Mets Blogs
Health: Castillo has Quad Discomfort
Luis Castillo left today’s game after the fifth inning with what the team called ‘left-quad discomfort.’
postGame: Mets 8 Reds 3
The Mets (19–16) defeated the Reds (15–23) by the score of 8 to 3 today in Shea Stadium.
For a full recap and stats, read SNY’s Boxscore.
- In the first inning, Luis Castillo drove in Jose Reyes with an RBI triple. For those who do not know, I had ACL surgery on each of my knees – when Castillo runs, he makes my knees hurt. Castillo’s RBI triple was followed by an RBI single from Carlos Beltran, which was followed by an RBI single from Moises Alou. I love it when these guys strong together hits and runs, and do not let the inning die.
- Actually, the Mets looked to be taking very short, controlled, swings and going with the pitches against Reds RHP Johnny Cueto to, who throws very, very hard.
- Oliver Perez was in command today, throwing strikes with attitude. He cruised through the first five innings, but let his wheels come off, Ollie-style, in the sixth, complete with a walk and a wild pitch. Otherwise, he looked good today. The thing is, this is exactly what Billy Wagner was referring to a week or so ago – keep it together, Oliver, and maybe you get in to the next inning or so, and keep the lid on the bullpen. Oh well.
- The key, though, was the Mets coming back in the next at bat, after having their lead trimmed to three, only to get back-to-back, two-out, RBI singles by Damion Easley and David Wright.
- Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado are hot, going 10 for 21 in the three game series against the Reds.
- Ryan Church can play defense with the flu, just as well as when he doesn’t have the flu.
- Hats off to Perez, who also gets a game ball, for stealing second base and putting himself in to scoring position with two outs and Castillo at the plate. Perez did not score, but, I mean, go for it, why not. Good call, Willie.
- Question: Why are the umpires seemingly always confused by the rule book - as they were in the ninth, when the Reds hit out of order. Get it together, gentlemen. I mean, you’re the ump for pete’s sake. I would discuss this n more detail, or point out Willie calling on it too early, but a) it had no impact on the game, b) it happens once in a lifetime, and b) I’m not that smart.
- It’s hard to believe, as a baseball fan who grew up watching the game through much of the 1990s, but Ken Griffey Jr. is old and slow…which is sad…but such is life.
- Nice job by Pedro Feliciano, Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Smith for pitching three scoreless innings in relief.
The Mets start a three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium tomorrow.
Jets Night reset for July 8
A press release from the Mets ...
The Mets and Jets today announced the rescheduling of "Jets Night at Shea" to Tuesday, July 8, before the Mets host the San Francisco Giants at 7:10 p.m.
Lineups ready for Reds finale
The Mets try to salvage a home series against the last-place Reds today, and they will have to do it with the help of Oliver Perez. Which Ollie will show up today? With Perez, you just never know.
Mets coverage in today's Post
That little thing called consistency remains a very big issue for the Mets, who just can't seem to put a hot streak together. Just when it seemed they might be on to something -- scoring 12 runs in back-to-back wins -- they get shut down by Bronson Arroyo (pictured) in the second game of a doubleheader split with the last-place Reds. Is this team even capable of getting hot? They had better learn if Willie Randolph wants to save his job.
BREAKING NEWS: Delgado's agent is insane
Open Thread - Game 35: Mets vs. Reds
Discussion starter: If the Mets could sign Oliver Perez to a five-year, $65 million deal right now, would you do it?
Get your pink caps on
preGame: Mets vs Reds (Game Three)
The Game:
The Mets (18-16) look to take the rubber match of their three-game series versus the Reds (15-22) today at Shea Stadium, starting at 1:10 pm.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Brian Schneider
- P Oliver Perez
The Pitchers:
LHP Oliver Perez (2-3, 4.63 ERA) starts for the Mets. Perez earned a loss in his last start on May 5 versus the Dodgers allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out over 6.0 IP. Opponents are hitting .214 (6-for-28) against Perez with RISP. He is 8-3 with a 4.06 ERA in 16 career starts versus the Reds.
RHP Johnny Cueto (2-3, 5.27 ERA) takes the hill for the Reds. Cueto allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight through 6.0 IP in a win during his last start on May 5 versus the Cubs. In 41.0 IP this season, Cueto has struck out 41 and walked just eight batters. This is first career starts versus the Mets.
Notes:
Brandon Phillips is batting .397 with 4 HR and 19 RBI in his career versus the Mets. He is 3-for-8 (.375) versus Perez in his career.
Joey Votto is batting .367 (11-for-30) with 3 HR and 10 RBI versus left-handed pitching this season.
The Reds are 12-0 when leading after the seventh inning this season.
Carlos Beltran is batting .350 (7-for-20) in his last seven games. He is batting .259 with 1 HR and 3 RBI versus right-haned pitchers this season.
The Mets are 4-1 in rubber games of series this season.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on CW11 and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…happy mother’s day, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Happy Mother's Day
Here's wishing all you moms out there a Happy Mothers Day. Also, to all you guys out there, call her before first pitch.
My mom was a Little League mom. She drove me to all my games. Watched all mine and my brother's, too. I remember my first home run in Little League. I was rounding second and heading for third when I looked up caught her jumping up and down and yelling, ``Ruuuuuuuuuun!!!!!!!!!''
A nice moment. She passed in 1995, but I still think about that from time to time.
If you have a moment you'd like to share about your mom. Or, if nothing else tell us your favorite TV mom. Check out the poll.
Video: Post Game Extra for May 11
To watch yesterday’s exclusive Post Game Extra from SNY.tv, hosted by Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, including hilights and quotes from both of yesterday’s games:
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Coleman's Corner: Get Back On The Schneid
Santana gets himself out of a jam
Mets' pop goes flat
Waiting for Pelfrey
It wouldn't be prudent to pick on Pelfrey, for he authored the 2008 Mets equivalent of a masterpiece in the night half of the Saturday doubleheader: six innings, 106 pitches, two runs. It was encouraging that he squirmed out of trouble in the first (on the radio, Wayne and Eddie noted Ramon Castro darted to the mound to talk him through his troubles, an area where Raul Casanova hadn't been asserting himself) and that he settled into an effective enough groove against a hot-hitting lineup that sure knows how to work counts. This loss was not Pelfrey's by any means. The win, despite the unraveling that sucked the competitive air out of the eighth and ninth, was all Arroyo's. He mastered the Mets, and not for the first time.
Pelfrey, though...is it impatient to note that Mike Pelfrey just started his 23rd Major League game and we're still supposed to be beside ourselves with joy that he made it through six innings and pitched well enough to win? Perhaps if all 23 starts had come in the same rookie year — last Met rookie to start 30 games in one season was Jae Seo in 2003; before him, Doc and Darling in 1984 — I could recognize genuine progress. Even if we accept that this is not just the third season in which he's pitched in the bigs, but the third season in which he's pitched in the pros, it still seems like slow going, especially considering the next time he throws six or more innings in two consecutive starts uninterrupted by a minor league stint will be his first. Every start seems to be a fresh one for Pelfrey. He's learning to pitch with his tongue out. Or in. Or with a mouthpiece. Or without. Or to Schneider. Or to Casanova. Or to Castro. Or with something resembling confidence. And aren't college pitchers supposed to come along quickly?
I admit I'm historically spoiled when it comes to fastballing righties and accelerated learning curves. Tom Seaver did a one-year hitch in Jacksonville and then, at 22, turned into the Franchise. Dwight Gooden was barely two years out of Hillsborough High when he was making National Leaguers look like sophomores at Chamberlain, Plant and King. It took Jae Seo a while, but Jae Seo wasn't the Mets' No. 1 draft pick, Jae Seo wasn't the third pitcher chosen overall and Jae Seo wasn't 6'-7". Jae Seo wasn't supposed to be the first homegrown Met ace since...geez, when did the last homegrown ace actually sprout here?
Does it matter? Santana from Minnesota is obviously the man and Maine from Baltimore was kidnapped young and Pedro, citizen of the world, will maybe be Pedroesque from June on, though you'd be nuts to count on it. If Pelfrey can keep giving the Mets six competent innings, and if the Mets don't face Bronson Arroyo too often, won't that be enough? Even with the bullpen working three innings almost every night — sure would be sweet if Ollie could limit their load Sunday — won't that be reasonable to accept at this stage of the kid's career?
It is only 23 starts and he is only 24.
postGame: Reds 7 Mets 1
In the second game of a doubleheader, the Mets (18–16) lost to the Reds (15–22) by the score of 7 to 1.
For a full recap, go to SNY’s Boxscore.
You win some, you lose some, and once in a while it happens in the same day.
After a rocky first inning, a mouthguardless Mike Pelfrey settled in and had a decent outing overall. He got into trouble a few times, but went 6 innings, allowing just two runs on eight hits.
Bronson Arroyo bounced back nicely after his last outing by pitching eight innings and nearly shutting out the Mets.
Fully rested after a pregame nap, Keith almost started eating ribs during the broadcast…classic.
David Wright attempted to score from first on a Carlos Beltran double in the third, but was gunned down at the plate by a perfect relay initiated by Ken Griffey Jr. Wright also came close to a home run in the fifth to no avail…it’s a game of inches as David will attest.
In the eighth, Duaner Sanchez gave up two runs which put the game out of reach. Gary Cohen noted how Sanchez was inappropriately booed, but it was nothing like what Aaron Heilman has been getting lately. Heilman pitched a perfect seventh by the way.
The wheels fell off in the ninth. Errors by Wright and Carlos Delgado helped three runs score, none of which were charged to Billy Wagner, whose ERA remains at 0.00.
Get some rest boys, go out there tomorrow and win the series. These are the ones you need to take.
GAMEDAY LIVE 34: Reds at Mets
Game two of the day-night double-header. Schneider, Castillo, Alou, and Church get the game off for the Mets.
Mets with a uniform switch from black to white.....
Here we go!
Top 1st
Pelfrey gives up the first run early. Freel leads off with a double to left and Junior scores him with a sac fly. Two fly outs sends it to the Mets
1-0 Reds
Bottom 1st
Bronson Arroyo strikes out the side. Yeesh. He's 1-4 with an 8.45 ERA....given last game's heat, the Mets probably were planning on hitting this guy hard......
1-0 Reds
Top 2nd
Pelfrey gives up a single to Keppinger but then retires the next two. For the third out, Beltran makes his second great, sliding catch of the day on Arroyo's line to center.
1-0 Reds
Bottom 2nd
Beltran takes a walk. Delgado continues a solid day of hitting by ripping one to center for a base hit. A bobble by Hatteberg on the throw to Arroyo at first allows Marlon Anderson to reach and juice the bases with only one out. Pelfrey almost drops one to the right gap, but Junior makes a good play to strand all three base-runners.
1-0 Reds
Top 3
1-2-3 inning for Pelfrey.
1-0 Reds
Bottom 3
Mets get on the board after Wright grounds one past Encarnacion for an RBI single that drives home Reyes. Wright tries to hustle home on Beltran's double, but gets beat at the plate.
1-1
Top 4th
Two away and Keppinger knocks one to right for a base hit. Marlon Anderson motors to the left line on Hetteberg's hit, but can't come up with it cleanly. Pelfrey loads the bases on a walk, and Arroyo grounds out, leaving all ducks on the pond. Nice job getting out of trouble there , but Pelfrey's entering the danger zone here in pitch count. He's at 82 through four. This could be a long night for the bullpen.
1-1
Bottom 4th
No runs and no hits for Arroyo in the fourth. Mets are going to have to capitalize on their opportunities when they arise. But I guess that much is obvious.
1-1
Top 5th
With two outs, Junior hits a bleeder to shallow center, but the Reds can't keep the inning alive. Pelfrey's at 96 pitches now....yikes!
1-1
Bottom 5th
Mets go down in order after Junior chases down Wright's shot to deep center.
1-1
Top 6th
Keppinger singles on a grounder to center. He's now 3-for-3 tonight. Hatteberg then brings him home with an RBI double to center. Anderson goes to the left retaining wall to snag Bako's line drive. Pelfrey's at 106 now, with Schoeneweis warming up in the bullpen.
2-1 Reds
Bottom 6th
Another 1-2-3 for Arroyo, who's pitching very efficiently. He's at only 84 pitches through six.
2-1 Reds
Top 7th
Heilman in for Pelfrey. Freel flies out and Heilman fans Hairston Jr. KGJ's fly-out makes it a 1-2-3 for Heilman. And we're on the second 7th-inning stretch of the day.
2-1 Reds
Bottom 7th
Arroyo strikes out both Anderson and Castro. Pinch-hitting, Church, goes down for the third out. Arroyo strikes out the side once again. A one-run lead and Arroyo's being stingy.....
2-1 Reds
Top 8th
Set-up man Duaner Sanchez in for Heilman. Dunn hits a dribbler down the left line. Keppinger now 4-for-4 after reaching on Sanchez' change-up for a base hit on a grounder to left. Patterson, in to pinch-run, scores on Hatteberg's single to left. That makes three straight hits given up by Sanchez. Bako makes it four and the Reds are now up three runs. Looks like Arroyo will pitch the eighth since he hits a fly ball caught for the second out.....
4-1 Reds
Bottom 8th
Arroyo still bringing the heat through eight, striking out Reyes swinging with a change-up. And both Chavez and Wright go down in order....1-2-3 for Arroyo, who's looking sharp even after 116 pitches.
4-1 Reds.
Top 9th
Wagner in to pitch, and he walks Junior for only his third walk in 13 1/3 innings. David Wright with an error on Encarnacion's grounder to third...looks like it took a strange spin there before he could get a handle on it. Another defensive gaffe for the Mets after a Delgado throwing error to second. Bases loaded now with only one out. Junior scores on Keppinger's ground ball to short. Reyes fired it to third, but misses the out by a sliver. Encarnacion then scores on Hatteberg's sac fly. Wagner looks really out of sync tonight. Well-known for dishing out the criticism, Wagner better be ready to shoulder some of it tonight. That's 3 runs given up this inning, and Randolph pulls him in favor of Jorge Sosa to retire the side.
7-1 Reds
Bottom 9th
Big hole for the Mets here and the bullpen is gonna take some heat. Mets can't muster any remaining firepower from the earlier game.
Final score 7-1 Reds
Sometimes Baseball Yields Its Secrets
And it's even better when baseball cooperates.
Today was one of those typical weekend days when baseball was the counterpart to a flurry of household activities -- by the middle innings of Game 1, we had three TVs on and two radios playing. (Remember the ad a couple of years back with that guy watching soccer on TVs everywhere in the house? Obviously the ad was pointing out how smart and prepared that guy was. Right?) Joshua had cheered on Santana faithfully, and Emily had pointed out that Johan (typically pronounced "Yo-ho" by Joshua) didn't have his best stuff, but sometimes you learned more about a pitcher then than you did when all his pitches were working -- witness Johan today vs., say, Oliver Perez recently. (In our house, fathers have no monopoly on baseball lessons.)
In the bottom of the 6th, Joshua thought the game pretty well in hand with the Mets up 6-3, runners on second and third and one out with Jose Reyes at the plate. I pointed out this was the time that good teams really bear down -- that a three-run lead in the 6th can get pecked away to a one-run lead in the 8th before you know it, leaving you a bad relief outing away from disaster. Joshua was a bit puzzled when Mom and Dad weren't thrilled to see Reyes draw a walk. Luis Castillo, we explained, doesn't have enough power to be a reliable source of sacrifice flies (in fact, in 1,431 big-league games he has a ludicrous 17 of them), meaning if he didn't get the job done, the Mets could easily be turned aside on a double play or needing a hit to get that extra run. Good teams convert here, was the lesson. They tack on runs instead of giving their opponents a chance to get back into the game.
Joshua knows a 2-1 pitch is a hitter's count -- and we all watched Castillo get a meatball on 2-1 and foul it back, causing consternation in the Bernstein-Fry household. The kid found that a bit unfair. That was the best pitch he was likely to see, we explained -- and sure enough, Mike Lincoln fanned him on a called third strike. Which left it to David Wright, searching for a two-out hit. Lincoln went to 3-0 on Wright, and I counseled Joshua (by now paying pretty good attention for a five-year-old) that Wright should be selective, that he had three good pitches to work with and no need to be overanxious. Lincoln's next pitch was a strike, but one on the inside edge of the plate, which David would have rolled out to the shortstop if he'd offered at. Nicely done. Lincoln's next pitch was a ball, forcing in a run. Good at-bat for Wright.
But here came the real lesson: Beltran up to the plate. Bases loaded, two out. Now, I told Joshua, Beltran should look for a strike on that first pitch, and hit it hard if it proved to his liking. I know most all of us know this, but remember the kid is five -- it's a bit puzzling how one hitter should be selective but the next hitter should be aggressive. Lincoln went to 2-1 on Castillo and walked in a run against Wright, I explained. He's going to want to get ahead of Beltran really badly -- so badly that he may well be too concerned with throwing a strike, and not concerned enough with making a good pitch.
Well, you know the rest. Beltran nailed Lincoln's first pitch for a bases-clearing triple. 10-3 Mets, and for a moment Joshua was persuaded that his father wasn't, in fact, a complete idiot.
What to do with three hours of dead time
Mets aim to stay hot in Game 2
Sudden offensive juggernauts after their 12-6 win over the Reds in today's first game, the Mets will try to keep their hitting hot streak alive tonight at Shea in the finale of the doubleheader.
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