Game Recap: Mets 6 – Yankees 4

Two out of three…is pretty darn good.

The Good

Names starting with J.  Except you, Jeff Francoeur.

Johan Santana turned in a stellar performance, allowing just one run over 7 2/3 innings.  He allowed six hits and walked three, but only started to get wild at the end.  He struck out five.  Probably his best performance this season.  I love you, man.

Jason Bay hit not just one, but two home runs off CC Sabathia, bringing his season total up to three.

Jose Reyes is heating up.  He went 2-5 today, and is 4-10.  I like this trend.

Ike Davis continues to stay toasty, going 2-4 with a run scored.

Alex Cora drove in two, as well.

Pedro Feliciano entered with the bases loaded in the 8th and got Robinson Cano to pop up to end the inning.

The Bad & Ugly

The bullpen.  Yeesh.  Yeah, Pedro did his thing, but Ryota Igarashi didn’t fare too well in his first game back.  A walk and two singles while only recording one out.  Francisco Rodriguez came on and made things more interesting, allowing two inherited runners to score before quietly shutting the door on the game.  Oh yeah, it was an A-Rod strikeout, but it should have never come to that point.

Jeff Francoeur with another 0-fer.  He did walk once, though.

Game Ball

Johan and Jason.

On Deck

Monday is an off day, and I’m going to see Rachel Ray with the girlfriend, her mother and my mother.  Apologies for the light posting schedule tomorrow.  The Mets resume play Tuesday against the Phils.

Game Chat: NYY @ NYM

Mets option Acosta to Buffalo to make room for Igarashi

After the game, the Mets optioned Manny Acosta to Triple-A Buffalo.  This cleared a roster spot for Ryota Igarashi to be activated off the disabled list.

But Acosta?  Not Elmer Dessens?

Acosta struggled early, allowing four earned runs in his first five games (three in his first appearance).  But since May 11, Acosta has pitched 6 2/3 innings, walking four, striking out eight and not allowing a run to score.  Though, three of his four inherited runners scored, but still.

Dessens, mind you, was just called up when John Maine was placed on the DL.  In his 2/3 of an inning of work on Friday, he allowed two hits and one earned run.

Game Recap: Mets 5 – Yankees 3

The bullpen made it interesting.

The Good

Big Pelf.  Six innings of six hit baseball.  Pelfrey allowed one run while walking two and striking out five.  I know it’s just a title, but is Pelfrey the Mets ace?

Jason Bay went 4-4, scoring three runs.

…which was thanks to David Wright and Angel Pagan combining to go 5-8, driving in four runs.

K-Rod had to make it interesting, allowing two hits, but completed a five-out save to finish out the game.

The Bad & Ugly

Jeff Francoeur is ice cold.  Ice.  Cold.

Pedro Feliciano started the eighth inning, allowing two hits and hitting a batter before being removed without recording an out.  Fernando Nieve, of course, came in and walked in a run before K-Rod entered.

Gary Matthews Jr. is still on the team and was double-switched into the game.  Uh…

Game Ball

Wright and Pagan.

On Deck

Sunday night baseball on ESPN, 8 p.m.

Game Chat: NYY @ NYM

Join in (late) to chat with your fellow fans!

Game Recap: Yankees 2 – Mets 1

Too little, too late.

The Good

Hisanori Takahashi.  He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing five hits.  He walked only one, striking out five.  Well done, Taka.  Well done, indeed.

Bay and Davis in the ninth.  Back-to-back doubles plated the Mets only run.  Yipee.

The Bad & Ugly

Four hits.  Four.  Two of them – the only extra base hits – came in the bottom on the ninth inning.

5-6-7 of the Mets order – Wright, Pagan, Barajas – each struck out twice.

Elmer Dessens.  Coming up for the DL’d John Maine today, Jerry Manuel turned to Dessens as the first out of the bullpen and two runs later, partly thanks to an error, the Mets were down and couldn’t recover.

Game Ball

Taka

On Deck

Tomorrow night, a 7:10 p.m. game.

Game Chat: NYY @ NYM [Game 43]

Join in to chat with your fellow fans!

Manuel’s Musing

“I really don’t know.”

-Jerry Manuel on why John Maine is going to the doctor today

H/T Nick Migliore

My take on Maine / Manuel / Warthen

What a mess.  Let me try to sort this out and inject my own opinions on the matter.

John Maine had to lobby his way into starting the game while he was still warming up in the bullpen.  After five pitches, Jerry Manuel and Dan Warthen didn’t like what they saw, came out and removed Maine – very much so against his will.  Manuel was visibly upset while on the field and in the dugout afterwards.

I thought it was a bit of a quick hook on Manuel/Warthen’s part.  Go out and talk to him first, see if he can get through the inning.  If not, then remove him.  Five pitches doesn’t really seem like enough time, but I’m not a manager or pitching coach.

The Mets announce that he was taken out for precautionary reasons due to his velocity being down and a different delivery.

Again, bit of a quick hook, don’t you think?

Post-game, Maine is none too pleased with being pulled.  He says he wasn’t given a chance to argue his case and that all he wants to do is pitch.  He also says he feel pain, but so does every pitcher, and that he has no reason to see a doctor tomorrow.  He also says he has no idea why he was pulled, etc. etc.

Glad he’s angry about this, but I’m more concerned about the lack of communication.  They coaches had literally the whole game to go and talk to Maine, discuss the issues and lay out a plan.  Instead, it seems they just let him sit in the clubhouse and stew for three hours.  That’s worrying.

Warthen, when speaking to reporters, calls Maine a “habitual liar.”  Warthen adds that Maine is a warrior, but that he lies about his health a lot.

I can understand thinking this in your head and discussing this with other coaches, the manager and Maine himself.  But to say this to the media?  That’s where I have the biggest problem.  Yes, the media should be clued in to as much as possible, but when a coach calls out his player and calls him a “habitual liar” it’s both a in-team and PR disaster.

Warthen should not have said that and it likely only makes the possible job of helping Maine that much harder.  Frankly, they’re all grown men who should be able to speak in plain terms with each other and try to figure out what’s best for Maine and for the Mets.  It seems, though, that they’re unwilling to discuss these topics and look like fools when it’s all “he said / he said / who said what?” talk to the media and to the world.

ESPN: A very angry John Maine [Video]

Yeesh.