Die Hard Sports Fan

For one day, the Metropolitans were able to put it all together.  They came home from their west coast trip with a 3-3 record.   The Mets are sporting a 17-15 record now.  Kinda boring, huh?  It seems like they are always around .500.  My expectations of the ‘08 season are dwindling because they aren’t showing me anything special.  Something isn’t right with the team, and it doesn’t make sense because I thought they had a shot at winning the World Series a month ago.

When I just watched the Giants win the Super Bowl, they did it by having a chip on their shoulder.  They got into that ‘us against the world’ mindset in Week 3 in Washington when they had the goalline stand, and they carried it through the Playoffs.

The Mets don’t have that chip on their shoulder, and they should because they never won anything yet.  Except their division in 2006.  When Beltran stared at strike three in game 7 of the NLCS, the team should’ve had a chip on their shoulder to do it again in 2007 and gone even further.  That didn’t happen because of the collapse.  By now, they should have a chip on their shoulder for ‘06 and ‘07, but they appear content playing .500 ball.  These are the four players that have been in the lineup since 2006: Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and Wright.  These are the players that should have the most to prove now.  Beltran declared that the Mets are the team to beat, but hasn’t backed it up on the field.  Delgado appears to be in the twilight of his career.  He was bored in ‘07 with a .259 average, and it’s even worse now.  Reyes has all of the skills in the world, but he appears to be too soft mentally to play the game.  Wright has been the only one of these four to play at a high level consistentely since ‘06.  On the mound, the Mets mostly have the same rotation: Martinez, Hernandez, Perez, and Maine.  Pedro and El Duque have barely pitched since going on the DL a few days prior to the Playoffs in 2006.  Perez has remained inconsistent since then, and Maine has improved a great deal since then.  These players need to communicate how pissed off they are for not winning the World Series in ‘06 and/or ‘07 in order to motivate them to play at the highest level each and every game.  Nothing less than the best should be tolerated.

Mets.com:

Beltran waiting for something to click

Mets run on all cylinders in LA blowout - Anthony DiComo summarized today’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Mets return home, aim to impress fans - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for Friday’s game between the Reds and the Mets.

Mets cautious with Pagan after catch - Anthony DiComo reported that Angel Pagan will have an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury.

El Duque cleared for next step - Anthony DiComo informed us that Orlando Hernandez had the protective boot removed.  He will begin a rehab program soon.

Beltran fights flu, returns to Mets’ lineup

Mets falter against Dodgers - Anthony DiComo summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Mets anticipating Castillo surge - Anthony DiComo wrote up a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Boras: Perez, Mets on good terms

Newsday:

Mets’ bats wake up, back Maine in rout of Dodgers - David Lennon also summarized today’s Mets-Dodgers game.

Maine goes into 9th on eve of 27th birthday

Mets’ Pagan may have to pay for hard-nosed play

Mets fall to Dodgers, 5-4 - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Dodgers game.

Mets’ Martinez shows some progress

Agent Boras shows up to support Mets’ Perez

New York Daily News:

John Maine dominant as Mets deck Dodgers in Los Angeles

Angel Pagan hits seats and maybe DL

Ryan Church brushes off Brad Penny’s brushback

Inside-the-park homer, strikeouts doom Mets in loss to Dodgers

Omar Minaya sees Pedro’s progress

New York Post:

AMAZIN’S AWAKE FROM LUMBER SLUMBER

PAGAN HURTS SHOULDER AFTER GREAT CATCH

METS, MAINE MAUL DODGERS - Bart Hubbuch summarized yesterday’s Mets-Dodgers game.

IT’S AN INSIDE JOB - Bart Hubbuch describes the inside the park home run that Blake DeWitt hit on Wednesday night.

WISE WILL SHAKE UP WILLIE’S PEN

New York Times:

Hitting the Wall and the Ball, the Mets Lack for Nothing

Randolph Preaches Patience While Rotation Tests His

The Star-Ledger:

Mets put it all together

acrobatic catch bangs up Pagan

Final: Mets 12, Dodgers 1

Church can’t corral ball as Mets drop another

Dodgers catch Mets napping

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Tonight, Nelson Figueroa (2-1) will toe the rubber for the Mets.  He will face Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and has a 1-2 record.   If the Mets are going to win this series, Figueroa has to come through.  Also, John Maine is going to face the Dodgers’ ace, Brad Penny, tomorrow night.  I was hoping the Mets would win the first two, but that’s not possible anymore.  We’ll have to wait and see if the Mets can come home with a succesful road trip.

Mets.com:

Marking Strawberry’s silver anniversary - Marty Noble pointed out that Darryl Strawberry made his Shea Stadium debut 25 years ago today.  Noble really put together an excellent article about Straw here.  Doc and Darryl were my favorite Mets back then.  I always wondered what they could’ve accomplished if they stayed off the crack and out of trouble.  Both of them were Hall of Fame bound but couldn’t stay on the right track.  It really is a shame, but they are adults and made their own choices.  It’s like in “The Bronx Tale”, “There’s nothing worst than wasted talent.”

Perez dropped by Dodgers - Anthony DiComo summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Figueroa must shake off rust - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Randolph keeping eye on Delgado - Anthony DiComo found out that Willie Randolph doesn’t want Carlos Delgado to get too homer conscious.

Newsday:

Perez, Mets roughed up by Dodgers, 5-1 - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Dodgers game.

Pressure is lighter for Torre in LA - Shaun Powell says that Joe Torre enjoys the laid back atmosphere out in L.A.

Delgado is HR king for Puerto-Rican born players - David Lennon pointed out that Delgado hit his 435th Home Run on Saturday which crowned him as the Home Run Kin for Puerto Rican-born players.  I thought he already did that.

For Mets, there’s no place like mild, mild West - David Lennon tells us why he thinks the Mets play better baseball on the road.

New York Daily News:

Oliver Perez loses again, Mets dropped by Dodgers 5-1 - Adam Rubin wrote up a game recap for last night’s game between the Mets and the Dodgers.

Joe Torre’s enjoying California dream

Wise decision looming for Mets - The Mets have to make room for Matt Wise’s return, and Adam Rubin lists three options that the Mets can make.

New York Post:

OLLIE FLOPS AGAIN

WILLIE: SHEA FANS A DRAG - According to Bart Hubbuch, Willie believes that the Mets appear more relaxed on the road because the team doesn’t have to hear all of the negativity at Shea.

New York Times:

Mets’ Pérez Absorbs Hits, Including One in the Gut

Torre Says Wins Will Help Mets Win Back Fans

The Star-Ledger:

Chilly day here in Pasadena - Jeremy Cothran offers more thoughts on Perez.

Schneider backs Ollie

Torre enjoying California sun

Perez stumbles again

Final: Dodgers 5, Mets 1

Fading… - Dan Graziano was falling asleep.

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The New York Mets (16-13) are playing Game 30 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (17-14) at Dodger Stadium.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 10:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

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

Dodgers Lineup: Furcal, Pierre, Kemp, Kent, Martin, Loney, Jones, DeWitt, Billingsley.

At the Plate

Chad Billingsley (1-4) is the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Top of the 1st, Billingsley got Reyes to pop up to third before fanning Church and Wright.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Alou flied out to right.  Delgado pulled a one-out double down the right field line as Beltran went first to third.  Billingsly got Schneider to chase strike three.  Castillo grounded out to third leaving two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  With Church in the batters box, Reyes stole second.  Church grounded to second, and Kent made the out at first as Reyes moved over to third.  Billingsley fanned Wright leaving Reyes on third.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Schneider dropped a two-out single into center, and Delgado advanced to second.  Castillo grounded out to third to leave two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Church drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded out to deep short, and Furcal threw a rocket to first to get the out.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Beltran led off by pulling a triple down the right field line.  Moises Alou grounded a no-out RBI single up the middle which brought Carlos Beltran home.  Delgado grounded to short, and the Dodgers turned the double play.  Schneider grounded out to third.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Perez, and this move brought Torre out for a pitching change.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Billingsley left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Torre replaced Billingsley with Joe Beimel with no outs in the 7th Inning.  Pagan flied out to right.  Reyes flied out in foul ground along the right side line, and Kemp made the catch.  Beimel fanned Church.  Beimel gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Torre replaced Beimel with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Top of the 8th.  Broxton retired the side in order.  Broxton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Takashi Saito to begin the Top of the 9th.  Saito wiggled a lot as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Saito gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-2) is the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Rafael Furcal led off with a solo shot to left center.  Pierre lined a single into center.  Kemp flied out to right near the line.  With Kent at the plate, Pierre stole second safely as Schneider’s throw went into center field.  Kent grounded to the pitcher, and Perez made the out at first as Pierre moved over to third.  Russell Martin lined a two-out RBI single into center field which brought Juan Pierre home.  Loney grounded out to second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez got Jones and DeWitt to ground out before getting Billingsley to look at strike three.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Perez pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Martin grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Loney swung at strike three while Martin was stealing second, and Schneider (Error on Brian Schneider) threw the ball into center so Martin advanced to third.  Jones popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the out to leave one Dodger stranded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Blake DeWitt led off with a solo jack to center.  Perez fanned Billingsley.  Furcal popped up to third.  Pierre drew a two-out walk.  Matt Kemp crushed a two-out 2-run shot to center scoring Juan Pierre.  Kent grounded hard to third, and Wright made a beautiful dive and throw to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Loney drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Jones grounded to third, and the Mets completed the double play.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

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

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Kemp lined a one-out single into right.  Kent flied out to center.  With Martin at the plate, Schneider threw out Kemp as he attempted to steal second base.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Los Angeles Dodgers 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-3) got the loss and Chad Billingsley (1-4) got the win.

Oli took another beaten today, but not as bad as it was against the Pirates on Wednesday.  Oli pitched 6 innings, but he gave up 3 homers and 5 runs.  Going into the game, I was confident that Perez would beat the pitcher with the 1-4 record that he faced.  The Mets must’ve left their bats in the desert because they only put up 1 run.  Or maybe it was a long flight.  It’s tougher to win a series when you drop the first game.  Now, the Mets need to win the next two to win the series.

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I’m feeling confident right now that the Mets can take this series from the D-Backs.  Rather than building Citi Field, they should’ve just swapped ballparks with the Diamondbacks because the Mets have won 14 of the last 15 games at Chase Field by a combined score of 114 to 36.  That’s some serious whoop @$$.  Just imagine how the Mets would steamroll the NL by playing 81 games in the Valley of the Sun.  Citi/Chase…a bank is a bank, right?

Mets.com:

What a difference one man makes - Anthony DiComo wrote up a game recap about last night’s game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks.

Pelfrey to face one of game’s best - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the D-Backs.

Mets rejoice in Alou’s return - Anthony DiComo tells us what he thought of Moises Alou’s ‘08 debut last night.

Mets stick with Schneider - Anthony DiComo reported that Gustavo Molina was sent back down to Triple-A before last night’s contest.  The Mets decided to keep Brian Schneider on the roster even though he hasn’t healed enough to play yet.

Wagner, Perez clear the air - Anthony DiComo found out that Billy Wagner’s comments about Oliver Perez are no longer an issue.

Newsday:

Reyes, Mets defeat D’backs - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Diamondbacks game.

Randolph wishes Wagner kept comments in-house

Alou returns to Mets’ lineup

New York Daily News:

Mets still on fire against the Diamondbacks - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks as well.

Willie & Billy have a ‘private’ chat

New York Post:

‘BACK IN BUSINESS - Bart Hubbuch pointed out that Jose Reyes led the Mets to victory.

WILLIE TO BILLY: KEEP IT IN-HOUSE

New York Times:

Alou Sparks the Mets to a Welcome Victory

Wagner’s Public Scolding Earns Him a Private One

The Star-Ledger:

Back at Chase

Wagner taken to task

Online-only edition: Alou’s return sparks Mets victory in desert

Alou returns and Mets roll

Game 27: Mets at Diamondbacks - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for last night’s game.

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The Mets are out in Arizona right now.  The first game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks is set to take place in about an hour.  The way the pitching rotations are matching up is clearly in their favor because our ace doesn’t pitch until Sunday.  Fortunately, the Metsies have had success out in Arizona over the past few seasons so maybe that will continue.  Here’s the probable pitching matchups for this series:

• 05/02/2008 - John Maine (2-2) - Micah Owings (4-0)
• 05/03/2008 - Mike Pelfrey (2-1) - Brandon Webb (6-0)
• 05/04/2008 - Johan Santana (3-2) - Dan Haren (4-1)

Mets.com:

Prized acquisitions square off on TBS - Steve Gilbert pointed out that Dan Haren and Johan Santana will lead their new squads in front of a national audience on Sunday.

ROBINSON’S NEW PLAQUE UNVEILING POSTPONED - Mets.com reported that this event ismto be rescheduled for a date during the summer.

Newsday:

On air, Mets’ Wagner continues criticism of Perez - Jim Baumbach found out that Wagner had more to say about Oliver Perez in his weekly interview with Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN Radio.  How annoying is it to listen to Michael Kay?  I was listening to 1050 ESPN one day when I was driving because WFAN was in commercials.  Michael Kay was explaining how he need his toilet paper to come down.  As soon as my mind began to process an image of this dude dropping a duece, it grossed me out and I changed the dial back to WFAN.  What does Michael Kay taking a dump have to do with sports?  Good thing I’m not a Yankees fan because it’s tough to listen to that guy.  Kay on tv is better than Sterling on the radio.  If you’re a Yankees fan then you have nowhere to go to listen to the game, except in the Stadium where they have the best voice in sports.

Mets’ second spot in lineup: Go to Church! - David Lennon believes that the Mets perform better with Ryan Church in the 2 spot rather than Luis Castillo.

Mets’ Wright needs to step right up, knock club - Johnette Howard believes that Carlos Beltran or David Wright should also be calling out their teammates like Billy Wagner did after Wednesday’s whooping by the Pirates.

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday tells us what happened at Shea Stadium and at Yankee Stadium on May 2 of another year.

New York Daily News:

Mets not afraid of Snakes - Adam Rubin reminds us of all of the success the Mets have had in the desert.

New York Post:

TRYING NOT TO TRIP OUT WEST

REYES CAN’T SHAKE SLUMP

The Star-Ledger:

Welcome to the artist formerly known as the BOB

Mets need to bring ‘A’ game to Arizona

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So April is over now.  The Amazins’ finished the month of April with a 14-12 record after playing 26 games.  If you prorate it through 162 games then the Mets will be 87-75.  At month end, the Mets are in a three-way tie with the Marlins and the Phillies.  The Braves are 2.5 games back, and the Nats are 4 games behind.

It’s May now, and hopefully a new calendar month along with a trip out west will get the Metropolitans heading in the right direction.  The Mets will go to Phoenix for three games and then to Los Angeles for three games.

After one month, all of you Mets fans keep on booing our team.  What’s up with that?  I understand some of it, but not all of it.  I understand booing Delgado, Castillo, and Heilman for poor performances.  I understand booing Schoeneweis for steroids, and I would never cheer for somebody that shouldn’t be allowed to play baseball anymore.  I hear callers complain on WFAN because they want Willie fired.  I think Willie is an average Manager.  He lacks to NL knowledge that Bobby V. had, but he still has had a winning record with the Mets.  Historically, that’s better than the majority of Mets managers.  I don’t think this is Willie’s fault at all.  He’s by no means perfect, but I’ve seen much worse.

I put more of this on Omar than Willie because all of the starting players that were part of the collapse are still on the field, with the exception of LoDuca and Green.  If these players don’t feel like they have something to prove this year then Omar should get rid of them.  Omar knows what type of heart these guys have.  Only Wright and Alou played through the end of 2007.  I’m was upset with the Mets as an organization for covering up whatever happened last year.  Like I said in the offseason, I wanted to know what happened to Reyes down the stretch so I can justify it if he was sent to the Twins in exchange for Santana.  If he was hurt and would be back healthy this year then I wanted him back.  If he just quit then I wanted him out.  Reyes said he slumped, and he’s still in a funk.  Maybe he shouldn’t be here anymore.  I hated the Castillo contract from the beginning.  He’s not worth more than $10/year.  He told the Mets he was 100% healthy in December when he got his contract, but he asks Willie for days off.  He still can’t bunt or hit the ball.  Pedro and El Duque lied to the Mets about how great they felt on Spring Training.  They’ve been doing that for years already, and that’s why I wrote the post back then called “Talking the Talk or Walking the Walk”.  Omar believes the lies that Pedro and El Duque told them about being healthy so we don’t have a backup plan in place.

On the positive side, I love what I’ve seen out of Church and Pagan.  I never even liked Milledge because he’s a disgusting person so I loved that trade regardless of how any of the three players actually perform in the future.  Figueroa has been pretty solid as well.  And last but not least, Johan Santana is the man.  He finished April with 3 wins.  At three wins a month, he’ll end up with 18 wins at the end of the year.  Santana could’ve had more wins of the offense could put up more runs or if the bullpen could hold a lead.

That’s enough venting for me.  My point was that if the players weren’t good enough to win last year then why would they be good enough to win this year?  And heart is something that shows up on stats sheets.  I’m a Giants fan, and I just watched them win the Super Bowl with a bunch of rookies.  The Giants were picked to finish last in their division even though they made the Playoffs two years in a row prior to that.  The Mets are the favorites to win the World Series, but besides Santana what have they done?

Mets.com:

Citi Field recalls, renews sport’s legacy - Barry M. Bloom pointed out how Citi Field is a testament to NYC’s rich baseball tradition.

Wagner returns to site of scary incident- Marty Noble tells us a story where Billy Wagner got beaned by a comebacker by Stinnett about ten years ago in Phoenix.

Forgettable day for Perez against Bucs - Marty Noble summarized yesterday’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Mets know D-backs present challenge - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tomorrow’s game between the Mets and the Diamondbacks.

Schneider at Shea, but stays sidelined - Marty Noble reported that Brian Schneider’s thumb is improving, but the staph infection is not fully healed.

Strawberry writing ‘Straw’ memoir - The AP informed us that Darryl Strawberry is currently writing a book titled “Straw” that will be released in 2009.

Newsday:

Mets lose, 13-1, to Pirates; Wagner calls out team - Jim Baumbach also summarized how the Mets stunk it up yesterday.  Billy had this to say about the team’s perfomance, or lack there of, “Today, we just didn’t show up. I’m not saying Pittsburgh can’t beat the New York Mets. But I’m just saying there’s no way we should have this lopsided of a score. Yes, you’re going to have games like this. It’s something that can’t continue to linger.”

Wagner rips Perez over poor outing - Katie Strang got this quote from Wagner about Oliver Perez’s start yesterday, “Perez honestly has to step up and know we used every guy in the bullpen the night before. He can’t come out there and decide he doesn’t have it today, so be it.”  I hope Billy has something to say about every player every time they mess up which is pretty often.

Wright can do no wrong in fans’ eyes

Schneider back with Mets, but not ready to play

Water main break at Citi Field delays Mets game

New York Daily News:

Pirates crush sloppy Mets, 13-1

September stench still reeks at Shea - Mike Lupica discusses how poorly the Mets have been playing.

Oliver Perez takes walk on wild side - Roger Rubin explains what things Oli was doing wrong yesterday.

Can’t put a finger on Brian Schneider’s return to Mets

New York Post:

METS SEND IN THE OOPS

SCHNEIDER LEAVES HOSPITAL STAPH BEHIND

THIS (BLEEP) IS MORE THAN A BLIP - Mike Vaccaro found out how other Championship teams took loses like the Mets did yesterday and moved on.

INEPT OLLIE FUELS AMAZIN’ FOLLY

New York Times:

It Was a Dark Afternoon for the Daydreaming Mets - Ben Shpigel also summarized yesterday’s Pirates-Mets game.

The Star-Ledger:

Wagner has harsh words for Perez

Pirates rip sloppy Mets

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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 (11-9) are playing Game 21 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-16) at Nationals Park.  It’s the final game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Happy 31st Birthday to Carlos Beltran!

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

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Kearns, Pena, Boone, Harris, Nieves, Hill.

At the Plate

Shawn Hill (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Hill sent the Mets down in order on nine pitches.  Hill gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church drove a one-out double off of the wall in left center.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the out at first as Church advanced to third.  Pagan grounded out to short to leave Church on third.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Casanova pulled a ground ball through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Nieves made the out at first while Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes grounded out to first, and Casanova advanced to third.  Luis Castillo lined an RBI single into shallow center which brought Raul Casanova home to score.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave two Mets stranded.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Church drew a leadoff walk.  Hill got Delgado to chase strike three.  With Pagan in the batters box, Church stole second.  Pagan drew a one-out walk.  Casanova flied out to center, and Church tagged up and went to third.  Oliver Perez grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Ryan Church and Pagan went first to third.  Reyes flied out to right to end the inning with runners on the corners.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castillo grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  With Wright in the batters box, Hill threw a wild pitch so Castillo advanced to second.  Hill got Wright to stare at ball four, but the Umpire called it a strike.  With Beltran at the plate, Hill attempted to pick off Castillo and the ball hit Castillo and went into center so Castillo went to third.  Hill caught Beltran looking at strike three.  Ryan Church lined a two-out RBI single into right field, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the force out at second to end the inning.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Hill left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Acta replaced Hill with Michael O’Connor to begin the Top of the 6th.  Casanova drove a one-out single off of the wall in center field.  Perez bunted and the ball landed into the glove of the pitcher, but O’Connor dropped it and then only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.  O’Connor gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced O’Connor with Saul Rivera to begin the Top of the 7th.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-out solo shot that barely got over the high wall in right field.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ayala sent the Mets down in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Jon Rauch to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Marlon Anderson led off with a solo shot to right.  Reyes grounded a no-out single up the middle.  Castillo grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  Wright flied out to center, and Reyes tagged up and went to third.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  With Church at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Church flied out to center to leave two Mets on base.  Rauch gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Harris flied out to right field to leave one man on base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Nieves drew a leadoff walk.  Hill dropped down a sacrifice bunt down in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as Nieves moved over to second.  Lopez drew a one-out walk.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to leave two Nationals stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Zimmerman beat out an infield hit to short for a leadoff single.  Kearns lined out to center.  Perez fanned Pena.  Boone popped up near first, and Castillo made the out to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Harris drew a leadoff walk.  Nieves grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Harris advanced to second.  Belliard is pinch hitting for Hill, and Perez walked Belliard to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez grounded a no-out 2-run single up the middle which scored Willie Harris and Wil Nieves, and Belliard moved over to second.  Guzman lined out to center, and Belliard tagged up and went to third.  Ryan Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Ronnie Belliard came home to score and Lopez moved over to second.  Kearns grounded hard to third, but a diving Wright made the stop and the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pena grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Boone lined a no-out single over the head of Reyes and into left, and Pena moved over to second.  Harris dropped a bunt down in front of home plate, and Perez got the lead runner out at third.  Nieves grounded to first, and Delgado tagged the base as the runners advanced.  Milledge is pinch hitting for O’Connor so Randolph is making a pitching change.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Aaron Heilman with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Milledge drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez crushed a Grand Slam to right off of Heilman which scored Aaron Boone, Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge, and of course himself.  It’s like deja vu.  How many times do I have to watch that?  Guzman lined a two-out single to center.  Zimmerman lined a single into left, and Guzman advanced to second.  Heilman fanned Kearns to end the end of the Mets chances to sweep this mini-series.  Heilman gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Boone grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) misfielded it so Boone is on base with one out.  Harris drew a one-out walk.  Wil Nieves grounded a two-out RBI single under the glove of Delgado and into right field as Aaron Boone came around to score and Harris held up at third.  Estrada is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Johnny Estrada grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Willie Harris while Nieves advanced to second.  Lopez popped up in foul ground near third, and Wright made the catch.  Cristian Guzman lined a two-out single to right which brought Wil Nieves around to score and Estrada went first to third.  Zimmerman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to end another inning of hell.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pena grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Felician fanned Boone.  Harris grounded out to short to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Washington Nationals 10.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-1) got the loss and Shawn Hill (1-0) got the win.

All I can say is that it started out well.  The Mets were in complete control of this game until the Nationals tied it up in the Bottom of the 5th.  Then the Nats just kept scoring like Forest Gump kept running.  And just like the Yankees, the Mets got attacked by Gnats.  So Johan saved us yesterday, but Oli couldn’t provide the Mets with the opportunity to win the ballgame.  Then came the Heilman/Sosa tandem…they allowed 5 runs combined.  How are we going to win this series against the Braves this weekend if we can’t sweep a two-game series against the Nats?

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The New York Mets (9-6) are playing Game 16 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies (8-9) at Citizens Bank Park.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

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

Phillies Lineup: Taguchi, Werth, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Coste, Bruntlett, Moyer.

At the Plate

Jamie Moyer (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes hit the first pitch down the left field line for a standup double.  Church lined the ball to right, but Taguchi dropped the ball so Church ended up with a no-out single and Reyes held up at second.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole third without a throw.  David Wright hit a 2-run gaper to right center for a no-out double scoring Jose Reyes and Ryan Church.  Beltran popped up to second.  Delgado grounded out to first, and Wright moved over to third.  Pagan grounded out to third to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a single through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Castillo worked the count full before grounded to second, and the Phillies turned the double play.  Perez blooped an opposite field single.  Reyes flied out to left center to leave Perez stranded.  Moyer gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Wright grounded a one-out single to short that went under the legs the diving Bruntlett.  With Beltran in the batters box, Coste threw out Wright as he attempted to steal second.  Beltran grounded towards first, and Moyer fielded the ball and flipped it to Howard to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Moyer sent the Mets down in order.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Perez drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Reyes flied out to left center, and Werth made the catch.  Church lined a two-out single into left center, and Perez moved over to second.  Wright lined out to center to leave two Mets stranded.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Moyer pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Moyer left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Manuel replaced Moyer with Ryan Madson to begin the Top of the 7th.  Schneider grounded out to first.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Chavez grounded to first and Howard bobbled the ball so he could only make the out at first as Castillo moved over to second.  Jose Reyes jacked a two-out 2-run shot to right scoring Luis Castillo and himself.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Madson gave up 1 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Madson retired the side in order.  Madson gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Madson left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Manuel replaced Madson with Chad Durbin to begin the Top of the 9th.  Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Castillo grounded a one-out single up the middle and Schneider moved over to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Anderson grounded to the pitcher but the Phillies turned the double play to leave two Mets on base.  Durbin gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez quickly retired the top of the lineup in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez struck out Howard and Burrell before giving up a two-out walk to Feliz .  Coste lined a single into left field, and Feliz advanced to second.  Bruntlett popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch to leave two Phillies stranded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Taguchi grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Werth flied out to right.  Utley drew a two-out walk.  Perez caught Howard looking at strike three to leave to runners on.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Coste drew a two-out walk.  Bruntlett grounded to third, and Wright made the force play at second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Taguchi grounded to the pitcher, and the ball bounced off of Perez towards second so Taguchi beat out the play for a one-out single (Randolph and the trainor came out to the mound to check on Perez).  Perez got Werth swinging at strike three.  Utley lined a two-out single into center, and Taguchi went first to third.  Howard flied out to left to leave runners on the corners.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Feliz drew a one-out walk.  Coste grounded to short, and Reyes got the out at second but Coste beat out the play at first on the double play attempt.  With Bruntlett in the batters box, Perez threw a wild pitch so Coste advanced to second.  After 13 pitches, Bruntlett drew a two-out walk.  Rollins is pinch hitting for Moyer, and Rollins .  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound to make a pitching change.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Duaner Sanchez with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Rollins grounded out to first to leave two Phillies stranded.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chase Utley pulled a two-out home run to left.  Schoeneweis fanned Howard.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Burrell drew a leadoff walk.  Feliz grounded out to third as Burrell moved over to second.  Dobbs is pinch hitting for Coste.  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound for a pitching change.  Smith gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Dobbs worked the count full prior to dropping a pop up into shallow center for a one-out single, and Burrell advanced to third.  Bruntlett drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Ruiz is pinch hitting for Madson, and Carlos Ruiz lined an RBI single into left scoring Pat Burrell.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Taguchi, and Heilman fanned Jenkins after falling behind 3-1.  Then Heilman got Werth to strike out leaving the bases juiced like Scott Schoeneweis.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Wagner came in and slammed the door on the Phillies.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 4 - Philadelphia Phillies 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-0) got the win and Jamie Moyer (1-1) got the loss.

Before I talk about the Mets, I would like to thank FOX for not making us suffer through another game having to listen to Joe Morgan.  We had to listen to him two weeks ago, and that was more than enough for the season.

Back to the Mets…They are on a roll now.  They already took the series from the Phillies down in Philly.  Tomorrow, Mike Pelfrey will face Adam Eaton as the Mets have the opportunity to sweep their second divisional foe in row.  The Mets now won the first two series against the Phillies in ‘08.  That’s awesome.  The Mets also won their fourth straight game today so they finish the day with a 10-6 record.  We have to start giving some props.  Mr. Wright continues to drive in half of the runs each day.  Props to Willie for trying not to put in Heilman because Mets fans don’t want to see him, but it backfired on him.  Heilman ended up striking out two batters in a row to get out of a bases loaded jam.  So props to Heilman.  Reyes has been on fire since Beltran’s little pep talk.  Church has done a great job batting in to two spot.  The starters have been really good this year also.  The Bullpen seems like it has gotten better than early on, but they still need to improve.  Beltran and Delgado are struggling.  Pagan’s hot streak has diminished.

The Mets have quickly turned the tide on the Phils.  They are now on a 4-game winning streak against them.  I do have to point out that they haven’t been at full strenght.  Rollins hasn’t played in four out of five games.  Victorino hasn’t played in most of the games.  Howard is batting .182.  The Mets stuck it to them when they were down, but it will be more difficult when they are healthy.  For now, great job by the Mets.  Hopefully, we’ll see another sweep tomorrow.

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The Mets are still hosting their 9-game home stand.  I wanted to see where they were after this 9-game home stand after playing two NL East rivals and one NL team.  The first two series are over, and the Mets won the series over the Phillies and they lost the series to the Brewers.  So the Mets are 3-3 on this home stand so far.  The Nationals are the last team coming to Queens during this home stand.  The Nats are not supposed to be a good team, but as we saw last September they are a pesky group.  On top of that, the trades and free agent signings between the two teams during the offseason may make this series all the more interesting.  We’ll see how Mets fans welcome Lo Duca and Milledge.  I expect all boos, and would be shocked otherwise.  We’ll see how they perform against their former team.  The Mets need to win this series.  They need to make Shea home, and have a really good record at home because they haven’t the past few seasons.  Let’s go Mets!

Mets.com:

Mailbag: Should Nos. 17, 18 be retired? - Marty Noble answers questions submitted by Mets fans.

Holmes, former outfielder, dies at 91 - The AP reported that “Tommy Holmes, an outfielder for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 1950s, died on Monday. He was 91.”  Holmes died of natural causes.  Tommy also worked for the Mets as the director of ameteur baseball relations from 1973-2003.  May he Rest in Peace.

Church, Schneider take on ex-mates - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tomorrow’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.  DiComo pointed out that Ryan Church and Brian Schneider will be facing their former team.  On the Nationals, the immature Lastings Milledge and the steroid Paul Lo Duca will be facing their former team.  All four of these guys will play like they have something to prove in this series.

Newsday:

Self-defeating Mets waste lead, lose to Brewers

These Mets won’t rant and rave over losing a game

Mets’ Schneider gets 3 hits, needs bigger glove - Roderick Boone pointed out that Schneider had 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and he watched his pitchers throw 3 wild pitches during yesterday’s game against the Brewers.  Boone is confused because this is supposed to be a defensive catcher without a good batting average.

Duaner Sanchez nearly ready to return to Mets - Anthony Rieber also covered the status of Duaner Sanchez which Mets.com covered yesterday.

New York Daily News:

It seems to be getting late early around Shea for Mets

Oliver Perez’s early troubles a bad sign

Moises Alou to play rehab game - Adam Rubin reported that, “Moises Alou’s recovery from March 6 hernia surgery has progressed so well that he’s expected to play in a rehab game in Port St. Lucie by this weekend.”  That’s great news.  The faster Alou gets back, the better.  Pagan has done a great job, and he will probably become the 4th outfielder.

Paul Lo Duca: Boo, Mets! - The steroid using Lo Duca said this about the Mets, “I want them to lose every game.”  Keep crying Paul.  Wish that the Mets lose every game, and I wish that the Shea Faithful boo you right out of Flushing.  This guy went from being my favorite Met player to the biggest bum.  His issues are his issues.  He doesn’t need to bash his former team for what he did wrong.  Have some class.

New York Post:

DOUBLED UP & ‘WAUK-ED ON

SLOPPY PLAY, ATTITUDES

MOTA HEARS BOOS, THEN CLOSES DOOR - The other steroid user that the Mets got rid of, Guillermo Mota, got into trouble yesterday, but got out of the jam.

CLARK ADMITS COSTLY MISTAKE - Players should be accountable for what they do so I give Brady Clark credit for stating he made a mistake in yesterday’s game against the Brewers.  However, there were so many mistakes yesterday.  Add’em all up and the Mets win the game.  I’m still waiting for the Mets to tell me what happened to Reyes last season, and what’s wrong with him now.  Last season, it was a “slump” and that was about all they said.

New York Times:

Pérez Falters, and Mets Go Along for the Slide

The Star-Ledger:

Fan Blogger: You can’t boo Santana

Mets lose to Brewers, 9-7

Reyes hoping off-day helps heal hamstring

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