Angel Pagan will again lead off, followed by Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur, Jeremy Reed, Alex Cora and Brian Schneider.

Fernando Nieve (3-3, 3.03 ERA) will start for the Mets.

Javier Vazquez (6-7, 2.95 ERA) will start for the Braves.

Tonight’s game can be seen nationally on ESPN and heard on WFAN.

Update, 6:47 pm, by Matthew Cerrone:

Omar Minaya said the Mets will receive ‘cash considerations’ in the deal from the Braves with Francoeur.

Minaya described Francoeur as a Gold Glove right fielder, who, as he put it, ‘some consider to be the best defensive right-fielder in baseball,’ and a guy who has a very good arm.

He said talks with the Braves started yesterday afternoon, and he followed up with GM Frank Wren this morning.

Minaya credited Assistant GM John Ricco with initially suggesting the team look in to acquiring Francoeur.

“This had nothing to do with not liking Ryan Church, but, one thing we like about Francoeur is the amount of games he plays,” Minaya explained, pointing out that he’s played over 152 games each of the last three seasons.

“We’ve got to keep on trying to do these type of things,” Minaya said.  “We are working, it’s not that we’re not, there a couple of things we are talking to other clubs about, they may be big, they may be minor, but we’ve got to continue to try to do things to shake it up a little bit, and not just be complacent.”

…i believe this may be part of a larger plan to essentially re-create the team to be Citi Field Specific, i.e., the best defense possible, speed, some power, more speed and lots of pitching… i hope this is the case… one step at a time, i guess…

Update, 7:01 pm, by Matthew Cerrone:

Ryan Church told reporters, before leaving the clubhouse, that he looks forward to getting a new start with a new team.

He said he has no problem with how the team handled his injuries last season, though he admitted things probably could have been handled differently.

“I’ll always love New York,” he said.  “I just want to thank all the fans, and it’s been great playing for this organization.”

Original Post, by Mike Nichols:

Francoeur had been hitting .250 with a .280 OBP, five HR and 35 RBI in 304 at bats for Atlanta this season.

He is under contract and eligible for arbitration through 2011, after which he can become a free agent.

...love the deal…the Mets needed to shake up the roster… the potential francoeur has is much greater than that of church, plus the Mets lose nothing on the defensive side…

…welcome aboard, frenchy…

Update, 6:17 pm, by Matthew Cerrone:

Nick Evans will remain on the roster, since Church has been traded.

… i assume he will again be demoted when Jeff Francoeur arrives from the Braves…

…well, i kept saying, if the Mets were going to make a trade, it would be for this sort of player, i.e., an outfielder, under contract, with upside, who has yet to meet the hype, like an Xavier Nady 2006 type… and, i’d say francoeur fits that mold, to say the least…

…i am still unsure of this deal… i liked church, and still feel he got a bit of a raw deal… that said, francoeur is 25 years old, and few young players in the game have his size and power, with one of the best outfield arms in the league… and, i agree with mike, in that francoeur has much more upside…

The Mets lost to the Dodgers tonight, by the score of 8 to 0.

For a full recap and box score, click here.

The Least You Should Know:

The Mets were shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since 2005 and have not scored in their last 22 innings. The team has also not had an extra-base hit since Friday night.

Mike Pelfrey, who allowed five runs, four earned on eight hits over three-plus innings, had good stuff tonight and was locating well, but you have to tip your cap to the Dodger hitters for having a good approach against Pelfrey.

Other Observations and Notes:

The Mets are uncompetitive at this point. It’s frustrating watching them knowing once the opposition puts a crooked number on the board the game is over. At the least the Mets weren’t wearing red hats.

I originally bought into the thought that any one player like Mark DeRosa or Adam Dunn wouldn’t replace the three-fourths of the core that is missing, but at this point the Mets may just need to make a change for the sake of making one to shake up the clubhouse.

Citi Field was dead tonight. Not even much of a response when Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate for the first time. Can you blame them?

I wonder who Fred Wilpon was rooting for tonight? I kid, I kid.

The Mets continue their three-game series against the Dodgers with Oliver Perez making his anticipated a return to the mound tomorrow night. ]]> http://www.metsblog.com/2009/07/07/post-game-dodgers-8-mets-0/feed/ 33 http://www.metsblog.com/2009/06/18/post-game-orioles-5-mets-4/ http://www.metsblog.com/2009/06/18/post-game-orioles-5-mets-4/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:00:42 +0000 Mike Nichols http://www.metsblog.com/?p=36796

The Mets lost to the Orioles, 4–3, tonight in Baltimore.

To read a full recap, and see the boxscore, go here.

The Least You Should Know:

• Francisco Rodriguez blew his second save of the season as he allowed two ninth inning runs. The tying run scored on a bases loaded walk to Adam Jones. After striking out Nick Markakis, Rodriguez allowed the game-winning single to Aubrey Huff. He hasn’t had many sketchy innings this season, but tonight was a classic K-Rod adventure. He was bound to have one of these types of games eventually, but I fully expect him to bounce back in his next save opportunity.
• Livan Hernandez pitched effectively, allowing just two runs over seven innings pitched.
• Alex Cora got the first hit in each of the Mets scoring frames. He also stole a key base with two-outs in the seventh. Cora was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Etc, Misc., and Other Stuff:

• After botching a flyball that allowed the Mets to win game one of the series, Aubrey Huff redeemed himself by getting the game-winning hit in each of the final two games of the series.
• Daniel Murphy is still trying to fight out of his slump, but did manage to hit the go-ahead double in the seventh. Murphy was 1-for-5 on the night.
• I know the Mets are working shorthanded, but I beginning to feel less and less optimistic about this team each day, which is difficult to say as I generally look at the team with rose-colored glasses. This is such a rough stretch for this team, that I’m not sure they’re going to be able to stay afloat without bringing in some outside help until the mash unit returns.

The Mets come home to face the Rays tomorrow night at Citi Field with Fernando Nieve taking on Andy Sonnanstine, starting at 7:10 pm.

Ted Berg: While I think the Mets could really use Jose Reyes’ bat and glove right now, if we’re playing with hypotheticals I’d love to see Carlos Delgado back for a couple of reasons. I think first base is one position at which they can most reasonably expect to add a bat if need be, so if Delgado could (magically) return early, they could get a sense of what they are going to get from him going moving forward. We’ve seen guys make full recoveries from hip injuries, so if Delgado could come back and hit like he did in the second half of 2008, all of a sudden the need for a power bat doesn’t look so glaring. If he looks like the injury is going to affect him all year, the Mets should get a better sense of their deadline approach.

Matthew Cerrone: I’d probably say the healthy, dominant J.J. Putz – or Billy Wagner – because order in the bullpen and shortening the game is so important.  However, right now, I think I agree with Ted, I’d bring back Delgado, because the bullpen is useless if the team can’t score runs.  The lineup is in dire need of instant offense, and someone to take pressure off of everyone, including David Wright and Jose Reyes.  Delgado from the second-half of last season would make a significant impact on this roster.

Regis Courtemanche: Not to be a broken record, but I would choose a healthy Delgado as well. They need a big bat, especially if Gary Sheffield’s knee gets any worse. Having Reyes return will be very nice in terms of getting things started, but every team needs some threat of power to reach that next level.  Without it, the Mets will continue to hover around mediocrity.

Mike Baron: Agreeing with everyone, I would have to say Delgado. He would be a huge lift for an offense which has struggled to score runs consistently.  He would provide depth, support, and a sorely missed presence to the middle of the lineup and can help carry the load. While he isn’t a gold glove winner, Delgado would also bring a known quantity back to first base.

Mike Nichols: While I agree Delgado would bring presence and stability back to the middle of the order, I still think Jose Reyes is the most important everyday component on this team. With David Wright and Carlos Beltran seemingly gearing their approach towards playing in Citi Field, Reyes would only compliment them and make the Mets offense more dynamic. Plus, the speed and defense Reyes provides is much more reliable than hoping a 37-year old slugger coming off hip surgery can return to his former self.