The Mets (25-23) will try to continue their recent success on the road tonight, as they take on the Milwaukee Brewers(19-28) at Miller Park. Johan Santana (4-2, 3.41) gets the ball for the Mets and he’ll be faced by Yovani Gallardo (4-2, 3.20).
UPDATE: Lineups have been posted:
1.). Reyes (SS)
2.) Cora (2B)
3.) Bay (LF)
4.) Davis (1B)
5.) Wright (3B)
6.) Pagan (CF)
7.) Barajas (C)
8.) Francoeur (RF)
9.) Santana (P)
Discuss…
Yankees fans are notorious for proclaiming if and how a player has “earned his Yankees stripes.” It’s a bit ridiculous and it can get incredibly annoying to have a conversation with someone who insists a player on the level of Mark Texeiria wasn’t REALLY a Yankee until [insert appropriate Yankeeography episode title here] happened.
But… I get it. They want to feel like a guy is worthy of their support. They want everyone to know that they won’t blindly accept a player just because he is drawing a hefty paycheck from Yankee Baseball Industries & Merchandising Supply Co, Ltd.
Newsday’s David Lennon makes the case that Citi Field had its moment of Mets fan acceptance this past week, as the Mets steamrolled the Yankees and the Phillies:
I think it is fair to say, though, that the Mets new park has established its identity. Fans were rightfully upset last year when they noticed that the place looked nice and it had great food and all, but it just didn’t seem like home. The franchise did some improvements to address that, such as the Mets Hall of Fame and the Hodges and Stengel entrance and the banners depicting former Mets on the perimeter. [Citi Field finds its identity]
It’s an interesting theory and it makes perfect sense. Whether you think the Mets are now on their way to the postseason or not, you won’t forget this past week for a long time.
Whether you will now forget all of the negativity that has surrounded Citi Field up to this point is another story. But it seems like the Mets may have settled into their new home.
The Mets are on top of the world and ahead of the Nats… Time for some links:
MyMetsJournal – Joe Petruccio creates some fantastic artwork out of Gary Cohen’s fantastically forced “goose egg sweep” comment.
MetsMerized – Jessup gives a State of the Union-type rundown of the Mets. Translation: it’s time to bring in Oswalt.
213 Miles From Shea – Did you know that two of the top three current AL home run leaders were dealt by the Mets in the same 2004 trade? That’s some random trivia!
NY Daily News – Bill Price tries to explain the Mets recent hot streak and why they are so good at Citi Field.
Rotoworld – Aaron Gleeman reports that Carlos Beltran will be 6-8 weeks away from returning… once he resumes baseball activities, that is.
OnTheBlack – Kerel Cooper has a video rundown on who’s hot… and who’s not.
And as my JV basketball coach used to say, “You’re never as good as you think you are, but you’re never as bad as you think you are.”
Run for cover! Do not leave your home! At any moment, frogs and toads are certain to fall from a blue and orange-tinged sky, signifying the rapture! Cataclysm is near!
Or maybe the Mets shutting out the Phillies in three straight is a completely normal event, having nothing to do with the apocalypse. Perhaps it was a staged episode for the return of the Twilight Zone.
Whatever it is, it ain’t normal. But I’ll take it. And revel in it.
Mike Pelfrey was brilliant (again), shutting out the Phillies through seven frames, allowing only three hits. The five walks were too many, but no baserunners scored, so we’ll glaze over them.
I find it funny — now — that one of the questions posed to me by Bill Baer at Crashburn Alley prior to the series was “How much patience do the Mets have with Jose Reyes? He’s currently sporting a .550 OPS.”. Well, I think it’s safe to say that those questions won’t be coming up again. Reyes went 3-for-4 with a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Further, he was 8-for-13 with 5 RBI and 5 runs scored in the series, sparking the club from the leadoff spot (note: Reyes was NOT batting third).
Angel Pagan went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, AGAIN. Seems like he goes 2-for-4 with a stolen base every game, doesn’t it?
Cole Hamels didn’t pitch poorly — allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and a walk through 6 1/3 — but the Phillies hitters are in a team-wide, massive funk. The question is: did this three-game sweep say more about the Mets or the Phillies? Meaning, were the Mets pitchers really that spectacular, or are the Phillies hitters in that horrendous a cold streak? Is it a combination of both?
After winning the Yankees series and pasting the Phillies in three straight, the Mets will go into Milwaukee to face a struggling Brewers club. You’ve got to believe that confidence alone will help the Mets to another series win this weekend (don’t even start with the “jinx” thing — if I have that kind of power I’ll use it for something like world peace). A little confidence can go a long way, and in the case of the Mets, it just might jettison them to the top of the NL East come Memorial Day.
At 19-9, the Mets have the best home record in MLB. At 6-14, they have the third-worst road record in MLB. Again I mention the 1987 Minnesota Twins. Look it up.
During the rain delay, SNY showed the press conference announcing the purchase of the Mets by Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon for $21M. This year, the Mets are paying Johan Santana $21M. How times have changed, eh?
The Mets move on to Milwaukee to face the Brewers on Friday night. Johan Santana faces Yovani Gallardo. Game time is 8:10 PM.
The Mets (24-23) take on the Phillies (26-19) tonight at Citi Field. Mike Pelfrey (6-1, 2.86) takes the mound against Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92). First pitch at 7:10pm EDT.
Discuss…
Straight from the Mets’ PR Department, tonight’s lineup vs. Cole Hamels and the Phillies:
Jose Reyes – SS
Luis Castillo – 2B
Jason Bay – LF
Ike Davis – 1B
David Wright – 3B
Angel Pagan – CF
Jeff Francoeur – RF
Henry Blanco – C
Mike Pelfrey – RHP
Looks almost exactly like the lineup that’s been working for the past week, except for Hank White.
Now, I know some of you don’t like link dumps. I understand – I was like you once. But it takes a long time for Joe to write his posts and what are you gonna do until the next post? Well, you can do what you want, but here are some links for your viewing pleasure… if you’re into this sort of thing:
Mets Police – Shannon Stark has photos of some weird Mets jerseys that are for sale at the Mets store on 42nd street.
OnTheBlack – Kerel Cooper says the NL East is the most competitive division in baseball. He obviously hasn’t been following the Pelham Bay Little League.
Amazin Avenue – In the daily farm system report, AA reports that Nick Evans went 0-for-5 and somehow had an RBI and 2 runs scored. Strange.
Baseball Digest – Remember Rusty Staub? Time for a walk down memory lane.
Read the Apple – Oliver Perez arrested for stealing signs? No, not really. But really funny.
Who are these Mets? Who are those Phillies?
The Mets won their fourth in a row — beating the Yankees and Phillies — and their fifth of their last six. They’ve shut out the Phillies in back-to-back games using fill-in starters. Is it because they’re that good? Is it because Jerry Manuel knows exactly what buttons to press, and when? Now that they’ve crawled out of the cellar, should we expect the Mets to start mashing their way to the top of the division?
Time will tell.
Hisanori “Don’t Call Me Ken” Takahashi spun another brilliant start, stupefying the Phillies through six innings of shutout ball. He allowed 5 hits, walked none, and struck out 6. The Phillies truly looked befuddled against him — I guess that’s what happens when they aren’t told what’s coming.
Takahashi is now tied with Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey for the team lead in wins (4). He’s posted a 0.81 ERA over his last 8 appearances, going back to Cinco de Mayo.
Is it a coincidence that Takahashi, Raul Valdes, Jennry Mejia, and R.A. Dickey have been the biggest surprises on the staff, and none were exposed to Dan Warthen until very recently? Probably.
Jose Reyes blasted his first homer of the year, a 400-foot laser over the right field wall. He’s just getting warmed up, folks.
Rod Barajas — a.k.a., “Lord of the (High) Flies” — drove in 3 more runs with a double and a long fly. He’s hitting .533 with 8 RBI in 4 games vs. the Phillies this year. Clearly, NL teams do not archive their scouting reports, or Hot Rod would not continually get pitches low and in — pretty much the only spot his bat swings through. Let’s hope no one catches on.
Similarly, I hope the Mets continue to throw pitches — of any variety — down and away to Ryan Howard. Change-ups, fastballs, breaking pitches — it doesn’t matter what — if the pitch is below his knees, and off the outside corner, he’s swinging and missing. Those breezes must have been welcome in the 95+ degree heat during the game.
Angel Pagan was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and a run scored, and his push bunt in the sixth helped ignite a three-run rally. He’s quietly turning into a solid offensive force at the bottom half of the lineup. Carlos Who?
Speaking of steals, the Mets are 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts in this series, and are second in the NL in both total steals (43) and SB percentage (83%).
Fernando Nieve did make an appearance, tossing 14 pitches in a perfect ninth. But this outing was PLANNED, as he was “getting his work in” in preparation for a spot start this coming weekend. Really? He needs to get work in? It will take a minor miracle to keep his right arm from detaching from his body before the end of the season.
The Mets are now 18-9 at home, and beginning to resemble the 1987 Twins, minus the dome.
The Phillies have scored a scant 15 runs in their past 8 games. The’ve scored 4 runs in their last 45 innings. The pitchers on the end of the Mets depth chart have shut them out through 18 consecutive innings. WTF?
This was the first time the Mets shut out the Phillies in back-to-back games since July 17-18, 1998, when Al Leiter and Hideo Nomo pulled the trick (back then pitchers still occasionally finished what they started).
The Phillies, by the way, have been shut out four times this year — three of those times in their last three games.
The Mets go for the sweep on Thursday night, sending Mike Pelfrey to the mound against Cole Hamels. Game time is 7:10 PM.