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)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)