Die Hard Mets Fan

The New York Mets (13-11) are playing Game 25 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-15) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Gomez, Sanchez, Bay, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Paulino, Snell.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Casanova, Chavez, Santana.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Nate McLouth led off with a solo shot to right.  Gomez grounded out to third.  Sanchez grounded out to second.  Santana fanned Bay.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, LaRoche drew a one-out walk.  Santana caught Bautista looking at strike three.  Paulino grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Jason Bay hit a one-out jack to left.  Nady flied out to left.  Santana fanned LaRoche.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Santana sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, McLouth drew a leadoff walk.  Santana got Gomez on a called strike three.  Sanchez flied out to left.  Bay drew a two-out walk.  Santana hit Nady in the arm to load the bases.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the 6th Inning.  LaRoche popped up to short to leave the bases full of Pirates.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Bautista grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Paulino drew a no-out walk.  Morgan is pinch hitting for Marte, and Morgan popped out in shallow left.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 7th.  McLouth grounded to second, and Castillo tagged Paulino as he was running to second.  With Gomez in the batters box, Schoeneweis threw a passed ball.  Casanova threw the ball to Schoeneweis who tagged out Bautista as he was going home.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Gomez led off with a line drive into left field.  Sanchez pulled a no-out double down the left field line, and Gomez went from first to third.  Sanchez fanned Bay.  Nady drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Adam LaRoche drew a one-out walk to bring home Chris Gomez.  Bautista grounded to third, and Wright made the force out at home.  Paulino popped up to shallow right, and Castillo made the catch.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Doumit is pinch hitting for Grabow, and Doumit grounded to short.  Delgado couldn’t hold onto the catch from Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) so the Pirates have a leadoff runner on base (Bixler is pinch running for Doumit).  With McLouth in the batters box, Wagner threw a wild pitch so Bixler moved over to second.  Wagner got McLouth swinging at strike three.  Gomez grounded out to short as Bixler advanced to third.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single to the gap in right center, and Brian Bixler came home to tie up the game.  Wagner fanned Bay.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Top of the 10th, LaRoche hit a one-out opposite field double off of the wall in left field.  Bautista flied out to center.  Paulino grounded out to short to leave LaRoche standing on second.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 11th.  Gomez grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez popped up to shallow center, and Beltran made the catch.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

At the Plate

Ian Snell (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes dropped a bunt in front of home plate and beat out the throw for a leadoff single.  With Castillo at the plate, Paulino threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Castillo flied out to left.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first to leave Wright on base.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Snell retired the side in order.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Chavez flied out to center.  Santana flied out to right.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Pirates turned the double play to end the inning.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church tied up the game with a one-out 2-run homer to right scoring Carlos Beltran.  Delgado flied out to left.  Casanova grounded out to first to end the inning.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Chavez led off with a line drive to left.  Santana attempted to bunt on strike three, but he missed the ball.  Jose Reyes hit a one-out RBI triple off of the right field wall, and Endy Chavez came around to score.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  David Wright grounded to short, and Sanchez (Error on Freddy Sanchez) mishandled the throw from Gomez so everybody is safe and Jose Reyes scored.  Beltran drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Snell gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Snell left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Russell replaced Snell with Damaso Marte with one out in the Bottom of the 5th.  Marte caught Church staring at ball four which resulted in a strike out.  Marte fanned Delgado.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Marte worked a 1-2-3 inning.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Russell replaced Marte with Tyler Yates to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  Yates fanned Wright.  Beltran flied out to left near the line.  Church grounded out to second to leave two Mets on base.  Yates gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Russell replaced Yates with John Grabow to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Chavez lined a two-out single into shallow center.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Grabow fanned Pagan to end the inning.  Grabow gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Russell replaced Grabow with Franquelis Osoria to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Reyes led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Castillo dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright flied out to right, and Reyes stayed put.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave Reyes on base.  Osoria gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Osorio retired the side in order.  Osorio gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Russell replaced Osorio with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Chavez hit a broken bat single up the middle to give the Mets a leadoff runner.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Van Benschoten was called for a Balk so Chavez moved over to second base.  Anderson dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Chavez advanced to third.  Van Benschoten intentionally walked Reyes.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes went to second and it was called defensive indifference.  Castillo drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  The Wright Stuff crushed an opposite field single that hit right of the foul poul and fell in fair territory so Endy Chavez came home to score.  Van Benschoten gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 4 - New York Mets 5 (In 11).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Another game, another win.  Santana gave up two solo shots.  He threw a lot of pitches, and he only went 5.2 innings.  The Mets got off to a slow start tonight offensively.  Church tied up the game at 2 in the 4th.  Jose was on base 6 times tonight and went 3 for 6.  Endy was 3 for 5.  Wright was 0-4 before he hit the walkoff.  I wish that the Mets didn’t have to go to extra innings against the Pirates, but it is what it is.

The Metropolitans are 14-11 now.  The Mets will host the Pirates again tomorrow for a day game.  After that, they head out west.

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The good news is that I’m flying down to Charleston, SC for a wedding this weekend.  The bad news is that I won’t be able to cover the Mets-Braves series.  I’m a Rangers fan too so I’m going to miss a Braves-Mets series and Games 1 & 2 of the Rangers-Penguins series.  I set my DVR to record all of that except for Game 1 of the Rangers-Penguins series because it’s on Versus, and I don’t have it.  I’m also going to miss the NFL Draft.  Our output is going to be limited this weekend.  When I get home, I’m going to watch all the Mets-Braves series because I’d never miss it.

Here’s the probable pitching matchups:

• 04/25/2008 - Jair Jurrjens (2-2) - Mike Pelfrey (2-0)
• 04/26/2008 - Tim Hudson (3-1) - John Maine (1-2)
• 04/27/2008 - John Smoltz (3-1) - Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-1)

I’m not sure about tonight, but the pitching matchups looks like it’s in the Braves favor on Saturday and Sunday.

 Mets’ early lead disappears in D.C. - Anthony DiComo summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Mets hope to find groove vs. Braves - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Braves and the Mets.

Thumb infection hospitalizes Schneider - Anthony DiComo reported that Brian Schneider, “was hospitalized on Thursday with a left thumb infection and will remain in New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery overnight.”  DiComo also thinks that it is possible that Schneider may end up on the DL.  In the meantime, the Mets brought up Gustavo Molina as a backup catcher.

Mets treading lightly with Sanchez - Anthony DiComo pointed out that Duaner Sanchez has looked superb, but the Mets are mindful of his past injuries.

Wright’s Foundation continues to grow - Anthony DiComo tells us about the David Wright Foundation which serves children in NYC and Virginia.

Newsday:

Heilman allows slam as Mets fall to Nationals - David Lennon also summarized last night’s Mets-Nationals game.

Pelfrey’s mouthpiece a distraction for opponents - David Lennon lets us know why Mike Pelfrey wears a mouthpiece, and how it affects his opponents.

Ex-Met Milledge sits after arriving late for game - According to the AP, Lastings Milledge wouldn’t state why he was late for last night’s game.  Maybe MC Millidge was recording a new gansta rap song.  What a dusch bag.

Infected thumb lands Mets’ Schneider in hospital

Lack of save opportunities not fazing Wagner

New York Daily News:

Mets drop early lead, lose to Nationals - Adam Rubin put together a game recap for last night’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Harold Reynolds, Omar Minaya reunite

Brian Schneider’s thumb worsens

Joe Smith offers his own curses to Cubs fans - According to Adam Rubin, Joe Smith was swearing at Cubs fans this week, and it ended up on YouTube.

New York Times:

Against Nationals, Not Much Goes Right for the Mets

His Forearm Is Better, but Schneider Is Out With Infected Thumb

The Star-Ledger:

Heilman slammed as Mets end road trip with dud

Schneider spends night in hospital

Final: Nationals 10, Mets 5

Schneider hospitalized

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The New York Mets (10-9) are playing Game 20 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-15) at Nationals Park.  It’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Schneider, Santana.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Johnson, Kearns, Milledge, Pena, Nieves, Redding.

At the Plate

Tim Redding (3-1) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Redding sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 BBs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Beltran pulled a leadoff double into the right field corner.  Church grounded to first, and Johnson tagged first base as Beltran moved over to third.  Carlos Delgado hit an RBI ground out to second, and Carlos Beltran came home to score.  Pagan grounded out to first to end the inning.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana lined a one-out standup double over the head of Milledge.  Reyes flied out to left.  Redding caught Castillo looking at strike three to leave Santana standing on second.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Church grounded to first, and Johnson tagged first as Beltran advanced to second.  Delgado grounded out to second to leave Beltran on second.  Redding gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Santana also drew a one-out walk.  Reyes grounded to short, and Guzman only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes stole second safely.  Luis Castillo hit a chopper towards second base, and Castillo beat out the throw to first as Brian Schneider came home to score and Reyes advanced to third.  Wright grounded out to short to leave runners on the corners.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Beltran lined a leadoff single into left.  Redding gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Redding left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Acta replaced Redding with Ray King after facing one batter in the Top of the 6th.  Church grounded a slow spinning ball to third, and Zimmerman (2 Base Error on Ryan Zimmerman) made a bad throw to first so Church ended up on third and Carlos Beltran came around to score.  Delgado popped up in foul territory along the third base line, and Zimmerman made the out.  Angel Pagan grounded towards first base, and King hit Pagan with the throw to first so he was safe and Ryan Church scored.  With Schneider at the plate, Pagan stole second.  Then Pagan stole third.  Brian Schneider grounded to the pitcher, and the ball deflected off of King’s glove and landed in Guzman’s glove.  Guzman made the out at first as Angel Pagan came home to score.  Santana pulled the ball into the right field corner for his second standup double of the night.  King gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Saul Rivera with two outs in the Top of the 6th.  Reyes grounded out to third to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Rivera gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Rivera with Joel Hanrahan to begin the Top of the 8th.  Delgado grounded a one-out single to deep short.  Pagan flied out to left.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Santana, and Anderson flied out to left to end the inning.  Schneider lined a single into center, and Delgado went first to third.  Hanrahan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Harahan with Jesus Colome to begin the Top of the 9th.  Colome fanned Reyes on three pitches.  Castillo lined a one-out single into right.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first, and Castillo advanced to third and Wright to second.  Ryan Church lined a two-out 2-run single over the head of Kearns in right which scored Luis Castillo and David Wright.  Delgado lined out to left to end the inning.  Colome gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Guzman lined a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Zimmerman flied out to the warning track in left.  Johnson grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pena grounded hard to third, but he beat out the throw by Wright for a two-out single.  Nieves grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Pena advanced to second.  Santana fanned Redding to leave two Nationals stranded.  Santana gave 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Guzman lined a one-out single over the head of Reyes and into left field.  Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Guzman moved over to second.  Santana caught Johnson staring at strike three to leave Guzman on second.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pena lined a two-out single into left field.  Nieves lined a two-out single into right, and Pena moved over to third.  Tim Redding drove a two-out 2-run double that one-hopped the wall in left center scoring Wily Mo Pena and Wil Nieves.  Lopez grounded out to second to leave Redding standing on second.  Santana gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Santana pitched his first 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Santana retired the side again.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Boone is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Boone drew a one-out walk.  Lopez grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Sanchez sent the Nationals down in order.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Kearns drew a leadoff walk.  Wagner struck out Milledge on three straight pitches.  Pena flied out to center.  With Nieves in the batters box, Kearns stole second.  Wagner fanned Nieves.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 7 - Washington Nationals 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (3-2) got the win and Ted Lilly (3-2) got the loss.

The stopper, Santana, did his job tonight by holding the Nats to 2 runs.  The 3-game losing streak is over, and the Mets have a chance to sweep this mini-series before coming home to battle the Braves over the weekend.  Santana pitched 7 innings so Willie didn’t have to make 4 pitching changes in an inning.  Sanchez and Wagner put up O’s in the eigth and ninth.  Beltran was smoking hot tonight.  Castillo had two hits tonight.  One of them didn’t really count as a hit, but the other was a line drive to right.  I tought when Castillo lined out to center was his best hit of the night, but it was caught by Milledge because Milledge was playing shallow.  Church had two hits as well.  So did Santana…2 standup doubles baby.  Pay your respects to him.

The Mets are 11-9 now.  I’m just waiting for them to get on a roll.

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The New York Mets (10-7) are playing Game 18 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Chicago Cubs (12-6) at Wrigley Field.  It’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

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

Cubs Lineup: Johnson, Fontenot, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, DeRosa, Soto, Cedeno, Zambrano.

At the Plate

Carlos Zambrano (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Cubs.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes dumped a leadoff single into left field.  Castillo grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright worked himself into a full count before staring at strike three.  Beltran grounded to short, and Cedeno made the out at first to leave a runner at second.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Casanova struck out swinging as Church attempted to steal third, but Soto threw out Church to end the inning.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Zambrano quickly retired the side.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Wright grounded to third, and the Cubs turned the double play.  Beltran popped up to third, and Ramirez made the catch.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Delgado led off by lining a single into center.  Church grounded to second, and Fontenot only made the force out at second on the double play attempt.  Casanova grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first and then got the Cubs got Delgado out in a rundown.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Chavez led off with a standup double off the wall in left center.  Maine dropped down a sacrifice bunt in front of home plate, and Soto threw to third but Ramirez didn’t tag Chavez at third so everybody is safe.  Reyes grounded to short, and the Cubs turned the double play as Endy Chavez came home to score.  Castillo grounded to third and beat out the throw by Ramirez for a two-out single.  With Wright in the batters box, Castillo stole second safely.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran lined out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Zambrano gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Zambrano sent the Mets down in order.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Zambrano left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Piniella replaced Zambrano with Carlos Marmol to begin the Top of the 8th.  Marmol retired the side in order.  Marmol gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Piniella replaced Marmol with Kerry Wood to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wood pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Wood gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Field

John Maine (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Johnson grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  With Fontenot at the plate, Casanova threw out Johnson as he attempted to steal second base.  Maine fanned Fontenot.  Lee flied out to right to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Ramirez drew a leadoff walk.  Fukudome flied out to shallow center.  DeRosa popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch.  Soto grounded slowly in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Cedeno grounded out to second.  Maine fanned Zambrano.  Maine hit Johnson with the pitch in the left arm.  Fonteno grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to leave on Cub on base.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lee lined a leadoff single into center.  Aramis Ramirez drove a 2-run homer to left center scoring Derrek Lee.  Fukudome grounded out to short.  DeRosa grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Maine got Soto swinging at strike three.  Cedeno flied out to left to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Maine walked Fontenot on four pitches to give the Cubs a two-out runner.  Lee grounded to third, and Wright got the lead runner at second to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Ramirez grounded out to third.  Fukudome lined a one-out single into left.  Maine struck out DeRosa on a check swing.  With Soto at the plate, Maine threw a wild pitch so Fukudome moved over to second.  Maine got Soto staring at strike three to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Cedeno grounded to third, but the ball bobbled in Wright’s (Error on David Wright) hand so Cedeno beat out the throw to first.  Ward is pinch hitting for Zambrano, and Ward grounded to third and Wright made the out at first while Cedeno moved over to second.  Johnson also grounded to third, and Wright held Cedeno at second before making the out at first.  Fontenot grounded out to second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Lee led off by grounding to short, but Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) mishandled the ball so Lee beat out the play.  Heilman hit Ramirez with the pitch.  Fukudome grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side to load the bases.  Heilman fanned DeRosa.  Soto popped up to second.  Ronny Cedeno lined a 2-run single up the middle scoring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Fukudome advanced to second.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 4 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Felix Pie broke the game open by crushing a 3-run shot to right scoring Kosuke Fukudome and Ronny Cedeno.  Johnson grounded out to third to end the inning after the Cubs put a 5-spot on the scoreboard.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Chicago Cubs 7.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine took the loss while Carlos Zambrano got the win.

I hate when the Mets face a pitcher like Zambrano did tonight.  Carlos pitched 7 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits.  Maine pitched a pretty good game.  John gave up 2 runs over 6 innings, and gave up 5 hits.  One of the hits was a two-run jack.  So the Mets dropped 2 consecutive games right now.  They have to wake up early tomorrow to play a day game.  Figueroa will make his first start as a Met away from Shea.

The Mets are 10-8 now.  It seems like the NL is playing them tough this year.  They need to put their foot down on the NL already.

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The New York Mets (9-6) are playing Game 16 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies (8-9) at Citizens Bank Park.  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, Church, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Pagan, Schneider, Castillo, Perez.

Phillies Lineup: Taguchi, Werth, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Coste, Bruntlett, Moyer.

At the Plate

Jamie Moyer (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes hit the first pitch down the left field line for a standup double.  Church lined the ball to right, but Taguchi dropped the ball so Church ended up with a no-out single and Reyes held up at second.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole third without a throw.  David Wright hit a 2-run gaper to right center for a no-out double scoring Jose Reyes and Ryan Church.  Beltran popped up to second.  Delgado grounded out to first, and Wright moved over to third.  Pagan grounded out to third to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a single through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Castillo worked the count full before grounded to second, and the Phillies turned the double play.  Perez blooped an opposite field single.  Reyes flied out to left center to leave Perez stranded.  Moyer gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Wright grounded a one-out single to short that went under the legs the diving Bruntlett.  With Beltran in the batters box, Coste threw out Wright as he attempted to steal second.  Beltran grounded towards first, and Moyer fielded the ball and flipped it to Howard to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Moyer sent the Mets down in order.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Perez drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Reyes flied out to left center, and Werth made the catch.  Church lined a two-out single into left center, and Perez moved over to second.  Wright lined out to center to leave two Mets stranded.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Moyer pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Moyer left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Manuel replaced Moyer with Ryan Madson to begin the Top of the 7th.  Schneider grounded out to first.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Chavez grounded to first and Howard bobbled the ball so he could only make the out at first as Castillo moved over to second.  Jose Reyes jacked a two-out 2-run shot to right scoring Luis Castillo and himself.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Madson gave up 1 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Madson retired the side in order.  Madson gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Madson left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Manuel replaced Madson with Chad Durbin to begin the Top of the 9th.  Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Castillo grounded a one-out single up the middle and Schneider moved over to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Anderson grounded to the pitcher but the Phillies turned the double play to leave two Mets on base.  Durbin gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez quickly retired the top of the lineup in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez struck out Howard and Burrell before giving up a two-out walk to Feliz .  Coste lined a single into left field, and Feliz advanced to second.  Bruntlett popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch to leave two Phillies stranded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Taguchi grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Werth flied out to right.  Utley drew a two-out walk.  Perez caught Howard looking at strike three to leave to runners on.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Coste drew a two-out walk.  Bruntlett grounded to third, and Wright made the force play at second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Taguchi grounded to the pitcher, and the ball bounced off of Perez towards second so Taguchi beat out the play for a one-out single (Randolph and the trainor came out to the mound to check on Perez).  Perez got Werth swinging at strike three.  Utley lined a two-out single into center, and Taguchi went first to third.  Howard flied out to left to leave runners on the corners.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Feliz drew a one-out walk.  Coste grounded to short, and Reyes got the out at second but Coste beat out the play at first on the double play attempt.  With Bruntlett in the batters box, Perez threw a wild pitch so Coste advanced to second.  After 13 pitches, Bruntlett drew a two-out walk.  Rollins is pinch hitting for Moyer, and Rollins .  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound to make a pitching change.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Duaner Sanchez with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Rollins grounded out to first to leave two Phillies stranded.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chase Utley pulled a two-out home run to left.  Schoeneweis fanned Howard.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Burrell drew a leadoff walk.  Feliz grounded out to third as Burrell moved over to second.  Dobbs is pinch hitting for Coste.  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound for a pitching change.  Smith gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Dobbs worked the count full prior to dropping a pop up into shallow center for a one-out single, and Burrell advanced to third.  Bruntlett drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Ruiz is pinch hitting for Madson, and Carlos Ruiz lined an RBI single into left scoring Pat Burrell.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Taguchi, and Heilman fanned Jenkins after falling behind 3-1.  Then Heilman got Werth to strike out leaving the bases juiced like Scott Schoeneweis.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Wagner came in and slammed the door on the Phillies.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 4 - Philadelphia Phillies 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-0) got the win and Jamie Moyer (1-1) got the loss.

Before I talk about the Mets, I would like to thank FOX for not making us suffer through another game having to listen to Joe Morgan.  We had to listen to him two weeks ago, and that was more than enough for the season.

Back to the Mets…They are on a roll now.  They already took the series from the Phillies down in Philly.  Tomorrow, Mike Pelfrey will face Adam Eaton as the Mets have the opportunity to sweep their second divisional foe in row.  The Mets now won the first two series against the Phillies in ‘08.  That’s awesome.  The Mets also won their fifth straight game today so they finish the day with a 10-6 record.  We have to start giving some props.  Mr. Wright continues to drive in half of the runs each day.  Props to Willie for trying not to put in Heilman because Mets fans don’t want to see him, but it backfired on him.  Heilman ended up striking out two batters in a row to get out of a bases loaded jam.  So props to Heilman.  Reyes has been on fire since Beltran’s little pep talk.  Church has done a great job batting in to two spot.  The starters have been really good this year also.  The Bullpen seems like it has gotten better than early on, but they still need to improve.  Beltran and Delgado are struggling.  Pagan’s hot streak has diminished.

The Mets have quickly turned the tide on the Phils.  They are now on a 4-game winning streak against them.  I do have to point out that they haven’t been at full strenght.  Rollins hasn’t played in four out of five games.  Victorino hasn’t played in most of the games.  Howard is batting .182.  The Mets stuck it to them when they were down, but it will be more difficult when they are healthy.  For now, great job by the Mets.  Hopefully, we’ll see another sweep tomorrow.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 14 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  It’s the final game of the three-game series, and the Mets have the opportunity to take the brooms out tonight.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.Nationals Lineup: Guzman, Belliard, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Pena, Nieves, Lannan.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Delgado, Pagan, Clark, Casanova, Castillo, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Belliard drew a one-out walk before Figueroa had back-to-back strike outs to Zimmerman and Johnson.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the Nats down in order.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Zimmerman grounded to first, but it bounced off of Maine and towards Reyes so Zimmerman beat out the play for an one-out single.  Johnson crushed a one-out 2-run homer over the right field fence scoring Zimmerman and himself.  Milledge dropped a one-out single into shallow right field.  Kearns grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first but Milledge took off for third so Delgado threw the ball to Wright and Milledge slid in safely.  Pena popped up to third to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Lannan lined the ball to the pitcher, and Figueroa caught the line drive with his back to the plate (It was beautiful).  Figueroa sent the Nationals down 1-2-3.  Nieves gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pena drew a two-out walk.  Nieves flied out to right.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman retired the side.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner retired the side.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 10th.  Nieves drew a two-out walk.  Harris flied out to center.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Top of the 11th, Guzman lined to third but the ball bounced off of Wright’s glove so the Nationals have a leadoff runner.  Belliard bunted in foul territory and Casanova dove for it to make the catch.  Sanchez got Zimmerman to chase strike three.  Sanchez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Milledge grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to leave two Nationals stranded.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Kearns got hit with a pitch to give the Nationals a leadoff runner.  With Lopez in the batters box, Smith pitched out and Casanova threw it to Reyes as Kearns was stealing.  Reyes and Delgado got Kearns in  rundown and eventually out.  Lopez grounded out to second.  Smith struck out Nieves trying to check his swing.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 12th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 13th.  Harris flied out to right.  Guzman grounded out to short.  Belliard drew a two-out walk.  Zimmerman lined a single into center, and Belliard advanced to second.  Johnson popped up to shallow center to leave two Nationals on base.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 13th Inning.  In the Top of the 14th, Kearns lined a one-out single into right field.  Hanrahan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Sosa made the out at first and Kearns moved over to second.  Sosa fanned Nieves to leave one National on base.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 14th Inning.

At the Plate

John Lannan (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes grounded up the middle for a leadoff single.  Church hit a fly ball to deep left, and Pena got his glove on the ball but couldn’t hold onto it so Church ended up with a no-out RBI double and Reyes came around to score.  Wright lined out to third.  Then Lannan fanned Delgado and Pagan to leave one runner stranded.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Lannan sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Lannan retired the side.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lanned now retired 12 Mets in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lannan is up to 15 in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes lined one-out single into right.  Lannan fanned Church.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Lannan left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 11 SOs.

Acta replaced Lannan with Saul Rivera to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Delgado drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan lined a no-out single into right as Delgado advanced to second.  Clark dropped down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, and both runners moved over.  Casanova lined out to third.  Castillo grounded out to third to leave two runners stranded.  Rivera gave up 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Church grounded to second, and Belliard (Error on Belliard) couldn’t field the ball so Church arrived safely to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run (Unearned), 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Acta gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th.

Acta replaced Rivera with Jon Rauch with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Delgado lined a two-out RBI single into right field which scored Church and moved Wright over to second.  Rauch caught Pagan looking at strike three to leave two Mets stranded.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Castillo lined a two-out single near the left field line.  With Beltran in the batters box, Castillo stole second.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.  Rauch left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Acta replaced Rauch with Jesus Colome to begin the Bottom of the 10th.  Church drew a one-out walk.  Wright hit a sacrifice fly to center field as Church advanced to second.  Colome intentionally walked Delgado before Pagan lined out to second leaving two Mets stranded.  Colome gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 11th, Chavez grounded a leadoff single to short because Guzman couldn’t field it cleanly.  With Casanova in the batters box, Colome threw a pitch out and Nieves caught Chavez stealing second.  Colome fanned Casanova.  Castillo grounded to first to end the inning.  Colome gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 11th Inning.  Colome left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Colome with Ray King to begin the Bottom of the 12th.  Easley led off by grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher for a single and Easley advanced to second.  Church also bunted to the pitcher, and King made the force out at third (Willie Randolph came out to argue the call).  King gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Joel Hanrahan with one out in the Bottom of the 12th.  Wright grounded out to short, and the Nationals turned the double play to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 13th, Sosa drew a one-out walk.  Chavez also drew a one-out walk.  Hanrahan caught Casanova looking at strike three.  Castillo lined out to short to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 13th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led of grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes popped up a bunt, and Hanrahan made the catch.  With Church in the batters box, Easley took off for second as Church swung at srike two and Easley was safe.  With Church in the batters box, Hanrahan attempted to pick off Easley but the ball went into left field so Easley advanced to third.  Church worked himself into a 2-2 count before striking out.  Wright worked himself into a 2-1 count before drawing an intentional walk.  Hanrahan intentionally walked Delgado to load the bases to get to the pitcher.  Schneider came in to pinch hit for Sosa, and Hanrahan threw a wild pitch on the first pitch to Schneider which brought Easley home to score.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 2 - New York Mets 3 (in 14).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Both starting pitchers got a no decision.

WOW!  Now that’s an extra innings game worth watching.  Both starters, Lannan and Figueroa pitched really good games.  Lannan got on a roll and retired 16 in a row.  The Bullpens got in and out of jams until the Bottom of the 14th.  Both teams left runners on base in multiple innings.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led off with a single to left.  The Nats made two blunders which moved Easley to third.  Two intentional walks to Wright and Delgado.  With the bases loaded, Hanrahan throws a wild pitch on the first pitch to bring Easley home.  That’s what led to a sweep over the Nationals.  It was crazy.

So the Mets are 7-5 now.  They play the Phillies this weekend down in Philadelphia.  It’s late and I have to wake up early.  Good night.

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The Mets cruised right through the game against the Nats last night, and they are doing the same thing to the Nats tonight.  The big question is…where is Lo Duca?  Lo Duca has been talking smack about the Mets to the media down in D.C.  Lo Duca hasn’t been able to play because something’s wrong with his hand.  The New York media interviewed him multiple times, and Paul only had good things to say about the Mets.  That means he’s a punk because he says different things to the media in different cities.  Does he think that the news in D.C. doesn’t end up here?  If a person has a point of view then it should be consistent.

 Castillo seeking a breather - Marty Noble reported that Luis Castillo was dropped to 8th in the lineup because he’s not 100% healthy yet.

Mets roll on encouraging night at Shea - Marty Noble tells us how well the Mets played last night.

Sanchez ready for more game action - Marty Noble created a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Robinson’s legacy celebrated at Shea - Barry M. Bloom tells us how the Mets celebrated Jackie Robinson Day last night at Shea.

Newsday:

Pelfrey’s arm, Wright’s bat propel Mets past Nats - David Lennon summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Dad falls to death from Shea Stadium escalator - John Valenti reported that, ”a Brooklyn man died after a 4-story fall from an escalator at Shea Stadium in Flushing on Tuesday. Police sources said Wednesday that the man may have been “surfing” or “sliding” on the railing of the escalator when he fell. A New York City Police Department spokesman said Wednesday he could not confirm that — but said it was one of the angles detectives would be investigating.”  That is an awful story.  Poor man.  May he rest in peace.

Healthy Sanchez closes out Nationals - David Lennon lets us know what he thought of Duaner Sanchez’s relief appearance last night.

Ex-Mets Milledge, Lo Duca have quiet return

Booing at Shea stems from 2007 fears

New York Daily News:

On Jackie Robinson night, David Wright and Mike Pelfrey lead Mets over Nats - Adam Rubin also summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets fan who tumbled from escalator ‘had so much to look forward to’

Mets fan dies in escalator fall at Shea

Paul Lo Duca returns to Shea, but mouth is missing for a change - Thank God.

Mets unveil designs for Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field - Mark Lelinwalla discussed when the Mets unveiled the design for the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field last night during the pregame ceremony.

Duaner Sanchez returns in style

Pedro’s aiming for May return

Age and memories add to Mets’ malaise - Adam Rubin feels like, “Last season’s aftertaste is still strong with Met fans, who booed Johan Santana on Saturday.”

New York Post:

PELF-ESTEEM GETS BOOST

JACKIE ROTUNDA A PLACE TO DREAM

CASTILLO ACHING FOR REST

SANCHEZ SHARP IN RETURN

METS BEAT NATIONALS 6-0 ON STRONG START BY MIKE PELFREY - Bart Hubbuch also summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

LO DUCA WANTS METS ‘TO LOSE EVERY GAME’

New York Times:

Rare Encouraging Note for Mets

Main Gate to Citi Field a Tribute to Robinson

Mets Happy That Reyes and His Energy Are Back

The Star-Ledger:

Where did everybody go? - Jeremy Cothran stated that the press box at Shea is empty tonight.  They are probably at The Garden for Game 4 of the Devils-Rangers series.

Game 13: Nationals at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Sanchez finally returns to pen

Pelfrey puts a happy spin on the rotation

Fan Base on the Brink

Thoughts on Mets-Nats - Dan Graziano provides his thoughts on last night’s game.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 12 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

It was Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball.  The Mets announced those nominated by the Jackie Robinson Foundation.  Then the Mets unveiled that Jackie Robinson Rotunda for the fans at Shea Stadium.  Last, Rachel Robinson spoke on behalf of her late husband.

Nationals Lineup: Guzman, Milledge, Zimmerman, Johnson, Kearns, Estrada, Pena, Belliard, Perez.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Pagan, Schneider, Castillo, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Milledge got lined a one-out double into the left field corner.  With Zimmerman in the batters box, Schneider threw out Milledge attempting to steal third.  Zimmerman lined out to center to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Johnson grounded a single through the hole on the right side.  Kearns grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Pelfrey hit Estrada with a pitch to give the Nationals a two-out base runner.  Pena grounded out to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Belliard grounded up the middle for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped a bunt in front of home plate, and Schneider got the lead runner at second but Perez arrived safely at first.  Guzman hit a broken bat flair into left for a one-out single as Perez advanced to second.  Milledge drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Zimmerman popped up to second.  Pelfrey fanned Johnson to get out of a bases loaded jam.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Pelfrey retired the side in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Perez lined a one-out single to right.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets only got the out at first on the double play attempt.  Pelfrey caught Milledge swinging at strike three.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first while Johnson moved over to second.  Estrada grounded out to second to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pelfrey had a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after picthing 7.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Guzman led off by lining a double into the right field corner.  Heilman fanned Milledge.  Zimmerman popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the out.  With Johnson in the batters box, Heilman threw a passed ball to Schneider and Guzman advanced to third.  Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright made the force at second to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 9th.  Johnson lined out to second.  Pena grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Sanchez caught Belliard swinging at strike three.  Mackowiak is pinch hitting for Hanrahan, and Mackowiak grounded out to first to end the game.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Odalis Perez (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes lined a leadoff single through the hole on the left side.  With Church in the batters box, Perez threw to first as Reyes took off for second.  Johnson threw it over to Belliard to pick Reyes off.  Church lined a one-out single into center.  Wright belted a 2-Run homer to left scoring Church and himself.  Perez fanned Beltran.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Pagan grounded out to third 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, Perez got the bottom of the lineup to ground out.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes led off with a gaper to to left center for a double.  Church dropped a bunt down the first base line, and Perez made the out at first as Reyes moved over to third.  Wright drew a no-out walk.  Beltran grounded to short, and the Nationals turned the double play to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan lined a one-out single to right.  Schneider grounded to first, and Guzman tagged first for one out and threw to Belliard but Pagan was safe at second.  Castillo drew an intentional walk.  Guzman fanned Pelfrey to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Reyes led off with a triple that was halfway up the wall in left field (Reyes is a HR away from the cycle).  Perez got Church to strike out swinging.  Wright grounded out to third, and Zimmerman was able to hold Reyes at third before making the out at first.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Delgado was hit by the pitch by Perez which loaded the bases.  Pagan lined out to left to leave the bases loaded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Acta replaced Perez with Ray King to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes led off by lining to short, but Guzman (Error on Guzman) dropped the catch and then threw it off the bag at first so Reyes advanced to second.  Church grounded out to first as Reyes moved over to third.  King gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Luis Ayala with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Wright pulled a one-out RBI double down the left field line scoring Reyes.  Beltran lined a one-out RBI single into left which brought Wright around to score.  Delgado popped up to second.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Schneider grounded out to third to end the inning.  Ayala gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Joel Hanrahan to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Castillo stole second while Anderson was in the batters box.  Anderson grounded out to first, and Castillo moved over to third.  Hanrahan caught Reyes at a high fast ball to strike him out.  Church drew a two-out walk.  Wright crushed a two-out 2-Run double to left center which scored Castillo and Church.  Hanrahan fanned Beltran to get out of the inning.  Hanrahn gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 0 - New York Mets 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (2-0) got the win and Odalis Perez (0-3) got the loss.

Pelfrey pitched seven innings of shutout ball which was crucial.  He got into some jams, but got out of them.  Heilman pitched a scoreless inning before Sanchez pitched for the first time in over 2 years.  Sanchez pitched a scoreless inning as well.  The Mets got in base, but Wright was the only one driving them in.  Wright drove in 5 of the 6 runs himself.  I guess we would’ve won this game 1-0 if he wasn’t in the lineup.  Beltran had the only other RBI tonight.  A 6-0 win over the Nats is great.  The fans booed Milledge, but Lo Duca didn’t play tonight.

The Mets are back to .500 with a 6-6 record.  They have two more games against the Nats before they go down to Philly for a weekend series.

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The Nationals are coming to Flushing for a three-game set.  Today is MLB’s Jackie Robinson Day so the Mets will wear No. 42 tonight.  The Mets need to sweep the Nats this week.  Here’s the probable pitching matchups for the series.

• 04/15/2008 - Odalis Perez (0-2) - Mike Pelfrey (1-0)
• 04/16/2008 - Matt Chico (0-2) - John Maine (0-1)
• 04/17/2008 - John Lannan (0-2) - Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0)

Robinson Rotunda unveiled by Mets - Barry M. Bloom wrote “Rachel Robinson took her first look at the high vaulted ceiling and circular architecture of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field on Tuesday and said “it was like walking into a cathedral.”"

Newsday:

Mets’ Randolph keeps Pagan’s start in perspective - Roderick Boone captured Willie Randolph’s thoughts about Angel Pagan, “He’s still a nice player, but let’s not get crazy. I hope he stays this way all year long. But he came in here as our fourth outfielder, and when your backup guys come in and really do a job for you, you love that kind of thing.”

After “Late Night,” Mets’ Wright voices concerns - Katie Strang tells us what David Wright had to say about the Mets slow start during his appearance on “Late Show With David Letterman”.

Money not buying happiness for Yankees, Mets

New York Daily News:

Ryan Church, Brian Schneider fitting in fine with struggling Mets

Met family mourns Tommy Holmes

It’s a funny thing, David Wright has blast with David Letterman

Duaner Sanchez finally coming back - Adam Rubin reported that Duaner Sanchez is expected to rejoin the Mets today.

New York Post:

METS PUSH BACK PEDRO’S RETURN

PAGAN’S BUBBLE IS ABOUT TO POP

New York Times:

Fans Have Not Forgotten, or Forgiven, the Mets

The Star-Ledger:

Shhh….Don’t tell them anything… - Dan Graziano tells us that Willie is shaking up the lineup tonight.

David Wright on David Letterman

Mets running on backup power - Brendan Prunty gives props to the bench players that have filled in and done a great job.

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The Mets are still hosting their 9-game home stand.  I wanted to see where they were after this 9-game home stand after playing two NL East rivals and one NL team.  The first two series are over, and the Mets won the series over the Phillies and they lost the series to the Brewers.  So the Mets are 3-3 on this home stand so far.  The Nationals are the last team coming to Queens during this home stand.  The Nats are not supposed to be a good team, but as we saw last September they are a pesky group.  On top of that, the trades and free agent signings between the two teams during the offseason may make this series all the more interesting.  We’ll see how Mets fans welcome Lo Duca and Milledge.  I expect all boos, and would be shocked otherwise.  We’ll see how they perform against their former team.  The Mets need to win this series.  They need to make Shea home, and have a really good record at home because they haven’t the past few seasons.  Let’s go Mets!

 Mailbag: Should Nos. 17, 18 be retired? - Marty Noble answers questions submitted by Mets fans.

Holmes, former outfielder, dies at 91 - The AP reported that “Tommy Holmes, an outfielder for the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 1950s, died on Monday. He was 91.”  Holmes died of natural causes.  Tommy also worked for the Mets as the director of ameteur baseball relations from 1973-2003.  May he Rest in Peace.

Church, Schneider take on ex-mates - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tomorrow’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.  DiComo pointed out that Ryan Church and Brian Schneider will be facing their former team.  On the Nationals, the immature Lastings Milledge and the steroid Paul Lo Duca will be facing their former team.  All four of these guys will play like they have something to prove in this series.

Newsday:

Self-defeating Mets waste lead, lose to Brewers

These Mets won’t rant and rave over losing a game

Mets’ Schneider gets 3 hits, needs bigger glove - Roderick Boone pointed out that Schneider had 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and he watched his pitchers throw 3 wild pitches during yesterday’s game against the Brewers.  Boone is confused because this is supposed to be a defensive catcher without a good batting average.

Duaner Sanchez nearly ready to return to Mets - Anthony Rieber also covered the status of Duaner Sanchez which Mets.com covered yesterday.

New York Daily News:

It seems to be getting late early around Shea for Mets

Oliver Perez’s early troubles a bad sign

Moises Alou to play rehab game - Adam Rubin reported that, “Moises Alou’s recovery from March 6 hernia surgery has progressed so well that he’s expected to play in a rehab game in Port St. Lucie by this weekend.”  That’s great news.  The faster Alou gets back, the better.  Pagan has done a great job, and he will probably become the 4th outfielder.

Paul Lo Duca: Boo, Mets! - The steroid using Lo Duca said this about the Mets, “I want them to lose every game.”  Keep crying Paul.  Wish that the Mets lose every game, and I wish that the Shea Faithful boo you right out of Flushing.  This guy went from being my favorite Met player to the biggest bum.  His issues are his issues.  He doesn’t need to bash his former team for what he did wrong.  Have some class.

New York Post:

DOUBLED UP & ‘WAUK-ED ON

SLOPPY PLAY, ATTITUDES

MOTA HEARS BOOS, THEN CLOSES DOOR - The other steroid user that the Mets got rid of, Guillermo Mota, got into trouble yesterday, but got out of the jam.

CLARK ADMITS COSTLY MISTAKE - Players should be accountable for what they do so I give Brady Clark credit for stating he made a mistake in yesterday’s game against the Brewers.  However, there were so many mistakes yesterday.  Add’em all up and the Mets win the game.  I’m still waiting for the Mets to tell me what happened to Reyes last season, and what’s wrong with him now.  Last season, it was a “slump” and that was about all they said.

New York Times:

Pérez Falters, and Mets Go Along for the Slide

The Star-Ledger:

Fan Blogger: You can’t boo Santana

Mets lose to Brewers, 9-7

Reyes hoping off-day helps heal hamstring

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