Beltran back, belts one to track in loss

Carlos Beltran made his return to the Mets tonight after missing 70 games and just missed out on being the hero in the 7th inning.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Beltran came to the plate and hit a deep drive to right field.  Rightfielder Cody Ross turned and chased the ball to the track as Beltran’s ball fell a few feet short of the wall.  The Mets fell to the Marlins by a score of 4-2, their 76th loss of the year.

This loss is so much worse because there’s a die-hard Marlins fan sleeping on my couch for the next few days.  Argh.

Tim Redding pitched only five innings, surrendering a pair of two-run home runs to Hanley Ramirez and Cameron Maybin.  The Mets used five relievers to patch together the next four innings of work.

The Mets got runs off of a Josh Thole sac-fly, his first major league RBI. 

Congrats, Thole.  Here’s to many more.

Luis Castillo drove in Angel Pagan, who tripled, on an infield single in the fifth inning for the Mets other run.

When Castillo is third on the team in RBI, you know there’s a problem.

Game Chat: FLA @ NYM [Game 138]

Rick VandenHurk (2-2, 4.91 ERA) vs. Tim Redding (2-4, 5.70 ERA)

(Chat removed, as usual.)

Lineup for Game 138

Look who is back!

1. Angel Pagan – LF
2. Luis Castillo – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Carlos Beltran – CF
5. Daniel Murphy – 1B
6. Jeff Francoeur – RF
7. Josh Thole – C
8. Anderson Hernandez – SS
9. Tim Redding – RHP

Game Chat will be up at 7 p.m.

SNY getting creative to keep fans tuning in

In a dismal season, the Mets are getting creative.  From meet and greets with fans to gimmicks on TV, the team is hoping people keep tuning in even if the team isn’t winning.

The gimmicks on TV will come into play tonight and tomorrow, both giving Gary Cohen some well deserved time off.

Tonight, during the 6th inning of the game, the SNY broadcast will go completely silent.  No announcers will be on – at all – during the entire inning, rather letting the actions on the field speak for themselves.

I wonder if Cohen has his fingers crossed that no spectacular play will occur during this inning of play.

Tomorrow, Cohen will get the entire day off.  Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling will be at the helm for the entire game.

You may remember that Cohen had a day off earlier in the year with Kevin Burkhardt taking over the play calling duties.  Tomorrow, though, is all Darling and Hernandez.

I like these little things SNY does to keep the TV feed fresh.  Last year we saw Hernandez sitting behind home plate and discussing the game from the field perspective.  We also saw all three broadcasters move up to the upper deck level and call an entire game from that perch.

I dig it.

Link: Return of the Mets not as impossible as it seems

Last week, I linked to a Jayson Stark article full of doom and gloom for the Mets.  Today, I’ll link you in the direction of a Peter Gammons article that has a much more optimistic outlook on the Mets moving forward.

Return of the Mets not as impossible as it seems

Though neither were spot on, I think Gammons has a more realistic take on the team.  It might not be so easy as he laid it out, but I think he’s closer on the pulse of the Mets than Stark was.

Twitter Poll: Puns abound for Tobi Stoner

Earlier, I joked that there will be a lot of “Stoner” jerseys in Citi Field from now on.  I didn’t anticipate all the puns from my friends on Twitter, but there were all there.  So here, for your enjoyment is the begging of the Stoner List…

(Yes, the Mets season has come to this.)

yaysarcasm: I hear the club is very high on him

yaysarcasm: He's uncannily good at forgetting about bad games

davidgolden99: His contract says he only plays on natural grass.

pAuLiE_bRuZ: if he strikes someone out, oh he just got stoned? i can hear gary now

LouieBolkovic: Is Stoner's jersey # going to be 420?

swirlywand: "even count-Stoner deals from the stretch - a little high"

drsexington: "Have you met his girlfriend, Mary Jane?"

drsexington: "His pitching style has chronically been described as blunt."

drsexington: Or maybe when he gives up a homer, someone can pull a Major League and say "Oh no, no. Too high. It's too high."

acesigma: Stoner gives up a lot of hits, but most of them are blunts -- I mean bunts.

Retire31: Tobi's a fine pitcher. His specialty is giving up high fly balls.

metgirl4ever: announcers saying *man he likes those diving plays into the grass* & *he cant layoff the high pitches*

Ryan_J_Smith: I heard management's first assignment for Stoner is to talk to Razor Shines on how marijuana can affect decision making

fullnelson: look at that kid, hes such a stoner!

gwong: Tobi Stoner has a hollowed out bat but it's not for cork; it's actually his bong.

Do you have another pun for Stoner?  Leave it in the comments!

Report: Tobi Stoner called up

Tobi Stoner, a 24-year-old righthander, is expected to be called up to the Mets for Tuesday’s game at Citi Field, reports Adam Rubin.

Stoner went 9-9 between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo this season.  He went 2-2 with Binghamton and 7-7 with Buffalo.

He compiled a 3.55 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP in 144 2-3 innings.  He allowed 14 home runs while striking out 92 and walking 47.

Stoner is likely up for insurance purposes, as John Maine is starting in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday.  Maine is coming back from a long stint on the DL with shoulder issues.

Does anyone else foresee a whole lot of “Stoner” jerseys selling out?

Beltran returning to Mets tonight, Pagan impacted

Carlos Beltran last played a game for the Mets way back on June 21.  At that time, the Mets still had a shot at making the postseason in 2009. 

A lot has changed since then.

Well out of the playoff hunt, Beltran will return to the Mets tonight after somewhat recovering from the bone bruise in his knee and a rehab stint with the Brooklyn Cyclones.

In five games with Brooklyn, Beltran went 3-20 with two RBI, two walks and five strikeouts.

The person this likely effects most is Angel Pagan who has been playing the majority of time in centerfield in Beltran’s absence. 

Pagan has often shown flashes of brilliance but also glimpses of ineptness at the position.  How many close calls have you seen between Pagan and one of the corner outfielders calling for a ball?

Beltran is one of, if not the best centerfielder in the game.  Pagan is a great No. 4 outfielder who is capable of filling in at any outfield position for a decent amount of time.

Over the rest of the season, the Mets should let Beltran test his knee and get in some playing time, but I still want to see Pagan in the outfield to see if he’s worth it for 2010.

Francisco Rodriguez bobblehead [Photo]

Via Flickr user Hip_Hip_Jorge…And if you missed out on the game, you can already pick up your K-Rod bobblehead on eBay.

Manuel’s Musing

“I remember those days, crying after the game if we lose, that type of stuff, going home, working on everything you messed up. And I had a pretty good Little League team at that time. Defeat, we didn't take that to well. I miss those days. I miss that a lot.”

-Jerry Manuel on Little League baseball