Mets Complete Sweep, Move Into First
The New York Mets winning streak reached six with the first double header sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1971 and moved into first place after the Phillies lost to the Giants. They are now 8-1 on the current homestand.
David Wright drove in four runs, Ike Davis had three RBIs and the Mets set a season high with 10 runs. Wright showed signs of getting out of his slump by going 3-for-3 and not striking out for the first time in 13 games. He collected his 1000th hit (a single) in the 5th breaking a 3-3 tie putting the Mets ahead to stay. One inning later he added his 1001th career hit, clearing the bases with his first triple of the season.[picappgallerysingle id="8612928"]
After the winning the first game of the double dip, the Mets started the second game just as strong against Dodgers knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. They scored three in the first inning on a Jose Reyes single, Jason Bay triple and Ike Davis sac fly. The game continued that way until the fourth inning when Mets starter Oliver Perez imploded.
Perez started the inning with a walk, single and wild pitch. After a fielders choice that drove in a run and fly out, Perez looked ready to close out the inning up 3-1, but he walked the next batter. After allowing a single to number eight hitter AJ Ellis, closing the gap to 3-2, he committed the number one sin for a pitcher in baseball. He walked the pitcher. On four pitches. To load the bases.
Hisanori Takahashi, the 35-year old rookie, relieved Perez and promptly walked in the tying run. He retired James Loney on a borderline third strike to end the inning. Loney disagreed with the call and was ejected after jawing with the home plate umpire.[picappgallerysingle id="8612742"]
The tie didn’t last long, the Mets got the first two on in the fifth via the walk, after Reyes grounded into a fielders choice and Bay lined out, Wright singled to right scoring Angel Pagan. Ike Davis followed with a double, both Reyes and Wright scored and the Mets never looked back. They tacked on four more runs in the 6th inning, highlighted by a bases loaded triple by Wright, stretching the lead to 10-3.
Takahashi was lifted in the bottom of the seventh for a pinch hitter. He went three and a third innings, striking out 5, allowed just a single run and picked up his second win of the season. Jenrry Mejia pitched a scoreless 8th and Raul Valdes pitched the 9th for the Mets to complete the sweep.
The Mets go for 3 wins in 24 hours when they take on the Dodgers at 1:10 p.m. at Citi Field.
Santana Shuts Down Dodgers In Game 1
Johan Santana continued the Mets recent string of strong starting pitching with 6 innings of shut out ball. Over the past 12 games Met starters are 5-1 with an ERA of 1.18. The Mets stretched their win streak to 5 with a 4-0 win in the first game of the double header.[picappgallerysingle id="8645613"]
Like other recent games Met pitchers got out of early trouble. The Dodgers stranded 7 runners in the first 5 innings and ended up 0-6 with runners in scoring position. Santana got out of a 2nd inning jam of his own creation (3 walks) by striking out the pitcher to end the inning.
The Mets got to Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda in the bottom of the second. David Wright walked (his 20th walk this year) and moved to third on an Ike Davis double, who started his second week in the majors like he did his first. After an intentional walk to Gary Matthews Jr, Kuroda threw a wild pitch, allowing Wright to score.
Jason Bay continued his hot hitting with his first homer of the season, no easy feat on this night with a stiff wind blowing in from center, to give the Mets a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Luis Castillo added a 2-run single in the 7th to complete the scoring.[picappgallerysingle id="8645804"]
Fernando Nieve (2 innings) and Pedro Feliciano (1 inning) completed the shut out, giving the Mets four on the season, tying them for the league lead.
The second game has all the markings of having alot more offense, a knuckle baller for the Dodgers, and the Met pitcher everyone dreads seeing on the mound, Oliver Perez. No pitcher in recent Met history drives me crazy as Ollie does. Two years ago I went to a Met/Yankee game at Shea and mentioned to the one of the guys I went with that Perez would either walk 7 or strike out 7. He ended up striking out 8 in seven innings and winning the game, that was June of 2008. Since then he’s pitched 7 innings or more just 4 times and makes me nervous every time he takes the mound.
Free Baseball!
Tuesday the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers face off in one of the rarest events in baseball. You think complete games, or perfectly executed squeeze plays are hard to find, try finding a double header on a schedule.
I know the only reason they are playing two today is because of Monday’s rain, but still, double headers have gone the way of the dodo.
Teams have taken the double header off their schedule for the simple reason they want to make more money by selling more tickets. Many times when teams are forced to play double headers they make it one of those beastly day/night one, where fans need two tickets, to see two games on one day. How fair is that?
Not today at Citi Field. It’s BOGO. Buy one, get one free. The way double headers should be. One ticket, two games.
I love double headers and have fond memories of going to many of them at Shea when I was a kid, most of them were on Banner Day.
Banner Day was always a double header because between games they allowed fans to carry banners (bed sheets covered in paint) around the field. Of course you weren’t allowed on the grass, only on the track, but to a 12-year old, that was close enough. Is there any grass as green as a major league outfield?
My favorite Banner Day was in 1982 while the Mets were mired in the middle of their 6th straight losing season. The reason I still remember that day was because of the banner we made. On a lemon yellow sheet we wrote ‘Is The Strawberry Ripe Yet?’ (as in Darryl Strawberry) with a semi-deformed 2-foot strawberry on it. What we heard from the fans still in their seats was ‘maybe next year’ and ‘not yet’. Maybe next year did end up being the next year, when he won the Rookie of the Year.
Besides the monetary reason, not sure why teams are opposed to double headers on their schedule. Most teams now reside in new stadiums with tons of bells and whistles. You would think they would want people to roam around, exploring things, like the kids area or the high end crab bars. People would buy more if they were spending 6 or 7 hours at the ballpark, instead of 3 hours.
So, enjoy your free game today Mets fans. I would if I could be there.
Worst. Sweep. Ever.
The New York Mets continued their homestand by sweeping the Atlanta Braves and extended their win streak to 4 games.
This may have been the ugliest sweep in all of Metkind. Sure, the Mets pitching held the Braves to 3 runs in 23 innings, but the Braves pitching was actually better.
The Mets collected fewer hits (18) and walks (9) then the Braves (19 and 16), but were able to outscore them 9 to 3.
How? These Braves didn’t really play like a Bobby Cox team. They made 7 errors, were just 3 for 22 with runners in scoring position and left 28 men on base in 23 innings. The Braves also hit into 4 double plays and were pathetic on the base paths, running themselves out of at least one rally. You are not going to score many runs or win many games playing like that.
Particularly their leader, Chipper Jones, he appeared to be a shell of his former self. Normally a Met killer, he looked worn out, especially in the second game, taking two called third strikes. Then his third error of the series led to the only run of the final game, giving the Mets the victory. For years, I’ve cursed Chipper for killing the Mets, but I actually felt sorry for him these past 3 games. He should go out with Bobby Cox and retire at the end of the year.[picappgallerysingle id="6510995"]
The Mets weren’t a much better hitting team, they were only 4 of 19 with runners in scoring position and left 19 on base. On the upside, they were able to steal 5 bases without being caught and only hit into one double play, but t was their timely hitting that won the series. Stringing together hits when they needed them, getting just enough to win. And that’s all you really need, just enough.
Next up for the Mets are the Los Angeles Dodgers, who come into town losers of 4 of 6 on their road-trip. The Dodgers will be without starting pitching Vicente Padilla and left fielder Manny Ramirez.
Will the Mets continue their winning ways? If the pitching holds up, they might, but not if they don’t start hitting, 15th (of 16th) in the NL in both average and slugging. Only once this season have the Mets gotten more than 10 hits, and haven’t scored more than 6 in two weeks.
Even with pitching like the Mets are getting recently, they can’t continue to win with smoke & mirrors, eventually its going to catch up with them. Moving Jose Reyes to the third spot has helped, he’s scored a run every game, and Jason Bay has a hit in each of those games. New first baseman, Ike Davis seems to have energized this team as well. (Is Daniel Murphy the new Wally Pipp?)
Lets see how they finish this homestand versus the Dodgers, because after that they head to Philadelphia to face the Phillies for the first time this season.
Mets Win Rain Shortened Game
On a night like this you’d think Mike Pelfrey would stay dry. He dodged trouble all night long, why not the rain drops?
Five walks and five hits in five innings, yet not one Brave scored, and Pelfrey extended his scoreless streak to 24 innings.
The Mets finished their sweep of the Braves with a rain shortened 1-0 win. After just one pitch in the 6th inning the umpires suspended play. Ninety-eight minutes later, the game was called.
Pelfrey moves to 4-0 despite his worst start of the year and Tommy Hanson got the loss, even though he out pitched Pelfrey. Hanson struck out 8 in five innings, allowed zero earned runs and is credited with a complete game.
This was a game the Mets stole. Literally.
With two out in the first, Jose Reyes singled, then stole second. Jason Bay hit a rocket to Chipper Jones at third. Jones went down, got up slowly and threw the ball late and low to first. Troy Glaus couldn’t corral the wild throw and when it skipped away from him, Reyes rounded third and scored what would be the games only run.
The Braves only helped the Mets in the final game, leaving 8 on base, went 0-5 with runners in scoring position and ground into 2 double plays in just 5 innings.
The sweep moved the Mets to 6-1 on the homestand. The Dodgers come to town for three games starting on Monday.
