Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Mets 8, Diamondbacks 7
Diamondbacks 7, Mets 2
Mets pitching continued to struggle in the first two games of this series, but the offense was able to salvage one win. It seems at this point that the team's run-scoring apparatus might just be good enough to survive the back end of this rotation. But that doesn't make these pitching performances any easier to watch.
On Monday, Steve Trachsel gave another unimpressive performance, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four and allowed two home runs. And the bullpen didn't fare any better, as Aaron Heilman allowed three runs in the seventh to temporarily derail the Mets' efforts toward victory. He wound up pitching two innings and allowing one walk and two hits, one of which was a three-run home run.
But the Mets' offense was up to the task once again, repeatedly staying one step ahead of their pitchers' attempts to give the game away. After Trachsel blew an early 4-1 lead, they came back with two home runs in the sixth from Cliff Floyd and new second baseman Jose Valentin. And when Heilman relinquished that lead, the bats strung together four hits and a walk in the ninth and won the game on David Wright's single.
Paul Lo Duca led the team with four hits including two doubles but somehow managed not to score a single run. Floyd added a double and a walk to his home run and Valentin also had two hits. Carlos Beltran and Endy Chavez each had a double with Chavez's leading off the ninth to start the game-winning rally.
Tuesday's starting pitching was even worse, as Alay Soler precisely failed to build on his promising debut. He allowed two runs in the first, and then seemed to get things under control in a manner reminiscent of his first start. But after two scoreless innings, he gave up a run on two hits in the fourth and simply imploded in the fifth. He gave up four hits and a walk, and two of the hits were home runs, accounting for the four runs the D'backs put on the board. The search for a decent third, fourth or fifth starter continues.
This time the Mets couldn't put nearly enough runs on the board to compensate. Of their nine hits, five went for extra bases, but Miguel Batista kept them from crossing the plate for most of the night. Valentin's fourth home run of the night was the biggest blow, but certainly not the most significant.
Lastings Milledge made his major league debut, playing right field and batting eighth. He was called up after an emergency appendectomy landed Xavier Nady on the disabled list. Milledge hit a hard line drive in his first at bat, but it sailed right into the glove of shortstop Craig Counsell. His second at bat yielded a ground out to third base. He needed only one more shot to get it right, leading off the seventh inning with line drive double to left field. He got one more at bat in the ninth and grounded out again. At twenty-one years and fifty-five days old--eerily the exact same age as Darryl Strawberry on the day of his major league debut--Milledge probably won't be in the majors for long. Once Nady returns, he will likely head back to Norfolk. But it was a lot of fun to get at least a glance at the not-too-distant future tonight. The Mets' starting lineup featured three homegrown players, none older than twenty-three. Next year at the latest, they should all be in New York to stay.
Wednesday's game brings excitement of a different sort, as two of the National League's best pitchers square off. Brandon Webb (8-0, 2.18) gets the start for the Diamondbacks having pitched complete game shutouts in his last two starts. Pedro Martinez (5-1, 2.79) goes for the Mets without a win on his record in the month of May despite having pitched well. This one should be fun to watch. ¶ joe | 10:06 PM |
Diamondbacks 7, Mets 2
Mets pitching continued to struggle in the first two games of this series, but the offense was able to salvage one win. It seems at this point that the team's run-scoring apparatus might just be good enough to survive the back end of this rotation. But that doesn't make these pitching performances any easier to watch.
On Monday, Steve Trachsel gave another unimpressive performance, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four and allowed two home runs. And the bullpen didn't fare any better, as Aaron Heilman allowed three runs in the seventh to temporarily derail the Mets' efforts toward victory. He wound up pitching two innings and allowing one walk and two hits, one of which was a three-run home run.
But the Mets' offense was up to the task once again, repeatedly staying one step ahead of their pitchers' attempts to give the game away. After Trachsel blew an early 4-1 lead, they came back with two home runs in the sixth from Cliff Floyd and new second baseman Jose Valentin. And when Heilman relinquished that lead, the bats strung together four hits and a walk in the ninth and won the game on David Wright's single.
Paul Lo Duca led the team with four hits including two doubles but somehow managed not to score a single run. Floyd added a double and a walk to his home run and Valentin also had two hits. Carlos Beltran and Endy Chavez each had a double with Chavez's leading off the ninth to start the game-winning rally.
Tuesday's starting pitching was even worse, as Alay Soler precisely failed to build on his promising debut. He allowed two runs in the first, and then seemed to get things under control in a manner reminiscent of his first start. But after two scoreless innings, he gave up a run on two hits in the fourth and simply imploded in the fifth. He gave up four hits and a walk, and two of the hits were home runs, accounting for the four runs the D'backs put on the board. The search for a decent third, fourth or fifth starter continues.
This time the Mets couldn't put nearly enough runs on the board to compensate. Of their nine hits, five went for extra bases, but Miguel Batista kept them from crossing the plate for most of the night. Valentin's fourth home run of the night was the biggest blow, but certainly not the most significant.
Lastings Milledge made his major league debut, playing right field and batting eighth. He was called up after an emergency appendectomy landed Xavier Nady on the disabled list. Milledge hit a hard line drive in his first at bat, but it sailed right into the glove of shortstop Craig Counsell. His second at bat yielded a ground out to third base. He needed only one more shot to get it right, leading off the seventh inning with line drive double to left field. He got one more at bat in the ninth and grounded out again. At twenty-one years and fifty-five days old--eerily the exact same age as Darryl Strawberry on the day of his major league debut--Milledge probably won't be in the majors for long. Once Nady returns, he will likely head back to Norfolk. But it was a lot of fun to get at least a glance at the not-too-distant future tonight. The Mets' starting lineup featured three homegrown players, none older than twenty-three. Next year at the latest, they should all be in New York to stay.
Wednesday's game brings excitement of a different sort, as two of the National League's best pitchers square off. Brandon Webb (8-0, 2.18) gets the start for the Diamondbacks having pitched complete game shutouts in his last two starts. Pedro Martinez (5-1, 2.79) goes for the Mets without a win on his record in the month of May despite having pitched well. This one should be fun to watch. ¶ joe | 10:06 PM |
