Monday, September 04, 2006
Mets 8, Astros 7
Mets 4, Astros 2
Astros 2, Mets 1
Wins and losses present little drama in the Mets' universe these days. There's little doubt that they're going to win most games and it's not like it matters a whole lot if they don't. Other sources of concern need to be found or even created. Tom Glavine didn't pitch all that well in his return! Carlos Beltran looked for a few minutes like he might be seriously hurt! Roy Oswalt almost threw a perfect game! They still won two out of three.
Glavine came back on Friday and got off to an excellent start. For three innings he looked like the Glavine of April, allowing one hit and striking out three. But he allowed five runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth before being removed. In total he gave up seven hits and two walks and struck out five. That Glavine is healthy is of course paramount, but it'd be nice to be able to say more than just that about him by the time the playoffs roll around.
Fortunately the Mets had just enough offensive fire power to overcome Glavine's troubles on Friday. In a game in which fifteen runs were scored, no one hit a ball out of tiny Minute Maid Park. Five Mets had two doubles, though, including a pair by David Wright. Carlos Delgado and Endy Chavez each had two singles as every Mets starter aside from Glavine and the struggling Chris Woodward had a hit.
The pitchers had a bit more success on Saturday as John Maine outpitched Jason Hirsh. Maine gave up just two hits in six and one-third innings, but, as has often been the case with Maine, both were home runs. He walked one and struck out three.
The Mets didn't hit any home runs on Saturday, but they again outscored the Astros. Wright had two hits and a walk. And Cliff Floyd made his return to the team with a double and two RBI. Beltran made a spectacular, possibly game-saving catch in the ninth, colliding with the outfield wall in the process. He lay on the grass for a few minutes in a scary moment, but soon he was walking on his own with a slight limp and it seems to be nothing more than a severe bruise to his knee.
He did not play on Sunday, though, and neither did Wright and so the Mets went six innings without a baserunner. Jose Reyes finally got to Oswalt in the seventh with an infield single. A solo home run by Delgado accounted for the only Mets run.
Orlando Hernandez was also quite effective in preventing hits, as he gave up just one in five and one-third innings. But he did walk six batters and hit one and left the game with the bases loaded. I have no idea why Willie Randolph didn't bring in Chad Bradford to extricate the Mets from this predicament, but Roberto Hernandez was the one chosen. It may not have mattered, as the Astros went for the suicide squeeze to bring in the first run of the game. Roberto got out of the inning without further scoring before giving up one of his own in the seventh.
The Mets (84-51) come back home for the next seven games staring with three against the former division champs. The Braves (65-71), whose streak of division championships could be officially over by the end of the week, will be in town for the final time this season. Steve Trachsel (14-5, 4.98) will likely give up a bunch of runs and win anyway. Chuck James (7-3, 4.02) will be the poor, unfortunate victim of Trachsel's voodoo. ¶ joe | 12:16 AM |
Mets 4, Astros 2
Astros 2, Mets 1
Wins and losses present little drama in the Mets' universe these days. There's little doubt that they're going to win most games and it's not like it matters a whole lot if they don't. Other sources of concern need to be found or even created. Tom Glavine didn't pitch all that well in his return! Carlos Beltran looked for a few minutes like he might be seriously hurt! Roy Oswalt almost threw a perfect game! They still won two out of three.
Glavine came back on Friday and got off to an excellent start. For three innings he looked like the Glavine of April, allowing one hit and striking out three. But he allowed five runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth before being removed. In total he gave up seven hits and two walks and struck out five. That Glavine is healthy is of course paramount, but it'd be nice to be able to say more than just that about him by the time the playoffs roll around.
Fortunately the Mets had just enough offensive fire power to overcome Glavine's troubles on Friday. In a game in which fifteen runs were scored, no one hit a ball out of tiny Minute Maid Park. Five Mets had two doubles, though, including a pair by David Wright. Carlos Delgado and Endy Chavez each had two singles as every Mets starter aside from Glavine and the struggling Chris Woodward had a hit.
The pitchers had a bit more success on Saturday as John Maine outpitched Jason Hirsh. Maine gave up just two hits in six and one-third innings, but, as has often been the case with Maine, both were home runs. He walked one and struck out three.
The Mets didn't hit any home runs on Saturday, but they again outscored the Astros. Wright had two hits and a walk. And Cliff Floyd made his return to the team with a double and two RBI. Beltran made a spectacular, possibly game-saving catch in the ninth, colliding with the outfield wall in the process. He lay on the grass for a few minutes in a scary moment, but soon he was walking on his own with a slight limp and it seems to be nothing more than a severe bruise to his knee.
He did not play on Sunday, though, and neither did Wright and so the Mets went six innings without a baserunner. Jose Reyes finally got to Oswalt in the seventh with an infield single. A solo home run by Delgado accounted for the only Mets run.
Orlando Hernandez was also quite effective in preventing hits, as he gave up just one in five and one-third innings. But he did walk six batters and hit one and left the game with the bases loaded. I have no idea why Willie Randolph didn't bring in Chad Bradford to extricate the Mets from this predicament, but Roberto Hernandez was the one chosen. It may not have mattered, as the Astros went for the suicide squeeze to bring in the first run of the game. Roberto got out of the inning without further scoring before giving up one of his own in the seventh.
The Mets (84-51) come back home for the next seven games staring with three against the former division champs. The Braves (65-71), whose streak of division championships could be officially over by the end of the week, will be in town for the final time this season. Steve Trachsel (14-5, 4.98) will likely give up a bunch of runs and win anyway. Chuck James (7-3, 4.02) will be the poor, unfortunate victim of Trachsel's voodoo. ¶ joe | 12:16 AM |
