Ryan Church, the slide, and how it may have saved the Mets season

This shall be forever known as "Church's Dodge."

Bottom of the eighth, two outs, men on first and second, and the Mets are down by one run.

The crowd is on their feet, as the Mets just pulled within one run of the Cubs. The man walking into the batters box is not a feared hitter by any stretch of the imagination. He has one career home run (which I was lucky(?) enough to see), and is technically the third string player at his position on the team.

But Robinson Cancel came up to the plate, and delivered what the Mets needed most. A hit.

Ryan Church was the player standing on second base when Cancel ripped a single to right field. The field was already soaked, meaning the infield dirt must have felt like cement on the underside of Church's cleats.

As Kosuke Fukudome fielded the ball, Church wasn't more than a step past third base. Luis Aguyao, the man with the quickest windmill this side of the Mississippi, sends him on his merry way toward home plate.

Aside: I think you have to send Church here, unless Fukudome fielded the ball before Church got to the bag. If you don't send him and the team strands a man 90 feet away when he had a chance, even if it was slight, to score on the play before, you will be roasted, toasted, and sent packing either by management or the fans. Luckily, it all worked out.

Church is busting around third, most likely trying not to slip on the soggy grass. SNY cuts to a camera shot of him churning towards home, so we at home have no idea where the ball is in relation to Church. They then cut to an overhead shot of home plate, and Koyie Hill is already fielding the ball and Church isn't even in the picture.

"Uh-oh," I thought.

But as Church approached Hill, and home plate, he pulled a Little League-esque play. As Hill lunged toward him from his knees, Church side-stepped the tag, as momentum carried him away from home, and towards the dugout.

As he turned away back towards the plate, he made a diving stab towards home. So did Hill. Church missed on his first attempt, but he was able to squirm and crawl closer to home, and was able to slap his hand down on the plate before Hill could recover and attempt a tag of his own.

The game was then tied. The next inning, the Mets were able to win it with a Carlos Beltran clutch hit, scoring Jose Reyes.

It would have been a much steeper mountain to climb in the ninth if it wasn't for "Church's Dodge" in the bottom of the eighth inning on Thursday night.

Game saver? Yes. Season saver? Time will tell.

Saying goodbye to Shea begins

Here is the first, of many, "So long Shea Stadium" posts.

This is from 'Duk over at Big League Stew, who visited Shea a few times in his life. It's an interesting read from a Chicago native who got to Shea only four times in his life, a much higher number than I expected. I urge you to check it out.

So in its final week of the regular season, here's to Shea. Here's to a pile of concrete and steel painted orange and deep blue, an absolutely unremarkable building in the world's most remarkable town. Here's to Shea, to its two World Series trophies and four pennants. Here's to acting as the canvas for the forever young beauty of Gooden and Strawberry and Seaver and Wright. Here's to its big ridiculous apple in right-centerfield that puts exclamation points on home runs.

As these pour in over the next few days, I'll try to post links to the good ones.

Game Recap: Mets 7 -- Cubs 6

Best game of the season?

Pitching Performance

Pedro was absolutely on at times, and off at others. Pedro Martinez put in his possible final bid in a pretty good start for the Mets against the Cubs. He allowed five runs on seven hits. He allowed walked four, while striking out a season high nine.

Pedro let up a solo home run to Micah Hoffpauir, the first of his career in the first inning. He later allowed an RBI single in the same inning. In the third, Hoffpauir got to Pedro again, this time for an RBI double to deep center field.

Well done, Pedro. I don't think you can ask for much more than that from him.

Two of the runs were charged to Pedro, when Ricardo Rincon came in and allowed a three run home run on his first pitch to Hoffpauir.

It looked like Hoffpauir was going to be the downfall to the Mets this game, but things would not all go his way. Thanks a lot, Ricardo!

Brian Stokes entered after Rincon got one out, and recorded two outs, while walking one and striking out another. Scott Schoeneweis worked the eight inning, walked one and allowed a hit, but was able to work out of a tiny jam. He struck out one in the inning.

Not bad from these guys. Not bad at all.

Pedro Feliciano faced one batter, allowing one hit. Joe Smith entered the game, and struck out one, intentionally walked another, and then got two ground ball outs to escape the inning.

Whewwwwwww.

Offensive Output

The Mets realized there is such a thing as a "sacrifice fly." David Wright drove in Jose Reyes in the bottom of the first with a fly ball to center field.

I was shocked they actually remembered you can score runs this way.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ryan Church came to the plate with Wright on second and Carlos Beltran on first. Church ripped a double down the first base line, driving in both runners and tying the game at three.

I must say, my roommate Jamie called it.

In the seventh inning, Robinson Cancel doubled, moved to third on a ground ball, and scored on a Reyes RBI ground out.

Too little, too late? Not this time.

In the bottom of the eighth, Beltran singled with two outs. Church followed that up with a single of his own. Ramon Martinez then singled in Beltran to draw within one. Cancel then singled to right, and Church completely avoiced the tag, that would have had him beat by 15 feet. He ran around Koyie Hill, turned around, and lept towards home, making it in just in time.

WOW. Just, WOW.

Reyes singled to lead off the inning. Murphy and Wright were struck out consecutively for the first two outs of the inning. The Cubs chose to intentionally walk Delgado to get to Beltran. Beltran responded by ripping a line drive off the tip of Hoffpauir's glove, which trickled into right field, allowing Reyes to score from second base.

Wow, again. Great game. Maybe the best of the year. Amazing.

The Rest of the Story

Hat tip to Micah Hoffpauir. What a game from this guy. 5-5, 2 R, 5 RBI. If he was an inch taller, he might have been able to snag that. Can't have it all.

Church: 3-3, 2 RBI.

Game Ball: Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran.

The Mets bullpen is so bad, the iPhone won't even tell you who is pitching

Taken during last night's loss to the Cubs...
It's probably better off that way, actually.

Forget John Maine

They activated him yesterday, but Jerry Manuel says he won't be used.

Because that makes sense.

Manuel is making the decision on his own, and will not pitch John Maine for the rest of the season.

I'm confused. The medical staff cleared him ready, and the front office thought it was a wise idea to activate him.

This team makes less and less sense as the days go on.

Comment: About last night

From a faithful friend and commenter, Paul Mannino...

Much like Glavine's performance last year, I think that might have been Ollie's tryout for being re-signed. I was looking at the free agent pitchers, though. And he is still the youngest "proven" commodity. I don't know...

I think the same can be said for tonight. Too many people rolling their eyes over a Haren vs. Pedro match up. Pedro can either bring it or flounder. And, again, whether it is right or not, I think that this start (almost on its own) will determine whether or not the Mets get creative about pursuing him past 2008.

I so badly want the poetry of Pedro stepping up. That sense of vindication that I felt yesterday when Delgado hit that grand slam (and all the boo birds went away)...oh, I wish Pedro could have that. I would love for him to go out a champ.

We floundered for so long in mediocrity. Pedro ushered in that era of relevance. It would only be fitting for him to get into a classic pitching duel with a pitcher who could be his grandson. Whizzing a myriad of pitched at flummoxed Cubbies. Yeah, don't forget, Andy, sports are about dreaming too!

And believing. Maybe I'm just the faith guy. But, I still see this happening. How beautiful would a one-game playoff be in the last game at Shea? Oh...wow. We're on-line for that right now. I will get nervous when we are on the outside looking in. We're not now.

Am I aggravated? Yeah.
Do I hate the bullpen? Yeah.

I am a Met fan. Tried and true. Sometimes I think the "true"-ness comes from the "try"-ing. So...we're in trying times, but we are not finished or dead. Shoot, we don't even stink. We just need to play even with the Brewers for the rest of the week to have an awesome Shea farewell moment.

That's what I'm hoping for now. Screw the Phillies. They've already proven that they don't know what to do with a division title (sweep to the Rockies?). So...let's have a fun week against the Brew Crew!

Give me a break, Baumbach

"The challenge for the Mets in the next four games is to find a way to make the playoffs despite one of the least reliable bullpens in the history of contenders. The challenge for their fans is to fill Shea Stadium and hold back on booing.

Which of those scenarios is more likely to happen?"
-Jim Baumbach, 9/25/08

What else do you want us to do!?

We've watched our team fall apart, piece by piece, for the second season in a row. They had a 3.5 game lead with two weeks to play, and now we're battling to make it into the playoffs via the Wild Card.

And you just want us to sit back and applaud all these wonderful performances?

I guess if you want to be controversial, you can write what you want, but it's absolutely absurd to expect fans to sit back and watch a four run lead slip away. To entertain the fun experience of having a runner 90 feet away, and nobody out, and not be able to score for three straight innings.

Sure. Yay. Go Mets. Woo.

No, I will not do that. I will have my voice be heard. If I was at the game last night, I would have booed louder than anyone else there. There is a point at which you should cheer, if there is fight, if there is heart.

But I saw none of that last night. Last night I watched a few players really attempt to help the team, and the rest of them fail.

If they wanted it bad enough, this game was there for the taking. But the Mets watched it pass them by.

And for that, they should be booed.

Beyond frustrating

Usually, I can bounce back from a loss rather quickly. Give me a few hours and my life snaps back into perspective.

Not this time.

Last night, the Mets had chances upon chances to score, to take the lead, to win the game. They had a perfect opportunity to pick up a full game on the Phillies and to keep some distance between them and the Brewers.

But no, they let them slip on by. It must sting for the guys, but it stings even more for a fan. I was getting text messages from friends along the lines of "That's it...I'm done. See you next year," "The Choke of 2008," and "This team #$%&*@# stinks!"

I agree.

It took me a while to sit back and move on from the game. It's sad, that I take a game like this, one I have no hand in, this hard, but it's how I am. It's how I've always been.

I'm a competetive guy by nature, so when I get on a field to play, I switch from generally happy-go-lucky, to fierce competitor. The same thing happens when I watch a game. I get engrossed in the action on the field and by the end, I'm practically pleading with the team to score, hold off the opponent and just plain win.

Game Recap: Cubs 9 -- Mets 6

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.

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.