Die Hard Mets Fan

I thought the Mets had this game locked early on until the Reds took an 8-6 lead in the Bottom of the 7th. The Mets looked so flat in the 8th so I began to think that the winning streak was coming to an end. Jose Reyes struck out to begin the 9th Inning which wasn’t a good sign. All of a sudden, Argenis Reyes came in and got a pinch hit single. David Wright hit a 2-run dinger that barely made it over the right field wall to tie the game at 8-8. Beltran singled, and then Easley singled so Beltran went first-to-third. Carlos Delgado hit an opposite field RBI single to give the Mets a one-run lead. Fernando Tatis lined a two-out RBI double into the corner in left field to give the Mets a 10-8 lead after the rally came to an end. In the Bottom of the 9th, Billy Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 inning to seal the deal which extended the winning streak to 10 games. The 10-game winning streak tied a club record. Let’s see if the Mets can set a new record tomorrow.

Final: New York Mets 10 - Cincinnati Reds 8.

PS - The Mets are in a 1st Place tie with the Phils. (52-44)

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The Mets pulled off the victory and won the series which is great.  They are on a nice little hot streak, and I hope it continues.  The Amazin’s had to trave down to San Diego for a 4-game series which I’m looking forward to.  Here’s the probable pitching matchups for the series:

• 06/05/2008 - Mike Pelfrey (2-6) - Josh Banks (2-0)
• 06/06/2008 - Johan Santana (7-3) - Randy Wolf (3-4)
• 06/07/2008 - Oliver Perez (4-4) - Cha Seung Baek (1-2)
• 06/08/2008 - Pedro Martinez (1-0) - Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2)

 Maine unsinkable in series finale - Marty Noble summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

With spot secure, Pelfrey marches on - Jon Blau wrote a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Padres.

Pedro’s progress: Righty regains health - Marty Noble pointed out that Pedro Martinez feels no soreness after tossing six frames on Tuesday.  It made me happy that Petey got to pitch until Willie pulled him rather than having to leave the game due to an injury.  Hopefully he’ll be able to make at least a few starts.

Alou unlikely to return before homestand - Moises Alou said, “The way they do things here, trying to be extra careful, it’s probably going to be when we get back.”

Newsday:

Mets top Giants behind Reyes homer, Maine - David Lennon also summarized yesterday’s Mets-Giants game.

Mets’ Pedro feeling just fine day after start

Could the Mets have used Tatis last year? - Ken Davidoff pointed out that, “Fernando Tatis has already won two games for the Mets this season, during a time that Willie Randolph’s club desperately needed some victories. You can’t help but wonder if Tatis could have been helpful at a similar time - last September.”

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what took place at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium on June 5 of a year in the past.

New York Daily News:

Jose Reyes comes through for Mets in 5-3 win over Giants - Adam Rubin wrote up a game summary for yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

Frank Robinson says Willie Randolph erred on timing, not on race point

Pedro Martinez ‘not even sore’ on day after victorious return

New York Post:

REYES OF LIGHT - Bart Hubbuch stated that Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran helped fuel the resurgent Mets.

MARTINEZ OK AFTER OUTING

METS DEFEAT GIANTS, 5-3 - Bart Hubbuch summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

New York Times:

Mets and Reyes Changing Attitudes and Getting Results - Ben Shpigel summarized yesterday’s Mets-Giants game.

Martínez Feels Fine but Keeps Outlook Day to Day

The Star-Ledger:

Pedro feels fine after long start

Mets eat up another series - Jeremy Cothran pointed out that the Mets have won their third consecutive series.

Final: Mets 5, Giants 3 - Jeremy Cothran wrote up a game summary for yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Giants.

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The New York Mets (28-28) are playing Game 57 of the 2008 Regular Season against the San Francisco Giants (25-33) at AT&T Park.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 10:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Easley, Wright, Beltran, Church, Tatis, Delgado, Castro, Martinez.

Giants Lineup: Lewis, Durham, Winn, Molina, Rowand, Bowker, Aurilia, Vizquel, Zito.

At the Plate

Barry Zito (1-8) was the starting pitcher for the Giants.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes grounded to third but Aurilia (Error on Rich Aurilia) misfielded the ball so Reyes ended up on first giving the Mets a leadoff runner.  Easley lined a no-out single into center, and Reyes went first to third.  David Wright hit a sacrifice fly to right which scored Jose Reyes.  Beltran grounded to short, and turned the inning ending double play.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Tatis drove a one-out double to the gap in left center.  Delgado worked the count full before lining out to left.  Zito intentionally walked Castro.  Martinez grounded to short, and Vizquel tagged second to end the inning leaving runners on first and second.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Easley lined a one-out single into center.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran popped up along the first base line, and Molina made the out.  Church flied out to left to end the inning leaving runners on first and second.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Castro lined out to left.  Martinez grounded a two-out single up the middle, and Delgado advance to second.  Reyes grounded to third, and Aurilia tagged third to end the inning leaving two Mets stranded.  Zito gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Easley drew a leadoff walk.  Wright grounded a on-out single through the hole on the left side, and Easley went to second.  Carlos Beltran lined a no-out RBI double down the left field line which scored Damion Easley, and Wright went from first to third.  Ryan Church hit a sacrifice fly to center which scored David Wright, and Beltran tagged up and went to third.  Tatis drew a one-out walk.  Carlos Delgado grounded to short, but Vizquel tried to tag second himself but Tatis was already there and then the throw to first was not in time so everybody is safe.  Zito gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Zito left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 6 Runs, 5 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Bochy replaced Zito with Vinnie Chulk with one out in the Top of the 5th.  Ramon Castro lined a single into shallow right center which scored Carlos Beltran, and everyone moved up a base.  Pedro Martinez lined an RBI single over the head of Durham which scored Fernando Tatis, and everyone is safe.  Jose Reyes grounded to second, and Durham (Error on Ray Durham) could not field the ball properly so Carlos Delgado scored, and everyone is safe.  Damion Easley lined a one-out bases clearing double into the gap in left center which scored Ramon Castro, Pedro Martinez and Jose Reyes went from first to third.  Wright flied out to right.  Beltran flied out to center to end the inning stranding Easley on second base.  Chulk gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Church grounded to first but Bowker (Error on John Bowker) botched the ball so Church ended up on first giving the Mets a leadoff runner.  With Tatis in the batters box, Chulk threw a wild pitch so Church stole second without a throw.  Tatis grounded to second, and Denker held up Church at second before making the out at first.  Delgado grounded to second, and Denker made the out at first as Church moved over to third.  Castro popped up to shallow left, and Vizquel made the out stranding Church on third.  Chulk gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Chulk left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Bochy replaced Chulk with Patrick Misch to begin the Top of the 7th.  Misch pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Misch retired the side for the second inning in a row.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Misch now retired the Mets for the third straight inning.  Misch gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Pedro Martinez (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Lewis grouned a leadoff single up the middle.  Durham flied out to left.  With Winn at the plate, Lewis stole second on a bad throw by Castro.  After the ball went into center field, Lewis went to third.  Randy Winn lined an RBI double down the left field line which scored Fred Lewis.  Molina grounded to short, and Reyes made the throw to third because Winn took off for third and Wright applied the tag.  Rowand flied out to center to end the inning.  Martinez gave up 1 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pedro walked Bowker on four straight pitches to give the Giants a leadoff runner.  Aurilia flied out to right.  Vizquel flied out to left.  Zito grounded to second, and Easley tagged second himself to end the inning leaving Bowker stranded on first.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Durham drew a one-out walk.  Pedro struck out Winn swinging.  Molina grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first to end the inning stranding Durham on first.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Bowker hit a routine fly ball to left which Tatis (Error on Fernando Tatis) dropped so Bowker ended up on second.  Aurilia grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first as Bowker went to third.  Martinez intentionally walked Vizquel.  Zito grounded to short, and Reyes got the force out at second to end the inning leaving runners stranded on the corners.  Martinez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in te 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lewis led off with a Ground Rule Double to right.  Denker is pinch hitting for Durham, and Denker lined a no-out single into right, and Lewis moved over to third.  Randy Winn lined a no-out RBI single into left which scored Fred Lewis, and Denker advanced to second.  Molina flied out to left, and both Denker and Winn tagged up and advanced a base.  Aaron Rowand grounded to second, and Easley made the out at first so Travis Denker scored and Winn went to third.  Bowker flied out to center to end the inning with Winn stranded on third.  Martinez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Aurilia drove a leadoff double to the gap in left center.  Vizquel grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Aurilia advanced to third.  Horwitz is pinch hitting for Chulk, and Pedro fanned Horwitz.  Pedro struck Lewis out looking.  Durham grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning with runners stranded on the corners.  Martinez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Martinez left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Martinez 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.

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

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Holm is pinch hitting for Misch, and Holm drew a leadoff walk on four pitches.  Lewis drew a no-out walk.  Travis Denker hit a no-out 3-run shot to left field scoring Steve Holm and Fred Lewis.  Winn lined out to second.  Molina grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Schoeneweis gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Billy Wagner with one out in the Bottom of the 9th.  Rowand grounded to short, and the Mets turned the game ending double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 9 - San Francisco Giants 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Pedro Martinez (1-0) got the win and Barry Zito (1-9) got the loss.

Game Notes:

• Pedro Martinez was pretty effective in his first game back from the DL.
• The Mets put up an 8 spot in the 5th.
• Barry Zito sucks so I’m glad we didn’t get him.  I wanted him to come to the Mets until he expressed his contract demands, and then I didn’t want him on the Mets anymore.

Series Notes:

• The Mets evened up the series with the Giants 1-1.

Other Notes:

• Since June 1st, this is the Mets trend: w-l-w.
• The Mets are currently 1-1 on this road trip.
• The Mets are one game over .500 with a 29-28 record
• Jose Reyes had an 18-game hitting streak, and a 33-game on-base streak which came to an end tonight.

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It is June 1, so the Metropolitans are in a new calendar month.  The Mets are 27-27 right now, so the Mets would be 81-81 if you prorate it over the course of the season.  This is worse than at the end of April when they were on pace to get 87 wins.  They haven’t hit their stride yet, as Willie would say.  The good news is that they are coming off of a productive week where they won 4 out of 5 games.  Will this hot streak carry over to June?  And for how long?

 Church set to resume productive role - Anthony DiComo reported that Ryan Church returns after suffering his second concussion in three months.

Tatis, Mets turn fortune around - Anthony DiComo summarized yesterday’s game between the Dodgers and the Mets.

Reyes rebounds from early slump - Samantha Newman put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Dodgers and the Mets.

Pelfrey shakes off pressure at Shea

Castillo rests injured left leg - Anthony DiComo reported that the Doctors called Luis Castillo’s ’sore knee’ a strained hip flexor.

Injured Wise to seek second opinion - Jon Blau stated that Matt Wise wants to confirm the rotator cuff tendinitis diagnosis.

Newsday:

Mets rally in 8th, beat Dodgers on Tatis’ hit

Pelfrey sharp, but is it enough to stay a Met?

Peering over the .500 hump

Beltran’s big blast wakes up Mets

Beltran, Tatis rally Mets to 3-2 win over Dodgers - Mark Herrmann also summarized yesterday’s Dodgers-Mets game.

New York Daily News:

Carlos Beltran, Fernando Tatis spark comeback as Mets beat Dodgers - Adam Rubin wrote up a game summary for yesterday’s game between the Dodgers and the Mets.

Avoiding case of the Willies

Fernando Tatis is marvelous once again

Unlike old days, MLB teams hold fire on managers like Willie Randolph

Every time Gary Carter opens his mouth, he hurts his own cause

Mike Pelfrey throws curve into Met plans with Saturday’s performance

Ryan Church, Luis Castillo set for returns Sunday night

New York Post:

ANOTHER AMAZIN’ RALLY AT SHEA - Mike Puma summarized yesterday’s Dodgers-Mets game.

CASTILLO PINING TO PLAY

THE WAY TO ‘BELT’ BROXTON

25 BEST MOMENTS AT SHEA: NO. 17

PEDRO MUST DELIVER MORE THAN LAUGHS

MAJOR OBSTACLE - Kevin Kernan explains why it is hard for Wally Backman to find a job in the Majors.

New York Times:

Tatis Plays the Star in Another Comeback - Ben Shpigel summarized yesterday’s Dodgers-Mets game.

For Mets, Tatis’s Timing Is Perfect

The Star-Ledger:

Mets may be turning a corner

Church on Sunday - Colin Stephenson provided the lineup for tonight’s game between the Dodgers and the Mets.

Some extra postgame quotes from the Mets’ clubhouse

Another Amazin comeback

Pelfrey makes his case to stay in rotation

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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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I’ve read a bunch of articles about everyone thinks that the Mets are doing the right thing by holding back Johan Santana until Friday night against the Yankees.  I strongly disagree with this concept, and I can care less what the Mets do in the interleague games.  The Mets need to win as many interleague games as possible, but not as much as they need to win division games and NL games.  The Mets make sure that their aces face the Yankees every year.  Last season, if they lost one more game against the Yankees and won one more game in their division then they would’ve won the NL East and played in the Playoffs.  The Mets are playing a four-game series against the Nationals right now.  They lost one already so they need to slam the door on the Nats.  So I believe Santana should remain in his normal spot.  Should New York bragging rights cost the Mets the division title?

 Order is restored - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets anything but conventional - Marty Nolbe wrote a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets make several roster moves - Marty Noble lists all of the roster moves that the Mets made yesterday.  The New York Post covered this yesterday.

Shea Apple may move over to Citi Field - Marty Noble stated that the Home Run Apple may move over to Citi Field.  Mets COO Jeff Wilpon stated that it hasn’t yet been determined whether the old one can handle the move or whether a replacement will be necessary.  This is already old news.  This was released during Spring Training.

Newsday:

Church leads Mets to victory over Nationals - Anthony Rieber also summarized last night’s Nationals-Mets game.

Mets cut Figueroa loose

Vargas, Wise, Tatis replace Figueroa, Sosa, Pagan

Looks like Mets will have big apple at Citi Field

New York Daily News:

Ryan Church, John Maine lead Mets past Nationals 6-3 at Shea - Adam Rubin also put together a game recap for last night’s game between the Nats and the Mets.

Forget collapse, time for Mets to avoid a May daze - John Harper believes that the Mets have to take advantage of winning in May so they don’t have to worry about must wins in September when they may be unable to do it.

‘Girls’ can cheer as Figgy gets cut

Mets finally relieved of Jorge Sosa

New York Post:

METS GOING TO CHURCH - Bart Hubbuch summarized last night’s Nats-Mets game.

SANTANA GETS OK TO START VS. YANKEES

CITI FIELD SHAPING UP - Howie Rumberg describes how far along Citi Field has come.

New York Times:

For the Mets, New Faces, Better Result - Ben Shpigel summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets also.

Mets Making Moves and Noise

The Star-Ledger:

Clearer picture at new ballpark

Church rings true in win

Santana will start vs. Yanks

Final: Mets 6, Nationals 3

Thank you, Rick Peterson… - Dan Graziano thanks the Mets as an organization for pitching Johan Santana against the Yankees.

Game 37: Nationals at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for last night’s Nats-Mets game.

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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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Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reported that the Mets made a bunch of roster moves today in their Mets Blog.  The Mets activated Matt Wise, and they purchased the contracts of Claudio Vargas and Fernando Tatis from Triple-A New Orleans.  To make room on the roster, the Mets designated Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa Jr. for assignment and put Angel Pagan on the DL.

 Highlights aplenty, but no win in end - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Mets play on until Pedro’s return - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Alou psyched about Cathedral trip - Marty Noble found out that Moises Alou is pumped up about playing at Yankee Stadium this weekend because he never played there before.

Castillo sits with quadriceps injury - Marty Noble reported that a strained left quadricep muscle kept Luis Castillo out of the lineup last night against the Nationals.

Mailbag: How are Mets doing so far? - Marty Noble answers questions posed by Mets fans’.

Education is power - Howard Kussoy pointed out that some Mets players are taking part in a program called ‘School is Amazing’ around the city.

Newsday:

Nationals get under Figueroa’s skin in Mets loss - Anthony Rieber also summarized last night’s Nationals-Mets game.

Ex-Met Milledge always at center of controversy - Lastings Milledge had a pretty good game last night, and Erik Boland tells us all about it.

Looks like Mets’ Santana will start Subway Series

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium on May 13th of another year.

New York Daily News:

Photos: Surfing the Mets tours Citi Field

After Mets’ loss, Nelson Figueroa calls Nationals ‘bunch of softball girls’ - Adam Rubin summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Sideshow takes over in latest act of Shea circus - Filip Bondy described the situation where the Nationals were singing in the dugout last night.  It really upset Figgy.

Say it ain’t so on Joe Smith - Sean Brennan offers a few suggestions for the Mets to make regarding their pitching dilemma.

Pedro Martinez is starting to show progress - Adam Rubin tells us what the Mets have Pedro Martinez doing down in Port St. Lucie.

New York Post:

‘FIGUER’ HATER - Mike Puma revealed what Nelson Figueroa Jr. had to say about the Nationals after last night’s game.

INJURED DUQUE MAKING PROGRESS

PITCH & MOAN - Mark Hale found out that Pedro is frustrated about having to rehab and not being on the team.

PEDRO PREPARED FOR SIMULATED GAME

New York Times:

Only Applause for Mets Comes From Nationals

Santana Receives an Extra Day of Rest and a Date With the Yankees

The Star-Ledger:

Progress at Citifield

Mets drop Figueroa, Sosa in flurry of moves

Will they clap for John Maine?

Nats frustrate Figueroa, Mets

Pitcher chides cheers - Colin Stephenson also examined the Mets pitching options.

Valentine’s success well-documented - Lisa Kennelly also wrote an aritcle about the three NYU students that made a documentary about Bobby Valentine titled, “The Zen of Bobby V”.

Mets bow to Nationals, 10-4

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