The Mets ended they're 5 game losing streak today with a 10-3 win over Florida. Daniel Murphy led the Mets today with 3 RBIs. Box score / Information - http://www.mets.com
Mets:
- The Mets should look to keep Anderson Hernandez and Cory Sullivan around next year for the bench. The regular lineup will be in place next season and these two will definately bring something to the team off the bench.
Sullivan has shown to be a very capable outfielder with a good arm. He has also shown to be more than competant at the plate, thus, he would be an asset to the team going forward. He has a bit more power than Jeremy Reed, who has been the fourth outfielder all year, which helps his cause.
Hernandez brings gret defense and versitility to the bench. He can play both middle infield positions very well, giving Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo days off when needed. At the plate, Hernandez is much improved this season. He has shown a bit more patience and has been able to put the ball in play more often, with improving results. He still needs to improve his eye and pitch selection a bit more though. If he can, he will be a very useful part time player on the Mets.
-Tim Redding may deserve another look. He has pitched well in his last two starts. It is too late now but maybe he is finally beginning to put it together. In these two starts he has allowed 3 runs in 11.2 innings (all 3 were given up today in 6.2 innings against Florida). These two performances would more than give the regular lineup a chance to win. If he continues to pitch as well in his last 6 or 7 starts this season, it may be in the Mets' interest to give him another chance and not write him off. Hey, hes looke a lot better than Oliver Perez has. His role next year would not be determined until spring training, depending on any free agent signings or emerging rookies. Redding could make a fine 5th starter or give you innings out of the bullpen as well as make a spot start.
-Brian Stokes has been very good since the all star break and is pitching with lots of confidence right now. Look for him to be the 7th inning guy next year if this keeps up. He is also able to eat up innings out of the bullpen which is also useful.
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The Yankees fell to Texas this afternoon, 7-2. Ian Kinsler had a 4 RBI day for the Rangers.
Box Score / Information - http://www.yankees.com
Yankees:
The Yankees still own a 6 game lead over Boston in the AL East. There is still plenty of baseball to be played and it would not be wise for the Yankees to turn on cruise control.
What should be the Yankees main concern is the middle relief before Mariano Rivera. There have been times where they have not been good. Hopefully, come playoff time, the starters can pitch deep into games and the relievers are out in positions to succeed.
Andy Pettite is not getting any younger and the Yankees need to look for a starter this off season. Getting another hard throwin arm for the bullpen would also help.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Mets' Big 4th Leads Them Past Braves
08/18.Flushing,NY--Oliver Perez allowed 4 early runs to Atlanta tonight and most people likely assumed that it was game over (especially with the injury to David Wright over the weekend further depleting this team).
The Mets exploded for 8 runs on 10 hits in the 4th inning en route to a 9-4 victory. The 10 hits were the most in an inning by the Mets ever.Every one of the starters, including Perez, had at least one hit in the game.
Gary Sheffield, Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur all had big nights at the plate collecting 3 hits apiece.
Oliver Perez was not bad tonight pitching 5 innings and walked only 1 which was the best part. He still looks like he has not completely put it all together which is very frustrating for someone with his talent. I fear he may never put everything together but yet there are times where that assumption looks to be wrong. You hate potentially putting a guy like that out there for a big game not knowing what you will get. This off season, someone has to address this concern for Perez and get him on track to put his talent together with consistency. Mets fans have been waiting for it to happen with Perez since he became a Met and frankly, they're right.
Switching topics, I am excited to see the return of Billy Wagner at the end of the week. He has looked good during his rehab games and now its time to see if that carries over to the bigs.
I also don't see any reason to trade him with under 50 games to play. What can you really get at this point for him? Doubtfully anyone that will make an impact in the majors anytime soon. it's going to be fun to watch him if he has any success at all and hopefully he does. Wagner will not be a Met next year as he wants to close and try to get his 400th save (he is 15 away from that goal). With K-Rod on the Mets, Wagner will not get the chance. He has been nothing but good for this team and I hope he does well wherever he ends up next (thank god it won't be the Phillies).
The Mets exploded for 8 runs on 10 hits in the 4th inning en route to a 9-4 victory. The 10 hits were the most in an inning by the Mets ever.Every one of the starters, including Perez, had at least one hit in the game.
Gary Sheffield, Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur all had big nights at the plate collecting 3 hits apiece.
Oliver Perez was not bad tonight pitching 5 innings and walked only 1 which was the best part. He still looks like he has not completely put it all together which is very frustrating for someone with his talent. I fear he may never put everything together but yet there are times where that assumption looks to be wrong. You hate potentially putting a guy like that out there for a big game not knowing what you will get. This off season, someone has to address this concern for Perez and get him on track to put his talent together with consistency. Mets fans have been waiting for it to happen with Perez since he became a Met and frankly, they're right.
Switching topics, I am excited to see the return of Billy Wagner at the end of the week. He has looked good during his rehab games and now its time to see if that carries over to the bigs.
I also don't see any reason to trade him with under 50 games to play. What can you really get at this point for him? Doubtfully anyone that will make an impact in the majors anytime soon. it's going to be fun to watch him if he has any success at all and hopefully he does. Wagner will not be a Met next year as he wants to close and try to get his 400th save (he is 15 away from that goal). With K-Rod on the Mets, Wagner will not get the chance. He has been nothing but good for this team and I hope he does well wherever he ends up next (thank god it won't be the Phillies).
Friday, August 7, 2009
K-Rod/Mets blow another game / Yanks win 15 ining thriller over rival BoSox in the Bronx
08/07--San Diego,CA
1 - The tying run should never have scored. Brian Schneider CLEARLY made the tag for the out. Evert replay on SNY showed that the runner was out at the plate. Not even close. The guys mentioned that the umpire was blocked by Schneider's body but I don't really buy it. The tag was on the hand. God forbid an umpire changes his mind to get it right and admit the initial call was wrong.
2 - K-Rod now has 5 blown saves. That is totally inexcusable for a closer. Especially one of his caliber and talent. There is no excuse for that at all. K-Rod has been pretty bad for the better part of a month now which leaves me and most Mets fans dumbfounded. Tonight not only did K-Rod blow the save, he gave up the game winning, walk off grand slam to Evereth Cabrera. It was only his second career home run in this, his rookie year.
3 - K-Rod's abysmal performance ruined Oliver Perez' best start all year. Perez went 6.1 innings in which he only walked 2 batters and struck out 7. Its unreal to see his best game in a very long time get ruined by this nonsense. K-Rod's ERA has ballooned to 3.31. that is WAY too high for a closer. Is he playing hurt and too proud to admit it considering all the injuries on this team? I sure hope not. if a player is hurt, take the necessary time off to heal. Being a martyr (if he is hurt - I am only making a guess here)clearly isn't helping the team. Without these 5 blown saves, the Mets would be 56-53 instead of 51-58 (math ?). That puts them in a much better position than they are in right now. That goes without saying...but the Mets continue to feel the wrath of old Murphy and his law.
4 - Hockey and football seasons cant come soon enough for those Mets fans that follow those sports.
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08/07--Bronx,NY. Alex Rodriguez' walk off 2 run homer in the 15th capped off an exciting night of baseball in the Bronx against rival Boston.
This game was extremely well-pitched by both AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett. This was definitely an enjoyable game to watch for fans of pitchers duels.
Beckett went 7 innings allowing 4 hits and striking out 7. He lowered his season ERA to 3.12. Beckett has been great since June, lowering his ERA 2 points or more (if I am recalling correctly). He did not factor in on tonight's decision.
Burnett went 7.2 innings allowing just 1 hit and striking out 6 batters. This was a great bounce back outing for him as he was not very effective his last time out. Burnett was able to work around 6 walks and got outs when he needed to.
Bottom line: Boston really has some work to do now. They have fallen 4.5 games behind the Yankees. While that can be reversed in a week or so, it is easier said than done. The Yankees have been absolutely red hot for the last 2 months. They have found ways to win in every fashion imaginable. They won a slugfest 13-6 in game 1 of this series, and a pitchers duel tonight.All naysayers in May have surely eaten their words as of late.
1 - The tying run should never have scored. Brian Schneider CLEARLY made the tag for the out. Evert replay on SNY showed that the runner was out at the plate. Not even close. The guys mentioned that the umpire was blocked by Schneider's body but I don't really buy it. The tag was on the hand. God forbid an umpire changes his mind to get it right and admit the initial call was wrong.
2 - K-Rod now has 5 blown saves. That is totally inexcusable for a closer. Especially one of his caliber and talent. There is no excuse for that at all. K-Rod has been pretty bad for the better part of a month now which leaves me and most Mets fans dumbfounded. Tonight not only did K-Rod blow the save, he gave up the game winning, walk off grand slam to Evereth Cabrera. It was only his second career home run in this, his rookie year.
3 - K-Rod's abysmal performance ruined Oliver Perez' best start all year. Perez went 6.1 innings in which he only walked 2 batters and struck out 7. Its unreal to see his best game in a very long time get ruined by this nonsense. K-Rod's ERA has ballooned to 3.31. that is WAY too high for a closer. Is he playing hurt and too proud to admit it considering all the injuries on this team? I sure hope not. if a player is hurt, take the necessary time off to heal. Being a martyr (if he is hurt - I am only making a guess here)clearly isn't helping the team. Without these 5 blown saves, the Mets would be 56-53 instead of 51-58 (math ?). That puts them in a much better position than they are in right now. That goes without saying...but the Mets continue to feel the wrath of old Murphy and his law.
4 - Hockey and football seasons cant come soon enough for those Mets fans that follow those sports.
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08/07--Bronx,NY. Alex Rodriguez' walk off 2 run homer in the 15th capped off an exciting night of baseball in the Bronx against rival Boston.
This game was extremely well-pitched by both AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett. This was definitely an enjoyable game to watch for fans of pitchers duels.
Beckett went 7 innings allowing 4 hits and striking out 7. He lowered his season ERA to 3.12. Beckett has been great since June, lowering his ERA 2 points or more (if I am recalling correctly). He did not factor in on tonight's decision.
Burnett went 7.2 innings allowing just 1 hit and striking out 6 batters. This was a great bounce back outing for him as he was not very effective his last time out. Burnett was able to work around 6 walks and got outs when he needed to.
Bottom line: Boston really has some work to do now. They have fallen 4.5 games behind the Yankees. While that can be reversed in a week or so, it is easier said than done. The Yankees have been absolutely red hot for the last 2 months. They have found ways to win in every fashion imaginable. They won a slugfest 13-6 in game 1 of this series, and a pitchers duel tonight.All naysayers in May have surely eaten their words as of late.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Mets last game/ News
This is going to be brief.
Yesterday, the Mets defeated the Cardinals 9-0 at Citi Field. Angel Pagan had a great game and was a single away from the cycle. David Wright also had a good game going 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIS.
Jon Niese went down with a hamstring injury in the 2nd and was replaced by Nelson Figueroa who redeemed himself for his poor start 3 days earlier. Bobby Parnell also pitched well and got a 3 inning save. In a freak accident Luis Castillo fell down the dugout steps in the 7th and who knows when he'll return.
In response, the Mets have recalled Elmer Dessens and are going to give Parnell a start on Saturday in place of Niese. The Mets also reacquired Anderson Hernandez from Washington for a Single A player.
Why not start Parnell? It's not like the Mets have much to lose at this point. If he performs well its something to ride until it fails. If its successful even somewhat, next spring training cam be a time o get Parnell his longevity back (he started in the minors) in preparation for 2010.
As for Anderson Hernandez, it looks like he has learned to hit a bit more since he was a Met last. He us hitting .251 with 23 RBIs in 77 games this year. He was hitting mostly leadoff or 8th. Hopefully he can continue his competent hitting to go along with his solid defense.
The Mets are about to begin a series in San Diego (a team with a worse record!) in about 3 minutes. Livan Hernandez vs Clayton Richard.
If Livan can keep the Padres to 3 runs or less, the Mets seem to be hitting enough lately to be able to win a game like that.
Yesterday, the Mets defeated the Cardinals 9-0 at Citi Field. Angel Pagan had a great game and was a single away from the cycle. David Wright also had a good game going 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIS.
Jon Niese went down with a hamstring injury in the 2nd and was replaced by Nelson Figueroa who redeemed himself for his poor start 3 days earlier. Bobby Parnell also pitched well and got a 3 inning save. In a freak accident Luis Castillo fell down the dugout steps in the 7th and who knows when he'll return.
In response, the Mets have recalled Elmer Dessens and are going to give Parnell a start on Saturday in place of Niese. The Mets also reacquired Anderson Hernandez from Washington for a Single A player.
Why not start Parnell? It's not like the Mets have much to lose at this point. If he performs well its something to ride until it fails. If its successful even somewhat, next spring training cam be a time o get Parnell his longevity back (he started in the minors) in preparation for 2010.
As for Anderson Hernandez, it looks like he has learned to hit a bit more since he was a Met last. He us hitting .251 with 23 RBIs in 77 games this year. He was hitting mostly leadoff or 8th. Hopefully he can continue his competent hitting to go along with his solid defense.
The Mets are about to begin a series in San Diego (a team with a worse record!) in about 3 minutes. Livan Hernandez vs Clayton Richard.
If Livan can keep the Padres to 3 runs or less, the Mets seem to be hitting enough lately to be able to win a game like that.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Pagan's Grand Slam Lifts Mets Past D-Backs / Chi-Sox Trounce Yanks
08/01--Flushing,NY. Angel Pagan's grand slam in the 8th inning gave the Mets the lead that would decide the game. It was his first career grand slam and capped off a 5 RBI night.
Oliver Perez was erratic, as is to be expected. He pitched 5 innings, walked 5 and struck out 7. He looked just good enough to keep the Mets out of trouble. Its concerning for the Mets that Perez does not show much progress other than he has not gotten bombed since his return from the DL. Perez really needs to cut down his walks so that ha can pitch deeper into games and save the bullpen during his starts.
Max Scherzer want great in his 4 innings for Arizona. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits.
Mark Reynolds did hit a tape measure shot into the second deck in the 9th inning off of Brian Stokes. Francisco Rodriguez came in to get the final out and earned his 24th save.
Mike Pelfrey vs Jon Garland tomorrow afternoon at 1:10PM.
Chicago,IL. The White Sox put up 6 spots in the 2nd and 8th innings en route to a 14-4 clobbering of the Yankees.
John Danks got the win after his 6 innings of work. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits. His opponent, AJ burnett just didn't have it allowing 7 runs on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings.
The Yankees have lost 4 of the last 5 games and now only lead Boston in the AL East by 1/2 game. On top of that, Mark Buerhle is tomorrow's started for Chicago. The last time he was on the mound he pitched a perfect game against the Rays.
Buerhle is going to be coming into the game with a lot of confidence and it will surely be a tall task for the Yankees tomorrow. Not something they want to face in the midst of this skid they're in.
Oliver Perez was erratic, as is to be expected. He pitched 5 innings, walked 5 and struck out 7. He looked just good enough to keep the Mets out of trouble. Its concerning for the Mets that Perez does not show much progress other than he has not gotten bombed since his return from the DL. Perez really needs to cut down his walks so that ha can pitch deeper into games and save the bullpen during his starts.
Max Scherzer want great in his 4 innings for Arizona. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits.
Mark Reynolds did hit a tape measure shot into the second deck in the 9th inning off of Brian Stokes. Francisco Rodriguez came in to get the final out and earned his 24th save.
Mike Pelfrey vs Jon Garland tomorrow afternoon at 1:10PM.
Chicago,IL. The White Sox put up 6 spots in the 2nd and 8th innings en route to a 14-4 clobbering of the Yankees.
John Danks got the win after his 6 innings of work. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits. His opponent, AJ burnett just didn't have it allowing 7 runs on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings.
The Yankees have lost 4 of the last 5 games and now only lead Boston in the AL East by 1/2 game. On top of that, Mark Buerhle is tomorrow's started for Chicago. The last time he was on the mound he pitched a perfect game against the Rays.
Buerhle is going to be coming into the game with a lot of confidence and it will surely be a tall task for the Yankees tomorrow. Not something they want to face in the midst of this skid they're in.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tatis' Grand Slam lifts Mets to Third Straight Win / Yanks Roll Past Rays Behind Burnett
Fernando Tatis' pinch hit grand slam in the 8th inning last night gave the Mets a 7-3 win at home over Colorado. The win was the Mets' third in a row after they took the final two games of the previous series against Houston. The win has got to feel good for the team and the Mets fans after everything that the Mets have had to go through with all the injury problems. Does this mean everything is back to normal? Certainly not, they won't be until the injured players return.
Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes seem like they might return within the next week or so. If either one returns in that time frame, it will be a big boost for the team.
Oliver Perez was not bad last night. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits. There is still room for improvement, obviously. At least he has not gotten bombed yet since his return from the DL. That is encouraging at least.
Luis Castillo has been on a hot streak lately. He has 9 hits in his last 4 games and has pulled his batting average up to .305.
Another hot Met right now is Jeff Francoeur. He is 5 for 15 in his last four games. During that span he has 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. Overall, as a Met, Francoeur is hitting .326 with 15 RBIs in 13 games since coming over from the Braves. Imagine the help he will get in the lineup once Beltran, Delgado and Reyes return.
Mike Pelfrey vs Jason Marquis tonight in game 2.
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After last nights 11-4 in over the Rays, the Yankees are now 10-1 after the All Star Break and have a 2.5 game lead on Boston in the AL East. I would challenge anyone to tell me what team is hotter right now than the Yankees. They have been getting great starting pitching every night and are scoring runs in bunches.
Burnett pitched 7 innings and only allowed 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 5. David Robertson pitched 1.1 innings for his first save, giving Mariano Rivera the day off.
Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher had 3 RBIs each. Swisher's came on 2 home runs. Damon also hit a home run, the 200th of his career. For Damon, the Florida native, the home run was extra special.
Robinson Cano also had a good night at the plate going 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs.
Ben Zobrist, Pat Burrell and Carl Crawford had an RBI each for the Rays.
Scott Kazmir vs CC Sabathis tonight in game 2 of the series.
Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes seem like they might return within the next week or so. If either one returns in that time frame, it will be a big boost for the team.
Oliver Perez was not bad last night. He pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits. There is still room for improvement, obviously. At least he has not gotten bombed yet since his return from the DL. That is encouraging at least.
Luis Castillo has been on a hot streak lately. He has 9 hits in his last 4 games and has pulled his batting average up to .305.
Another hot Met right now is Jeff Francoeur. He is 5 for 15 in his last four games. During that span he has 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. Overall, as a Met, Francoeur is hitting .326 with 15 RBIs in 13 games since coming over from the Braves. Imagine the help he will get in the lineup once Beltran, Delgado and Reyes return.
Mike Pelfrey vs Jason Marquis tonight in game 2.
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After last nights 11-4 in over the Rays, the Yankees are now 10-1 after the All Star Break and have a 2.5 game lead on Boston in the AL East. I would challenge anyone to tell me what team is hotter right now than the Yankees. They have been getting great starting pitching every night and are scoring runs in bunches.
Burnett pitched 7 innings and only allowed 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 5. David Robertson pitched 1.1 innings for his first save, giving Mariano Rivera the day off.
Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher had 3 RBIs each. Swisher's came on 2 home runs. Damon also hit a home run, the 200th of his career. For Damon, the Florida native, the home run was extra special.
Robinson Cano also had a good night at the plate going 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs.
Ben Zobrist, Pat Burrell and Carl Crawford had an RBI each for the Rays.
Scott Kazmir vs CC Sabathis tonight in game 2 of the series.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Nats take 2/3 From Mets / Yanks Keep A-Rollin'
7/22--Washington,DC. The Nats took 2/3 from the Mets tonight following a 3-1 win behind strong pitching from Craig Stammen and a timely home run by Josh Willingham.
Willingham's home run broke up a 1-1 tie in the 6th inning with a runner on. That would be Mike Pelfrey's only big mistake in the game but it cost his team the victory. Pelfrey went 7 tonight, unintentionally walking 1 and allowing those 3 runs on 6 hits.
Stammen pitched 7.1 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 5. Mike MacDougal picked up save number 6 for the Nats with a scoreless 9th.
Losing 2/3 from Washington is flat out embarrassing. Scoring only 1 run in the last 2 games is unacceptable. Plain and simple. I wont even elaborate on the missed chances this team had. Mets fans are probably well aware of that.
I know Omar Minaya likes to build a team with home grown players but right now, if the team is to have any chance of getting back into it, the Mets need to make some sort of move for a player that can drive runs in. The Mets would actually have a chance if they drove in some runners in not stranded them. Especially in big spots.
Minaya and the Mets organization do not want to throw the towel in yet. So what keep waiting to get help while the big 3 hitters are gone? Logic says do something fast (but not irrationally).
Mets/Astros - Friday @ 8PM.
7/22--Bronx,NY. The Yankees are on a roll and do not look like they're stopping anytime soon. AJ Burnett won his 4th straight in the 6-4 win over Baltimore today. Phil Hughes also pitched well and as he often does, Mariano Rivera got the save. His 28th.
In between Hughes and Rivera, Brian Bruney came in and made the game more interesting than it had to be. [Bruney] gave up back to back HR's in the 9th. That made it 6-4 Yankees...so Rivera had to come in [and bail Bruney out]. Bruney has not been good since coming back from injury.
*Thanks to my friend Alex for bringing this observation to my attention. ANy help is appreciated regarding the Yankees games.
The Yankees are 20 games over .500 now and have opened up a 2 game lead in the AL East over Boston who lost to Texas tonight, 3-1. This is what was what Yankees fans, and the organization expected to see coming into the year. It took time but the Yankees look quite potent now.
Nick Swisher had a 2 RBI game and made 3 fine plays in the outfield.
Oakland comes to The Stadium tomorrow for a 7:05 game to kick ff a 3 game set. CC Sabathia (9-6) vs Vin Mazzaro (2-6).
Willingham's home run broke up a 1-1 tie in the 6th inning with a runner on. That would be Mike Pelfrey's only big mistake in the game but it cost his team the victory. Pelfrey went 7 tonight, unintentionally walking 1 and allowing those 3 runs on 6 hits.
Stammen pitched 7.1 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits. He walked 2 and struck out 5. Mike MacDougal picked up save number 6 for the Nats with a scoreless 9th.
Losing 2/3 from Washington is flat out embarrassing. Scoring only 1 run in the last 2 games is unacceptable. Plain and simple. I wont even elaborate on the missed chances this team had. Mets fans are probably well aware of that.
I know Omar Minaya likes to build a team with home grown players but right now, if the team is to have any chance of getting back into it, the Mets need to make some sort of move for a player that can drive runs in. The Mets would actually have a chance if they drove in some runners in not stranded them. Especially in big spots.
Minaya and the Mets organization do not want to throw the towel in yet. So what keep waiting to get help while the big 3 hitters are gone? Logic says do something fast (but not irrationally).
Mets/Astros - Friday @ 8PM.
7/22--Bronx,NY. The Yankees are on a roll and do not look like they're stopping anytime soon. AJ Burnett won his 4th straight in the 6-4 win over Baltimore today. Phil Hughes also pitched well and as he often does, Mariano Rivera got the save. His 28th.
In between Hughes and Rivera, Brian Bruney came in and made the game more interesting than it had to be. [Bruney] gave up back to back HR's in the 9th. That made it 6-4 Yankees...so Rivera had to come in [and bail Bruney out]. Bruney has not been good since coming back from injury.
*Thanks to my friend Alex for bringing this observation to my attention. ANy help is appreciated regarding the Yankees games.
The Yankees are 20 games over .500 now and have opened up a 2 game lead in the AL East over Boston who lost to Texas tonight, 3-1. This is what was what Yankees fans, and the organization expected to see coming into the year. It took time but the Yankees look quite potent now.
Nick Swisher had a 2 RBI game and made 3 fine plays in the outfield.
Oakland comes to The Stadium tomorrow for a 7:05 game to kick ff a 3 game set. CC Sabathia (9-6) vs Vin Mazzaro (2-6).
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The beat goes on for the Mets / Yanks Sweep Tigers
7/19--Atlanta,GA. One night after Johan Santana's great performance against the braves to earn a win, the Mets became they're usual selves again falling to the Braves 7-1. It all began in the very first inning when the Mets could not get Angel Pagan in from third with less than 2 outs. You got the feeling just from that what kind of night it was going to be.
Fernando Nieve was carted off the field in the second inning with a right quad strain. And the injuries continue to pile up for the Mets. What else is new lately?
Philadelphia defeated Florida tonight putting the Mets even farther in a hole.
The other night, Gary Cohen mentioned that even though the 1993 Mets lost 110 games, most of those losses were in close games. The 2009 team has been blown out more than the '93 team already. Weather this team loses 110 is yet to be seen. This is very alarming but also indicative of the "Murphy's Law" -esque season that the Mets are suffering through this year.
Eddie Murray had the best offensive season of any Met that year. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 100 runs. He had a .285 average to go along with those production numbers. Bobby Bonilla had the next most run production that year with 34 home runs and 87 RBIs with a .265 batting average.
So far, no Met this year looks like they will match the numbers of those two guys that played on a bad team. Right now, Gary Sheffield leads the Mets with 10 home runs and at 40 years old, it is not certain he will reach Bonilla's 1993 total. In fact, it is probably unlikely that he will do so.
On the other hand, Johan Santana looks like he will put up better numbers than the 1993 ace, Dwight Gooden. This year, Santana is 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA and 117 strikeouts to 39 walks. Gooden, in 1993, went 12-15 with a 3.45 ERA. He struck out 149 and walked 61.
John Franco led the Mets that year with 10 saves and had 29 strikeouts. Francisco Rodriguez has already obliterated those totals.
Pete Schourek lead all Mets relievers with 5 wins (and 12 losses). He struck out 72 batters (41 games). He sported a 5.26 ERA. In 45 games this year, Bobby Parnell has 31 strikeouts and 17 walks with a 4.37 ERA so far. Parnell's 2009 is shaping up to be similar to Schourek's 1993. Parnell should end up with a better win/loss record than Schourek did in '93.
Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the Yankees capped off a 3 game sweep of Detroit today with a 2-1 victory. Joba Chamberlain piched 6.2 strong innings allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. Joba struck out 8 and walked 3. Mariano Rivera continued his great pitching as well, picking up save number 26. Rivera picked up saves 24 and 25 in games 1 and 2 in the series as well.
The Yankees remain 1 game behind Boston in the AL East.
At this rate, the Yankees look like they will be making a playoff appearance this year after not doing so last year.
Fernando Nieve was carted off the field in the second inning with a right quad strain. And the injuries continue to pile up for the Mets. What else is new lately?
Philadelphia defeated Florida tonight putting the Mets even farther in a hole.
The other night, Gary Cohen mentioned that even though the 1993 Mets lost 110 games, most of those losses were in close games. The 2009 team has been blown out more than the '93 team already. Weather this team loses 110 is yet to be seen. This is very alarming but also indicative of the "Murphy's Law" -esque season that the Mets are suffering through this year.
Eddie Murray had the best offensive season of any Met that year. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 100 runs. He had a .285 average to go along with those production numbers. Bobby Bonilla had the next most run production that year with 34 home runs and 87 RBIs with a .265 batting average.
So far, no Met this year looks like they will match the numbers of those two guys that played on a bad team. Right now, Gary Sheffield leads the Mets with 10 home runs and at 40 years old, it is not certain he will reach Bonilla's 1993 total. In fact, it is probably unlikely that he will do so.
On the other hand, Johan Santana looks like he will put up better numbers than the 1993 ace, Dwight Gooden. This year, Santana is 11-7 with a 2.92 ERA and 117 strikeouts to 39 walks. Gooden, in 1993, went 12-15 with a 3.45 ERA. He struck out 149 and walked 61.
John Franco led the Mets that year with 10 saves and had 29 strikeouts. Francisco Rodriguez has already obliterated those totals.
Pete Schourek lead all Mets relievers with 5 wins (and 12 losses). He struck out 72 batters (41 games). He sported a 5.26 ERA. In 45 games this year, Bobby Parnell has 31 strikeouts and 17 walks with a 4.37 ERA so far. Parnell's 2009 is shaping up to be similar to Schourek's 1993. Parnell should end up with a better win/loss record than Schourek did in '93.
Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the Yankees capped off a 3 game sweep of Detroit today with a 2-1 victory. Joba Chamberlain piched 6.2 strong innings allowing only 1 run on 3 hits. Joba struck out 8 and walked 3. Mariano Rivera continued his great pitching as well, picking up save number 26. Rivera picked up saves 24 and 25 in games 1 and 2 in the series as well.
The Yankees remain 1 game behind Boston in the AL East.
At this rate, the Yankees look like they will be making a playoff appearance this year after not doing so last year.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Perez Puts in Decent Performance But it is Not Enough As Mets Fall 5-3
7/16--Atlanta,GA. Oliver Perez did not look bad on the mound in his first start back from the All-Stra break and second since coming off the DL. Perez went 6 innings allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits. He walked 4 and struck out 6. He kept his team in the game as he exited in a 3-3 tie.
The Braves took the lead in the 7th on a Chipper Jones (who else?) RBI single off of Bobby Parnell. Parenell has really been struggling over the better part of a month or so. His command just is not where it was at the beginning of the year. Maybe a minor league stint of a week or 2 to help his command issues would be a help to the team in the long run.
Raphael Soriano looked great for Atlanta pitching a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Reading metsblog.com I noticed that Michael Baron mentioned that Alex Cora is 7 for his last 39 over the last 10 games. Maybe the torn ligament in his thumb is bothering him at the moment, effecting his hitting. Maybe Angel Berroa, who was just signed on Saturday, should get a chance at short for a game or two to give Cora some time to feel better physically and mentally. Fernando Tatis could also play short if the mets want to do that to Give Cora a game or two off.
Berroa was 3/22 with an RBI for the Yankees this season.
Tonight Mike Pelfrey is on the mound for the Mets to be opposed by Jair Jurrjens for the Braves.
The Braves took the lead in the 7th on a Chipper Jones (who else?) RBI single off of Bobby Parnell. Parenell has really been struggling over the better part of a month or so. His command just is not where it was at the beginning of the year. Maybe a minor league stint of a week or 2 to help his command issues would be a help to the team in the long run.
Raphael Soriano looked great for Atlanta pitching a scoreless 9th to earn the save.
Reading metsblog.com I noticed that Michael Baron mentioned that Alex Cora is 7 for his last 39 over the last 10 games. Maybe the torn ligament in his thumb is bothering him at the moment, effecting his hitting. Maybe Angel Berroa, who was just signed on Saturday, should get a chance at short for a game or two to give Cora some time to feel better physically and mentally. Fernando Tatis could also play short if the mets want to do that to Give Cora a game or two off.
Berroa was 3/22 with an RBI for the Yankees this season.
Tonight Mike Pelfrey is on the mound for the Mets to be opposed by Jair Jurrjens for the Braves.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
New York Mets & Yankees Mid-Season report
We are midway through the 2009 MLB season and the New York teams are on opposite paths so far this year. I will begin with discussing the Yankees first half.
The Yankees ended the first half of 2009 losing all 3 games of their series with the Angels.That sweep did damage to the Yankees in the standings. Going into the Angels series, the Yankees were only 1 game behind AL East leading Boston and are now 3 back. A good week should close the gap in the standings.
With the way that the Yankees started the year, no one would have predicted they would be as close as they are now. Nothing seemed to gel for this team until around mid-June. At that point the pitching really came together and allowed the team to stay in ballgames. Shortly after that, the offense really rounded into form like everyone knew it would. The lineup is too talented to have stayed as cold as it was at the start.
Mark Taxiera leads the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (63).
Derek Jeter's .321 average leads the team.
AJ Burnett has a 3.77 ERA which leads the Yankees rotation.
Burnett, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettite each have 8 wins to lead the team.
Burnett also leads the Yankees with 101 strikeouts.
Mariano Rivera has 23 saves at the All Star break.
Mets
The Mets situation could be a whole lot worse than it is at the season's midway point. The Mets are 42-45 and are 6 games behind the Phillies. It may seem like a lot of work to catch up, and it is, but without Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, JJ Putz and Jose Reyes on the DL for a significant amount of time, his could have been a whole lot worse. The Mets very easily could be buried in the standings right now.
The last series before the break was a positive one for the Mets as they took 2 of 3 from the Reds. Angel Pagan who had also been hurt for most of the year returned and was a big contributor in the series.
The Mets traded Ryan Church to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur before the series. I think the move will help the Mets in the long run. Francoeur is a good outfielder that can cover a lot of ground which is a good thing to have at spacious Citi Field. The knock on Francoueur, though, is his lack of patience at the plate. If Howard Johnson can get him to take more pitches and draw more walks, his bat will be a huge plus in the lineup. He has power and will be able to help the Mets score more runs, something they have struggled to do for the most part all year. Francoeur's bat will likely be an even bigger help to the team once Beltran, Reyes and Delgado return as the presure to produce runs will be eased.
Simply, the Mets need to get healthy if they want to make a playoff push during the second half of the year. The pitching also needs to be a bit more consistent. For this team to succeed, the starters need to pitch at least 6 quality innings each time out. With the injuries, even better than that it seems is needed. Oliver Perez' return from the DL can help in this area. If Perez can command his pitches each night, he can be among the top pitchers in the game as is well documented.
Gary Sheffield leads the team with 10 home runs
David Wright's 44 RBIs are the most on the Mets. He also leads the team in steals with 20.
Carlos Beltran's .336 average leads the Mets.
Johan Santana leads all starters with a 3.09 ERA, 112 strikeouts and 10 wins.
Francisco Rodriguez has 23 saves and a 1.90 ERA.
The Yankees ended the first half of 2009 losing all 3 games of their series with the Angels.That sweep did damage to the Yankees in the standings. Going into the Angels series, the Yankees were only 1 game behind AL East leading Boston and are now 3 back. A good week should close the gap in the standings.
With the way that the Yankees started the year, no one would have predicted they would be as close as they are now. Nothing seemed to gel for this team until around mid-June. At that point the pitching really came together and allowed the team to stay in ballgames. Shortly after that, the offense really rounded into form like everyone knew it would. The lineup is too talented to have stayed as cold as it was at the start.
Mark Taxiera leads the team in home runs (21) and RBIs (63).
Derek Jeter's .321 average leads the team.
AJ Burnett has a 3.77 ERA which leads the Yankees rotation.
Burnett, CC Sabathia and Andy Pettite each have 8 wins to lead the team.
Burnett also leads the Yankees with 101 strikeouts.
Mariano Rivera has 23 saves at the All Star break.
Mets
The Mets situation could be a whole lot worse than it is at the season's midway point. The Mets are 42-45 and are 6 games behind the Phillies. It may seem like a lot of work to catch up, and it is, but without Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, JJ Putz and Jose Reyes on the DL for a significant amount of time, his could have been a whole lot worse. The Mets very easily could be buried in the standings right now.
The last series before the break was a positive one for the Mets as they took 2 of 3 from the Reds. Angel Pagan who had also been hurt for most of the year returned and was a big contributor in the series.
The Mets traded Ryan Church to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur before the series. I think the move will help the Mets in the long run. Francoeur is a good outfielder that can cover a lot of ground which is a good thing to have at spacious Citi Field. The knock on Francoueur, though, is his lack of patience at the plate. If Howard Johnson can get him to take more pitches and draw more walks, his bat will be a huge plus in the lineup. He has power and will be able to help the Mets score more runs, something they have struggled to do for the most part all year. Francoeur's bat will likely be an even bigger help to the team once Beltran, Reyes and Delgado return as the presure to produce runs will be eased.
Simply, the Mets need to get healthy if they want to make a playoff push during the second half of the year. The pitching also needs to be a bit more consistent. For this team to succeed, the starters need to pitch at least 6 quality innings each time out. With the injuries, even better than that it seems is needed. Oliver Perez' return from the DL can help in this area. If Perez can command his pitches each night, he can be among the top pitchers in the game as is well documented.
Gary Sheffield leads the team with 10 home runs
David Wright's 44 RBIs are the most on the Mets. He also leads the team in steals with 20.
Carlos Beltran's .336 average leads the Mets.
Johan Santana leads all starters with a 3.09 ERA, 112 strikeouts and 10 wins.
Francisco Rodriguez has 23 saves and a 1.90 ERA.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Dogers Defeat Mets 11-2 / Yankees sweep Twins, Keep Rolling
7/09--Flushing,NY. Just as it looked like the Mets might be heading in the right direction, they get blown out again. Livan Hernandez gave up 4 runs before the Mets even got up to bat. You could predict the Mets impending doom from watching that alone. Now, I understand that the Mets are depleted due to injury but this is just embarrassing. The players on the field are still pro players and should take pride in going out there. I just do not see that desire right now.
Matthew Cerrone from metsblog.com predicts a change in the starting rotation after the All-Star break for the Mets. He predicts Santana, Perez, Pelfrey,Jon Neise and Nelson Figueroa to be the starting 5 after the break.
The Mets are 2-8 in Livan's last 10 starts and his ERA is 30.00 in his last 3. Since the Mets need excellent starting pitching in the absence of Beltran, Delgado and Reyes, outings like this are just not acceptable. Period.
Mets fans might be looking towards 2010 if things do not shape up soon after the All-Star break. I'd give it until he first week of August has concluded. If things do not shape up by then it may be time to look forward to football, hockey and basketball. We will see...
Minneapolis,MN. The Yankees completed a sweep of the Twins with a 6-4 victory at the Metrodome. The won behind Alfredo Aceves, who was making a spot start in place of Chien Ming Wang, and 5 relievers. Aceves allowed 4 runs, only 2 earned, in 3.1 innings pitched.Cody Ransom and Brett Gardner had 2 RBIs each and Mark Taxiera added s solo home run.
Phil Hughes seems to have really found his niche in the bullpen recently as he has become the 8yh inning guy setting up Mariano Rivera. The move has bumped Brian Bruney out of that spot for now. Hughes went 1.1 innings and struck out 2 batters. After a poor start to his season, Hughes has lowered his season ERA to 4.01.
The only thing in the Yankees way right now is the fact that Boston keeps winning to stay 1 game ahead.
The Yankees face the Angels in the last series before the All-Star Break. LA has given the Yankees a lot of problems in the past so let's see how this series plays out. Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero are on the DL so that should give the Yankees some more confidence going into the series.
Boston's last series before the break is with the bottom-dwelling Kansas City Royals. Brain Bannister (KC) and Jon Lester (BOS) open that series on the mound.
Matthew Cerrone from metsblog.com predicts a change in the starting rotation after the All-Star break for the Mets. He predicts Santana, Perez, Pelfrey,Jon Neise and Nelson Figueroa to be the starting 5 after the break.
The Mets are 2-8 in Livan's last 10 starts and his ERA is 30.00 in his last 3. Since the Mets need excellent starting pitching in the absence of Beltran, Delgado and Reyes, outings like this are just not acceptable. Period.
Mets fans might be looking towards 2010 if things do not shape up soon after the All-Star break. I'd give it until he first week of August has concluded. If things do not shape up by then it may be time to look forward to football, hockey and basketball. We will see...
Minneapolis,MN. The Yankees completed a sweep of the Twins with a 6-4 victory at the Metrodome. The won behind Alfredo Aceves, who was making a spot start in place of Chien Ming Wang, and 5 relievers. Aceves allowed 4 runs, only 2 earned, in 3.1 innings pitched.Cody Ransom and Brett Gardner had 2 RBIs each and Mark Taxiera added s solo home run.
Phil Hughes seems to have really found his niche in the bullpen recently as he has become the 8yh inning guy setting up Mariano Rivera. The move has bumped Brian Bruney out of that spot for now. Hughes went 1.1 innings and struck out 2 batters. After a poor start to his season, Hughes has lowered his season ERA to 4.01.
The only thing in the Yankees way right now is the fact that Boston keeps winning to stay 1 game ahead.
The Yankees face the Angels in the last series before the All-Star Break. LA has given the Yankees a lot of problems in the past so let's see how this series plays out. Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero are on the DL so that should give the Yankees some more confidence going into the series.
Boston's last series before the break is with the bottom-dwelling Kansas City Royals. Brain Bannister (KC) and Jon Lester (BOS) open that series on the mound.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Mets End Skid in Perez' return
7/8--Flushing, NY. It wasn't the prettiest game but the Mets got the victory last night over the LA Dodgers 5-4.
Results / Box Score: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore;_ylt=AjqMWXthe2FhgXhmkFNqcLG4u7YF?gid=290708121
Oliver Perez didn't look great last night but he was good enough and the start can definitely be built upon. He walked 7 batters an struck out 3 in 5 innings of work. As is usually the problem, Perez needs to cut own his walks. As everyone knows, that is his biggest problem. Other than the walks, he looked pretty good. His velocity was around 93 or so which is about where it needs to be as long as the command improves over the next few starts - and hopefully for the rest of the season.
This game seemed like an offensive explosion for the Mets as they had been absolutely been searching for any kind of offense all week. Jeremy reed had a good night with the bat, going 2-3 with an RBI. He may be in center field every day if he keeps hitting until Beltran returns.
The highlight of the game from a viewer's perspective had to be Daniel Murphy's behind the back throw to get Mark Loretta out in the 7th. It looked like the call could go either way but it was good to see the Mets catch a break there.
Is it just me or does watching K-Rod in his last few outings scream Armando Benitez? Last night he gave up a solo home run to Manny but luckily the Mets had a 2 run lead and he was able to shut the door thereafter. K-Rod hasnt been lights out dominant in a week or 2 and that is likely to have Mets fans nervous. Especially now we need the lights put K-Rod to show up and nail down every save opportunity that he gets.
Tonight's pitching matchup has Livan Hernendez for the Mets against Randy Wolf for LA. Livan has gotten a few hard luck losses in his last few outings. Hopefully he can get some runs scored behind him tonight.
Results / Box Score: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore;_ylt=AjqMWXthe2FhgXhmkFNqcLG4u7YF?gid=290708121
Oliver Perez didn't look great last night but he was good enough and the start can definitely be built upon. He walked 7 batters an struck out 3 in 5 innings of work. As is usually the problem, Perez needs to cut own his walks. As everyone knows, that is his biggest problem. Other than the walks, he looked pretty good. His velocity was around 93 or so which is about where it needs to be as long as the command improves over the next few starts - and hopefully for the rest of the season.
This game seemed like an offensive explosion for the Mets as they had been absolutely been searching for any kind of offense all week. Jeremy reed had a good night with the bat, going 2-3 with an RBI. He may be in center field every day if he keeps hitting until Beltran returns.
The highlight of the game from a viewer's perspective had to be Daniel Murphy's behind the back throw to get Mark Loretta out in the 7th. It looked like the call could go either way but it was good to see the Mets catch a break there.
Is it just me or does watching K-Rod in his last few outings scream Armando Benitez? Last night he gave up a solo home run to Manny but luckily the Mets had a 2 run lead and he was able to shut the door thereafter. K-Rod hasnt been lights out dominant in a week or 2 and that is likely to have Mets fans nervous. Especially now we need the lights put K-Rod to show up and nail down every save opportunity that he gets.
Tonight's pitching matchup has Livan Hernendez for the Mets against Randy Wolf for LA. Livan has gotten a few hard luck losses in his last few outings. Hopefully he can get some runs scored behind him tonight.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Mets Are In Trouble / Yankees Continue to Roll
7/7--Flushing,NY. Another blowout loss for the Mets last night at the hands of the LA Dodgers. There really is very little to say anymore at this point. Gary Cohen put it best during the broadcast - The Mets pitching and defense needs to be absolutely spotless right now for this team to win. Even if that were to happen there are no guarantees because of how awful the offense is right now. The are no threat at all and runs need to be scored to win games and it looks as if the Mets are unable to score runs right now. Gary is right in my opinion. The Mets are no threat to beat anyone right now, even with a good outing form whoever starts the game. A quality start is 6 innings allowing 3 runs or less. The way the Mets are playing now, falling behind 3 runs pretty much seals the deal.
Luckily, the Phillies lost as well last night.
In 2005, the Mets turned a corner. Management finally decided to get serious and make the team a contender again. Even though the Mets missed the playoffs that year, you could see they were heading in the right direction. In 2006, the Mets new direction payed off as they were s close to reaching the World Series. 2007 and 2008 ended on sour notes but the team played well until the end of each of those seasons.
Maybe it is the injuries to Beltran, Reyes and Delgado that are holding the team back. It also seems to me at times that the Mets are once again regressing somewhat. Maybe I'm just worrying a bit too much and it is the lack of personnel. The Mets do need to address first base though, as Delgado will not return until mid-August.
Oliver Perez comes off the DL today to make the start for the Mets. Let's hope he can command his pitches and give the Mets a chance.
Perez will be opposed by Hiroki Kuroda for LA tonight.
7/7--Minneapolis,MIN. The Yankees continue to play exceedingly well as they defeated the Twins handily 10-2 behind CC Sabathia.Sabathia pitched innings and only allowed 1 run.
Right now everything is going right for the Yankees right now. everyone is chipping in on offense and the pitching is absolutely getting the job done night in and night out. The Yankees are still only one game behind Boston in the AL East. The way things are going now it seems like the Bronx Bombers taking first place may be only a matter of time.
Luckily, the Phillies lost as well last night.
In 2005, the Mets turned a corner. Management finally decided to get serious and make the team a contender again. Even though the Mets missed the playoffs that year, you could see they were heading in the right direction. In 2006, the Mets new direction payed off as they were s close to reaching the World Series. 2007 and 2008 ended on sour notes but the team played well until the end of each of those seasons.
Maybe it is the injuries to Beltran, Reyes and Delgado that are holding the team back. It also seems to me at times that the Mets are once again regressing somewhat. Maybe I'm just worrying a bit too much and it is the lack of personnel. The Mets do need to address first base though, as Delgado will not return until mid-August.
Oliver Perez comes off the DL today to make the start for the Mets. Let's hope he can command his pitches and give the Mets a chance.
Perez will be opposed by Hiroki Kuroda for LA tonight.
7/7--Minneapolis,MIN. The Yankees continue to play exceedingly well as they defeated the Twins handily 10-2 behind CC Sabathia.Sabathia pitched innings and only allowed 1 run.
Right now everything is going right for the Yankees right now. everyone is chipping in on offense and the pitching is absolutely getting the job done night in and night out. The Yankees are still only one game behind Boston in the AL East. The way things are going now it seems like the Bronx Bombers taking first place may be only a matter of time.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Mets swept by Phillies. Yankees continue to roll.
The Mets are in a real hole now. After being swept by the Phillies this weekend, the Mets are now 4 games behind the division leaders and 1 behind the Florida Marlins. Yesterday afternoon's game could have been the most devastating of the series. There were two innings in which the Mets had at least 2 runners on with less than 2 outs and failed to score. Had they cashed in on 1 of those opportunities, the game might have gone into extra innings.
Johan Santana pitched well enough to win, only allowing solo home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. That bad feeling really swept over me after Rollins' home run led off the bottom of the first. Right now, the Mets can ill afford to be down early on in games. I can't say that enough.
Now the Mets must win series' from the NL best LA Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. The Mets really need to go 4-2 in these last 6 games before the All-Star break.
The Yankees continue to be hot to begin July after finishing June hot. In July, the Yankees are 4-1 coming into tonight's series finale with the Blue Jays. Andy Pettite will be on the mound going for the 4 game sweep.
The Yankees current hot streak finds them only 1 game behind division leading Boston. The Yankees seem to be doing everything right of late to get the job done. They do not look at all like the team that struggled out of the gate.
The Yankees play the Minnesota Twins ans LA Angels to end the first half of their season.
Johan Santana pitched well enough to win, only allowing solo home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. That bad feeling really swept over me after Rollins' home run led off the bottom of the first. Right now, the Mets can ill afford to be down early on in games. I can't say that enough.
Now the Mets must win series' from the NL best LA Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. The Mets really need to go 4-2 in these last 6 games before the All-Star break.
The Yankees continue to be hot to begin July after finishing June hot. In July, the Yankees are 4-1 coming into tonight's series finale with the Blue Jays. Andy Pettite will be on the mound going for the 4 game sweep.
The Yankees current hot streak finds them only 1 game behind division leading Boston. The Yankees seem to be doing everything right of late to get the job done. They do not look at all like the team that struggled out of the gate.
The Yankees play the Minnesota Twins ans LA Angels to end the first half of their season.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Mets come from Behind to Defeat Pirates Twice
7/2--Pittsburgh,PA. The Mets were down 5-0 before the 4th inning began. Going into the 9th, the Mets had come all the way back and led 8-6. Francisco Rodriguez let that lead get away, blowing his 3rd save of the season as Adam LaRoche took him deep with a man on. The Mets again showed their resiliency in the 10th when Ryan Church singled in what would be the eventual winning run. K-Rod stayed in to pitch the 10th and shut the door on Pittsburgh.
Tim Redding was not good. He was unable to get out of the 4th inning but the bullpen was good only allowing 1 more run to cross the plate before K-Rod's blown save.
Pittsburgh starter, Paul Maholm, was not much better allowing 6 runs in 4.1 innings.
Left fielder, Garrett Jones, was impressive fr Pittsburgh. He went 3-5 and only needed a single to complete the cycle.
Hopefully this game will have little effect on game 1 of the Phillies series that begins tonight. The Mets are only 1 game out of first place, believe it or not, and taking 2 out of 3 this weekend would be just what the doctor ordered.
Toights starters are Rodrigo Lopez for Philadelphia and Livan Hernandez for the Mets. Livan has given the Mets quality starts all year but has taken hard-luck losses in his last 2 outings due to the lack of offense.
I expect another solid outing from Livan but the Mets need to score some runs for him. If the Mets can manage somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 7 runs, they should have a good chance to win the game. On the other hand, you can never tell at Citizens Bank Bandbox.
The keys to the game for Philadelphia are Utley,Howard and Werth who is always a thorn in the Mets side. Werth is having a very good season overall as well. Those 3 guys can provide the usual power, look for the Phillies to score a lot of runs. This is key because they do not know what Lopez will provide them on the mound. Once highly regarded, Lopez has bounced around of late.
For the Mets, Ryan Church has had a great couple of days with the bat. It will be a big boost for the team if he can stay hot. Maybe with the short right field porch in Philadelphia, he can find a way to put a few over the fence. David Wright will also be important for the Mets' success this weekend. The NL's second leading hitter will be counted on to get hits in front of Church and Gary Sheffield (who can also be a power source in the hitter friendly ballpark in Philly).
Tim Redding was not good. He was unable to get out of the 4th inning but the bullpen was good only allowing 1 more run to cross the plate before K-Rod's blown save.
Pittsburgh starter, Paul Maholm, was not much better allowing 6 runs in 4.1 innings.
Left fielder, Garrett Jones, was impressive fr Pittsburgh. He went 3-5 and only needed a single to complete the cycle.
Hopefully this game will have little effect on game 1 of the Phillies series that begins tonight. The Mets are only 1 game out of first place, believe it or not, and taking 2 out of 3 this weekend would be just what the doctor ordered.
Toights starters are Rodrigo Lopez for Philadelphia and Livan Hernandez for the Mets. Livan has given the Mets quality starts all year but has taken hard-luck losses in his last 2 outings due to the lack of offense.
I expect another solid outing from Livan but the Mets need to score some runs for him. If the Mets can manage somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 7 runs, they should have a good chance to win the game. On the other hand, you can never tell at Citizens Bank Bandbox.
The keys to the game for Philadelphia are Utley,Howard and Werth who is always a thorn in the Mets side. Werth is having a very good season overall as well. Those 3 guys can provide the usual power, look for the Phillies to score a lot of runs. This is key because they do not know what Lopez will provide them on the mound. Once highly regarded, Lopez has bounced around of late.
For the Mets, Ryan Church has had a great couple of days with the bat. It will be a big boost for the team if he can stay hot. Maybe with the short right field porch in Philadelphia, he can find a way to put a few over the fence. David Wright will also be important for the Mets' success this weekend. The NL's second leading hitter will be counted on to get hits in front of Church and Gary Sheffield (who can also be a power source in the hitter friendly ballpark in Philly).
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Yanks defeat Mariners, Win 7th Straight
7/1--Bronx, NY. The Yankees are on a role again. Wednesday night they defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-2 to win their 7th consecutive game. Andy Pettite pitched well in his 7 innings and Alex Rodriguez hit a tie-breaking home run in the win.
Alex Rodriguez looks like hes is finally coming around after coming off hip surgery this past March. He is 10 for 23 (.435)with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs and 10 walks in his last 7 games. This is a good sign for the Yankees. A-Rod is arguably the most important hitter in that lineup. If he continues to go well, his numbers will show it and the numbers of his teammates will also benefit. Mark Taxiera and Jorge Posada or Nick Swisher (depending on which one of them hits 5th on a given day)will see more pitches to hit in their at bats as long as A-Rod continues to surge.
Johnny Damon is having a surprisingly good year and it will be key down the stretch for him to continue his fine hitting. It goes with the whole A-Rod thing - if Damon, along with Derek Jeter, continue to be able to set the table, this lineup will be dangerous to pitch to the rest of the year.
The starting pitching has also been exceptional during this streak and everyone knows how important that is to a team.
Things are looking good in the Bronx right now. The Yankees need to continue to ride this hot streak and hope Boston falters at the same time. The Sox continue to play good ball and hold the lead atop the AL East.
What's on tap:
Mets vs Pirates
New York Rangers off season moves
Alex Rodriguez looks like hes is finally coming around after coming off hip surgery this past March. He is 10 for 23 (.435)with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs and 10 walks in his last 7 games. This is a good sign for the Yankees. A-Rod is arguably the most important hitter in that lineup. If he continues to go well, his numbers will show it and the numbers of his teammates will also benefit. Mark Taxiera and Jorge Posada or Nick Swisher (depending on which one of them hits 5th on a given day)will see more pitches to hit in their at bats as long as A-Rod continues to surge.
Johnny Damon is having a surprisingly good year and it will be key down the stretch for him to continue his fine hitting. It goes with the whole A-Rod thing - if Damon, along with Derek Jeter, continue to be able to set the table, this lineup will be dangerous to pitch to the rest of the year.
The starting pitching has also been exceptional during this streak and everyone knows how important that is to a team.
Things are looking good in the Bronx right now. The Yankees need to continue to ride this hot streak and hope Boston falters at the same time. The Sox continue to play good ball and hold the lead atop the AL East.
What's on tap:
Mets vs Pirates
New York Rangers off season moves
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Mets end 5 game Skid with 1-0 win
7/1--Milwaukee, WI. Ryan Church singled Luis Castillo home in the 5th inning for the only run in today's game and that was enough to defeat the Brewers 1-0. Mike Pelfrey looked great over his 7.2 innings of work allowing 6 hits and striking out 6. He walked only 2. This was a very encouraging sign for Pelfrey to get him and the team back on track. If he can be consistent like this every time out, it will give the tam a much needed boost while they are waiting for Beltran, Delgado, Putz, Pagan, Perez and Reyes to get healthy. Consistent pitching like that is what will help get the Mets past they're current shortcomings. This is especially important coming into the next 4 games. 1 with Pittsburgh and 3 with the NL East leading Phillies.
Yovani Gallardo was great in his own right today, striking out 12 in his 7 innings.
Francisco Rodriguez picked up his 21st save with a strong 9th.
On to Pittsburgh tomorrow where a win is essential to bring the Mets back to .500 and have them on somewhat of a role going into Philadelphia.
Yovani Gallardo was great in his own right today, striking out 12 in his 7 innings.
Francisco Rodriguez picked up his 21st save with a strong 9th.
On to Pittsburgh tomorrow where a win is essential to bring the Mets back to .500 and have them on somewhat of a role going into Philadelphia.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Mets lose first 2 in Milwaukee
6/30--Milwaukee, WI. The Mets' ugly fourth inning did them in tonight as thy lost the second game in the series to Milwaukee. In that inning Fernando Martinez dropped a pop up and Johan Santana made a throwing error as the Brewers scored 4 in the fourth en route to a 6-3 win.
Santana was not good tonight allowing 6 runs (5 earned)over 6 innings falling to 9-6 on the year. His opponent, Mike Burns picked up his first major league win pitching 6.2 innings allowing only 2 runs on a David Wright home run in the first.
Tonight was another embarrassing loss for the Mets. That horrible 4th inning decided the game. It's inexcusable to play like that at the Major League level. Words are just hard to come by to describe how bad this team is playing at the moment, injuries or no injuries.
Ryan Braun had a big night for Milwaukee, driving in 4 and Prince Fielder hit a monster home run in the 7th.
Fernando Martinez hit his first Major League home run in the 9th inning. Congratulations to him for the accomplishment.
Something has to be done....fast!
Yovani Gallardo vs Mike Pelfrey tomorrow. Game time is 1:30PM (EST)
Santana was not good tonight allowing 6 runs (5 earned)over 6 innings falling to 9-6 on the year. His opponent, Mike Burns picked up his first major league win pitching 6.2 innings allowing only 2 runs on a David Wright home run in the first.
Tonight was another embarrassing loss for the Mets. That horrible 4th inning decided the game. It's inexcusable to play like that at the Major League level. Words are just hard to come by to describe how bad this team is playing at the moment, injuries or no injuries.
Ryan Braun had a big night for Milwaukee, driving in 4 and Prince Fielder hit a monster home run in the 7th.
Fernando Martinez hit his first Major League home run in the 9th inning. Congratulations to him for the accomplishment.
Something has to be done....fast!
Yovani Gallardo vs Mike Pelfrey tomorrow. Game time is 1:30PM (EST)
Monday, June 29, 2009
New York Knicks - 2009 NBA Draft
Round 1, Pick 8: Jordan Hill, F, Arizona
Hill is described as very athletic and able to bring many different things to the table. He is described as a good shooter with 3 point ability, a good rebounder and shot blocker. This is a good sign for the Knicks who have lacked such a player since possibly Parick Ewing.
The Knicks need guys who are tough and always around the ball the way Oakley and Mason were in the 90s. If the Knicks can rebound the ball better, there will be more opportunities for scorers such as Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Nate Robinson and Larry Hughes.
The Knicks need for Hill to play that role. If he can do his part, it will be a big help to turn the Knicks recent fortunes around. The front office seems to be raving over Hill as coach D'Antoni and President of Basketball Operations, Donnie Walsh cannot say enough good about him.
Round 1, Pick 29 (of LA Lakers), Toney Douglas, G, Florida State
The Knicks sent LA cash considerations and a 2011 second round pick. Douglas averaged over 21 point in his senior year and finished second in the ACC Player of the Year voting. He was selected to the ACC First Team and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
It definitely looks like Douglas can play both sides of the ball well which is always a good thing. The defense sticks out especially since that is an essential part of basketball that seems to have gotten lost in the current era of the game.Douglas' defense alone may earn him a spot on the opening day roster if he looks good in camp and preseason overall. The Knicks have a lot of guards so when selecting the 4 or 5 that make he roster, Douglas' defense may be what causes him to stick out.
The Knicks also traded Quentin Richardson and cash considerations to Memphis for F/C Darko Milicic. At only 24 years old, the Knicks front office think that Milicic can thrive in D'Antoni's system. Milicic brings more rebounding to the Knicks as well as a scoring touch. Hopefully D'Antoni's fast paced system can lead to more scoring chances for Milicic. He will be a help to the team on second chance scoring, another area that has troubled the team for a while.
If healthy and in shape, Eddy Curry may surprise some people and help out on the glass as well as scoring in the paint.
Hill is described as very athletic and able to bring many different things to the table. He is described as a good shooter with 3 point ability, a good rebounder and shot blocker. This is a good sign for the Knicks who have lacked such a player since possibly Parick Ewing.
The Knicks need guys who are tough and always around the ball the way Oakley and Mason were in the 90s. If the Knicks can rebound the ball better, there will be more opportunities for scorers such as Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Nate Robinson and Larry Hughes.
The Knicks need for Hill to play that role. If he can do his part, it will be a big help to turn the Knicks recent fortunes around. The front office seems to be raving over Hill as coach D'Antoni and President of Basketball Operations, Donnie Walsh cannot say enough good about him.
Round 1, Pick 29 (of LA Lakers), Toney Douglas, G, Florida State
The Knicks sent LA cash considerations and a 2011 second round pick. Douglas averaged over 21 point in his senior year and finished second in the ACC Player of the Year voting. He was selected to the ACC First Team and was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
It definitely looks like Douglas can play both sides of the ball well which is always a good thing. The defense sticks out especially since that is an essential part of basketball that seems to have gotten lost in the current era of the game.Douglas' defense alone may earn him a spot on the opening day roster if he looks good in camp and preseason overall. The Knicks have a lot of guards so when selecting the 4 or 5 that make he roster, Douglas' defense may be what causes him to stick out.
The Knicks also traded Quentin Richardson and cash considerations to Memphis for F/C Darko Milicic. At only 24 years old, the Knicks front office think that Milicic can thrive in D'Antoni's system. Milicic brings more rebounding to the Knicks as well as a scoring touch. Hopefully D'Antoni's fast paced system can lead to more scoring chances for Milicic. He will be a help to the team on second chance scoring, another area that has troubled the team for a while.
If healthy and in shape, Eddy Curry may surprise some people and help out on the glass as well as scoring in the paint.
Rivera gets career save number 500, RBI number 1 in sweep of Mets
I have been saying this for awhile now- the Mets are depleted because of injury. Fine. Its frustrating but it happens. Congratulations to Mariano Rivera on his 500th save but you do not walk the opposing closer under any circumstance! You throw him 3 fastballs down the middle. If he hits one, it is not likely to go very far and if it does, hats off.
K-Rod, stop being cute and get outs. This is the third time K-Rod has been on the mound in an embarrassing moment for the team and himself. He has shown time and time again he can blow hitters away but for some reason decided to throw his secondary pitches against a closer with 2 career at-bats.
The Mets main concern right now, it looks, is getting another bat via trade. Jerry Manuel even said that himself in last night's post game interview - and he is right. The Mets cannot continue to play this poorly (3 runs on 9 hits against the Yankees) and expect to be above water after the All-Star break. Does Omar Minaya not see this as well? It dosn't have to be a blockbuster trade but the Mets need to acquire someone that is able to hit in the .280-.300 range and drive some runs in.
The two positives for the Mets last night were Livan Hernandez and Fernando Martinez. Livan was solid again giving up 3 runs in the 1st and then shut the Yankees down for 6 innings thereafter. Martinez made a spectacular catch in the outfeild in the second inning and had an RBI double in the fourth.
Maybe the Mets need to go after an infielder that has first base experience so that Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans are not playing a relatively unfamiliar position, thus, limiting the errors that lead to runs. Something must be done and it looks like sooner than later for the Mets.
K-Rod, stop being cute and get outs. This is the third time K-Rod has been on the mound in an embarrassing moment for the team and himself. He has shown time and time again he can blow hitters away but for some reason decided to throw his secondary pitches against a closer with 2 career at-bats.
The Mets main concern right now, it looks, is getting another bat via trade. Jerry Manuel even said that himself in last night's post game interview - and he is right. The Mets cannot continue to play this poorly (3 runs on 9 hits against the Yankees) and expect to be above water after the All-Star break. Does Omar Minaya not see this as well? It dosn't have to be a blockbuster trade but the Mets need to acquire someone that is able to hit in the .280-.300 range and drive some runs in.
The two positives for the Mets last night were Livan Hernandez and Fernando Martinez. Livan was solid again giving up 3 runs in the 1st and then shut the Yankees down for 6 innings thereafter. Martinez made a spectacular catch in the outfeild in the second inning and had an RBI double in the fourth.
Maybe the Mets need to go after an infielder that has first base experience so that Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans are not playing a relatively unfamiliar position, thus, limiting the errors that lead to runs. Something must be done and it looks like sooner than later for the Mets.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Yankees/Burnett dominate Game 2 of Subway Series at Citi Field
6/27--Flushing,NY. The Yankees embarrassed the Mets once again last night at Citi Field. AJ Burnett pitched 7 innings allowing only 1 hit (to Alex Cora) and struck out 10.
The Mets looked absolutely flat showing no signs of fight at all in them going down quietly in each inning.
The Mets are becoming painful to watch as of late. I don't know how longer they can tread water without Reyes,Delgado and Beltran. According to an entry in metsblog.com, the Mets are one of a few teams interested in the Royals' Mark Teahan. That would not be a bad pickup if the Mets do not have to give up much. The bottom line for the Mets is that they must do something to get another bat for this lineup. Maybe trade a pitcher or two that are expendable to get a bat. The Mets always can call up Nelson Figueroa if Tim Redding is included in a deal to get another hitter. Dillon Gee may be another option if the organization feels he is ready to step in. They are high on him but weather he is ready or not is the question there.
The Yankees have been looking better lately and their record is beginning to show it. Hopefully fr them, this start by Burnett will carry over for the rest of the season and he will begin to find consistency. That is a great 1-2 punch with CC Sabathia now beginning to look as advertized. The Yankees can be a very dangerous team for the rest of the year with those two firing on all cylinders.
Tonight Chien-Ming Wang pitches for the Yankees. He has been a concern all season long as his ERA has been awful as has his command. He has had to pitch better lately just to get his ERA to just over 12! It was over 34 at one point early in the year as everyone is aware of.
His opponent on the mound is Livan Hernandez. Livan needs to be as good as he has been all year to make sure the Mets stay in this game. The offense has not been able to manage much with they're 3 stars on the shelf. I think Mets pitching needs to limit the Yankees to 3 runs for the Mets to have any chance to win. Also, since what Wang will show is a toss up, the Mets absolutely need to cash in any opportunity they have with men in scoring position. The Yankees will take advantage if the Mets leave men on base. They're offense is very capable and will eventually score runs if they are left hanging around in a tight game.
What's on tap:
Subway series game 3 recap
Knicks draft recap
Rangers hockey
The Mets looked absolutely flat showing no signs of fight at all in them going down quietly in each inning.
The Mets are becoming painful to watch as of late. I don't know how longer they can tread water without Reyes,Delgado and Beltran. According to an entry in metsblog.com, the Mets are one of a few teams interested in the Royals' Mark Teahan. That would not be a bad pickup if the Mets do not have to give up much. The bottom line for the Mets is that they must do something to get another bat for this lineup. Maybe trade a pitcher or two that are expendable to get a bat. The Mets always can call up Nelson Figueroa if Tim Redding is included in a deal to get another hitter. Dillon Gee may be another option if the organization feels he is ready to step in. They are high on him but weather he is ready or not is the question there.
The Yankees have been looking better lately and their record is beginning to show it. Hopefully fr them, this start by Burnett will carry over for the rest of the season and he will begin to find consistency. That is a great 1-2 punch with CC Sabathia now beginning to look as advertized. The Yankees can be a very dangerous team for the rest of the year with those two firing on all cylinders.
Tonight Chien-Ming Wang pitches for the Yankees. He has been a concern all season long as his ERA has been awful as has his command. He has had to pitch better lately just to get his ERA to just over 12! It was over 34 at one point early in the year as everyone is aware of.
His opponent on the mound is Livan Hernandez. Livan needs to be as good as he has been all year to make sure the Mets stay in this game. The offense has not been able to manage much with they're 3 stars on the shelf. I think Mets pitching needs to limit the Yankees to 3 runs for the Mets to have any chance to win. Also, since what Wang will show is a toss up, the Mets absolutely need to cash in any opportunity they have with men in scoring position. The Yankees will take advantage if the Mets leave men on base. They're offense is very capable and will eventually score runs if they are left hanging around in a tight game.
What's on tap:
Subway series game 3 recap
Knicks draft recap
Rangers hockey
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mets come out flat in Game 1 of Subway Series
June 26-- Just 1 day after taking 3 of 4 from the Cardinals, the Mets put on a very poor performance against the Yankees. A terrible defensive 2nd inning led to 4 Yankees runs in what would be a 9-1 win for them. The Mets looked completely uninspired all night scoring only on a Gary Sheffield solo home run. Mike Peflrey looked as if he didn't have it again while the Mets could not solve CC Sabathia all night.
Things are really getting bad for the Mets as they are hanging on by a thread because the Phillies continue to lose at the same time. I this was not the case, the Mets might be 10 games back in the standings with a lot o work ahead of them (not as if that is not true none the less).
On the positive side for the Mets, the team is ravaged with injuries and things can only get better once Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and John Maine come back from their injuries (Oliver Perez is a toss up once he comes back). The Mets need to keep above water for the time being until they get healthy again. Hopefully they will be able to pick up seam with a full deck after the All-Star break.
Whats on tap:
Subway Series game 2
New York Knicks - NBA Draft*
NHL Draft - New York Rangers, New York Islanders*
* = by Monday
Things are really getting bad for the Mets as they are hanging on by a thread because the Phillies continue to lose at the same time. I this was not the case, the Mets might be 10 games back in the standings with a lot o work ahead of them (not as if that is not true none the less).
On the positive side for the Mets, the team is ravaged with injuries and things can only get better once Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and John Maine come back from their injuries (Oliver Perez is a toss up once he comes back). The Mets need to keep above water for the time being until they get healthy again. Hopefully they will be able to pick up seam with a full deck after the All-Star break.
Whats on tap:
Subway Series game 2
New York Knicks - NBA Draft*
NHL Draft - New York Rangers, New York Islanders*
* = by Monday
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mets win in a laugher over Cardinals
Last night, the Mets defeated the St.Louis Cardinals 11-0. This was a much needed laugher as things have not been coming easy for Jerry Manuel's team lately.
Offensively, Ryan Church had a big game, going 3-4 with 2 RBI's. Nick Evans, who had just been called up hit a 2 run homer in just his third at-bat of the season. He would add another hit later in the game. Fernando Tatis had a 3 RBI game and David Wright went 4-4.
Fernando Nieve pitched his third consecutive strong game. He went 6 innings allowing 3 hits and skruck out 5. His season ERA is new 1.31.
Nieve seems to be for real. While his stuff wasn't as good as it has been, he still managed to make the pitches he needed to to get outs. Things are definately going to be interesting once John Maine and Oliver Perez come back from their injuries. I think Perez should be the one to go into the bullpen for two reasons. He needs to prove that he can get outs and control his pitches. Second, Nieve is the hot hand right now and the Mets should keep sending him out there as long as he continues to perform at the high level that he is performing at now. Pat Misch and Elmer Dessens will likely be sent down to make room fr Perez and Maine. Tim Redding's status, is therefore up in the air. If he performs, maybe someone else goes down. That someone may be Bobby Parnell if his struggles continue.
Offensively, Ryan Church had a big game, going 3-4 with 2 RBI's. Nick Evans, who had just been called up hit a 2 run homer in just his third at-bat of the season. He would add another hit later in the game. Fernando Tatis had a 3 RBI game and David Wright went 4-4.
Fernando Nieve pitched his third consecutive strong game. He went 6 innings allowing 3 hits and skruck out 5. His season ERA is new 1.31.
Nieve seems to be for real. While his stuff wasn't as good as it has been, he still managed to make the pitches he needed to to get outs. Things are definately going to be interesting once John Maine and Oliver Perez come back from their injuries. I think Perez should be the one to go into the bullpen for two reasons. He needs to prove that he can get outs and control his pitches. Second, Nieve is the hot hand right now and the Mets should keep sending him out there as long as he continues to perform at the high level that he is performing at now. Pat Misch and Elmer Dessens will likely be sent down to make room fr Perez and Maine. Tim Redding's status, is therefore up in the air. If he performs, maybe someone else goes down. That someone may be Bobby Parnell if his struggles continue.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Mets split first two with Cardlinals
On Monday, the Mets saw Tim Redding throw his best game as a Met.His final line was 7 innings allowing 4 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 1. The Mets really need strong starting pitching now that Carlos Beltran has been added to the list of injured Mets. I can't remember the last time the entire core of the Mets offense was hurt at the same time. Fernando Martinez, who was recalled after the Beltran injury needs to get a few hits and get on track. He is definitely lacking confidence right now as he is not finding the same success in the majors as he did in the minors.
Omir Santos had a big night in game 1, collecting 4 hits. This was his first career 4 hit game. It was a good decision on Omar Minaya's part to keep him with the team and trade Ramon Castro. While I liked Castro, all Santos has done since becoming a Met is hit. He has had clutch hits on more than one occasion for this team. He also has shown to provide more than average defense behind the plate.
The turning point of game 1 was definitely Brian Stokes getting Albert Pujols to ground into an inning ending double play in the 8th. That was the big pitch that Mets pitchers have not been making on a consistent basis this season and it was great to watch someone get it done against, arguably, the game's best hitter.
Game 2 was different as the Mets were 2 hit by Joel Pineiro. Pineiro is one of those guys that always has had potential but has not always been able to put it all together. In game 2 he looked like a superstar. The Mets offense was completely fooled by everything Pineiro threw at them. Livan Hernandez was good as wll pitching 7 innings and only gave up 3 runs but it was not enough.
Luis castillo and Jeremy Reed got the 2 Mets hits in the game.
Omir Santos had a big night in game 1, collecting 4 hits. This was his first career 4 hit game. It was a good decision on Omar Minaya's part to keep him with the team and trade Ramon Castro. While I liked Castro, all Santos has done since becoming a Met is hit. He has had clutch hits on more than one occasion for this team. He also has shown to provide more than average defense behind the plate.
The turning point of game 1 was definitely Brian Stokes getting Albert Pujols to ground into an inning ending double play in the 8th. That was the big pitch that Mets pitchers have not been making on a consistent basis this season and it was great to watch someone get it done against, arguably, the game's best hitter.
Game 2 was different as the Mets were 2 hit by Joel Pineiro. Pineiro is one of those guys that always has had potential but has not always been able to put it all together. In game 2 he looked like a superstar. The Mets offense was completely fooled by everything Pineiro threw at them. Livan Hernandez was good as wll pitching 7 innings and only gave up 3 runs but it was not enough.
Luis castillo and Jeremy Reed got the 2 Mets hits in the game.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Struggling Yankees Drop 2 of 3 to Marlins / Big Day for BJ Upton/Rays take rubber game from Mets
6/21--Miam,FL. A late rally was not enough for the New York Yankees to get past the Florida Marlins. A solo home run in the 6th inning by Cody Ross off of Brett Tomko put the Marlins ahead in the game for good. This came after Hanley Ramirez' home run had tied the game in the previous inning.
The loss was a big blow to the Yankees as Josh Johnson looked dominant in game 2 of the series, a 2-1 Marlins win. The loss in game 3 made it four losses in the last five games - to the Nationals and Marlins.
Yankees starter CC Sabathia had to leave the game in the second inning due to tightness in his left biceps. He does, however, expect to make his next scheduled start. “It wasn’t a sharp pain or anything,” Sabathia said. “It just felt a little tight. It’s something I felt before, between starts or something. It’s nothing major (Source: Antonio Gonzalez, AP writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=Ar9p_eWGlf81OALErvmPzkM5nYcB?gid=290621128&prov=ap).”
Florida starter, Chirs Volstad, pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 1. The win was his 5th of the year. Matt Lindstrom closed the game to earn his 14th save.
Thoughts: For the Yankees, it seems like a normally potent offense needs to wake up and start producing like they know they can. Losing 4 of 5 to the Marlins and Nationals came as a complete shock as both of those teams are on the bottom of the NL east standings. While the Marlins do have a pretty good lineup, there is no excuse for the Yankees pitching staff to allow the Nationals to outscore them. Maybe a trade to sure up the 6th and 7th innings would be in their best interest. That still depends on who is out there as there is no reason to trade and not have it benefit the team.
6/21---Flushing,NY. BJ Upton went 4/6 with a home run and 4 RBIs as the Tampa Bay Rays won the rubber game from the struggling New York Mets.
Mets starter Mike Pelfrey seemed to be cruising along until an offensive explosion in the 5th inning gave the Rays the lead for good. He allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in his 5 innings of work. Bobby Parnell also continued to struggle, allowing 4 runs without retiring a batter in the 7th.
The Mets offensive star was Brian Schneider who hit his second 3 run homer in the last 2 games.
Thoughts: The Cardinals come into Citi Field for a 4 game series starting tonight. The Mets can ill afford to have streaky pitching against a team like St. Louis has. Any mistakes by Mets pitching will mst likely be jumped on by Albert Pujols and company. The Mets need to score runs against some of the more inexperienced Cardinals starters before running into Chris Carpenter in the series finale. Bottom line is the Mets need at least a series split to keep above water until hopefullt the team gets healthy again.
The loss was a big blow to the Yankees as Josh Johnson looked dominant in game 2 of the series, a 2-1 Marlins win. The loss in game 3 made it four losses in the last five games - to the Nationals and Marlins.
Yankees starter CC Sabathia had to leave the game in the second inning due to tightness in his left biceps. He does, however, expect to make his next scheduled start. “It wasn’t a sharp pain or anything,” Sabathia said. “It just felt a little tight. It’s something I felt before, between starts or something. It’s nothing major (Source: Antonio Gonzalez, AP writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=Ar9p_eWGlf81OALErvmPzkM5nYcB?gid=290621128&prov=ap).”
Florida starter, Chirs Volstad, pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 1. The win was his 5th of the year. Matt Lindstrom closed the game to earn his 14th save.
Thoughts: For the Yankees, it seems like a normally potent offense needs to wake up and start producing like they know they can. Losing 4 of 5 to the Marlins and Nationals came as a complete shock as both of those teams are on the bottom of the NL east standings. While the Marlins do have a pretty good lineup, there is no excuse for the Yankees pitching staff to allow the Nationals to outscore them. Maybe a trade to sure up the 6th and 7th innings would be in their best interest. That still depends on who is out there as there is no reason to trade and not have it benefit the team.
6/21---Flushing,NY. BJ Upton went 4/6 with a home run and 4 RBIs as the Tampa Bay Rays won the rubber game from the struggling New York Mets.
Mets starter Mike Pelfrey seemed to be cruising along until an offensive explosion in the 5th inning gave the Rays the lead for good. He allowed 4 runs on 8 hits in his 5 innings of work. Bobby Parnell also continued to struggle, allowing 4 runs without retiring a batter in the 7th.
The Mets offensive star was Brian Schneider who hit his second 3 run homer in the last 2 games.
Thoughts: The Cardinals come into Citi Field for a 4 game series starting tonight. The Mets can ill afford to have streaky pitching against a team like St. Louis has. Any mistakes by Mets pitching will mst likely be jumped on by Albert Pujols and company. The Mets need to score runs against some of the more inexperienced Cardinals starters before running into Chris Carpenter in the series finale. Bottom line is the Mets need at least a series split to keep above water until hopefullt the team gets healthy again.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Carlos Pena's home run lifts Rays over Mets
June 20--Flushing, NY. Johan Santana pitched like his usual self for the first time in his last three starts but it still was not enough. In the 7th inning, Rays first baseman Carlos Pena homered to break the 1-1 tie and that would be enough to win. Ben Zobrist added a solo shot of his own in the 9th to pad the lead. JP Howell pitched a perfect 9th for the save (4).
Santana ended up pitching 7.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 3. After a rain delay he gave way to Bobby Parnell. “Last game was just a bad game. We weren’t aggressive, we weren’t locating pitches the way they’re supposed to be located. We made some adjustments,” Santana said. “The release point, I think that was the difference (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Baseball Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290620121).”
Two doubles by Ryan Church and Omir Santos accounted for the Mets lone run.
Thoughts: It was very encouraging to see Johan Santana pitch well after the last two games he pitched were bad. The last game of the Yankees series was painful to watch. I don't remember the last time Santana gave up anywhere near 9 runs like he gave up to the Yankees.
Bobby Parnell was lifted again without retiring a batter. Maybe he needs to relax and pitch in some less stressful situations so that he can right himself again. Sean Green looks like a completely different pitcher these days than the one that constantly was booed at Citi Field early in the year. It is important for every pitching staff to have a reliable back of the bullpen which Green has proven to be recently. Hopefully this will keep up for the long term. Pedro feliciano has been just as effective against lefties. His only hicup came the other day. He and Green seem to be to go to combination leading up t K-Rod for Jerry Manuel's team.
It is also good to see Ryan Church beginnig to hit again. Especially with Reyes and Delgado on the shelf, it is important for players like Church to be able to contribute on a daily basis.
Overall, the Mets have been an inconsistant team lately. Yes it is partly due to the depleted lineup but it is also due players not always stepping up and the starting pitching bieng inconsistant. Maybe a minor trade for a bat is necessary. The Mets can ill afford to fall any farther behind the Phillies. As we have seen over the last few seasons, every game means something for this team. The injury to Phillies OF Raul Ibanez (who has having some kind of year at age 37) could be a window of opportunity that the Mets need to take full advantage of.
Finally, Fernando Nieve has been a very pleasant surprise. 3 runs over 2 starts and a relief appearance (2.08 ERA) has been more than anyone could expect from Nieve. Hopefully Nieve dosn't turn into another Alay Soler and run ut of steam after 5 or so starts. With John Maine on the DL, hopefully Nieve continues to produce. It will only be a help to the Mets.
Santana ended up pitching 7.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 3. After a rain delay he gave way to Bobby Parnell. “Last game was just a bad game. We weren’t aggressive, we weren’t locating pitches the way they’re supposed to be located. We made some adjustments,” Santana said. “The release point, I think that was the difference (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Baseball Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290620121).”
Two doubles by Ryan Church and Omir Santos accounted for the Mets lone run.
Thoughts: It was very encouraging to see Johan Santana pitch well after the last two games he pitched were bad. The last game of the Yankees series was painful to watch. I don't remember the last time Santana gave up anywhere near 9 runs like he gave up to the Yankees.
Bobby Parnell was lifted again without retiring a batter. Maybe he needs to relax and pitch in some less stressful situations so that he can right himself again. Sean Green looks like a completely different pitcher these days than the one that constantly was booed at Citi Field early in the year. It is important for every pitching staff to have a reliable back of the bullpen which Green has proven to be recently. Hopefully this will keep up for the long term. Pedro feliciano has been just as effective against lefties. His only hicup came the other day. He and Green seem to be to go to combination leading up t K-Rod for Jerry Manuel's team.
It is also good to see Ryan Church beginnig to hit again. Especially with Reyes and Delgado on the shelf, it is important for players like Church to be able to contribute on a daily basis.
Overall, the Mets have been an inconsistant team lately. Yes it is partly due to the depleted lineup but it is also due players not always stepping up and the starting pitching bieng inconsistant. Maybe a minor trade for a bat is necessary. The Mets can ill afford to fall any farther behind the Phillies. As we have seen over the last few seasons, every game means something for this team. The injury to Phillies OF Raul Ibanez (who has having some kind of year at age 37) could be a window of opportunity that the Mets need to take full advantage of.
Finally, Fernando Nieve has been a very pleasant surprise. 3 runs over 2 starts and a relief appearance (2.08 ERA) has been more than anyone could expect from Nieve. Hopefully Nieve dosn't turn into another Alay Soler and run ut of steam after 5 or so starts. With John Maine on the DL, hopefully Nieve continues to produce. It will only be a help to the Mets.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Another solid start from Nieve/Schneider's home run lead Mets over Rays / Yankees defeat Marlins behind good pitching from Pettite
6/19--Flushing, NY. Fernando Nieve turned in his second straight good start to lead the Mets over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. The Mets also got power from a rare source in Brian Schneider as his 3 run home run in the second inning helped the Mets in the victory.
Nieve has only allowed three runs to cross the plate in his two starts and 1 relief appearance this season. The first start came against the Yankees who are the league's highest scoring team. “Oh, it’s been a tremendous surprise. Obviously, a pleasant one. His history wouldn’t have indicated he would be this good,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Sports Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290619121). Nieve ended up going 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 3. “Here I feel more confident in all my pitches,” Nieve said. “I want to show them that I can be in the rotation (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Sports Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290619121)."
David Wright and Ryan Church contributed the Mets 2 other RBI's and Daniel Murphy had 3 hits in the game.
Carlos Pena had 1 RBI and BJ Upton had 2 RB's in the first meeting between the Mets and Rays in 8 years (2001).
Tampa starter Andy Sonnastine was mediocre again in a season to forget so far. He went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5 and walking 2.
Sean Green pitched a scoreless 8th that included getting into and out of a jam (thanks to a great catch by Luis Castillo) and Francisco Rodriguz redeemed himself with a scoreless 9th to record his 18th save.
6/19 --Miami, Florida. Even without A-Rod (fatigue), the Yankees were able to defeat the Florida Marlins 5-1 behind starter Andy Pettite. Said Pettite “They hit a couple balls tonight that would have been home runs probably at Yankee Stadium,” Pettitte said. “So instead of giving up one run, I might have given up three or four tonight at home (Source: Antonio Gonzalez, AP - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AiGgY5LwStMDdmQsEI0MluE5nYcB?gid=290619128&prov=ap).”
Pettite went 7 innings allowing 1 run and 3 hits. Pettite struck out 7 and did not walk a batter. The only blemish in hot outing was a 3rd inning home run by Cody Ross. He even contributed with the bat, collecting an RBI double in the second inning. Brian Bruney and Brett Tomko each pitched 1 scoreless inning of relief behind Pettite.
Th other 4 runs were driven in by Jorge Posada, Angel Berroa, Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera. Cabrera's came on a solo home run in the 3rd inning.
Florida starter Sean West had his evening cut short after 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 10 hits. He did strike out 7 and walked 2. By the 5th inning, every Yankes starter had at least 1 hit. Renyel Pinto, Brian Sanches, Dan Meyer and Matt Lindstrom each pitched scoreless baseball behind West.
Derek Jeter's leadoff double in the first tied Babe Ruth for fourth most doubles in Yankees history with 423.
Nieve has only allowed three runs to cross the plate in his two starts and 1 relief appearance this season. The first start came against the Yankees who are the league's highest scoring team. “Oh, it’s been a tremendous surprise. Obviously, a pleasant one. His history wouldn’t have indicated he would be this good,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Sports Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290619121). Nieve ended up going 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 3. “Here I feel more confident in all my pitches,” Nieve said. “I want to show them that I can be in the rotation (Source: Mike Fitzpatrick, AP Sports Writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290619121)."
David Wright and Ryan Church contributed the Mets 2 other RBI's and Daniel Murphy had 3 hits in the game.
Carlos Pena had 1 RBI and BJ Upton had 2 RB's in the first meeting between the Mets and Rays in 8 years (2001).
Tampa starter Andy Sonnastine was mediocre again in a season to forget so far. He went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 5 and walking 2.
Sean Green pitched a scoreless 8th that included getting into and out of a jam (thanks to a great catch by Luis Castillo) and Francisco Rodriguz redeemed himself with a scoreless 9th to record his 18th save.
6/19 --Miami, Florida. Even without A-Rod (fatigue), the Yankees were able to defeat the Florida Marlins 5-1 behind starter Andy Pettite. Said Pettite “They hit a couple balls tonight that would have been home runs probably at Yankee Stadium,” Pettitte said. “So instead of giving up one run, I might have given up three or four tonight at home (Source: Antonio Gonzalez, AP - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_ylt=AiGgY5LwStMDdmQsEI0MluE5nYcB?gid=290619128&prov=ap).”
Pettite went 7 innings allowing 1 run and 3 hits. Pettite struck out 7 and did not walk a batter. The only blemish in hot outing was a 3rd inning home run by Cody Ross. He even contributed with the bat, collecting an RBI double in the second inning. Brian Bruney and Brett Tomko each pitched 1 scoreless inning of relief behind Pettite.
Th other 4 runs were driven in by Jorge Posada, Angel Berroa, Johnny Damon and Melky Cabrera. Cabrera's came on a solo home run in the 3rd inning.
Florida starter Sean West had his evening cut short after 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 10 hits. He did strike out 7 and walked 2. By the 5th inning, every Yankes starter had at least 1 hit. Renyel Pinto, Brian Sanches, Dan Meyer and Matt Lindstrom each pitched scoreless baseball behind West.
Derek Jeter's leadoff double in the first tied Babe Ruth for fourth most doubles in Yankees history with 423.
Friday, June 19, 2009
K-Rod has rare bad performance, Orioles rally to beat Mets in 9th / Stammen, Nationals shut out Yankees
6/18--Baltimore, MD. Francisco Rodriguez did not have his best stuff tonight and the Baltimore Orioles were able to rally for 2 runs in the 9th to defeat the New York Mets 5-4. Matt Weiters led off the inning with a double and was lifted for pinch runner Felix Pie. Nolan Reimold came up next as a pinch hitter for SS Robert Andino and drew a walk. The next batter was Brian Roberts. He bunted and catcher Omir Santos elected to throw to third but it was not in time, loading the bases for Adam Jones who walked in the tying run.The next batter was Nick Markakis. Carlos Beltran then came in to be a "5th infielder" in case of a ground ball that was unreachable for second baseman Luis Castillo. Rodriguez was able to strike Markakis out to birng up the hero, Aubrey Huff. Beltran was sent back to play his normal center field position but it would make no difference where he stood as Huff singled giving the O's a 5-4 win. Said Rodriguez “It was awful. I didn’t get the job done,” he said. “I’m a human being. Unfortunately, days like this are going to happen. It happened to me and I’ve just got to move on.” (Source: David Ginsburg, AP sports writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290618101)
All of this came after a 7th inning in which both Daniel Murphy and Carlos Beltran each singled home runs giving the Mets a 4-2 lead.
Mets starter, Livan Hernandez was very good allowing only 2 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1. Despite his team letting him down, Hernandez remains unbeaten since April 23rd.
Orioles starter Jason Berken pitched well in his 6.2 innings of work. He allowed 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8 and walking only 1. He stared to weaken in the 6th and 7th when he allowed the tying runs to score and the lead runs to get on base before bieng replace by Danys Baez with 2 outs in the 7th.
6/18--Bronx, NY. After a 5 1/2 hour rain delay, the Washington Nationals shut out the New York Yankees 3-0 behind Craig Stammen who got his first major league victory. This was also the first game at new Yankee Stadium in which no home runs were hit.
The Nationals were led by Ryan Zimmerman's 3 hits and slick fielding to give them they're first 2 game win streak since they had a 3 game streak from May 7-9. They also became the last team in the majors to record a shutout as Stammen, Ron Villone, Julian Tavarez, Joe Beimel and Mike MacDougal (second save) combined on the effort.
Starter Stammen went 6.1 innings allowing 6 hits, striking out 2 while not walking a batter.
Adam Dunn, Wil Nieves and Ryan Zimerman drove in the Nationals runs. They were numbers 47, 10 and 43 respectively. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher led the Yankees with 2 hits each. 7 Yankees were left on base in the game.
Whats on tap:
Mets vs Rays
Yankees vs Marlins
All of this came after a 7th inning in which both Daniel Murphy and Carlos Beltran each singled home runs giving the Mets a 4-2 lead.
Mets starter, Livan Hernandez was very good allowing only 2 runs on 8 hits over 7 innings. He struck out 4 and walked 1. Despite his team letting him down, Hernandez remains unbeaten since April 23rd.
Orioles starter Jason Berken pitched well in his 6.2 innings of work. He allowed 4 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8 and walking only 1. He stared to weaken in the 6th and 7th when he allowed the tying runs to score and the lead runs to get on base before bieng replace by Danys Baez with 2 outs in the 7th.
6/18--Bronx, NY. After a 5 1/2 hour rain delay, the Washington Nationals shut out the New York Yankees 3-0 behind Craig Stammen who got his first major league victory. This was also the first game at new Yankee Stadium in which no home runs were hit.
The Nationals were led by Ryan Zimmerman's 3 hits and slick fielding to give them they're first 2 game win streak since they had a 3 game streak from May 7-9. They also became the last team in the majors to record a shutout as Stammen, Ron Villone, Julian Tavarez, Joe Beimel and Mike MacDougal (second save) combined on the effort.
Starter Stammen went 6.1 innings allowing 6 hits, striking out 2 while not walking a batter.
Adam Dunn, Wil Nieves and Ryan Zimerman drove in the Nationals runs. They were numbers 47, 10 and 43 respectively. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher led the Yankees with 2 hits each. 7 Yankees were left on base in the game.
Whats on tap:
Mets vs Rays
Yankees vs Marlins
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Huff's home run leads Orioles to victory over Mets
6/17---Baltimore, MD.Pedro Feliciano has been pitching exceedingly well as of late. He has not given up any runs in 29 of his 33 appearances this season before play began. Coming into the game u with one out in the seventh, Nick Markakis greeted Feliciano rudely with a single. The next batter was Aubrey Huff. He proceeded to deposit a cutter that caught too much of the plate over the right field fence to give the Orioles a 6-4 lead that would prove to be the final score. "I hung it inside," Feliciano said. "He had a good swing." (Source: Anthony DiComo, mlb.com -http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090617&content_id=5373180&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym ) George Sherill pitched a perfect ninth for his 13th save of the season.
Mets starter Tim Redding went 5.1 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 2 and walked 4. O's starter Koji Uehara went 5 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 5 and didn't walk a batter.
In the game Orioles rookie Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run in the 2nd inning.
Whats on tap:
Weekend baseball report will be up on either Sunday night or Monday morning.
Ring of Honor on HD Net from 6/20
Mets starter Tim Redding went 5.1 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 2 and walked 4. O's starter Koji Uehara went 5 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits. He struck out 5 and didn't walk a batter.
In the game Orioles rookie Matt Wieters hit his first major league home run in the 2nd inning.
Whats on tap:
Weekend baseball report will be up on either Sunday night or Monday morning.
Ring of Honor on HD Net from 6/20
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Strong outing for Pelfrey as Mets defeat O's / Cano/Sabathia lead Yanks past Nats
6/16--Mike Pelfrey hadn't won in his last 5 decisions before last night's 6-4 win at Camden Yards. Pelfrey went 5.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2 to improve his season record to 5-2. Pelfrey's velocity increased over the course of his outing as his fastball was able to max out at 94mph in the 5th inning.
The Mets got their big break offensively in the 4th inning which also saw the Orioles play some bad defense. Fernando Martinez lead off with a walk that was followed by a Brian Roberts error that allowed Carlos beltran to reach safely.Wright then singled Martinez home and Beltran was able to advance to third on on a bad throw from the outfeild. Ryan Church came up next and singled Beltran home and then Gary Sheffield singled to load the bases. The next batter, Daniel Murphy, hit a sac fly and Brian Schneider singled home the Mets fourth run of th inning before Louis Castillo grounded into a double play.
The Orioles made it 4-2 in the 6th inning with a Nick Markakis home run with Adam Jones singling before him. In the 7th the Mets were able to plate two more due to more poor defensive play by the O's, with Alberto Castillo having replaced Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. Two singles by Alex Cora and Fernando Martinez chased Castillo from the game and h was replaced by Danys Baez. A David Wright pop up was dropped by first baseman Aubrey Huff leading to two Mets runs scoring.
In the 9th, the Orioles tried getting the game tied by getting the first two men on against Bobby Parnell. Francisco Redriguez came into the game next and the Orioles could only manage 2 more runs before K-Rod closed the door for his 17th save in 18 trys.
Jeremy Guthrie ptceh farily well for the O's. Of the 5 runs he gave up in 6.1 innings, only 3 were earned. He struck out 4 and walked 2.
The combination of Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano continued they're fine pitching that they have been doing of late. Green went 1.2 innings and Feliciano 0.2 allowing nothing in they're combined efforts. Green continues to improve,looking nothing like he did when he struggled mightliy from May until this recent hot streak.
6/13 -- Bronx, NY. The Yankees were able to get another strong outing from ace CC sabathia as they defeated the lowly Washington Nationals 5-3. Sabathia pitched a strong 7.2 innings while striking out 2 and walking 1. The only hiccup in his outing was a 5th inning 3 run home run off the bat of Anderson Hernandez who is not known for his power.
The New York runs came on RBIs by Mark Taxiera, Melky Cabrera, Ramiro Pena and 2 from Robinson Cano, his 40th and 41st of the year.
Sabathia was able to keep his team in the game after the Hernandez home run until the offense was able to tie and eventually get the lead. Mariano Rovera cam on in the 9th to get his 15th save.
Nat's starter Shairon Martis was solid, keeping his team in the game during his 6 innings on the mound. Martis' problem was 5 walks which shortened the length of his outing. “His sinker was working real good but he started a little up and that’s why he threw so many pitches,” catcher Wil Nieves said of Martis. “His sinker was moving so good it was running away from the corner.” (Source: Jay Cohen, AP sports writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290616110)
The Mets got their big break offensively in the 4th inning which also saw the Orioles play some bad defense. Fernando Martinez lead off with a walk that was followed by a Brian Roberts error that allowed Carlos beltran to reach safely.Wright then singled Martinez home and Beltran was able to advance to third on on a bad throw from the outfeild. Ryan Church came up next and singled Beltran home and then Gary Sheffield singled to load the bases. The next batter, Daniel Murphy, hit a sac fly and Brian Schneider singled home the Mets fourth run of th inning before Louis Castillo grounded into a double play.
The Orioles made it 4-2 in the 6th inning with a Nick Markakis home run with Adam Jones singling before him. In the 7th the Mets were able to plate two more due to more poor defensive play by the O's, with Alberto Castillo having replaced Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. Two singles by Alex Cora and Fernando Martinez chased Castillo from the game and h was replaced by Danys Baez. A David Wright pop up was dropped by first baseman Aubrey Huff leading to two Mets runs scoring.
In the 9th, the Orioles tried getting the game tied by getting the first two men on against Bobby Parnell. Francisco Redriguez came into the game next and the Orioles could only manage 2 more runs before K-Rod closed the door for his 17th save in 18 trys.
Jeremy Guthrie ptceh farily well for the O's. Of the 5 runs he gave up in 6.1 innings, only 3 were earned. He struck out 4 and walked 2.
The combination of Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano continued they're fine pitching that they have been doing of late. Green went 1.2 innings and Feliciano 0.2 allowing nothing in they're combined efforts. Green continues to improve,looking nothing like he did when he struggled mightliy from May until this recent hot streak.
6/13 -- Bronx, NY. The Yankees were able to get another strong outing from ace CC sabathia as they defeated the lowly Washington Nationals 5-3. Sabathia pitched a strong 7.2 innings while striking out 2 and walking 1. The only hiccup in his outing was a 5th inning 3 run home run off the bat of Anderson Hernandez who is not known for his power.
The New York runs came on RBIs by Mark Taxiera, Melky Cabrera, Ramiro Pena and 2 from Robinson Cano, his 40th and 41st of the year.
Sabathia was able to keep his team in the game after the Hernandez home run until the offense was able to tie and eventually get the lead. Mariano Rovera cam on in the 9th to get his 15th save.
Nat's starter Shairon Martis was solid, keeping his team in the game during his 6 innings on the mound. Martis' problem was 5 walks which shortened the length of his outing. “His sinker was working real good but he started a little up and that’s why he threw so many pitches,” catcher Wil Nieves said of Martis. “His sinker was moving so good it was running away from the corner.” (Source: Jay Cohen, AP sports writer - http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290616110)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Yankees take rubber game of Subway Series in 15-0 rout of Mets
There's not too much to talk about regarding this one. Johan Santana had a rare awful start, giving up 9 runs in 3 innings. The Mets offense was unable to do anything against AJ Burnett and the Yankees bullpen. Below is the link to the Yahoo coverage of the game where there is more information.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290614110
Whats on tap:
Ring of Honor on HD Net from 6/13 (either later tonight or tomorrow).
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290614110
Whats on tap:
Ring of Honor on HD Net from 6/13 (either later tonight or tomorrow).
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mets rebound to take game 2 of the Subway Series
6/13- After Friday's embarrassing loss in the Bronx, the Mets were able to come back to win game 2 behind Fernando Nieve. Because of the Ring of Honor event last night I was unable to watch the entire game. From what I did see and what I heard, Nieve pitched a very strong game, limiting the Yankees to 2 runs on 4 hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out 2 and only walked 2 in his outing. From there, Sean Green was impressive again as he continues to improve going 1.1 innings allowing 1 hit and striking out 1 in the game. Francisco Rodriguez pitched next and closed the door on the 6-2 Mets win.
Offensively the Mets did what they had to do. Catcher Omir Santos got things started by collecting 2 of his 3 RBIs (21) with a second inning home run. Gary Sheffield also homered, his seventh, for one of his 2 RBI's (24) in the game. The other RBI came from first baseman Fernando Tatis (13).
The Yankees would only get a solo home run from Alex Rodriguez (9, 26th RBI) and an RBI hit from Derek Jeter (28). Starting pitcher, Andy Pettite (6-3) did not pitch his best game. He allowed 5 runs on 12 hits in 5 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 1.
Today's game is the rubber match in the Yankee Stadium pottion of the season series as Johan Santana (8-3, 2.39 ERA) gets the start for the Mets to be opposed by A.J. Burnett (4-3, 4.89 ERA) for the Yankees.
Offensively the Mets did what they had to do. Catcher Omir Santos got things started by collecting 2 of his 3 RBIs (21) with a second inning home run. Gary Sheffield also homered, his seventh, for one of his 2 RBI's (24) in the game. The other RBI came from first baseman Fernando Tatis (13).
The Yankees would only get a solo home run from Alex Rodriguez (9, 26th RBI) and an RBI hit from Derek Jeter (28). Starting pitcher, Andy Pettite (6-3) did not pitch his best game. He allowed 5 runs on 12 hits in 5 innings. He struck out 3 and walked 1.
Today's game is the rubber match in the Yankee Stadium pottion of the season series as Johan Santana (8-3, 2.39 ERA) gets the start for the Mets to be opposed by A.J. Burnett (4-3, 4.89 ERA) for the Yankees.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Castillo's error causes the Mets to Let Another One Get Away
6/12 - Luis Castillo's dropping of Alex Rodriguez' pop up in the bottom of the 9th sealed the Mets' fate in what would have been a great win had the ball been caught. All Francisco Rodriguez could do from the mound is hold his head in agony as two Yankees runs crossed the plate. This was K-Rod's firs blown save of the year-hardly his fault at all. Yes, he made things interesting by allowing two runners to reach base but A-Rod's pop up should have ended it. It was a play that major league players should make - no excuses. The Mets are now 4 games behind division leading Philadelphia and can hardly afford to lose more games in this fashion, especially with all of the injuries that have plagued the team this year. All they can do now is try to put this loss past them and hope that Fernando Nieve can give them a good start today and the offense is able to score behind him. Right now the Mets need their complementary players to really pick up some of the slack in the abscence of Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado. They are counting on guys such as Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis and rookie Fernando Martinez to take some of the pressure off of David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Gary Sheffield.
For the Yankees, the hope is that veteran Andy Pettite shows that he is as effective against the Mets as he has been in the past and that the offense finds a way to jump on the inexperienced Nieve early in the game and make the Mets go into the bullpen early.
Last night's starters did not have their best showings of the season. Joba chamberlain pitched 4 innings giving up 2 earned runs while walking 5 and striking out 3. For most of the game, the Mets made him throw a lot of pitches and walk in 2 Mets runs. The 2 runs given up came in the 3rd inning where he did not have good command at all. He also had trouble agreeing with catcher Jorge Posada on the signs in the inning which led to more trouble for Joba.
Livan Hernandez ended his night giving up 6 earned runs in 5.1 innings while walking 1 and striking out 1. He left th ball up in the strike zone for most of the night that led to most of his outs bieng recorded on fly balls as well ask 3 Yankees home runs.
The Mets were able to score 4 runs in 0.2 inning off of reliever Brett Tomko who did not have good command at all in his outing. After Tomko left the combinatio of Dave Robertson and Phil Coke were able to limit the Mets to just one run. Robertson had the best outing of all Yankees relievers of the night. Mariano Rivera came in and gave up a rare run on a David Wright RBI double. Rivera was asked to pitch in a very unsual spot for him in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
For the Mets, Jon Switzer was the first man out of the bullpen making his Mets debut. He was promptly greeted by a Hdeki Matsui 3-run homer. The next two relievers, Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano were very effective over the next two innings. Green is pitching his best right now and has shown improvement after a slow start to his season. Francisco Rodriguez came on in the 9th inning with a perfect 16 for 16 record in save chances this yea but it was not to be this time a he watched in horror as Castillo dropped a routine fly ball and that was the end for the Mets on this night.
Again, the Mets deserved a better fate considering the good offensive night they had and the resiliance they showed. Both Carlos Beltran and David Wright contributed 1 RBI each and Ryan Church had his best offensive night in awhile driving in 3 runs including 2 on a double in the 5th inning. Gary Sheffield contributed a 2-run home run as well as the Mets scored 8 runs, one of their best totals ths season. The defense once again let them down and now all they can do is brush themselves off and hope to get wins behind Nieve and the consistant Johan Santana over the weekend.
-M.R.
Whats on tap for tomorrow:
Subway Series game 2
For the Yankees, the hope is that veteran Andy Pettite shows that he is as effective against the Mets as he has been in the past and that the offense finds a way to jump on the inexperienced Nieve early in the game and make the Mets go into the bullpen early.
Last night's starters did not have their best showings of the season. Joba chamberlain pitched 4 innings giving up 2 earned runs while walking 5 and striking out 3. For most of the game, the Mets made him throw a lot of pitches and walk in 2 Mets runs. The 2 runs given up came in the 3rd inning where he did not have good command at all. He also had trouble agreeing with catcher Jorge Posada on the signs in the inning which led to more trouble for Joba.
Livan Hernandez ended his night giving up 6 earned runs in 5.1 innings while walking 1 and striking out 1. He left th ball up in the strike zone for most of the night that led to most of his outs bieng recorded on fly balls as well ask 3 Yankees home runs.
The Mets were able to score 4 runs in 0.2 inning off of reliever Brett Tomko who did not have good command at all in his outing. After Tomko left the combinatio of Dave Robertson and Phil Coke were able to limit the Mets to just one run. Robertson had the best outing of all Yankees relievers of the night. Mariano Rivera came in and gave up a rare run on a David Wright RBI double. Rivera was asked to pitch in a very unsual spot for him in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
For the Mets, Jon Switzer was the first man out of the bullpen making his Mets debut. He was promptly greeted by a Hdeki Matsui 3-run homer. The next two relievers, Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano were very effective over the next two innings. Green is pitching his best right now and has shown improvement after a slow start to his season. Francisco Rodriguez came on in the 9th inning with a perfect 16 for 16 record in save chances this yea but it was not to be this time a he watched in horror as Castillo dropped a routine fly ball and that was the end for the Mets on this night.
Again, the Mets deserved a better fate considering the good offensive night they had and the resiliance they showed. Both Carlos Beltran and David Wright contributed 1 RBI each and Ryan Church had his best offensive night in awhile driving in 3 runs including 2 on a double in the 5th inning. Gary Sheffield contributed a 2-run home run as well as the Mets scored 8 runs, one of their best totals ths season. The defense once again let them down and now all they can do is brush themselves off and hope to get wins behind Nieve and the consistant Johan Santana over the weekend.
-M.R.
Whats on tap for tomorrow:
Subway Series game 2
Friday, June 12, 2009
Introduction:What this blog will cover
This blog is going to be a forum to discuss topics in NY sports and independent wrestling. Some things that will be covered are reviews of each game, big discussion topics of the day or week (whenever things come up), rumors, general opinions and suggestions
Regardless of my rooting interests, I am going to keep this blog as impartial as I can. That way fans of every team can get something more than hearing me rant out of this. That dosn't mean I won't point out the fact that a team or player(s) are not doing well at any particular time.
I want this blog to be a place where New York sports fans can have good discussions about anything regarding these topics. These are two things I enjoy talking about and like sharing with people that enjy them as much as I do.
As far as rules or etiquette goes, just remember to respect each other and each other's opinions. That's not much to ask and should be pretty simple to follow. If for some reason you can't follow this simple rule, find somewhere else to go that will tolerate your bullshit.
One last thing, since I do have rooting interests (as all fans do) I will be getting help from freinds who do not root for the same teams to share opinions of the teams and their games in my stead. Hopefully I can get enough coverage of the teams I do not root for so that this blog can discuss each team is evenly as possible. If I have any trouble with this, I will see what I can do about it in the future.
-Mike
Tomorrow's agenda: Subway Series game 1 coverage
Regardless of my rooting interests, I am going to keep this blog as impartial as I can. That way fans of every team can get something more than hearing me rant out of this. That dosn't mean I won't point out the fact that a team or player(s) are not doing well at any particular time.
I want this blog to be a place where New York sports fans can have good discussions about anything regarding these topics. These are two things I enjoy talking about and like sharing with people that enjy them as much as I do.
As far as rules or etiquette goes, just remember to respect each other and each other's opinions. That's not much to ask and should be pretty simple to follow. If for some reason you can't follow this simple rule, find somewhere else to go that will tolerate your bullshit.
One last thing, since I do have rooting interests (as all fans do) I will be getting help from freinds who do not root for the same teams to share opinions of the teams and their games in my stead. Hopefully I can get enough coverage of the teams I do not root for so that this blog can discuss each team is evenly as possible. If I have any trouble with this, I will see what I can do about it in the future.
-Mike
Tomorrow's agenda: Subway Series game 1 coverage
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