In all likelyhood this will be my second to last post on megamets.com. For grins and giggles I’ll post a greatest hits blog entry sometime next week. Next year I plan on starting up a new blog under a different domain but I’m still unsure on what I’m going to do. I’d like to extend a thank you to the few people that left comments and a special thanks to Mackey for all his great comments, it was much appreciated. For now, I will continue blogging as a commenter at The Bitter Bill.

I felt it appropriate to use this pic of Damion Easley who I’ll never forget and was so very easy to root for. Good luck Damion you’ll get a ring one day, lord knows you deserve it. Thanks for all the big hits. You certainly earned your paycheck and that I APPRECIATE.

Modell’s is doing a promotion where they’re putting together a mini American Idol like night to find the craziest Mets duo. They’re giving the winners free Mets season tickets for the rest of the year.

Hey Mets Fans, do you pride yourself on being the biggest Mets fan around? Do you live and die with every pitch? Are you the one leading the wave and chants at the park? Modell’s Sporting Goods is looking for a dynamic duo of local Mets fans to represent the Mo’s Zone (sections 101 & 102 at Citi Field) for the remainder of the season! If you think you’ve got the chops, come to the Modell’s Sporting Goods store located in Queens Center Mall on Tuesday, June 16th, from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. to show us what you’ve got. You Gotta go to Mo’s!

In addition, the first 20 duo’s that show up all automatically get tickets to a Mets game,
and you need to be 18 years old to win.

Johan Santana finally gets run support as Mets best Giants, 9-6
By Adam Rubin, DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, May 16th 2009, 6:39 PM

SAN FRANCISCO - Johan Santana finally received run support. Fielding help? Not so much.

Still, the Mets continued to steamroll through the early stages of their three-city, 10-game trip. They denied Randy Johnson his 299th career victory and beat the Giants, 9-6, Saturday.

With Jose Reyes out for a third straight start because of calf discomfort, and with Carlos Delgado officially decommissioned with a hip impingement, the Mets (21-15) nonetheless improved to 11-2 since Oliver Perez’s woeful outing in Philadelphia. They will attempt their first four-game sweep of the Giants since 1990 - and their first sweep of a series of any length in the Bay Area since ‘94 - when Mike Pelfrey opposes Matt Cain tonight.

Santana’s streak of starts allowing two earned runs or fewer, which had been the longest active in the majors, was snapped at 13. He was charged with six runs (four earned) on 11 hits in seven innings.
The Giants (18-18) pulled within 7-6 in the seventh against Santana on Randy Winn’s RBI single, but Winn was caught stealing on a pickoff move for the inning’s final out, ending Santana’s afternoon at 101 pitches. Bobby Parnell and J.J. Putz, the latter in his first action since an injection of anti-inflammatory medication, held the Giants scoreless over the final two innings with Francisco Rodriguez unavailable after seeing action four straight days. Putz, provided a three-run cushion by Fernando Tatis’ sacrifice fly and Ramon Castro’s RBI single in the ninth, earned his first save as a Met.

Santana (5-2), who has twice lost games this season in which he hasn’t allowed an earned run, continued to deal with faulty fielding behind him. The ace now has allowed six unearned runs and eight earned runs this season, which has translated to an NL-best 1.36 ERA.

With the Mets holding a 3-0 lead in the third, Luis Castillo sidearmed a throw wide of Tatis at first base for an error on a two-out grounder by Fred Lewis. Pablo Sandoval followed with an RBI double, although Sandoval was thrown out trying to advance to third on the throw to the plate.

An inning later, Winn’s hard grounder bounced off David Wright and into foul territory down left-field line for a two-base error, which advanced Bengie Molina to third. Aaron Rowand followed with a two-run single that tied the score at 3, with Molina’s run ultimately ruled earned because he had led off with a single. Molina’s score ended Santana’s streak of 22.1 innings without allowing an earned run.

Another Giants run, which pulled them within 7-5 in the sixth, likely would have been handled had Reyes been at shortstop. After a solo homer by Rowand and single by Travis Ishikawa, pinch-hitter Rich Aurilia sent a fly ball to shallow left. The ball glanced off the glove of retreating fill-in Alex Cora and was ruled an RBI double.

After scoring a combined 15 runs in Santana’s first seven starts, the first four Mets batters produced hits Saturday in a three-run first inning. Carlos Beltran had a two-run double and scored on Wright’s run-scoring groundout to first base.

In the first game with Delgado on the disabled list, the Mets’ other core players picked up the slack at the plate. The Mets took a 7-3 lead with a four-run fifth. Beltran delivered an RBI double. Wright chased Johnson before the Big Unit recorded an out in the inning with a two-run double, the third baseman’s eighth hit in 11 at-bats in the series. Castro added a run-scoring single against reliever Justin Miller. Johnson, in his first career matchup with Santana, was charged with seven runs on 11 hits in four-plus innings.

A GIANT win; The Reyes Debate: Day 2
By Bill Price on May 16, 2009 1:22 AM
The Bitter Bill, NYDN

I was going to take a day off from blogging, but after reading all of the great comments you guys posted Friday, and following one of the most satisfying Met wins in the last few years, I figured I would keep things going.

First, Friday night’s game.

While we all doubt the guts on this team at times, it’s hard to after the 8-6 win. Down 4-1 after the first inning, the Mets just kept - as Art Howe would say - battling. We all know they don’t even come close to winning this game last season. Actually, the 2008 Mets would be 0-2 on this trip, not 2-0.

Thursday night, after blowing the lead in the eighth, instead of falling apart, they respond with a three-run ninth. Friday night, trailing Tim Linecum 5-1 after two innings, they string together some great at-bats - including a huge pinch-hit from Daniel Murphy - to chip away, and then tie it on another huge clutch hit from David Wright and take the lead thanks to another big hit from Wright in the ninth.

I didn’t hurt that the wall in the right field is about 50 feet high or that Brian Wilson pitched more like the wacky Beach Boy than a big league reliever.

Of course, once the Mets have the lead in the ninth it’s over with K-Rod on the hill.

Also, this aggressiveness on the basepaths is awesome. They are finally taking it to teams and not waiting around for things to just happen. With Johan on the hill today and Pelfrey Sunday, I now want 3 out of 4 in San Fran, or maybe - dare I say it - a sweep.

Now to the Reyes discussion from Friday:

While I really do appreciate Yamphy stirring it up with his Phillies talk, it was nice to have him contribute to a good baseball conversation without any anti-Met sentiment (enjoy it while it lasts).

Here is how I feel on the whole Reyes/Halladay situation:

I don’t think the Mets, even if they are willing to part with Reyes, will actively shop him around this offseason, but they may be willing to ship him out if the deal is right. Case in point, when Santana was available, Minaya said he would never include Reyes, even if it meant not getting Santana. I think if a situation like that arises again (ie Halladay), they might do it.

But let’s not kid ourselves and think Reyes alone would bring back a guy like Halladay. (Some caller on WFAN today suggested a trade of Reyes for Halladay and Alex Rios). If the Jays decide they can’t pay the guy and make him available, an all-out bidding war would begin.

The Mets got Santana because the Twins overplayed their hand with the Yanks and Red Sox. Minny thought it was going to get those two teams to bid against each other, but once it became clear the Red Sox were only it in to stop the Yanks from getting him, and once the Yanks decided to go with Hughes and Kennedy, the Twins were done.

Halladay, however, would be a different story. I’m sure the Mets, Red Sox, Yanks and Dodgers (you know the only teams that can afford him) would be heavily involved, so if the Mets had any chance to get Halladay, you figure the starting point would be a package of Reyes, Pelfrey and Parnell. Plus, you would have to pay him - as Yamphy points out - nothing less than $25M a year. So really, if the Mets ever did land him, that’s about $50M tied up in Santana and Halladay. And with the Mets having no intention of going over the luxury tax limit, what would the rest of the team look like?

I think the Mets would be better served - if they are planning on trading Reyes - going after Matt Holliday (and move Murphy to first), or a power hitting first baseman, since it’s clear this is Carlos Delgado’s last year in Queens.

Reyes looked awful pinch-hitting Friday, but I can’t kill him for that. And as Gary Cohen pointed out, while he was ripped for his baserunning Wednesday, Reyes did go 3-for-5 with three doubles.

= = =
A few other things, while I have your attention.

- The home plate umpire in Friday’s Met game was an absolute joke. Maybe Megamets is right.

- I have trouble listening to Mike Francessa when the subject is the Mets, because we all know he hates the team and enjoys tweaking Met fans. He’s the reason why CD players in cars were invented.

- I know Omir Santos failed in the seventh with a guy on third with one out, but he really is a strong situational hitter. Two sac flies Friday night, both coming when the Mets really needed a run.

- David Wright is really heating up. Two huge hits tonight. Not to sound like the king of excuses J.J. Putz, but maybe Wright and the rest of the Met hitters are still adjusting to Citi Field, because they certainly seem to hit better on the road this year.

- I officially take back all the bad things I wrote about Gary Sheffield when they signed him. While he has not only produced on the field, he has also kept his mouth shut, which is pretty amazing. Of course, with Delgado out, he is playing every day, but even when he was a role player early on, he never complained. I’m sure Omar is already working on a 3-year, $24M extension for the dude. Sorry, that was a cheap shot.

- Livan really showed me a lot tonight. While he clearly didn’t have it, he kept the Mets in the game and didn’t fall apart like Ollie Perez did in San Fran last year. His pitching line won’t look great, but he fought through.

- Next week is a huge week for Bitter Bill. I have the 24 season finale on Monday, the Terminator flick on Friday and Wifflefest 2009 is Saturday. I hope the wife and kids keep themselves busy, too.

- That’s it for now. I’m sure after scoring 15 runs in their last two games, the Mets will be lucky to get 1 or 2 Saturday for Johan.

I’ll be back after Sunday night’s game to recap this series and get ready for the Dodgers. Have a good weekend.

May 15, 2009
Big win, but Reyes question lingers
By Bill Price on May 15, 2009 2:00 AM
The Bitter Bill, NYDN Blogs

Jose Reyes bashing was in full force Thursday in this wonderful city of ours.

In the papers, on the radio and on the blogs, the Met leadoff hitter was getting crushed. He was ripped for being too aggressive Monday night, was ripped for not being aggressive enough Wedneday, and was ripped for basically having his head where the sun don’t shine.

All of the rips were justified. At times, he plays like someone who has never seen a baseball game in his life. At times, he plays as if he doesn’t care. At times, he plays as if he only cares about getting on ESPN. It really is frustrating.

However, at times he’s a game-changer, using his speed to drive opposing pitchers crazy, and that’s why he is so valuable. Plus, after watching Alex Cora play one game at shortstop, I think I’ll never say a bad word about Reyes again. Of course, the Mets stole seven bases without Reyes last night, so what does that tell you?

Anyway, win or not, the question of the what the Mets are going to do with this guy still remains.

Let’s explore the options:

• Trade him: In Friday’s Daily News, John Harper says the Mets should strongly consider dealing him in the offseason if the Mets fail to make the playoffs again. Harper figures if the Mets fail again, they would have to break up the team, and Reyes (photo by Corey Sipkin/Daily News) would bring the most back. I agree that the team would have to be broken up if the Mets fail again, but I don’t think trading Reyes is the answer. He’s young, and has plenty of upside. Of course, if the Mets can get a front-line starter for him, it has to be considered.

• Discipline him: I know accountability is not a big thing around Queens these days - unless your name is Oliver Perez - but fining Reyes or sitting him down for a few days after a screw-up could work. The problem is I just don’t think the guy gets it. Maybe he’s too confident in his legs or maybe he just doesn’t think. What’s bothersome is Willie Randolph’s hard-line approach didn’t seem to work and Manuel’s “what me worry” shtick isn’t working either. Maybe hitting him where it hurts the most - in the wallet - is the answer. Either that, or threaten to take away his Professor Reyes deal if he keeps doing it.

• Get a real team leader: None of us really know what goes on in the Mets’ clubhouse, but you certainly get the feeling no veteran has pulled Jose aside to tell him to get his act together. I don’t believe in team captains in baseball, and I don’t think there’s anyone on the current roster to be one - except maybe Santana - so maybe Omar Minaya has to make a trade for a strong leader. It doesn’t have to be a super star, maybe a guy similar to Jose Valentin - who seemed to have a good influence over Reyes in 2006 - would be the answer. Who that guy is, I don’t know.

• Get him a personal coach: I still think bringing Rickey Henderson around a few years ago hurt Reyes, but the idea - just not the person - was OK. I would love to see the Mets bring Mookie Wilson in to help Reyes. Mookie was a great baserunner, great basestealer and a total class act. Reyes could learn a lot from the Mookster. Plus, it would be good PR for the Mets, who are still getting hammered for ignoring past players.

= = =
A few notes from last night’s big win:

• Remember what I said about giving Parnell the eighth inning. Forget it. Of course he wasn’t hit hard, and if Reyes was at short - not Cora - he likely gets out of the inning. Still, you cannot walk a guy like Aaron Rowand, who is struggling at the plate. Looks like the 8th - with Putz and Parnell - will be an adventure all season.
-
• John Maine looked great. It figures the Mets score four runs for him and he gets a no-decision. If they ever scored four runs for Johan Santana, it would be a sure win.
-
• It looks like Carlos Delgado is going to not only be out for a while, it appears this hip thing might bother him all season. So now we will really see what Gary Sheffield has. If Thursday night was any indication, he can help us.

• Carlos Beltran must have made a deal with umpires. It’s twice now he could’ve been called out stealing third, but wasn’t. Just think, if he’s called out either time, he’s likely getting ripped like Reyes is. Funny how that works.

• Nice job by Wright last night. Big hit in the ninth. Maybe getting away from Citi Field for a while will help. He also made a great play at third in the eighth to keep the game tied. We all know he’s a streaky player, so maybe he’s getting hot at the right time.

***

HUGE win by the Whale last night. They are probably partying in Hartford today. Either that, or they are still waiting for the Patriots to move there. You heard it hear first, a Whalers-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final.

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May 13, 2009
Same old Mets re-apppear
By Bill Price on May 13, 2009 11:27 PM
The Bitter Bill, NYDN

The Mets once again showed their fans Wednesday why they can’t be trusted, can’t be believed in, and can’t - until the champagne is opened - be counted on to win the NL East title.

Just 15 hours after I blogged that I thought things might be changing for the better, they turn in that 12-inning disaster yesterday.

Sure, they erased three deficits, and sure they tied the game with a run in the late innings, but they presented plenty of evidence that nothing - despite this 8-2 stretch - has really changed.

Facing a Braves team that had been on the road for a week and was coming off a brutal loss Tuesday night, the Mets didn’t have the guts to put them away, even after the Fernando Tatis grand slam. Instead the Mets - thanks to some sloppy fielding and awful base running - let the Braves hang around and eventually win the game.

They played the last few innings of Wednesday’s game like it was last September, sort of just expecting to win without having to work for it. Need proof? Read these quotes from after the game.

Carlos Beltran: “We felt early in the game we were going to be able to have one of those nice and easy games. But it was a crazy game.”

Sorry Carlos, you actually had to work hard.

David Wright: “It’s tough taking moral victories out of a loss. But if we keep this fight up the rest of the year, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

WHAT? Moral victories … Is he kidding? The Pittsburgh Pirates get moral victories, not the Mets. Unreal. Anyway, their attitude - and the fact that both teams wore dark jerseys - is not the only troubling aspect from Wednesday’s loss. Here are a few more:

• J.J. Putz has looked awful the past few days: He’s not only giving up runs, he’s getting hit hard. He got bailed out twice by Met hitters, but he better start getting guys out or we’re in trouble. He does, however, have an excuse, and it’s a rather lame one. This is what he said on WFAN before Wednesday’s game: “I’m still trying to get used to pitching in the eighth inning and trying to find some adrenaline because it’s not like pitching in the ninth, I’ll tell you that. You just really don’t have that heart-pounding sensation.” PUTZ.jpg

What a clown. While his heart may not be pounding, the tickers of Met fans everywhere are when he takes the hill. As for adrenaline, if he can’t find it pitching in a tight pennant race, will he ever? Maybe it’s time to give a hungry Parnell the eighth and put Putz on Sean Green duty.

• David Wright is a nightmare at third base: The Daily News writers who just put out the Roger Clemens book should next investigate how this dude has two Gold Gloves. He cost Johan a big run Monday night and cost the Mets another big run Wednesday. And we all know that Wright doesn’t respond well to pressure and adversity, meaning things will likely get worse before they get better. Maybe he should play first - not Murphy - with Delgado on the DL.

• Jose Reyes is not a winning player: He has all the talent in the world, but he clearly has his head up you know where. His baserunning nearly cost the Mets a game Tuesday night and yesterday, it did. First, he gets caught going second to third - on a grounder to short. Not only that, he doesn’t even slide (who does he think he is, Carlos Beltran?). At the very least - as my favorite announcer Wayne Hagin pointed out - Reyes could’ve gotten into a rundown to possibly give Luis Castillo - who hit the grounder - a chance to get to second base. And then, in the bottom of the 12th, he goes into his home run trot and has to stop at second leading off the inning. The streaker ran harder Tuesday night. If Reyes hustled out of the box, maybe he makes it to third and the Mets possibly tie the game. But he didn’t and they didn’t.

• We have no pitching depth: Jonathon Niese is a nice prospect, but if he’s the best we have, what happens if another starter gets hurt? And please don’t tell me you’re excited about Tim Redding, who likely will pitch Monday in L.A. The Mets seem to be taking Livan Hernandez for granted, but we all know he could fall apart at any time. Can Baba Booey be far behind?

K-Rod can’t pitch every day: It seems like he has the past week or so, but if the Mets have to trot him out there - even in tie games - he’s going to be shot by August. Hey, maybe Billy Wagner will be ready by then.

• Jerry Manuel baffled me again: His pitching decisions Monday night were questionable, and yesterday I think he should’ve let Luis Castillo swing away with Reyes on second in the 12th and nobody out. Why play for the tie there, especially with the bullpen shot and Beltran, Sheffield and Wright coming up and a long trip to San Francisco on the docket? Go for the win there, Jerry, at least until Castillo has one strike on him. As much as I’ve ripped Castillo, I think he could’ve moved Reyes over with two strikes against him anyway.

Am I overreacting to yesterday’s loss? Probably. But we all know the Mets were fortunate not to get swept by the Braves, and were also fortunate to play the Pirates over the weekend. History also tells us the Mets cannot give any games away during a season. I know going 8-2 over these past 10 games was a big step for the Mets, but in typical fashion, the Mets still left fans with a bad taste in their mouths. These next 10 games - especially without Delgado - will be huge. I’d sign on for a 4-6 trip right now.

Maine pitches tonight in a game they have to win, if not, they could be looking at a lost weekend and maybe a lost 11 days. I’m sure most of us will lose plenty of sleep this week, especially with many 10 p.m. starts and the Sunday night game in San Francisco.

***

A few other things:

Now that Ryan Zimmerman’s hitting streak is over, can MLB put an end to the Nationals’ season now?

***

I knew this Varlamov guy was too good to be true. Too bad it happened against the Pens and not our Rangers. By the way, does it feel like the Rangers haven’t played a game in about 3 months?

As for the NHL, two Game 7s will be played tonight - one starting at 7, one at 8, but thanks to a lousy TV contract, both games are on the same network. Therefore, most of us won’t see the first two periods of the Carolina-Boston game. What a joke. As much as I hate the NBA, it would NEVER let something like this happen. Why not play the Detroit-Anaheim game Friday night on Versus? Or at least find another cable outlet - CNBC or MSNBC or the NHL Network - to carry it? For the few of us who love hockey - especially playoff hockey - this is really frustrating. Kind of like watching the Mets.

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============

May 13, 2009
Mets finally steal one
By Bill Price on May 13, 2009 12:34 AM
The Bitter Bill, NYDN

Mrs. Bitter Bill is a very wise woman - she married me, didn’t she?

She’s so wise she knows not to stay in the same room with me during a close Met game. Either that or she’s tired of the pacing, the talking to the TV or the sitting in the lucky spot for five innings.

But Tuesday night, she sat on the sofa across from me as the Mets tied the game in the ninth and won it in the 10th.

She saw the same things I did. She saw Carlos Beltran ruled safe stealing third in the ninth even though it appeared as if he were out. She saw Luis Castillo actually hit a ball deep enough to the outfield to bring home Beltran with the tying run. She saw the Braves leave two guys on base in the top of the 10th. She saw Bobby Cox intentionally walk Alex Cora in the 10th inning and she saw Beltran walk with the bases loaded to win it.

Seconds after Beltran took that very close 3-2 pitch, she looked at me and said, “You see, other teams lose games like that, too.”

It was then I realized that I not only married someone smarter than me, more importantly I realized that maybe this could be the Mets’ year.

We all know in years past the Atlanta Braves - especially when playing the Mets - would never lose a game like that. They would never blow a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning, would never be on the wrong side of a close call and would never walk a Met with the bases loaded to lose a game.

Heck, it happened less than two weeks ago to the Mets in Philly. But since then, the Mets have won 8 of 9, including three of four from the Braves and two straight from the Phillies. So maybe, just maybe last night was a sign things are changing.

A few other notes from last night:

• It appears as if Mike Pelfrey’s 2008 season wasn’t a mirage, rather a preview of things to come this year. He pitched seven strong innings to keep the Mets in the game and make the comeback possible.

• Carlos Beltran is carrying this team right now. Last night he not only delivered a key double to start the ninth (and the key stolen base), he also had the patience to draw that walk in the 10th. Who cares if he slides or not?

• David Wright still can’t get it done in a big spot. All he needed to do last night was move Beltran over to third in the ninth, but he fouled out on a 3-1 pitch. Maybe he’s been hanging around Baba Booey this week. I’m sure he was the happiest guy in the park when Beltran stole third and scored on the sac fly. If the Mets had lost the game, 3-2, Wright would’ve been hammered for that lousy at-bat.

• K-Rod is fired up. He not only pitched two scoreless innings, he worked out of trouble in the 10th. Putz, on the other hand, has me a bit worried. He was knocked around a little bit last night, and got a huge break when that Brian McCann double bounced into the stands. If not, it’s 4-0 Braves and the Mets lose.

• Bobby Cox is losing it. A guy who gets tossed from games in the first inning over a close 2-1 pitch, didn’t even leave the dugout on the Beltran steal in the ninth. I thought for sure he was going to storm the field and get tossed. Maybe he realized it was a bang-bang play, or maybe realized it was the baseball gods getting even for the Reyes call in the seventh. I know the ball beat Reyes by a second or two, but Chipper missed the tag. Anyway, after years and years of the Braves getting every call against us, it was nice to get one back.

= = =
A few other things from last night’s sports action:

• Just how much money is Roy Halladay going to make when he becomes a free agent? Yankee tickets might have to go up to $3,500 - and that’s in the upper deck - to pay for that dude.

• The Whalers are in huge trouble. I thought for sure they would finish off the Bruins last night, but instead got hammered in Raleigh. Not good.

• NBC has to be fired up for a Red Wings-Blackhawks Western Conference Finals, that is if Detroit makes it. Don’t be surprised if the Ducks win Game 7 in the Motor City - they are tough, especially goalie Jonas Hiller, who made a ridiculous save in the final seconds of Anaheim’s 2-1 in Tuesday night. One other thing, for all the success Detroit has had in the last few years, this will be there first Game 7 of any kind in 7 years. It will be interesting how they handle that pressure.

• I see Big Baby apologized for bumping that kid the other night in Orlando. I guess he had to do it, but again, what is that kid - or any NBA fan - doing on the court?

• My “I’m Calling It Shea” shirt arrived today. I can’t wait to wear it around Citi Field.

That’s all for now. Met day game today. They need to win this one and survive this 10-game trip to San Fran, L.A. and Fenway.

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May 11, 2009
Sympathy for Santana & Dell’Abate
Bill Price, The Bitter Bill, NYDN

I know it sounds ridiculous to feel bad for a guy making $18 million a year, but Johan Santana has my sympathy.

This guy is having an incredible season on the mound, yet he’s 4-2 with a 0.78 ERA after his Met teammates once again let him down in Monday’s loss to the Braves.

For the seventh time in seven starts, Santana got minimal run support, and for the second time he was done in by some lousy fielding. His first loss came on Easter when Daniel Murphy dropped a ball in left field in Florida. Monday night, a David Wright throwing error in the first and a Jose Reyes fielding error in the seventh sunk Santana.

There were other culprits:

• The hittting was lousy again. I know Derek Lowe - maybe we should’ve signed him - was pitching, but after scoring 33 runs in their previous four games, the Mets did nothing Monday night. Maybe they feel they don’t have to score when Johan pitches, something. This has to stop, as they are now 4-3 in games Santana starts. They should be 7-0.

• Jerry Manuel made some questionable calls in the seventh inning. I know Santana’s pitch count was at 108, but he’s the ace and should finish the inning. He’s better than anyone in the bullpen. Still, after the pitching change, and after the Reyes error, Manuel cannot let Pedro Feliciano face Matt Diaz. Brian Stokes should’ve been in. Of course Diaz singled to pretty much end the game. I think Manuel overmanaged and then mismanaged that inning. Then, after the Braves put up four in the seventh, the Mets come right back and score a run, as if to tease Santana.

We all know the winning streak was going to end, but you have to win when Santana is on the hill, no matter who the opposing pitcher is. Making matters worse are rumblings that Carlos Delgado may be headed to the DL. The Mets need to win the next two against the Braves and get through this 10-game road trip with at the very least a 4-6 record. That would put them - worse case scenario - at 23-20 at the end of May with their toughest road trip behind them.

***

Monday’s loss spoiled what had been a great day for me. On Monday morning the King of All Media Howard Stern actually read from The Bitter Bill blog on his Sirius radio show.

He was quoting my claim that Gary (Baba Booey) Dell’Abate’s first pitch Saturday at Citi Field was “the most embarrassing ceremonial first pitch in baseball history.” I stand by that claim since it’s likely Chris Rock and the Mayor of Cincinnati didn’t practice for weeks before their throw like Dell’Abate (above) did. If you haven’t seen the video, Dell’Abate missed home plate by about 15 feet. Ramon Castro never had a chance.

Still, I do feel bad for Dell’Abate, since he was unmercifully hammered all morning by Stern, Met hater Artie Lange and the rest of the Stern crew over the awful throw.

You see Dell’Abate is a huge Mets’ fan, and pretty much had his sports fantasy turn into a nightmare. Actually, most Met fans probably know how he feels since we’ve all had the Mets turn potential great moments into nightmares.

Ironically, Dell’Abate’s failure might be a good thing, since he was at Citi Field to raise Awareness for Autism. So if all this attention helps do that, it’s a positive. Also, judging from the hammering he took Monday, in no way did he do it on purpose.

***

Not sure if you saw this story or video Monday, but some guy in Orlando is demanding an apology from Big Baby Davis for bumping his son after hitting the game-winning shot Sunday night.

To me, Davis doesn’t have to apologize for anything, but I wonder what would’ve happened had Davis actually run over the kid, which he easily could’ve. Of what if the kid was an adult and shoved Davis back?

How does the NBA allow fans to practically stand on the court during a game? It’s a recipe for disaster, especially in the closing seconds of an emotional playoff game. You would’ve thought the NBA learned its lesson after that melee in Detroit a few years ago. Clearly, it didn’t.

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Mets 10, Pirates 1: Tied for first, at least until the Phils play
By Adam Rubin, NYDN, May 9, 2009
Surfing The Mets

The Mets had season-highs with 10 runs and 17 hits in a rout of the Pirates on Saturday for their sixth straight win.

Some game tidbits:

* Ramon Castro left the game after six innings with a tight right quadriceps. He described the trouble as just cramps, and predicted he could come off the bench Sunday and play if needed. Omir Santos clearly will start the series finale against the Pirates.

* John Maine allowed only a solo homer to opposing pitcher Paul Maholm. He allowed three hits in six innings for the second straight start, the other coming in Atlanta. Still, Maine wasn’t pleased. He suggested he got “lucky” the Pirates hit the ball at people and didn’t think he had a particularly good slider or changeup.

* Gary Sheffield had his first multi-hit game as a Met with a 2-for-4 game and also had a nice sliding catch at the right-field line on Jason Jaramillo. Given Ryan Church’s struggles, it wouldn’t be shocking if Jerry Manuel starts Sheffield in the series finale against righthander Ian Snell.

* Carlos Beltran had a solo homer, giving him 123 longballs as a Met. That moves Beltran past Kevin McReynolds for seventh on the franchise’s all-time list. Next up: Todd Hundley with 124.

* Jose Reyes, who didn’t have a multi-hit game in 14 straight, now has done it back-to-back. Reyes acknowledged he didn’t have hard-hit balls, but hits are hits. He said he’s doing a better job of putting breaking balls in play after previously flailing at them.

* Daniel Murphy’s career-high hitting streak ended at nine games when he grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth.

* J.J. Putz acknowledged he’s “felt better” at other points in his career than he does now because of extensive early season work, but the reliever described the trouble as general fatigue and not an injury. Before being idle Saturday, Putz had appeared in 16 of the team’s first 28 games, tied with Pedro Feliciano for most in the bullpen. Both were two shy of major-league leader Kiko Calero’s 18 appearances with the Marlins.

* Brian Stokes returned to action with a scoreless ninth, and has now tossed 12 scoreless innings this season. He had not appeared in a game since April 28.

* The last time a Mets manager served a suspension before Manuel sat out Saturday was in 1999, when Bobby Valentine was benched for his mustache disguise affair in Toronto after being ejected.

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STREAKING METS TOP PIRATES, 8-4
Bart Hubbuch, NY Post

Yes, it really was just two weeks ago that Jerry Manuel threatened to blow up his starting rotation.

Look how far the Mets have come in the meantime.

Manuel’s club is standing alone in first place in the NL East and the proud owner of a seven-game winning streak after this afternoon’s 8-4 throttling of the woeful Pirates, and basically the same starting staff has been the driving force.

With Oliver Perez now mercifully out of the equation, the Mets’ rotation isn’t just The Johan Santana Show anymore. That was obvious once again today as the Amazin’s turned in their seventh consecutive quality start of at least six innings and fewer than three runs.

The Mets couldn’t seem to buy a quality start from anyone other than Santana in April, but Livan Hernandez delivered one for the second time in less than a week as Manuel’s 17-13 team completed its third consecutive sweep overall and first three-game sweep of the Pirates since 2001.

Combine the terrific starting pitching with an offense that couldn’t be much hotter and a bullpen that remains in lockdown mode, and it’s easy to see why smiles are abounding in the Mets’ clubhouse these days.

“We knew we had to do something to help Santana, because he has been amazing for the team, and we knew we had to be better,” Hernandez said of himself and fellow starters Mike Pelfrey and John Maine. “We struggled early, but now we are starting to pitch very good.”

Hernandez (3-1) continued to boost the Mets’ confidence in him holding the Pirates to just two runs despite giving up seven hits and four walks in six innings.

With the way the Mets are clobbering the ball this month, a two-run deficit is nothing. They pounded out double-digit hits for the fourth game in a row and, even more encouragingly, produced runs late against Pittsburgh’s awful bullpen.

Adding on runs has been the Mets’ Achilles’ heel since last season, but that hasn’t been a problem since the month began with a series in Philadelphia.

The stars on offense were once again plentiful. Jose Reyes continued his recent rejuvenation act with two more hits, Carlos Beltran added a two-run double and catcher Omir Santos remained a revelation by driving in two runs and throwing out a baserunner.

It was Reyes’ third consecutive multi-hit game, and the shortstop hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Pittsburgh series after slumping much of the latter half of April and in early May.

“Patience is definitely the key for Jose,” Manuel said. “He has remained patient throughout the at-bat and let his ability and talent take over for him.”

The constant throughout the Mets’ winning streak, however, has been the starting pitching, which appears to have adjusted to cavernous Citi Field and found its groove in the new park.

Hernandez has never been afraid to pitch to contact, but Maine, Pelfrey and Perez replacement Jonathon Niese are starting to get the hang of that, too, at least at home.

“What they are doing for the most part is throwing strikes, and if you throw strikes in this park and play pretty good defense, then you’ve got a chance to win games,” Manuel said.

That excellent starting pitching, in turn, seems to be energizing the entire team.

Sole possession of first place in the division has gone from a pipe dream just a couple of weeks ago to practically a given with how the Mets are playing.

“We feel pretty confident that, if we put up a couple of crooked numbers, we’re going to win the game,” David Wright said.

Mets 7 - Pirates 3

Despite shoddy defense being played behind him John Niese’s first outing of 2009 was impressive, 6-IP, 2-R, 5-K, 0-BB. John faced a lineup tailor made for lefty starter success as virtually all of Pittsburgh’s offense is generated from the left side of the plate, but you got to execute and John went right after hitters pitching to big part of the ballpark and looking every bit of that 36 million dollars we just donated to that other lefty. Bobby Ojeda mentioned that while pitching for Buffalo John was working on his cutter and slider which was the #1 reason for his poor AAA numbers, and although Gary and Ron mentioned that this wasn’t a good game to gage Niese’s stuff it sure does look like he’s major league ready. I’m definitely looking forward to his next start in Atlanta and am exited about what this kid brings to the table.

What else can you say about Carlos Delgado, the guy’s got 103 RBI’s in his last 108 games and virtually all of them have been huge. Tonight our T-Rex racked up 5 more RBI’s on 3 big hits highlighted by a Ruthian blast to deep rightcenter which cleared the 415-FT marker with plenty of room to spare. Carlos’ monster jack gave the slugging first basemen 1512 career RBI’s which eclipses Mickey Mantle for 48th on the all time list. The other Carlos remains locked in, his RBI single in the 8th proved to be the game winner and set the stage for Delgado’s dramatic blast.

Bobby Parnell came on in the 8th and was characteristically phenomenal. The Mets flame throwing righty struck out 2 on his way to setting down Pittsburgh 1-2-3 and collected his first major league victory in the process. J.J. Putz entered in the 9th and yielded a run on a couple of 2 out hits and a BB but eventually slammed the door on the Buccos sealing the Mets 5th straight victory.

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Mets 7 - Phillies 5

Not in complete command of his secondary pitches just yet Mike Pelfrey(4-0) threw 90% fastballs on his way to shutting down up the Phills. Over his 7 innings of work Big Pelf pitched to contact (8-H, 0-K, 1-BB, 3-R, 105-Pitches) with his biggest test coming in the top of the first when he gave up three hits and a run, but with runners on the corners Pelf buckled down and got Raul Ibanez to hit a lazy fly ball to left ending Philly’s threat.

Trailing by a run in the bottom half, Luis Castillo worked a one-out-walk giving way to the league’s leading hitter, Carlos Beltran(.386). Not a smart move to say the least as Beltran made Moyer pay, slamming his batting practice fastball back-back-back and out to deep left center giving the Mets a 2-1 lead. Delgado followed with a sharp liner down the right field line, good for 2-bases, setting the stage for David Wright. Over his career David has owned lefty’s and this was once again made abundantly clear as Wright took Moyer’s meaty, lifeless fastball and rocketed it to straight away center for a truly majestic 2 run shot, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead. The Mets went on to score 3 more runs over the next 2 innings on a Reyes HR and a Castro 2-R bases loaded double before Moyer(2.1-IP) was yanked trailing 7-1. The bullpen stepped up, but Feliciano was charged with 2 runs due to some down right horrible officiating. K-Rod entered the 9th with a 7-5 lead and quickly slammed the door by inducing a infield pop up off the bat of Jimmy Rollins. It was K-Rod’s 4th save in 4 consecutive games and his 9th overall. He will not be available tomorrow verse the Pirates.

Box Score

Mets 1 - Philly 0

Johan’s line: 7-IP, 2-H, 10-K, 0-R (4-1, 0.91-ERA, 39.2-IP, 54-K)

Johan Santana versus Chan Ho Park wasn’t being billed as your classic pitching duel but when it was all said and done the two teams combined for just 5 hits and one unearned run in what turned out to be one of Johan Santana’s more memorable outings as a Met. The games only run scored in the 7th when pinch-hitter Fernando Tatis stepped up to the plate and hit a broken-bat slow-roller up the third base line. The usually surehanded Pedro Feliz charged in, barehanded, and made an off balance throw into no-mans-land. Delgado(HBP) got a good jump off first base and eventually chugged his way around the bases and scored the games first and only run on a bang-bang play at the plate.

If it were a 0-0 game Manuel would have stuck with Santana, but with a revamped pen, a lead, and Santana having surpassed 100 pitches Jerry turned to the bullpen for relief. Feliciano came in to face Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard and with the exception of a Texas league flare of the bat of Victorino, Feliciano dominated, striking out Howard on a nasty slider to end the inning. Mr cool, calm, and collected, Frankie Rodriguez entered in the 9th and made mince meat out of Ibanez, Werth, and Feliz, converting his 8th save in 8 chances and his 3rd in 3 consecutive games.

For an in depth preview of tonight’s game, Pelfrey vs Moyer, click here