Die Hard Mets Fan

The New York Mets (26-27) are playing Game 54 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (27-27) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the third game of the four-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, Ethier, DeWitt, Maza, Billingsley.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Chavez, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Schneider, Tatis, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (2-6) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pierre grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Kemp lined a no-out single down the right field line so Pierre went first to third, but Kemp tried to make it a double but Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) could not catch the throw so Kemp was safe at second while Juan Pierre scored.  Kent grounded to short, and Kemp moved over to third.  Loney grounded to second, and Easley made the throw home and Schneider applied the tag in time.   Martin lined a two-out single up the middle.  Ethier flied out to center to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, DeWitt grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Maza grounded to second base, and Reyes tagged second and turned the double play.  Pelfrey fanned Billingsley to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Kent lined a two-out single up the middle.  Loney flied out to left to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Martin drew a leadoff walk.  Ethier worked the count full before lining a no-out single into right, and Martin went from first to third.  Blake DeWitt lined a no-out RBI single into right which scored Russell Martin, and Ethier went to second.  Maza flied out to right, and the runners held up.  Billingsley struck out trying to bunt with two strikes.  Pierre flied out to left to end the inning with two Dodgers stranded.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Pelfrey pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Pelfrey now retired the side for the second straight inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pelfrey retired the side for the third straight inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner was throwing some serious heat (97 mph on the gun) and struck out the side.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Chad Billingsley (4-6) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Billingsley retired the side with three ground balls.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado lined a one-out opposite field single into left.  Easley grounded back to the pitcher, and Billingsley made the out at first as Delgado advanced to second.  Schneider grounded to second, and Kent made the out at first to end the inning.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes lined a two-out single into right.  With Chavez in the batters box, Reyes took off for second base and beat out the high throw by Martin.  Chavez lined out to center to end the inning.  Billingsley gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright drew a leadoff walk.  Beltran worked the count full before drawing a no-out walk.  Delgado lined out to center.  Billingsley struck out Easley looking.  Schneider flied out to center to end the inning leaving two Mets stranded.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Tatis beat out a ground ball to third that DeWitt (Error on Blake DeWitt) misfielded to give the Mets a leadoff base runner.  Pelfrey dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Martin made the out at first as Tatis advanced to second.  Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Chavez grounded to second, and Loney made the out at second.  Wright grounded to short, and Maza made the out at second leaving Mets stranded on the corners.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Billingsley pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Billingsley gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Schneider grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Tatis lined out to right.  Casanova is pinch hitting for Pelfrey, and Casanova grounded a one-out single down the third base line as Schneider went from first to third.  Reyes popped up in foul ground near the third base line, and DeWitt made the catch.  Chavez worked himself into a full count before popping up to third leaving Mets stranded on the corners.  Billingsley gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Billingsley left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Torre replaced Billingsley with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drove the ball to the base of the wall in right center for a leadoff double.  Carlos Beltran crushed a no-out 2-run shot to right scoring David Wright which tied the game.  Delgado lined a no-out single into center (Evans came in to pinch run for Delgado).  Easley dropped a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Loney made the out at first as Evans advanced to second.  Broxton intentionally walked Schneider.  Fernando Tatis grounded an RBI single up the middle which scored Nick Evans to give the Mets the lead, and Schneider went to second.  Broxton gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Joe Beimel with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Castillo grounded to second, and Maza made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Beimel intentionally walked Reyes to load the bases.  Beimel fanned Chavez to end the inning leaving the bases loaded with Mets.  Beimel gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 2 - New York Mets 3.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Duaner Sanchez (2-0) got the win and Jonathan Broxton (2-2) blew the save and took the loss.

Game Notes:

• Mike Pelfrey had a solid outing tonight.  He pitched 7 strong innings allowing only 2 runs, he had 6 K’s, and he retired 13 hitters before being taken out of the game.  That’s impressive for his standards and those of the 5th starter.
• Carlos Beltran tied up the game with a 2-run jack in the 8th inning.
• Fernando Tatis drove in the go ahead run in the 8th inning.
• Billy Wagner slammed the door on the Dodgers by striking out the side in the 9th for the save.

Series Notes:

• The Mets are ahead in the series with the Dodgers 2-1.

Other Notes:

• Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-l-l-l-l-w-l-l-w-w-w-l-w.
• The Mets are currently 4-2 on this homestand.
• The Mets are back to .500 with a 27-27 record.

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The New York Mets (22-24) are playing Game 47 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Colorado Rockies (19-29) at Coors Field.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Tatis, Delgado, Castro, Evans, Vargas.

Rockies Lineup: Podsednik, Herrera, Holliday, Helton, Stewart, Smith, Iannetta, Quintanilla, Francis.

At the Plate

Jeff Francis (1-4) was the starting pitcher for the Rockies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  With Wright in the batters box, the Mets put on the double steal without a throw.  Wright drew a no-out walk which loaded the bases.  Carlos Beltran drove a no-out bases clearing double into the gap in left center which scored Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and David Wright.  Tatis grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side, and Beltran advanced to third.  Francis fanned Delgado.  Ramon Castro grounded an opposite field RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Carlos Beltran came home to score and Tatis went to second.  Nick Evans lined a one-out opposite field RBI double into the right field corner so Fernando Tatis came around to score while Castro went first to third.  Vargas lined out to second.  Reyes grounded out to first to end the inning with runners on second and third.  Francis gave up 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, David Wright went yard with a solo shot to right.  Beltran grounded out to second.  Francis fanned Tatis.  Francis gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Evans lined a two-out opposite field double into right center.  Francis fanned Vargas to end the inning.  Francis gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Francis hit Wright with the pitch to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  With Beltran at the plate, Wright beat out the throw as he stole second base.  Francis struck out Beltran swinging at ball four stranding Wright at second.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castro drew a two-out walk.  Evans worked the count full before grounding out to second.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Francis pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Francis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Francis left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Runs, 6 Hits, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 8 SOs.

Hurdle replaced Francis with Alberto Arias to begin the Top of the 7th.  Arias hit Tatis with the pitch to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Delgado grounded out to first to end the inning.  Araias gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Castro lef off with a Ground Rule Double to left center.  Nick Evans grounded an opposite field RBI double down the right field line, and Ramon Castro came around to score.  Chavez grounded out to second, and Evans advanced to third.  Reyes grounded to first, and Helton held up Evans at third and tagged first.  Luis Castillo lined a two-out RBI opposite field double down the left field line which scored Nick Evans.  Arias fanned Wright to end the inning with Castillo stranded on second.  Arias gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Arias left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Hurdle replaced Arias with Josh Newman to begin the Top of the 9th.  Carlos Delgado crushed a solo shot to right field.  Castro grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Easley grounded to short, but Quintanilla (Error on Omar Quintanilla) threw the ball to second off target so Herrera was off the bag and then Castro beat out the throw at first.  Chavez lined out to first to end the inning with two Mets on base.  Newman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Claudio Vargas (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Matt Holliday hit a two-out jack to left field.  Helton grounded out to first to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Francis drove a one-out single off of the right field wall.  Podsednik grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first and made the throw to second to second but not in time.  Jonathan Herrera lined an RBI single into shallow right, and Jeff Francis came around to score.  Holliday grounded to short, and Reyes got the force out at second to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Helton drew a leadoff walk.  Vargas then struck out Stewart, Smith, and Iannetta to end the inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Quintanilla grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Francis dropped down a bunt down the first base line, and Delgado made the out at first as Quintanilla moved over to second.  Podsednik flied out to left, and Quintanilla tagged up and ran to third.  Herrera lined out to left leaving Quintanilla stranded on third.  Vargas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Vargas retired the side for the second straight inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Vargas left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Vargas with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Stewart drew a two-out walk.  Smith flied out to left to end the game and the Mets finally won a game.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 9 - Colorado Rockies 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Claudio Vargas (1-2) got the win and Jeff Francis (1-5) got the loss.

Game Notes:

• Carlos Beltran hit a bases clearing triple in the first inning to set the tone in this game.
• Nick Evans went 3 for 4 in his MLB debut with 3 opposite field doubles and 2 RBIs.
• Ramon Castro had 3 hits.
• Claudio Vargas had a solid outing today.

Series Notes:

• The Mets evened up the series with the Rockies today with one game to go.
• Carlos Delgado hit a homer in each game this series, plus one in Atlanta on Thursday night.

Other Notes:

• Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-l-l-l-l-w.
• The Mets ended their 5-game skid.
• I do believe that the Mets will win the next 4 games to even out losses.
• The Mets are 3-5 on this road trip.
• The Mets are now one game under .500 with a 23-24 record.

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The New York Mets (22-23) are playing Game 46 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Colorado Rockies (18-29) at Coors Field.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 9:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Anderson, Schneider, Chavez, Perez.

Rockies Lineup: Taveras, Barmes, Holliday, Atkins, Helton, Spilborghs, Baker, Torrealba, Reynolds.

At the Plate

Greg Reynolds (0-1) was the starting pitcher for the Rockies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reynolds pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Reynolds fanned Delgado.  Anderson lined out to center.  Reynolds got Schneider looking at strike three to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Chavez beat out a ground ball to second for a leadoff single.  Perez drew a no-out walk.  Reyes grounded to second, and Baker made the out at second so Reyes arrived at first safely while Chavez advanced to third.  Luis Castillo slapped a one-out RBI single into left which scored Endy Chavez, and Reyes moved over to second.  Reynolds struck out Wright swining.  Beltran flied out to the warning track in center with Mets stranded on the corners.  Reynolds gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, (Anderson injured his hamstring running out a ground ball, and Willie and the Trainor had to carry him off the field so he will have to be replaced) Reynolds retired the side in order.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Reynolds retired the side for the second straight inning.  Reynolds gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Wright grounded to third, and Atkins made the out at first as Castillo advanced to second.  Beltran grounded to second, and Baker made the out at first as Castillo moved over to third.  Carlos Delgado hit a two-out 2-run homer to center scoring Luis Castillo.  Tatis replaced Anderson, and Fernando Tatis hit a two-out solo shot to center.  Schneider grounded out to second to end the inning.  Reynolds gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Reynolds left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Hurdle replaced Reynolds with Jason Grilli to begin the Top of the 7th.  Chavez grounded a leadoff single down the left field line.  Easley is pinch hitting for Smith, and Easley grounded a single through the hole on the left side so Chavez went from first to third.  Jose Reyes popped up to shallow left, and Endy Chavez tagged up and scored.  Castillo grounded to short, and the Rockies turned the inning ending double play.  Grilli gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Grilli pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Grilli gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Grilli left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Hurdle replaced Grilli with Manny Corpas to begin the Top of the 9th.  Tatis lined a leadoff single into right.  Schneider dropped down a bunt in front of home plate, and Torrealba made the out at first as Tatis went to second.  Chavez grounded to second, and Baker made the out at first as Tatis advanced to third.  Casanova is pinch hitting for Schoeneweis, and Casanova grounded out to first stranding Tatis.  Corpas gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Hurdle replaced Corpas with Brian Fuentes to begin the Top of the 10th.  Reyes drove a leadoff double into the gap in right center.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes was picked off at second base.  Castillo flied out to right.  Fuentes fanned Wright to end the inning.  Fuentes gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 10th Inning.

Hurdle replaced Fuentes with Taylor Buchholz to begin the Top of the 11th.  Delgado drove a one-out double into the gap in right center.  Tatis grounded to second, and Herrera held up Delgado before making the out at first.  Buchholz got Schneider on a check swing to end the inning with Delgado stranded on second.  Buchholz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Buchholz retired the side in order.  Buchholz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Top of the 13th, Wright lined a one-out single into right.  Beltran popped up to short, and Quintanilla made the out.  Delgado lined out to first leaving Wright stranded on second.  Buchholz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 13th Inning.  Buchholz left the game after pitching 3.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (4-3) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Barmes hit a one-out Ground Rule Double to left field.  Holliday flied out to right.  Garrett Atkins hit a two-out 2-run bomb to left field scoring Clint Barmes.  Helton lined a two-out opposite field single into left.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk.  Perez struck out Baker on three straight pitches to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Reynolds drew a one-out walk.  Taveras lined a one-out single into right center, and Reynolds advanced to second.  Perez fanned Barmes.  Holliday grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Atkins lined a leadoff single into left.  Helton grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk.  With Baker in the batters box, Schneider threw out Spilborghs as he attempted to steal second base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Baker drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Torrealba flied out to left center, and Beltran made the catch.  Reynolds bunted in towards the pitcher, and Perez made the out at first as Baker advanced to second.  Taveras grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first stranding Baker.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Atkins drew a two-out walk.  With Helton at the plate, Perez threw a wild pitch so Atkins moved over to second.  Helton drew a two-out walk.  Spilborghs drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Baker flied out to right to end the inning with the bases full of Rockies.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Torrealba beat out a ground ball to third for a leadoff single.  Herrera is pinch hitting for Reynolds, and Herrara drew a no-out walk.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 8 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Joe Smith with no outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Taveras worked the count full before he dropping a bunt down towards first, and Smith made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Clint Barmes pulled a one-out 2-run double down the left field line which scored Yorvit Torrealba and Jonathan Herrera.  Holliday lined out to left.  Smith struck out Atkins looking.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Spilborghs drew a one-out walk.  Podsednik replaced Baker, and Podsednik grounded into an inning ending double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Schoeneweis pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Matt Holliday hit a one-out solo shot to center field.  Atkins lined a one-out single into center.  Helton lined a one-out single into center, and Atkins went first to third.  Spilborghs grounded to short, and Reyes got Atkins to hold up at third and then made the out at first.  Podsednik worked himself into a full count before popping up to short to end the inning.  Wagner gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Torrealba beat out a ground ball to third the Wright (Error on David Wright) misfielded.  Herrera is pinch hitting for Fuentes, and Herrera grounded to second so Castillo made the out at first as Torrealba went to second.  Wagner struck out Cook, and Schneider threw out Torrealba as he attempted to steal third.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 10th Inning.  Wagner left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Sanchez pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 12th.  Podsednik grounded to the pitcher, and the ball deflected towards second so Podsednik beat it out for a two-out single.  Torrealba popped up to second, and Castillo made the catch to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 13th, Herrera grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Francis is pinch hitting for Buchholz, and Francis dropped down a sacrifice bunt which allowed Herrera to move over to second.  Heilman fanned Quintanilla.  Matt Holliday grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side, and Jonathan Herrera came around to score.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 13th Inning.  Heilman left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Colorado Rockies 6 (in 13).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Aaron Heilman took the loss (0-1) and Taylor Buchholz got the win.

Game Notes:

• Delgado hit a 2-run solo shot.
• The Mets made a ton of mistakes and should’ve won the game in 9 innings.  The problem was that the Rockies made just as many mistakes so nobody wanted to win.

Other Notes:

• Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-l-l-l-l.
• It is the first time this month that the Mets lost 5 straight games.
• The Mets are now two games under .500 with a 22-24 record.

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The New York Mets (22-12) are playing Game 43 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Atlanta Braves (23-21) at Turner Field.  It’s the second game of the four-game series.  The game began at 7:00 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Anderson, Wright, Beltran, Church, Easley, Delgado, Castro, Vargas.

Braves Lineup: Escobar, Infante, Jones, Teixeira, Johnson, Diaz, Blanco, Miller, Campillo.

At the Plate

Jorge Campillo (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Braves.  In the Top of the 1st, Campillo retired the first three Mets he faced.  Campillo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Campillo retired the first six Mets he faced.  Campillo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Campillo retired the first nine Mets he faced.  Campillo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Reyes lined a leadoff single into right field.  With Anderson in the batters box, Reyes got thrown out stealing second.  Anderson flied out to second.  Wright lined a two-out single into left.  Beltran grounded out to first to end the inning.  Campillo gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Church lined a leadoff single into left.  Easley grounded to short, and the Braves turned the double play.  Campillo fanned Delgado.  Campillo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Campillo pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Campillo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Campillo left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Cox replaced Campillo with Jeff Bennett to begin the Top of the 7th.  Bennett pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Bennett gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Cox replaced Bennett with Blaine Boyer to begin the Top of the 8th.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Ramon Castro lined a two-out RBI double to the gap in right center which scored Carlos Delgado.  Alou is pinch hitting for Vargas, and Alou grouned a two-out single through the hole on the right side so Castro advanced to third.  Boyer gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Cox replaced Boyer with Manny Acosta with two outs in the Top of the 8th.  Jose Reyes grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Ramon Castro, and Alou moved over to second.  Anderson grounded out to second to end the inning leaving two Mets stranded.  Acosta gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Beltran beat out a slowly hit ground ball to third to give the Mets a one-out base runner.  Church grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side, and Beltran advanced to second.  Easley grounded to short, and the Braves turned an inning ending double play (Ryan Church took a shot to the head as he attempted to take out Escobar to interupt the double play.  Church was bleeding, and the training staff took a look at him.  The trainors carried him off of the field.) (Yunel Escobar also needed to be carried off of the field by the Braves trainors).  Acosta gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  Acost left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

On the Mound

Claudio Vargas (0-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Escobar grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Infante flied out in foul ground along the right field line, and Church made the catch.  Chipper Jones lined an RBI double down the left field line which scored Yunel Escobar.  Teixeira drew a one-out walk.  Vargas fanned Johnson.  Diaz grounded to the pitcher, and Vargas made the out at first.  Vargas gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Infante drew a one-out walk.  Jones grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side, and Infante advanced to second.  Mark Teixeira grounded a one-out RBI single through he hole on the right side which scored Omar Infante, and Jones moved over to second.  Kelly Johnson lined a one-out 2-run triple down the right field line which scored Chipper Jones and Mark Teixeira.  Diaz flied out to right, and Johnson held up.  Blanco lined out to short leaving Johnson stranded on third.  Vargas gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Vargas pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Vargas retired the Braves in two consecutive innings.  Vargas gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Vargas left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Vargas with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Feliciano hit Johnson with the pitch to give the Braves a leadoff runner.  Diaz worked the count full before Feliciano struck him out swinging.  Feliciano hit Blanco with the pitch to give the Braves a one-out base runner.  Miller flied out to right.  Norton is pinch hitting for Campillo, Norton grounded to the pitcher so Feliciano made the out at first leaving two Braves stranded.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Escobar lined a leadoff single to left.  Infante lined a no-out double down the left field line, and Escobar went from first to third.  Jones grounded to second, and Easley ran over to the third base line to tag Escobar out (Infante ended up moving to third, and Jones ended up moving to second).  Sanchez intentionally walked Teixeira to load the bases.  Johnson popped up in foul ground near first, and Delgado made the catch.  Diaz grounded to third, and Wright tagged the bag to end the inning full of Braves.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Matt Wise to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Miller lined a one-out single to right.  Mark Kotsay pulled a one-out 2-run shot to right scoring Corky Miller.  Escobar grounded out to short.  Infante flied out to right to end the inning.  Wise gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 2 - Atlanta Braves 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Claudio Vargas (0-2) took the loss and Jorge Campillo (1-0) got the win.

Since May 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-w-l-w-l-l-w-w-l-l.  It’s Amazin that the trend hasn’t broken yet.  What a horrible day for the Metropolitans.  It seems like the Mets haven’t won an important division series since they beat the Phillies in early May with the entire lineup playing poorly except for Utley.  Willie had his team meeting on Friday.  The Mets beat up on the Yankees over the weekend.  Did you see Willie manage differently against the Yankees?  Where was Heilman in that series?  Both starting pitchers went 8 2/3 innings and right to the closer.  Willie did not switch relievers every inning like he does against the division.  The Mets lost both games of the day/night double header against the Braves today.

Jorge Campillo, whoever that is, shut down the lifeless Mets for 6 innings.  Castro drove in both Mets runs with a 2-run shot which was all for the Mets.  As soon as the Mets put up a little fight in the 8th inning, the Braves tacked on 2 insurance runs in the bottom of the inning to make it even more difficult for the Mets to come back and win this game.  The Braves had no trouble scoring on Vargas and Wise.

Once again, the Mets can’t win a division series.  At best, they can split.

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The New York Mets (19-17) are playing Game 37 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (16-23) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the second game of the four-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Dukes, Nieves, Lannan.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Easley, Schneider, Maine.

On the Mound

John Maine (4-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Maine hit Lopez with the first pitch of the game to give the Nationals a leadoff runner.  Guzman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force out at second.  Maine fanned Zimmerman.  Johnson grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Kearns grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Dukes drew a one-out walk.  Nieves grounded to short, and Reyes got the lead runner out at third.  Lannan grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Guzman beat out a ground ball to second on a bad throw by Easley (Error on Damion Easley) to give the Nationals a one-out base runner.  Ryan Zimmerman crushed a one-out 2-run homer to left field scoring Cristian Guzman.  Johnson grounded out to first.  Maine struck out Milledge again to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Maine pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Maine retired the side for the second straight inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Milledge grounded to second but it went through Easley’s (Error on Damion Easley) legs so the Nationals have a two-out base runner.  Maine struck out Kearns looking to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 5 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Matt Wise to begin the Top of the 7th.  Dukes grounded a leadoff double down the left field line.  Nieves grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first as Dukes advanced to third.  Mackowiak is pinch hitting for Lannan, and Rob Mackowiak grounded out to second which scored Elijah Dukes.  Lopez grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Wise gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Wise with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Guzman drew a leadoff walk.  Zimmerman flied out to right.  Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Sanchez fanned Milledge on three straight pitches.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Boone is pinch hitting for Hanrahan, and Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Wagner fanned Lopez to end the game.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

John Lannan (3-3) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright lined a two-out single to left center.  Beltran popped up to first to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Alou grounded to deep short but Guzman threw off the bag so Alou ended up with a leadoff single.  Delgado dropped down a bunt towards third (because nobody was there) so he ended up with a no-out single, and Alou went to second.  Easley drew a no-out walk on four straight pitches to load the bases.  Brian Schneider grounded to first, and the Nationals only got the out at second on the double play attempt as Moises Alou came home.  Maine bunted towards the pitcher, and Lannan made the out at first as Schneider moved over to second.  Reyes grounded to short, and Guzman made the out at first leaving two Mets in scoring position.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Ryan Church smacked a solo shot to dead center to lead off the inning.  Wright grounded a no-out standup double down the right field line.  Beltran grounded out to short.  Alou popped up to shallow right, and Kearns made the catch.  Delgado grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Schneider grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Maine lined a one-out single into left, and Schneider advanced to second.  Reyes grounded to third, and the Nationals turned the inning ending double play.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Beltran lined a two-out single up the middle.  Alou grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Beltran advanced to second.  Delgado flied out to the warning track in dead center to leave two Mets stranded.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Schneider lined a one-out single into center.  Tatis is pinch hitting for Maine, and Tatis lined a one-out single into right so Schneider went to second.  Lannan fanned Reyes.  Ryan Church lined a two-out 2-run double over Kearn’s head which scored Brian Schneider and Fernando Tatis.  Wright grounded out to second to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Lannan left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 12 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Acta replaced Lannan with Luis Ayala to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Ayala retired the side in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Schneider led off by lining an opposite field double down the left field line.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Anderson drew a one-out walk.  Jose Reyes lined a one-out RBI single up the middle which scored Brian Schneider, and Anderson went first to third because Milledge (Error on Lastings Milledge) bobbled the ball.  Ayala gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Ayala left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ERs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Ayala with Joel Hanrahan with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Ryan Church flied out to right, and Marlon Anderson tagged up and scored.  With Wright at the plate, Hanrahan threw a passed ball and Reyes advanced to second.  Wright flied out to center to end the inning.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 3 - New York Mets 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (5-2) got the win and John Lannan (3-4) got the loss.

Well, the Mets settled the score with the Nats.  It’s even at one with two games to go in the series.  Maine pitched another pretty good game.  Good enough to win the game.  The Mets scored 4 runs off of Lannan, and then they were able to add on 2 insurance runs against the Bullpen in the 8th Inning.  Schneider had the most hits in the game (3), and Church had the most RBIs in the game (4).  So the former Nats made a statement against their former team.  Yesterday, Milledge was the hero.  Today, he was the goat.  He went 0-4 with 3 SOs, and a costly Error out in center field.  And most importantly, the win keeps the w-l-w-l-w-l-w-l streak going.  For the ‘08 Mets, it’s all about .500.

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The New York Mets (19-16) are playing Game 36 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (15-23) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the opener of a four-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Mackowiak, Flores, Perez.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Easley, Schneider, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Figueroa pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Johnson grounded to first but Delgado (Error on Carlos Delgado) made a poor throw to Figueroa to give the Nationals a leadoff runner (I saw it as an out, but the Umpire called him safe).  Milledge drew a no-out walk.  Kearns grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Rob Mackowiak hit a sacrofice fly to the warning track in center, and Nick Johnson tagged up and scored and Lastings Milledge tagged up and went to third.  Figueroa struck out Flores looking.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez lined a leadoff single into right.  Lopez grounded a no-out single through the hole on the right side, and Perez went to second.  Guzman hit a chopper to second, and Easley made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Figueroa hit Zimmerman with the pitch so the bases are loaded.  Figueroa walked Nick Johnson which scored Odalis Perez and kept the bases loaded.  Figueroa got Milledge swinging through strike three.  Kearns lined out to center to end the inning with the bases juiced.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits,  0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Mackowiak drew a leadoff walk.  Figueroa hit Flores with the pitch.  Perez dropped down a bunt towards third, and Wright made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Lopez grounded the ball back to the pitcher, and Figueroa (Error on Nelson Figueroa Jr.) threw the ball way off the plate so Rob Mackowiak came home to score and Flores went to third.  Zimmerman grounded to second, and Easley tossed the ball to second to end the inning.  Guzman flied out to shallow center.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Johnson grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Milledge popped up to first, and Easley made the catch.  Kearns flied out to the warning track in right.  Mackowiak drew a two-out walk.  Jesus Flores lined a two-out 2-run double down the left field line which scored Nick Johnson and Rob Mackowiak.  Odalis Perez lined a two-out RBI single down the right field line, and Jesus Flores came around to score.  Lopez drew a two-out walk.  Guzman popped up to shallow left, and Reyes made the catch to finally end this inning.  Figueroa gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 6 Runs, 4 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Zimmerman led off by grounding a double down the left field line.  Johnson drew a no-out walk.  Lastings Milledge hit a no-out 2-run double about 3/4 of the way up the left field wall which scored Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first as Milledge advanced to third.  Sosa struck out Mackowiak on a foul tip.  Sosa intentionally walked Flores.  Odalis Perez grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Lastings Milledge, and Flores went to second.  Felipe Lopez dropped a two-out RBI single into left, and Jesus Flores came around to score.  Guzman grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first to end another awful inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 7th.  Sanchez sent the side down in order.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 8th.  Smith struck out the side.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Guzman lined a two-out double over Alou’s head in left.  Wagner fanned Zimmerman.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Odalis Perez (0-3) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  With Beltran at the plate, Wright stole second without a throw.  Carlos Beltran lined a two-out RBI single to left which scored David Wright.  Alou lined a two-out single to left, and Beltran advanced to second.  Perez fanned Delgado on three straight pitches.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Damion Easley led off with his first home run of 2008 which went right over the wall in dead center.  Schneider grounded out to first.  Perez got Figueroa looking at strike three.  Reyes dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Perez did not even make a throw to first so Reyes ended up with a two-out single.  Church grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side, and Reyes advanced to second.  Wright grounded to third, and the ball bounced off of Zimmerman and into Guzman’s glove.  Guzman proceeded to make the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Alou dropped a one-out single along the right field line.  Perez got Delgado swinging at strike three.  Damion Easley dropped a two-out RBI single into right, and Carlos Delgado came around to score.  Schneider grounded to the pitcher, and Perez made the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Reyes lined a one-out single into left.  With Church in the batters box, Flores threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Perez fanned Church.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in th 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Wright drew a leadoff walk.  Beltran flied out to right.  Alou lined a one-out single into left, and Beltran moved over to second.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the out at first as both runners advanced.  Easley flied out to right to leave two Mets in scoring position.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Perez pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, David Wright smacked a one-out solo shot to left.  Beltran grounded to third, and Zimmerman misfielded the ball so Beltran beat it out.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 6.1 Innings allowing 11 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Acta replaced Perez with Chris Schroder with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Alou flied out to right.  Delgado flied out to the warning track in left.  Schroder gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Schneider grounded to the pitcher but the ball bounced off of Schroder’s glove and went towards second, but Lopez made a bad throw to first so Schneider beat it out for a one-out single.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Smith, and Anderson popped up in foul ground along the first base line and Johnson made the catch.  Reyes drew a two-out walk on four pitches.  Schroder gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Schroder left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Acta replaced Schroder with Saul Rivera with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Church drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Wright grounded to third, and Zimmerman made the out at first leaving the bases full of Mets.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Rivera quickly slammed the door on the Mets.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 10 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (2-3) got the loss and Odalis Perez (1-3) got the win.

The Mets got beat up and battered by another subpar ball club.  W, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W, L.  What does all of that equal?  .500 baseball, and the Mets are great at it.  Sometimes they go W, W, L, L, W, W, L, L.  In the end, it equals the same thing.  The Nats were all over Figueroa.  After swinging for the fences every at bat, Milledge finally got a big hit against his former team.  He just missed a 3-run shot, and ended up with a 2-run double that bounced off of the left field wall.  The Nats put up a 10 spot on the Mets.  Who da thunk it?  The Mets had control of this game for a few innings, but Perez and the bullpen got out of some jams leaving many Mets on base.  The Mets need to cash’em in $$$$$$$$ the next three games.

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The New York Mets (18-15) are playing Game 34 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (14-22) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the second game of a three-game series.  The game began at 7:30 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Reds Lineup: Freel, Hairston Jr., Griffey Jr., Encarnacion, Dunn, Keppinger, Hatteberg, Bako, Arroyo.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Chavez, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Anderson, Castro, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Freel pulled a leadoff double over the third base bag and down the line.  Hairston dropped down a bunt towards first, and Pelfrey made the out at first while Freel advanced to third.  Ken Griffey Jr. lined a one-out RBI single into left, and Ryan Freel came home to score.  Encarnacion flied out to right.  Dunn flied out to left to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Pelfrey fanned Hatteberg and Bako back-to-back.  Arroyo lined to center, and Beltran dove to make a beautiful catch.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Pelfrey pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Keppinger lined a two-out single to right.  Hatteberg blooped the ball along the left field line, but Anderson dove for it but couldn’t hold onto the ball so Keppinger advanced to third.  Bako drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Arroyo grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first to end the inning leaving the bases full.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Griffey dropped a two-out single into right.  Encarnacion popped up to second to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Keppinger grounded a one-out single under Reyes and into center.  Scott Hatteberg drove a one-out RBI double to the gap in right center, and Jeff Keppinger came all the way around to score.  Bako lined the ball foul of the left field line, and Anderson made the catch.  Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Dunn hit a slow grounder to third, and Wright didn’t make a play on it so Dunn ended up with a one-out single (Patterson replaced Dunn).  Keppinger grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side, and Patterson moved over to second.  Scott Hatteberg grounded a one-out  RBI single through the hole on the left side which scored Corey Patterson and Keppinger went first to third.  Paul Bako grounded a one-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Jeff Keppinger and Hatteberg advanced to second.  Arroyo flied out to left.  Freel grounded to third, and Wright made the force play at second.  Sanchez gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Griffey drew a one-out walk.  Encarnacion grounded to third, and Wright (Error on David Wright) misfielded the ball so Encarnacion is safe and Griffey moved over to second.  Patterson grounded to first, and Delgado (Error on Carlos Delgado) made a high throw to second so the bases are loaded.  Jeff Keppinger grounded an RBI single to short, and Reyes attempted to make a play at third but it was not in time and Ken Griffey Jr. scored.  Scott Hatteberg hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Edwin Encarnacion came home to score.  Paul Bako grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side scoring Jeff Keppinger.  Wagner gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the 9th Inning.  Valentin popped up to right to end the nightmare.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Bronson Arroyo (1-4) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Arroyo struck out the side.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Beltran drew a leadoff walk.  Delgado grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Beltran moved over to second.  Easley lined out to center.  Anderson grounded to first, but Hatteberg (Error on Scott Hatteberg) dropped the ball so the Reds couldn’t turn the double play so Hatteberg flipped the ball to Arroyo to try to get the out at first and Arroyo dropped the ball so everybody is safe.  Arroy struck out Castro swinging.  Pelfrey lined out to right leaving the bases loaded.  Arroyo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes led off with an opposite field double to left.  Chavez dragged a bunt towards first, and Arroyo made the out at first while Reyes advanced to third.  David Wright grounded to short, and Keppinger dropped the ball so Wright beat it out as Jose Reyes came home to score.  Beltran drove a one-out double to the gap in right center and bounced to the wall, but Wright got thrown out at home plate.  Beltran went to third on the throw to home.  Delgado grounded out to short to end the inning.  Arroyo gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Castro drew a two-out walk.  Pelfrey grounded to second, and Hairston made the force play at second.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Arroyo retired the side in order.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Arroyo pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Arroyo struck out the side for the second time tonight.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Arroyo now retired the Mets in order for 4 straight innings.  Arroyo gave up 0 hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Baker replaced Arroyo with Francisco Cordero to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.  Cordero gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 7 - New York Mets 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (2-3) got the loss and Bronson Arroyo (2-4) got the win.

Big Pelf pitched six solid innings allowing only 2 runs, but the offense must’ve exhausted itself this afternoon because they only put up 1 run tonight.  The Mets’ Bullpen got taxed for 5 runs late in the game, and they called it a night in Flushing.  Tomorrow’s another day.  After the Reds and Mets split today’s double header, the Mets will host the rubber game tomorrow.  Johnny Cueto will face Oliver Perez.

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The New York Mets (16-15) are playing Game 32 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (19-14) at Dodger Stadium.  It’s the final game of a three-game series.  The game began at 3:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Pagan, Anderson, Casanova, Maine.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Ethier, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, DeWitt, Hu, Penny.

At the Plate

Brad Penny (5-2) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Top of the 1st, Penny retired the side in order.  Penny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church lined a one-out single into center.  Pagan lined a one-out opposite field single into left, and Church moved over to second.  Marlon Anderson worked himself into a full count before driving a one-out RBI Ground Rule Double over the center field fence, and Ryan Church came around to score while Pagan advanced to third.  Raul Casanova grounded a one-out 2-run single through the hole on the right side which scored Angel Pagan and Marlon Anderson.  Maine dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Penny made the out at first as Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Luis Castillo grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which brought Raul Casanova around to score and Reyes advanced to second.  Penny fanned Wright after the Mets batted around the order.  Penny gave up 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Beltran led off by grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Church hit a no-out broken bat line drive into shallow right, and Beltran went first to third.  Angel Pagan grounded to second, and Kent only made the out at second while Carlos Beltran scored.  Anderson flied out to the warning track in right.  With Casanova at the plate, Pagan stole second by beating out the pitch out.  Casanova grounded out to second to end the inning.  Penny gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castillo lined a two-out double down the right field line.  Wright grounded out to third to end the inning.  Penny gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Penny hit Church with the pitch to give the Mets a one-out base runner.  Chavez replaced Pagan, and Penny fanned Chavez on three pitches.  Anderson grounded to short, and Anderson beat out the throw for a two-out single as Church moved over to second.  Casanova worked himself into a full count before drawing a walk that loaded the bases.  John Maine lined a two-out 2-run single into center which scored Ryan Church and Marlon Anderson while Casanova advanced to second.  Reyes drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Penny gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Penny left the game after pitching 4.2 Innings allowing 10 Hits, 10 Runs, 10 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Torre replaced Penny with Scott Proctor with two outs in the Top of the 5th.  Luis Castillo drew a two-out walk which brought home Raul Casanova.  David Wright drove a two-out Ground Rule Double over the left field wall which scored John Maine and Jose Reyes while Castillo advanced to third.  With Beltran in the batters box, Proctor threw a wild pitch which brought home Luis Castillo.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Proctor gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the Top of the 5th.  In the Top of the 6th, Ryan Church hit the first pitch of the inning over the wall in right center.  Chavez flied out to center.  Proctor struck out Anderson swinging.  Casanova drove a two-out double that one-hopped the wall in left center.  Proctor fanned Maine on three straight pitches.  Proctor gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Proctor left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Torre replaced Proctor with Chan Ho Park to begin the Top of the 7th.  Park pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Park sent the Mets down in order again.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Maine was still batting and he struck out looking.  Park gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Ethier flied to foul territory along the left field line and Pagan dove over the wall to make the catch and landed on his head in the stands (Randolph and the Trainors came out to check up on him, and he got up eventually and recieved a standing ovation which is the opposite of what Reyes got in Philly).  Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Maine retired 6 straight Dodgers.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Hu pulled the ball down the right field line for a leadoff double.  Penny popped in foul ground along the third base line, and Wright made the catch.  Pierre grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to leave Hu at second.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Maine pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Loney drove a leadoff double into the gap in left center.  Martin drew a no-out walk.  Maine fanned DeWitt.  Hu grounded to second, and the Mets turned the inning ending double play.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Maine pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Maine retired the side in order again.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Maine now retired 10 straight (John Maine is the first Mets pitcher to record an out in the 8th Inning).  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Jones blooped a pinch hit double near the right field line.  Pierre drew a no-out walk.  Ethier lined out to deep left.  Matt Kemp lined a one-out RBI single into center which brought Andruw Jones around to score and Ethier moved over to second.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 8.1 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Duaner Sanchez with one out in the Bottom of the 9th.  Young grounded to third, and Wright tagged third and attempted to make the out at first but Young beat it out.  Sanchez struck out Loney on a check swing.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 12 - Los Angeles Dodgers 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (4-2) got the win and Brad Penny (5-3) got the loss.

Close, but no cigar.  The Maine Man was two outs away from handing the Mets their first complete game shutout of ‘08.  I knew this game was over when Maine drove in 2 runs in the 5th, and Maine only allowed 1 hit up to that point.  Maine went into the Bottom of the 9th with a two-hit shutout and got into some trouble and gave up a run.  Once the run scored, Willie replaced Maine with Sanchez.  Offensively, the Mets batted around in two separate innings.  Everybody but Reyes got a hit, but Reyes did walk twice and score once.  Church had 3 Hits today including a solo shot.

It was a great game for the Amazins’, but they lost the series to Dem Bums.  The Mets finished their road trip 3-3 against the team with the best record and against the hottest team in baseball.  3-3 isn’t good, but it could be worse.  The Mets have an off day tomorrow before they host the Reds for a weekend series.

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The New York Mets (14-12) are playing Game 27 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Arizona Diamondbacks (20-8) at Chase Field.  It’s the first game of a three-game series.  The game began at 9:40 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Casanova, Castillo, Maine.

Diamondbacks Lineup: Young, Byrnes, Hudson, Jackson, Reynolds, Drew, Upton, Montero, Owings.

At the Plate 

Micah Owings (4-0) was the starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes led off with a triple off the wall in right center.  Ryan Church hit a sacrifice fly to center field which brought Jose Reyes home.  Wright lined a one-out single up the middle.  With Beltran at the plate, Owings threw a wild pitch so Wright took off for second.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Moises Alou grounded an RBI single under the glove of Hudson and into center field so David Wright came around to score and Beltran went first to third.  Carlos Delgado grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which brought Carlos Beltran home and Alou advanced to second.  Casanova flied out to center, and the runners held up.  Castillo grounded a ball that rolled in front of home plate, and Montero made the out at first to leave two Mets on base.  Owings gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Maine grounded out to third.  Reyes dropped a one-out double into shallow center.  Ryan Church drove an RBI double into the gap in right center which scored Jose Reyes (Church has 2 RBIs in 2 attempts already which further confirms that he should be in the 2 spot).  Wright popped up to shallow right, and Hudson made the catch.  Beltran popped up to second, and Hudson made the catch.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 1 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Owings caught Casanova looking at strike three.  Castillo grounded to second, and Hudson made the out at first to end the inning.  Owings gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Ryan Church lined a two-out solo shot to deep right field.  Wright pulled a two-out double down the left field line.  Beltran grounded out to first to end the inning.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Delgado dropped a one-out single into right field.  Casanova flied out to center.  Castillo grounded to short, and Drew tagged second for the force out to end the inning.  Owings gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Reyes lined a one-out opposite field single into left.  Church popped up in foul ground along the third base line, and Reynolds made the catch.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole second.  David Wright pulled a two-out 2-run jack over the left field wall which scored Jose Reyes.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Owings gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Owings left the game after pitching 5.2 innings allowing 11 Hits, 7 Runs, 7 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Melvin replaced Owings with Brandon Medders with two outs in the Top of the 6th.  With Alou at the plate, Beltran stole second.  Alou drew a two-out walk.  Delgado flied out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Medders gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Melvin replaced Medders with Doug Slaten to begin the Top of the 7th.  Casanova drew a leadoff walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Diamondbacks turned the double play.  Easley is pinch hitting for Maine, and Easley grounded out to third.  Slaten gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Melvin replaced Slaten with Juan Cruz to begin the Top of the 8th.  (Reyes is in need of a Home Run to hit for the cycle) and Reyes drove the ball off of the high wall in dead center, and he attempted an inside the park home run but got thrown out easily at the plate (so he only ended up with another triple).  Church flied out to center.  (Wright is in need of a triple to hit for the cycle) and Wright struck out swinging.  Slaten gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Melvin replaced Slaten with Tony Pena to begin the Top of the 9th.  Pena pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pena gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

John Maine (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Young led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Byrnes popped up to second.  Hudson flied out to left.  Jackson grounded hard to third, and it bounced off of Wright (Error on David Wright) and went into left field so Jackson is on first and Young advanced to second.  Reynolds grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to leave to D-Backs on base.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Upton drove a one-out stand up double off of the wall in dead center.  With Montero in the batters box, Maine threw a wild pitch so Upton moved over to third.  Miguel Montero drove the ball over Beltran’s head for a one-out RBI double, and Justin Upton came home to score.  With Owings at the plate, Maine threw another wild pitch so Upton is at third now.  Owings drew a one-out walk.  Chris Young grounded an RBI single up the middle which brought Miguel Montero home, and Owings moved over to second.  Maine fanned Byrnes.  Hudson popped up in foul territory along the left field line, and Wright made a beatiful diving catch to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Maine pitched his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Owings drew a two-out walk.  Maine fanned Young.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Hudson pulled a one-out double down the right field line (Hudson injured himself on the play and had to leave the game so Ojeda replaced him.  Jackson lined the ball off of Delgado’s glove, and the ball went into right field so Jackson ended up with a one-out single and Ojeda advanced to third.  Maine fanned Reynolds.  Drew flied out to left to leave runners on the corners.  Maine gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Maine retired the side in order.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Maine with Joe Smith to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Smith pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Drew drew a two-out walk.  Upton grounded a two-out single under the glove of Reyes, and Drew went first to third (I thought Wright tagged Drew in time).  Upton advanced to second when the throw was made at third.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Montero grounded out to third to leave to D-Backs on base.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Sanchez slammed the door on the D-Backs.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 7 - Arizona Diamondbacks 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (3-2) got the win and Micah Owings (4-1) got the loss.

So all it took for the Metsies to get hot was a little bit of sunshine.  The Mets continue to play unbelievable baseball in the desert.  You can just look at the scoreboard to see what type of game it was, and it went quickly for a game with 9 runs.  Maine was struggling, but he pitched 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs.  The bullpen put up gooseggs with Smith, Feliciano, and Sanchez.  The offense was smokin’ hot.  Reyes and Wright each nearly batted for the cycle.  Church batted in the 2 spot, and you know what that means…the Mets win.  It was Alou’s 2008 debut, and he had 1 Hit, 1 RBI, and he had 1 walk.

The Amazins’ stole a win from the D-Backs because the pitching matchup was in their favor.  Tomorrow, it’s in their favor again.  However, it’s in the Metropolitans favor on Sunday with Santana on the mound.  It was a great game.  The Diamondbacks were 20-8 so they can afford to take a few losses.  Maybe Pelfrey can steal another win from Arizona tomorrow so Santana can steer New York to an unlikely sweep.

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Well, the Mets couldn’t sweep the Pirates.  Not only could they not sweep the Pirates, but it took them 11 innings to beat them the first night and they got torched today.  The Mets (14-12) have an off day tomorrow before they head out west for a 6-game road trip.  The Mets will be in Arizona (20-8) over the weekend and in L.A. (13-13) early next week.  The Diamondbacks are smokin’ hot right now.  If we struggle with the Nats and the Bucs then it’s safe to assume that we’ll struggle out west.  I hope not though.

The Mets are 14-12 now.

 Game delayed by water main break - Marty Noble explained why today’s Pirates-Mets game got off to a late start.

Wright gives Mets walk-off win - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Mets up to the task against southpaws - Marty Noble assembled a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Alou cleared to return to Mets - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou could play this wekeend vs. Arizona.

Valentin pays visit to Mets teammates - Marty Noble pointed out that Jose Valentin visited the team prior to last night’s game, and Valentin expects to return to the team by the end of May.

Church looking for first All-Star bid

Newsday:

Mets win on Wright’s long single in 11th - Jim Baumbach summarized last night’s Pirates-Mets game.

Alou could be back in Mets’ lineup on Friday

Mientkiewicz: You haven’t seen the real Johan yet

Mets’ Schneider close to leaving hospital

New York Daily News:

David Wright’s 11th-inning hit gives Mets 5-4 win over Pirates - Adam Rubin also summarized last night’s game between the Pirates and the Mets.

Mets catcher Brian Schneider released from hospital - The AP reported that Brian Schneider was released by the hospital yesterday.

In cold, Johan Santana’s drama is gripping - Roger Rubin found out that Johan Santana thought it was difficult to pitch in the chilly conditions last night.

Moises Alou’s bat set for road swing

To Ryan Church, strong start to year is all relative

Matt Wise might replace Jorge Sosa - Adam Rubin reported that Matt Wise is expected to rejoin the Mets in Arizona this weekend after a rehab appearance Thursday.  Rubin believes that the Mets might send Jorge Sosa down to the minors when Wise returns.

New York Post:

WRIGHT ON TIME - Bart Hubbuch summarized last night’s Pirates-Mets games as well.

URGENT MATTER - Even though the Mets have been winning, Kevin Kernan believes that the Mets need to play with more urgency because they don’t understand how to put away a much lesser opponent.

ALOU MAY BE BACK FRIDAY

SANCHEZ SIDESTEPS BIG TROUBLE - Duaner Sanchez took the blame for allowing last night’s game to get into extra innings.

New York Times:

Mets Will Take a Victory They Nearly Gave Away

Alou Is Finally Ready to Play, but Schneider Is Not

Smoltz Put on Disabled List With Sore Right Shoulder - YEAH!!!

The Star-Ledger: