It's almost funny. Almost.
Pitching Performance
Oliver Perez did not have his best stuff tonight. He could barely get some of his pitches over for strikes. He only lasted four 1-3 innings, needing 105 pitches to get there. He ended up allowing five runs on six hits and five walks. He struck out six.
He was handed a four run lead in the bottom of the third, thanks to some quick baserunning on his part, but handed it right back in the fifth.
Unbelievably frustrating to watch this game, on all counts. I don't think Perez will be back next year, and this could have been the last start as a Met.
Duaner Sanchez came into the game, and allowed a single to left, with one run scoring on a fielding error by Daniel Murphy. Joe Smith and Ricardo Rincon worked through the sixth inning, with Smith allowing a hit and walking one.
Brian Stokes pitched the seventh, and allowed a run on three hits.
Stokes looks so good one night, and very hittable the next. I can't get a good read on him.
Robert Parnell turned in a scoreless inning, walking only one. Luis Ayala ended up pitching two innings, allowing three runs in the tenth, including a two-run home run to Aramis Ramirez.
And Ayala will not be back next year. Awful.
Offensive Output
When you hit a grand slam, and lose, you know it wasn't pretty.
A big third inning for the Mets. After Perez grounded into a fielders choice, Jose Reyes and Murphy walked to load the bases. David Wright then drew a bases loaded walk to drive in one. Carlos Delgado came to the plate, and smashed a grand slam off the front of the bleachers in left field.
Great AB's from Murphy and Wright to set up the grand salami. Thought the Mets were going to roll from there. I should know better.
The Mets were held off the board until the 8th inning when Ramon Martinez (yes, you read that right) drew another bases loaded walk to driving in another run.
Sad showing from the offense, sans the third inning.
The Mets had a runner on third in the seventh, eighth, and ninth inning with no outs. Did they score? Nope!
With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, Murphy tripled to lead off the inning. They did not get him in.
It happened two innings previous, but this was the most glaring situation. Just awful.
The Rest of the Story
Phillies lose, Brewers win. 1.5 back in East, dead even in Wild Card.
Game Ball: Carlos Delgado.
9/24/08
John Maine activated
John Maine has been activated from the DL, and will work out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
According to MLB.com, Maine was hitting between 92-03 mph during his session on Wednesday, and was activated just before game time.
It can't get much worse than what's been going on out there. Don't expect him to get a lot of work, if any. He might just be a security blanket out there.
According to MLB.com, Maine was hitting between 92-03 mph during his session on Wednesday, and was activated just before game time.
It can't get much worse than what's been going on out there. Don't expect him to get a lot of work, if any. He might just be a security blanket out there.
Mets to stick with WFAN
There goes my hope for the jump to FM radio.
According to Neil Best, the Mets are "likely to remain on WFAN" past this season.
From Best:
I love WFAN, so I can't complain too much. But this does mean I have to listen to more Wayne Hagin. Great.
According to Neil Best, the Mets are "likely to remain on WFAN" past this season.
From Best:
If the Mets had left, WFAN simply would have inherited the Yankees from its CBS Radio sister station, WCBS-AM. It is not clear where the Mets would have landed if they had left the FAN.Maybe someone with the Mets is reading my blog. Maybe they were exploring their FM options. Maybe I'm crazy.
I love WFAN, so I can't complain too much. But this does mean I have to listen to more Wayne Hagin. Great.
If the All-Star Game was played at the end of the year, there would be a lot more Mets on the roster
The second half has been generous to the Mets.
Nick Friedell over at Big League Stew, takes a look at the NL All-Star team, and adds or subtracts players, based on their entire season, instead of just first few months of play.
Mets that were added to the team:
Nick Friedell over at Big League Stew, takes a look at the NL All-Star team, and adds or subtracts players, based on their entire season, instead of just first few months of play.
Mets that were added to the team:
Jose Reyes, SS: Reyes has a .300 average 16 HR, 67 RBI and 52 stolen bases. The Mets' shortstop is still one of the best all-around players in baseball and if you think it seems like no All-Star team should ever be complete without him, you're right.Mets who were cut:
Carlos Delgado, 1B: If Delgado had hit in the first half like he is hitting now, Willie Randolph would still be the Mets' manager and Delgado would have been on the actual All-Star team. Since struggling through the first few months of the season, Delgado has hit .310 with 20 HR and 58 RBI since the break.
Johan Santana, SP: Santana has given the Mets the top of the line starter they needed so badly. Oh yeah — he also has 15 wins and a league leading 2.64 ERA.
Billy Wagner, RP: Wagner had 27 saves for the Mets but his season is over due to an elbow injury.Mets who were kept:
David Wright, 3B: The Mets' star was the best third baseman in New York City this season (Yeah, A-Rod we're talking to you) hitting .300 with 33 HR and 122 RBI.Works for me.
Wishful thinking
I know the Mets are far from clinching a playoff spot, but the current playoff scenario has got me thinking and scheming.
My dream scenario:
Mets win the four of the next six, win NL East.
Phillies collapse, and go 1-5.
Brewers keep winning, and take the Wild Card.
Mets win the East, Brewers take the Wild Card, and the Phillies hit the golf course.
So many things would have to go right for this to happen, but it would be amazing to see this happen.
Plus, the Mets have played the Brewers very well this season, to the tune of a 4-2 record, including a three game sweep in Milwaukee at the beginning of August.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this scenario to play out, but I'd just be happy with seeing the Mets make the playoffs.
Edit: I completely goofed on this article. Commenter, and friend, Buzz lays it out perfectly:
Edit #2: Buzz has his sleuthing shoes on today. We were both wrong, but he clarifies with this second comment:
Again, thanks Buzz!
My dream scenario:
Mets win the four of the next six, win NL East.
Phillies collapse, and go 1-5.
Brewers keep winning, and take the Wild Card.
Mets win the East, Brewers take the Wild Card, and the Phillies hit the golf course.
So many things would have to go right for this to happen, but it would be amazing to see this happen.
Plus, the Mets have played the Brewers very well this season, to the tune of a 4-2 record, including a three game sweep in Milwaukee at the beginning of August.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this scenario to play out, but I'd just be happy with seeing the Mets make the playoffs.
Edit: I completely goofed on this article. Commenter, and friend, Buzz lays it out perfectly:
Actually the Mets and Brewers have 5 more games, the Phillies have four. This would get you your dream:Thanks, Buzz!
Mets: 3-2
Phillies: 1-3
Brewers: 4-1
(Or Mets 4-1, Phils 2-2 and Brewers 5-0).
Under that scenario, the three teams finished tied at 90-72 (or 91-71). The Mets win the East because they have the tiebreaker over the Phils (season series). So, the Phils have to play the Brewers for the Wild Card. Brewers win the extra game, Phils are gone
Edit #2: Buzz has his sleuthing shoes on today. We were both wrong, but he clarifies with this second comment:
Looks like I'm not 100% correct either here -- according to the news articles on Mets.com, if this scenario occurs there would be a two game playoff -- the Mets would travel to Philly to play for the division and then the Brewers would then travel to the loser to play for the WC. I know this used to be different, but they must have changed it.I guess this whole thing playing out the way I want would take a lot more than just winning a few games. But hey, you never know.
Here's the link: http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=...
And the quote from the end of the article:
"Should three clubs finish the season with the same winning percentage, one as a division winner and the other as a Wild Card, playoff games would be played as follows:
• The two teams tied for the division lead play the one-game tiebreaker, with the winner being declared the division champion.
• The losing team in that game then plays the club from the other division for the Wild Card."
Again, thanks Buzz!
Thank you, Johan's broken bat
That broken bat may have changed the season.
One out, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Nick Evans on first and Johan Santana at the plate.
Santana swings at a pitch from Sean Marshall, breaks his bat, and knocks the ball past the pitcher and toward second base. Ronny Cedeno moves over to cover, but the bat and ball are traveling together towards second base.
Just as Cedeno seems ready to field the ball, and attempt to avoid the bat, the two object connect again, changing the direction of the ball, and making is nearly impossible for Cedeno to field it cleanly. Everybody is safe, Evans at second and Santana at first.
Jose Reyes then struck out for the second out of the inning. Luis Castillo worked a walk to load the bases, bringing David Wright to the plate with the bases loaded. He then punched a single into left field, driving in two runs and tying up the game.
Lucky? Yes. It's about time a little luck went the Mets way. It's not a black cat, but it may do.
Thank you, physics. Thank you, black bat. Thank you, baseball. Let's go Mets.
One out, in the bottom of the fifth inning, Nick Evans on first and Johan Santana at the plate.
Santana swings at a pitch from Sean Marshall, breaks his bat, and knocks the ball past the pitcher and toward second base. Ronny Cedeno moves over to cover, but the bat and ball are traveling together towards second base.
Just as Cedeno seems ready to field the ball, and attempt to avoid the bat, the two object connect again, changing the direction of the ball, and making is nearly impossible for Cedeno to field it cleanly. Everybody is safe, Evans at second and Santana at first.
Jose Reyes then struck out for the second out of the inning. Luis Castillo worked a walk to load the bases, bringing David Wright to the plate with the bases loaded. He then punched a single into left field, driving in two runs and tying up the game.
Lucky? Yes. It's about time a little luck went the Mets way. It's not a black cat, but it may do.
Thank you, physics. Thank you, black bat. Thank you, baseball. Let's go Mets.
9/23/08
Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Cubs 2
Almost everything went right tonight.
Pitching Performance
Johan Santana: the stopper, the savior, and worth every penny. Eight innings, scattering seven hits, and surrendering two runs. He walked only two, and stuck out 10. 125 pitches later, this was one of Santana's best outings as a Met.
He allowed a RBI double to Kosuke Fukudome in the second inning, and an RBI single to Reed Johnson in the third. That was it.
Goodness gracious, I love that man. What more can I say? His numbers speak for themselves. Well done, Santana. Well done, indeed.
Also, Santana was getting squeezed beyond belief tonight. Both pitchers were, but it seemed to affect Johan the most. There were at least two times that Santana thought he had just thrown strike three, but the umpire saw it differently.
Of course, it wasn't easy, as Pedro Feliciano and Luis Ayala had to combine to finish out the game for the Mets. Feliciano allowed two hits in 1-3 of an inning, and Ayala had to come in and clean up the mess, and earning a save in the process.
Never easy.
Offensive Output
Big hits when it counts.
Sean Marshall held the Mets off the board until the fifth inning, when David Wright punched a bases loaded single to left field, driving in both Nick Evans and Johan Santana.
I didn't think he was going to get a hit, but Wright proved me wrong. Keep proving me wrong.
The Mets had a huge sixth inning. Carlos Delgado placed a bloop double just inside the third base line to start the inning. After moving to third on a Ryan Church single, Castro scored on an error by Chad Gaudin. Daniel Murphy followed that up with a pinch hit single, loading the bases for Jose Reyes.
Reyes came to the plate with 199 hits on the season, after singling in his first at bat of the game. His 200th hit was a big one, a triple down the first base line, clearing the bases and putting the Mets up by four, and for good.
Congrats, Jose.
Huge inning. Could possibly change the season.
The Rest of the Story
Santana went 1-3, scoring two runs to help his own cause.
Reyes: 2-3, 3 RBI.
Wright: 2-4, 2 RBI.
Look who is getting hot!
At time of publishing: Phillies lost, Brewers are losing. Mets are 1.5 back in NL East, TBD (Up at lease 1 game) in WC.
Game Ball: Johan Santana.
Pitching Performance
Johan Santana: the stopper, the savior, and worth every penny. Eight innings, scattering seven hits, and surrendering two runs. He walked only two, and stuck out 10. 125 pitches later, this was one of Santana's best outings as a Met.
He allowed a RBI double to Kosuke Fukudome in the second inning, and an RBI single to Reed Johnson in the third. That was it.
Goodness gracious, I love that man. What more can I say? His numbers speak for themselves. Well done, Santana. Well done, indeed.
Also, Santana was getting squeezed beyond belief tonight. Both pitchers were, but it seemed to affect Johan the most. There were at least two times that Santana thought he had just thrown strike three, but the umpire saw it differently.
Of course, it wasn't easy, as Pedro Feliciano and Luis Ayala had to combine to finish out the game for the Mets. Feliciano allowed two hits in 1-3 of an inning, and Ayala had to come in and clean up the mess, and earning a save in the process.
Never easy.
Offensive Output
Big hits when it counts.
Sean Marshall held the Mets off the board until the fifth inning, when David Wright punched a bases loaded single to left field, driving in both Nick Evans and Johan Santana.
I didn't think he was going to get a hit, but Wright proved me wrong. Keep proving me wrong.
The Mets had a huge sixth inning. Carlos Delgado placed a bloop double just inside the third base line to start the inning. After moving to third on a Ryan Church single, Castro scored on an error by Chad Gaudin. Daniel Murphy followed that up with a pinch hit single, loading the bases for Jose Reyes.
Reyes came to the plate with 199 hits on the season, after singling in his first at bat of the game. His 200th hit was a big one, a triple down the first base line, clearing the bases and putting the Mets up by four, and for good.
Congrats, Jose.
Huge inning. Could possibly change the season.
The Rest of the Story
Santana went 1-3, scoring two runs to help his own cause.
Reyes: 2-3, 3 RBI.
Wright: 2-4, 2 RBI.
Look who is getting hot!
At time of publishing: Phillies lost, Brewers are losing. Mets are 1.5 back in NL East, TBD (Up at lease 1 game) in WC.
Game Ball: Johan Santana.
Omar Minaya gets four-year extension
This is straight out of the "Bad Timing" playbook.
Omar Minaya will receive a four-year extension.
I will withhold commenting on this until after the regular season is over.
Omar Minaya will receive a four-year extension.
I will withhold commenting on this until after the regular season is over.
Poll: Once again, I ask
Will the Mets make the playoffs?
Six games in six days. A one game lead in the Wild Card.
Can they pull it off?
Cast your vote on the right.
Six games in six days. A one game lead in the Wild Card.
Can they pull it off?
Cast your vote on the right.
If the Mets make the playoffs, will you be happy?
For me, yes. But it will be so bittersweet.
It looks as if the NL East is slipping away quickly. That leaves the Mets to contend for the Wild Card. A two team tango begins tonight, with the Mets and Brewers each having six games to play to finish out the regular season.
The Mets have a one game lead heading into tonight, with three more against the Cubs, and another three against the recently eliminated Marlins. The Brewers play three against the Pirates, starting tonight, and another three against the Cubs.
I still think the Mets can back into the playoffs. The Brewers have dominated the Pirates this year, and will look to win their 10th game in a row over the lowly Bucs. CC Sabathia was a blown call away from a no-hitter last time he faced Pittsburgh.
The Mets need the Pirates to play spoiler, and this would be the perfect team to do it. They've been held down long, so the Brewers might get a little complacent playing them. If they can come out strong and put up a fight, it might be enough to break the young Brewer team, especially with a new manager at the helm.
Even with a one game lead, the Mets shouldn't even worry about the Brewers, they have enough problems of their own. The Mets can't seem to get enough pitching together to get through nine innings of baseball, and can't seem to buy a win.
What the Mets need to do, for maybe the one millionth time I've written it on this blog, is win. Just win.
If they win, it won't matter what the Brewers do.
A strange case, something I am half-wishing for, is a one game playoff at Shea Stadium. That would only happen if the Mets and Brewers are tied at the of the regular season. Since the Mets won a coin-flip last week, the game would be hosted at Shea.
Could you even begin to imagine how crazy Shea would be that day?
If the Mets get to that point, and I half hope they do, and if they can pull off a win, it might be just the sort of momentum they need to roll into the playoffs.
Wishful thinking, I guess. The Mets still have to get to that point.
It looks as if the NL East is slipping away quickly. That leaves the Mets to contend for the Wild Card. A two team tango begins tonight, with the Mets and Brewers each having six games to play to finish out the regular season.
The Mets have a one game lead heading into tonight, with three more against the Cubs, and another three against the recently eliminated Marlins. The Brewers play three against the Pirates, starting tonight, and another three against the Cubs.
I still think the Mets can back into the playoffs. The Brewers have dominated the Pirates this year, and will look to win their 10th game in a row over the lowly Bucs. CC Sabathia was a blown call away from a no-hitter last time he faced Pittsburgh.
The Mets need the Pirates to play spoiler, and this would be the perfect team to do it. They've been held down long, so the Brewers might get a little complacent playing them. If they can come out strong and put up a fight, it might be enough to break the young Brewer team, especially with a new manager at the helm.
Even with a one game lead, the Mets shouldn't even worry about the Brewers, they have enough problems of their own. The Mets can't seem to get enough pitching together to get through nine innings of baseball, and can't seem to buy a win.
What the Mets need to do, for maybe the one millionth time I've written it on this blog, is win. Just win.
If they win, it won't matter what the Brewers do.
A strange case, something I am half-wishing for, is a one game playoff at Shea Stadium. That would only happen if the Mets and Brewers are tied at the of the regular season. Since the Mets won a coin-flip last week, the game would be hosted at Shea.
Could you even begin to imagine how crazy Shea would be that day?
If the Mets get to that point, and I half hope they do, and if they can pull off a win, it might be just the sort of momentum they need to roll into the playoffs.
Wishful thinking, I guess. The Mets still have to get to that point.
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