Mets Game 19: Win Over Braves
Mets 1 Braves 0
For once, everything went right for the Mets.
Mike Pelfrey did not pitch well, but battled and stranded a small country on the bases. Tommy Hanson pitched very well, but was the unlucky recipient of poor defense and wet conditions that allowed Jose Reyes to steal a hit, steal a base, and steal a run.
And though Big Pelf threw over 100 through five frames, it didn’t matter, because the game was called due to rain after one pitch was thrown (by Raul Valdes) in the sixth.
Game Notes
Mike Pelfrey threw 71 pitches in the first three innings and was out of the game after the fifth. His final line was 5 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 3 K, 0 R, 106 pitches, 59 strikes. Going by current standards, that’s an “outstanding” performance. Meh. Big Pelf did extend his consecutive scoreless innings total to 24, which is the longest by a Met since John Maine threw 26 scoreless in 2006.
In case you were wondering, Mark Guthrie threw 27 scoreless innings in 2002.
Another interesting stat: Pelfrey’s 0.69 ERA thus far matches Nolan Ryan (1970) for best by a Met in March/April.
Luis Castillo went 2-for-3, and was the only batter with a multi-hit game.
David Wright struck out again, and is now hitting .222. According to the statheads, Wright’s BABIP is far below his career average, suggesting that he’s simply unlucky. I don’t know though … has Wright put a ball in play in the last two weeks?
But hey, what does it matter? The Mets swept the Braves!
Next Mets Game
The Mets host the Dodgers for a 3-game series in Flushing beginning at 7:10 PM on Monday night. Oliver Perez attempts to pitch against Hiroki Kuroda.
And, totally ignoring the comment up above. Apparently even winning streaks don’t leave the looney tunes for Saturday mornings!
Game ball goes to Castillo. He appeared to be in the middle of everything, wound up on third with one out when Jose & Bay didn’t produce. He played a steady, if unspectacular, defense and got his uniform dirty.
Boy, he looks old when he runs. He moves side-to-side as much as he moves forward. Yikes! I think we should chip-in and get him one of those two-wheeled walkers so he can zip from base to base.
Though if you were one of the four people sitting in the seats behind home plate I will defer to your opinion (and ask you to bring me with you next time!).
How Heyward pops that pitch up in the first is beyond me. “The book” on him just got a few more paragraphs.
I’m also not understanding the praise Jerry Manuel is getting for jumpstarting the offense with his decision to move Reyes to the 3-hole. The Mets scored 9 runs over the 3 games versus Atlanta. That’s 3 runs per game. That would still rank close to the bottom in MLB, and the only thing cloaking that fact is that the Braves’ offense is even worse. I appreciate the luck of the draw that the schedule Gods gave us on this homestand, but I’m fearful the Dodgers are going to come in here over the next 3 games and show us how a baseball team is really supposed to swing the sticks.
Not to mention, Reyes started heating up last Tuesday with his 4-for-5 game against Chicago, well before the lineup switch. The other supposed benefactor from Jerry’s genius is Jason Bay, and though he has increased production since having Reyes installed in front of him, I’m not sure if it was just a matter of time before Bay broke out of his slump or if he needed the help of a lineup change to get him going again. Then there’s David Wright, who’s still striking out at an alarming rate, and Angel Pagan, who’s 1-for-11 since moving to the leadoff spot. The switch hasn’t helped either of them, but why don’t we hear any of that from the Jerry defenders? It’s simply amazing how little Jerry has to do to get his fans to act as if he just turned water into wine.
But I guess on a positive note, the Mets DID sweep the Braves, ARE winners of 6 of their last 7, and DID manage to have the bullpen saved last night thanks to Mother Nature. I’ll savor those treats until Perez inevitable craps the bed tonight.
Don’t get me wrong, the Mets are not looking like a playoff contender at this point but by the same token they aren’t as bad as their 2-6 start. From watching them play, I would say that .500 feels about right. They look like a mediocre team. The offense has been terrible but has a lot of upside. They really do need to get the offense going sooner rather than later, because 5 inning 100 pitch starts aren’t going to work forever…
As for Wright I feel like he tinkers too much. He wasn’t happy just being a .300+ hitter with 25-30 HRs, so he tried to be more of a HR hitter and it hasn’t worked. I prefer him just hitting line drives instead of lifting the ball. that and his approach at the plate is awful. He closed up his stance and now he cant hit the outside corner. Maybe he is not seeing the ball or maybe he has no confidence, or both. What matters is that he needs to go back to what worked and just be himself and not what everyone thinks he should be.