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August 9, 2009 Mets 2009 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 111: Win Over Padres

Mets 5 Padres 1

Put away that broom — there will be no sweep in San Diego!

One of the big reasons the Mets acquired Johan Santana was to avoid prolonged losing streaks. What they didn’t count on, though, were periods of losing 6 out of 8, or 7 out of 10.

In any case, thanks to the brilliant pitching of Johan, and an unusual output by the offense, the Mets avoided a four-game sweep and pushed their record to 52-59 — a mere 10 games behind the Phillies, only 9 behind in the Wild Card standings, and more than a dozen games ahead of the Washington Nationals.

Johan hurled 8 masterful frames, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 2 walks. Against his better judgment, he handed the game to countryman Francisco Rodriguez, who did not disappoint. K-Rod was absolutely spectacular, coaxing three outs from the Padres without yielding a run. He would’ve earned himself his second save of the second half, too, if it weren’t for that meddling kid Danny Murphy, who drove in an insurance run in the top of the ninth that gave the Mets the four-run lead and removed a save situation.

Notes

If only Murphy could hit .330 – .350 and run well, he’d be a serious candidate for 1B next year. But if you’re not Rod Carew, you can’t be a slap-hitting first baseman. Murphy has definitely proven to be “money” with runners in scoring position, and did a great job on a tough two-strike pitch to dump the ball into the outfield and drive in that fifth run. Maybe there’s still time to move him to second base … or sign Manny Ramirez / Matt Holliday in the offseason to make up for his lack of punch.

Five Mets had two hits in this ballgame, including Santana, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Also 2-for-3 was Anderson Hernandez, who had been passed over in previous days to inject more offense into the lineup.

Jeff Francoeur had two hits and is now hitting an even .300 in August. He’s 11 for his last 30.

Next Mets Game

The Mets’ late summer western swing continues in Arizona at 9:40 PM EST (why they can’t start the game 40 minutes earlier is beyond me … don’t they go to bed early out there?). Mike Pelfrey takes the mound in opposition to Doug Davis.

In unrelated news, the Yankees will be facing Marc Rzepczynski of the Blue Jays tomorrow. Say that name ten times fast.

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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. upson August 10, 2009 at 12:57 am
    Nice win for the Mets, and perhaps the first in 2009 that does not make me convinced that the Mets make the postseason. It took the combination of poor Figgy’s start against Dbacks, Frankie’s blown save against Cards, Niese’s injury and the decision to start Parnell for me to finally accept reality.

    After getting through the denial, I realized the need for setting realistic goals for the remainder of the season. So here’s what I’m looking for:

    1) Get back to .500.
    2) Have Johan win 20 games.
    3) See Ollie pitching at least once in 8th inning.
    4) Win remaining series against Phillies and Marlins.
    5) Throw a no-hitter.
    6) Beat John Lannan.
    7) See at least 3 of Beltran, Delgado, Wagner, Putz healthy in at least one game.

    I’m OK with 5 out of 7.

  2. Mike August 10, 2009 at 10:11 am
    Hey Joe even if the Mets came to their senses and wanted to sign Manny it wouldn’t matter since he is signed through next season with the Dodgers unless he opts out. (Do you really think he will given he’s not likely to be given more than he already is getting with his on and off the field?)

    upson: can the goal for this season simply be to not get hurt anymore? I’m fine with that. We all know they are going to try and win again next year, so don’t risk anymore injuries.