Game Recap: Mets 3 – Braves 1

That’s three in a row, if you’re counting at home.  (Also 5-1 this homestand.)

The Good

Bark at the Park Day.  I love dogs.

Jason Bay: 3-4, 2B, RBI.  That double to dead center was a rocket.  Is someone heating up?

Jon Niese was a bit wild, but… 5 1/3 innings, five hits, five walks and only one run.  He struck out six.  Still winless, but continues to pitch well.

Manny Acosta vs. his old team.  Acosta earned the win with 1 2/3 hitless innings, walking one and striking out three.  Not bad, not bad at all.

K-Rod makes it easy.  A 1-2-3 9th inning was way, way easier than yesterday.  More of these, Frankie.

Henry Blanco stole a base.  Yeah, I know!

The Bad & Ugly

Only five hits, three of them by Bay.  Blanco and Francoeur picked up the other Mets hits.  But only four strikeouts.  Yay?

Frequent Fernando and Perpetual Pedro.  They turned in a combined scoreless 8th inning, but it’s only a matter of time before their arms both fall off.

Game Ball

Jason Bay

On Deck

Sunday night baseball on ESPN tomorrow, an 8 p.m. start.

Game Chat: ATL @ NYM [Game 18]

Join in and chat with your fellow fans!
Chat removed, as usual.

Lineup for Saturday matinee

1. Angel Pagan – CF
2. Alex Cora – 2B
3. Jose Reyes – SS
4. Jason Bay – LF
5. David Wright – 3B
6. Ike Davis – 1B
7. Jeff Francoeur – RF
8. Henry Blanco – C
9. Jon Niese – LHP

Last night I tweeted that Castillo looked like he came up limping after sliding into home – more so than usual – and today he’s out of the lineup.  Could be the usual day off for Castillo, or it’s something to keep your eye on.

Game Chat will be up at 1 p.m.

Manuel’s Musing

“If the game dictates that you've got a chance to win it you've got to do everything you can.”

-Jerry Manuel on winning

Game Recap: Mets 5 – Braves 2

It’s never easy.

The Good

Ike Davis’ first career home run.  It was an absolute bomb, 450 ft. to the Shea Bridge.  The legend grows.

Hisanori Takahashi out of the ‘pen.  Taka, who came in for an injured John Maine, tossed three innings, striking out seven batters(!).  He did allow one run, but hey, out of the pen in relief of an injury, and seven Ks?  Nice.

The new lineup.  Hooray for small sample sizes.

Chip Hale, Mets third base coach.  Infield fly, runners advance and Hale send Angel Pagan from third as no one is covering the plate.  It was a strange set of circumstances, but Hale and Pagan both kept their heads in it and it paid off.  Who says Pagan is bad on the basepaths?

Jose Reyes and Jason Bay’s back-to-back triples.  That’s always fun to watch.

The Bad & Ugly

Maine’s non-throwing arm.  Muscle spasms and pain in his left elbow forced Maine out of the game in the fourth inning.  While on the bump, Maine allowed one run on four hits and two walks.  He struck out three.  He’s listed as day-to-day.

Francisco Rodriguez loves to make it interesting.  A hit and a walk brought the tying run to the plate before K-Rod closed out the game, passing Mike Pelfrey for the team lead in saves.

My nerves.  Seriously, K-Rod, you’ve got to stop doing this.

Fernando Nieve’s arm.  Though he never got into the game, Nieve was seen warming up at least twice.  His arm is going to fall off by June.

Game Ball

Hisanori TaKKKKKKKahashi

On Deck

Mets and Braves do it again tomorrow afternoon, a 1:10 p.m. start.

John Maine leaves game in 4th [Updated]

Update via Gary Cohen on SNY: Muscle spasms and pain in his left elbow.  He is, of course, listed as day-to-day.  (Note: That is his non-throwing arm.)

John Maine was forced to leave the game in the fourth inning due to what seems to be an undisclosed injury.

Hisanori Takahashi took over for Maine.

Maine didn’t even look at his arm and was still in the dugout after coming out of the game, at least until Takahashi finished off the inning.

Will update when more info is released on Maine’s injury.

Game Chat: ATL @ NYM [Game 17]

Join in and chat with your fellow fans!
Chat removed, as usual.

Lineup with Reyes batting third

1. Angel Pagan – CF
2. Luis Castillo – 2B
3. Jose Reyes – SS
4. Jason Bay – LF
5. David Wright – 3B
6. Ike Davis – 1B
7. Jeff Francoeur – RF
8. Rod Barajas – C
9. John Maine – RHP

So there you have it: Reyes is batting third.  What do you think?

Game Chat will be up at 7 p.m.

Manuel’s Musing

“I think the extra work is more what they call touch and feel, which means that you're working on your fundamentals and mechanics.”

-Jerry Manuel on touch and feel and fundamentals and mechanics

Game Recap: Mets 5 – Cubs 2

Francisco Rodriguez is now tied with Mike Pelfrey to the team lead in saves.

The Good

Johan Santana.  He worked himself into trouble a few times, but was able to pitch himself out of them each and every time.  The only run scored after Santana had left the game.  Six and 1/3 innings, eight hits and one earned run.  He struck out five.  I love it.

A five-out save.  Francisco Rodriguez came on in the 8th with the bases loaded and one out.  He allowed a sac-fly, but nothing more.  He set the Cubs down 1-2-3 in the 9th.  He struck out three en route to his first save of the season and his first five-out save since 2005.

The sixth.  Jose Reyes led off the inning with a walk, David Wright broke out of his funk with an RBI double over the head of Alfonso Soriano.  Jeff Francoeur, who was 0-for-his-last-24, sliced a single to right, scoring Wright.  Ike Davis singled, Rod Barajas walked, brining Angel Pagan to the plate with the bases loaded.  Pagan chopped one to second, which Barajas got in the way of before it made its way to Mike Fontenot, causing him to misplay the ball.  Francouer scored easily and Davis hustled all the way from second to score.  All awesome things.

Insurance.  Davis doubled with two outs in the 8th and Barajas followed with a single, chasing Davis home to extend the Mets lead to 5-2.

The Bad

Jerry Manuel’s bullpen usage.  He pulled Santana after 103 pitches in the sixth and brought on Fernando Nieve, for his 11th appearance in 16 games.  Nieve allowed a hit to his only batter before Manuel brought in Pedro Feliciano.  Perpetual Pedro worked out of the 7th, and came out to start the 8th.  After Feliciano allowed two batters to reach, Manuel called in Jenrry Mejia from the bullpen for his first “set-up” job.  Mejia walked his only batter before getting pulled, at which point Manuel brought on K-Rod for a five-out save.  Huh?

Jason Bay: 0-4, K

Wright’s 3 Ks.

Game Ball

Ike Davis and Johan Santana split it.  K-Rod gets an honorable mention.

On Deck

The Atlanta Braves come to Citi Field for a 7:10 p.m. game tomorrow.