Friday, July 01, 2005
Mets 5, Phillies 3
Sometimes even Pedro Martinez isn't at the top of his game. And it is at these times, apparently, that he becomes the "six innings pitcher" some people once claimed he was. Pedro tied his mark for shortest start of the season with just eighteen outs recorded, and he still pitched well enough for the Mets to get the win without too much trouble. He struck out six batters, which actually lowered his strikeout rate for the season, and walked two. And he allowed just two runs on five hits, even though three of those were for extra bases, including a second inning home run by Jimmy Rollins.
And the Mets got adequate offensive production to make that lead stand up, with the big hits coming from Jose Reyes and Chris Woodward. Woodward drove in a pair with a single in the second and also doubled later in the game. And Reyes had the Mets' only other extra base hit, smacking a triple in the fourth with two runners on to give the Mets all the runs they'd need before scoring himself on a single by Mike Cameron. The Mets also stole bases like they were doing it against their own catcher. Only one of the team's four swiped bags figured in the scoring, but seeing both Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran steal a pair was an unusual sight. Especially given that Beltran's two steals brought his season total all the way up to three. Maybe his seventh-inning jaunt around the bases is evidence that his legs are finally healthy or that he's primed to begin a hot steak with the bat, but whatever the case, the Mets desperately need his slumbering bat (.258/.315/.425) to wake up in a hurry if they're going to get the league's tenth ranked offense back on track.
Of course, that doesn't tell the whole story, because when Pedro left the game, there were still three innings to play and the Mets had a mere three-run lead. The bullpen preserving that margin was no sure thing given their recent performances. And they certainly weren't perfect. Both Heath Bell and Royce Ring got into some trouble, Bell even being charged with a run in the seventh inning. But both were bailed out by a timely double play induced by the man who relieved them, with Ring saving Bell in the seventh and Roberto Hernandez saving Ring in the eighth. Braden Looper pitched a perfect ninth to earn his sixteenth save of the year and he did so without striking anyone out.
Another important divisional series awaits the Mets (39-39) this weekend, as the third-place Marlins (39-36) head north. Tom Glavine (5-7, 4.93) goes for the Mets in game one, having pitched well enough against the Yankees in his last start. He'll be opposed by former Met property A.J. Burnett, who used 123 pitches to shut out the Devil Rays his last time out. The last time the injury-plagued Burnett threw that many pitches in a major league game was August 12th, 2002, though he did pitch a complete game shutout in his next start before missing nearly a month with a bone bruise on his right elbow. Ah, the Jeff Torborg era. What fun times those were for fans of teams other than the Marlins. ¶ joe | 12:28 AM |
Sometimes even Pedro Martinez isn't at the top of his game. And it is at these times, apparently, that he becomes the "six innings pitcher" some people once claimed he was. Pedro tied his mark for shortest start of the season with just eighteen outs recorded, and he still pitched well enough for the Mets to get the win without too much trouble. He struck out six batters, which actually lowered his strikeout rate for the season, and walked two. And he allowed just two runs on five hits, even though three of those were for extra bases, including a second inning home run by Jimmy Rollins.
And the Mets got adequate offensive production to make that lead stand up, with the big hits coming from Jose Reyes and Chris Woodward. Woodward drove in a pair with a single in the second and also doubled later in the game. And Reyes had the Mets' only other extra base hit, smacking a triple in the fourth with two runners on to give the Mets all the runs they'd need before scoring himself on a single by Mike Cameron. The Mets also stole bases like they were doing it against their own catcher. Only one of the team's four swiped bags figured in the scoring, but seeing both Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran steal a pair was an unusual sight. Especially given that Beltran's two steals brought his season total all the way up to three. Maybe his seventh-inning jaunt around the bases is evidence that his legs are finally healthy or that he's primed to begin a hot steak with the bat, but whatever the case, the Mets desperately need his slumbering bat (.258/.315/.425) to wake up in a hurry if they're going to get the league's tenth ranked offense back on track.
Of course, that doesn't tell the whole story, because when Pedro left the game, there were still three innings to play and the Mets had a mere three-run lead. The bullpen preserving that margin was no sure thing given their recent performances. And they certainly weren't perfect. Both Heath Bell and Royce Ring got into some trouble, Bell even being charged with a run in the seventh inning. But both were bailed out by a timely double play induced by the man who relieved them, with Ring saving Bell in the seventh and Roberto Hernandez saving Ring in the eighth. Braden Looper pitched a perfect ninth to earn his sixteenth save of the year and he did so without striking anyone out.
Another important divisional series awaits the Mets (39-39) this weekend, as the third-place Marlins (39-36) head north. Tom Glavine (5-7, 4.93) goes for the Mets in game one, having pitched well enough against the Yankees in his last start. He'll be opposed by former Met property A.J. Burnett, who used 123 pitches to shut out the Devil Rays his last time out. The last time the injury-plagued Burnett threw that many pitches in a major league game was August 12th, 2002, though he did pitch a complete game shutout in his next start before missing nearly a month with a bone bruise on his right elbow. Ah, the Jeff Torborg era. What fun times those were for fans of teams other than the Marlins. ¶ joe | 12:28 AM |
