Ok, this is from last week, but nevertheless Ike Davis did it again flipping over the railing--in his standard fashion--for the third and final out in tonight's amazing 8-6 comeback win vs. the Nationals. I know, I know, "Amazing", "Comeback" & "Nationals" is not something you would normally hear someone use in a sentence, let alone brag about. However, these are not your "normal" Nationals, and this was not a "normal" win.
Jon Neise didn't have it today and Adam Dunn put the Mets in an immediate 3-0 hole. The Mets scratched out a run to make it 3-1, but continued to hit into multiple double plays. They just haven't been abel to get that key hit these last few games. And before you know it, the score is 6-2 after 6 innings and the Mets looked like they were overmatched....that is until the 8th inning.
I don't want to be all cliche and say that this game could be a turning point in the season, but I will, it really could be. The mets brought 12 batters up to the plate in the 8th with the hero being Chris "The Animal" Carter to drive in the the go ahead run. After a bases loaded walk, Ike Davis just missed hitting a grand slam. However, he would have the last laugh flipping over the railing making a spectacular catch for the THIRD TIME this season. Only this time he landed into a slew of teammate's arms preserving and ending the game.
Wow. Just a great uplifting game with a lot of positives. David Wright & Jason Bay each had 3 hits. Takahashi continues to baffle hitters and appears to be the front runner to take Ollie Perez's rotation spot. The Mets won their first game after trailing by more than 2 runs after 7 innings. "The Animal" (who replaced the recently departed Frank Cattalanoto) was pacing in the dugout ringing a bat with his spot not due up for 4 batters. It was like he knew he would be up in a big spot...he was relishing it and it might have riled up this team. Carter will soon have a cult following including yours truly. And did I mention Ike Davis????
Big Pelf on the mound tomorrow for the Metsies. Take this series.
The New York Mets utterly destroyed the Phillies tonight in there own house 9-1 winning their 8th game in a row and retaining first place in the NL East. The Mets now hold a 1.5 game lead over the Philths.
2010 is different and a strong series in philly would go a long way for this team...Some things to think about: Mets are hitting mad fly balls and I think a lot of the out[s] that we saw at citi (particularly from barajas and Frenchy) could be long gone at CBP...
-Benny B, Yesterday
Am I a prognosticator or what? For the Mets, it couldn't have been any better tonight. D-Wright hit a 2 run HR and Frenchy hit a solo HR to kick off this wonderful night as the mets took a 3-0 lead. But Niese got in a little trouble in the bottom of the inning. Now the 2008-2009 Mets might have given the lead right back, but as I have said before, these are the 2010 Mets. Frenchy started off the inning by cutting off a potential double by Werth who fell down when he saw the laser beam Jeff threw to 2nd base, and scurried back to first. Werth, you even dream about taking an extra base on Frenchy, you better wake up and apologize. Then he made a spectacular catch smashing into the centerfield wall. Not to be outdone, Jason Bay made a leaping catch for the 3rd out on a deep fly hit by Victorino to limit the damage to 1 run scored.
Then Rod Barjas took over the show: He hits a solo HR completing the Benny Beez prognostication above, and after Frenchy got blasted on the elbow by a way inside pitch by Baez, Rod smashed a double to drive home Jeff to make it 5-1. Then Mike's favorite player, Angel Pagan, got in on the action hitting a 2 run scoring triple to essentially break the game wide open (even by CBP standards). But, just to rub a little extra salt in the Phillies wounds, Jose Reyes caps off the inning with an RBI single to make it 8-1.
Jon Niese threw 7 very impressive innings to let y'all know he ain't no joke. He got himself into a little bit of trouble walking batters, but he essentially dominated: 4 hits, 7k's and 1 run allowed. OWNED. He then gave way to Jenry Mejia who appeared to retaliate for the Francoeur beaning by hitting Utley in the leg with a 98 MPH fastball. I love it! I hope that sends a message not only to the Phillies, but the rest of the league as well: If you are going to pitch us inside, we'll pitch you inside. If you hit us, we'll hit you. Good ol' fashioned hardball.
If the ass-whooping that unfolded wasn't enough for Mets fans tonight, the cherry on top was welcoming Mr. Brad Lidge back from the DL with another Solo HR by Mr Barajas further cementing Benny Beez's prognosticating abilities. If there were any fans left in the builiding at that point, they surely jumped off the bridge after that. Lidge was mercifully removed after getting every pitch he threw tagged and Mejia put the Phils out their misery...and thrust their fans into misery.
What a great way to kick off the series. A real statement game. The best part of it for me was you could just feel the Phillie fans squirming--getting worse and worse after every HR, strikeout, defensive miscue and culminating in a Lidge blasting...and I was loving every minute of it.
Right back at it tomorrow afternoon. Let's do this. I think these 2010 Mets may be for real...
It's that time again, as the first place Mets travel to Philadelphia this weekend for the first installment of the 2010 WTTB Series. I will be in attendence on Friday and Sunday, and I'm bracing myself for all kinds of abuse. And as long as I don't come battered and bruised (or thrown up on), I'm all for it. I love this rivalry, and I'm excited to see it renewed.
It's really hard to not get excited for this weekend. The Phillies are struggling, the Mets are dominating, and for the first time in over a year it feels good to be a Mets fan. I keep trying to remind myself that it's only April, but this upcoming series has a different feel to it. To be honest, this series is much more important for the Mets than the Phillies. Despite their struggles, the Phillies are the class of the National League (I have no problem admitting that), and as long as they add some servicable bullpen arms they will be fine. But for the Mets, this series is critical for the fanbase. Were the last 10 games a fluke? We will soon find out.
More than anything I'm excited to see if the rivalry returns to its pre-2009 level. I spent pretty much all day listening to Philly sports radio, and based on what I heard there's no doubt this rivalry remains as hot as ever. The Philly guys spent all day ranting about how much they hate the Mets, New York, and anything that is good in the world. And they still do it with the same lack of professionalism that just wouldn't happen on New York radio. But that's a story for a different day.
From a baseball standpoint, I feel like the Mets should be able to take 2 out of 3, simply based on the pitching matchups, (courtesy of ESPN New York):
Friday: LHP Jon Niese (0-1, 3.68) vs. RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 7.71), 7:05 p.m. ET
Saturday: RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-0, 0.69) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (4-1, 1.80), 3:10 p.m. ET
Sunday: LHP Johan Santana (3-1, 2.08) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (2-2, 5.25), 8:07 p.m., ET
You gotta think the Mets can beat Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer. Especially since there bats are finally coming around. Hopefully Mike Pelfrey can continue his magical run, but game 2 is clearly advantage Phillies. Although that should be an interesting matchup.
It's been a long year for Mets fans, and all offseason we had to hear that the Mets "aren't talented to compete in the NL East". I never bought into that nonsense anyway, but this weekend we will get the first glimpse into whether that notion is true. Granted, this series is just a minor blip in a 162 game season. But if somehow the Mets could go into a Philly and come away with a sweep, the idea that the Mets can't compete will dissappear altogether. It should be a fun weekend, and there will be plenty to talk about in the coming days. I haven't worn my Mets jersey to CBP in almost two years, and I know I'm in for hell. So to all you Phillie fans out there....bring it on.
Before I start, I want to say it is still very early in the season and thus too early to draw any real conclusions. Of course, that didn't stop all the bloggers, beat writers and talking heads from writing off the Mets even before the season began. I was furious when George Vecsey alluded to the Dante's Inferno when describing the Mets (I've had words with him in the past). "Abandon all hope Mets fans" was his message. So today, he wrote a retraction. I expect more of these types of foot-in-mouth admissions once the lazy minds in sports start realizing the Mets aren't an easy target any longer. Nevetheless, that didn't stop them, so it won't stop me from lavishing a little optimism in this post.
There is a spark with this team right now as the Mets (12-9) quite literally busted out of their jerseys (Wright and Pagan both broke their belts stealing) in sweeping today's doubleheader vs. the Dodgers 4-0, and 10-5. There was a lot to like and enjoy if you are a Mets fan still capable of enjoyment: Gritty never-say-die pitching, smart & aggressive base-running, great defensive catches, clutch hits, slump busting hits, & milestone hits.
It was windy and cold today and even the great Johan had trouble gripping and controlling the ball in game #1. But Johan is Johan and battled for 6 scoreless innings to lower the Mets 3rd best team ERA. Bay hit a monster HR--his first as a Met--and is officially out of his slump. Castillo came through with a clutch hit to tack on two more insurance runs, and Nieve & Feliciano continued to be spotless closing out the game.
Things got a little more wild in game #2 as Ollie only lasted 3.2 innings. Ollie isn't Johan and couldn't figure out how to make it work as he couldn't hold and early 3 run lead. The good news is that the Dodgers didn't have any Johans of their own and were equally affected by the weather, so the Mets came back in a BIG WAY. Behind yet another excellent relief outing by Takahashi (3.1 innings, 5ks, 1 run alowed) Jason Bay hit his 3rd triple and made and amazing diving catch. And finally, David Wright's Bat has come alive! He wen't 3-3 in game #2, with 4 RBI's (3 of which came on a bases loaded triple) while collecting his 1000th base hit. It got a little dicey in the last two innings with the mets giving up a couple runs, but at that point, the writing was on the wall. Nothing was going to stop the Mets from sweeping.
Yes, the Mets are showing what this team is capable of when firing on just most of it's cylinders. Explosive offense and lock down pitching is a deadly combination and the reason they have won their last 6 games and are 8-1 on their current home stand. However, the Cubs, Braves and Dodgers played just terrible, sloppy, uninspired & error plagued baseball. Quite frankly, the Mets opponents looked like a mirror image of the 2009 Mets...but it was the 2010 Mets that showed the killer instinct. They are resilient, exciting & gelling before our eyes. I can't remember a feeling like this in a long, long time....and it is refreshing.
Like I said, it is still early, but the Mets are now currently sitting in first place, and--pending the outcome of the the Phillies game tonight--could be is sole possession of first place by tomorrow. But regardless of the standings or if they complete the sweep tomorrow, the mets are right where they want to be going into the first WTTTB battle at Philly. Last year, one of my first posts was about the realization that the Mets did not have the tools necessary to compete after the first Mets/Phillies series. It's a different story in 2010 folks. The Mets are rolling into Philly. It has already been anounced that Johan will pitch on Sunday. Do I smell a Doc Halliday Vs. Johan battle to determine the fates of their respective teams in a battle which hath never been seen by mortal eyes in the history of baseball?! Time will only tell.
Lets get the series sweep, lets keep the energy and fire going into Philly....LETS GO METS!
John Neise continues to battle and show he has the stuff to be a quality MLB pitcher. He loses control sometimes, walks batters and throws too many pitches...but that can be expected from Rookie.
Jason Bay is breaking out of his slump going 3-4 today. A couple of those hits were dunkers that should have been caught, but he crushed a ball 400+ feet to center field to score the first run of the game today and tie it up. Jeff "Frenchy" Fracoeur is emerging from his slump hitting a RBI triple as well crushing balls to all parts of the park. He would have had 3 HR's in the last two games had he been playing in a more hitter friendly park. On the other hand, David Wright is still mired in his slump. Soon, D-Wright, Soon. It'll come...
The Bullpen continues to be outstanding.
Henry Blaco AKA Hank White had a stolen base today, his first stolen bast in 9 years! He also threw out another baserunner making him 4 for 4. Would-be base-stealers are going to get the message quickly that they can't run on the Mets like in years past.
Jose Reyes is back. He is hitting and appears to be taking to hitting 3rd in the lineup, running close to full speed and made a spectacular full extension diving catch to thwart an 8th inning Braves rally. The game is just more fun with the old Jose...well maybe not for the opposing team.
I believe the Mets should be fine offensively as long as they don't start getting injured like the Phillies J.A. Happ is the latest member of the DL. As I said, the Bullpen should be fine and the catching tandem of Blanco & Barajas has been exactly as billed. Their biggest need continues to be starting pitching. Johan is Johan and Pelf has locked down the #2 spot. But everyone else is a question mark. Niese is Raw, but serviceable. If the Mets can make a trade for a legit #3 pitcher and move one of Maine or Ollie to Pen, the Mets will have a respectable and competitive team.
Big win for the Mets today. Lets keep it rolling with a Sweep tomorrow with Big Pelf on the mound. I am starting to get excited for the first installment of Mets V. Phillies.
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It's that time again, as the first place Mets travel to Philadelphia this weekend for the first installment of the 2010 WTTB Series. I will be in attendence on Friday and Sunday, and I'm bracing myself for all kinds of abuse. And as long as I don't come battered and bruised (or thrown up on), I'm all for it. I love this rivalry, and I'm excited to see it renewed. 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 