Green Cap Night!
Game 2: Phillies 4 Mets 0
Halladay vs Misch
So again I decided to film this recap. I've been lazy lately and well typing up a game, especially a losing effort by the Mets is not something I just have had oomph to go and do. Also I'm going to Spain later today so really that's been on my mind. But I still felt I had to go out with a bang before leaving the country and deserting my fellow Metsies fans. So I hope I succeed in my attempts to leave you folks wanting more. I return from Espana on August 22nd so by then hopefully the Mets will have clobbered the Astros and the Pirates. It could happen. Probably not but I'll stay optimistic it will.
But back to yesterday's game. In this installment of my home-made films I'm back with my 87 year old buddy Irving and we dish about Misch's 2010 debut as a Metsie, K-Rod's apology, David Wright's bobbles and bungles and well Irving gets distracted a lot. He really does. Just take a look and ENJOY!
Big Pelf vs Kyle Kendrick tonight on ESPN! Could the Metsies somehow take this rubber game and well give Pelf ample run support!!??? And will I be able to find any scores for Mets games while in Spain!? Sheesh I better be able to. Withdrawal from the Mets is going to be some feat for me, oh it is!
Have a great night and a fabulous week folks! Until we meet again on the blogosphere...
Showing posts with label phillies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phillies. Show all posts
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 08, 2010
The New, Younger Mets Are Just No Match For The Victorino, Utley, Howard-less Phils
The Rubber Game: Phillies 6 Mets 5
Roy Halladay vs R.A. Dickey
The Mets have now played 41 straight games without getting back to back wins.
My Vitamin Water strike continues...I will not drink another Vitamin Water until the Mets finally win back to back games!
The Phillie Phanatic was dressed up as Lady Gaga in that scary as hell red outfit for this game! It was awesome. Take a look:
I am the kind of person who gets very excited for things. When I look forward to something I'm just on a high like no other. And usually in life when a person gets excited for something to happen like I do there is a good chance you will be disappointed. This doesn't always happen though. This past Wednesday I saw the bands "Arcade Fire" and "Spoon" at MSG and that was a concert that well I was stoked for, I had been dying to see these two bands for a while now and well it lived up to every expectation I had and more. Then there was the time everyone and their grandmother hyped up the Bill Murray movie "Lost In Translation" and when I saw it on DVD I was so not impressed. I think my exact words were something like "Ehh that's it?! That was kind of boring." So yeah all that positive buzz about that film and my enthusiasm to see it ultimately led me to be disappointed.
And well today's game sadly was another "Lost In Translation" experience for me! In this Mets rotation I look forward to Dickey's starts even more than I look forward to Santana's starts. So yeah that's saying a lot because I love watching Santana pitch. And honestly I thought today was going to be Dickey's day to shine just like Santana did yesterday. I even thought he would shine so bright that he would defeat Halladay and the Phillies. Yes I'm a silly optimist. Yes I'm naive. Yes I have to stop living on some fantasy planet. Everyone knows this by now. I know this. The Phillie Phanatic even knows this.
This morning after I was done with my run at the park I ended up talking to my Dad and some other Mets fans. At the park where I run you get a lot of Yankees fans and well you get some Mets fans who try to hold their heads up high even after the worst Metsies losses. I enjoy these people. Basically I will talk to pretty much anyone about the Mets. So I chatted with this group of men and well I had said "If the Mets can score early in this game, get at Halladay right away, even take a 2-0 lead, the way Dickey has been pitching this game can be a victorino for the Metsies." And well my Dad wasn't having that optimism and he instead said "Dickey is due to have a bad start." And why does it have to be that father knows best!? There could have been a show called "Daughter Knows Best?!"
I wanted to be so right today and well I was right that the Mets would attack Halladay early on. And they did this. In the top of the first Reyes led off with a double. His 22nd double of the season! Then Pagan bloop singled, Reyes scored and the Metsies took a 1-0 lead over the Phillies. I was thinking that I was like Nostradamus or something at this point. Boy was I in for a reality check. Then during Beltran's at bat Pagan stole 2nd but sadly Beltran popped up and there was now 1 out. Then during Wright's at bat Crazy Horse stole 3rd but sadly Wright struck out. BUT Isaac Benjamin Davis who had a 5 game hitting streak on the line going into this game was up. And well Ike wanted to make me think I was even cooler than Nostradamus. Ike got an infield hit! This ball he hit knocked Halladay's glove off of Roy's hand and well the glove traveled all the way to the outfield. It was ridiculous and well I was loving this first inning! Pagan scored, Ike extended his hitting streak to 6 games and the Mets were up 2-0 in the first just like I had predicted. Fernando Martinez then lined out to end this inning, ugh.
I'm happy Martinez is with the squad and all but really I am not happy he will be sharing so much playing time with Frenchy in right. I know Frenchy sucks a lot of the time but his arm and the way he has been hitting the ball over the last couple of games is reason enough for me to have allowed him to be in the lineup today. I would have sat Beltran but my name is not Jerry Manuel although Danielle does rhyme with Manuel. Now I will be super sarcastic just in case you can't tell. I mean of course it makes sense to NOT play the one guy who might be on a hot streak now. The one man who has been the Mets offense in their last two wins against the Phils and the Braves. The only person who could score a run for the Mets against the Phils yesterday. Of course BENCH him. It makes so much sense! NOT!
So as of now I felt like a genius because the Mets had this early lead and well I was in for a rude awakening. Although Dickey pitched a 1,2,3 1st inning he definitely was off. There was something up with that knuckleball. He was relying on his fast ball way too much and well the Phillies looked like they were onto the secret of cracking THE DICKEY CODE and oh they figured him out all right in the bottom of the 2nd and then the bottom of the 3rd, ugh ugh ugh! After Dickey had retired the first 4 Phillies (these 4 outs were all ground ball outs) he faced Jayson Werth with one out in the bottom of the 2nd and that bearded Werth solo homered. The Phils now cut the Mets lead to 2-1. I wasn't feeling like such a smarty pants Nostradamus anymore. Then the youngin Domonic Brown (who is another super impressive NL rookie) lined out to right. I was thinking the Mets would get out of this inning now. But nope Dickey walked Brian Schneider. Oh I hate these Metsies two out walks. It's so rampant lately! But Valdez thankfully grounded out and well I didn't feel so stupid about my prediction for this game just yet. Only a bit stupid.
But in the bottom of the 3rd I became the biggest schmuck on the planet. I was so off about this game! Paul Rudd as a result is scheduled to take me to another dinner for idiots tonight! After Dickey retired Halladay the shit hit the fan. Oh it did. Rollins doubled. Then Polanco grounded a ball to Reyes, Reyes bobbled that sucker and there was no play for him to make. And lately when Jose Jose Jose makes an error it ends up leading to a horrible no good very bad inning with tons and tons of scoring. And yep this inning lived up to that reputation! With men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out Gload who is Keith Hernandez's #1 fan (well I'll fight him for that title) rbi singled. Rollins beat Martinez's throw to the plate and the game was now tied 2-2. Now the hot hot hot Ibanez was up with men on 1st and 3rd and still 1 out. Ibanez had a 15 game hitting streak on the line going into this game. A league leading 15 game hitting streak and well he extended that streak to 16 games. He hit a 3 run homer and this game was getting out of hand. Maybe if it wasn't Halladay on the mound a 5-2 Phils lead over the Mets wouldn't immediately send Mets fans to shut off their tvs or well to break them. I actually did neither and I continued to watch this nightmare. Then Werth was up and he doubled. Thankfully Brown lined out to Wright for the 2nd time this game and all Dickey had to do to get out of this inning was get Schneider out. This should have been easy but nope Brian got a 2 out single and the Phils took a 6-2 lead over the Mets. Then Valdez singled. And then Halladay even got on base. Roy hit a ground ball right at Dickey, R.A. threw to Ike but Davis couldn't scoop the ball and Roy had an infield hit and the bases were loaded for Rollins. But by some amazing miracle Rollins flew out and this inning was over. Sadly this also meant Dickey was out of the game. But because he pitched so few innings there is a chance he might start Tuesday against Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies. We will find out in due time if it's R.A. or Big Pelf on the mound this Tuesday night! But back to this game, sheesh I'm jumping ahead of myself here.
The Mets added another run in the top of the 6th. After Reyes led off with his 23rd double of the season Pagan rbi doubled and the Mets were chipping away at the Phils lead. This was now only a 3 run ball game, 6-3. But Beltran and Wright both struck out and Davis grounded out and Pagan remained stranded at 2nd.
After this inning where the Metsies left Pagan to well melt in the sun they didn't give up just yet! Thanks to the new young blood in the lineup the Mets rallied in the top of the 7th. Martinez led off with a single then Thole doubled and Tejada grounded out but Fernando scored and Thole advanced to 3rd. The Mets were now down just 6-4 to the Phils and men were on 1st and 3rd with one out for the pinch hitting THE ANIMAL Carter! And Chris delivered big time. Carter who Ron said has lost 15 lbs since being called up by the Metsies rbi doubled! Thole scored and now this was a one run game, 6-5! And Halladay then even walked Reyes to put men on 1st and 2nd with still just one out for Pagan. But ugh Angel flew out. And then Beltran struck out yet again, Carlos' 3rd straight K, and the rally was over. Beltran and Wright in this game accounted for 6 of Halladay's 10 K's on the afternoon.
Thanks to a bullpen combination of Valdes, Takahashi, Feliciano and Acosta who did not give up any runs the Mets were still in this game in the top of the 9th. They were still down 6-5 and well Brad Lidge was struggling right from the start. He gave up a lead off single to Thole. Then Tejada hit a double play ball but since the hit and run play was on the only play to make was at 1st and Thole was safe at 2nd with 1 out and Carter was now up. Ron was pretty sure he was going to hit a rocket out of Citizens Bank Park. But Ron like myself is no Nostradamus. Carter grounded out and it was up to Reyes to score Thole who was now at 3rd. And Reyes sadly flew out to Werth and the game was over and the Mets yet again could not win back to back games.
The Mets haven't won back to back games since June 23rd! They also haven't won a road series against an NL team all season long. And the next opportunity they'll get to do that will be against Houston and Pittsburgh. But first the Metsies face the Colorado Rockies and the Phillies at Citi Field before they get to go on the road again. Oh the road, you are so evil.
And before I end this one let's just look at some booth shenanigans:
After the camera man got the 1500th shot of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich during this series Keith said "Oh goodness...ROLAIDS!" He also just kept going "Ohhhh, grunt grunt, ohhhh." I imagine he's not allowed to eat one of these delicious sandwiches on that diet of his. Poor dude! I would totally be on board for him to cheat on his diet after this game!
As I mentioned before Gload is a huge fan of Keith's. I believe it was Gary who told Keith Gload idolized him growing up in Long Island. And Keith just acted like of course he did, who didn't! Who doesn't still!
Keith also showed off his use of clever puns. He created this saying. "Dickey is a competitor. He doesn't knuckle under." Haha he said knuckle about the knuckleballer! And yeah right after he said this the horrible 3rd inning occurred so yeah maybe Keith is the scapegoat for this game! He put the kibosh on!
After Gary and Ron mentioned that Dan Warthen is pretty sure he figured out what Pelf's problems on the mound have been due to, Keith said something about "Western Union" and then he remarked "OH send me a limo." Yeah this confused me.
Then Kevin Burkhardt shared a story with the booth and us fans about Valdes. It turns out Raul tried to escape Cuba 5 times before he was successful. And 4 of those times he was arrested. Obviously these Metsies current struggles are nothing too hard for him to deal with. Keith remarked "He was living under tyranny!"
When Luis Castillo pinch hit in this game in the top of the 5th, he of course struck out. This led the booth to muse about what the Metsies will do with Castillo. Will they try to get rid of him now or this off season since they are pretty much set on letting Tejada play pretty much every day from this point on. And Keith said, "Last season no one wanted him. It will be no different this time around, right?" Yep Castillo (and his two different sized legs) is that last kid to be picked in a game of dodgeball!
And Keith lastly shared his father's mantra with us fans. It goes "Trust your hands."
Well the Mets have off tomorrow and "Tuesday is a new day," yeah this mantra of mine is so not working anymore. Maybe I should learn some more of Papa Hernandez's mantras to spice up these recaps!
I'm just going to stay positive because it's my nature and well I'm going to pretend the Mets are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. That there is even a good chance they can win the next two series against the Rockies and the Phils at Citi Field. That Pelf if he does get the start against Jimenez on Tuesday will pitch a gem. Yes I will pretend this all might happen. I'm gonna believe for just a little longer the Mets still have one long winning streak in them. Oh I am.
Roy Halladay vs R.A. Dickey
The Mets have now played 41 straight games without getting back to back wins.
My Vitamin Water strike continues...I will not drink another Vitamin Water until the Mets finally win back to back games!
The Phillie Phanatic was dressed up as Lady Gaga in that scary as hell red outfit for this game! It was awesome. Take a look:
I am the kind of person who gets very excited for things. When I look forward to something I'm just on a high like no other. And usually in life when a person gets excited for something to happen like I do there is a good chance you will be disappointed. This doesn't always happen though. This past Wednesday I saw the bands "Arcade Fire" and "Spoon" at MSG and that was a concert that well I was stoked for, I had been dying to see these two bands for a while now and well it lived up to every expectation I had and more. Then there was the time everyone and their grandmother hyped up the Bill Murray movie "Lost In Translation" and when I saw it on DVD I was so not impressed. I think my exact words were something like "Ehh that's it?! That was kind of boring." So yeah all that positive buzz about that film and my enthusiasm to see it ultimately led me to be disappointed.
And well today's game sadly was another "Lost In Translation" experience for me! In this Mets rotation I look forward to Dickey's starts even more than I look forward to Santana's starts. So yeah that's saying a lot because I love watching Santana pitch. And honestly I thought today was going to be Dickey's day to shine just like Santana did yesterday. I even thought he would shine so bright that he would defeat Halladay and the Phillies. Yes I'm a silly optimist. Yes I'm naive. Yes I have to stop living on some fantasy planet. Everyone knows this by now. I know this. The Phillie Phanatic even knows this.
This morning after I was done with my run at the park I ended up talking to my Dad and some other Mets fans. At the park where I run you get a lot of Yankees fans and well you get some Mets fans who try to hold their heads up high even after the worst Metsies losses. I enjoy these people. Basically I will talk to pretty much anyone about the Mets. So I chatted with this group of men and well I had said "If the Mets can score early in this game, get at Halladay right away, even take a 2-0 lead, the way Dickey has been pitching this game can be a victorino for the Metsies." And well my Dad wasn't having that optimism and he instead said "Dickey is due to have a bad start." And why does it have to be that father knows best!? There could have been a show called "Daughter Knows Best?!"
I wanted to be so right today and well I was right that the Mets would attack Halladay early on. And they did this. In the top of the first Reyes led off with a double. His 22nd double of the season! Then Pagan bloop singled, Reyes scored and the Metsies took a 1-0 lead over the Phillies. I was thinking that I was like Nostradamus or something at this point. Boy was I in for a reality check. Then during Beltran's at bat Pagan stole 2nd but sadly Beltran popped up and there was now 1 out. Then during Wright's at bat Crazy Horse stole 3rd but sadly Wright struck out. BUT Isaac Benjamin Davis who had a 5 game hitting streak on the line going into this game was up. And well Ike wanted to make me think I was even cooler than Nostradamus. Ike got an infield hit! This ball he hit knocked Halladay's glove off of Roy's hand and well the glove traveled all the way to the outfield. It was ridiculous and well I was loving this first inning! Pagan scored, Ike extended his hitting streak to 6 games and the Mets were up 2-0 in the first just like I had predicted. Fernando Martinez then lined out to end this inning, ugh.
I'm happy Martinez is with the squad and all but really I am not happy he will be sharing so much playing time with Frenchy in right. I know Frenchy sucks a lot of the time but his arm and the way he has been hitting the ball over the last couple of games is reason enough for me to have allowed him to be in the lineup today. I would have sat Beltran but my name is not Jerry Manuel although Danielle does rhyme with Manuel. Now I will be super sarcastic just in case you can't tell. I mean of course it makes sense to NOT play the one guy who might be on a hot streak now. The one man who has been the Mets offense in their last two wins against the Phils and the Braves. The only person who could score a run for the Mets against the Phils yesterday. Of course BENCH him. It makes so much sense! NOT!
So as of now I felt like a genius because the Mets had this early lead and well I was in for a rude awakening. Although Dickey pitched a 1,2,3 1st inning he definitely was off. There was something up with that knuckleball. He was relying on his fast ball way too much and well the Phillies looked like they were onto the secret of cracking THE DICKEY CODE and oh they figured him out all right in the bottom of the 2nd and then the bottom of the 3rd, ugh ugh ugh! After Dickey had retired the first 4 Phillies (these 4 outs were all ground ball outs) he faced Jayson Werth with one out in the bottom of the 2nd and that bearded Werth solo homered. The Phils now cut the Mets lead to 2-1. I wasn't feeling like such a smarty pants Nostradamus anymore. Then the youngin Domonic Brown (who is another super impressive NL rookie) lined out to right. I was thinking the Mets would get out of this inning now. But nope Dickey walked Brian Schneider. Oh I hate these Metsies two out walks. It's so rampant lately! But Valdez thankfully grounded out and well I didn't feel so stupid about my prediction for this game just yet. Only a bit stupid.
But in the bottom of the 3rd I became the biggest schmuck on the planet. I was so off about this game! Paul Rudd as a result is scheduled to take me to another dinner for idiots tonight! After Dickey retired Halladay the shit hit the fan. Oh it did. Rollins doubled. Then Polanco grounded a ball to Reyes, Reyes bobbled that sucker and there was no play for him to make. And lately when Jose Jose Jose makes an error it ends up leading to a horrible no good very bad inning with tons and tons of scoring. And yep this inning lived up to that reputation! With men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out Gload who is Keith Hernandez's #1 fan (well I'll fight him for that title) rbi singled. Rollins beat Martinez's throw to the plate and the game was now tied 2-2. Now the hot hot hot Ibanez was up with men on 1st and 3rd and still 1 out. Ibanez had a 15 game hitting streak on the line going into this game. A league leading 15 game hitting streak and well he extended that streak to 16 games. He hit a 3 run homer and this game was getting out of hand. Maybe if it wasn't Halladay on the mound a 5-2 Phils lead over the Mets wouldn't immediately send Mets fans to shut off their tvs or well to break them. I actually did neither and I continued to watch this nightmare. Then Werth was up and he doubled. Thankfully Brown lined out to Wright for the 2nd time this game and all Dickey had to do to get out of this inning was get Schneider out. This should have been easy but nope Brian got a 2 out single and the Phils took a 6-2 lead over the Mets. Then Valdez singled. And then Halladay even got on base. Roy hit a ground ball right at Dickey, R.A. threw to Ike but Davis couldn't scoop the ball and Roy had an infield hit and the bases were loaded for Rollins. But by some amazing miracle Rollins flew out and this inning was over. Sadly this also meant Dickey was out of the game. But because he pitched so few innings there is a chance he might start Tuesday against Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies. We will find out in due time if it's R.A. or Big Pelf on the mound this Tuesday night! But back to this game, sheesh I'm jumping ahead of myself here.
The Mets added another run in the top of the 6th. After Reyes led off with his 23rd double of the season Pagan rbi doubled and the Mets were chipping away at the Phils lead. This was now only a 3 run ball game, 6-3. But Beltran and Wright both struck out and Davis grounded out and Pagan remained stranded at 2nd.
After this inning where the Metsies left Pagan to well melt in the sun they didn't give up just yet! Thanks to the new young blood in the lineup the Mets rallied in the top of the 7th. Martinez led off with a single then Thole doubled and Tejada grounded out but Fernando scored and Thole advanced to 3rd. The Mets were now down just 6-4 to the Phils and men were on 1st and 3rd with one out for the pinch hitting THE ANIMAL Carter! And Chris delivered big time. Carter who Ron said has lost 15 lbs since being called up by the Metsies rbi doubled! Thole scored and now this was a one run game, 6-5! And Halladay then even walked Reyes to put men on 1st and 2nd with still just one out for Pagan. But ugh Angel flew out. And then Beltran struck out yet again, Carlos' 3rd straight K, and the rally was over. Beltran and Wright in this game accounted for 6 of Halladay's 10 K's on the afternoon.
Thanks to a bullpen combination of Valdes, Takahashi, Feliciano and Acosta who did not give up any runs the Mets were still in this game in the top of the 9th. They were still down 6-5 and well Brad Lidge was struggling right from the start. He gave up a lead off single to Thole. Then Tejada hit a double play ball but since the hit and run play was on the only play to make was at 1st and Thole was safe at 2nd with 1 out and Carter was now up. Ron was pretty sure he was going to hit a rocket out of Citizens Bank Park. But Ron like myself is no Nostradamus. Carter grounded out and it was up to Reyes to score Thole who was now at 3rd. And Reyes sadly flew out to Werth and the game was over and the Mets yet again could not win back to back games.
The Mets haven't won back to back games since June 23rd! They also haven't won a road series against an NL team all season long. And the next opportunity they'll get to do that will be against Houston and Pittsburgh. But first the Metsies face the Colorado Rockies and the Phillies at Citi Field before they get to go on the road again. Oh the road, you are so evil.
And before I end this one let's just look at some booth shenanigans:
After the camera man got the 1500th shot of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich during this series Keith said "Oh goodness...ROLAIDS!" He also just kept going "Ohhhh, grunt grunt, ohhhh." I imagine he's not allowed to eat one of these delicious sandwiches on that diet of his. Poor dude! I would totally be on board for him to cheat on his diet after this game!
As I mentioned before Gload is a huge fan of Keith's. I believe it was Gary who told Keith Gload idolized him growing up in Long Island. And Keith just acted like of course he did, who didn't! Who doesn't still!
Keith also showed off his use of clever puns. He created this saying. "Dickey is a competitor. He doesn't knuckle under." Haha he said knuckle about the knuckleballer! And yeah right after he said this the horrible 3rd inning occurred so yeah maybe Keith is the scapegoat for this game! He put the kibosh on!
After Gary and Ron mentioned that Dan Warthen is pretty sure he figured out what Pelf's problems on the mound have been due to, Keith said something about "Western Union" and then he remarked "OH send me a limo." Yeah this confused me.
Then Kevin Burkhardt shared a story with the booth and us fans about Valdes. It turns out Raul tried to escape Cuba 5 times before he was successful. And 4 of those times he was arrested. Obviously these Metsies current struggles are nothing too hard for him to deal with. Keith remarked "He was living under tyranny!"
When Luis Castillo pinch hit in this game in the top of the 5th, he of course struck out. This led the booth to muse about what the Metsies will do with Castillo. Will they try to get rid of him now or this off season since they are pretty much set on letting Tejada play pretty much every day from this point on. And Keith said, "Last season no one wanted him. It will be no different this time around, right?" Yep Castillo (and his two different sized legs) is that last kid to be picked in a game of dodgeball!
And Keith lastly shared his father's mantra with us fans. It goes "Trust your hands."
Well the Mets have off tomorrow and "Tuesday is a new day," yeah this mantra of mine is so not working anymore. Maybe I should learn some more of Papa Hernandez's mantras to spice up these recaps!
I'm just going to stay positive because it's my nature and well I'm going to pretend the Mets are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. That there is even a good chance they can win the next two series against the Rockies and the Phils at Citi Field. That Pelf if he does get the start against Jimenez on Tuesday will pitch a gem. Yes I will pretend this all might happen. I'm gonna believe for just a little longer the Mets still have one long winning streak in them. Oh I am.
Saturday, August 07, 2010
As Kevin Burkhardt Said, "Nice To Win One Of Those Johan Starts For A Change."
Game 2: Mets 1 Phillies 0
Johan Santana vs Cole Hamels
Well this game was a must win for the Mets. They knew this. I knew this. Every Metsies fan knew this. Even the Phillie Phanatic knew this.
So let's get to the game!
At one point it looked like Santana might pitch a no-hitter. But nope after 5 2/3 innings Santana gave up a single to Polanco.
Then it looked like Santana and Hamels might just not give up any runs. I was ready for a 20 inning game. But nope Frenchy decided to take matters into his own hands. Jeff Francouer led off in the top of the 7th with an opposite field solo homer and boy oh boy even though he's not hitting really when he does get his hits they sure are important. The Mets took a 1-0 lead over the Phillies, YAY! Sorry Cole Hamels, NOT!
BUT then in the bottom of the 8th it looked like Santana might get another no-decision. Jerry actually let Johan start the 8th! Unfortunately Santana appeared to no longer have his stuff. He gave up back to back singles to Rollins and Ibanez. But miraculously Polanco then laid down a sucky bunt, Santana threw to 3rd, Rollins was OUT and there were now men on 1st and 2nd for the new Mets killer in the Phillies lineup Mr. Sweeney. Manuel decided to take Santana out of the game and he said "Double switch time!!" K-Rod goggles came in to attempt to get the 5 out save, Frenchy was out, and Fernando Martinez was in in right field. K-Rod got Sweeney to hit a soft line drive to Isaac Benjamin Davis. Major sigh of relief time, 2 outs! But ugh drama was coming. Frankie then walked the bearded Jayson Werth to load the bases for the pinch hitter Ross Gload.
So now it looked like Santana's great pitched game might become a moot point and he would end up being a big fat loser! But nope on a 3-2 count K-Rod goggles threw a curve ball, Gload grounded the ball to Tejada, Ruben made the throw to Davis, it was low but Ike made the catch and the inning was over! Danger averted! But K-Rod still had to get 3 more outs, ugh ugh ugh. Why are Mets wins never easy?!
The first batter Frankie faced in the bottom of the 9th was Carlos Ruiz. And he struck Carlos out! Then Valdez lined out (a broken bat line out) to Ruben Sandwich and there were 2 outs in the 9th! Tejada was making great plays tonight, youth and two same sized legs really do make a difference! Next up for K-Rod was the Phillies youngin Dominic Brown. And strike 3 was called on Brown and the Mets won their first 1-0, 9 inning game of the season! Btw If they had lost this one I don't think even I could avoid facing the reality that the season would truly be over. And boy oh boy am I glad I get to be in denial for another day! I love living in fantasy land!
Oh and here are Santana's awesome stats:
7 1/3IP, 5 hits, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K, 102 total pitches thrown
And now to one booth shenanigan! Keith was missing from the booth tonight so Gary and Ron were kind of boring and well Kevin was Kevin, here we go:
In the top of the 4th during Angel Pagan's at bat Kevin Burkhardt had a little "Crazy Horse" tale to tell Gary, Ron and well us fans about. Kevin reported that Pagan loves spear fishing. He goes spear fishing (in the off season) for 4-5 hours a day and whatever he ends up catching his wifey makes for dinner! Burkhardt added that Angel owns a spear gun to well catch these fish with I guess that's how this sport works. Kevin then added that this is such a powerful spear gun that it could even catch a shark. I'd like to see that! This whole story then led Kevin to make a sort of funny joke, "Angel's into 'Shark Week.'" Yeah I laughed. I admit that. And then Ron attempted to make a funny too. He said he goes fishing. But he fishes at "Whole Foods." Hardy har har because that's where he buys all his fish. So Ron is a "Whole Foods" man. Not a "D'agostino's" man??!! Not a "Trader Joe's" man?!! Whoa what a revelation by Ron!
Okay let's get back to issues that don't involve spear fishing!
SO even with this incredible Metsies victorino my Vitamin Water strike that I reported about earlier continues! In the words of Gandhi, "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. The NY Metropolitans I dare you to win 2 games in a row."
Tomorrow Dickey faces off against Roy Halladay and well I am very excited for this match-up. I hope the Metsies can finally win two games in a row! I can't even remember when they last did that. I just want them to allow us Mets fans to be somewhat optimistic that the season isn't over just YET. I want the additions of Martinez and Tejada to really make a difference! I just want to not have to throw in the towel! What can I say I enjoy believing in the Mets!
Let's win the rubber game tomorrow! Let's turn this terrible second half around!
Johan Santana vs Cole Hamels
Well this game was a must win for the Mets. They knew this. I knew this. Every Metsies fan knew this. Even the Phillie Phanatic knew this.
So let's get to the game!
At one point it looked like Santana might pitch a no-hitter. But nope after 5 2/3 innings Santana gave up a single to Polanco.
Then it looked like Santana and Hamels might just not give up any runs. I was ready for a 20 inning game. But nope Frenchy decided to take matters into his own hands. Jeff Francouer led off in the top of the 7th with an opposite field solo homer and boy oh boy even though he's not hitting really when he does get his hits they sure are important. The Mets took a 1-0 lead over the Phillies, YAY! Sorry Cole Hamels, NOT!
BUT then in the bottom of the 8th it looked like Santana might get another no-decision. Jerry actually let Johan start the 8th! Unfortunately Santana appeared to no longer have his stuff. He gave up back to back singles to Rollins and Ibanez. But miraculously Polanco then laid down a sucky bunt, Santana threw to 3rd, Rollins was OUT and there were now men on 1st and 2nd for the new Mets killer in the Phillies lineup Mr. Sweeney. Manuel decided to take Santana out of the game and he said "Double switch time!!" K-Rod goggles came in to attempt to get the 5 out save, Frenchy was out, and Fernando Martinez was in in right field. K-Rod got Sweeney to hit a soft line drive to Isaac Benjamin Davis. Major sigh of relief time, 2 outs! But ugh drama was coming. Frankie then walked the bearded Jayson Werth to load the bases for the pinch hitter Ross Gload.
So now it looked like Santana's great pitched game might become a moot point and he would end up being a big fat loser! But nope on a 3-2 count K-Rod goggles threw a curve ball, Gload grounded the ball to Tejada, Ruben made the throw to Davis, it was low but Ike made the catch and the inning was over! Danger averted! But K-Rod still had to get 3 more outs, ugh ugh ugh. Why are Mets wins never easy?!
The first batter Frankie faced in the bottom of the 9th was Carlos Ruiz. And he struck Carlos out! Then Valdez lined out (a broken bat line out) to Ruben Sandwich and there were 2 outs in the 9th! Tejada was making great plays tonight, youth and two same sized legs really do make a difference! Next up for K-Rod was the Phillies youngin Dominic Brown. And strike 3 was called on Brown and the Mets won their first 1-0, 9 inning game of the season! Btw If they had lost this one I don't think even I could avoid facing the reality that the season would truly be over. And boy oh boy am I glad I get to be in denial for another day! I love living in fantasy land!
Oh and here are Santana's awesome stats:
7 1/3IP, 5 hits, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 6K, 102 total pitches thrown
And now to one booth shenanigan! Keith was missing from the booth tonight so Gary and Ron were kind of boring and well Kevin was Kevin, here we go:
In the top of the 4th during Angel Pagan's at bat Kevin Burkhardt had a little "Crazy Horse" tale to tell Gary, Ron and well us fans about. Kevin reported that Pagan loves spear fishing. He goes spear fishing (in the off season) for 4-5 hours a day and whatever he ends up catching his wifey makes for dinner! Burkhardt added that Angel owns a spear gun to well catch these fish with I guess that's how this sport works. Kevin then added that this is such a powerful spear gun that it could even catch a shark. I'd like to see that! This whole story then led Kevin to make a sort of funny joke, "Angel's into 'Shark Week.'" Yeah I laughed. I admit that. And then Ron attempted to make a funny too. He said he goes fishing. But he fishes at "Whole Foods." Hardy har har because that's where he buys all his fish. So Ron is a "Whole Foods" man. Not a "D'agostino's" man??!! Not a "Trader Joe's" man?!! Whoa what a revelation by Ron!
Okay let's get back to issues that don't involve spear fishing!
SO even with this incredible Metsies victorino my Vitamin Water strike that I reported about earlier continues! In the words of Gandhi, "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. The NY Metropolitans I dare you to win 2 games in a row."
Tomorrow Dickey faces off against Roy Halladay and well I am very excited for this match-up. I hope the Metsies can finally win two games in a row! I can't even remember when they last did that. I just want them to allow us Mets fans to be somewhat optimistic that the season isn't over just YET. I want the additions of Martinez and Tejada to really make a difference! I just want to not have to throw in the towel! What can I say I enjoy believing in the Mets!
Let's win the rubber game tomorrow! Let's turn this terrible second half around!
Friday, August 06, 2010
At Least We Can't Blame This One On K-Rod...
Game 1: Phillies 7 Mets 5
Jon Niese vs Joe Blanton
So I was probably the only person on the planet who was still semi-optimistic that the Mets could go on a winning streak and fight for a playoff spot. I thought they just might start that winning streak tonight in Philadelphia. I know looking at these last two sentences I've just typed even I can admit I am a foolish silly dreamer who really needs to get her head out of the clouds. And for much of this game I really thought this believing in the Mets thing I just can't stop doing was going to pay off. Jonathon Niese struggled in this one early on but by the bottom of the 8th the Mets were up 2-1. He pitched a Santana kind of a game. Niese gave up a 2 out rbi double to Polanco in the first inning and although he later in this same inning walked Ben Francisco to load the bases for Carlos Ruiz he somehow struck Carlos out and well this scary inning was over and the Phillies were only up 1-0 over the Metsies.
And then the Mets tied this game up in the top of the 3rd. Frenchy led off with a single. Then Castillo for some stupid reason sac bunted so Jeff would be on 2nd with 1 out for Niese. I know Jon is a pretty decent hitter for a pitcher but seriously what are the Mets thinking having Luis bunt in this situation! It just didn't make sense to me. Niese then grounded out and it was up to Jose Jose Jose to tie this game on up and he did! Reyes singled, Frenchy scored and well it was a 1-1 game and I was just happy as can be. I guess it's a problem that I'm just satisfied lately when the Mets can score a run to tie a game up. That's what it has come to.
Then in the top of the 4th after Wright and Davis hit back to back 1 out singles Josh Thole was back to his old clutch hitting ways and he singled. Wright scored and the Mets had the lead, 2-1.
But all good things come to an end lately when watching these games.
After Niese had pitched the 7th and it was still a 2-1 ball game I was pretty certain Jerry would keep Jon in for the 8th. At this point in the Metsies season every game is so crucial that well why take a chance with the bullpen. I mean I figured Manuel would let Niese face the first batter, Sweeney, and well if he gave up a hit or walked him then Jerry would bring in Bobby Parnell. Pitch count smitch smount, Niese was grooving BUT Manuel just had to be a dope and send in Parnell to face Sweeney right from the start. And the 4 day rested Parnell just crushed all my hopes of the Mets possible winning streak and well just a win tonight. It's kind of painful to really recap this part of the game, there were just too many hits in this inning from this Utley, Howard and Victorino-less lineup to discuss without well me wanting to break my keyboard, so I'll just say Parnell, Feliciano and then Acosta combined to give up 6 runs in this bottom of the 8th to the Phillies. After 8 innings in the books the Phils were up 7-2 over the Mets.
The Mets have broken my heart many times this season but this one wow I'm just crushed right now.
And in the top of the 9th I figured the Mets would be retired immediately. And well I was wrong again. After Wright struck out to lead off the inning with "not a bang" Davis singled. Thole then popped up but Frenchy got the luckiest infield single I've ever seen. As a result the pitcher Baez was taken out of the game and Romero was brought in to face the pinch hitter Mike Hessman with 2 outs and Ike and Jeff on 1st and 2nd. And Crash Davis homered! This was a very pleasant surprise. So the game was now 7-5 and quite possibly the Mets could un-break my heart. But nope that didn't happen. The other Manuel brought in the Phils closer Lidge to face the pinch hitter who was going to be Henry Blanco but Jerry Manuel instead opted to go with Jesus Feliciano and well Jesus struck out and the game was over and my heart remained broken.
But at least we can't blame K-Rod for this one, right?!
And really I don't even have much fun booth shenanigans to even cheer myself up or you fellow fans with. Gary, Keith and Ron just didn't supply that much funny. I think during these times it's hard to do that. But I did jot down some things they said. Here we go:
Keith at one point said "What do announcers know anyway?" Well I'll tell you what they know. They know to let Jon Niese pitch the 8th inning. Yep Keith was totally on board with my managerial moves!
Ron said "MUMBO JUMBO." That was funny. I would have liked to hear that multiple times. Particularly if he said that in the bottom of the 8th I might have been able to laugh and well not stare horrifyingly at my tv.
After Jose made a great play Gary said, "Reyes makes the ACCURATE throw." You know it's just that bad when Mr. Cohen has to emphasize that Reyes didn't make two errors in this game and instead was very accurate with his throws to Davis.
Keith I don't remember why said "Different strokes for different folks." That was amazin'!
The camera man got a shot of a father and son playing "rock, paper, scissor says shoot" and well that led Gary to reveal that there are actual "rock, paper scissor" tournaments in well Vegas. I didn't know this. And Keith and Ron were stunned too.
And as a result of this booth action I came up with the following:
On "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" there's this segment that is done weekly called "remix the clips" where "The Roots" very own Questlove remixes funny clips from the news or random tv shows that the Fallon staff has selected. I would have liked to do this with Ron's "mumbo jumbo," Keith's "different strokes for different folks" bit and well Gary saying "rock, paper, scissor." That might have been a good distraction for the bottom of the 8th!
Well I'll say this and sound stupid but here it goes tomorrow is a new day. Santana is on the mound and maybe just maybe the Mets will give him some run support because Cole Hamels will SUCK (yes I'm sounding all delusional again) and Santana will just pitch a gem of a game. I mean if the Mets somehow could take these next two games I'll gladly jump back into fantasy-land and well think a big winning streak is possible. But this requires the Mets to beat both Hamels and Halladay. But if any two pitchers on the Metsies can challenge Hamels and Halladay it's Santana and Dickey. So let's go Mets. Somehow make us fans BELIEVE that this isn't an endless summer of misery. It would be so nice to believe.
Jon Niese vs Joe Blanton
So I was probably the only person on the planet who was still semi-optimistic that the Mets could go on a winning streak and fight for a playoff spot. I thought they just might start that winning streak tonight in Philadelphia. I know looking at these last two sentences I've just typed even I can admit I am a foolish silly dreamer who really needs to get her head out of the clouds. And for much of this game I really thought this believing in the Mets thing I just can't stop doing was going to pay off. Jonathon Niese struggled in this one early on but by the bottom of the 8th the Mets were up 2-1. He pitched a Santana kind of a game. Niese gave up a 2 out rbi double to Polanco in the first inning and although he later in this same inning walked Ben Francisco to load the bases for Carlos Ruiz he somehow struck Carlos out and well this scary inning was over and the Phillies were only up 1-0 over the Metsies.
And then the Mets tied this game up in the top of the 3rd. Frenchy led off with a single. Then Castillo for some stupid reason sac bunted so Jeff would be on 2nd with 1 out for Niese. I know Jon is a pretty decent hitter for a pitcher but seriously what are the Mets thinking having Luis bunt in this situation! It just didn't make sense to me. Niese then grounded out and it was up to Jose Jose Jose to tie this game on up and he did! Reyes singled, Frenchy scored and well it was a 1-1 game and I was just happy as can be. I guess it's a problem that I'm just satisfied lately when the Mets can score a run to tie a game up. That's what it has come to.
Then in the top of the 4th after Wright and Davis hit back to back 1 out singles Josh Thole was back to his old clutch hitting ways and he singled. Wright scored and the Mets had the lead, 2-1.
But all good things come to an end lately when watching these games.
After Niese had pitched the 7th and it was still a 2-1 ball game I was pretty certain Jerry would keep Jon in for the 8th. At this point in the Metsies season every game is so crucial that well why take a chance with the bullpen. I mean I figured Manuel would let Niese face the first batter, Sweeney, and well if he gave up a hit or walked him then Jerry would bring in Bobby Parnell. Pitch count smitch smount, Niese was grooving BUT Manuel just had to be a dope and send in Parnell to face Sweeney right from the start. And the 4 day rested Parnell just crushed all my hopes of the Mets possible winning streak and well just a win tonight. It's kind of painful to really recap this part of the game, there were just too many hits in this inning from this Utley, Howard and Victorino-less lineup to discuss without well me wanting to break my keyboard, so I'll just say Parnell, Feliciano and then Acosta combined to give up 6 runs in this bottom of the 8th to the Phillies. After 8 innings in the books the Phils were up 7-2 over the Mets.
The Mets have broken my heart many times this season but this one wow I'm just crushed right now.
And in the top of the 9th I figured the Mets would be retired immediately. And well I was wrong again. After Wright struck out to lead off the inning with "not a bang" Davis singled. Thole then popped up but Frenchy got the luckiest infield single I've ever seen. As a result the pitcher Baez was taken out of the game and Romero was brought in to face the pinch hitter Mike Hessman with 2 outs and Ike and Jeff on 1st and 2nd. And Crash Davis homered! This was a very pleasant surprise. So the game was now 7-5 and quite possibly the Mets could un-break my heart. But nope that didn't happen. The other Manuel brought in the Phils closer Lidge to face the pinch hitter who was going to be Henry Blanco but Jerry Manuel instead opted to go with Jesus Feliciano and well Jesus struck out and the game was over and my heart remained broken.
But at least we can't blame K-Rod for this one, right?!
And really I don't even have much fun booth shenanigans to even cheer myself up or you fellow fans with. Gary, Keith and Ron just didn't supply that much funny. I think during these times it's hard to do that. But I did jot down some things they said. Here we go:
Keith at one point said "What do announcers know anyway?" Well I'll tell you what they know. They know to let Jon Niese pitch the 8th inning. Yep Keith was totally on board with my managerial moves!
Ron said "MUMBO JUMBO." That was funny. I would have liked to hear that multiple times. Particularly if he said that in the bottom of the 8th I might have been able to laugh and well not stare horrifyingly at my tv.
After Jose made a great play Gary said, "Reyes makes the ACCURATE throw." You know it's just that bad when Mr. Cohen has to emphasize that Reyes didn't make two errors in this game and instead was very accurate with his throws to Davis.
Keith I don't remember why said "Different strokes for different folks." That was amazin'!
The camera man got a shot of a father and son playing "rock, paper, scissor says shoot" and well that led Gary to reveal that there are actual "rock, paper scissor" tournaments in well Vegas. I didn't know this. And Keith and Ron were stunned too.
And as a result of this booth action I came up with the following:
On "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" there's this segment that is done weekly called "remix the clips" where "The Roots" very own Questlove remixes funny clips from the news or random tv shows that the Fallon staff has selected. I would have liked to do this with Ron's "mumbo jumbo," Keith's "different strokes for different folks" bit and well Gary saying "rock, paper, scissor." That might have been a good distraction for the bottom of the 8th!
Well I'll say this and sound stupid but here it goes tomorrow is a new day. Santana is on the mound and maybe just maybe the Mets will give him some run support because Cole Hamels will SUCK (yes I'm sounding all delusional again) and Santana will just pitch a gem of a game. I mean if the Mets somehow could take these next two games I'll gladly jump back into fantasy-land and well think a big winning streak is possible. But this requires the Mets to beat both Hamels and Halladay. But if any two pitchers on the Metsies can challenge Hamels and Halladay it's Santana and Dickey. So let's go Mets. Somehow make us fans BELIEVE that this isn't an endless summer of misery. It would be so nice to believe.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Do Not Wake Them Up! The Phillies' Bats Continue To Pull A Rip Van Winkle And It's OH SO GOOD!
Game 2: Mets 5 Phillies 0
Before going into tonight's game, the Mets starting pitchers had gone 4-0 with an ERA of 1.55 since May 17th. And the Phils after this one helped to make these stats even better!
As Keith Hernandez said, "I have never seen the Phillies lineup so anemic."
And really how right is Keith! It's kind of AMAZIN. Over the last 18 innings the Phils have been shut out by Mets pitching. In fact this is something the Amazins have not done against the Phillies since July 17th and 18th of 1998. The two pitchers to have accomplished this feat back in 1998 were none other than Hideo Nomo and Al Leiter. R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi that's some good company to be in!
Now let's see how the Mets put themselves 1 game over .500, 24-23!
In the bottom of the 2nd Ike Davis led off the inning with a 408 ft off the wall double. Gary then remarked, "That was a bullet." And Keith chimed in with, "And on the first pitch." With Ike on second and no outs David Wright did something the Mets did not do all of last night's game, he struck out. But no need to fret folks Angel "CRAZY HORSE" Pagan was up next and he hit a ball past Utley for a 1 out single. Keith said, "That ball had eyes." OH it did! Now with men on the corners and 1 out Barajas was up. Crazy Horse stole second (his 6th stolen base of the season) and Rod said, "It's time for me to put a run on the board." Barajas flew out to left but it was just enough for Ike to tag up and score, Rod added another rib eye steak to his belt and the Mets had a 1-0 lead over the Phils.
In the bottom of the 3rd Jose Jose Jose led off the inning (his 183rd at bat of the season) with a solo homer! His first long ball of this 2010 season! The Mets now were up 2-0 over the Phils. Gary screamed, "He's back," and Reyes really did appear to be back to the Jose we all know and love tonight!
Hisanori Takahashi had another great start for the Metsies. He pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out 6! I don't care what name that Ryan Seacrest announced tonight my American Idol is Hisanori Takahashi!
Then in the bottom of the 6th David Wright started this inning off with a bang. Davey hit a long fly ball to center, Victorino tried to make a diving catch but he could not and Wright had a lead off double! Pagan then dropped down a gorgeous bunt and he beat out Polanco's throw to first for an infield hit! With 1st and 3rd and nobody out Mr. Clutch Rod Barajas was up. Pagan stole 2nd (his 7th stolen base of the season) and right after I said to my Dad, "It would be quite awesome if Rod would hit a double down the left field line," Barajas said, "Danielle your wish is my command." What a nice guy! With Barajas' double, Wright and Pagan scored and the Mets had a 4-0 lead over the Phils. Barajas since leaving the Phillies has been a Phils KILLER. In his 31 at bats against them thus far he has 18 rib eye steaks and his batting average is .548; just insane! And this insanity was and is appreciated! With 1 out, Cora came up to pinch hit for Takahashi and he grounded the ball to Utley, Howard couldn't handle Chase's throw and with that Utley error Alex was safe at 1st base. Blanton now left the game and Chad Durbin came in for some relief action. Jose Reyes gave Durbin a very un-brotherly love type of a welcome and he singled, Barajas scored and the Mets were now up 5-0 over the Phils.
Mejia, Igarashi, and Nieve pitched great in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. This triple threat was on fire tonight!
In the top of the 9th Werth led off the inning and Nieve was nasty, real nasty to him, and no Nightly Nieve didn't insult Jayson's beard. He did something even better he struck him out! Ben Francisco then grounded out to Wright and the last hope for the Phillies tonight was the pinch hitter Greg Dobbs. And folks this is when Reyes again proved he's BACK. Dobbs hit a sharp line ball at Reyes and Jose said OH I CAN JUMP very very high, he did just that and he caught the ball. This took a potential hit away from Dobbs and the ballgame was over!
The Mets win, the Mets win!
And now it's time for some booth tomfoolery!
At one point during this game the camera man got a very clear shot of R.A. Dickey filing his nails in the dugout. Of course the booth could not let this go and they went on for quite a while about Tricky Dick's manicuring ways. They are so silly.
In the 5th inning Keith shared a little too much information with us fans. As he said, "Boy it's hot. I am sweating through my clothes here." Ron and Gary just ignored this comment. I wish they had not but oh well.
Then during Utley's at bat in the 6th Keith tried to figure out what is going on with Chase's lack of offense. He is pretty sure it's Utley's hip and not just a slump. Keith then got distracted by Chase's hair, he forgot what he was talking about and he remarked, "He had his wings clipped. Who is his barber?" Oh Keith nothing gets past you. Keep it up Sherlock Hernandez! And really who is Utley's barber? He does good work.
AND in the bottom of the 7th the booth made me a little teary eyed as they talked about the late Jose Lima. They only had the nicest things to say about Lima Time. It also got Keith and Gary to realize that life is pretty short.
Keith: He was only 37. You just never know.
Gary: Enjoy every day.
So as Gary said let's enjoy every day and of course that's easier when the Mets win but even when the games don't go the Metsies way it's important we stay positive. This season has been a roller coaster ride thus far and although there have been some real lows these last two games have been some real enjoyable highs on this 2010 journey.
Let's keep the good times coming!
Pelf do your thang tomorrow.
And a sweep would be oh so sweet.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
As Keith Hernandez Remarked In The Bottom Of The 8th, "Well This Is Turning Into A Rout And This Is What The Mets Needed To Do, Send A Message."
Game 1: Mets 8 Phillies 0
After 46 games well Keith the Metsies sent the Phils a message all right, it was signed, sealed and delivered in a shiny package that read no soup for you, well no runs for you on this May 25, 2010!
With this marvelous win the Metropolitans are back at .500 with a 23-23 record and speaking of the number 23 Jim Carrey don't go too crazy but with this victorino R.A. Dickey got his 23rd major league win! Tricky Dick was a true crook tonight and his crime that killer knuckle ball. Tim Wakefield may have bested the Phils Sunday but Dickey said I'll do a little better Timmy because my knuckle ball is 10 mph faster than yours, oh yeah!
Ok now let's get to this game because oh yes there is so much greatness to recap!
In the bottom of the 1st Jose Jose Jose got on base with a lead off single. And this was not just any single this was his 1000th career hit! Congrats Reyes! Castillo then sac bunted it, Reyes moved on down to second and the sizzling BAY-con was up. Reyes didn't think a 1000th hit was enough and he said hey Citi Field want to see me steal 3rd? Jose does just that and that stolen base was his 10th of the season, YAY. Back to Bay, Jason may not have gotten a hit but he scorched a grounder to Castro. Castro made a great play but it was a-ok because it still allowed Reyes to score and the Mets took a 1-0 lead over the Phils. Davis then flew out to Victorino and the inning was over.
In the top of the 2nd the very wealthy Ryan Howard started the inning off with a bang by hitting a ball off of Dickey's left elbow, possibly the funny bone. It wasn't funny at all and Howard was safe at first with a lead off infield hit. Jayson I'm probably going to get signed by the Yankees at the end of this season after my contract is up Werth also singled and with nobody out men were on first and 2nd for Ibanez who go figure also singled, UH OH. The bases were now loaded, NOOOO. But really folks no need to fret. The knuckleballer I like to call Tricky Dick worked out of this jam like a champ. Ruiz grounded back to Dickey, R.A. threw to home for out number 1 and then Barajas threw to Ike to get Ruiz out at first, huge double play! Then with 2 outs and men on 2nd and 3rd Dickey walked Castro and it was up to Jamie Mt. Rushmore Moyer with the bases full to get some runs on the board for the Phils. The last time Moyer was up with the bases loaded it was against Santana earlier this season and that didn't fair so well for the Mets, Jamie was walked and well a run was walked in and yeah we know how horrible that game was, ick. But this time Jamie proved being 47 sometimes isn't so cool and he struck out and the inning was over, danger averted!
In the bottom of the 2nd David Wright dribbled back to Moyer and that was out #1. Pagan then tapped the ball to third, Polanco couldn't throw out Mr. Speedy and Angel was on 1st with a 1 out single. Barajas continued to say look at me I'm the MVP of the Mets and he singled down the 3rd baseline and Pagan advanced to 3rd. Now Jeff Francouer's beard was up with 1 out and men on the corners and Jeff's beard on the 8th pitch of the at bat got an rbi single. The 0-12 I can't hit a thing schneid was over! And that rbi was Jeff's 24th of the season and the Mets now had a 2-0 lead. With men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out Dickey sac bunted the ball beautifully and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd with Reyes up next. Unfortunately Jose grounded down to third, Polanco threw to first and the inning was over.
In the top of the 3rd again the Phils threatened but spoiler alert they didn't score. Let's see how Dickey got out of this traffic jam. Victorino led off this inning with a walk, Polanco then grounded to Castillo, the lead runner was out at 2nd but Polanco was safe at 1st. Chase Utley then struck out but with 2 outs and Polanco at first it was Howard time, oh no. Howard lined it over the head of Jose Reyes and just like that he got his second hit of the night. So now it was 1st and 2nd with 2 outs for Jayson Werth and he was walked on just 4 pitches. Ahhhh the bases were loaded again for the Phils with 2 outs but this time it was Ibanez who was up. BUT like I said before we got out of this inning unscathed. Ibanez flared one to short, Reyes made the catch for out #3 and let's move to the 4th because this inning was done-zo!
Dickey had a 1,2,3 4th inning and two of those outs were his 3rd and 4th K's of the night. Who did he strike out? Ruiz and Moyer, YAY!
In the bottom of the 4th Wright flew out to Victorino but no it wasn't an out, Shane could not see the ball haha, really this was funny, and Utley could not get there in time to make the catch so Davey was on base with a pop fly lead off double! Pagan was then walked and with 1st and 2nd and nobody out Rod flew out to center but it was just enough for Wright to advance to 3rd. Frenchy's beard now said I'm gonna get my 25th rbi of the season oh I am. And he did, yay to Jeff's rbi sac fly! The Mets were now up 3-0 over the Phillies. Mr. Hernandez at this point remarked, "The Mets are starting to do stuff right, it's amazing!" And it was! It was Dickey time and with a man on 1st and 2 outs, he popped it up and Werth made a great play taking a potential base hit away from R.A. and the inning was over.
In the bottom of the 5th Reyes who has been working on drag bunting with Chip Hale bunted the ball beautifully, Polanco couldn't make the play and Jose was on 1st with a lead off infield hit. Castillo was up and he took ball 2 and Reyes said hey Citi Field I'm not done with my skills showcase tonight, watch me steal 2nd and he did. Stolen base #11 of the season for Jose! Castillo ended up grounding out to Castro but it still advanced Reyes to 3rd to allow Jason Bay to work his magic. Bay rbi singled, his 2nd rib eye steak of the night and the Metsies now had a 4-0 lead! Next with 1 out and Bay on 1st, Davis was up and before you could say I sure do like Ike Jason stole 2nd. That was his 7th stolen base of the season, Canadians really aren't that bad after all! Davis was then walked and with 1st and 2nd and 1 out Davey Wright flew out to Ibanez for out #2. Angel then flew out to Victorino and the inning was over, oh well it happens.
In the top of the 6th R.A. Dickey struck out 2 more Phils, Jayson Werth and the pinch hitter Greg Dobbs! Overall Dickey pitched 6 kickass scoreless innings and he struck out 7 (which tied his career high in K's for a game). What a splendid performance he put on for us tonight!
In the bottom of the 6th David Herndon came in for some relief action and Barajas popped one up in foul territory for out #1. Frenchy then continued to show off his beard's hidden talents and he got on base with a 1 out double. Then "The Animal" came in for some pinch hitting fun and oh Carter killed it. He got an rbi single, Frenchy scored and the Mets had a 5-0 lead. An odd thing happened now instead of reading 5-0 in the 6th inning on the SNY scoreboard it instead read 8-0 in the 7th. Moments later it was fixed but boy what a faux pas SNY. Ehh but now I'm nitpicking, so I will shush about that. With 1 out and Carter on 1st Jose flew out to Werth for out #2. Castillo now batted left handed for the first time tonight and he grounded to Polanco who got the force out at 2nd, inning over.
In the top of the 7th it was time for Raul Valdes to hold onto this potential win for Dickey and the Metsies but within seconds he had me worried. OH very worried that he could not do this task at hand. He walked Victorino on just 4 pitches to start the inning off and then to make matters worse Polanco hit a looooong fly ball past Bay which hopped off the wall for a double. So now there were men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out for Utley. But Valdes bounced back, oh he did. He struck Chase Utley out! As Keith remarked, he "got him fishing." Then with one out and still men on 2nd and 3rd Ryan Howard was up, oh no. But oh YES, Howard was down on strikes! Then Jayson Werth was up to bat with those pesky Phils still on 2nd and 3rd. Keith said, "Quite an impressive beard he's got working there." And Gary replied, "It goes with his 31 extra base hits. That's a bushel." But Keith and Gary, Jayson's beard was not as powerful as Frenchy's and with a full count Werth grounded a ball in the hole but oh wait David Wright made a diving stop, the throw to Ike was oh so on target and Jayson was out! The inning was over!
In the top of the 8th Valdes continued to show off! He got Ibanez down on strikes, Ruiz popped up to Bay, Castro got a 2 out walk but oh it was okay because with 2 outs and a man on 1st, the pinch hitter Ben Francisco popped up, Reyes made the catch and that was out #3, inning over!
In the bottom of the 8th the quote by Keith from up up above came into play! Nelson Figueroa came in to pitch against his former squad and oh he sucked but now in 2010 that's a good thing. Pagan dribbled the ball to Nelson who made the play to Howard and that was out #1. Barajas then ripped the ball into left field for a one out single. Frenchy's beard could not do anything so magical this time around and Jeff lined out to left for out #2. Now it was time for Valdes. That's right no pinch hitter. Manuel said Valdes I want you to get a 3 inning save so go out there kiddo and make me proud. And oh Raul did just that and more. Valdes with 2 outs and Rod on 1st got a double. A double that allowed the not so fast Barajas to score and just like that the Mets had a 6-0 lead, and Raul got his first rbi of the season! With Valdes on 2nd and 2 outs Reyes cracked one to right past Werth. He had an rbi triple and the Metsies were up 7-0. Castillo was up next and with a full count, 2 outs and Jose on at third, Luis bloop singled the ball into shallow left, Jose scored and the Mets had an 8-0 lead. Bay then grounded out to Polanco to end the inning but the damage was done and it was time for Valdes to get his save!
In the top of the 9th Ron remarked, "This might be the most flawless game the Mets have played this season." Gary replied, it's all about the "Opportunistic offense." Would these words jinx the Mets? NOPE.
Victorino popped up to shallow center, and Castillo made an incredible over the shoulder grab and Gary said, "Making like Jerry Rice." That was out #1. Polanco then got a 1 out single, oh no. Utley then grounded to Davis, Ike threw to 2nd, Polanco was out but Utley was safe at 1st with 2 outs and Ryan Howard was up to bat. Gary Cohen at this point said, "The Phillies had oodles of chances tonight and cashed in none." With a 1-2 count and the Phils down to their final strike Valdes STRUCK OUT Howard and the ball game was over and Valdes got his first major league SAVE! That was possibly one of the most enjoyable outs of the season for me. Well KRod striking out ARod the other night was splendid too but it's real fun to see Howard go down on strikes.
Now before I end this recap there were some interesting facts pointed out tonight by the booth and Kevin Burkhardt:
#1 Kevin informed us fans that there is now a gluten free concession stand at Citi Field and he then made a huge revelation to why this is so important to him. He has celiac's disease and well that means gluten is his kryptonite. So yay to healthy natural products being offered at Citi for all those with gluten allergies out there!
#2 We also found out that Gary loves garlic fries. Is this really that shocking? Nah.
#3 Jamie Moyer has 8 children and their names are kind of WHACK, like his family sounds like a Sarah Palin/The Gosselins hybrid. Here are the names of his children, brace yourself:
Dillon
Hutton
Mccabe
Timoney
Duffy
Grady
Katalina
Yenifer
Tonight was a great night and really this 3rd straight win needs to be savored folks!
Takahashi do your thang tomorrow.
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