Daily Archives: April 25, 2009
The Mets (8–9) defeated the Nationals (3–13) by the score of 8 to 2 in Citi Field this afternoon.
For a full recap and boxscore, go here.
The least you should know:
- Mike Pelfrey pitched in to the sixth inning, and allowed two runs and six hits while striking out one, walking three, and getting 13 ground-ball outs against the 23 batters he faced.
- Sean Green, Bobby Parnell and Brian Stokes pitched 3.3 scoreless innings in relief.
- Ryan Church drove in three runs, Carlos Beltran knocked in another, and the Mets scored eight runs on two DC errors.
Random Thoughts:
- Like Jerry Manuel said after the game, Mike Pelfrey had good stuff, not great stuff. He still isn’t sharp, and not throwing enough over the top, and so his fastball is tailing off too much, not down. The thing is, he was able to keep the ball down when he had to, and it’s actually equally important that he was able to manage the game with ‘good stuff,’ as opposed to just dominate with ‘great stuff.’ He started rough, but got in a groove, got six straight ground-ball outs at one point, and 13 in total.
- In the first inning, Elijah Dukes made his first error of the day, with two outs, which allowed a run to score. More important, though, Ryan Church continued the inning with a two-out RBI single.
- David Wright was hitless on the day, but made two terrific defensive plays in the second, complete with two strong throws. He also made another key play in the fourth, on a short hopper.
- Daniel Murphy is an adventure in left field. He made an impressive sliding catch coupled with a strong throw for a double play, but later dove over a ball, tumbled, and let it roll to the wall.
- Carlos Beltran is batting .415, .435 with runners in scoring position, he’s locked in, and playing a perfect and effortless defense.
- Wright and Delgado were 0 for 6 today. I think Delgado may need a day off soon. He looks slow.
- The Mets were aggressive on the base paths today. In many cases they hustled to take the extra base, which forced a lot of bizarre throws from the Nationals. Though each runner didn’t score, it was great to see them forcing the issue. There needs to be more of this.
The Game Ball:
- Today’s game ball gets split in three, one part goes to Elijah Dukes, for setting the tone with a costly error in the first; the second goes to Church, for keeping two separate rallies going with RBI singles; and the last bit goes to Pelfrey.
Today’s Game:
The Mets (7-9, 4-3 Home) continue their three-game series versus the Nationals (3-12, 0-7 Road) today at Citi Field, starting at 1:10 p.m. EDT.
On the Mound:
- RHP Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 8.10 ERA) will start for the Mets. Pelfrey returns to the mound after missing his last start due to forearm tendinitis. In his previous start on April 13 versus the Padres, a no-decision, Pelfrey allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks, while striking out three over 5.0 IP. He is 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA in eight career starts versus the Nationals.
- RHP Daniel Cabrera (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will pitch for the Nationals. Cabrera earned a no-decision in his last start on April 19 versus the Marlins, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks over 5.0 IP. This is Cabrera’s first career start versus the Mets.
Today’s Broadcast:
- Today’s game will be broadcast locally on SNY and WFAN.
Enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets!
On his blog for the Daily News, Adam Rubin reports, “Nelson 
Figueroa has decided to re-sign with the organization after testing free agency by refusing a minor-league assignment earlier in the week.”
…i’m glad… like i have said, i like figgy, and think, eventually, the Mets will get it right and give this guy a permanent spot in the bullpen… that said, i bet it helped him to hear there may soon be a job open in the starting rotation…
Rubin also blogs about Mike Lamb, who will join Triple-A Buffalo, as well as John Maine’s side session, Ugly Betty, Carlos Beltran’s 1000th RBI, and why Gary Sheffield started in right field and not left field last night.
Tagged Nelson Figueroa |Last night, three 25–year-old NYU students were told by security in Citi Field to remove K cards from the left-field facade, during Johan Santana’s outstanding start during which he struck out 10 batters.
According to Newsday, “They were told by security to remove the white signs with Ks made of duct tape because they were blocking an electronic ribbon board.”
“They were afraid the signs would damage the board,” Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz is quoted as saying.
…we just want to be fans, have fun, spend a little money on food and drinks, hang out with friends, hope for a win and go home… it’s not complicated…
…these three guys were simply trying to continue a tradition 
that was started by Mets fans years ago, in Shea Stadium, when Doc Gooden inspired the K Corner… i bet the team’s solution will be to set up their own version of the K Corner, and assume this is good enough, while totally missing the point…
… this isn’t exclusive to the Mets, it happens in most all ballparks, specifically new ones, in that more and more aspects of being a fan are starting to be controlled, whether being told how to chant, when to clap, when and what to sing, and when and where to hold up a sign… it’s a shame… because, we, as fans, take pride in creating these traditions… it’s our way of being involved, it’s our way of supporting the team we love… we can’t step in the batter’s box, but we can make signs… unless, of course, they cover electronic ribbon board, i guess…
Last night, immediately after his team’s win versus the Nationals, Johan Santana talked to reporters, and had the following to say about…
His performance:
“I felt good. I think my fastball is there right now. I was able to throw my fastball for strikes and mix in my changeup and slider… When you’re able to locate all your pitches and throw all your pitches with confidence it makes your fastball and changeup better. I’m trying to be aggressive and throw everything for strikes.”
Giving up the homerun to Nick Johnson:
“I threw a fastball away to Johnson. He has power, but I didn’t locate the ball. After that I gave up two hits, but I stayed composed and tried to be aggressive with the next guy. I didn’t let my emotions take over. I always try to stay within the game. If I give up a hit I try to get the next guy. That’s how I approach the game.”
What he is wondering on the mound:
“I wonder when they’re going to get a base hit. [Laughs] I know everytime I go out there it’s going to be a challenge. I just think we need to be patience and then everything will come through and we’ll score more runs.”
On if he can get his competitiveness to rub off:
Tagged Mike Nichols |“On my teammates? I just try to do my job. That’s the way I am. From the beginning of the game I let everyone know I’m there. That’s the way I am. I see my teammates all the time , they know what’s going on. They always try to do their best. Not just when I’m pitching, but all my teammates in the starting rotation, they’re trying to do their best. Things right now are not working together. Time will come an they’ll be able to score more runs and make everything happen. A win like this is huge for us right now. We just need to continue to play the game the right way and try to take advantage of mistakes and score more runs. You can’t blame anyone right now. It’s a team effort and in a short period of time we’ll get everything together. We just got to wait for everything to come through.”
Last night, immediately after his team’s win against the Nationals, Jerry Manuel talked to reporters, and had the following to say about…
On the lack of production with runners in scoring position:
“It appears that the approach is not in sync with what is happening in the game or what is happening in the game at that time. We need to continue to address the situation. We had a couple at-bats that were pretty good. I thought [Luis] Castillo got the runner over in his first at-bat and then his next at-bat hits a base hit to drive in a run. We need to have that type of approach more consistently then I have seen so far.”
On Frankie Rodriguez’s struggles last night:
“That’s his history. I hear he is a tightrope guy, so he made it a tightrope game. For not having been on the mound for the number of days he missed, his velocity was higher than I have seen before. When a guy feels that strong, he’s not as commanding as he would like to be. That was probably due to the fact we didn’t not pitch him for five games.”
On competitiveness and if the team was full of Johan Santana‘s:
“[Laughs] I think at some point, we as a group will get that. I don’t see us there yet. To be honest with you, I see us as a little over anxious. That’s not what he is. He is competitive, but still in control. That’s just the mood he is in. He just pushes a button and off he goes. He has a different handshake for every guy before he starts the game. He laughs with them, but when he crosses that line, he is a different man, different man.”
Does this type of win give the team confidence:
Tagged Mike Nichols |“Any time you win and you get yourself off a streak like we were just on, it gives us confidence that we can win games. I think it’s important, at least early, that we play well here, that we win games here. You’d like to win everyplace, but to win them here is very important for us. It’s a great advantage when you have everyone pulling for us. We have to relax in those situations and let the game come to us. We don’t need to be in a rush to get the run in. We just need to be patience and it will come.”
