Mets Drop Series Opener to Lowly Rockies

Monday, August 20 2012

Final Score: Colorado Rockies: 3 New York Mets: 1

Mets Drop Series Opener to Lowly Rockies

What started out as a promising season has hit a new low for the Mets, who dropped to a season high eight games under .500 after Monday night’s 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies.  With the season going down the drain fast, even individual awards for players such as R.A. Dickey seem to be joining them.  With the loss, the Philadelphia Phillies have tied the Mets for third place in the NL East.

Dickey’s pursuit of 20 victories for the season became a little more difficult after receiving a tough luck no-decision Monday night.  Dickey surrendered a fifth inning solo homerun to Tyler Colvin in the 5^th inning to tie the game up and the Mets offense was unable to back their ace, resulting in Dickey’s total for wins staying at 15.

Dickey was staked to a one run lead after the first inning thanks to a Daniel Murphy single scoring David Wright.  That was the only scoring the Mets were able to do for Dickey, as they squandered their other good chance in the 7^th inning when Dickey was lifted for pinch hitter Justin Turner.

The final stat line for Dickey was great again, as he went seven innings, giving up only three hits and two walks and one earned run while striking out six.  Dickey will get his next crack at win 16 Saturday against the Houston Astros, as he is the only pitcher that will continue on regular rest as the rest of the team has moved to a six-man rotation.

After Dickey was relieved, it did not take long for the Mets bullpen to do what they have done best this season and surrender leads and tie games.  Josh Edgin surrendered an unearned run, after his shovel to first base allowed Jonathan Herrera to get to second base.  Herrera was then bunted over to third and scored after Edgin unleashed a pitch Kelly Shoppach could not handle.

Jon Rauch would surrender another run in the 9^th inning, only his second in his last 22 appearances to give the Rockies a two-run edge.

While the hitting may have been underwhelming, the Mets did flash the leather in the field.  David Wright and Ruben Tejada both made outstanding plays in the 5^th inning, robbing Wilin Rosario and D.J. LeMahieu.  Mike Baxter would add a nice sliding catch in the 6^th inning to rob Guillermo Moscoco of a hit of his own.

The Mets and Rockies will play the second game of their four game series Tuesday night with Chris Young (3-6, 4.50 ERA) being opposed by Jhoulys Chacin (0-3, 7.30 ERA).

Strong Niese Outing Powers Mets to Win

Saturday, August 18^th 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 2 Washington Nationals: 0

Strong Niese Outing Powers Mets

The Mets offense was not able to generate much scoring tonight, but it gave them enough to get the 2-0 victory over the Nationals behind a strong pitching performance from Jon Niese.  Even the bullpen pitched well for the Mets, giving up no runs in their relief of Niese.  With the win, the Mets were able to avoid dropping to a season low eight games under .500.

Niese threw possibly his best game of the season, going 7 1/3 shutout innings.  He allowed only five hits while striking out seven Nationals.  Niese was removed before he could finish the 8^th inning at 109 pitches, 13 shy of his career high, after getting Bryce Harper to fly out.

The pulling of Niese comes slightly as a surprise as the Mets are moving to a six-man rotation starting Sunday, meaning Niese will have an extra day of rest before pitching Friday night against the Astros.

Niese now has a career high streak of 13 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a run.

Jon Rauch relieved Niese and was able to record the final two outs of the 8^th inning without incident.  Since June 28^th in 21 appearances, Rauch has given up only one earned run in his 15 innings of work.

Another positive for the Mets tonight was the performance of Frank Francisco.  Francisco was able to notch his 20^th save of the season tonight after being pulled from the ninth inning twice earlier in the week. 

Edwin Jackson had a strong game for the Nationals, going seven innings and giving up only two hits and one walk while striking out 11.  The only blemish for Jackson was a homerun given up to Ike Davis in the 7^th inning, which proved to be all the runs the Mets would need.  It was Davis’ 22^nd homerun of the season.

Next up for the Mets is the implanting of their six-man rotation Sunday, starting with Jeremy Hefner (2-4, 4.76 ERA) taking the mound in the finale against Gio Gonzalez (15-6, 3.29 ERA).

Jay Bruce Walk-Off Drops Mets

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 0 Cincinnati Reds: 3

Jay Bruce Walk-Off Drops Mets

The Mets six game road trip started like how much of the home stand went; with a loss. Tuesday night they suffered a tough loss against the National League Central Division Cincinnati Reds 3-0.  It is looking less and less likely that the Mets will be playing in October, as anything short of a miracle will have them miss the postseason. 

The lone runs of the game came in walk-off fashion, as Jay Bruce launched a three-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning to propel the Reds to victory.  Manny Acosta allowed the first two men of the inning to reach and left Josh Edgin was brought on to face Bruce.

Edgin got two strikes on Bruce, but after fouling off three pitches put the ball into the left field stands for a walk-off opposite field homerun, his 24^th of the season.  The struggles of the bullpen have been an on going issue for the Mets all season, often ruining gritty performances by their starters like tonight.

Chris Young had a tough, gritty performance tonight, working in and out of trouble throughout his 5 2/3 innings.  He allowed the lead off hitter to get on base the first three innings of the game, and did not have a 1-2-3 inning all night as he allowed 12 Reds to reach base. 

Young’s final stat line wasn’t great, but he got through it without allowing any runs, ending with 5 2/3 innings pitched, allowing eight hits and four walks while striking out four.

All in all, the Mets pitching staff was able to strand 14 Reds on base throughout the night, but was unable to get out of the last jam of the night in the 9^th inning.  There was no perfect inning for the Mets until the 8^th inning by Jon Rauch.

The Mets offense left much to be desired tonight, stranding 10 runners of their own, including the bases loaded in the in the fourth and runners on second and third in the ninth.  Ruben Tejada added a double, giving him a hit in 17 of his last 18 games but was unable to come through with men on base on two separate occasions.

Matt Latos was able to dominate the Mets tonight, giving up only five hits and two walks (one intentional) in his seven innings of work while striking out four.  Sean Marshall and Jose Arredondo pitched the two final shutout innings for the Reds out of the bullpen. 

In the second game of the series, the Mets will have R.A. Dickey (15-3, 2.72 ERA) take the mound against Mike Leake (4-7, 4.51 ERA) of the Reds.

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). 

Niese Shuts Down Giants

Mets vs. Giants Post Game Recap 8/1

The New York Mets were able to beat the San Francisco Giants in the third game of the four game series winning by a score of 2-1.

Mets starter Jon Niese was able to bounce back nicely after a bad outing in Arizona by winning his 8th game of the season. Niese went seven innings only allowing three hits, two walks, one run, and had five strikeouts.

The bullpen was able to finish off the last two innings rather easily with Tim Byrdak, and Jon Rauch pitching the 8th without allowing base runner, and Bobby Parnell was able to pick up his 4th save of the season putting the Giants down in order in the 9th.

Ruben Tejada had a big day for the Mets starting the game with a leadoff homerun against Matt Cain for his 1st homerun of the season, and snapping a 628 at-bat streak without a homerun. Tejada would go 3 for 4 with a walk in the game.

David Wright like Tejada also was able to have a three hit game going 3 for 4 with a walk as well.

The Mets offense did miss many opportunities to score going 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position blowing lots of chances to break the game open. They were however extremely aggressive on the base paths stealing four bases on Buster Posey, and had two runners thrown out.

The Mets will look to take the series against a hopeful playoff team in the Giants as Chris Young (2-5, 4.58) will face Barry Zito (8-7, 3.89).

Mets Split Series with Dbacks

bigstory.ap.org

Mets vs. Diamondbacks Post Game Recap 7/29

The New York Mets were able to split the four game series with the Diamondbacks winning on Sunday by a score of 5-1, as it is the Mets third win in the last 17 games.

R.A Dickey who has had a tough month of July finished it strong picking up his 14th win of the season. Dickey went 7 innings allowing four hits, three walks, one run, and had eight strikeouts.

The 8th and 9th innings that are, usually a heart attack waiting to happen for Mets fans went rather smoothly, as Jon Rauch pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning, and Bobby Parnell only allowed one walk in the ninth to close the door in a non-save situation.

David Wright was able to lead the Mets offense going 1 for 3 hitting his 31st double of the season, scoring two runs, knocking in a RBI, walking twice, and stealing his 11th base of the season.

Scott Hairston also had a good game like Wright, as Hairston went 2 for 5 hitting his 17th double of the season, and had two RBIs.

After probably his best game of the year going 4-4 with three homeruns Ike Davis went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts on Sunday.

Jason Bay continued to be absolutely awful going 0 for 3 seeing his batting average drop to less than .160, and is now hitless in his last 22 at-bats.

The Mets will be heading to San Francisco to start another four game series, as Jeremy Hefner (1-4, 5.40) will face Madison Bumgarner (11-6, 3.10).

Mets Win as Harvey Shines

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Mets vs Diamondback Post Game Recap 7/26

The Mets were able to snap their 6 game losing streak by beating the Diamondbacks 3-1 with a great start from Matt Harvey.

Making his MLB debut 23 year old Matt Harvey was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Mets to snap their losing streak, as they look to try and move back to the .500 mark. Harvey set a Mets franchise record in strikeouts with 11 breaking Tom Seavers previous record. The young right hander would go 5.1 scoreless innings while only allowing three hits, and three walks in his debut.

Jon Rauch gave up the only run of the game for the Mets in the 8^th inning, as Justin Upton hit a sac-fly scoring Jason Kubel.

Mets closer Bobby Parnell was able to get his 3^rd save of the season despite making things interesting in the 9^th inning by allowing two walks, but did have an impressive three strikeouts in the inning.

Lead-off hitter Ruben Tejada was able to reach base safely three times going 2 for 4 with a walk, and scoring a run.

Scott Hairston had the biggest night of any Mets hitters going 3 for 4 with two doubles, and two RBIs continuing his great hitting against lefty pitchers.

Struggling Andres Torres was able to snap out of his 0-17 drought going 2 for 3 hitting his third triple of the year, and scoring a run.

Matt Harvey showed off his hitting skills as well going 2 for 2 off All-Star Wade Miley including a double capping off his great major league debut.

The Mets will look to get a little winning streak going by sending Jon Niese (7-4, 3.59) to face Josh Collmenter (2-2, 3.82).

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.