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In a post to Dugout Central, Jeff Moore uses mathematics to determine that Mets-Phillies is the second-best rivalry in baseball, behind Yankees-Red Sox.
According to Moore, “The dislike between the teams has been well documented, but has only played out in the media thus far. One misplaced fastball could easily change that. The Phillies are currently in first place and the Mets should be closer than they are. Both have been in the playoffs 
recently, and no one in either clubhouse is too fond of Mets closer Billy Wagner. Add it up, and you get a powder keg ready to explode.”
The Mets will travel to Philadelphia for a four-game series against the Phillies starting tomorrow.
Johan Santana will start for the Mets on Friday, followed by John Maine on Saturday, Oliver Perez on Sunday and Pedro Martinez on Monday.
This is a significant series, in that it will do a lot to shape the way management, the fans and media view the Mets as we all turn the corner from the All-Star break towards the Trade Deadline.
In reality, even if the Mets drop three of four in Philadelphia, they’ll be just six losses back of the Phillies, which, with 73 games left in the season, is hardly insurmountable – just ask the Phillies.
However, with three weeks until the trade deadline, six losses back of first place and probably eight or nine losses back of the Wild Card, it is a totally different story.
By the way, a reader from MetsBlog, Richard M, is organizing a tailgate for Sunday at Citenz’s Bank Park for Mets fans starting at 10:30 am in Lot N, if you’re interested.
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If this team stays true to form, they will win 2 games rather convincingly, and lose the other 2 in either heartbreaking or lethargic fashion. In the end, it’ll be a split. .500
Watch Santana get rocked with the offense putting up 8. Just the way things are working for this club.
Oh yeah, optimism — three out of four. Go Mets.
That’s exactly whats going to happen…in fact, in order for this team to get on a “roll” we really need to stop playing these 4 game series. We need to concentrate on 2 out of 3, thats doable, and if we put together a bunch of “2 out of 3″ series in a row we will find ourselves above .500. These 4 game series are killing us - we are a .500 club so we are going to split these almost every time.
Let’s hope for a sweep, and settle for 3 out of 4.
But, we have to win tonight. Go Big Pelf.
Prediction:
We win tonight, take 3 of 4 from the Phillies then go on to lose 5 straight.
ugh. i wouldn’t be surprised at all.
LGM !!!
On a sidenote, has anyone seen the stars and stripes caps? Theyre sweet I got one, the mets will where em tommorow..
“In reality, even if the Mets drop three of four in Philadelphia, they’ll be just six losses back of the Phillies, which, with 73 games left in the season, is hardly insurmountable – just ask the Phillies.”
This is the “we’ll get them tomorrow mentality” that this team has been adhering to for the past one and a half years. How can you say that? When does this team have to show life to actually be considered a contender and not just lucky to have the other teams in the division sucking?
Pathetic!
He isn’t a part of the team.
exactly, even the fans are thinking the same way now
If that was the case then there wouldn’t be as many people reigning Shea with boos every home stand.
very true
If it was all mind over matter the team I am sure would have thought up a nice 20 game winning streak right now.
When does the team have to show life to be considered a contender? when the Phillies show life that can actually win the division without it handed to them. The longer the Phillies continue to suck, the longer the Mets have to figure out how to have this life we all talk about.
What else is there but ‘We will get them tomorrow”? We probably won’t catch them? That’s worse. We should’ve gotten them today? useless information and excuse making.
Btw, I don’t see this posted anywhere, but Prior to tonight’s game, the Mets selected (love the tenses on this quote) Reyes and Aguilla (#4 and #29) and DL’d Castillo while demoting Muniz.
Sounds like a real bs article…….. mathmetics to prove the teams dislike one another ? 2+2=4 means the mets & phils hate one another ? The Phils dislike Billy b/c he put them down after leaving the team. pretty simple
Any tailgates planned for the July 4th game?
I’m going to July 4th.
Darn I want a Metsblog meetup.
I’m sad now its Sunday =(
Lot K is a better tailgate lot. Plus its where all the drunken Phillies fans go. Good Access to 95 and its between Citzen’s Bank and Lincoln Financial.
btw, does anybody think that 3 of 4 from the phillies is possible? and if it does happen that the mets are going to be better throughout the rest of the season because of it or just delay the inevitable?
I’ll be in Philly for Friday and Saturday, and while I was looking forward to Santana/Hamels (which Santana won the last time they faced off) - I will gladly take not having to face Hamels…. and yes, I truly believe the Mets can take 3 of 4. They will win the first 3 then lose on Monday when Petey is on the hill.
However, the Mets haven’t done very well in 4 game series’ though. Going into tonight’s game they are 7-16 in games in which they play during a 4 game series.
2 game series - 3-6
3 game series - 31-21
so basically, for the rest of the season, we need them to play 3 game series made up of all day games (so Delgado can hit). Come on MLB, make it happen…
If you were a real fan you would climb on top of Shea Stadium and take down all the light towers.
I think we need to worry about one game at a time.
Let’s get through tonight with Big Pelf throwing strikes and in control.
Jetro is a good lot to. It’s usually 90% Philly but it’s fun to piss them off and they got some hot girls and good food. Besides that Philly sucks Go Mets we need this series!!!!!!
Nothing would please me more than for the Mets to win tonight and take 3 out of 4 from the Phillies this weekend. I know that there’s still a lot of games to be played, but based on this team’s make-up and what they’ve accomplished so far this year, it appears that they’re nothing more than a .500 caliber team. Even with the National League East in a weakened state, they can’t muster a decent winning steak. I hope they prove me wrong and turn things around.
If Pelf has another decent start tonight, does that make him our Number 3 starter hands down?
By the way, a reader from MetsBlog, Richard M, is organizing a tailgate for Sunday at Citenz’s Bank Park for Mets fans starting at 10:30 am in Lot N, if you’re interested.
You misspelled “wake.”
lol
“no one in either clubhouse is too fond of Mets closer Billy Wagner.”
WTF???
“Jeff Moore uses mathematics to determine that Mets-Phillies is the second-best rivalry in baseball, behind Yankees-Red Sox.”
He needs to check his math. Mets-Phillies is like an M’s-Rays rivalry compared to the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry (which can be argued is better than Yankees-Red Sox).
I’m going to be there tomorrow with a sign.
Gangstas on the Field, Phillies on the Bus.
Maybe.
Too bad no Mets meet up on Friday =[
i am going sunday. who is pitching sunday by the way?
Maine vs Jamie Moyer
Oops, My bad.. lol. Thats Saturdays. Sunday is Ollie and Kyle Kendrick
Are you tailgating on sunday? 10:30 Lot N…Should be alot of fun…got some good shirts made up, hope to see you there
Love the sign, I’ll have to look for it tomorrow!
This is from Adam Rubin’s blog:
Mets moves: Castillo to DL, Muniz sent down
Two roster moves are coming before today’s game, Surfing the Mets has learned.
Luis Castillo will be placed on the disabled list with a strained left hip flexor, in addition to Carlos Muniz being demoted to New Orleans.
Outfielder Chris Aguila and second baseman Argenis Reyes are scheduled to arrive from the Zephyrs.
Aguila, a former Marlin, had one previous stint with the Mets.
Reyes, 25, hit .290 with New Orleans. The switch-hitter was signed as a minor-league free agent out of the Indians organization.
Happy News Finally going to DL….
Ya know, the guy they are replacing him with on the roster had a lower OPS in AAA than Castillo had in the majors.
Yes, but he is young, and not broken down…
right and my point being Castillo with all his short comings likely will out perform anything Reyes does, the only good thing that came from this was the non recall of Nunez.
This notion of the Mets fighting the Phillies by the way, is pretty silly.
The Mets are more likely to start fighting each other or help some Phillies beat each other up.
Pretty sad if the non-existent Mets-Phillies rivalry is currently the 2nd hottest one in baseball. A team has to give a damn to be in a rivalry. Even if they stink, giving a damn is a must. The Mets don’t give a damn. Watching Mets games for the past couple years, win or loss, has been just a repeat of seeing them take the field against a hungrier team.
You can’t say they don’t give a damn, but they sure don’t look like they’re having fun.
Agreed, I don’t think it is “caring” as so many people like to attribute it too, if all it took was some care bears they would be lining up in the clubhouse.
we should replace jerry manuel with will ferrell. imagine the post-game interviews. i would forget about the game and just watch his post-game interviews.
I know people have said this before but the player I really want for this team is Adam Dunn. We need a power hitting force in our lineup in the worst way. Yes, I know he strikes out a lot but our lineup doesn’t strike out that much anyway. Plus, we need a hitter that can hit the 3-run bomb or grand slam. It seems all of our homers are solo and two run shots. That is why we can’t build a big lead. Here would be our lineup:
Vs. RHP
Reyes
Beltran
Dunn (In the OF)
Wright
Church
Delgado
Schneider
Castillo
Vs. LHP
Reyes
Beltran
Dunn (At 1st base)
Wright
Church
Castro
Alou/Chavez
Castillo
all right, i like dunn but what are you going to give up for him?
I do not think any big prospects only because he is a free agent at the end of the year. Maybe Carp and another prospect?
I like Dunn as well. If you stick him between Beltran and Wright he might be even more productive. Hope Omar likes him too.
Yeah, but what do you give up for him??? i mean, i can not find anything. and i actually think dunn is all right. he is not that great. right now, the team needs contact hitters batting fourth and fifth. with jose leading off and getting hits constantly and able to get to second and third, we need players, like church and wright, who make contact. we already have some decent home run hitters in wright, delgado, beltran, church, and even reyes has proved that he can hit homeruns. i my eyes, nady is the most perfect fit and i would give up whatever it takes to get him. he is a right-handed contact hitter with some pop who can play first or left. he is ideal. if it takes f-mart to get him, then it is worth it.
I agree I like Nady too but I think Dunn is a better fit only because we are terrible against RHPs so it would be nice to get a left handed power hitter in against these rightys.
Cool so who are you going to trade for Dunn?
Maybe Carp and another mid level prospect
Ya know, the Mets could just call up Carp as opposed to continuing down the road of taking every teams sloppy seconds.
Alas, most Mets fans ARE delusional. 3 out of 4 against the Phillies? In CBP?? We cant even win 3 in a row against the Mariners AT HOME, let alone take 3 of 4 from the Phillies. You’re under this impression that the Phillies have been stinking it up the past two weeks and the Mets have shown some kind of strength. Guess what people??? EVERY team in the NL East has lost six of their last ten games and the Mets ACTUALLY LOST A GAME in the standings from a week ago today! The Marlins AND Brewers are ahead of us in the wildcard.
And have the mets REALLY shown any of us that they are capable of growing a backbone and getting the best of ANY team??? The answer is a resounding NO. Mets have had SEVERAL opportunities to literally step up to the plate and get it done, and have let us down each time. Ive been saying for weeks this stretch vs the Cardinals and Phillies is make or break for the Mets. You have an opportunity to beat the wildcard leader AND the division leader. And they will choke it up just like always, you can take that to the bank.
As far as the “rivalry” is concerned. Look, the Phillies basically own the Mets as recent histroy goes. Not only do the Mets look like complete choke artists from 2006, but J. Rollins single handedly showed up the Mets in 2007 spring training and the Mets proved him right. The Phillies literally OUTPLAYED, OUTHUSTLED and OUTSMARTED the Mets the last 2 months of 2007 to win a division title. And true, the Phillies did nothing with it last postseason, but then again, neither did the Mets…
The Mets have shown that they can show up for big games. Examples: Beating the Angels 2 out of 3, Beating the Phils 4 out of 6, Beating the yanks 4 of 6, etc. The problem is they do not show up against losing teams.
With you having said that, I GUARANTEE three of four against the Phils. “Nightlife” is right. They’ll get our hopes up by winning four of the next five, then lose 8 of ten.
Save it for the FAN, man.
The team has actually done pretty well against the majority of + .500 teams, they stink against most everyone else.
And last I checked, the Mets beat the Phillies in the two series they have played this year so its not out of the realm of possibility that they take 3 of 4 or, hell, even sweep the series. Like I said in an earlier post in this thread I bet they win tonight, take 3 of 4 in Philly and go on to lose, like, 5 straight. That’s been the teams M.O. this season.
So what this says is, ifthe Mets crush the Phillies when it counts, they limp into the playoffs and will play well against good teams. I guess i’d take it.
Invisalou will save us all.
I’m going to the game tomorrow with my husband and my father-in-law and was kind of worried about wearing my David Wright jersey. My husband, a Phillies fan, thinks I shouldn’t wear it. I’m not sure. What does everyone think? I’m just worried about fights and people throwing stuff at Mets fans. Or am I just way too paranoid!!
so long as you cheer for your team with respect noone will give you a hard time, you may get some ribbing but thats to be expected when wearing your teams colors in someone elses house. if they do something out of line then get them tossed.
Rivalry can’t be calculated in numbers.
Look I love them both… but the last thing I need is my star ss going down for the season with a broken hand that he suffered while fighting the announcer. If it happened sunday why is it ‘breaking’ today?
I think there’s a rivalry between the cities of NY,Philly, and Boston because the fans are similar to each other. It’s only logical that NL East teams would want to pound on each other but the teams of Philly and NY (players, managers,etc) do not hate each other the way the media would have the masses believe. I found it funny that he put down Tampa and Boston but no NY/ATL or even ATL/BOS (I like ATL/BOS). I would by into the NY/Philly rivalry if Utley called Wright a homo at the press conference or somthing like that, but the players respect one another.
Is there an edit option on here? I meant buy instead of by,man.