The Mets are streaking on both sides of the ball

I was gearing up for a lengthy post on how the Mets have turned it around since Jerry Manuel took the helm and how well the players have been playing in July.

Unfortunately (or probably fortunately), Eric Grissom over at Phillies Flow has beaten me to it.

Here's an excerpt of the article, titles "Men on fire":

Overall, the difference between the Manuel and non-Manuel pitching numbers is far more dramatic than the difference between the Manuel and non-Manuel hitting numbers. The Mets are scoring about 4.96 runs per game since he took over compared to about 4.80 per game before he took over, but the difference between the pitching numbers is much larger. After allowing about 4.67 runs per game before Manuel took over, the Mets have allowed about 3.81 runs per game since.

There's some great statistical breakdowns of the starters in July and the runs scored / runs against breakdown between the two months of June and July.

The Mets have been the team that we thought they could be, finally. Mike Pelfrey has blossomed into a wonderful pitcher, Johan Santana has plugged away at his consistently wonderful pace, and Olvier Perez has switched his mechanics and seen great results.

The bats are back too, as Carlos Delgado is getting on track (maybe), Jose Reyes is on an absolute tear after getting off to a slow start, and Damion Easley is filling in admirably at second base.

The All Star break couldn't come at a worse time for the hot Mets, but hopefully it will carry over into the second "half," down the stretch, and beyond.

Great stuff, Eric. Truly worth a read.

Photo of the Day: Happy Mets

And how can they not be happy?

Literally everything is going right for these Mets and the rest of the team as
they're riding high into the All Star break winners of nine straight games.

Let me clear things up: The outfield is not OK; Endy Chavez has been great; The Mets need someone

I'm seeing a bunch of comments arguing my point I made early this morning, and I feel the need to defend my points.

1. Moises Alou is old, gets hurt way too much, and I am going to hold out no hope of him returning and helping the team for more than 16.2 seconds.

2. Endy Chavez has played very well in Alou's and Ryan Church's absence. He can easily continue to start in the OF with no problem. He has a great glove and is perfect hitting behind Jose Reyes.

3. The Mets still need another OF. I don't think the platoon of Fernando Tatis, Marlon Anderson, Chris Aguila, Trot Nixon, Angel Pagan, etc. etc., will be enough to carry this team into postseason play.

4. I don't want Omar Minaya to sell the farm to pick up trade bait. Matt Holliday would be awesome, but I'm almost 100 percent sure Aaron Heilman, Fernando Martinez, and probably two other top flight minor leaguers would have to head west to land him. I don't feel comfortable watching all that young talent leave the already depleted farm system.

Yes, the Mets need another outfielder. Yes, Minaya will probably have to give up a blue chip prospect to land that guy. Yes, I'm confident that the guy he lands will help this team through the season.

So that's that. Thoughts??

Early Morning Madness: Moises Alou is old and crippled edition

I have one thought running through my head after the Mets and Johan Santana won 5-0 last night, and it has nothing to do with anything that happened in that game:

Moises Alou got hurt again?!?!

This is not a joke.

Alou was removed from his AA start with a pain in his quad. I think Omar Minaya should give Alou just one more shot. He has one more chance to slowly work himself back into shape and attempt to make it on the team. If he goes on the DL just one more time, it's adios muchacho!

Endy Chavez has been filling in admirably, batting well over .350 as a starter. The season started for him so poorly, but he has really turned a corner when given a chance to start. He also fits beautifully in the #2 hole, right behind Jose Reyes.

I don't feel like the Mets have a pressing need to go out and land a everyday outfielder. I wouldn't mind looking, but I'm sure everything will be costly, and the minor leagues isn't exactly filled with great players right now. Everyone the team has down there, I think they would prefer to keep.

If Minaya could land a quality 3/4 outfielder, I think that would be something plausible and helpful, without giving up too much. I have no specific names for you, but there are some fringe players out there who could be had for cheap, and might be able to add a little something to the squad.

Honestly, Moises, it's about time to hang 'em up. Or at least sign with an AL team so you can DH and not have to play the field. Unbelievable. He gets hurt more than me, and if you know me, it's a lot.

The Mets bats stink

Another excellent Johan Santana start wasted.

Santana gave up only two runs, and the Mets lost again. This reminds me of when Roger Clemens pitched with the Astros. He would dominate the other team, but the 'Stros simply did not score for him.

I sort of feel bad for Santana, because he's doing pretty much all that he can do, and his team still can't manage to win. He may not be the best pitcher in the league anymore, but he's pitching very, very well and the Mets are now 0-6 in his last six starts.

This team always seems to fail horribly with timely hitting. The Mets had the bases loaded and nobody out, and managed to score only two runs. Luckily, at that. Thanks to the speed of Jose Reyes, who beat out a double play ball, and a good eye by David Wright to walk a run in, otherwise the inning could have ended without the Mets pushing any runs across.

I'm not sure if the Mets need to add a bat from elsewhere, but this team needs a jolt. In big games like last night's, the team should be fired up and aggressive, but they still looked flat. Is the team dynamic that different without Ryan Church? Without Moises Alou? Maybe a lineup shakeup will do the trick, but who knows.

Maybe this team really is just a mediocre, .500 team.

Jose Reyes and Keith Hernandez nearly come to blows on team plane

According to the NY Post, Jose Reyes and Keith Hernandez had to be separated while on the team plane.

From the Post:

Reyes said yesterday he was angry at Hernandez after numerous friends and relatives told him Hernandez accused the Mets of "babying" Reyes during the broadcast of Sunday's 3-1 win over the New Yor Yankees at Shea Stadium.

"He got his point [across] and I got mine," Reyes, when asked to describe the confrontation, told The Post before he drove in three runs in the Mets' 11-1 victory over the Cardinals last night. "I'm not too happy with the way he's been talking."

The article also goes on to say:

Reyes and Hernandez emphatically denied they nearly came to blows, with Hernandez insisting testily that it be described as "a conversation" instead.

"I wouldn't say 'confronted,' " Hernandez said brusquely when approached in the team's broadcast booth at Busch Stadium last night. "We had a conversation. 'Confront' is not the word."

As strange as this whole story is, I can't get over how funny this must have been. In my wildest dreams I cannot picture this happening.

Hopefully everything works out, because Hernandez is a historic part of this organization and Reyes, hopefully, will be a cornerstone of this franchise for years to come.

Here comes the flood of comments about how "immature" Reyes is. A few days ago, I called his tantrum on the field immature, now, I'm not so sure. I think Reyes wants to step away from that image, and I can't think of anything more "manly" than a fight. Sure, that sounds super macho and testosterone driven, but it rings true.

Reyes is a fighter. And that's a good thing. Too bad he was fighting the immortal Keith Hernandez.

Still, color me skeptical. I'd like to see this one reported elsewhere before I fully believe it.

The Mets always make it interesting.

[Thanks Ian, from Sox & Dawgs]

Early Morning Madness: Fatigued arm edition

Each morning, I wake up way too early, sit down in front of my computer, and rattle off the top three (or so) Mets related things that are swimming around in my head. All without coffee:

John Maine may have a dead arm.

Well that's just dandy, ain't it? Maine has struggled mightily for most of this year and while a dead arm can't be the cause of it all, it certainly could be a new wrinkle. Maine has only gone past the seventh inning once this season, and that was when he pitched into the ninth against the Dodgers on May 7.

Hopefully everything is all right. Losing him would be rough.

** * **

I wonder if he'll get paid minimum wage? Luis Castillo has apparently been tabbed as Jose Reyes' babysitter.

For a grown man to have someone around to keep his emotions in check is pretty sad. In the case of Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton, it makes sense, because he's struggled with addictions and it almost cost him his career. With Reyes, it's just that he's still very immature.

As I said before, I like the emotion from him, but instead of him using it to move forward and make the next play, he sulks and mopes around the field.

Castillo is expensive for the caliber of player he is now, but if he can keep Reyes in check and get him to perform at the top of his potential, he'll be worth every penny.

** * **

This article is just bad.

It's attempts at humor and wit are poor, to say the least. It doesn't even read like it was written in New York, for New York.

And for the record, I agree with Jerry Manuel that the Mets are the second team. It's common sense people. Not to get down on my knees and bow to the almighty Yankees, but they're a storied franchise. You can't deny what the Yanks have accomplished. Heck, I've watched them since I was a little kid at my grandma's house.

Some of their fans on the other hand...well, that's a completely different story.

Early Morning Madness: Tantrum edition

Jose Reyes is still maturing.

Every time someone claims Reyes has finally matured, become a man, stopped being a baby, he goes out and makes a bonehead move, then mopes about it. This time it was a throwing error allowing a runner on late in the game. Reyes took off his glove, tossed it to the ground, and stood with his hands on his hips.

When the inning finally ended, Reyes' sunglasses and glove were on the ground again, which he picked up before slowly making his way into the dugout.

Though it's nice to see him get mad at himself for botching an easy play, he needs to shake it off and get back in the game rather than sulk and take it to heart. Just turn around, say "I'll get it next time," and keep your head in the game, otherwise more errors will come your way.

** * **

Oliver Perez was simply magnificent yesterday, and most of it stemmed from his brand new windup.

While it wasn't a drastic change, Perez now has a bit of a rocking motion, where he steps back, then forward and his whole body goes into the pitch. This is something new pitching coach Dan Warthen has added to Perez's delivery.

Here I was worried that Perez would completely fall apart if not under the watchful eye of Rick Peterson, and then he comes out in his second start under Warthen and pitches a gem. I feel that Peterson had Perez over-thinking instead of just throwing. Perez came out yesterday pounding fastballs, throwing 25 of his first 30 pitches for strikes, almost all of which were his heater.

** * **

And welcome back to Ryan Church, who picked up two hits in his return to the Mets.

As I've said a million times before, his bat and presence was sorely missed in the Mets lineup, and now that he's back and healthy, this team is poised to make it's move.

Also, I dig the new facial hair sprouting up around the Mets, especially on Church. Maybe it's time to regrow my beard.

TSTDIA: Mets 5 -- Angels 4

The sentence(s) that define it all: I'm so glad I stayed up for this one. Congrats to Jerry Manuel for picking up his first win as the Mets skipper.

The Mets battled back in the 9th inning, with David Wright driving in Jose Reyes to tie it, and rallied in the 10th to take the lead, thanks to a Damion Easley home run. Billy Wagner came in and shut the door, retiring the side in order, to earn the Mets easily their best win of the year.

This is the kind of game that can turn your season around. Big win.

Early Morning Madness: First day on the job

In the first minute of Jerry Manuel's coaching tenure with the Mets, he ran into a problem. Jose Reyes led off the game with a single, and while standing on first, began grabbing the back of his knee.

Manuel, along with the trainer came out to check on Reyes. Manuel did the right thing, and pulled Reyes from the game, replacing him with Damion Easley.

Reyes was none too pleased, huffing and puffing like a little kid and throwing his helmet to the ground as he entered the dugout, and eventually into the clubhouse.

Manuel handled it beautifully, following Reyes into the clubhouse to talk about the little incident that just occured. One can only speculate what was said, but Bart Hubbuch in the POST relays the post game quotes:

"Really, the behavior is pretty much unacceptable," Manuel said of Reyes' tantrum. "But the attitude is something that can help us win ballgames."

Reyes, who is expected back in the lineup tonight, apologized to Manuel in the next inning and said he understood his new manager's thinking.

"I want to play, but Jerry was just trying to take care of me," Reyes said. "He made the right decision, because it's a long season and I need to stay healthy the whole season."

Perfectly handled by Manuel, and a good reaction from Reyes. Manuel has to play with a heavy hand these first few games, to let the players know what he's going to be like the rest of the year. He cannot have players walking all over him, and he's doing his best to make sure that never happens.

Oh, and Reyes should be back in the lineup tonight. The injury was just a little tweak of the hamstring.

*****

Manuel's first day was excellent. He handled himself very well at the press conference, joking around and showing emotion. A novel idea.

His one drawback, if I must have one (and I do), is that Trot Nixon was not in the starting lineup. John Lackey is a righty, and Nixon is more capable in the outfield than Marlon Anderson. Nixon should have been in right field, with Endy Chavez in left.

It's not like Nixon has bad numbers against Lackey. He's a career .250 hitter (4-16), with a double, RBI, walk and strikeout.

Hopefully, Nixon is in the lineup tonight against Jon Garland, a pitcher he is also batting .250 lifetime against.

*****

I must say, I've never seen the media dish out such negative remarks towards one team in a one day period.

I've only seen a handful of articles from the mainstream that actually spell out that this might have been the right thing to do, and the time was unavoidable.

The best article of the day came from longtime Star-Ledger writer, Moss Klein: Mets GM Minaya has nothing on George Steinbrenner.

Finally, someone is talking some sense.

3:11 a.m.!?!? It makes perfect sense to me

You probably think this is one of those posts blasting Omar Minaya for firing Willie Randolph at some ridiculous hour.

Not so.

The word came out at roughly 3:11 a.m. that Randolph had been fired as manager of the Mets. If you take a step back from your emotions and look at the simple breakdown of the time frame, it makes perfect sense.

The game was slated for a 10:05 p.m. start, Eastern standard time. The game took approximately three hours and ten minutes.

That puts us at 1:15 a.m. EST. The post game locker room shuffle, with the usual talk with reporters probably takes somewhere from 20 to 35 minutes. Allow time for the man to change, and get on the bus to head back to the hotel, probably somewhere around 2 or 2:15 a.m. EST.

By the time they get back from the stadium, a meeting where the actual deed is done must commence. Let's say that meeting started somewhere around 2:45 a.m. EST. Don't forget that Minaya also had to meet with Rick Peterson and Tom Nieto to relieve them of their duties.

An estimate on how long the meeting with Willie Randolph would last, I would venture a guess at something near 10-15 minutes. By that time, the word is out. Give the PR staff a few minutes to do their job and bang out a release and send it through the appropriate channels, and by my watch, we land precisely at 3:11 a.m. EST.

Either way, because they're on the west coast, no story ever makes the papers the next day, not even a report of the game. Would you have rather had Minaya wait until morning, and fire Randolph over breakfast? The story still doesn't make the papers.

Either way, because they're on the west coast, any story from that night isn't going to hit the newsstands for another 24 hours.

My guess of the rundown of events (EST):

10:05 p.m.: First pitch from Jered Weaver to Jose Reyes.

1:15 a.m.: Game ends with Reyes turning an unassisted double play.

2:00 a.m.: Leave for hotel.

2:15 a.m.: Arrive at the hotel.

2:30 a.m.: First meeting is called.

2:32 a.m.: Nieto is relieved of his duties.

2:37 a.m.: Second meeting is called.

2:39 a.m.: Peterson is relieved of his duties.

2:50 a.m.: Third meeting is called.

2:54 a.m.: Randolph is fired.

3:10 a.m.: Word hits the wires.

Sounds about right to me.

Perry picks two Mets that should be starting the All-Star Game

Dayn Perry, creepy picture and all, is making his picks for the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. These are the players that he feels should be starting the mid-summer classic, and two Mets make the list:

SS Jose Reyes, Mets
Tough one. The debate comes down to Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins vs. Reyes (had Rafael Furcal not been injured for so long, he'd have a case). Both are notable young stars, and both have their strengths. Ramirez is better with the bat, but Reyes is better with the glove. Actually, he's much better with the glove, which, ultimately, is why we're going with him. Of course, Reyes is also hitting .291 AVG/.351 BP/.480 SLG, which constitutes excellent production for a shortstop playing half his games in Shea. So give a third All-Star appearance to one of the most exciting players in the game.

He's hot at the plate, but struggling in the field. Still, I think he's one of, if not the most exciting player in baseball. Any single could quickly turn into a double. Doubles could be converted into triples. A ball that gets away could be an inside-the-park home run. I don't think he should be starting the game, as his errors make a great case against him.

CF Carlos Beltran, Mets
Beltran or Aaron Rowand — it's a difficult decision. We're going with Beltran because of his superior defense (yes, he's a better glove man than Rowand), better base running, and his status as the bigger star of the two. This would mean five straight trips to the All-Star Game for Beltran.

Agreed. I love Rowand because he's willing to give himself up for a ball, as is Beltran. Carlos glides across the field, making plays you would never expect, and usually makes it look easy. He's not a guy to hit for average, as we all know, but he's more than sufficent at the plate. I would never trade him in a million years. All-Star Game, sounds good to me.

Something drastic must be done to save the Mets

The Mets have exactly 100 games left to play (barring a one-game playoff for a berth into the postseason (don't count on it)).

Right now, the Mets are two games under .500, staring up at three teams ahead of them in their own division. Uninspired play continues, as they dropped all four games to the San Diego Padres who climbed out of the cellar with those wins.

Something needs to happen with this New York team. Omar Minaya needs to strike fear into the hearts of these complacent veterans. A shakeup is needed.

A few suggestions:

• Cut Moises Alou. Sure he's a great hitter, but he can not stay healthy long enough to truly contribute to the team.
• If Jose Reyes pops the ball up, and it doesn't make it out of the infield, he must do 25 pushups Willie Mays Hayes style from Major League.
• Trade/Cut/Demote Oliver Perez to anyone that will take him/the bargain rack/to ball boy.
• Bring up young talent. Instead of Abraham Nunez and Robinson Cancel taking up space, bring up some youth. Give Mike Carp a shot. Take a look at Dan Murphy. Let Jon Niese get some reps.

Just a few suggestions for the Mets. Maybe one of these will happen, or something to the same degree and it just might help the Mets turn it around.

100 games left to play. The season needs to start...now.

Early Morning Madness -- 6/5

I expected the Mets turnaround to be a very drawn out affair. Win a few games here, take two days off, win a few more. A two steps forward, one step back type of deal.

Right now, they seem to just be putting the pedal to the metal and cranking it to sixth gear. My only fear is that they will tease us with a very long winning streak, or string of games where they go 7-3 over 10 games (oh, wait!) and then suddenly have everything fall apart and start losing again.

Then things will really get out of hand in the media. Just something to chew on.

*****

Jose Reyes is hot. Carlos Beltran is hot. Most of the team is hot. And I am a happy man.

*****

I'm wondering if we'll ever see Matt Wise pitch again in a Mets uniform. He just can't seem to get healthy and the latest injury smells like something he'll need surgery for. Just a hunch though.

*****

So long, John Smoltz. You're gone for this year, and possibly your career. For the sake of Mets fans everywhere, just hang them up already.

What the heck?

So the 4th inning seemingly ended with a ground out from Caludio Vargas to short. SNY went to commercial, as usual.

They just cut back, with Vargas on base, and Jose Reyes on first. Luis Castillo promptly doubled to left, scoring Vargas. Reyes came around to score on an errant throw.

David Wright just hit his second 2-run home run of the game. It's 6-0 now, and four of them came after the inning was seemingly over.

Ah!!! Gary Cohen just updated us. It was a catchers interference call when Vargas was batting.

So crazy. Did that happen to anyone else?

Reyes' on base streak

Jose Reyes lead off the bottom of the first inning with a ground rule double to left field. Including tonight, Reyes has now been on base for the 28th straight game.

To me, it really doesn't seem like it. Everyone keeps talking about Reyes being in a funk when he's tearing it up and getting on base. The only reason we haven't heard anyone singing his praises is his miserable play in the field.

Reyes just stole third base and just scored on a Luis Castillo home run (I know!). Reyes is creating chances for the Mets, consistently. Let's celebrate his efforts instead of tearing him apart for plays in the field. Or at least let the two cancel each other out.

Game Recap: Nationals 1 -- Mets 0

This game went from promising to frustrating very quick.

Mike Pelfrey was sensational as he carried a no hitter through the sixth inning and into the seventh. Unfortunately for the Mets and Pelfrey, Aaron Boone led off the 7th inning with a single to right field to break up the no-hitter.

What else can I say about this? He walked three, eventually allowing three hits and one earned run through 7 2-3 of an inning. Pelfrey struck out four during his stint on the bump.

If his start against the Reds was telling of things to come, I can only imagine how he'll follow up this performance. Amazing, simply amazing. I'm very pleased by his poise on the mound his last few starts. He's really starting to blossom into everything the Mets thought he could be. Go Big Pelf!

The only run of the game came in the top of the 8th, as Jesus Flores doubled to lead off the inning. After pinch hitter Willie Harris, who would play a huge role in the next inning sacrificed Flores to third, Felipe Lopez hit a long fly ball to left field, deep enough to score Flores for the game's only run.

They executed this inning perfectly. Hats off to them. Wish the Mets could do that once in a while.

Jason Bergmann, a product of Rutgers University, matched zero's with Pelfrey the entire day. Bergman ended up going seven strong, allowing only thee hits and walking two while fanning nine. The Mets had huge chances in the 8th and 9th, but nice plays by the Nationals and bad luck for New York foiled their chances.

Jose Reyes led off the 8th inning with a swinging bunt up along the third base line. Luis Castillo was up next, and laid down a beauty of a sacrifice bunt to move Reyes to second. Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman came in to field the bunt, so third base was unoccupied. Reyes spotted this and took off for third. Again, unfortunately for the Mets, short stop Christian Guzman saw the vacant base and took off a few steps ahead of Reyes. A perfect throw from Aaron Boone from first to Guzman on the run, and a behind the back tag nailed Reyes for the second out, killing any rally in the 8th.

I like the idea, but not the execution. Man on second, one out with your 3, 4, 5 hitters coming up is something you kill for. Bringing the man to third would be nice, but only if you're absolutely sure you're going to make it. Reyes should have only taken off if Guzman was unaware of the empty bag.

In the ninth, with Carlos Beltran on first after leading off with a single, Ryan Church came to the plate and blooped a ball down the left field line. Harris, who as mentioned earlier was brought on in the 8th and laid down a successful sacrifice to help bring in the only run, made an absolutely amazing diving backhand grab on the foul line in left to erase Church and chase Beltran back to first.

Absolutely amazing. One of the best catches I've ever seen.

The bad luck wasn't done for the Mets in the 9th. With Carlos Delgado batting, Beltran broke for second, Flores popped up and airmailed the ball into centerfield, allowing Beltran to move all the way to third base with only one out. A few pitches later, Delgado smoked a ball to the right side, where Boone made a very nice catch at first. Beltran had broke for home on the ball, and was easily doubled up off the bag to end the game.

Rough game to cap off a rough series. You have to count on plays not going your way and need to cash in on the opportunities handed to you. Dropping three out of four to the Nationals is not good. Not good at all.

This has to be the most heartbreaking and frustrating loss all year.

Game Ball: Pelfrey, without a doubt.

More hips!

Here is Jose Reyes teaching some of the guys from SportsCenter how to dance in a recent "This is SportsCenter" commercials. It cracks me up every time I see it.

Hat tip to Ian from Sox & Dawgs.

Photo of the Day: Reyes

Photo from Game 2Yes, I know Jose Reyes was the photo from the first game, but this shot was excellent.
Reyes needed some huge ups to leap and catch a ball that Carlos Delgado seemingly airmailed to left field. I don't know how he got up and made that catch, but it made for an awesome photo.
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Game Recap: Reds 7 -- Mets 1

The revenge of Jeff Keppinger.

The Reds pounded out 14 hits in the nightcap, after knocking 15 earlier in the day, and beat up on the Mets bullpen, scoring five in the late innings to put them up 7-1 and earn a split of the doubleheader for the day.

The best part of the game, at least for the Mets, was the way Mike Pelfrey pitched. Pelfrey allowed only two earned runs on eight hits through six innings. Pelfrey was in control, only walking one while striking out three.

Very, very good start from him. Allowed a bunch of hits, but really limited the damage all game. He really didn't deserve the loss here. Good start from him, which is good to see from him as he's been struggling a bit of late. Very happy with this.

Single runs bookended Pelfrey's start, as a Ken Griffey Jr. single in the first drove in one run and a Scott Hatteberg double in the sixth chased home the other run for the Reds charged to him.

Dusty Baker took a chance starting Hatteberg, who had been batting well under the Mendoza line coming into the day, and he answered by driving in three. Figures it's against the Mets.

The Mets were shut down by Bronson Arroyo who had his most dominant start of the year. Arroyo only allowed four hits through eight innings, and didn't allow a baserunner from the fifth inning on. New York scratched out their only run in the third inning when David Wright singled to drive in Jose Reyes.

Arroyo looked like classic Arroyo. What a dominating start from him, especially since he's struggled all year. Great performance from him, and again, figures it's against the Mets.

The Reds got to both Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner for multiple runs to put the game out of reach. In the 8th, back-to-back singles from Hatteberg and Paul Bako each drove in a run each. Wagner allowed three runs, all unearned, after two straight errors from the Mets. Wright had a fielding error and Carlos Delgado committed a throwing error.

Ex-Met Keppinger went 5-5 on the day, picking up his fifth hit with an RBI single in the 9th. Hatteberg picked up his third RBI with a sacrifice fly to left. Bako added another run with an RBI single to the right side.

I really hate to see key bullpen pitchers come in when the Mets aren't leading, and I really really hate to see them get roughed up. Why not burn a guy like Joe Smith, especially if he might get sent down very soon? I don't get that thinking.

Game Ball: Pelfrey