Mets Win Game, Get Rid of Barajas and Go for Sweep Today: Line Up

After last night's rain-shortened win, 5-1 (box score), the Mets are looking for the sweep today against a pretty awful Pirates team.  I, for one, couldn't be happier with the timing of this series for the Mets.  They needed to get their confidence going and start hitting.  So far this series, 12 runs in 1 and a half games is pretty good, as is securing the first NL road series win of the season for the team.  Yes, I know the Pirates stink...but a win is a win.

Speaking of wins...

The Dodgers have claimed Rod Barajas off waivers, according to Adam Rubin at ESPN New York.  And that closes the book on Rod's Mets career, which was short lived.  Remember when Rod was crushing the ball earlier in the season and everyone, myself included, who was skeptical of Minaya signing Barajas had to eat their words.  Well today, I think we have come full circle and realized that perhaps a full season, not a hot streak, is a true indicator of what a player is capable of.  Although, I must say, I was on the Bengie Molina bandwagon and he hasn't been much better.  By the way Jesus Feliciano has been called up to replace Barajas on the roster...

Either way, this has been a  transitional year with the team.  Ike, Tejada and Thole have taken over, with Parnell coming back from the dead and Carter proving his worth.  I think if the team can clear some clutter this off season (Perez, Castillo, Frenchy-that hurt to type), they can really continue to build this team into a contender.  I just wish it didn't take this long to do it.

But in the immediate future the Mets send Santana to the hill against Zach Duke with a chance to sweep the Bucs.  A less-lefty-line up for today's game is courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Francoeur-RF
Davis-1B
Blanco-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

Get a sweep Mets, then we'll talk about next week...

Misch Against Bud Norris Tonight at 8:05: Line Up

Here's tonight's line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Castillo-2B
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Carter-LF
Barajas-C
Misch-P

No Beltran, No Tejada, No Thole...

That means Castillo, Barajas and Carter.  I guess the only one of those I'm ok with is Carter.  In case you missed it, I can't stand Castillo or Barajas.

Either way, the Mets need to win tonight, if for no other reason that to show they are better than the 'Stros...

Barajas is Back and On Waivers, F-Mart Expected To Be Sent Down

According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, here, with today's expected return of Rod Barajas will probably come the demotion of Fernando Martinez.  Martino is also reporting that the Mets have placed Barajas on waivers.

Although it doesn't make much sense to carry three catchers, it does make sense to demote Martinez who really isn't playing as much as he should be in order to justify leaving him up with the big club.  Also, with whatever is going on with D. Wright healthwise (nausea and light-headedness), it just doesn't make sense for the Mets to demote Hessman right now.

As far as Barajas being put on waivers, this had to be expected.  Thole is playing most of the time and the Mets don't need three catchers on the roster, let alone two tutors for Thole.  Hopefully the team can trade Barajas and get SOMETHING out of him, as he hasn't done anything in the line up for months.  Either way, it was pretty much expected that Barajas wouldn't be back next year anyway, so what's the difference if the Mets make it official and deal or drop him soon...  

Harang Scratched Replaced with Wood, Thole to The Bench Tonight

Aaron Harang has been scratched with lower back issues, according to the SNY Pregame.  Mike Wood, a lefty, will make the start instead for the Reds.

To counter that move Josh Thole is no longer in the starting line up, instead Rod Barajas will get the start against the lefty.

Also Tejada and Cora has swapped spots in the order.  Tejada is now in the two-hole, with Cora hits eighth.  Another lefty adjustment...

Game time is just minutes away.

Let's go Mets.

It's Raining Hits, And...Uh...Rain, As Mets Pound Tigers 14-6

Last night the Mets pounded out 16 hits against the Tigers, including Justin Verlander, and outlasted the rain in a 14-6 win (box score/wrap).

There was a lot of offense to report from last night.  The top 4 hitters in the Mets line up all had at least 3 hits each and an RBI.  In fact, the only starting position player without a hit or RBI or run scored was Rod Barajas, who has quietly slipped back down to a .246 batting average for the year. 

Here are some specifics on the offense explosion the Mets experience last night: Reyes went 3-6 with an RBI and 3 runs scored, Wright went 3-3 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored, Davis went 3-6 with 3 RBI and 1 run scored.  But the biggest bat last night was Angel Pagan who went 4-6 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored, and was only a homer away from the cycle.  And Reyes, Francoeur and Bay all swiped bases as well.

Niese pitched well for the first 3 innings, but then the rain came and washed away his good start.  Jerry decided to leave Niese out there after nearly an hour rain delay and it was pretty obvious that affected Niese.  But after Niese gave up 6 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings the bullpen only allowed one hit for the rest of the game, which is nice to see, especially considering the concern over the bullpen not having Mejia anymore.  At least tonight, that wasn't an issue...

But what might become an issue is Beltran making rehab starts beginning Thursday as reported by Metsblog, here.  I mean, Pagan is playing well, obviously.  Francoeur is also playing pretty well himself, so between the two of them Bay and Beltran the Mets will have quite a glut in the outfield.  This will be worth monitoring...especially considering the timing of Beltran's return and the way it may match up with the trade deadline...

Anywho...the Mets take on the Tigers in the second game of this three game set tonight with Dickey facing off against Jeremy Bonderman...

Let's Go Mets.

Mets Go For Sweep Tonight: Line Up

Tonight the Mets send R.A. Dickey to the hill in an attempt to get a sweep of the Indians.  Standing in their way is potential trade target Jake Westbrook.  This should be interesting...

Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets twitter account:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Carter-DH
Blanco-C
Feliciano-LF
Tejada-2B

Barajas gets the night off, along with Bay who is nursing a "charley-horse".  No Bay, and a hot streak, pushes Francoeur up into the number 5 spot behind Davis tonight.  Blanco and Feliciano find themselves in the line up, along with Carter who remains on DH duty against righties in the AL parks.  Nice to see Tejada in the line up again tonight.  I love watching him turn two...

A win tonight would give the Mets a ton of confidence, along with a 7 game winning streak, heading into a weekend series against the Yankees...

Let's go Mets. 

Takahashi Fantastic Again, Jose Reyes Hits and Mets Win

Tonight the Mets took this week's three game series from the Philadelphia Phillies, and they still have one game left to play.  The Mets beat the Phillies 5-0 tonight (box/wrap) behind another fantastic effort from Hisanori Takahashi, and the continued re-awakening of Jose Reyes' bat. 

Takahashi went 6 innings, giving up only 5 hits while striking out 6 in getting his first MLB win as a starter.  He's proven all year long that not only does he belong to be getting innings, but he deserves important innings, and to me, you can't get much more important than starting innings.  Takahashi almost NEVER walks anyone, which is a huge improvement over both Perez and Maine, and gives his team a chance to win by just throwing strikes and making the other team EARN their runs (which ironically is something Takahashi hasn't given up yet as a starter).  I can't explain how happy I am that this guy is pitching the way he is right now.  Between Takahashi and Dickey, the Mets have been getting quality from an unexpected source, and it's helped carry this team back over .500, and put them on a 4 game winning streak.

Something else I had forgotten about happened tonight...Jose Reyes' bat.  It's taken him a bit to get going this year, but it seems like over the last few games Jose is finally getting going.  And as cliche as this is, as goes Jose, so does the Mets.  Reyes had two hits tonight, including his first homer of the year, after swiping two bags last night and showing a little more life than he has in some time.  Also, and probably most importantly, Reyes looks happy.  He'd looked miserable over the first two months or so of the season, almost never smiling.  The last two days, you can't stop him from smiling.  Maybe it's because he's starting to get results, but I think it's more about him feeling like he's finally back in the swing of things.  That could be huge for the Mets...

Also, as much as I think tonight was about Reyes and Takahashi, I would be at a loss to not mention Rod Barajas driving in another three runs for the Mets.  I continue to be wrong on the Barajas signing...it's been a good move.

Now tomorrow becomes very important.  Although winning the series is great, a sweep would get the Mets to within two games of first place in the division, not to mention it would provide huge amounts of confidence for the weekend meeting with the Brewers. 

Tomorrow is a tough match up for the Mets and Mike Pelfrey, as they face off against Cole Hamels at 7:10.  Let's go Mets.

Oswalt, Barajas, Murphy: Do the Mets Have Options?

Let's tackle this one at a time...

First, Roy Oswalt has formally requested a trade from the Houston Astros, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Once this was reported I think every Met fan had the same reaction...go get him.  The problem with this is that the Mets would have to overcome a bunch of road blocks to get this done.  The first roadblock is Oswalt's full no-trade clause, and his preference to be dealt to the Braves, Cardinals or Rangers, according to mlbtraderumors.  The second roadblock would be getting a package together that the Astros would find acceptable for Oswalt, and that won't be easy.  And the third potential roadblock is Oswalt's contract.  If the Mets have been so hesistant to drop Cashstealo, GMJ, and Perez...what would let anyone believe they would be willing (or even able) to pick up a contract that would include $16 million next season.  From a talent standpoint, and a need standpoint, this is a no-brainer for the Mets.  If Oswalt is willing to come to NY, and the Mets can make the deal without giving up Davis or Mejia, and the team is able to pick up the contract then there is no reason they shouldn't jump on this opportunity.  But that is a whole lot of if's...

In an article by T.J. Sullivan and Chris Cox for MLB.com, the Rangers are looking at Rod Barajas as a possible deadline addition.  The big issue with that is that the Mets would have to be sellers, which I don't think would happen until the possible moment, if it happens at all.  Although, I do like the idea of getting something at the deadline for Barajas, should they fall completely out of it...

And now on the Daniel Murphy front, Metsblog reported here, that he went 2-3 with a homer in his rehab start for St. Lucie.  Murphy was playing first base.  I don't know if this is because the Mets are going to try to use him as trade bait or if it's because they don't want to try him out at second base just yet...but I hope they consider using him at second, or find a place where he can play because I think Murphy has more value than people think.

Interesting stuff...

Mets Split in DC, Maine Pulled Very Early

After a loss last night that can only be described as disappointing (despite a great outing from Dickey), the Mets found yet another way to come back this season.  This time the Mets came back with a win the next night, and they did it with a huge hand from the bullpen. 

Tonight the Mets defeated the Nats 10-7 (box score/wrap up) on the back of a great relief effort from Raul Valdes, who relieved John Maine after only throwing 5 pitches and walking a batter, and a very nice offensive effort.

First thing's first...

John Maine threw 5 pitches tonight, because, according to Metsblog, Warthen noticed in warm ups that Maine had some messed up mechanics and his velocity wasn't where it should have been.  This is not encouraging for Maine, but somehow makes me feel better about the coaching staff.  I'm happy to know, for once, that they weren't willing to let things get out of hand before they pulled the plug on Maine.  I'm going to assume that had less to do with a philosophy change and more to do with the staff not wanting to get fired, but that's just me.  Regardless let's give my third favorite Valdes (behind Ismael and Juan) some credit for doing work tonight.  Valdes went 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, and came in after the first batter in the game.  Mejia, on the other hand, had a tough outing tonight giving up 3 runs in an inning and 2/3 and let the Nats creep back into the game.  Eventually K-Rod would shut the door, but not after giving up a run himself.  Mixed bag of nuts on the mound tonight for the Mets... 

At the plate, David Wright's base-clearing double (also added a sac fly later in the game) in the first got the Mets going offensively.  Francoeur also had two hits, Reyes had two, Barajas had two included a homer, Bay had three hits along with Davis who scored 3 runs as well.  Bottomline here is after Atilano shut the Mets down last week, they exploded on him tonight.  The team pounded out 10 runs and 15 hits on route to what should have been an easier win than what actually was.

It was nice to get a win heading into the weekend as the Mets will be welcoming the Yankees to the "Citi" tomorrow for the start of a weekend series.  Tomorrow at 7:10 the Mets throw out Takahashi against the disappointing Javier Vasquez for the Yankees.  Saturday will be another night game, this time it will be Hughes against Pelfrey.  And Sunday night will be a battle of the aces to close the series, Santana vs. Sabathia.  I hope there's some good baseball being played this weekend...

Pelfrey Very Good in Mets 3-2 Win in Atlanta

The Mets really needed the win tonight, and Mike Pelfrey delivered a quality outing to lead the team to a 3-2 win over the Braves tonight (wrap/box score).

Tonight the story for the Mets was pitching.  Mike Pelfrey threw a solid 7 and 2/3 innings tonight giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 3.  Pelfrey left the game in the eighth leaving Feliciano with a runner on second with two outs, and Heyward up.  Pedro Feliciano then gave up a tough hit to Jason Heyward which Wright made a great play to keep in the infield (I'm ignoring for now his dangerous throw to first which could have been disastrous).  Feliciano then walked Chipper Jones, in an unintentional intentional manner.  But with the bases loaded Feliciano stepped up and struck out McCann to end the threat in the eighth.  K-Rod then let things get a little hairy in the ninth, but not too bad, before closing the door on the Braves by striking out Nate McClouth to end the game.

At the plate the Mets heroes were Barajas, Carter and Jose Reyes.  Carter scored a run and drove in the game winning run, and has made it hard for Jerry to keep him out of the line up.  Reyes, who was driven in by Carter late in the game to give the Mets a 3-1 lead, did something I haven't seen him do much of this season...create a run.  Reyes swiped third base off of Lowe, which helped him score on the slow roller from Carter.  The other hero of the night at the plate was Rod Barajas, who is somehow hitting .273 on the season.  I am still in shock from how good this guy has been.  His OBP is still awful, but with the way he's been driving the ball I don't care.  I'll say it now...I WAS WRONG ON BARAJAS.  The guy is hitting and really giving the Mets a little something extra.  He drove in two runs tonight on a double and went 2-3 in helping the Mets snap the 5-game skid.  As of right now, Omar was right, Barajas seems to be a better move than Molina...you win this one Omar.  Fortunately I still have GMJ, the second baseman and Perez to complain about...

Tomorrow the Mets try to build off this win, and go for the mini-sweep against the Braves with Santana on the mound against Kris Medlen.  Should be fun...

Line Up Change For Tonight: Did Jerry Make the Right Move?

Maine is looking to build off another good outing, which the Mets could really use after Perez didn't help last night.  He'll face the Marlins and Nate Robertson tonight at 7:10 on PIX11.  Here's tonight's line up courtesy of Adam Rubin on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Everyday-2B
Pagan-CF
Bay-LF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Barajas-C
Maine-RHP

Jerry made a good move putting Jose Reyes in the leadoff spot, BUT PAGAN AT 3?

I'm not so sure about that one.  Why can't Bay, Davis or Wright hit three?  Just put one of them there and protect them in the order the same way.  Plus, I'm not seeing the benefit of hitting Pagan third.  Doesn't your best hitter bat third?  Since when is Angel Pagan the team's best hitter?  He may be hitting right now, but he's not the most dangerous hitter on the team and doesn't really provide any protection for the top of the line up.  Although Pagan CAN hit a homer, he's not a threat to do it every time up.  An opposing pitcher has the potential to work through the top three in the Mets order without throwing too many breaking pitched, and therefore not tiring out as quickly.  Because in all likelihood a pitcher will throw different to Pagan than they would to Bay, Wright or even Davis...

While I like that Jerry has put Jose back at leadoff, I would still rather see Bay, Wright or even Davis hit three over Pagan...Also, Reyes and the second baseman seem to be struggling right now, and stacking three "lighter hitting" guys like that in the top of the order doesn't make the team more dangerous.  Also, the bottom of the line up still is a strike out waiting to happen, and Jerry did nothing to address that...

Carter Plays Hero as Mets Put Up 6 Run Eighth to Comeback on Nats

Very rarely are things as storybook as they were today for the Mets and Chris Carter.  Just one day after being brought up to replace Frank Catalanotto on the roster, not only was Chris Carter put in a situation to help the Mets win the game, but he capitalized.  With runners on first and second with one out, Chris Carter stepped up to the plate against Tyler Clippard and doubled down the right field line to give the Mets a lead they wouldn't relinquish.  The Mets went on to win tonight 8-6 (box score/gameday) in what was the team's biggest comeback of the year.  What a game.

I could talk about Niese's poor start, Barajas' huge double in the eighth, Pagan's single in the inning but instead I'm going to focus on three huge hits tonight for the Mets.  The first hit was a pinch hit from GMJ, which was good to see for a few reasons.  Maybe seeing Catalanotto get dumped gave GMJ a swift kick in the rear, either way it was nice to see the team get a pinch hit...but that was only the tip of the iceberg.

The next biggest hit was an unbelievably well executed bunt single from Alex Cora in the eighth inning which put Cora on base as the eventual game winning run.  Which leads me to the huge pinch hit double that Chris Carter had.  It couldn't have worked out better for Carter or the Mets.  Carter got his chance to be a hero and took it.  Although I wish Carter had been up from the beginning of the season it's nice to see the organization make a move towards being younger, and relying more on young talent than older veterans. 

Also not to be overlooked is Ike Davis' undying love for falling into the Mets bench while catching foul balls.  He did it again tonight...this time to end the game.

It's hard not to like this team more and more each day...I am an Acosta, a second baseman and a GMJ away from being completely in love with this team, and that's something I haven't felt for the Mets since 2006. 

Tomorrow the Mets go for the series win sending Pelfrey to the hill to face Craig Stammen for the Nats at 1:10...Should be fun.

Blanco's Turn to Walk Off, 2B Hurt, End Of An Ollie?

I haven't been around to comment since yesterday's game ended, but I am really starting to believe in this team.  Yesterday's walk off homer from Hank White (as McCarver would say) is really indicative of what a GOOD ballclub gets, help from all over.  While Blanco might not have been the likely hero the night after Barajas did the same, it's when guys like this win ballgames that you start to really gain confidence in a team.  And the Mets took the first two of the series against the Giants knowing they would face one of the best pitchers in the league in Tim Lincecum in the third game, who they are just starting to hit a bit as I write this.  Either way they've been playing well and, I think, have established that they are significantly better than they were last year.  I'll even give credit to Omar for the Barajas signing.  Even though he seems to ONLY hit homers, they are in huge spots, and he and Blanco seem to have been instrumental in the way this team has pitched so far.

As for 2B...

He's hurt, and I don't care.  Honestly, he made a great play the other day, BUT, he looks old and hurt and I really wish they could move his contract because while he hasn't been hurting the team, I don't think he brings all that much to them.  Adam the Bull on WFAN yesterday seemed to believe the same thing, that while the 2nd baseman isn't killing them, very rarely do you feel this team cannot win without him.  I thought that was well put.  Especially considering his unnecessary plan to bunt yesterday on a 3-1 count in the first when Wellemeyer couldn't find the strike zone...Genius.  Like Howie said on the radio, "that's just his game."  But I think Howie was just as annoyed as I was when he saw that...
 
And finally Ollie...

He was awful again today.  Now, I think I am the only person who still thinks Perez is worth all of this trouble...but he's even wearing my patience thin at this point.  And while I still feel he will be the first Mets pitcher to throw a no-hitter...he's got the stuff to do it when he's on...it won't be anytime soon.  He looked horrible today, walking 7 batters.  The only positive thing that came out of his performance is the way Jerry gave him a quick hook and didn't let the game (although he probably should have done it in the third).  I think Ollie needs to be moved to the 'pen so Takahashi can make his presence known in the rotation.

On an unrelated note...Can we dump Gary Matthews?  He's awful.

Barajas' Eighth Inning Dinger Leads Mets Over Reds

Tonight, despite Fernando Nieve blowing a two-run lead in the eighth by giving up back-to-back homers to Votto and Rolen, the Mets still found a way to win.  Tonight's hero was Rod Barajas who hit the game winning solo homer in the eighth.  Then in the ninth K-Rod came on to close up shop as the Mets evened their series with the Reds by defeating them 5-4 (box score). 

David Wright also hit a solo shot of his own in the fourth inning to tie the game up.  Along with Wright and Barajas; Bay, Reyes and Francoeur also drove in runs for the Mets tonight.  I think it's about time I started giving Barajas credit, all the guy does is come up with big hits.  Although I am still pretty annoyed with his inability to get on base, but at tonight, I'm letting that slide.

One of the biggest stories of the night was the second consecutive good outing from John Maine, who went 6 innings giving up only 1 earned run on 4 hits and striking out six.  He was then relieved by Mejia, who tossed a perfect 7th before Nieve came in and blew it in the eighth.

This is a great example of a game the Mets would have lost last year.  Last year when they blew a lead you could see the fight just drain out of the team.  Not this year...This really looks like a different team...

The Mets try to take the series tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 on SNY, when they send Jon Niese to the hill to face Johnny Cueto.

Tough Weekend, But Now It's Over

After the Mets starting this past weekend's series with the Phillies in a big way, the Phillies bats answered and took the final two from the Mets, winning last night's game 11-5 (box score/wrap). 

Johan Santana was hammered for 10 runs in the 3 and 2/3 in what quickly became a tough game to watch.  On a positive note Wright hit a homer to give the team an early lead and Rod Barajas continued to pound Philly pitching this weekend (can someone convince him they play the Phillies every night).

On a different note, I don't get why Ike Davis and Angel Pagan needed the day off last night.  It's not like Moyer is a hard throwing lefty and that'd be an issue for Davis, and it also didn't seem that GMJr did anything better than Pagan.  I get days off, but guess what...the Mets had two last week, and one coming up on Thursday.  Jerry, you can rest your starters then.  

Either way the bottom line here is that this series is over and it's time to move on.  The team now has a new series ahead of them, and winning series is still the goal.  The Mets should forget about yesterday and just be concerned with heading to Cincinnati and trying to secure a .500 road swing.  They open tonight in Cincy with Oliver Perez on the hill against Mike Leake. 

Mets Cruise to Eighth Straight Behind Niese and Extra Base Hits

Tonight at Citizens Bank Park the Mets really took it to the Phillies defeating them 9-1 (box score).  The Mets extended their winning streak to eight straight with the total package tonight, pitching, defense and hitting and really dominated a very very good team tonight.  It was fun to watch as a Mets fan.

First at the plate, the big stories were Rod Barajas and the Mets ability to get extra base hits.  Rod Barajas, as mentioned several times during the telecast by Gary Cohen, kills the ball at Citizens Bank Park and tonight was no different.  Barajas went 3-4 with two homers, with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI, and all of his hits going for extra bases.  As much as I don't like Barajas' average being as low as it is, there is no denying his power at the plate, and it was on display tonight.  If Barajas continues to hit around .200 all season but drills the Phils the way he did tonight, I'll take it.  As far as extra base hits, 8 of the team's 10 hits went for extra bags...unreal.  Also, Francoeur and Wright both went deep for the Mets, and Wright is starting to heat up and it's nice to see.

On the hill, Niese was awesome.  He went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, while striking out seven and walking only one.  He had the Phillies off balance all night, especially Howard who looked bad at the plate outside of one line out to center that he made some nice contact on.  I would have to say I am now officially confident in Niese, he looked great.

Most importantly, tonight my man-crush on Francoeur went to astronomical heights.  He was awesome tonight.  Frenchy golfed a homer into the left field seats, and played fantastic defense while showing everyone how big his balls are.  Frenchy crashed into the wall in right while making a great play to rob Ibanez of a hit.  Later in the game he was plunked by Danys Baez, and not only did he stay in the game, but he immediately swiped a bag to really stick it to Baez.  But of all the things Frenchy did tonight, his turn and fire in the corner of a Werth hit to hold Jayson to a single was my favorite play of the game.  Frenchy cut a ball off heading to the corner and planted one foot and fired a rocket to the second base bag.  It was such a nice play, that Werth actually fell putting the breaks on when he decided to stay at first.  Jason Bay also made a pretty nice grab on a shot from Victorino.  Great stuff.  Frenchy, however, was taken out of the game eventually because of the beating he took tonight, and in the post game Jerry said he'd probably be out tomorrow, which I get.

What a great night for the Mets.  Tomorrow will be a tougher game, as Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Phillies while Pelfrey hits the bump for the Mets.  First pitch at 3:10 on Fox...

Mets Take 3 of 4 From Cubs

Well the Mets have finally won their first series of the year by holding onto a late lead and defeating the Cubs 5-2 on Thursday night (box score).  Santana had a good outting allowing only one run while scattering 8 hits in 6 and 1/3.  In the eighth inning Feliciano and Mejia let the game get a little interesting but then K-Rod got the last 5 outs to shut the door and earn his first save of the season.

On the offensive side, Ike Davis had three hits and scored twice.  Wright and Francoeur both had big RBI hits to get the Mets out in front.  Rod Barajas got into the action late in the game by driving in an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a single to right field, and then was thrown out taking too aggressive of a turn around first. 

Nice win for the team tonight after Gorzelanny seemed to have their number all night long.  Especially getting run support, and not "wasting" a start from Johan Santana, allowing him to go 2-1 on the season.

Tomorrow night the Mets start a weekend series with the Braves at 7 pm, when John Main takes the hill against Kawakami for the Braves.

Lay Off Wright and Bay, NO ONE IS HITTING

It's early in the season, and things aren't exactly sunny at Citi.  The reasons for this is pretty identifiable.  For one, Jerry Manuel stinks, and  that's all I'm saying on that, because it's not worth expanding on today.  Number two is that only 3/5 of the rotation is putting up decent starts on a consistent basis (Santana, Pelfrey, Niese), Maine's been awful and Perez has been inconsistent.  The final problem, is the offense...

Metsblog did an article about how Bay and Wright are struggling from the plate, which you can read here.  But that's not completely fair as it puts too much focus on their struggles, when there is plenty of other struggles in the line-up.  Because the biggest reason the Mets aren't winning games is because EVERYONE on the team is hitting like crap right now...EVERYONE.

Let's take a look at last night's line-up, which most fans would agree is probably their best option, and see how they've produced so far this year.

Reyes SS - Currently hitting .220, with a .273 OBP, and only 3 extra base hits out of 11 total hits on the season.  Oh yeah, and he's stolen two bases out of three attempts, but one wasn't contested at all.

That Guy 2B - He's been hotter as of late, with an 8 game hitting streak, and is now up to .275, with a .345 OBP.  As much as I hate the guy, those numbers and pretty acceptable.  BUT, his 2 extra base hits out of 13 total hits is not doing much for me.  And he's only one for two stealing bases.

-With the first two guys getting on a combined .309, granted Reyes is bringing it down, and neither are really running (hard to run when you're not on base).  I think some of what's happening with Wright and Bay can be explained by a lack of runners on and the way that's affecting the way pitchers are approaching facing them.  That being said...

Wright 3B - Hitting .240, with an unreal .457 OBP.  But Wright has about half of his hits being extra base hits.  Yes, he's striking out a ton, again...18 in 50 at bats, a 36% clip.  But he's also walking a ton with 19 BB so far.  Regardless the average and strikeouts are troublesome, but Wright is bringing more to this line-up than Reyes and the second baseman are currently, even with his terrible average...

Bay LF - Hitting .241, with a .369 OBP.  Bay is striking out more than Wright, 22 times in 54 at bats.  And has only 3 of his 13 hits going for extra bases, and no homers.  Clearly "scuffling", no debate there...

Francoeur RF - Here's the best hitter so far this season for the team.  Although his average has dipped to .281 after a splintering start, his OBP is .358, is stellar for him.  And Francoeur's only struck out 6 times this season.  In fact, he has more walks (8) than strikeouts.  He's been the best player on the team at the plate and has about half of his hits going from extra bases.  He's clearly the least of the team's issues at the plate, BUT he hasn't gotten a hit in the last 5 games...

Davis 1B - It's not worth talking numbers with Ike yet because his sample size is so miniscule right now.  But from what I've seen he doesn't look comfortable against lefties, and has been taking some pretty ugly hacks agains them.  The Mets face another lefty tonight in Tom Gorzelanny.  Should be interesting...

Barajas C - He's been flat out terrible at the plate. I don't care how many homers this guy is capable of hitting, it seems like those are the only hits he gets.  And somehow because people expect less of him he gets a pass.  He's hitting .204 with a .196 OBP, and hasn't walked yet this season while striking out 7 times.  Where are all those people now who were killing Frenchy for not walking?  Why isn't Barajas getting crapped on here?  Just because the guy can go deep doesn't redeem him for those awful numbers.  I don't know the last time I've seen someone have a lower OBP than average...Unreal.

Pagan CF - Pagan's been OK.  I don't when we get a little overhyped about this guy as fans.  He's fine.  He's hitting .279, with a .354 OBP....however...he only has one extra base hit on the season, and it was the homer the other night.

The point of this exercise was to show that the team as a whole isn't hitting and maybe we should be less worried about Wright and Bay speficially, and more concerned about the team as a whole not hitting well.  Or at the least, Manuel should be finding a way to have more than 2 guys get hits in one game. 

Also, can someone beside me please get annoyed at Barajas.  I'm tired about reading about how he's getting unlucky.  He's been "unlucky" then his entire career.  The guy is a pop up waiting to happen.  And, he's been hitting like this his entire career, reaching his summit at .256 in TEXAS.  Come on...

So, give Bay and Wright a bit of a break here, they'll come around.  Besides we need to spread the offensive blame around, because there is plenty for everyone to have...

Perez Not Great, Bullpen Worse in Mets 9-3 Loss to Cubs

Tonight the Mets fell to the Cubbies 9-3, on what was a terrible night for the Mets bullpen (box score).  Perez wasn't overly effective, but this loss really falls on the bullpen who let this game get out of hand.  Specifically Acosta and Takahashi really let the Cubs put some space between themselves and the Mets.  Perez went 5 innings giving up 8 hits and 3 runs, 2 of which were earned.  Acosta, who I no longer want to see more of, went 1 and 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs, and Takahashi went 2 innings giving up 3 runs of his own.  Not exactly the best outting from the Mets bullpen.

Interesting to note that Carlos Silva had a nice outing tonight, and has had a pretty good season so far.  That's interesting because it was speculated at one point in the offseason that Silva was probably the only guy the Mets could have dealt their current starting second baseman for.  I'm just sayin'...

Also, I'm getting really tired of watching Rod Barajas pop out and strike out.  I realized he hit a homer today, but seriously, he's hitting .200 with a .191 OBP, I don't think I've ever seen that before.  Having a lower OBP than batting average takes serious skills.  Can I now say that although I liked Barajas over Santos, Molina would have been better? 

Oh, fire Jerry Manuel...

Meanwhile in a not so angry place, the Mets go for their first series win of the season when Johan Santana takes the hill tomorrow night at 7 against Tom Gorzelanny.

Coste Claimed By Nats, Santos Becomes Ultimate Back-Up

As reported by Brian Costa, on twitter, of the Nationals have claimed Chris Coste off of waivers.

So, it's safe to assume that Santos will be the back-up...the ultimate back-up.  Not only will Santos most likely be backing up Thole at Buffalo.  Now, it seems like if something happens to Barajas or Blanco, it's safe to assume Santos will be the first guy called up, especially if Barajas gets hurt.  If Barajas were to get hurt the Mets only option would be Santos based on prior experience and the fact that Thole isn't to be ready to be the starting catcher.

So, as much as I've been for dealing Santos, THAT CANNOT be an option right now...Because the Mets cannot afford to head into this season with Riggans second in line for that starter position....