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The Mets (54–47) defeated the Phillies (54–47) by the score of 6 to 3 in Shea Stadium tonight.
The Mets and Phillies are once again tied for first place in the NL East, with 61 games left in the season.
For a recap, boxscore, stats, etc., from tonight’s game, check out SNY.tv.
- If you only watched John Maine’s facial expressions tonight, you would have thought he allowed 10 runs on 10 pitches in 10 minutes. Instead, he let up three runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out five, in exactly seven innings of work. Maine let up back-to-back home runs to Shawn Victorini and Geoff Jenkins. In fact, the ball Jenkins hit may have landed on the roof of Home Depot. It was a bomb. Otherwise, though Maine labored at times at times, and should be thankful for the range of his outfielders, and though he looked like he was aiming the ball quite often, he was successful and that’s what matters. Especially in a game like this, following a game like last night.
- According to ESPN, the Maine is 6–1 in starts that follow a loss, which, I think, is the definition of a ‘stopper.’
- In the bottom of the first, with the bases loaded, one out and a full count, Carlos Beltran wanted to swing at inside curve ball, but he restrained himself for an RBI walk. Usually, he swings over and misses this pitch, so I am impressed by his patience.
- Question: How many Mets need to be hit or nearly decapitated by the Phillies before they fight back?
- In the third, with the bases loaded, Damion Easley hit a ball like a thread through a needle, placing it perfectly through the shortstop and third basemen, bring home a run. Prior to his at bat I thought, ‘Ugh, Easley,’ but, “Boy I should have know by now,” Easley duz it.
- With the game tied, two on and no outs, John Maine botched a sac-bunt attempt to strike out. No worries, though, as Jose Reyes clobbered a first-pitch change up from Ryan Madsen, which landed at the foot of the scoreboard, to put the Mets up by three.
- The Mets left the bases loaded in the seventh.
- Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Smith teams up to pitch a scoreless eighth inning.
- Billy Wagner did not ‘need a day,’ amd set down the Phillies in order in the ninth inning for the save. By the way, despite so much talk about his health, shoulder, etc., Wagner has not allowed a hit or run in the last six innings he has pitched.
Nice job, gentlemen.
This was a Charles Oakley-style rebound tonight.
The Mets end their three-game series with the Phillies tomorrow at Shea Stadium, starting at 12:10 pm, with Jaime Moyer (9-6, 3.90 ERA) taking on Oliver Perez (6-6, 4.36 ERA).
Just great. They got it done tonight.
Back in first. We’ll be sole owners after tomorrow.
Easley duz it.
haha win
loved the easley does it remark ..
We finally got Shane Victorino out in the 9th. And it was by an inch.
More Charles Oakley references are certainly welcome.
Indeed. Long live the Oak-Man.
I’m only a casual basketball fan (practically not a fan at all when the Knicks play like they have the last couple of years), but I remember Oakley well, and that was an excellent reference!
Forgive me, but some of us might prefer to think of it as a Buck Williams-style rebound…or a Darryl Dawkins-style rebound….
Unfortunately, none of us can think of it as an NBA championship player’s-style rebound, but all those mentioned were quality rebounders. You are forgiven.
Thanks–and I have mentioned it before, but you have maybe the best name on Metsblog!
Say what you want about Maine, but how many times has he come through with our backs to the wall? ESPN just showed a graphic – he’s 6-1 this year after a loss. And add to that his big-time performance in the 2nd to last game last year, and in Game 6 against St Louis in 2006.
He can be frustrating at times, but every time we’ve absolutely needed him, he’s come through in a big way.
Kinda sad that a team with Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana needs John Maine to be its stopper.
Whatever it takes to win ballgames I guess.
Santana goes 8 innings, gives up two runs, leaves with a 3-run lead, but the bullpen blows the game; Maine goes 7 innings, gives up 3 runs and leaves with a 3-run lead, but the bullpen does its job, and somehow you deduce that Santana is not a stopper and Maine is. Nice stab at mental gymnastics.
No kidding. Apparently Johan isn’t a stopper because Manuel took him out prematurely.
Well, that’s because Johan didn’t DEMAND he pitch the 9th, right?
They’re both at fault. How’s that? Besides, it’s true. They were both at fault.
With Santana, it’s about heart.
With Manuel; I question his intelligence. But I guess, in his defense, if Johan is not the kind of player who would demand the ball, the Jerry didn’t want to give to him. Ok, I changed my mind. Maybe Manuel is smart. But then maybe he outsmarted himself because the bullpen blew the game.
Oooo boy, I think my head is going explode.
As you mentioned, Johan isn’t the type to demand the ball. Pedro was recently quoted as saying that, if the manager tells you that you are out, you don’t argue. Darling pretty much agreed with him, though he added that he might have tried to convince the manager to leave him in by running off the field with a ton of energy, or the like. So, if it’s not his style, Manuel can’t take that as a sign that he is through. He should just rely on common sense–they had no closer, so send your ace out for one more inning, when he had only thrown 105 pitches!
I’m simply referring to the fact that Maine is something like 5-1 after Mets losses this year.
Isn’t that what makes a winning team? Come on now, remember where most’s train of thought was at in June…
LGM! YGB.
Did Pedro’s Dad pass away? What just happened with that question?
I believe so.
Condolences to Pedro and his family. I feel for him…..
That seemed to be the case, and they confirmed it later on in the post-game show. Pedro left in the middle of the game to go back home. Less significantly, he will not be pitching this weekend.
I add my condolences to Pedro and his family. As sick as his father was, though, this was probably for the best. At least he is no longer suffering.
dont forget about anthony mason
Or Derrick Coleman….
yea baby
Anyone watching the Post Game? did someone die? Kevin asked a question…and Jerry said “he found out during the 7th inning.”
Anyone have any info?
Pedro’s Dad passed away.
Poor Pedro. I’m guessing we won’t see him this weekend, but that’s the last of his concerns right now. And the least of mine as well.
Our hearts and prayers are with you Petey.
Oh bummer….prayers for Petey
I feel so bad for Pedro. I have learned so much more about him since he has been on the Mets even though he has not had much of an impact. He is not what I expected. He brings a certain aura to the team and the clubhouse. He is a leader, a teacher, and he understands the fans better than anyone I have ever seen. I feel bad that in the twilight of his career, he is not what he is working harder than anyone to get back to a fraction of what he used to be. I applaud him for his class, dignity and his hard work. Many would have quit a long time ago. I’ll take Pedro at 20% over Joe Blanton at 100% any day. This guy pitched his entire career though the height of the “steroid era” and is still arguably one of the best ever.
Condolences and can’t wait to see you back on the mound with new determination and motivation.
Well said. I couldn’t agree more.
Same here.
And here. Pedro is SO much better of a team-guy than the media gave him credit for before he became a Met. I remember reading quotes from Timlin and others on the Bosox about how great he was behind closed doors. It sure is true.
Thanks for putting it so well.
Prayers to Pedro and his family.
Pedro’s dad back in DR.
See above.
not yea baby to death sorry
bring up neise. condolences to pedro
I was about to write that I presume they will bring up Vargas again, but it probably depends on who, in the minors, is on track to pitch either Friday or Saturday.
I see Figueroa threw 98 pitches on Tuesday, so I doubt he’ll get the call. And Vargas threw 95 pitches on Wednesday, so he doesn’t seem to be an option either. Rudy Lugo and Brian Stokes pitched Sunday and Monday, respectively, so they seem like the most likely choices from AAA.
As for AA, Niese last pitched on the 18th, so he is an option. I do not know for sure, but I am guessing that he was scheduled to pitch tonight’s game for the B-Mets, which was rained out (it is 5 days later, after all). So, since he would have more than enough rest, and Omar did mention, over the All Star break, that Niese might make it to the majors this year, I would say we have a good chance of seeing Niese this weekend.
Niese would have to be added to the 40-man roster. Not saying that it’s not possible, just that it’s not as simple as “call up Niese.”
Willie Collazzo is on the 40-man, and I think he starts some times in AAA. Could he be the guy?
Impressive bounce-back W tonight.
Still leaving too many men on base — definitely would be more comfortable to have greater than a three run lead going into the 9th against these guys.
Let’s take the series tomorrow!
No kidding! When they kept leaving men on base–13 overall in tonight’s game–I couldn’t help but worry that things would go similarly to last night. After all, they had ample opportunity to break the game open, yet kept the Phillies in the game. In the recent past, that usually meant disaster. It’s good to see that they held on this time.
And it’s also good to see them win after such a devastating loss last night. At the end of last year, this kind of loss happened night after night–it seemed like it just snowballed. Once they started losing in devastating fashion, they just couldn’t stop doing so. But tonight, one day after losing in such devastating fashion, they come back and win. That’s a *huge* step in the right direction. Hopefully they keep it up with another win tomorrow, and then more success throughout the rest of the season.
Agreed. I was fearing that lst night was going to set the tone for the series, if not the rest of the season. But excellent job pulling it out tonight. We cannot keep leaving so many on base, though. Let’s see if Ollie can go strong today.
Who said this team doesn’t have heart? After last night’s brutal lost, the Mets came out and won. I am very happy with the way they keep fighting…and it shows that they have a lot character in that clubhouse.
Props to Jose Reyes and his clutch 3-run HR. Props to John Maine who certainly didn’t have his best stuff, but found a way to win. Props to Schoenweis, Smith and Wagner for shutting the door.
Good win for the Mets!!
Memo to Omar Minaya:
Get us a bat to solidfy this team, we are one OF away from being the team to beat. 1-6 as good as anybody with Church, let’s make that necessary move to put us in position to go for it.
Good job to the Phillies too, coming out after a huge win and really piling it on. Playing good clean baseball and hurting the Mets while they’re reeling.
OH..wait…Can they say overrated down there in Philadelphia or are they too busy trying to decide if it’s too soon to start talking football?
When the “huge boosts” to your starting pitching staff are the acquisition of Joe Blanton and the return from the minors of Met hater/wife beater Brett Myers, I can’t think of a better word than overrated, at least not one suitable for family consumption.
Well, the Phillies starting rotation surely has a lot of holes, but that offense and bullpen is plenty to get them through the regular season. An offense like that is enough to get a team to the postseason, even with inadequate starting pitching. It just isn’t enough to go far during the postseason.
That being said, I am sorry the Mets didn’t knock Myers aroundl like he did his wife outside Fenway Park a couple of years ago.
Great use of the hater term.
Yeah, the Phils pitching stinks. Their hitting’s not so great lately.
It’s amazing it took this long for the Mets to tie them. Shows you how bad Willie Randolph was.
Imagine being in your dugout, in the 7th inning, while receiving news that your father just passed away?
It’s just horrible and bigger than baseball could ever be. My deepest condolences to Pedro and his family.
I agree with that statement to the extent that this is bigger than baseball, but this was a long time coming, and I’m sure Pedro was somewhat expecting it.
Not that he isn’t devastated–I’m sure he is–but he is probably experiencing a whole lot of other emotions now, too–including relief that his father is no longer suffering, and sadness that he couldn’t be with him during his last moments (though he was there during the break).
ollie owns this team. we will win tommorrow. he matches up 2 well with the lefites
Don’t get ahead of yourself. Remember how we all felt back in Philly, with the Johan vs. J.A. Happ match-up.
And Jamie Moyer may be ancient, but he is one pain in the patooty!
Man I feel for Pedro. Family’s always first, games are last. Best wishes Pedro.
My sympathies for Pedro. Some things are more important than baseball, and I hope his family is ok.
There is really nothing funnier than Phillies blog commentators getting irate about Reyes.
How about Phillies blog commentators getting irate about Eli Manning?
Yeah, finally one of the Mets finally showed up the other team!
Pedro,
I know losing a love one is hard, but remember your Dad is in a place where he feels no more pain. From all the Mets fans around the world we send you and your family our thoughts and prayers.
And how about some props for Wagner??
He has no heart, he’s afraid of the Phaillies, he can’t win the big one, blah blah blah.
Where are all the Wagner-haters tonight??
Props squared for Wags. Just heard him on the post game show. Say what you want about him – he is a definite gamer. Told Kevin B. he looked better than he felt out there. Said he just wanted to be out there to do what he could to help win.
Thanks man, nice to know some other folks can recognize a gamer and a true team guy when they see one!
That statement about looking better than he felt kind of scared me a little. What is he not telling us about his health. Let’s hope it is nothing, but it brings memories of Looper back.
Hah, Johnny definitely is the mane!
Props to for the win…..but I’ll remain
AngrySkepticalFan pending tomorrowsounds like the mets are def after casey blake according to ESPN
How sick is cc sabathia?? 3rd straight cg.
He’s throwing complete games left and right because the Brewers need him to pitch like that. Meanwhile, Johan gets pulled after 8 even when the Mets closer is unavailable!
THis team showed you something
Did CC DEMAND the ball for the 9TH ???
The smooooooozer is interviewing damion easily and he is cracking a few jokes
I know this was a great win and all that, but geez, did anyone take note of the 13 LOB? The thing that bugs me is this team’s inabillity to deliver a knockout blow. You let a team like this hang around, hang around, and they come back on you.
Rollins just misseed a 2R bomb in the 8th and if Victorino beats Billy to the bag leading off the 9th, who knows?
I’m just saying…outside of two gutsy comebacks in Cincy, this team is not playing its best ball since the break. They are gutsy, I’ll give them that, but they seem to still be trying to find their rhythm.
The break definitely came at the worst possible time. The team that went into the break is not the same team that came out of the break. Thankfully, though, I think the team that came out of the break is a lot more similar to the team that went into the break, than the team from last September. (That sounded a little too much like something Chrissy would say on “Three’s Company,” but I think you guys get my drift!) :)
Lineup tommorrow??
Reyes
Reyes
Wright
Delgado
Beltran
Tatis
Castro
Evans
Ollie
go for it
I hope they don’t start Evans, but they might against the lefty. I’d rather have Tatis in left field, and Endy and his great defense in right field. As admirably as Tatis has done, we can’t rely on either him *or* Evans to come through offensively–particularly Evans–so I’d rather have Endy’s glove out there. Plus, Endy can handle lefties as well as he can righties. He’s not handling either right now, but having a lefty on the mound won’t be the difference.
i actually see this one from the mets tomorrow
reyes
evans
wright
delgado
beltran
tatis
castro
easley
great bounce back.. after last night’s game I swore off the rest of this series, then realized it was on tv so I gave in (usually stuck w/ mlb.tv) glad I did. I hope all of the Billy Wagner haters were paying very close attention the last two nights.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, the Phillies have come back from 2 run deficits to beat the Mets 8 times the last two seasons. The Mets have dominated this team, and hopefully those giveaway games are the thing of the past now
Yeah, there hasn’t been one like that since day before yesterday.
I didn’t watch the game today because I feel like I am cursed everytime I watch Maine pitch. Everytime I can’t, and/or don’t, watch Maine pitch this year, he does well (at least gets the win that is). Everytime I do watch, he does bad.
It stinks because he is my favorite pitcher. Maybe if I never watch his games, he will be unstoppable.
Don’t ever watch again
As much as I would like to say “don’t watch,” we all know you cannot have that kind of effect on Maine. Don’t worry about it and enjoy watching your favorite pitcher when you have the chance.
We all appreciate your sacrifice tonight, though. :)
I feel the same way. I tuned in just as the 9th started yesterday. And didn’t watch today. Go figure.
Just unfortunate timing–don’t worry about it! :)
I have never been so happy to see Billy Wagner in my life. I guess it’s the case of don’t know what you got till it’s gone. Anyway, nice bounceback by the team. Seriously, how many gutwrentching, rip your heart out losses has this team had this year and they keep coming back. This team has that snowball rolling down a hill kind of feel to it. Keeps picking up momentum…
Nice win. . . .
To me it only means something if they win tomorrow, because they should have won last night.
I disagree. I think that, because of the devastating loss last night, this win was huge. At the end of last year, they lost a couple of games like the one last night, and it led to a complete collapse. This time, they bounced right back and got a win. This is a step in the right direction.
Granted, a loss tomorrow would not be good–and a win would be great–but the win today was huge, regardless.
This is all for nothing unless they win tomorrow.
Once again, this win is huge regardless of tomorrow’s result. It showed that they will not fall apart at the first sign of adversity, like last year. Sure, a loss tomorrow could create a different problem that needs to be addressed, but this win was great.
the baseball gods dont take kindly to running the bases after hitting a homerun holding up a number 1 finger in the face of the opposing team.
and say what you will about vic’s celebration at the plate last night. his was about as equal to tatis in cbp. not that bad, acceptable considering the circumstances.
except tatis does that exact same thing every time, and the pointing to the sky (not the other team) is in reference to god. well, and tatis and reyes were celebrating plays they made at that time, not a play someone else made.
I presume you are talking about Reyes holding up a number 1 finger as he ran his home run trot. I didn’t see it as you did, and I doubt the Phillies did, either, since they didn’t throw at Endy right after. He may have had his finger in the air (I didn’t notice that, but I’ll assume you are right, for the sake of argument), but I think it was basically the equivalent of a celebratory fist pump.
And, as for Tatis–his celebration was nothing like Victorino’s. Tatis clapped and pointed to the sky, to thank God, like many ballplayers do today. Victorino stood on the plate, making no motion at all, just staring towards the Mets dugout, which is clearly a taunt. Especially since he should have been getting out of the way, in case Ruiz endd up trying to score.
I just saw the highlight on “Baseball Tonight” and did see Jose holding his index finger up. Still don’t see it as taunting the Phillies–it was, indeed, the equivalent of a fist pump.
And, like I said, the Phillies didn’t see to have a problem with it, either, since they neither threw at Endy right after, or at Jose when he came up again, later in the game.
It would only be poetic justice if Reyes hits a pivotal HR, in Philly, and instead of holding up his index finger and pointing to the sky, he held up his middle finger and directed it towards the Philly fans. “Yea thanks for booing me when I was injured you cowards”. I would laugh hysterically.
I have never seen more fights at a baseball game in my life. It was a war zone. Maybe because I sat in 80% Philly fan section but there were so many fights it was ridiculous. These 2 teams really hate each other and I kinda like it. Anyway about the game, Maine didn’t too bad, at least he went about 7ip. Easley and Reyes really turned the game around. Wags came in and shut the door. Really fun night at Shea.
Yes, there is a much different attitude, tone and level of confidence on this thread as opposed to yesterday. They still could have done better though. There’s a lot of polishing up this team needs if it believes they can win this division. The Phillies have many of the same problems as the Mets so it doesn’t shock me that both of them have split. You’d really rather be the Mets in this series though because they’ve been able to get ahead of games. The Mets have had times when they kept up around .500, but always started out behind. It’s a good sign to see the team get ahead and hold the lead for a few inning’s.
Little thing’s do need to improve. One, John Maine needs to get the sac bunt. Two, Marlon Anderson can’t start. He’s here as a pinch hitter. The only reason why he’s lasted on this roster throughout the year is because of what he did in the second half of last year, the Mets injuries, the Mets lack of depth in the OF and the fact that he’s on a 2 year contract. Plus, he’s a good guy in the club house. With all that being said, he’s not that bad of a pinch hitter. He’s still worth holding in that role.
He can’t be platooning with Tatis though. I know it’s possible Tatis play may decline if he plays every day, but this is why the Mets need to do something to expand their depth. The Mets will not have to start Marlon Anderson or guy’s like Nixon and Evans out in LF with Church on the DL when the Mets activate Luis Castillo from the DL. They can move Easley into LF on the day’s he doesn’t start at 2B. If Easley were to take 1/2 of the starts at 2B, he could eat up 1/3 of the starts in LF with Tatis getting the other 2/3. I would definitely prefer playing Easley over Castillo, but I’d rather have Castillo out there over Marlon Anderson. It was one thing for Manuel to play Anderson in back to back days, but to bat him sixth didn’t make any sense. He didn’t look comfortable out in LF either.
The other litle things that will kill them are leaving 5 runner’s on base without scoring a run in the 7th and 8th inning’s, with your 17 million a year normal clean up hitter sacrifice bunting, especially after seeing the runs the Mets could have used in last night’s game. Also, it definitely helped the Mets big time to get Billy back, but Billy has blown his share of three run leads in his time with the Mets. It seems more common than with one run lead’s.
Do any of you remember that game a couple years ago against the Yankees when he hit I think Jorge Posada after the Mets played their hearts out and were winning 3-0? They went into extra inning’s and lost 4-3. What about earlier this year? Pelfrey threw amazing. Not the one on ESPN the day before the All-Star break. Three run home run on a two out two strike pitch to Reynolds on Arizona.
It wouldn’t be any more right for us to lose confidence in the non-Wagner Mets bullpen anymore than Billy. They’ve had mixed results just like him all years. He’s apart of that bullpen and this bullpen is representative of all the Mets non-successes, successes and drama. Thankfully though, they’ve been pretty healthy. The Mets should be 2 games up on the Phillies right now, but aren’t. They can still take good out of this series by winning tomorrow and being ahead.
Anybody see the Maine quote after the game “…obviously I’ve destroyed them in my last six starts…” Nice Johnny! I agree Matt, I was at the game and was screaming for retaliation after Delgado got plunked.
The Phillies got the Mets number when they’re down, but before the games start, they don’t. The Mets I believe are 8-4 against them this year, so they’ve held up pretty well. Last year, the Phillies abused them. That seemed to just be a thing of the 07′ season though. Using Guillermo Mota as one of their primary set up men had something to do with that, which definitely came on the shoulder’s of Willie. Although it should have on Omar too, because he shouldn’t be putting crappy pitcher’s on the roster.
And yeah, there’s always fights at these games. There’s a lot of intensity. I think I really screwed with Phillies fans the last time I saw the Mets play them in Philly on that Sunday when they won 10-9, and nearly lost on that comeback. I was a Manny Ramirez jersey to the game. Not because I like the Red Sox, but because he’s one of my favorite players. I bought it in the store around when he hit his 500th. When they saw me rooting for the Mets, they didn’t even know how to react.
Shea Stadium for the most part isn’t that violent of a place though. In Philly, they got there own court in the stadium. There’s usually just a lot of cursing at the games, but that’s usually caused by people drinking too many over priced beers. These two teams are so close to each other it’s within driving distance of both teams for both exchanges of fans to come. They’ll clash. This rivalry really is heating up. It’s starting to remind me of the Knicks-Heat in the late 90’s. Hopefully they turn out like the Knicks abusing the Heat after losing that one series because of the dirty flip by Pj Brown on Charlie Ward. Either Riley sicked his team on them knowing they were stupid or Ward must have said something really good, because Brown’s won like 4 sportsmanship of the year awards lol
I was at 2 games at CBP in the last series, and had no issues (my son wore a Mets jersey, I went incognito) and we did root for the Mets. a few taunts here and thee, but mostly good natured.
As with any stadium, mostly good people, and a few bad apples (usually 20 something drunk guys with no shirt but penty of tats).
Also, the “court” was in the Vet, and that was for Eagles games, where they really needed it!
Why does Delgado keep getting hit in his hands anyway? Does this guy have bad luck or something? lol
Had to do a double-take on the Shawn Victorini there, Matt! Sweet. ;)
Considering where Maine has been these past few starts, this was quite an improvement. Not a terrific start, but quite solid, and a very nice step forward. Especially since this was only the second time this season Maine has managed to get through the 7th inning.
Also, nice job by Reyes for not only styling that homer to death, but also slapping on a second helping of mustard down in that dugout as he high-fived, fist-bumped, and did a dance with just about everyone down there. If those scumbags on the other side of the field can mock Reyes when they take a win from the Mets, Reyes certainly can rub it right back in their faces.
And finally, a big time nod to Wags. Came in with the same 3-run lead they had the night before, and unlike his mates in the pen, he was able to sit down all three of the batters he faced.
Solid.
Now take it on home tomorrow afternoon… CAMP DAY! Woo-hoo!
You know, when the Mets were beating the Phillies earlier in the season, when Rollins was out, a lot of people made excuses, saying that the Mets wouldn’t be able to beat the Phillies once Rollins was back. Well, Rollins has been back, and the Mets have continued to beat the Phillies more often than not. On the other hand, the Phillies beat the snot out of the Mets “Plan B” closers on Tuesday night, but were retired in order by Wagner. Why no mention of that?
Game ball goes to reyes, wagner & Maine not the prettiest start but it got the job done. We missed you Billy don’t ever leave us again!!!