Mets Take Series Opener Behind Davis and Dickey

Friday, August 31^st 2012

Final Score: New York Mets: 3 Miami Marlins: 0

Ike Davis and R.A. Dickey Power Mets to Victory

The good play of the Mets continued Friday night in their series opener against the Miami Marlins, as they took the opener 3-0.  Not much offense was provided by the Mets in the game tonight, but it was not needed as R.A. Dickey dominated the Marlins for his third shutout of the season.

The great performance by Dickey tonight gives him 17 on the season, tying him for the major league lead with Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto and Washington Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez, who also got his 17^th win tonight.

Dickey threw a complete game shutout tonight, giving him five complete games on the season; that is the most complete games in a season for a Mets pitcher since Dwight Gooden in 1993. 

                                                                                                                       

Dickey was helped out by a move made pre-game by manager Terry Collins, as he inserted Florida native Andres Torres into the starting lineup in centerfield for the game.  Collins cited the spacious outfield at Marlins Park for the move, and it paid off as Torres made a good play with a runner on first and no outs in the eighth inning as the Mets were trying to preserve the shutout and win for Dickey.

On the night, Dickey gave up five hits and three walks to go along with seven strikeouts.  Dickey improved his season totals to a 17-4 record with a 2.63 ERA.

Ike Davis provided all of the offensive fire power at the plate tonight for the Mets, accounting for all three of the RBI’s.  Davis got the Mets on the board in the 4^th inning, hitting a sacrifice fly that scored Ruben Tejada.  Tejada deserves as much credit as Davis for getting the run across the plate, as his aggressive and smart base running put him in position to score on something other than a base hit.

Davis would add the finishing touches in the 7^th inning, launching his 18^th road homerun of the season and 25^th overall on the season.  Davis planted the homerun in the upper-deck in right field.  His 18 road homers are the most in the National League and the 25 are just adding to his career high. 

Jose Reyes went hitless in the game tonight, something that Met fans will undoubtedly take pleasure in as there are still some hostile feelings towards Reyes after he left this past off-season. 

For all of the futility the Mets have faced recently, they have actually been pretty successful on the road.  They have accrued a 73-70 record on the road under Collins, something that should be built off of.  If the Mets can continue to play at or above .500 on the road and excel at home, success should follow soon after.

Next up for the Mets and Marlins is a Saturday night game at 7:10 P.M. ET.  Jeremy Hefner (2-5, 4.65 ERA) will take the mound against Josh Johnson (7-11, 4.00 ERA).

Ike Davis Blasts Mets to Win

Sunday, August 26^th 2012

Final Score: Houston Astros: 1 New York Mets: 2

Ike Davis Blasts Mets to Walk-Off Win

It was not a successful home stand by any means for the Mets, but they were able to end it on a high note winning 2-1 Sunday afternoon.  The win makes it two in a row for the Mets, who won only their second series since the All-Star break. 

Ike Davis supplied all the offense for the Mets today, launching two solo homeruns in the course of the game.  In the fourth inning, Davis hit is first homer to right field to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Davis hit a walk off with another shot to right field.  Davis now has 24 homeruns and 70 RBI’s on the season, which offsets his woeful .223 batting average, .293 on-base percentage and .447 slugging percentage.  Davis may be underwhelming with the batting average and on-base percentage this season, but has more than respectable power given where he plays home games.  He will be a key part of the Mets future as they will need people to mash the ball and Davis is a good fielder.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner should not be overlooked.  He had a strong performance, coming within three outs of a complete game shut out.  He was hurt by a dropped ball in leftfield by Lucas Duda, but nonetheless had a good performance. 

Hefner dominated the Astros through eight innings, giving up only three hits and striking out seven over that span.  During that same stretch, the Astros were only able to get one runner even into scoring position. 

Hefner’s final line was 8+ innings, five hits, one earned run, one walk and seven strikeouts. 

As mentioned, Duda made his return to the major league club and played a big role in his first game back.  He gave up a run unable to make a catch in the 9^th inning, but did not let that get to him as he saved the Mets later in the inning by throwing out Marwin Gonzalez at the plate and preserving the 1-1 tie. 

At the plate, Duda went 0 for 2 with a walk, making his first appearance in the majors since being sent down July 24^th. 

After being demoted earlier in the day, Jordany Valdespin may never actually make it to Buffalo.  He was sent down to get some work at his natural position of second base, but there is now a need at second with Daniel Murphy suffering an injury.

Murphy left the game in the top of the ninth inning after being visited by a trainer during his at-bat in the bottom of the eighth.  Murphy was able to finish his at-bat, but was replaced in the field by Ronny Cedeno. 

The Mets will be back on the road for a nine-game road trip starting Tuesday night in Philadelphia against the Phillies.  Chris Young (3-7, 4.33 ERA) will be opposed by Vance Worley (6-9, 4.06 ERA).  The Phillies enter the series two games ahead of the Mets for third place in the NL East.  

Bullpen Losses Yet Another Game for Mets

Wednesday, August 22 2012

Final Score: Colorado Rockies: 5 New York Mets: 2

Bullpen Losses yet another Game for Mets

Things are hitting new lows every night in Queens for the Mets.  After another disappointing loss to the Rockies 5-2 Wednesday night, the Mets now see their losing streak at four games.  They have lost 13 of their last 15 games at Citi Field and have an abysmal 11-27 record since the All-Star break.  They have also lost seven straight games to the Rockies at home.  The Mets record now sits 10 games under .500, the worst it has been in three years. 

It was yet another strong effort from a starting pitcher tonight for the Mets that was wasted by a poor showing at the plate and a poor performance from the bullpen.  This is becoming almost a nightly thing, making watching the game almost obsolete as the end result is almost always the same.

Tonight the starting pitcher to be let down was Matt Harvey.  Harvey received a no-decision in the game, being lifted after six innings with his pitch count at 102.  Harvey was dominant against the Rockies, carrying a no-hitter into the 4^th inning before Jonathan Herrera led off the frame with an opposite field single.  It was one of only three hits that Harvey would surrender on the night.

Harvey would also walk two batters and give up only one earned run, as Herrera scored in the 4^th inning off a Wilin Rosario sac fly.  Harvey almost single handedly made up for the base runners he surrendered going 2 for 2 at the plate with two singles, giving him a .455 batting average in the major leagues.

Harvey also struck out nine Rockies Wednesday night, giving him 43 in his first six major league appearances.  That is enough to become the Mets franchise leader through six appearances, giving him one more than Nolan Ryan had in his first six Mets appearances, even though one was out of the bullpen.

Harvey ended the night with six innings pitched, three hits and two walks resulting in one earned run and nine strikeouts.

Immediately after going to the bullpen, the tie game was broken open as Ramon Ramirez gave up a homerun to Rosario to start the 7^th inning and would see Tyler Colvin score on a D.J. Mathieu suicide squeeze.

The Rockies would later capitalize on a Kelly Shoppach throwing error in the ninth inning and plate two more insurance runs off Frank Francisco, who saw his ERA rise to 6.42.  The Mets were able to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but Ronny Cedeno flew out to end the game.

Scott Hairston’s first inning sac fly and Ike Davis’ eight-inning RBI single accounted for all of the Mets offense.  Jason Bay was heavily booed after going 0 for 3, dropping his average to .148.  With the tying runs on base in the 8^th inning, Bay was lifted for pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin, who struck out to end the inning.

The Mets look to salvage the last game of the four game series Thursday afternoon as Collin McHugh will make his major league debut in place of Johan Santana against Tyler Chatwood (3-3, 5.46 ERA).

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.  

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).

Mets Beat Giants in Extras

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Mets vs Giants Post Game Recap 7/30

The Mets were able to pick up the first game of the series in San Fran beating the Giants in extra innings by a score of 8-7.

Starter Jeremy Hefner had a tough night on mound for the Mets while picking up the no decision. Hefner went 5.2 innings allowing ten hits, three walks, four runs, and had five strikeouts.

Bobby Parnell was unable to close the game for the Mets despite the blown save going to Josh Edgin who later got his first win of the season. Parnell was only able to get one out while allowing two hits, one run, and then was pulled by Terry Collins.

Manny Acosta would pick up the save in extra innings for his 1^st of the season, but made it very interesting allowing one hit, two walks, and one run.

Offensively for the Mets it was the Scott Hairston show, as Hairston went 2 for 5 with the game tying two-run homerun in the 8^th inning, and then the go ahead solo homerun in the 10^th giving him 14 now for the season.

Ike Davis had another rough night at the plate going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts getting himself a golden sombrero.

Justin Turner was able to rekindle some of last years clutch magic with a pinch hit double in the 8^th inning scoring Jason Bay.

Mets will look to make it three straight wins as Matt Harvey will be making his second start in the majors against Tim Lincecum (4-11, 5.88).

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).

Mets Lose Despite Monster Day from Davis

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Mets vs. Diamondbacks Post Game Recap 7/28

The New York Mets lost their second straight game in the series with the Diamondbacks losing on Saturday by a score of 6-3.

For the second straight game the Mets didn’t get what they needed from the starting pitcher, as Chris Young like Niese the day before struggled against the Diamondbacks. Young went only four innings while allowing all six runs on seven hits, and two walks.

One bright spot for the Mets in the loss was that the bullpen did pitch great in their four innings. Ramon Ramirez, Manny Acosta, and Josh Edgin combined to pitch the final four scoreless innings after the short start from Young only allowing one hit as well.

The Mets offense was carried by Ike Davis who hit three solo homeruns in the game giving him 20 now for the season. The homeruns for Davis came in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th innings all off Ian Kennedy, and two of the homeruns by Davis in the 2nd and 4th innings went over 430ft to center field.

The only other Met to do much at the plate was Ruben Tejada who went 2 for 4 with a walk, and is batting .319 no for the season.

The Mets as a team had a tough time making contact in general striking out 15 times against Diamondbacks pitchers in the game.

R.A Dickey (13-3, 2.97) will face Joe Saunders (5-6, 3.51) as the Mets look to split the four game series with the Diamondbacks.

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 Lose 6th Straight

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Mets vs Nationals Post Game Recap 7/25

The New York Mets were unable to beat on the majors best pitchers in Stephen Strasburg losing to the Nationals by a score of 5-2 making it a 6 game losing streak now.

The Mets got a good start from Jeremy Hefner but unfortunately he was out dueled by Strasburg and picked up his 4^th loss of the season. Hefner went a solid six innings allowing six hits, two walks, three runs only two of which were earned, and had a career high seven strikeouts.

Tim Byrdak had a tough afternoon allowing a monster two-run homerun to Adam LaRoche scoring Bryce Harper in the 7^th inning, and put the dagger into the Mets making it a 4 run game late.

Stephen Strasburg was fantastic in picking up his 11^th win of the season. Strasburg shut down the entire Mets offense only allowing one run on four hits, and had eleven strikeouts.

Ike Davis was the only Met to do much damage off Strasburg, as Davis was able to his 16^th homerun of the season in the 2^nd inning.

The Mets will be heading out west for a 11 game road trip, and will be sending top prospect Matt Harvey for his first career major league start against the Dbacks All-Star Wade Miley (11-5, 3.02).

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 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 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.  

Mets Bounce Back Against Cubs Behind Gee

Final Score: Chicago Cubs: 1 New York Mets: 3

The Mets were able to build off of their momentum in the 9^th inning last night and translate that effort into a hard fought 3-1 victory this afternoon over the Cubs.

Dillon Gee pitched outstanding for the Mets this afternoon, tying his career high outing going eight innings.  The last time Gee went eight innings was against the Pittsburgh Pirates June 10th, 2011.

Gee took a scoreless outing into the sixth inning, where he surrendered his only run on a single by David DeJesus.  Gee’s stat line for the game was eight innings pitched, seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts.  Gee will get a lengthy rest, as he is not scheduled to start again until either July 15^th or July 17^th because of the All-Star game.

Gee’s effort did not go to waste as he was backed up by long balls from the Mets offense.

Jordany Valdespin knocked a homerun into right centerfield, almost the exact same spot as his homerun in Friday night’s game.   Valdespin has shown some power with the Mets this season, as he now has four homeruns in only 67 at bats and producing 14 RBI’s.  Since being called backup, his approach at the plate has also looked much better, as he is now earning more playing time and at-bats.

The other runs for the Mets were courtesy of a two-run homerun off the bat of Ike Davis.  It was Davis’s 12^th homerun of the season, tying him with Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston for the team lead. 

Every Met in the lineup today was able to get a hit except catcher Josh Thole and Gee.  

The Mets also made some history today, starting an all homegrown lineup for the 4^th time in franchise history and the second time this season.  The first two occurrences were in a September series in 1971 against Pittsburgh, and the one this season came with the same starting lineup, just with Jon Niese pitching on April 26^th. 

Next up for the Mets is the last game before the All-Star break against the Cubs.  Jon Niese (7-3 3.35 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets as they look to end the first half on a strong note against Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster (3-3 2.11 ERA) who is making his return off the disabled list.  With a win tomorrow afternoon, the Mets can get a season-high eight games over .500.

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 6-27

Final Score: New York Mets: 17 Chicago Cubs: 1

Looking to avoid getting swept in Chicago for the first time since 2004, the Mets finally woke up delivering a 17-1 beat down of the Cubs in the series finale.

The Mets offense was clicking for what seems the first time in forever, delivering 17 runs and plenty of season highs as a team and personal bests for players.

Daniel Murphy ended his homer-less streak at 273 at-bats this season with a grand total of 352 at-bats dating back to last season.  Murphy enjoyed it so much the first time, he launched another homerun in his very next at-bat, giving him his first career multi-homerun game.

Scott Hairston added a homerun of his own, his 10^th of the season, launching a grand slam in the 6^th inning.  Hairston ended the game 2-5 with four RBI’s.

Ike Davis also hit a homerun for the Mets, also his 10^th of the season.  Davis finished the game 3-5 with four RBI and three runs.  The 3-5 effort put forth by Davis today got his batting average at .201, the first time he is over the Mendoza line this season.  After such a slow start to the season, Davis is finally starting to turn it around.  Davis delivering at the plate will only make the Mets that much more dangerous.

David Wright was the other Met to knock in runs in this afternoon’s game.  Wright went 2-3, knocking in five RBI’s and scoring two runs.  Wright gave the Mets four players with 4+ RBI’s, tying an MLB record.

Not to get lost in the shuffle is the performance of starting pitcher Jon Niese.  Niese got a ton of run support and was able to shut down the Cubs in response.  Niese gave up one run scattering eight hits and one walk across seven innings while striking out six players. 

Next up for the Mets is a trip out west to visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for a four game series.  Chris Young (1-1 3.42 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets in the opener against ex-Met Chris Capuano (9-2 2.60 ERA) at 10:10 P.M. ET on Thursday. 

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs Post Game Recap 6-26

Final Score: New York Mets: 3 Chicago Cubs: 5

Another lackluster performance for the Mets leads to another loss to the lowly Chicago Cubs.  The Mets had a few mental mistakes that led to costly errors and sloppy play.

Dillon Gee’s career high streak of seven straight quality starts was snapped as he labored through five innings giving up four earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six. 

The tiebreaking hit was given up by Gee in the 4^th inning off the bat of top prospect and recently called up Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.  Rizzo ripped a double to centerfield, knocking in his first RBI as a Cub. He would end the night 2-4.

The Cubs were able to add another run in the 8^th inning off a Reuben Tejada throwing error.  That error occurred because of a missed call by first base umpire Manny Gonzalez, who called Cubs catcher Steve Clevenger safe even after Ike Davis tagged him before reaching base.  Davis was subsequently thrown out of the game for placing his glove on Gonzalez.

In addition to Gee losing his consecutive quality starts streak, David Wright’s hitting streak ended at 15.  Wright ended the game 0-3, but was able to produce an RBI with a sac fly in the 4^th inning and drew a walk to lead off the 9^th. 

The Mets once again were able to do damage with two outs.  With an MLB leading 161 two-out runs entering the game, the Mets added to that total in the 2^nd inning thanks to four straight hits including RBI singles by catcher Josh Thole and Gee. 

The Mets were unable to keep up the offense, as they ended the game on an 0-13 streak with runners on base, one of the many problems the Mets encountered tonight.  After knocking out Cubs starting pitcher Randy Wells after three innings, the Mets were unable to capitalize off the Cubs bullpen, as they combined to pitch six shutout innings, allowing only four base runners total; two hits and two walks.

The Mets look to avoid getting swept at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2004 in a Wednesday matinee.  Jon Niese (5-3 3.75 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets and will be opposed by Cubs starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija (5-6, 4.34 ERA). 

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.

Yankees vs Mets Post Game Recap 6/22

Yankees vs. Mets Post Game Recap 6/22

Yankees fell to the Mets 6-4 in the first game of the series at Citi Field as a rough 1st inning for Andy Pettitte put the Yankees in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of as the Bronx Bombers are now on a 3 game losing streak.

Andy Pettitte's first start as a 40 year old didn’t treat him well, as he got rocked in the 1st inning giving up five runs on five hits and two walks in the 1st inning with Ike Davis providing the big blow with a 3-run shot that hit off a leaping Nick Swisher's glove helping it over the wall. Andy was able to settle down afterwards only giving up two hits in the next five innings.

Cory Wade's struggles continue as he gave up two hits and one earned run in 7th inning as that is now three straight appearances allowing a run.

Yankees offense took a while to score but Alex Rodriguez was able to hit a solo homerun, his 12th of the season in the 6th inning for the Yankees first run of the game.

Andruw Jones followed in the 7th inning hitting a solo homerun of his own his, 7th of the season, and tied Mets great Mike Pizza for 43rd on the all time homerun list. Jones also showed off some of his old fielding abilities making a diving catch in the bottom half of the 7th robbing Scott Hairston of a hit and making the throw to 2nd base to double off David Wright.

Robinson Cano was able to get the Yankees closer in the 8th inning with a monstrous two run homerun into right field scoring Mark Teixeira for his 15th of the season.

Yankees and Mets will play the second game of the series Saturday night as Ivan Nova (9-2, 4.32) will face Chris Young (1-1, 3.06).