A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE WORLD SERIES...

I'm just as guilty as all the other Mets fans...I fully expected the Mets to be in the post-season this year, and pretty much cruise to the World Series, where they would finally meet some tough opposition. Though the Mets are still in first place in the division, we've certainly seemed to hit a bump in the road, haven't we?

The problem is, I haven't changed my ways, even with the Mets stumbling through the summer months. My thoughts (especially with 10pm starts that I can't stay awake for the end of) have been wandering lately to the NFL, which is right around the corner, and how I'm feeling partly excited for September, and college and pro football, to get me through to the baseball playoffs. The problem with that is it's shaping up to be a pretty important September for the Mets - one in which they could find themselves fighting just to get into the post-season.

I went back into my archives to prove the March/April version of myself wrong - how I probably said the season was going to be a breeze, and that turns out to be not the case. But I'm proud to say - I just about hit the nail on the head:

"In my limited spring training write-ups, I've been somewhat critical of the Mets. It's not that I don't think they'll be good...it's just that I don't think they'll be as good all season as they were last year. But I think this team has the chance to hit its stride at the most important time - September and October - which is the opposite of what happened last year." - March 21, 2007

I went on to predict that the Mets will pull away from the much-improved Phillies (who are again playing the way I expected them to at the beginning of the year) when Pedro Martinez* returns in August.

Then there was this:

"I was checking out the Mets' schedule. July looks particularly tough. There are 10 home games, and 16 road games. It looks more intimidating on the schedule than it sounds...but there are a couple of lengthy road trips." - April 3, 2007

Turns out July has been tough (not to mention June...didn't see that coming), and it's tough as we speak. The month started on Sunday, July 1st, in Philadelphia - a loss. The trip through Colorado and Houston was more challenging than it should have been, and the Mets were 2-6 on that road trip in July. (It's 5-6 when you go into the last few days of June, and include the three wins over Philly that preceded the loss...but we're focusing on July.) The Mets took 3 out of 4 at home against Cincinnati, and now are back on the road, traveling across the country, to San Diego and Los Angeles, where they are already 0-1, after losing to the Padres Monday night. I'll try to keep a positive attitude, but keep in mind the Mets were already in Los Angeles this year (just about a month ago, really), where they were outscored 18-5 in a three-game sweep. So this doesn't bode too well.

The Mets might take two out of three in San Diego, and a split with the Dodgers would be acceptable. Then you look at their second half of the season so far, and things look pretty good, and there's no need to worry. But, unfortunately, the way the Mets have been playing, that's not a foregone conclusion, as it might have been last year. This year, it seems, the Mets are going to have to prove their worth right up until the end.

NAME GAME: I missed a golden opportunity Monday night in the ol' name game. I've explained this before, but I'll go through it again. Basically, it's fun with baseball names - I like saying, "What if Wendell Kim married Turk Wendell? He'd be Wendell Wendell." It's stupid...but sometimes these things come up during three-hour baseball games. Well, Monday night, pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals, was Braden Looper. And then as I was switching around during the Mets game, who is pitching for the Oakland Athletics? None other than Dallas Braden. Hello, Braden Braden. There have been times with the Name Game where players have opposed one another, being on opposite teams in the same game. But I'm not sure there's ever been a pitching matchup with opposing names. I look forward to the day the A's play the Cardinals, and the Bradens match up.

-On a somewhat related note - I mentioned the NFL before - I saw in the transaction wire that the Jets signed a receiver named Juan Wong. That's pretty cool. Doubt he makes the team, considering I've never heard of him - but I'll try to catch him in a preseason game, just because.

SO FAR, METS ARE PITCHER PERFECT

Mets 10, Cardinals 0 (NYM: 3-0, STL: 0-3)

How about a three-game series where you outscore your opponents 20-2? How about if that opponent is the defending world champion? OK, they're still the mediocre, lightning-in-a-2-week-bottle-that-was-the-2006-post-season-Cardinals, but it's still an impressive way to begin the 2007 season for the Mets.

Even more impressive - three starts, 3-0 for the starters. John Maine completed a solid turn by the Mets' top three with 7 shutout innings, giving up just one hit. Maine retired the first 12 he faced before giving up a hit, and then walked a batter, before ending his outing by setting down 9 of 10. (He also pitched out of his mini-jam very well, getting a strikeout, lineout, and flyout with those two men on.

By the way - I seem to remember that Maine did this a lot last year, too, where he'd make it through the lineup once, one and a half times, even twice, without giving up a hit. Then they'd figure him out...but he's picking up this year right where he left off.

The Mets were facing their former closer, Braden Looper, who was making his first career start after 572 appearances - the third-most appearances all time before making his first start. Looper was good his first couple of times through the order, too, before the Mets got to him. In the top of the sixth, Paul Lo Duca singled, and Carlos Beltran then deposited a pitch into the right field seats for a 2-0 Mets lead. That same inning, with two outs, David Wright legged out an infield single to shortstop (he's not driving in runs in the first three games- so it was good to see him get a hustle hit - this was just a slow roller to short), then later came around to score on a Shawn Green single, making it 3-0. That run was earned by Wright, by beating out that infield hit.

The Mets then blew the game open - in the seventh, Jose Reyes had a solo homer, then Beltran hit his second of the game, a solo shot (4 RBI), and then in the 8th the Mets added 5 more to make the final score 10-0. Definitely an exclamation point to a big statement made by the Mets in the first three games of the season.

The Mets have Thursday off before taking on the Braves for three games in Atlanta. I think the Mets finally exorcised this "House of Horrors" stuff with their success in Atlanta last season. We'll see if it carries over into this year. I might take Thursday off too - these have been some late nights after the 8 o'clock starts. I'll write again on Friday, if nothing else important comes up before then.

WB MASON JOHNNYMETS.BLOGSPOT.COM PLAYER OF THE GAME: Again, we have to go with the starting pitcher. John Maine went 7 innings of one-hit ball...there is no more deserving candidate. Tack on 6 strikeouts, and just two walks, and you have yourself a great start to the season.

SWEEPING THE CARDINALS: I noted in my last posting how wrong I thought people were who were saying that the season-opening win by the Mets was revenge for the NLCS. (The scale is just so different between post-season and beating the team that won it all the previous season...you just can't take that title away from them.) But by sweeping the Cardinals, while they're not getting revenge, the Mets are sending a huge message. I don't think the Cardinals will be around in October, but it's more of a message to everyone - we know what we missed out on last year, and we're here to fix it. Also - I read somewhere a comparison to 1985/1986, where the Cardinals edged the Mets in September to win the division in 1985, then the Mets came back and swept the Cardinals in April of 1986 en route to the championship. That's a more accurate comparison.

BROADCASTERS: So I caught a bit of the Reds-Cubs game on Wednesday night, and I was surprised to see Thom Brennaman and Jeff Brantley broadcasting the game. Must be a lot of broadcaster shakeup around the league, what with Gary Thorne now doing Baltimore, and these two now doing the Reds. I'm not sure I'm crazy about the switch - I've never been a big fan of Brennaman, and you may remember I kind of liked George Grande. I'll have to keep an eye on the other broadcasting switches...and perhaps do a new evaluation.

BEAT THE STREAK: Vladimir Guerrero got me going again (so mad that I didn't pick him Tuesday night)...I look to A-Rod to continue it on Thursday against the Devil Rays.

SWITCHING PLACES

A quick update on what I think are some of the more interesting off-season moves, not only of players going from team-to-team, but movement within teams.

FROM RELIEF TO ROTATION - these are 3 pitchers making the switch from the bullpen to the starters role this season.

The Jonathan Papelbon move has been well-documented. I wonder whether pitching every fifth day helps his arm, rather than working almost everyday, or if he's hurt by the number of pitches per start he'll be throwing. I think he'll be fine - it's the Red Sox' closer position I'd be worried about if I was a Red Sox fan. Papelbon was soooo good in that role last year. He struck fear in other teams - something that's been missing from that position at Fenway in the past.

This one should be interesting - everyone's favorite former Mets closer, Braden Looper, is part of an experiment in St. Louis, most likely titled, "How to Destroy A Championship Team". Looper is being moved into the rotation - I can't imagine, if he couldn't fool teams coming into games late, how he's going to do against teams facing batters more than once per game.

Then there's Adam Wainwright, who did such a spectacular job closing out games for the Cardinals during the post-season, but is no longer needed as a closer because of Jason Isringhausen's return. Wainwright is also expected to get a shot at starting...if I'm a Cardinals fan, I'd rather see Wainwright in there than Isringhausen at the end of games, based on Isringhausen's performance and the way he's looked on the mound in the past couple of years.

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES

I've mentioned this before, but I'll continue to root for Mike Piazza as long as he's playing. This year, Piazza finally finds himself on an American League team - the Oakland A's - meaning he's going to be a DH for the majority of the year. (There is a possibility he'll get some time behind the plate - possibly even some time at first base!) It will be interesting to see how his bat responds to the new role, even if it is at cavernous McAfee Coliseum.


I'll bring this up again when I make my picks, but the Texas Rangers have become a chic pick to be good this season (perhaps it's because Buck Showalter is no longer with them, and every team Showalter has left has won a championship the year following his departure). I don't think the Rangers will win the West, but I will be keeping an eye on the once-dominant, now-very-fragile, Eric Gagne, and whether or not he can return to form. Or, at the very least, stay healthy.


When Juan Pierre is your number two hitter, you have a good lineup. Such is the case for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will have Pierre hitting behind Rafael Furcal. The Dodgers improved their team this off-season, I can't say much more than that. Pierre and Furcal at the top of the lineup could mean a lot of early leads for Los Angeles this season.



COMMENT COMMENTS: The Southern Bureau left a note detailing a few of Oliver Perez's other, not-so-successful starts. I didn't bring up the horrid numbers, because I figured the ERA spoke for itself regarding how bad those starts were. My point remains - I'm not sure he's too much worse than Trachsel in the rotation - there were times when Trachsel hurt the team and taxed the bullpen. Bottom Line: I hope Dave in Brighton's unfailing confidence in Oliver Perez prevails over the Southern Bureau's negative experiences.

Well, so much for the 9-0 homestand and the push back into the playoffs by the Mets. An 0-3 start to a homestand will do that.

The Nationals completed the 3-game sweep of the Mets Thursday afternoon at Shea with a 6-5, 10-inning win. The game featured a blown save by Braden Looper - who better not be closing games for the Mets when they make a for-real run next season. Royce Ring should be the closer. Or anyone not named Looper.

So the Mets now find themselves at 71-75. I'd like to think they'll finish better than last year's 71-91, but the way they've been playing, I'm not so sure.

The good news from Thursday (besides the grand slam by Cliff Floyd wasted by the blown save...by the way, Floyd will not have the best season ever by a Met, which he was on pace to do, but he's still had a fine season - despite the fact he has only 30 homers after being on pace for 45 earlier in the season) - David Wright hit his 40th double. So:

WRIGHT WATCH:

SECOND HALF: 18 SEASON TOTAL: 40 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 5 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 16 GAMES TO BREAK THE RECORD!!

And you thought there was nothing left to watch for this season.

9TH INNING BREW

Brewers 6, Mets 4 (MIL: 53-55; NYM: 54-53, 7.5 GB)

Carlos Beltran* and Jose Reyes need to switch salaries this second. At the very least Beltran* should give back this season's salary to the team. They got him to produce like he did last October - maybe not as much as he did last October, with a homer every at-bat, or so it seemed - but at least to be the guy, with the game on the line, who gets the big hit.

Beltran* had that opportunity Wednesday night. And he blew it. Just like he did in Colorado. And in Houston. And on Tuesday night. Jose Reyes, THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, came through in the clutch - he always comes through in the clutch. Let's go back and set the scene.

First of all, the Mets wasted a decent start by Pedro Martinez*. He didn't have his greatest game, but he was effective, striking out 8 in 7 innings of work, giving up 3 runs. (Pedro* didn't get his first strikeout until the fourth inning - and he finished with 8. Not bad.) Roberto Hernandez relieved Pedro*, and gave up the game-tying homer in the eighth. This is after the Mets had a chance to blow the game open in the fifth inning, but stranded runners on second and third. So the game was 4-4, and Braden Looper gave up two runs with two outs in the top of the ninth. You can hardly blame him - after getting two out, he gave up a weak infield hit. Actually, you can blame him, because he walked Rickie Weeks, before giving up the RBI single to Lyle Overbay.

So the Mets have their chance in the bottom of the ninth. Doug Mientkiewicz leads off with a single. Then pinch-hitter extraordinaire Marlon Anderson grounds the ball to second. The second baseman goes to tag Mientkiewicz, but Mientkiewicz drops to the ground and takes out the second baseman, so they can't turn two. Anderson safe at first. Jose Reyes, 0-for-4 to this point, lines a shot over the shortstop's head for a base hit - Marlon Anderson to third. Miguel Cairo then takes a stolen base away from Reyes by swinging at a pitch (he should have taken it - it would have been a ball), then hits a weak grounder that gets Reyes to second, and Anderson stays at third, but Cairo is out at first. Tying run at second for Carlos Beltran*. He swings at the first pitch and tops it to first base. Beltran* had a hit earlier in the game. It's news that he had a hit...they've been so few and far between.

The Mets also wasted a great game by Mike Piazza - who hit a bomb of a home run out of the stadium earlier in the game, and Cliff Floyd also hit a bomb to the apple in right-center field. Piazza also caught pinch-runner Ty Durrington stealing in the top of the ninth for the second out before the Brewers rallied. Piazza's throwing is getting better. I think he's enjoying himself more knowing that everyone knows he's playing his final games in New York.

This is as bad a loss for the Mets as Tuesday night's was a good win. The Braves had lost to the Reds, so the Mets stood to pick up some ground. I'm going to New York Thursday - when the Mets play the Brewers at noon. I'll try to write over the weekend. I will be at Sunday night's game - hopefully I'll leave with a Pedro Martinez bobblehead.

WRIGHT WATCH: 1-for-4 with 2 RBI, no doubles. (He didn't double Tuesday night either.)

SECOND HALF: 6 SEASON TOTAL: 28 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 16 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 55 GAMES.

ELTRAN*'S: The 1-for-4 Wednesday means for the second half:

19-for-76 (.250 AVG.), 2 HR, 12 RBI, 9 Runs, 3 SB

THE KID'S KIDS: 23-11. Guess what? Must be more rain. Incidentally, in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, Hall of Famer Gary Carter managed Kaz Matsui on his rehab assignment. Matsui went 2-for-4 and struck out twice. He could be back with the Mets in a couple of weeks. The Major League Mets, that is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Mets 3, Nationals 2, 11 innings (NYM: 43-42, 8 GB; WAS: 51-34)

The Mets are on their way. They did exactly what they needed to do this week, taking three out of four games from the Nationals, in Washington, bouncing back nicely from the disappointing weekend against Florida. The only thing better would have been a Mets sweep - and that darn near happened. The Mets also got help from Pittsburgh, who beat Philadelphia on Thursday, dropping the Phillies to .500 and into last place in the NL East. (Not that I'm afraid of Philadelphia...as a matter of fact, the Phillies don't scare me.)

But let's get back to Washington. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead, after THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, walked to lead off the game (by Gary Cohen's unofficial count on the radio, it was only the second time this has happened all season), stole second, took third on a Mike Cameron sacrifice bunt, and then scored on a Carlos Beltran groundout. Talk about manufacturing a run! Jose Vidro gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead in the 3rd with a 2-run double, but the Mets tied it later on a Mike Piazza RBI double. Piazza was swinging the bat well Thursday - the Mets need more of that.

So the game stayed tied for a while. Kris Benson pitched very well - getting himself out of a couple of jams, most notably, with the bases loaded in the fifth, getting Carlos Baerga to ground back to him to end the inning. Roberto Hernandez pitched the eighth, scoreless. Heath Bell did a great job in the 9th and 10th, and ended up getting the win. Braden Looper was once again VERY good in the bottom of the 11th - dare I say I am starting to gain confidence in him? This was a big series, and he picked up three big saves.

If you missed the top of the 11th, you'd better turn on ESPNEWS and check out the highlight. Crazy. With Carlos Beltran* on second and Cliff Floyd on first, and one out, Mike Piazza lifts a pop-up just out of the reach of Jose Vidro beyond second. It rolls to Jose Guillen, who barehands it, guns it home, and just misses Beltran* at home with the go-ahead run. The ball bounces in front of catcher Brian Schneider, but he picks it up, and nails Piazza, who tried to take second on the throw home. Piazza's out, but that's not all. Shortstop Jamey Carroll then catches Cliff Floyd coming home for the third out of the inning. With the Mets taking the lead, and then ending the inning on the same play, Looper had no time to get warm, so Heath Bell comes back out to take his warmups, and then after the warmups, Randolph subbed in Looper. Frank Robinson didn't like it - he argued...but I'm sure he would have done the same thing.

I like the fact that the Mets were aggressive on the bases in the top of the 11th - I wouldn't call any of those plays a bad baserunning play (much easier for me to say since the Mets won the game). But the Mets also won Wednesday night...in spite of some horrid baserunning. The Mets should have had a HUGE fifth inning (I think it was the fifth), but Ramon Castro got caught off first base after he had a big RBI hit, and then Marlon Anderson (who has otherwise been friggin' brilliant) got doubled off second base on a fly ball to right field. Those were bad baserunning mistakes - the Thursday baserunning were aggressive, at least. Although I will say Mike Piazza shouldn't be trying for any extra bases ever. He's lost more than a step the past couple of years - he is S-L-O-----W.

Marlon Anderson, it should be noted, finished this series 8-14. I believe that computes to somewhere in the .550 range. And he looks better being a fake first baseman than Jose Offerman ever will.

Pedro Martinez* will not be going to the All Star Game, claiming short rest (he's starting on Sunday). Whatever. Probably better for the Mets season...I agree with Peter Gammons, who said that Pedro*'s loyalty is to the Mets, and he's got to stay healthy. My only problem with it is that this is Pedro*...doing what he wants to do. He doesn't want to go to the All Star Game, so he doesn't go.

The Pedro thing probably breaks Dave from Brighton's heart - he wanted to see Pedro* face his former Red Sox teammates. Speaking of Dave - here's an e-mail:

"Dear JohnnyMets,

The series with the Nationals and a comment by Fox Saturday broadcaster Sean McDonough (Boston misses you Sean, if you're reading) prompted this question.

The Nationals have scored 340 runs, fewest in the NL. They have allowed 340. The Mets have scored 364 runs. They have allowed 358.

The Nationals are even, but 51-32. The Mets are +6 but 41-42. What gives?

Signed,Dave in Brighton"

First of all, hate to call you out in front of both of my readers, but it was ESPN Holiday Baseball Special broadcaster Sean McDonough (he was doing the Fourth of July game) who brought this up. (Who, incidentally, was way off his game on Monday doing the Mets game - probably because of the lack of air conditioning in his booth. I'll give him the benefit of that doubt - because he's better than he was Monday. Just saying. Sorry if I offended you, Sean - in case you're reading this.) But you're right - it's mind-boggling that number. Bill James and Rob Neyer, I'm sure, have addressed this abnormality, and if they haven't, they should. And if I've learned anything from those sabermetric types, it's that this thing will even itself out...and if for no other reason, that's why I believe the Nationals will soon be coming back to the rest of the pack.

Another note about the Nationals - the Mets 3-2 win ends a streak of about 12 consecutive wins in one-run games by the Nats. The Mets took away a lot of the Nationals' mystique this week.

And finally, I know I take a lot of shots at broadcasters on this site - I just want to show I'm not 100% anti-all-broadcasters. Howie Rose and Gary Cohen sure do paint a picture when you listen to them. Much better than any other team's broadcasters that I've listened to on the radio for extended periods of time...they make car rides to New York on days when the Mets have day games awesome. It's like I'm watching the game.

The Mets need to take at least two out of three in Pittsburgh - a sweep would be 100 times better. johnnymets.blogspot.com will be there. Approximate arrival time in Pittsburgh - 5-ish. sisterofjohnnymets.blogspot.com wants to go to a certain restaurant she heard about in Pittsburgh - this might be happening Friday night, then I'll watch Friday's game. Saturday is the game we'll be in attendance. Sunday is a lot of driving - hope to be back in New York before Sunday's game is over...then it's the long ride back to the House sponsored by DirecTV. Don't expect a posting on Sunday night. I've been working on a couple of stories for the All-Star break - maybe instead of writing about the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, I'll write about PNC Park. I am declaring it my favorite before even going (Houston's park is my former favorite), just because I love those bridges over the center field wall.

THE KID'S KIDS: This is not a typo - the Gulf Coast Mets beat the Gulf Coast Nationals 20-6. Record is now 9-3. Boy can Hall of Famer Gary Carter manage. For my 16th birthday, Gary Carter sent me an autographed picture (somehow my mother arranged it.) For my 27th, he gets me a 20-6 win. Nice job, Gary. But a 21-6 win would have totaled my age....still, I appreciate the effort. Incidentally, it looks like the Mets have the Nationals' number this year on all levels of baseball.

WASHINGTON MONUMENTAL

Mets 5, Nationals 3 (NYM: 42-42, 9 GB; WAS: 51-33)

The Mets picked up a huge win on Wednesday night, unfortunately, I couldn't stay awake to watch the end of it....hence, the rare morning posting.

I had to write something, though, because of the stats I just picked up on Aaron Heilman. Here's what happened Wednesday night - the Mets took a 4-3 lead over the Nationals in the top of the sixth inning, finally coming through with the bases loaded (it could have been a HUGE inning, but Marlon Anderson and Ramon Castro made some horrible baserunning decisions). Then in the bottom of the sixth, Tom Glavine let the Nationals load the bases, and with two outs, gave way to Heilman. Heilman got the ground ball out, en route to 2-and-a-third hitless innings in relief. Aaron Heilman has inherited 17 runners this season, and has only allowed 2 to score. I think that's an awesome stat.

Braden Looper pitched another perfect ninth - although I'm sure it couldn't have been as easy as it sounds...glad I wasn't awake to see that.

The Mets are in position to win the series - and would become the first team to take a series from the Nationals in Washington since late April. That would be big - I'll have another posting Thursday night from New York, en route to a weekend in Pittsburgh.

THE KID'S KIDS: Hall of Famer Gary Carter's Gulf Coast Mets keep on winning, beating the Nationals Wednesday, 6-4. The record is now 8-3.

BACK AND BLOGGER THAN EVER

Mets 6, Yankees 4 (NYM 36-37, 7 GB; NYY 37-36)

Nineteen wins and twenty-two losses later, here we are. Nothing's really changed. Tom Glavine's still horrible, and the Mets are still hovering around .500 (though lately it's been on the wrong side of that number).

But things are starting to look up. Everything went the Mets way on Friday night in the Bronx, as the Mets beat the Yankees, 6-4.

It didn't start well - Pedro Martinez* (the asterisk remains due to Pedro's brush with injury shortly after my last posting) gave up a leadoff homer to Derek Jeter. It was the second inning where the Mets showed what a little aggressive ball can lead to.

The first two batters reached, setting up a sacrifice bunt situation for Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz dropped a bunt down the third base line that stayed fair and was perfectly placed, loading the bases, instead of leaving men at first and second. The next batter was Ramon Castro, and he hit a sac fly, tying the game at 1. Then Jose Reyes hit another sac fly - except Bernie Williams dropped it! The Mets took the 2-1 lead, and you knew things were going their way. The Mets added another sac fly in the inning - tying a record. Reyes' was ruled a sac fly, and he reached on the error, in case you were wondering.

Cliff Floyd homered off Mike Mussina in the third inning, after Mussina hit him with a pitch in the first...and Carlos Beltran* (the asterisk remains because I think we all expected a lot more from him at this point) homered in the fifth. 8 of Beltran*'s 9 homers on the season came in games Martinez* has started. Unreal. Beltran* also made a leaping catch against the centerfield wall in the 8th...or maybe it was the 7th.

Pedro* was very good. He gave up two runs in eight innings, striking out 3. Incidentally, it's the lowest strikeout total he's had in a game where he's gone eight innings. Pedro's now 8-2.

Here's the only sore spot of the night - Braden Looper, giving up a 2-run homer, 3 hits, in the ninth inning. It wasn't a save situation, but that's the problem. Anytime it's not a save situation, Looper is a lock to give up at least a run. The joke here would be he's a lock to give up a run in save situations too, but that hasn't been the case lately. Sometimes he makes it exciting, but he's converted 15 of 17 saves on the year. I guess the point is, he just better not cost the Mets a game if he comes in and they're up 4 runs or more.

A sweep of the Yankees would be huge this weekend. Two out of three would still leave the Mets a game under .500. I'll try to keep writing after each of the games. Things should settle down for a little bit these next few weeks.

Signed,
the newest 4th grade teacher in Sudbury, Massachusetts

LOW FIVE

Braves 6, Mets 3 (ATL 4-1; NYM 0-5; 4 GB)

Two things I can't believe I'm saying after the first week of the season:
1) The Mets are 0-5, off to their worst start since 1964.
2) Cliff Floyd has been playing some outstanding baseball this past week.

The record speaks for itself. I'll speak for Floyd. He says he's feeling better than he has in five years. He looks it. Friday night he made an outstanding running catch in the left-center field gap that saved the game from being broken open. Last night he made two throws to the plate (granted, they were three-hoppers) that nailed Chipper Jones (in the first inning), and Adam LaRoche (in the sixth inning), again, keeping the Mets in the game. He's also swinging the bat really well. Too bad, though, he couldn't climb the wall and rob Brian Jordan of a grand slam....more on that in a minute.

I really thought things were starting to break the Mets' way after Floyd threw out Jones. Chipper could have been safe (I think he slid around the tag)...but the Mets got the call. That momentum was lost in the top of the second - after future Hall of Famer David Wright reached on an error, and Doug Mientkiewicz singled him to third, the Mets went down 1-2-3. Then in the bottom of the second, Brian Jordan hit a grand slam off Aaron Heilman. Just like that, it was 4-0, Braves.

THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, homered in the fifth, and the Mets actually got the go-ahead run to the plate, but Kevin Gryboski, relieving starter Horacio Ramirez, got Wright to pop out to end the inning with Atlanta up, 4-2.

In the bottom of the fifth, after Heilman looked like he settled in, retiring nine in a row, he gave up a solo homer to Chipper Jones, and the game was just about over.

I'm seeing some signs that some players are getting disheartened. Carlos Beltran hit a liner in the seventh, with a runner on, that was knocked down by the second baseman. He didn't even run it out, and there was a play at first that wasn't even close because Beltran gave up on it so early. No excuse for that...actually, 119 million reasons why there should be no excuse.

I'm getting a little disheartened too - especially since Braden Looper gave up a run in his one inning of work - he needs to get some confidence soon, or else he's going to be ineffective all year.

Another interesting piece - it seems that Willie Randolph is hitting David Wright sixth against lefties, Doug Mientkiewicz sixth against righties. I didn't realize that when the season started.

Here's another positive comment about something non-Mets. Though I don't necessarily like the broadcasters (particularly the addition of Ron Gant), TBS has some added features I like this year. The first thing I noticed was a lead measuring graphic when a runner is on first base. Using the third base camera angle where you usually see the pitcher, runner, and first baseman, TBS now has a graphic marking 9 feet off the bag, and shows whether the lead is a big one or a small one. TBS also has a cable cam, a la FOX and ESPN in football, which shows some different-looking overhead shots. The baseball version of cable cam is limited because of the fair territory, but this has some potential. The shots I saw last night weren't "great", as the broadcaster called them, but they were unique. I wouldn't be surprised if other stations started using these two features in their productions in the near future.

Also, kudos to the producer/director at TBS for this: In the second inning, Brian Jordan steps to the plate with the bases loaded, and the broadcaster says, "The last time Jordan faced the Mets as a member of the Braves, September 29, 2001, here's what happened....Grand Slam off John Franco." Then, the next pitch, was Jordan's grand slam. That's the type of stuff I'm looking for in a baseball game...which is why I was diappointed no one at ESPN last Monday commented on Kaz Matsui starting off two seasons in a row with a home run (a feat I learned was matched by Darryl Strawberry in 1987 and 1988, I think).

I've been meaning to touch base on a couple of former Mets. Franco has pitched in two games for the Astros, pitching two-thirds of an inning, giving up 0 runs. Armando Benitez is now closing games for the Giants - he has two saves. And Scott Kazmir is the number two starter for Tampa Bay - he pitched five innings in his first start, giving up 1 run, 3 hits, and striking out 2.

Pedro Martinez looks to get the Mets into the win column today against John Smoltz.

THROWN FOR (AND BY) A LOOPER

Reds 7 (1-0), Mets 6 (0-1)

I don't know what I can't believe more. Here are the options:

1) The way the Mets lost this game.
2) The fact that of all the suspects likely to blow this game, the least likely man was the one who did it.
3) The fact that I screwed up my entire tape-the-game-avoid-all-human-contact-then-watch-the-tape plan.
4) The fact that even after I screwed that up, I still watched the entire game, convinced myself I saw the wrong outcome, and worked myself up when the Mets blew the lead. (I'll tell this story later.)

The first surprise in this game was that Doug Mientkiewicz hit sixth, and future Hall of Famer David Wright hit seventh. Perhaps Mientkiewicz had good career numbers against Paul Wilson (when Wilson was in Tampa Bay).

It's getting into the realm of torturous listening to Joe Morgan. I'm not going to get into why, but for example, at the end of the game, he says, "What's that Yogi Berra saying? It's never over until the game ends?" Or something like that - he butchered it. Along the same lines...Kaz Matsui homers in the top of the first inning, putting the Mets up 1-0. A good color commentator (or me) might say "For the second straight year, Matsui homers in his first at-bat of the season." But Morgan didn't. I am starting to strongly dislike him. (Not just for missing the chance on the Matsui comment - I'm half-joking about that. But I really think he's slipping into Alzheimer's a little. Something's seriously wrong. Listen to him a couple of times and make a case he isn't slipping...I challenge you.)

Bottom of the first, the Reds take the lead off Pedro Martinez*. Adam Dunn capped a rough first inning with a three-run bomb, putting Cincinnati up 3-1.

Carlos Beltran* drew the Mets even with a 2-run homer in the third, making it 3-3. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez* was striking out everyone and their brother. He struck out the side in the 2nd and 3rd innings, and got the first two guys in the fourth. He didn't allow another hit after Dunn's homer, and finished with 6 innings, 3 ER, 3 hits, 2 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Pedro* threw 103 pitches, and actually left the game with a chance to win. (Red Sox fans are thinking - we've seen this before.) I think I might be able to find it in my heart to root for Pedro*.

On the offensive side, I can't complain. Carlos Beltran* was 3-for-5 with a single, double, and homer. Beltran* and Martinez* are on pace to lose their asterisks by the opening homestand. My only complaint, ironically, comes against future Hall of Famer David Wright. Twice, with two men on, he grounded into double plays. (He did, though, double to the wall in right field.) We need more activity in the clutch from a future Hall of Famer.

Paul Wilson started for the Reds. This allowed for a half-inning or so of talk about "Generation K", the Mets' high hopes for Wilson, Bill Pulsipher, and Jason Isringhausen. Ah, memories.

The Mets took the lead in the seventh. After Jose Reyes, THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, led off the inning with a double, and Matsui bunted him to third, Beltran* drove home the go-ahead run with a single to left. Cliff Floyd then homered to make it 6-3 Mets. More good news on offense - first of all, Reyes didn't get hurt. He's still a free swinger, and isn't going to lead the league in walks (ever - he swung at a pitch that hit him in the foot in the eighth inning), but he showed flashes of being THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Monday when he singled to right-center field and stretched that into a double. Great speed. And the other good sign on offense was Cliff Floyd was swinging the bat well. He had a great game - 3-for-4, with the homer (that should have provided the insurance in the win). If Floyd can keep this up, and not show signs of fatigue after the first month of the season (he looks in May like other guys look in October after a full season), the Mets will be in good shape in the outfield.

The Mets' bullpen is not one of their strong points. But Braden Looper is supposed to be the strongest part of it. Ironically, he blew this one, while Manny Aybar and Dae-Sung Koo turned in surprisingly good performances to set him up with the 6-4 lead entering the ninth. But Looper gave up a single, homer, homer to end the game, 7-6 Reds. Mets pitchers struck out 16 Reds. The Reds didn't have a hit between the first and seventh innings. But the Reds still won. Very frustrating.

Here's something else that's frustrating. I managed to make it all the way home from work without hearing how old friend Pedro* did (a tough feat in greater Boston, in my opinion). So when I got home, the VCR was still going (but I had no picture), and for some stupid reason, I turned the channel from ESPN to ESPNEWS. I came back to the TV after the VCR timer stopped, and turned on the TV to rewind the VCR. I tried not to look at the bottom line, but before I changed the channel, I saw that Joe Randa had hit a walk-off homer. My thought process was as follows:

"Hmm. Joe Randa hit a walk-off homer. I shouldn't have read that. It could have had to do with the Mets game. Good thing it was just the Royals game. So the Royals must have won, if Randa hit a walk-off. That's good, I guess. I don't mind seeing the Royals win.............wait a second. Randa doesn't play for the Royals anymore. He plays for - (mind racing) - not the Reds. No, he doesn't play for the Reds. OH YES HE DOES YOU STUPID MORON WHY DID YOU LOOK AT THE TV?!?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT. IF RANDA HIT A WALK-OFF, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??!?! IT MEANS THE METS LOST, YOU *!?!$#. "

What a dope I am. And then.....and then, I watched the freakin' game. And then.......and then, when the Mets took a 6-3 lead, yes, I believed they were going to win the game. "There must be another Randa in the majors now, because I can't imagine a scenario where the Mets can lose this one," I think. Then Aybar and Koo get the game to Looper, and I think, "There's no way Randa hits a walk-off here. For that to happen, Looper would have to give up three straight hits, or something bad." Needless to say, I am not happy right now.

I don't feel too confident in Looper. I know I put up a good front, saying he's the strong point of the bullpen, but I feel like if the Mets can get someone to fill that closer spot, i.e. Ugueth Urbina, even though he got roughed up a bit on Monday, I'd feel a bit more comfortable with the Mets' chances. In that same game (Urbina's game), Dmitri Young homered three times. Watching his stats on the bottom line during the Mets game was pretty unbelievable. The more believable thing will be when he finishes with 23 homers or so, and everyone says, remember when he hit three on Opening Day?

In other Mets news, Kris Benson was placed on the disabled list with a strained pectoral muscle. Marlon Anderson replaced him on the roster. It'll be interesting to see how the Mets replace Benson when they need a fifth starter...on Saturday they traded away Matt Ginter for a minor leaguer. That would have been Ginter's spot.

A quick mailbagger: (Subject: OPENING DAY SPOILER SPOILER DO NOT READ)

"Dear JohnnyMets,

Hope that subject line was enough to keep you from reading before you'd seen the game.
A question and a comment this opening day....

The question is did you see the look on Looper's face when he gave up the game-winning homer? He looked like a horrible mix of pain and disbelief.

My comment is that Pedro has bad luck on opening day. I can think of 3 instances where the Sox pen blew his win. 12 K in his debut, by the way. Not bad.

Dave"

Dave- I did see the look on Looper's face, and though I was not near a mirror, I'd say your description of "horrible mix of pain and disbelief" would also fit the "I can't believe I just watched that tape knowing full well that Joe Randa was somehow, some way, going to hit a walk off homer to beat the Mets." I'm starting to think right now that this blog might be a little funnier if I started including profanity. I have choice words for Looper. But that's an easy trap to fall into...then all I'd be doing was cursing at the Mets. We don't need to go there.

As for your other comment, I do remember Pedro (no asterisk - we're not talking about him as a Met here) having bad luck on Opening Day, but if I remember correctly, at least one of those games was a 13-10 decision (or possibly no decision) to the Blue Jays in which he actually got rocked.

My hope for the Mets now is to bounce back from this very difficult loss and take two out of three in Cincy. They don't play again until Wednesday.

The blog will hopefully be daily from here on out. I am also going to try to include headlines daily (or at least on game recaps). Some will be hits, some misses. Just giving you fair warning. And because of the move, I never had a chance to do my season predictions. Here they are:

NL Rookie of the Year: Garrett Adkins (even though he just went on the DL)
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Reed
AL Cy Young Award: Randy Johnson (he looked good Sunday night - might not have picked him if I did this before the season)
NL Cy Young Award: Pedro Martinez*
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero (not very original)
NL MVP: Carlos Beltran (not very original)

NL Champion: Mets (not very original....for me, anyway)
AL Champion: Angels

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Rangers

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Astros
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Cardinals

Those are just my picks - don't ask for justifications. I will reassess at the All-Star break.

Game 1: Mets 10, Rockies 3; Game 2: Mets 4, Rockies 2 (58-61, 7 GB of wild card)

An interesting thing happened on Thursday night. After the softball game, we went to get pizza and beer at the local bar (more on the softball game later), and the Giants-Panthers NFL Preseason game is on the TV. They do a score update at the bottom of the screen, and underneath the score of game one of the doubleheader, Mets 10, Rockies 3, it says "NYM: 7.5 games back of the wild card." It could be that they just needed a stat to put there, but I think of it as an omen. Especially after the big win in game 2.

Al Leiter pitched very well, but again threw way too many pitches, so he left the game in the sixth inning trailing 2-1. It was 2-1 into the eighth, when Eric Valent, our boy here at johnnymets.blogspot.com, hits a pinch-hit solo homer to tie it. Then, with a 3-2 count and one out, one man on, in the top of the ninth, who else but future Hall of Famer David Wright with the first of what will be many dramatic game-winning homers to give the Mets the 4-2 lead. Mike Stanton pitched an excellent inning and a third to get the win.

The Mets won game one big. 10-3, a typical game in Colorado. The Mets' offense clicked, and Kris Benson pitched very well. And the Mets beat Shawn Estes, who I hold a grudge against. I don't know if the Mets do, but I sure do. Here's why. (I might have written this back when the Mets played the Rockies earlier in the year...if I did, sorry, but it bothers me so much I'm writing it again.) Estes, as you all remember, wussed out of throwing at Roger Clemens in his first at-bat against the Mets at Shea Stadium after he threw the bat at Mike Piazza (it was also the first at-bat after he had thrown at Piazza's head). Estes threw behind Clemens, because he wasn't on the team when Clemens did all this stuff to the Mets, and he didn't want to nail him. (Estes did homer off Clemens, which was good, but I wanted blood.) Anyway, that wasn't so bad.......until, last season, Estes is playing for the Chicago Cubs, it's early in the year, very early in the year, and there's a benches-clearing brawl. Who's out there, swinging away at the opponent, but one Shawn Estes?! He's been with these Cubs for a month and a half, and he's out there fighting for them, but he wouldn't throw one stinking baseball at Roger Clemens to back up his batterymate while he was here in New York??! That makes me so friggin' mad. So thank goodness the Mets beat him up yesterday.

A related situation happened in game two of the doubleheader Thursday night. Joe McEwing took a beating in the game. He had at least three Colorado runners take him out hard at second base, and after the third runner, J.D. Closser, slid into him, McEwing didn't get up. He had to be helped off the field. I don't know if he'll be back at all this season. We'll see. But anyway, Braden Looper faces Closser in the eighth inning, and he drills him good. It was a tie game at the time, and Looper put the potential winning run on first base, and got ejected at the same time, but that's good teammating. Way to go Braden! Especially considering Stanton pitched awesome in relief of Looper, and the Mets won the game. If they had lost, I might have been a little pissed.

As for Future Hall of Famer David Wright, he was 5-for-10 in the doubleheader, 2-for-6 in the first game, 3-for-4 in the nightcap. The homer was Wright's 5th (en route to at least 755), and the RBI's brought his total to 15. Piazza, Jose Reyes, and Matsui might be on the DL, but maybe Wright could be the spark to lead this team to the playoffs, or at least keep things rolling until those guys get healthy. (And now that McEwing is hurt, we need one of those middle infielders back soon.) Also on the injury front, Victor Zambrano was placed on the DL Thursday with the elbow problem. I think Matt Ginter will pitch in his place on Sunday.

Would you believe the Mets are now tied with the Phillies in the standings? The Astros trailed 7-2 late in the game on Thursday, and came back to beat Philly 12-10. So the Mets picked up a game and a half on the Phillies. The Mets can pick up some more ground in the wild card race this weekend. They trail the Giants by seven games, and they have three games in San Francisco this weekend. Steve Trachsel goes Friday night, and Tom Glavine returns from his car accident on Saturday afternoon.

As promised, the softball game. So we won big, behind the pitching of my wife! That's right. She played in her first game of the season, and took the mound no less. (She usually keeps score, but we need two women on each team, and she had to be an emergency fill-in). So she pitches two innings, giving up just two runs, catching a pop-up, and recording a strikeout. She got the win. As for the third baseman, he played better. I think just one error in Thursday night's game. So I think there are just 2 games left in the season (don't expect another appearance by the wife). We're 8-2, and I would say we are definitely in the top 3 of the league. Too bad we'll never know, since there is no playoff system.

Let's go Mets!

Mets 7, Reds 5 (37-38, 3 GB)

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

WRIGHT WATCH: Yes, this morning we begin with the Wright Watch. And not just because he went 1-for-3 last night with a run scored, and an HBP. No, not because his average is at .364. Well, kind of. Last night, just before 2am on WFAN, Joe Benigno says, "The rumor around the station is that Wright is going to be with the Mets on Monday in Philadelphia." I quote because this is some serious stuff, and I want to make sure I give credit where it's due...and because I don't want to be blamed if it's wrong. I'm just throwing it out there. Benigno says they don't want him to be involved in the Yankees series, but that he'll come up for the Philly series.

Now, this opens up a lot of cans of worms. Does that mean the Mets make a trade this weekend to open up a spot for Wright? Will they move Wigginton and start Wright "wright" away? Will Wigginton start for a little while longer to increase his trade value, with Wright coming off the bench at first? Things could be getting a bit interesting this weekend.

As for last night's game, I only saw the last couple of innings. Braden Looper is an interesting sort. I feel the utmost confidence in him when it's a one-run game. But when it's a non-save situation, or a save situation where the Mets are up by 2 or 3 runs, I feel like he's not going full tilt. He's saying he didn't have his best stuff last night, but I just think he doesn't focus so much in those types of save situations. Regardless, after he loaded the bases, Looper managed to get the double play he needed to get out of the jam and close the game.

One other thing I want to touch on that's being written about this morning. The papers are touting Cliff Floyd's big game, even though he almost didn't make it to Cincinnati because he and Mike Cameron were stuck in traffic in New York trying to get to the airport to catch their private charter flight. Then when they boarded the plane, takeoffs were delayed because the Vice President was in town. None of the articles mention why those two were traveling to Cincinnati separate from the rest of the team, though. And I want to know why. Teams travel together in order to prevent the type of situations that Cameron and Floyd encountered last night trying to get to the game. Now, Monday was an off day, and Floyd and Cameron could have been staying behind for some kind of charity event or something. But if you're going to base your whole game story on how Cliff Floyd almost didn't play last night, tell me why he was late...and why he didn't travel with the team. Otherwise I'm going to draw (probably wrong) conclusions that make me think there are divisions on the team. (OK - after writing all that, I just checked Newsday - it appears Floyd and Cameron just wanted to spend the off-day at home. I bet Howe takes that policy off the table after this near-miss.)

Another note - Art Howe in the papers this morning defends his decision to not change the rotation for Tom Glavine to pitch in the Yankees series this weekend (he didn't pitch in the Bronx last weekend either). Howe says he'd rather have Glavine pitch the opener of the series against the Phillies on Monday. I agree. Good for you, Art. (I especially agree if David Wright is also in the lineup on Monday.)

Here's something you shouldn't know, but because I'm psychotic, I do: the Mets, with their win last night, improved to 9-3 on Tuesdays this season. Their best day of the week.

Tonight Tom Glavine goes against Cory Lidle as the Mets try to wrap up June on a winning note.

May 31, 2004 - The Mets are 23-26, 1 GB Atlanta, 4.5 GB Philadelphia, 6.5 GB Florida

It sure feels like the Mets got their butts kicked by Florida this weekend. The Marlins took three straight from the Mets in Florida, leaving them six and a half games out of first place, and dropping them to fourth in the division. The Mets probably want a do-over after their last four games. Well, guess what? Beginning today, that's just what they get. The Mets still have seven games against Philadelphia and Florida, and they can end up back where they were on Wednesday, or better. (Of course, they could also be worse, but let's not think about that.)

The weekend featured some great pitching the first two nights, and some bad defense Sunday. I didn't see any of Sunday's game, but I listened to most of it. Apparently Kaz Matsui got charged with a tough error, and Shane Spencer dropped a fly ball. So the Mets owe Steve Trachsel, who ended up with a no-decision, but probably deserved better. The Mets also owe another one to Tom Glavine, who got the loss on Friday night despite pitching another awesome game. And Jae Seo pitched very well Saturday night - he's been very good since his call-up...and the Mets have needed that.

I don't want to talk about it, but I need to touch on Ar-friggin'-mando Benitez. It's still just May, so I'm not totally shocked by his dominance so far (he'll have to close out some games in October to prove to me he's a better pitcher), but what Benitez is doing right now is outstanding. I really thought coming into this series that the Mets would get to him - especially with Mike Piazza facing him in a key spot Friday. But Piazza didn't get to him...no one's got to him. Benitez has retired 36 straight batters!! 36 straight! That's 12 straight perfect innings. He's recorded 20 saves in 21 chances. All very frustrating, but impressive nonetheless.

A word on Saturday night's game - a bummer. I think that was the first extra-innings loss on the season for the Mets. (I didn't actually see Mike Lowell's game-winning homer - with one out in the tenth we started watching the wedding video. It might be bad luck. Bad omen.) It's the first time I was nervous watching Braden Looper pitch. It's weird - I love watching him in save situations (rare though they may be), but in non-save situations or tie games, I'm not thrilled to see him in the game. The Mets need to get him more save opportunities so he gets his work in when they need him, and he doesn't need to be used in non-save situations.

For reasons why the Mets should not give up hope after the weekend sweep to the Marlins, they need look no further than today's opponent. The Phillies are 0-6 against Florida this year - with all six games coming in the first few weeks of the season. Philadelphia was able to dig themselves out of the hole the Marlins put them in - I'm sure the Mets will be able to do the same.

Mets 3, Expos 2 (7-9, 4.5 GB)

Thursday, April 22, 2004

It's not good when you have to battle for a win for the right to earn a split with the Montreal Expos in your own park. But it's a win, and that's the bottom line. This one got off to a start that made you think the game was never going to be in doubt - the Mets loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the first. Awesome! With Piazza, Phillips, and Cameron coming up, they'll at least get one run, right? Nope. K, pop-out, and backwards K. Looks like another long day for Steve Trachsel.

Trachsel (2-2) was great again. He's been unbelievable since his first start against Atlanta. He made just one bad pitch, giving up a solo homer to Brian Schneider to tie the game at 1 in the top of the seventh. And that's where this game differed from past Mets games recently.

Instead of making a bad situation worse, the Mets bounced back. They stopped the bleeding, kept it 1-1 into the bottom of the seventh. Then Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron hit RBI doubles to make it 3-1 (Cameron's barely missed being a homer to make it 5-1).

Then, John Franco with a very un-John-Franco-like perfect eighth inning. And the top of the ninth, the Mets stopped playing the crisp defense they had played all game, nearly causing Braden Looper to blow a save. But the way Looper bounced back after a Ricky Gutierrez error at third and Shane Spencer error in left field was great. Looper has four saves, and he was clearly irritated by those errors. But he got the outs he needed. I have more confidence in Looper, even with runners on, than in any Mets closer in recent memory.

Notes: It's good that Kaz Matsui is struggling like hell at the plate, but still managing to get on base. That wasn't supposed to be his strong point. But he reached on an error yesterday, and walked in the seventh to start the rally...Mike Piazza is swinging the bat great. And Ted Robinson and Fran Healy are going to drive me out of my mind. They've been brutal. But I have to credit Robinson with a great point - Piazza wouldn't have played yesterday (day game after a night game) if he wasn't playing first base. And even after the game, Piazza was saying the first base thing isn't such a bad idea, because it keeps him in the lineup when he's swinging a hot bat...The Mets went 4-6 on the 10 game homestand. Not good. This was their second-longest homestand of the year. They have two 11-game homestands later in the year. Big road trip. Must play at least .500 ball against the Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres. Preferably better than .500...Cliff Floyd should be back in the lineup when the Mets play the Dodgers. That's huge...And finally, if you get the chance to stay awake at the end of next week and watch the Mets at San Diego, check out Petco Park. It's a great-looking park, with a warehouse in left field that butts right over the left field wall. It's also a pitcher's park, which should benefit the Mets.

Mets 4, Expos 1 (6-7, 2.5 GB)

Monday, April 19, 2004

One down, three to go. The Mets did what they needed to do last night against Montreal. Tyler Yates (1-1) got his first major league win, and in my opinion, showed that last week against the Braves was more likely the exception than the rule. Of course, he pitched against the lowly Expos, but I think he is going to be a very good pitcher. At the very least, he's got his confidence back from the poor outing against Atlanta.
Braden Looper picked up the save despite a shaky ninth. That was a little stressful, although I never had the sense of impending doom that we all knew so well during the Franco/Benitez closer days. I kind of felt that Looper was going to get the outs.
Mike Piazza might be breaking out of his slump. I feel like as his bat gets going, so might the rest of the lineup. Piazza went 2-for-3 last night, and just missed the record-tying homer. The sooner he hits that home run, and the sooner he starts blistering the ball like he was in the opening series against Atlanta, the sooner things start going well for the Mets.

Notes: Karim Garcia continues to impress the hell out of me, with a home run last night...Ty Wigginton homered last night also, hopefully that gets him on track, because he's been hitting the ball hard, but making outs all year...The Daily News reported this morning that Jose Reyes and Cliff Floyd are both targeting next Tuesday in Los Angeles as dates to return to the lineup. Against the L.A. pitching, that might be very important.