Daily Archives: April 16, 2008
The Mets (7–6) defeated the Nationals (4–11) by the score of 5 to 2 at Shea Stadium tonight.For a recap and boxscore, go to SNY.tv.
…well so much for the Mets early season power outage…Ryan Church connected on the first of the Mets three homeruns tonight in the bottom of the first…church has shown some early success hitting lefties, especially on mediocre breaking balls from southpaws…
…Jose Reyes hit his first homerun of the season in the fifth to tie the game at 2…nice to see jose getting into a groove…the smiling, fun-loving reyes seems to be back…welcome back, jose…and the old adage of how reyes goes, so goes the Mets is becoming more true with every game, even the folks at SNY put up a telling graphic providing the statistical proof…
…the big blow came in the fifth with a three-run bomb from Carlos Beltran off the tiring Matt Chico…carlos is locked in from the right side of the plate…even after the game beltran, speaking with SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, admitting to feeling more comfortable from the right side so far this season…
…on the pitching side, John Maine certainly looked better than he had in his previous two outings, but he doesn’t seem to be comfortable just yet…he is looking more like the john main of 2006 than 2007 with his fastball riding high away from batters and when he did get the ball down it was in the heart of the plate…he battled and looked quite annoyed that he was unable to get through the seventh…you can see signs he is coming around and look forward to seeing a more dominate maine in the very near future…
…give a game ball to Joe Smith for coming in and bailing out maine in the seventh and getting a big double play after hitting Lasting Milledge with a pitch in the eighth…
…oh, and Chad Cordero, it looks as if a visit to Dr. James Andrews is in your future…just saying…
…another good win tonight in which the Mets looked crisp in all phases…keep it rolling, guys, keep it rolling…
Tomorrow, the Mets continue their series against the Nationals, with Nelson Figueroa facing John Lannan, starting at 7:10 pm.
Tagged Mike Nichols |The Game:
The Mets (6-6) continue their three-game series against the Nationals (4-10) this evening at Shea Stadium, starting at 7:10 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- LF Ryan Church
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- LF Angel Pagan
- C Brian Schneider
- 2B Luis Castillo
- P John Maine
The Pitchers:
RHP John Maine (0-1, 4.50 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mets. Maine received a no-decision in his last start versus the Phillies on April 10, allowing one run on five hits and five walks with a strikeout. In seven career starts versus the Nationals, Maine is 3-2 with a 5.21 ERA.
LHP Matt Chico (0-2, 3.72 ERA) takes the hill for the Nationals. Chico is coming off a strong start in his last outing versus the Braves, holding them to one run on five hits over eight innings pitched. In his last start against the Mets on September 24, Chico allowed three runs on on nine hits over 5.1 IP. Chico is 2-2, with a 6.20 ERA in four career starts versus the Mets.
The Notes:
David Wright is 4-for-9 (.444) with a double and 3 RBI versus Chico in his career.
Carlos Delgado has reached base 34 straight games dating back to August 23.
Ronnie Belliard is batting .700 with a homerun and 3 RBI in 10 career at-bats versus Maine.
The Nationals are 1-6 this season when their opponent scores first.
For more insight on the Nationals, check out Blogger Beat.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on
and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Gary Carter will be signing copies of his new book, 
Still a Kid at Heart: My Life in Baseball and Beyond, on April 17 at 12:30 pm at the Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in New York City…
…thanks to David K for the link…
…if you are among the lucky fans heading to Wrigley Field for next week’s games against the Cubs in Chicago, Julie from Chicago Mets Fan is getting people together for a pre-game happy hour on both nights at Murphy’s Bleachers, which is located on the corner of Waveland and Sheffield across the street from the bleacher seat entrance…
Marlins (8-5, First):
The Marlins are enjoying their place in the standings, but Dave George of the Palm Beach Post believes it won’t last much longer.
…i agree…the Marlins are relying on their power, as evident with their .471 slugging percentage, but continue to pitch poorly, as they are last in the nl with a 5.04 ERA…and as we all know, pitching is the key to any winning ball club….
Over at his blog, FishStripes, Craig is skeptical about IF Robert Andino playing in the outfield, but does believe Andino needs to be playing regularly.
Phillies (7-7, 1.5 GB):
Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Phillies are remaining cautious with SS Jimmy Rollins. According to Zolecki, Rollins, who has not been in the starting lineup for the last six games, is unsure when he will be able to start, but may be available to pinch hit.
Over at The Good Phight, Jonk provides an argument for replacing OF So Taguchi with OF Chris Snelling on the Phillies bench.
Braves (5-8, 3.0 GB):
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution updates the latest Braves injury news, including the status of the recently injured RHP Peter Moylan, who is scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews this week.
…the most dreaded words in sports…doctor…james…andrews…i shudder every time his name is mentioned…
Martin Gandy of Talking Chop, posts a brief interview he conducted with Braves OF Jeff Francoeur.
Nationals (4-10, 4.5 GB):
Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports despite their new ballpark, the Nationals attendance is down through their first seven home games this season.
…even a beautiful new ballpark can’t compensate for a below-average ball club…just ask the pirates…however, i don’t expect the nats to be annual cellar dwellers in the years to come….they have a good young nucleus growing and i assume they will be adding a few high-end, quality free-agents to the mix over the next few seasons…
At his blog, Capital Punishment, Chris Needham lists 19 things that have gone right for the Nationals this season.
…i love #6, Chris…well played…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, Mets fans are still hung over from the 2007 collapse since it hasn’t taken much for negativity to set in at Shea.
Davidoff writes:
“Mike Pelfrey walks Lastings Milledge in the third inning, loading the bases? A booable offense. Carlos Beltran grounds into a double play in the bottom of the third? Boo him, too. At first blush, it comes off as ridiculous, uneducated. But then you recall that this fan base is still trying to come to terms with the greatest collapse in baseball history, and you have a little more sympathy.”
…the booing at Shea Stadium has gotten out of hand so far this season, and frankly, i am tired of hearing it, reading about it and talking about it…don’t get me wrong, i love to boo just as much as the next fan does, however certain Mets fans need to pick their spots…there is no reason to give a player the business after a ground ball out…whatever happened to “Ya Gotta Believe!”…
As far as what will cure the booing, David Wright says:
“I think just a nice little winning streak, where we go out there and play the kind of baseball we’re capable of over the course of a month, or a few tough series.”
…amen d-wright…amen…
Tagged Mike Pelfrey |
In an article for the New York Post, Bart Hubbuch relays a story about how Luis Castillo is to request more rest.
Hubbuch writes:
“Asked if he needs some time off, Castillo said: “Sometimes, I do. When I play three or four games in a row, maybe I can get a day off. I’m going to talk to Willie about it.”
…this is why i was concerned with him signing a four year deal…requesting that your second baseman play four days in a row shouldn’t be too much to ask…
…added to by Matthew Cerrone…
…umm, he just got four days off last week…is he serious…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
Note: Single A Savannah had the night off
New Orleans (AAA): 2-1 win over Iowa
RHP Ruddy Lugo was fantastic, tossing seven innings of one run ball, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six.
SS Anderson Hernandez was 1-for-4 with an RBI, while 1B Michel Abreu finished 1-for-4 with a run and OF Caleb Stewart was 1-for-4 with no extra frills.
Binghamton (AA): 11-10 loss to Akron
RHP Jose Sanchez allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in four innings, while RHP Joe Hietpas surrendered five earned runs on five hits and three walks in just two innings pitched.
3B Danny Murphy took his turn as top masher for the B-Mets, finishing with a 3-for-4 night with two doubles, his first homer of the year and three RBI. His average now sits at .486. 1B Mike Carp was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. DH Nick Evans was 1-for-5 with a run scored. SS Jose Coronado went 2-for-4, quietly raising the 21-year old’s average to .372 on the year. OF Fernando Martinez finished a rough 0-for-6.
St. Lucie (A+): 6-2 loss to Brevard County
Tagged Minors |RHP Dylan Owen tossed a solid five innings, allowing just an earned run on three hits and three walks while fanning three. RHP Stephen Clyne had yet another rough outing, allowing four runs, three earned, on five hits in just two innings.
OF Ezequiel Carrera and SS Ruben Tejada were both 1-for-4 with a walk, while 1B Lucas Duda was 0-for-3 but took two bases on balls.
During his appearance on WFAN earlier this week, SI.com’s Jon Heyman 
told Mike and the Maddog that Omar Minaya had a closed-door meeting with Willie Randolph following Sunday’s game.
…the thing is, from what i can gather, willie and omar essentially meet at some point, behind doors, every day – be it before or after the game…
…of course, this did not stop the three on-air voices from speculating on what sunday’s meeting must have meant…i have also seen fans speculate that this meeting must be where minaya forced randolph to use yesterday’s lineup – assuming that willie had to be forced to make such a move in the first place…which may or may not be true…however, they may also have discussed the weather…who knows…point is, they meet…a lot…so i am not sure any one meeting can be connected to any one result…
…the point to all of this is not defend willie or omar, it’s to note how there is a Forced Narrative going on the media, and i am not totally sure it is accurate…so, be aware of this when listening to talk radio or reading other mainstream media outlets…
Willie Randolph, speaking about Mike Pelfrey, after the game:
“Obviously, Pelfrey was outstanding. The kid threw the heck out of the ball tonight. He used everything he had…total game for him. That’s the way we want him to be…He’s growing, he’s maturing, and that’s the main thing for him. He gets better as he goes out there…Pelfrey is just learning how to pitch at this level. I mean, he’s gone through some growing pains, and he still needs to be more consistent with his location, but you can see he’s coming. He’s a kid with a good chance to be a quality major-league pitcher.”
Pelfrey was introduced to reporters while Randolph was wrapping up his comments and still sitting at the table, so Randolph smiled and said jokingly, “Oh he’s over there, and I was saying good things about it him, (sigh), never mind, never mind all that.”
After which Pelfrey, Randolph and the reporters all laughed.
…this was a far cry from the serious, nervous and frustrated version of randolph from the game before…i’m glad he can keep a sense of humor, because that is important…fact is, there were a lot of smiles last night, from willie to Jose Reyes to the fans in the stands, which is a welcomed change from the tense environment of the last few days…
…i mean, for us, baseball is supposed to be fun…i am stressed out enough at work…i look to the game as a way to relax and have fun, not stress out more…and lately, the Mets have been stressful…last night was fun…
Tagged Mike Pelfrey, Willie Randolph | ← Older posts
