Mets Win 2-1, If Only They Won That Last Series...

Oh, what a difference am at-bat would have made....

Last night the Mets defeated the Astros 2-1 on the strength of a solid pitching performance by Mike Pelfrey (box score).  But, I still woke up this morning thinking the Mets have missed an opportunity,,,

But imagine where the Mets would be today if Jose Reyes got a hit on Wednesday with the bases loaded...Or take it a step further and see what would have happened if they hadn't failed to sweep the Pirates...

Considering who was in first place and the way things broke over those two days...had the Mets won those two games, they'd be 5 out, with the Giants starting to flounder a bit and the Phillies in a tough series in San Diego against the Padres.

I'm not saying the Mets look like a postseason team, BUT, this whole season has been a big ALMOST for this team.  They are almost good, almost win a bunch of games and are almost making this season interesting again just by hanging around.

So, I have a suggestion, why don't the Mets "grow a pair" take advantage of the way teams are playing in front of them and make a push.  That's what L.A. and Florida have done, and all of a sudden you can't dismiss either of those teams anymore. 

Tonight it's Myers against Santana at 7:10...

Mets Score a Bunch and Win...Wild Idea

It's unbelievable what happens when you score runs, especially when your pitching has been awesome.  Tonight the Mets got another good outing from their starter, tonight it was Pelfrey, except they scored runs and were able to beat the Pirates easily 7-2 (box). 

The only starters in the line up without hits tonight were Tejada and Pelfrey.  Carter, Reyes, Wright, Thole and Davis ALL had good nights at the plate.  That is a nice thing to see, especially when Carter delivers with a homer and two RBI hitting out of the clean up spot tonight. 

Oh, and Pelfrey gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in eight innings of work...

It's amazing how much better this team is when they hit...and play the Pirates.

The Mets go for their first road series win against an NL opponent since freakin' forever, tomorrow when they send Niese to the hill against McDonald.  Come on, let's get that monkey off our back here...

Mets Beat Rockies, Jimenez 1-0 Behind The Real Pelf

Tonight, Mike Pelfrey was in early 2010 form going 7 innings and giving up only 4 hits as the Mets defeated the Rockies, and Ubaldo Jimenez, tonight 1-0 (box score).

The Mets didn't do much at the plate, but when you're pitching is that good, you only need one run to win.  I do think it's interesting to note that the only Mets to get hits tonight were Fernando Martinez, Chris Carter, Josh Thole and Mike Pelfrey...BUT...Reyes drove in the only run of the night with a sac fly.  Also interesting to see how the line up looked without BOTH Beltran and Francoeur in it.

Nice win to get back to .500.  If the Mets continue to play these young guys, and they should/will, games like tonight's will help build character and give the young guys confidence in close games going forward. 

Nice win, fellas.

Mets Make 4 Errors...Need I Say More

Tonight the Mets made 4 errors, and didn't deserve to win the game...So...the Braves defeated the Mets 8-3 tonight (box), taking a very important game and series from the Mets.

No one was good tonight, especially Pelfrey, who hasn't been the same pitcher for some time now.  This was a tough game to watch... 

As excited as I was after yesterday's game, I think I am equally as dissappointed tonight.  The Mets really lost focus, as you can tell from the 4 errors, and that was the most dissappointing part.  Maybe they were pressing and made those errors as a result of that, but when your leaders make errors like Reyes, Wright and Davis all did tonight, you're probably in bad shape.

This was a tough loss tonight, and it puts the Mets 7.5 back of the Braves heading into another big series with the Phillies starting Friday.  This SERIES is a must-win for the Mets to keep any sort of dream of the playoffs alive.  PERIOD.

Let's go...

Mets vs. D'backs at 7:10: Line Up

Tonight the Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the mound to take on the Diamondbacks and Ian Kennedy at 7:10 in the Citi.  Here is tonight's line up, courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

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

Interesting that Blanco is catching even though Thole is a lefty and Kennedy is a righty.  My guess would be that Jerry is trying to recapture that magic that Hank and Pelf had earlier in the season.  I guess my only real beef here is Castillo hitting second...but I think it's less where he is in the line up and more that HE IS in the line up that's bothering me...

Aren't the Cardinals looking for middle infield help?  Just sayin'...

Either way, Let's Go Mets.

Literally the Deadline

Quick Rant:

The next few games should in my opinion dictate the direction Omar decides to steer the sinking ship come Saturday's trade deadline. Say the Mets drop the 1st two games to St. Louis, and are roughly 9.5 games our of first place....We should NOT be buyers. One piece won't help this team. One new manager won't help this team.

This could be a prime opportunity for the Mets to rebuild and put a decent ballclub out on the field in the seasons to come(With Bobby V back lets pray)

The Mets need new arms. No more Ollie, Maine, Japanese, or tired Relievers.

So, Im proposing we sell high on the new fan favorite Angel Pagan. Yes, he's maybe our most consistant player but the injury prone 29 year old could potentially bring back a decent return, hopefully the kind of pitchers who can compete for a rotation spot next year.

Pretty much anyone other than Reyes, Wright, Ike, Niese and Pelfrey i wouldn't mind parting with if it allows us to rebuild because the Post-Collapse Mets are more disgusting to watch than the 07-08 editions.

At this point I'm all for selling, this team has no life and much like 2004, we need to sink the whole ship if we ever want to see it sail (respectfully) again.

Crazy Fifth Inning, Joey Votto Lead Reds to 8-6 Victory

Tonight the Mets had a tough time with Joey Votto and the fifth inning as the Reds won the opener of this three game series tonight, 8-6 (box score).

Before we get into the craziness that was the fifth inning of tonight's game, the REAL story was the way Joey Votto played tonight.  Votto killed the Mets tonight, going 3-4 hitting 2 homers, and scoring 3 times.  The Mets could not keep Votto in the park tonight, and that made a huge difference in this game, especially the solo shot he hit in the 6th off Nieve.  The homer Votto hit in the sixth was a huge response to the bottom half of the fifth inning the Mets put up...

So, now, let's talk the fifth inning...

In the fifth inning with the bases loaded and no outs Mike Pelfrey threw a 2-2 pitch to Scott Rolen that came in a bit tight on him.  Rolen tried to hold back on a check swing, but couldn't and Barajas caught the pitch.  Rolen immediately took off down the first baseline acting as if he were hit, but the home plate ump, said the ball hit the bat and was caught for strike three.  Dusty Baker came out and after some discussion the umpires overturned the ruling as gave Rolen first base, and the lead 2-1, on a hit-batsman.  Pelfrey then retired the next two batters, only to give up consecutive run scoring hits to the 7, 8 and 9 (a triple to the pitcher) hitters.  So, as much as the replays were questionable as to whether or not Rolen was hit, the bigger issue was how hard Pelfrey worked to get the next two outs and coming close to limiting the damage.  BUT...after a bad call on a pitch on the outside part of the plate to the number 7 hitter, Drew Stubbs, Pelfrey seemed to lose his cool and left pitches up in the zone.  The Reds scored 6 runs in the fifth...

But the Mets did not just roll over, and came out in the bottom of the fifth and score 5 runs themselves, leaving them down only one after the crazy frame.  Unfortunately it only stayed that way until one out in the sixth (one batter later) when Joey Votto blasted his second homer of the game, making the score 8-6.

Overall, Pelfrey wasn't goog tonight.  The Mets did their best to come back but they couldn't manage clawing themselves all the way out of the 6 run hole.  At least the Braves lost too...

Tomorrow the Mets will send Johan Santana to the mound against a pitcher yet to be determined after tonight's scratch of Aaron Harang.  The game will start at 7:10.

Mets vs. Red at 7:10, Line Up

No Reyes again tonight, but according to Metsblog he will be in there tomorrow.  Josh Thole gets another start, nice to see what the kid can do.  Although I can't help but think this might have something to do with Cliff Lee, just saying.  Here's the line up courtesy of Michael Barron at Metsblog:


Angel Pagan CF
Alex Cora 2B
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Josh Thole C
Jeff Francoeur RF
Ruben Tejada SS
Mike Pelfrey P

The Reds are tough, and they are led by Scott Rolen who's been unreal this season.  This will not be an easy series, but I like the pitching match up here tonight in favor of the Mets, as long as Pelfrey keeps the ball down...

Let's Go Mets.

Recap: A Win, An Injury, A Rumor, A Rehab

Here's a list of things I want to recap and give my input on.  Normally I would have done them WHILE they were happening but sometimes things get busy...

Last night the Mets defeated the Marlins 6-5 (box score/wrap), despite a poor outing from Mike Pelfrey.  Pelfrey got pounded to the tune of 12 hits and 4 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings of work.  NOT A GOOD NIGHT.  Fortunately for the Mets, the offense and bullpen were able to pick Pelfrey up and get the team a win, which helped them avoid the sweep in Puerto Rico.  K-Rod came in in the eighth after Parnell put the Mets in some trouble, but K-Rod was able to get Wes Helms to fly out.  Then K-Rod made it interesting, again, in the ninth but was able to save the game for the Mets.

The Mets got some nice all-around effort on the offensive end, highlighted by David Wright's 2-5 game with 2 RBI and another pinch-hit RBI from Josh Thole (his second in two night).  And not to be the guy who rains on our parade, because I DO think this team is better overall with Barajas behind the plate, BUT...he's now down to .244 and the staff has been getting ripped lately.  All I really mean to say by that is, I'm happy the Mets decided to wait before considering extending Rod...

Also of note from yesterday's game was Jose Reyes' last minute removal from the line up due to a his side hurting, which you can read more about on Metsblog, here.  In the post, Michael Barron quotes Jerry as saying it had something to do with the turf at Hiram Bithorn Stadium.  That wouldn't surprise me much considering the way Gary and Keith talked about the field basically being built on top of a parking lot, and the cement being the base underneath the field.  Either way, I hope to see Jose back in the line up tonight, BUT, I also wouldn't be surprised if he needed another night off.  Any more missed time than that and I may start getting concerned...

ON TO OLLIE...

I know he's doing rehab starts and all that, but is it really necessary?  He has no trade value anyway.  The best thing the Mets can hope for is that he "suffers a set back" the same way John Maine did and the team can continue on without him.  As for Beltran's rehab seemingly going well, I'm cautiously excited.  I know it's cliche and people have been saying this for quite some time, but Beltran REALLY is the best player the Mets can add at the trade deadline....Well....offensive.

Speaking of Cliff Lee, Metsblog notes some rumors here and here regarding how much the Mets would need to give up to get Lee.  Here's what I would and wouldn't do...

The following I think can be traded in any combination in order to get Lee, of course with the caveat that they cannot take more than 4 from this list: Josh Thole, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jordany Valdespin, Reese Havens, Bobby Parnell, Brad Holt, Ruben Tejada, Sean Ratliff or Juerys Familia.

NOW, if the Mariners needed one of F-Mart, Wilmer Flores, Angel Pagan or Jenrry Mejia to get the deal done I would NOT want to give up more than one of them combined with NO MORE than two of the guys from the previous list.

Interestingly enough, I think the guy who is closest to untouchable to me is Wilmer Flores.  But, I don't think anyone should be off limits right now.  The farm system seems to have enough in it that you can make this deal without losing all your top prospects.  So Omar, make a deal to make this team a winner.  Just be smart about it, and don't give up too much...

Great Team Performance as Mets Win 5-2

Tonight was a great example of how the Mets have become a complete team, in their 5-2 win tonight over the Twins (box score).

Pelfrey pitched great today after giving up a lead off bomb to Denard Span.  I was a little concerned after the homer that we were looking at another tough outing for Big Pelf, but he rebounded well and went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. After perfect innings in the 7th (Parnell) and the 8th (Feliciano), K-Rod made things very interesting before he shut the door.  Tonight was yet another example of why K-Rod should keep his opinions about his own team, specifically the bullpen, to himself.  Tonight they preserved the lead for him, no problem.  He then immediately went out and put the tying run at the plate before retiring the final two batters to save the game.  I like K-Rod, but I like him better when he's not talking...

At the plate, the Mets did the good job, again.  Led by Wright going 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored.  Bay, Davis and Reyes also drove in runs, while Ruben Tejada extended his hit streak to 9 games, just narrowly missing his first career homer.  Tejada is hitting .264 on the year, and made a great play in the field today.  Did I mention that this was a great idea, to play this kid and eliminate Cashstealo?  Man, last year injuries killed the Mets but this year, "injuries" have forced management to make the RIGHT moves...

Tomorrow the Mets look for their second consecutive series win, when they send Santana to the hill against Carl Pavano.  I'll be at the game, should be fun.

Let's go Mets.

Mets vs. Twins Just Minutes Away, Line Up Time

He's tonight's line up and pregamer courtesy of Metsblog.com:

Reyes SS
Feliciano CF
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Thole C
Francoeur RF
Tejada 2B
Pelfrey P

Should be fun to see Thole starting tonight, giving Blanco a day off who's been filling in for Barajas, who's been out with back spasms the last couple games.  Also, looks like Pagan needed another day off.  Hopefully, he'll be back tomorrow...interesting that Feliciano is hitting second again.  Oh, wait...nevermind it's not interesting, it's JERRY.

Anyway, looks like a nice night for a rebound.

Let's go Mets.

Mets Pitchers Chime in on Trade Deadline, Mejia Demotion

In this article for the New York Post, written by Dan Martin, "Mets fans aren't the only ones clamoring at the prospects of the team trading for a top of the line starter like Seattle's Cliff Lee or Houston's Roy Oswalt."

In the article Martin goes on to quote Pelfrey, Santana and K-Rod as all saying that improving the team's pitching with either Oswalt or Lee would definitely be a welcome addition and would help the team make a push for the post-season.  Although, it is important to note that the players were also careful to mention that they feel they can win with the team's pitching as is, BUT, cannot deny that an improvement would be a good thing for the team's chances.

Also in the article K-Rod is quoted as saying he isn't a fan of the Mets sending Mejia down to the minors.  His concern seems to be it being "tough to prepare when you don't know if you have to get one or two outs in the eighth. It's a lot easier when you know which guy is gonna be in front of you and who's in what role."

Overall I think the Mets pitchers quoted in this article about the possibility of adding a top starter were honest and respectful in their answers.  Yes, the team could absolutely use another top-starter, but at the same time they did a good job of acknowledging that the team can win as currently constructed.

BUT...

K-Rod should be less worried about who is pitching before him and should be more concerned about NOT making every game a nail-biter.  Lately, he's made EVERY game a little too exciting for my taste.  Maybe that's because he's too concerned with who is pitching the eighth to prepare himself properly for the ninth...

Mets Win 4-2, A Heart Attack Worth Staying Awake For...

Despite K-Rod making last night's game entirely too interesting for my taste, the Mets still managed to hang on and beat the Padres 4-2 (box score/wrap).

Mike Pelfrey was awesome.  He increased his overall record to 8-1 on the year, going 8 innings while giving up only 1 run on 4 hits, and striking out 8.  Pelfrey looked dominant, which I would normally downplay with the Padres offense except for what they did to the Mets offensively yesterday.  He looked great and I now officially have more confidence the Mets will win a game he starts, then they would if Santana was starting.  It's a combination of Pelfrey being THAT good so far this year, and Santana still getting a bunch of those tough luck losses, and no decisions.

At the plate, the big blows came from Wright and Davis, who both hit homers and drove in two runs each.  Also having a good day with another two hits was Jeff Francoeur, and Luis Cashstealo (although hobbling all over the field) did score two runs for the Mets.  I still don't like him, and he's still hitter for a lower average than Francoeur, but I guess I'll give him a break today...

The Mets look to take their first road series of the year, and finish this road trip at .500, tonight at 6:30 when they send Santana to the mound to face Clayton Richard for the Padres.  Santana and Richard have almost identical lines going into tonight's game.  Santana is 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA, while Richard is 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA...runs will probably be at a premium tonight, and it should be a well pitched contest...

How Sweep It Is

This past week's series against the Phillies could not have gone any better for the Mets, combinating in last night's 3-0 (box score/wrap) which has brought them within two games of first place in the NL East.

Not only did the Mets sweep the Phillies, but they did it without giving up a single run in the entire series.  That is impressive.  Not to downplay what the Mets did, but I think the Philly offense deserves some of that credit as they've only scored 3 runs in their past 5 games, 4 of which they were shut out in.  Either way the Mets brought the bats, and some fine pitching, which really drove them in this series.

Pelfrey was awesome last night throwing 7 shut out innings giving up only 3 hits, although he did walk 5 batters.  The Mets continued some fantastic pitching after Pelfrey left the game with solid innings from both Feliciano and K-Rod to close out the game.  This staff is looking very, very good right now...

And the revival of Reyes continues, as his great series continued last night with a 3-4 night including a huge two run double to extend the Met lead to 3-0.  Jason Bay had the other RBI in last night's game.  Reyes has been awesome of late, and it's not a coincidence that the team has been rolling when Reyes is...

Tonight the Mets will be in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers at 8:10, sending Johan Santana to the hill to face Yovani Gallardo as the Mets look to continue their winning ways.  Let's go Mets.

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...

Looking Forward to a Strong Weekend of Baseball

Tonight the Mets open a three game set against the Phillies in the "Illa-delph".  I'm not saying this is any sort of turning point for the season, because it's too early for that stuff, BUT winning this series would be a nice confidence boost for a team (and fan base) on the rise.

Mets fans didn't REALLY know what to expect this year because of the lack of impact free agent additions  this offseason, injuries from last season, and zero faith in the front office and manager.  However, this Mets team is showing some real signs of life and is starting to look a little bit like Omar knew what he was doing this offseason by laying off of a big first base signing (with Davis waiting in the wings), thinking that some of Pelfrey/Maine/ Perez could rebound, believing Niese was ready and that the bullpen could come together.  Although this team is far from great, they do look good, and most importantly are watchable.  This season has been exponentially more fun than last season, but it is only April 30th...

Regardless of the big picture stuff, tonight the Mets have an early season test against the Phillies.  The pitching match ups for the weekend series starts with Jon Niese taking the hill against Kyle Kendrick, to be followed tomorrow by Pelfrey/Halladay, and then another Sunday Night game with Johan Santana facing Jamie Moyer.

I'm not going to get too hung up on this because we know that Phillies line up can really hit...BUT...to me, it looks like the Mets have the advantage in two of the three pitching match ups, with the Halladay/Pelfrey game being the only advantage I see the Phillies having.  I'm just saying this looks promising for the Mets because a weekend series with your three best pitchers going against a top team in the league is not a bad position to be in.

Should be some good baseball, hopefully the weekend will end with the Mets taking the series, gaining some more credibility and, most importantly, putting some life back into the Mets/Phillies rivalry...

Mets Take Second Straight From Cubs Behind Great Game From Pelfrey

Tonight, the Mets took another step towards becoming a decent team with another quality start from Pelfrey, four hits from Reyes and a 4-0 win over the Cubs tonight at CitiField (box score).  Pelfrey went 7 strong striking out 6, and giving up only 3 hits.  Pelfrey is off to a 3-0 start, and is on pace for a fantastic year.

Reyes had the big hit was a two-run triple, and that was all the Mets would need to support Pelfrey's fantastic outting.  The other Mets runs were added in the eighth with a two-run pinch-hit homer off of Fernando Tatis' bat, which is the only way I like seeing Tatis in the game.

As much as I don't want Jerry managing this team, it's hard to deny the team has looked better over the past two games, and it's probably saved his job for a bit.

As the great Lou Brown said, "We've won two games in a row.  If we win tonight, it's called a winning steak.  It had happened before."  The Mets go for their first winning streak of the season tomorrow at 7, when Oliver Perez faces Carlos Silva, in the battle of big contracts with less results...

Pelf Comes Up Big For Mets and Saves Team From Sweep

Pelfrey was fantastic today for the Mets, who managed to avoid getting swept in Colorado today by defeating the Rockies 5-0 (box score). 

Pelfrey looked great today going 7 innings giving up only 5 hits, no runs and struck out 6.  Feliciano and K-Rod finished the game and without giving up another hit, and both looked good doing so.  This is the stuff that gives me hope.  Pelfrey was great today all-around, including at the plate where he had an RBI single to go along with his great day on the hill.

Other Mets who had a good game included: Reyes, Francoeur and the second baseman with two hits each.  Overall it was a nice game for the Mets who really needed this win badly. 

Even though the Mets won today, Can I still say I want Manuel fired?  Because I do...

The Mets and Oliver Perez now head to St. Louis tomorrow night to open a very tough series against the Cardinals and Chris Carpenter...yikes...

Mets vs. Rockies Underway in Denver...

It's Jackie Robinson Day around the league so the are trying to honor his memory with a win.  Unfortunately for the team, so are the Rockies.  The Mets will also try to avoid the sweep and maintain their .333 winning percentage...

Here is the line-up courtesy of Metsblog:

Jose Reyes SS
That GuyAt 2B
David Wright 3B
Jason Bay LF
Jeff Francoeur RF
Fernando Tatis 1B
Henry Blanco C
Angel Pagan CF
Mike Pelfrey P

Let's see if Pelfrey can provide another strong start...

Barajas gets the day game after a night game off, giving Blanco the start.  Tatis is starting because of a lefty on the hill for the Rockies, and that guy is still starting at second for the Mets...

Misch Clears Waiver, Goes to Buffalo

As I first heard on rotoworld.com, it looks like Pat Misch has cleared waivers and will end up back with the Mets.

It's nice to have Misch back considering the current state of the Mets pitching staff in general, which is shaping up to be Santana, Feliciano, K-Rod and a bunch of question marks.  I'm sure Takahashi, Figueroa and Maine will be fine, but they are all question marks at the current time, along with the obvious question marks: Perez, Pelfrey, Igarashi, etc.

I like the idea of getting that depth back, as Misch could be an important for the Mets either as a spot starter or lefty out of the 'pen, should someone else falter early.