Daily Archives: August 14, 2008
The Mets (65–56) beat the Nationals (44–78) by the score of 9 to 3 tonight in Washington, D.C.
For a recap, boxscore, stats, etc., from tonight’s game, go to SNY.tv.
These are the teams you need to sweep, and it was good to see the Mets not take the Nationals lightly.
- Happy 63rd Birthday Jay Horwitz and happy day before your 27th birthday Oliver Perez, who went 6.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out eight. Perez’s slider looked very good tonight, but his consecutive scoreless inning streak ended at 14 when in the seventh, Perez allowed a two-run triple to Pete Orr. Another run would score and that was all for Perez.
- You know it’s a good night when Brian Schneider hits a home run. It was a two run shot in the fifth and was his first homer since May 14th. Carlos Delgado also smashed a line-drive home run to left field in the sixth inning to make it 5-0.
- David Wright made a great play in the eighth on a short-hop to get Duaner Sanchez out of a jam that Joe Smith had created.
- Easley does it, as Damion drove in Dan Murphy and Fernando Tatis in the top of the ninth to provide some insurance. Then the wheels came off for Joel Hanrahan as a slew of errors helped the Mets increase their lead.
- Aaron Heilman effectively closed the game out, and was even booed in Washington. Ouch.
- Lastly, Teddy Roosevelt lost the President’s Race…again.
I hate scoreboard watching this early on, but the second place Phillies play the Dodgers tonight at 10:10.
The Mets start a four game set with the Pirates in Pittsburgh tomorrow at 7:10 with Mike Pelfrey (10-8) facing off against Jason Davis (1-1).
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |Billy Wagner pitched the seventh inning tonight in Binghamton, striking out two and allowing no hits or runs.
He is scheduled to pitch in Brooklyn on Sunday and potentially return to the Mets on Monday.
…god’s speed wags…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
The Mets will play their first game at Citi 
Field on Tuesday, April 14, against the San Diego Padres, according to a report from the Associated Press, citing, ‘Major League Baseball’s draft preliminary schedule for 2009.’
…i have been quite critical of Shea Stadium, and i think it’s coming back to bite me…i entered this season with a .733 winning percentage spanning 20 years of watching baseball in that building…however, this season, the stadium’s final year in existence, i am just 1–7, so Shea is clearing pissed at me…sorry, man…
…queue the dramatic music…
According to a statement from WFAN, Chris Russo is leaving WFAN, ending the Mike and the Maddog radio program.
…it’s not you, it’s me, mikey…
Neil Best from Newsday was the first to report that Russo and co-host Mike Francesa would likely part ways this summer.
Tagged WFAN |
The Game:
The Mets (64-56) continue their three game series against the Nationals (44-77) tonight at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., starting at 7:10 pm.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Argenis Reyes
- 3B David Wright
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Daniel Murphy
- RF Fernando Tatis
- C Brian Schneider
- P Oliver Perez
The Pitchers:
LHP Oliver Perez (8-7, 3.90 ERA) starts for the Mets.
RHP Collin Balester (2-4, 4.66 ERA) starts for the Nationals.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on SNY and heard on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tom Glavine returns to the Braves rotation tonight against the Cubs. He allowed seven hits, three earned runs and two walks while striking out five in nine rehabilitation innings. Glavine’s 4.85 ERA is his highest since his rookie year of 1987.
Zach Berman notes the Lastings Milledge trade aided the development of Jesus Flores:
The Nationals, however, already are witnessing dividends. Entering last night’s game against his former team, Milledge was carrying a 13-game hitting streak. Catcher Jesús Flores, who has assumed Schneider’s starting role, has been perhaps the brightest story in a sour year for the Nationals.
Jimmy Rollins may have both Mets and Phillies fans booing him, as he called the Philadelphia faithful “front runners.” The trick, it would appear, is not to play badly.
Paul Lo Duca is 8 for 17 at Triple-A for the Marlins, since his release by the Nationals, which appears to have served as a wake-up call.
For more real-time information, news, links and stats from around MLB, check out Baseball Musings.
Mets RHP Ambiorix Burgos let up one run on two hits through one inning during a minor-league rehab game with the Gulf Coast League Mets today.
Also, Trot Nixon went 2 for 3 with an RBI as the team’s DH.
In 17 appearances for the Mets in 2007, Burgos was 1–0 with a 3.42 ERA, during which he struck out 19 batters in 23 innings while batters hit just .200 against him.
Tagged Trot Nixon |Yesterday, the Mets announced that Mike Piazza and Tom 
Seaver will be among several of the team’s former players who are expected to be in attendance on Sept. 28, when the Mets play their final regular-season game in Shea.
This is great news, because, frankly, I’m sick and tired of the Yankees having a monopoly on Tradition in New York City.
The thing is, if the Mets are going to welcome people like Seaver and Piazza, and Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry, I hope they also invite people like Gregg Jefferies, Doc Gooden, Wally Backman and Todd Hundley.
I mean, if it’s a night about honoring the 
stadium’s on-field past, then it would be unfortunate to ignore certain people for things that they may have done off-field, which ended up putting them in bad standing with the team’s owners.
Fact is, as a kid, Backman’s on-field presence and style was an inspiration to me; Gooden was a God; I had a Hundley jersey, and paid admission to specifically see him play; and I emulated Jefferies’s swing.
These guys, among many others, though not as prominent as Seaver and Piazza, are still a huge part of why I root for the Mets today – and I hope they are not ignored.
Tagged Mike Piazza, Todd Hundley, Tom Seaver, Wally Backman |The most common e-mail I get seems to always begin by saying, “Matt, when are you going to rip (so and so),” or, “How come you haven’t written about (this or that),” which is usually followed by a paranoid, conspiracy theory that is triggering my ‘silence.’
However, if you have been reading this site since I started it in 2003, you know that I never rush to judgment. In fact, I am like this in most aspects of my life, much to the irritation of my family and friends, in that I do my best to let things play out a bit before I form an opinion.
That said, the following are Mets-related topics that I am thinking and asking questions about, things I want to write about in the future, but which I have yet to formulate an opinion on:
Do I care about prices in Citi Field, right now? On one hand, I love the Mets, and enjoy watching them in person. On the other hand, I assume tickets will be scarce, and in high demand, so it makes sense that they should be expensive. Also, the Mets are free to do what they want with their team, stadium and money. At the same time, how disappointed will I be when I am unable to attend a game, especially on a whim?
Will an increase in ticket prices impact the type of ‘fan’ who will attend the game? Will Citi Field become a giant, low-key conference room for businessmen, or will it still be passionate and lively, and ‘electric,’ like David Wright likes to say?
Carlos Beltran is batting .275, which is nearly identical to what he hit last season, as well as the year before. However, he’s on pace to hit just 22 home runs, nearly half of what he hit in 2006, yet he’ll have nearly the same number of RBI, doubles and runs scored as he had in each of the last three seasons. Is he totally misunderstood by most of his team’s fans? Is it because of his contract? At what point does his contract become tolerable enough to match his game? Or, is he actually underrated?
Is it fair that residents and businesses in the Iron Triangle may be forced to move out by the city to make way for the development of Willetts Point, a downtown setting of bars, restaurants and retail to accompany Citi Field. On one hand, as a modern-Libertarian, I feel this should be negotiated between the businesses that are directly involved, and not by Government. On the other hand, I love the idea of being able to hang out in a fun, downtown setting prior to seeing the Mets in Citi Field – assuming I can find and afford a ticket.
If you have any insight on the above, let me know.
Steve C from Long Island, who is a loyal, passionate and active reader of MetsBlog.com, sent in the following image and e-mail:
“I got tired of putting miles on my new car when going to Shea so I painted the old 88 Celica Turbo and got a few decals for it…Just finished it today – I’m looking forward to pulling into the Roosevelt Avenue entrance at the next home game…What do you think?”
I think this is, well, ‘Amazing.’ I have met the guy who considers himself to have the official Mets car, but, what I like most about Steve’s, is that it’s just a regular old car which hecan drive, it just happens to be all decked out in orange and blue.
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