Mets baseball blog

Pelfrey riles up fish with direct hit

Mike Pelfrey was more amused than concerned by the near-brawl he started by plunking Marlins center fielder Cody Ross last night. A quiet night at Dolphins Stadium suddenly turned heated with two outs in the bottom of the second inning when Pelfrey hit Ross above the right elbow on a two-strike fastball.

Though it was obvious Pelfrey wasn't throwing at him intentionally, Ross slammed a piece of his batting equipment as he walked toward first base, then turned toward Pelfrey and called him "the p-word," as Pelfrey said later. Continue

Aaron Heilman walks 4 in 9th, Marlins come back to beat Mets, 4-3

Aaron Heilman barely had been hit by the Marlins this season. That remained the case Saturday night, but the Mets' reliever suffered the loss anyway. Heilman, who hadn't worked since throwing 60 pitches over three scoreless frames in Tuesday's extra-inning loss in Philadelphia, gave up four walks (two intentional) in the ninth inning as the Marlins rallied to beat the Mets, 4-3, at Dolphin Stadium. Continue

Looks like Niese will start for Mets Tuesday

As the Mets continued to discuss their options to fill the rotation hole for Tuesday in Milwaukee, Jon Niese made his scheduled start Friday for Triple-A New Orleans.It didn't last for very long. Niese was pulled after 2 2/3 innings and 65 pitches, a strong indication he will make his major-league debut against the Brewers. The 21-year-old lefthander is 5-1 with a 3.52 ERA for the Zephyrs.

The Mets did have other options, but Brian Stokes has become too much of a necessity in the bullpen and Nelson Figueroa already flamed out as a starter earlier this season. Figueroa, who was called up Wednesday, did beat the Brewers on April 11 at Shea. He allowed two hits and two runs in six innings, striking out six. Continue

Carlos Beltran slams Marlins in ninth, Mets slip away with 5-4 win

Carlos Beltran declared the Mets "the team to beat" back in spring training. Quiet for much of the season, he supported that statement at an opportune time. Down to their final strike with nobody on, the Mets wound up loading the bases in the ninth. Beltran then slugged a grand slam off Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. The Mets had to sweat out a two-run ninth against interim closer Luis Ayala, but held on for a 5-4 win over the Marlins Friday night at Dolphin Stadium.

The Mets (75-60) opened a two-game NL East lead over Philadelphia, which lost to the Cubs. The Marlins, who viewed this as a make-or-break weekend, tumbled seven games off the division lead. Continue

Carlos 'King' again

What was a no-brainer decision on Carlos Delgadotwo months ago for the Mets is still a no-brainer today. Only now, it's entirely the other way around. As recently as June 25, when Delgado was hitting just .229 and talk swirled of an embarrassing first-base platoon, it seemed a foregone conclusion the Mets would buy out the final year of his deal for $4 million.

The thinking then was the Mets could combine the $8 million in savings with money left over from Pedro Martinez's expired contract and use it to chase power-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira in free agency. Now? Not so fast. Continue

Wagner's elbow is improving

Billy Wagner is back in New York and playing catch at Shea Stadium while reporting improvement in his swollen left elbow. GM Omar Minaya said Wagner could be re-examined next week to see if he can start throwing off the mound again or if more rest is required. Wagner has been on the disabled list since Aug. 3 with elbow swelling and a strained left forearm.

Along those lines, Jerry Manuel announced he is sticking with former Nationals right-hander Luis Ayala as his closer. Continue

Carlos Delgado homers twice against Phillies to put Mets back in 1st

Carlos Delgado once seemed destined to be a goner at season's end. Now, he may be an MVP candidate, in addition to a no-brainer to return to the Mets in 2009. With the Mets four outs from getting swept in a two-game series with the Phillies Wednesday night, Delgado capped his second two-homer performance of the week with a game-tying solo shot off Rudy Seanez in the eighth. The Mets tacked on three more runs in the inning and retook a half-game lead in the NL East with a 6-3 victory. Continue

Pig 'pen means more work for starters

The Mets' bullpen gave it up again. After Pedro Martinez handed back five runs of a 7-0 lead, it was time for the beleaguered bullpen. This meant more bad options for interim manager Jerry Manuel, making it clear why, before last night's brutal 8-7, 13-inning loss to the Phillies, the manager had vowed to scorch the very earth on which he stands to make his starters pitch longer in games. Continue

Mets blow 7-run lead, lose to Phillies in 13th and fall out of 1st place

The Mets collapsed again. This time, they squandered a seven-run lead to the Phillies, not a seven-game lead. And while it wasn't fatal, it again cost them first place. After Luis Ayala blew a save in the ninth, Scott Schoeneweis completed the meltdown in the 13th, allowing a leadoff triple to Shane Victorino, two intentional walks and a game-ending, one-out RBI single to Chris Coste in the 13th as the Phillies beat the Mets, 8-7, Tuesday night.

Philadelphia leapfrogged the Mets and moved into first place by overcoming a 7-0 deficit and keeping the Mets off the scoreboard after the fourth. Continue

Maine-to-DL leaves big hole in rotation

There's nothing like a pennant race as the backdrop for an audition. Mets GM Omar Minaya and interim manager Jerry Manuel face the task of finding the right candidate for their rotation, now that John Maine has been shelved for at least three weeks to rest his sore right shoulder.

Rookies Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell are the chief contenders for Maine's job, but more seasoned options, mainly Nelson Figueroa and Brian Stokes Brian Stokes , haven't been ruled out. "Are they John Maine? No," Minaya said. "John Maine is proven and you want to have proven guys going down the stretch." Continue