Daily Archives: April 13, 2009
Tonight’s Results:
- The Padres defeated the Mets by the score of 6 to 5 tonight.
- For a boxscore from the game, go here.
In Case You Missed It, Know That…
Mike Pelfrey stumbled (pun intended) in his second consecutive start, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walk over five innings.- David Wright hit a clutch three-run homerun in the fifth to tie the game at five.
- Despite giving up an unearned run in the sixth the Mets bullpen allowed one hit and three walks over their four innings pitched.
- Daniel Murphy, Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran each got a hit.
- You never what is going to happen when the ball is hit to right field.
- Health Bell, who got his wish and a bit of revenge against the Mets, picked up the first save at Citi Field.
- On a side note the white tarps over the Mets bullpen need to go. First off, it looks cheap. Secondly, why have a open air bullpen covered by tarps and advertisements? One of the highlights of my visit to Citi Field for one of the exhibition games was watching the Mets relievers warming up in the bullpen from the Big Apple Reserved seats and the Bridge in right-center Field. The tarp takes that experience away.
Game Ball:
- Tonight’s Game Ball goes to David Wright for his clutch homerun in the fifth.
Call In and Voice Your Opinion:
- Tonight, following SNY’s Post Game Live, listen to Jordan Zakarin and Chris Guy host The Happy Recast, a live, online, post-game show where you can call in and voice your opinion about tonight’s game.
Next Game:
- The Mets will resume their series versus the Padres on Wednesday night, with Oliver Perez getting the start for the Mets, while Kevin Correia starts for the Padres, starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
Starting around 3 pm today, I will be live blogging my experience in Citi Field, from picking up my press pass, to going on the field, to sitting in the Pepsi Porch, to wandering the new ballpark, exploring the concession area, and, of course, watching the game on the field.
To follow along, read my Twitter feed below, which will occasionally include a link to a photo or video:
To subscribe to my Twitter feed, go here.
Tonight’s Game:
- The Mets (3-3, 0-0 Home) begin the Citi Field era with the start of a three-game series versus the Padres (5-2, 0-0 Road) tonight, starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
On the Mound:
- RHP Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 7.20 ERA) will start for the Mets.
- RHP Walter Silva (0-0, 3.60 ERA) will pitch for the Padres.
At the Plate:
- Jose Reyes, SS
- Daniel Murphy, LF
- David Wright, 3B
- Carlos Delgado, 1B
- Carlos Beltran, CF
- Ryan Church, RF
- Brian Schneider, C
- Luis Castillo, 2B
- Mike Pelfrey, P
Tonight’s Broadcast:
- Tonight’s game will be broadcast locally on SNY, nationally on ESPN and heard on WFAN.
In-Game Chat:
- To chat live with fans during the game, go to the MetsBlog.com Bullpen, here; or voice your comments below.
Enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets!
Based on everyone’s feedback, there will be an impromptu Metsblog meetup at Landsdowne Road, located at 599 10th Avenue tonight, starting at 7 p.m.
They have 12 HDTVs but will not be playing audio from the game.
…possibly a plus since it’s an ESPN game…
There are also drink specials and free drinks are given out for every David Wright home run. Check out their website for more info.
I hope you can join me, and Let’s Go Mets!
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
Chase Utley hit a 2-run homer in the 8th inning to tie the game, and Matt Stairs launched a 2-run blast of his own in the 9th to lead the Phillies to a dramatic come-from-behind win over the Rockies on Sunday, 7-5.
Philadelphia took 2 of 3 this weekend from Colorado despite some mediocre pitching from Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, and Chan Ho Park.
…If anyone doubted Utley would be able to play at full-strength to start the season, I guess he’s proven you wrong.
Meanwhile, the Braves continued the destruction of the Nationals by sweeping all three games this weekend from Washington. Jeff Francoeur had two triples, and Chipper Jones drove in two runs to put the finishing touches on the series with an 8-5 victory on Sunday.
…Hey, at least Washington took the Braves to extra innings on Friday! Going into Sunday’s game against Atlanta, the Nationals had the worst ERA in the National League at 7.84.
You think Philly is excited to be going to Washington?
After going 0-6 on the road, the Nationals return home today for a 3-game series against Philadelphia. Washington will send Daniel Cabrera (0-1, 7.50) to the mound to take on Jamie Moyer (0-1, 7.20) at 3:05 PM.
The Braves and Marlins have the day off. The two teams will begin a 3-game set in Atlanta on Tuesday.
In player news, the Braves Tom Glavine suffered a setback Sunday in his rehab when he felt discomfort in his left shoulder. He’ll be reevaluated in Atlanta.
Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez told reporters that reliever Scott Proctor might not return to action until June. Proctor is suffering from elbow soreness.
And finally, former Met Anderson Hernandez appears to be on his way back to the Nationals after competing in an extended spring training game.
Hernandez experienced no pain in his sore left hamstring and will head to Triple-A Syracuse to begin a rehab assignment.
For more news, notes, analysis and statistics from around Major League Baseball, be sure to visit Baseball Daily Digest.
Tagged MetsBlog |
The Mets will play the Padres at 7:10 pm tonight in what is the first-ever, regular-season game in Citi Field.
Tom Seaver will throw out the first pitch to Mike Piazza.
…i will be getting their super early, probably around 2 pm… i will be live blogging, through my Twitter feed, while trying to post pictures, as i wander around the new ballpark for the first time… i am beyond giddy…
…from what i can gather, the Left Field gate opens to fans at 4:40 pm, and the rest of the gates open at 5:40 pm…
SNY will be broadcasting live from a special set adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, starting at 5 pm; and will feature a variety of guests, including Tom Seaver, John Franco and WFAN’s Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton.
If you are attending tonight’s game, read Caryn’s MetsGrrl.com, as she offers up some very important advice for navigating Citi Field.
For more guide to concession areas, vantage points, etc., check out the Citi Field Fan Guide in the Daily News.
The Daily News also profiles the Pepsi Porch, and how it may cause issues for Ryan Church, and whomever is playing right field.
In a post to Brooklyn Met Fan, Adam wonders why the Mets are opening their stadium with a night game, concluding, “I love the Mets, but sometimes I’m mystified by the decisions they make.”
…well, a) you may want to ask ESPN, and b) i think it’s unfair to ask the Padres to play a 4 pm game on Sunday in San Diego, then fly cross country to play a day game, with the time difference, 16 hours later… so, instead, it’s a night game…
…in other words, adam, the question isn’t, ‘Why are the Mets opening at night;’ the question should be, ‘Why are the Mets opening against a team, the Padres, coming from the west coast.’…
In the eighth inning yesterday, with one out and Ryan Church on second, the Mets down 2–0, and the pitcher on deck, Luis Castillo chose to bunt for a base hit, instead of trying to drive in the run, but ended up grounding out, advancing Church to third.
…Daniel Murphy’s dropped pop up is getting most of the attention, but castillo’s slip up was equally bizarre…
Following the game, Jerry Manuel seemed confused by the decision, saying, “I think his mindset was, this guy is real tough, and that if 
he could get one down he could beat it out… In hindsight, though, you say, you’re swinging good, go get a big hit here.’”
…the difference, i guess, is, if murphy makes the catch then that inning is over with the game is still tied at zero… if castillo swings away, and doesn’t bunt, he may have grounded out or struck out, so we’ll never know if he was truly right or wrong choosing to bunt… but, i believe it was the wrong baseball decision either way…
Saturday morning, Castillo was hitting .100 in 10 at bats this season. He took early batting practice on Saturday afternoon, along with other teammates. Saturday night he went 4 for 4, raising his batting average 257 points in one day.
Yesterday, Castillo was 1 for 2 and is batting .375 with a .444 OBP in five games and 16 at bats this season for the Mets.
To read more about Castillo, and how Howard Johnson intends to work with him, while keeping him focused, read the Bergen Record.
In his first post to Mike’s Mets, Michael Simon sounds the alarm just six games in to the season, saying, “The Mets look inconsistent.”
…i believe this falls under the small-sample-size situation… i mean, the Mets are 3–3… yesterday, they ran in to a tremendous performance from Josh Johnson; and had it not been coupled to Daniel Murphy’s error, who knows, the Mets could be 4–2… the point is, there is no way to tell what is in store based on six games… this is not to say simon is wrong, he may very well be correct, and i wouldn’t be surprised if he is, but i just feel it’s too early to know… i mean, i am fairly certain some one considered the Phillies to be inconsistent last April too, when, after 17 games, they were 8–9…
Meanwhile, to learn more about the Mets first win in the Polo Grounds in 1962, which wasn’t a walk-off, but was well earned, read Mets Walkoffs.
Speaking of things old school, check out Peter Wade’s Tumblr, Brooklyn Mutt, for a video of the first day at Shea in 1964.
Lastly, Brendan Bilko of Priced Out of the Citi believes the Mets must play better defense when Johan Santana pitches, because their bats ‘go cold.’
According to Bilko, the Mets failed to score more than three runs in 36 percent of Santana’s starts since he joined the team.
…true, but, you need to keep in mind, when he pitches, he tends to match up against the other team’s top pitchers, like a Josh Johnson, so it’s understandable the Mets offense will struggle more, not because santana is on the mound, but because they’re facing a top pitcher that day…
…but, to your point, this is why they must be focused on defense, particularly when santana is on the mound…
Yesterday, Daniel Murphy dropped a routine pop-up with two outs, and a runner, who, when the ball dinked off his glove and rolled through the grass, rounded third and scored a run.
“Inexcusable,” Murphy told reporters, standing by his locker after the game. “Johan threw the ball really well and deserved a lot better than 
that. I’m better than that. It won’t happen like that again. I was lazy to the ball and I got exposed for it. I didn’t get back. I got exposed, and it cost us.”
Manuel acknowledged that, up to now, Murphy has not shown signs of being a poor defensive outfielder, then said:
“Murphy is still working very hard. Here you have a young man who works extremely hard and who is getting better. I don’t think you’re gonna see that type of stuff from him on a regular basis, today that just kind of happened out of nowhere… he’ gonna be fine… I refuse to be concerned with that at this point.”
Manuel characterized the error as a ‘misplay,’ noting it could have happened to anybody, and said there was no reason to address Murphy about the play.
…i do not anticipate a huge backlash of people questioning murphy’s ability to play in the major leagues… i think reasonable people will understand he simply made a mistake, albeit a costly one… fact is, murphy’s error combined with John Johnson’s stellar pitching performance created a terrible combination… had the Mets been up against a weaker pitcher, and scored enough runs to win, murphy’s error, while awful, would be less of an issue today… plus, let’s be honest, if he’s not out there, it’s Gary Sheffield, and is sheffield that much more superior to murphy on defense… would Manny Ramirez have been that much better on defense… no… so, that discussion is senseless… he’ll be fine, and he should and will be given more room for error than one mistake during the sixth game of the season…
“I’d like to see us all be a little better defensively. I just think, 
overall, we haven’t been as sharp defensively as I’d like us to be. I know it’s early, but defense is very crucial. This spring, we emphasized the hitting part of it. Now, we have to get back spending time on our defensive, both interior and exterior. We need to do those little things to get on a streak.”
…by the way, i believe interior defense is turning a double play, hitting the cut-off man, that sort of thing, while exterior defensive is simply catching the ground ball or pop up… i could be wrong, but i am fairly sure this is correct… anyone?…
Manuel said he will start doing additional defensive work with his team prior to the game, adding, “We’re gonna start treating it like we’ve treated our offensive fundamentals, and put a bigger emphasis on it.”
In yesterday’s loss to the Marlins, Johan Santana allowed just three hits and struck out 13 of the 27 batters he faced, using 98 pitches, in seven innings.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, yesterday, ‘Santana became only the second pitcher in the last 35 seasons to lose a game in which he struck out at least 13 batters and didn’t allow an earned run.’
…thanks to ESPN.com for the elias information…
The two runs that scored against him were unearned, thanks to a dropped fly-ball in left field by Daniel Murphy.
“Johan was impressive, he was very, very good,” Manuel told reporters following the loss. “I mean, if we had played a little defense here and there, we might still be playing… It was a good pitching match up to watch and unfortunately we came up short.”
…i can truly say, i love watching him work… i find myself getting lost in the game sometimes, not paying attention to the score or the results, because i focus so much on how he is pitching…
Yesterday was Santana’s first loss since June 28 of last season, in a game against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees.
“They normally say he’s a second-half guy,” Manuel said. “Well, then we’ve got a lot to look forward to, right.”
