Mets Head into Off-Season with Many Questions

The New York Mets ended their season with a meaningless 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Now it is time for the Mets to figure out what they want to do for next year.

The two main priorities for the New York Mets front office are third baseman David Wright, the franchise's all-time hits leader, and Cy Young candidate and 20 game winner R.A Dickey. These two were the heart and soul of 2012 Mets, and according to Sandy Alderson, they will be in Mets uniforms for years to come.

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After Dickey and Wright, the Mets are a major question mark. Only four New York Met starting pitchers started more than 20 games this season, and only Dickey and Johnathan Niese started 30 games. Dickey and Niese are also the only starters to reach double digit wins. Dickey posted a 20 win season while Niese collected 13 wins. Johan Santana was far from being himself this season coming off of shoulder surgery. Yes, he did throw a no-hitter against St.Louis, but what has he done since? His first start after the no-hitter against the Yankees, he gave up six runs in five innings including back to back to back home runs.

The Mets bullpen was a question mark all season, and for good reason. The Mets lacked any solid relief pitching, and blew countless leads late in games. The Mets platooned a number of pitchers out to the mound in relief. John Rauch (3-7, 3.59), Manny Acosta (1-3, 6.46), and Frank Francisco (1-3, 5.53) were disappointments for the Mets, while Bobby Parnell (5-4, 2.49) had his share of good moments and bad moments.

On the offensive side, the Mets must decide what to do with first baseman Ike Davis. Davis finished the season with a .227 avg with 32 home runs, and 90 RBI, but early in the season Davis was lucky if he was hitting his weight. It was an ugly struggle for Ike, who could not find any way out his miserable slump. Davis finished the season on a positive note hitting .273 with four home runs and seven RBI in his final 10 games.

With the off-season upon them, the Mets must find a way to become a top contender in the National League East, and it will not be easy with the way the Braves and Nationals played this year. The Mets need another big bat in the lineup to help David Wright, and Ike Davis is not the answer, even with his 32 homers this season.

It will be interesting to see what route the Mets decide to take to improve their team for next season. No matter which path they take, it should be a busy off-season for the Mets.

Johan Santana Shut Down For Season

Johan Santana Shut Down For Season

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 Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana is being placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to August 18^th because of inflammation in his lower back.  Santana is not expected to pitch again this season according to General Manager Sandy Alderson.  Alderson is also adamant in saying that the shut down has nothing to do with Santana’s ankle or shoulder injuries he has suffered through this season.

“I’m very confident he’ll be back next season ready to go, hopefully in a stronger position coming into this season,” Alderson said.  “If you look back at this season and what we reasonably could’ve expected at the beginning of the year, he’s accomplished quite a lot.”

Santana’s back became a problem recently for him when it tightened up after his bullpen session on Monday afternoon.  Reoccurring back pain had been complained about by Santana since after his last start August 17^th against the Washington Nationals. 

Since throwing the first no hitter in Mets history June first and throwing a career high 134 pitches, Santana has compiled a 3-7 record with an 8.27 ERA in 10 starts, giving up six or more earned runs in his last five starts.

Right hander Collin McHugh will be promoted from Triple-A Buffalo to replace Santana.  McHugh, 25, has a 2-4 record with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts for the Bison.  There had been rumors of Jenrry Mejia coming up for the start, but the Mets instead opted to go with McHugh.

Mets Drop Rubber Game, Series Against Nationals

Sunday, August 20^th 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 2 Washington Nationals: 5

Mets Drop Rubber Game to Nationals

The start of the game today was delayed two hours and 26 minutes because of rain, and the Mets wish the game had been postponed all together.  The Nationals dropped the Mets in the rubber game of the series, as the Mets could already be contemplating that the new six-man rotation may not be the way to go after suffering a 5-2 loss this afternoon.  The Mets have won only once in their last 11 series and went 2-4 on this latest road trip against two division leaders in Cincinnati and Washington.

No one likes such a lengthy delay to start a game, but it cannot be used as an excuse as professional athletes have to be prepared to take on anything thrown at them.  This afternoon, Jeremy Hefner did not come out on top of his game and the Nationals capitalized. 

Hefner was hurt by the long ball, surrendering homeruns to Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa in his five innings of work.  In total, Hefner surrendered eight hits and five earned runs, as it was a rough afternoon for the Mets starter.

Harper would also add an RBI triple in the game, just adding to his impressive numbers for the series.  Harper ended the series 4 for 7 against the Mets, including a triple and two homeruns, four RBI’s and a walk.

Gio Gonzalez blanked the Mets into the sixth inning, earning his N.L. high tying 16^th win of the season.  It was not an easy win for Gonzalez, who got out of two base runner jams in both the first and third innings.  A leadoff triple by Ronny Cedeno in the fourth inning also went for naught.  

The Mets struggled today with runners in scoring position, going 1 for 11 and stranding 10 runners on base.

Daniel Murphy was ejected in the eighth inning tonight by home plate umpire Jordan Baker after being called out on strikes and flipping his bat.  He is the fourth Met to be ejected this season, after Frank Francisco, D.J Carrasco and Ike Davis. 

Next up for the Mets is a soft stretch in the schedule.  After facing two division leaders on the road this week, the Mets will get to face bottom dwellers for the next week at Citi Field.  The first team coming in is the NL West bottom dwelling Colorado Rockies.  R.A. Dickey (15-4, 2.89 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the first game of the series against Alex White (2-6, 5.74 ERA) at 7:10 P.M. ET Monday night.

Also, sometime Monday Terry Collins is planning to meet with Sandy Alderson to discuss Johan Santana’s future.  Right now, Santana is still scheduled to start Thursday’s matinee against the Rockies.  

Santana Implosion Leads to Mets Loss

Friday, August 17, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 4 Washington Nationals: 6

Santana Implosion Leads to Mets Loss

The game got off to a great start for the Mets, who jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, behind Johan Santana.  That lead did not last long, as Santana suffered yet another implosion, leading to an insurmountable four run deficit by the 6^th inning.

After retiring the first nine Nationals in order with relative ease, Santana ran into trouble in the fourth inning allowing three consecutive singles to start the inning to Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman.  Michael Morse followed up the three singles with a grand slam homerun, giving the Nationals a 4-2 lead.  Santana was able to retire the next three batters in a row to end the inning, but again ran into trouble in the 5^th inning.

Santana surrendered yet another long ball, this time giving up a two-run homerun to Harper.  This lengthened the Nationals lead to 6-2, putting the Mets in a deeper hole.  Santana was able to finish the inning, which ended up being his last of the night.

Santana’s stat line was underwhelming once again, the only positive being that he did not walk a batter.  He ended up throwing five innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits and striking out four.

Santana became the first pitcher in Mets franchise history to allow six-plus earned runs in five consecutive starts and the first major league pitcher to allow that many runs in the same span since Mike Hampton, whose futility spanned from 2001 and 2002. 

The loss dropped Santana’s record to 6-9, the lowest he has been under .500 in his career in a single season.  In 2006 Santana opened the season with three straight losing decisions, but rebounded nicely finishing the season with a 19-6 record. 

Santana has been awful since throwing the no-hitter on June 1^st, compiling an 8.27 ERA, allowing 68 hits, 13 of which were homeruns, in just 49 innings.  Because of these struggles, the Mets need to really look into possibly shutting Santana down for the remainder of the season or doing something more radical than moving to a six-man rotation. 

Santana is owed $31 million dollars next season including a 2014 contract buyout, so the Mets need to act in whatever fashion they see being the best for the team, as Santana could potentially account for  one-third of the Mets payroll.

The Mets had to deal with yet another uniform infraction Friday night, as Santana was forced to cover up the gold logo on his glove two nights after R.A. Dickey was forced to cut the bracelets off his wrist.  Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson said the lights were making a glare off the logo that was bothering him and getting in his eyes.  He then asked the umpire to take a look at the glove and cover the logo, even though none of his players had complained; only he had.

There were some highlights for the Mets tonight, as Kelly Shoppach launched a solo homerun in the 7^th inning after going hitless in his first five at-bats as a Met.  Scott Hairston was able to tie a franchise record by hitting three doubles in the game and David Wright added two more hits to his numbers.

The Mets will look to avoid dropping to a season high eight games under .500 Saturday night behind Jon Niese (9-6, 3.67 ERA) against the Nationals’ Edwin Jackson (7-7, 3.47 ERA).

Johan Santana Rocked in Return From DL

Saturday August 11^th, 2012

Final Score: Atlanta Braves: 9 New York Mets: 3

Santana Rocked in Return from DL

Johan Santana wishes he could be back making rehab starts in the minor leagues after getting hammered by the Braves Saturday night, resulting in a 9-3 Mets defeat.  The Mets dropped six games under .500 for the first time all season, giving them the worst record they have had all season and falling further and further behind in the playoff races.

Santana’s return off the DL did not go as planned for the Mets.  He matched the shortest start of his career, lasting only 1 1/3 innings and giving up eight earned runs.  This was the second time this season that Santana was pulled after 1 1/3 innings against the Braves; the first occurrence was April 17^th at Turner Field.

Santana’s final stat line for the night was 1 1/3 innings pitched, eight hits, eight runs, one walks and two strikeouts. 

Santana joined Al Leiter in 1999 and Pedro Astacio in 2002 as the only Mets pitchers in franchise history to surrender six plus runs in four straight starts.  In those four starts, Santana has allowed 27 earned runs on 36 hits and six walks in only 14 innings.

Since throwing the first no-hitter in Mets history, Santana has been off his game.  Fatigue in his shoulder after throwing a career high 134 pitches could be the culprit, but no matter what the reason Santana has not been producing.  He has pitched to a 7.98 ERA with a .328 opponents batting average. 

Jeremy Hefner was strong in his relief of Santana after allowing Freddie Freeman to launch a homerun to center field past the apple.  Hefner went 3 2/3 innings after, scattering three hits.  It was a much needed performance for Hefner who was spared a demotion only because Garrett Olson was designated for assignment.

Manny Acosta, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco combined to finish the last four innings of the game, giving up only one hit and striking out six Braves.

Kris Medlen had a strong performance for the Braves, limiting the Mets to only one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. 

Ruben Tejada lost his hitting streak Friday night against the Braves, but got right back in the hit column with two more Saturday night.  Andres Torres had another nice night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with an RBI.  David Wright added an RBI of his own in the 8^th inning as well.

The series between the Mets and Braves will end Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.  Jon Niese (8-6, 3.82 ERA) will take the mound against Ben Sheets (4-1, 1.41 ERA). 

Mets Blanked By Braves in Series Opener

Friday, August 10, 2012

Final Score: Atlanta Braves: 4 New York Mets: 0

Mets Blanked By Braves in Series Opener

The Mets were unable to build off of a great performance by R.A. Dickey Thursday afternoon, getting shut down by the Braves Friday night 4-0.  A difficult second half of the season continues for the Mets, as they are going in the wrong direction in the standings getting closer to the cellar than the top.

It was a highly anticipated night in Queens as Matt Harvey was making his debut at Citi Field.  The air was quickly taken out of the stadium as Jason Heyward hit a two-run homerun in the top of the first inning.  That homerun would prove to be all the Braves would need to defeat the Mets tonight. 

Harvey had some jitters, evident by the five walks he surrendered, but had a solid outing otherwise.  The finish was strong for Harvey, who retired the last nine batters that he faced.  Harvey was also hit by a come-backer in the right thigh by Freddie Freeman in the third inning but was able to stay in the game.

Harvey got back to what he does best in throwing his fastball tonight.  For whatever reason, he had started to wander away from his fastball in San Diego, relying more on his off-speed pitches.

Harvey’s final line was six innings pitched, surrendering two hits and five walks resulting in two earned runs to go along with three strikeouts.  It was a solid but not great outing for Harvey who received no support from the offense tonight.

Josh Egdin would surrender another two-run homerun later in the eighth inning, this time off the bat of Dan Uggla.

Paul Maholm was able to shut the Mets offense down, throwing a gem in surrendering only three hits and striking out five.  Maholm ended the hitting streak of Ruben Tejada at a career high 14 games.

Jason Bay continued where he left off at after being notified of his cut in playing time by going 0 for 3, dropping his average to .152.

Next up for the Mets is a Saturday night game which Johan Santana (6-7, 3.98 ERA) will make his return from the DL against Kris Medlen (2-1, 2.37 ERA).  Santana is likely to be on a 90 pitch limit, meaning the Mets bullpen could be in for a full day of work and needs to step up.   

Hefner Performs Well in Spot Start for Mets

Saturday, August 4^th, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 6 San Diego Padres: 2

Hefner Performs Well in Spot Start

The Mets offense was able to wake up some Saturday night, scoring six runs in defeating the Padres 6-2.  The Mets move one game closer to .500 with the win tonight and sit with a record of 53-55 after tonight’s victory.  A strong performance from spot starter Jeremy Hefner not only earned him a spot on the major league roster for the time being but a much needed victory for the Mets.

Hefner threw a strong game for the Mets against his old team in the Padres.  He allowed the first batter to get on, but erased him with a double play on the next at-bat.  Hefner ultimately would allow only one run in six innings, surrendering only five hits and no walks to go along with two strikeouts.  One thing that stood out in Hefner’s start was that it took him only 74 pitches to get through the six innings. 

With Johan Santana expected to return from the DL next weekend, Hefner will be moved back to the bullpen according to manager Terry Collins.  Hefner’s performance tonight saved him from a demotion and showed how valuable he could be for the Mets organization. 

The Mets did a lot of their damage tonight in the 2^nd inning, scoring four of their six runs in the inning thanks to an erratic performance from Edinson Volquez.  Volquez managed to get through only 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits and four walks, resulting in four earned runs while also striking out three.

Two of Volquez’s four walks on the night forced in runs in the 2^nd inning, which was highlighted by a two-RBI double by Jordany Valdespin.  Valdespin had been struggling on the road trip before the at-bat, going only 3 for 23.

Daniel Murphy had another strong performance tonight, going 4 for 4 at the plate for the Mets, also adding a walk.

Mike Baxter had a record tying night at the plate for the Mets as well without recording an at-bat.  Baxter walked five times tonight, which is the first time a player has accomplished that feat since 2006 when Ryan Howard did it for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Josh Edgin, the only lefty currently in the bullpen with Tim Byrdak landing on the DL with an injury to his shoulder, tossed a shutout 7^th inning despite an error from Ruben Tejada.  Edgin then tossed a second shutout inning, even after manager Terry Collins said he would be conscious of not over-using Egdin in Brydak’s absence.

Bobby Parnell came into the game in the 9^th inning and imploded giving up a leadoff homerun to Chase Headley followed by a double by Yonder Alonso.  He was relieved by Frank Francisco, who was making his first appearance since coming off the DL.  Francisco was able to close out the game without allowing another base runner, stranding Alonso on base.

The Mets will head into the finale in San Diego looking to win their second series in a row.  They have already clinched a winning road trip, which is a positive sign after such an awful start to the second half.  Matt Harvey (1-1, 1.59 ERA) will make his third career start against Jason Marquis (4-6, 4.08 ERA).

Johan Santana Lands on 15-Day DL

Johan Santana Lands on 15-day DL

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Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana was placed on the 15-day DL this morning with a sprained right ankle.

Santana suffered the injury July 6^th against the Chicago Cubs when he awkwardly fell while trying to cover first base on a groundball to first baseman Justin Turner.

People around the Mets believe that the ankle injury has messed up Santana’s delivery, as he has had to rely on his surgically repaired left arm more during his windup.  This in turn has caused fatigue in the arm, so in addition to healing up the ankle Santana needs rest to build back up arm strength in the arm.

“Ever since the ankle injury, basically he’s lost his command,” said Mets manager Terry Collins.  “We don’t think he can land properly … he is using all arm to pitch with, causing some fatigue in his shoulder, (but) no pain.  There’s just nothing there.  So we’re gonna disable him and get him some rest.  Let the ankle heal and rebuild the arm strength back a little bit.”

Replacing Santana will be a tough task for Collins and GM Sandy Alderson to decide upon.  With Dillon Gee already on the DL, the Mets were scrambling for starting pitching help.  Miguel Batista was making the start for Gee Saturday afternoon and Jeremy Hefner has been called up to replace Santana on the roster.  Hefner is tentatively scheduled to start in place of Santana Wednesday in Washington.  The addition to Santana to the DL will also add fuel to the fire of prospect Matt Harvey being called up to make his major league debut.

Since throwing the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history, Johan Santana has struggled mightily. 

He has given up five or more earned runs in three straight starts and has compiled an ERA of 6.54 in eight starts since the 134 pitch no hitter.  Those eight starts include surrendering 11 homeruns in only 42 2/3 innings.  

Mets Loss Series Opener with Dodgers

Friday July 20, 2012

Final Score: Los Angeles Dodgers: 7 New York Mets: 6

Mets Loss Series Opener with Dodgers

The Mets were unable to carry any positives over from Thursday afternoon’s victory against the Nationals, dropping the first game of a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  It is vital for the Mets to get the last two games of this series, as it is an important one for the Mets.  If they hope to make the playoffs, the Dodgers are one team the Mets will be competing against and nothing would help more than beating them head-to-head. 

The Mets were in a hole right from the beginning, behind the whole game thanks to another off night from Johan Santana.

The Dodgers wasted no time in taking the lead, as Matt Kemp launched a towering two-run homer in the first staking the Dodgers with an early 2-0 lead.  The Dodgers tacked on another run in the inning thanks to a Jerry Hairston Jr. RBI single.

The second inning did not go much better for Santana, as he issued all three of his walks, one of which was a four pitch walk to Andre Either that forced in a run.

The third inning, which was Santana’s last, he gave up a lead off hit to Hairston Jr. and later his second homerun of the game.  The second homer was hit by Luis Cruz and was his first of his career. 

Santana was lifted for pinch hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis before he could even take his first at-bat of the game.  Santana’s final line was uninspiring, as he labored through three innings, giving up seven hits, two of which were homeruns, six earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts.

This was the third straight start in which Santana allowed six or more earned runs, the third time in Mets history that has happened, joining Bobby Jones and Pedro Astacio. 

The Mets offense was not without some fireworks, as Jordany Valdespin continued his mashing as a pinch hitter, knocking his MLB-high tying fourth pinch hit homer of the season out in the 7^th inning.  It was his sixth homerun of the year in only 81 major league at-bats.  It also tied the Mets franchise record for pinch hit homers in a season with Danny Heep and Mark Carreon.  All of Valdespin’s hits as a pinch hitter have been by way of the long ball.

David Wright continued his torrid pace at the plate, knocking in his 66^th RBI of the season, tying with for the NL lead in the category. 

Daniel Murphy also tied a career high with four hits in the game.  Two of his four hits were doubles and Murphy also knocked in his 44^th RBI of the season.

The Mets bullpen has had their struggles this season, but tonight they had a good showing.  Being asked to provide some extra innings because of the short outing from Santana, the bullpen was able to go six innings surrendering only one run.  The performance from the bullpen kept the Mets in the game.

Next up is a Saturday afternoon game between the Mets and Dodgers.  The Mets will look to even the series with Dodgers as Miguel Batista (1-2, 4.33 ERA) will take the mound and be opposed by ex-Met Chris Capuano (9-5, 2.75 ERA).

Mets Get First Win of Second Half

Thursday July 19, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 9 Washington Nationals: 5

Mets Get First Win of Second Half

For the first time since the All-Star game the Mets were able to put together a complete game at the plate and in the field en route to a 9-5 victory over the division leading Nationals.  The win ended the Mets season-high six game losing streak; also they were able to avoid a second consecutive sweep to start the second half and salvage the series against the Nationals.

David Wright paced the Mets tonight and did not take long doing so.  He launched his 13^th homerun of the year in the first inning giving the Nets a 2-0 right off the bat.  After being walked in his second plate appearance, Wright knocked another one out of the park for his 14^th homerun of the season and a 9-1 Mets lead.  Wright finished the game 2 for 4 with the two homeruns and five RBI’s.  It was Wright’s first multi-homer game of the season.

This was the 18^th time that Wright had a multi-homer game as a Met, passing Carlos Beltran on that list.  Only Darryl Strawberry is ahead of Wright now, who holds the record with 22 multi-homer games in his Mets career.

Ike Davis joined Wright in the homerun club today, also hitting his 14^th homerun of the season in the 2^nd inning.  If the Mets want to make some noise in the second half and make a run at a playoff spot, they are going to need more performances like this afternoon’s 2 for 4 game out of Davis.

The Mets were able to get to Nationals All-Star Gio Gonzalez early and often as he had his shortest outing of the season allowing six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.  The Mets built a 9-1 lead and coasted to the victory when Gonzalez was lifted in the fourth inning.

For the Mets, R.A. Dickey had his best start in his last four outings.  Coming into this afternoon, Dickey had allowed five earned runs in three of his last four starts.  It was not his best outing of the season, but Dickey was able to go seven strong innings, allowing four runs, three of which were earned.  He was able to get out of trouble, as the Nationals had plenty of base runners getting 10 hits and one walks off of Dickey while he struck out five. 

The Mets will look to build off this afternoon’s win with another important series starting Friday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field.  Johan Santana (6-6, 3.59 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets and be opposed by Dodgers starter Aaron Harang (6-5, 3.53 ERA). 

Mets Suffer Sweep at Hands of Braves

Sunday July 15, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 1 Atlanta Braves: 6

Mets Suffer Sweep at Hands of Braves to Start Second Half

The Mets start to an important stretch to start the second half of the season after the All-Star break did not get off to an aspiring start, as the Mets were swept in Atlanta against the rival Braves. The sweep was capped off with a 6-1 loss this afternoon.

Johan Santana was pitching well into the 5^th inning, when he suffered a meltdown aided by the umpires.  After an RBI single by Michael Bourn knocked in the first run of the game, pitching coach Dan Warthen was ejected for arguing the strike zone with umpire C.B. Buckner when he came out for a mound visit.  The Braves would go on to score five more runs in the inning off Santana, including a three-run homerun by Freddie Freeman.  Santana was also chirping at Buckner throughout the inning, as he was not pleased with the strike zone being called.

Santana’s final line for the game was five innings pitched, eight hits, two walks, six earned runs and three strikeouts.

This was the second consecutive start in which Santana surrendered six plus earned runs, as he allowed seven runs and 13 hits in his last start against the Chicago Cubs.  This is the first time he has allowed that many runs in back-to-back starts since April of 2000, which were the third and fourth appearances of his major league career.

Santana has struggled since throwing his no-hitter on June 1^st, as he is 3-4 with a 5.67 ERA in seven starts.

The Mets offense was unable to get anything going outside of a 7^th inning RBI single by Andres Torres.  They were shut down by Braves starter Ben Sheets, who was making his first start in the majors in two seasons.

Sheets finished the game throwing six shutout innings, surrendering only two hits and one walk while striking out five. 

With the loss the Mets dropped to 6 ½ games behind the first place Nationals with their record falling to 46-43.  The Braves are second in the division with a record of 49-39.

Next up for the Mets is another important series against the Washington Nationals starting Tuesday after an off day Monday.  Jon Niese (7-4, 3.73 ERA) will take the mound against lefty Ross Detwiler (4-3, 3.43 ERA).  The Mets could possibly be welcoming Jason Bay back to the lineup Tuesday, as he had a productive afternoon at triple-A Buffalo Sunday afternoon.

Mets Comeback Falls Short, Lose to Cubs 7/6

Final Score: Chicago Cubs: 8 New York Mets: 7

The Mets mounted a valiant comeback tonight at Citi Field, but in the end were not able to finish it, falling to the lowly Cubs 8-7.

Starting pitcher Johan Santana had a rough outing, giving up seven earned runs on a career high tying 13 hits in only 4 2/3 innings.  He was able to strike out six Cubs without walking a batter.  Santana may have also suffered an ankle injury in the 5^th inning when he was unable to corral a toss from first baseman Justin Turner and was stepped on by Reed Johnson.

Three of the 13 hits that Santana surrendered were homeruns, giving up one to Cubs right fielder Reed Johnson to lead off the game then homeruns to Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Baker in the 5^th before being taken out of the game.  In Santana’s previous three starts he had allowed only two earned runs in 20 innings.

Reed Johnson and Anthony Rizzo each had four hits for the Cubs, leading the offensive push for the team. 

The bullpen again was able to pitch well for the Mets, giving up only one run in four innings.  They were able to keep the game within reach for the offense to mount almost mount an improbable comeback.

In the 9^th inning, the Mets were able to get things going against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol.  After striking out Kirk Nieuwenhuis to start the inning, Marmol surrendered a homerun to pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin.  He then would walk the next three batters in Ruben Tejada, Daniel Murphy and David Wright to load the bases.  Ike Davis pinch hit for Scott Hairston and was able to deliver a two-RBI single.  Lucas Duda was up next and ripped a hard line drive up the middle but it was snagged by Marmol who doubled Davis off first base, ending the Mets comeback.

Duda was able to get the Mets scoring started earlier in the game, blasting his 12^th homerun of the season in the 2^nd inning off Cubs starter Travis Wood. 

Justin Turner also hit the ball well for the Mets tonight, getting a career high tying four hits in the game, knocking in an RBI with a single in the 8^th inning. 

The Mets record this season against left-handed pitchers drops to 12-20 after Wells was able to get the quality start tonight.

The Mets and Cubs will get back at it tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 P.M. ET.  Dillon Gee (5-7 4.34 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Mets against former Notre Dame wide receiver and Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija (6-7 4.77 ERA).

Mets Win Series Against Phillies in Dramatic Fashion

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies: 5 New York Mets: 6

In very dramatic fashion, the Mets were able to knock off the Phillies tonight 6-5 thanks to a David Wright walk off.  This was a win that even Yankee fans could smile at, as Jonathan Papelbon imploded in the 9^th inning blowing his second save of the season and suffering his third loss.

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 David Wright had a big night for the Mets, finishing it off with a walk off single in the 9^th inning.  Wright finished the night 3-5, including a two run homerun in the 5^th inning off Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels.  Wright had his first RBI on a single in the 3^rd inning and his fourth on the walk off.

Daniel Murphy continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-5 and knocking in the game tying RBI in the 9^th inning.

Ruben Tejada also continued his hot hitting at the plate, going 1-4 and scoring a run.

Scott Hairston also continues to slaughter left handed pitching.  Hairston knocked out his 12^th homerun of the year and ninth against a lefty.  It was his fifth career homerun against Cole Hamels.

R.A. Dickey did not have his best performance on the mound tonight, but the Mets offense was able to bail him out and take him off the hook.  Dickey finished the night tossing seven innings, giving up a career high tying 11 hits in the process and five earned runs.  He also struck out seven Phillies compared to one walk.  

Another bright spot for the Mets tonight was their bullpen.  After imploding Wednesday afternoon, they were able to hold the Phillies scoreless in the 8^th and 9^th innings. 

Next up for the Amazin’s is a series against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field.  The first game of the series Friday night will pit the Mets Johan Santana (6-4 2.76) against the Cubs Travis Wood (3-3 3.05 ERA). 

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Post Game Recap 6-30

Final Score: New York Mets: 5 Los Angeles Dodgers: 0

The Mets ran their winning streak to four games at the expense of the reeling Dodgers with yet another shut out, winning 5-0.  Tonight’s win moved the Mets one game closer to their first ever four game sweep of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have suffered shutouts in five of the last six games without All-Star hitters Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in the lineup.  Tonight the Dodgers offense was unable to get anything going because of the stellar performance of Johan Santana.

Santana pitched eight shutout innings, scattering three hits and two walks to go along with three strikeouts.  Santana now has career numbers of 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA against the Dodgers, closing out June with almost as dominant performance as he started it with (Santana threw the first no hitter in Mets franchise history on June 1^st).

The Mets offense tonight was led by Ike Davis. Davis took advantage of the Dodgers intentionally walking David Wright in front of him in the 6^th inning, hitting a three run homerun, his 11^th of the season.  Davis would finish the game 2-4, getting his batting average over the Mendoza line for the second time this season at .203.

Daniel Murphy and Josh Thole both knocked in RBI’s with sacrifice flies in the 2^nd and 5^th innings to round out the offense for the Mets. 

The Mets’ defense struggled in Chicago, but tonight was on point against the Dodgers.  Santana made two stellar plays in the field to help his own cause and were was also helped by David Wright and Daniel Murphy. 

In the 2^nd inning, Murphy ranged to his right to start up a 4-6-3 double play.  It does not seem like much but it is encouraging to see Murphy becoming more comfortable playing 2^nd base as it has been a work in progress for Murphy on defense.  Wright was able to make a barehanded on a bunt attempt in the 4^th inning, throwing out speedster Elian Herrera at first base.

Not everything was great about the Mets as a whole tonight, as Andres Torres struggled on the base paths.  In the first inning, Torres was doubled off first pass on a fly out to right field by Wright. Torres was able to get on base in his next at-bat in the 3^rd inning, but was picked off first base by Dodgers catcher A.J Ellis. 

Next up for the Mets is the 4^th game of their series against the Dodgers on Sunday night baseball.  The only thing between the Mets and a sweep is reigning NL Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw (5-4 2.72 ERA).  Dillon Gee (5-6 4.42 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets.

New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Post Game Recap 6-29

Final Score: New York Mets: 9 Los Angeles Dodgers: 0

The Mets continued their winning streak tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers, shutting them out 9-0.

After a rough start against the Yankees over the weekend, R.A. Dickey got back to business, tossing another 8 shutout innings brining his season totals to a record of 12-1 with a 2.15 ERA.  In the game tonight Dickey allowed only three hits and one walk while striking out 10 Dodgers. 

With tonight’s win, Dickey won his career high 10^th straight decision and the MLB’s first 12 game winner.  Reaching double digit strikeout totals for the 5^th time this season also places Dickey first in that category.  Dickey finishes June better than he did May, going 5-0 with a 0.93 ERA.

In addition to Dickey having a great day on the mound, a few other players stood out as well.

Daniel Murphy went deep yet again for the Mets, his third of season.  Murphy has been on a power surge lately, hitting three homeruns this week after going all season without one.  Murphy also knocked in a career high tying five RBI’s tonight.

Murphy was not the only Met player to tie a career high, as Reuben Tejada joined him for that distinction tonight.  Tejada reached base a career high five times, getting on base in a number of different ways.  He went 4-5 from the plate and was also hit by a pitch, scoring two runs.

Lucas Duda was able to snap out of his funk tonight, ending an 0-15 drought with an RBI single in fifth inning.  Ike Davis was also able to add an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the 1^st inning, ending the game 1-4 with a season batting average of .198.

The Mets will look to take the four game series and win their fourth game in a row Saturday night when Johan Santana (5-4 3.00 ERA) takes the mound for the Mets against Nathan Eovaldi (0-4 4.04 ERA) of the Dodgers.

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs Post Game Recap 6-25

Final Score: New York Mets:1 Chicago Cubs: 6

Mets manager Terry Collins let his players know how he felt about their play recently, calling it admirable because the Mets just ended a streak of eight straight series against teams with win.  What Collins feared most, a letdown by his team, may be starting to materialize after a very lackluster performance against the Chicago Cubs, owners of the worst record in the MLB.

The Mets were able to only muster six hits against the Cubs with shortstop Ronny Cedeno and Mike Nickeas each getting two apiece.  It took the Mets until the 9^th inning to even score their run as it came on Ike Davis’s 9^th homerun of the season. 

The Mets were also very sloppy in the field, committing three errors, all of which came in a disastrous 7^th inning when the wheels really fell off for the Mets.   

Johan Santana pitched admirably for the Mets, by once again was let down by a lack of offense.  Santana pitched six innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six.

The big blow for the Cubs came in the 4^th inning when Joe Mather launched a 2-run homerun off Santana after he issued a two out walk to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto.

The Mets bullpen had a comeback and debut tonight.  The comeback was made by Ramon Ramirez, who was returning off the DL from a strained right hamstring, had a rough outing allowing both of his inherited runners to score in the 7^th inning.  The debut was made by Justin Hampson, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to be paired with Tim Byrdak as lefties in the Mets bullpen.  Hampson surrendered a two out triple to Reed Johnson, was able to get out of the inning unscathed, also recording a strikeout.

Travis Wood pitched seven innings of shutout ball for the Cubs, giving up five hits and only walking one batter while adding six strikeouts.

Up next for the Mets is the middle game of their series against the Cubs.  Dillon Gee (5-5 4.27 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets while right-hander Randy Wells (1-2 4.91 ERA) will take the mound for the Cubs.

Recap: Homer Happy Yanks Sweep Rival Mets

The New York Yankees showed New York fans that they are still the number one team in this city, with a sweep of the rival New York Mets.

On Friday night the Yankees took Johan Santana deep early and often. In the second inning, Robinson Cano took the first pitch he saw from Santana, and drove it into the right field seats for a two-run homer.

It did not take long for Cano to get to Santana again. In the third inning, Cano again smashed the first pitch he saw from Santana into the right field seats for another two-run home run, and gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Cano saw two pitches in his first two at-bats, and had two home runs and 4 RBI. The next two batters, Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones, both took Santana deep in their at-bats, and the Yankees hit back-to back-to back home runs.

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The Yankees tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning and took the opening game 9-1.

Johan Santana, in his first start since his no-hitter, lasted five innings, gave up seven hits, six earned runs, and four home runs.

Hiroki Kuroda had another solid outing, going five and two thirds innings before surrendering a hit. Kuroda went seven innings , allowing just the one hit, and striking out seven Mets batters.

In game two, the Yankees again used the home run ball to get passed the Mets.

With the game tied at one in the sixth inning, David Wright took Phil Hughes deep to left center to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. It was Wright's eighth home run of the season, and the 15th home run given up by Hughes this season.

In the bottom half of the inning, with Curtis Granderson on base, Mark Teixeira hit a line drive over the right field wall and the Yankees went ahead 3-2.

Curtis Granderson added a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth off of Bobby Parnell and the Yankees won 4-2.

Phil Hughes went six and a third innings allowing six hits and two solo home runs, and got his sixth win of the season. Hughes has now given the Yankees three solid starts in a row, and besides giving up solo home runs, Hughes has been very strong.

In the series finale, the Mets jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on Andy Pettitte. Vinny Rottino singled home Scott Hairston to open the scoring in the second inning. Later in the second, Jordany Valdespin doubled to right scoring Rottino and Omar Quintanilla.

Pettitte held the Mets in check after the three run inning, and allowed the Yankees to mount a come back.

In the seventh inning the Yankees got on the board with a Russell Martin two-run homer, and cut the Mets lead to 3-2.

The Yankees took the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of RBI singles from Teixeira and Rodriguez. After back to back singles by Jeter and Granderson, Teixeira laced a ball back up the middle to drive home Jeter. Rodriguez followed with a bloop single down the right field line that scored Granderson.

In the top of the ninth, the Yankees called on Rafael Soriano to close out the game, but Soriano could not. Before Soriano could record an out, Lucas Duda and Ike Davis hit back to back doubles, and the game was tied.  Boone Logan replaced Soriano and did not allow the Mets to score again, leaving the game tied at 4 headed into the bottom of the ninth.

It took just one batter for the Yankees to finish off the Mets, as Russell Martin took John Rauch out to left for his second home run of the game, a 5-4 win, and a series sweep.

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The Yankees took all three games against the Mets in the Subway Series, and except for Friday night's blowout, the series was an exciting one for both sides, although Mets fans would have felt better with at least one win.

The two teams will meet again in two weeks at Citi Field, and the Mets will have a chance to get revenge for the three game sweep they suffered at Yankee Stadium this past weekend.

Johan Santana Throws First No-Hitter In Mets History

Friday, June 1st 2012
Final Score: St. Louis Cardinals: 0 New York Mets: 8

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Johan Santana had to wait what was an excruciating 19 months in between MLB starts, but that seems like a blink of an eye for Mets fans after seeing Santana pitch tonight.  Santana tonight pitched the first no-hitter in New York Met history.  The record lasted for more than 50 seasons, totaling 8,019 games without a no-hitter.  This leaves the San Diego Padres as the only team left in the majors without a no-hitter.

It was a career night for Santana, who has never thrown even a one or two hitter but throwing a three hitter on five different occasions.  In addition to being his first no hitter as well as the first in Mets history, Santana set a career high for pitches thrown with 134.  The original plan, according to manager Terry Collins, was to have Santana on a 115 pitch limit.  Those plans had to be tweaked with history within reach as Santana finished off the 8th inning at 122 pitches.  A reason for the high pitch count was the five walks in addition to seven strikeouts Santana accumulated throughout the game.  The raucous crowd of 27,069 could be heard chanting “Johan” as he came to bat in the 8th inning before finishing off the game in the 9th.

Much like anything in history, more than one person plays a part in the outcome.  Tonight, the Mets defense stepped up behind Santana.  In the 7th inning on a hard hit ball my Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, left fielder Mike Baxter crashed into the wall with his arm outstretched preserving the no hitter.  Baxter would have to leave as a result of the play with a left shoulder contusion and will undergo further testing.

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Another play in question involves former Met Carlos Beltran, who was returning to Queens for the first time since being traded last season, and 3rd base umpire Adrian Johnson.  Beltran ripped a line drive down the 3rd base line which was ruled foul by Johnson.  The Cardinals argued that the ball was far, as Beltran would eventually ground out to end the at-bat.  Replays later proved to be inconclusive, but could be argued as either hitting the chalk or missing it.  “I saw the ball hitting outside the line, just foul,” Johnson is quoted as saying to reporters after the game.  After being shown the replay, Johnson was asked what he thought and he replied with, “No comment.”

In addition to Santana’s sterling performance, the 3-4-5 hitters David Wright, Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy, the heart of the Mets lineup, delivered big time production knocking in all eight Met runs.  Duda had four R.B.I. including a 3-run homerun on the 6th inning of Cardinal starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.  Murphy added two 2-our R.B.I., with three total with Wright getting his R.B.I. on a bases loaded walk in the 7th inning.

Up next for the Mets and Cardinals is the second game of their four game series at 4:15 P.M. ET.  R.A. Dickey (7-1, 3.06 ERA) takes the mound for the Mets versus Lance Lynn (8-1, 2.54 ERA) of the Cardinals in a match-up against two of the most surprising and top pitchers in the majors this season.

San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets Post Game Recap 5-26

Final Score: San Diego Padres: 0 New York Mets: 9

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Johan Santana turned in one of his vintage outings this afternoon at Citi Field as he dominated the Padres throwing a complete game shutout.  This was Santana’s first complete game since August 22^nd 2010 in Pittsburgh against the Pirates and his first complete game shutout since August 12^th 2010 against the Colorado Rockies. 

San Diego sports one of the weaker lineups in baseball, so Santana was able to take advantage.  He kept hitters off balance all afternoon as the Padres were only able to get one player into scoring position.  Very few balls were hit well, enabling Santana to breeze through innings on a very nice May afternoon in Queens.  This was easily Santana’s best start of the season as he surrendered only four hits and no walks, adding seven strikeouts.

Scoring has not been something the Mets have done in Santana starts this season; so the nine runs today was a welcomed surprise. Entering the game this afternoon, Santana had a 1-2 record despite a 3.24 ERA.  Their overall record is 4-5 in his starts, which is disappointing with how well he has pitched.  A great start to the season would be that much better if a couple of those stellar Santana outings were backed by some offense.

With the Padres pegging lefty Clayton Richard as their starter, Mets manager Terry Collins made a few tweaks to his lineup.  Collins decided to stack his lineup with right-handed batters and it proved effective on this afternoon.  Scott Hairston blasted a three-run homerun for his 4^th of the season in the first inning.  Two batters later, Vinny Rottino launched his first career homerun, staking the Mets to a dominant four run lead, never looking back.

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The Mets offense was quiet for the remainder of the afternoon until the 8^th inning, when catcher Mike Nickeas hit his first career grand slam and first homerun of the season.  Nickeas’ homerun, just like Hairston’s and Rottino’s earlier in the game, were aided by the new dimensions of Citi Field; which were put into place to make Citi Field more hitter-friendly. 

Today was the third game in a row in which Ike Davis knocked in a run.  Davis’ season long streak was continued with an RBI double in the 8^th which gave the Mets a 5-0 lead.  Since being told 4 games ago that he will not be demoted to Triple A Buffalo, Davis has gone 4-9.  He now has 20 R.B.I on the season and raised his average to a still uninspiring .173. 

David Wright walked and scored in the Mets four run first inning, but was hitless the remainder of the game.  His average has dipped to .390 after going 0-6 in his past two games. 

Ronny Cedeno was forced from the game in the 8^th inning because of an apparent leg injury.  It was later clarified that it was only a cramp that forced him from the game, and he should be good to go Sunday.  Cedeno returned two weeks ago from a left intercostal strain.

The Mets look to take three of four in the series Sunday afternoon as R.A. Dickey, 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA, pitches against Padres starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, 2-4 with a 3.49 ERA, at 1:10 P.M. ET.

New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Post Game Recap 5-21

Final Score: New York Mets: 4 Pittsburgh Pirates: 5

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Johan Santana was unable to protect the four run lead staked to him tonight, as the Mets dropped the opening game in the series against the Pirates tonight 5-4.  A 7^th inning homerun by catcher and number eight hitter Michael McKenry off Santana tied the game, starting a slide the Mets were unable to recover from.

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 Because of a miscommunication with leftfielder Mike Baxter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis dropped a fly ball starting off the bottom of the 8^th inning off the bat of Neil Walker, leading to a three-base error.  Walker later scored in the inning off a sac fly by Clint Barmes off Jon Rauch.  Walker barely slid in ahead of a Lucas Duda throw from right field.

This was the second time this season that Nieuwenhuis had a big error while manning center field.  The last occurrence was April 21^st against the San Francisco Giants when he over ran a ball, prolonging the game.  The Mets were able to come away with a victory in that game, as the Giants returned the favor with their own miscues.

David Wright stayed hot at the plate, raising his average to .415 after going 2-4 with a walk and RBI.  Wright’s RBI single in the 2^nd inning capped off a four run inning against Pirates starter Erik Bedard.  Where Wright was wrong tonight was in the field, where he committed his second and third errors of the season.  Luckily for the Mets, neither error proved costly as the Pirates were unable to take advantage. 

After coming out strong off his return from the DL, Andres Torres is now in a big slump.  Tonight he went 0-4 with a walk, now hitless in his last 14 at-bats.  Over the last 11 games, it doesn’t get much better as Torres is 2-38.  Tonight he stranded the go-ahead run in the 8^th inning, hitting into a fielders choice.

Ronny Cedeno had a strong performance in his return to Pittsburgh, where he was the starting shortstop last season.  Cedeno went 2-4 tonight with one run and one RBI. 

The Mets and Pirates face off in the 2^nd game of their three game series tomorrow night at 7:05.  R.A. Dickey will toe the rubber for the Mets, sporting a 5-1 record and a 3.76 ERA.  He will be opposed by James McDonald, who has been pitching outstanding for the Pirates recently, sporting a 3-2 record with a 2.68 ERA.