Monthly Archives: May 2009
Jose Reyes will leave for St. Lucie this evening, when the team departs for Pittsburgh.
Reyes will likely play in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday and Wednesday, after which he’ll be reevaluated on Thursday by team doctors.
Jerry Manuel told reporters before today’s game that he hopes to get Reyes back on Friday, the day he is eligible to come off the DL.
The Mets defeated the Marlins, 3–2, in Citi Field today.
For a full recap and boxscore, go here.
The Least You Should Know:
- John Maine pitched very well, he struck out five and walked two in six scoreless innings, throwing 82 pitches.
- Maine left the game with a stomach bug.
- Pedro Feliciano relieved Maine, without notice, and pithed a scoreless seventh inning.
- Fernando Martinez and Omir Santos hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh inning, to account for two of the team’s three runs.
- Angel Pagan knocked in the first run of the game with an RBI double as well, hit down the line towards left field, scoring Wilson Valdez, who advanced in to scoring position on a sac-bunt from Maine.
- Francisco Rodriguez struck out the first two batters in the ninth inning, then, because it must be an adventure, let the winning run come to the plate, who he struck out swinging for the save.
Other Observations:
- Maine left the game with a stomach bug before throwing a pitch during the seventh inning. Carlos Beltran left yesterday’s game early, and missed today, also with a stomach bug. Have fun on that plane ride to Pittsburgh, gentlemen. Yikes.
- That said, Maine had a lot of life on his fastball today. He worked quickly, threw strikes, pitched ahead in the count, and moved the ball around the zone. Pitching 101, basically.
- Angel Pagan also left the game after experiencing what is being called ‘right groin discomfort,’ while chasing a double off the wall in the fourth inning. I feel badly for Pagan, who is finally getting his chance to play every day, and is doing well, and now this…
- Daniel Murphy is looking very comfortable at first base, I find I have no fear with him on defense. Not at all.
- Putz must be hurt, he has to be, because he inconsistent from pitch to pitch, he has no command, and no control, and just doesn’t look like he did in April. He faced four batters, walked one, let up two runs and one run, who scored on a hit from Hanley Ramirez against Bobby Parnell.
- The Mets are executing a sound, slick, fundamental style of offense, bunting men over, even Murphy dropped one down, hitting behind runners, going the other way with pitches, and driving in runs that they’re clearly working to move along. Citi Ball, I guess.
- In the sixth inning, with runners on first and third and two outs, David Wright stretched out full extension to catch a ball in the air, inches before it hit the ground, for one out, then threw to first for the second part of an inning-ending double play. Nice play, DW.
- On the final out of the game, K-Rod struck out Ronny Paulino, who swung and missed at a high fastball, after which Santos pumped his fast in the air, while Rodriguez pointed to the sky.
- Rodriguez is 14 for 14 in save opportunities this season.
- Today is the first time the Mets won a rubber game this year.
- The Mets finished May with a 19–9, despite being swept by the Dodgers.
- The Mets have won seven of their last nine games.
The Mets travel to Pittsburgh tonight, where they’ll begin a four-game series against the Pirates on Monday.
Today’s Game:
The Mets (27-21) look to take the rubber-match of their three-game series against the Marlins (23-27) today at Citi Field, starting at 1:10 p.m.
On The Mound:
- RHP John Maine (4-3, 4.18 ERA) starts for the Mets.
- RHP Chris Volstad (4-3, 3.69 ERA) takes the hill for the Marlins.
The Lineup:
- Angel Pagan, CF
- Luis Castillo, 2B
- David Wright, 3B
- Gary Sheffield, LF
- Daniel Murphy, 1B
- Fernando Martinez, RF
- Omir Santos, C
- Wilson Valdez, SS
- John Maine, RHP
Today’s Broadcast:
- Today’s broadcast can be seen locally on PIX11 and heard on WFAN.
Carlos Beltran was originally in today’s lineup, 
but is a late scratch due to a continued stomach virus that pulled him out of yesterday’s game during the fifth inning.
Instead, Angel Pagan will play center and bat leadoff, followed in order by Luis Castillo, David Wright, Gary Sheffield, Daniel Murphy at first base, Fernando Martinez in left field, Omis Santos, Wilson Valdez at shortstop and John Maine on the mound.
Last week, I did a lengthy Q&A with Dominic Pinto from Pessimets.com about how I started MetsBlog.com, when I started it, why, and how I turned it from a hobby in to a full-time job.
To read Part 1 of the Q&A, click here.
To read Part 2 of the Q&A, click here.
Here are five of the 11 questions from the two-part discussion:
Dominic Pinto: What were your goals, and how did you promote your blog?
Matt Cerrone: I had no goal, I did MetsBlog as a hobby, for the love of it, while working other jobs. I still have no goals actually, though I know I do not want to be a beat writer, or work for the team. I like being a fan and I’d like to keep it that way. I have a background in media relations, doing publicity for authors and politicians. So, I used a lot of that knowledge to build relationships with reporters and the team during a time when there were not many blogs, and people were skeptical of what I was up to. I did a lot of grassroots marketing, as well. The bigger the site got, the easier it was to leverage my audience to get interviews on NBC, SNY, etc., and use my platform to get interviews with people looking to promote their product, book or shows.
Dominic Pinto: I recently celebrated my one year wedding anniversary, how does your wife feel about your blogging or how did she feel about it when you first started MetsBlog?
Matt Cerrone: She tolerated it, but when we got engaged we had a serious discussion about where it was going, and whether I could make it a full time job. I was offered a job in the media department for a political campaign, at the same time Pajamas Media approached me with a flat-rate, guaranteed payment for access to my ad space on MetsBlog.com.
My wife and I agreed, with help from my inner circle, that it would be unwise to abandon MetsBlog. So, instead I made it a full-time job, knowing I could make more money elsewhere. In that time, I started talking with SNY, and now it’s a stable job, which is fueled by my love for being a Mets fan.
Dominic Pinto: What’s a typical day like in the life of Matt Cerrone these days?
Matt Cerrone: I get up at 6:20 am, make coffee, and start reading e-mails, text messages, organizing news for posts, and I begin blogging. I will take the train to SNY if need be, either to do video or work on their blog network, otherwise I work from home. I may go to Citi Field around 3 pm, from which I’ll blog from the phone. Otherwise, I’m tethered to the laptop in some location, keeping tabs on talk radio, other blogs, my e-mail, etc., while brainstorming ideas, developing other elements of the blog, talking with people in the game, and writing.
Dominic Pinto: What’s been the best and worst part of running MetsBlog?
Matt Cerrone: The best part is having an outlet to vent and think and get feedback from fans and people with the team. The worst part is looking ‘behind the curtain,’ so to speak. I love being a fan, and do my best to keep myself away from situations that can change that dynamic.
Dominic Pinto: Best advice for a new Metblogger like myself.
Matt Cerrone: Be yourself. Don’t try to be like other bloggers, or beat writers. Write, listen to your work, find your voice, and be who you are. You can’t trick people in to liking your work.
The Mets lost to the Marlins, 7–3, in Citi Field today.
For a full recap and boxscore, go here.
The Least You Should Know:
- Josh Johnson pitched seven innings, and allowed just two runs and five hits while striking out five. He’s 6–0 against the Mets.
- Tim Redding surrendered seven runs in just four innings, and now has a 9.20 ERA for the season.
- Jeremy Hermida hit a three-run home run off of Redding, which bounced off the Pepsi Porch, to break the game open in the fifth inning.
- Ken Takahashi pitched three scoreless innings in relief.
- Fernando Martinez and Angel Pagan were 4 for 9 with two doubles and two RBI batting at the top of the order.
Other Observations:
- Fernando Tatis booted a ball, running to his left, in the first inning, with one out, on which a run ended up scoring from third. I was always wonder how a game may have been different, had it not been for one, single error so early in the game.
- Redding had very little command today, specifically his fastball. He also kept missing low and away. He’s also pitching from behind in the count seemingly every batter. He left a weak change-up high in th zone that Jeremy Hermida clobbered for a three-run home run. The Marlins were getting lots of dink-and-dunk hits on awkward swings early on off Redding, which scored runs, but eventually they started hitting him hard. He needs to be more effective to justify keeping his spot in the starting rotation, though I have no idea who the Mets will turn to if he’s sent to the bullpen.
- Josh Johnson plus a weak Mets lineup is going to result in very few runs, the Mets chances today were always going to hinge on Redding’s performance.
- Carlos Beltran left the game with a stomach flu, which he struggled with before and during most of the game, according to Jerry Manuel. Beltran told reporters following the game that his knee is fine, he was simply nauseated during the game.
The Mets complete their three-game series with the Marlins tomorrow in Citi Field, with John Maine taking on Chris Volstad, after which the team will travel to Pittsburgh for three games with the Pirates starting Monday.
The word from Citi Field is that Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline returned as a Sing-a-Along during today’s game during the fifth-inning break, while Meet the Mets will again play in the eighth inning.
Last night, Sweet Caroline was not played at all, which was received with cheers today by me, MetsGrrl.com, BrooklynMetFan.com, Evan Roberts on WFAN, and others.
Apparently, it isn’t totally dead just yet, though.
Question: A) Who within Mets management is in love with Neil Diamond, and/or ripping off the Red Sox, B) when did it become a requirement to have sing-a-longs at professional baseball games, and C) why do I care about this so much?
Today’s Game:
- The Mets (27-20) continue their three-game series against the Marlins (22-27) today at Citi Field, starting at 1:10 p.m.
On The Mound:
- RHP Tim Redding (0-1, 6.75 ERA) starts for the Mets.
- RHP Josh Johnson (3-1, 2.67 ERA) takes the hill for the Marlins.
The Lineup:
- Angel Pagan, LF
- Fernando Martinez, RF
- Carlos Beltran, CF
- Fernando Tatis, 3B
- Daniel Murphy, 1B
- Ramon Martinez, 2B
- Brian Schneider, C
- Wilson Valdez, SS
- Tim Redding, RHP
Today’s Broadcast:
- Today’s broadcast can be seen locally on SNY and heard on WFAN.
Oliver Perez experienced additional discomfort in his knee following his last start for Triple-A Buffalo.
He had an MRI in New York, and was diagnosed with tendinitis of the patella tendon.
Perez will instead return to St. Lucie where he will continue his rehab.
Tagged News |Roughly eight weeks after Opening Day, the Mets have launched an online registration for the opportunity to purchase tickets for the Subway Series, between the Mets and Yankees, June 26-28, at Citi Field.
The registration for the online random drawing will run through Thursday, June 4.
According to a press release, “There is a limit of one entry per person… Registration for the drawing closes Thursday, June 4, at 11:59 p.m. A limited number of fans will be selected in the online random drawing and will be notified via e-mail by Tuesday, June 9 with instructions regarding the online purchase of up to four (4) tickets.”
For more information, visit Mets.com, or 718-507-TIXX.
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