The bullpen has had it's ups and downs all season. Without Billy Wagner they've seemed to struggle mightily to end games. Finally, thankfully, it looks like Wagner could return next week.
According to David Lennon in Newsday, Wagner threw 20 pitches at Shea Stadium yesterday as he attempts to come back from a sore left elbow that landed him on the DL.
I hope the Mets aren't rushing him back, but I think they've learned their lesson on how to deal with injuries this season. In Wagner's absence, the Mets have lost a few games they should have won due to the closer, but nothing that Wagner might not have done himself.
His absence allowed for players like Luis Ayala, Brian Stokes, and even Aaron Heilman to see time in tougher situations to see how they would hold up.
When Wagner comes back, I can see Ayala shifting into more of an eighth inning role, even though Jerry Manuel likes to keep things fluid in his bullpen.
Either way, getting Wagner back will be a big plus for the Mets in their drive for the playoffs and as long as he stays healthy and converts his chances, all will be right with the bullpen again.
9/3/08
Game Recap: Mets 9 -- Brewers 2
Sweep those brooms.
Pitching Performance
Handed a six run lead before he even entered the game, Oliver Perez gave up only two hits before the sixth inning. A Corey Hart double drove in the first Brewer run in the sixth, and J.J. Hardy added a solo home run in the seventh, accounting for all the Brewers runs.
Perez allowed five hits, but struggled with his control, as he also walked five batters. Fittingly, Perez also struck out five.
I feel like a broken record: He was good, but not great. He held on to the lead he was handed and did what he needed to do. The walks are something to keep an eye on though.
Joe Smith needed only four pitches, three of which went for strikes, to get Ryan Braun to end the 7th. Duaner Sanchez and Scott Schoeneweis finished out the game, each throwing a scoreless inning to bring the game to a close.
Bullpen, baby! Lately, they've been excellent. No complaints here.
Offensive Output
The Mets were able to bust out an early lead and actually held on to it.
Carlos Delgado got the Mets on the board in the first inning, singling to right field to drive in Daniel Murphy. After a Carlos Beltran walk loaded the bases, Ryan Church blasted a grand slam to deep right field.
Glad to have him back. Hallelujah!
Brian Schneider added a solo home run in the first, finishing out the six run inning, all the Mets would need today.
This guy has come out of nowhere and started hitting home runs. I don't know why or how, but who am I to question?
The Mets were held off the board until the 8th inning, when a ball off the bat of Nick Evans was deflected, allowing Beltran and Luis Castillo to score. They added one more in the ninth on a David Wright sac-fly, driving in Murhpy.
The offense is clicking, on all levels. Murphy has been an amazing addition, along with Evans. The rookies have helped jump start the team, and now the rest of the guys are picking up what they started.
The Rest of the Story
Wright Watch: 1-4, RBI, run, K.
Murphy: 2-4, BB, 2 runs.
The Mets bullpen threw two 1-3 innings, and needed only 22 pitches.
Game Ball: Ryan Church.
Pitching Performance
Handed a six run lead before he even entered the game, Oliver Perez gave up only two hits before the sixth inning. A Corey Hart double drove in the first Brewer run in the sixth, and J.J. Hardy added a solo home run in the seventh, accounting for all the Brewers runs.
Perez allowed five hits, but struggled with his control, as he also walked five batters. Fittingly, Perez also struck out five.
I feel like a broken record: He was good, but not great. He held on to the lead he was handed and did what he needed to do. The walks are something to keep an eye on though.
Joe Smith needed only four pitches, three of which went for strikes, to get Ryan Braun to end the 7th. Duaner Sanchez and Scott Schoeneweis finished out the game, each throwing a scoreless inning to bring the game to a close.
Bullpen, baby! Lately, they've been excellent. No complaints here.
Offensive Output
The Mets were able to bust out an early lead and actually held on to it.
Carlos Delgado got the Mets on the board in the first inning, singling to right field to drive in Daniel Murphy. After a Carlos Beltran walk loaded the bases, Ryan Church blasted a grand slam to deep right field.
Glad to have him back. Hallelujah!
Brian Schneider added a solo home run in the first, finishing out the six run inning, all the Mets would need today.
This guy has come out of nowhere and started hitting home runs. I don't know why or how, but who am I to question?
The Mets were held off the board until the 8th inning, when a ball off the bat of Nick Evans was deflected, allowing Beltran and Luis Castillo to score. They added one more in the ninth on a David Wright sac-fly, driving in Murhpy.
The offense is clicking, on all levels. Murphy has been an amazing addition, along with Evans. The rookies have helped jump start the team, and now the rest of the guys are picking up what they started.
The Rest of the Story
Wright Watch: 1-4, RBI, run, K.
Murphy: 2-4, BB, 2 runs.
The Mets bullpen threw two 1-3 innings, and needed only 22 pitches.
Game Ball: Ryan Church.
The perfect lineup
Here's today's lineup as the Mets look for the sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers:
Jose Reyes, SS
Daniel Murphy, LF
David Wright, 3B
Carlos Delgado, 1B
Carlos Beltran, CF
Ryan Church, RF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Brian Schneider, C
Oliver Perez, P
To me, that's the best lineup the team can field. One could make an argument for Fernando Tatis over Church, and even for Damion Easley over Castillo, but neither is a huge advantage over the other.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Mets perfect lineup.
Jose Reyes, SS
Daniel Murphy, LF
David Wright, 3B
Carlos Delgado, 1B
Carlos Beltran, CF
Ryan Church, RF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Brian Schneider, C
Oliver Perez, P
To me, that's the best lineup the team can field. One could make an argument for Fernando Tatis over Church, and even for Damion Easley over Castillo, but neither is a huge advantage over the other.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Mets perfect lineup.
The best defense is...a good defense
In Tuesday night's win over the Brewers, some Mets pitchers needed a little bit of help from their players behind them.
Three plays come to mind, two of which are of the outfield assist variety.
In the fourth, with Nelson Figueroa on the mound and Corey Hart at the plate, Hart was able to reach out and poke a blooper into shallow center field. Carlos Beltran, who was in the lineup despite a "knee contusion" from sliding into umpire Ed Rapuano, was able to charge the ball, make a strong throw through Carlos Delgado's wickets, and nail J.J. Hardy at the plate.
One cannot doubt Beltran's fielding prowess. He's got a cannon for an arm, and the wherewithal to pick up what's going on in the field in front of him, and make the play. He may not be the greatest hitter ever, but there is no one I would want more in center field.
Another OF assist came from Endy Chavez. With one out in the eighth inning, Brian Stokes was facing off against Rickie Weeks. Weeks pulled one down the third base line, and started motoring towards and around first. Chavez, who was playing left field, came charging down into foul territory and picked up the ball on the bounce. Chavez turned and threw a bullet to second, where Jose Reyes was able to apply the tag on Weeks, who also slid into an umpire, this time it was Brian O'Nora.
As I said in my game recap, Chavez, though not an everyday player, continues to build his legend as a member of the New York Mets. From the NLCS catch, to the drag bunt to win the game against the Rockies, to this OF assist and eventual game winning sac-fly, I think Chavez's number might be retired before Keith or Piazza.
With Joe Smith on, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hart stung a ground ball down the third base line, forcing David Wright to move to his right and make a diving stop. He was able to jump up, set, and throw to first. What I thought was a lollipop throw, arrived on time to Delgado at first, and Hart was out by a step.
Wright still seems to be struggling at the plate, but his defense is the hold steady. His errors almost always come on routine plays, ones he may or may not take for granted. But plays like this, ones that require every single aspect to go perfectly, he almost always pulls off without a hitch.
These three plays were so instrumental in the Mets earning the win last night. The defense has been nearly perfect lately, and it's really benefitting the team both on the field and in their mind.
Three plays come to mind, two of which are of the outfield assist variety.
In the fourth, with Nelson Figueroa on the mound and Corey Hart at the plate, Hart was able to reach out and poke a blooper into shallow center field. Carlos Beltran, who was in the lineup despite a "knee contusion" from sliding into umpire Ed Rapuano, was able to charge the ball, make a strong throw through Carlos Delgado's wickets, and nail J.J. Hardy at the plate.
One cannot doubt Beltran's fielding prowess. He's got a cannon for an arm, and the wherewithal to pick up what's going on in the field in front of him, and make the play. He may not be the greatest hitter ever, but there is no one I would want more in center field.
Another OF assist came from Endy Chavez. With one out in the eighth inning, Brian Stokes was facing off against Rickie Weeks. Weeks pulled one down the third base line, and started motoring towards and around first. Chavez, who was playing left field, came charging down into foul territory and picked up the ball on the bounce. Chavez turned and threw a bullet to second, where Jose Reyes was able to apply the tag on Weeks, who also slid into an umpire, this time it was Brian O'Nora.
As I said in my game recap, Chavez, though not an everyday player, continues to build his legend as a member of the New York Mets. From the NLCS catch, to the drag bunt to win the game against the Rockies, to this OF assist and eventual game winning sac-fly, I think Chavez's number might be retired before Keith or Piazza.
With Joe Smith on, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hart stung a ground ball down the third base line, forcing David Wright to move to his right and make a diving stop. He was able to jump up, set, and throw to first. What I thought was a lollipop throw, arrived on time to Delgado at first, and Hart was out by a step.
Wright still seems to be struggling at the plate, but his defense is the hold steady. His errors almost always come on routine plays, ones he may or may not take for granted. But plays like this, ones that require every single aspect to go perfectly, he almost always pulls off without a hitch.
These three plays were so instrumental in the Mets earning the win last night. The defense has been nearly perfect lately, and it's really benefitting the team both on the field and in their mind.
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.
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.
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
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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Also, check out the rest of the forum!
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.
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.
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