Mr Mets Daily

Mets bounce back....

The New York Mets rebounded from Tuesday night's painful loss to top the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 last night at Shea Stadium. Jose Reyes got the big hit in the sixth inning with a three run homer to break a tie.

Once again, as happened Tuesday night, the Mets entered the ninth inning with a three run lead. The difference last night was the Mets were able to turn the ball over to closer Bily Wagner. Wagner shut down the Phils to lock up the win. I know Wagner often gets critisized, and has certainly blown some saves, but he showed his value to the team. The Mets would be dead without Billy the kid. If the Mets had to rely on Duaner Sanchez to close games there would be a lot of painful evenings for fans, just like Tuesday night. You cannot over estimate the value of a quality closer and Wagner certainly is that.

The Mets reclaimed a share of first place with the win. They are starting to get the Phillies number. Remember, the Mets went into Philly and took three of four recently and have out played them in this series. But not for one lousy inning Tuesday night, the Mets would be looking for a sweep today.

Oliver Perez tries to make it two of three for the Mets and will be opposed by Jamie Moses...I mean Moyer.

Mets blow it!

Very short post here...the Mets had this game won, at least until they completely blew it! As happy as I and all Mets fans have been with the recent good fortunes of the club, tonight's loss was a bitter pill to swallow. Mets starter Johan Santana wasn't exactly brilliant, but, as always, he kept the Mets in the game.

Actually, the Mets had a 5-2 lead in the top of the ninth. Even without closer Billy Wagner available, getting three outs with a three run lead didn't seem like too daunting of a task. Sadly, for the Mets bullpen, it was. Six runs later, the choke was on.

This one could prove to be a costly loss for the Mets since it seems likely the season will come down to a very narrow margin....just like last year.

The Mets really can't afford too many more like this if they have any desire to play in the post season!

Turnpike series resumes tonight!

The New York Mets and  Philadelphia Cheese steaks.....sorry, Phillies, resume their growing rivalry tonight at Shea. Both clubs enter the series with records of 53-46 and a share of first place in the NL East.

Johan Santana goes against the newly aquired Joe Blanton. This is the type of game the Mets opened up the checkbooks to Santana for..(not to mention, traded a good bit of promising young talent as well). Santana has a reputation for pitching his best in the second half of the season and tonight would be a fine time to prove that true.He has pitched rather well for the Mets, generally keeping them in games (often times not getting run support), but has yet to have that lights out, dominant, ace pitcher type of game.  I would love to see an eight inning, one run type of performance before handing the ball over to Mets closer Billy Wagner.

Speaking of Wagner, the MRI on his shoulder came back negative showing nothing more then muscle spasms...great news for the Mets. Wagner should be available tonight.   

I am ready  to get it started. Lets go Mets!

New York Mets quick hits:

• David Wright has 131 RBI since the 2007 all star break
• David Wright and Jose Reyes each have 129 runs scored during that same period
• the Mets have only 34  regular season games left  at  Shea...hard  to  believe
• 7/23  starting pitchers :  John  Maine  vs   Brett  Myers
• 7/24  starting pitchers:  Oliver  Perez vs  Jamie Moyer
• Jamie Moyer  celebrated his 75th  birthday.....kidding!

Mets win, back in first place!!

The New York Mets reclaimed a share of first place with an exciting, 10 inning victory today against the Reds. With the game tied at 5-5, Robinson Cancel (who???) led off with a pinch hit double. He then advanced to third on a bunt single by Jose Reyes and scored on an errant throw by Edwin Encarnarcion. Carlos Delgado added an insurance run after.

With the Phillies losing an extra inning game against the Marlins, it sets up a huge second half series at Shea Stadium starting Tuesday night. The Mets enter the series in a dead heat with the cheese steaks and I say it would be a perfect time for some pay back after the gift the Mets gave Philly last season...which by the way, they failed to do anything with.

This is what  baseball fans love; get to the post all star break and play a meaningful  series against a hated opponent! This series is an opportunity for the Mets to make a statement to Philly.

Check out our Mets-Phillies rivalry page and tell  Philly fans how you feel!

Mets drop second straight....

The New York Mets lost their second straight game last night as the Reds put up a 7-2 number on them. If it sounds ugly...it was.The game featured errors including a costly pass ball on Brian Schneider in the sixth, runners  left  on base(including both David Wright and Carlos Beltran striking out looking with the bases loaded), and shoddy relief pitching by Pedro Feliciano and Aaron Heilman. If it all sounds a bit familiar it should as this is exactly how the Mets played for much of the season.

Now don't get me wrong, it isn't panic time. The Mets are still 10-2 over their last twelve games. They are still just a game back of first place with  the  Phillies  coming  in  to  Shea  for a three game set  this week. However, we will  see  how fragile  the  Mets confidence  is  and whether  they  can simply shake off  these  last two games and get back on track. This is what manager Jerry  Manuel gets the big bucks for.

There was some good news as David Wright had three  hits including a monster  home run.  Also Jose Reyes  reached base twice which is something  the  Mets desperately need  in order  to be successful.

The resurgent Mike Pelfrey (8-6) goes for the Mets today at 1:15pm. He will be opposed by Edinson Volquez(12-3).

Clearly, the Mets need to stop the bleeding today and with any luck, head into the Philly series with a share of first place.

Mets streak ends at 10....

Face it Mets fans, eventually they had to lose a game. It happened last night as the Cincinnati Reds topped the Mets 5-2. Reds  starter  Bronson  Arroyo  was  lights out  and stifled  Mets hitters. The loss dropped the Mets to a full game back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oliver Perez tries to get New York back on track tonight as he  squares off against  Josh Fogg at 7:40pm.

In terms of the bigger picture, it has been an interesting season for the Mets. The first 80 or so games were marked by an inability to get any positive momentum going. It seemed every time the club took one step forward they followed it up by taking one step back.  They seemed to always find creative ways to lose games. They cost Willie Randolph his job (or, based on the performance of the team under Jerry Manuel, maybe he cost himself).

Then, we had the ten game winning streak marked by solid play, enthusiasm and an ability to find ways to win games(a much happier time for Mets fans). Now that  the streak is over it will be interesting  to see  which team emerges.

To be a successful baseball team,  you don't necessarily  need  to go an crazy winning streaks. You just  need  to win series'.  Just win two out of three  consistently  and you are there. The '86  Mets, the greatest team in franchise history,  was 108-54. That is exactly  a season of winning two out of three.

Streaks are great, but to me the sign of a very good baseball team is just an ability to win on a regular basis. Just keep winning series from your opponents and you will find yourself in excellent shape quickly.

With the new loose, confident  attitude the  Mets have shown of late, I believe they are capable of doing it. The Mets are by no means  a great team, certainly no comparison  to the '86 club, but in a weak National League they are probably good enough to  get  to  the  playoffs  and once there,  who knows??

Remember to check out our homepage my team rivals, as well as our Giants,  Jets  and Rangers coverage!

Mets rip 10th straight win!

Who are these guys running around in New York Mets uniforms lately? I can't believe I am watching the same team. Not that long ago, the Mets were floundering around, finding ways to lose and looking like a gigantic bust. Now they are finding ways to win and the Mets are tied with the Phillies for first place in the NL East!

Johan Santana was not on his game last night. Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoenweiss were not exactly brilliant either. Didn't matter. The Mets did what good teams do; they picked their teammates up and won it on offense.

This is exactly the opposite of what the Mets spent the first 80 or so games of the season doing....remember for much of the season, if they got excellent pitching the bats would go to sleep, if they hit well, the pitching and defense would fail. Now they are puttting it together. Case in point, after the Mets bull pen failed them, they trailed 8-6 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Game over right? Wrong. What the recent version of the Mets does in that situation is respond as they did last night with an impressive four run ninth to steal the victory.   

The Mets are riding high right now with a ten game winning streak and a share of first place.They are 18-9 under Jerry Manuel and playing with a bit of swagger.

Lets hope it continues!

Mets ready to start second half!

The New York Mets, the hottest team in baseball having won nine straight, open up a four game set in Cincinnati tonight at 7:05pm. The Mets come in with a record of 51-44, only a half game back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The all star  break could not have come at a worse time for the Mets who seemed to have everything clicking during the nine game streak. The hope is that the break did nothing to cool the Mets down. The pitching was lights out, they had timely hitting, solid fielding, played good fundamental baseball, and perhaps most important, seemed to play loose and with confidence.

New Mets manager Jerry Manuel has to be given credit for the turn around. Whether it is due to the pressure of the Willie Randolph circus (remember, the players had to answer questions on a daily basis regarding the status of the manager), being removed, or a different approach, or as Manuel  says, "just a  different voice saying the same things",  one thing is clear;  this is a  different  Mets team.

The Reds series is a big one since the Mets not only need to continue with their recent surge, but it is followed by a monster three game set against the Phillies. The team can simply not afford to take their foot off the pedal right now. As I stated in a previous post, it will be interesting to see how the two teams play with the roles reversed from 2007; the Mets chasing and the Sillies as the lead dog.

I could not be happier that the all star non sense (actually it was fun to watch...) is over and we are back to "real" baseball.

New York Mets quick hits:

• the Mets nine game winning streak is their longest since 2000
• the club record is 11, which  they accomplished 4 times
• the  Mets streak ties the  Cubs for longest in the  NL  this year
• the  Mets had an amazing four shut outs on the  last  home stand
• starting pitchers for 7/17: Johan Santana vs Johnny Cuerto
• starting pitchers for 7/18:  John  Maine  vs  Bronson  Arroyo
• starting pitchers for  7/19:  Oliver  Perez vs  Josh  Foll
• starting pitchers for  7/20:  Pedro  Martinez vs  Edison  Volques

Mets make it nine straight wins!!

The New York Mets just defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-0 at Shea Stadium. The win was the ninth straight for the Mets and puts them just a half game out of first place heading into the all star break with all the momentum in the world!

Mets starter  Mike  Pelfrey  was once again dominant.  The big right hander went  eight scoreless innings and once again, walked no batters. Pelfrey has now pitched 17 straight scoreless innings! He had a nasty sinker all night long and it seemed every time the Rockies started to get something going, Pelfrey was able to induce a double play...he had three on the night.

The former first round pick is becoming a big time pitcher right before our eyes. The Mets have now won seven of Pelfrey's last eight starts and he seems extremely confident on the mound. He never really struggled tonight except for a situation in the top of the eight where he allowed two base runners. That prompted the Shea faithful to get behind big Mike with thunderous chants of "lets go Pelfrey". It really seemed to energize him as he reared back and fired a series of 95 mph fastballs to close out the inning. It was a great moment reminding me of why Mets fans really are the best in baseball.

Joe Smith came on in the ninth to close it out extending the Mets relievers streak to 18 scoreless innings! The Mets pitching during this run has been ridiculous. They have pitched four shut outs in the last six games, by the way, the last time the club did that was 1969....you never know...

The Rockies managed only one run during the three game set, following  a series  against  the Giants who only managed three runs against  Mets pitching. Mets pitchers allowed three hits or less in five straight games, an MLB record. Pelfrey ended that streak by allowing six hits tonight...the nerve of him!

The Mets got all the offense they would ever need in the first inning thanks to a monstrous three run homer by Carlos Beltran. They added some insurance with a two run shot by the suddenly resurgent Carlos Delgado that seemed to literally go about a mile high.

Possibly the only negative for the Mets is the fact that the all star break comes when they are playing lights out baseball. It would be great if they didn't have to stop, but what can you do except cheer on Billy Wagner and David Wright Tuesday night?

Lets go Mets!

Mets pitchers notch another shut out!!

Wow! I am not sure what else to say. Not only have the Mets now won eight straight games, but the pitching recently has been off the charts!

Even though starter Pedro Martinez left the game in the fourth inning with shoulder stiffness, the Mets bullpen still managed to shut down the Colorado Rockies, 3-0. The Mets pen has now gone 18 straight scoreless innings! That is basically two complete game shut outs. The staff overall, over their last five games, has allowed just four runs on thirteen hits. That is 45 innings. That is impressive.

In even better news, it looks like the Phillies are getting spanked, if they lose, the Mets are only a half game back of first! Man, would I love a little pay back after gift wrapping the Nl East title for Philly last season.

Mets lead 3-0 in the sixth....

The good news is that the Mets are beating the Colorado Rockies 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth at Shea. The bad news is that Pedro Martinez left the game after four innings due to shoulder tightness, lets hope it isn't serious.

The Mets pitching has been dominant of late; they have allowed only one hit so far today, and only twelve hits over the last four games! Not to mention the bullpen hasn't allowed a run in over 15 innings!

Check back later for more Mets news.

Mets make it seven straight!

Time to break up the New York Mets! Make it now  seven straight wins for the Amazins  after a  thrilling 2-1  victory over the  Rockies at Shea last night.

The  Mets got a solid outing out of starter Oliver Perez who went into the fifth inning with a no hitter.Ollie went into the eight inning and while he struggled with  his control  yielding  far too many  walks, he seemed too much for the  Rockies hitters. If Perez can find  some  consistency, it bodes  very  well  for  the  Mets stretch  run.

The hero  of the  night  though was  Damon Easley  who blasted  a  dramatic  home run in the  bottom of the eight  to break a 1-1  tie. Easley wasn't trying for the fences; "I wasn't trying to do that at that moment," said Easley, "I was really just trying to go back up the middle - trying to extend the inning. Maybe early in the count I tried to drive one. I missed it, so when I got to 3-2 I said, 'Just go right back up the middle.' " It went up the middle all right, and over the fence. The Mets back up second baseman came up huge as it seems somebody does every night lately for the club.

I have been on the team all season because I felt they were basically a .500 team. Of late, they have proven me wrong I am very happy to report. They really seem to be a different team over this run and it is good to see.

The win moves the Mets season record to 49-44 and still 1.5 games back of the first place Philadelphia Phillies. However the Mets are putting some pressure on the Phillies as the wins pile up. It will be interesting to see how each club plays an opposite role from last season as this time the Mets are in the chase with Philly trying to fight them off. Who knows, maybe that works to the Mets advantage.

Pedro Martinez takes the mound later today for the Mets and hopefully can keep it going. I have no problem with eight straight!

Mets open weekend set against the Rockies...

The red hot New York Mets open a three game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight at Shea Stadium.The Mets have now won six straight and are only 1.5 back of the Philadelphia Phillies. These are the Mets last games prior to the all star break and they need to continue the good momentum.

It may be asking too much for the Mets to sweep yet another series, but what the hell, I'll do it anyway! Even two out of three sets the Mets up nicely for a post all star  break run.  They really do look like a different team right now; loose, confident, playing solid fundamental baseball. There could be many reasons for it but at the  moment you have to credit Jerry  Manuel. While there  is  still  a  long  way  to  go,  the  Mets are  fina