The Mets won a marathon game, with Angel Pagan delivering with a single up the middle in the bottom of the 12th inning over the Phillies Thursday night by a score of 4-3.
(For a batter by batter rundown of the entire game, check HERE.)
John Maine made the start earlier tonight, going six plus strong innings, needing 90 pitches. Maine ran into trouble with the walks, issuing five tonight. Maine gave up five hits and one earned run while striking out one. The one run came in the seventh inning when Pedro Feliz led off with a solo home run to deep left.
His first few innings were shaky as he was missing low and in mostly, he settled in nicely for the middle innings, then started to tire at the end and miss the strike zone again. Six innings is good from Maine, but I'd like to see him go one more next time around.
Pedro Feliciano came into the game, relieving Maine, with one on. Feliciano walked one before setting down Shane Victorino, Eric Bruntlett and Chase Utley on three straight strikeouts.
Wow. What an outing. Not much to say here, just very clutch.
Aaron Heilman entered the game in the eighth inning with a 3-1 lead. The first batter he faced, Ryan Howard, took him very deep to center field, nearly hitting the batter's eye on the fly. He walked Pat Burrell and allowed a basehit to Jayson Werth before Feliz came through for the Phillies again with an RBI groundout, tying the game.
I'm having a lot of trouble trusting Heilman now. Three games, three big letdowns. Rough.
From here on out, the bullpen came to play as Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa pitched three scoreless innings. Smith allowed two hits, neither left the infield, to lead off the 11th inning. Smith then struck out Bruntlett before he was removed in favor of Schoeneweis. He induced a double play ball off the bat of Utley to end the inning. Sosa only needed one pitch in the 12th inning, getting Feliz to ground out to David Wright to end the inning and eventually earn the win.
Great stuff from these three. Sosa only needed one pitch, but I'll include him in this group. Stellar performances from Schoeneweis and Smith. Couldn't be happier with him tonight.
The Mets logged some runs early, fell asleep in the middle, and eventually came through in the 12th to win.
Pagan led off the inning with a single off the glove of Bruntlett. Carlos Beltran later walked and both were driven in by a Ryan Church single to center field. Church went 2-5 on the night, driving in these two runs.
Church is coming through for the Mets a lot. I love this guy. Lastings who?
Later in the game, in the sixth inning, Pagan led off the inning by dumping a double down the left field line. Wright moved him over with a ground out and Beltran drove him in with an RBI single to right field. Beltran went 1-4 with a walk, two strikeouts, scored once and drove one in.
Beltran got beat on the slider low and in a few times tonight, which happens a lot. He's not very clutch, but he's a solid player and I really like him. What are your thoughts on #15?
The Mets offense had a few chances to score over the next few innings as the game headed into extras, but couldn't come through until the bottom of the 12th. After Brian Schneider and Brady Clark made the first two outs of the inning, Jose Reyes ripped a double to deep right field and coasted into second standing up. Pagan came up to bat and singled up the middle to Werth. As Reyes rounded third base, Werth came up throwing and made a perfect throw to the plate. Coste had the plate blocked very well, but Reyes slid in feet first and reached his hand over Coste's leg and tagged the plate before getting tagged by Coste to win the game. Pagan went 3-5, driving in one run and scoring twice.
I think he got his hand in there before he got tagged on the back, but I'm in the minority in my room. Pagan isn't only good, but he's clutch too. He's pretty good, eh?
Game Ball: Smith, Schoeneweis, and Pagan.
If you didn't read my post entitled: "I just shaved off my beard for the Mets; My beard is to blame," you should probably check it out. Beardless watch: 2-0.
