Sunday, April 30, 2006
Mets 5, Braves 2
Mets 1, Braves 0
Braves 8, Mets 5
I suppose Braves fans should start focusing their attention on the Wild Card standings. The Mets have officially proven they can win at Turner Field, thus overcoming the last obstacle between them and the NL East Championship. It's been a fun ride, and I can't wait for the playoffs.
The Mets sent out the good part of their starting rotation for this series and got predictably good results in two out of three games. Pedro Martinez pitched seven strong innings on Friday to win his fifth game of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five. The game was basically close the whole way and Pedro kept the Mets a step ahead.
David Wright had two home runs in the game, including one in the ninth as the Mets extended their lead a bit. Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca and Kazuo Matsui each had two hits as well. Reyes had a triple and Lo Duca a double. Reyes also drew another walk.
Duaner Sanchez pitched a perfect eighth to get things to the closer, which is where things got a little more interesting. Billy Wagner did strike out three batters. But he also allowed two hits and hit a batter. But he got out of and preserved the lead.
The margin was even slimmer on Saturday, but Tom Glavine was up to the challenge. Lo Duca's first home run of the season provided the only run of the game and Glavine made it hold up for seven innings. He allowed four hits and two walks and only struck out one. Aaron Heilman pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts and Wagner got through the ninth a bit more easily this time, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Unfortunately, the Mets didn't get quite the same quality starting pitching on Sunday. Steve Trachsel had an awful game, walking five batters through three and two-thirds innings. He also gave up eight hits, leading to six runs and the early exit.
The Mets did manage to stage a bit of comeback. Home runs by Carlos Beltran and, I am not making this up, Endy Chavez helped get them within two runs. Cliff Floyd and Ramon Castro each had two hits in the game, which actually means Castro's batting average went down to a mere .423.
Even with a very good series, Lo Duca doesn't look as good as Castro, who also threw out a runner trying to steal in this game. Castro has now thrown out two out of three potential base stealers this season. Lo Duca has thrown out three out of twenty. I know Castro's only played six games so far, but he was better with the bat and arm than Lo Duca last year, too. Hopefully he'll get enough playing time this season to forestall Lo Duca's traditional second half decline. In his career, Lo Duca has an OPS of .814 before the All-Star break and .687 after, though last year his stats were almost identical before and after the break (.713 before, .716 after).
Anyway, once the Mets closed the gap a bit, it was up to the bullpen to keep them in it. Instead, they got a return to form from Jorge Julio. Julio struck out five batters in two innings, but he also gave up a two-run home run to Jeff Francoeur. He's now allowed four home runs in eleven and two-thirds innings.
The Mets did have a chance to get back in the game in the eighth, when they loaded the bases with just one out. But they were only able to get one run out of the situation. That run was driven in by Reyes's third walk of the game. He now has twelve walks on the season through 100 at bats after drawing just twenty-seven through 696 last year. His OBP is up to .330 which is pretty encouraging given that he's batting just .250 with little power. If Reyes can keep this up, he could be a pretty valuable lead off batter when he starts getting some hits again. His speed and power potential combined with decent plate discipline could make for a player as dangerous as he is exciting to watch.
With a good road trip and an excellent month complete, the Mets (16-8) return home to begin a two-game series with the Nationals (8-17)on Monday. Unfortunately, the home fans will have to sit through a Victor Zambrano (1-2, 9.64) start. At least the Mets offense will get another shot at Ramon Ortiz (0-3, 6.75), who they've already beaten twice this year. ¶ joe | 11:20 PM |
Mets 1, Braves 0
Braves 8, Mets 5
I suppose Braves fans should start focusing their attention on the Wild Card standings. The Mets have officially proven they can win at Turner Field, thus overcoming the last obstacle between them and the NL East Championship. It's been a fun ride, and I can't wait for the playoffs.
The Mets sent out the good part of their starting rotation for this series and got predictably good results in two out of three games. Pedro Martinez pitched seven strong innings on Friday to win his fifth game of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five. The game was basically close the whole way and Pedro kept the Mets a step ahead.
David Wright had two home runs in the game, including one in the ninth as the Mets extended their lead a bit. Jose Reyes, Paul Lo Duca and Kazuo Matsui each had two hits as well. Reyes had a triple and Lo Duca a double. Reyes also drew another walk.
Duaner Sanchez pitched a perfect eighth to get things to the closer, which is where things got a little more interesting. Billy Wagner did strike out three batters. But he also allowed two hits and hit a batter. But he got out of and preserved the lead.
The margin was even slimmer on Saturday, but Tom Glavine was up to the challenge. Lo Duca's first home run of the season provided the only run of the game and Glavine made it hold up for seven innings. He allowed four hits and two walks and only struck out one. Aaron Heilman pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts and Wagner got through the ninth a bit more easily this time, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Unfortunately, the Mets didn't get quite the same quality starting pitching on Sunday. Steve Trachsel had an awful game, walking five batters through three and two-thirds innings. He also gave up eight hits, leading to six runs and the early exit.
The Mets did manage to stage a bit of comeback. Home runs by Carlos Beltran and, I am not making this up, Endy Chavez helped get them within two runs. Cliff Floyd and Ramon Castro each had two hits in the game, which actually means Castro's batting average went down to a mere .423.
Even with a very good series, Lo Duca doesn't look as good as Castro, who also threw out a runner trying to steal in this game. Castro has now thrown out two out of three potential base stealers this season. Lo Duca has thrown out three out of twenty. I know Castro's only played six games so far, but he was better with the bat and arm than Lo Duca last year, too. Hopefully he'll get enough playing time this season to forestall Lo Duca's traditional second half decline. In his career, Lo Duca has an OPS of .814 before the All-Star break and .687 after, though last year his stats were almost identical before and after the break (.713 before, .716 after).
Anyway, once the Mets closed the gap a bit, it was up to the bullpen to keep them in it. Instead, they got a return to form from Jorge Julio. Julio struck out five batters in two innings, but he also gave up a two-run home run to Jeff Francoeur. He's now allowed four home runs in eleven and two-thirds innings.
The Mets did have a chance to get back in the game in the eighth, when they loaded the bases with just one out. But they were only able to get one run out of the situation. That run was driven in by Reyes's third walk of the game. He now has twelve walks on the season through 100 at bats after drawing just twenty-seven through 696 last year. His OBP is up to .330 which is pretty encouraging given that he's batting just .250 with little power. If Reyes can keep this up, he could be a pretty valuable lead off batter when he starts getting some hits again. His speed and power potential combined with decent plate discipline could make for a player as dangerous as he is exciting to watch.
With a good road trip and an excellent month complete, the Mets (16-8) return home to begin a two-game series with the Nationals (8-17)on Monday. Unfortunately, the home fans will have to sit through a Victor Zambrano (1-2, 9.64) start. At least the Mets offense will get another shot at Ramon Ortiz (0-3, 6.75), who they've already beaten twice this year. ¶ joe | 11:20 PM |
