Daily Archives: July 18, 2008
The Mets (52-45) lost to the Reds (47-51) by the score of 5 to 2 tonight in Cincinnati, snapping their 10 game winning streak.
With the loss and Phillies win, the Mets are now one game back in the NL East standings.
For a recap, boxscore, stats, etc., go to SNY.tv.
- John Maine (8-7) looked in control until everything unraveled in the fifth inning where he gave up four runs. Only two balls left the infield in the frame, one being a bloop single by Brandon Phillips which plated two runs.
- Bronson Arroyo (8-7), who has been the definition of streaky this season, only surrendered four hits over eight innings pitched.
- One of those hits was Carlos Beltran‘s double in the fourth inning, driving in Marlon Anderson for the Mets first run of the game. David Wright later scored on a ground out by Damion Easley.
- It seemed Maine just didn’t have his best stuff as the game wore on. In between the fourth and fifth inning, SNY taped Beltran giving Maine some words of encouragement in the dugout. It was great to witness Beltran being a vocal leader, especially with the starting pitcher. As the guys in the booth pointed out, the center fielder has the best view in the house.
The Mets will have to begin a new winning streak tomorrow as Game 3 of the series is set to start at 7:40 pm with Oliver Perez (6-5) facing off against Josh Fogg (1-2).
The Game:
The Mets (52-44) look to tie the club record by winning their eleventh straight game as they continue their four-game series against the Reds (46-51) tonight at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, starting at 7:10 pm.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- LF Marlon Anderson
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 2B Damion Easley
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- RF Fernando Tatis
- C Brian Schneider
- P John Maine
The Pitchers:
RHP John Maine (8-6, 3.99 ERA) starts for the Mets.
RHP Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 5.97 ERA) starts for the Reds.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on SNY and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |The Mets announced today Angel Pagan suffered a torn labrum which may require season-ending surgery.
Pagan will seek a second opinion before opting for surgery.
Tagged Mike Nichols |Today, the Mets announced a partnership with Nikon and SNY to launch a program celebrating and honoring the greatest moments in the history of Shea Stadium.
The Mets will announce the details of the celebration at press conference on July 22 prior to their game against the Phillies.
Tagged Mike Nichols, Shea Stadium |Toasty Joe states he is fairly confident if Willie Randolph was still in charge the Mets would not have come from behind to defeat the Reds last night.
Over at Mets Merized Online, Joe D. provides six reasons why the Mets have turned their season around.
Kingman from Loge 13 celebrates the last rock concert ever at Shea Stadium.
Anthony De Rosa of Hot Foot asks, ‘can the Mets trust Billy Wagner in a big spot?’
After 10 straight wins, Metstradamus is finally convinced this season is not a complete waste of time.
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Mets.com has posted a new mini site that allows fans to learn more about ticket offerings at Citi Field next season.
Also, at Baseball Fever, a poster named islandxtreme26 has posted new photos from inside Citi Field, which you can see by, clicking here.
Tagged Mike Nichols |According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Mets are the first team since the 1987 Brewers to win their 10th consecutive game by overcoming a multi-run deficit in the ninth inning or later.
Elias also says Jerry Manuel is the first Mets manager since Bud Harrelson in 1990 to post a 10-game winning streak this early in his tenure. Manuel and Harrelson both accomplished the feat within their first 27 games as manager.
By the way, the Mets can tie the club record for consecutive wins at 11 if they defeat the Reds tonight.
Tagged Mike Nichols |
The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics on Thursday. My take on the trade is here. Blaton won’t be great, but he’s a big improvement over Adam Eaton.
The Phillies and Marlins open a three-game series in Florida tonight. Marlins starter Rickey Nolasco walked just one batter in 21 July innings this year. While the lawsuit against a new stadium in Miami took a hit, so did the Marlins rotation as Andrew Miller goes down with a bad knee.
Farther down in the standings, the Braves host the Nationals this weekend. Tim Hudson starts tonight’s game for Atlanta with a 7-1 home record and a 2.13 ERA in Atlanta. He’s only allowed 14 extra-base hits at Turner Field, compared to 22 on the road.
The Nationals paid over slot for second round pick Dustin Hood. They’re signing like the smart teams, taking good players who dropped in the draft due to signability issues and finding a way to bring them under contract.
For more real-time information, news, links and stats from around MLB, check out Baseball Musings.
Following last night’s win over the Reds, Marty Noble of MLB.com spoke to Billy Wagner about the Mets winning streak while sending a message to the Phillies.
Wagner, as quoted by Noble:
“We’ve got their attention. Now that we have it, what do we do with it? Now we’re even again. And now that we’re equal, we have to show them that … we’re the better team.
This kind of makes us a marked team again — like we were last year. You don’t sneak up on anyone when you win 10 in a row and when you play where we play. So [the Reds will] be coming after us, and then we see the Phillies again. This is the way it’s supposed to be. The best way to show the Phillies how good we are is to beat everyone.”
…billy, i know you love to talk, especially about the Phillies, but come on…how about you concentrate on closing out games rather than providing the Phillies with bullentin board material…
Tagged Mike Nichols |During the Mets come from behind 10 to 8 win over the Reds last night, Johan Santana lasted only four innings while allowing five runs on six hits (2 HR) and three walks.
Santana on his performance, speaking with reporters after the game:
“It was a tough day. We’re trying to battle the weather and everything. I was just trying to get in a grove. I wasn’t able to get anything going. I threw some pitches, but my ball was running a little bit out of the strike zone. They made me throw a lot of pitches, but it was one of those day where whatever you do it doesn’t go the way you want.”
Santana, on the eight-day layoff between his starts:
“I’m not trying to find an excuse or anything, but I think this is the first game I started a game after the all star break in last few years and it’s kind of tough because you don’t get anything going. But, I mean, it’s just part of the game. Somebody has to go out there and perform.”
On not being able to throw an bullpen session prior to his start:
“It’s a little bit different because we were trying to get into our ballpark, but we were unable to because of things going on at our ballpark. I was not able to throw a bullpen two days prior to my start, but its no excuse. You have to find a way to get it going. I was supposed to throw a bullpen on Monday, but I was unable to because they say we were unable to get in there.”
On the team’s offense:
“It’s good to see the guys swinging the bat well. They are scoring runs and having fun and that’s what matters. As a team, that makes you feel good and we battled the whole game until the last inning. To get a win tonight and see the guys come back like is proof we are doing a good job.”
…i really believe the eight day layoff had an effect on santana, as he has a 6.19 era in his career when he has six days or more of rest between starts…
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