9/2/08

Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Brewers 5

The bullpen was amazin'. Simple as that.

Pitching Performance

Making his Major League debut, Jon Niese was tagged with for a home run while facing his first batter. Rickie Weeks took Niese deep to left on his third pitch of the game. He got into more trouble in the inning, but was able to work out of it.

He pitched well through the next few innings, but wasn't able to work out of the fourth inning. Niese let up four more runs in the fourth inning, before being removed. His final line: 3+ IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.

The second and third were all right, I guess. He has nasty stuff, but I'm sure his nerves were wreaking havoc on his composure. Nice to get a few innings out of him. I think he'll be better the next time around.

From here on out, the game was in the bullpen hands, something Mets fans do not want to see. Surprisingly and amazingly the bullpen threw seven innings of shut out baseball, allowing only four hits.

Four! Wow.

Nelson Figueroa came into the game after Niese, and ended up throwing two scoreless innings. Figueroa let up three hits, but was able to work out of trouble. He also walked one and struck out three. Duaner Sanchez threw an inning of perfect baseball. Brian Stokes looked absolutely brilliant, throwing two plus innings, allowing one hit and a walk, while striking out two.

Stokes was spectacular. I love it. Sign him. I love his fastball.

Pedro Feliciano worked out of a jam, getting a double play ground ball in the ninth inning. Joe Smith came on and ended the ninth, and moved the game into extras.

Luis Ayala was handed a one run lead in the bottom of the tenth, and of course had to make it interesting. He allowed a two-out double, and then walked a batter before getting Weeks (who went 4-6 on the night) to strikeout.

Whewwwwwwwwwwwww! Hear that noise? That's every Mets fan in the world taking a sign of relief. Ayala, I'll be sending you my bill for my heart medication. Thanks.

Offensive Output

Instead of the first again, the Mets waited an inning and struck in the second inning. Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley picked up RBI's in the second, Tatis with a double and Easley with a ground ball to short.

Tatis is swinging a hot bat. Keep Ryan Church in the PH role and spot started. Play the hot hand, please.

In the third, Carlos Beltran crushed a three-run home run to deep left field, driving in David Wright and Nick Evans.

The Carloses are getting toasty. Watch out, NL, here come Los Carloses!

With the game tied up in the top of the tenth, Daniel Murphy came up to the plate and again delievered in a clutch situation. Murphy singled to lead off the inning, followed by an attempted sacrifice bunt from Jose Reyes to move him into scoring posisition. Jason Kendall picked up the bunt and made the throw to first, but the ball was dropped by Weeks, who was covering, allowing Murphy to move to third base. Endy Chavez followed it up with a sac fly to deep right, plating Murphy and giving the Mets the upper hand.

Thank you, Endy. Way to come through in the clutch again. He may not be the best player, but he will go down in the annals of Mets history as a legend for some of the things he has done.

The Rest of the Story

Wright Watch: 1-5, run, K. Still looks lost at the plate for most of his AB.

The umpiring was a bit iffy most of the night, especially in the tenth. Some close pitches would go for a ball, others that were further out of the zone were called strikes. Frustrating, to say the least.

Game Ball: The entire bullpen.

Mets Song by Song: Ten by Pearl Jam

Here is another in a series of Song by Song. I will choose one album and use all of the song titles (in order) to explain the Mets current predicament. The songs will be bold and italicized.

This time around, it's the classic Pearl Jam album, "Ten." Enjoy.


Once in a while a player comes along, late in a season, and really helps his team. Right now, the Mets have a few of those players, such as Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and especially Carlos Delgado. The Mets are getting an Evenflow of talent from this core group of players, and key contributions from other key players, all of which is keeping their playoff hopes Alive.

"Why Go to Mets baseball games in September?" you may ask. The reason: to see the team, your team, trot out on the field in September, hopefully not sporting their Black jerseys, right in the middle of a playoff push. Thankfully, pitchers like Jeremy(Geremi/Jeremi) Gonzalez, may he rest in peace, are nowhere to be found on the Mets. It's a bunch of solid starting pitchers, all "pitching" in and bringing the team closer to October baseball.

But back to Carlos Delgado, who has been smacking the ball lately. His home run on Monday looked like it was hit so hard it could have cleared many Oceans. That magical game where he drove in nine RBI, with a grand slam a three-run home run hit over the short Porch in right at Yankee Stadium, may be a defining mark on the season for the New York Mets, the day they got Carlos Delgado back.

Could the Mets be working their way towards the secret Garden that is October? It seems like it. With key pitchers going Deep into games, and saving the bullpen, and the hitters picking up on the opposing pitcher's Release and crushing the ball left and right, this team may be working it's way toward a special season, one game at a time.

Previous editions:
Weezer (Red Album) by Weezer
Bang Bang by Dispatch

Here we go again

Yup, it's September. Oh, fateful September...

One year ago, I remember thinking the Mets were all but a lock for the playoffs, a thought process which still haunts me to this day. The Mets enter September 2nd of 2008 with a two game lead over the Phillies, a scary thought after what happened in '07.

Am I worried? Yes. The bullpen is still a crap shoot, though they've put together some better outings lately. Ryan Church doesn't look nearly as ready as we all hoped he would. I fear this team may have peaked too early.

But, things are looking up too. Daniel Murphy is really seeing and hitting the ball well, and is a surprisingly effective call up. Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran both seem to be settling into a groove, one that has them performing and hitting with power and consistency. Luis Castillo is back, and isn't stinking up the joint. He looks more fit and more prepared, though he still looks like he's in pain 95 percent of the time.

The starting pitching has been the one dominant force on this team over the past few weeks. They've been turning in quality performance after quality performance. Whether it's Pedro Martinez seemingly returning to form, even if that form is a little worse for the wear, or if it's Mike Pelfrey blowing right by his previous innings high, and throwing consecutive complete games.

Whether it's Oliver Perez rocking back and forth on the mound, thanking his lucky stars Rick Peterson is elsewhere and he can finally just rear back and throw. Or if it's Johan Santana, cursed with yet another no decision, but keeping his team in the game and providing them a chance for a win.

He could easily have been a 20 game winner this year, if a few things went his way, but alas, he is not. People must look beyond his record to see what numbers he's put up, and you see he really may be worth all that dough.

So far, so good. The Mets have been playing great baseball since the break, unfortunately, so have the Phillies. There are only 24 games left to play, so this is going to come down to the wire.

It's scoreboard watching time. This brings a whole new aspect to the game, and I kind of love it. Not only am I entirely engrossed in what the Mets are doing, but now I constantly check the state of the Phillies, their players, and especially the score of their games.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is September and if you're reading this, you're probably a Mets fan, so buckle up, it's going to be a crazy fun ride to the finish.

9/1/08

Game Recap: Mets 4 -- Brewers 2

Again, the Mets let the other team score in the first inning, and then came back to win.

Pitching Performance

What was a pitchers duel through five innings, featured Johan Santana facing off against Ben Sheets. Thankfully for the Mets, Sheets had to leave in the fifth with a groin injury. Santana was on today, even though he let in a run on a balk. In the first, Santana let up a one-out triple to J.J. Hardy, who was driven in by the next batter, Ryan Braun, when he doubled to left.

Santana worked through the next innings almost without issue, letting up hits here and there. In the sixth, with runners on second and third, Santana committed a balk, bringing in Prince Fielder. He ended up working six innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. He walked only one while striking out ten Brewers.

Spectacular. The balk was bad, but what can you do? Other than that, it was probably the best I've seen Johan throw all year. He only lasted through six, which wasn't great, but his control was spot on all day. Thanks to the bullpen and an offensive come back, Johan still hasn't lost since June 28.

Nelson Figueroa made his first appearance since re-joining the team, and he pitched the seventh, allowing only one hit. He ended up the winning pitcher on the day. Figueroa started the eight, but allowed a double and was removed in favor of Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano got Fielder swinging as his only batter. Joe Smith entered the game and got Corey Hart and Mike Cameron to strike out and end the threat.

Figgy had a great 7th and Feliciano and Smith looked absolutely dominant in the eight, getting the big boppers from Milwaukee to K in a big spot.

Luis Ayala entered for the Mets to earn the save, and set down the side in order, striking out one.

He goes out there and throws strikes, and I like that about him. He doesn't fear any hitter, he just pounds it in the zone.

Offensive Output

The Mets were shut down by Sheets early, and didn't get on the board until late, but they did what they had to do to win the game.

They were held off the board until the seventh inning where the Mets loaded the bases and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The eighth was huge for the team. Daniel Murphy, who continues to impress, lead off the inning with a double. Carlos Delgado came up with the team down by one, and launched a two-run home run to right field.

When I say "launched," I really mean it. The ball went up and up and up and I did not think it was going to get out. But it did, and it was clutch.

Carlos Beltran followed up the home run with a stiff single to right, which was the followed by a Ryan Church double to deep left field, bringing Beltran all the way around from first to score.

On his slide into home, Beltran slid into home plate umpire Ed Rapuano. He played the eighth, but Endy Chavez played the ninth, as Beltran was removed with a "knee contusion."

It took them a while to get there, but when they scored, they did it when they needed to and it all worked out in the end. Good stuff.

The Rest of the Story

David Wright is struggling. Today, he went 0-5 with 2 K's.

Jose Reyes' hitting streak continues. Up to 11.

Murphy went 2-4, with a run and a walk while batting second today.

Game Ball: Carlos Delgado

Join us on Mets Lounge for in-game discussion

Head over to Mets Lounge to join us in a real-time chatter of the Mets game against the Brewers on this Labor Day.

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The newest Mets

Here is the most updated list of players joining the New York Mets in Milwaukee as the rosters expand to 40.

Pitchers:
Brandon Knight
Carlos Muniz
Al Reyes
Richardo Rincon
Bobby Parnell
Jonathan Niese

Position players:
Argenis Reyes
Gustavo Molina
Ramon Martinez
Marlon Anderson

Knight was a late addition, but should be at Miller Park by the first pitch, according to Adam Rubin.

8/31/08

Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Marlins 2

The Mets turned the tables today, and it all worked out.

Pitching Performance

Pedro Martinez was the pitcher to give up first inning runs today, allowing a one run double and a sacrifice fly. After that, he settled down nicely. Pedro ended up throwing six innings, scattering seven hits. He walked only one and struck out four.

Great outing by Pedro today. Can't ask for much more than that! Well done.

Five bullpen pitchers made appearances, and combined to throw three innings, allowing three hits and walking only one. Scott Schoeneweis, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Brian Stokes all pitched, with only Stokes logging a full inning of work in the ninth. Feliciano, Smith, and Stokes each tallied one K.

Hey, look at that! Scoreless innings from the bullpen, and they hold the lead! I'm loving Stokes, even though he gave up two hits in the ninth. His fastball is hittable, but so far so good.

Offensive Output

For the first time in a while, the Mets did not score a run in the first inning. Instead, they scored multiple times in multiple innings. A novel idea.

The Mets were homer happy early, as Carlos Beltran got the Mets on the board in the second with a solo home run to left field. In the third, Nick Evans connected for his first career home run, a solo shot to left. David Wright wanted to join the fun, as he smacked his own dinger right after Evans, also of the solo variety, to left.

I like the power explosion. Congrats to Evans on his first career homer!

The Mets added on in the seventh, getting RBI singles from Jose Reyes and Ryan Church, followed by a sac-fly by Beltran to account for all six runs.

Tacking on! Another novel concept. Don't be happy with the lead, this team needs to keep adding on with the state of this bullpen.

The Rest of the Story

Wright: 3-5, R, RBI

Reyes has an active 11 game hitting streak.

Game Ball: Pedro Martinez.

September call-ups

Joe Janish beat me to it. Check out Mets Today for a complete rundown of the call-ups and who can and can't be added.

I'm not going to put a lot of stock into Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell. There seems to be too much hype behind them, and I don't think they're going to come up and have a huge impact on the team.

Guys like Al Reyes and Ricardo Rincon should help, simply because another arm in the bullpen cannot hurt at this time. It's a crap shoot in the pen right now, and Luis Ayala worked for a few games. Lightning in a bottle could be found anywhere. Hopefully one of these guys can be a lightning rod.

Marlon Anderson will be nice to have back, as long as he can recapture his pinch hitting prowess.

Don't look for a huge help from the September call-ups, but Niese will get the start on Tuesday against the Brewers. Maybe he could do something special against the streaking Brew-crew. Wouldn't that be nice?

Ex-Mets: Kris Benson cut

Oh, sweet karma.

Via The Good Phight:

The Phillies have released triple-A Lehigh Valley righthander Kris Benson.

The Phillies signed Benson to a minor-league contract in Februrary with the idea that he could plug into the rotation sometime before June 1. But because of injuries, Benson progressed much more slowly than they had hoped. So the Phillies moved forward and acquired Joe Blanton before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, which eliminated the possibility that Benson would pitch in the Phillies rotation this season.

Good thing Anna Benson works for a living.

8/30/08

Game Recap: Marlins 4 -- Mets 3

The worst way to walk off, ever.

Pitching Performance

Mike Pelfrey pitched much better against the Fish this time around, but he, like the Mets, was unable to pull out a victory.

Pelfrey pitched six 2-3 innings, allowing six hits. He allowed two earned runs, walked two, and struck out five. He needed 116 pitches to get through the six plus innings. Pelfrey got into trouble in the sixth and allowed a bases loaded single to center field, allowing both runs to score against Pelfrey.

A good outing, much improved over his last few games against the team from Florida. Nothing special, but a decent outing from the big man.

Pedro Feliciano relieved Pelfrey, and allowed one hit and was promptly removed from the game. With two on and two out, Duaner Sanchez entered the game and struck out Jorge Cantu to end the threat. Sanchez came back out to start the eighth, and let up a solo home run to Mike Jacobs to tie up the game.

When will Jerry Manuel figure out that Sanchez has nothing left in the tank?

Brian Stokes pitched 2-3 of an inning, allowing a hit while striking out two. Aaron Heilman came in to work the ninth, and it did not go very well. He started it off with a leadoff walk to Hanley Ramirez, who was 0-12 against him previously. Heilman was then commanded to intentionally walk the next two batters, to load the bases with one out. He then walked Josh Willingham, forcing in the winning run.

Rough. I'm starting to feel bad for this guy. Nothing he does seems to work.

Offensive Output

As usual, the Mets scored in the first, and then sparingly from there on out.

David Wright got the Mets on the board in the top of the first inning, absolutely mutiliating a ball to deep left field, scoring Luis Castillo.

That ball was dee-stroyed.

In the third inning, Castillo drove in Jose Reyes with a single to right center.

And that was it. That's all the Mets could do tonight. Seven hits and three walks, and they managed three runs.

The Rest of the Story

Castillo went 2-4, scoring once and driving in one.

Ryan Church took another ofer, going 0-3 with a walk and three strikeouts.

I've never seen a baseball game played in such wind. The box score states it was a 17 mph wind, but it looked a lot stronger than that.

Oh, and in the second inning, the benches cleared after Pelfrey plunked Cody Ross. Ross was not pleased, and as he walked towards first he was screaming and cursing at Pelfrey. Brian Schneider started pushing, as did Mike Jacobs. No one was ejected, and no punches were thrown. Seems like there is bad blood between these two teams.

Game Ball: David Wright.