The Mets open arguably their roughest road trip of the season tonight against the San Francisco Giants. The West Coast is place where winning streaks go to die.
Jose Reyes will sit out tonight with a stiff calf.
Here’s the line-up:
Luis Castillo, 2B
Alex Cora, SS
Carlos Beltran, CF
Gary Sheffield, LF
David Wright, 3B
Fernando Tatis, 1B
Ramon Castro, C
Ryan Church, RF
John Maine, P
This post was written by John Delcos
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The Mets are hoping Delgado will be better in a couple of days. I don’t see it. Put him on the DL now and be done with it.-JD
Eddie Coleman just spoke with JJ Putz who had a cortisone shot this morning and will be unavailable for a couple of days.
Is Reyes really hurt or is it a punishment?
What is the benefit of delaying Delgado from the DL?
Hey, JD. My question is: Why didn’t they already DL him? This is silly and is like the Ryan Church saga of last year. Delgado will end up missing close to 15 games anyway, right? What’s the point of playing short-handed?
Annie (2): Legit injury. No punishment.-JD
Gil (3): They are hoping he’ll get better. Same old story.-JD
Well, starting to look like Omar wasn’t the super genius he was made out to be in the Seattle trade. Putz is still damaged and Green still sucks.
(3) The main reason Gil could be the dearth of players capable of filling in at the AAA level.
JD (1): This team is so stupid. What the hell is the point of flying Delgado all the way out to the west coast and then DL’ing him 2 days later? I agree…DL him now retroactive to his last game from over the wkd and then bring him back. These morons still haven’t learned from the whole Church debacle. Stupidity runs rampant throughout all management on this team GM to manager.
It’s definitely a shame that Nick Evans has sucked so much. This would have been his chance to coem up and get some extended time.
Hmmm…Sheff on 1st so DRod might actually get a hit here.
I’d love for Church to have a big game today and throw some egg in Manuel’s face. That hypocrit would probably reward him with a seat on the bench tomorrow.
I see a good man is here tonite. Criticism of the lesser Manuel is a wondrous site. As for Evans, its not a shame. He deserves his fate. Went down and didn’t show them.
6 Harry: Even though the talent pool may be thin at AAA, it’s better to bring someone up and not be a man short.
As for Putz, I can’t fault Omar on that one. Any one of us would’ve made that deal.
I heartily agree, though, that Sean Green blows and if it were me, his behind would be sitting on Buffalo’s bullpen bench right now.
rhk: How is Manuel a hypocrite?
And hell, the way Ryan Church is going at the plate right now, ALL of us are hoping for any signs of life from him, let alone a big game.
Gil/Harry – Nelson Figueroa is on the trip – replacing Niese who went to Buffalo.
Gil (13): He likes to say that he wants to give ppl a chance to earn their AB’s and go with the hot hand.
Another thing…not that it would’ve made any difference, but wouldn’t it have made sense to do the customary thing before a west coast roadie and send the pitcher out there the day before, ahead of the rest of the team so he could get additional rest?
So much for that lead.-JD
Great job Maine. It’s so frustrating watching him pitch. The guy constantly has a “woe is me” attitude. This inning started off unfortunately with an IF hit and now he’s just basically throwing it away with these stupid wild pitches.
Nice Maine…9 strikes and 11 balls thrown this inning so far.
Gimme a freakin break. if he walks this guy he needs a major kick in the ass.
rmk: So…what, Manuel didn’t give Church a bunch of ABs? Come on. When Church started hot, he played. Then he went into a tailspin — that’s hardly a “hot hand.”
When the “hot hand’ went ice cold, Manuel becnhed Church for two games, then dropped him to 8th in the order. So again I ask, how is Manuel a hypocrite in his treatment of Church?
rmk: The behavior you’re saying Maine is exhibiting is eerily similar to a certain injured lefty starter we have on the team…
Struck him out on a high pitch. Maine got lucky. That inning could have been a lot worse.-JD
Gil (21): Manuel idiotically benched him when he was going hot in favor of Sheffield who was hitting in the .100′s. One can say that it was this move that sort of started his major cooling off.
rmk: Please stop making excuses for Church and blaming the manager for his struggles.
If a guy stops hitting because he’s out of the lineup one day, what’s that say about the guy’s hitting?
rmkmets (24): I didn’t like the timing of that, either.-JD
Gil (22): Perez doesn’t have a “woe is me” attitude like Maine. I think Perez just doesn’t care.
Maine on the other hand is a big baby. He gets upset at himself for one bad pitch and then lets it linger for the next 4. Then he whines later that he didnt have his best stuff. It’s one thing to be a perfectionist when you actually have a track record for being perfect. Maine has a track record lately of being far below that level and then whining about it.
And would it kill anyone on this team to throw efficient innings and actually go deep in a game? Maine will barely get thru 5 now after that first inning.
rmk: I suppose Church’s grounding out is Manuel’s fault?
You have to consider all the possibilities regarding Church. Maybe this is as good as he gets.-JD
Gil – I don’t think that it’s Church’s hitting, I think it still may be repercussions from last years concussions. Isn’t that whole issue still unresolved?
rmk: On what exactly are you basing your accusation that Perez doesn’t care about his and, by extension his team’s, struggles?
Gil (25): Im not making excuses for him. The fact of the matter is that it was a stupid move and Church did go cold after that.
Gil (31): Because Perez does a lot of this to himself. He changes his arm angle in the middle of an inning to get cute with his pitches. If he really cared so much about getting himself righted and helping the team he would have accepted a demotion to AAA
30 Annie, what else can you make of Church’s not hitting, other than that he’s not hitting? I’m pulling for Church, but as someone in this chat room took me to task for last week, there’s only so long you can blame his struggles this year on his head injuries last year.
Wow…what a great performance thus far. These guys are playing like a last place team. 30 pitch inning by the starter with two wild pitches…walking the pitcher…botching a potential double play.
Figgy may get work sooner than anyone thought…
Annie (30): Concussions have nothign to do with his performance so far. That’s not something that generally has such long lasting effects.
Annie (36): Good point. Thank god they called him up.
rmkmets (33): I agree with you 100 percent.-JD
Can anyone think of the last time this team played a game without making an error? These guys are so fundamentally poor up and down the roster. It’s absolutely pathetic and makes you wonder exactly what kind of “drills” they worked on in spring training.
These guys are vetrans that should be able to do the small things on their own but still a lot of this is a reflection of the manager.
Nice job by Maine getting out of the second. Maybe that will settle him down.-JD
32 but rmk, if you’re REALLY suggesting that Church went cold after not playing in one game, then Church must not be half the player you think he is.
As for Perez, I noted last week that ESPN’s Eduardo Perez very astutely detected something physically amiss with Oliver’s right leg and indeed he’s on the DL now, making a Triple-A assignment a moot point.
I’d have been more inclined to go along with your argument if you said Perez seemed more concerned with participating in the WBC than doing a full spring training with the Mets.
JD (41): Let’s hope so. I bet he’s sitting there in the dugout thinking about how much he’s sucked so far rather than thinking about what he can do to actually settle down and pitch well.
Gil/rmkmets – I’m going to stand by what I said before about concussions/head injuries re: Church.
Is it just my prejudice or is it a fact the two most beautiful ballparks are on the water: this one and Pittsburgh (which on my TV looks to be the best).
Gil (42): Perez seemed more concerned with just getting his fat contract and not working hard. He’s a professional athlete and couldn’t even do the little things to keep himself in shape. Everyone wanted to blame his poor performance early, on the fact that he didnt have the mets coaches around him to get on him and make him work out and stay in shape. That’s absolutely pathetic.
As for his leg…there were articles stating that when Perez was asked about which leg was bothering him when he was getting ready to board the team bus to the airport (to Atl) he couldn’t even remember which leg it was. That was just a convenient excuse.
Gil (42): Perez really shouldn’t have played in the WBC considering last season and the events of the winter. Some of his troubles can be placed on the WBC. Most of them can be because he’s a head case who doesn’t know how to pitch.-JD
Annie (44): I’m going to tell you, medically speaking, one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Dan (45): Pittsburgh does have a beautiful park.-JD
Oh and with regards to what Eduardo Perez picked up…Im sure it was another case of Perez fiddling around and trying to get cute with his wind up during the middle of a game.
44 Annie: Then wouldn’t it behoove the Mets medical staff to run a new battery of tests on Church to ascertain his game fitness?
And I’m sorry, but with his defense being customarily good, I’m not at all buying that Church is swinging and missing sliders and rolling grounders to the right side because of year-old head trauma.
Dan (45) I have to agree with you about Pittsburgh – the convergence of the rivers and those bridges really make the site of that Ball Park special. Never been there, but others who have say it’s really nice.
Well…gotta give him credit…DRod drove the run in, even though it was on a weak grounder.
Gil (51): Agree with you on the point about the defense.
JD: For a guy who doesn’t know how to pitch, he must’ve done a great impression of one who does, to have won 15 games in ’07 and to have turned in an outstanding performance in NLCS Game 7 in ’06.
The concussions aren’t what’s wrong with Church now. Last year, yes. This year, no.-JD
Annie (52): It’s a shame that the park there is generally never full either.
Gil (55): Even a blind squirrel can find an occasional nut.-JD
Gil, I dont know if you have been paying attention but Church has been hitting the ball well lately. He has been robbed a couple of times, and has gotten some hits too. Jerry has dissed him since Spring Training.
rmkmets (57): Sixteen straight losing seasons will do that. Then again, they didn’t pack Three Rivers for the Lumber Company.-JD
This is adding up to being a butt-ugly game between two struggling starting pitchers…
Gil (61): Don’t worry. We’ll be in the bullpens soon.-JD
Gil (55): He won 15 games but blew a big one down the stretch. As for the NLCS…yeah he pitched well but lets not forget he was saved by Endy’s catch. I don’t think there is EVER a time when Perez takes the mound that I’m confident of a win. The only thing Im thinking about is how rested the pen is because more than half the time they are going to get a lot of work.
rmkmets (57) Unfortunately there are a lot of ball parks that are not full this season. The only one I can think of that sells out regularly is Fenway.
Annie (64): They out to sell out Fenway. The capacity is 32,000 or so.-JD
Maine better hold this now. It’s so frustrating watching him. I’m always waiting for him to become the reliable starting pitcher that we all know he has the potential to be, but I think it’s quickly becoming obvious that he may never be anything more than a #4 or at best a #3 starter.
Ray: While Church is 5 for his last 16, it’s been soft as a jelly doughnut. Where is his extra-base power we saw in the first half of last year?
And didn’t Church respond to Manuel’s “dis” by starting the year hot?
Annie (64): Even before this year, PNC was barely ever more than half full. The rest of the league, it has to do with the economy. At PNC park it’s just a case of a horrendous organization in a small market city
San Fran really does have a beautiful park. What a great city, too. So damn expensive though.-JD
Geez, lots of passed balls in this game. Now that “Baseball Digest” dating back to 1945 are
online thanks to Google (can they get Sporting News next?), I always mean to look up the one from circa 1965 where Al Lopez complained catchers don’t get low enough because they want to look good on TV.
Seeing John Maine had 1 career home run, made me wonder if the unbreakable (trivial) one is most home runs by a pitcher. Wes Ferrell has 38. Among active players Carlos Zambrano has the most with 17. I was surprised Milt Pappas was 11th with 20. Poor guy gets remembered for being traded for Frank Robinson but was actually a good player (although plenty of people didn’t like his personality).
Well 54 pitches thru 3. Still a lot but at least he’s slowed his pace up. Maybe he’ll make it to the 6th.
Dan (70): You’re right. Being an old guy I knew he was pretty good. … I kinda think Ferrell’s HR record is safe.-JD
Gil, you are one of a kind, not because you pick on Church, you have plenty of company there, but you are the only one who sticks up for Ollie.
Don’t know if Pittsburgh has ever been a strong baseball town or even strong enough financially. One of the books out on the 1908 season (either Crazy 08 or More than Merkle) talks about how the Honus Wagner Pirates didn’t draw because many people lived on a subsistence wage. I have relatives there and besides football, they are crazy about hockey because the Pens are good. Attendance in Shea was pretty bad 30 years ago.
rmk: I’d just like to point this out about Oliver Perez:
Last year, he was 3-0 vs. the Marlins, 2-0 vs. the Yankees and 1-0 vs. the Phillies, with an 0.35 ERA.
Read some stuff saying that when Delgado gets DL’d, FMart may be a potential call up. I wish I could say I’m excited about that, but while his #’s at AAA were good, they weren’t that impressive. His star has certainly cooled the last 2 yrs. I think they should leave him there till he shows he can truly “master” that level.
JD: Any chance of Ike Davis or Reese Havens getting on a fast track up the minors at all? They’re hitting well at A ball so far.
Now the Hurricanes have beaten the Bruins in OT, I can turn on the sound on SNY
All is right with the world now. Church gets a hit.-JD
Annie: There. If you’re watching the game on SNY, Kevin Burkhardt just reported that Church told him his struggles have resulted from his lunging at pitches and not seeing the ball all the way to the bat.
That ain’t head trauma.
But good for the kid that he just got another hit. let’s hope he keeps it up.
Gil: And please tell me what happened in Perez’s last start against the Marlins last year?
75, Gil, And what were his numbers against the rest of the league, and how does that help us now that hes trying to come back from the bushes.
rmkmets (76): Yes. There’s no reason for the Mets to rush Martinez up here. … Good question about Davis and Havens. They should move up a level later in the year.-JD
Let me tell you, I don’t think four runs will be enough.-JD
UGH. I’d hate to really get on Castillo there but that is just infuriating. Way to kill a potential game busting rally against an “Ollie Perez-like” pitcher.
Would it kill these guys to ever have a killer instinct??? They basically just game them new life there.
JD (83): Totally agree with you. Even if Maine can continue what he did last inning and settle in, I dunno if KRod is available tonite, and I have ZERO confidence in Feliciano (who you just KNOW Manuel is going to go to, esp even moreso that Putz is out).
80, 81 Perez’s biggest troubles have come against “lesser” teams, which has us all perplexed about why he seems to thrive against the more competitive teams.
But he’s on the DL, not in the bushes.
I still haven’t given up on him.
Is getting one run from a bases loaded, no outs good or bad? I say the latter.
Bloomberg ads on SNY. Why doesn’t he say he gave the Mets and Yanks $1.3 billion to squeeze their wallets even more?
Gil (86): So you included the Marlins in that first stat you gave me and now you’re saying they’re one of the “lesser” teams?
Perez will never amount to anything in this league and it’s because he doesn’t have the mental capacity to do so.
Dan (87): Truth in advertising would be nice.-JD
Dan (87): Bad is an understatement. It’s downright awful.
Maine really needs an “out” pitch. Control aside, his pitch count generally gets high because he has this inherent inability to put hitters away and instead, when he gets to 2 strikes, they just sit there and keep fouling away pitch after pitch. That AB against Ishikawa was a little example of that (but thankfully he managed to get him to at least fly out).
Looks like Maine has settled down. Eight in a row.-JD
86. Yeah hes injured thats the ticket. You are unique in believing that too.
John (69) I agree San Francisco is a beautiful place – I always have to drive over the bridge when I am there..
That’s how you run out of the box in comparison to Reyes styling yesterday.-JD
Good lord. There it goes again…more sloppy “Nationals style” play. Now lets see if Maine goes into “woe is me” mode.
JD (95): True he hustled, but he should have been out at 2B if these guys knew how to play like pros.
Ok…I’ll eat my words a bit. Maine was able to come back nicely there.
Gil (79) No Mets on TV here – cable co. doesn’t carry SNY. I’d rather listen to Howie and Wayne on the radio anyway – more information, less noise.
What’s Renteria complaining about? That pitch was right there.-JD
rmkmets (97): It would have been close. They might have gotten him.-JD
rmk: the Marlins aren’t a “lesser” team when it comes to playing the Mets, considering they’ve knocked us out of playoff contention the last two years.
And unless you’ve met Perez and gotten to know him even superficially, how can you make the assumption that he doesn’t have the necessary mental makeup to compete?
77 pitches thru 4. Knowing Manuel’s bullpen tendencies, next inning is probably gonna be his last.
In all seriousness…it’s almost akin to throwing a no hitter when a pitcher on this team actually makes it thru a full 7 innings in a start.
Gil (102): I’ve met him. Talked to him at length. I’m not sure he’ll ever be what is expected of him.-JD
Beltran has to swing at that.-JD
99 Sorry, Annie, you can keep Wayne.
I grew tired of his over-enunciating when I lived in Albuquerque in the mid-90s and listened to him do Rockies’ games.
Gil (102): Because I’ve watched the guy implode on the mound time and again. He’s not a “smart” pitcher. He gets by on his stuff and when he’s not on, he has no ability to “gut it out.” What has he done to show you he can be anything more than a #5 starter in this league?
Dave Milicki shut out the Yankees in the first Mets/Yanks interleague game. Bobby Jones nearly no hit the Giants in the playoffs in ’99.
I’ll admit that I’ve gotten used to Wayne. I didn’t like him initially but I think he and Howie have developed some good chemistry together.
I’ll still never understand why they never just gave the job to Eddie Coleman when Mccarthy left. It seemed like a no brainer to me.
68. The Pirates have developed a formula which makes money. They show a profit every year with small salary, revenue sharing and fireworks and bobbleheads. They are empty during the week and very well attended fri-Sun. Now they want to develop a winning team from within. If this works the key for ownership will be how to keep profitable. They can’t be profitable and pay 140 mil. So you call them horrendous. Horrendous is the Met front office. It has the dough but can’t come close to teams their equal like t he Red Sox. The Pirates not, since their goal is met. PROFIT.
Dan Gurney: Yes Steelers first, Steelers second and Steelers third. Then Pens and Pitt Hoops. Baseball is amusement. What else could it be with 16 losing seasons in a row. But the team makes money, and how crowded was Shea Stadium in the late seventies and the mid 90′s? They can make money losing but they can’t make money with a Met payroll because the city isn’t big enough to sell 3 million plus seats, and the TV market is blocked in all directions by other markets.
JD (105): I think going down looking will forever be Beltran’s trademark thing.
104 Then maybe our expectations are unreasonable and as you said about Church earlier, maybe what we’re seeing of Ollie is as good as we’re going to get.
If so, then yes, it’d be a disappointment if Perez didn’t reach his athletic potential.
Gil (111): The game is full of players who never lived up to their expectations.-JD
Drod? why would you go out of your way to disparage one of the best three players on your “favorite team”..and also i believe david’s average with RISP is up over .300 now..
110 Why is it that Cliff Floyd, who also went down looking in the bottom of the 9th in ’06 NLCS Game 7 and later admitted he took the pitch to leave it up to the rest of the team, NEVER has copped the same grief Beltran has?
There are so many reasons why Beltran should never have been in that position in the first place…
rmkmets (108) I agree with you that Howie and Wayne are getting to be very good together. As far as Ed is concerned I’m not sure why Eddie didn’t get the job – it may be that he would rather be #1 for WFAN travelling with the team that #2 in the booth with Howie.
I always feel very lucky that I don’t have to hear John Sterling.
i think being the best CF in baseball is Carlos Beltran’s trademark thing.
Gil (114): You’re right about that. It’s too easy to single out one play. The Mets had plenty of opportunities to win that NLCS. They had a chance to break it open the inning after Endy’s catch. … And, had Beltran swung, there’s no guarantee he would’ve gotten a hit. It’s the perception of taking.-JD
Gil (110): Floyd was on his last legs at that time…I dont think anyone was expecting much. Beltran is supposed to be one of the “big guns.”
willie randolph expected too much and could have moved the runners over with a bunt but chose to go for power hitting floyd
good play castillo..DP means maine can go out for the 6th no doubt
It’s the Giants. A lull in the game. I have to ask. Does anybody miss Bonds?-JD
John (121) No.
88 pitches thru 5 for Maine. If Castro or Church get on, I wonder if Manuel will PH for Maine. Logic would dictate no, but I feel like logic doesn’t often apply to a lot of things Manuel does.
JD (121): Not at all.
Not really JD.I guess I miss hearing the baseball tonight music and then seeing him hit a bomb..but when he was chasing the record it became annoying for me to have to watch every AB on a gamebreak..although i did get to see it live on MASN vs. the Nats i believe.. he certainly wasnt the nicest person it seemed and i believe that has cost him dearly now..but man that guy could hit..always a great AB to watch
I wish Gary US Bonds had a more successful career. As far as Barry, he
is golfing with McGwire, Clemens and Palmeiro.
I wonder what would have happened 10 years ago, instead of joining the cheaters, if Bonds had publicly denounced them. Would people have cheered or called him a crybaby, like they did to Shirley Babashoff in the 1976 Olympics?
52. Annie: If you ever go to PNC you need to go to a nite game, park downtown, walk over the Roberto Clemente bridge and sit behind home plate, and then you can watch the lights of the downtown gradually take over from day light. Its best to go to a game against the Padres or somebody like that so you don’t have to watch the game at all.
Another unique thing you could do is on a fireworks night, not go to the game but instead take the Duquesne incline railway and look DOWN on the fireworks across the river. Its awesome.
Dan (167) Even now, I wish some of those who are NOT using would speak out. A whole generation of kids thinks it’s OK to use if the professionals do.
Harry (128): They had fireworks night last year when the Mets were in. It is a great show.-JD
Here are nine other reasons the Mets blew the 2006 NLCS, besides Beltran’s “going down looking”…
1. Steve Trachsel’s mere inclusion on the post-season roster (he would soon pitch himself out of the rotation in the NLCS)
2. Carlos Delgado’s crucial error in Game 2
3. Guillermo Mota’s infamous shaking off Paul LoDuca’s call for a changeup in Game 2
4. Billy Wagner’s giving up a bomb to So Taguchi in Game 2
5. Jeff Kellogg’s calling a ball on a Tom Glavine two-strike pitch to Albert Pujols (He would homer on the next pitch) in Game 5
6. The Mets leaving the tying runs on second and third in the eighth inning of Game 5.
7. Aaron Heilman’s allowing Yadier Molina’s HR in Game 7.
8. Jose Valentin whiffing on a 57-foot curve ball with the bases loaded with one out in a tie game in the bottom of the 7th and Endy Chavez’s lining out to end the inning.
9. Willie Randolph not sending up Tom Glavine in the bottom of the 9th to sacrifice with none out and runners on first and second.
Harry (128) that description of PNC is positively poetic. Thank you so much.
Gil (131): You hit all the points. I’ll always remember Endy’s catch, but an enduring image was Trachsel’s meltdown.-JD
Annie (129) I used snuff about 35 years ago because Walt Garrison advertised it on TV “just a peench between ur cheek and gum, feels real relaxin’ in there” in case the commercials aren’t on youtube. Thank heavens I gave it up shortly after. I fear what stuff kids may be doing now..not that we were perfect with some underage drinking and weed. But bodybuilding and steroids were unknown to us.
I always thought the turning point was Wagner melting down in game 2. Getting obliterated woke up the Cardinals.
It’s time to break this thing open.-JD
come on boys…lets go carlos..break it open
But, not in this inning.-JD
ugh. i hate when they leave so many runners out there..scares me of a comeback
At least the teams have different colored jerseys tonight. That game the other day where both the Braves and Mets had dark jerseys should not have been allowed.
Gees. There it is again. Same sad story…no killer instinct. They had the Giants on the ropes and let them get back up.
133 Darren Oliver should’ve started both in LA and in St. Louis. Trachsel largely benefitted from a potent Mets offense to have won 15 games that year.
And of course, isn’t it funny that it was Orioles owner Peter Angelos who squelched a July 31 three-way deal that would’ve gotten the Mets Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge for Lastings Milledge, Aaron Heilman and prospects…
Perez, Mota, Church and Schneider would never have been Mets and we may very well have had a World Series championship to have shown for it in ’06.
Dan (134) Exactly. I never took up smoking because I played sports in high school. Now coaches in high school are telling their kids to ‘bulk up’ and these kids take whatever the coach is doling out. The smart kids tell the coach what he can do with the stuff, and walk away, but others don’t…….It’s a problem.
jim (139): This isn’t a safe lead by any stretch of the imagination. Nine LOB. Terrible.-JD
i dont see it as a lack of killer instinct. good ABs loaded the bases…just missing the big hit..but i love that we got them loaded for beltran, ill take our chances with that situation
Is a cortisone shot really supposed to heal JJ Putz in two days?
with what i see as the team fighting a lot more.. i am seeing the silver lining a bit more..but you gotta win games like these
come on john..pound the zone..you got this
I am PRAYING that Albert Pujols gets nailed for a failed PED test. I’ve always been highly skeptical of his accomplishments.
Dan (146): Only if they hit the right area. And, if they do, it will be more than two days.-JD
Gil (149): I’d like him to be clean. Why root for that?-JD
Wow…Maine got lucky there.
that ball was hit well…1 more johnny
Juan Uribe? I didn’t realize he was still around?!
Oh wait…my bad I was thinking of his bro.
come on john…no walk here..throw strikes
151 Because Pujols is a cocky @$$#*^% and while I admit I don’t have a shred of evidence of his being a user, I just refuse to believe a guy built like an NFL linebacker can just materialize out of thin air to become a reincarnated Joe DiMaggio with power.
what do you say here..one more hitter?..i sya yes
come on john…throw strikes
151. I agree JD. The thing this game doesn’t need is for the new stars like Pujols, Howard, Wright etc to fail a PED test.
Come on Maine. Get your damn head out of your stupid ass and quit the “woe is me” crap. Manuel, for better or worse, is giving you a shot here so get it done!
It looks like the Rockets will force a Game 7. Up by 12 with 2:09 left. … Celtics blew a chance to put away the Magic.-JD
157. Gil; Earlier you knocked a guy for knocking Pere without knowing him, and so do you know Pujols?
If Maine doesn’t get the hitter here he’s gonna get blasted but I agree with this move. Maine needs to grow a pair and muscle up for once. The team needs the innings with the pen shorthanded.
huge momenth ere.. need this out
YES!… thatta boy!
NICE. Well done! JD: Is KRod available today?
rmkmets (161): If I were writing this story I’d have two themes running simultaneously. I’d lead with Maine and how he worked out of trouble. … I’d also write about the missed opportunities, because that could still determine the outcome.-JD
rmkmets (167): I believe he is, especially with Putz not available.-JD
168. Which team’s? They both missed a ton of chances.
John (162) what was the Celtics/Magic score?
Harry (170): Both. I’d tie in the Giants missed opportunities to Maine pitching out of trouble.-JD
163 Harry, do you remember Pujols’s classless comments about Tom Glavine after NLCS Game 1, essentially mocking his performance and mouthing off about how he had “nothing” and was “lucky” to have won that game?
If that’s not the mark of a cocky, classless @$$#*%^, I don’t know what is.
Ron Swoboda is the Met with most career home runs against the Giants? Never would have guessed that. Then again, they aren’t the Queens Bombers.
JD (168): Agreed. But missing opportunities is what this team has been doing for 2 yrs now, this year especially. They have an inability to go for the jugular and put the opposition away.
Annie (171): 83-75. They had a nine point lead at one time. Would have liked for them to have wrapped it up tonight.-JD
173. Gil… Telling the truth isn’t being cocky. Did you feel that way about David Cone with is column after game one against the Dodgers?
Gil (173): I remember. Privately, Glavine was miffed.-JD
Wright is really a very underrated base stealer. That’s a part of his game that I think doesn’t get brought up enough.
Boy, you guys are all up late and being quite chatty!
I’m on a road trip up here near the Canadian border to pick my daughter up from college. Believe it or not, they have SNY on cable up here… (sorry, Annie!)
John, I see you said much earlier “they’ll be into the bullpens soon” — looks like that didn’t happen.
rmkmets (175): Exactly. That’s why it’s worth a story. Even in victory it would be mentioned prominently.-JD
John (176) Me too. So, does this mean they go back to the Garden on Saturday?
How come Manuel didn’t use Santos to pinch hit for Castro there, if his strategy against the Marlins was so brilliant?
looked like maine might be coming back out?? could they be ignoring the pitch count?
Jeff (180): Mets abt to hit the pen this inning.
Jeff (180): No, it didn’t. I thought this would be a 10-8 type of game. … I understand SNY is everywhere but a small section in Connecticut. Sorry Annie. Couldn’t resist.-JD
Jim (184): Is he coming back out??
Harry: First, Glavine WASN’T lucky. He pitched a masterpiece and Pujols wasn’t man enough to admit Glavine beat him by striking him out and shutting out the Cardinals in a brilliant effort.
Cone’s 1988 remarks were taken out of context, as written by Bob Klapisch. Cone later clarified his remarks by saying that the Dodgers’ Jay Howell reminded him of a deadly pitcher who pitched against Cone’s high school team and beaten them.
178. Anyone who knocks Glavine is all right with me. After his comments insulting an entire fanbase after his pathetic performance in ’07 say anyhting bad about him you want and deserves more. Did he cry Delcos when he heard what Pujols said. And I’d take Pujols on my team before Tom goody too shoe Glavine easy.
Lets go John!
Wow…this is certainly a surprise. I like this although Maine hasn’t exactly inspired confidence so I’m surprised.
Maine is still there. I don’t believe what I’m seeing.-JD
Jeff(180) I don’t know about the guys, but I took a nap – and No, I’m not moving to the border so I can see SNY – I’m very happy with Howie and Wayne.
keep it going john..keep firing strikes
1 more john..keep firing
Given the fact that he’s thrown 108 pitches coming into this inning and the fact that it’s the middle of the order, I’m really surprised, but I like it. Maine needs to grow up a bit and Manuel is giving him a chance to do so.
rmkmets (196): That would be the key to my story.-JD
I like the chin music I wonder if that was more an accident than anything given the horrendous way Maine pitched the rest of that sequence to Molina.
PLEASE don’t put Feliciano in.
188. Gil You weren’t the only one to see the game. Casll it what you want, I’ll call it what I want. The guy was lucky. I knew exactly what you were going to say about Cone. I should have written that in my earleir post. A metsie is of course misundersttood, and a a Pujols and a Rollins is a bead evil person. But in both cases Rollins and Pujols got the big ring and Cone didn’t. So give me the bad guys. Professional athlestes are supoposed to do a job on their opponent. Rolins got othe Mets and Pujols got to the Mets and Dodgers got to Cone. How could Cone be taken out of context when he was writing a column for the Daily News (maybe the Post). He was taken out of context in his own column. Get real Gil.
great job by maine
even waited for strokes to give him a pound..shades of last yr, nice touch by him
very good outting by john
I would have liked to have seen Maine finish the inning, but I knew he would be gone after one base runner.-JD
If Randy Johnson gets his 300th win soon for the Giants, will it mean as little to them as
Glavine’s 300th does to us? Wonder how Mariners fans feel about Gaylord Perry’s 300th win (it was broadcast on mlb channel a few days ago)? I don’t think YES has Clemens’ 300th win in its rotation.
Hate to say it, but I have to agree with Mr. Chiti (189) — I’ll never forgive Glavine for the way he pitched in that final game — and then brushed it off with his usual “oh well”. Compare that to the way Johann pitched in his final game last year, WITH an injury yet.
Annie (193) “I’m very happy with Howie and Wayne”?? People will start to talk.
189 Harry, Glavine’s pissing all of us off didn’t happen until after the ’07 debacle. Still, it’s unsportsmanlike to disparage an opponent who beat you with his skills.
You tip your cap.
Glavine took the high road by saying “next time I hope I can do something that impresses him,” but unfortunately Pujols homered off in the crucial Game 5.
UGH…Winn is a lefty so it’s going to be Feliciano isn’t it?
Any time this guy comes in the game something bad happens. A fluke single, an error in the infield…and then before you know it the next guy is hitting the ball out.
throw strikes stokes…lets get wynn here
Dan (202): Johnson could get 300 against the Mariners. That would be fun to write.-JD
Maine pitched a lot better than I thought he was gonna at the beginning of the game. Good job. Don’t blow it, bullpen.
John Maine could pitch a perfect game and he’d still look like he was ready to do himself in.
there we go..very nice..lets get some insurance boys
Glad it was Stokes. Now hopefully Parnell in the 8th and then KRod in the 9th?
204. Gil… You talking little league?
Harry (209): Doesn’t he, though.-JD
Well I wish I could stay up but gotta go hit the sac. Gonna go to bed listening to the game…I hope I wake up to a win in the AM and not a blown save and loss by the pen.
i agree rmk…parnell then frankie
Harry: First off, I have the utmost respect for Jimmy Rollins and actually like him. I also respect Jayson Werth, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino.
Cole Hamels earned the right to call the Mets chokers because that’s exactly what the Mets did for the last two years.
As for Rollins, what’s he supposed to say, that the Phillies would come in second?
And Rollins backed up his talk on the field and won the MVP award.
I was at NLCS Game 1 and personally watched Glavine shut down the Redbirds. He was NOT lucky that night.
And as for Cone, he didn’t “write” anything. He dictated his thoughts to Bob Klapisch, who then wrote the column.
Jeff (203) There are some here who love Glavine, I don’t. However, I’m standing by my statement about being happy with Howie and Wayne. They are doing a great job and I love every word. You should have heard how Keith Hernandez kept them up across the country on this trip by telling them – again – how good a first baseman he was…..
Annie (217): I always liked Glavine. He was great to cover. Too bad he’ll always be remembered for one game and he reaction to it.-JD
haha annie (217)- did they mention that on air tonight? this trip it happened? haha
i love keith
his reaction to it was an absolute joke..embarassing for a pro athlete i think
come on bobby- fire strikes, lets go
I’m not a Glavine-lover. I’m an admitted Pujols player-hater, though and I’m highly suspicious of his feats.
Folks didn’t suspect Manny or A-Rod of cheating, so why not Pujols?
ugh..unlucky. come on bobby
jim (220): He was being too literal by saying he wasn’t devastated. I knew what he meant. It just came out bad in the translation.-JD
Jim (219) we all love Keith Hernandez including the man himself.
Who’s staying up with me if Rowand homers and this thing goes 15?-JD
I guess Jd. ill take your word for it but i only know the way i felt..and to hear his comments made it even worse….and ill be up throughout
come on bobby. throw strikes..walks are out what kill
John (218) You have an advantage with the players, you get to meet them and talk with them. That often gives you quite a different perspective than those of us who are just fans.
JD: Not like I’ve got anywhere to be tomorrow morning, so I’ll be here.
I’d have brought in Feliciano to face Ishikawa…
mets need this win to start this roadtrip..come on bobby, we need you here
not me, i like parnell here
Damn!
A little quicker off the mound and we’d have had a play at third base…
I’ll be here all night long.
bad feeling here…dont like this. Come on Bobby, Lets Go Mets
I hate how baseball has become so damn role-specific. Where is it written that Frankie can’t be called upon to get a two-inning save?
What old tyme manager first came up with playing the infield back or in? Frank Selee?
Ned Hanlon? Bill James must have written who someplace.
pitched too much recently i think gil…come on bobby. we need this win
John (226) Yesterday’s game went to extra innings and we all stayed, so I suppose we can do it again (yes, I did take a nap today)
We’re gonna lose this one.
Anyone hear Gary Cohen’s ominous words:
“Sean Green is getting loose in the Mets’ bullpen”?
dp here.. one time 6 4 3
BIG K!… come on bobbyyyyy
HUGE punchout. Gotta like Parnell. He has stones.-JD
I wish Cohen had said “Sean Green is getting ‘ludes in the Mets’ bullpen.”
That way Green would be incapable of pitching tonight.
What the hell was that throw to first base?
This is &^%$%^’ ridiculous!
We’ve been tied by two friggin’ balls that didn’t even go out of the %$##$@$ infield!!!
We were right earlier. Four runs were not going to be enough. Aaarrrggghhh!!!
coraaa ugh… tough play but he has looke bad at SS.. the mets have had so many opportunities.. they need this win to start a roadtrip.. a loss would be bad especially like this
Cora had no shot on that play.-JD
stay focused now parnell..dont give them the lead, then all of a sudden we get one AB. ugh this is not a good start to a roadtrip, mets need to find a way here
Would Reyes have made that play??
It gets ugly late.
very nice play by wright..big time
reyes may have been able to flip it to castillo..i think cora had a chance to, but couldnt get it out if his glove
The real blow in that inning was the walk to Aaron Rowand.
254 I’m with you, Jim.
Dan (251): I don’t know. That’s a tough play because the momentum is taking you toward the outfield. It’s a difficult throw. Cora had a hard time getting a grip.-JD
come on cora…good AB here, get on for carlos
Gil (255): Walks are always the killer.-JD
i can not believe i hear cohen say, green will pitch if the game is tied..how can manuel; put him in
way to go carlos!..come on gary, we need a big hit here. Need it
Why do I have the feeling this is going to come down to D-Wright having to come through in a pressure situation?
WHOA..big steal for carlos…. first reaction, thought he was out
CARLOS!
here we go Gil… lets go DAVID!
I think Beltran might have been out.-JD
Continuing the great tradition started by Aaron Heillman and continued by the very hard to get excited in the 8th JJ Putz, young Bobby Parnell (any relation to the late great Mel Parnell), in his first chance continues the tradition. We will an official naming ceremony in Chiti Field to officially have the naming of the 8th inning set up role as the Aaron Heillman memorial inning.
Finally a clutch hit!!
WAY TO GO, D-WRIGHT!!!!
CLUTCH!!!!!… SHUT UP WITH DROD COMMENTS!
(262) Right you are!
rwk- shhhhhh with the DROD stuff…thatta boy david!
DOUBLE STEAL
I LOVE IT!!!!!
DOUBLE STEALING!!!!
double steal even with Sheffield on the lead!
The double steal took stones.-JD
noooo tatis…we need to tack on there, jeeeeze…come on castro
Wright ties Vince Coleman and Roger Cedeno for Mets record of 4 SBs in a game? Who’da thunk it?
275 We should be running more often.
another run would be huge
RAMON!!! YESSSS
YES!!!!
SHREK COMES THROUGH!!!!
Now our boys are playin’ some ball!!
LOOK AT THAT DUGOUT!!! ENERGY! LIFE!
I LOVE IT!!!
Ok, send Ramon!
Well, OK, maybe not.
THERE IS SOME FIGHT GRIT EDGE!…this is the way i love seeing the mets play!
(278) 7 steals in the game is a new Mets club record.
If we hold on, this could be the most gratifying win of the season, so far…
nighty nite all….god job people can’t bitch about wright for 24 hours!
Gary said, “What irony that the Mets set a new club record for steals on the night Reyes is out of the lineup.”
keep throwing strikes frankie.. come on boys
Don’t do it, Harry.
You want to see this one through to the end. You don’t want to wake up and read disturbing news about this game tomorrow morning.
(290) Disturbing news? If there’s going to be disturbing news, he SHOULD go to bed. He’d never be able to sleep if they blow this.
filthy change up..two more frankie
Howie has put this spectacular game ‘in the books’.
Tomorrow is already here – see you at tonight’s game.
FRANKIE SAY GAME OVER.
GREAT WIN!!!.. they needed it! change the story JD- mets come through in the clutch!
Good win for the metsies!
goodnight all, Lets Go Mets!
different team, playing wiht fight and fire, I love it
Great job. Man, am I tired.
Best win of the year so far.
No signs of jet lag with these guys tonight.
Also, VERY important to win the game before the one with their ace pitching.
jim (295): You’re right. I might have to go with this being the most gratifying win of the year so far.-JD
That’s it for me folks. Thanks for staying up with me. Do it again later. Sleep fast.-JD
feels so good to see them fight and grind
im sure they must be feeling great tonight
now keep those bats hot for lincecum tomorrow, tall task but ya gotta believe