jon Rauch with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Carlos Beltran grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Marlon Anderson came around to score while Church went first to third.  Chavez popped up to shallow center, and Dukes made the catch to end the inning.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Rauch slammed the door on the Mets.  Rauch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 5 - New York Mets 3.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Claudio Vargas (0-1) got the loss and Tim Redding (5-3) got the win.

Surprisingly, this game was a pitching duel early on.  Claudio Vargas pitch a great game in his first game of the year.  Vargas walked a batter, Willie made a pitching change, and Heilman gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 1/3 of an inning to blow another game for the Mets.  Schneider drove in 2 of the Mets runs today.  Now, the Mets cannot win the series against the last place Nats.  At best, they can tie it tomorrow.  It really is pathetic that the Mets don’t have the killer instinct in them after last year’s collapse.  The Mets need to do something before the season ends and they are still playing .500 ball.

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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.

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Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reported that the Mets made a bunch of roster moves today in their Mets Blog.  The Mets activated Matt Wise, and they purchased the contracts of Claudio Vargas and Fernando Tatis from Triple-A New Orleans.  To make room on the roster, the Mets designated Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa Jr. for assignment and put Angel Pagan on the DL.

Mets.com:

Highlights aplenty, but no win in end - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets play on until Pedro’s return - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Alou psyched about Cathedral trip - Marty Noble found out that Moises Alou is pumped up about playing at Yankee Stadium this weekend because he never played there before.

Castillo sits with quadriceps injury - Marty Noble reported that a strained left quadricep muscle kept Luis Castillo out of the lineup last night against the Nationals.

Mailbag: How are Mets doing so far? - Marty Noble answers questions posed by Mets fans’.

Education is power - Howard Kussoy pointed out that some Mets players are taking part in a program called ‘School is Amazing’ around the city.

Newsday:

Nationals get under Figueroa’s skin in Mets loss - Anthony Rieber also summarized last night’s Nationals-Mets game.

Ex-Met Milledge always at center of controversy - Lastings Milledge had a pretty good game last night, and Erik Boland tells us all about it.

Looks like Mets’ Santana will start Subway Series

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium on May 13th of another year.

New York Daily News:

Photos: Surfing the Mets tours Citi Field

After Mets’ loss, Nelson Figueroa calls Nationals ‘bunch of softball girls’ - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Sideshow takes over in latest act of Shea circus - Filip Bondy described the situation where the Nationals were singing in the dugout last night.  It really upset Figgy.

Say it ain’t so on Joe Smith - Sean Brennan offers a few suggestions for the Mets to make regarding their pitching dilemma.

Pedro Martinez is starting to show progress - Adam Rubin tells us what the Mets have Pedro Martinez doing down in Port St. Lucie.

New York Post:

‘FIGUER’ HATER - Mike Puma revealed what Nelson Figueroa Jr. had to say about the Nationals after last night’s game.

INJURED DUQUE MAKING PROGRESS

PITCH & MOAN - Mark Hale found out that Pedro is frustrated about having to rehab and not being on the team.

PEDRO PREPARED FOR SIMULATED GAME

New York Times:

Only Applause for Mets Comes From Nationals

Santana Receives an Extra Day of Rest and a Date With the Yankees

The Star-Ledger:

Progress at Citifield

Mets drop Figueroa, Sosa in flurry of moves

Will they clap for John Maine?

Nats frustrate Figueroa, Mets

Pitcher chides cheers - Colin Stephenson also examined the Mets pitching options.

Valentine’s success well-documented - Lisa Kennelly also wrote an aritcle about the three NYU students that made a documentary about Bobby Valentine titled, “The Zen of Bobby V”.

Mets bow to Nationals, 10-4

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The New York Mets (18-16) are playing Game 35 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (15-22) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of a three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

Today is “Mother’s Day at Shea”

Reds Lineup: Freel, Votto, Griffey Jr., Phillips, Encarnacion, Dunn, Keppinger, Bako, Cueto.

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

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Griffey drew a two-out walk.  Phillips flied out to right.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger lined a two-out single into center.  Perez caught Bako looking at strike three.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Phillips drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Eencarnacion popped up near home, and Schneider made the catch.  With Dunn at the plate, Phillips stole second with no throw.  Perez fanned Dunn to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Keppinger drew a leadoff walk.  Perez struck out Bako swinging.  Cueto dropped down a bunt down the first base line, and Delgado made the out at first as Keppinger advanced to second.  Perez hit Freel with the pitch.  Perez fanned Votto to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Griffey drew a leadoff walk.  Phillips hit the ball foul of the right field wall, and Church made the out.  Encarnacion lined the ball to deep left, and Alou dropped it so Encarnacion ended up with a double as Griffey went first to third.  Adam Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Ken Griffey Jr. tagged up and scored and Encarnacion tagged up and went to third.  Jeff Keppinger worked the count full before lining a two-out RBI triple to the gap in left center, and Edwin Encarnacion scored.  With Bako in the batters box, Perez threw a wild pitch that went to the backstop and Jeff Keppinger scored.  Bako flied out to center.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Freel dropped a one-out single into left.  Schoeneweis picked off Freel at first, and the Mets got him in a rundown and then got Freel out at second.  Schoeneweis struck out Votto looking.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Phillips grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Encarnacion drove a one-out single to the gap in right center, and Phillips went first to third.  Schoeneweis struck out Dunn swinging.  Schoeneweis gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Smith fanned Keppinger.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 9th.  The inning has been slowed down because the Reds batted out of order.  It seems like the Coaches and the Umpires don’t know how to deal with the situation.  Ross grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Freel grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first as Ross advanced to second.  Votto grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first to end the game.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Johnny Cueto (2-3) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes lined a leadoff single to center.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second by a mile.  Luis Castillo hit the ball into the gap in right center, and miscommunication between Griffey and Freel allowed the ball to fall so Castillo ended up with an RBI triple while Jose Reyes came around to score.  Wright flied out to shallow center, and Castillo held up at third.  Carlos Beltran lined a one-out RBI double into the gap in left center, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Church lined out to first.  Moises Alou lined a two-out opposite field RBI double to the right field corner, and Carlos Beltran scored.  Delgado flied out to center to end the fun.  Cueto gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez drew a one-out walk.  Reyes popped up to center, and Freel made the catch.  With Castillo at the plate, Perez stole second with no throw because the Reds were very confused.  Cueto struck Castillo out on a called strike.  Cueto gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Wright drew a leadoff walk.  Cueto struck out Beltran swinging as Wright took off for second, and Bako threw Wright out at second.  Cueto fanned Church.  Cueto gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Delgado drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Schneider popped up foul of the third base line, and Encarnacion made the catch.  Perez dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Cueto did not field the ball properly so Perez beat it out and Delgado went to second.  Cueto got Reyes swinging at a pitch in the dirt to end the inning.  Cueto gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Castillo beat out a slow grounder to short for a leadoff single.  Cueto fanned Wright.  Carlos Beltran crushed a one-out 2-run homer to right field scoring Luis Castillo.  Ryan Church followed that up with a solo shot to center.  Alou grounded out to short.  Cueto gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Cueto left the game after pitching 4.2 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Baker replaced Cueto with Bill Bray with two outs in the Bottom of the 5th.  Bray fanned Delgado.  Bray gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes grounded over the third base bag and down the line for a two-out double.  Bray gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Bray left the game after pitching 1.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Baker replaced Bray with Jared Burton with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Easley replaced Castillo, and Damion Easley lined a two-out RBI single into right which scored Jose Reyes.  With Wright at the plate, Burton threw a wild pitch and Easley stole second.  David Wright worked the count full before grounding an RBI single through the hole on the left side which scored Damion Easley.  Beltran grounded to third, and Encarnacion made the force out at second to end the inning.  Burton gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Baker replaced Burton with Jeremy Affeldt to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Delgado dropped a two-out opposite field single to left.  Schneider grounded to the pitcher, and Affeldt made the out at first to end the inning.  Affeldt gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Baker replaced Affeldt with David Weathers to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Anderson pinch hit for Smith, and Anderson led off with a leadoff double into the right field corner.  Reyes chopped the ball to third and beat it out without a throw, and Anderson went to third.  Weathers caught Easley staring at strike three.  With Wright at the plate, Weathers threw a passed ball so Reyes stole second.  Weathers struck out Wright swinging.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Weathers gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 3 - New York Mets 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (3-3) got the win and Johnny Cueto (2-4) got the loss.

The Mets were able to win on Mother’s Day, and they were able to win this series against the Reds.  Oli pitched in classic Oli fashion as he pitched 5 shutout innings and then gave up 3 runs out of no where.  The ‘pen put up goose eggs today.  The offense scored 8 runs, and Beltran led the charge again with 3 RBIs.  The best thing about the past few games is that other batters are driving in runs while David is in his slump.  In April, Wright drove in almost all of the team’s RBIs.  For this team to dominate, everybody needs to contribute.  If nobody else drove in the runs then the Metsies would lose these games against the last place teams.  I hope it’s a good sign of things to come.

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The New York Mets (17-15) are playing Game 33 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (14-21) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Reds Lineup: Patterson, Freel, Griffey Jr., Phillips, Votto, Encarnacion, Keppinger, Ross, Belisle.

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

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Patterson dropped down a bunt towards first and Delgado made a bad flip to Santana so Patterson beat it out for a leadoff single.  With Freel at the plate, Santana threw to first and the Mets tagged Patterson in a rundown.  Freel grounded out to first.  Griffey lined a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Phillips lined a two-out double into the corner in left, and Griffey went from first to third.  Votto lined out to right leaving two Reds stranded.  Santana gave up 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger drew a one-out walk.  Ross popped up to second.  Santana struck out Belisle to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Freel lined a one-out double near the left field line.  Griffey popped up to short.  Phillips grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Edwin Encarnacion drove a one-out solo jack over the left field wall.  Keppinger flied out to center.  Santana fanned Ross.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Belisle grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Santana struck out Patterson on a foul tip.  Freel dropped a bunt towards third, and Wright made the out at first as Belisle advanced to second.  Griffey grounded out to second to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Phillips lined a leadoff triple into the right field corner.  Votto popped up to short.  Edwin Encarnacion grounded a one-out RBI single under the diving Wright, and Brandon Phillips came home to score.  Keppinger grounded a one-out single under Reyes’ glove, and Encarnacion moved over to second.  Santana got Ross looking.  Hatteberg is pinch hitting for Belisle, and Scott Hatteberg lined a two-out RBI single into right while Edwin Encarnacion scored and Keppinger went to third.  Santana fanned Patterson to end the inning.  Santana gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 10 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, and he had 5 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Freel lined a leadoff single into left.  Griffey lined out to center.  With Phillips in the batters box, Freel stole second without a throw.  Phillips drew a one-out walk.  Joey Votto lined a one-out RBI double into left, and Ryan Freel scored and Phillips advanced to third.  Heilman got Encarnacion swinging.  Keppinger grounded out to short to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ross lined a leadoff single up the middle.  Hairston is pinch hitting for Lincoln, and Hairston popped up to center and Beltran made the catch.  Patterson popped up to third, and Wright made the catch.  Freel lined a two-out single into center, and Ross moved over to second.  Ken Griffey Jr. drove a two-out 2-run double halfway up the wall in right field which scored David Ross and Ryan Freel.  Patterson grounded out to second to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 9th.  Votto drew a leadoff walk.  Encarnacion grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Keppinger grounded in front of home plate, and Schneider made the out at first to end the game.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Matt Belisle (1-2) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Belisle fanned Church to leave two Mets stranded.  Belisle gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Alou lined a leadoff single into center.  Delgado drove a single into the gap in right center, and Alou moved over to second.  Schneider grounded to first, and Votto only got the out at second.  Santana struck out, but Ross could not handle the ball and it went to the backstop so Santana beat out the play at first while Moises Alou came home and Schneider went to second (Since first base was occupied, Santana could not take first base so Schneider is the only baserunner).  Reyes flied out to left to end the inning.  Belisle gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Wright lined a no-out single into right, and Castillo went from first to third.  Carlos Beltran lined a no-out RBI single into center which scored Luis Castillo, and Wright advanced to second.  Church grounded out to first, and both runners advanced.  Moises Alou dropped a one-out bloop single over the head of Phillips, and David Wright and Carlos Beltran scored.  Delgado grounded to first, and the Reds turned the inning ending double play.  Belisle gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Belisle pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Belisle gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Castillo grounded to the pitcher but Belisle (Error on Matt Belisle) made a bad throw to first so Castillo went to second.  Wright lined a no-out single, and Castillo advanced to third.  Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Luis Castillo tagged up and scored and Wright tagged up and went to second.  Ryan Church lined a one-out RBI single into right center, and David Wright came around to score.  Alou grounded to third, and the Reds turned the double play.  Belisle gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Belisle left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 6 Runs, 5 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Baker replaced Belisle with Bill Bray to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Delgado lined a leadoff double down the left field line.  Schneider lined a no-out single into right, and Delgado advanced to third.  Bray gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Baker replaced Bray with Mike Lincoln with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Easley is pinch hitting for Santana, and Easley grounded to third and was thrown out at first by Encarnacion.  Reyes drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Lincoln caught Castillo looking at strike three.  David Wright drew an RBI two-out walk which brought Carlos Delgado home.  Carlos Beltran lined a two-out 3-run triple down the right field line which scored Brian Schneider, Jose Reyes, and David Wright.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lincoln gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Carlos Delgado hit a one-out jack to right field.  Brian Schneider followed that up with a solo shot of his own to the right field corner.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Lincoln fanned Chavez.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the inning.  Lincoln gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Lincoln left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOS.

Baker replaced Lincoln with Jeremy Affeldt to begin the 8th Inning.  Affeldt pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Affeldt gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 6 - New York Mets 12.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (4-2) got the win and Matt Belisle (1-3) got the loss.

The Mets put up double digits for the second game in a row.  The entire lineup was hitting except for Reyes and Castillo.  Delgado had 3 hits, and Beltran had 5 RBIs.  Santana got the ‘w’, but he didn’t look so good on the mound.  He gave up 10 hits, and had men on base all game.  Somehow, he got out of it only giving up 3 runs.  Heilman and Feliciano were responsible for the rest of the runs.

The Reds and the Mets will begin the second game of the day at 7:30 p.m.

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