Daily Archives: September 19, 2007
The Mets (84–67) defeated the Nationals (68–84) by the score of 8 to 4 in DC tonight.
For a recap and boxscore, go to Yahoo! Sports.
…okay, everyone now, deep breath, and exhale…
…Mike Pelfrey looked great in the first inning, got sloppy in the second, allowed two runs on two slap singles and a broken bat dinker, but then settled down, began working in his slider, worked well, then got in to trouble during the sixth…in came Jorge Sosa, with a runner on third and first, one out and me with an upset stomach…seriously, the mere thought of the bullpen was making me sick…but, sosa proved me wrong…he struck out a batter looking on three pitches, and on the fourth pitch he threw he got an inning-ending double play…
…in the end, he did his job, and allowed three runs and nine hits, while walking three and striking out four, through five innings…
…in the top of the seventh, Shawn Green, who entered the game in a double switch with sosa, hit a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice, then scored on a bad throw past first base, off a dribbler from Luis Castillo, who scored on a double by David Wright, who scored on a single by Moises Alou…go…go…score…pile it on…the more the merrier…so great to see…
…speaking of alou, he is slow…with this sore quad, he is John-Olerud slow…
…speaking of worrying about the bullpen, Aaron Heilman looked good again, as well…
…early in the game, Jose Reyes hit a double off the wall, umm, check that, he hit a double in to the wall, literally, i mean, it actually got stuck in the padding, and so he was forced to stop at second…of course, he scored on a perfect hit and run, as he took off for third, while David Wright hit an an opposite-field single…b…e…aggressive…
…oh, and hat’s off to Gary Cohen, who, without skipping a beat, immediately knew that when a ball gets stuck in the padding it is a ground-rule double…nice, buddy…
…by the way, i must give credit to Paul Lo Duca, and i would think Rick Peterson, as well, as pelfrey was pitching with a plan, and it was execute with near perfection…
…in the fifth, Moises Alou advanced to third on a sac-bunt by Jeff Conine, so he could score with ease on a sac-fly from Paul Lo Duca…nice teamwork, team…
…speaking of lo duca, he left the game with a right wrist injury…
…who was that mystery man pitching in the ninth…what is he some sort of closer or something…interesting…he was good…i hope to see him more often…
…nice win, guys…now, if you don’t mind, i’m going to go exhale, and get some much needed sleep, which i may actually be successful at tonight…
According to MLB.com, the Marlins postponed 
Dontrelle Willis’s start tonight against the Braves, so he can pitch against the Mets tomorrow night.
Willis, who is 11-3 with a 2.39 ERA lifetime against the Mets, was actually sent back to Miami early so he can be ready for the game.
…i’m speechless…i mean, this is a whole other level of trying to play spoiler, right?…damn, man…that’s cold…
Tonight, on The MetsBlog Podcast, Anthony and I talked with David Pinto, of Baseball Musings, about how the Mets struggles stack up against other teams 
around the league.
To listen to our discussion, use the audio player in the site’s left sidebar.
By the way, Pinto will host his own online radio show tonight at 8 pm, which you can listen to here.
Lastly, to subscribe to The MetsBlog Podcast, and receive new and old editions directly to your iPod, use this url, or simply search MetsBlog on iTunes and click subscribe.
The Game
The first-place Mets (83–67) look to avoid consecutive sweeps as they take on the Nationals (68-83) at RFK Stadium this evening, starting at 7:05 pm EDT.
The Lineup
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Jeff Conine
- C Paul Lo Duca
- RF Lastings Milledge
- SP Mike Pelfrey
The Pitchers
RHP Mike Pelfrey (2-7, 5.23 ERA) makes the biggest start of his young career for the Mets. His last appearance was in relief last week against the Braves. He allowed a run over two innings. He has won two consecutive starts after losing his first seven starts of the season. Pelfrey has allowed three runs over 11.1 IP in his last two starts. His first start of the season was against the Nationals back on April 13th, yielding two runs on six hits over 5.2 IP.
LHP Matt Chico (5-8, 4.61 ERA) tries to complete the sweep for the Nats. He was handed a no-decision in his last start vs. the Braves, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. Chico hasn’t won a start since July 31st vs. the Reds. In two starts vs. the Mets this season, Chico is 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA.
The Notes
In 2006, the Nationals scored a total of 18 runs in nine games vs. the Mets at RFK. The Nationals have scored 21 runs in the first two games of this series.
Prior to the last two games, the Mets have only lost two games at RFK after having a lead. Both loses came after leading 1-0 (April 29, 2005 & August 11, 2006). The Mets have blown two four-run leads over the past two days.
The last time the Nationals won from a four-run deficit in consecutive days was back when they were the Expos in 1999 (August 27 & 28th vs. the Reds).
The Mets are in danger of losing six in a row for the first time since September of 2005.
…a big thanks to elliot for gathering some of the information above...well done…
The Bleachers
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy…and remember, ‘ya gotta believe’…
During his guest spot on WFAN’s Mike and the Maddog today, Willie Randolph said that, while he repeatedly gets in his player’s faces, in private, away from fans and media, he prefers for him and his players to 
remain calm, saying, ‘we cannot over-react, because this is not unusual, but we have to stay strong and get through it,’ adding, ‘and we’re gonna get through it.’
According to Randolph, Brian Lawrence was the team’s only real option for Monday’s start, since a) he was on rotation, b) Mike Pelfrey had already been set up to throw Wednesday, and c) Philip Humber was not in proper condition to start. The team felt comfortable pitching Lawrence in DC’s big park, he explained.
When asked why he continues to pitch Guillermo Mota, Randolph responded by asking, “Who else are you going to pitch, guys?” According to Randolph, Mota is still a better option than Willie Collazo or Humber, both of whom are untested and not quite ready for the major-league level.
Lastly, he says his team still ‘feels good,’ and while it would be ‘easy to panic,’ their attitude is ‘solid.’ He says Mets can should ‘keep the faith.’ because ‘we’re gonna bounce back and win this thing.’
To listen to Randolph’s entire interview, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Willie Randolph |The Mets have announced that C Mike Nickeas, 1B Mike Carp, OF Caleb Stewart, RHP Carlos Muniz, RHP Eddie Kunz, LHP Adam Bostick and LHP Eddie Camacho will play for the Scottsdale Scorpions in this year’s Arizona Fall League.
For a break down on each of these players, check out Toby Hyde’s Mets Minor-League Report.
Tagged Minors |During his interview with WFAN, Willie Randolph said that he hopes to get Moises Alou in tonight’s lineup.
Alou will test out his sore quad with a bit of running and batting practice before tonight’s game.
…ordinarily i would say he should rest, but, it’s go time…no two ways about it…i mean, what’s the point in preparing for the post-season, if the post-season is in jeopardy…
Randolph also said Carlos Delgado will take live batting practice tomorrow, with the hope of getting him back in the lineup over the weekend.
Tagged Moises Alou |Eddie Kunz, who was the Mets first selection in the 2007 First Year Player Draft, was honored along with his Oregon State University teammates at the White House today. The Beavers have won back-to-back national championships.
Kunz will also be in attendance for tonight’s game at RFK Stadium.
…do you think anybody would notice if we put Kunz in Guillermo Mota‘s uniform…
Tagged eddie kunz |Tomorrow, at 12 pm, former-Mets OF Darryl Strawberry will talk with me about baseball, and his recent work with autistic children, during The MetsBlog Podcast.
Tagged MetsBlog |At his outstanding blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney discusses the popular topic of Willie Randolph’s demeanor, concluding…
“It’s a convenient excuse for a team filled with players who aren’t performing well.
“Need reasons why the Mets are crumbling? Well, how about Jose Reyes, whose batting average has plummeted 40 points in the second half of this season? How about Carlos Delgado, who, because of injury and extended slumps, will finish this season with the fewest RBIs since he became an everyday player? How about Paul Lo Duca, whose on-base percentage is down 40 points from last year; some advance scouts believe the Mets are a better team with Ramon Castro in the starting lineup. How about middle relievers who have struggled in the second half? How about John Maine, a first-half All-Star candidate whose ERA has doubled in the second half?”
By the way, go to Olney’s post if you’re unfamiliar with what he does, as ESPN.com is offering a free read.
Tagged Paul Lo Duca, Willie Randolph | ← Older posts
