Sunday, July 09, 2006
Marlins 7, 3, 3, 6
Mets 3, 2, 17, 7
I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I have some concerns about the Mets' starting pitching. With Pedro Martinez temporarily out of commission and four games scheduled in three days, the Mets had to dig even deeper into their bag of pitchers this weekend. It did not go well.
Someone in the Mets' front office decided that Friday's game was not one that they wanted to win. As a result, they sent Jose Lima out to start it. Lima was predictably terrible, allowing seven runs, five earned, on seven hits and two walks in three innings. He sucked in style, giving up a grand slam to opposing pitcher Dontrelle Willis as an exclamation point. With a record of 0-4 and an ERA of 9.87, it should be clear to everyone that Jose Lima has no business pitching to major league hitters. Letting him pitch this game was indefensible. If he gets called up again, it will lend a lot of credibility to the school of thought that the Mets' success this season is more the result of finances and luck than intelligent management.
John Maine was a bit more competent on Saturday, but he did not exactly solidify his spot in the rotation. He gave up three runs on six hits in six innings with three strikeouts. But each of the runs scored on a solo home run. Maine has looked very good at times and his 16:5 K:BB ratio in sixteen innings is impressive. But the fact that he hasn't lasted longer than six innings in a start and has given up four home runs already has to temper your enthusiasm. Of course, had the Mets' offense put together more than two runs, both of which scored on bases loaded walks, Maine's struggles might not have been such a problem.
That was not an issue in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Now, I could not watch this game due to the Fox network's Saturday afternoon blackout of MLB.TV. But it seems Mike Pelfrey's major league debut was a bit of a struggle. He threw 104 pitches in five innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits and four walks. He also threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. He did strike out three.
But the Mets' offense came to life, scoring seventeen runs on sixteen hits and four walks. Jose Valentin had a huge day, driving in seven runs as he batted twice with the bases loaded, hitting his ninth home run of the season the first time and a triple the second time. Cliff Floyd drove in five runs with three hits, including a double and his seventh home run, and also drew a walk. Carlos Beltran homered for the twenty-fifth time, singled, drew two walks and scored four runs. Endy Chavez had three hits, including a triple, out of the leadoff spot. Paul Lo Duca had a pair of singles, got hit by a pitch, drove in three runs and scored three more. David Wright had a double and a walk and scored two runs.
Wright had just two hits in twelve at bats in the first three games of this series, which I think qualifies as a slump for him. His batting average dropped all the way to .316. He had just one hit on Sunday, but it was a big one.
Tom Glavine started for the Mets on Sunday and had a rough game. He gave up nine hits and two walks in six and one-third innings and didn't get a lot of help from his defense. He allowed four runs, three earned. Two errors and some uncharacteristic bad relief from Chad Bradford contributed to a three-run seventh inning and a misplay by Valentin in the sixth allowed a run to score that shouldn't have.
The Mets had scored three runs in the fifth inning on a home run by Xavier Nady, his twelfth, and a double by Lo Duca. But they were down 5-3 after the seventh. The top of the lineup came up in the bottom of the eighth and with the help of the Florida defense and in spite of their own baserunning blunders, they staged a comeback.
Valentin walked to lead things off. Lo Duca then hit a fly ball to center field. Reggie Abercrombie, blinded by the power of Lo Duca's clutchness, or possibly the sun, lost the ball and let it drop. Lo Duca chose, as part of his strategy of leadership, not to hustle at all out of the batter's box and as a result he wound up at first base. Jose Reyes was brought in to run for Lo Duca. Beltran singled up the middle, just off the glove of the shortstop, to drive in one run. Reyes could have advanced to third on Carlos Delgado's subsequent line drive to right field, but he did not. So it was up to Wright to save the day. Hitless up to this point in the game, he launched one over the left field wall to put the Mets on top 7-5.
Billy Wagner came in to pitch the ninth. He did give up a long home run to Miguel Olivo, but he struck out two and closed out the game. That inning, like the rest of the game for the Mets, was not pretty, but in the end, they escaped with the win.
The Mets enter the All-Star break with a record of 53-36 and a twelve-game lead over their nearest division rival, the Phillies. Clearly making it to the playoffs will not be the problem for this team. Perhaps defeating their National League opponents won't be, either. But if they don't find some starting pitching, whether via trade or just by someone already on the team stepping up, this is going to be a short World Series. ¶ joe | 6:15 PM |
Mets 3, 2, 17, 7
I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I have some concerns about the Mets' starting pitching. With Pedro Martinez temporarily out of commission and four games scheduled in three days, the Mets had to dig even deeper into their bag of pitchers this weekend. It did not go well.
Someone in the Mets' front office decided that Friday's game was not one that they wanted to win. As a result, they sent Jose Lima out to start it. Lima was predictably terrible, allowing seven runs, five earned, on seven hits and two walks in three innings. He sucked in style, giving up a grand slam to opposing pitcher Dontrelle Willis as an exclamation point. With a record of 0-4 and an ERA of 9.87, it should be clear to everyone that Jose Lima has no business pitching to major league hitters. Letting him pitch this game was indefensible. If he gets called up again, it will lend a lot of credibility to the school of thought that the Mets' success this season is more the result of finances and luck than intelligent management.
John Maine was a bit more competent on Saturday, but he did not exactly solidify his spot in the rotation. He gave up three runs on six hits in six innings with three strikeouts. But each of the runs scored on a solo home run. Maine has looked very good at times and his 16:5 K:BB ratio in sixteen innings is impressive. But the fact that he hasn't lasted longer than six innings in a start and has given up four home runs already has to temper your enthusiasm. Of course, had the Mets' offense put together more than two runs, both of which scored on bases loaded walks, Maine's struggles might not have been such a problem.
That was not an issue in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. Now, I could not watch this game due to the Fox network's Saturday afternoon blackout of MLB.TV. But it seems Mike Pelfrey's major league debut was a bit of a struggle. He threw 104 pitches in five innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits and four walks. He also threw a wild pitch and hit a batter. He did strike out three.
But the Mets' offense came to life, scoring seventeen runs on sixteen hits and four walks. Jose Valentin had a huge day, driving in seven runs as he batted twice with the bases loaded, hitting his ninth home run of the season the first time and a triple the second time. Cliff Floyd drove in five runs with three hits, including a double and his seventh home run, and also drew a walk. Carlos Beltran homered for the twenty-fifth time, singled, drew two walks and scored four runs. Endy Chavez had three hits, including a triple, out of the leadoff spot. Paul Lo Duca had a pair of singles, got hit by a pitch, drove in three runs and scored three more. David Wright had a double and a walk and scored two runs.
Wright had just two hits in twelve at bats in the first three games of this series, which I think qualifies as a slump for him. His batting average dropped all the way to .316. He had just one hit on Sunday, but it was a big one.
Tom Glavine started for the Mets on Sunday and had a rough game. He gave up nine hits and two walks in six and one-third innings and didn't get a lot of help from his defense. He allowed four runs, three earned. Two errors and some uncharacteristic bad relief from Chad Bradford contributed to a three-run seventh inning and a misplay by Valentin in the sixth allowed a run to score that shouldn't have.
The Mets had scored three runs in the fifth inning on a home run by Xavier Nady, his twelfth, and a double by Lo Duca. But they were down 5-3 after the seventh. The top of the lineup came up in the bottom of the eighth and with the help of the Florida defense and in spite of their own baserunning blunders, they staged a comeback.
Valentin walked to lead things off. Lo Duca then hit a fly ball to center field. Reggie Abercrombie, blinded by the power of Lo Duca's clutchness, or possibly the sun, lost the ball and let it drop. Lo Duca chose, as part of his strategy of leadership, not to hustle at all out of the batter's box and as a result he wound up at first base. Jose Reyes was brought in to run for Lo Duca. Beltran singled up the middle, just off the glove of the shortstop, to drive in one run. Reyes could have advanced to third on Carlos Delgado's subsequent line drive to right field, but he did not. So it was up to Wright to save the day. Hitless up to this point in the game, he launched one over the left field wall to put the Mets on top 7-5.
Billy Wagner came in to pitch the ninth. He did give up a long home run to Miguel Olivo, but he struck out two and closed out the game. That inning, like the rest of the game for the Mets, was not pretty, but in the end, they escaped with the win.
The Mets enter the All-Star break with a record of 53-36 and a twelve-game lead over their nearest division rival, the Phillies. Clearly making it to the playoffs will not be the problem for this team. Perhaps defeating their National League opponents won't be, either. But if they don't find some starting pitching, whether via trade or just by someone already on the team stepping up, this is going to be a short World Series. ¶ joe | 6:15 PM |
