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September 14, 2008 Mets 2008 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 147: Win Over Braves

Mets 5 Braves 0

The rookie came up big.

The sleepy Mets bats woke up in the nightcap, pounding Braves starter and loser JoJo Reyes for four runs in the first two innings. David Wright delivered the initial blow, a two-run homer to score Jose Reyes, and Fernando Tatis singled in Carlos Beltran only minutes later to give the Mets a quick 3-0 advantage. Jose Reyes blasted a solo homer in the second frame, giving rookie Jon Niese an early four-run cushion in his second big league start.

Niese then mowed down the Braves for eight innings, allowing only six hits, two walks, and striking out seven, in a fairly efficient 116-pitch effort. Luis Ayala preserved the young lefty’s first big league win by pitching a perfect ninth. The win kept the Mets 2.5 games above the Phillies, who won earlier in the day.

Notes

Carlos Beltran also homered, smashing a solo shot in the seventh. Beltran was 3-for-4, and also stroked a double and stole a base. He’s seven for his last seventeen, with a 1.209 OPS over the last four games.

Tatis also went 3-for-4.

Next Game

The rubber match will be played on Sunday at 1:10 pm. Oliver Perez takes the hill against Jorge Campillo. Ollie needs to shake his recent Mr. Hyde episodes and get back on track.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. sincekindergarten September 14, 2008 at 6:01 am
    I think we got us a keeper in Niese. Way to pitch! And, he got his first MLB hit.

    Niese has a honey of a curveball. Reminds me of a certain pitcher whose father wanted him to sign with the Mets, but he thought the Mets were “arrogant” and he has stunk since. Said pitcher also dropped his arm angle a bit on said curveball, and the curve started flattening out–and flying out (of the park) on the way back.

    Boy, am I glad that Fred Wilpon kept him! I think he’s earned another start . . .

  2. sincekindergarten September 14, 2008 at 6:02 am
    “Him” as in Niese, not Barry Zito . . . 😮
  3. Micalpalyn September 14, 2008 at 11:46 am
    Agreed. kudos to JM for letting him pitch in a pennant race AFTER a johan loss. As i wrote before, fatigue, loss of concentration,injuries, age etc are showing themselves across the NL. The Brews, cubs, dbacks have all lost significant steam….Pedro, pelf, Ollie…even santana have shown signs of wear and tear of 145 games….This was probably a massive lift to the pitching, coaching and offensive staff as much as the fans……

    Joe: please note that ever since CB got here, the automatic choker sign the Mets wore is gone. CB has had a pretty notable hand in sujecting the Braves to a rebuilding’ period. Starting with the 2004 post season.

  4. isuzudude September 14, 2008 at 11:51 am
    Game 2 went much more according to plan. Take early lead, ride starting pitching, give bullpen a big cushion to work with. Niese was awesome, and the crowd loved him. Chants of “Let’s Go Niese” broke out in the 7th and 8th, and even a small “We Want Niese” chant began when Murphy came out to pinch hit. If he can continue to pitch like yesterday, he’ll make the upcoming departure of Ollie a lot less painful. Wright’s HR was a bomg that looked to be a popup off the bat. Reyes’ and Beltran’s homers were laser beams. Delgado got lots of MVP love, although the same cannot be said for Castillo. And right on cue, he delivers another hitless performance. I know some of us differ on opinion, but I think Castillo is going to be this team’s albatross for the next 3 years…which is why I’m pushing for his departure this offseason, regardless of the type of shit we have to get back in a trade. I just want him gone. He brings down the whole team.

    But on a more nostalgic note, I thoroughly enjoyed my final trip to Shea. I’m going to miss that “dump,” even though I always thought it was a beautiful place to watch a game. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, I presume. But at the same time I am looking forward to Citifield, with roomier seats and no more criss-crossing bars separating the field box sections. More than anything, though, I’m looking forward to the rest of this season. There is definitely a special energy with this team now…much different than last year at this time. And I should know – I went to a game last September in which the Mets got drubbed by the Phillies. There IS something different about this year. It may not be tangible, but it is most certainly real. How long it lasts…well, that’s the question.

    LETS GO METS

  5. isuzudude September 15, 2008 at 5:40 am
    “There IS something different about this year. It may not be tangible, but it is most certainly real. How long it lasts…well, that’s the question.”

    Did I unintentionally supply the jinx?