Putz Pitches Put Mets in Precarious Position

You're not supposed to lose the games that Johan Santana pitches. And while Johan looked somewhat mortal (actually allowing 2 runs to score in the first and watching his ERA balloon to 1.10), thanks to Fernando Tatis' first home run of the year (a controversial one at that), the Mets were still in a position to win the ballgame until J.J. Putz entered the game in the eighth.

The Mets normally surehanded eighth inning specialist allowed the Marlins to re-take the lead by scoring two runs. And as mentioned in a previous post, a deficit of just one run is basically insurmountable for the clutchless Citi Fielders. Not to say the Mets didn't put up a fight, but Florida's Matt Lindstrom escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting pinch-hitter Omir Santos on a game ending popup. Why he was pinch-hitting in the first place is a question only the manager can answer.

Jerry Manuel pinch hit Santos for Ramon Castro in that instance. The message to Castro (who already had 2 hits and an rbi in the game - and who I remember as getting some BIG hits over the past few years) was clear: I have no confidence in you. Manuel must be reading the Willie Randolph playbook or something, because his moves are getting more and more questionable. Earlier in the inning with men on first and second with no outs and needing a run to tie, Manuel again opted NOT to bunt to advance the runners, which resulted in a predictable David Wright strikeout, drawing a chorus of boos from the Citi faithful.

And of course, in a story that's getting very old, the Mets finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 overall. With questions regarding the starting rotation, questions about the offense, questions about certain defense positions, and now questions about the manager's quirky baseball X's and O's strategy and the bullpen, it's vital the Mets win the games Santana starts.

Losing 2 of 3 to the Marlins is bad enough. Now the team's put added pressure on Mike Pelfrey to open the next series against the Phillies in Philadelphia. That's no easy task, but at least the team will be away from Citi Field, where the Mets are now 6-6 with 10 triples and 7 homeruns.

The team's record is 9-12 and they don't want to fall too far behind in the standings as we all know what September holds in store for the Mets. They really needed this victory. Putz put the team in a very precarious position for the next game. The good news? Chan Ho Park's going for the Phillies. We all remember him in a Met uniform, right?

Can Not? Cantu! Unless You're the Home Team

It was all about the Marlin's Jorge Cantu as the Florida firstbaseman homered twice and drove in five runs, snapping their seven-game losing streak and continuing the trend of watching the Mets surrender leads.

The Mets had a 4-3 heading into the seventh when Mets manager Jerry Manuel turned to Sean Green to hold the lead. It didn't last long as Green was quickly tagged for 4 runs - and with the Mets having no comeback spirit, the score might as well been double digits. When this team is down by a run, at any point in the game, turn off the TV because the party's over. Any deficit facing the Mets this season looks insurmountable when no one hits in the clutch.

The Mets held a pregame tribute to honor Gary Sheffield for hitting his 500th career home run, and he quickly made a bid for No. 501 in the first inning. His long drive to center short-hopped the wall for a triple, scoring Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran. Through 11 games at Citi Field, the Mets have not hit a single home run between the power alleys - and you thought Shea was a pitcher's ballpark!

In fact, the Mets have more triples than homers at the new park, also known as Dodger Stadium East. Other than Carlos Beltran continuing his hot hitting, (hitting safely in 19 of 20 games this year) we'll try to put this game behind us all and focus on good things - Like Santana pitching tomorrow's matinee!

Santos Slam Helps Maine Cruise to 7-1 Win Against Fish

Whew! Met fans can now breathe a collective sigh of relief that John Maine looked like the John Maine of old. Against the slumping Marlins, Maine went six strong innings of 1 hit ball, walking 3 and striking out 4 in a much-needed win, not only for the team, but for his psyche as well. In a previous post, we were very concerned about Maine's injured arm, but he didn't allow a hit after the first inning, and picked up his first win since Aug. 13, 2008.

Omir Santos provided the muscle with a first inning grand slam as the Mets put up a 6-spot in the first which was more than enough for the lifeless Marlins, who've now lost seven in a row after an 11-1 start. Santos became the third player in Mets history whose first home run was a grand salami. The last? Jose Reyes, who had his 12-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-4 day. (was that the quietest hitting streak ever? I thought Reyes was struggling!)

The Mets bullpen again was fantastic - how great is it to be being able to say that on a consistent basis!? David Wright (a new crewcut hairstyle and 2 hits) and Daniel Murphy each hit triples, and other than Sheffield's error, the Mets played pretty good defense. Perhaps things are looking up.

Santos (a former Yankee property) is getting playing time because Brian Schneider is on the disabled list with a strained back muscle. So what's going to happen when Schneider is activated, and the Mets will have to make a decision on whether Santos or Ramon Castro will be the backup? That's a good problem to have!

Can Livan Hernandez bounce back from his previous horrible outing to take on budding star Ricky Nolasco in tonight's game? Now THAT may be a problem...

2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad - Perez Looks Lost as Nats Avoid Sweep

I keep telling myself that - 2 out of 3 ain't bad. But I really wanted the win and the sweep yesterday of the Nationals. However, after missing the Friday and Saturday games (each won by the Mets), I got psyched up to watch a nice Sunday afternoon ballgame fully expecting good things to happen.

Then bad Ollie showed up... again.

Instead it was the National's Jordan Zimmermann who shined as Washington humiliated the Mets to avoid the sweep, 8-1 for their first road win of the season. It was another lethargic loss for the Mets (8-10), who host first-place Florida for a three-game series beginning tonight at Citi Field. Leftfielder Daniel Murphy botched another line drive, David Wright went 0-4 with a run-scoring throwing error, and Carlos Beltran again forgot to slide on an attempted steal of second.

Adding insult to injury, the star of the game for the Nats was one-time-Met-property Jesus Flores who homered (his second of the series) and drove in three runs. The young catcher was snatched up by Washington when the Mets left him unprotected in the December 2006 winter meeting draft (Rule 5), a move that certainly appears to be a mistake.

Oliver Perez has now allowed 15 walks and 23 hits in 19 1/3 innings. His ERA is 9.31 and was booed off the field by a frustrated crowd of 40,023 (plus 1 Met fan trying to have a nice Sunday afternoon watching the game.)

Is That Too Much To Ask ...

At this point in the season the NY Mets are 8-10, and what do we as fans have to show for it? Absolutely nothing.

Lately we have been hearing murmurs of talk along the lines of this team not having a go-to-guy in the clubhouse to rally the rest of the players when coaching becomes ineffective. My fellow Mets fans and I have been discussing this for the past few years already. It is old hat where we come from. What we have noticed is that when there is someone who becomes vocal in order to motivate a player, or the rest of the team, they are released during an opportune moment as not to bring about any suspicion. Be we know better.

If millions of dollars a year is not enough to motivate a player, then what the frak will it take to get them off their collective arses? They wanted a new stadium and a new manager, and they got both. So, what is going to be the excuse now? Oh, that's right, I forgot, "we are still trying to get used to the new ballpark". Well, shouldn't they have done that before the season started? How difficult would it have been to end spring training a bit early and bring them to the new ballpark to test it out? By the way, will this team use that excuse when they play an opponent that they have never faced before, or at an opponent's new ballpark? "Sorry we lost fans, but we are just not used to the ballpark." Give me a break.

Not being able to sweep the Washington Nationals this past weekend, and losing the third game on Sunday in the manner in which the team did, tells this fan that there is some serious problems on the horizon. Not only in this last series with the 'Nats, but since the beginning of play there has been no fight, no heart, and no aggressiveness. How many times was a player held up at second, let alone at third when sending them on would have put pressure on the other team and their pitcher? No stealing, no bunting, no sliding ... just take Beltran's straight up run into second yesterday. And the kicker: how many times does a player have to swing at the first pitch for an out when the pitcher just walked the last batter or so. It's the Stock Market that we want to be on the rise, NOT the RLISP (Runners Left In Scoring Position) stat.

The NY Mets have a new $400 million dollar ballpark in CitiField, and fans that are devoted and dedicated to the point of their own detriment. Some even willing to nearly mortgage the house. We are New Yorkers, we are avid sports fans, we are NY Mets fans, and all we want is a team to go out there and play ... play their hardest, play their damnedest, and if need be, play, no, earn the millions that they make. Is that too much to ask?

Way too early to panic, people

The pressure of playing in New York has always been ridiculous, but it's getting a little out of hand.

The Mets have only themselves to blame for much of it, thanks to a seventh-game loss in the NLCS, followed by a monumental collapse, followed by what should have been a division title if not for one of the worst bullpen performances in history.

Throw in a sagging economy, a new stadium that is a thousand times better than Shea but DOESN'T HAVE A BLUE WALL (God forbid), and you have a nasty mix among fans and media that is bordering on explosive thanks to the Mets' sluggish start in their first 14 games.

Coaches on the firing line? That's what the Daily News is reporting, along with the possibility of Maine, Perez or Pelfrey being sent to AAA for some work.

Firing coaches 15 games into the season is panic talk. What good would that do? Would it "send a message?" Last season and during spring training, the talk was all about how impressed everyone was with HoJo and Dan Warthen, and everyone just loves Razor Shines. Now they may get canned? Maybe the Alomars take the bullet for this one.

The Mets are far from sunk. The Marlins are out in front only because of an unholy 11-1 start (you'll notice they've lost three straight), and the Phillies and Braves are sub-.500 as well. Hell, the Phils almost got no-hit by Dave Bush yesterday.

Sending Pelfrey to the minors for a tune-up makes sense, based on what he has done (or been unable to do, which is get people out). I don't see Perez going down because he is what he is and probably wouldn't deal well with the demotion. Better to keep him up working with Warthen. Maine is out of minor league options and must stay up.

The Mets have hit the cover off the ball, just not with runners in scoring position; that's the kind of thing that could well balance itself out over the course of the season. A couple of dropped fly balls have cost them 2 or 3 wins - hopefully that's an anomaly. The bullpen has been very good.

It's the starting pitching behind Johan that is the biggest concern, but again, it is a long season. There's plenty of time for Maine, Pelfrey and Perez to get their acts together, or for the front office to locate another starter via trade -- and with the state of the game's economy this season, there will be plenty of arms available.

So get down of the ledge, stop talking about a "lack of heart" or "killer instinct," recognize that the Phillies and Braves haven't gone anywhere and that the Marlins, while they should be respected, are not running away with the division.

Jerry Manuel plans on starting Sheffield and Tatis in the corners tonight against the Nationals in the Mets' first game against a lefty starter. That's a bad move, unless Manuel is tyring to give Sheffield enough rope to hang himself. You want to start one righty and bench Murphy, go for it. Church is hitting .333 and is the second-best defensive outfielder you've got.

I said it when they signed Sheffield -- they don't need him, and his presence has screwed up the player rotation to the point where Tatis is getting no at-bats. He got number 500, now cut him loose.

Mets Lack Intensity, Desire, and Heart in Lackluster Loss to Cardinals

The Cardinals Joel Pineiro, he of the lifetime 4.54 ERA, stymied the Mets hitters again for over 8 innings with his new sinkerball as the lifeless Mets went down without a fight to a 5-2 loss against St. Louis.

Other than Carlos Beltran's 3 hits, there isn't a lot of nice things to say about this team, a team that in the early goings of this year seems to lack any kind of intensity, any desire to win, or worst of all, any heart at all after being faced with a deficit. In fact, if at ANY time during the game, the Mets are down, you can almost be certain the team's going to lose since no one has been able to perform in the clutch up to this point.

If we were to extrapolate RBIs for some of the key batters in the Mets lineup, the results are not pretty. David Wright is on pace for a 57 rbi season. Likewise, Jose Reyes is on a 69 RBI pace. As bad as that seems, take Ryan Church - who if he continues on the pace he's on, will have 23 RBI's at the end of the season. Wow... those are not good numbers.

But even more concerning is the health of John Maine, who struggled again by allowing 5 runs while taking his second loss of the season. We've been saying all along that Maine's injury last year was more significant than any one's letting on - so much so, that we wouldn't be surprised if he's NEVER the same pitcher he once was when he looked like the Mets biggest steal since the David Cone trade. Maine's a good guy. We like him. But Met fans better be concerned that his short stint as an above average pitcher is over.

The Mets have a solid number one pitcher in Johan Santana and a phenomenal closer in KRod. But questions are definitely starting to pop up regarding the rest of this team. Pop up... as in the result when a Met batter is up with a runner at third.

4 Run Lead is Squandered as Mets Throw Away Another Winable Game

This one was hard to watch. Oliver Perez was staked to a 4-run lead and cruising nicely until things blew up for him quickly as they often do when he pitches. Jose Reyes, Daniel Murphy, and David Wright each had rbi singles for the Mets, but it could have been so much more. The Mets hitting with runners on base continues to be putrid - which is bad in its own right, but the mental mistakes and errors make this team all the more unbearable to watch.

Take for example, the Mets eighth inning when the team had a chance to break a 4-4 tie. Carlos Beltran was tagged out at home when he tried to score on an errant throw to third. Beltran tagged up on Ramon Castro's fly to right and raced home when the ball rolled toward the unattended pitcher's mound. But instead of sliding (like little leaguers know how to do), Beltran went in standing up and was tagged out at the plate to end the inning.

Then the Cardinal's Brendan Ryan led off the bottom half with a liner to left that Daniel Murphy charged in for, but misjudged the ball and fell trying to correct himself. The ball rolled to the wall and Ryan had a triple. The Cardinals, unlike Met hitters so far this season, capitalized on the mistake and scored to take the lead for good and sent JJ Putz (1-1) to an undeserved loss.

It was the third time this year the Mets have blown a lead of three-plus runs. It's because the team lacks intensity and that killer instinct of kicking the other team when they're down. (Do you think this team could've scored 14 runs in an inning like Cleveland did against the Yankees? The Mets would have been happy just getting the first 3 and try to coast for the rest of the game).

I really think this team feels they're "win entitled". Tell that to their opponents!

Let's Go Mets! New York Sings "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

Here's an interesting video we just came across from the folks at Pepsi and our friend Tara at Weber Shandwick. The verdict: LET'S GO METS!!!

Was That Willie Randolph in the Mets Dugout Today?

It sure seemed like Willie Randolph was still calling the shots today when Fernando Tatis was sent up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning with Sheffield and Beltran on first and second respectively with NO out and the team trailing by 1-run. I could find an idiot on the street anywhere who'll tell you to bunt in that situation. Any moron knows that. But Mets manager Jerry Manuel decided to let Tatis swing away - and we all could've predicted the result: anything but a big hit.

I expect this kind of move from Willie Randolph, Art Howe, even Joe Torre. But I really thought Manuel knew better. And I know some people are going to bring up the point that Tatis hasn't had a successful bunt in over 7 years (which in its own right is amazing), but even if that was the thinking, then perhaps you pinch hit for Tatis for someone that makes $6.5 million that maybe DOES know how to bunt!?!?

Luis Castillo comes to mind. He was on the bench at the time and he's perhaps the best bunter in baseball. When a team is struggling to score runs and can't hit in the clutch, the manager has to do everything he can to manufacture something (ANYTHING - especially at home) to win a ballgame against the Brewers.

That move in this instance was obviously not having Tatis swing away. Inning over. Comeback hopes dashed. Then the Brewers added an insurance run in the ninth off Bobby Parnell to clinch it as the Brewers beat the Mets 4-2.

In what Major League Baseball considers a "quality start", Nelson Figueroa put in a nice effort in a losing cause as he took Mike Pelfrey's place to start the game. (Pelfrey was scratched due to forearm tendinitis - which is very ominous as those are two words you don't like to put together in the same sentence regarding a young pitcher).

In reality, Willie Randolph WAS in the ballpark as a member of the Brewers coaching staff. Oh, and speaking of coaches, here's some 3rd base coach advice: next time you're down by 2 runs late in the game and Sheffield hits a hard double to leftfield with the speedy Carlos Beltran approaching 3rd, please send the runner. Could you please? Playing scared is not the way to bring a clutchless team out of their doldrums. I'd trade a possible out for a probable run anytime.

First Off: One's Enough for Johan

As usual, Johan Santana turned in another masterful performance, going 7 innings of 5 hit ball, striking out 7 and walking none. And as usual, the Mets offense couldn't muster any strength as they scored just one run to back the southpaw who actually lowered his era to 0.46. But this time, one run was enough to win as Johan (2-1) and the Mets beat the Brewers 1-0.

I'm only going to say this once because I'm getting tired of all these "firsts" we're hearing about Citi Field. It was the first 1-0 final score at Citi Field ever. There, I said it.

Add that to the first homerun, the first run, the first rbi, the first victory... the first this, the first that. OK... we get it. Citi Field is a new ballpark. There's going to be a lot of "firsts". But let's face it: the first hit, the first run, the first homerun, and the first victory is all that's significant.

"Well that's the first 6-4-3 doubleplay at Citi Field". "Citi Field has seen its first strikeout". "He's become the first runner thrown out at second trying to steal at Citi Field". Enough is enough guys.

This is all being announced as if it's major history - and it's not. "There's the first lucky fan to catch a foulball." "That was the first leftfield foul ball to be dropped at Citi Field". Where and when does it stop?!? Can we just get back to the game please?

The Mets only run scored in the seventh as a result of an infield hit by Jose Reyes that scored Omir Santos, pinch running for Ramon Castro who had walked. Note I said "infield single"... the Mets were lucky just to get that run! If you look at the batting averages of the Mets you'd think runs would be scoring in droves. But now let's talk about CLUTCH hitting and hitting with runners in scoring position - that's a totally different story.

Too bad Santana can't pitch everyday.

Mets LOB Stat Terrifying as Sheffield Belts Career HR #500

It's hard to get all psyched up and congratulatory to Gary Sheffield, who became the 25th Major Leaguer to hit 500 homeruns when he belted his 500th dinger in the 7th inning at Citi Field. I don't care that he did it in a Met uniform and quite frankly, I never liked Sheffield to begin with due to a laundry list of (for lack of a better word) Sheffield-isms.

But the fact that his homerun tied the ballgame at 4 apiece does make me very happy since no one else on this team seems to be able to hit in the clutch. His homerun allowed the Mets to come back and eventually beat the Brewers 5-4, giving JJ Putz the win in relief of Livan Hernandez who pitched well until the sixth inning.

A quick glance at the boxscore shows 23 as the total of men left on base for the Mets. 23!!! It's a good thing they had Carlos Delgado's 3 run shot in the first, because without a home run, the runs just don't seem to happen with this team. Beltran (6), Church (4), and Wright (3) were the main culprits in the Left-On-Base sweepstakes.

But before you get too mad at them, consider their batting averages. Beltran's hitting .316; Church is at .382; and Wright's a solid .342. What that translates to is a frightening lack of clutch hitting. (add Reyes and Murphy to the clutch hitting challenged club as well).

When Luis Castillo, traditionally a HORRIBLE rbi man, is the only guy that seems to be coming through in tough situations, you have the makings of a very long season.

So way to go, Sheffield! Let's see you do it again tomorrow

They Are Who We Thought They Were

We knew the Padres were a bad team, but they didn't look the part the way they handled the Mets the other day at the Citi Field opener. Then came last night's game - and the seventh inning in particular - where the Padres made the '62 Mets look like Gold Glovers, enabling the Mets to post a 7-2 victory, their first at Citi Field!

Oliver Perez rebounded from a less than stellar season debut by going 6 innings of 3-hit ball while striking out 4 to get his first win of the year. Carlos Delgado helped out with a late inning homerun and Bobby Parnell, J.J. Putz, and Sean Green successfully finished off the game for the Mets on Jackie Robinson Day across the Major Leagues. Delgado's dinger came against Luis Perdomo, who was facing his first batter in the major leagues. Ouch!

But back to the San Diego 7th, where their defense and pitching were downright laughable. Three walks, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and ugly errors allowed the Mets to score 4 runs in the inning on just one hit - a bunt single by Luis Castillo! That's why you'll only see 3 rbi's on the Mets boxscore for this game.

The Mets need to be a little concerned about their early season clutch hitting as they're leaving runners on base in alarming fashion. And it won't get any easier as they face Jake Peavy next, San Diego's really only legitimate good player (who may look good in a Met uniform by the way)...

Citi Field opens with a whimper

After a 3-3 road trip, the Mets opened their new home, Citi Field, Monday night against Los Padres de San Diego, and had the show stolen from them but two ex-Mets and Jody Gerut.

Gerut became the first player in the history of baseball to hit a homer in the first regular-season at-bat in a stadium's debut game, and it was all downhill from there for Mike Pelfrey, who allowed five runs in a less-than-spectacular start.

Give David Wright credit for bringing the Mets back in style, hitting the club's first home run at the new digs with a three-run blast to left that tied the score, 5-5. Wright golfed a low and outside breaking pitch over the wall in left, which looks wayyyy out there.

Unfortunately, the Mets' fielding woes killed them again. This time the normally surehanded Ryan Church had a fly ball bounce off his glove for a three-base error, the run scoring when Pedro Feliciano balked in the run after some miscommunication on the signs from Brian Schneider.

At least it wasn't a walk-off balk. Actually, that would have been preferable to the sight of ex-Mets Duaner Sanchez and Heath Bell -- is it me or did Bell suck when he was here -- polishing off the San Diego victory.

One down, 80 more to go.

Seaver to Piazza: A perfect pitch

They closed Shea, so it stood to reason that Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza should open Citi Field. And they did, much to the delight of thousands of Mets fans in attendance and at least one blogger watching from home.

I was a little surprised that the PA system was rocking some Chicago as the pair walked through the bullpen door ("Beginnings" was the song they played), but it was somehow fitting and upbeat.

And unlike the final pitch at Shea, which Seaver bounced (Ron Darling noted on the broadcast that Piazza retired because he was done with blocking pitches in the dirt), No. 41 threw a perfect strike to Piazza, who -- look closely -- instinctively brought the ball back into the strike zone and held it. Nice.

I'll be at Citi Field Friday night for my first up-close look, but I'll say it again -- there needs to be a statue of Tom Seaver somewhere. And while I'm not as disturbed by the "Dodgerness" of Citi Field as I once was, my brother put it best:

"I didn't know Jackie was a Met."

We don't need no stinkin' patches

Let's face it, we all know that the Citi Field patches worn on the Mets' uniforms this season are horrible. Awful. Dominos Pizza-like. Dare we say, embarrassing.

But I realized as I watched the home opener Monday night that those patches bothered me less and less, to the point where I hardly noticed them.

Of course, when the camera cut to a closeup of a Mets player at bat, with the hideousness in your face (especially in HD), they were tough to ignore. And they are definitely too big -- they should be at least 30% smaller.

But for all the hoo-hah when the design was first unveiled, now that the games count, those patches have been reduced to a silly sidebar. Thankfully.

Farewell to The Bird

I know this is a Mets site, but the death of Mark Fidrych compels me to post.

I recently turned 40, which means when Fidrych blazed across the baseball sky in 1976, I was seven years old and just really getting into baseball. The Mets were always number one, but back then we memorized the lineups of the Big Red Machine and the Dodgers and the Yankees and the Royals, too, because they were the teams to beat.


And though the Tigers were awful, they had The Bird, whose on-field antics were surpassed only by his absolutely incredible performances. And so we mimicked his delivery, the talking to the ball, the smoothing of the dirt on the mound. He was a true character and a phenom in every sense of the word, and he had only that one phenomenal season before injuries to his knee and shoulder brought a premature end to the fun.

You can read more about Fidyrch in The New York Times and in Jim Caple's column on ESPN. Reading the tribute pieces, I realized I forgot - or maybe never realized - just how dominant Fidrych was. He had 24 complete games as a 21-year-old rookie, including 12 complete games in his first 13 starts. In his third and fourth starts, he threw two 11-inning complete games.

What a different game it was back then.

The remembrances also recall how huge Monday Night Baseball was in the pre-Internet, pre-SportsCenter days. It was the only time you could see teams from other cities, so when Fidrych beat the Yankees, seemingly every fan was watching.

Fidrych should also be remembered as a man who played with pure joy, who never displayed any regrets for his career ending so soon, and for being so down to earth. As a father of a soon-to-be-seven-year-old son who is playing his first Little League game tonight, I wish there were more role models out there like The Bird.

No Offense, But Mets Still Open CitiField Today

Shades of 2008: the Mets yesterday wasted a masterful performance by Johann Santana, losing the game - and the series - to the Florida Marlins by a 2-1 margin. Santana struck out 13 in seven innings of work, his only blemish being 2 un-earned runs allowed to Florida in the second inning resulting from a dropped ball in left by Daniel Murphy.

The problem was the Mets think just showing up during a Santana start equates to victory. Guys... despite having the best pitcher in baseball on the mound for you, you still have to hit the ball and score some runs.

And when the likes of Josh Johnson takes a no-hitter into the six, pitches a complete game, and loses a shutout with 2 outs in the ninth, that's not going to cut it. And what's with this guy against the Mets? He's 5-0 lifetime against the Amazin's.

Santana (1-1) had made 18 starts in a row without a loss, winning 10 consecutive decisions. His 13 strikeouts were his highest total in two seasons with the Mets.

So today, Mike Pelfrey makes history as he takes the mound for the first game at CitiField. Thanks to a Met-friendly schedule-maker, the team opens the Stadium against the woeful San Diego Padres (most predicted a last place finish for the Padres, but they somehow have started the season 5-2). As an added treat, Tom Seaver will throw out the first pitch to Mike Piazza catching.

7:10pm start: History in the making - if you're lucky enough to be there in person, relish the day. But I guarantee one thing: if the Mets don't score any runs, they're not going to win the ballgame.

And It Shall Be Livan

Despite not throwing one fastball, or so it seemed, Livan Hernandez helped the Mets hand Florida their first loss of the season and with his outing, perhaps assured himself of the fifth spot in the pitching rotation. The Mets totaled 15 hits in the 8-4 victory, led by none other than .357 hitting Luis Castillo after a 4 for 4, 3 run and 1 rbi performance.

Jose Reyes helped out with the offense with his first 3 rbis of the season, including a 2 run shot and Carlos Delgado continued his hot streak going 3-4 and driving in another 2 runs.

After Hernandez (1-0) left the game after 6 2/3 innings, the Florida fans gave him a standing ovation and Brian Stokes and Pedro Feliciano combined to end the inning with minimal damage as the Marlins scored their first 2 runs in the game.

The Mets answered in the eighth with 3 un-earned runs to pretty much put the game in the bag. Florida scored 2 meaningless runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Jerry Manuel took no chances with Darren O'Day and immediately inserted KRod for the victory.

Stranding Baserunners Not A Way to Win a Ballgame

The Marlins are 4-0 for the first time in their history, and they have the Mets lack of timely hitting to thank for it. The Mets stranded 14 runners on base in the game and couldn't get the clutch hitting they needed to get a win for John Maine as the team fell to the pesky Marlins by a score of 5-4.

Maine allowed dingers to 2 of the first 5 batters he faced, which also happened to be the only two hits he allowed in 5 innings of work. He also struck out 5 and walked just one, so all in all, it was a pretty encouraging start of the season for him. Oh, and did we mention he DIDN'T take the loss?

That's because despite the atrocious lack of hitting with runners in scoring position, the Mets actually tied this game in the ninth and could have (should have) broken the game open. But I guess a big hit from light hitting Alex Cora would have been too much to ask for. Alex Cora... he's a Met? jeez...

Once that happened, and Pedro Feliciano came in to start the bottom of the ninth, you knew the Mets were blowing the game. Florida knew it too, and when Jorge Cantu singled home Emilio Bonifacio, the Fish celebrated as if they had won the World Series.

I hope that didn't go un-noticed by the Mets, who send Livan Hernandez to the mound next to try to even out the series. Livan Hernandez... he's a Met? jeez...

Mets End Quest for 162-0 Season With Loss to Reds

It's safe to say Oliver Perez will not be inviting the Reds Joey Votto for dinner anytime soon after the Cincinnati lefty first baseball almost singlehandly destroyed the Mets with a 3-run homer and a run scoring single off the "usually dependable on lefties" Perez.

Perez allowed all 8 of the Reds runs, who ended the Mets quest of 2009 perfection by beating the Amazin's 8-6 and thereby salvaging the last game of the 3 game series in Cincinnati. Remember this is the same Oliver Perez that led all NL pitchers last year against lefties as they batted just .158 against him. In fact, only 5 lefties homered against him all year!

I guess signing $36 million dollar contracts changes people?

If we have to search for positives in the game, the top 2/3 of the batting order continues to hit well (Delgado and Church with 2 rbis apiece) and the bullpen turned in another stellar performance, with Jose Feliciano atoning for yesterday's performance, striking out the 2 batters he faced while lowering his ERA to 13.50

But the line on Perez was pretty bad: four plus innings, 8 earned runs with 5 walks through 100 pitches. It's always tough to blow a 3 run lead, but tomorrow's another day. Let's see what John Maine can do against the Marlins on Friday.

Everything's O-KRod With the Mets

Whew!... the 2008 Mets lose this game. But instead of folding, the Mets and KRod pulled out a nice 9-7 victory over the Reds and escaped a bases-loaded 9th inning situation that would have resulted in an Aaron Heilman induced grand slam last year.

The Mets staked starter Mike Pelfrey to a 2-run lead in the first, only to see him give it back and more by allowing 4 first inning Cincinnati runs, including a 3-run bomb by Joey Votto. After that, Pelfrey settled down and picked up the win, leaving the game with a 5-4 lead and going 5 innings.

After a scoreless 6th by Bobby Parnell, enter a familiar bullpen face - Pedro Feliciano - who proceded to quickly try to give the game back to the Reds by allowing 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. It took a new face - Sean Green to bail him out. And as ridiculous as the "hold" stat is, Feliciano was the only Met middle-reliever to pitch who didn't pick one up. We're going to be seeing that a lot with this guy, I'm afraid.

But back to the good news. Carlos Delgado led the offense with a homerun and 4 rbis. Carlos Beltran drove in 2 big runs. And Brian Schneider looked like the second coming of Mike Piazza with his 3-rbi day. All in all, the Mets bats looked solid.

There's a team in the Bronx that would love this kind of result. 2-0 to start the season with Oliver Perez up next to face Bronson Arroyo. Santana - Pelfrey - Perez ... not a bad starting three!

Opening Day 2009: Oh, what a Relief!

Granted the Mets only scored 2 runs in their season opener in Cincinnati against an up and coming Reds team, but you couldn't ask for a better result than a victory showcasing an amazingly improved bullpen that may just take this team to the promised land.

Sean Green, JJ Putz, and Francisco Rodriquez combined for over 3 innings of hitless relief (how many times did we see relief like that last year?) enabling Johan Santana to pick up his first win of the season. Santana looked pretty good himself, striking out seven and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Seeing how the Mets need to upgrade the bullpen from last year was Omar Minaya's top priority over the winter, it was extremely important that the Mets relief corps come up big in the first game of the year - if only to send a symbolic message. And the message was well received. Think about all the games the bullpen blew for Santana last year. Is he a shoe-in for 20 wins this year? ... if he stays healthy, 20 (or more) is a distinct possibility.

Especially if the offense clicks. Lots of hits in the game, but not a lot of runs. They Mets will have to work on that, but it was nice to see Daniel Murphy start out the year with a big home run to put the Mets on the board in the fifth. He also drove in the Mets second run with a ground out scoring Luis Castillo, who went 1 for 3 with a walk in the eight spot in the order.

I don't want to hear "Oh, it's only the Reds". The Reds are a good team flying under the radar for now. Next up, Mike Pelfrey goes against Edinson Volquez - probably another low scoring contest, but with the Mets 2009 bullpen, I'm feeling pretty optimistic.

Sheffield? Really?

Here I was, all geared up for the season, with tickets to one of the first home games of the season at Citi Field, and then the announcement was made today that the Mets have signed Gary Sheffield.

Huh?

My gut reaction? We don't need him. Yes, the Mets are lefty-heavy, but wasn't Fernando Tatis supposed to spell either Church or Murphy against lefties? Wasn't Church the team's best player for most of his non-concussed season in 2008? Isn't Murphy -- called "pure gold" as a hitter by many scouts this spring -- supposed to be the full-time starter in left?

And if the Mets were going to cut Marlon Anderson loose -- how he held on to a roster spot this long is beyond me -- wouldn't it make more sense to give his spot on the bench to a young player like Nick Evans, who hit well all spring and who can play first base as well as outfield?

Instead, the Mets signed -- at a bargain price, don't get me wrong -- the 40-year-old Sheffield, who hit .225 last season with 19 homers and 57 RBI, and who batted a Campenaris-like .178 this spring, earning his release from the Tigers.

If you can't make the Tigers, who have the option of putting you at DH, how are you going to contribute to a National League contender like the Mets?

Sheffield, by all accounts, was D-U-N done, but the Mets see him, somehow, as a good fit. Yes, he comes cheap and is a veteran righty bat. But he's done nothing lately and can't play defense. And I could care less if he hits his 500th homer in a Mets uniform.

This team has plenty to cheer about, with Wright, Reyes, Santana, Murphy, Pelfrey, K-Rod, Putz, and a brand-new stadium. Sheffield's selfish drive for a milestone doesn't fit in with what has, all spring, looked like terrific team chemistry.

Could he help? Absolutely. Did veteran Carlos Delgado applaud the addition? Yes. But the Mets could have done without the past-his-prime nephew of Doc Gooden, who came to Flushing 10 years too late.

Search Begins for the Ultimate Mets Fan Family

The casting director for BBC Worldwide America contacted us the other day to inform us that casting has begun on a new NBC show called the "Great American Road Trip". They are looking for the ultimate "Mets Fan" families to participate in the show.

Families chosen to participate will receive an allowance of up to $2000 each week and a chance to win a huge grand prize. If interested, contact Michael Raptis of BBC Worldwide at 212-974-9050, ext. 217.

(this show has no affiliation whatsoever with MetsFanClub.com)