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The Game:
The Mets (14-12) begin a three-games series versus the Diamondbacks (20-8) tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ, game at 9:40 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- RF Ryan Church
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Raul Casanova
- 2B Luis Castillo
- P Oliver Perez
…this should be the Mets regular lineup going forth, but with Brian Schneider, of course…
The Pitchers:
RHP John Maine (2-2, 3.58 ERA) starts for the Mets. Maine earned a win in his last start on April 26 versus the Braves allowing two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out seven over 5.0 IP. Opponents are 0-for-11 off Maine when down 0-2 in the count. In two career starts versus the Diamondbacks, Maine is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA.
RHP Micah Owings (4-0, 3.48 ERA) toes the rubber for the Diamondbacks. In his last start on April 25 versus the Padres, Ownings earned a no-decision, allowing five runs on five hits whiles striking out five and walking three through 5.0 IP. Owings earned a no-decision in his only start against the Mets on May 3, pitching five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five.
The Notes:
Micah Owings is batting .354 (28-for-79) with 5 HR and 18 RBI in his career.
The Diamondbacks lead the National League with a 3.25 ERA and are second with 165 runs scored.
Ryan Church is batting .381 (8-for-21) with 1 HR, 2 RBI with nine runs scored when batting second in the lineup. The Mets are 5-0 in those games.
The Mets are 7-1 in their last eight games at Chase Field.
For more insight on the Diamondbacks, 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.
…i’ve been anticipating this series for awhile now…i’m interested to see how the Mets stack up against what is the team with the nl’s best record…also interested to see if this team can rebound from their terrible loss against the Pirates on wednesday and if Billy Wagner’s recent criticism galvanizes this team going forward…
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…





If the Mets win tonight and Church has a big night, will he be batting 6th or 7th tonight? Just kidding…maybe…
That being said…LETS GO METS!!!
*6th or 7th tomorrow, sorry.
Who ends tonight with more rbis/homers/runs
A. Our line-up
B. Micah Owings
depends if we PH Santana.
Tonight? How about for the series.
Ummm….lets hope OP isn’t pitching again tonight! LOL
Wow, an Alou sighting. He’s like Haley’s comet. You better enjoy him for the brief time he makes an appearance.
This is a little unrelated but I was looking over their line-up and noticed it was pretty righty heavy, and it reminded me of hearing about the Cubs skipping Rich Hill in the rotation this week to avoid a righty heavy line-up in the Brewers and it mad me think, why don’t we do this with Perez?
Rightys are killing him this year and at one point I know he faced three heavy right-handed line-ups in a row. I know there’s not a crap load of predominately left-handed line-ups out there but it couldn’t hurt to switch things up a little bit to let him find his groove.
Well you could do it if there was an off day or a rain-out created an off day. But to switch starts based on a certain teams lineup is not very sound strategy to do on a regular basis.
Maybe you would do that to allow Santana to face a really hot team but you don’t do that for Perez. Plus if you skipped Perez then Maine would have to pitch on short rest which is not a good thing.
Not a bad suggestion but it just wouldn’t work right for the Mets without off-days factoring in.
I don’t mean a regular basis just as a way to help him get some momentum. I just don’t think it makes sense to have a guy who struggles so much against righties basically starting the season with 3 straight starts against righty heavy line-ups.
This is where we draw a line in the sand and start playing like we care. Baseball has always been about heart and guts and tonight is the night this team remembers why they became ball players..
I have faith that changes are being made. Seeing Churchy in the two hole warms my heart.
I guess I’m in the minority of those that still want Castillo 2nd. I figure when he’s on, the lineup is more balanced with Delgado 7th. Lets face it, Delgado is a 7th hitter at best right now. But I also see how they wouldn’t want Delgado, then Schneider, then pitcher. I guess I just don’t see Church as a prototypical 2nd hitter. I have trouble envisioning him there permanently.
is there really any place in the lineup for a .200 hitter? oh, i know, 9th.
tell that to micah owings!
AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaLuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
did anyone catch the roster move? turned on metsextra late and i’m out of the SNY area. very curious.
molina optioned down..scneider is ok to back up casanova in an emergency
thanks. i wonder what they will do when wise returns. DFA Sosa, i sure hope.
When’s Matt Wise returning?
earlier in the week willie said most likely either this weekend or in LA
Time to see what this team is made of…our best lineup against a top-notch staff.
Mets win. It’s a blowout. Maine flirts with a no-no. I called it. :-)
Maine needs to smell the 7th inning for once.
So much for the no-no… gave up a hit to the first batter. :-/
But seriously, Maine looked so lost on the mound two seasons ago. Now he looks like a young Orel Hershiser. That’s exactly who he reminds me of now. Bulldog.
church or castillo 2nd really doesnt matter much with a full lineup. the only problem is theyve both been fairly cold for the last week.
holy crap! it’s alou! somebody take a picture
Something strange is going to happen tonight…..
like a Reyes triple?
can already tell it will be one of those “switch to howie rose” nights for those of us in mlb.tv land, with the profile of micah “bulldog” owings. oy.
Lets Go Mets!
yes yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!!!!
nice start
eat it, bulldog.
Jose Jose Jose
I find it strange when you’re more anxious when their pitcher is hitting rather than pitching.
This looks like Mets ball so far.
i hate those az uniforms
they’re a million times better than the ugly ass purple ones they used to have
Much better than the purple ones.
Can the Mets put Alou in a stasis chamber when he is not batting or fielding? Just him leaning on his knee made me cringe.
I’ve been to Chase the last three years when the Mets played the D-bags. The stadium is actually quite nice if a bit warehouse-y. Some good bars just across from stadium entrance. And TONS of Mets fans. Last year, after they won game 2 of the 3 game set (13 in a row, I believe in AZ), the chants of “Shea Stadium West” and “Let’s Go Mets!” on the concourse as we made our way out to the exits were defeaning. And pretty wild, given we were 2,800+ miles from Flushing.
Let’s hope they keep up the good vibes in the desert.
just heard some of those met fans :) glad the boys are giving them something to cheer for.
i cant believe the doomsday bunch arent chirpin about the 4, 5, 6 hitters only hittin .211, 000, and .198 yet.
now the #5 hitter’s batting 1.000 baby!
i have never seen a team crush the ball so much in one certain ballpark
Good to see David hit it hard up the middle.
i missed alou’s crazy batting stance
Amen, brother!
alou really can roll out of bed and hit line drives…its amazing
We;ll take it.
BOOT!
Guess Hudson lost focus.
We’ll
Welcome back Alou. Nice gift to start your season.
Seriously,
How does Alou do it?
its the age old ritual of pissing on one’s hands that gives Alou magical hitting powers
How do we always do this? lol
Wow it’s strange seeing a confident offense.
Ya! It’s fun again. :)
i am in awe. how is this possible?
WOW. Delgado!
did Moises use a cane walking up to the plate or was it a bat ? did the batboy hold his hand on between the on deck circle and the batter’s box ?
he took a scooter to first base
Medicare helped pay for it.
I thought I saw him take a swig of ensure just before his at-bat
as long as there are no issues with always having to go, like on the tv commercial. i cant think of the name of the drug.
Alright, here we go. Step on their throat Delgado!
listen to the let’s go mets chants! this is the best team in baseball! arizona fans suck
They jsut smiled at us when we were there owning their place. Only one, two years ago, did any Dbag fan get on me. We had jumped on Webb early and I was cheering. This one guy asked, “when was the last time your team won a WS?” I said “At least my team has a history….and a fanbase”…while pointing at all the Mets fans chanting “Let’s Go Mets!”
I feel foolish for ever doubting them. Stone me, someone.
I love this park!
Really I love the way Citi field looks, but we need to petition to have our home games played in Arizona.
the crowd might be nicer to our players then at Shea…and that’s not even a joke
It’s different when you are rooting for them in a hostile park. I have seen the Mets in AZ, LA, SD, SF, and Seattle. It’s really fun to do – and hang out with loyal, if displaced, Mets fans. I only saw Mets fans boo the Mets once – in Seattle in midst of a horrible sweep by a lowly Mariner team in 05 I believe. It was hysterical – the Seattle fans were appalled that we would get that upset with our own team!
haha, see, now that’s kind of funny
Casanova has a TON of power in his bat.
It’s contagious…keep it up!
Alouuuuuuu!
hey guys, now that they’re hitting, it really looks like this team has a bunch of FIRE! who woulda thought?
Ha. Yeah, wild how that works.
Hey, no complaints, as long as it works.
It’s half an inning versus th elast year or so. Even .500 teams win a bunch of games. They even look pretty good – about half the time.
F U Jabu….I do it myself!
LOL!!! Classic
Damn this lineup looks so much more formidable with Alou in it.
is it too late to change the spec of citi field to match Chase Field?
Ok Castillo, you have to HIT here.
Ha. Delgado and Castillo can’t both get a hit in the same inning or the universe would collapse….
…not quite what I was thinking.
did he just look alou back? why?!!
Is anyone else using mlb.tv notice how quiet this broadcast is?
Seems like there are only 4 fans in the stadium. Three of which are Alou’s medical staff.
i’d feel a lot better if they added 6 more doctors, a surgeon, 12 interns, george clooney and an indian medicine man
Quiet as in volume or tone?
I saw that they pretty much blew off listing the Arizona defense.
They turn down the crowd mics to avoid the audio of all the Mets fans.
Tone. Sounds like there is no one there.
it’s amazing…reyes gets on and things happen.
Here comes the Maine Event baby
Well, we got a glimpse of what this team can do on offense. Let’s put up a goose egg in the bottom.
Just trust your stuff Johnny.
Great start !!! It would be awesome to open the series with a strong win.
and a ground out to the catcher is just perfect for our slap hitting, slick fielding speedster of a second sucker, i mean sacker.
good measuring stick tonight, if we do well and take a series from the hottest team in baseball the confidence of this team should get WAY better!!!
fantastic start, lets keep it up!!!
Come on Maine, LETS GO METS!!!! LETS GO METS!!!!
Well he didnt get hurt on that one.
Thats not an error
2 gold glovers in the infield in the game…and they both have an error
It’s just such a different feel with Alou around. We can only hope he gets, stays healthy.
I didn’t think Alou was gonna get it.
Come on John.
ugh, Wright’s gotta make that play
i’m not able to watch the game, but what i’d like to see from Maine, and maybe he’s doing this, is less nibbling. Sure, he may get more K’s by staying out of the strike zone a bunch, but he’s also going to walk guys and throw a bunch more pitches. Let the hitters hit, he has good enough stuff that he’ll be able to get guys out either way.
nope, he’s nibbling
3-1 Count, he overpowered him with a fastball to make it 3-2, and now…OUT, groundball to Reyes.
Whoever is controlling the info line at the top of the screen sucks
Somebody tell Maine strikes are better than balls.
Lol
Car? What the hell?
Can MLB.tv please just use the SNY broadcast for every game?
I know – can’t the technology accomodate requests for a certain feed? I have same problem with the Extra innings package.
What the heck is ‘Car’?
Yea, I was wondering the same thing.
I dunno….BUT I AGREE! CAR! CAR!
nice play, great throw
Wow, nice gun. Glad that’s back too.
Reyes has an uzi attached to his arm.
Mark Grace was a fag bag with a goofy smile…I would like to punch him in between the eyes…
has anybody heard of this procede product? you see i don’t have time for the daily regimen so i’m looking for something new.
I’m I the only person who finds it oddly strange, weird, funny, whatever when the old guy is trrembling as he is rubbing product into his hair?
i like the guy talking about guiseppe running his fingers though his hair…very creepy commercial
You know what happens if you really run your fingers through his hair? You end up looking like the Amputee Lady.
OK, that may have been going a little too far.
i still like the guy with the hole in his throat better. ” as a boy gowing up on an island i used to swim in the ocean all day. now if go swimming i will drowned’
I got my shipment today. The nice thing about it is I’ve seen the commercial so many times I didn’t even bother reading the directions. I’m just gonna use it 90 times everyday like Guiseppe said I should. I’m up to 57 now. I’ll let you know how it works later if I’m still online. I have a little bit of a headac… OH MY GOD MY SKULL IS ON FIRE!
you made me cry…funniest thing i’ve read in a long time
LOL!!!!!!!!!! Priceless.
oh…and now they tease us with the SNY crew…bastards…
haha, oh man that foul ball was funny.
John “Micah” Maine.
lookin for the cycle! nice hustle!
god I love him when he’s doing that stuff
Reyes is the most exciting player in baseball, when he wants to be. He has his game face on.
Did someone say something about Reyes and fire? Funny how fast things change in sports!
LETS GO METS!
this is just crazy. just move them down there. i will not be heartbroken.
Funniest comment I heard all day.
ryan church is good, very good.
Can Church please be our #2 hitter now???
Please???
no, we need luis there to botch bunts
This lineup is KILLING!
I also love Ryan Church.
now can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep piling on? I want them to win this thing 28-0, keep the pedal to the metal
WOooooo!!!
Geez, I wish I was watching this! Must be the nice, warm, dry air! Unbelievable!
wait, what….wasn’t that wright hit supposed to fall in?
wow, that’s pretty impressive. 14 games, so what would that stretch back to, 2004?
just got home…can i get a quick update?
Mets are playing like it’s 2006.
hits hits hits everywhere
i <3 the desert
also moises is still in the lineup
reyes 2 for 2 (triple and a double), church 2 rbi’s, delgado ribi, beltran rbi, 1 error both teams, micah owings looks terrible, maine looks solid
wow thanks! good to see churchy in the 2 hole
You look at this lineup 1 thru 5, and you really can’t pitch around anyone…nice balance, good speed, how can this NOT be our everyday lineup?
Oh yeah, Moises’ candy-brittle body…
Please Willie keep Church in the two hole. 5-0 record with him there, already has two RBIs. Put your ego in check and do the right thing!
We need to plant someone in the media that can try to convince Willie that they’ve been better off with Castillo batting second. Then Willie will laugh and say, “No, Church is my #2 hitter” and leave it alone.
Aaron Rowand goes yard on his old mates….5-4 Giants
good
Anyone still want Millz back?
Lineup is clicking, Owings has a bum ankle, Maine looked a little shaky to start but settled down to get out of a jam. Reyes and Church revving the Met machine.
Wow there’s a crowd there.
maine looks anything but solid
Maine is starting to worry me, hes all over the place and you dont want to mess around with the D-backs
Come on John!
Mets are gonna have to score a crapload of runs before this is all said and done
someone talk maine down!!!!!
We’re already seeing the jacketless jacket.
i had no idea that rick peterson’s number was 51
“Not now John, we got to get on with these…”
Anyone?
Floyd?
YES!!!!!!!!!!! Good job, man.
Well I worked in radio forever. I got paid to know this stuff and some weeks even had enough money for Ramen Noodles. :)
Ha! That;s great. I’ve always said that I wish I could have five different jobs for a different job every day of the week and radio would be one of them.
Not that you could actually PLAY that song, but you still had to know your stuff.
Very true. Many choices off of that album, though so it’s all good. :)
My radio gigs were the most fun jobs I’ve ever had. You would be amazed at some of the stuff I’ve seen doing that, especially overnights. It’s a shame that the pay is so poor unless you’re in a very select group, because the most talented people end up having to move on to do other things to survive. OK, that’s my rant for tonight :)
I completely hear you. I had buddies in college have an overnight show a nd it was such a blast listening in on them, but we all knew deep down that they were not going to go anywhere with it due to pay.
Funny, as we watch grown up men playing a game for millions. :)
The D-Backs may be 20-8, but frankly, their lineup doesn’t scare me at all.
the got to 20-8 mainly with starting pitching and defense but lets face, you have to score runs to win
They’re first in the NL in slugging %, second in rbis and runs, third in homeruns and fourth in obp %. Their line-up is pretty young so they’ll probably have some problems staying consistent, but I think it’s safe to say they can score.
It’s early, they’ll come down to earth.
maine and perez are killing me!!!
its like anyone after santana and my blood pressure skyrockets!
come on maine settle down and set them down
Maine needs to pitch to the team… there are 8 gloves out there… settle down.
how many pitches has it been this inning?
Good to see Wagner’s words have really sparked the pitching staff
http://www.firerickpeterson.com
No it doesn’t work . . . But what they hey. :D
I hate these announcers. I really do. I have no idea why but I just hate them. The D-Backs fans seem annoying too.
Maine’s best pitch tonight is his slider and his fastball command is off but he keep throwing that fastball without locating it properly. He should throw more sliders until he gets a better command of his fastball.
Guess we’ll be seeing the usual suspects again in the 6th, 7th and so forth…
honestly we really need brian back behind the plate, not to take anything away from our other guys but he was brought in specifically to manage the staff and i think when hes there our pitchers are more comfortable and confident
willie mays would have been proud!
Wow
At least John Maine is angry and tries to get out of the inning unlike oliver perez.. David with the #1 web gem!!
yeah, perez just gives up and pitches like crap until they have no choice but to pull him.
Gold Glove right there.
The Golden Child!!!
Does anyone remember the over-the-shoulder-diving-barehand-catch by David Wright?
Was that in Arizona or San DIego?
San Diego… and I THINK it was the same game as THE collision. But I could be wrong.
Thanks. Wasn’t sure.
I didn’t think so, wasn’t the catch at night and the collision during the day?
I looked it up. The catch was 8/9 and the collision was 8/11.
Now if he only made the routine play consistently he really would be a gold glover
i think we can agree his glove is golden (mostly) it’s his arm that’s made of tin
Glad he didn’t have to throw. :)
JK
Alou is seriously the Rain Man of hitting
DW’s webgem was against the Padres….
OK one of the guys in the trivia question is Dontrelle, right?
These Arizona announcers are awful. Mark Grace is terrible. Just terrible.
Burrell Walk Off HR
shocking
damn
Philly heroics will not last. Having to score 6 runs every game will beat those hitters down by the dog days.
ryan howard 0-5…10 mill arbitration
nice inning
Burrell just has a way of sticking it to us.
i really think Raul Casanova calls a bad game.
totally agree…he’s got some pop behind the bat though
I think they had mixed up the signs. The Mets may have changed them for the west coast being that scouts probably coached the D-backs up on them by now.
Maine’s bringing it now.
Let’s put up some more runs. I’d rather not let this Owings guy get comfortable.
I love you, Ryno
CHURCH!!!!! I BELIEVE!!!!
Ryan Church…
That’s all I got.
WOW!
Church. Second. Thriving.
i never wanna see castillo batting second again…I mean it!
Seriously…… what is it with the Mets in this park?
T o me, it just proves the point about the “07 hangover.” It shows that they are a very psychological club and they truly believe they can hit here. In-tern, their bad play can be attributed to the constant reminders and lingering effects of last year.
Church does not move from the 2 hole.
PERIOD.
hudson with the complete game 3 hitter today…10 strikeouts
What in the world is going on with this FSN Arizona crew? I feel like I’m at a circus.
Church is a BEAST in the 2 hole.
celtics lose 103-100!!! go hawks!
Get out!? I quote Mike & Mike in the moring a some time ago…”If the Celtics don’t win in four, it is an embarressment.”
i’m living in boston right now, let me tell you, i dislike yankees fans, but i hate boston fans…frontrunning pricks. i will root against boston teams until the day i die
I’ve never liked Doc Rivers as a coach. I think the Hawks are playing better then anyone thought, but Rivers is vastly overrated and shouldn’t have gotten a single vote for coach of the year. The coach that helped turn around that team is Tom Thibodeau. Too bad he can’t really coach the Celtics – as the head coach.
100000% agree. kevin garnett and ray allen saw to it that he got votes for coach of the year. put him in charge of the knicks and they lose 15 more games than isiah
morning some time*
Micah Owings would bat 5th or 6th for us
I’d bat him over Delgado and Alou’s always hurt anyway
micah owings could bat 5th or 6th for a lot of teams with the numbers he’s got
were any of those calls borderline?
According to Mark Grace, John Maine has better stuff than you’d expect in a 5th starter.
I wonder if he thinks Johan is better than your average 3rd starter.
Was he screaming and yelling HEY MAN! while he said it?
He takes annoying to a whole new level.
Maine, over time, has displayed a bit of a mean streak in his personality.
I like it!
You know, I’ve actually read in a couple of different places that Maine can be a pretty mean guy to fans. I don’t really care if it translates to the mound.
I don’t know where you heard that but I talked with him for a good 5 min at the coat drive in December and he couldn’t have been nicer. He was one of the most down to earth ball players I have ever met.
Somebody reminded him that John Mayer is dating Jennifer Aniston.
he’s still pissed about that tranny lookalike in the offseason
Which would make anyone mad. But what was it Maine said about her? Something like, “Gee, I love her hair!” It was something creepy.
She was the BEST Rolling Stone cover ever!
I’m glad he got out of the inning, but my god – 86 pitches through 4 innings while only giving up 2 runs. . . Ridiculously horribly inefficient.
86 pitches so far
Hopefully we can get another two out of Maine, but his pitching count is pretty high right now.
86 pitches after four. I’m very scared of what kind of ABs we could see against Heilman in there tonight. I hope the Mets can score a few more runs here.
He;s got to settle down and stretch himself out tonight.
Mark Mcclune you are no Kevin Burkhardt.
Castillo has to get on if we want Maine to go 6.
and we just sign THIS guy to a 4 year contract.
Doh!
Man, Maine is throwing some HEAT.
Ok, everyone has been whining and complaining about how Willie doesn’t leave his guys in long enough and how he goes to the bullpen too soon. Everybody is killing him for strictly following that 100 pitch plateau (which I also disagree with to an extent but it is part of the game now.)
If Maine goes out there next inning and get lit up not a single person has any right to blame Willie for this unless you say why it is a bad idea now.
Personally, I think he’s gonna be fine. Just sayin though…
I don’t have a problem with anything in your post except for calling it whining and complaining. They have been legitimate complaints.
Now tonight Maine is going to face the bottom of their order with a five run lead. He needs to nail down the inning. The responsibility is all on him as far as I’m concerned.
I didn’t mean to say tonight. I mean in the bottom of the inning. I had two thoughts going at once. But this is his responsibility and it’s time for him to nail these things down again.
Good to see this won’t be an issue :)
homer in the 8th jose!
That would be great! I’ll take the steal too. :)
And thats the only problem with him batting second. He wont give Reyes a chance to steal second.
But he will give him a chance to cross home plate.
I love it when Reyes steals on pitch outs!
I love 2 run blasts too!
it is wonderfully humiliating to the opposing catcher!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Damn I shouldve started Church in fantasy tongiht…my outfield is Church, Nate McClout, Soriano, Chris Young, and Markakis and I have to bench one of them everynight. I always make the wrong decision
David Wright is King!!!
Wright, Triple in the 8th. :)
DWRIGHT!!!!!
Let Maine pitch the 7th!
Why don’t we see how he does in the 6th first.
Lets just go ahead and tear down Citi and make a replica of this place.
except no pool.
Man am I glad Shea is gone after this season. The whole lineup tends to play so much better on the road for the past few years. Hopefully balls will be flying out for the Mets at Citi Field.
Did the D-Backs announcers just slam the Mets for pulling pitchers who are doing bad?
Isn’t one of the D-Backs announcers a former D-Back all-star from the world series team?
Dunno but it sounds like one of them keep calling the team the ‘D-Bags’.
IMO this is a direct result of putting church in the two hole. Gary said it best, Our 1-2-3 are tearing it up. When that happens, and we get runs early we are going to win games. Its much easier to tack on runs when you take an early lead, its called momentum. Take church’s 2nd AB for example. Dbacks just scored 2 runs an inning or two ago, it looks like the mets are gonna go down quietly in the 4th, 2 outs church hits a HR. 5-2. Momentum back on our side.
There is no chance that castillo does any of the things church did this game in the 2 hole. Maybe get the sac fly, but even thats not a given. I’m not ripping on castillo, he’s a nice player, but he’s not a good fit in the 2 hole on this team. 5-0 and possibly 6-0 with church at the 2 hole, every single one of those games we scored first.
totally agree, the numbers just speak for themselves…i think willie is just loyal to a fault
Maybe the increased talk about him being under the microscope will “force” him to change his ways a bit. We can hope.
Do you think Church will get to stay there now? For him to stay #2, Willie would be taking a big step in showing that he is willing to do what’s working in the best interest of the team, even at the expense of his own ego.
really makes me wonder if he is forced to bat the 90 foot slugger (Luis) 2nd, by those that signed him to the 4 yr deal… why else have an automatic out in the 2 spot, he doesnt run much anymore and the amazing bat control isnt overly impressive.
Well I wonder if Willie is getting some “help” with the batting order. But I’m not sure if it comes in the form of batting Castillo 2nd or Church 2nd. Church is an “Omar Guy” too.
But I do think there is more than one person calling the shots here, and that’s never a good sign for the manager.
Just my opinion.
There are solid reasons for Castillo to be in the 2 hole, and there are solid reasons for Church to be in the 2 hole. I really believe that Willie wont ignore the results of having Church there right now. Or should I say he cant ignore it because he should know he would be leaving himself wide open for more criticism.
They got Chase Field , we got Citi Field, I hope Citi field is nice to hit in like in Chase field
This is why you let Maine work through his troubles. Once he gets to 90+ pitches, everything’s good.
Gary Cohen stated earlier that Maine wasn’t a groundball pitcher and he is not. But if you saw the bottom of the sixth, Maine got two groundballs on fastballs on the outside corner.
If Maine is precise, he can use his fastball as an out pitch or a pitch to get groundouts. It’s tough to do, Smoltz comes to mind as a pitcher that does it well, but Maine can do it.
To John Maine,
Welcome back…thanks for taking deep into a game. Can you teach perez to throw strikes? Good effort, your a much better warrior then your 7th place at the jewish pie baking contest ribbon showed. I’m watching you…
Gaylord Fuker
Unfortunately, 6ip is not quite deep into the game…but agreed that he battled it out after a mediocre/inefficient start.
It’s deep for anyone other then Santana or Figgy
which, if they keep that up, is extremely bad.
Just wondering…Would WIlly have kept him in if it was a one run game? It’s easier to make these calls when the O is doing work.
Probably right…we probably would have seen 3 relievers over 3 batters :(
Keep hitting, boys.
All who wanted Church in the 2-hole were right. On paper, it still seems like Castillo fits better there to me, and Church in the middle of the order, but if the top guys are going to strings hits/runs together, that sure amounts to more runs than “balanced” mediocrity.
Willie should keep this lineup unless/until Castillo heats up and Church cools off.
thoughts on wagner anybody?
Right message, wrong delivery man.
I love it for one reason. We needed something to give. If Willy is not the fire you up kind of manager then maybe someone who is relatively respected can. I would rather there be conflict in house if it can distract us from the “collapse” chatter.
Oh yeah, Joe Smith is on the team. Yay all around on this game.
Come on Joe, you may well be pitching for your job…
Willie will stray from this line up against a lefty I bet.
they just said on the Arizona tellicast that the Mets bullpen is their biggest strength…
Maybe some Mets fans need some perspective…
There are a number of guys in there to make that statement true. It’s all in how they’re used (and not used).
that’s a tall order to ask of mets fans…perspective might be our biggest weakness
So apparently “CAR” means a break in the game.
Wayne’s world style.
CAR!!….
…GAME ON!
thanks…that was bugging me
This is just a D-Back announcer thing drawn from the idea that when we (or they) were kids playing ball in the street, if a car came along someone would say “car” and there’d be a break in the action. Not Pulitzer Prize stuff.
Nice job by Joe Smith. Should it even be a debate on who to send down when Matt Wise gets off the DL?
IMO castillo’s value is kind of diminished in the 2 hole anyway cause reyes can steal a base. Now if we did alot of hit and run type stuff castillo would be a little more valuable. However we don’t. Still regardless its hard to argue with what church has done in the 2 hole.
If we end up winnng this game, and we can take one of the next two by doing exactly what we did tonight. (score early and often) then there is no way willie can justify putting castillo back in the 2 hole. He’d be insane.
2 other things keeping church in the 2 hole does. 1. You don’t have to bat delgado and church back to back. 2. When castillo gets his day off every couple days you don’t have to constantly change the lineup around. Create some stability.
I realize alot of us could be jumping the gun with the church in the 2 hole thing. However the results are there. He could cool off. but he’s supposedly put the work in with Hojo and it looks like its paying off.
if we have to see the “cojack eyebrow guy” on the AZ broadcast one more freaking time…good lord, guys…
ha–that “F__” right into the camera was pretty nice.
swagger, man.
Dam thought reyes had that.
Oh man!
That was great though.
Hopefully this is the start of an awesome month by Reyes.
That was greedy sending Reyes. With no outs, even the Mets (sometimes) can get the runner in from 3rd!
To heck with the cycle. Get the insurance runs. You know, just in case Heilmann gets in the game!
Yeah, the statistical side of me died on the inside during that play, but I must say I did smile and I’m glad to seeing Reyes looking good at the plate again.
And people will start calling Reyes “selfish” in 3… 2… 1…
Personally, I loved it. People will get on him for a) going for the cycle and b)not running over the catcher among other things probably (and oh yea and maybe for smiling in the dugout) but its a 7-2 game and he has absolutely stung the ball all night. Its great to see him aggressive like that again and its great to see him having fun.
Alomar was waving him in. Ball was behind Reyes, gotta go with ol’ Sandy there.
I dig it.
i really thought he had that one
i just read on espn page 2 that while GM of the Expos Omar Minaya once traded Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee for Bartolo Colon… um, what?
Yea, I just saw that article too today. Yikes.
i also read that he once traded carlos gomez and 3 no name prospects for johan santana
khmustache is omar minaya.
i would’ve gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling kids
lol.
if you’re too young to know that trade from when it happened, then you simply don’t understand why it was done.
yes, colon was MUCH better. and when you’re trading no name prospects it’s easy to justify. just saying it’s eye popping now. imagine if sizemore, lee and phillips were Mets prospects? wouldn’t hear the end of it…
It’s great to see that young man smile. We need that.
I’m glad they sent him. Make them throw you out.
Boy, if only everyone gave the effort that DWRIGHT does.
“earn your cycle”
Idiot!
Its hard to get an inside the park homerun then it is one that goes over the fence.
Grace was slow as hell and he is a jelous, dog crap first basemen
did he really say that and was he serious
Wow!
Um yeah…that was when Colon was the best pitcher in the game….yes there was as time….
Hey, it’s been over a minute since the last boxing metaphor. What gives?
tonights performance earns the mets a weekend free of all the gosh darn b ‘ish ppl on here have been spewing the last 3 weeks,,,,dominant win over arguably the best team in baseball…
it’s not over yet
First let’s win the game.
And the last one they were in more than earned them the opposite of what people have been saying tonight.
did he really need to take joe smith out with a 5 run lead… i mean really?!??!?!
I would have.
Every game willie uses everyone in the bullpen. We are up 5 with two outs. Let him work out of a jam…
if hes letting pedro f finish the game then its ok b/c i dont think joe was going to work another inning anyway
come on…we are bringing in our 3rd pitcher for 1 out in the 8th. usually we’re on pitcher #6 by now!
I agree with the call to bring in Feliciano there.
I think most people who have been “spewing” lately are doing so, because the team they live and die with have been very inconsistent. So, if they get killed tomorrow 8-1, today’s potential win will just be more fuel for the fire.
has anyone else notcied that reyes is hitting a whole lot better this year with church batting behind him rather then castillo…the other time he was hot this year was that 5 game win streak with church batting second
all signs point to church batting second. come on willie get with the program and keep him there!
Oh this Heineken commercial has to go too.
Worst jingle I’ve heard in years.
It’s love, it’s love, it’s love, it’s la la la la la la it’s love. :)
What? That’s not as good as The Final Cut by Pink Floyd? jk :)
LOL!
They make some of these things that bad on purpose so you don’t forget them. There’s almost no such thing as bad publicity.
But there’s only one King of All Spokespeople…
http://www.tventas.com/fotos/giuseppe.jpg
Ha ha ha ha! That picture is hysterical. I fear he will jump right off of my screen and run his fingers through my hair!
Did you ever see the youtube video where some guys went into his salon and interviewed him? Not for the faint of heart… or eyes, or ears….
damn your black heart!
nope…nothing beats freecreditreport.com…i hate those stupid pirate, hatchback pricks
I’ve pulled Smith out too. He’s thrown about 30 pitches and it might’ve hurt his confidence if the next guy gets a hit off him and its a 3 run game.
listenening to these idiots makes me appreciate gary, keith, and ronny so much more.
just so unprofessional.
direct quote, “its official, the reds stink again! every since taking 2 out of 3 from the diamondbacks to start the season. aaaarggghhh!!!”
i mean, seriously?
Ahhhhhh, it’s nubby!
What happened to the guy from last year with the voice box?
He scared me.
Yeah, that was rough too. THis station sure knows how to shove something down your throat.
omg…these announcers are annoying……………….
DIRTY…………….
Haven’t watched the game tongiht since I only bought MLB.tv for April becuase I get back to NY from school on Sunday….seems like it was a really good night, and I’m sorry for being a downer…But what the hell is wrong with Beltran??? DWrights MVP prediction isn’t looking so good right now.
lets face it gary kieth and ronny are the best group of announcers in baseball, when we listen to anyone else you have to expect it to feel like a step back.
so true…even the old pros sound terrible…
GAME OVER
done and done…put it in the books..reyes gets the game ball
Dirty’s back…
sanchez slamming the door shut! great game all around!
GAME OVER……………
great win guys. Way to take it to the hottest team in baseball
welcome back reyes hopefully you can stick around for a while
welcome back alou
jhonny maine gets a win
Good game guys
now lets see how we do against their best pitchers.
more perspective from AZ announcers…
“the mets are a very demonstrative team. very much so. they let you know they’re beating you.”
The announcers should be more worried about the fact that the Mets have won 14 of their last 15 games at Chase Field. I guess being demonstrative is working for them.
And I’ve probably been to all of them. My jersery must be really lucky :)
can you move to queens?
What a great game!!!!Maine bounced back and pitched great. Bullpen wasnt overused cause Smith pitch 1.2 innings,and feliciano and sanchez threw less than 10 pitches. The offense was tremendous and hopefully keep playing this great on the road.
very solid win
lets get on a roll fellas
That’s the feeling I’ve been longing for.
amen
i feel like i hopped in the delorean and went back to 06
lolll
Good win. Real nice. Score early. Score often. and Good starting pitching.
John Maine hasnt been pretty but hes been getting it done giving up no more than 2 runs in all but his first start of the year. And the best is yet to come…he started really looking good in this game after the first couple innings. He was consistently beating ppl with his 94-95MPH fastball. His changeup was working, and he even dropped a few nice breaking balls….John is really ready to take off now!
Wow.. those announcers were god awful for the most part.
The whole cycle talk was such crap.
Which d-back has that walk-on song “I don’t wanna lose your love… toniiiiiiggghhhhtt..” Isn’t that from that scene in Fast Times?
eric byrnes…the guy is actually hilarious…he said he likes to have the worst walk-on song in the majors…it’s a personal pride thing for him
that is hilarious
All right, fellas. I’m going to go eat some victory Cheerios or whatever cereal my wife bought and call it a night. Till next time.
Goodnight. And if you’re still here, next time ask for Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch! Good stuff, man, good stuff.
no no no cinamon toast crunch! or maybe fruity pebbles
go mets! hoppe they win! check out my blog
metsfansforever.com
can do no wrong when they play like they did tonight, struggle and we want the whole team fired
there’s no middle ground with us mets fans…all the way on or all the way off
Nope, I’m the first one to admit that I am a completely irrational Mets fan. I have to be rational enough hours a week already, so why should I be rational about this? :)
It would do a lot of people some good to admit it! Why else would we be here on a Friday night?
OK, I’m gonna take some NyQuil and call it a night. :)
Noticed maine mixed in a little bit of a curveball tonight as well. Something to look at in the future as well. After those first two innings though he really had that change working. As a result he got though 6. And speaking of changeups, duaner sanchez has a nasty one. 2nd best on this team behind johan.
big pelf against the arizona’s nasty ace, webb
hopefully pelfrey can rebound cause were gonna need to be firing on all cylinders to take on webb!
great game to build momentum and confidence though!
johan vs. haren should be fun too!
A little of topic but why is there a picture of Indiana Jones in the Mets May schedule on mets.com?
is that when the new movie comes out? someone must be a big fan. thats weird.
i just googled it and indiana jones gets released on may 22. it’s probably an mlb sponser thing
that must be the reason. It is weird though
i’ve been on the braves, phillies and cubs websites…it’s a sponsor thing…i’m against it
I feel rather vindicated for my spirited defense of Reyes in the “Are you worried about Jose Reyes?” thread from earlier.
He’s going to be ok, folks.
give us a break…we’re mets fans
Ha, I wasn’t criticizing anyone for being worried, I just presented a bunch of stats and said that Reyes was getting unlucky and that he has been better at the plate than his stats show, and that he was bound for a breakout.
I’m so happy it came so soon!
We need him.
man you come to this blog when the mets win and its all happy cheerful joking woo hoo
then come here when they lose and its all fire everyone we suck bla bla bla
not that im complaining, im as bad as everyone else at times, im just making the observation the mets fans are some of the most bipolar fans in the world!
but that isnt a bad thing, if anything it just shows how passionate we are for our team,
and for that i wouldnt have it anyother way.
LETS GO METS!
Gang, I didn’t see any of the game, but of the three, I figured that the one that the Mets would lose would be last night. Guess I was wrong with that thought.
Pelfrey pitches a lot better with more rest. His last start was, according to MLB.com, eight days ago. Webb is due for a loss. So is Haren, and all of Johan’s wins have come on the road, according to MLB.com again.
We just may shock some people–in the right (or is that “Wright?”) way.
mota, if you’re talking about my comment…i’m not the idiot. i was talking about delgado, not castillo.