Die Hard Sports Fan

Well, the Mets couldn’t sweep the Pirates.  Not only could they not sweep the Pirates, but it took them 11 innings to beat them the first night and they got torched today.  The Mets (14-12) have an off day tomorrow before they head out west for a 6-game road trip.  The Mets will be in Arizona (20-8) over the weekend and in L.A. (13-13) early next week.  The Diamondbacks are smokin’ hot right now.  If we struggle with the Nats and the Bucs then it’s safe to assume that we’ll struggle out west.  I hope not though.

The Mets are 14-12 now.

Mets.com:

Game delayed by water main break - Marty Noble explained why today’s Pirates-Mets game got off to a late start.

Wright gives Mets walk-off win - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Mets up to the task against southpaws - Marty Noble assembled a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Alou cleared to return to Mets - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou could play this wekeend vs. Arizona.

Valentin pays visit to Mets teammates - Marty Noble pointed out that Jose Valentin visited the team prior to last night’s game, and Valentin expects to return to the team by the end of May.

Church looking for first All-Star bid

Newsday:

Mets win on Wright’s long single in 11th - Jim Baumbach summarized last night’s Pirates-Mets game.

Alou could be back in Mets’ lineup on Friday

Mientkiewicz: You haven’t seen the real Johan yet

Mets’ Schneider close to leaving hospital

New York Daily News:

David Wright’s 11th-inning hit gives Mets 5-4 win over Pirates - Adam Rubin also summarized last night’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Mets catcher Brian Schneider released from hospital - The AP reported that Brian Schneider was released by the hospital yesterday.

In cold, Johan Santana’s drama is gripping - Roger Rubin found out that Johan Santana thought it was difficult to pitch in the chilly conditions last night.

Moises Alou’s bat set for road swing

To Ryan Church, strong start to year is all relative

Matt Wise might replace Jorge Sosa - Adam Rubin reported that Matt Wise is expected to rejoin the Mets in Arizona this weekend after a rehab appearance Thursday.  Rubin believes that the Mets might send Jorge Sosa down to the minors when Wise returns.

New York Post:

WRIGHT ON TIME - Bart Hubbuch summarized last night’s Pirates-Mets games as well.

URGENT MATTER - Even though the Mets have been winning, Kevin Kernan believes that the Mets need to play with more urgency because they don’t understand how to put away a much lesser opponent.

ALOU MAY BE BACK FRIDAY

SANCHEZ SIDESTEPS BIG TROUBLE - Duaner Sanchez took the blame for allowing last night’s game to get into extra innings.

New York Times:

Mets Will Take a Victory They Nearly Gave Away

Alou Is Finally Ready to Play, but Schneider Is Not

Smoltz Put on Disabled List With Sore Right Shoulder - YEAH!!!

The Star-Ledger:

Wright’s hit boosts Mets in 11th

Alou says he’ll play vs. D’backs

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The New York Mets (14-11) are playing Game 26 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-16) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the second game of the two-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Sanchez, Bay, Doumit, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Gomez, Gorzelanny.

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

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Bay drew a two-out walk.  Perez fanned Doumit to leave one stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Nady drew a leadoff walk.  Perez caught LaRoche looking at strike three.  Bautista drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gomez drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Tom Gorzelanny grounded slowly to second, and Castillo (Error on Luis Castillo) barely release the ball so it ended up on the ground while everbody is safe and Xavier Nady came home to score.  Nate McLouth drew a one-out walk which scored Jose Bautista.  Freddy Sanchez grounded a one-out RBI single up the middle so Chris Gomez came home to score, and the bases remained loaded.  Jason Bay hit a one-out sacrifice fly to center, and Tom Gorzelanny tagged up and scored.  Ryan Doumit pulled an RBI single over the third base bag which scored Nate McLouth, Sanchez went first to third, and Doumit got out of being caught in a rundown and advanced to second.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 4 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 2 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Nelson Figueroa Jr. with two outs in the Top of the 2nd.  Nady dumped a 2-run single into right which scored Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit.  LaRoche drew a two-out walk.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to stop whatever it is that I’m watching on television.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, McLouth grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez flied out right to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Nady drew a two-out walk.  LaRoche grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side which moved Nady to second.  Figueroa also caught Bautista looking to leave two Pirates on base.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Gomez grounded out to short.  Grozelanny popped up to short.  McLouth grounded a two-out double over the first base bag.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single into left as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Figueroa fanned Bay on three straight pitches to leave one Pirate on base.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 3.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Doumit led off by hitting a Ground Rule Double over the left field wall.  Xavier Nady drove a no-out RBI double to the gap in left center, and Ryan Doumit came around to score.  Sosa fanned LaRoche.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first while Nady advanced to third.  Gomez grounded to third, and Wright (Error on David Wright) bobbled the ball so Gomez was safe at first while Xavier Nady scored.  Bixler is pinch hitting for Gorzelanny, and Bixler hit a two-out broken bat single into right center as Gomez moved over to second.  Nate McLouth drove a two-out 2-run double over the head of Pagan which scored Chris Gomez and Brian Bixler.  Freddy Sanchez drove the ball to deep left field, and Pagan (Error on Angel Pagan) dropped the ball so Sanchez ended up with a double as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Bay lined out to short to end another ugly inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 5 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 7th.  Nady grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side (Mientkiewicz is pinch running for Nady).  LaRoche grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Heilman retired the side in order again.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Tom Gorzelanny (1-3) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran also drew a two-out walk.  Gorzelanny fanned Church to leave two Mets on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pagan drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gorzelanny struck out Molina on three pitches.  Figueroa lined out to center to leave one Met on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Grozelanny sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Gorzelanny caught Beltran staring at strike three.  Church drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Delgado grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side, and Church went first to third.  Pagan blooped the ball into shallow center, but Sanchez made the running catch.  Molina popped up to shallow right, and Nady made the catch leaving Mets standing on the corners.  Gorzelanny gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of 5th, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Castillo popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Doumit made the catch.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Gorzelanny left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Russell replaced Gorzelanny with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church drove a no-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and Carlos Beltran came all the way around to score.  Delgado grounded out to short.  Van Benschoten fanned Pagan.  Molina flied out to right to end the inning.  Van Benschoten gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Van Benschoten retired the side in order.  Van Benschoten gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Van Benschoten left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Russell replaced Van Benschoten with Evan Meek to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a leadoff walk.  With Beltran at the plate, Meek threw a passed ball so Wright moved over to second.  Beltran popped up to short, and Gomez made the catch.  Church grounded out to short.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Pagan also drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Molina grounded out to first to leave the bases juiced.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Meek retired the side in order.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 13 - New York Mets 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

The Mets already had to play a day game following a late extra innings night game.  Then, today’s game was delayed 40 minutes because a water main broke.  Oli was simply awful today.  He pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 7 runs while 5 were unearned.  The Mets made 3 errors today which made everything worse than it could’ve been.  The Bullpen allowed even more runs to score.  The offense isn’t even worth discussing since the Mets only put up 1 run on the scoreboard.  This was torture to watch.  On the Pirates, X-Man was on fire today.  Nady was 3 for 3, with 3 RBIs and 2 walks.  I hope Omar goes after him.  The Pirates put up 12 of their 13 runs in just 2 innings.

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The New York Mets (13-11) are playing Game 25 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-15) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Gomez, Sanchez, Bay, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Paulino, Snell.

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

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Nate McLouth led off with a solo shot to right.  Gomez grounded out to third.  Sanchez grounded out to second.  Santana fanned Bay.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, LaRoche drew a one-out walk.  Santana caught Bautista looking at strike three.  Paulino grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Jason Bay hit a one-out jack to left.  Nady flied out to left.  Santana fanned LaRoche.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Santana sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, McLouth drew a leadoff walk.  Santana got Gomez on a called strike three.  Sanchez flied out to left.  Bay drew a two-out walk.  Santana hit Nady in the arm to load the bases.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the 6th Inning.  LaRoche popped up to short to leave the bases full of Pirates.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Bautista grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Paulino drew a no-out walk.  Morgan is pinch hitting for Marte, and Morgan popped out in shallow left.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 7th.  McLouth grounded to second, and Castillo tagged Paulino as he was running to second.  With Gomez in the batters box, Schoeneweis threw a passed ball.  Casanova threw the ball to Schoeneweis who tagged out Bautista as he was going home.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Gomez led off with a line drive into left field.  Sanchez pulled a no-out double down the left field line, and Gomez went from first to third.  Sanchez fanned Bay.  Nady drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Adam LaRoche drew a one-out walk to bring home Chris Gomez.  Bautista grounded to third, and Wright made the force out at home.  Paulino popped up to shallow right, and Castillo made the catch.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Doumit is pinch hitting for Grabow, and Doumit grounded to short.  Delgado couldn’t hold onto the catch from Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) so the Pirates have a leadoff runner on base (Bixler is pinch running for Doumit).  With McLouth in the batters box, Wagner threw a wild pitch so Bixler moved over to second.  Wagner got McLouth swinging at strike three.  Gomez grounded out to short as Bixler advanced to third.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single to the gap in right center, and Brian Bixler came home to tie up the game.  Wagner fanned Bay.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Top of the 10th, LaRoche hit a one-out opposite field double off of the wall in left field.  Bautista flied out to center.  Paulino grounded out to short to leave LaRoche standing on second.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 11th.  Gomez grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez popped up to shallow center, and Beltran made the catch.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

At the Plate

Ian Snell (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes dropped a bunt in front of home plate and beat out the throw for a leadoff single.  With Castillo at the plate, Paulino threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Castillo flied out to left.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first to leave Wright on base.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Snell retired the side in order.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Chavez flied out to center.  Santana flied out to right.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Pirates turned the double play to end the inning.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church tied up the game with a one-out 2-run homer to right scoring Carlos Beltran.  Delgado flied out to left.  Casanova grounded out to first to end the inning.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Chavez led off with a line drive to left.  Santana attempted to bunt on strike three, but he missed the ball.  Jose Reyes hit a one-out RBI triple off of the right field wall, and Endy Chavez came around to score.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  David Wright grounded to short, and Sanchez (Error on Freddy Sanchez) mishandled the throw from Gomez so everybody is safe and Jose Reyes scored.  Beltran drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Snell gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Snell left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Russell replaced Snell with Damaso Marte with one out in the Bottom of the 5th.  Marte caught Church staring at ball four which resulted in a strike out.  Marte fanned Delgado.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Marte worked a 1-2-3 inning.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Russell replaced Marte with Tyler Yates to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  Yates fanned Wright.  Beltran flied out to left near the line.  Church grounded out to second to leave two Mets on base.  Yates gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Russell replaced Yates with John Grabow to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Chavez lined a two-out single into shallow center.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Grabow fanned Pagan to end the inning.  Grabow gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Russell replaced Grabow with Franquelis Osoria to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Reyes led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Castillo dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright flied out to right, and Reyes stayed put.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave Reyes on base.  Osoria gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Osorio retired the side in order.  Osorio gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Russell replaced Osorio with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Chavez hit a broken bat single up the middle to give the Mets a leadoff runner.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Van Benschoten was called for a Balk so Chavez moved over to second base.  Anderson dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Chavez advanced to third.  Van Benschoten intentionally walked Reyes.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes went to second and it was called defensive indifference.  Castillo drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  The Wright Stuff crushed an opposite field single that hit right of the foul poul and fell in fair territory so Endy Chavez came home to score.  Van Benschoten gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 4 - New York Mets 5 (In 11).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Another game, another win.  Santana gave up two solo shots.  He threw a lot of pitches, and he only went 5.2 innings.  The Mets got off to a slow start tonight offensively.  Church tied up the game at 2 in the 4th.  Jose was on base 6 times tonight and went 3 for 6.  Endy was 3 for 5.  Wright was 0-4 before he hit the walkoff.  I wish that the Mets didn’t have to go to extra innings against the Pirates, but it is what it is.

The Metropolitans are 14-11 now.  The Mets will host the Pirates again tomorrow for a day game.  After that, they head out west.

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Due to last night’s rainout, the Pirates and the Mets will only play a two-game series.  Last night’s game will be made up on August 11, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. ET.  Johan Santana and John Maine will be the starting pitches in the two-game set.  These are the Pirates so I’m looking forward to a mini-sweep.

Mets.com:

Series opener vs. Bucs postponed - Marty Noble lets us know that last night’s Pirates-Mets game is to be made up on Aug. 11 at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Delgado looks to stay hot vs. Bucs - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

MUSEUM TO UNVEIL NEW ROBINSON PLAQUE SATURDAY - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will unveil a new plaque of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, featuring updated language to further honor his legacy, this Saturday, May 3, at 1:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Gallery. The ceremony will feature Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, as she shares her thoughts on her late husband’s legacy.

Alou’s MRI postponed - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou was unable to fly to New York early enough to make it to the Doctor yesterday because of the weather.  Alou had to postpone his visit to the foot Doctor until today.

Newsday:

Mets’ Delgado: I wasn’t sending message to fans - Katie Strang found out what Carlos Delgado had to say about not coming out of the dugout when the fans called for a curtain call.  Delgado said,

I hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. We were winning by two. All I did was add another run. I didn’t think that was the right moment. It wasn’t a walk-off home run, it wasn’t a tiebreaking home run. It was a home run in April.

Rain puts Santana’s return to Shea on hold

New York Daily News:

Carlos Delgado says staying in dugout was his choice and not slight to fans

All wrong bringing David Wright into Carlos Delgado’s mess of nonsense

Media to Met fans: Boooo!

Curtain call Q&A with Carlos Delgado

Jane Jarvis recalls the happy times and tunes at Shea

Johan Santana goes after rainout - Roger Rubin informed us that Johan Santana will make the start tonight even after he was supposed to pitch last night, but the game got rained out.

Brian Schneider gets swell news - Roger Rubin reported that Brian Schneider could return shortly from an infection in his left thumb.

New York Post:

DELGADO NOT BUYING BOOS

THUMBS DOWN FOR SCHNEIDER

CURTAIN SNUB DESERVES CHEER

METS-PIRATES RAINED OUT

New York Times:

Nady Could Fill the Void He Left

Delgado Will Wait to Take His Bow

The Star-Ledger:

Delgado has no regrets about curtain-call snub

Revised pitching rotation - Colin Stephenson tells us how the rotation was affected by the rainout.

Mets rained out

Some days, it rains

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So I had a wonderful time at the wedding in S.C., and now I’m back.  I feel like I missed so much between the NFL Draft, the Braves-Mets series, and the Rangers-Penguins series.

So the Mets were able to take two-out-of-three from the Braves, which is awesome.  I only watched Friday’s game so far.  I’m in the Top of the 4th of Saturday’s game now.  Beginning tonight, the Mets will host a three-game series with the Pirates.  Here’s a look at the probable pitching matchups:

• 04/28/2008 - Ian Snell (2-1) - Johan Santana (3-2)
• 04/29/2008 - Tom Gorzelanny (1-3) - Oliver Perez (2-1)
• 04/30/2008 - Zach Duke (0-2) - Mike Pelfrey (2-1)

Mets.com:

Mailbag: What about Alou at first? - Marty Noble answers Mets fans’ questions.

Next up for Mets is Pirates, Snell - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Newsday:

Delgado (2 HRs) snubs curtain call in Mets win

Church chips in with big catch, deft sidestep

Possible fracture slows Alou’s return to Mets - Anthony Rieber reported that Moises Alou might have a fracture in his left ankle.  Rieber wrote,

Minaya said a CT scan taken Friday showed “there might be potentially a slight fracture in there.” Alou is scheduled to travel to New York today for a possible MRI at the Hospital for Special Surgery. “The CT scan shows something,” Minaya said. “What that something is, they want to be able to see here in New York.”

New York Daily News:

Carlos Delgado’s two homers power Mets past Braves, 6-3 - Peter Botte summarized yesterday’s game between the Braves and the Mets.

Applaud slumping Carlos Delgado for tuning out Shea cheers

Arm woes hit John Smoltz - Roger Rubin reported that John Smoltz had to have his shoulder looked at by medical staff after yesterday’s outing.

Moises Alou to have MRI as ankle delays return

New York Post:

NO CURTAIN FOR CARLOS

WAGNER SEES STREAK GO OUT WITH A BLOOP

NEGATIVITY ALWAYS AT-BAT

UNLUCKY BREAK FOR ALOU

New York Times:

Delgado Homers Twice but Isn’t Taking Any Bows

The Star-Ledger:

Fan Blogger: Snub just puts more pressure on Delgado

Mets-fans relationship on the rocks despite win

Alou’s ankle could keep OF out even longer

Delgado opts to ignore fans’ curtain call

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Yesterday was yesterday, and today is a new day.  I hope that brighter days are coming now.  It’s imperative because the Mets are going to face the Nationals and the Braves for five games.  These are the games that matter more than any other.  If the Mets can walk out of D.C. with a mini-sweep then maybe it will give them enough mojo to win the series against the Braves over the weekend.

Here’s a picture of the new Nationals Park which replaced the ugliest stadium in sports, RFK.  I went there once, and they needed a new stadium.  If you never made the trip to RFK then you didn’t miss anything.  Anyway, Washington is only 2-5 in their new park so New York doesn’t need to make it easier for them to get closer to a winning record at home.  Santana is on the mound tonight, and he has to stop the bleeding.

Mets.com:

Capital time to visit Washington, D.C. - Jon Greenberg put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Alou finding timing in rehab outings

 Can’t Compare - Anthony DiComo is taking in Yankees and Mets games on the same day — in Chicago.

Newsday:

Trouble at first glance - David Lennon summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Pedro can return to mound in 10-14 days - David Lennon found out that Pedro Martinez can return to the mound in 10-14 days.  At that point in time, Martinez will need about three weeks before he can return to the Mets.

DEBATE: Who hurts his team more: Delgado or Giambi?

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Find out what happened on today’s date at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.

New York Daily News:

Don’t expect to see El Duque or Pedro Martinez soon - Adam Rubin informs us about Mets injuries.

Met bullpen implodes against Cubs - Adam Rubin criticizes how the Mets bullpen performed in Chicago.

New York Post:

LIFELESS METS PUT TO SWEEP - Bart Hubbuch asks where the offense was in the Mets-Cubs series.

SOSA FAR, SOSA NOT GOOD - Bart Hubbuch pointed out how poorly Jorge Sosa has been so far.

HEILMAN NO WORRY TO WILLIE - Willie Randolph had this to say about Aaron Heilman’s struggles, “He’s just going to have to make pitches. That’s the life of a set-up guy. I’m going to use him like I’ve been using him. He’s healthy, and I’m not ready to reduce his role a month into the season. He’s fine. He’s strong. It’s early. That [workload] will even out later on. I’m not concerned about it.”

New York Times:

For a Day, Chicago Becomes a New York Kind of Town - Jack Curry wrote up an article about how the Mets played the Cubs and how the Yankees played the White Sox on the same day in Chicago.

The Star-Ledger:

Delgado looking powerless - Jeremy Cothran breaks down the struggling Carlos Delgado.

Infield blunder opens floodgates

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Losing a two-game series 15-2 is very deflating.  Maybe the flights had a little bit to do with it, but the Mets played some ugly baseball the last two days.  Maybe a change of scenery will make a difference.  The next stop is at our nation’s capital for a two-game series with the Nationals.  Here’s a look at the pitching matchups:

• 04/23/2008 - Johan Santana (2-2) - Tim Redding (3-1)
• 04/24/2008 - Oliver Perez (2-0) - Shawn Hill (0-0)

Mets.com:

Offensive well runs dry in Chicago - Jon Greenberg summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Mets making do with bumps, bruises - Jon Greenberg discusses the injury status of the Mets.

Put simply, Mets outplayed by Cubs - Anthony DiComo summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Majors dream continues for Figueroa - Anthony DiComo wrote up a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Confident Pagan accepting of role - According to Anthony DiComo, Angel Pagan has no problem returning to a backup once Alou returns.

Schneider sits for second straight game - Anthony DiComo reported that Brian Schnieder will sit out in today’s game as well.

Newsday:

Another strong outing for Maine but no W - David Lennon also summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Pagan will soon find it tough to get playing time

New York Daily News:

Mets get slammed as Ronny Cedeno powers Cubs to victory - The AP summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Met bullpen implodes against Cubs - Adam Rubin summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs also.

Billy Wagner dogs Hank’s take on Joba, thinks rookie should stay in bullpen

Shea, Meadowlands among facilities helping spread green message

HoJo: Carlos Delgado not in slump - Adam Rubin captured the thoughts of Howard Johnson on Carlos Delgado’s lack of offense.  Here’s what HoJo said about Delgado:

It’s possible to have good at-bats without hits. Carlos has been a guy who has been very competitive in that he has not gotten himself out as much. During that Phillies series, one day, he was like 12 inches total from having three or four hits. Those things change the numbers. Those are good, quality at-bats. … He wasn’t getting himself out like the Carlos of last year. Last year I saw him get himself out a lot - when you’re ahead in the count chasing balls you shouldn’t be chasing.

New York Post:

METS SLAMMED BY CUBS - The AP put wrote up a game summary for today’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

DAZED AND ABUSED - Bart Hubbuch put together a game summary for last night’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

DELGADO’S NO BIG HIT - Bart Hubbuch talks about Delgado’s lack of success.

RYAN’S BEEN ALL RIGHT - Brett Cyrgalis compliments Ryan Church for his early season success.

New York Times:

Offense Again Fails Mets in Chicago - Ben Shpigel provided a game summary for today’s Mets-Cubs game.

Mets Say Delgado Is Not Playing as Badly as He Looks

The Star-Ledger:

Mets fall to Cubs, 8-1

Checkin in from the North Side - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineups for today’s Mets-Cubs game.

Cubs flatten Mets

Schneider sits for another night

Final: Cubs 7, Mets 1

Game 18: Mets-Cubs - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineups for last night’s Mets-Cubs game.

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The New York Mets (10-8) are playing Game 19 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Chicago Cubs (13-6) at Wrigley Field.  It’s the second game of the two-game series, and the final game of 2008 at Wrigley Field.  The game began at 2:20 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

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

Cubs Lineup: Johnson, Pie, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, DeRosa, Cedeno, Blanco, Lilly.

At the Plate

Ted Lilly (0-3) was the starting pitcher for the Cubs.  In the Top of the 1st, Lilly sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Lilly retired the middle of the lineup in order.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Lilly now pitched perfectly the first time through the lineup.  Lilly gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Lilly got Reyes swinging at strike three.  Pagan drove a one-out double into the gap in right center.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran also drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Delgado popped up in shallow left, and Cedeno made the out.  Easley popped up to shallow right, and DeRosa made the catch to leave the bases juiced.  Lilly gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Clark led off by lining a single into right.  Casanova grounded slowly to third, and Ramirez made the out at first as Clark moved over to second.  Figueroa grounded out to short.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Pagan popped up to second base to leave two Mets on.  Lilly gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th,  Beltran drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Delgado lined a one-out single into right.  Easley dropped a one-out single into shallow right.  Brady Clark grounded to second, but DeRosa only got the out at second so Carlos Delgado came home to score.  Casanova grounded to short, and Cedeno made the force out at second to leave two Mets on.  Lilly gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Lilly left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Piniella replaced Lilly with Bob Howry to begin the Top of the 7th.  Howry sent the Mets down in order.  Howry gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Piniella replaced Howry with Carlos Marmol to begin the Top of the 8th.  Marmol breezed right through the Mets.  Marmol gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Piniella replaced Marmol with Kevin Hart to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Anderson drew a one-out walk.  Casanova grounded a one-out single up the middle, and Anderson advanced to second.  Chavez grounded to first, and Lee made the force out at second as Anderson moved over to third.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the game.  Hart gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Figueroa pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Ramirez drew a leadoff walk.  Fukudome grounded the ball to first under the glove of Delgado and into right field so Fukudome arrived safely at first as Ramirez went first to third.  DeRosa drew a no-out walk to load the bases.  Figueroa fanned Cedeno on three straight pitches.  Blanco grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to get Figueroa out of a jam.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Pie grounded a hard two-out single to first which hit Delgado and went into right field.  Lee lined out to left to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Fukudome grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  DeRosa flied out to center.  Ronny Cedeno lined a two-out double into the right field corner, and Kosuke Fukudome came around to score.  Figueroa intentionally walked Blanco.  Lilly grounded to second, but nobody covered first so Lilly beat out the play to load the bases.  Reed Johnson lined a two-out 2-run single into left scoring Mark DeRosa and Ronny Cedeno.  Pie grounded out to first to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lee drew a leadoff walk.  Ramirez flied out to right.  Fukudome drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  DeRosa flied out to right, and Lee tagged up and went to third.  Cedeno lined out to right to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Blanco led off by grounding a single under Reyes and into left.  Fontenot is pinch hitting for Lilly.  This move brought Randolph to out to the mount to make a pitching change.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Scott Schoeneweis with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Fontenot dropped down a sacrifice bunt along the first base line, and Scoeneweis made the out at first as Blance advanced to second.  Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Pie grounded right in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Lee flied out to the warning track in dead center, but Beltran made the out to leave two Cubs on base.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Ramirez grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the left side.  Fukudome drove a no-out double that one-hopped the wall, and Rameriz went first to third.  Mark DeRosa lined an RBI single into right center, and Aramis Ramirez came home to score and Fukudome advanced to third.  Smith caught Cedeno swining at ball four to strike him out.  Smith gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Soto is pinch hitting for Blanco, and Feliciano threw a wild pitch to Soto so DeRosa moved over to second.  Soto drew an intentional walk to load the bases.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Murton is pinch hitting for Howry, and Murton grounded to first so Delgado made the out at home.  Johnson popped up to second to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Pie lined a leadoff single into right.  Lee grounded a no-out single through the hole on the right side, and Pie moved over to second.  Ramirez flied out to the warning track in left.  Fukudome drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  DeRosa grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at home as DeRosa beat out the relay throw to first.  Ronny Cedeno smacked a Grand Slam near the foul poul in left scoring Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, and Mark DeRosa.  Soto lined a two-out single into left.  Marquis popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the catch to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Chicago Cubs 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-1) got the loss and Ted Lilly (1-3) got the win.

OUCH!!!  It bothered me a little bit when the Mets lost the final game of the Phillies series, but I figured that the Mets would recover quickly and sweep this mini-series.  As you can tell by the scoreboard, the Mets got stomped twice by the Cubies.  The Mets starters pitched decently.  Wright was the one that stopped driving in the runs.  He’s been the only one doing that for the Mets so if he stops then the Mets only put up a run a game which isn’t enough.  This Cedeno kid beat the Mets by himself.

The Mets need to get out of Chicago ASAP.  Maybe things will turn around as soon as they get off the plane in Washington.  The Mets are 10-9 now.  They are disappointing me right now.

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The New York Mets (10-7) are playing Game 18 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Chicago Cubs (12-6) at Wrigley Field.  It’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Casanova, Chavez, Maine.

Phillies Lineup: Johnson, Fontenot, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, DeRosa, Soto, Cedeno, Zambrano.

At the Plate

Carlos Zambrano (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Cubs.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes dumped a leadoff single into left field.  Castillo grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright worked himself into a full count before staring at strike three.  Beltran grounded to short, and Cedeno made the out at first to leave a runner at second.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Casanova struck out swinging as Church attempted to steal third, but Soto threw out Church to end the inning.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Zambrano quickly retired the side.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Wright grounded to third, and the Cubs turned the double play.  Beltran popped up to third, and Ramirez made the catch.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Delgado led off by lining a single into center.  Church grounded to second, and Fontenot only made the force out at second on the double play attempt.  Casanova grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first and then got the Cubs got Delgado out in a rundown.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Chavez led off with a standup double off the wall in left center.  Maine dropped down a sacrifice bunt in front of home plate, and Soto threw to third but Ramirez didn’t tag Chavez at third so everybody is safe.  Reyes grounded to short, and the Cubs turned the double play as Endy Chavez came home to score.  Castillo grounded to third and beat out the throw by Ramirez for a two-out single.  With Wright in the batters box, Castillo stole second safely.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran lined out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Zambrano gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Zambrano sent the Mets down in order.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Zambrano left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Piniella replaced Zambrano with Carlos Marmol to begin the Top of the 8th.  Marmol retired the side in order.  Marmol gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Piniella replaced Marmol with Kerry Wood to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wood pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Wood gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Field

John Maine (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Johnson grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  With Fontenot at the plate, Casanova threw out Johnson as he attempted to steal second base.  Maine fanned Fontenot.  Lee flied out to right to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Ramirez drew a leadoff walk.  Fukudome flied out to shallow center.  DeRosa popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch.  Soto grounded slowly in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Cedeno grounded out to second.  Maine fanned Zambrano.  Maine hit Johnson with the pitch in the left arm.  Fonteno grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to leave on Cub on base.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lee lined a leadoff single into center.  Aramis Ramirez drove a 2-run homer to left center scoring Derrek Lee.  Fukudome grounded out to short.  DeRosa grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Maine got Soto swinging at strike three.  Cedeno flied out to left to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Maine walked Fontenot on four pitches to give the Cubs a two-out runner.  Lee grounded to third, and Wright got the lead runner at second 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, Ramirez grounded out to third.  Fukudome lined a one-out single into left.  Maine struck out DeRosa on a check swing.  With Soto at the plate, Maine threw a wild pitch so Fukudome moved over to second.  Maine got Soto staring at strike three to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Cedeno grounded to third, but the ball bobbled in Wright’s (Error on David Wright) hand so Cedeno beat out the throw to first.  Ward is pinch hitting for Zambrano, and Ward grounded to third and Wright made the out at first while Cedeno moved over to second.  Johnson also grounded to third, and Wright held Cedeno at second before making the out at first.  Fontenot grounded out to second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Lee led off by grounding to short, but Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) mishandled the ball so Lee beat out the play.  Heilman hit Ramirez with the pitch.  Fukudome grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side to load the bases.  Heilman fanned DeRosa.  Soto popped up to second.  Ronny Cedeno lined a 2-run single up the middle scoring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Fukudome advanced to second.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 4 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Felix Pie broke the game open by crushing a 3-run shot to right scoring Kosuke Fukudome and Ronny Cedeno.  Johnson grounded out to third to end the inning after the Cubs put a 5-spot on the scoreboard.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Chicago Cubs 7.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine took the loss while Carlos Zambrano got the win.

I hate when the Mets face a pitcher like Zambrano did tonight.  Carlos pitched 7 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits.  Maine pitched a pretty good game.  John gave up 2 runs over 6 innings, and gave up 5 hits.  One of the hits was a two-run jack.  So the Mets dropped 2 consecutive games right now.  They have to wake up early tomorrow to play a day game.  Figueroa will make his first start as a Met away from Shea.

The Mets are 10-8 now.  It seems like the NL is playing them tough this year.  They need to put their foot down on the NL already.

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The Mets are in Chicago for a quick two-game set with the Cubies.  By quick, I mean that the Mets will play a night game followed by a day game and then they leave the Windy City.  Tonight’s game begins at 7:05 p.m. ET, and tomorrow’s game begins at 2:20 p.m. ET.  Here’s the pitching matchups for this series:

• 04/21/2008 - John Maine (1-1) - Carlos Zambrano (2-1)
• 04/22/2008 - Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) - Ted Lilly (0-3)

Hopefully, the Metropolitans can rebound from last night’s loss and sweep this two-game series against the Cubs.  It’s time for the Mets to stomp on the NL, seriously.  It will make up for losing the series to the Brewers.  After this Chicago trip, the Mets head down for a quick series in D.C.  It’s the first time the Mets will play the Nats in their new stadium.  On the weekend, the Mets host the Braves at Shea, and it’s on.

Mets.com:

Chicago busy with Mets, Yanks - In case you didn’t know this already, Anthony DiComo reminds us that both New York teams will be playing in the Windy City on Tuesday.

Mets rally, but can’t sweep Phillies - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Phillies.

Mets no strangers to ‘grind’ of season - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Schneider out with bruised right forearm - Marty Noble pointed out that Brian Schneider didn’t play in last night’s game due to a bruised right forearm.  Schneider is expected to return to the lineup tonight in Chicago.

Alou progressing in rehab stint - Joseph Santoliquito tells us how Moises Alou is doing with his rehab assignment down in Port St. Lucie.  If all goes well then Alou may be back at Shea this weekend when the Mets host the Braves.

Church was ready to toe slab - Marty Noble pointed out that Ryan Church would’ve pitched in the 14-inning game last week against the Nationals.  It turns out that Church was a pitcher during his freshman year at the University of Nevada which was eight years ago.

Newsday:

Three Phillies HRs negate Mets’ comeback - Anthony Rieber also summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Phillies.

Everything adding up for Mets’ rising star Wright - Johnette Howard wrote an article about how David Wright is a rising star.

Mets’ Schneider sits with bruised forearm

New York Daily News:

Pedro Feliz slugs pinch-hit homer to lift Phillies past Mets, 5-4 - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Phillies as well.

Mets’ Home Run Apple loved to core - Anthony McCarron tells us why the Home Run Apple is loved.

Moises Alou may return Friday

A Shea honor for Jack Lang - Adam Rubin reported that, “The Mets will honor the late Daily News sports writer Jack Lang with a ceremony and video tribute before Saturday’s 1:10 p.m. game against the Braves at Shea. Lang, who died in January 2007, covered the Mets for 25 years, from the team’s inception in 1962.”

Brian Schneider: One day at a time

New York Post:

HOMER COOKIN’ BEATS METS - Bart Hubbuch also wrote up a game summary about last night’s Mets-Phillies game.

WILLIE: NO SYMPATHY FOR PHIL ILLS - Bart Hubbuch captured Willie Randolph’s thoughts on the injuries that the Phillies are suffering.  Willie said, “Welcome to the club, just like everybody else. No one feels sorry for us when we have injuries, so we’re definitely not going to feel sorry for them, that’s for sure. Injuries are part of the game. We’ve got guys out, too.”

AMAZIN’ OPPORTUNITY MISSED - Mike Vaccaro lets us know that the Mets missed out on a golden opportunity by not being able to sweep the Phillies.

PELFREY ON RIGHT TRACK - Dan Tomasino liked what he saw out of Mike Pelfrey last night.

New York Times:

Two Homers From Utley as Phillies Top the Mets

The Star-Ledger:

Greetings from Chicago

Mets fall in series finale

Forearm bruise sits Schneider

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