Mets baseball blog

Four homers power Mets over Phillies

The Mets prevailed on Saturday afternoon in a game that was all about muscles, those that produced all but two of their runs, and the left hamstring of Jorge Sosa, who couldn't take the strain of baserunner. So on this day, the leaders in the National League East took another step forward, beating the Phillies for the third time in two days, and one step, a painful one, in the wrong direction.

Their 8-3 victory, their eighth win in nine games, was fueled by four home runs, two by Carlos Beltran and one each in the first inning by Paul Lo Duca and David Wright. But if the cost is Sosa, it was an expensive win. Continue

Lo Duca: Nothing I said was racial

Paul Lo Duca emphatically said that nothing racial should be inferred from his comments Thursday imploring the media to speak with other players and leave him alone.

"All I said was, 'That's it. I'm done talking. Other people in here speak English.' That's exactly what I said," Lo Duca said before yesterday's doubleheader against the Phillies. "I wasn't making any reference toward Latin players at all. You can ask anybody in here (and they'll tell you) that I get along with all the people in here. I've never had a problem with anybody. And you can go ask Jose Valentin, who was right there and heard it." Continue

Reyes miffed by call

Jose Reyes was livid after a wrong call on a stolen base attempt yesterday, exacting his anger on the cooler in the Mets dugout and declining to take grounders at shortstop before the next half-inning. Reyes tried to steal in the top of the seventh inning in the Mets' 6-5 victory over the Phillies in the first game of the day-night doubleheader, but although he clearly was safe at second, he was called out. "I think I get there easy. It wasn't even close," Reyes said. "But he say out, I have to respect that call." Continue

Mets complete doubleheader sweep of Phillies

Carlos Beltran homered twice and John Maine dominated the Phillies again, helping the New York Mets complete a sweep of a day-night doubleheader with a 5-2 victory Friday night. Damion Easley also connected for the NL East-leading Mets, who moved five games ahead of the Phillies.In the opener, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes homered, Orlando Hernandez pitched six strong innings and the Mets held on for a 6-5 win.

Maine (9-4) allowed two runs -- one earned -- and four hits in eight-plus innings to improve to 4-0 with a 2.13 ERA in six career starts against Philadelphia. He struck out six and had no walks. Continue

Mets hang on for opening win in Philly

Orlando Hernandez was winless in his past four starts before Friday. Of course, he hadn't pitched in the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park or faced a pitcher as fresh from the Minor Leagues as the Phillies' J.D. Durbin. Hernandez got the offense he needed and the Mets took the first game of the twin bill, 6-5.

The win was El Duque's first of June, not that he was pitching poorly. He had two scoreless outings during the month -- the first a three-hit shutout against the Phillies on June 6 -- but didn't get the run support he needed. The Mets manufactured a total of three runs during Hernandez's previous June gems, both of which ended in no-decisions. Continue

Lo Duca outburst has Latin accent

Admitting he was "in a bad mood all day," Paul Lo Duca announced in a near-empty clubhouse last night - and on the eve of the Mets' key NL East showdown with the Phillies - that some of his Spanish-speaking teammates need to be held more accountable by the media.

"I'll do this (interview), but you need to start talking to other players," Lo Duca announced loudly after he was approached by a radio reporter after the Mets-Cardinals series finale was washed out by rain. "It's the same three or four people every day. Nobody else wants to talk. Some of these guys have to start talking. They speak English, believe me." Continue

Mets can make statement in Philly

A sense of relief spread throughout Shea Stadium last night, all in the name of convenience. From the All-Stars making eight figures to the blue-collar types who run the elevators and dump the garbage, no one wanted to be here all night, waiting out the rain until the Mets and Cardinals could play. The early news of a postponement warmed everyone's hearts. They'll worry about the makeup game when it comes.

Yes, life has been so good for the Mets for such a long time now - largely by their own making - that they could expend energy sweating out details beyond their control. Even during their 3-13 slump, they never risked their spot in the National League East penthouse. Continue

David does it Wright

There were only three hits in last night's rain-shortened game, and David Wright was in the middle of two of them. The Mets third baseman hit the home run that accounted for the only runs of the Mets' 2-0 victory, and he allowed the Cardinals' only hit when he was unable to make what would have been a spectacular throw.

Tom Glavine had to settle for a one-hitter in the six-inning game after Scott Rolen's hard shot in the second inning bounced behind third base where Wright grabbed it and then threw across the field. The throw was off line, bringing Carlos Delgado off the base. Continue

Gomez flashes the gift of grab

Carlos Gomez did not think the ball had a chance to go out. But the Mets' rookie outfielder still misjudged it. Juan Encarnacion's drive soared toward the wall in left as the 21-year-old realized his mistake and accelerated. "Just as I hit the warning track, I said 'Oh my God, I have to jump,'" Gomez said. "I never thought it would go out, but then I knew I had to jump to get it."

He leapt and made a spectacular catch, gloving the ball in front of the fence. Gomez's play last night helped the Mets to a 2-0 rain-shortened win over the Cardinals at Shea. The grab preserved Tom Glavine's one-hitter that gave him career win No. 297. Continue

Rains give Glavine his 297th win early

With every walk to the mound, with every windup, with every grunt during every pitch, Tom Glavine pushed his 41-year-old arm for just one more. One more pinpointed fastball. One more sneaky curveball. One more delivery not muscled, but smooth. But those efforts dealt with his mechanics and repertoire; what he wanted was the result -- career win No. 297.

And on this rain-shortened Wednesday night against the Cardinals, a game preceded by lightning and thunder, Glavine marched a little closer toward milestone win No. 300. He did it with the help of David Wright's two-run homer in the first inning at Shea Stadium, as the Mets beat the Cardinals, 2-0. Continue