Two days ago, I was quite frustrated, and went on a pretty pessimistic rant. I fully expected the Braves to complete a sweep on the Mets at Shea. But two days later, they have beaten both Tim Hudson and John Smoltz to win the series 2-1.
I didn't have the chance to watch the two wins, so I can't say how well they played, but the fact is they scored their runs and they won their games. Now, I probably look foolish for going on a premature rant, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. I can only hope that in the Mets' locker room on Friday, they shared similar thoughts, and will use that six-game stretch as motivation to turn things around and continue moving forward.
Way to go, Billy Wagner, for capping off 9 hitless innings to start the season, which hopefully won't be the closest thing we get to a no-hitter at Shea. Unfortunately, he snapped his streak by giving up a single in his tenth inning of work, but a job well done nonetheless.
Way to go, Carlos Delgado, for hitting two home runs on Sunday. He came close on a deep fly ball earlier in the series, but he finally got two more over today to triple his season total. We always end up saying this, over this season and last when Delgado has a good game, that hopefully he's turning it around now. But that would obviously be a big boost to the lineup.
In the "what else is new" department, Moises Alou, who's return was just around the corner, is getting an examination of a swollen ankle. Will he or El Duque ever play in a game this season?
The Mets will now play the Pirates. Coming off these two wins, they should get a nice winning streak going, and gain some momentum heading into a tough West Coast trip.
Showing posts with label Series Notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series Notes. Show all posts
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Belated Brewers recap
The big story of this past weekend's series against the Brewers was easily Nelson Figueroa's season debut on Friday.
Born in Brooklyn, Figueroa grew up a Mets fan, and was drafted by the team in 1995, although he did not make it to the Majors with them. With a 4-10 career record, he last pitched in the Majors in September 2004, with his last win coming in August 2003. After traveling around the world, pitching in various different countries, Figueroa got a 2nd chance in the U.S. with the Mets. He was called up on the third day of the season, after Pedro Martinez went on the DL. After two relief appearances, he made his first start on Friday.
It was a long time coming, and he surely took advantage of the opportunity. His final line was 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and of course, a win.
It was great to see the smiles on his face, with a dream coming true, and three years of work trying to get back to the Majors paying off. His family was in attendance, and SNY kept showing them cheering loudly for him. Nelson also gave a nice salute to them as he walked off the field after the 4-2 victory.
These moments are so wonderful, as it takes away from the daily grind of the long season, and gives the game a more personal feel. We're not just rooting for teams, we're not just rooting for players; we are rooting for people. This story was great, and congratulations to Nelson Figueroa.
Another big story of the series was Johan Santana, however this one was a bad story. Johan lost his previous start because the offense did not give him any support. Saturday, Johan lost his start because he pitched poorly. Obviously, he's not going to have a great start every time, and I can look past this one poor start. But it was pretty disheartening to watch.
Johan was removed from the game in the 7th after giving up a three-run HR, his third HR of the day. It wasn't all that bad of a day outside of the HRs, and two errors by David Wright certainly made his day harder. But the long balls were definitely troublesome, especially in his Shea debut.
After losing Game 2 5-3, the Mets would go on to lose the series with the Brewers winning 7-5 in one of the most aggravating losses I've ever seen. Oliver Perez was bad. After giving up 2 runs in the top of the 1st, the Mets would give him six runs over the first three innings, but then Perez gave the four run lead back in the 4th. He would be taken out in the 5th after allowing two baserunners that Jorge Sosa kept from scoring. However, Sosa would give up 2 runs in the 6th, and the Brewers added an unearned run in the 7th.
More frustrating than the pitching was the hitting, which is saying a lot considering they scored 7 runs. After getting 6 of them in the first three innings, the Mets would score just 1 run with 13 baserunners from the 4th to 8th innings. They hit into a double play in each of those 5 innings. The worst of it was in the 8th, facing the hated Guillermo Mota. The Mets started the inning with two singles to get runners on 1st and 3rd, but then Luis Castillo grounded into a double play, taking himself out at first followed by the over-aggressive Brady Clark at home. The next two hitters would walk to load the bases, but Delgado would pop out to end the inning. Eric Gagne, who has been terrible so far this season, earned his second save of the series with a 1-2-3 9th.
I was pretty furious by the end of that 8th inning. Quite often I get angry, annoyed, or disappointed by the team, but I don't remember ever boiling for so long. But the season continues on.
Congratulations to David Wright for his 100th career home run.
The Brewers bats were relentless with 14 runs with 3 home runs in their two victories. They have quite a dangerous, powerful lineup, although their pitching staff is certainly questionable. I didn't get too good of a read on the team outside of that, but I'm thankful that there's only one more series with them.
Born in Brooklyn, Figueroa grew up a Mets fan, and was drafted by the team in 1995, although he did not make it to the Majors with them. With a 4-10 career record, he last pitched in the Majors in September 2004, with his last win coming in August 2003. After traveling around the world, pitching in various different countries, Figueroa got a 2nd chance in the U.S. with the Mets. He was called up on the third day of the season, after Pedro Martinez went on the DL. After two relief appearances, he made his first start on Friday.
It was a long time coming, and he surely took advantage of the opportunity. His final line was 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, and of course, a win.
It was great to see the smiles on his face, with a dream coming true, and three years of work trying to get back to the Majors paying off. His family was in attendance, and SNY kept showing them cheering loudly for him. Nelson also gave a nice salute to them as he walked off the field after the 4-2 victory.
These moments are so wonderful, as it takes away from the daily grind of the long season, and gives the game a more personal feel. We're not just rooting for teams, we're not just rooting for players; we are rooting for people. This story was great, and congratulations to Nelson Figueroa.
Another big story of the series was Johan Santana, however this one was a bad story. Johan lost his previous start because the offense did not give him any support. Saturday, Johan lost his start because he pitched poorly. Obviously, he's not going to have a great start every time, and I can look past this one poor start. But it was pretty disheartening to watch.
Johan was removed from the game in the 7th after giving up a three-run HR, his third HR of the day. It wasn't all that bad of a day outside of the HRs, and two errors by David Wright certainly made his day harder. But the long balls were definitely troublesome, especially in his Shea debut.
After losing Game 2 5-3, the Mets would go on to lose the series with the Brewers winning 7-5 in one of the most aggravating losses I've ever seen. Oliver Perez was bad. After giving up 2 runs in the top of the 1st, the Mets would give him six runs over the first three innings, but then Perez gave the four run lead back in the 4th. He would be taken out in the 5th after allowing two baserunners that Jorge Sosa kept from scoring. However, Sosa would give up 2 runs in the 6th, and the Brewers added an unearned run in the 7th.
More frustrating than the pitching was the hitting, which is saying a lot considering they scored 7 runs. After getting 6 of them in the first three innings, the Mets would score just 1 run with 13 baserunners from the 4th to 8th innings. They hit into a double play in each of those 5 innings. The worst of it was in the 8th, facing the hated Guillermo Mota. The Mets started the inning with two singles to get runners on 1st and 3rd, but then Luis Castillo grounded into a double play, taking himself out at first followed by the over-aggressive Brady Clark at home. The next two hitters would walk to load the bases, but Delgado would pop out to end the inning. Eric Gagne, who has been terrible so far this season, earned his second save of the series with a 1-2-3 9th.
I was pretty furious by the end of that 8th inning. Quite often I get angry, annoyed, or disappointed by the team, but I don't remember ever boiling for so long. But the season continues on.
Congratulations to David Wright for his 100th career home run.
The Brewers bats were relentless with 14 runs with 3 home runs in their two victories. They have quite a dangerous, powerful lineup, although their pitching staff is certainly questionable. I didn't get too good of a read on the team outside of that, but I'm thankful that there's only one more series with them.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Taking down the Phillies 2-1
Well, we lost the important one, but in the end, the Mets are up 2-1 on the season series against the Phillies.
First up was the emotional Opening Day. Willie Randolph took a lot of heat for his quick hook of Oliver Perez, and his post-game comments regarding why. But I have to side with Willie here, for once. Although he had pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, he had a lot of control problems throughout. I really don't think he was pitching well that game, although he was getting out of trouble. He came out of the game after throwing 94 pitches, and with runners on 1st and 3rd. It really didn't seem to me like a bad move at the time, and Joe Smith came in to get out of it to keep the Phillies off the board. The move worked, at least for the time being; perhaps Willie was putting too much pressure on the bullpen, but he has to have faith in his guys and not give up on them this early, whereas the fans are free to criticize and see the bullpen as a failure all they want. Anyway, Oliver Perez still hasn't given up a run, or even an extra base hit, in two starts, so that's great to see.
But then, we lost to the Phillies in typical fashion. The bats went to sleep, and the bullpen blew the lead. Scott Schoeneweis loaded the bases in the 7th, but should have gotten out of it, but Carlos Delgado threw a should-be inning-ending double play into Chase Utley's back, and 2 runs would score on the play, with a 3rd later in the inning. Then Aaron Heilman gave up another two in the 8th to give a cushion to the Phillies' lead that they didn't need, and they won 5-2.
Of note though are the two injuries that quietly happened in that game. Luis Castillo exited the game after the 4th inning with soreness in his knee. More importantly, Jimmy Rollins came out in the 8th after injuring his ankle. Neither injury was serious, but both would miss the rest of the series, and considering it was the struggling Castillo compared to the reigning MVP Rollins, that would certainly help us out more.
It turned out that it would help us a lot more. In Game 2, the Mets would score six runs in the third inning, with only one being earned, with help by two errors by Rollins' replacement, Eric Bruntlett. The game was certainly odd, as we scored 8 runs on just 5 hits, with 9 walks and 4 errors from the Phillies. I'll take the win any way we can get it though, and the 8-2 victory to snap the 9 game losing streak against the rivals felt good.
The rubber game was by far the highlight of the series, though. Like Perez, John Maine wasn't at the top of his game, but he got the job done, going 6+ innings while allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, although 5 walks. However, it would be problems for Aaron Heilman once again. He came in in the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, but immediately gave up a lead-off HR to Ryan Howard. That was followed by a walk, a single, and an RBI groundout to tie the game. It was looking like it would be another typical blown game to the Phillies. But he got out of the inning, and the game would soon be going to extra innings.
It would also soon be time for Scott Schoeneweis to make his appearance. I want to give him a second chance, a fresh start this season. But so far, he has continued to struggle, and has continued to deserve the boos from the home crowd. However, today was hopefully the day when he turns it all around, as he would leave the game to an ovation. He came into the game in the 11th inning with runners on first and second, one out, and the two big lefties coming up for Philadelphia. He got the ground ball from Chase Utley though, and nobody was in Damion Easley's way, so the double play was turned. He also got Ryan Howard out to lead off the 12th. Getting those two batters out is obviously a big key to beating this team, and especially getting Utley out in that situation was huge. Hopefully Mets fans won't be so quick to boo him next time.
Finally, the game would end in the 12th, and what more can be said about Angel Pagan. After a two out double by Jose Reyes, Pagan lined one up the middle to bring Reyes home in a close play at the plate to end the game and give the Mets the 4-3 win. I, and most Mets fans, had high hopes for him replacing Moises Alou after a great Spring Training, and he is far exceeding expectations. After the 3-5 day with 2 runs scored an an RBI, he is now batting .370 with 9 RBIs, both leading the team, as well as 8 runs, which is tied for Delgado at the top. It's going to be tough to take him out when Alou comes back, but with what Alou can bring, and as good as Ryan Church has been playing as well, it's going to be tough to keep him in. With all the problems on this team though, this is a welcome one, for sure.
And what more can be said about Shane Victorino. While not as flashy as the big three of Rollins, Howard, and Utley, I saw him last year as a great complement to them. He just seemed to do everything right to beat us, between finding ways to get on base, great baserunning, and great fielding. He earned a spot on my fantasy baseball team this season, which is saying a lot considering how much he made me hate him last year. Although he's started off slumping at the plate, he proved to be an extremely dangerous force in the outfield, especially now moving to CF with after Aaron Rowand left. Atlanta may have let Andruw Jones go, but now there is Shane Victorino in Philadelphia.
First up was the emotional Opening Day. Willie Randolph took a lot of heat for his quick hook of Oliver Perez, and his post-game comments regarding why. But I have to side with Willie here, for once. Although he had pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, he had a lot of control problems throughout. I really don't think he was pitching well that game, although he was getting out of trouble. He came out of the game after throwing 94 pitches, and with runners on 1st and 3rd. It really didn't seem to me like a bad move at the time, and Joe Smith came in to get out of it to keep the Phillies off the board. The move worked, at least for the time being; perhaps Willie was putting too much pressure on the bullpen, but he has to have faith in his guys and not give up on them this early, whereas the fans are free to criticize and see the bullpen as a failure all they want. Anyway, Oliver Perez still hasn't given up a run, or even an extra base hit, in two starts, so that's great to see.
But then, we lost to the Phillies in typical fashion. The bats went to sleep, and the bullpen blew the lead. Scott Schoeneweis loaded the bases in the 7th, but should have gotten out of it, but Carlos Delgado threw a should-be inning-ending double play into Chase Utley's back, and 2 runs would score on the play, with a 3rd later in the inning. Then Aaron Heilman gave up another two in the 8th to give a cushion to the Phillies' lead that they didn't need, and they won 5-2.
Of note though are the two injuries that quietly happened in that game. Luis Castillo exited the game after the 4th inning with soreness in his knee. More importantly, Jimmy Rollins came out in the 8th after injuring his ankle. Neither injury was serious, but both would miss the rest of the series, and considering it was the struggling Castillo compared to the reigning MVP Rollins, that would certainly help us out more.
It turned out that it would help us a lot more. In Game 2, the Mets would score six runs in the third inning, with only one being earned, with help by two errors by Rollins' replacement, Eric Bruntlett. The game was certainly odd, as we scored 8 runs on just 5 hits, with 9 walks and 4 errors from the Phillies. I'll take the win any way we can get it though, and the 8-2 victory to snap the 9 game losing streak against the rivals felt good.
The rubber game was by far the highlight of the series, though. Like Perez, John Maine wasn't at the top of his game, but he got the job done, going 6+ innings while allowing just 1 run on 5 hits, although 5 walks. However, it would be problems for Aaron Heilman once again. He came in in the 8th inning with a 3-1 lead, but immediately gave up a lead-off HR to Ryan Howard. That was followed by a walk, a single, and an RBI groundout to tie the game. It was looking like it would be another typical blown game to the Phillies. But he got out of the inning, and the game would soon be going to extra innings.
It would also soon be time for Scott Schoeneweis to make his appearance. I want to give him a second chance, a fresh start this season. But so far, he has continued to struggle, and has continued to deserve the boos from the home crowd. However, today was hopefully the day when he turns it all around, as he would leave the game to an ovation. He came into the game in the 11th inning with runners on first and second, one out, and the two big lefties coming up for Philadelphia. He got the ground ball from Chase Utley though, and nobody was in Damion Easley's way, so the double play was turned. He also got Ryan Howard out to lead off the 12th. Getting those two batters out is obviously a big key to beating this team, and especially getting Utley out in that situation was huge. Hopefully Mets fans won't be so quick to boo him next time.
Finally, the game would end in the 12th, and what more can be said about Angel Pagan. After a two out double by Jose Reyes, Pagan lined one up the middle to bring Reyes home in a close play at the plate to end the game and give the Mets the 4-3 win. I, and most Mets fans, had high hopes for him replacing Moises Alou after a great Spring Training, and he is far exceeding expectations. After the 3-5 day with 2 runs scored an an RBI, he is now batting .370 with 9 RBIs, both leading the team, as well as 8 runs, which is tied for Delgado at the top. It's going to be tough to take him out when Alou comes back, but with what Alou can bring, and as good as Ryan Church has been playing as well, it's going to be tough to keep him in. With all the problems on this team though, this is a welcome one, for sure.
And what more can be said about Shane Victorino. While not as flashy as the big three of Rollins, Howard, and Utley, I saw him last year as a great complement to them. He just seemed to do everything right to beat us, between finding ways to get on base, great baserunning, and great fielding. He earned a spot on my fantasy baseball team this season, which is saying a lot considering how much he made me hate him last year. Although he's started off slumping at the plate, he proved to be an extremely dangerous force in the outfield, especially now moving to CF with after Aaron Rowand left. Atlanta may have let Andruw Jones go, but now there is Shane Victorino in Philadelphia.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Disgust out of Atlanta
As usual, the Mets had trouble in Atlanta. We had started to turn that streak around the last couple seasons, in which the Braves actually failed to win the NL East, so hopefully this isn't a bad omen.
I was looking forward to John Maine's first start of the season. He had a break-out season last year, and I'm looking forward to this year with great excitement for him. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it on this day. He lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks. We still had a chance to come back though, but the bullpen went on to allow another seven runs, including a grand slam given up by Jorge Sosa when it was clear from the previous batters that he had no control that day. Sosa probably should have been pulled prior to facing Kelly Johnson, but I won't criticize Willie Randolph for it. Nor will I get down on John Maine. I fully expect him to come back strong in his next start.
And of course, there was the ridiculous call by the umps. For those who didn't get to see it, the Mets were down 4-1 in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and one out. Jose Reyes hit a shot to left-center that bounced into the diving fielder's glove, which should have scored two runs, but somehow the umpire said he caught the ball. It was perfectly clear to me watching it happen live on television that it bounced; it hit so far in front of his glove that I couldn't even call it a trap. Angel Pagan obviously saw it bounce, and took off from second to score, so was easily doubled off at second to end the inning.
In a rare display from Randolph, although it was impossible not to, he ran out onto the field and protested quite strongly. The umpires got together, and thankfully, for my sanity and the protection of any breakable items surrounding me, they reversed the call. Ryan Church, who was actually passed by Pagan at third because he saw the out call and stopped (a whole other situation), was allowed to score, and Pagan was put at third where he would eventually score anyway on a groundout by Luis Castillo to bring the score to 4-3. Although, in the end, it proved to not matter that much, as the Braves went on to win 11-5, but at the time, that would have been a huge killer to this team if that call had stood. I'm also quite surprised that Bobby Cox somehow managed to not get himself ejected in that inning.
I was looking forward to facing Tom Glavine. I knew his comments after the last game of the season, where he said he was not devastated following his 7 run, 1/3 IP, season-ending performance, were taken too harshly by Mets fans, including myself. And he got a chance to explain himself and his rationalization in a pre-game interview on SNY. But I still can't help but feel utter, complete hatred towards him. And I so badly wanted to take it to him this series. But the weather wouldn't cooperate, forcing the first game to be rained out and postponed. This pushed Tim Hudson back to what would have been Game 2, and they decided to leave John Smoltz in as the starter in the final game, because they didn't want him to come off the DL and pitch in Colorado. So that meant that Tommy was the odd man out, and Mets fans will have to wait a bit longer to have some revenge.
I was looking forward to Johan Santana's second appearance, and first against the Braves. However, after averaging 7 1/4 runs in the first four games, the offense disappeared this game. Johan gave up just one run in 7 innings, along with a double and two fine defensive plays. He also got his first loss as a Met, leaving the game losing 1-0. The Mets would be able to add a run in the ninth, but not before Aaron Heilman gave up a two-run HR to Mark Teixeira. And with that 3-1 victory, the Braves swept the Mets in the 2-game series.
Not a whole lot has changed with the Braves; Larry Jones is still a Met-killer, and I still hate him. The biggest change from last year though is he's not the only one who will kill us. Mark Teixeira batting behind him is looking just as scary, if not scarier. I still have to say they are the third best team in the division, but that gap is looking smaller than I thought.
I was looking forward to John Maine's first start of the season. He had a break-out season last year, and I'm looking forward to this year with great excitement for him. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it on this day. He lasted just four innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks. We still had a chance to come back though, but the bullpen went on to allow another seven runs, including a grand slam given up by Jorge Sosa when it was clear from the previous batters that he had no control that day. Sosa probably should have been pulled prior to facing Kelly Johnson, but I won't criticize Willie Randolph for it. Nor will I get down on John Maine. I fully expect him to come back strong in his next start.
And of course, there was the ridiculous call by the umps. For those who didn't get to see it, the Mets were down 4-1 in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and one out. Jose Reyes hit a shot to left-center that bounced into the diving fielder's glove, which should have scored two runs, but somehow the umpire said he caught the ball. It was perfectly clear to me watching it happen live on television that it bounced; it hit so far in front of his glove that I couldn't even call it a trap. Angel Pagan obviously saw it bounce, and took off from second to score, so was easily doubled off at second to end the inning.
In a rare display from Randolph, although it was impossible not to, he ran out onto the field and protested quite strongly. The umpires got together, and thankfully, for my sanity and the protection of any breakable items surrounding me, they reversed the call. Ryan Church, who was actually passed by Pagan at third because he saw the out call and stopped (a whole other situation), was allowed to score, and Pagan was put at third where he would eventually score anyway on a groundout by Luis Castillo to bring the score to 4-3. Although, in the end, it proved to not matter that much, as the Braves went on to win 11-5, but at the time, that would have been a huge killer to this team if that call had stood. I'm also quite surprised that Bobby Cox somehow managed to not get himself ejected in that inning.
I was looking forward to facing Tom Glavine. I knew his comments after the last game of the season, where he said he was not devastated following his 7 run, 1/3 IP, season-ending performance, were taken too harshly by Mets fans, including myself. And he got a chance to explain himself and his rationalization in a pre-game interview on SNY. But I still can't help but feel utter, complete hatred towards him. And I so badly wanted to take it to him this series. But the weather wouldn't cooperate, forcing the first game to be rained out and postponed. This pushed Tim Hudson back to what would have been Game 2, and they decided to leave John Smoltz in as the starter in the final game, because they didn't want him to come off the DL and pitch in Colorado. So that meant that Tommy was the odd man out, and Mets fans will have to wait a bit longer to have some revenge.
I was looking forward to Johan Santana's second appearance, and first against the Braves. However, after averaging 7 1/4 runs in the first four games, the offense disappeared this game. Johan gave up just one run in 7 innings, along with a double and two fine defensive plays. He also got his first loss as a Met, leaving the game losing 1-0. The Mets would be able to add a run in the ninth, but not before Aaron Heilman gave up a two-run HR to Mark Teixeira. And with that 3-1 victory, the Braves swept the Mets in the 2-game series.
Not a whole lot has changed with the Braves; Larry Jones is still a Met-killer, and I still hate him. The biggest change from last year though is he's not the only one who will kill us. Mark Teixeira batting behind him is looking just as scary, if not scarier. I still have to say they are the third best team in the division, but that gap is looking smaller than I thought.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Johan, Pedro, and winning the first series.
This is the first in what should be a season-long series of posts in which I recap and discuss the Mets' previous series. In addition to what I think about what the Mets did, I will also look a little bit about what I think of the opposing team.
First off, Opening Day. It felt like a long time coming. The pitching match-up was Johan Santana against Mark Hendrickson and the Marlins. As I wrote earlier, it's hard to get worried about that match-up, but on the other hand, it would just be that much worse if we lost. But the "$137 million eraser," as Ron Darling put it, removed the lingering feelings from last season.
Johan was great. Pitching 7 innings, he gave up 2 runs, all on one HR, and just 3 hits, with 8 strikeouts. Asking for anything more from him, especially on Opening Day, would just be greedy. The home run, of course, is something to think about though, as he has had a bit of a problem keeping the ball in the park, despite his tremendous success in the past. That is one reason why I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do with the Mets, with a home stadium that tends to keep fly balls contained. Coming from the hitter's park in Minnesota - besides just facing a National League lineup - that factor could really make his numbers look even better.
With all the excitement building up to Opening Day, and then the results, Monday was a wonderful day. Not only did the Mets win 7-2 on a great performance by Santana, but the Phillies were 0-1, the Braves were 0-2, and the Yankees had their home opener rained out.
Oh, how quickly moods can change.
Pedro Martinez began Game 2 by hitting Hanley Ramirez, then giving up a 2-run HR to Dan Uggla. Then he gave up a solo HR to Luis Gonzalez and an RBI triple to Ramirez in the 2nd inning. Pedro was struggling. But then, with one grab of the hamstring, things were so much worse. He left giving up 4 runs and 4 hits in 3 1/3 innings, an ERA of 10.80. The news would come the next day that he would be out at least 4-6 weeks with a mild strained hamstring.
The Mets got back into the game though as their bullpen kept the Marlins off the scoreboard, tying it 4-4. But in the end, the unlikely hero was Robert Andino, as he hit the walk-off HR off Matt Wise in the 10th. After all the excitement of the day before, all I could feel on this day was depression. The mood had completely changed. I don't think the loss of Pedro will hurt too bad as far as our win-loss record is concerned, but it certainly stings mentally and emotionally.
What better way to relieve the pain though than a 13-0 victory the following day to win the series. Oliver Perez was brilliant, throwing 6 shutout innings, also with 8 strikeouts. Already with a 10-0 lead, there was no need to stretch him out any further in his first start. Nelson Figueroa (Pedro's replacement on the roster), Pedro Feliciano, and Billy Wagner all got their first innings of work of this season in a no-pressure situation. The dominating win should definitely make the players feel better as they travel to Philadelphia. A loss could have really hurt, after what happened the day before.
The pitching outside of Pedro was obviously great. The offense was pretty good, too, though. You can't say enough about Angel Pagan right now, stepping up into the 6th spot in the lineup with Moises Alou out. He went 4-for-10 with 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored in the series, getting us started in each of the first two games. Other new acquisitions Ryan Church and Brian Schneider also did a great job. Carlos Delgado struggled in the first two games, but he went 2-for-5 with an RBI yesterday, so I won't give up on him yet. All the way up and down the lineup, we performed pretty well, obviously, with 24 runs scored.
The Marlins certainly lost a lot with Miguel Cabrera and Met-killer Dontrelle Willis being traded away to Detroit. They still remain a team that I don't feel comfortable playing, though. They have a lot of solid young talent that can burn you throughout the whole lineup. But I think, like last season, it may not matter, as you can just hope to put up more runs than they do with that shaky pitching staff.
First off, Opening Day. It felt like a long time coming. The pitching match-up was Johan Santana against Mark Hendrickson and the Marlins. As I wrote earlier, it's hard to get worried about that match-up, but on the other hand, it would just be that much worse if we lost. But the "$137 million eraser," as Ron Darling put it, removed the lingering feelings from last season.
Johan was great. Pitching 7 innings, he gave up 2 runs, all on one HR, and just 3 hits, with 8 strikeouts. Asking for anything more from him, especially on Opening Day, would just be greedy. The home run, of course, is something to think about though, as he has had a bit of a problem keeping the ball in the park, despite his tremendous success in the past. That is one reason why I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do with the Mets, with a home stadium that tends to keep fly balls contained. Coming from the hitter's park in Minnesota - besides just facing a National League lineup - that factor could really make his numbers look even better.
With all the excitement building up to Opening Day, and then the results, Monday was a wonderful day. Not only did the Mets win 7-2 on a great performance by Santana, but the Phillies were 0-1, the Braves were 0-2, and the Yankees had their home opener rained out.
Oh, how quickly moods can change.
Pedro Martinez began Game 2 by hitting Hanley Ramirez, then giving up a 2-run HR to Dan Uggla. Then he gave up a solo HR to Luis Gonzalez and an RBI triple to Ramirez in the 2nd inning. Pedro was struggling. But then, with one grab of the hamstring, things were so much worse. He left giving up 4 runs and 4 hits in 3 1/3 innings, an ERA of 10.80. The news would come the next day that he would be out at least 4-6 weeks with a mild strained hamstring.
The Mets got back into the game though as their bullpen kept the Marlins off the scoreboard, tying it 4-4. But in the end, the unlikely hero was Robert Andino, as he hit the walk-off HR off Matt Wise in the 10th. After all the excitement of the day before, all I could feel on this day was depression. The mood had completely changed. I don't think the loss of Pedro will hurt too bad as far as our win-loss record is concerned, but it certainly stings mentally and emotionally.
What better way to relieve the pain though than a 13-0 victory the following day to win the series. Oliver Perez was brilliant, throwing 6 shutout innings, also with 8 strikeouts. Already with a 10-0 lead, there was no need to stretch him out any further in his first start. Nelson Figueroa (Pedro's replacement on the roster), Pedro Feliciano, and Billy Wagner all got their first innings of work of this season in a no-pressure situation. The dominating win should definitely make the players feel better as they travel to Philadelphia. A loss could have really hurt, after what happened the day before.
The pitching outside of Pedro was obviously great. The offense was pretty good, too, though. You can't say enough about Angel Pagan right now, stepping up into the 6th spot in the lineup with Moises Alou out. He went 4-for-10 with 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored in the series, getting us started in each of the first two games. Other new acquisitions Ryan Church and Brian Schneider also did a great job. Carlos Delgado struggled in the first two games, but he went 2-for-5 with an RBI yesterday, so I won't give up on him yet. All the way up and down the lineup, we performed pretty well, obviously, with 24 runs scored.
The Marlins certainly lost a lot with Miguel Cabrera and Met-killer Dontrelle Willis being traded away to Detroit. They still remain a team that I don't feel comfortable playing, though. They have a lot of solid young talent that can burn you throughout the whole lineup. But I think, like last season, it may not matter, as you can just hope to put up more runs than they do with that shaky pitching staff.
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