New York Mets news and notes from the weekend

Terry Collins said there is currently no timetable for Shaun Marcum to pitch again. He was diagnosed with nerve inflammation in his neck at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. He received trigger point injections in his neck, he will return to Port St. Lucie and rest for 48 hours. He is on the 15 day disabled list with biceps tendonitis. 
The Mets hit five homeruns in their first three games of the season which is the most since 2006. They did not hit their fifth homerun last year until the seventh game.

The Mets optioned Jeurys Familia to AAA-Las Vegas and that they have moved Johan Santana to the 60 day disabled list. The Mets will make a corresponding move on Sunday.

David Wright played his 60^th straight game without an error extending his own franchise record. John Buck has been hitting really well so far this season and that continued on Saturday.

The Mets will go for the series win on Sunday against the Marlins and try to win their first two series of the season.

The Mets starting pitching has been great so far this season but their bullpen has struggled. Their offense is hitting a lot of homeruns which it really hasn’t done in recent seasons.

Terry Collins is still planning on mixing and matching in the outfield. A lot of fans want to see Colin Cowgill playing everyday at least for now. We will have to see if Collins will change his mind, I don’t think he is going too.

New York Mets Saturday notes

Johan Santana did not participate in the teams workouts today at Tradition Field according to several reports on twitter through Mets beat writers. It is considered a minor issue which could slow his work down this spring. It is becoming more and more apparent though that he won’t be ready to go for the start of the season. 
Terry Collins told reporters that Santana needs extra treatment for his arm and is day-to-day. He has no discomfort but is still lacking strength and they are going to remain conservative with his preparation. Collins would not commit to Santana making his scheduled start this Thursday. He also noted it is possible Santana can start the season on the DL to give him an extra week to prepare.

Collins said he is hopeful that both Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Daniel Murphy can play be the end of the week. Nieuwenhuis left the game last week after bruising his knee and has not played since, he is 1-18 this spring and Murphy has not even played in a grapefruit league game yet after straining his intercostal muscle in mid February.

Zach Wheeler will pitch in a simulated game tomorrow in Port St. Lucie. He has not pitched since February 23^rd after straining his oblique last week taking batting practice. The Mets defeated the Astros 9-6 on Saturday and will take on the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon in Jupiter, Florida. Jeremy Hefner allowed one hit in three innings, Bobby Parnell pitched for the second day in a row and allowed an unearned run. Matt den Dekker went 0-3 but he did make a nice sliding catch in the outfield. Lucas Duda had three hits and two RBI and the Mets were 5-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Mets announced they reassigned three guys to minor league camp. Cory Mazzoni, Rafael Montero and Juan Centeno. Frank Francisco will throw his first bullpen session on Sunday. He is expected to start the season on the DL and Parnell will most likely be the closer in that case.

New York Mets notes from spring training

Daniel Murphy received a cortisone injection in New York on Tuesday. He is listed as day-to-day. I guess we can say that we are all that. He was sent for evaluation on Tuesday after pulling his intercostal muscle. Sandy Alderson the GM said he expects him to miss about a week. 
Johan Santana threw a bullpen today. Zach Wheeler threw live batting practice to Justin Turner, John Buck, Ruben Tejada and Marlon Byrd. The reports continue to be that he is very impressive. It looks like the Mets really have something with him and Matt Harvey, they just got to keep them healthy and the future is bright.

Terry Collins told reporters he intends to bat Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the leadoff spot in the teams grapefruit league opener on Saturday. Collins said he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do from the leadoff spot first. He hit 264 in 133 plate appearances last year from the leadoff spot. He had seven doubles, one triple, five homeruns and 15 RBI with six walks and 39 strikeouts.

Jenrry Mejia age and identity have been confirmed and he will be arriving in camp in the next couple of days. He had a visa issue in the Dominican republic. Alderson said this was routine and he reported to the team’s Dominican facility for workouts.

The Mets announced they have signed right handed pitcher Andy Wells and outfielder James Roche to minor league contracts. Wells will report to minor league camp and Roche to extended spring training. Wells played with the York Revolution in the Atlantic league last season and Roche played with the Newark Bears last season.

New York Mets Spring Training Notes-Monday

Adam Rubin of ESPN reported today that the Mets are going to shop Justin Turner. He did say though that nothing is definite. He could still end up on the team for opening day. They want to create more roster flexibility for their non-roster relief pitchers in camp. 
Terry Collins said today that he will be going to team executives about naming David Wright captain. I think they might as well do it officially but he is already that even if they don’t say it. He is the face of the franchise he is the guy that has been with them and he is the guy that will continue to be with them.

The Mets announced their pitching schedules for the first three grapefruit league games. They open up at Saturday at 12:10PM against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie. Shaun Marcum will start followed by Zach Wheeler, Cory Mazzoni, Darin Gorski, Jeurys Familia and Bobby Parnell.

Sunday at 12:10PM against the University of Michigan in Port St. Lucie Jon Niese will start. He will be followed by Dillon Gee, Brandon Lyon, Hansel Robles, Rafael Montero and Carlos Torres.

Sunday at 1:05PM against the Astros in Kissimmee Matt Harvey will start followed by Jeremy Hefner, Aaron Laffey, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Atchison and Josh Edgin.

Next Monday against the Nationals in Port St. Lucie Collin McHugh will start followed by Gonzalez German, Elvin Ramirez, Greg Burke, LaTroy Hawkins, Robert Carson and Scott Rice.

The Mets have officially denied Johan Santana’s request to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. Sandy Alderson the GM announced that today. He said we know he wants to play but under the circumstances it isn’t in his or their best interest. He will make his first start on March 2^nd Terry Collins said yesterday.

Mets Saturday spring training notes

The Mets have John Buck and Travis D’arnaud working together this spring. They are really together though as in hitting drills, catching drills and even signing autographs together. Their lockers are right next to each other and Buck is really mentoring D’arnaud. It is good to see a veteran helping a young guy, I am sure at some point this season they will be on the big league roster together and it will be fascinating to watch how they interact. 
Wally Backman wants to manage in the big leagues but he states he isn’t after Terry Collins job. He did admit it is a tough spot for both of them though. Collins is a lame duck manager this year, if he gets off to a bad start and Backman is doing well in AAA that could be very awkward. Backman has a career 601-564 record in his ten year minor league career.

Jenrry Mejia is being considered as a starting pitcher right now according to Collins. Collins didn’t know whether he could come up before Zach Wheeler if the Mets need an arm, he said a lot of that could depend on how they look this spring.

Collins wants Johan Santana to skip the WBC if it isn’t going to help him get ready for the season. He said he told him if he feels it will help him then he should go ahead and do it. We will find out soon what Santana is going to do.

New York Mets as their spring camp opens

Frank Francisco their closer still has an inflamed elbow and will not be throwing as of yet. Bobby Parnell will be the closer for now. I would expect that to stay that way, why not if you are rebuilding you have to go with the young guy and give him a full chance. 
Terry Collins discussed the outfield today. He told Mike Francessa on WFAN that Lucas Duda will be the left fielder every day. He said the other two outfield positions are up for grabs. Jordany Valdespin is a candidate. Collins said he mostly played outfield in winter ball and he gives the team a lot of options. He also said Justin Turner and Zach Lutz will see time in the outfield this spring. Collins thinks Lutz and Andrew Brown are legitimate candidates for a bench spot but he believes Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Collin Cowgill have the best ability to cover ground in the outfield.

Collins said he heard a lot in the minor leagues about all I want is a chance. He said he is telling these guys now well guess what you got your chance. He said there are a lot of jobs to be taken and the young guys have a real chance to step up and make a name for themselves.

The Mets pitching staff is pretty good. They have Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Matt Harvey and Shaun Marcum. They have added some veterans to the bullpen like LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon. Parnell will be the closer to start, Josh Edgin looked pretty good last year. They have no real outfielders right now though and catcher is a problem although they have John Buck and Travis D’arnaud will be with the team sooner then later.

New York Mets notes

The Mets defeated the Nationals 2-0 on Saturday night.  They are basically playing out the string once again.  Here are some notes from the Mets. 

Jenrry Mejia could join the rotation in September according to manager Terry Collins.  He is 4-2 with a 3.01 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 27 appearances and 11 starts.  He has thrown 74 2/3 innings so far this season. 

Johan Santana is scheduled to pitch on Thursday right now.  Terry Collins stated though that he is meeting with GM Sandy Alderson on Monday and they will make a decision then.  They could still shut him down for the remainder of the season.  He has been terrible ever since the no hitter in June. 

The Mets have the young pitching and that is something to look forward to going forward.  Matt Harvey and R.A. Dickey are reasons to watch the team and of course David Wright who the Mets have to resign.  He is a homegrown Met and I think just about everyone wants him back.  The ownership has to show the fan base something and resigning him would be a good step.  They have to get better parts around him also but locking him up first should be the priority. 

The Mets lose 6-4 to the Nationals

The New York Mets were defeated by the Washington Nationals by the score of 6-4 on Friday night. The game took place at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. Johan Santana started and didn’t pitch very well, the bullpen was good. Scott Hairston led the Mets offense. Ross Detwiler started for the Nationals and was good, their bullpen was a little shaky but got the job done. Bryce Harper led the Nationals offense.  Santana pitched five innings giving up seven hits and six runs. He struck out four and lost his ninth game of the season. Manny Acosta pitched two innings giving up a hit and two walks and Ramon Ramirez pitched an inning striking out one. Detwiler won his seventh game of the season pitching six innings giving up six hits and three runs with a walk and a strikeout. Stammen pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with two strikeouts, Drew Storen pitched an inning giving up a hit and Tyler Clippard saved his 26^th game of the season. Clippard pitched an inning walking two and striking out two.
Ruben Tejada had a hit, David Wright had two hits and Hairston had three hits. Daniel Murphy had a hit and two RBI, Ronny Cedeno had an RBI and drew two walks and Kelly Shoppach had a hit and an RBI. Hairston hit three doubles and Tejada hit a double. Shoppach hit a homerun and the Mets were 1-8 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
Jayson Werth had two hits, Harper had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk and Ryan Zimmerman had two hits. Michael Morse had a hit and four RBI, Daniel Espinosa had a walk and Roger Bernadina had a hit. Morse and Harper each hit a homerun. The Nationals were 2-3 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base. Bernadina was caught stealing .
In the first Murphy hit a two run single giving the Mets a 2-0 lead. In the fourth Morse hit a grand slam to give the Nationals a 4-2 lead. Harper hit a two run homerun in the fifth to give the Nationals a 6-2 lead. Cedeno grounded out and a run scored in the sixth making it a 6-3 game. Shoppach hit a solo homerun in the seventh inning and made it a 6-4 game. 6-4 would be the final score of the game.
The Mets record dropped to 56-63 and the Nationals record improved to 74-45. The two teams will play game two of a three game series on Saturday night.

The Mets get blown out as Johan Santana returns but pitches poorly

The New York Mets were defeated by the Atlanta Braves by the score of 9-3 on Saturday night. The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched poorly. The Mets bullpen pitched well and Ruben Tejada and Andres Torres led the Mets offense. Kris Medlen started for the Braves and pitched well. The Braves offense was led by Freddie Freeman.  Santana pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and eight runs, he walked one and struck out two. Santana lost his eighth game of the season. Jeremy Hefner pitched 3 2/3 innings giving up four hits and a run, Manny Acosta pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts and Jon Rauch pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Frank Francisco pitched an inning giving up a hit and a walk and striking out the side. Medlen earned his third win of the season pitching 6 1/3 innings giving up five hits and a run with a walk and seven strikeouts. Luis Avilan pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and two runs with a walk and two strikeouts and Cory Gearrin pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up two hits and striking out two.
Ruben Tejada had two hits and an RBI, David Wright had a hit and an RBI and Ike Davis had a hit and drew a walk. Scott Hairston had a hit, Mike Baxter had a hit and Torres had two hits and an RBI. Ronny Cedeno drew a walk, Tejada hit a double and Torres a triple. The Mets were 2-5 with runners in scoring position and left five men on base.
Michael Bourn had three hits and an RBI, Reed Johnson had two hits and Jason Heyward had two hits and an RBI. Chipper Jones had a hit and an RBI, Freeman had two hits and five RBI and Dan Uggla had a hit an drew a walk. Janish had a hit, Medlen had a hit and an RBI. Freeman and Johnson each hit a double. Freeman also hit a homerun. The Braves were 6-13 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.
In the first Freeman hit a two run double to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Braves broke the game open in the second with seven runs to make it 9-0. Medlen, Bourn and Heyward had RBI singles. Jones had an RBI single and Freeman hit a three run homerun. The Mets scored a run in the bottom of the inning on a Torres RBI single to make it a 9-1 game. In the eighth the Mets scored two runs to make it 9-3 and that would be the final score. Tejada hit an RBI double and Wright an RBI single.
The Mets record dropped to 54-60 and the Braves improved their record to 66-47. The Mets will try and avoid the three game sweep on Sunday night.

The Mets fight back but lose to the Dodgers on a damp dreary night

The New York Mets were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 7-6 on Friday night. The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Johan Santana started for the Mets and was awful. He hasn’t been the same since throwing his no hitter. The Mets bullpen pitched well and Jordany Valdespin had a good game coming off the bench. Aaron Harang pitched pretty well for the Dodgers and their bullpen wasn’t great in the middle but it was at the end. Matt Kemp as usual led their offense. 
Santana saw his record drop to 6-7 as he pitched three innings giving up seven hits and six runs. He walked three and struck out three. Pedro Beato pitched two perfect innings with a strikeout, Ramon Ramirez pitched two innings giving up two hits and a run with a walk and three strikeouts and Tim Byrdak pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Jon Rauch pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out two. Harang earned his seventh win of the season. He pitched five innings giving up four hits and three runs with one of them being earned. He walked three and struck out five, Josh Lindblom pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks. He struck out one, Shawn Tolleson pitched an inning giving up two hits and two runs with a strikeout, Javy Guerra pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and striking out one and Ronald Belisario pitched an inning giving up a hit and striking out one. Kenley Jansen saved his 17^th game of the season pitching an inning giving up a hit and striking out two batters.

Ruben Tejada had a hit, Daniel Murphy had four hits and an RBI and David Wright had an RBI and drew a walk. Ike Davis had a hit and an RBI, Lucas Duda drew a walk and Valdespin had two hits and two RBI. Jason Bay had a hit and drew a walk, Andres Torres drew a walk and Josh Thole drew a walk. Scott Hairston had a hit and an RBI, Murphy hit two doubles and Valdespin hit a homerun. The Mets were 1-9 with runners in scoring position and they left ten men on base.

Bobby Abreu had a hit and drew a walk, Mark Ellis had a hit and Kemp had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk. Andre Ethier had a hit, an RBI and drew two walks, Juan Rivera had a hit and an RBI and Jerry Hairston Jr. had two hits and an RBI. Luis Cruz had a hit and two RBI and Tony Gwynn Jr. had a hit. Ethier and Gwynn each hit a double, Kemp and Cruz each hit a homerun. The Dodgers were 2-8 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Gwynn and Ethier each had a stolen base and Hairston committed an error.

In the first Kemp hit a two run homerun to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. Hairston had an RBI single and it was 3-0 Dodgers. The Mets answered back with two runs in the bottom of the first. Wright and Davis each had a sacrifice fly. In the second Ethier walked and a run scored to make it 4-2 Dodgers. Cruz hit a two run homerun in the third and it was 6-2 Dodgers. In the fifth Murphy had an RBI double to cut the lead to 6-3. Hairston hit an RBI single in the sixth to make it a 6-4 game. The Dodgers scored their final run in the seventh on a Rivera RBI single to make it 7-4. The Mets would get a two run homerun from Valdespin in the seventh to make it 7-6 and that would be the final score.

The Mets record dropped to 47-46 on the season and the Dodgers improved their record to 50-44. The Mets and Dodgers will play the second of three on Saturday afternoon.

The Mets get swept in Atlanta to open the second half

The New York Mets were defeated by the Atlanta Braves by the score of 6-1 on Sunday afternoon. The game took place at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The Mets were unable to avoid the sweep and are not off to a good start in the second half of the season. The Mets had a good first half but a lot of people question if they could keep it up, they need to bounce quick and not let this get out of hand. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched poorly. Ben Sheets started for the Braves and pitched well. Andres Torres led the Mets offense. Chipper Jones led the Braves offense in hits and Freddie Freeman had the most RBI. 
Santana pitched five innings giving up eight hits and six runs with two walks and three strikeouts. Santana is now 6-6 on the season. Ramon Ramirez pitched two innings giving up two walks and striking out one and Miguel Batista pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Sheets earned his first win of the season pitching six innings giving up two hits and no runs with a walk and five strikeouts. Kris Medlen pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up three hits and a run with a walk, Eric O’Flaherty pitched to one batter and retired him and Anthony Varvaro pitched one inning giving up a hit and struck out one.

Ruben Tejada had a hit, Daniel Murphy had a hit and David Wright drew two walks. Scott Hairston had a hit, Torres had two hits and an RBI and Josh Thole had a hit. Murphy, Hairston and Tejada each had a double. The Mets were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base.

Michael Bourn had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk, Martin Prado had a hit and an RBI and Jason Heyward had a hit and an RBI. Jones had two hits, Freeman had a hit and three RBI and Brian McCann had a hit. Matt Diaz had a hit, Sheets drew a walk and Ben Francisco drew a walk. Prado, Diaz and Bourn each had a double. Freeman hit a homerun. The Braves were 3-8 with runners in scoring position and they left five men on base.

The game was scoreless until the fifth inning. The Braves scored all six runs in the fifth. Bourn hit an RBI double, Prado hit a sacrifice fly, Heyward hit an RBI single and Freeman hit a three run homerun. It was 6-0 Braves. The Mets would score their only run and the final run of the game in the seventh inning. Torres hit an RBI single.

The Braves swept the three game series from the Mets. The Mets record fell to 46-43 and the Braves improved their record to 49-39. The Mets will have an off day on Monday and then head to Washington to take on the Nationals in a three game series.

The New York Mets First Half Report

The New York Mets had a surprising first half of the season. Why do I say that?? They finished above 500 and were an exciting team. There wasn’t anyone not even the most optimistic fan who thought that the Mets would be any good this year. They have proved a lot of people wrong in the first half of the season.

The Mets have had great starting pitching led by R.A. Dickey who is having a career year and continues to be a great story. Johan Santana has also been great and he has stayed healthy. Santana was coming back, but I don’t think you could of predicted him being healthy and this productive. Chris Young has also come back from shoulder surgery and been healthy. Jon Niese and Dillon Gee were pitching pretty well also and until the All Star Break when Gee was diagnosed with a blood clot in his shoulder, they were also healthy.

The Mets weakness has been their bullpen, it is a work in progress. The Mets will try and improve it through a trade if they can but it looks like they will try to promote from within to start. They will see what they have in the minor leagues and if that could help first. The Mets also have had a pretty good lineup led by lots of youngsters and home grown players. Ike Davis started off miserably but he has picked it up lately. Ruben Tejada has made the Mets fans forget Jose Reyes, he did miss some time with injury but he has been great. Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been an exciting player for them and Jordany Valdespin when he has been up has also been exciting. Daniel Murphy has always been a good hitter and it looks like he has found a home at second base. He has played a pretty good second for them.

The Mets biggest key to them staying in the race in the second half is their health. This can all fall apart if they start losing players. The Mets really have no depth and if that gets tested they won’t be able to withstand it at all. They may have lost Gee for the season and that will hurt but I think they can survive that. They may call up one of their top pitching prospects in Matt Harvey although I think they should be careful about rushing him. The Mets look to continue and surprise people and maybe actually make the playoffs.

The New York Mets comeback falls just short as they fall to the Chicago Cubs

The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs by the score of 8-7 on Friday night. The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched very poorly. Travis Wood started for the Cubs and pitched ok. Justin Turner led the Mets with four hits, Reed Johnson and Anthony Rizzo led the Cubs with four hits each. 
Santana pitched 4 2/3 innings giving up 13 hits and seven runs with no walks and six strikeouts. Santana lost his fifth game of the season. Ramon Ramirez pitched 2 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a walk and Miguel Batista pitched two innings giving up four hits and a run with a walk and two strikeouts. Wood won his fourth game of the season pitching six innings giving up five hits and three runs with two of them being earned. He walked four and struck out three. Sean Camp pitched a perfect inning, Russell pitched an inning giving up two hits and a run with a strikeout and Marmol pitched an inning giving up two hits and three runs with three walks and a strikeout.

Ruben Tejada drew two walks, Ronny Cedeno had a hit and an RBI and Daniel Murphy drew a walk. David Wright had a hit and drew a walk, Ike Davis had a hit and two RBI and Lucas Duda had a hit and an RBI. Turner had four hits and an RBI, Mike Nickeas had an RBI and drew a walk and Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew a walk. Jordany Valdespin had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk. Cedeno, Turner and Wright each had a double. Duda and Valdespin each hit a homerun. The Mets were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Turner was caught stealing and Duda had an outfield assist.

Johnson had four hits and an RBI, Darwin Barney had a hit and Rizzo had four hits and three RBI. Alfonso Soriano had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk, Jeff Baker had two hits and an RBI and Geovany Soto had two hits. Joe Mather had a hit and an RBI, Luis Valbuena had a hit and an RBI and Starlin Castro had a hit. Johnson and Baker each had a double and Johnson, Rizzo and Baker each hit a homerun. The Cubs were 5-16 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 men on base.

Johnson hit a solo homerun in the first inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Duda hit a solo homerun in the second inning to tie the game at one. Cedeno hit an RBI double in the third to make it 2-1 Mets. Mather hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to tie the game at two. In the fifth Rizzo hit a three run homerun to make it 5-2 Cubs. Baker hit a solo homerun and Valbuena hit an RBI single to make it 7-2 Cubs. Nickeas hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it a 7-3 game. Soriano hit an RBI single in the eighth to make it 8-3 Cubs. Turner hit an RBI single in the eighth to make it 8-4. In the ninth Valdespin hit a solo homerun and Davis hit a two run single to make it 8-7 but that would be the final score.

The Mets record fell to 45-39 and the Cubs record improved to 32-51. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday afternoon.

The Mets win their fourth straight with a 5-0 victory in L.A.

The New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 5-0 on Saturday evening. The game took place at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched brilliantly. Ike Davis led the Mets offense and Daniel Murphy and Kirk Nieuwenhuis also had good days. Nathan Eovaldi started for the Dodgers and struggled. The bullpens for both teams were good. 
Santana pitched eight innings giving up no runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out three and improved his record to 6-4. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect inning. Eovaldi saw his record drop to 0-5 and he pitched 5 1/3 innings giving up seven hits and five runs. He walked one and didn’t strike out a batter. Scott Elbert pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a walk and he struck out one, Todd Coffey pitched 11/3 innings striking out a batter and Josh Lindblom pitched an inning giving up two hits and he struck out two.

Andres Torres had a hit and drew a walk, David Wright drew a walk and Davis had two hits and three RBI. Lucas Duda had a hit, Murphy had two hits and an RBI and Nieuwenhuis had two hits. Josh Thole had an RBI, Santana had a hit. Davis, Murphy and Nieuwenhuis each had a double. Davis hit a homerun. The Mets were 1-7 with runners in scoring position and they left five men on base. Torres had a stolen base and was picked off.

Dee Gordon had a hit, Juan Rivera drew a walk and A.J. Ellis drew a walk. Van Slyke had a hit and Tony Gwynn Jr. had a hit. The Dodgers were 0-4 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. Gordon had a stolen base and an error. Ellis had an error. Van Slyke had an outfield assist.
Murphy hit a sacrifice fly in the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Thole hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it 2-0 Mets. Davis hit a three run homerun to end the scoring in the sixth. The final score was 5-0 Mets.

The Mets won their fourth straight game and the Dodgers continue to struggle. The Mets improved their record to 43-36 and the Dodgers record dropped to 43-36. The two teams will play game four of four on Sunday night. The Mets will try and sweep the four game series.

The New York Mets lose their third straight game

The New York Mets were defeated by the Chicago Cubs by the score of 7-1 on Monday night. The game took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched pretty well. Travis Wood started for the Cubs and pitched very well. Jon Rauch didn’t pitch well out of the Mets bullpen. Ronny Cedeno and Mike Nickeas led the Mets offense. Alfonso Soriano and Baker led the Cubs offense. 
Santana pitched six innings giving up giving up five hits and two runs. He walked three and struck out six and lost his fourth game of the season. Rauch pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up four unearned runs with a walk and a strikeout. Ramon Ramirez pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up a hit and Justin Hampson pitched an inning giving up a hit and had a strikeout. Wood won his second game of the season pitching seven innings giving up five hits and no runs with a walk and six strikeouts. Shawn Camp pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout and James Russell pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run and he had a strikeout.

Andres Torres drew a walk, David Wright had a hit and Cedeno had two hits. Ike Davis had a hit and an RBI, Nickeas had two hits. Cedeno and Nickeas had a double. Davis had a homerun. The Mets were 0-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Torres had a stolen base. Wright, Duda and Cedeno each committed an error.

Reed Johnson had a hit, Starlin Castro had an RBI and drew a walk and Alfonso Soriano had two hits and drew a walk. Baker had two hits and an RBI, Geovany Soto had an RBI and drew a walk and Mather had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk. Valbuena had a hit, Valbuena and Baker each had a double. Johnson had a triple and Mather had a homerun. The Cubs were 1-11 with runners in scoring position and they left eight men on base. Valbuena committed an error and Soto had a passed ball.

Mather hit a two run homerun in the fourth to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead. In the seventh Barney reached on an error and a run scored. Castro reached on an error and a run scored and Baker hit an RBI single to make it 5-0. Soto grounded out to score the sixth run. In the ninth Davis hit a solo homerun to make it a 6-1 game and that would be the final score.

The Mets have now lost three games in a row. The Mets record fell to 39-35 and the Cubs record improved to 25-48. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Tuesday night.

The New York Mets win their second straight and shutout the Orioles again

The New York Mets defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 5-0 on Tuesday night. The game took place at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched very well, the bullpen was also good. Lucas Duda and Jordany Valdespin led the Mets offense. Tommy Hunter struggled for the Orioles and Matt Wieters led an offense that only managed five hits. 
Santana pitched six innings giving up no runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out five and earned his fifth win of the season. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout, Miguel Batista pitched an inning giving up a hit and Jon Rauch pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. Hunter lost his fourth game of the season pitching 6 1/3 innings giving up seven hits and five runs. He walked one and struck out three. Dana Eveland pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up a hit.

Valdespin had two hits and two RBI, David Wright had a hit and Duda had two hits and two RBI. Ike Davis drew a walk, Daniel Murphy had an RBI and Omar Quintanilla had a hit. Josh Thole and Santana each had a hit. Duda hit a homerun and the Mets were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and they left four men on base.

Brian Roberts drew a walk for the Orioles, J.J. Hardy had a hit and Adam Jones had a hit. Wieters had two hits and drew a walk and Wilson Betemit had a hit. Wieters had two doubles and the Orioles were 0-9 with runners in scoring position and they left six men on base. Roberts was caught stealing.

The Mets took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Murphy had an RBI groundout and in the sixth Duda hit a two run homerun making it 3-0 Mets. Valdespin hit a two run single in the seventh to push the lead to 5-0 and that would be the final score of the game.

The Mets have now won two games in a row after being swept at home by the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets record improved to 37-32 and the Orioles record dropped to 39-29. The two teams will play the third and final game of the series on Wednesday night.

The Yankees batter around Santana in Subway Series victory

The New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets by the score of 9-1 on Friday night. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Yankees and was brilliant. Johan Santana started for the Mets, his first start since the no hitter last week. Santana got hit around hard on Friday night. The Yankees hit four homeruns in the game including back-to-back-to-back. Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and Andruw Jones led the Yankees offense. The Mets offense only managed two hits and their only run came in the ninth during garbage time. 
Kuroda pitched seven innings giving up no runs on one hit. He left the game after getting hit on the foot by a line drive. He walked one and struck out seven. Kuroda improved his record to 5-6 on the season. Cody Eppley pitched a perfect inning and Ryota Igarashi pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run with two walks and two strikeouts. Santana took the loss his third of the season. He pitched five innings giving up seven hits and six runs. Santana walked one and struck out five. Elvin Ramirez pitched 1 2/3 innings giving up three hits and three runs with four walks, Miguel Batista faced one batter and retired him and Jon Rauch pitched an inning giving up a hit.

Jayson Nix had a hit, Curtis Granderson drew a walk and Mark Teixeira had a hit. Alex Rodriguez had a hit, RBI and drew a walk, Cano had two hits and four RBI and Swisher had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk. Jones had two hits, two RBI and drew a walk, Raul Ibanez had a hit and Russell Martin had a hit and drew a walk. Martin, Teixeira and Swisher each had a double. Cano hit two homeruns, Swisher and Jones also had a homerun. The Yankees were 2-6 with runners in scoring position and they left five men on base. Jeter committed an error.

Josh Thole drew a walk, Lucas Duda had a hit, an RBI and drew a walk and Omar Quintanilla had a hit and drew a walk. Quintanilla and Duda each had a double. The Mets were 1-4 with runners in scoring position and they left four men on base.

Cano hit a two run homerun in the second inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Cano hit a two run homerun followed by a Swisher solo homerun which was followed by a Jones solo homerun. It was 6-0 Yankees in the fourth inning. The Yankees also accomplished that same feat last year in Baltimore with the same exact players in the same order also. In the seventh Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly, Swisher hit an RBI double and Jones hit an RBI single to make it 9-0 Yankees. The Mets scored their only run in the ninth inning. Duda hit an RBI double.

The Yankees have now won 11 of their last 15 games. They are now 32-25 on the season, the Mets record dropped to 32-27. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Saturday night and then complete the series on Sunday afternoon. The Yankees are tied for first in the loss column with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays but the Rays are ½ a game ahead.

The Mets beat up on the San Diego Padres

The New York Mets defeated the San Diego Padres by the score of 9-0 on Saturday afternoon. It was a hot and humid day, picture perfect for baseball though. The game was played at Citi Field in Flushing,NY. I was in attendance and had a good view of all the action. Johan Santana pitched for the Mets and was simply brilliant. The Mets offense got three homeruns, they had a big first inning and a big eighth inning which was their final inning. 
Santana pitched nine innings giving up no runs on four hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven. It was the second win of the season for Santana. Santana must of felt like it was Christmas as he very rarely gets run support. Clayton Richard started for the Padres and pitched six innings giving up five hits and four runs with three walks. He struck out five batters and took his sixth loss of the season. Matt Palmer pitched a scoreless inning giving up a walk and striking out one and Dale Thayer pitched an inning giving up four hits and five runs with a walk and a strikeout.

Andres Torres had a hit and drew a walk, Justin Turner had two hits and David Wright drew a walk. Scott Hairston had two hits and three RBI, Ike Davis had a hit and an RBI and Vinny Rottino had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Ronny Cedeno drew two walks, Mike Nickeas had a hit and four RBI. Davis had a double, Hairston, Rottino and Nickeas each hit a homerun. Rottino hit his first major league homerun. The Mets were 4-7 with three men left on base in the game. Hairston was picked off.

Blake Tekotte had a hit, Yonder Alonso, Jesus Guzman and Chase Headley each had a hit. The Padres were 0-1 with runners in scoring position and left three men on base.

The Mets struck with four runs in the first inning. Hairston hit a three run homerun and Rottino hit a solo homerun. It was 4-0 Mets after the first inning. In the eighth Davis hit an RBI double and Nickeas hit a grand slam to make it 9-0.

The Mets won their second game in a row and improved their record to 26-21. The Padres record dropped to 17-31. The two teams will complete their four game series on Sunday afternoon. The Mets have won two out of the first three games played.

The Mets lose a tough one in Pittsburgh after an error cost them the game winning run

The New York Mets were defeated by the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 5-4 on Monday night. The game took place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Johan Santana started for the Mets and he pitched ok. The bullpen did a good job for the Mets. Eric Bedard pitched ok for the Pirates and their bullpen did a really good job. David Wright and Ronny Cedeno led the Mets offense with half of their hits. Andruw McCutchen led the Pirates offense with a couple of hits. 
Santana pitched 6 1/3 innings giving up eight hits and four runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. Bobby Parnell pitched to one batter and struck him out, Tim Byrdak pitched to one batter and struck him out and Jon Rauch took the loss pitching one inning and giving up an unearned run. He struck out one and it was his third loss of the season. Bedard pitched five innings giving up six hits and four runs with three walks and he struck out four. The Pirates used four relievers to pitch four innings. They gave up two hits and no runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Hughes picked up his first win and Hanrahan picked up his tenth save of the season.

Andres Torres drew a walk, Justin Turner had a hit, two RBI and drew a walk and Wright had two hits, an RBI and drew a walk. Lucas Duda, Vinny Rottino each had a hit and Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a hit. Cedeno had two hits and an RBI, Mike Nickeas drew a walk and Mike Baxter drew a walk. Cedeno had a double. The Mets were 2-7 and left nine men on base. Wright committed two errors and Nieuwenhuis had an error.

Jose Tabata drew a walk, Harrison had a hit and McCutchen had two hits and an RBI. Pedro Alvarez had a hit and an RBI, Neil Walker had a hit and Clint Barmes had a hit, RBI and drew a walk. Michael McKenry had a hit and two RBI, Bedard had a hit. Harrison, McCutchen, Alvarez and Walker each had a double. McKenry had a homerun. The Pirates were 2-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

In the second inning Cedeno hit an RBI double giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Turner hit a two run single to push the lead to 3-0 and Wright hit an RBI single making it 4-0. In the fourth McCutchen hit an RBI double and Alvarez hit an RBI double to make it a 4-2 game in favor of the Mets. In the seventh McKenry hit a two run homerun to tie the game at four. In the eighth Barmes hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4 Pirates and that was the final score. Walker led off the inning with a routine fly out that Niewenhuis and Baxter who just came into the game made an error on and the runner went all the way to third and then the sacrifice fly to win the game came.

The Mets record dropped to 22-20 and the Pirates record improved to 20-22. The two teams will play game two of their three game series on Tuesday night

The New York Mets lose to the Reds as they blow a late lead

The New York Mets were defeated by the Cincinnati Reds by the score of 6-3. Johan Santana started for the Mets and pitched pretty well. The bullpen was not good. The Reds pitching was good and Leake the starting pitcher also had a couple of hits. Lucas Duda led the Mets offense. 
Santana pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up six hits and two runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Bobby Parnell struck out the only batter that he faced, Jon Rauch took the loss pitching 1/3 of an inning giving up three hits and three runs and Tim Byrdak faced one batter and got him out. D.J. Carrasco pitched 1 1/3 innings giving up a hit and a run with a strikeout.

Kurt Nieuwenhuis had a hit, Mike Baxter had a hit and David Wright drew two walks. Duda had three hits and an RBI, Ike Davis had a hit and an RBI and Justin Turner had a hit. Mike Nickeas had an RBI. Davis had a double and the Mets were 2-7 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Baxter had a stolen base and Nieuwenhuis was caught stealing.

Zack Cozart had a hit and an RBI for the Reds. Drew Stubbs had two hits, Joey Votto had a hit and drew a walk and Brandon Phillips had a hit and an RBI. Ryan Ludwick drew a walk, Jay Bruce had an RBI and Todd Frazier had two hits and three RBI. Devin Mesoraco had a hit and Leake had two hits. Cozart and Votto each had a double. Frazier had a homerun. The Reds were 1-5 with runners in scoring position and had five men left on base. Votto made an error.

Cozart had an RBI double in the third inning giving the Reds a 1-0 lead. Duda had an RBI single to tie the game at one in the bottom of the third. Davis hit an RBI double in the sixth and Nickeas had a sacrifice bunt that scored a run to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. Frazier hit a solo homerun in the seventh to make it 3-2 Mets. Phillips had an RBI single in the eighth, Bruce had a sacrifice fly and Frazier hit a two run homerun and it was 6-3 Reds which was the final score.

The Mets have now lost two in a row and are 20-17 on the season. The Reds improved their record to 19-17. The two teams will complete their brief two game series on Thursday night.