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Sorry Mets host Hot Phillies this weekend

Written by Mike Mariano | 13 August 2010

The Mets host the Phillies this weekend looking to salv... looking to right the shi... looking to win the season series?  There isn't much to play for in Flushing these days (is there ever?), but the series should be fun nonetheless.  The Mess have a chance to play spoilers and set the Phillies back a few games, but that's about it.  More importantly, the Mets have rapings and assaults to concern themselves with.

The Phillies come in missing Howard and Utley, but they've been playing great baseball lately without them.  Winning this series is paramount for the Phillies, if only to maintain pace in the races.

Last time the Phillies came to Citi Field they got dismantled, three straight shut-out losses, but I'm thinking their fortunes will most likely be different this time around.  It's a shame Utley isn't around to hit home runs out into his favorite right field porch, but the offense is rolling now as opposed to sputtering like last time.  Not only that, the Mets don't have Johan going in the series and he's the one guy that can always be depended on for a solid outing.  Not only that, K-Rod (whom the Phillies have never scored against) is off handling his legal issues and can't pitch.  Great!

Regardless of the baggage and the injuries and the standings, Mets-Phillies is great baseball.  Tune in tonight for some fun and make sure to log back on here to talk some shit as well.

What a Mess

Written by Nikki DeMaio | 12 August 2010

Last night was a tough game to swallow.  After Jon Niese threw seven scoreless innings, things came apart for the bullpen.  The eighth inning was ugly, culminating in Melvin Mora's grand slam that put the Rockies ahead for good.  Then there's the usual:  David Wright is back to being ice cold and took it out on his bat hardcore last night, Carlos Beltran still hasn't figured things out, etc.

But let's not forget about K-Rod (as if we could today).  After the game, he apparently was incredibly short with the media, yelling for them to get out of his way as he tried to exit the locker room.  We all know K-Rod is a hothead, as he's gotten into shoving matches and the like before.. but apparently, this time he assaulted his father-in-law.  SNY had video of the man being taken away in an ambulance, while K-Rod was arrested/detained, whatever you want to call it.  From what I've gathered today, this whole thing stemmed from the fact that K-Rod wasn't used in the 8th inning last night when things were getting sticky for the team.  I'm so tired of this "me first" crap with him.  It seems like he constantly has a problem:  he's not being used enough, he's warming up too much, it wasn't a save situation, and on and on and ON.

It's just frustrating to see this kind of stuff.  Before K-Rod went all Hulk last night, things were bad enough.  The boo birds were out in droves as things got out of control and really with good reason.  There was also a "Fire Jerry" chant going at one point.  At this point, I think Mets fans are being realistic about the fact that the season is going nowhere fast - so we're looking for some changes.  Except they don't seem to be on the way.  This is probably an extreme example, but look at what Buck Showalter has done for the Orioles.  That team had no identity or purpose... and all of a sudden, they're winning games.  I don't think it's a coincidence that when the culture changed, the team changed the way they were playing baseball.  It's something to think about anyway.

Phillies add-in: For all the Mets fans reading this here's a thinking point.  What would the reaction be if this happened in the Philadelphia?  Yeah the media will be all over this, but because the Mets are a dysfunctional bunch of misfits, not because it's some heinous incident.  If this was Philly, Benny B would have 1500 words about it before noon (with ridiculous accompanying picture of course) and JerseyBuc in the comments would be making his usual snide remarks.  Just sayin'.

Deal Breaker

Written by Nikki DeMaio | 09 August 2010

As the Mets limp home to Citi Field, I'm not entirely sure what to say.  After going 2-4 on a "make or break" road trip... it doesn't look good.  In addition to falling below .500, (again) the Mets are now nine games out of first place and seven out of the Wild Card where they are also trailing five teams.

With the Mets, it always seems like when it rains, it pours.  On a day where Roy Halladay was touched up for 5 runs, the Mets couldn't pull off a win as R.A. Dickey finally came back down to earth.  Dickey can't take all the blame for this one - out of the 6 runs he allowed in 3 innings, only 4 of them were earned, and David Wright and Carlos Beltran combined to go 0-8 at the plate with 6 strikeouts.  If the two of them are not going to hit, the Mets don't realistically have a chance.  I know Beltran needs to get his feet under him, just like Reyes did at the beginning of the year, but it's August.  Do the Mets really have time to wait for Beltran to find his swing?  Of course not, but that's what they are going to do.  It also seems pretty clear that Beltran has lost a step in the outfield BECAUSE HE HAS NO KNEES.

One thing I do like is the fact that Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada are going to see some more playing time.  If things are going to spiral out of control, we might as well give those guys a chance.  If nothing else, it gives me hope that the team is phasing Luis Castillo out despite his crazy contract.  Maybe he's a loss they're willing to cut next year - which would be a win as far as most Mets fans are concerned.  Right now, that's my silver lining... let me know if you find another one.

Saturday Recap: Santana outduels Hamels

Written by Mike Mariano | 08 August 2010

Now that's good baseball. Two fantastic pitchers duke it out over seven innings and it takes a late home run from Jeff Francoeur for the Mets to grab the 1-0 win.  Francisco Rodriguez came in for the 5 out save and fairly easy work of the Phillies from there.  Cole Hamels and Johan Santana allowed a combined 11 hits and if it wasn't for Francoeur's bomb they would've matched scoreless frames.  Neither team managed a single hit with runners in scoring position the entire game.  It was a tremendous pitching effort from both sides and it's a shame that Hamels got tagged with the loss for it.

"Unfortunately, one bad pitch decided the game," Hamels said. "It was a change-up and he went out and got it."

There weren't many highlights otherwise because the pitching stifled all offense and scoring chances.  From the game notes it says Shane Victorino might begin rehab assignments next week, we could really use the guy.

Looking Ahead to the Phillies

Written by Nikki DeMaio | 05 August 2010

"You gotta go out and win the games - the wins won't come to you." - Ron Darling

I'm glad a former Met gets that, because it seems as if this current group is not playing the crisp, clean baseball that is necessary at this point in the year.  I have no idea why it seems as if the Mets are not playing with the sense of urgency their fans feel so acutely, but there has been a subtle shift in the way the team is playing (and it's not good).  As the Mets head into Philadelphia for a critical weekend series, Darling's words keep replaying themselves in my head.  After a terrible showing in the rubber game against Atlanta on Wednesday, the Mets need to regroup and find their stride.  Despite the injuries to Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, the Phillies have kept pace with the rest of the league and the wild card race... and I think it's time for that to come to an end.

This was the stretch of games we looked to at the beginning of the year that would make or break the Mets' season.  Even now, things look promising:  we're throwing Jon Niese, Johan Santana, and RA Dickey out against Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, and Roy Halladay respectively.  The thing is, none of that will matter if the offense doesn't start stringing together hits and being productive with runners in scoring position.  Or if the defense can't hold itself together - that last game in Atlanta was a nightmare and had Keith Hernandez seething in the booth.  And I love that he was that frustrated with the team, because he sounded like a fan at that point and he's saying all the things we wish we could say to the guys making those errors.  If I want to watch 4 routine ground balls turn into errors in one game, I'll go see my town's Little League team play.

I'll be stranded without a computer for the next few days, so the chances of being able to update during this series are slim.  However, if the Mets can put together a complete ball game (pitching, defense, AND offense, not just one of the three) we have a chance to take two of three this weekend.  I want the Mets to pull through and stop thowing in the towel when there is still a third of the season to play.  Give us something to believe in again.

 

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