The Mets play the second game of a three game set with the Red Sox tonight as they hope to build off of last night's win. The Mets will be sending Pelfrey out to the mound while the Red Sox will be sending out Beckett, a familiar foe who we have have not seen for a while. The key to last night's game was the Mets took advantage of a bad mental mistake by Lugo, and that ended up being the difference in the game. If the Mets can play smart baseball again (note: there were several plays last night that I did not consider smart baseball, mainly from our back up short stop) then they will, for a second straight game, play competitively.

Pelfrey is 4-1 over 41.0 IP and has a 4.61 ERA and in the last three games he is 2-1 with 20.0 IP, a 3.15 ERA where he has 4 BB and 5 K (which is a big deal considering on the season he has 17 BB with 11 K). When it comes to the Red Sox, he has faced none of them, he is an unknown pitcher to them. Being that is the case, I wanted to share a few other Pelfrey statistics so far this season. Batters are hitting about .290 against him and when there are two outs, batters are hitting .320 and .450 when there are two outs and RISP. Thats pretty bad considering with two outs (in any situation) is when you want to buckle down and get of the inning and get your bats back at the plate. An interesting stat is also that during the first PA batters are hitting .298 dips to .286 the second time around and raises slightly to .289 in the third. Thats interesting because usually its a steady increase.

Beckett will be facing the Mets for the first time since 2006, so for many of the Mets, their time against with Beckett was a long time ago when their skills were not as developed. This season Beckett is 4-2 witha 5.85 ERA over 47.2 IP. In his last three games he is 3-0 over 19.0 IP, and a 3.79 ERA. In 2006, his last outing against the Mets, he got the win over 7.2 innings of work and allowed only 2 runs. Here are some Mets Stats against him:
     Wright 1-15
     Reyes 1-14
     Sheff 3-13, HR
     Ramon Martinez 3-4
     Castro 2-4
This should be an interesting game tonight as the Mets will face a good pitcher in Beckett and will face a good lineup in the form of the Red Sox for a chance to win a series against a very good team. Lets Go Mets!

This might be a stretch but thats alright. The mysticism and excitement of Interleague play has worn off for a few years now and now its just part of the normal schedule but there are still reasons to watch interleague play.  Baseball has been changing a lot over the last two seasons in the talent dynamics. Young, powerful pitchers have been appearing on the West Coast in the form generally of the National League. American League Teams on the East have been picking up veteran power hitters. National League teams on the East have been focusing on players like Wright, Reyes, Hanely, Utley, etc.

What is now forming is a changing of the guard in the leagues and the test is now going to happen as these leagues clash again. Although its not as exciting as it used to be, the leagues will  be showcasing starting this weekend, but mostly in June, the new forms of play for their teams. Of course, the old rivalries are there, although they are mostly being played in June this year (and thats referring to New York New York battles, Chicago Chicago, you get the point because we have been living with this now for what seems like forever).

My favorite matches this weekend are right here. The Mets vs Boston shows two great teams playing against each other. The Phillies @ Yankees shows the power play at New Yankee.

You probably have noticed over the last two weeks this site has pretty much been game previews with the occasional note or rant for special situations. Well starting now the site is going to be back in its regular posting, game review, baseball notes mode as my schedule outside of baseball has calmed down and has returned to normal (I have had finals for the last two weeks so it has been tough to post at the rate that I normally do). That being said it seems like the Mets have gone through so many swings through that time. I started to slack off due outside work at the end of the winning streak, then endured the Atlanta series, then through the hot start to the road trip, the four game slide, and then the win tonight. The Mets have had a lead in the division, have trailed, they have played great, they have played worst than little league, and above all they seem to be held together by bandages right now.

And because I am crazy,  I plan on eventually catching up on game reviews for all the games I missed. Lets Go Mets!

The Mets return to Fenway tonight as Interleague comes back to the majors. For the Mets, tonight is an important came as they have lost four straight, and really everyone of these games they could have won in some form or another. Well this weekend is a chance for the Mets to make a statement again and start to win some games against a very good Red Sox team. The Mets will have Johan on the mound and he will be pitching against Matsuzaka.

Santana had his worst outing of the year last time out but he got runs...go figure. Anyway even with a terrible outing he is 5-2 on the season with a 1.36 ERA over 53.0 IP which is still fantastic. That is crazy good. Its a given that he is going to be all business out there. The difference for him is if the Mets gloves will be all business behind him. Anyway in 2007 he beat the Sox in one game going 5 innings and allowed one run with 2 walks and 5 K's. Here are some Red Sox stats:
     Lugo 4-22
     Varitek 8-18
     Ortiz 2-11
     Lowell 1-10
     Bay 2-5

The Mets will be facing Matsuzaka for the first time as only two Mets have AB's against him. Reed is 0-3 and Sheff is 6-11 with 2 2B and a homer. For Matsuzaka, it will be his first game since April where he went 0-1 over 6.1 IP and gave up 9 ER. From what I know about Matsuzaka from watching him pitch against the Orioles there is a way to beat him and that is patience. If the Mets take their time at the plate and don't start swinging after everything, they will get on base because they will get walked. The more walks he allows, he then allows hits. Here is the key part: After walks the Mets have to hit ball is the air, or line drives that are not in the infield. As a team the Mets like the infield hit but Matsuzaka is a double play machine in the sense that his pitches usually get weak hacks that roll somewhere on the infield and then those walks turn into outs fast. So play patient and most importantly, play smart. If the Mets can focus on the funalmentals with Matsuzaka then they will stay comepetitive the entire night. Lets Go Mets!

The Mets will be playing the Dodgers tonight and the Mets will be trying to not be swept. Hernandez will be going for the Mets and he is 3-1 on the season with a 5.59 ERA over 38.2 innings. In his last three he has pitched 17.1 IP, has a 2-0 record and a 4.15 ERA. In 07 he pitched against the Dodgers 4 times with a 2-1 record over 24.0 IP and a 3.75 ERA. Here are some stats they have on him:
     Pierre 23-85, 2 2B
     Furcall 22-66, 3 2B, 3B, 4 HR
     Loretta 10-30
     Ausmus 10-31, 3 2B
     Martin 2-15, 2B
     Hudson 1-16
The Mets bats will have to deal with Weaver tonight. He didn't pitch in the majors at all last year and this year he has pitched in five games, but only two have been starts as he continues his road back to the spot light. He is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA. In his last three outings he has pitched 7 innings and has allowed 5 runs. Here are the Mets numbers on him:
     Beltran 11-42, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR
     Sheff 3-14
     Wright 3-7, 3 2B
     Tatis 1-5
     Reed 2-5, 2B, HR
Lets Go Mets! Lets get a win tonight!

The Mets will try to make up for their very sloppy, downright terrible play last night by trying to pick up the win today in what should be a tough game. John Maine and Billingsley both have had success against their opponents tonight and the Mets are in need of some power just to remind the team that although small ball can tack on runs, the long ball is nice as well.

Maien this season is 3-2, 4.24 ERA over 40.1 IP. In his last three games he is 2-0, over 18.2 IP with a 2.89 ERA, 12 BB and 14 K. Last year against the Dodgers he was 1-0 over 2 games with 14.1 IP, a 3.14 ERA, 3 BB and 10 K. Here some stats they have on him:
     Hudson 5-15, 2B
     Pierre 3-13
     Kemp 3-11, HR
     Ethier 2-10
     Furcal 5-9

Billingsley has been amazing against the Mets. Due to some time restraints I'm just going to list the stats, they are pretty bad for Mets fans:
Season: 5-1, 2.30 ERA, 54.0 IP
Last Three: 2-1, 21.0 IP, 2.57 ERA
2008 vs Mets: 1-0, 2 Games, 0.69 ERA
Mets vs Billingsley: Church 0-6
                              Reyes 1-6
                              Beltran 2-6
                              Wright 0-5

So normally I don't list stats, but after last night, and looking at the numbers, thinking of postive things to say was kinda hard. Hopefully the Mets will find their heads tonight as they play and hopefully they will battle well tonight. Lets Go Mets! Remeber how to Play! Don't Be a Marv Thorneberry (although, really nice guy)

Well if you are in college and are reading this, you know what time it is, its finals time (which is why this site has been updated so infrequently over the last week)! Thankfully, about 50 pages of writing last night prevented me from watching the ESPN telecast of last night's Mets game. Initially I was slightly upset because I love watching the Mets but after the game I tolerated it because the Mets loss and the last thing I needed while writing was to be demoralized.

Then I signed online this morning.

Now I do not like Steve Phillips, I have said that many times on this site, and apparently I missed quite a show he put on last night. From reading all over the web it sounded like he bashed the Mets left and right even though they were in first place and show leadership and are playing through injuries. Thus, I am joining on the bandwagon (well not really joining because I know have written about this before) with telling ESPN, hey get rid of this guy. He makes over generalized comments, what he likes in baseball tends to be several trends behind and he really lacks knowledge in what he is talking about.

And the worst part is that ESPN acts like he is the best, especially with all of those new commericials, where he takes credit for David Wright.

There is something about National Broadcasters that generally drive me crazy and Phillips is starting to reach Joe Buck status (seriously on Fox Saturdays I pray the Mets don't get him, and when they do I usually watch the game with the sound off and do something else at the same time).

So thank you university exam schedule, although I was cursing you last night when I was still writing, and probably will still be cursing you over the next few days as my exams never seem to stop (the worst part about taking 8 classes I have figured out is that then you have to deal with 8 finals), you have saved me from another night of aggrevation from listening to baseball bull.

The Mets will try to bounce back from last night and continue their very good road trip so far by playing the number one team in the West, the Dodgers tonight as the Mets will send Redding to go take on Wolf. Redding was 10-11 last season over 33 G and 182.0 IP with a 4.95 ERA. This season while rehabbing he had no record over 2 games and 13 innings where he allowed only 4 runs. Last year he got the win against the Dodgers throwing a quality start 6 innings and allowing 3 runs. Here are some stats:
     Pierre 3-12, 2B
     Ethier 2-3
     Castro 2-9
     Furcal 2-3
     Kemp 0-3
     Loney 2-3
The Mets will have to deal with Wolf who is dealing right now and did a lot of dealing against the Mets last year. He is 2-1 on the season with a 2.77 ERA, which is thanks to his last three games where in 17.1 innings he has allowed only three runs giving him a 1.56 ERA in May. He was 2-0 last season against the Mets in three games where he allowed only 5 ER over 18 innings. Here are some numbers the Mets have put on him:
    Castillo 18-44, 4 2B, 3B, HR
    Reyes 10-34, 2 HR
    Sheff 8-27, 2B, HR
    Wright 4-20, 2B
    Beltran 11-29, 4 2B, 3 HR
If the Mets bats come back today, they should have revenge in their minds for last year. Lets finally get Wolf, Lets Go Mets!

The Mets wrap up their four game series in San Francisco today, and they look to do something today that they have never done: sweep a four game set in San Francisco. There is always something very nice, practically classic, when the Mets play the Giants, and winning, well that makes it so much better. To do this, the Mets will have to face a hard challenge again, this time in the form of Matt Cain (the Giants really do have a great starting rotation) and the Mets will send up Pelfrey.

Pelfrey is 4-0 on the season over 6 games with a 4.89 ERA and 35.0 IP. In his last three games he is 2-0 over 19.1 IP with 6 BB, 3 K with an ERA of 3.72. Last year he got the win in his one start against the Giants and it was a good one as he went out for seven scoreless innings whe he allowed only three hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out 5. Here are the stats the Giants have put up on Pelfrey over the years:
    Aurilla 3-6
    Rowand 1-6
    Renteria 0-4
    Lewis 0-3
    Winn 0-3
The Mets pitching staff over all have not been over powering so far this series but they could be and a good start and finish today could be important because of the caliber in pitcher in Matt Cain. (In other words, good thing Krod got the day off yesterday). To win, the Mets will need some bats, and they have been around this series so far.

Cain is 3-1 on the season over 7 games and 45.0 innings where he has an even 3.00 ERA. In his last three games he has pitched 19.1 innings with a 4.26 ERA, 10 BB and 14 K. Last year he faced the Mets loss and lasted only 5 innings as he allowed 5 earned runs, walked 4 and struck out 3. Here are the numbers the Mets have put up on him:
    Reyes 8-14, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR
    Wright, 7-15, 5 2B
    Beltran 4-8, 2 2B
    Church 1-8
    Tatis 0-3
Wright and Beltran have been incredible over the last few days, and they just need to keep that up. If they keep up that level of play then the Mets, despite injuires, become one of the best teams out there and show the league that the expectations are right. Lets Go Mets! Lets get this Sweep!

The Mets will play the third game of the four game series tonight against the Giants as a win today will give the Mets the win for the series (as they have the split already). The last two games have been great for the Mets as they have won in the ninth inning both games and they have done it really without Reyes (for the most part) and without Delgado AND with a David Wright that is actually David Wright. Anyway today is ace day (offense show up please?) with Johan Santana against Randy Johnson.

Santana has been incredible. His last start was once again of his best but because he gave up two unearned runs, he got the loss again. His record is now 4-2 (7-0 in reality) over 46.0 IP with 13 BB, 60 K and an ERA of 0.78. In his last two starts he has pitched 13.1 scoreless innings with 4 BB and 16 K. Last year against the Giants he pitched only five innings but he still go the win and didn't allow any runs and only 3 hits. Here are the numbers the Giants have on him:
    Uribe 8-53, 4 2B, HR, 17 K
    Rowand 10-38, 14 K
    Molina 11-25, 2B, 2 HR
    Winn 3-13
    Renteria 1-6

The Mets will have to handle Johnson today, who I had a hard time getting stats for (surprising eh?) so thsi might feel a little incomplete. Anyway he is 3-3 on the season over 36.2 IP with an ERA of 5.89. He has struggled in his last two outings as he has allowed 11 ER over 10.2 IP. The last time he faced the Mets he lasted 7 innings and the Mets put up 5 runs (with a lot of thanks to Paul LoDuca in that game). Some current Mets in that game would be Reyes who went 3-4, Beltran 1-3 and Wright 0-4. Lets Go Mets! Beat the Giants!

The Mets play the second game in their four game set with the Giants tonight as they will send Livan Hernandez against the young phenom Tim Lincecum. The Mets played very aggressive last night which is good for a lot of reasons and the one I want to point out is pressure. The Giants have good pitching so any extra pressure they can put on them will be a benefit because maybe the Mets can make the Giants pitchers make mistakes (good example: last night's wild pitch that allowed a run). Anyway the Mets will have to handle Tim tonight which is something they have done in the past and they will have to back Livan.

Livan is 3-1 over 6 games and 33.2 innings on the season with an ERA of 5.08. In his last two games he has pitched 12.1 innings, walked 6, struck out 7 and has a very nice 2.19 ERA. Last year against the Giants he went 1-1 over 3 games and 18.2 IP while allowing 11 runs. Here are the numbers the Giants have put up on Livan:
     Winn 11-45, 2B, 3B
      Renteria 13-36, 3 2B
      Molina 7-24, 3 HR
      Rowand 7-13
      Lewis 2-6
      Lincecum 0-5
If he can keep doing what he has been doing so far this month, then he should do fine. He has been pretty reliable so far this season. The best thing the Mets can do for him is to give him run support to back up his efforts tonight.

To do that they will have to contend with Lincecum who is 3-1 over 44.1 IP with an ERA of 3.25. Over his last 2 gameshe is 1-0 over 13.0 IP and a 3.46 ERA. Last year he lasted 6 innings against the Mets on a way to one of his five losses last year (he had the best winning percentage in the majors) as the Mets walked twice, struck out 4 times and hit him 9 times and scored 4 runs. Here are the stats the Mets have against him:
    Beltran 3-5, 2B, HR
    Wright 1-5
    Reyes 2-6
    Church 2-3, 3B
    Tatis 1-3
The Mets bats showed a lot of fight coming back from the tied score to win the game in the ninth inning. If the Mets can build on that then they should be able to score runs as they got them last night off of the pen as well. Lets go Mets! Beat the Giants!

If you have opened up a sports section recently, you probably have seen the standings. After you are done staring at the NL East, you should look down a little and check out what is going on in the NL Central. It has been crazy. Going into yesterday, there were four teams in first place with identical 20-14 records (Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati). After yesterday, the Brew Crew and the Cards have each taken half game leads and that division is heating up. What is incredible is all four of those teams have either .600 winning percentages or .588 which is interesting comparing it to the Mets who lead by 2 games now with a .559 winning percentage. So then who are the other winnign teams. Only the Giants and Dodgers are other teams in the NL that records better thand .500 (Braves and Phillies both have .500). Things will probably start to change as the Brew Crew play the Cards this weekend and the Mets are playing the Giants. Need less to say, the Numbers are very interesting.

The Mets start a long road trip today as they play the late one out in San Fran. The Mets lost a series for the first time this month last night and look to rebound against the Giants tonight who have little hitting but have depth at pitching. Playing in San Fran should feel like home now that the Mets have their own giant pasture for a ballpark and they will also look tonight to play better ball (in terms of smarter ball). Tonight Maine will pitch for the Mets and he will go toe to toe with Sanchez.

Maine is 3-2 on the season with a 4.54 ERA over 33.2 innings pitched and he is coming off of three good starts in a row where he has pitched 18.0 IP, walked 11, struck out 14, got wins in all three and has a 2.00 ERA. Last year he went 1-0 in two games against the Giants over 10.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 BB and 12 K. Here are some numbers the Giants have on Maine:
     Rowand 0-13, 4K
     Renteria 1-7
     Lewis 0-5
     Winn 3-4, 2 2B
Maine is starting to get some confidence which is great because we need him to perform and back up this rotation. To get back on the winning road though, we will need some timely offense, which will have to deal with Jon Sanchez.

Sanchez is 1-3 on the seaosn with a 4.78 ERA over 26. 1 IP. In his last two games he is 0-2 over 9.0 IP, 10 BB and 10 K. Last year against the Mets he went 1-1 in two starts with a 4.09 ERA over 11.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 BB and 14 K. Here the numbers that the Mets have been able to put up on Sanchez:
     Beltran1-6
     Reyes 1-6, 2B
     Wright 1-5
     Castro 2-4, HR
The Mets bats are not usually the best in San Fran because of their pitching and the ball park but I am wondering if playing in Citi will make the Mets bats better tonight since they will be used to wide open spaces. Only time will tell. If the Mets play smart, then they should at least have a chance of the win. The Giants have been doing well as of late because they are the only team that has a chance now for taking over first from the Manny-less Dodgers. Lets Go Mets! Beat the Giants!

The Mets rebounded from the loss to open the series with a come from behind, walk off (walk) win to take the second game of the season and put themselves in a position to take their forth series in a row. The Met showed important fight last night which has been a recent development with this team. That being said, the Braves are mad and they will be playing hard in the early afternoon game in Flushing. The Mets will be sending up Niese while the Braves will be sending out Jo-Jo Reyes.

Niese's best start of his young carear was against the Braves last year where he went 8.0 scorless innings allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 7 on his way to a win in a crucial game for the Mets. His last start was also very good as he lasted 6.0 IP allowing 7 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB and 5 K. Like I said last time, his success seams to be critically based on his strikeout to walk ratio. The more he strikes out the better he does or in other words, he pitches a lot better when there are no runners on base (which almost feels obvious to write). Anyway, here are some Braves stats against Niese:
     Infante 0-4
     Johnson 2-4, 2B
     Prado 0-4
     Francoeur 2-2
     Kotchman 1-3
The Mets were able to keep the Braves offense in check last night mostly due to their lack of major mistakes on the field. If they keep that up again, paried with effective pitching, then they should be able to lock the Braves down again, but that of course will be contigent on their offense's ability to score and produce runs.

To win, the Mets will have to deal with Reyes who is 0-2 on the season with a 5.48 ERA over 4 games, 23.0 IP, 14 ER, 9 BB, 20 K. In his last two games pitched he is 0-2 over 10.1 IP and has given up 12 ER, so he has been struggling as of late. Last year against the Mets he pitched three games with a 0-1 record and a 8.74 ERA over 11.1 IP, 5 BB, and 8 K. The Mets have had success on him in the past but as the Mets have demonstrated time and time again this year that doesn't matter. Here are the numbers the Mets have posted against Reyes:
     Reyes 3-5, 2 HR
     Beltran 3-6, 2B
     Wright 2-5, 2B, HR
     Tatis 2-4, 2B
Even though the Mets have been getting caught stealing a lot (or more, Wright has been caught a lot) the aggresiveness has been paying off. Stealing has been leading to intentional walks, distracted pitchers and bad pitches and this has been the trend so far in May. Reyes is already a frustrated pitcher right now, and anything else that can fluster him would be very good. Lets Go Mets! Lets take this series! Beat the Braves!

The Mets try to bounce back from that terrible loss last night and try to get back in the win column with another game with the Braves tonight. Last nights loss ended the seven game winning streak but what we have to remember, and more importantly, what this team needs to remember is that they did have a 7 game winning streak meaning they can start again right here and start another one. This game will feature Mike Pelfrey and Jurrjens.

Mike Pelfrey is 4-0 on the season over 5 games and a 5.46 ERA. In his last two games he has been playing better with a 2-0 record over 12.1 IP, 6 ER, 5 BB and 0 K. Thats right, he has not struck out anyone in last two starts, both against Philly and he got the win both times. Last year vs Atlanta he was 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA over 4 games and 24.1 IP, 13 BB and 8 K. What we have to remember about that is two of those starts were terrible and were at the start of the year when Mike was terrible, before he got his swagger back. Anyway, here are some numbers the Braves have on Pelfrey:

McCann 6-17, 4 2B
Francoeur 6-16, 3 2B, 3B
Johnson 4-15
Jones 3-10
Escobar 1-4
Kotchman 0-6

The Mets will have to deal with Jurrjens on the mound today who has been doing a lot better than his record suggests. He is 3-2 on the season but the really story is his 2.01 ERA over 7 games, which is very good. In his last two he had a 1-1 record with 9.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 K and 2 BB. Against the Mets last year he was 2-1 with a 4.00 ERA over 18.0 IP, 9 BB and 5 K. Here are some Mets numbers against him, and I am warning you now, they are not pretty:

Reyes 2-9
Beltran 1-7
Wright 2-8, HR
Murphy 1-3
Tatis 2-3

The Mets have to go back to playing smart baseball tonight. That means not only do they need to hit and pitch well but they need to do other things right as well, like field right. If their defense comes back tonight then they will play much better and then they can worry about the other aspects that makes them a good team on the field. Lets Go Mets! Beat the Braves!

The Mets will play again today as they open up a series with the Braves tonight at Citi Field in a much anticipated game. The Mets have now won 7 games straight and a week ago, things were not looking so good for them, but they got this streak started with the Braves and they hope to continue it against the Braves tonight and its going to be a much tougher Braves team they face tonight as the Braves have recently gotten McCann back , who is a huge part of that offense. However, that is not why this game is anticipated. This is ace vs ace, Johan vs Lowe as the two clash with two very different identical 4-1 records. This is the man we passed up on, and the Mets hope to show tonight they made the right move.

Santana has been unbelievable this year so far and he looks to continue that tonight as he brings in his 4-1 record over 6 games with 39.2 IP, 12 BB and an amazing 54 K. Against the Braves last year he was 0-2 but during that time he pitched 2.57 ERA baseball over 21.0 IP, with 2 BB and 8 K. Here are the stats the Braves have put up on Santana:
     Anderson 6-25, 5 K
     Infante 2-24, 7 K
     Diaz 8-15, 2B, HR
     Johnson 6-14, 2B
     Francoeur 1-13
     Jones 5-11
    McCann 5-13
The key for Santana tonight is to get the outs that are almost automatic for him and then keeping Chipper and McCann down. If there is an offensive explosion tonight, you can bet that Chipper and McCann will be behhind it. Santana will also be looking for a luxary that he has not had so far this year and that is run Support as he won a 1-0 game his last time out (exciting, but not something he hopes to repeat, which in a strange way is funny because it has happened twice this season now).

The Mets bats will have to deal with Lowe who is 4-1 on the season over 40.2 IP and with a 3.98 ERA. In his last two games he has pitched 11.2 innings and has had a 6.17 ERA. He didn't pitch against the Mets in 2008 but in 07 he went 0-1 over 2 games and 4.0 IP where he allowed 8 earned runs, walked 3, and struck out one. Here are the numbers the Mets have against Lowe:
     Delgado 8-26, 4 2B, HR
     Beltran 3-23
     Sheff 8-17, 2 2B, 2 HR
     Chuch 2-5
     Wright 3-5, 2B
     Reyes 1-2
The offense has been on a roll as of late and it would be nice of them to continue that for Santana tonight. Reyes and Wright have been heating up and the rest of the lineup has remained hot. Church started to get out of his slump yesterday but I have a feeling that Sheff is going to play somewhere today. I am very excited for this game today. Lets Go Mets! Beat the Braves!

That title seems very awkward, so I need to describe it in more detail. What the Pirates represented this weekend was the Mets of April and the Mets were, well not only the Mets of May but the Mets the way we thought they were supposed to play. The Pirates today had so many men on base, especially with RISP, and they couldn't cash in. Their starters struggled and their pen struggled at the worst times for the team. They failed at getting stolen bases and really looked a mess.

Everything the Pirates did wrong this weekend and today the Mets did right. That is the way the Mets not only have to play against teams like the Pirates but have to play to get into the playoffs this year. They are really playing well and things are going their way. For example, these late inning score bursts are very good for the team moral because they help the team put the game away. Speaking of that, Beltran and Delgado are crushing the ball and doing a very good job of that. Wright has returned to being the RBI machine we knew he could be and then there is Reyes.

Over the last few days Reyes has turned it on again and is back to the spark that we need him to be. He stole his tenth base of the season today which is also 300 for his carear (congrats Jose!).

Livan struggled but he was able to get key outs when he needed to and in my opinion he has really been a surprise so far this year. He owes a lot today to Santos who not only had a key two RBI single but also threw out a batter trying to steal to get Livan out of a jam. Overall, the team is playing fantastic and lets keep this streak going against the Braves. Lets Go Mets!

The Mets try for (I have lost count now and don't want to be reminded) to sweep a three game series but this time they are doing it with momentum behind them. They have now won 6 straight and 7 of their last 8 and they will face a Pirates team that has now lost 7 straight. The main weakness the Mets have had this season so far, and it has been one they have had for a few seasons now, is the ability to crush a team to the ground by getting the sweep. The Pirates are a team the Mets should beat, so lets hope this happens. The Mets will be sending out Hernandez, off of a great outing his last time out out and he will be facing Ian Snell who is brilliant at times but unless you are brilliant all the time with the Pirates, the pitching record (1-4) will not reflect it.

Hernandez is 2-1 on the season over his last 5 games with a 5.53 ERA over 27.2 IP. In his last game he pitched 6.1 innings allowing 7 hits, allowed one run, walked 2, and struck out 2. The last time he faced the Pirates was 2007 and he lasted 4.0 IP, allowing 10 H and 4 ER on his way to a loss. I feel like I always say this when Livan pitches but he is often placed against young teams, which is something the Pirates are now. Young players generally struggle against Hernandez because he is very tempting and he can get to the impatientce of youth. Here are some numbers the Pirates have against Livan:
     Adam LaRoche: 7-27, 4 2B, HR
     Vazquez 3-19, 2 2B, 3B
     Hinske 5-20, 2B, HR
     Sanchez 1-3
The Mes have been able to keep this Pirates bats in line so far this series, so they just need to do it one more time toay. After yesterday's performance by the Mets hitters, Hernandez is hoping the Mets bats have something left in the tank for today.

The Mets will have to handle Snell today who is 1-4 on the season with a 4.50 ERA over 4 G and 34.0 IP (23 BB, 22K). To show you how these stats are really a tell tale sign of this season his last two starts he has pitched 12 innings, and has allowed 6 runs (basically having one really good outing and then followed it with a really bad outing). Last year against the Mets he got a ND in 4.1 innings of work after allowing 5 H and 4 ER. In 2007 he had a 0-1 record in 11 IP and two games against the Mets with an ERA of 7.36. Here are the numbers the Mets have against him:
     Reyes 5-14, 2B, 2 3B
     Beltran 2-9, 3 BB
     Wright 1-9
     Delgado 2-9, 2B
     Church 2-8, 2B
The game plan for the offense is the same as yesterday. Score early, score late, score often. Never let the starter establish himself, and keep the bullpen edgy. Lets Go Mets! Sweep the Pirates!

The Mets finally did it. After starting the season 2-0, the Mets are finally back in first place after a win today and Phillies Loss. More importantly, the Mets continued their winning streak and now have a three game cushion above .500. There are a few reprecussions from this game. The first is now that the winning streak is at 6 games, this is a longer streak then any winning streak the Mets had in 2007. The second is that they now put themselves in position to sweep a three game series for the first time this weekend.

The game was fantastic today. Maine came out and had his third consecutive good start and this one was a dazzling performance. He went out for six innings where his only mistake was a homer to the pitcher. Another part of his performance that will probably be overlooked but is very important is his walk totals, which was only 2 for this game. The other pitchers also did a great job. Takahashi had two great innings, and he looks to be a very nice asset for this team (amd he is getting his handshake as they showed today). Stokes finally got some work. He was a little rusty, not playing for 11 games, but he continued his performance as he allowed no runs in the ninth.

Of course the real story of this game was the Mets bats. They unloaded for 10 runs and 17 hits including 13 hits. You know that saying when you are winning every thing goes right. Well all of those hits the Mets weren't getting in April due to amazing defense found their way into this game as the Mets got bloop hit after infield single and at the same time were able to take those hits away from the Pirates. That shows how confident the Mets are right now and how good they are right now. And I have to mention that homer from Beltran. In terms of Physics, every thing went right for Beltran. That pitch was right in the heart of swing where the barrell passes through the zone and the bat went straight to the ball causing a level swing and the ball to jump off at a 45 degree angle producing the fartherst travel possible. The ball landed in the second deck and it was just incredible. Lets keep it up for tomorrow, Lets Go Mets!

The Mets play the early game against the Pirates today for game two in this three game set. By winning, the Mets are will try to accomplish a few things today including winning their third consecutive series, extending their winning streak to 6 games, and try to take over the top spot in the east. Today also might be the toughest game in the series for the Mets as they have to take on one of the two top Pitchers the Pirates have (we face the other one tomorrow). To battle this pitcher, Maholm, the Mets will be sending John Maine.

Maine is 2-2 over 5 games and 27.2 innings on the season so far with a 5.20 ERA, 18 BB and 22 K. In his last two starts though he is 2-0 over 12.0 IP and has a 2.25 ERA. As of late he has been getting outs and performing when he needs to. A concern for him though is that he is still walking a lot of batters, so if he can keep that number down, then he should be that much better. Last year against the Pirates he got a no decision in 5 innings of work where he allowed 0 runs of any kind, 2 hits, walked 4 and struck out 3. Here are the numbers the Pirates have against him:
     Sanchez 4-14
     LaRoche 2-6
     McLouth 1-5, HR
     Hinske 1-4
The Pirates are still well in their losing streak and we need to keep them playing like that. Maine, and hopefully the rest of the Mets pitching staff have to play on the natural impatience at the plate a team in this type of streak gets. With the way the Pirates play, just stopping the rally will be very helpful because as a team they do not have that much power but they can hit in succession.

The Mets will have to deal with Maholm who is 3-0 this season over 6 games and 39.1 IP, 13 BB, 19 K and a 2.97 ERA. He is the ace right now of this Pirates staff. In his last three games though he has pitched 18.3 IP, 1-0 record but has a 5.30 ERA. Last year against the Mets he got a no decision in 7 innings of work where he allowed 2 runs and 5 hits, walked 3 and struck out 4. He started off the season pretty much unhittable, but now he is. Jumping on him early is a good idea as long as it happens in the first inning and then again in another early inning in a way that it rocks Maholm from establishing a rythem. Here are the numbers the Mets have against him:
     Wright 3-14, 2B
     Reyes 5-13
     Beltran 2-8, 2B
     Delgado 0-9
     Castro 2-6
The Mets did a good job yesterday of scoring late in the game to get the win and if they can score early, late and often in this game, then they should be able to continue their streak and continue the Pirates streak. Lets Go Mets! Beat the Pirates!