Die Hard Mets Fan

Last night’s game got postponed so the Reds and the Mets are playing a double header today.  The Mets stomped the Reds in the early game, and the night game begins at 7:30 p.m.  Hopefully, we’ll get to witness another whoopin’ tonight.  Mike Pelfrey is supposed to face Bronson Arroyo.  Arroyo used to be the Reds’ ace, but his 1-4 record in ‘08 wouldn’t show us any evidence of that.  Pelfrey started out the year pitching well, but tailed off lately.  If he doesn’t have a good outing, then possibly the offense can put up double digits again.

 Mets-Reds opener at Shea rained out - Marty Noble wrote, “The Mets’ Friday night game against the Reds at Shea Stadium was postponed because of rain. It was rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday as the second game of day-night doubleheader. The first game is to begin at 1:10 p.m., as originally scheduled. Tickets from the postponed game will be honored at the 7:30 game.”

Wise back, available to Mets in twin bill - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for both of today’s games between the Reds and the Mets.

Newsday:

Randolph realizes culture of sports has changed - Jim Baumbach tell us how Willie Randolph’s cousin Barry calls him up and gives him pointers on managing the team because Barry is a Mets fan.

Improving Delgado dropped to seventh in lineup - Jim Baumbach noted that Carlos Delgado got moved down to the seventh spot in the lineup for the first time in more than 12 years.

Mets-Reds game rained out, doubleheader Saturday

New York Daily News:

Willie Randolph not in radio daze

Mets mull Matt Wise move - Mark Lelinwalla pointed out that Matt Wise is ready to come off of the DL, but the Mets are not ready to make a roster move yet.

Nice pitch by Pedro Martinez - Peter Botte lets us know what he thought of Pedro Martinez’s batting practice session.

Johan Santana first in twin bill

New York Post:

WILLIE…OR NOT - According to Kevin Kernan, David Wright says don’t blame Willie for losses.

RAINOUT FORCES TWINBILL

PEDRO’S PROGRESS POSITIVE

New York Times:

Mets, Still in High Gear, Pound Reds - Ben Shpigel summarized today’s game between the Reds and the Mets.

Castro Back With Mets; Wise Is Soon to Follow

The Star-Ledger:

Randolph keeps his cool in face of media flak

Casanova says goodbye, Castro hello

Pitching plans - Colin Stephenson lets us know how the Mets plan on handling the starting rotation due to the rainout.

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

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

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

At the Plate

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

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

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

On the Mound

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

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

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

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

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

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The New York Mets (11-9) are playing Game 21 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-16) at Nationals Park.  It’s the final game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Happy 31st Birthday to Carlos Beltran!

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Casanova, Perez.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Kearns, Pena, Boone, Harris, Nieves, Hill.

At the Plate

Shawn Hill (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Hill sent the Mets down in order on nine pitches.  Hill gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church drove a one-out double off of the wall in left center.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the out at first as Church advanced to third.  Pagan grounded out to short to leave Church on third.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Casanova pulled a ground ball through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Nieves made the out at first while Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes grounded out to first, and Casanova advanced to third.  Luis Castillo lined an RBI single into shallow center which brought Raul Casanova home to score.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave two Mets stranded.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Church drew a leadoff walk.  Hill got Delgado to chase strike three.  With Pagan in the batters box, Church stole second.  Pagan drew a one-out walk.  Casanova flied out to center, and Church tagged up and went to third.  Oliver Perez grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Ryan Church and Pagan went first to third.  Reyes flied out to right to end the inning with runners on the corners.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castillo grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  With Wright in the batters box, Hill threw a wild pitch so Castillo advanced to second.  Hill got Wright to stare at ball four, but the Umpire called it a strike.  With Beltran at the plate, Hill attempted to pick off Castillo and the ball hit Castillo and went into center so Castillo went to third.  Hill caught Beltran looking at strike three.  Ryan Church lined a two-out RBI single into right field, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the force out at second to end the inning.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Hill left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Acta replaced Hill with Michael O’Connor to begin the Top of the 6th.  Casanova drove a one-out single off of the wall in center field.  Perez bunted and the ball landed into the glove of the pitcher, but O’Connor dropped it and then only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.  O’Connor gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced O’Connor with Saul Rivera to begin the Top of the 7th.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-out solo shot that barely got over the high wall in right field.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ayala sent the Mets down in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Jon Rauch to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Marlon Anderson led off with a solo shot to right.  Reyes grounded a no-out single up the middle.  Castillo grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  Wright flied out to center, and Reyes tagged up and went to third.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  With Church at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Church flied out to center to leave two Mets on base.  Rauch gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Harris flied out to right field to leave one man on base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Nieves drew a leadoff walk.  Hill dropped down a sacrifice bunt down in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as Nieves moved over to second.  Lopez drew a one-out walk.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to leave two Nationals stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Zimmerman beat out an infield hit to short for a leadoff single.  Kearns lined out to center.  Perez fanned Pena.  Boone popped up near first, and Castillo made the out 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, Harris drew a leadoff walk.  Nieves grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Harris advanced to second.  Belliard is pinch hitting for Hill, and Perez walked Belliard to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez grounded a no-out 2-run single up the middle which scored Willie Harris and Wil Nieves, and Belliard moved over to second.  Guzman lined out to center, and Belliard tagged up and went to third.  Ryan Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Ronnie Belliard came home to score and Lopez moved over to second.  Kearns grounded hard to third, but a diving Wright made the stop and the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pena grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Boone lined a no-out single over the head of Reyes and into left, and Pena moved over to second.  Harris dropped a bunt down in front of home plate, and Perez got the lead runner out at third.  Nieves grounded to first, and Delgado tagged the base as the runners advanced.  Milledge is pinch hitting for O’Connor so Randolph is making a pitching change.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Aaron Heilman with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Milledge drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez crushed a Grand Slam to right off of Heilman which scored Aaron Boone, Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge, and of course himself.  It’s like deja vu.  How many times do I have to watch that?  Guzman lined a two-out single to center.  Zimmerman lined a single into left, and Guzman advanced to second.  Heilman fanned Kearns to end the end of the Mets chances to sweep this mini-series.  Heilman gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Boone grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) misfielded it so Boone is on base with one out.  Harris drew a one-out walk.  Wil Nieves grounded a two-out RBI single under the glove of Delgado and into right field as Aaron Boone came around to score and Harris held up at third.  Estrada is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Johnny Estrada grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Willie Harris while Nieves advanced to second.  Lopez popped up in foul ground near third, and Wright made the catch.  Cristian Guzman lined a two-out single to right which brought Wil Nieves around to score and Estrada went first to third.  Zimmerman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to end another inning of hell.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pena grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Felician fanned Boone.  Harris grounded out to short to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Washington Nationals 10.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-1) got the loss and Shawn Hill (1-0) got the win.

All I can say is that it started out well.  The Mets were in complete control of this game until the Nationals tied it up in the Bottom of the 5th.  Then the Nats just kept scoring like Forest Gump kept running.  And just like the Yankees, the Mets got attacked by Gnats.  So Johan saved us yesterday, but Oli couldn’t provide the Mets with the opportunity to win the ballgame.  Then came the Heilman/Sosa tandem…they allowed 5 runs combined.  How are we going to win this series against the Braves this weekend if we can’t sweep a two-game series against the Nats?

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The Mets are getting set to play their final home game of this 9-game home stand against the Nats tonight.  We’ll be bringing you the game summary next.

 Pedro optimistic about return date - Yesterday, Omar Minaya stated that he expects Pedro Martinez to return in late May or early June.  According to Marty Noble, Pedro said this today, “I am surprised with the way I am recovering. It’s going much faster than I thought. Everything is moving smoothly. The Mets know that I’m working and that I will not abandon them. I don’t want it to be a long wait like everybody thinks.”  Pedro always tells everybody that everything is fine.  As we have seen for a few years already, it isn’t true.

Reyes finds his smile as Mets cruise - Marty Noble tells us how Carlos Beltran’s pep talk fired up Jose Reyes.

Figueroa follows in Pelfrey’s footsteps - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Yankees, Mets most valuable franchises - Bryan Hoch wrote, “The Yankees’ value increased to $1.306 billion over the past year, a rise of nine percent, while the Mets were second at $824 million, the magazine said Wednesday. The Red Sox were third at $816 million.”

Casanova ‘earns’ coveted a-Trophy - Marty Noble tells us how Raul Casanova is doing so far in ‘08, and he tells us why MLB.com awarded Casanova with the a-Trophy.

Newsday:

Reyes homers, celebrates like old self as Mets win

Reliever Smith has another strong night for Mets - On how Joe Smith pitched last night, Roderick Boone captured the thought’s of Willie Randolph.

Mets doing everything to keep Castillo on field - Jim Baumbach wrote, “The soreness in Luis Castillo’s right knee has not gone away, so the Mets are left to figure out ways to keep Castillo on the field without aggravating the knee.”  Back in the winter, when Omar gave Luis Castillo a 4-year deal, I believe I remember Castillo stating that he was 100% healthy.  So what’s the problem now?  Did he lie to Omar?  If he did then Omar should burn the contract.

Forbes: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox worth most

New York Daily News:

Homers lift Mets and John Maine past Nationals at Shea

Investigators believe Mets fan who fell from escalator was perched on rail

Carlos Beltran says loosen up, then has blast of own for Mets

Pedro: See you real soon

On Jackie Robinson night, David Wright and Mike Pelfrey lead Mets over Nats

New York Post:

THE BEL TOLLS - Mark Hale describes Beltran’s pep talk with Reyes.

SMITH BAILS OUT MAINE, AMAZIN’S

MAINE HAS SOME ISSUES WITH WALKS

METS LOOKING ALL WRIGHT - Justin Terranova summarized last night’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

New York Times:

Revised Batting Order Changes Dynamic for Mets

Police Say Fan Lost Balance Sliding on Handrail

The Star-Ledger:

No Beltran Tonight - David Waldstein provided the lineups for tonight’s game between the Nationals and the Mets.

Binghamton Mets to honor Giants’ Chris Snee - Jeremy Cothran noted, “If you’re in the Binghamton area (and I don’t know why you would be), you can swing by this Sunday to see the B-Mets honor Giants OL Chris Snee.”

Pedro plans on a surprise

The ‘old’ Reyes returns - We all saw it the last two games.

Church rips another lefty - Jeremy Cothran tells us how Ryan Church is doing against lefties so far this year.

Final: Mets 5, Nationals 2

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The New York Mets are playing Game 9 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Brewers Lineup: Weeks, Gross, Fielder, Braun, Hall, Hart, Hardy, Parra, Kendall.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Church, Casanova, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa (0-0) was the starting pither for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Figueroa looked sharp in as he retired the top of the lineup down in order only throwing eight pitches.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the heart of the lineup 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 sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Figueroa pitched perfectly the first time through the lineup.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Figueroa sent the top of the lineup down in order again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hart drew a two-out walk to mess up Figueroa’s perfect game.  Hardy pulled an RBI double into the corner in left field as Hart came around from first to score.  Dillon is pinch hitting for Parra, and Figueroa caught Dillon looking at strike three.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  (Randolph replaced Reyes with Easley due to a tight hamstring, and he replaced Easley with Anderson to begin the Top of the 6th)  In the Top of the 6th, Weeks drew a one-out walk.  Gross flied out near the warning track in right field.  With Fielder in the batters box, Weeks stole second safely.  Fielder lined an RBI double into the gap in left center which scored Weeks.  Braun flied out to deep center field where Beltran made a beautiful catch.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 7th.  Hall grounded to third, but Wright (Error on Wright) made a bad throw to first which allowed Hall beat out the play.  Hart grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second but Hart was safe at first.  Hart took off for second before Hardy grounded to second, and Anderson got the out at first.  Counsell is pinch hitting for Riske, and Counsell grounded out to short to end the inning.  Smith allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman sent the Brewers down in order.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Manny Parra (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Pagan lined a one-out single into shallow left field.  With Wright in the batters box, Parra threw the ball into the dirt and Pagan stole second safely.  Wright flied out to left.  Beltran lined out to third to end the inning.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Easley grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Church got caught looking at strike three.  Casanova popped up to shallow right, and Weeks made the catch to leave one runner stranded.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Parra sent the Mets down in order.  Parra gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright lined a leadoff single into shallow left center.  Beltran worked himself into a full count before drawing a no-out walk.  Delgado pulled a ground ball under Fielder’s glove and into right field which scored Wright and Beltran moved over to third.  Easley sacrifice flied to left field which scored Beltran.  With Church in the batters box, Parra threw a wild pitch and Delgado took off for second base.  Church grounded up the middle to as Delgado advanced to third.  Casanova lined an RBI single into left field which scored Delgado and moved Church over to second.  Figueroa dropped down a bunt, and Kendall stalled hoping it would roll out of bounds.  The ball stayed fair, and Kendall (Error on Kendall) threw it off the bag as Figueroa beat out the throw to first so the bases are loaded.  Reyes grounded to third, and the Brewers turned the double play to end the inning.  Parra gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Parra left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Yost replaced Parra with David Riske to begin the Bottom of the 5th.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Delgado popped up to shallow left, and Hall made the catch to end the inning.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Riske sent the Mets down in order.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Riske left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Yost replaced Riske with Salomon Torres to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Smith, and Chavez drew a leadoff walk.  Anderson dropped down a sacrifice bunt which moved Chavez over to second.  Pagan grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Chavez.  Wright lined a single into center field, but Gross misplayed the ball so Pagan advanced to third.  Beltran grounded to the pitcher, and the Brewers were able to turn the double play to avoid a big inning.  Torres gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Torres sent the Mets down in order.  Torres gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Torres left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 2 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) got the win and Manny Parra (1-1) got the loss.

It’s been a while since a Mets starter that had a poor performance.  The last one I remember was Maine’s first start in Atlanta.  Figueroa pitched another gem for the Mets since nobody knew what to expect from him.  It was his first win since 2004, and he retired the first 14 batters he faced.  The Bullpen put up goose eggs tonight which is where the problems have been.  So the Mets took the first game of the series which gives them a 5-4 record, and the aces will face each other tomorrow as Santana will take on Sheets.

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The Florida Marlins will host the New York Mets at 4:10 PM tomorrow.  The game will be aired on SNY.  It was those same Marlins that kept the Mets out of the Playoffs.  Once the fight broke out, the Marlins used the anger to stomp the Mets when it mattered most.  The Mets need to sweep the three-game series just like they did when they opened up the 2007 season against the Cardinals.  After the Mets play the Marlins, they head to Atlanta for a three-game series.  After that, they host a three game set with the Phillies at Shea Stadium.  Nine straight NL East games to kick off the season.  It will be interesting to see where the Mets are after that.

 Mets roster moves - MLB.com reported that the Mets added Brady Clark and Raul Casanova to the 25-man roster.  Duaner Sanchez, Orlando Hernandez, and Ramon Castro, was placed on the DL.  Brian Stokes was added to the roster while Fernando Tatis, Nelson Figueroa, and Ricardo Rincon were sent down to the Minors.

Last few Mets roster spots up in the air - Late last night, Anthony DiComo reported that the Mets reassigned backup catcher Gustavo Molina to Minor League camp.  The Mets had to make their 25-man roster by 3:00 pm today.

Memphis sees a slice of Cooperstown - Anthony DiComo noted that Major League Baseball brought the Hall of Fame plaques for Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson sent down to Memphis from Cooperstown so fans can check them out. 

Aaron a perfect stand-in in Memphis - Barry M. Bloom loved the idea that Hank Aaron stood-in for Commissioner Bud Selig at the Civil Rights Game.

Newsday:

Morris to Santana: Ease up on changeup - Ken Davidoff found out what Jack Morris, a Twins television analyst, thinks of Johan Santana.

Mets cherish experience from Civil Rights game - Mark Herrmann captured the thoughts of various Mets players about playing in the Civil Rights Game and about the extracurricular activities they attended.

Will things ever be right in left? - David Lennon asks and answers four questions about the Mets.

Mets’ Smith escapes jam; will he make team?

New York Daily News:

Mike Pelfrey becomes Mets fifth starter; El Duque starts season on DL

Mets can finally put 2007 to bed - Since Opening Day is tomorrow, Adam Rubin says that the Mets can forget about 2007.

El Duque might start season on DL

Mets moved by visit to Lorraine Motel

New book lets the Mets down - David Hinckley criticizes the author, David Green, of a new book about the Mets titled “101 REASONS TO LOVE THE METS”.

New York Post:

Pelfrey is No. 5 starter

OUR NEW BASEBALL BARONS - Kevin Kernan lets us know that we are in a new era of baseball in New York now that the children of the Steinbrenner’s and the Wilpon’s are running things.

METS’ PAIR PITCHES PERFECTLY - Mike Vaccaro described the performance of John Maine and Smith in yesterday’s Civil Rights Game.

SAINTLY PITCHER HAS DEEP ROOTS - James Fanelli and Katie Orlinsky say that Santana owes his success to his childhood.

THE WRIGHT THING TO DO - Kevin Kernan tells us why David Wright cut down on endorsement deals and promotional activities.

DARRYL WATCHES HIS SON THE SON - Brian Lewis told us that Darryl Strawberry went to see his son D.J. play an NBA game last night.  D.J. Strawberry plays for the Phoenix Suns who were in town to play the New Jersey Nets.

The Star-Ledger:

Sunday afternoon musings - Dan Graziano tells us what he thinks about the 2008 Mets.

Mets Keep Ducks On Golden Pond - Matthew Artus offers his thoughts on the ‘08 season.

Mets moved by visit to Civil Rights Museum

Still no decision on No. 5 starter

Mets are eager to answer the bell

Lisa Kennelly’s Mets preview

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Unfortunately, the Mets fell to the Marlins this afternoon.  Even though the Mets did pretty well in Spring Training, it doesn’t mean anything.  Only 5 Days until Opening Day.

 Pedro: Human or superhuman? - Anthony DiComo lets you know of Pedro Martinez’s outing against a Minor League club.

Wright, Delgado prove clutch in loss - Marty Noble summarized today’s game between the Marlins and the Mets.  Florida beat New York by a score of 7-5.  Robert Parnell got the start.  The Mets are 18-10-1 in the Grapefruit League standings.

New batterymates have prior history - Marty Noble felt the need to tell us that Brian Schneider took a photo with Martinez when he was a teenager.

Easley to play utility role, that’s for sure - Marty Noble says that it is unknown if the Mets will rely on Damion Easley to backup in the outfield.

Sosa may get rotation shot - Since El Duque and Pelfrey are not performing too well, Marty Noble thinks that Jorge Sosa may be suitable for the 5th spot in the rotation.

Alou eyeing April return - Marty Noble stated that Moises Alou is hoping to return to the Mets by the end of April.

Newsday:

Mets’ Santana can’t wait to pick up bat again - I don’t know much about Santana picking up a bat, but I love when a title begins with “Mets’ Santana”.  Jim Baumbach and David Lennon pointed out that Johan Santana hit his last triple in Dolphin Stadium which is where Santana will make his first start wearing orange and blue.

Mets’ Alou swears he’ll come back strong

New York Daily News:

Mets hoping new ace Johan Santana can help them forget historic collapse

Billy Wagner: Johan Santana is so good he makes bullpen better, too - Billy Wagner is always complimenting other pitchers.  I’m waiting for him to say that he is going to make the team better.

It’s hard to Shea goodbye

Moises Alou eying April return

The ‘Not’ Corner: First base used to be glamour position in New York - What’s wrong with Delgado and Giambi? hahaha.

Fans get into act on SNY - Bob Raissman talks about how SNY now has interactive TV where the fans can call in and discuss what’s on their minds.  That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me.

Minor adjustment a big-league help to Johan Santana - Adam Rubin pointed out that Santana’s inaugural spring as a Met ended quietly with an intrasquad game against minor-leaguers.

Raul Casanova ready to catch on - Adam Rubin believes that Raul Casanova appears to be the catcher on the Opening Day roster due to injuries to Schneider and Ramon Castro.

New York Post:

FIFTH AVENUE - Bart Hubbuch believes that Claudio Vargas may have what it takes to get the 5th spot in the rotation.

JOHAN’S THE MAN

WHAT METS NEED TO WIN - Bart Hubbuch has all of the secrets.

WHOLLY MOISES!

The Star-Ledger:

South American adventure over - Jeremy Cothran is back and ready to bring us through the 2008 season.

A Steady Diet of Curveballs - Matthew Artus extensively explains what the Mets can do to fill the 5th spot in the rotation.

Alou eager to return to Mets

Bullpen taking shape - Lisa Kennelly found out that, “The Mets placed reliever and Rule 5 pick Steven Register on waivers yesterday.”  Kennelly believes that Joe Smith and Brian Stokes will fill the void until Sanchez is ready to return.

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There is a bunch of articles today, but most of it is about the same topics. 

 Mets sign three to Minors deals - Marty Noble stated that “The Mets signed catchers Raul Casanova and Gustavo Molina and right-hander Nate Field to Minor League contracts on Wednesday, inviting each to big league Spring Training camp.”

Maine, Perez to be big cogs for Mets - Marty Noble tells us how the Mets will be fine even without an ace calibur pitcher because Maine and Oli are each coming off of a 15 win season.  The rotation will look like this if no trade is made: Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, and either Mike Pelfrey or Phil Humber.  In my opinion, the rotation is not strong enough for a legit playoff run because we don’t have the 2 power pitchers at the top of the lineup that opposing batters fear.  We don’t have the Clemens and Pettitte, or Beckett and Burnitz, or Johnson and Shilling, or Pedro and Shilling.  We have an older Pedro who throws much slower now kind of like Glavine.  The Maddux and Glavine tandem didn’t throw hard enough to win the World Series more than once.  Two young power pitchers at the top of the rotation is what succeeds in the Playoffs, and we don’t have it.  It’s a problem.

Maine highlights Mets’ holiday party

Newsday:

Mets’ Maine, Perez look to improve themselves

Nationals believe they have a winner in Lo Duca - Look at the title of this article.  One winner isn’t going to carry a team.  They need a bunch of them to succeed.

New York Daily News:

MLB receives Mitchell Report

Press conferences on Mitchell report findings set for Thursday

Jose Reyes to Mets: Get Johan Santana

Willie Randolph says Mets not giving up on Johan Santana or Erik Bedard

New York Post:

NO GRIEF OF STAFF

New York Times:

Steroid Report Expected to Cite About 50 Players

Mets Happy With Pitching Staff

The Star-Ledger:

Coat Drive Tomorrow At Shea

Now Batting…

Mets may not chase an ace

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