The John Delcos New York Mets Report Featuring Mets' commentary, analysis and news.

There are a lot of ugly stats I could throw out you to explain the Mets sliding out of playoff contention, but one sticks out: They haven’t won back-to-back games since June 22-23.

Game #113 vs. Rockies

Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

The 56-56 Mets will try to keep their faint playoff aspirations alive behind Jon Niese, who’ll try to follow up what Mike Pelfrey gave them last night. Pelfrey, who had been hit hard since last June, threw seven scoreless innings.

Niese (7-5, 3.63 ERA) is 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA in two career starts against the Rockies, including giving up five runs in five innings April 14 in a 6-5, 10-inning loss at Denver.

Niese is coming off a no-decision in his last start when he gave up a run in seven innings at Philadelphia.

The Mets went 2-4 during their Atlanta-Philly road trip, in large part because of the slumping David Wright and Carlos Beltran.

Wright, who led the National League in hitting with a .351 average in June and July, is a paltry 2-for-29 with eight strikeouts in eight game in August.

Meanwhile,  Beltran has been frigid since coming off the DL to start the second half, hitting only .195.

NOTE: I will be working tonight and out of the chat room.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Mike Pelfrey was better in his last start, but he’s still not there. At one time he was 9-1, now he’s 10-5. He needs to get back to his earlier form starting tonight against Arizona if the Mets are to break out of their downward spiral that has been the month of July.

Game #103 vs. Diamondbacks

Without a sound Pelfrey the Mets have no chance of making a second-half run at the NL East, which is slowly fading away, and made even more unlikely with the Phillies’ acquisition of Roy Oswalt.

Pelfrey is 0-3 with an 11.40 ERA in his last four starts. Included in that span was giving up four first-inning runs in his last start against the Diamondbacks.

The first inning has been a recent trap for Pelfrey.

“(In eight of my) last nine starts, I’ve given up a run in the first inning and I need to find a way of stopping that,’’ Pelfrey said. “Whether it’s throwing more pitches in the ‘pen, I don’t know.’’

Pelfrey gave the Mets a chance in his previous start last weekend at Los Angeles, giving up two runs in five innings. Even so, he still threw a lot of pitches and was removed for a pinch-hitter.

It was the first time in five starts that he made it through five innings. The Mets have lost four of those games.

Pelfrey is 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA in six career starts against Arizona.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

BAY: Just horrible.

His lineup finally intact, Jerry Manuel said he is contemplating juggling things tonight in Los Angeles.

After last night’s game Manuel told reporters he might sit Jason Bay – which I called for a couple of days ago – Carlos Beltran and Rod Barajas.

Beltran and Barajas drove in runs last night, with the latter breaking out of a long home run drought.

Sitting Bay is deserved. He went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts last night and is hitting .111 with no RBI in his past ten games.

“Just lost,’’ is how Bay describes himself.

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Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Game #95 at Diamondbacks

The make-or-break road trip to start the second half is breaking them. Who knows? Matter it will shatter them by the time they return home.

The Mets have Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes back, but that hasn’t helped their stagnant offense, which is hitting .203 during the Mets last ten games. The Mets have gone 2-8 in that span, including 1-5 since the break.

They’ve scored just 18 runs in those ten games and 12 in the last six. Two wins is about right.

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Game #94 at Diamondbacks

At 6-3, Dickey has more than just filled in the gaping hole in the Mets’ rotation caused by the injuries to John Maine and Oliver Perez.

With his dancing knuckleball, he gave the Mets’ rotation a different look and was able to confound National League hitters by winning his first six decisions.

Dickey has come back to Earth record wise, losing his last three decisions, but with a little run support he could easily have three more victories.

The Mets need him again tonight in a big way. They are 1-4 in the second half, but should be 0-5. After a hot June that vaulted them back into the race, the Mets are 5-10 in July and fading.

Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

PELFREY: Needs to figure it out.

We might know more about one of the Mets’ key second-half questions tonight, which is: Who is the real Mike Pelfrey?

At one time, Pelfrey was 9-1 and cruising toward the All-Star Game. All was right in his world and the Mets were making up ground on Atlanta. However, he has hit a rough five-game stretch since in which he’s gone 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA.

That’s just the beginning of the bad numbers.

In that span Pelfrey (10-4, 3.58 ERA) failed to make it out of the fifth inning in his last three starts, including going four while giving up four runs on 12 hits in his last start against the Braves.

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Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Game #92 at Giants.

At 61-19, Johan Santana has been money in the bank in his career during the second half.  The Mets will need to cash a Santana check today against the Giants to avoid being swept and perhaps falling into a free fall.

Santana gave up five hits in seven innings in beating Atlanta last Sunday to prevent a sweep in that series.

Overall, the Mets have lost six of their last seven and eight of their last ten games.

“I feel much better,’’ Santana said. “Hopefully, this second half will be a strong one.’’

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Posted under New York Mets 2008-09

Game #90 at Giants

Jon Niese stopper?

That’s the way it’s going to have to be tonight at San Francisco as Niese (6-3, 3.61) tries to pull the Mets out of their July funk.

After a boom in June that saw the Mets go 11 games over .500 and pull within a game of Braves, they are 4-7 for July to find themselves five games behind during a very precarious part of their schedule as this is the second game of a season-high 11-game road trip.

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Posted under New York Mets 2008-09