Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Pirates 11, Mets 1
Mets 7, Pirates 6
These two games have done very little to alleviate my concerns about the pitching staff. On Monday John Maine looked good until he ran out of gas in the fifth inning. And Tom Glavine didn't even warrant that much praise on Tuesday. And on both days the bullpen was not good.
Maine was pitching excellently for the first four innings on Monday. He gave up just one hit and struck out six. But it took him a lot of pitches to pull that off, so by the time the fifth inning rolled around, he didn't have much left. He crossed the 100-pitch mark in that inning and gave up three runs on three walks and two hits while recording just two outs before being removed. He did strike out his seventh batter in that inning and Darren Oliver was able to finish it without further damage. Prior to the fifth Maine looked very impressive, and while the Pirates aren't much of an offensive juggernaut, it was still an encouraging performance. If he can maintain a similar approach and be a bit more efficient with his pitches, he might be useful at the back of the rotation.
Not that it mattered, given the Mets' offensive impotence, but the bullpen really put this game out of reach. Oliver pitched one and one-third scoreless innings, but those who followed were not so effective. Chad Bradford gave up five runs on four hits and one walk in two-thirds of an inning. And Pedro Feliciano, who was unimpressed with Willie Randolph's handling of the bullpen, gave up three runs on six hits and one walk, allowing two home runs in one and one-third. Duaner Sanchez pitched a scoreless ninth.
Meanwhile, the Met bats put just one run on the board. Jose Reyes had an excellent game with three hits. Paul Lo Duca and Cliff Floyd each had two. Carlos Delgado drew two walks and Floyd drew one. But Reyes scored the Mets' only run on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran in the third inning.
Things went a bit better on Tuesday afternoon, but only because the Mets' offense sprung to life. Reyes had three more hits and Xavier Nady did the same. David Wright and Delgado each had a hit and a walk and scored two runs.
The Mets scored three of their runs in the eighth inning, coming back from a deficit that Glavine and Aaron Heilman had put them in. Glavine gave up five runs on eleven hits and one walk. Two of those runs were unearned, but the error was his own. He pitched into the sixth inning, but he left with runners on first and second and none out. Then Heilman came in and dealt with the jam exactly the way a good pitcher wouldn't.
First the Pirates tried to give away an out on a sacrifice bunt. So Heilman ran the count to 3-2 and then hit the batter. He got one out before issuing a bases loaded walk. He got a potential double play ball from the next batter, but Wright's throw to second was a bit off, so they only got one out. Heilman gave up another run-scoring hit before finally getting out of the inning. He did pitch a scoreless seventh. Sanchez and Billy Wagner each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.
The Mets didn't exactly turn their recent slide around on Tuesday, but they did win a game. Tomorrow, Orlando Hernandez (4-8, 5.55), who pitched well against the Yankees on Friday, will try to make it two in a row. He will be opposed by Kip Wells (0-3, 15.19). No, that is not a typo. ¶ joe | 10:55 PM |
Mets 7, Pirates 6
These two games have done very little to alleviate my concerns about the pitching staff. On Monday John Maine looked good until he ran out of gas in the fifth inning. And Tom Glavine didn't even warrant that much praise on Tuesday. And on both days the bullpen was not good.
Maine was pitching excellently for the first four innings on Monday. He gave up just one hit and struck out six. But it took him a lot of pitches to pull that off, so by the time the fifth inning rolled around, he didn't have much left. He crossed the 100-pitch mark in that inning and gave up three runs on three walks and two hits while recording just two outs before being removed. He did strike out his seventh batter in that inning and Darren Oliver was able to finish it without further damage. Prior to the fifth Maine looked very impressive, and while the Pirates aren't much of an offensive juggernaut, it was still an encouraging performance. If he can maintain a similar approach and be a bit more efficient with his pitches, he might be useful at the back of the rotation.
Not that it mattered, given the Mets' offensive impotence, but the bullpen really put this game out of reach. Oliver pitched one and one-third scoreless innings, but those who followed were not so effective. Chad Bradford gave up five runs on four hits and one walk in two-thirds of an inning. And Pedro Feliciano, who was unimpressed with Willie Randolph's handling of the bullpen, gave up three runs on six hits and one walk, allowing two home runs in one and one-third. Duaner Sanchez pitched a scoreless ninth.
Meanwhile, the Met bats put just one run on the board. Jose Reyes had an excellent game with three hits. Paul Lo Duca and Cliff Floyd each had two. Carlos Delgado drew two walks and Floyd drew one. But Reyes scored the Mets' only run on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran in the third inning.
Things went a bit better on Tuesday afternoon, but only because the Mets' offense sprung to life. Reyes had three more hits and Xavier Nady did the same. David Wright and Delgado each had a hit and a walk and scored two runs.
The Mets scored three of their runs in the eighth inning, coming back from a deficit that Glavine and Aaron Heilman had put them in. Glavine gave up five runs on eleven hits and one walk. Two of those runs were unearned, but the error was his own. He pitched into the sixth inning, but he left with runners on first and second and none out. Then Heilman came in and dealt with the jam exactly the way a good pitcher wouldn't.
First the Pirates tried to give away an out on a sacrifice bunt. So Heilman ran the count to 3-2 and then hit the batter. He got one out before issuing a bases loaded walk. He got a potential double play ball from the next batter, but Wright's throw to second was a bit off, so they only got one out. Heilman gave up another run-scoring hit before finally getting out of the inning. He did pitch a scoreless seventh. Sanchez and Billy Wagner each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.
The Mets didn't exactly turn their recent slide around on Tuesday, but they did win a game. Tomorrow, Orlando Hernandez (4-8, 5.55), who pitched well against the Yankees on Friday, will try to make it two in a row. He will be opposed by Kip Wells (0-3, 15.19). No, that is not a typo. ¶ joe | 10:55 PM |
