Deja vu all over again.

The last time Johan Santana and Jaime Garcia hooked up, the result was a 20-inning snorefest. Both starters were absolutely spectacular, each leaving after 7 frames of shutout ball.

This time, the matchup was kind of the same, only different. Like the last time, Santana and Garcia had similar outings — except, they were both the opposite of spectacular. OK, that’s not fair — Garcia wasn’t that bad (though Johan was). Santana allowed 7 runs on 13 hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. Garcia went one more out, finishing a full six, and he gave up “only” 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Immediately after Garcia left the game, however, flamethrower Mitchell Boggs came in and allowed four scores to make it seven-all. Then, the snorefest began.

There was another difference contrasting this extra-inning game and the one from mid-April: Francisco Rodriguez made an appearance BEFORE tossing 100+ warmups in the bullpen.

Oh, one other difference — the Mets didn’t win. Shame, really, because they tried so damn hard, fighting back and all.

Game Notes

We already posted Johan’s numbers, and he did look pretty awful. His velocity was around 89-91, but he was laying his fastball over the middle of the plate, belt high, during his entire outing. Eventually, Major League hitters will hit a 90-MPH fastball over the middle of the plate — and hard. When he wasn’t serving up meatballs, he was missing the strike zone completely on all pitches. My eyes saw him getting under the ball frequently, particularly on the changeup — meaning, his elbow was lower than normal, and his fingers were underneath or to the side of the ball at release. The result is something that looks like “pushing” the ball, and poor command.

Prior to this start, Santana had allowed only eight runs over his last 44.0 innings dating back to June 26th. The 13 hits he allowed were a career high — his previous high was 12 hits, accomplished twice, most recently on July 24, 2009 with the Mets at Houston.

Mike Hessman is a big dude — like, Troy Glaus big. He’s a monster. He’s so big, Ike Davis looks small standing next to him, and Ike is a pretty big dude himself. Discussing his size with friend and fellow blogger Matthew Artus , Matt put it best by saying: “the Empire State Building looks small next to Hessman”. No argument here.

In the bottom of the 6th, David Wright led off with a rocket off the base of the left field fence, and was thrown out by Matt Holliday trying to stretch a single into a double. Moments later, Carlos Beltran blasted his first homer of the game. Most Mets fans and media likely will point to Wright’s over-aggressiveness as the reason the game was lost, since after all, had he remained on first base, Beltran’s bomb would’ve been a two-run shot and the Mets would’ve eventually scored 8 runs instead of 7 and they would’ve won and the game never would’ve gone to extra innings. However, I am not sure that Beltran would’ve gotten that same exact pitch with Wright standing on second base. Pitchers choose their pitches based on the situation, and oftentimes will go with a “chase” pitch with runners in scoring position. With one out and the bases empty, Garcia tried to sneak a fastball by Beltran, figuring that if he hit it out, it’s only one run. With a runner in scoring position, he may have started Beltran with a breaking pitch, or a fastball in a different location.

The final out of the top of the 13th came when John Jay tried to score from third on a wild pitch. Josh Thole flipped the ball in plenty of time to Raul Valdes, and Jay tried to slide around Valdes. Maybe I’m old school, but if I’m John Jay, I am tearing into Valdes full-force like an offensive guard on a sweep and demolishing him to try to knock the ball loose. As a Met fan, I’m glad Jay didn’t do that, but as a baseball fan, I wonder why players are so soft these days.

With this loss the Mets have dropped three extra-inning games in eight days.

All eight runs scored by the Cardinals came with two outs. The Mets have allowed 170 runs to score with two outs — almost 43% of the total runs they’ve allowed (398). I have no idea if that is a significant stat.

This was the longest game ever at Citi Field, in terms of innings (13).

Next Mets Game

The rubber match occurs on Thursday afternoon at 12:10 PM (huh?). R.A. Dickey will be taking the hill against Blake Hawksworth of the Cardinals.

After two days of journalists, shock jocks, and bloggers (including this one) criticizing the recent lackluster effort of the Mets, a series of sliding, diving catches and a six-run outburst put the matter to rest.

Along the way, Jason Bay may have singlehandedly saved Howard Johnson’s job — and Jerry Manuel’s — for another day.

For those hoping to see Manuel dismissed by the end of this weekend, Friday was a bad day. Because Manuel pulled out all the stops to hold onto his job, namely:

- working with Jason Bay during batting practice, and Bay responding with a big day

- juggling the lineup and winding up with a win

- getting thrown out early, to show how fiery and supportive he can be

Additionally, each of the three outfielders made sparkling, high-effort catches during the game, disproving the theory that Manuel cannot motivate his players. But is it too little, too late? Or is it the beginning of another job-saving winning streak? Two more games in LA will give us the answer.

Game Notes

Johan Santana has settled back into his role as the staff ace, allowing one run on 5 hits in 7 innings. He looked a little better than “not having his best stuff”.

In addition to blasting a huge 3-run double to put the game out of reach, Jason Bay also did a faceplant into the leftfield wall to rob Jamey Carroll of an extra-base hit. On the replay he resembled a bobblehead after hitting the wall, and it appeared he’d be knocked out of the contest. I personally was stunned to see him remain in the game, and have to believe his neck and/or back will be pretty sore tomorrow. Bay may have disappointed us with his homerun total this year, but he is the “gamer” we have been clamoring for since 2006.

During the SNY postgame, Gary Apple mentioned that Manuel “lit a fire under the club” no less than SIX TIMES in a five-minute period. I get the whole idea of following talking points to push the station owner’s agenda, but six times in five minutes? Try not to make it so obvious next time — we know the Wilpons would rather not pay two managers simultaneously if they can help it.

Henry Blanco got a rare start and went 2-for-4. How does he keep doing that? The guy is a terrible hitter, yet somehow his average is .280. How many 38-year-olds suddenly learn how to hit and post an average 50 points above their career line?

After Luis Castillo bunted in the first frame, Ed Coleman mentioned that “Jerry Manuel loves to see Castillo at the top of the lineup because he shows a lot of energy there”. Here I thought his high career OBP, ability to drop a bunt, and patience at the plate (to allow Reyes a chance to steal and to wear out the pitcher) were the reasons.

Though the Mets were probably shafted on the out call in the top of the second that resulted in Manuel getting tossed, they also were extremely lucky to score a run in the first frame. With Reyes on third and Castillo at first with one out, Vicente Padilla struck out David Wright on a nasty, slow, 12-6 curveball — except home plate umpire CB Buckner called it ball three. On the next pitch, Castillo attempted to steal second while Wright struck out, and Russell Martin‘s throw beat Castillo by a good six feet. He was out by so much he didn’t even slide, but Blake DeWitt dropped the ball, and in addition to Castillo being safe, Reyes raced home to score the Mets first run.

The Dodgers played sloppy baseball all evening, particularly up the middle with both DeWitt and Rafael Furcal.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Dodgers play game three in LA at 4:10 PM EST on Saturday afternoon. Mike Pelfrey faces Met-for-a-Minute Carlos Monasterios. Good thing the Mets got cold cash for Monasterios, since they had no need for a young pitcher.

In ugly fashion, K-Rod blew a save, was saved from a loss by a bad call, and wound up with a win.

Johan Santana set down the Giants through eight innings, allowing only one earned run on eight hits and a walk, striking out five. He was in line for his eighth victory of the year as he handed the ball over to fellow countryman Francisco Rodriguez.

But K-Rod did not close out the ninth.

Instead, he walked Pablo Sandoval to start the ninth, then gave up two hard-hit singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a double as the Giants tied up the game before you could say “Santana”. With one out and Travis Ishikawa on third, Freddy Sanchez bounced a ball to David Wright, who quickly flipped the ball home as Ishikawa came charging home. The throw was high and Ishikawa slid under Henry Blanco and across the plate well before Blanco could apply a tag. That was it — game over, and a crushing loss for the Mets and Rodriguez.

Except, home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi called Ishikawa OUT — and the game resumed.

Somehow, K-Rod managed to get the third out, and Ike Davis doubled home Jason Bay to give the Mets the lead once again. Rodriguez finished up the bottom of the tenth in his usual shaky fashion — allowing a two-out double to Edgar Renteria — before striking out Eli Whiteside to end the game and take home the “W”.

Game Notes

Cuzzi had a rough time all game as the Mets bench razzed him on several close ball/strike calls. It came to a head in the ninth when both the bench and K-Rod complained on a close ball call to Ishikawa. First Blanco turned around to argue with Cuzzi, then Cuzzi motioned toward the Mets bench, then he walked out to the mound toward K-Rod, then yelled again at Blanco, before finally having a discussion with Jerry Manuel. It was bad form on all sides, beginning with Blanco who should have never turned around on a pitch that could have gone either way. Cuzzi should not have been so demonstrative, either, but clearly someone said something on the bench that got his goat, and K-Rod was being his usual obnoxious self, so I guess all that combined caused Cuzzi to lose his cool — not very professional.

A few minutes after Cuzzi’s terrible out call at the plate, he allowed the third base ump to overrule him on a fair / foul call on a ball hit in front of the plate by Aubrey Huff. Cuzzi called fair (correctly) but Mike Estabrook ruled it foul. Eventually, Huff bounced out to Ike Davis to end the inning (Davis had to beat Huff to the bag because K-Rod was late in getting to the bag — tough to do considering his follow-through takes him to 1B).

According to various reports, Cuzzi admitted to Giants manager Bruce Bochy that he blew the call, but couldn’t do anything about it. Ouch.

Blanco has a great reputation as a defensive backstop but his incessant jerking of close pitches — most coaches call it “framing” — is exactly the reason there was so much drama regarding ball and strike calls during the afternoon. It’s next to impossible to get a good look at pitches on your TV screen from the off-center angle of camera behind the pitcher but I would bet that Blanco is losing more calls than he’s getting by his “framing”. I’ll give you an example of proper receiving in a post coming soon.

Ishikawa might’ve had a shot to score on a double by Andres Torres, but the Giants third base coach held him up as the relay from Jeff Francouer to Davis came in quickly.

Davis, by the way, smashed two doubles and a single, driving in half of the Mets runs. His second double, which drove in the winning run, bounced high off the RF wall and missed a dinger by about six feet. He’s in the midst of a hot streak, so pick him up in your fantasy league.

Jerry Manuel ordered the potential winning run intentionally walked with two out in the bottom of the tenth. It worked out — this time. Blind squirrels run into nuts every now and then as well.

K-Rod expended 47 pitches in two innings of work en route to his fifth blown save and third victory. He looked absolutely terrible, missing his spots consistently and then serving up belt-high pitches with moderate velocity over the heart of the plate. If it sounds like I’m down on K-Rod, well, I am. If he’s not hiding an injury then he’s just plain losing his skills at an alarmingly fast rate.

Next Mets Game

The Mets will hopefully leave their bats in San Francisco and pick up new, more productive ones in Arizona on Monday night. Mike Pelfrey goes against Ian Kennedy. First pitch is at 9:40 PM.

The Mets avoided a sweep and went into the All-Star break on a high note by shutting out the Braves behind a stellar performance by Johan Santana.

Game Notes

Johan Santana pitched like an ace on this afternoon, throwing 7 shutout innings and allowing only 5 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. He has won back to back starts for the first time all year, and extended his scoreless innings streak to 16.

Bobby Parnell threw a perfect eighth to bridge the gap to Francisco Rodriguez, who also was perfect. Parnell surprised the heart of the Braves’ order with nasty sliders; if he can continue to mix in quality sliders like that to keep batters from sitting on the heater, he could settle into a setup role. But before we get ahead of ourselves, it was one appearance and three outs — let’s hope he can continue to consistently command the breaking pitch going forward.

Angel Pagan went 3 for 5 with a triple and a run scored. Is there really a possibility that he is put into something other than an everyday job when Carlos Beltran returns? If so, such a decision defies logic.

Ike Davis was hands-down the star of the game (after Santana). He hit a majestic, tape-measure homer over the apple in dead center to lead off the sixth, and he made several sparkling plays in the field.

Josh Thole had ANOTHER pinch-hit RBI single. Can you say, “Gates Brown” ?

Chris Carter started the game in left field and went 2-for-3. It may very well be his last start as a Met, since there is little chance of him getting into the rotation once Beltran returns.

Prior to the game, Jerry Manuel was asked if Carter might see any time at first base going forward. According to Howie Rose, Manuel replied with a chuckle and answered, “that’s a little too close to the ball”. Nothing like showing confidence in your players. With managers like Manuel, who needs enemies? Stay classy, Jerry.

In related news, the NYPD was asked if Jerry Manuel would be managing their charity softball game against the NYFD. “That’s a little too close to the dugout,” the chief of police answered with a chuckle.

OK, I made that last one up.

Next Mets Game

The Mets have a few days off while MLB puts on a spectacle that no one takes seriously but somehow includes a contest that affects the World Series. They return to game play on July 15 in San Francisco. Game time is 10:15 PM EST. Rumor has it that R.A. Dickey will take the ball for the Mets.

Perhaps tired of leaving things in others’ hands, Johan Santana said, “I’ll do it myself”.

Santana pitched all nine innings, shutting out the Reds on 3 hits. Not only did he refuse help from the bullpen, but he also supplied all the runs he needed via a solo homer — the first of his MLB career.

The offense did give him a couple insurance runs, but he did not need them. He is a man!

Game Notes

It was all about Johan Santana, who was masterful and pitched like a true ace for the first time in a long time.

Santana’s homerun came after seeing a dozen pitches in a hard-fought at-bat vs. emergency starter Matt Maloney, who had filled in for the ailing Aaron Harang. Harang is dealing with a chronic back issue.

Jose Reyes returned to the lineup and went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Jason Bay drove in the other two Mets runs with a two-out single in the sixth.

Next Mets Game

The rubber match begins at 7:10 PM on Wednesday night. Jon Niese goes to the mound against Bronson Arroyo.

There is this idea — supported to a degree by Beaneheads — that a manager has very little to no influence on the won-loss record of a team.

A game like this would beg one to differ.

Game Notes

As usual, Johan Santana didn’t have his “best stuff”, but it was somewhat better than most of his outings in 2010. Kind of. His fastball velocity was a whopping 90-91, which was up from his usual 88-89. His command was somewhat better than its been, and his efficiency was good. Though, his low pitch count could have been more of a function of the ridiculously aggressive and planless Nationals hitters. Outside of Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham, that lineup is full of clueless Joes.

But, Santana was stellar through seven innings, allowing one run on 6 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. Unfortunately for Johan, the Mets offense could not give him ample support to win the game. Which was surprising, considering the big bats Jerry Manuel packed into the lineup — such as Alex Cora, Jesus Feliciano, Henry Blanco, and Ruben Tejada. Granted, it wasn’t all Jerry’s fault, since Jose Reyes was suffering from back spasms, and Rod Barajas has been having some back problems himself, and Angel Pagan (who did eventually get into the game) was just getting off a torso issue. Despite the unavailability of these three regulars, Manuel saw it fit to rest Jason Bay. Go figure.

In fairness, Blanco and Feliciano combined to go 4-for-7 with a run scored in the ballgame. But, that only makes the decision correct after the fact. I contend it is the overall process that matters more than the result — and in this case, both the process and the result were bad, even if those two players happened to have good days. You can argue this all you want, but my point is that when you make MANY bad decisions, eventually they catch up to you and in the end you get burned. It follows with the strategy of throwing many cans of paint at the wall to see what sticks — yes, you will get a few paints to stick to make you look brilliant, but at the expense of how many cans that drip to the floor? At some point, smart decisions have to be made, or you are relying completely on luck.

And yes, I’m one of the people who has been wondering why Chris Carter hasn’t been given more chances, and he was playing in Bay’s place, but … hmm … this wasn’t the spot where I’d be giving Carter that opportunity. Bay needs to be in the lineup with so many others out.

You may be wondering why Carter played in Bay’s spot instead of Jeff Francoeur’s. Well, Francoeur had a .438 career average vs. Livan Hernandez – so give props to Jerry if that’s why he left Frenchy in the lineup.

After the game started, Manuel’s in-game strategy also was open to criticism — particularly in his decision to pull Johan Santana after 97 pitches. On the one hand, it wasn’t a terrible decision, since Santana had looked brilliant up until his last inning, when the Nats finally “broke the seal”. But Manuel replaced Santana with Elmer Dessens, and then followed Dessens with Pedro Feliciano — who pitched a full inning — and then followed up Feliciano with Ryota Igarashi.

Dessens has pitched way over his head, so I get that part. And Feliciano has been the closest thing to a “setup man” thus far, so I sort of get why Manuel left him in for a full three outs. Though, as you know, I’ve questioned the (over)use of Feliciano for some time now. What was troubling to me was why Manuel left Dessens in until there was a crisis before bringing in Feliciano — who perhaps could have faced Adam Dunn in the 8th. Then, with the game on the line, Ryota Igarashi was the pitcher who was ready, rather than Francisco Rodriguez — because it was not a save situation, and it was a game on the road. OK, if you must go by “the book”, I guess that’s the right move. Except, other than against a few batters in Puerto Rico, Igarashi has been less than good for the past month, and this was an effort by Santana you do not want to waste — especially considering that you have your worst three starters finishing this series.

By the time Feliciano loaded the bases with one out, it probably didn’t matter who came in relief. But you have to wonder why a game would end this way with your top relief pitcher sitting idly in the bullpen. Can he ONLY pitch if it’s a save situation, or a tie game in the ninth at home?

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Nationals do it again at 7:05 PM on Friday in DC. Jon Niese goes against Luis Atilano.

Carl Pavano can pitch in New York after all.

Pavano spun a 3-hit shutout as the Twins rediscovered their fundamentals, defense, and power.

Game Notes

(All together now) Johan Santana didn’t have his best stuff. But this time, I mean he didn’t have his best stuff compared to the “not his best stuff” we’ve been seeing in 2010. Did that make any sense? He allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings, striking out 4. As usual, his command and velocity were less than stellar.

Maybe he didn’t pitch well because he was trying too hard against his old team. Though, there wasn’t any bad blood when he left, and he didn’t have to prove anything to them. It was about as amicable a breakup it could be.

Maybe the story about the dismissed rape charges from last January breaking was on his mind. Perhaps being reminded of his infidelity as a result was clouding his focus.

Or maybe, he’s just not nearly as outstanding as he was prior to his elbow injury last year. That’s not to say he isn’t good, or very good at times — rather, that he’s not outstanding.

Not that it would’ve mattered anyway, since the Mets managed only 3 hits against Pavano. Two were from Jeff Francoeur – one was a bunt single. The third hit was by Rod Barajas, and it was a cheap bloop that dropped in front of centerfielder Denard Span. The only other baserunner allowed by Pavano was Ike Davis, who reached on a walk.

Maybe it was better this way — that Santana and the offense both had a bad day. Otherwise we might be lamenting that the Mets “wasted” another great start by Santana, and/or that it is just another case of Santana receiving poor run support.

Next Mets Game

The rubber match will be played at 1:10 PM on Sunday afternoon. Jon Niese faces Scott Baker.

Sorry Dad.

Mark Teixeira chose the Subway Series to get his groove back — much to the chagrin of Mets fans.

Additionally, C.C. Sabathia chose Father’s Day to spin his best outing of the season.

Game Notes

C.C. Sabathia spun 8 innings of shutout ball, holding the Mets to a mere 4 hits and 2 walks.

Johan Santana was not quite as sharp, as he — everyone, together now — didn’t have his best stuff. Santana allowed 8 hits and a walk in 6 innings, expending 114 pitches. The big blow was a four-run homer by Teixeira (which is often referred to as a “grand slam” or “grand salami”). Santana had no command whatsoever of his change-up, often missing high and in to LH / high and away to RH (in fact he plunked Robinson Cano with one, Santana’s first HBP of the year). His fastball velocity hung around 88 MPH, and was located above the belt, usually catching the middle of the plate. Generally speaking, spotting your two main pitches high in the strike zone is a bad thing, particularly in a homer-happy ballpark such as the new Yankee Stadium. In fact, I found it surprising that the Yankees didn’t hit MORE homeruns, considering where Santana was “living” in the strike zone. Ironically, Teixeira’s blast was one of the few pitches Santana placed at the knees — but it was flat and without much mustard.

The closest the Mets came to mounting something resembling a rally was in the 7th inning, when an Ike Davis leadoff single was followed by a Jason Bay walk (it was also the only inning that the Mets had two runners on base). However, Rod Barajas followed with a strikeout and Fernando Tatis hit into — you guessed it — a double play.

Speaking of, why in the world was Fernando Tatis the DH? Just because he is a righthanded hitter and there was a LHP on the mound? I suppose that is the CYA logic used by Jerry Manuel, with the addendum that “it was a chance to get Tatis some at-bats”. Guess what? The whole concept behind the DH is this: it is an opportunity to put the best batter in your lineup who doesn’t have position. The lefty / righty thing does not apply, unless your best hitter not on the field is unusually weak against a like-sided hurler. Armed with that knowledge, who should have been the DH in Sunday’s game? Chris Carter, of course, because he is the best hitter on the 25-man roster who wasn’t on the field.

Oh, and why was it so important to get Tatis at-bats? The argument, of course, is that he hasn’t been getting many opportunities to hit lately. Why is that? Because he’s NOT A VERY GOOD HITTER! The man is hitting .178 with a .259 OBP. Yes, he hasn’t had many chances — but if he was hitting at all, there would’ve been good reason to give him more chances. Carter’s numbers don’t look awe-inspiring, for sure, but they’re much better than Tatis’ (his OPS is over 100 points higher) and Carter has at least been hitting the ball hard recently.

Next Mets Game

The Mets get a day off as they travel back from the Bronx to Flushing (those subway transfers can take a while, you know). On Tuesday they host the Detroit Tigers. Game time is 7:10 PM, with Jon Niese taking the mound against Justin Verlander.

The Mets continue their absolute dominance over American League opponents, and this time they did it in come-from-behind fashion.

After falling behind 4-1, the Mets stampeded back with five runs in the fifth to take a lead they never lost, en route to their 36th victory of the season.

Game Notes

Johan Santana didn’t have his best stuff … blah blah blah. You’ve heard that story before. This time, though, the Mets gave him run support, and in this case it was much-needed.

As usual, Santana struggled to break 90 MPH, didn’t have great command of the changeup, and was inconsistent with a sparingly-used slider. He allowed 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks to a lineup that is made up mostly of AAA and AA players. But as Bobby Ojeda might say, “he did what winners do”. Yes, he did, but I’m still concerned.

Ike Davis once again was the difference maker, as his two-run homer broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Mets the lead they never relinquished.

David Wright was 3-for-5, driving in three runs on two infield singles (with a little help from the speedy Jose Reyes). Wright now has 50 RBI, leading the National League. Not bad for a guy who was having a “terrible” year until recently.

Jose Reyes had only one hit but scored twice and stole his 17th base. Angel Pagan also swiped a bag, his 13th of the season.

Jeff Francoeur and Alex Cora combined to go 4-for-8 with two runs scored in the bottom two spots of the lineup.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the entire 8th inning in his new role as setup man and in his NL-leading 39th appearance. Though he didn’t allow a run, he looked dull — meaning, the opposite of sharp. Could it be the result of overuse? Nah.

Francisco Rodriguez made things interesting in the 9th, allowing a pinch-hit two-run homer to the ugliest man in baseball, Shelly Duncan.

If nothing else, the two bookend pitchers from this game are consistent in that Johan Santana never has his best stuff, and K-Rod always makes things interesting.

Justin Masterson pitched through the end of the seventh inning, despite allowing 7 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. How often do you see that these days?

Seven of the Mets’ twelve hits were infield hits. Another rare feat.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Indians do it again at 7:05 PM on Wednesday night in Cleveland. Jon Niese faces Mitch Talbot.

After a game like this, you really have to wonder if Johan Santana is indeed the Mets’ “ace”.

Because an “ace” should chew up a lineup like the Padres like a buzzsaw, spit it out, and step on it on the way to an easy victory.

Instead, Santana pitched just well enough to lose.

Game Notes

Johan Santana allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 4 walks, expending 108 pitches in 6 2/3 innings. His velocity was down, and — as usual — he “didn’t have his best stuff”. Of course, we’re not really sure what Johan’s “best stuff” IS any more. Yes, the Mets’ offense disappeared after Henry Blanco’s two-run homer in the second inning. Yes, an ace deserves more run support. But an “ace” doesn’t allow a team like the Padres to reach base nearly twice per inning.

Blanco was the entire story on the offensive side for the Mets. He was 1-for-2 before leaving the game for pinch-hitter Jesus Feliciano in the 8th. No, I’m not sure why the only Met to do anything all afternoon was the one who was removed from the lineup. Was he injured?

Padres pitching retired 22 consecutive Mets after Blanco’s blast.

Next Mets Game

Is already over … post coming shortly.

ESPN reports that Jose Reyes is joining Johan Santana and 23 other players who have lent their name and likeness to a series of wines that are being sold for charity:

So far, players have included Jorge Posada (Jorge Cabernet), Kevin Youkilis (SauvignonYoouuk Blanc), Derrek Lee (CaberLee), Johan Santana (Santana’s Select) and Tom Glavine (Cabernet Glavingnon) to name a few. For 2010, it is Josh Beckett (Chardon-K) and Jacoby Ellsbury (ZinfandEllsbury). The strategy has been to go after the big names in each market, and almost no one has said no. [ESPN]

Reyes’ wine – CaberReyes – will be part of the ¡Viva Baseball! exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

The wines are produced by Massachusetts-based Vinlozano Imports, as part of the Longball Cellars Collection.

With their Massachusetts location and several Red Sox players already featured, I’m surprised there is no Lou Merlot-ni or Bernie Carbo-net Sauvignon.

The final score falls remarkably short of telling the whole story.

In yet another rubber match gone bad, the Mets wasted a brilliant performance by Johan Santana to lose in San Diego in extra innings — via a walkoff grand slam by Adrian Gonzalez.

Game Notes

Johan Santana “didn’t have his best stuff” but somehow managed to shut out the Padres through 7 innings, allowing 5 hits and 5 walks, striking out 3. His command was off — way off — but it worked to his advantage against a San Diego lineup that would struggle in the Can-Am League. In other words, the awful Padres hitters made him “effectively wild”. Santana gutted his way to a 123-pitch count over those 7 IP; I bet he wished he went to 150 and finished the game.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: this “best stuff” thing is getting old. We need to adjust our expectations and come to the understanding that Johan is NOT the pitcher we thought we were getting two years ago. He can still pitch well enough to win just about every time out, but we cannot expect him to dominate.

Francisco Rodriguez was brought in for a four-out save and blew it (his third blown save of the season). That four-out save became a seven-out no-decision in which he threw 46 pitches — less than 20 hours after tossing 30 pitches in Tuesday night’s win. Some quick math tells you that’s 76 pitches within a 24-hour period — fine for a starter, OK for a long reliever, unacceptable for a closer. Yes, K-Rod (and the Mets) have an off-day on Thursday but that’s not nearly enough to recover. A prudent manager would hold K-Rod out until at least Sunday. However, Jerry Manuel is a desperate man managing for his job, so don’t be surprised to see Rodriguez in the game on Friday and/or Saturday. Then, don’t be surprised to see K-Rod on the DL and/or blowing games regularly in the second half of the season.

For those who may be confused as to why it’s OK for Santana to throw 123 pitches in one day and not OK for K-Rod to throw 76 over two, it’s all about recovery. Santana has at least 4, maybe 5 days to rest and recover. K-Rod will be back in a game, throwing with 100% effort, immediately. K-Rod, in particular, has a violent delivery that tears down the muscles in his shoulder, elbow, hips, and knees — which is why previous manager Mike Scioscia was so judicious and careful with his use of Rodriguez.

Losing pitcher Raul Valdes allowed three hits and hit David Eckstein before giving up the gopher ball to Gonzalez. I find it funny that many people are “surprised” to see Valdes failing lately. Is it really surprising to see Valdes performing like someone who belongs in the Mexican League? That IS where the Mets found the 32-year-old, after all.

Jeff Francoeur drove in the only Mets run. Let that sink in.

Jason Bay was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. For naught.

In case you missed it, Geoff Young of Ducksnorts told us that — if Adrian Gonzalez was not an option — David Eckstein was the guy he wanted to see at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth of a tie game. Lo and behold, it was Eckstein who drove in the tying run against K-Rod with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Next Mets Game

The Mets have the day off as they travel home from the Left Coast and return to Flushing for a 7:10 PM game vs. the Marlins. R.A. Dickey goes to the mound against Anibal Sanchez.

The bad news: the 1969 Mets record of 42 consecutive scoreless innings remains intact.

Sorry, no good news.

Johan Santana and Yovani Gallardo locked horns in a good old fashioned pitchers’ duel — a real barn-burner of a contest, matching goose eggs for 8 innings. The Mets had a couple of mild threats that were extinguished, and in the end it was the Brewers who finally crossed home plate — but not before Mets pitchers extended their scoreless innings streak to 35 2/3.

Game Notes

Johan Santana allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks in 8 shutout innings, expending 105 pitches. If I were manager, I might’ve allowed Santana to go out there for the ninth. But I’m just a blogger, second-guessing from the comfort of my couch.

Yovani Gallardo gave up 8 hits and a walk, but went the distance, earning the first shutout of his career and completing only his second game ever. He struck out 7 and tossed 121 pitches in all. Several Mets batters were miffed by called strikes by home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, but from the perspective of our TV viewing angle, it appeared that Nelson was fairly consistent with the zone for both sides. Yes, many pitches were close, but I don’t trust the off-center cameras to give us the best viewpoint. Santana was getting several close calls as well.

Interestingly, Santana and Rod Barajas were the only Mets to collect more than one hit in the game. Santana blasted a double off the rightfield wall literally moments after SNY announcer Gary Cohen suggested that Johan could swing for a homerun.

Ryota Igarashi was the scapegoat and losing pitcher, as he allowed an infield single to Ryan Braun and a walkoff 2-run homer to Corey Hart with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Next Mets Game

The Mets face the Brewers again on Saturday night at 7:10 PM in Milwaukee. Fernando Nieve attempts to keep his arm anatomically connected while Manny Parra takes the mound for the Brew Crew.

Jerry Manuel keeps his job for at least another week, maybe two.

Jason Bay continued his red-hot hitting — he is about as locked in as a batter can be right now — and Johan Santana put forth perhaps his best, most clutch outing of the year as the Mets beat the Yankees and won their first “rubber match” of 2010.

Game Notes

Johan Santana was spectacular through 7 2/3, allowing only 1 earned run on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out three, relying predominantly on fastballs up and well-placed changeups down. He cruised from his first pitch through his 86th, but quickly lost his command in the eighth as the Yankees loaded the bases on two walks and a single. However, Pedro Feliciano came in and struck out Robinson Cano on three straight sliders — perhaps the sharpest he’s thrown all season.

Meanwhile, Jason Bay continued to carry the Mets on his back, hitting 2 homeruns in as many at-bats, walking once, and getting plunked (unintentionally). He scored two and drove in three. For those who were up in arms about Bay for the first month and a half of the season, you were told he was “streaky”.

Jose Reyes had another two hits and is starting to look a little better at the plate. Remember he sat on a couch for over a month.

Luis Castillo was a late scratch from the lineup and Alex Cora took over the #2 hole. He made all of us eat crow with another clutch 2-out, 2-RBI single, followed by a stolen base. Championship ballplayer, or performing well enough in spots to create that illusion? You decide.

There are rumblings that Castillo will need to go on the DL shortly. If so there’s an outside chance that Cora’s vesting option for 2011 automatically kicks in based on games started (he needs to start 80, he’s started in 17 thus far).

Ryota Igarashi, who was activated from the DL a few hours before game time, came on in the ninth to protect a 6-1 lead. He proceeded to throw the ball all over the place and allow the Yankees to rally, forcing Jerry Manuel to bring in K-Rod. Iggy’s final line was 1/3 inning, 3 runs, 2 hits, 1 walk, 18 pitches.

Francisco Rodriguez caused everyone a minor heart attack en route to his 8th save. He threw 21 pitches in the process, following up his 5-out, 28-pitch performance on Saturday night. That’s 49 pitches in two days and 63 pitches over the last four. The Mets have an off day on Monday but will that be enough rest before they face the Phillies on Tuesday?

Next Mets Game

As just mentioned, Mets have off on Monday then start a three-game set vs. the first-place Phillies in Flushing on Tuesday at 7:10 PM. R.A. Dickey takes the mound against Jamie Moyer in what promises to be the MLB game with the lowest average MPH per pitch.

The Mets went into Atlanta needing two quality starts from their two quality starters – Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana…

And they got two quality starts…

But only one win.

Santana went seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits. Meanwhile Kris Medlen was almost as good, allowing two runs and four hits over 6 1/3 innings. The scoring on both sides came entirely from home runs – Troy Glaus hit a 2-run home run in the 3rd inning, but Ike Davis and Jeff Francoeur each hit solo shots in the 5th inning, leaving the score tied at 2-2.

And that’s where it stayed until Jenrry Mejia – who was not sent down to the minors, despite reports to the contrary – came on in the bottom of the 9th inning. Mejia entered the game with a runner on first and nobody out.

Mejia faced Yunel Escobar in an at-bat that must have driven Bobby Cox nuts. Escobar failed to get a sacrifice bunt down, but Mejia eventually walked him. Runners on first and second, no outs.

Up next, Melky Cabrera did his best Yunel Escobar imitation – failing to get down a sacrifice bunt on two attempts, no doubt driving Cox further up the wall he was already climbing.

Cox took the bunt off and Cabrera responded by hitting a chopper to David Wright, whose hurried throw tailed towards the runner and past Ike Davis.

Game over. Ugh.

Random Notes: There isn’t much to add except I wonder if David Wright’s larger glove is playing into his recent fielding woes. The issue of Wright’s glove was brought up during tonight’s edition of Show and Tell with Kevin Burkhardt – I didn’t catch the whole conversation, but the larger glove was apparently Jerry Manuel’s idea.

Wright has always been a tad overrated in the field, but he was always dependable, for the most part. But he dropped a routine throw in Florida on Sunday and today’s throw – while not routine – should have been made. Maybe he had trouble getting the ball out of his glove. Regardless, I’m not sure I understand the theory of forcing a competent major league third baseman to use a larger glove.

Next Mets Game

The Mets travel to Washington to take on the Nationals tomorrow night. Knuckleballer RA Dickey makes his Mets debut against Livan Hernandez. With the amount of 65 mph pitches being thrown, the game should be over by the year 2032. We’ll all have flying cars by then and Jose Reyes will be 85% machine (Robo Reyes), so that should be fun…

Enjoy this flying dog (wait for it):

Another close one, and this time the Mets came up short.

It was a battle of the aces, and both Josh Johnson and Johan Santana lived up to their billing, trading zeroes through seven frames. Each ace gave up one run, and each made an error. Both received stellar defense from their teammates.

In the end, it was a battle of the bullpens — and the Mets’ most-used reliever gave up a walk, a hit, and a wild pitch to give the Fish the ballgame.

Game Notes

Johan Santana didn’t have his best stuff, but … I promised not to write this any more. He is who he is — a crafty pitcher who pitches backward, relying on an array of changeups and sliders to set up an occasional 89-90 MPH fastball. In other words, a younger version of Jamie Moyer.

Santana went a full 7 innings, allowing one unearned run on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 5 and tossing 98 pitches. The one unearned run came as a result of Santana throwing the ball too high to second base after a sacrifice bunt attempt by Johnson.

Josh Johnson matched Santana pitch-for-pitch, and then some. The Mets managed only 3 hits and 1 run, striking out 7 times and drawing zero walks in 7 innings against him. I don’t know how anyone can hit his 96 MPH, knee-high fastball.

Gaby Sanchez was the only batter from either side to have a good day, going 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored. He also made a leaping, snazzy snare of a bullet of a line drive off the bat of Santana in the second that ended the innng and prevented at least one run from scoring.

Jerry Manuel made some head-scratching moves in this game, that were magnified due to the final score. First, why are you asking Jose Reyes to bunt in the 9th with Luis Castillo on second base and no outs? Mind you, I’m an old-school guy and believe there is room in the game for a sac bunt now and then. This was neither now nor then. Why? Because by writing Reyes into the #3 spot in the order, you are effectively stating that he is your BEST hitter. If you are tied late in the game, and there is a runner on second base, you want your BEST hitter at the plate to drive the run in. You do not make your best hitter give away one of your precious 27 outs in that situation. The purpose of the sacrifice bunt is to push a runner into scoring position so that one of your best hitters can drive that runner home. So when you already HAVE a runner in scoring position, and your best hitter is at the plate, there is no need to do anything other than sit back and give that hitter the opportunity to drive the run home.

And never mind the argument that Reyes has been struggling lately — it’s an obvious point. But if he is struggling, to the point where you’d rather he make an out than take a shot at driving in a run, then why is he in the #3 spot in the first place?

The second head-scratcher was leaving Fernando Nieve in for a second inning, after he successfully threw a scoreless 8th without having his arm fall off. Nieve has appeared in 22 games thus far (on pace for 102 by season’s end), and has been looking increasingly tired as the month of May has wore on. Managing in a vacuum, where yesterday is forgotten and tomorrow may never come, keeping Nieve in for a second inning makes sense. But in reality, where you have to consider a pitcher’s past and what you hope to accomplish in the future, asking him to pitch multiple innings is both irresponsible and akin to playing with dynamite. As a result, the decision blew up in Manuel’s face.

The Mets have now lost 8 of their last 12, have fallen to third place, and could allow the Fish to join them in third if they lose on Friday. Oh, and guess who’s pitching tomorrow? See below.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Marlins do it again at 7:10 PM on Friday night. Oliver Perez takes the mound against Anibal Sanchez. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Same script, different cast.

Following Friday’s storyline, the Mets’ starting pitcher went deep into the game — pitching into the 8th inning — stunting the opposing offense and leaving the game in line for a win. Upon his departure, the bullpen blew the lead, sending the contest into extra innings. Eventually, the catcher sends a ball into orbit and over the fence to give the Mets a dramatic, exhilarating, walkoff victory.

As the Mets World Turns …

Game Notes

I will stop short of saying “Johan Santana didn’t have his best stuff …” because I’m beginning to believe what we’re seeing IS Johan’s best — for now, at least. Despite a fastball that hovered in the 86-88 MPH range for most of the afternoon — occasionally topping out at 90 — and less-than-precise command, Santana trudged through 7 2/3 innings, holding the Giants to 4 runs on 8 hits and no walks. He put the tying run on base but was in the dugout by the time it came around, thanks to back-to-back singles allowed by situational relievers Fernando “Nightly” Nieve and “Perpetual” Pedro Feliciano.

Henry Blanco hit a solo homer to win the game in the bottom of the 11th off Guillermo Mota. Could it have happened to a better person? (Which person? Both!)

Blanco, by the way, was on fire all day, going 3-for-5. No other Met had more than one hit, and the team had only 7 in total.

Hisanori Takahashi took the win after pitching a perfect top of the 11th, striking out 2 and expending a paltry 9 pitches (8 for strikes). Takahashi already has 3 wins in relief for the Mets.

Todd Wellemeyer “held” the Mets to only 4 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks. I say “held” because I can’t figure out how the Mets didn’t score at least 8 runs against Wellemeyer, who was and is absolutely awful. Making matters more painful was Wellemeyer’s pace, which harkened back to the days of Steve Trachsel. His four-inning outing felt like four hours of C-SPAN.

Luis Castillo left the game prior to the 8th inning with a bone bruise in his foot. No word on how long he’ll be out of action.

Next Mets Game

The Mets go for the sweep on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 PM. Oliver Perez (or Mr. Hyde) faces Tim Lincecum.

So much for momentum.

If it wasn’t for that 9-1 homestand, I might have the feeling that nothing changed with the Mets from the last three years.

Game Notes

Johan Santana was terrible. Absolutely terrible. He allowed 10 earned runs on 8 hits and 2 walks — including 4 homeruns — in 3 2/3 innings. He threw too many pitches up in the zone and over the heart of the plate, and the Phillies didn’t let him get away with it. Though it could be argued that balls regularly fly out of Citizens Bank Park, at least three of those homers would’ve been out of just about any park, and CBP is no excuse for the other four hits — nor the bases-loaded walk to Jamie Moyer that forced in a run. Santana’s velocity was also a little worrisome, as it hovered around 89.

In contrast, Moyer barely broke 78 MPH, but kept the Mets off-balance, “holding” them to “only” 5 runs through 6 innings. The Mets pretty much threw in the towel after Santana left the mound.

Fernando Tatis hit a double, justifying his start over Ike Davis (not).

Gary Matthews, Jr. was 0-for-4 in the leadoff spot. He’s now hitting .139 on the season with a .244 OBP.

Jose Reyes was 1-for-13 with an RBI this weekend against the Phillies hitting in the three-hole.

David Wright hit a 3-run homer to give the Mets a 3-0 lead in the first frame. Santana, however, gave the Phillies two runs back in the bottom of the initial inning.

Rod Barajas went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the fourth that gave the Mets their second 3-run lead of the game. Santana, however, let that lead get away in the bottom of that inning as well.

Jeff Francoeur stole his second base of the season and threw out Moyer trying to score. He also was hit by another pitch, though he didn’t make any attempt whatsoever to get out of the way of Moyer’s 74-MPH changeup.

Fernando Nieve, who had not appeared in a game all month, finally got some work in, pitching a perfect seventh inning. He is on pace to appear in 97 games this season. No kidding — do the math.

Next Mets Game

The Mets will try to shake off the last two drubbings on Monday in Cincinnati. Oliver Perez faces Reds rookie Mike Leake at 7:10 PM.

Johan Santana threw six scoreless innings, Jason Bay hit his first homerun in the orange and blue, and Luis Castillo drove in two runs as the Mets cruised to an easy victory in the front end of a twi-night doubleheader.

Can’t say much beyond that, because I didn’t see the game … there’s this other thing I do during the day that allows me to pay the bills. So please if you have any comments to share, please do so below. Thank you!

The Mets did nearly everything they could to give Chicago the game, but in the end the Cubs just weren’t interested. As a result, the Metropolitans won their first series of 2010.

Game Notes

Johan Santana did not have his best stuff, but had enough to win. Hey … where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah — in all of his starts thus far. Once again the velocity was on the low side (though higher than in previous games) and his command was less than stellar. However, he had an occasionally nasty, vanishing change-up that induced many swings and misses. A few more crafty, savvy performances like this and we may start to wonder if this is what we’ll expect from Santana as a rule, rather than an exception. If so, that’s OK, as long as he keeps winning. Though, the high pitch counts that keep him from plowing through a full seven innings will eventually take their toll on an already overused bullpen. I’m going to assume that Johan’s slow start to the season has something to do with the recovery from elbow surgery. By mid-June he may be at full strength and these so-so (for Santana) starts will be considered a temporary anomaly.

Jerry Manuel is operating like a man managing for his life. In other words, he’s managing every game like it’s the seventh game of the World Series, with a beheading certain to follow a loss (previously he managed every game like it was the seventh game of the World Series, but with the assumption that his life would be spared if he were unsuccessful). This short-sighted strategy may get him through May, but will be detrimental in the long run — particularly to the bullpen. His desperation to win this game and this series led to four relievers in the final 2 2/3 innings, including Fernando Nieve’s 11th appearance and a five-out save from Francisco Rodriguez.

Speaking of, Fernando Nieve is on pace to appear in 110 games this season. In contrast, K-Rod is on pace to save 10 games over the course of the year.

Enough of the negativity; on to the positive.

Ike Davis had 3 of the Mets’ 7 hits, going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored. He also collected his first Major League extra-base hit, a double to left field in the 8th. Granted, Alfonso Soriano was standing next to the peanut salesman in the stands along the left field foul line, and took his time in chasing the ball, but we’ll take it. Half of Davis’ 6 hits in this series came against lefthanded pitchers.

David Wright had only one hit, but it was a big one — a double to left that scored Jose Reyes for the first run of the game. Wright struck out three times on the night and was down 0-2 in that particular at-bat, but fought back and took a strong cut to blast the ball over Soriano’s head. God bless Alfonso Soriano.

Jeff Francoeur also had only one hit, but his also was a biggie — a single to score Wright only moments later. Frenchy flew to first base on the hit, having shed a gorilla-sized monkey off his back (he had been 0 for 24 prior to the RBI single).

There’s just one more middle-of-the-order slugger to bust out of a slump, and I won’t mention his name but you may currently think of him as the righthanded Jeromy Burnitz.

The Mets are in last place in the NL East but currently have a better won-loss record than the Boston Red Sox — so, there’s that. See, I can see a silver lining.

Next Mets Game

The Mets host the Braves for a three-game weekend series in Flushing beginning at 7:10 PM on Friday. The matchup pairs two winless starters in John Maine and Kenshin Kawakami.