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The Mets (45–44) defeated the Phillies (48–42) by the score of 10 to 9 in Philadelphia.
For a boxscore, stats, recap, etc., go to SNY.tv.
Jose Reyes started the game with a single on the first pitch, and it didn’t stop there - as the Mets jumped out to an 8–0 lead thanks to a whole bunch of two-out hits, including two by Endy Chavez, one by Damion Easley, David Wright and even Pedro Martinez.- Pedro Martinez started the game throwing more fastballs then he used in previous starts. In fact, in his first at bat against Chase Utley, he threw seven pitches, all fastballs, on which Utley popped out. He looked strong and locked in all night, while using his fastball and other pitches and all with solid control.
- Wright hit a home run off a high, arching eephus pitch by RJ Swindell, ripping it down the left-field line.
- Ramon Castro put a gum bubble on John Maine’s hat.
- Jerry Manuel was ejected from the game for arguing a call that ended up giving Ryan Howard a home run, pulling the Phillies to within five runs.
- Geoff Jenkins, who had been in a 2–for-40 slump, clobbered a pitch from Aaron Heilman to deep right to bring the Phillies to within three runs, after having trailed by as many as nine, at which point I found myself getting very sick to my stomach.
- Billy Wagner put two runners on with no outs to start the ninth inning, thus putting the tying run at the plate – but he struck out Ryan Howard with a slider in the zone and got Pat Burrell to pop out. However, Pedro Feliz ripped a ground ball up the middle, which brought home one run, then Carlos Beltran air-mailed a ball from center field to try and peg the runner going to third, but the ball sailed beyond the bag allowing yet another runner to score, bringing the Phillies to within one run.
- Naturally, after giving me a full-blown stomach ache, Wagner got Jayson Werth to pop out for the win.
- I can’t stop shaking my head, exhaling and saying, “Jeez.”
- Seriously, nobody said this was going to be easy. Enjoy the drama, folks.
And so, finally, the Mets have pushed above .500 for the first time since June 5, to move within two losses of first place.
What’s more, the Mets took three of four in this series against the Phillies, against whom they are 7–3 this season.
The Mets begin a three-game series with the Giants in Shea Stadium on Tuesday, with Mike Pelfrey (6-6, 4.23 ERA) facing Tim Lincecum (10-1, 2.49 ERA).
Matt.. can I copy edit for you?
Please?
Settle down, it’s a blog. To be honest it used to bother me too, but be a little forgiving. No matter how big the site gets, it’s not journalism in the traditional sense and that’s half the fun.
Andrew… an ellipsis uses three dots… like that. You are fired.
.. . ……….
We are a winning team again!!!!
Alright, time to drop 4 of 6 to the Giants and Rockies!!!
Quit sucking me back in like this, damn it!
If by drop you mean drop them down a hole, you are right. No mercy — let’s go into the break on a serious roll!
Talk about fast with the post-game.
I just aged about 20 years, but hey…WE WON!!!
LETS GO METS!
I’ll second that. I feel like I just spent a day in court.
So that’s two days in a row I’ve turned off the game (rain delay and blowout) and then all sorts of craziness happens.
I’d like to quote Wayne Gretzky (I think) here when asked about goal scoring:
“At the end of the season they ask how many, not how.”
A win is a win is a win.
But it would have been nicer to just win it when it was 10-1.
worse part of this game is not the almost lost. Its not the inexcusable walk to Barnlett (or whatever his name is) but the fact we could have walked out of philly win 3 of 4 (could have been a sweep) by destroying them in game 4. Instead they leave thinking…we almost won. We are better.
With that off my chest. I think the Mets are back. Lets continue this..and if Church and Moises come back this week, we could be in route to a long winning streak.
I don’t buy that .. we leave one inning away from a sweep, having pushed back their best efforts two days in a row. That is exhausting, not inspiring.
Yep. No ways the Phillies take anything good away from this series. They are in major trouble, and feeling the Mets surging.
I cannot disagree more.
In fact, besides the holding on for the win, the Phillies coming back in that game is the BEST thing that could happen to the Mets. Why? Because they better have damn right learned something about being complacent in this game and not taking anything for granted. Especially in a bandbox where no lead is safe against a team that is notorious for stealing signs.
I think this makes them tougher and more focused. Walking away from this game with a win and more character after almost coughing up the huge lead is better than walking away with a blowout and thinking you are better than you actually are. They have a lot more growing to do as a team, and that is now still the focus. We should be thankful for that.
wait, I never heard that: “notorious for stealing signs”? notorious to whom? who reported that?
It was reported last August. The Mets also publicly complained about it late summer.
That was the reason for all the 9th inning conferences at the mound. The Mets were changing signs and/or just saying what pitch they wanted next (to do away with the need for a sign).
ok, notorious to us. I guess I missed the national uproar.
2.5 back!
There was some hub-hub in the press in the Boston series about Philly stealing signs versus them.
Look, just put yourself in the opposite position. If the Mets went down 10-1 and ended up losing 10-9, you, like most of us here, would be saying, “There’s no moral victories, it’s inexcusable to not have shown up for the first six innings, etc. etc.” No one would be feeling good about it.
I don’t like that we almost lost, but I really like that we won 3 out of 4 after a hearbreaking loss in game #1 and what could have been a devastating defeat in game #3.
The Mets had a similar result in game 1 of the doubleheader against Texas. I was there to watch that in person, and I can assure you that I did not take anything positive from that game. In fact, I found it quite deflating that they came all the way back, just to fall 1 run short.
great comparison… i still hate that they made that effort and lost in the end
Why would the Phillies think they are better because they *almost* came back? Fact is, they didn’t–and we’ve now won 7 of 10 from them.
We’re better.
“And the Mets win the d@mn thing!” – Bob Murphy
This game was almost exactly like a game the Mets played in Philadelphia in 1990 (or maybe 1991). John Franco pulled his best Billy Wagner impression in that game and with the tying and winning runs on base, the Mets squeaked out a win. Bob Murphy ended it with one of his most famous lines.
But seriously, it doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to be a W.
Let’s Go Mets!
And thanks to baseball-reference.com, I can share:
www[dot]baseball-reference[dot]com/boxes/PHI/PHI199007250[dot]shtml
Same exact score too!
Wow, I remember that game
What I need is the clip of Murph, though! I think I had it once. Anybody?
newsday.com archives has it
and tom nieto came in to catch for the phils that game
I remember that game!
I think Lenny Dykstra (hitting almost .400 at the time) hit into a game ending double play with the bases loaded.
“line drive, CAUGHT!, caught by Mario Diaz!! and the Mets win the ballgame, they win the damn thing by a score of 10 to 9!”
tying runs were definitely aboard, the winning run might have been in scoring position too… there are a lot of similarities
Yep, just looked it up.
Lenny grounded into the DP with nobody out. So there were two outs with the tying run on third when Herr lined out to end it, as you said.
Nevermind that…..remember the next night, when Murph apologized for his language? What a gentleman
They don’t make them like Murph anymore. The voice of my childhood.
Lets just hope this season ends better than 1991.
Gary Cohen was just priceless after the game doing the goof on the Murph “blunder”
We New Yorkers should proclaim Gary, Keith, Ronnie and Howie Natural Resources that can’t leave the Mets broadcasting booth
Is sign that
I’m not sure why Howie is included in that group, but I’m all for doing anything to keep Gary, Keith and Ron as the Mets’ announcers for as long as possible.
I listen to 130 or so games a year. Rarely get a chance to watch. All I can say is that Howie is tremendous.
He referred to Murphy’s words from 1990 at the end of the game, but as he explained to Ed Coleman during Mets Extra he didn’t want to use them because they should remain Murph’s. He said, “They win the darn game”.
Ok I know we all want to trash Wagner, but let’s just TRY not to hate. 7-3 this season against the Phillies. Three straight wins. Above .500. Offense has been hitting well. Tim Lincecum tomorrow against the rising Mike Pelfrey. Going to be a tough game. Let’s stay positive
Let’s Go Mets!
I’m gonna be there. Looking forward to a good ballgame.
Wow.
Look at the bright side, the Philly media is going to eat Charlie Manuel alive for taking Utley out of the game
seriously .. what was that all about? We definitely have the smarter Manuel. I bet Utley’s pissed too..
That’s not saying much. Don’t forget it was Manuel’s decision to pull Santana that cost us the sweep.
Willie is not coming back dude.
get over it.
Bite me. Obviously Willie is not coming back. But he wasn’t the issue either. But when you make a change, it should be a clean change and not just promoting this hack cause he’s there.
Forget that the team is playing better, the strategies are sounder and the black cloud seems lifted, Manuel is 2 games over .500, and other than Seattle at home, Manuel’s Mets have played Colorado, Philly, Cards, Yanks, Angels and has played 14 of 19 of those games on the road. Willie played 35 at home and just 25 on the road and was a game under .500.
So the numbers are starting to show too. Manuel can distance things when he finally gets home against lesser teams.
14 of 20 — missed the Shea end of the Yanks DH.
And I may have stated it to sound as tho Manuel had 14 of 20 on the road not including Seattle at home. Overall, he has only been home for just 6 games and on the road for 14.
Considering that nobody thought that the Phillies should’ve been able to come back, I don’t think it was so bad that Charlie Manuel took out Utley. What makes no sense is that he did that, but left in Rollins, Howard and Burrell. If the lead is so big that you feel you can’t come back, and feel comfortable taking out your best player, you rest *all* your stars. Otherwise, if you feel you can still come back (which is always a possibility in that Little League field), you should leave your best lineup out there. Its common sense.
these guys really showed guts in this game… in that joke of a ballpark no lead is ever safe. Good to see Billy exorcise the demon that is Jason Werth. good burst from the offense, too bad they decided the game was over long before the Phillies did. Still, this was a statement series, we were one inning away from a 4 game sweep, have proven that the Phillies can’t always come back, and are only 2 games back now. Hopefully we don’t have a letdown series here…
i am shell-shocked.
Funny, ags, that score was 10-9 too.
Good call.
Also, looking at this game from a 50,000 foot view:
What a rivalry this is becoming. An awesome series in Philly after a historic end last season. Looking at the views from the stadium showed plenty of fans with their emotions on their sleeve; passion, some hope, and some hopelessness.
It’s going to be a great baseball season. Let’s Go Mets!
Best part (hopefully) is that the Mets finish up with San Fran and Colorado at home while the Philies are playing St. Louis and Arizona. Guys I hate to have my hopes up again, but we could be almost even or better at the break
I won’t get fooled again.
Isn’t the little Lincecum kid pitching for the Giants this series. That is the 1st buzz killer. Senor Santana better throw zeros against that kid.
I thought it was Pelfrey and Lincecum?
Lincecum, Sanchez, Zito, Cook is what MLB is showing right now.
Lincecum is 10-1, Sanchez 8-4, Zito 4-12, Cook 11-6. Certainly no cookie cutter wins. Cook has had 1 great and 1 not-so-great game against the Mets.
SF is 22-22 on the road … COL is terrible on the road at 12-31.
It’ll be an interesting run to the break. Hopefully Church and Alou are healthy soon.
Billy Wagner is living proof that there is no god in the universe
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Looks like all that early money on Pedro’s Return has been wiped out once again by Wags The Dog.
take the win and run with it.
after losing friday i was really distraught. i hate losing when johan pitches, because A, lately i feel bad for the guy because the offense is wasting his good outings and B, they need to win games he pitches.
i was hoping for 3/4 and after friday, i was willing to settle for a split. great finish to the series, the pen could use some work, well maybe billy, but all in all good stuff
could’ve used more fight in the end, but i liked that they tacked on a few more after the early 8 spot
btw, this team is now 45-44 and 2.5 back
AND
THEY’VE LOST JOHAN’S LAST 6 STARTS
And as I’ve mentioned above too:
Manuel has had 14 of his first 20 games ON THE ROAD, all against TOP TEAMS and we are two games over .500 in that stretch.
A win is a win and I’ll so take it, but this would have been a whole lot better had we been down like 9-1 then came back to win it 10-9…….Same score but whole lot different momentum in that type of win.
Whatever, momentum is only as good as the next game’s starter
Question: How do you guys feel about trying to acquire both Holliday and Fuentes together in a package? It would solve a lot of our problems and can help lift this team. Of course, with this deal many of the Mets prospects would be used which I don’t know is worth it or not. What do you guys think?
Pelfrey, Heilman, Fmart and Neise would be the starting point. Still want to do it?
Unless Fuentes is going to replace Wagner as closer, he’s unnecessary — we have Feliciano and Show as lefties out of the pen, and they’ve both pitched well. Smith, Sanchez, and Heilman are solid from the right side (in that order). If there were serious consideration to demoting wagner, I’d vote for a Smith/Feliciano tandem rather than paying the cost of a Fuentes. And I don’t think the Mets have anything near what it would take to get Holliday and Fuentes together anyway.
Fuentes would be a great pickup. He would take the 8th inning setup spot and be able to close during the Wagner dead arm times. He is much more reliable than Sanchez.
Then you have Sanchez, Feliciano in the 7th, Smith Show in the 6th. I am not including Heilman as it would take him and a prospect to get him. Either way it would make our pen much stronger.
Is Fuentes really so lights-out against RH hitters? I gotta say, Sanchez is not overpowering anyone, but he’s got the kind of guts you want in a late-inning guy. I still think he should be pitching important innings.
He is just as lights out as Sanchez. Don’t get me wrong I like Sanchez but if he can be the 7th inning guy and you can get a guy that has closer and setup experience and does well against LH and RH to be your 8th inning guy then it would make the pen stronger.
Is this the same Brian Fuentes that lost his closing role to Manny Corpas last year?
I’m not saying he wouldn’t be valuable, he’s just not the cure for all that ails the Mets. A little perspective is required.
The Mets aren’t getting Matt Holliday anytime in this decade – who is making up these rumors anyway? A team that is going to get a player like Matt Holliday (even if he were to be available, which isn’t even the case yet) is going to have an abundance of great prospects, which we don’t have.
Besides, the Rockies are only six games or so out of first place. Considering what happened last year, and especially since Francis and Tulowitzki are going to be healthy post all-star break, who is counting them out just yet?
No way Colorado includes Holliday unless Mets surrender guys who can play or pitch right now. Don’t see it but I’ve been wrong before.
Competition for Fuentes will be heavy, Rockies in a position to ask for a lot there. The real problem tonight was Pedro pitching only 5 1/3 innings — they rarely win when the starters don’t go at least six. Fuentes won’t solve that problem.
If Omar is paying attention (a risky assumption), he’s taken note of what the Twins and Rays are doing. I think he’s done draining the farm.
Sidenote — have the Mets dropped the idea of calling up Valentin? I don’t see his name so much these days.
Valentin is out for the rest of the year due to some type of injury or surgery. There is no question of him coming up this year, and it probably cost him his career as well.
Thanks, NJ. A few weeks ago this board seemed to think he might be available, but I guess not. Too bad.
Where to go with this one?!?
Only the Mets can finally blow a team out, just to let them right back in again.
As the game progressed into the later innings and I watched as our pen insisted on gradually allowing the Phills to sneak back in run by run, I remembered earlier in the game when it was around 10-1, Gary saying something to the effect that now might be a good time for Manual to give some of his starters a rest and put in the clean up crew.
I remember saying to myself: WHY?
Why would he ever do that when he knows darn well that if there’s a club out there that can make a legit run to get back in this game, it’s his.
I never, ever felt comfortable in this game. And when Easley made that final out by casually trotting home and softly into the catchers glove rather than staying at third and giving the next batter a chance to drive him in for run number 11, I thought that was a total bonehead play.
I don’t care how many runs you’ve scored, there’s always room for more! Especially when you’re playing for the Mets and you’re facing the Phillies.
In the long run, this game may very well do more for the Phills confidence then the Mets. I’m sure they are quite proud of themselves, despite losing 3 of 4, and they should be.
I just hope that the Mets don’t continue this season long trend of teasing their fans with a couple of solid series against teams that are performing well, only to fall apart against struggling clubs like San Fran and Colorado.
The key now is to FINALLY play up to expectations and go into the All-Star break either tied for first or in it alone.
It’s that time. Now or never.
I’m not saying the Mets shouldn’t win these upcoming series, but Lincecum and Sanchez are a combined 18-5 and the Giants are an even 22-22 on the road. The Mets better win Johan’s start this time around and at least beat up on Zito, who’s ERA in the month of June was (I think) a shade under 7.00
Yes, I am sure the Phils are proud of getting their tails handed to them at home and letting the Mets back into the division race.
They must be ecstatic.
“Only the Mets can finally blow a team out, just to let them right back in again.”
Didn’t the second-place Marlins just blow a 9-run lead last week and LOSE?
“The key now is to FINALLY play up to expectations and go into the All-Star break either tied for first or in it alone.
It’s that time. Now or never.”
Why does it have to be now?
No matter how you slice it, it’s still three out of four. Things can only get easier from here on out. Just hope they aren’t emotionally drained and lay an egg against Russo’s Giants. They have an outside chance to make some more ground on the Phillies and wouldn’t it be something if the mets, after all this turmoil in the first half, find themsleves in first place after the All-star? Now that would be something to belold!
Go Mets!!!!
Ugh… X-Man, can you imagine how insufferable Russo will be if the Giants take 2 of 3?
Let’s just hope the rest of the week doesn’t turn out like the last time we won a few games, then played the Giants.
Phillies have been decidedly bad after facing the Mets in the past, so why not this time too?
Where is the guy that has been wasting both his and everybody else’s time by trashing Pedro and saying the same thing over and over without any new information? I obviously completely understand it’s only one game without a terrible game-killing inning, but you’d think he’d man up and come on here after a decent outing. ???
Don’y you get it, he’s a Phillies fan disgiused as a Mets fan. he only come here during In-game post to rile you guys.
Sad thing is that is not true, he actually thinks he is a Mets fan.
If he is truly a Mets fan, that is really sad indeed.
What is our rotation heading into the break?
Pelfrey, then what?
Should be Santana then Maine.
Hey, Matt, anybody, any updates on Alou? Is he going to play tomorrow, or do we have to wait some more games?
I heard he tweaked something getting a drink of water this afternoon. Might be a few more days.
The only negative you can take from this game is Wagner. He really wanted to tease us again tonight. Luckily he came through and gave us a huge series win. You can’t hang your heads with this win because the Phils never lay down and die. They are always fighting and you just can’t be suprised when they come back. I was just so pumped that they won and now they need to ride this home till the All-Star break and the rest of the season.
Well, the Mets won two games where Wagner pitched badly.
The Phillies just don’t have the fight in them. Too little too late, as usual. If they stick to their typical ‘gamer’ status like last year, they’ll lose a couple of games coming off the Mets series. They have yet to be able to hold and sustain a division lead, because they are truly an average team, not a winner.
For me the biggest negative was Beltran throwing to third in the ninth inning. Yeah, it would have looked killer to end the game that way, but it was such a stupid baseball play. He really should know better — he’s usually a pretty smart player.
Actually, there were five pretty bad mistakes on that play — Wagner giving Feliz too good a pitch on 0-2, Bruntlett trying to take third, Beltran throwing to third, Wright trying to make a fancy sweep catch-and-tag instead of making sure he got the ball, and Wagner not backing up the play at third.
What kind of annoyed me was the Beltran interview during the postgame show. When he was told that some questioned his decision to throw to third base in that situation, he responded along the lines of “then they must not be baseball players.” I wish somebody would have told him that Keith and Ron questioned it, too.
Keith and Ron are no longer baseball players either. All he’s talking about is that his instinct is to try his hardest to get outs. He’s not thinking “I might make a mistake here” He’s thinking “I’m going to nail this guy at third.” It’s a confidence in his own abilities, and right or wrong, it’s not a horrible thing.
That play was horrible, instincts or not, keep the tying run at first base please.
The only thing I will grant Beltran in that situation, is he and every other hispanic player on the team is likely thinking, “Oh look this big mouthed schmuck is going to blow it again, I am going for the third out here fundamentals be damned.”
Actually Beltran was the only one who didn’t do anything wrong. Yes the run is meaningless, but the OUT means everything. If you have a legit shot to cut the runner down, you take it:
The runner was wrong – he should have held.
Wright was wrong – once he saw the throw was on line, he should have made sure he caught the ball instead of going for the lunging tag & letting it get behind him.
Wagner was dead wrong – he was a spectator on the mound when he should have backed up the play,
Beltran was not wrong.
*off line, sorry.
Last I heard, they said he felt “sore” after his recent start in the minor leagues and flew to NY for an MRI. I kid you not. They mentioned this at the start of today’s game.
I’m in my 40’s, and I feel sore most dys too! Just go out and play, and if it breaks, you are done.
If this softie is going to wait until he feels 100%, he already is retired…
LOL. you are correct sir. I’m also in my 40s and I hear where you’re coming from. The shame of all this is that the guy can walk off a hospital bed, step up to the plate, and hit a hard single to left field almost at will.
No, no, he said he felt “sure,” not “sore,” “sure,” not “sore”, I’m almost positive he said “sure,” must be a typo, guess that means he’ll be back soon, right??? RIGHT??
LOL. Yeah, on second thought I think he did say “Sure” not “Sore”. Sure that is……………………..that he feels Sore!!! LOL
I got it now — he said he could “soar,” like the mighty eagle.
“Soar” for sure, not “sore.” Right?? RIGHT????
OK, you win. LOL Alou is going to “soar” back to the Mets dugout tomorrow and be “Sure” to ask Jerry to let him play and then beat out a tripple on his “sore” legs. That’s it, that’s what they were trying to tell us. Thanks for your help on clearing this up man! Whew.
Alou needs to be released or something. the guy again complains about a sore calf. can we put this guy on a wheelchair and make him hit in it.
sad thing is he probably would still hit better than beltran lol. when he is healthy he can flat out rake
Wow!
Easy to see this as a “negative” win, but that’s nuts. I also wished we’d pummeled them (actually, we did!), but in the end our pen stunk.
We put up 17 hits!!!
Our bats are alive.
Martinez had his best outing since his return.
BP sucked tonight. No question about that.
I can’t explain Wagner. Is he scared or overly nervous in Philly? DUnno. In the end, tonight he did not let us down. Tell yourselves that over and over again. Great closers go through slumps. Oddly and upsetting, Wags has entered his second of this season. My hope is that it passes quickly, and he’s lights out for the next 6-7 opps. he gets. Even the greatest closers have been known to blow 10+ saves in a given season.
Take heart: we won a crucial series against Phils in their park, and we won the kind of games that we lost to them last year.
This was huge.
Let’s just start winning series consistently. We have turned a corner. I felt this way after the St. Louis series, and I really feel it now.
Our post-All Star break season just might be magical!
Amazin! Amazin! NY Mets!!!
Thats why I like this blog site over others, for the most part there are a lot of Die-Hard Mets fans who have good all around baseball knowledge. If you go to other sites there just bashing wagner, instead of focusing on the win. Wagner can give up as many runs as he wants as long as he saves the game. His job was to get the save and he did, just the fact that this came agaisnt the Phillies and was the day after he blew as save thats why people are all up in arms about it, but in actuality saves like wagner had tonight happen all the time. the teams up by a million runs he doesnt think hes gonna need to come in, the Phillies get back into it with the help of a bad HR call and a joke of a ball park and boom you need wagner to save the game. He did his job, he gave us a heart attack again, but he did the job. thats whats most important. 7-3 against the Phillies this year(youd think the way most people talk the Phillies have dominated us this year,but clearly weve dominated them) and only 2.5 back. I feel no need as a Mets fans to hold a big Wagner bash, if you do then you have zero faith and interest in the Mets and your probably on the wrong forum
I was at the game. The first few innings were fun! the last few, not so much…
I was irate at a few things:
Easley (and up til now, I wasn’t sure who it was) dogging it home to end the 6th.
And I was yelling at Manual (guess he didn’t hear me from the OF) to bring in Schoe to face Howard (instead of Armas).
I just had a bad feeling that if they played like it was over (and let the Phils accumulate some cheap runs) it would come back to Billy bite them, and it darned near did!
I couldn’t stand to sit in the seat and watch him pitch the ninth, after giving up the hit (on 1-2) to VIctonino, then walking that stiff Bruntlett. I had visions of Burrell ending it again of Wagner.
But, who cares how they got there, a win is a win, and taking 3 or 4 in Philly was great. Just don’t let down, and pray for good SP.
Phillies have to go now and play St.Louis and then Arizona. Two teams playing well and fighting for first place. This is our chance this week to really put the pressure on and make up some more ground!
Phils will regret not delivering the knockout punch in game 2 — Brian freakin’ Schneider.
Time for Pelfrey to get his record over .500.
I know we should be excited now- only 2.5 out – but this games almost feels like a loss, you know what I’m sayin? /Omar
It’s not a loss under any circumstance. I mean, it would be very nice for the Mets to blow out the Phils, but they didn’t.
i think it was a bigger blow for the phils. to be blown out and come back and just fall short. i think that hurts more than getting blown out
O needs to make a move now for righty bat-Not wait until
the deadline! Get ahead of the situation and again don’t
wait!–Take a cue from the Brewers who atleast for what
they gave up will get 5or6 more starts from CC.
Our offense is fine right now unless we can get a bench guy that can play multiple positions as a salary dump. Lets give it a couple of weeks before the deadline and see what Church and Alou are going to give us before we sacrifice any prospects.
I would not mind a Ty Wiggington, Melvin Mora type but I just dont see the Nady type being a good move.
No I do not know what you are sayin. We just took 3/4 in PHILLY. That feels great to me. Why should I care that the Phillies ALMOST came back. Didn’t we ALMOST win the division last season? Enough of the Negative crap, we are playing much better of late and I look forward to a great 2nd half (even though its technically already started)
Come on angryFan, don’t feel that way. A win is a win baby.
Read the paper tomorrow and look up the standings…………………………it will say Mets 2.5 games out just as sure if they had won 10-1!! Go Mets
Oh no LOL…..the papers will say about how they almost blew the lead, how shaky Wagner was, etc.
Gonna be negative vibes :(
You’re probably right about that. But just ask the Phillies if they wouldn’t have rather been the ones that took 3 out 4 instead of the Mets?
No doubt…..I’m still not sold on this team at all, but cannot deny this is as positive a step as I’ve seen in a year
I’m not sold either trust me. How could anyone be? They still have to address the corner outfield positions, still short one or two bats in that line-up. can’t keep counting ang Endy to play like he’s playing (great job filling in! ).
It seems like this team came together this weekend.
Don’t be fooled by this weekend. This team has major
problems!
So do the Phillies, Braves and marlins. It’’s anybody’s division at this point. If Alou can’t get back (or even if he can) I think Omar is already working on getting a Right handed, bat for left field.
forget the braves and fish.the illies aren’t going away
and will make a move for a SP.illies post game had
story about Myers wanting out of there since he
cant close. That with better prospects and a better
GM keeps them dangerous.Because of the pisspoor job hes done the last two yrs dictates help
is neede NOW!
I’m just glad they didn’t get CC. I agree with you that they are shopping for another SP.
Fine let them give up all their prospects for Bedard, sounds good to me. Bedard in that pitching hell hole?
bedard is not even that great. the guy had one year and at 28 or 29 hes not going to be great w/ his injuries
The team’s got problems, but the big thing is that they’re swinging the bats and playing with more confidence. The lifeless play is what has enraged Met fans the most. I really think that Easley, Endy, and Tatis have injected a lot of needed energy.
Gees, when was the last time they won three straight? Against the Phillies no less. Great win but we have to turn the page and not be let down by the Giants. The Phillies have a tougher schedule this week than the Mets. They have to go now and play the cardinals and Arizona, two teams fighting for first place. Its our chance to make up some more ground.
Well, tough pitcher tomorrow, but still. The Phillies usually have a let down after facing the Mets, and have a tough Cardinals team. The Mets need to play better than the Phillies over the next 6 and go into the break within 1 loss of the lead. Huge confidence boost to know they played like crap and the division is still waiting for them to take it.
what, no big props for Manual getting himslef thrown out arguing the HR call?
Wish I could have seen it, but I was sitting above the RF wall, and you can’t see the fence from there.
I am sure it was not a HR, because they never showed the replay on the scoreboard!
it was most definitely a homerun. there’s no question on that one. a fan whiffed on the catch over the fence, it never touched the wall.
don’t neglect that he was leaning over far enough where he almost fell.
also we learned something else tonight, phillie fans can’t catch. That guy looked like he was often picked for “Left-Out” in little league
huh? if he whiffed on the catch, how did it hit on the wall then, that was a terrible call, and a weak move by the umpires.
I think they’re not supposed to show replays on that kind of thing regardless.
They’re not–which I *hate*! Why should the fans at the game be unable to see what actually happened, just because the umpires are ultra-sensitive and don’t want the crowd to know they blew the call?
Beltran throwing DWright under the bus…
Said he made a good throw and it was Wrights fault the tying run got to 2nd.
Tho Wright does need to get that ball……
He did make a good throw. Wright was just trying to be too quick with the tag and started his arm motion down too early, it could happen to anyone. beltran needs to be a little more careful with his words though.
Consult a mirror, Carlos — no reason to throw to third there, that run meant nothing. Next time pay attention. to what is actually happening during the game.
forget that,how ’bout a big hit for 17million$ Carlos!
YOU are being paid to be THE Star of this team and
4 yrs in we’re still waiting!
apparently you were asleep in 06, and the second half of 07.
No “warrior” wasn’t sleeping. But let’s talk give
Delgado some credit for “06 after all wasn.t he
brought in to relieve the pressure on your name-
sake after his disaster of ‘05? AND didn’t I see
your namesake standing at the plate w/bat on shoulder while the Cards celebrated? AND wasnt
he the highest paid player on the’07 team which
suffered the worst collapse in the HISTORY of this
game? AND didn’t this guy pull enough Rickey Hendersons his first couple seasons here? AND
AGAIN, WHAT? has he done during and entire
season of crisis here THIS season? Please,Get
Smart. This guy is being paid Franchise-Face and
Franchise-carrying Money and he is not and is not!
b/t/w NOW he opens his mouth?
Come down Fongulalou, it’s not worth getting all bent out of shape over beltran. I agree with you that he’s over paid, but that’s not his fault, you and I would take the money too. Anyway, what player now a day is not overpaid? Has nothing to do with performance. I also agree he could be doing better for this team but as Center fielders go, he’s not as bad as you make him out to be. He is a very Streaky hitter, that’s been his MO since day one. Over all, he’s still “One Of” the better center fielders in the NL. I didn’t say the best mind you, just one of the better ones. Money aside.
ok,ok. i was chilled until about the 7th inning tonight
And i agree Beltran IS one of the top 5 CFers
in the game and he is streaky so,heres hoping
for a 20HR/60RBI 2nd half.Certainly better than
juan samuel or keith miller out there.
Yep, you got it. He’s still relatively young and between him, Reyes, Wright, Maine, Pelfrey, Joe Smith, and Church………….we have a pretty nice nucleous for years to come. Just need some pieces in left field and First base next year and maybe another one or two front line starters.
lets just hope that no matter how this season turns
out omar doesnt pullthe crap he has the last 2 yrs
thank you delgado,pedro & ollie and goodbye.
alou& duque i would say take the money & run but
they would likey pull something so just go!
this should clear what about 45million or a third of
the payroll so although pickings will be fairly slim
he’ll have plenty of opportunity to inprove the club.
yes Beltran did not come up big at all yesterday driving in both runs before Heimgner came in.
Well, I just got back to the game and I was ready to vomit on a Phillie fan in front of me…this game was just flat-out crazy. Some personal notes and observations at CBP:
- Phillie’s 13th straight sellout, like who cares. But this time, no help from Met fans. Very few and far between, being a Monday after a long weekend.
- Adam Eaton is flat-out awful and the jinx he had on us is finally broken. I think Charle was leaving him in to save the pen, and he should have never come out for the 3rd inning. That alone cost them the game.
- The biggest controversy was Charlie of Mayberry removing Utley in the 6th inning for Bruntlett. Manuel said in post-game that “…Utley was a little banged up.” Go figure, but having Utley in that lineup would ahve probably resulted in a much more depressing outcome.
- Can Phils ever score a run without hitting HRs? it’s just crazy how futile they are at moving runners around the bases.
- Pedro was really mxing it up, and throwing a lot fo strikes…he was hitting 93 a times, then really pulled the string on Burrell and Utley for that last out in the 5th. Maybe we get something out of Petey in the 2nd half after all?
- Heilman looked solid…his ball was heavy and hard, and they could barely foul him off until Jenkins’ bomb. Heilman was hitting 94 at times.
- Who would have thought Pedro’s meaningless RBI would be the difference?
- Nice to be back iin the NL Least…now we got some easy games, while Phils face the Cards. Maybe we can win a game or two against some mediocre teams.
I was ther fri&sat and must say they’re alot more civil then
yankee fans.Plus the foods alot better then Shea.
Surprising though how the place emptied out once
we took the lead saturday.
Let’s not get caught up in this Phillies near come-back tonight. It is not negative for the Mets, and it means nothing to the Phillies. Phillies lost. And for us….a win is a win.
I do think there is now serious merit to the claim that the Phillies steal signs in that ball park. An inept offense being blown out through 5 and then suddenly scoring 8 unanswered runs in the last 4 innings just smells odd. We knew they were doing it last year. And every Met during those mound visits in the 9th knew it was happening tonight.
As for the failed comeback by the Phillies, I actually think this helps the Mets more than if this was a 8 run laugher. The Mets now know that no lead is safe in PHL and laying back at anytime is detrimental to success.
I would much rather them go into tomorrow facing Lincecum with focus and discipline as opposed to facing him under the false pretense of thinking they are better than they are just because they are coming off a blowout win.
my thoughts exactly when watching all the discussions in the 9th inning on the mound.
i wished SNY asked about that but they didnt.
Matt, how bout texting Kevin B for a scoop?!?
I remember the Mets losing games like this and it never felt good. Just the opposite.
The Philthies know that with one more hit or slightly better pitching they could have won.
As Vin Scully says, “Could’a, would’a, should’a.”
Two additional facts:
1. Pedro Martinez, who was 0-2 in his previous three starts, won. He also improved to 4-16 for his career with the bases loaded with an RBI single.
2. David Wright had his 13th career four-plus RBIs game, tied for most by a Mets 3B with Robin Ventura.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m 10x more glad that we won 10-9 after it being 10-1. A Met fan knows all too well the pain of being down and climbing back to fall one run short in a useless comeback rally. It felt great seeing it happen to another team against us, especially the Phillies. Give their fans something to choke on for a change instead of us clutching onto what almost was
an aside, mlbtraderumors.com has yankees scouting
VICTOR ZAMBRANO AAA w/Rockies. 0-6 w/9.45era.
wouldn’t it figure they pick him up and he goes like 7-2
in August & September?
what the heck is an “eephus” pitch?
An ultra-slow curveball – a la Satchel Paige or El Duque when he’s actually able to pitch.
It’s one of those pitches that have a very HIGH arc and dips right down at the last second. It’s like a High arc softball pitch.
a “junk” pitch with very low speed.
Eephus means “Nothing”. It’s a nothing pitch! LOL
that game was down right painful to watch it wasnt a pretty win but ill take it
checked the score before going out for dinner (10-1) thinking we got this one in the bag, only to come home and see 2 men on base with wagner on the mount. Close one, heart still pounding
Right now the biggest thing with this offense is were getting production from all over. Guys like easily, chavez and tatis have provided very nice boosts. Over the past week we’ve been getting 10 hits on a regular basis.
Hitting is contagious. When some of these other guys are hitting, guys like Beltran, Wright and Reyes don’t have to feel like they have to do everything themselves.
And i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. Easily has to stay in the lineup, the guy has a very short and compact swing, always hitting line drives. He needs to stay in the lineup when castillo comes back. As a matter of fact he should stay in front of delgado in the lineup until alou comes back. If we get church back first we go Church, Easily, Delgado
Any coincidence the team is banging out 10+ hits per game since castillo’s been out?
Do you think castillo would have done what Endy did today? Trust me, I would bet the house, car, wife and even the kids that if castillo was batting second today, the Mets would have lost. No doubt in my mind what’s so ever.
Phillies offense is do potent because they have a guy like Utley sometimes batting second. Castillo can not hit the ball out of the infield. All he could do is move the runner station to station. With either Church, Beltran or even Endy batting behind Reyes, all of a sudden this becomes a tough offense to pitch around. Do you really think any pitcher out is scared to see Castillo at the plate?
When and if he comes back, at best he’s an 8th place hitter on this team. No way in hell do you remove Easley from this line-up unless he gets hurt.
lets hope jerry realizes that they need a contact hitter with speed in that spot
I’m sure he does, he’s a smart baseball man. But I’m just affraid they will stick him back in that 2nd spot because what do you do with him and his 4-year Million$ contract? Sit him on the bench? If this team is still clicking on offense and putting up 5+ runs per and they Stick castillo back in automatically when he comes off the DL, I will stop watching mets games for the rest of the year or until he goes on the DL again.
im with you there but I think this dl stint is going to be for a month or longer so by the they will see there better without him in the 2 spot
I sure hope so. hey. I’m not a castillo basher or hater, have nothing personally against the guy. But this team is much better without him in the line-up and I really only care what’s best for this team and waht’s best for winning, and Castillo is just not part of that equation.
one big problem with castillo is I dont know of any other position that he could play if they were to make him a utility player and with the lack of power hes not exactley a good bench – pinch hitter
I know, that’s my concern, that they will have no choice but to start him at second and get something out of him becasue he’s useless anywhere else. But just because you can’t find a spot for the guy does not mean you should put him “Above” winning and start him anyway because he’s making too money and has a 4-year contract. Bottom line, only the BEST players should play, that is, if you’re really serious about winning.
that will show if jerry lives up to his words. u hit u play. if easly is doing well. he better not but mcsingleton in.
Is Easley going to be this season’s Valentin?
Sure looks that way so far doesn’t it.
I hope so. Though I am not in love with his defense/ We could always call up Anderson Hernandez end of season for late inning defense. Unless Aregenis can. I believe Easley has earned the right to start. If Castillo wants in, the he needs to produce. Healthy competition is good. I am fine with that platoon. We need a corner outfielder amd a lights out reliever and I think we will be set. I hope Omar doesn’t depend on El Duque and Alou.
“I hope Omar doesn’t depend on El Duque and Alou.”
Well, we’ll know sure enough. If he doesn’t make a trade by the deadline, then I guess we’ll have our answer.
also, Show didn’t pitch tonight right? is he in the doghouse or something?
honestly, i dont care how the mets won. these were hte games the mets have been losing for the last few months. the last 3 games we won were all character building, close games that we need to win to stay in this race. we need 4 out of the next 6 to make a legitimate pre-all star game rush. how the mets are only 2.5 out right now is beyond me, given all the drama, bad losses, and fan discontent
the team put up some runs thats true but are now to start freaking out over the bp
on the bright side they only go back to philly one more time
Just when I said that it was so fun that they should never do that to us again, they DO IT AGAIN! There are times when I love this team, and there are times when they make me want to choke them to death over crap like this. Let’s hope that they don’t pull that stuff against the Giants.
That said, 3 OF 4 FROM THE PHILS BABY!! WE’RE BACK IN BUSINESS!!
Schoe should have pitched to Howard instead of Armas.
I agree 100% that the offense is better w/o Castillo (and frankly, the D doesn’t look any worse!) Hopefully he never gets activated, and if he does, he can be a utility player. Or trade bait would work fine too!
To me, the better line up is (yes, assuming the rest of the OF finally comes back):
Reyes
Beltran
Wright
Church
ALou
Easley
Delgado
Castro/schnieder.
minor tweaking allowed iwth 4/5 and 6/7, depending on which arm the starter throws with, and if you want to balance the hitters l/r.
Perfect my man!!!!! That’s the line-up I’ve also been posting on here for quite a while now. Of course that’s if Alou and Church can somehow make it back.
There is no room on this team for a “slap” hitter that no longer can beat out infield hits. That was castillo’s specialty but his legs are gone now and in my opinion he is TOTALLY useless at this point.
What do you do with his 4-year Million$ contract? Worst move Omar has made to date.
he become the most expensive back up 2nd basemen in baseball
LOL. Yep. I’m sure the Wilpons are thrilled!
I’m sure omar has given them a good(jive)reason
for the castillo move.sooner or later however despite
his relationship w/sonny-boy wilpon o’s gotta answer for the 10s of millions thrown away on duque,mota,valentin,franco,alou,castillo,etc.,etc..
make that most expensive back-up 2B in baseball
history f.e. .
Yes, too expensive for my blue-collar tastes. How about we lure him into a trap using Reese’s Pieces a la Family Guy? Because demotion and an outright release are too easy.
Yep, too easy indeed. Well, unfortunately we need him anyway because we don’t have anyone else in case Easley goes down (I pray not). But until that (if) happens, he remains a back-up. Use him as a pinch runner for the pitcher. maybe a defensive replacement for Easley late in games (although not much of an upgrade either) and the dughouse Clown, what ever makes him happy, just no where near the No. 2 hole in the line-up!
where is ambriox burgos?? tjhats my boy. hahah in every baseball game i would get him b/c he was nasty lol.
Recovering from Tommy John surgery.
i wouldnt count on alou.
omar needs to get a righty bat to hit 5/6 play LF & some
1B since again alou is always hurt and delgado is clearly on the downside. Oh wait, sorry, that’s a repeat
of my posts from jan.,feb.,mar.,april,may & june.
I’m sure omar knows this though. Right???
He knows, trust me. A right handed bat for this for sure, probably by the Trade Deadline.
Delgado? That might have to wait til next year.
yeah, for the first time since early april i have hope.
i love this blog when it’s just baseball talk and optimism
let’s keep it rolling. tough pitcher tomorrow but we’ve beaten him before
Yeah, so refreshing with out the other clowns to ruin it, we all know who I mean.
Lets take about 5 out of 6 from the Western bottom dwellers and go into Yankee stadium on a freakin roll… This is our time….Our bully is still heavily questionable but a winning record right now..after all the BS has me optimistic and downright giddy… I did almost puke after Wager gave up the last 2……Guess that there will never ever be anything easy about being a Mets fan
easy is no fun, does not get the heart pumping and sweat glands going. With the mets, It’s a “Trill a Minute”! LOL. better than the Roller Coaster Rides at Six-Flags!!
Hey, that’s not a bad slogan for the 2008 Mets…………….
“Your 2008 NY Mets……………A Thrill a Minute!”.
Or
“Your 2008 NY Mets…………….Better than Six-Flags!”
VOTE FOR DAVID – whether you think he’s earned it or not, there won’t be another game in nyc until around 2013-2015, plus he’s our guy
Been voting for him, would be nice to see him at Yankee stadium. I also think Reyes should have hands down made the All-Star game this year.
How many times can we vote over and over.. i stopped at like 12… Is this like an all day thing that i need to do tomorrow?
hell yes DW needs to go to Yankee stadium….
I thought it was rumored 2011 at Citi Field?
I have been voting for him. I also think it is possible that Larry will back out and Wright will be taken as his replacement.
First of all I just wanted to say that I am a 19 year old college student who is a Mets fanatic and unfortunaly I left my house tonight with the score 10-2 feeling pretty confident that we could close this win out rather easily. I just arrive home at about a quarter after 1 and found the final score to be 10-9 and I almost shat myself.
Anyway, I would like to let you know that if I everrr miss a Mets game, your recap of the game brings me up to speed 100% as if I had actually watched the game myself. There’s only so much you can understand from a box score or highlights. Your recap of the game means a lot because you can tell that it came from a true Mets fan and you are able to understand every little thing that happened throughout the game. Keep up the good work on the best blog on the internet. And as you always say, Let’s go Mets!
Yeah, Matt does a pretty good job at that. Welcome aboard college boy! Now repeat after me……………………..LETS GO METS!!!!!
we can take the giants and rockies out and go into the all star break a few over 500 and hopefully 1 back of the phils or mabe less. but can we PLEASE win johan a game. the guy has pitched great and has a great ERA but never gets any run support.
He’s this year’s hard-luck pitcher. There’s always one every year. That’s baseball.
Manuel deserves credit for reshuffling the rotation in St. Louis to go 1-2-3-4 for the Phillies. Give credit where credit’s due.
Back on castillo for a moment, if church and alou are back then i guess we can justify playing castillo cause we wouldn’t need damien’s bat in the lineup as much. Damien is a def weapon coming off the bench when everyone’s healthy.
Thing is castillo can play, just not as a 2 hitter! He doesn’t belong anywhere near the top of the lineup. People will point to his good OBP and hitting with Risp, but his average is terrible. The main reason i don’t want him up there, close and late situations he’s hitting just under .100 i believe. Remember that week he killed like 4 rallies by hitting into double plays. Pitchers arent going to walk him late in games, and he’s either going to hit the ball on the ground or slap the ball to left.
As we’ve seen recently if you wanna win games you gotta string together hits, something we’ve been doing a much better job of without him in the lineup. Again i think easily should start over him, but if they did give castillo his starting spot back it better not be in the 2 hole.
Remember during the st louis series they talked about aaron miles. Miles said he gives it his all every AB because he’s not only helping this team win, but realizes he’s always playing for his job, taking nothing for granted. Thats the kind of attitude guys like easily, chavez and tatis bring, and i love it.
Hey, i just started my own blog on the Mets a few days ago, i’d realy appreciate it if some of you guys could go on and tell me what you think of it and what you think i could do to improve the website. thanks!
http://www.metsextreme.com
thanks again!
Will begin checking out tomorow… im burnt from this series and ready for a little House via TIVO
Wagner is doing this stuff on Purpose.He hates NY and wants to see us in pain.
Okay, no one talked about it but to me, the big play last night was Luis Aguayo’s big time gaffe on sending Easley on Pedro’s hit with the bases loaded and two outs. Victorino was playing shallow and would have had to air mail the ball badly to miss Easley.
That play was a “get Pedro back on the mound, gimmee out” poor judgement in that ball park.
Never give up outs in that ball park.
For anybody who thinks that Phills feel better after last night’s game, here are some quotes from a Phillies blog:
“why do i get excited anymore.i know the outcome”
“Moral victor………….blah blah”
“now i’m nice and deflated to go to tomorrow’s game.”
Don’t know how the players feel, but I will tell you this: the fans sure as heck did NOT take anything good away from that series. And that is just the way I like it.
And the NY media is focused on the positives, not the negatives:
NY Times: “As Lead Shrivels, Mets’ Mettle Grows.”
Crapbag Post: “Mets Stumble But Don’t Fall To Phils.” Also, “Amazin’s Win The Damn Thing At Last.”
Newsday: “Mets hold on to beat Phillies.”
All the negative folks who predicted a bashing by the media about the almost-loss were way off. Because it was a win, a winning series, and an excellent step in the right direction.
“And the Mets win the d@mn thing!” – Bob Murphy
Ags, thanks for reminding me of this—so appropriate for last night’s game! Murph was unique and a gentleman, that’s for sure.
The point about last night is that the Mets won–and it’s that bottom line that counts. Sure, I had that sick feeling that Matt mentions more than once, when it got way too close, but hey, that’s baseball!
It’s a shame Jose Reyes isn’t in the All Star game, but let’s do what we can to get David Wright there.
Let’s Go Mets!
why is tony armas jr on this team?