For the offensively challenged Mets, the Giants aren’t the team they’d like to see this weekend at Citi Field. Not with their pitching anyway.
Jonathan Sanchez against Mike Pelfrey tonight figures to be significant to the Mets on several levels, beginning with questions about the durability of the latter’s shoulder.
Pelfrey complained of tightness after being shelled last Saturday in Philadelphia, but he was cleared after a MRI and light bullpen session Wednesday.
The Mets will miss Matt Cain and Barry Zito this weekend, but will get Tim Lincecum Sunday.
The 17-10 Giants are fresh off a sweep of the Florida Marlins in which their rotation’s ERA was a sparkling 2.57 during the series.
The Mets limp home off a 2-4 road trip a 9-1 homestand. During that homestand Mets pitchers registered a 1.83 ERA and struck out 62-59 innings.
A major storyline during the last homestand was Jerry Manuel juggling the batting order by dropping Jose Reyes to third ahead of Jason Bay.
Despite dismal showings by both Reyes and Bay in Philadelphia and Cincinnati, Manuel will keep that line-up. Bay is hitless in his last 12 at-bats and has one homer and nine RBI on the season.
Here’s the line-up behind Pelfrey:
Angel Pagan, CF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Jose Reyes, SS
Jason Bay, LF
David Wright, 3B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Ike Davis, 1B
Rod Barajas, C
Mike Pelfrey, RP
FIRST INNING: Nice start by Pelfrey. Good defensive first by Castillo. He still has his moments.-JD
Maybe that double will get Bay going. That has to take a load off. He was definitely pressing.-JD
SECOND INNING: Pelfrey looking good. Fears might have been overstated.-JD
You can’t stop Rod Barajas — you can only hope to contain him.
8th homer for Barajas!!
dhuang (5): Fair to say they don’t miss not getting Molina.-JD
(6)good decision thus far…but Molina isn’t on the lineup.
FOURTH INNING: Wright out stealing, but I like their aggressiveness so far.-JD
Davis can hit lefties. I wonder how tempted Jerry is to move him to the clean-up slot.-JD
FIFTH INNING: A run in and runners on second and third. This is a key moment of the game for Pelfrey. Let’s see if he can minimize the damage.-JD
Held them to two runs. The way things started it could have been worse.-JD
i c pelf got in a little trouble
dave (12): He did. But, he did a good job to limit things. That smelled of a big inning.-JD
Did you see the Lastings Milledge play the other day in PIttsburgh? Thought he had a homer on a drive off the wall.-JD
SIXTH INNING: That hot streak by Francoeur seems like a long time ago.-JD
JF swung at garbage.-JD
SEVENTH INNING: Pelfrey in trouble. Didn’t think he’d be out here this long.-JD
Pelfrey makes the play on the bunt and then gets the DP. Huge inning for him. Very impressive.-JD
and castillo boots another one
EIGHTH INNING: Pelfrey is done. That ball was smoked.-JD
A strong show of confidence by Manuel to let Nieve pitch to the left-hander and he came through.-JD
NINTH INNING: K-Rod blows the save kicking away a strong outing by Pelfrey.-JD
Another good play by Castillo saves a run and maybe the game.-JD
NINTH INNING: The ump got it right.-JD
Barajas, Davis, Castillo, Pelfrey and Nieve. So many big plays by so many players tonight. Maybe the best game of the year.-JD
A QUICK WRAP/Game #29
FINAL: Mets 6, Giants 4.
RECORD: 16-13.
THUMBNAIL ANALYSIS: Rod Barajas and Ike Davis each hit a pair of homers – the former hitting the game winner in the ninth – to back the strong pitching of Mike Pelfrey.
ON THE MOUND: Pelfrey gave up three runs on eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. … Fernando Nieve relieved Pelfrey with two on in the eighth and worked out of it. … Francisco Rodriguez blew the save.
AT THE PLATE: Jason Bay doubled in the Mets’ first run. … Davis and Barajas went back-to-back. … Davis hit a second homer.
IN THE FIELD: Two good backhanded plays by Luis Castillo in the first, and a tremendous play in the ninth saved a run. Davis goes into the dugout one a pop-up to end the ninth.
LOOKING AHEAD: Johan Santana gets the start with an extra day of rest.-JD
Delcos, everybody here knows looie is a bum with no range who cant hit his way out of a paper bag. stop it.