Saturday, September 09, 2006
Dodgers 5, Mets 0
Mets 3, Dodgers 2
The Mets' offense had a bit of a rough time in the second and third games of this big series, but they still managed to pull out one win. They couldn't get anything done on Friday against the young lefty Hong-Chih Kuo and John Maine struggled. But good pitching and some timely hitting allowed them to pick up the win on Saturday.
Kuo, the second left handed starter to baffle the Mets this week, held them scoreless for six innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out seven. David Wright had two hits in the game, the second being a double against reliever Brett Tomko. The Mets' lineup has become increasingly left handed with the arrival of Shawn Green and the return of Cliff Floyd, perhaps leaving them vulnerable to good or even adequate southpaws. The departed Xavier Nady had the highest OPS among the Mets' starters against lefties this season at .914, but Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Paul Lo Duca have all hit well enough against them. Maybe the offense won't be quite as fearsome with a left hander on the mound, but I think there's plenty of reason to expect they can get the job done, regardless of what happened this week.
Perhaps more disappointing was Maine's performance on Friday. Every start is a chance for Maine to solidify his case for a postseason start as Steve Trachsel has given up at least three runs in each of his last four starts, nevermind that he won three of them. But Maine did not do so well against the possibly playoff-bound Dodgers. He lasted just five innings and gave up four runs on six hits and three walks. Now, two of those runs were deservedly unearned due an error by Wright. But Maine was also bailed out by his defense as he gave up two home runs in the fifth and would have allowed a third if not for a fine catch by Beltran. Maine's been homer-prone all year, but this time the rest of his game wasn't good enough to compensate.
Orlando Hernandez, on the other hand, continued to show why he's got a start in game three of the Division Series locked up. He pitched seven innings and gave up just two runs, one earned, on four hits and one walk. He struck out six in his third consecutive very good start.
El Duque kept the Mets on top in a very tight game until the sixth inning. Carlos Delgado homered in the second for his thirty-seventh of the season, narrowing the gap to just two in the race with Beltran for the team record of forty-one. That single run held up until the sixth when the Dodgers put two on the board despite manager Grady Little's love affair with the sacrifice bunt. But the Mets came right back in the bottom of the sixth.
Jose Valentin doubled with one out and Little decided to walk Beltran and bring in a lefty to pitch to Delgado. But Delgado hit a deep enough fly ball to move the runners to second and third. Little then chose not to walk Wright, rather electing to let Tomko pitch to him again, the result of which was a two-run single. Wright had three hits in the game.
This series comes to an end tomorrow afternoon as the Mets try to win their fifth of seven from the Dodgers this season. Trachsel (14-6, 5.02) will go for the Mets and be opposed by lefty Eric Stults (0-0, 9.00) whose entire major league career consists of one three-inning relief appearance earlier this week that did not go very well. Which of these men will present a greater impediment to the Mets' efforts to win remains to be seen. ¶ joe | 6:37 PM |
Mets 3, Dodgers 2
The Mets' offense had a bit of a rough time in the second and third games of this big series, but they still managed to pull out one win. They couldn't get anything done on Friday against the young lefty Hong-Chih Kuo and John Maine struggled. But good pitching and some timely hitting allowed them to pick up the win on Saturday.
Kuo, the second left handed starter to baffle the Mets this week, held them scoreless for six innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out seven. David Wright had two hits in the game, the second being a double against reliever Brett Tomko. The Mets' lineup has become increasingly left handed with the arrival of Shawn Green and the return of Cliff Floyd, perhaps leaving them vulnerable to good or even adequate southpaws. The departed Xavier Nady had the highest OPS among the Mets' starters against lefties this season at .914, but Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Paul Lo Duca have all hit well enough against them. Maybe the offense won't be quite as fearsome with a left hander on the mound, but I think there's plenty of reason to expect they can get the job done, regardless of what happened this week.
Perhaps more disappointing was Maine's performance on Friday. Every start is a chance for Maine to solidify his case for a postseason start as Steve Trachsel has given up at least three runs in each of his last four starts, nevermind that he won three of them. But Maine did not do so well against the possibly playoff-bound Dodgers. He lasted just five innings and gave up four runs on six hits and three walks. Now, two of those runs were deservedly unearned due an error by Wright. But Maine was also bailed out by his defense as he gave up two home runs in the fifth and would have allowed a third if not for a fine catch by Beltran. Maine's been homer-prone all year, but this time the rest of his game wasn't good enough to compensate.
Orlando Hernandez, on the other hand, continued to show why he's got a start in game three of the Division Series locked up. He pitched seven innings and gave up just two runs, one earned, on four hits and one walk. He struck out six in his third consecutive very good start.
El Duque kept the Mets on top in a very tight game until the sixth inning. Carlos Delgado homered in the second for his thirty-seventh of the season, narrowing the gap to just two in the race with Beltran for the team record of forty-one. That single run held up until the sixth when the Dodgers put two on the board despite manager Grady Little's love affair with the sacrifice bunt. But the Mets came right back in the bottom of the sixth.
Jose Valentin doubled with one out and Little decided to walk Beltran and bring in a lefty to pitch to Delgado. But Delgado hit a deep enough fly ball to move the runners to second and third. Little then chose not to walk Wright, rather electing to let Tomko pitch to him again, the result of which was a two-run single. Wright had three hits in the game.
This series comes to an end tomorrow afternoon as the Mets try to win their fifth of seven from the Dodgers this season. Trachsel (14-6, 5.02) will go for the Mets and be opposed by lefty Eric Stults (0-0, 9.00) whose entire major league career consists of one three-inning relief appearance earlier this week that did not go very well. Which of these men will present a greater impediment to the Mets' efforts to win remains to be seen. ¶ joe | 6:37 PM |
