Mets baseball blog

Mets end on high note

Nelson Figueroa pitched a four-hitter for his first major league complete game, Angel Pagan keyed the offense and the NY Mets wrapped up a miserable season Sunday by completing a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros with a 4-0 victory.

Figueroa retired 13 of his final 14 batters. Pagan went 4 for 4 with a triple and two doubles from the leadoff spot. He also scored twice.

New York was a National League favorite back in April. But long-term injuries to Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana decimated the roster and sent the team into a tailspin. Continue

Mets still trying, Misch solid in win

The diehards who waited out yesterday's Citi Field rain delay were rewarded.

As play resumed at 5:19 p.m. -- following a delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes before the top of the sixth inning - the few thousand remaining fans were allowed to sit in the box seats behind both dugouts. And then the Mets completed a 5-1 victory over the Astros.

Here's a modest goal for the Mets: Win today's season finale and reach the 70-victory mark for the season and finish the home slate over .500 at 41-40.

One Mets pitcher, at least, is peaking just as the season concludes.

Pat Misch gave the Mets a second straight strong start, allowing a run over five innings. This came after the right-hander fired a complete-game shutout at Florida last week. Continue

Misch shuts out Marlins 4-0

Jerry Manuel approached Jeff Francoeur in the visitors' clubhouse before Sunday's game and told the right fielder he would have to play despite being banged up. Otherwise, the manager joked, the Mets might face a fine for the ragtag lineup opposing the Marlins.

Francoeur, who has played with a torn ligament in his left thumb that will require surgery after the season, responded by belting a two-run homer and scoring twice and Pat Misch tossed only the second complete game by a Met this season in a 4-0 rubber-game victory against the Marlins on Sunday. Continue

Mets lose another to Marlins

Injury replacement Cameron Maybin hit a three-run homer in Florida's seven-run fifth and the Marlins rallied to beat the New York Mets 9-6 on Saturday night.

Maybin ran for Cody Ross in the fourth inning after Ross was hit on the left hand by a pitch from John Maine (6-6). He hit his third homer an inning later to give Florida a 7-3 cushion.

Maine allowed seven runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings. He struck out three, walked two, threw two wild pitches and hit consecutive batters in the fourth.

Carlos Beltran hit a solo homer in the eighth and Angel Pagan and Anderson Hernandez scored in the ninth on pitcher Matt Lindstrom's error, bringing the score to 6, but David Wright and Beltran struck out.

Sean West (8-6) worked five innings for Florida, yielding three runs, two earned and seven hits.

Maine throws 5 scoreless in win vs Nats

The Mets went into the 2009 season with a top four in their starting rotation of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez.

Unless there's a significant trade or free-agent signing, the Mets will go into the 2010 season with a top four in their starting rotation of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and Oliver Perez.

That's why Sunday's start by Maine was more meaningful than your usual because-it's-on-the-schedule-and-we-have-to-play-it mid-September game between two of the three worst teams in the NL. The Mets need some clue if Maine will be able to help them next season.

In his second start back from shoulder woes, Maine gave them hope. He pitched no-hit ball for four innings and shutout ball for five in a 6-2 win over the Nationals at Citi Field. Continue

Redding solid vs old team in Mets' win

Manager Jerry Manuel said before yesterday's game that the Mets "need a win bad," and in the eighth inning, when they nearly botched their lead over the Nationals, the same thought creeped into Jeff Francoeur's head.

"After things started to fall apart in the eighth," Francoeur said, "I was thinking to myself, 'Oh God, we need this one really bad.' "

This time, the Mets held on, as Francoeur delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning to give the Amazin's a 3-2 win, snapping their six-game losing streak. Continue

Make it five in a row

The Braves' first seven-game winning streak since 2006 might deserve an asterisk.

The last three wins, after all, are over the reeling Mets.

Brian McCann hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the fifth inning last night to lift the Braves to a 7-3 victory.

The Mets have lost five straight and nine of 10 to fall 21 games under .500 for the first time since Oct. 2, 2004, when they were 70-91.

"Has it been that long?" said Daniel Murphy, who had three hits, including a homer. "I didn't know. . . . Losing is frustrating, whenever it happens." Continue

D does Mets in once again

Ike Davis once hit off Goose Gossage before an Old-Timers' Day in the Bronx. Now, the son of former Yankees pitcherRon Davis is closing in on playing in Flushing.

Davis has been tabbed as the Mets' Sterling Minor-League Player of the Year and could unseat Daniel Murphy at first base sometime in 2010. Murphy did himself no favors Wednesday night, committing two fielding gaffes in the ninth as K-Rod was charged with his sixth blown save and the Mets lost to the Braves, 6-5.

K-Rod, trying to convert his first save exceeding one inning since July 1, 2007 with the Angels, couldn't believe Garret Anderson led off the ninth with a double with Murphy hugging the first-base line. Murphy said he thought the ball was foul. "Regardless if it's a foul ball, that ball should not go through," Rodriguez said.Continue

Mets swept, Pedro's performance adds insult to injury

Postseason elimination for the Mets had been a foregone conclusion since roughly mid-July, but it seemed only fitting that Pedro Martinez made it official last night.

The three-time Cy Young winner, who wanted nothing more than for the Mets to re-sign him this season, continued his magical comeback by pitching the rival Phillies to a 1-0 win in the second game of a day-night doubleheader, to complete the sweep at Citizens Bank Park.

The twin losses -- Philadelphia took the opener, 5-4 -- officially ended the 63-81 Mets' playoff chances. Martinez applied the knockout blow on national TV with eight masterful innings of six-hit ball to improve to 5-0 since signing with the Phillies in late July. Continue

Wright erupts and all is right for a day for Mets

David Wright's power numbers might look better if he called Philly rather than Citi Field home.

Wright belted a pair of two-run homers in the final two innings, the latter off newly installed closer Ryan Madson with two out in the ninth, to cap a six-RBI day that lifted the Mets to a 10-9 win against the Phillies Saturday.

Wright, who hadn't homered since Aug. 5, belted his ninth and 10th longballs this season while matching a career-high RBI total. He also drove in six runs at San Diego on Aug. 10, 2005, and at Milwaukee on Aug. 5, 2004.

He had been in a 3-for-27 rut since the start of the last home stand. He also had matched his career high by striking out for the 118th time this season on Friday. Continue