Nationals 2 Mets 1

OK so we lost … probably Billy Traber’s bottled-up anger for the Mets sending him to Cleveland all those years ago. I’d be pretty ticked off, too, if I were him.

The good news is that Tom Glavine pitched another good game. Actually, he pitched a borderline excellent game. The only thing that didn’t make it a magnificent game, was the fact he threw over 120 pitches in six innings. Too much. I’m glad he’s finally making adjustments and getting back in the groove. However I’d like to see him be a little more efficient. Otherwise he’ll be gone from games before the seventh. No good for a number two — not in the playoffs. We’ll need the ‘pen to pitch innings when numbers three and four pitch.

Notes

Paul LoDuca hit his first home run since little league. OK, maybe it was May.

Darren Oliver and Roberto Hernandez each pitched perfect innings to close out the game. Both pitchers struck out two and allowed no baserunners.

Rumor has it that the Mets were / are inquiring about Shawn Green. I say get his ass here ASAP. Carlos Delgado’s best friend and a fine, professional hitter who can play the OF and 1B can come to Flushing anytime. He didn’t quite turn out to be the savior in LA nor Arizona but he’ll be a perfect #7 hitter this year, and a great guy to platoon with Lastings next year.

John Maine vs. some guy named Bergmann tomorrow.

Mets 7 Padres 3

El Duque enjoyed another strong outing in his bid to be a playoff starter, as the Mets swept San Diego for their first 2006 Shea broom job.

It was a close game until the bottom of the seventh, when the strange Mets lineup exploded for four runs.

In fact, the starting lineup looked more like a split-squad spring training game, with Jose Valentin batting fifth and followed by Ricky Ledee, Mike Tucker, and Mike DeFelice.

However, it made no difference, as the top of the lineup had a strong day, beginning with Jose Reyes’ 2-5, 2-run, 2-RBI performance. Endy Chavez stayed hot in the two spot, going 2-4 with a run, an RBI, and two SBs. Oh, and then there was David Wright, who went 2-3 with two walks, an RBI, a run, and a stolen base. With numbers like that in the top three spots, who needs the rest of the lineup?

Though batters four through nine weren’t too shabby either. Carlos Delgado and Jose Valentin both walked twice, and The Stache added a hit and 2 RBI. Michael Tucker, in his first game as a Met, blasted an RBI double to keep the rally going in the seventh. Even El Duque had a hit and a run scored.

A nice, breezy sweep for the Mets … bring on the Nats!

Notes

After getting pounded by the Cubs on July 16th, Orlando Hernandez has really turned it up a notch, going deep into games and looking dominating at times. Hopefully he can keep building his strength and be primed and ready come October; in my mind he is the key to the Mets’ World Series chances.

Aaron Heilman pitched a nearly perfect 8th inning, walking one and striking out two. However he threw too many pitches — 26 — and hopefully won’t be needed tomorrow (fat chance). Pedro Feliciano was equally effective closing out the game, striking out two and allowing one hit on 19 pitches.

Michael Tucker not only delivered the blast in the seventh, but made several nice catches and threw out Dave Roberts trying to stretch a single into a double in the third. He knows he has a very small window of opportunity to impress Mr. Willie, especially with Randolph’s old favorite Ricky Ledee in the dugout. If given the chance, who knows, Tucker might play his heart out and find a spot on the team. As much as I think Lastings Milledge is a future star, it becomes clearer every day that he probably doesn’t belong on a playoff team this year. A solid veteran like Tucker or Ledee might be a safer option … though I can’t imagine a lefty-lefty platoon with Endy Chavez. As much as the Mets think they needed a lefty bat off the bench, I’d have to think that Omar has been sifting through the waiver wire looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder — someone along the lines of a righty Todd Hollandsworth, who apparently made it through waivers in being dealt to Cincinnati.

By the way, Ricky Ledee’s last name is pronounced “luh-DEE”, not “luh-DAY”. He’s Latino, not French, and you’d think that at least the Mets announcers would have figured that out.

Tommy Glavine vs. former Met phenom Billy Traber in Washington DC tomorrow night.

Traber brings up an interesting point: just because you’re tabbed as a future mound star, doesn’t mean you’ll get there. Traber was among the same line of great young arms the Mets produced but never quite materialized as billed, joining Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, Paul Wilson, Reid Cornelius, David West, Grant Roberts, Jeremy Griffiths, Jason Anderson, Tyler Yates … the list goes on. (Sure, Izzy and Wilson have turned out OK, but nothing near what was predicted.) I bring this up to point out that even if you have a few good young arms, it’s better to have a lot of good young arms, because so many fall by the wayside (often to injuries). That said, I like the Mets chances in the coming years, assuming they hold on to the young guns. While I don’t see all of them reaching expectations, you’ve got to think at least one or two solid starters will come from this pack: Brian Bannister, Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Evan MacLane, John Maine, Alay Soler, Matt Lindstrom, Oliver Perez, and Kevin Mulvey. Sure, there will be some Pulsiphers in there, but if we can squeak out a Seaver, a Koosman, or at least a Bobby J. Jones and a Sid Fernandez, we’ll be all right. It’s been a long time since the Mets’ organization developed a solid starter—and kept him.

Mets’ magic number is 36 ….

Mets 4 Padres 3

Another one-run win over the Padres, and again it never seemed that close.

I’m not sure what it is … now I’m thinking that the Padres brought their laid-back, southern Cal attitude to NYC and just gave the game a really relaxing air … because at no point in the game was I concerned the Mets might lose.

Of course, it helped that Pedro threw one of his masterpieces. Outside of two swings by Mike Piazza, Pedro was nearly perfect through seven innings before giving way to Aaron Heilman, who did well despite a Mike Piazza scare that turned into a fly ball out.

Jose Valentin smacked the ball well, Endy Chavez went 3-3 with an RBI; however he was Mike Piazza’s 6th victim (out of 75) in an attempted steal. Considering that Piazza practically rolled the ball to 2B yesterday on a throw, I have to say shame on Endy. Jose Reyes went 2-5 with his 48th stolen base, a run scored, and an RBI. He also narrowly missed hitting a homerun to RF in the fourth; he’s really coming into his own as a hitter, as everyday he’s learning to be more and more discerning.

Notes

Pedro on Pedro in the SNY postgame interview:
“Velocity is not what affects how I do in a game. My job is to do the best I can with the least amount of pitches.”

I spoke too soon … Michael Tucker was brought up to take Cliff Floyd’s spot on the roster. Glass Joe finally went on the DL with an achilles issue.

Thursday: El Duque vs. Chris Young. Will Dr. Duque or Mr. Hernandez show up to pitch?

Mets’ magic number is something like 38 … but who’s counting?

Mets 3 Padres 2

Though the game was tight from beginning to end, it somehow “felt” like the Mets would win the game. Maybe it’s the way the Mets conduct themselves, or the way the batters kept Padres’ starter Woody Williams on the ropes all night, that exuded confidence. It seemed like every inning the Mets had the bases loaded, and despite the close score, it was apparent the Mets would do nothing other than win the game … spoiling Mike Piazza’s return to Shea.

Piazza received a well-deserved, moving, standing ovation in his first at-bat. He was much beloved in Flushing, and it’s remarkable that he could be so respected and loved, yet not missed. I doubt there is any remotely knowledgeable Met fan who would take him over Paul LoDuca this year, in spite of Mike’s good numbers.

Hey let’s think about this for a moment: Piazza still on the Mets. What might the clubhouse be like? How many games would have been lost purely due to Mike’s poor catching skills? Where would he bat in the lineup? Would Beltran be batting second? What if Piazza and LoDuca were both on the roster, and putting up the same numbers they are now … how would the press respond? Would it be a harmonious platoon, or a controversy similar to a NY Jets training camp? It matters not, since Mike’s enjoying life on the Left Coast, but it’s fun to consider.

Back to the game …

Steve Trachsel pitched an above-Trachsel game, allowing only two runs in 5 2/3 innings in crusing to his 11th victory. Remarkably, Royce Ring came on in relief in the one-run game; we’ll assume Mr. Willie was on some kind of narcotics. It’s not that I don’t want to see Ring in that situation — in fact I was very happy to see him — it just seems too phenomenal that Willie would trust him there. Naturally, poor Royce responded to the challenge by giving up a double (on a good pitch), which put runners on second and third, and then walked lefty Todd Walker on four pitches. Ring squeaked out of danger by inducing a groundout. Though he did not allow a run to score, I’m guessing it will be a long time coming before Mr. Willie puts him into a similar situation.

Darren Oliver was stellar in middle relief before yielding to Roberto Hernandez and Pedro Feliciano, who were perfect. Billy Wagner shut the door in the ninth.

Meantime, the bats did what they needed to do. David Wright made his mini-slump a distant memory, going 3-4 with the only two Mets RBI, a run, and a stolen base. Carlos Beltran remained hot, also going 3-4 with a run scored.

The other run came home in the second inning on a bases-loaded, double-play grounder by Lastings Milledge. Milledge showed his youth by jumping on the first offering by Williams in a situation where he needed to be more patient. Wright had led off the inning with a single, Jose Valentin followed with a walk, and Endy Chavez bunted a ball that Williams bobbled to load the bases with no outs. It was a prime situation to mount a steaming rally, as Williams was having trouble throwing strikes and staying calm. Instead of waiting for a good pitch, Milledge lunged at a breaking ball falling off the outside corner and Milledge pounded it into the ground for a tailor-made DP. Had he taken a few pitches, he might have gotten ahead on Williams and forced a better pitch to hit, or drawn a walk. This situation no doubt will get buried in the win and the season but it’s a tiny detail that could become huge under the microscope of a do-or-die playoff game, where every little thing counts. As talented as Lastings is, and though it’s great he’s able to cut his teeth at the Major League level, it’s a little disconcerting to think that his inexperience could be the difference between a win and a loss come playoff time.

Notes

In a curious move, the Mets claimed veteran OF Ricky Ledee on waivers from the Dodgers, and dropped Eli Marrero. Actually, the curious part of all this is the way Marrero was utilized (or rather, not utilized) by Mr. Willie. From Marrero’s arrival, it was apparent that Randolph had no idea who he was or what he was capable of; witness his starting Marrero in centerfield one day, then third base the next — two positions he’d never played before. Further, it was assumed that the whole point of Marrero was to give Randolph the opportunity to use Ramon Castro as a pinch-hitter if he so wished, but that never materialized. In fact, Marrero only caught one or two games in his tenure, even though Castro missed over a week nursing an injury and LoDuca caught over a dozen straight games.

I feel bad for Marrero, and had hoped he’d be given more of a chance. He seemed like an ideal guy to have in the clubhouse and on the team, the type of guy who will play anywhere, anytime, and not complain. Just as importantly, he had shown in the past that he could be a valuable bat in the lineup when given semi-regular duty; check his career stats and you’ll see some good numbers when given 250+ at-bats. He has a long, loopy swing, the type that will cause a lot of strikeouts but also the kind that can get into a carry-the-team type of groove. His loopy swing was definitely NOT for pinch hitting, and unfortunately his role with the Mets was as a 6th-inning pinch hitter. With Xavier Nady traded away, there was an opportunity to platoon Endy Chavez and Marrero in right field, and I truly believe that could have been a potent combination. However, it was not to be, and I wish Eli well. Who knows, he might end up in Norfolk.

So now the Mets have Ricky Ledee, who is a solid defender with a so-so bat. I’m guessing that he will be the new 6th-inning pinch-hitter, but not sure what else he’ll do as long as Endy is around. Maybe the Mets plan on using Ledee and Endy in the corners for defensive purposes? Though it doesn’t seem like part of Omar’s plan to sit Milledge in the late innings; it would be a blow to his confidence in the field. Apparently, the Mets needed another lefty bat off the bench to balance Julio Franco, Chris Woodward, and Castro (when he returns), so I guess it makes sense.

Stinks to be Michael Tucker or Jacob Cruz, two lefthanded-hitting outfielders who are currently at Norfolk and apparently not considered to be better options than Ledee for the role.

On another note … This has nothing to do with the Mets whatsoever, but is so remarkable it needs to be repeated: according to Allan Wood of joyofsox.blogspot.com, David Ortiz has come to the plate 19 times in walkoff situations since the end of the 2004 regular season (postseasons included) and reached base 16 times. He is 11 for 14 (.786), with 7 HRs and 20 RBIs. This season, he is 8 for 9, with 5 HRs and 15 RBIs. Holy S.

Pedro tomorrow night vs. Clay Hensley. The Mets’ Magic Number is 40.

Mets 8 Phillies 1

John Maine pitched another six scoreless innings before giving way to the 100-pitch count; he’s now at 23 consecutive innings without allowing a run (still not even halfway to Don Drysdale’s 58 1/3, but impressive nonetheless).

For the second day in a row, a Phillies starting pitcher threw a ball to first that Ryan Howard couldn’t handle on a routine groundball. And for the second day in a row, the Mets took advantage of the mistake, this time hammering seven runs in the fourth, capped off by a grand slam by Jose Reyes. The granny was an absolute rocket, scorched high and far over the right-center wall and into the parking lot. Maybe the hardest ball Reyes has ever hit; even in slow-motion it looked blistered, leaving the stadium in a blurring hurry.

Notes

Though John Maine has not given up any runs in a long time, it looks to me like he might be having an issue with his mechanics. He has a tendency to either leave his throwing arm a little behind, and/or fall off toward first base just as he releases the ball. The result is he leaves his arm high upon release, and the ball floats up and in to the righty / up and away to the lefty. It’s not a huge problem, though it did seem to affect him in the sixth inning, when he had trouble throwing a strike. Hopefully the Jacket notices the issue and makes the necessary minor adjustment.

Royce Ring finally got a chance to pitch, as there was an eight-run lead (I believe the threshold is six for Ring—the same Heath Bell). Unfortunately, he quickly gave up a home run to Mike Lieberthal leading off the seventh, and got himself into a bit of a quandary by allowing singles to Jimmy Rollins and David Dellucci. However, he ended the threat by striking out Chase Utley looking on a wide-breaking sidearm curve.

Darren Oliver pitched a perfect ninth in his first appearance since his win in Atlanta on July 30th.

Paul LoDuca should bust his thumb every year. He has been red hot lately, collecting another three hits today.

Day off on Monday … then Steve Trachsel vs. Woody Williams and the Padres in Mike Piazza’s return to Shea.

Oh, by the way … the Mets’ magic number is 42 …

Mets 4 Phillies 3

The Mets were damn lucky to squeak out this win.

Jon Lieber stymied the Mets bats over eight innings, and would have won the game had he not botched an easy throw to first base that Ryan Howard was too lazy to bend down and dig out of the dirt. The error ignited a three-run, two-out rally, culminating with a blast to deep left center by Endy Chavez that scored two runs.

Billy Wagner very nearly blew another save in the ninth. Ryan Howard led off with a single to right, but Pat Burrell and Chris Coste both struck out. Pinch hitter Chase Utley then sent a hanging slider to the right field wall, chasing Howard to third. A second pinch-hitter, Mike Lieberthal, then worked the count to 3-2 before scorching a liner down the third-base line. The hit would have scored Howard and possibly Utley, if not for David Wright diving full length to his right to spear the ball, then throwing out the slow-footed Lieberthal by two steps to end the game.

Notes

Tom Glavine finally won his 12th game, over a month after winning his 11th. Remarkably, he’s tied for the NL lead in wins, with Aaron Harang, Brandon Webb, Jason Marquis and Carlos Zambrano. After giving up a 3-run homer to Howard in the first, Glavine settled down to cruise through six scoreless innings.

Aaron Heilman pitched for the fourth time in five days and was flawless.

No one batter on the Mets was particularly special today, but nearly everyone who managed a hit made it productive.

Sunday night’s game pits John Maine vs. Scott Mathieson. Maine will be pitching with eleven days rest … how the heck did that happen?

Phillies 5 Mets 3 Chase Utley 0

At least the Mets were able to end the Chase.

In a game where El Duque turned in a better-than-Trax performance, it looked as though the Mets might come away with a victory. However, their inability to conquer the Phillies’ bullpen was their ultimate downfall.

Orlando Hernandez hurt himself by balking twice in the 4th; one of them forced in a run. In El Duque’s defense, the first balque was an unusually strict interpretation of the rule, and no one would have said boo if the balk wasn’t called. Yes, technically he balqued, but the spirit of the rule is to prevent a pitcher from deceiving the runner; there’s no way on god’s green earth that Shane Victorino was somehow deceived by El Duque’s ever-so-slight movement forward. I wouldn’t mind these pansy-ass calls if not for the fact that a guy like Andy Pettitte NEVER gets called for a balk, even though he balks 90% of the time he throws to first.

El Duque made up for the run-scoring balque by hitting the first triple of his career, a blast down the third-base line. Jose Reyes followed with a two-out single to drive him home.

Reyes had a big day, with three hits, but he completely threw away his fifth at-bat by swinging at a first-pitch inside fastball from reliever Arthur Rhodes in the 8th. He jammed himself, nearly breaking the bat, and hit a weak ground ball that turned into a double play. Why he’s swinging at a poor first offering from a pitcher he hasn’t seen all night when his team is down by one is beyond my logic. But, he’s still learning, right?

Perhaps what made the Reyes’ throwaway at-bat was Jose Valentin’s sac bunt attempt the at-bat before, which was too hard and directly to the pitcher. Rhodes picked up the ball and threw out the lead runner easily, erasing Lastings Milledge and nullifying the purpose of the sacrifice. Milledge had a good at-bat, working Rhodes for a walk, and it seemed foolish to put the bunt on right away with Valenin up next. Why not take a pitch or two, maybe get Rhodes into a jam? Instead, he got out of the inning with just two pitches after the walk. Inexcusable.

Overall, the Mets looked uninspired at the plate. A few stray extra-base hits were sprinkled among a few singles here and there, with no “team hitting” happening at all (working the pitcher, advancing runners, cutting down the swing in appropriate spots, etc.). It’s as if they are waiting around (and swinging) for a three-run homer — even with no one on.

Notes

With Carlos Delgado on third with two outs and righthander Ryan Madson on the mound in the 7th, Mr. Willie had Endy Chavez ready to pinch-hit, but at the last minute opted for Julio Franco. Why? No one’s quite sure, especially considering the fact that Franco was barely able to stand while suffering with the flu. Usually Mr. Willie goes with the lefty vs. righty no-brainer by-the-book strategy, making this decision all the more puzzling. I’ll guess he had one of those “Torre moments”, and “had a hunch”.

Uncle Cliffy looked awful at the plate. He needs to stop swinging for the fences.

The Mets left 17 runners on base, which is also awful. Ironically, it wasn’t as bad as the Phillies, who left 18 on. This game was like watching a competition in clutch hitting futility.

Tommy Glavine vs. Jon Lieber on Saturday afternoon. With both veterans fading miserably lately, this game could resemble a 3-hour batting practice.