Daily Archives: September 15, 2007
The Mets (83–65) lost to the Phillies (80–69) by the score of 5 to 3 in Shea Stadium today.
For a recap and boxscore, go to Yahoo! Sports.
…what is up with the Mets playing like Little Leaguers when the Phillies are around…
…it’s sad…and very, very embarrassing…
…Pedro Martinez looked outstanding today…he had all his pitches clicking, he changed speeds with his fastball, and had very good control…in fact, in the first inning, the home-plate umpire called a ball on a pitch that pedro was convinced should have been a strike, and so he actually walked towards home plate and argued a bit, with a smile, of course…
…the thing is, he left with a two-run lead in the sixth, yet his performance got blown to bits by the team’s bullpen and a ton of sloppy play…oddly enough, of Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa, Guillermo Mota and Scott Schoeneweis, it was mota and schoeneweis who did not allow a run…go figure…to his credit, feliciano did strike out the heart of philly’s order at one point…
…however, while i’d love to fault the bullpen, the rest of the Mets, short of pedro, did not play sharp…again…Carlos Beltran misjudged a ball in the first that led to a run, and he really misjudged a ball in the eighth that let two runs to score and give the Phillies a game-winning lead…Jose Reyes got picked off trying to steal twice, one of which was in to third with David Wright at the plate…wild pitches allowed runners to advance…
…speaking of beltran, in a weird twist, i always hear fans complain that beltran plays too far back, yet, on the crucial play in the ninth, he was clearly not playing back enough…
…in the ninth, Marlon Anderson lost his mind arguing a ‘strike’ with the home-plate umpire, on a pitch that was at least a foot off the plate…he was ejected…just like last night with Paul Lo Duca, Willie Randolph had to hold his player back…the thing is, i would like to have seen willie get a bit loud with the ump here, as well…usually, i don’t put a lot of stock in to this, but back-to-back nights he sees his player got tossed, in the ninth, and i’d like to think his players would appreciate knowing willie is as angry about it as they are…
…how is it the Phillies bullpen is amazing when facing the Mets, yet is a total disaster every other series…
…this bugs me…i mean, based on what i watched today and yesterday, if i woke up having been asleep all season and never looked at the standings i would think the Phillies must have a 10–game lead for first place in this division, while the Mets must be toiling around in the third or fourth…because that’s what it looks like…
…fortunately, the Phillies are still five games back of first, where the Mets can continue to sit comfortably, even if philly wins tomorrow…
…still, though, guys, you’re in the first place and being embarrassed…it’s just not right…
The first-place Mets (83–63) continue their weekend series with the Phillies (78–69) this afternoon at Shea Stadium starting at 1:10 pm EDT.
The Lineup
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Shawn Green
- C Paul Lo Duca
- RF Lastings Milledge
- SP Pedro Martinez
The Pitchers
Pedro Martinez (2-0, 1.80 ERA) starts for the Mets. He threw five shutout innings (with 92 pitches) in his last start vs. the Astros last Sunday. In two starts since returning, Martinez has allowed three runs, two earned, on 11 hits over 10 IP while walking four and striking out eight. He is 2-2 with a 5.46 ERA against the Phillies since joining the Mets.
Kyle Lohse (8-12, 4.47 ERA) takes the hill for the Phillies. He is 2-0 with a 4.12 ERA in eight starts since being acquired by the Phillies. Lohse is 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in three career outings vs. the Mets. The Mets knocked Lohse out in the fourth inning on August 30th, as he allowed three runs on five hits.
The Notes
The Phillies have held the Mets to three or less runs in five of their last six matchups.
Moises Alou carries an 18-game hitting streak into this afternoon’s game.
Carlos Beltran is 13-for-26 with four homers and 10 RBI vs. Lohse.
Pat Burrell is 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts vs. Martinez in his career.
For more insight on the Phillies, check out Blogger Beat, featuring Tom Goyne of Balls, Sticks & Stuff.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy…and as always, let’s go mets…
