Daily Archives: August 12, 2007
Ramon Castro left today’s game with back discomfort.
Meanwhile, Paul Lo Duca was put on the disabled list prior to today’s game after reaggravating the strain in his hamstring.
According to MLB.com, Lo Duca is not happy with the decision, saying…
“I woke up this morning and it feels absolutely great.”
The Mets (65–52) defeated the Marlins (55–63) by the score of 10 to 4 in Shea Stadium this afternoon.
…Moises Alou is smoking the ball again, pulling two home runs in standard mo-fashion…
…i forgot how good Mike DiFelice is behind the plate on defense…
…big home run by Carlos Delgado, bringing home two insurance runs in the eighth, which was followed by three more runs to finish the game off…
…also, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Heilman looked very good out of the bullpen…actually, it was nice to see heilman back on the horse, shaking off yesterday and looking strong…same for Billy Wagner…
…here’s the thing, though, while i recognize that this team won today, it’s the sloppy play that drives me bananas…fortunately, the Marlins were just as sloppy…nevertheless, the Mets should be embarrassed today, despite the win…yes, they’re in first, yes they won, i get it, but come on…dropped pop ups…wild pitches…wild pick off throws…overthrowing second base…twice…a dropped tag at home…and so on…i know i said i love the drama of a fight-to-the-finish pennant race, but i was only half serious…come on, guys, get it together…
…nevertheless, this was an important win, especially with the off-day tomorrow…
The Game:
The
first-place Mets (64-52) look to salvage a game with the
Marlins (55-62) this afternoon at Shea Stadium, starting at 1:10 pm EDT.
The Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes leads off, followed in order by 2B Ruben Gotay, CF Carlos Beltran, 3B David Wright, 1B Carlos Delgado, LF Moises Alou, RF Shawn Green, C Ramon Castro and starting pitcher Oliver Perez.
The Pitchers:
LHP Oliver Perez (10-8, 3.31 ERA) takes the hill for the Mets. He took the loss in his last start vs. the Braves, allowing six runs on 10 hits (including two home runs) over 5 IP while striking out five. He has alternated wins and losses in his last three starts. In 12 starts at home this season, Perez is 5-5 with a 3.54 ERA. Perez won his last start vs. the Marlins on May 2nd, allowing just one run on three hits over 5.2 IP, while striking out ten.
RHP Rick VandenHurk (3-3, 7.49 ERA) looks for the sweep for the Marlins. He got beat up in his last start vs. the Phillies, allowing six runs on five hits over 2.1 IP while walking five. VandenHurk hasn’t won since July 17th. He has walked 35 batters and served up nine homers in 51.2 IP this season. He lost his previous start against the Mets this season on April 19th, allowing eight runs on seven hits (including two home runs) over 4 IP.
The Notes:
Before this afternoon’s game, the Mets will honor Tom Glavine with a pre-game ceremony.
The Mets haven’t been swept since the series at Colorado (July 2-4th). They haven’t been swept at home since the Phillies series (June 5-7th).
3B David Wright has six home runs since the All-Star break. He had six home runs in the entire second half of last season.
LF Josh Willingham has seven home runs and 26 RBI in 112 career at-bats vs. the Mets.
For more insight on the Marlins, check out Blogger Beat.
The Bleachers:
To chat during the game, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers. If you are IRC savvy, log on to irc.echo34.com and enter channel #metsblog.
…enjoy…and as always, let’s go mets…
The Yankees took over as the team with the best record in New York Saturday night, improving to 65-51 with an 11-2 victory over the Indians, Mark Feisand points out in the Daily News.
The Mets’ 7-5 loss to the Marlins dropped them to 64-52.
…forget the battle for new york, right now i care about how the mets are playing and how the mets are playing alone, because it’s all in their hands…
…i’ve taken a ‘when are the playoffs going to start?’ attitude, and i think that might be the attitude the mets have had all season, which isn’t a good thing…
…the mets will make the playoffs, but baseball isn’t football…teams can’t just elevate their games on adrenaline or determination, or certainly not to the same extent…the best teams only have a 60 percent or so chance to win, right?…
…that said, even if it’s just a token gesture, I need to see a Ray Lewis in the huddle…getting fired up might not make a difference if the mets’ problems boil down to true talent deficiencies…but either way, if the team is underperforming, it’s on Willie…if there’s holes that need fixing, it’s on Omar…
…my patience is really starting to dwindle…when a Phillies fan last night predicts Josh Willingham’s grand slam and i’m left speechless, coupled with the previous two games’ losses…
…just make me think something’s going to change, somebody, please…
…added to by Anthony De Rosa…
…i don’t know if the players pay attention to this type of thing, but i know the fans do…it just goes to show you that it isn’t how you start but how you finish, and the mets better start finishing with a bit more urgency if they have any interest in winning this race…
…you can tell the braves and phillies are hungry, but i don’t see the same urgency in the mets, and that needs to change quick…or we could soon find the picture in our rear view mirror edging it’s way front and center on our windshield…maybe that’s what it has to take for the team to wake up and realize what is at stake…
Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca was told he would be placed on the disabled list today after he reaggravated his right hamstring running to first base in the fourth inning Saturday night against the Marlins, according to multiple reports.
Lo Duca is expected to undergo an MRI and Mike DiFelice is expected to be recalled from Triple-A New Orleans today.
Lo Duca, who left Saturday night without speaking to the media, was “not thrilled” with the decision according to Mets general manager Omar Minaya.
…i think it’s the right call, particularly with how well Ramon Castro has been playing of late…
…i doubt castro is a long-term solution, but at this point it makes sense to have lo duca knock this thing out and come back as close to full strength as possible for the stretch run…
…we all understand how firey you are, paul, and how much you want to play and how much you care, particularly when you stay in the dugout after losses and just sit there and stare…but i don’t think it’s necessary to storm out on the media…if you’re hurt, you’re hurt…
…ultimately, i feel the biggest outcome of this is that it probably decreases the already slim chances lo duca will be with the mets next year…
