Mets Crush Phils, Streak Now At 8
During the first seven games of the winning streak the New York Mets only hit 2 home runs, Friday night they hit four, including 2 by Rod Barajas. The Mets crushed the Phillies 9-1 and extended their win streak to 8.
Jon Niese pitched 7 strong innings and got his first win of the year. Angel Pagan also added three hits and fell just a homer short of the cycle.
The Mets scored first for the 5th consecutive game, jumping on Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick in the second. After Jason Bay led off the inning with a double, David Wright hit the second pitch he saw over the wall in center. After an Ike Davis ground out, Jeff Franoeur homered.
The Phillies were able to get one back in the bottom of the inning. After a Carlos Ruiz single made it 3-1, the Phiiles had 1st & 2nd with one out. Niese got Kendrick to fly out, and then the dangerous Shane Victorino also flew out, ending the threat.
That’s all Niese would need, he retired the next 12 hitters. By time the next Philadelphia hitter reached base it was 8-1. He ended with seven strikeouts, tying a career high and just one walk, he allowed 4 hits and lowered his ERA to 3.10. It was his third straight good start he’s now allowed just 2 earned runs over the last 18 innings. If he keeps pitching like this he could end up in the 12-15 win range.
The home field advantage didn’t work for the Phillies, it was the Mets who used the park to their benefit. They had 10 hits, 8 for extra bases and went 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies managed just one such hit (out of 5) and had just 5 singles all night. The Mets offensive struggles seem to be ending, they got 10 of more hits for the 3rd straight game, after only having once such game up to that point.
If the Mets hitting continues like this and they get more good pitching from the bottom of the rotation, this team will be in the mix all season.
Mets/Phillies Preview
Tonight we see just what kind of team the 2010 New York Mets will be. They begin an important three game series against the Philadelphia Phillies and first place in the NL East is on the line. This series could set the tone for the rest of the season despite the fact that it is not even May.
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First up on Friday, LHP Jon Niese (0-1, 3.68) vs RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 7.71). This is an interesting matchup, Niese has never faced the Phillies and Kendrick is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his career vs the Mets. Both teams are missing one of their better players. Carlos Beltran is still out for the Mets and Jimmy Rollins for the Phillies isn’t schedule back until mid-May. If any game is going to be decided by the bullpen, its this one. Young pitchers, inter divisional rivals, early season hype. Don’t expect either starter to go longer than 6 innings.
Game 2 is the best pitching match up of the series. RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-0, 0.69) vs RHP Roy Halladay (4-1, 1.80). Pelfrey is 4-2 against the Phils in his career and he needs to stay away from Ryan Howard (.435 BA) and Chase Utley (4 HRs in 23 ABs). Surprisingly the Mets have done well against Halladay, they are 2-2 and his ERA is 5.55 against them, all these starts are when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. Of the potential starters, only Jason Bay has hit a homer off him, and Jose Reyes is 4-for-4, most of the Mets don’t have enough ABs to have much of a stat line vs Halladay. One thing this game might help solve is who will be the All-Star game starter. Expect both pitchers to go deep into the game as the 3pm start means sunshine and shadows, things hitters hate. Expect this game to be 2-1, 3-2, 3-1, or something like that.
The finale matches LHP Johan Santana (3-1, 2.08) vs LHP Jamie Moyer (2-2, 5.25). Santana is 4-1 in his career vs the Phillies with an ERA under 3. Oddly enough its Placido Polanco who’s done best against Santana (.385 in 26 ABs) and despite being a lefty Ryan Howard has hit 3 homers against him. Jamie Moyer is 9-5 in his career against the Mets with a 3.70 ERA. David Wright is already liking his chops (.426, 3 HR in 47 ABs) vs the ageless lefty. Expect to see the ball down in the zone and don’t be surprised if this turns out to be the best pitched game of the series.
If pitching is the deciding factor in this series, that would mean that the Mets should win 2 of the 3 games. The Phillies are 1-3 vs lefties this year and face two in this series. The Mets are 10-6 vs righties and face a pair of them. The wild card may be Citizens Bank Ball Park. The ballpark is smaller than a Manhattan studio bathroom and is very much a hitters park, which favors the Phillies.
If you go by momentum then its the Mets who have the edge. They are 9-1 over the last 10 and the Phillies are just 4-6, losing their last two series. One of the weird stats is that the Mets have played only 6 games on the road (as opposed to 16 at home) and its the opposite for the Phillies, 6 at home, 15 on the road.
This is the biggest series of the season for both teams, lets see how each performs.
Home Sweet Home
Coming off their best homestand in over 20 years, the first place New York Mets travel to Philadelphia for a 3-game weekend series. That’s right, the first place New York Mets. The hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time, last year the Mets were 6-12 against the Phillies, including 2-7 at Citizens Bank Ballpark. They can’t play like that against a division rival if they plan on competing this year. I know its early, but playing well in a big series can set the tone for the whole year.
Playing their best baseball of the season the Mets are clicking on all cylinders right now. On their 9-1 homestand, the pitching staff posted a 2.09 ERA and the offense outscored the opponents 48-23. They also went from last place, to first place.
This revival coincides with Ike Davis making his debut with the Mets, but don’t think that Ike Davis is the only player to have that kind of effect on his team. He is one of 32 players whose teams were 9-1 in their first ten games.
But its the pitching staff that is propelling the turn around. Mike Pelfrey looks like he is stepping up to be the number 2 behind Johan Santana. Living up to the potential that made the Mets draft him in the first round in 2005. The other starters have made strides as well, Jonathon Niese has pitched well, but has received three no decisions in his last three starts. John Maine notched his first win against the Dodgers in his strongest start, and then there is Oliver Perez. Mercurial is too kind of a word to describe his pitching.
In the bullpen Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez have been automatic. Hisanori Takahashi has stepped up and looks like he’s going to take on a Terry Leach-like role for the Mets, part time starter/long reliever. Rookies Jenrry Mejia and Raul Valdes have been great in the pen as well.
The offense also shows signs of ending their struggles. All that home cooking seems to have awaken the Mets bats, as well as the line up changes. Inserting Reyes into the 3rd spot looks like it is working. With Reyes in the three hole, the Mets have 3 switch hitters at the top. Having lefty Ike Davis in the 6th spot breaks up all the right handed hitters at the bottom of the lineup and having Jeff Francoeur behind him, instead of one the catchers, gives him a bit more protection.
The big question is what to do when Carlos Beltran returns, the easiest fit would be to bat him third and Reyes will go back to the top in Angel Pagan’s lead off spot.
Lets see if everything keeps on working in Philadelphia, or if this homestand was a mirage and they happened to beat up on a confluence of teams that were all struggling at the right time.
Mets Sweep Dodgers, Streak Reaches Seven
Ten days ago when you were looking forward on the schedule and saw the New York Mets visiting the Philadelphia Phillies, you figured one of those teams would be in first. But, really 10 days ago would you have said it was the Mets? They were 4 games back of the Phillies, coming off a 2-4 roadtrip and the bullpen was a wreck after a 20-inning game.
Then something weird happened. A homestand started and they got back-to-back good starts by Jonathan Nieve and Mike Pelfrey. A stumble by Oliver Perez against the Cubs was the only blemish on a 9-1 homestand. The last time they went 9-1 on a homestand was in 1988, they also had a 9-1 homestand during the 1969 season.
Hmm, 1988, 1969? Both years the Mets made the playoffs. Sounds good to me.
John Maine pitched six plus innings, struck out 9 and allowed three runs to get his first win of the year as the Mets swept the series against the Dodgers. The won all 3 games in less than 24 hours. After coming out of the game last week with an injury to his non-throwing elbow, Maine stuck around almost twice as long and continued the recent great starting pitching for the Mets. The starters are 6-1 over the last 13 games.[picappgallerysingle id="8652647"]
Ike Davis and David Wright each had two hits and Wright continued to show signs of regaining his 300 average form. Jeff Francoeur and Angel Pagan drove in two each and the Mets were 5 of 11 with runners in scoring position.
The Mets got off to a strong start again, scoring 4 times in the 2nd inning. Wright doubled, Davis singled then Francoeur drove in Wright with a fielders choice. Catcher Rod Barajas was hit with by a pitch and after a John Maine sacrifice, Pagan tripled pushing the lead to 3-0. An Alex Cora double scored Pagan, and Maine went to the mound in the 3rd up 4-0, and that was enough for the streaking Mets.[picappgallerysingle id="8647971"]
The Dodgers closed the gap to 5-3 in the 5th after a Russell Martin two-run homer, but Maine and the bullpen held them scoreless after that. The Mets tacked on two more runs in the 7th to win the game 7-3.
Against the Dodgers the Mets were driving the ball into the gaps and showed signs of figuring out how to hit at Citi Field. Here’s a hint, drive it into the gap and run. The Mets have 10 triples this year, all at home. You can land planes in the Citi Field outfield, don’t swing for the fences, it is one of the most pitcher friendly parks in all of baseball. Just look for a pitch to drive, there’s lots of room for it to get down and roll to the wall. I saw the backs of the Dodgers outfielders’ uniforms more than the people in the bleachers did. They were constantly chasing the ball in the gaps. The Mets had 12 extra base hits in the three games, only 1 left the yard.
Next up for the Mets is a weekend series in Philadelphia and the rotation sets up nicely for the Mets. Jonathan Niese will pitch in the series opener on Friday. Saturday’s match up features two of the hottest pitchers in the NL, Mike Pelfrey (4-0) for the Mets vs Roy Halladay (4-1) for the Phillies. The final game of the series will be ESPN’s Sunday Night game and the Mets will throw their ace Johan Santana (3-1) against Jamie Moyer (2-2) who’s 235 years old.
They have picked the right time to start playing well, bringing a seven game winning streak into the City of Brotherly Love. After this weekend we should have much better idea of how the rest of the season will play out in the NL East.
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Takahashi To The Rotation?
After a second straight win in relief of a Mets starter, 35-year old rookie Hisanori Takahashi is making a strong case to take over for one of the floundering starters in the rotation. Last Friday, he took over for John Maine in the fourth inning who left the game with spasms in his non-pitching elbow. All Takahashi did was strike out seven in three innings, allowing just one run and got his first win. He also collected his first major league hit.
In the second game of Tuesday’s double header, he took over for a wild Oliver Perez with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth. This time he threw three and 1/3, allowing one run and struck out five. He got the win as the Mets scored 7 runs in the 5th & 6th innings. He pitched much better than Ollie. He threw one more pitch than Perez (75 to 74), but 10 more strikes.
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Jerry Manuel says he is going to stay with Perez. “Tonight was a difficult night. Very cold, windy. I don’t think he could really get a feel for the baseball. When it’s like that, you gotta take what you can get.”
Who knows how many more chances Perez will get? I think he’s already received his fair share, he hasn’t pitched well in at least a year and can’t seem to string more than 4 good innings together.
Who knows if John Maine will return to the form he showed in 2006-07? The oft-injured pitchers hasn’t had a full season since 2007 and his walks are up and strikeouts down.
Even if Manuel isn’t ready to make the move, its nice to have some one in the pen who has been a starter in the past, knows how to throw strikes and has proven he can get major leaguers out.
Takahashi pitched for the Yomiuri Giants (the New York Yankees of Japanese baseball) for the past 10 seasons. He compiled a 79-66 record with 15 saves, in 245 games. He has 1032 strikeouts in 1289 innings. His past three years have been amongst his best, going 32-15.
I have a feeling the Takahashi will be in the rotation at some point during the season. For all Mets fans, hopefully the sooner the better.
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