Daily Archives: September 16, 2008
The Phillies defeated the Braves tonight, meaning the Phillies now lead the Mets by one win for first place in the NL East, though both teams are tied in the loss column.
David Wright, following tonight’s loss to the Nationals, said:
“This is what makes it fun…This is what you work hard for. This is what you prepare for…This is a bump in the road. It doesn’t matter what Philadelphia does. It only matters what the guys in this clubhouse do and we plan on getting the job done. Like I said, we’re gonna see what we’re made of. This is a little bump in the road, and I’m excited moving forward because I think we’ve got a room full of guys who will not allow us to fail.”
Jose Reyes, speaking to reporters, said:
“We’re still in a good position. We just have to start again…It’s not going to be easy. So, we just need to win.”
There are 12 games left in the 2008 season.
The Mets (83–67) lost to the Nationals (57–94) by the score of 1 to 0 in Washington, D.C., tonight.
For a recap, boxscore, stats, etc., click here.
Tonight, against Odalis Perez, the Mets collected four hits and could not score a run. I wonder where Perez hides all of his Cy Young awards? I mean, with the way the Mets made him look tonight, he must have a closet full of trophies. Oh, he doesn’t. Imagine that.
Fact is, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado are a combined 1 for 23 so far in this series with the Nationals – so it should not be much of a surprise that the team’s offense is apparently ice cold.
What concerns me is that they are all swinging at balls so far out of the strike zone, and they’re obviously being over aggressive. They are far from patient. It looks like they’re pressing. In the ninth, David Wright struck out swinging and it looked like he was trying to hit a five-run home run.
In the sixth, with runners on first and second and two outs, Wright hit a fly ball to left field that was reeled in by Willie Harris, who, again, made an acrobatic reach to end the inning. Wright grabbed his helmet, slammed it to the ground with two hands and yelled, ‘Damnit.’ Actually, I said the exact same thing.
Ramon Martinez made a base-running mistake during a potential rally in the eighth, started by back-to-back hits from back-up catchers, but I am not sure he would have scored on Jose Reyes’s fielder’s choice anyway.
That said, Mike Pelfrey was outstanding tonight, rebounding nicely from his previous start. Basically, he made one mistake. That’s it. Otherwise, he, the team’s defense and Joe Smith all did their job’s tonight. The offense did not.
The Mets continue their four-game series with the Nationals tomorrow at 7 pm, with Brandon Knight (0-0, 6.43 ERA) taking on Shairon Martis (0-2, 2.70 ERA).
The Game:
The first place Mets (83-66) continue their four-game series against the Nationals (57-93) tonight at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., starting at 7:10 pm.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- RF Ryan Church
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- LF Fernando Tatis
- 2B Argenis Reyes
- C Brian Schneider
- P Mike Pelfrey
The Pitchers:
RHP Mike Pelfrey (13-9, 3.77 ERA) starts for the Mets.
LHP Odalis Perez (6-10, 4.48 ERA) starts for the Nationals.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…this is an absolute must win for the Mets tonight…not because i think the season hangs in the balance on this game, as i still believe this team will win the division, but with the media and most fans on the brink of calling this a repeat of last september, the Mets need this win to prevent them from possibly falling to second place, which would most certainly alter the dymanic of the clubhouse…
…and, another thing, i’m tired of seeing the same old guys running out from the bullpen in big spots…i understand Jerry Manuel would get a ton of heat for throwing guys like Robert Parnell, Al Reyes, etc., in big spots, especially if they fail, but at this point, unless Roger McDowell or Jesse Orosco are being driven to the mound in a bullpen car, then i’d rather see anybody than the usual suspects out there…
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |Jerry Manuel told reporters he had a meeting with his players and coaches prior to today’s game.
The meeting was not ‘fire and brimstone,’ as he put it. Instead, he talked with them for 15–minutes to get every one on the same page, adding:
“We just touched base on where we are, and try to get back in the direction we were headed, remind them of the good baseball we played and the good baseball we’ll need to play…Preachers preach, I just wanted to let them know where I am.”
Jamie Moyer started his 7-1 run in July. He’s fared better against right-handed batters than left-handed batters in that time. Righties are posting a .646 OPS since July 1, lefties a .728 mark.
Kelly Johnson is finishing is season on a high note. In 13 September games he’s knocked out 12 extra base hits and driven in 12 runs.
The Mets righties should be looking to tee off on Odalis Perez tonight. He’s allowed 17 home runs and a .529 slugging percentage against right-handed batters.
Josh Willingham and Jeremy Hermida are both experiencing lengthy slumps that likely cost the Marlins a chance to compete for a playoff spot.
His For more real-time information, news, links and stats from around MLB, check out Baseball Musings.
To watch today’s edition of 
‘s New York Baseball Today, during which Ted Berg and Chris Cotter talk about Pedro Martinez, and whether he is ‘done, click play:
At ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch believes tonight is the biggest start of Mike Pelfrey‘s career and it is up to him ‘to reverse this collapse-in-progress.’ 
Due to a bullpen who has allowed 14 runs and four home runs in the last five games, Pelfrey is certainly needed to go deep into tonight’s game, according to Klapisch.
In 181.2 innings pitched this season, Pelfrey is 13-9 with a 3.77 ERA.
…i have faith in big pelf tonight…however, as far as the bats are concerned, can we please stop squeezing them into sawdust…
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Mets have lost seven games this season in which they led in the ninth inning or later – their most such losses in one season since 1994.
What’s more, they have 11 blown saves in the ninth inning or later, tying them with the Brewers for second-most in baseball.
By the way, the Phillies are the only team in baseball who have not blown a save in the ninth inning or later this year.
In case you missed it, the Mets named Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans co–players of the year for their minor-league organization.
Today, in a post to Mets Minor League Blog, Toby Hyde takes a closer look where Muprhy and Evans could be headed in their careers.
By the way, Murphy will play during this year’s Arizona Fall League, according to Baseball America.
…based on the rest of the roster, it appears that murphy will be the team’s second baseman, which is exciting…from what i can gather, the team would like to get a better look at him in this role, so to know how murphy best fits in to their plans for the off-season and beyond…
Tagged Nick Evans |In a post to his blog for Newsday, David Lennon offers observations on a variety of topics, from Pedro Martinez to John Maine, while adding the following about Jerry Manuel, and whether he could win the NL Manager of the Year award:
“If the Mets somehow hold on and make the playoffs, Manuel has a better chance of winning that award than Carlos Delgado has of getting the MVP. Watching Manuel trying to win the division with this bullpen makes David Blaine’s stunts look mundane by comparison. Hang upside down over Central Park? Big
deal. See if Blaine can get three outs with Duaner Sanchez or Aaron Heilman.”
…if manuel wins it, i wonder if Willie Randolph will be on hand to present the trophy…
By the way, Lennon says Manuel will not consider using Daniel Murphy at second base, in fact he laughed at the suggestion.
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