Mets 4 Marlins 0

FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It took the dumb luck and secret vulcan power of Steve Trachsel to clinch the NL East title … but hey, we’ll take it.

Trachsel pitched one of the games of his life — for him, that means six innings, three hits, no runs — to clinch not only the division but also a spot in the postseason rotation, should the Mets need a #4. There’s no way he doesn’t after this performance, on the clinching day. Trax decided to use his good curveball today instead of the one he usually uses; though I suppose you can’t expect Scotty to beam it down every time he pitches.

In addition to Trachsel, it was St. Valentin’s Day, as Jose went deep twice, driving in three of the four Met runs and scoring twice. Fittingly, Cliff Floyd drove in the other run and cradled the final out in left field.

Notes

As usual the Mets bullpen — Guillermo Mota, Aaron Heilman, and Billy Wagner — were lights out in finishing off the game. Mota pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning, getting both outs in a total of six pitches — five for strikes.

Carlos Delgado waited a long time for this … he was teased in his September 1993 callup to the Blue Jays, being a part of their divisional clinching but left off the postseason roster of the eventual World Champions. Interestingly, the Blue Jays came in first place in 1989, 1991,1992, and 1993, but never came close again. Another bit of trivia: that 1994 third-place Toronto team — for which Delgado was a bench player — also included Shawn Green, John Olerud, Roberto Alomar, Al Leiter, Woody Williams, Aaron Small, Dave Righetti, and Mike Timlin (not sure why I find that so fascinating, but I do).

Tom Glavine goes against Scott Olsen on Tuesday night … does anyone care?

After that Champagne celebration (actually, it was Cava) and most likely a full night of partying in the Big City, I’m guessing we’ll see a lot of irregulars in the lineup. The game, matching Mets’ callups vs. the Marlins, should resemble a AAA game …

Pirates 3 Mets 0

For the third day in a row, the New York Mets showed no interest whatsoever in clincing the NL East.

John Maine did not pitch well, but somehow managed to allow just two runs through six-plus innings. He probably could have held the Pirates to just one run had the defense shown a bit of interest in fielding their positions. As it was, Maine could have pitched a perfect game and likely still would have a loss or no-decision. For the numnuts who keep saying that Steve Trachsel “guts out” wins, I refer you to Mr. Maine and his last two starts. This is “gutsy” pitching, not the crapola that Trachsel dishes out game after game. True, Trax gets wins, but not by guts. Maine, on the other hand, has been losing, but you can hardly blame him, as he’s done a yeoman’s job, yet the Mets batters have forgotten to put bat on ball during his recent starts. This game was a prime example of why Maine should be given a postseason start over Trachsel: because even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he somehow finds a way to get batters out, limit the opposition’s run total, and keep an adequately equipped offensive team in a game.

Unfortunately, the Mets lineup was unable to get anything going until at least two outs were recorded in an inning, which makes it really hard to score runs. But, hey, I don’t want to get too down on the Mets. After all, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a REALLY good team. Look at their record, and you’ll see that they have a better record than the Chicago Cubs!

Seriously now, what’s the deal? Will the Mets lose their remaining 14 games, while the Phillies go undefeated? If that happens, will the Mets still make the wild card? Are the Mets throwing games so that they can clinch in New York? Grrrrrrr……

Notes

Endy Chavez went 3-3 in two-out, nobody on situations, then failed in an opportunity to drive in Lastings Milledge from second with two out in the seventh. Chavez, D-Wright and Milledge were the only Mets to reach base more than once; everyone else was taking half-assed swings and going through the motions. Carlos Delgado, in particular, was disappointing, as he was able to work himself into positive counts — 2-0, 3-1 — but could only muster lousy, weak-ass ground balls to the second baseman. His awful swings while ahead on the count pretty much defeated the whole purpose of being ahead. As much as I love Carlos, in a way I wished that Mr. Willie had rested him in favor of Father Time Franco, who may have had some better at-bats. Another example of why MLB should never have outlawed greenies.

Jose Reyes struck out looking in the seventh with men on first and second, and not only argued with the umpire but also slammed his bat and helmet in the dugout. Very unlike Jose, and that small act, combined with his recent sloppiness in the field, begs one to wonder if maybe it’s time to give the guy a rest. True, Keith Hernandez will tell you that no one under 30 ever needs a rest, but this guy plays at a pretty high level, day in and day out; there’s no coasting in this guy’s game. Hopefully, after (if?) the Mets clinch this thing (already!), we’ll see Anderson Hernandez and/or Chris Woodward playing lots of shortstop in the final two weeks.

Surveying the blogs and in particular the blog commenters lately, it appeared that Kelly Stinnett was the preferred backup catcher come playoff time. I wonder how people are feeling now, after Stinnett’s awful performance against the Pirates? I know, it hardly matters who the second-string receiver is, but there aren’t too many roster considerations to argue about.

Speaking of postseason roster spots, it looks like Lastings will get a position by default. There aren’t any other righthanded hitters to speak of, and you have to figure the Mets will keep an extra outfielder before an infielder — considering that Delgado, Jose Valentin, Jose Reyes, and D-Wright will never be taken out of a game for any reason other than a broken bone. The question is, does Milledge deserve it? Hardly, in my opinion. He still shows too much uncontrolled aggressiveness at the plate, waving at poor pitches especially in key situations. For example, what the heck was he doing swinging at the first pitch leading off in the ninth inning? HEL-LO-HO! And I still don’t trust him in the field, despite the pundits who say he’s a better option than Shawn Green (I disagree). I guess he’ll be worthwhile as a pinch-runner … but I’d rather keep Anderson Hernandez around for that. Playing the Monday-morning quarterback, I find it strange that the Mets were unable to promote a right-handed hitter from the minors, or locate a half-decent one. Instead, they wasted a bullet on Ricky Ledee. Oh well, I suppose after finding gems like Valentin, Chavez, and Guillermo Mota, Omar had to mess up on someone.

So, after being swept by the mighty Bucs, the Mets will try to clinch the NL East — again — this time against the Marlins. Steve Trachsel goes against Brian Moehler. I’m torn about this one. Naturally, I want the Mets to wrap this up ASAP, but another part of me wants someone — anyone — other than the vulcan to be the pitcher who wins the clinching game. But I’m sure that old Stevie will do his part in pitching five lousy innings, allowing 4-5 runs, but the Mets will suddenly remember to bring their wooden (not paper mache) bats to the plate, and score nine or ten runs to clinch the East and make Trachsel a 15-game winner. Of course, Trachsel the wine snob will most likely object to the brand and/or vintage of Champagne that is flowing in the clubhouse …

Pirates 3 Mets 2

The Mets wasted a valiant effort by El Duque, who pitched seven marvelous innings and allowed only 2 runs on 6 hits and struck out 7. It appears that Orlando Hernandez is getting warmed up for the playoffs.

Unfortunately, outside of El Duque, it seemed as though no one on the Mets was interested in winning the game. It looked more like they were trying to avoid a loss, and each batter was hoping and waiting for someone else to step up and deliver a moon shot. Carlos Delgado, Paul LoDuca, and Shawn Green each hit a double, but they seemed to be the only guys half-interested in stomping on the Pirates.

Maybe the Mets are laying down in Pittsburgh so that they can share the clincher with the fans in Shea Stadium. I can’t figure out any other reason the Mighty Mets don’t annihilate this glaringly weak Pittsburgh team — which resembles more a AAA team than one in the NL.

Notes

Guillermo Mota threw brilliantly, once again working out of what appeared to be a difficult situation. His stuff is downright nasty.

You can’t put the blame of this game on Aaron Heilman; he’s been lights out since Duaner Sanchez went down and he is not Superman. Eventually, he had to give up a run sometime, and better now in a meaningless game against the Pirates than in the NLCS. This game was all about the Mets bats going to sleep.

Notes

El Duque needs to at least consider the runner on first once in a while. Paul LoDuca had no chance whatsoever to throw out anyone, except on a pitchout, and even then it was a very close play.

LoDuca, by the way, continues to swing the bat very well as we enter the deepest part of the season. He’s showing no signs of slowing down, and I wonder if his thumb injury is actually beneficial to his hitting.

I thought Shane Youman was one of the guys the Mets sent to Montreal for Gary Carter ? Whoever he is, he did a yeoman’s job in his second big-league game.

Pirates 5 Mets 3

Not a good game, in fact a poor attempt to clinch a pennant.

It all began with Pedro, who was apparently still nursing a calf injury and very ineffective. His poor start put the Mets in the dumps, and they never recovered, as they were unable to do much of anything against the young Pat Maholm

Pedro had no command whatsoever, and got lit up by the Pirates batters like a pinball machine. He pitched only three innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk. After being removed from the game, he sobbed in the dugout, head in his hands.

Maholm, meanwhile, made minced meat of the Mets. Seven strong innings of two-hit, one-run ball was enough to hold back the bats. Strange, as this guy came into the game allowing nearly two baserunners per inning. It was just one of those days.

The only bright spot in the game was, once again, Jose Reyes, whose strong September finish is opening eyes and establishing himself as a legitimate MVP candidate.

Notes

Heath Bell was given another opportunity to prove himself as a top-notch janitor, and he did well in three innings of mop-up duty, striking out four and allowing one run on — you guessed it — a solo homer.

Mets 7 Marlins 4

With just 17 games left to play, the Mets are back to their old late-inning, come-from-behind tricks that established their dominance in the first few months of the season.

Mr. Willie did what he could to allow the Marlins to win — going as far as choosing Ricky Ledee as a pinch-hitter over Endy Chavez and Shawn Green, and even threatening to bring Heath Bell into a tie ballgame — but in the end the Mets could not help but win, what with the multitude of mental and physical lapses put forth by the Marlins in the final innings.

Tom Glavine had another so-so, somewhat disturbing performance, looking very good at times but ultimately giving up another lead. He’s been giving up leads all season — even before the blood clot thing — and although he’s a lock to be a playoff starter I’m not so sure he deserves it.

Once again, though, the Mets bullpen held the opposing batters at bay, shutting out the Marlins through five innings. As they did on Tuesday, the Crisco Crew threw lots of strikes: 46 for 69, or 67%. It’s getting to the point where you expect the relievers to put up goose eggs, and anything else would be a surprise.

Paul LoDuca, Jose Reyes, and David Wright led the way on offense, and Lastings Milledge went 2-3 before the game became a contest. The biggest hit of the night, though, came from Carlos Delgado — in a pinch-hitting role. With two out in the top of the ninth and D-Wright on second base, Delgado went with an outside pitch, attempting to poke it through the massive hole created by the Miami shift. Miguel “I Hate Heath” Cabrera belly-flopped toward the grounder, tipped it just enough to trickle by Hanley Ramirez, and Wright scampered home with the tying run. The Mets were in position to finish off Florida right then and there, as there were runners on first and third, righthander Joe Borowski on the mound, and a load of lefty bats waiting on the bench. If you were the manager, would you have sent up a.) Endy Chavez; b.) Shawn Green; or c.) Michael Tucker? If you answered “none of the above”, you’re correct! Ricky Ledee was inserted into the game to put an end to the rally, and he succeeded easily by popping up weakly to centerfield. If nothing else, it’s safe to say that Mr. Luh-DEE has removed himself from playoff consideration.

As it was, Ledee’s lackluster performance meant nothing, as the young Marlins fell apart in the 11th with an assortment of mental and physical malaprops. First, Matt Herges hit Shawn Green with a pitch, then Dan Uggla blew an easy double-play grounder (hit by Ledee), and soon after, Herges crossed up catcher Miguel Olivo, resulting in a wild pitch and allowing the go-ahead run to score. As if that weren’t bad enough, Chubbsy-Ubbsy Cabrera’s belly got in the way of a foul popup, extending Jose Reyes’ at-bat and the inning. Reyes responded by bouncing a ball to the shortstop hole, and Hanley Ramirez tried to get lead runner Ledee by throwing to third, but Crybaby Cabrera’s girth and slothlike speed disallowed such a putout; hence, the ball flew unattended into the third base dugout, scoring Ledee. Paul LoDuca capped off the inning by belting a line drive to center, scoring Reyes with the seventh run.

Billy Wagner came in to finish off Florida, adding to his Cy Young argument.

Notes

Strange that Mr. Willie did not remove LoDuca after his final hit. The guy has been playing just about every day and we certainly don’t want to wear him out now. But, then, with the day off tomorrow I suppose it wasn’t such a big deal. However, I hope to see a lot of Kelly Stinnett and Mike DeFelice in the coming weeks. LoDuca needs to be fresh, rested, and hungry come playoff time.

Guillermo Mota is awesome. He had a no-out, man on third situation and got out of it with ease. That specific situation — and his ability to dominate his way out of it — is exactly why he will be a key factor in the postseason. Duaner who ?

Aaron Heilman is also awesome. Just thought I’d throw that in there.

Just think, Chad Bradford didn’t even get into this game … neither did Pedro Feliciano. Talk about depth!

Day off on Thursday as the Mets travel to Pittsburgh. Rumor has it, we’ll see Pedro on the mound on Friday night. If the Phillies lose on Thursday, it could be the clincher.

Mets 6 Marlins 4

Thank you, Joe Girardi, for leaving Taylor Tankersley in the game. Tankersley got out of the seventh by the skin of his teeth, then gave up two hits in the top of the 8th to set the stage for Carlos Delgado. How Girardi allowed Tankersley to take the mound in the 8th was crazy enough, but to let his fatigued rookie flip his flat slider to Delgado was insanity. Delgado responded as expected, by depositing his second offering over the fence in dead-center. How great is it to have Carlos Delgado in the lineup this year?

David Wright followed with a homerun of his own — almost. His deep flyball to left actually bounced off the scoreboard and remained in play, missing a homer by about 15 feet. Didn’t matter, because Uncle Cliffy smashed a drive to almost the same spot to send D-Wright home easily.

How about that Mets bullpen? Chad Bradford, Guillermo Mota, and Aaron Heilman combined for three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out three. Most impressive: 43 pitches, 30 for strikes. That’s 70 percent for you non-math majors. Actually, if you remove Mota from the equation, the ChadBrad-Aaron numbers are unbelievable: 33 pitches, 28 strikes: 85%. Wow.

Billy Wagner, of course, had to make things interesting, putting the tying run on base, and allowing Miguel Cabrera to arrive at the plate as the potential winning run.

The pitching before the bullpen, however, was so-so — though encouraging. After an extended rain delay, Oliver Perez finally took the mound and was roughed up early, giving up a two-run double to Wes Helms in the first and a two-run homer to red-hot Josh Willingham in the third.

However, it was not as bad an outing as it looked. In fact, it was a very impressive performance on several levels.

First of all, Perez had ten strikeouts by the end of the fourth inning. TEN. (He finished with 11 in five.) Secondly, he was throwing a lot of strikes (66 out of 101) — hence the reason for the double and the homerun. Like Heath Bell on Monday, Perez was throwing strikes, but not always good strikes; he left a few too many balls over the heart of the plate, and as a result was hit hard.

A third good sign — if the Marlins / SNY radar gun can be trusted — was his continued increase in velocity. In his last game, he topped out at around 94 MPH. In this game, he hit 96 a few times and even touched 97 once or twice. Now, the problem is that speed can vary by as much as 2-3 MPH from gun to gun, so he may not have been throwing any faster than before. If that’s the case, we can at least be encouraged by the fact that he’s defintely pitching into the mid-90s — whereas he was having trouble hitting 90 MPH while still with the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Although, it seemed like the gun was fairly reliable, as it was tracking Billy Wagner at 97-98 on most of his fastballs, which is about right or slightly slow.)

Another thing I liked to see was Oliver’s demeanor on the mound. From his first appearance as a Met, he’s carried himself with the confidence of an ace, and is intimidated by no one. He attacks the strike zone with his fastball the same way whether the batter is the opposing pitcher or Miguel Cabrera; it’s as if he doesn’t even see the batter, and doesn’t care who’s up against him. Further, he doesn’t let adversity affect his focus. In this game, he fell behind quickly, and was hit pretty hard, but he remained unflappable. No fear, no worries … he went right back to business.

While I’m on my Perez-loving diatribe, I may as well add one more thing: he’s downright colorful and a joy to watch. Although not to the extent of Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez clearly shows that he is enjoying himself on the mound. His gestures, antics, and exuberance harken back to guys like Turk Wendell, Fernando Valenzuela, and Mark Fidrych. If he continues to improve, and can regain the dominance he had in 2004, this guy could become the kind of New York star that puts fannies in the seats. Time will tell …

Notes

Oliver Perez is nearly as exciting to watch at the plate as he is on the mound. Whether he’s making wild attempts to drag bunt, taking ferocious swings, or slamming his bat on the ground after striking out, he exudes the same intensity, color, and excitability you see when he’s pitching. He’s a helluva competitor.

Cliff Floyd hit some scorching line drives, and it looks like he has his dangerous stroke. I’d be happy with either him or Endy Chavez in the postseason lineup.

Shawn Green struggled at bat, striking out four times and popping out with the bases loaded in the ninth. He was able to get ahead on the count early against Josh Johnson, but wasn’t able to do anything with the advantage. It looked like he wasn’t picking up the ball out of Johnson’s hand, and as a result was starting his swings too late — even when he was obviously trying to go the other way. He might have too much movement in his stance, and maybe should lock his head still earlier in the pitcher’s delivery. Although, in a no-out, first and third situation against reliever Taylor Tankersley, he seemed to see the lefty’s slider just fine, but was either unable to pull the trigger or didn’t deem the pitches as strikes (the ump was all over the place). In his defense, the first strike against him was a questionable check swing, and the third that caught him looking seemed to be low and nasty.

Tankersley, by the way, was lucky as balls to get out of that seventh inning. Two of the strikes against Shawn Green were questionable, and a 1-1 pitch several inches off the plate to Julio Franco was called a strike, putting Franco into a 1-2 hole. If that pitch were rightly called a ball, he likely would not have thrown a slider in the dirt on 2-1. Further, he hit Jose Reyes on the foot with a pitch, which would have forced in a run, but the first-base umpire ruled that Reyes swung at the pitch. The Mets announcers said it was a great call, but I disagree; it looked to me like Reyes started to swing, then held up, but couldn’t keep the bat from moving further forward because he was jumping out of the way of the pitch. Sorry, check the book … that’s not a strike, because he was not attempting to hit the ball. So instead of a run scoring and Paul LoDuca coming up, Tankersley was handed another 1-2 count. Bunch of crap.

LoDuca was vocal in his leadoff at-bat in the next inning, letting the homeplate umpire know about a called strike and nearly getting tossed. Instead, he fought back to hit a liner up the middle. Interestingly, the ump gave Carlos Beltran at least one or two pitches in the next at-bat. Payback?

Actually, the payback seemed to come in the top of the ninth. First, it looked like Carlos Delgado had been struck out looking, but instead he walked. Later, with two out and runners on first and second, David Wright had struck out looking on a great, low, down-and-in fastball by the Bayonne Bullet, Joe Borowski. Except, the ump called it a ball, and on the next pitch D-Wright blasted a grounder through the hole between short and third to keep the inning alive. Endy Chavez followed with a walk, forcing in a run. As much as I love the Mets, I had to feel a little bad for Joe, a hardworking bulldog and local guy who deserved better in this game. But that feeling faded fast … after all, he’ll pitch in other games, against other opponents.

On defense, LoDuca made a great, quick throw to catch Hanley Ramirez attempting to steal in the seventh, but it was Jose Valentin’s fantastic snatch and tag that completed the play. Great job by both vets to pull it off.

Lastings Milledge was way too aggressive in a pinch-hitting appearance in the eighth, then looked foolish taking strike three over the heart of the plate. This guy needs at least another year or two of seasoning in the minors … and even then, I’m not sure he’s going to turn out to be much more than another Jay Payton.

Mets magic number is 3. If they win tomorrow, and the Braves sweep the Phillies in their doubleheader, it’s all over.

Marlins 16 Mets 5

Gee, we thought Sunday’s loss to the Dodgers was bad …

Dart-throwing Dave finally fell to Earth, exhibiting the kind of performance that made two of the most pitching-hungry teams in MLB toss him away. His line went like this: three innings, 11 hits, two walks, nine earned runs, two HRs. Eeek.

The only positives from the game were homeruns: one line-drive blast by Cliff Floyd, and Carlos Beltran’s 40th. Oh, yeah, and Lastings Milledge hit a run-scoring double as a pinch-hitter, then scored himself.

Notes

Poor Heath Bell was given another chance in a blowout and did not do well. In fact, he was rather awful, allowing two homeruns and seven hits in two innings. Well, at least he threw strikes (32 strikes out of 45 pitches, in fact). He’ll be gone in the offseason.

Bell, though, caused a smidgeon of controversy. In a rare moment of effectiveness, Heath struck out the Marlins’ best hitter, Miguel Cabrera. After the whiff, Heath made a small, barely noticeable fist-pump to himself as he ran off the mound. Cabrera, whose eagle eyes would have been better used in discerning balls and strikes in that at-bat, saw the gesture and became visibly upset about it. Further, he continued to steam about it on the bench, heckling Heath from the dugout. It got to the point that manager Joe Girardi took Cabrera out of the game, rather than give him another confrontation. Why Cabrera was so upset is anybody’s guess; the guy was 2-3 with 3 RBI and his 48th double, and the gesture was hardly something that could be considered offensive. As much as I enjoy watching him play, and respect his skills, he needs to quit the immature crap. If pitchers today had any cojones, Cabrera would be eating dust, and trying to dislodge a ball from his ear, in his next at-bat.

Dodgers 9 Mets 1

Yuck.

Steve Trachsel was godawful in his two and two-thirds innings of work, but I’m going to look at it as a good thing. In fact, I’ll be OK with him pitching this poorly in his next three starts, because it should more or less guarantee that he won’t get a start in the postseason … and that’s the way it should be.

For one of the few times this year, Trachsel didn’t get much offensive support … but by the time he left the game it didn’t matter. After his departure, the game got even uglier, as Trachsel beat up Brian Bannister in the clubhouse — knocking him out cold — then took his uniform jersey and ran out to the bullpen before anyone saw the evidence. Mr. Willie, not realizing what happened, had “Bannister” warm up, and unknowingly reinserted Trachsel into the ballgame in the top of the fourth. Five more runs scored in the next three innings, and the Mets had no chance to come back.

The Dodgers made a brilliant move, giving Eric Stults his first Major League start against the clueless Mets. Obviously their scouts were paying attention when they saw the Mets batters fail miserably in similar games against pitchers they never saw before (the most recent example being Friday against Hong-Chih Kuo). It was interesting to see Eric Stults on the mound … I was wondering what happened to him after Pulp Fiction …

The only highlight of the game — from the Mets’ point of view — was a sixth-inning solo homer by Jose Reyes, who may soon borrow Dominique Wilkins’ old nickname “the Human Highlight Film”.

Notes

Endy Chavez and Jose Valentin had the only other hits (besides Reyes’ homerun), both singles. David Wright might have had a hit, but the Dodgers wouldn’t pitch to him in the Beltranless lineup, so he walked twice.

Julio Franco made his 2006 debut at third base in the final innings, and made a nice play in the ninth. Oldsters such as myself can remember Franco’s great range as a shortstop back in the early 1980s, so it’s not beyond reality to see him somewhere other than first base. You never know, he might be needed in an emergency in the postseason (hopefully not, though).

Darren Oliver and Chad Bradford pitched admirably in relief, and Royce Ring was absolutely fantastic in retiring the one hitter he faced on five pitches.

Monday has Dave Williams going against Anibal Sanchez, who will be attempting to tie Johnny Vander Meer for most consecutive no-hit games. Rumor has it, we’ll see Oliver Perez on Tuesday.