Top Twenty Moments of the Year in New York Sports

It's almost the end of 2012, and that means a countdown of the greatest moments of the year for New York sports. New York saw it's share of success this season in the sports world, the Giants winning Super Bowl XLVI, the Yankees going to the ALCS once again, and the New York Rangers emotional playoff run that ended all too soon against their Hudson River rivals.

So let's get to the countdown already.

Here are numbers 20-16 for 2012:

20. Tim Tebow comes to New York

 That's right Tim Tebow made the best moments of 2012. I mean he does own the back pages wearing the jersey of the team that owns the back pages (the New York Jets if you're not sure). Tebow was traded to the Jets for a fourth round pick, or was it a fifth round pick? Does it really matter? He has 29 rushing attempts for 87 yards! But to his credit he has completed six of seven passes for 39 yards.

19. Giants win first home playoff game since 2000

 The New York Giants finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, good enough to win the NFC East and host the Atlanta Falcons during the Wild Card round. The Giants beat the Falcons 24-2 thanks to Eli Manning's three touchdown passes, and two fourth and short stops by the Big Blue defense. It was the Giants first playoff in their new home, and their first home playoff win since 2000.


18. Knicks break their playoff losing streak

April 29, 2001. That's how far back you have to go for the Knicks last playoff win. The Knicks were trailing three games to none to the Miami Heat, and were in danger of getting swept out of the first round yet again. Game 4 was in Madison Square Garden, and although the Knicks chances of actually winning the series were long gone, the Knicks had the chance to stop the franchise's thirteen game playoff losing streak. The Knicks beat the Heat 89-87 behind Carmelo Anthony;s 41 points and Amare Stoudemire's double-double. The Knicks losing streak was history, and so were the Knicks in Game 5 losing 106-94.


17. Islanders moving to Brooklyn after 2015 season

I didn't say all of these moments would be positive ones, just look at number twenty (LOL). The Islanders have decided to take their talents to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after their lease at the Nassau Coliseum expires in 2015. Nassau County residents had the chance to keep their team, but voted against the renovation of the Coliseum. All I can say is good luck to the Brooklyn Islanders, but a new home doesn't mean the team will suddenly start winning again.


16. Wright becomes Mets All-Time hits leader

David Wright is the Mr. Met of the last twenty years, yes even more than Mike Piazza. Wright has established himself as one of the greatest players in the Mets organization, and by the time he retires, he will be the greatest. On September 26, 2012, Wright took another step towards Met greatness when he passed Ed Kranepool for number one on the Mets All-Time hit list. Wright hit a little dribbler down the third base line and beat it out for his 1, 419th career hit. Wright is a free agent this off season, but he will most likely be back in the Mets uniform, I hope.


There are still 15 moments left from 2012 for New York sports, but don't expect to see any about the Jets, we are trying to keep it positive from here on in.

Mets Offer Wright Seven Years, Over One Hundred Million

The New York Mets have reportedly offered third baseman David Wright a seven year contract worth around $130 million dollars.

Wright posted a .306 avg in 2012, with 21 home runs and 93 runs batted in for the Mets. Wright also became the Mets all-time hits leader in 2012 passing Met great Ed Kranepool.

Wright has been a staple for the Mets at third baseman during his career, and has rightfully earned a seven year $100 million dollar plus contract. In his eight years with the Mets,Wright has hit over 200 home runs and has driven in over 800 runs.

Wright also played a key role in the Mets 2006 season that ended in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

It is expected that Wright will accept the deal and spend the next seven years in a New York Mets uniform.

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.

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).

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 Salvage Last Game of Series vs. Marlins

Thursday, August 9^th, 2012

Final Score: Miami Marlins: 1 New York Mets: 6

Mets Salvage Final Game of Series vs. Marlins

The Mets were finally able to end their losing streak at Citi Field Thursday afternoon, defeating the Marlins 6-1.  This was the first win for the Mets at home since July 7^th against the Chicago Cubs and ended the eight game losing streak they were on at home.  The losing streak matched the sixth longest one in Mets franchise history. 

R.A. Dickey pitched like the ace he has been all season, throwing a masterful complete game.  It was the fourth complete game on the season for Dickey.  The only blemish for him was a solo homerun given up in the fourth inning to Justin Ruggiano. 

Dickey surrendered only five hits resulting in the one earned run with no walks and 10 strikeouts.  It was Dickey’s sixth double digit strikeout game of the season, giving him 166 strikeouts on the season against only 36 walks. 

Dickey is looking to become the first 20 game winner for the Mets since Frank Viola in 1990, notching his 15^th win of the season this afternoon, tying him with Jered Weaver for the MLB lead.  Dickey, even with the Mets struggles, is right in the hunt for the NL Cy Young award also with a 15-3 record and 2.72 ERA.

For the Mets at the plate Andres Torres shined.  Torres finished the game 3 for 3 with a walk, finishing a single short of hitting for the cycle.  Multiple Mets also had multi-hit games, with David Wright, Mike Baxter, and Josh Thole.

Ruben Tejada was also able to add two hits, upping his hitting streak to a career high 14 games.

The Mets were able to cool of Jose Reyes, who had his 26 game hitting streak ended Thursday afternoon.  Reyes also made a blunder in the field in the 4^th inning that enabled the Mets to retake the lead for good.

Next up for the Mets is a series against the rival Atlanta Braves.  Matt Harvey (1-2, 3.86 ERA) will be making his Citi Field debut against newly acquired Paul Maholm (9-7 3.75 ERA). 

Mets Drop Series Opener in San Diego

Friday, August 3^rd, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 1 San Diego Padres: 3

Mets Drop Opener in San Diego

After exploding for nine runs against the Giants yesterday afternoon, the Mets struggled to get anything going tonight, falling to the Padres 3-1. Tonight was another tough luck loss for the Mets who are clawing to get back to the .500 mark and stay in the playoff race. 

R.A. Dickey had a strong performance tonight, but was let down by his offense.  Dickey held the Padres hitless until Yonder Alonso’s single in the 5^th inning and didn’t allow a run until the 6^th inning. 

In the 7^th inning he allowed a one-out single to Carlos Quentin, which was followed up by an Alonso double that barely evaded a diving Scott Hairston.  Quentin attempted to score all the way from first and looked to be dead to rights as he was several steps away from the plate as catcher Josh Thole was receiving the relay throw from Ronny Cedeno. 

Disappointingly for the Mets, Thole dropped the ball as it was dislodged when Quentin came in hard and strong.  Thole was charged with an error on the play for not holding onto the baseball.  Alonso would score shortly after on a single by John Baker, who was the next batter. 

Thole had suffered a concussion earlier in the season, which likely was his fourth of his baseball career, in Philadelphia on May 7^th courtesy of Ty Wigginton.  Injuries like that can cause a player to become more cautious around the plate when it comes to collisions.

Dickey would be pulled for a pinch-hitter in the next half inning, ending his night with a stat line of seven innings pitched, four hits and three walks resulting in three runs, two of which were earned, and nine strikeouts. 

The Mets lone run of the night came courtesy of a Ronny Cedeno RBI single on an infield hit that plated David Wright.

The Mets were able to get the first two men on in the 8^th inning thanks to back-to-back singles by Cedeno and pinch-hitter Justin Turner.  Nothing came from the strong start, as Luke Gregerson struck out Andres Torres and David Wright; which was followed by Padres closer Houston Street entering and retiring pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin on a groundout to second base. 

Next up in the second game in the series between the Mets and Padres is a match-up between Jeremy Hefner (1-4, 5.52 ERA) and Edison Volquez (7-7, 3.51 ERA). 

Hot Start Propels Mets to Victory

Thursday, August 2^nd 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 9 San Francisco Giants: 1

Hot Start Propels Mets to Victory

A quick start propelled the Mets to a win tonight and their first series win of the second half of the season after defeating the Giants 9-1 this afternoon.  The Mets had struggled, going 0-5-1 in their last six series before defeating the Giants this week.  The last series win for the Mets was July 5^th when they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the rubber game of that series. 

The Mets offense got off to a blistering start, resulting in a four-run first inning.   Jason Bay and Ronny Cedeno both had two-RBI hits; Bay a single and Cedeno a double. 

David Wright kept the pressure on, adding another run for the Mets in the second inning with an RBI single, giving the Mets a 5-0 lead.

Cedeno would add another RBI single in the 5^th inning and a two-RBI double in the 7^th inning to give him five RBI’s for the afternoon.  The five RBI’s tied a career high for Cedeno, who cleaned house against southpaws in the series, knocking in seven RBI’s in two games. 

Cedeno’s other five RBI game in his career came April 22, 2008 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Cedeno launched a grand slam in that game off Jorge Sosa. 

Daniel Murphy also had a strong performance at the plate, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. 

The Mets stacked Chris Young with a big lead and he delivered with his best performance of the season.  Young shut down the Giants offense, giving up only one run in seven innings.  The seven inning pitched matched a season high for Young, who only surrendered four hits and struck out for Giants.  It was a nice bounce back performance for Young, who struggled in his last start in Arizona, giving up six runs in four innings.  This was Young’s first win since June 28^th.

Next up for the Mets is a series with the San Diego Padres that will get underway Friday night at Petco Park at 10:05 P.M. ET.  R.A. Dickey (14-2, 2.83 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets against Clayton Richard (7-11, 4.14 ERA).  The Mets are expected to get some help in the form of Frank Francisco, who is supposed to return from the DL. 

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 Drop Second Game in San Francisco

Tuesday July 31^st, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 1 San Francisco Giants: 4

Mets Drop Second Game in San Francisco

After taking the first game of the series in San Francisco, the Mets dropped the second one 4-1.  The Mets were unable to give any support to Matt Harvey, who was making his second career major league start and suffered his first career loss.  Lack of defensive awareness and a lack of pop at the plate put the Mets behind the eight-ball.

Harvey threw another good game for the Mets, even though it resulted in a loss.  He shattered the Mets franchise record for strikeouts in his first two starts, racking up 19.  Harvey finished the game with six innings, four hits, three runs (two of which were earned), three walks and seven strikeouts.

Harvey put the blame on himself for the loss but was being unfair and tough on himself.  The defense just did not show up behind him tonight.  There were plays that resulted in errors and mental mistakes throughout the game.  Jordany Valdespin miss played a line drive in the second inning, allowing Buster Posey to get to first on a single.  The bases would eventually be loaded and Harvey would get the groundball for the double play but the defense again let him down.  Ruben Tejada misfired his throw to first, missing out on an opportunity to end the inning on a double play. 

The third run was surrendered in the sixth inning with the bases loaded when Harvey got Marco Scutaro to ground into a double play.  Harvey relied on his changeup more this time around than in his first start and the results would have been as good if not for spotty defense.

Harvey will make his next start in the finale of the road trip Sunday in San Diego against the Padres and Jason Marquis.

Outside of an RBI double by Justin Turner knocking in Scott Hairston in the second inning, the Mets offense was held in check by Tim Lincecum.  David Wright was given the night off for only the sixth time this season but appeared as a pinch hitter.

Wright came on with the bases loaded and was struck out by Lincecum on one of the best curveballs a pitcher can throw.  The strikeout ended really any chance the Mets had at a comeback. 

Lincecum finished the game with seven innings pitched, allowing six hits and one walk equaling one earned run while striking out seven.  This is Lincecum’s fifth win of the season and second against the Mets.

Next up for the Mets and Giants is the third game in the four game series.  The Mets will again have a hard time scoring runs as Jon Niese (7-5, 3.68 ERA) will be opposed by Giants starter and All-Star game starter Matt Cain (10-3, 2.80 ERA). 

Mets Split Series with Dbacks

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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).

Niese Unable to Handle the Desert Heat

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Mets vs. Diamondbacks Post Game Recap 7/27

The Mets were unable to build momentum after a great debut from Matt Harvey on Thursday the Mets lost 11-5 on Friday.

Jon Niese had one of the worst starts of his career giving up eight runs matching his career high. Niese went six innings allowing nine hits, one walk, eight runs six of which were earned due to a throwing error by Niese. The loss moves Niese to (7-5) for the season.

Elvin Ramirez also had a tough time in his one inning of work allowing four hits, and three earned runs in the 7th inning.

Ike Davis was able to go 1 for 4 while hitting his 17th homerun in the 2nd inning of Josh Collmenter.

David Wright was the big run producer for the Mets hitting a three-run shot in the 3rd inning for his 16th homerun of the season, and brings his RBI total to 70.

Leadoff hitter Ruben Tejada continued his good hitting this season going 2 for 5, and scoring a run.

The Mets will look to bounce back on Saturday as Chris Young (2-4, 3.91) will face Ian Kennedy (8-8, 4.20).

Mets Fall to Nationals Suffering Meltdown in Extras

Monday, July 23, 2012

Final Score: 10 innings, Washington Nationals: 8 New York Mets: 2

Mets Suffer Meltdown in Extras, Fall to Nationals

On a soggy night at Citi Field the Mets once again fought valiantly against the division leading Washington Nationals to once again suffer a meltdown in extra innings, losing 8-2.  The loss drops the Mets to a season-high two games under .500 and fading fast in the wild card and NL East division races.  The Mets have now trailed for 40 straight innings and are 1-10 since the All-Star break.

Tonight the culprit out of the Mets bullpen was Pedro Beato.  Beato inherited two runners of Tim Byrdak and subsequently surrendered the tie-breaking single to Bryce Harper with the bases loaded.  Ryan Zimmerman added on with a bases clearing double and Michael Morse launched a two-run homer to finish the scoring in a six run frame for the Nationals. 

The Mets should have been in much better shape, but Ruben Tejada dropped a throw from Byrdak on a tailor made double-play ball after Roger Bernadina led off the inning with a single.  Tejada was spiked on the play and was checked out by trainer Ray Ramirez but remained in the game.

Tonight’s performance was the most runs given up in an extra inning in Mets franchise history.  Five of the six runs were earned, giving the Mets back to back nights in which their bullpen gave up five or more runs in an extra inning.  The bullpen’s total ERA now sits at an appalling 5.16, easily the worst in the majors.

Chris Young was able to give the Mets a strong start even if the beginning was rocky.  Young surrendered a leadoff single to Steve Lombardozzi to start the first and then followed that up by serving up a two-run homerun to Bryce Harper.  Young would allow one more hit that inning then go on to retire 14 Nationals in a row. 

Young matched a season high throwing seven innings, giving the Mets the exact performance they need from their starters if they expect to have any change at the post season.  Young finished the game with a final line of seven innings pitched, three hits, two earned runs, three walks and seven strikeouts. 

The Mets were able to answer for Young, showing some power of their own with two solo homeruns by David Wright in the fourth inning and Ike Davis in the seventh inning.

Wright and Davis are tied for the team lead with 15 homeruns each.

Jordany Valdespin hit in front of Wright tonight and finished the night 0 for 4, but should expect to see lots of playing time in the coming games in the outfield.  He figures to get a good look against right handed pitching with Lucas Duda being rumored to be sent down to clear space for Matt Harvey.

Ruben Tejada was able to get back on track, getting three hits tonight in his four at-bats.  Daniel Murphy also stayed hot, getting two hits of his own in his four at bats.

Next up for the Mets and Nationals is a re-match of All-Stars from last week in D.C. between R.A. Dickey (13-1, 3.32 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (12-5, 3.32 ERA).  The Mets were able to get their only win of the second half in this match-up last week 9-5.

Mets Swept By Dodgers, Fall Under .500

Sunday July 22, 2012

Final Score: 12 Innings, Los Angeles Dodgers: 8 New York Mets: 3

Mets Swept by Dodgers, Fall Under .500

The Mets lost to the Dodgers Sunday afternoon 8-3, resulting in a sweep of the series.  For the first time all season, the Mets record falls under .500 with the loss as their record drops to 47-48.  The Mets now sit five games behind the Atlanta Braves for the wild card and 8.5 games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East division race.  The Mets have now lost eight of the nine games since the All-Star break and nine of ten overall.

Two other times this season, the Mets had been .500 entering a game and had been able to pull out a win, but not this afternoon.  The road ahead doesn’t get any easier for the Mets, as they finish the home stand against the Washington Nationals then head out west for a 10-game west coast trip with series against San Francisco, Arizona and San Diego.

Once again the Mets bullpen was tagged with the loss, something that is becoming too often of an outcome.  Ramon Ramirez imploded with two outs in the 12 inning, suffering the loss while surrendering five earned runs.  Ramirez surrendered three straight hits with the bases loaded to blow the game open.  The Mets bullpen had thrown four shutout innings prior to the meltdown, but once again was unable to hold the game.

The Mets have averaged five runs a game since the All-Star break, and looked like they were going to surpass that today. They were able to get 20 men on base today thanks to 16 hits and four walks but couldn’t make anything of them; the hitters just could not cash in.  The Mets stranded 14 runners on base, going 4 for 19 with runners in scoring position.  Multiple times the Mets had a chance to put this game away but were unable to come up with timely hits to knock in the go-ahead runs.  Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Lucas Duda and Josh Thole were the players to get the hits with runners in scoring position. 

It was another good outing for Jon Niese that was wasted and went for nothing.  Niese received the no-decision while tossing seven-plus innings surrendering only three earned runs.  He gave up eight hits, with the two big ones both coming in the sixth inning as Juan Rivera knocked his fifth homerun of the season over the wall and an Andre Ethier RBI single. 

Niese is taking full advantage of the injuries the Mets are suffering to their rotation by making the most of his chance at the number two spot.  Niese has allowed three or less earned runs in five of his past six outings and in his two starts since the break he has given up only four runs in 14 innings.

The Mets look to get back to .500 when they start a series against the first-place Washington Nationals at Citi Field Monday night.  Chris Young (2-4, 4.11 ERA) will attempt to stop the Mets losing streak against Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann (7-6 2.35 ERA). 

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 Comeback Falls Short, Losing Streak up to 6

Wednesday July 18, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 3 Washington Nationals: 4

Mets Comeback Falls Short, Losing Streak up to 6

Different day same result for the Mets.  They once again fell down early and mounted a comeback and once again the end was a loss.  The Mets fell to the Nationals tonight 4-3, dropping to only one game above .500 and upping their season high losing streak to six games.  The loss also puts the Mets a season high eight games behind division leading Washington.

Like last night with Jon Niese, the Mets gave starting pitcher Chris Young virtually no room for error. Young pitched great through give innings again, but served up a two-run homerun to Adam LaRoche in the bottom of the 6^th to break up a scoreless game.  That was the only blemish on Young’s stat line for the night, as he finished the game with six innings pitched, six hits, two earned runs, one walk and two strikeouts. 

The bullpen again was a disappointment for the Mets, giving up two runs in their two innings of work.  Saturday’s starter Miguel Batista gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning.  He gave up two two-out singles, the second of which hit him in the lower leg.  After being visited by the trainer and throwing a warm-up pitch, he served up a two-run double to Steve Lombardozzi and the Nationals were up 4-1.

The Mets did show resiliency in the 9^th inning, mounting a comeback attempt again against the Nationals closer Tyler Clippard.  David Wright and Jason Bay were able to hit solo homeruns, their 12^th and fifth respectively, in the inning to bring the score to 4-3.  Jordany Valdespin was brought in to pinch hit again against Clippard, but was unable to come through again tonight as Clippard struck him out to end the Mets comeback.

As noted before, Bay knocked his fifth homerun of the season out in the 9^th inning and had finished the game 2 for 4.  Bay also singled in the 5^th inning off Nationals starter Jordan Zimmermann, but was unable to come through in the 7^th inning with Lucas Duda in scoring position and the Mets down two runs grounding out to shortstop. 

The Mets look to avoid their second consecutive sweep to start the second half of the season Thursday afternoon as All-Star R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.66 ERA) takes the mound.  It will not be an easy task for the Mets, as they will face Nationals All-Star Gio Gonzalez (12-4, 2.93 ERA).

Reeling Mets Lose Fifth Straight

Tuesday, July 17^th 2012

Final Score: 10 innings New York Mets: 4 Washington Nationals: 5

Reeling Mets Loss 5^th Straight

The Mets were resilient again tonight, but the end result was not a positive one as they fell to the Washington Nationals 5-4 in 10 innings.  It is starting to become sort of a broken record for the Mets, as once again the bullpen struggled and lost the game for the Mets.  The loss tonight drops the Mets to 46-44, seven games behind Washington in the NL East and 3.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves.  This is also the longest losing streak, five games, for the Mets this season. 

The Mets offense was shut down for 8 innings tonight, as Nationals starter Ross Detwiler and reliever Sean Burnett combined to give up only six base runners and strike out five Mets heading into the 9^th inning.  The Mets looked dead but thanks to Jordany Valdespin were able to take a 3-2 lead.  It was Valdespin’s 5^th homerun of the season and 3rd pinch hit homerun. 

Bobby Parnell came into the game trying to nail down the save in the bottom of the 9^th but was unable to hold the lead.  It was the second consecutive blown save for Parnell, who also blew the save Saturday in Atlanta. 

Josh Thole was able to put the Mets back into the lead in the 10^th inning with an RBI single knocking in Daniel Murphy who had an infield single to start the inning, but the lead was short lived.  Tim Byrdak came in the bottom of the 10^th and promptly gave the lead back to the Nationals, eventually loading the bases.  Pedro Beato relieved him and threw a wild pitch, scoring Ryan Zimmerman with the go-ahead run.

Bryce Harper hit a rocket to right field to tie the game, but was thrown out on a force at home plate after Byrdak intentionally walked the bases loaded.

This was yet another meltdown for the Mets bullpen, which surrendered runs in three consecutive innings, unable to hold the lead twice.

Not to be forgotten in what will be a tough loss to swallow is the performance of Jon Niese.  Niese gave up only one run, a 5^th inning solo homerun to National rookie Tyler Moore.  Niese had retired 12 batters in a row before the homerun.  He finished with a final line of seven innings pitched, three hits, one earned run, no walks and eight strike outs.

Jason Bay made his return from the disabled list and picked up right where he left off, going 0 for 3 and being lifted for Valdespin in the 9^th inning. 

David Wright struggled it seemed with picking up the ball in Atlanta, but was back to hitting the ball hard in Washington tonight.  Wright finished 2 for 5, including a double.  Even Wright’s outs were hard hits; the rough weekend in Atlanta seems to have been a blip on the radar. 

Chris Young (2-3, 4.28 ERA) will take the mound and try to end the Mets losing streak against the Nationals’ Jordan Zimmermann (6-6 2.48 ERA).

Mets Lose Back and Forth Game as Bullpen Falters Again

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 7 Atlanta Braves: 8

Bullpen Loses Back and Forth Game For Mets

The Mets lost their second game after the All-Star break and third overall in heartbreaking fashion to the Atlanta Braves 8-7 Saturday afternoon.  The Mets were resilient, falling behind early but mounting a comeback.  The comeback went for naught though, as the bullpen again fell apart and was unable to hold the lead.

The bullpen was put in such a situation because of an off-day from starting pitcher R.A. Dickey.  Dickey finished the game giving up eight hits and two walks that resulted in five earned runs.  He struck out four Braves as well. The wheels fell off for Dickey because of a reversed call in the 5^th inning.

Left Fielder Jordany Valdespin made a play initially ruled as a catch in the 5^th inning.  The play resulted as a double play at first, but after huddling together the umpires decided that the ball had actually been trapped by Valdespin.  The umpires placed Martin Prado on second base, not wanting to penalize him for correctly seeing the ball drop and Jason Heyward was awarded first.

Mets manager Terry Collins was ejected after arguing the play.  Dickey would retire the next batter Chipper Jones, enabling the runners to each move up a base.  Dickey was not as fortunate with the next batter, as Freddie Freeman knocked in a two-run double to give the Braves a 5-3 lead.

Dickey was bailed out by the Mets offense, as they actually got him in position to win before the bullpen imploded again at the end.

Josh Edgin was impressive in his second major league appearance, striking out the side around one walk.  Edgin has struck out five of the six lefty batters he has faced, looking to earn a permanent spot in the Mets bullpen.

Bobby Parnell was brought on to make a five-out save and was unable to do so.  Parnell came in with two runners on and let them score while giving up another earned run of his own.  Parnell allowed back-to-back-to-back RBI singles to Michael Bourn, Martin Prado and Jason Heyward to give the Braves an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the 8^th inning. 

Ike Davis had another strong day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double and his 13^th homerun of the season.  Jordany Valdespin continued his great play since being called back up, going 2 for 5 with an RBI.  Ruben Tejada also had a strong day, going 2 for 5 with two RBI’s.

David Wright struggled from the plate, seeming to not be able to pick up on the ball coming out of the Braves pitchers hands.  Wright suffered the golden sombrero, going 0 for 5 with four strikeouts on the afternoon.

The Mets will look to avoid the sweep Sunday afternoon against the Braves as Johan Santana (6-5, 3.24 ERA) will take the mound against Ben Sheets, who will be making his first start of the season and first appearance in the majors in two seasons for the Braves.