Mets baseball blog

N.L. East Chumps

The process of elimination now is complete. The National League postseason will be staged without the Mets. The improbable decline that began in the final days of August was completed Sunday when the formerly first-place team was sent home by a riled opponent and the Phillies beat the Nationals.

An unnerving 8-1 loss to the Marlins on Sunday, replete with a seven-run first inning against Tom Glavine, put a stain on the team that began the season as the favorite to the win National League East but lost 12 of its final 17 games and a seven-game lead in the process. With an 88-74 record, the Mets finished one game behind the Phillies, proclaimed by their shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, as "the team to beat" last winter, and one game behind the Wild Card lead. Continue

Maine gives Mets what they need

With their season damaged perhaps beyond repair, the Mets staged a most remarkable performance Saturday in their 161st game, replete with a lopsided victory, two benches-clearing incidents and pitching so brilliant by John Maine that the first no-hitter in Mets history and a single-game strikeout record were possible as late as the eighth inning.

Pitching from a mound that had been home to Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Dwight Gooden, Maine came within four outs of the achievement that still appears well beyond the capability of a franchise steeped in pitching excellence. He struck out 14 batters before a roller hit down by the third-base line by Paul Hoover with two out in the eighth inning turned him away and ended his workday. Continue

Mets in second for first time since May

Of the many signs of adversity visible at Shea Stadium on Friday night, none was more ominous than the one the Mets hoisted after they had lost yet again. Everything there was to know about their predicament was captured in two words -- "Help wanted."

Without it, their season essentially is over. And with it, the Mets hardly are assured of playing beyond Sunday afternoon. A month that already had brought them defeat, descent, decline, disappointment and desperation now has produced a deficit, too. They Mets morphed into runners-up when they lost to the Marlins on Friday night, 7-4. Continue

Not even Pedro can save Mets

It wasn't the Mets who brashly identified themselves as the team to beat in the offseason. It wasn't the first-place team in the National League East that beat up the second-place team and inflicted two late summer sweeps. In each instance, it was the Phillies. And yet, it has been the Phillies who have played most of this season with a chip on their collective shoulder, as if they had been wronged by the Mets. And now, to the absolute horror of the Mets, it is the Phillies who have gotten even.

The teams are equals on Thursday night, tied for first place in the NL East, because the Phillies overcame John Smoltz and the Braves in Philadelphia, and the Mets lost yet again, this time to the Cardinals. With Joel Pineiro reprising the role Jeff Suppan played in the NL Championship Series in 2006, the Cardinals dealt the Mets the most damaging of their 72 losses. Continue

Mets stumbling toward finish line

Waves of worry washed over Shea Stadium on Wednesday night, when the Mets slipped closer to the once implausible. Yet another loss to the Nationals had seriously imperiled their lead in the National League East. Anxiety and a sense of doom had inched even closer than the Phillies. And solutions were in shorter supply than victories.

The Mets have been in first place since May 16, and they're quite familiar with the surroundings. On Wednesday though, they found little comfort there -- or anywhere, for that matter. "Right now, we don't," said Carlos Beltran, as he and his mates executed a synchronized squirm. Continue

Mets drop second straight to Nats

The Mets again were pushed around and bowled over by the Nationals on Tuesday night. When they fell to the ground though -- following a furious ninth-inning rally -- they found they had fallen closer to the division championship they had seemed intent to avoid. Through no doing of their own, they walked from their dugout to their clubhouse with their clinching number reduced to four but with more troubling evidence of their startling September inadequacy.

Only because the second-place Phillies had lost to the Braves did the first-place Mets' exasperating 10-9 loss not reduce the division lead to one game. That much -- and little else -- could the Mets and their fans embrace on this all-too-familiar evening. For the fourth time in five games in nine days, the Mets had lost to a lesser team. For the fourth time, they had been steamrolled by the team with the least productive offense in the game. Continue

Mets can't figure out Nationals

Perhaps the only consolation in this one was that the Mets didn't lose a full game in the standings. They couldn't. After all, the Phillies didn't play. They still, however lost some confidence, a little pride and -- yes, that too -- a baseball game. The last of those losses was also the most noticeable, as they fell, 13-4 on Monday, and dropped their third game in four tries to the lowly Nationals.

The Mets are now two games ahead of the Phillies in the National League East. "There's just no excuse," catcher Paul Lo Duca said. "You can't expect to win a division the way we've been playing." Continue

Mets pad East lead with topsy-turvy win

With a one-run lead, the Mets stood three outs from victory Sunday with their celebrated closer, Billy Wagner, back on the mound. As added motivation, the Mets' closest division rival, the Phillies, had lost earlier in the day. That happy scenario didn't materialize. Wagner gave up a leadoff home run to Dan Uggla estimated at 431 feet. Yet the resilient Mets found another way to win, 7-6, in 11 innings before 17,130 at Dolphin Stadium.

David Wright, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games in the victory, singled to center, scoring Jose Reyes, who had led off the 11th with a walk. Aaron Sele retired Hanley Ramirez and Uggla, and then Scott Schoeneweis came on to get the game's last out for the save. Continue

Double trouble: Perez, Castro carry Mets

This was the kind of no-sweat victory that the Mets envisioned when they began a four-game series against the National League East cellar-dwelling Marlins, as they try to protect a dwindling division lead against the Phillies. The Mets were never threatened on Saturday afternoon in a 7-2 victory over the Marlins before 22,517 mostly Mets fans at Dolphin Stadium.

They scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back, as left-hander Oliver Perez held the Marlins to six hits and two runs -- one earned -- in eight innings. He also struck out eight. The Mets received a major lift from backup catcher Ramon Castro, who clubbed a three-run home run to left in the fourth inning to swell the visitors' lead to 5-0. Castro also scored after singling in the eighth. Continue

Mets down Fish, keep pace in NL East

Mired in their longest and most precarious slump of the season, the Mets can use all the help they can get. The Marlins were more than willing to lend a hand on Friday. Florida's franchise-record six errors led to eight unearned runs, and New York rolled to a 9-6 win at Dolphin Stadium. "We've been giving away some stuff, so we'll take advantage of some help every once in a while," manager Willie Randolph said. The Mets remain 1 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies, who notched a 6-3 win over the Nationals. Continue

Mets fall to Marlins as lead dwindles

As Tom Glavine warmed up to start Thursday night's game against the Marlins, the Mets left-hander saw closer Billy Wagner trying a number of things to get loose -- to nullify the back spasms that suddenly had rendered him unable to pitch.

"He tried everything he could, but he couldn't do it," Glavine said in the somberness of the Mets clubhouse late Thursday, after the Mets couldn't protect a three-run lead without Wagner and wound up losing to the Marlins, 8-7, in 10 innings before 15,132 at Dolphin Stadium. "He feels as bad about it as anyone," Glavine said of Wagner. "It's just one more thing you pile on and can't believe it's happening." Continue

Mets take care of business to end skid

Sickened by what they considered a poorly-timed and embarrassing aberration in their season, the Mets executed a return to normalcy in the nation's capitol on Wednesday night. They finally found a way to stop the bleeding before their lead in the National League East hemorrhaged. The clotting factor was an 8-4 victory against the Nationals that ended the Mets' losing streak at five games and allowed them to ignore the charge of the Phillies for at least one day.

With David Wright driving in three runs and Paul Lo Duca and Luis Castillo two each, the Mets supported Mike Pelfrey in a manner to which he is not accustomed and won for the first time in a long week. Not only did they hit and win, they also produced effective relief pitching that secured Pelfrey's third victory and spared the team's sanity. Continue

Not dire yet, but falling to Nats hurt

The almost unfathomable disintegration of the Mets' season continued unaborted on Tuesday night in a manner all too familiar to a team that, a week ago, was enjoying the comforts of first place. The lead in the National League East still belongs to the Mets on this day, though it is narrower than it has been since the day they played their 70th game, and whatever comforts they knew last week are gone, lost in the steep decline that almost has consumed them.

And, at this point, in a five-game losing streak, the Mets have done all there is to do to affect the necessary reversal; not that there was all that much to do. "You have a meeting, and that's pretty much it," Tom Glavine said. "We did that." Continue

Mets look to be in serious danger

The cramped, sweaty clubhouse was filled with an emptiness that the Mets have rarely experienced this season, if ever. A telling near silence existed, interrupted occasionally by sounds from the "Monday Night Football" telecast. When a player did have something to say, it sounded like: "Things have to change." And a change may be forthcoming even before the Mets play another game.

The Mets may make some noise on Tuesday. If they do, it will probably come from Paul Lo Duca. His fuse shortened by another excruciating and embarrassing defeat and by his removal from the Mets' latest on-field transgression, Lo Duca walked from the clubhouse toward the bus, weighing his options and trying to find a means of re-igniting his team. Continue

Mets unable to shake Phillies' hex

Their process of elimination stalled beyond any reasonable anticipation, the Mets reintroduced tension and doubt to the National League East race Sunday when they lost yet again to the Phillies. With a dreadful defensive performance, more Russian Roulette Relief -- with no empty chamber -- they took a 10-6 defeat that was as stunning as it was excruciating and reduced their lead over the Phillies to 3 1/2 games, merely four days after it stood at seven.

The loss completed the Phillies' second series sweep of the Mets in three weeks and left the Mets' clinching number at 11 with 14 games remaining. The Mets, who had discretely wondered whether they might clinch their second straight division championship during their pending trip to Washington and Miami, now must execute another U-turn, as they did against the Braves following the first sweep, to add some security to their lead. Continue

Despite Pedro, Mets can't solve Phils

The consensus among the Mets as they fled Shea Stadium on Saturday afternoon was that the game they are to play Sunday afternoon is different from each of the 147 games they already had played. They just didn't know how to put it in words.

It isn't a must-win game -- even the drive-time alarmists wouldn't use that term. And the Mets weren't inclined to characterize it as a critical game, either. Even after losing to the Phillies yet again on Saturday, their lead in the National League East hardly is uncomfortable at 4 1/2 games. Continue

Mets have had their Phil

It's more nuisance than genuine worry at this point, as the Mets -- for all their advantages and paper victories -- just can't seem to beat the Phillies. That's a little thing. The Mets have beaten nearly everybody else, which is a big thing, and they're still atop the National League East by a sizeable margin, which is the biggest thing.

But little things are known to grow. Added together, the little things made all the difference -- and there wasn't much difference -- between the Mets and Phillies on Friday night. So with the Mets still obsessed with the big picture, the Phillies scored a little victory, beating them, 3-2, in 10 innings and staying afloat in the NL East race -- if only for another day. Continue

Greener pastures for Amazins'

Billy Wagner moved toward the first-base line with the ball in his glove. Kelly Johnson moved toward first base with a base hit in mind. Contact was a certainty, collision was a possibility and catastrophe was out there, too. Shea Stadium crossed its fingers.

The Mets needed a 27th out; more than that though, they needed Wagner returning to the dugout or the mound -- which one hardly mattered -- in one piece. No one wanted to see 34 saves scattered all over the field and a postseason compromised. There was potential peril and, in the general manager's box, instant concern. "Scary, very scary," Omar Minaya would say later. "You don't know when it gets bang-bang like that. A knee? A shoulder?" Continue

Mets act ho-hum about loss

The final stroke of a six-run rally, a well-struck three-run home run by Mark Teixeira, sailed beyond the right-field wall and beyond what the Mets considered a deficit that they could overcome. The Braves had a commanding nine-run lead. Tension gone, and the likelihood of a victory obliterated. One of those games was under way.

Everything changes when the score jumps up to that degree. In the bullpen, closer Billy Wagner had finished the in-game conditioning and stretching he does every day. It would be a stretch to think that he would be summoned. For the rest of the night, "I did what starting pitchers do," Wagner said. Continue

Mets swap roles with Braves

He's in his fourth big league September now, which hardly qualifies him as a sage or makes his voice one of experience. Truth be told, David Wright is involved in a pennant push for the first time now -- for as long as this one lasts, anyway. None existed last season, and the Mets weren't contending in 2004 or '05 -- not really.

Just the same, Wright can recall the Septembers of his first two years and how uncomfortable it was to play the Braves as they went about the process of elimination. Wright can remember what he sensed when the Braves were the Mets' opponent and pushing toward their umpteenth straight division championship. Continue

Pedro delivers on mound, at plate

The Big City's attention was quite divided on this September Sunday. But then, it often is at this time of year. NYC had the pennant races to ponder, and A-Rod's magnificence was worth watching. The U.S. Open was finalizing; the NFL was opening. And not too far from the Federer final was more farm philanthropy from Willie Nelson.

Hardly lost amid all else that Sunday provided was an event at Shea Stadium. The return of Pedro Martinez to the mound in Flushing was nothing less. Moreover, it was an unqualified success with implications that carry into October and celebrations that carried down ramps and out the exits. First by mere presence and then by his performance, Martinez turned what might have been a routine game in a National League championship season into a Game of Chants, some so loud they might have disturbed the tennis folks across the street.

That the Mets completed a sweep of the Astros with a 4-1 victory was almost secondary to the nearly 52,000 who had gathered. For five innings at least, the first-place Mets were reduced to also-rans in their own house. Pedro took precedence. Continue

Glavine dominates as Mets prevail

For one more day, at least, the unreachable star remains unreached. The almost unfathomable double negative so prominent in Mets history -- so incongruous, too -- lives on. The challenge made by Tom Glavine on Saturday fell well short of becoming an achievement. So the Mets play the 7,300th game of their existence on Sunday without having pitched a no-hitter. No no-no.

Glavine gave it a shot. In beating the Astros, he surrendered no hits -- and allowed no baserunners, for that matter -- for five innings, long enough to pique the interest of some 53,000 folks, most of whom weren't old enough to recall Seaver's Imperfect Game or that the Mets traded the patron saint of no-hitters, Mr. Nolan Ryan, and still haven't paid the price for that Hall of Fame indiscretion. Continue

Milledge helps Mets overwhelm Astros

The box score was as busy as the bullpen catcher at Wrigley Field with the wind blowing out, as the ballboy down the left-field line with Don Baylor batting, as the PA guy in St. Louis when Tony La Russa starts to "manage." Welcome to September and phone book baseball.

The box score from the Mets' game against the Astros on Friday night had almost as many numbers as a phonebox. White River Junction, Vt., not NYC, but you get the idea. Lots of numbers, not so many of them zeroes. When the losing team has 13 hits and is outscored by eight runs ... well, the replay of this one, the Mets' 11-3 victory, probably won't be shown at any Rick Peterson or Dave Wallace clinics come December. Continue

Mets' win streak snapped at five

John Maine will have to wait until next season to continue trying to figure out the Cincinnati Reds.

The Mets right-hander, who got the loss in Cincinnati's only win over New York this season before Wednesday's finale of their three-game series at Great American Ball Park, again found the Reds too hard to handle. They scored two runs in the first inning and never looked back on their way to a 7-0 win that snapped the Mets' season-high winning streak at five games. Continue

Lo Duca knocks in seven runs for Mets

Paul Lo Duca knows that, even hitting eighth, a .222 batting average with runners in scoring position is going to be noticed. The catcher hopes that he got back on the road toward RBI respectability on Tuesday night. Lo Duca hit two three-run homers and set a single-game career high with seven RBIs as the Mets overcame Oliver Perez's ongoing control problems to pull away for an 11-7 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

"This is the healthiest I've felt in a while," said Lo Duca, who spent 15 days on the disabled list in mid-August after aggravating a right hamstring injury. "It took a while after I got off the disabled list to get my timing back. I've struggled a lot with runners in scoring position. It felt good to get some key hits." Continue

Pedro a winner in return to the mound

The day might have belonged to Pedro Martinez, but Moises Alou was a living, breathing reminder that a pitcher needs runs to win -- and he couldn't have been happier about it.

The 41-year-old left fielder, who was Martinez's Montreal teammate and considers the right-hander to be almost family, hit a tape-measure home run, two doubles and scored three runs to help make Martinez a winner in his first start since last Sept. 27 as the Mets extended their winning streak to four games with a 10-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Monday. Continue

Wright's homer carries Mets to sweep

"A sweep after a swept" is how Billy Wagner put it in the afterglow of Sunday's 3-2 win over the Braves. He shook his head, though not at the syntax. One couldn't be separated from the other, he decided. What had happened to the Mets in one city couldn't be appreciated without considering what they did in the other.

And so, this uppercase tale of two cities is what the Mets had to ponder as they prepared for a third. They had gone to extremes -- three up after four down -- before they departed for Cincinnati. They had executed a three-game sweep of the Braves, of all teams. And, for sure, the sweep could stand on its own merit. But it was all tangled together with four unrewarding games in Philadelphia. The sweep, and the swept, could not be separated without compromising the integrity of both. Continue

Pelfrey sizzles as Mets stifle Braves

The first pitch of the Braves' fifth inning struck Jeff Francoeur in the right forearm and, it seemed, struck a nerve as well. The Braves right fielder whirled away in pain before barking at the man who had delivered the pitch, Mike Pelfrey, and taking some angry steps.

The Mets' starting pitcher was surprised by Francoeur's (over)-reaction and more surprised when made aware of Francoeur's claim that Pelfrey had hit him once previously during his brief and often-interrupted career. It was news to Pelfrey. "But," Pelfrey said, "I don't remember what I did yesterday." Continue

Maine the man as Mets get on track

In much the same way the Mets routinely have waited 24 hours each time Pedro Martinez has stepped up his rehab to evaluate his progress, the other teams may be wise to wait until Saturday afternoon or even Sunday to assess what the Mets did Friday night. They may be wise to give it another 24 hours to determine whether the Mets have indeed renewed their resolve and rediscovered a singleness of purpose.

They may pause, ponder and wonder whether the 7-1 trashing of the Braves is the genesis of something the division leaders have promised since March, or their umpteenth false start. Continue

Mets swept away in heartbreaker

The Mets showed up Thursday. They showed resistance, they showed resolve. It wasn't enough of a showing, though. And ultimately, they were shown up -- in an afternoon game and four-game series. The Phillies put them on their heels and now are on their heels as well, following a stunning and excruciating 11-10 victory that completed an improbable sweep of the National League East leaders.

The Phillies scored once in the eighth inning on Pat Burrell's home run against Billy Wagner after the Mets had scored five times in the eighth inning to take a 10-8 lead. They struck again in the ninth against Wagner, with the Phillies stealing three bases, Tadahito Iguchi driving in the first run and a sharp single to right by Chasey Utley providing the winning run. Continue

Mets fall to Phils, NL East lead at three

Throughout his team's mostly unremarkable season, manager Willie Randolph often has bemoaned the Mets' inability to bury their opponents or at least create margins for error. Though his lament has been directed at his team's in-game shortcomings, it now applies to pursuit of the National League East championship as well.

The Mets have buried no team, least of all the self-proclaimed "team to beat." And now their lead in three games -- down from seven, their losing streak is four and, after another troubling defeat Wednesday night, there is considerably more to lament. Continue

Swinging bunt sends Mets to tough loss

When the baseball finally came to rest, it was inches from the chalk and miles from where the Mets wanted it to be. It had rolled foul first, then crossed the line, traveling perhaps 40 feet in the general direction of third base. To the Mets, there was no question where its journey ended -- that gray area between a victory they nearly secured and loss that vexed them. Call it unfair territory.

On this night when the unseen hand played a significant role, it nudged a critical swinging bunt fair and simultaneously slapped the Mets in the face. They eventually lost to the Phillies, 4-2, in 10 innings Tuesday night because of the power of Ryan Howard. But they had lost their lead two innings earlier because of the power of providence. And that troubled them more that Howard's final-pitch home run. Continue

Lawrence, Mets outplayed by Phillies

Four losses to the Dodgers and Padres last week pushed the Phillies further back in the National League East race than they had been at any time this season, and suggested their four-game series against the Mets this week might be lacking in anticipation, tension and consequence. Then the first- and second-place teams in the NL East played nine innings Monday night and made it so.

Mets vs. Phillies turned out to be the Mundane Night Game of the Week. The Phillies scored early and often, and the Mets showed fewer signs of life than the latest Mars probe has found. The result was a NL encounter that had too many American League touches and almost no suspense. Continue

In the end, Maine comes up short

Taking stock of the Mets as they enter the season's most critical five weeks is no easy task. These Mets long ago ditched their blue and orange for shades of gray, which has done little other than muddle predictions and furrow brows.

Sunday's loss, a 6-2 affair to the Dodgers, did little to arrest the confusion. John Maine was once thought to be mediocre, has since bridged the gap from adequate to sensational and now has fallen back to where he began. And his explanation is no more conclusive than his stats. "Maybe a little bit of luck here and there," Maine said. "Maybe a couple balls would have been hit at somebody two months ago, just not now. But that's the way the game goes sometimes." Continue

Duque's arm, Delgado's bat pace Mets

A curious reception greeted Carlos Delgado as he approached home plate in the fifth inning on Saturday. In each of his previous two at-bats, the Shea Stadium crowd had peppered Delgado with boos, heckles and a few choice words -- the verbal repercussions of an 0-for-19 slump. So when Delgado arrived in the batter's box for his third at-bat, the fans changed their strategy. They cheered. And it worked.

Delgado laced the first pitch he saw into center field for a two-run single, breaking open the game and giving the Mets a 4-3, series-clinching win over the Dodgers. With Delgado's offense supporting another stingy outing from Orlando Hernandez, the Mets looked every bit like the juggernaut they were expected to be coming into this season. Continue

Perez, Wright tag-team to beat LA

The implications of Oliver Perez's dominant Friday night likely won't surface for some weeks. There's a fair chance that his seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers may mark a revival, just as there's a looming worry that it's another flash of temporary greatness on what's been a spotted season. Only time will tell, and thanks to their cushy lead in the National League East standings, the Mets have plenty of that to spare.

So for now, they'll worry about the present, in which Perez's efforts landed them a 5-2 win over their opposite-coast rivals, and yet another early-series edge. For the Mets, it was just another victory in a more or less victorious season. For Perez, it was anything but. Continue

Mets run out of magic in extras

Those with powerful memories recall when the residents of the four adjacent locker stalls in the Mets' clubhouse included Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman and, later, Ron Darling and David Cone and, later still, John Franco and Bret Saberhagen. They all lived at those lockers at one time or another in Mets history. With a sense of reverence, the kids who worked the clubhouse called it "Pitchers' Row."

No sense of reverence was evident on Thursday night, when Billy Wagner, now a prominent "Row" resident, returned to his stall after a shower. Aaron Heilman's locker was to his right and Tom Glavine's was to his left, when Wagner hit it dead center. "This 'Row' stinks," he said through a gallows humor, but genuine smile. Continue

Mets can't extend win streak to five

The ongoing ineffectiveness of Guillermo Mota undermined the Mets yet again on Wednesday night and contributed to an unrewarding evening at Shea Stadium. The Mets were hardly in position to beat the Padres through six innings, and when Mota surrendered three runs in the seventh, most of the tension was drained from an unremarkable game that the Mets eventually lost.

In the process, the team that has squatter's rights on first place in the National League East was unable to extend a winning streak to five games for the seventh time this season. Such a shortcoming -- a tad arcane, it seems -- also seems quite benign. It's not as though a winning streak of five games is required to do business in October, right? Continue

Mets fans walk home happy

The Mets played the 124th game of their season on Tuesday night; they won it, and Billy Wagner called it a good start. Hmmm. He was making a point, and his teammates got it. It wasn't a September game the Mets had just won, but it felt like a September victory. It wasn't critical; a loss wouldn't have been particularly damaging. It was special, though, because they won and how they won.

Between now and the end of the regular season, the Mets may produce another victory more uplifting than their final-pitch, 7-6 victory against the Padres. They had produced none so fortifying in the first 123 games. So when they departed Shea Stadium one game into the most challenging segment of their schedule, the Mets seemed to be better off than they were when they arrived. The Padres' resolve hadn't killed them, it had made them stronger. Continue

Big inning lifts Mets in sweep of Nats

The schedule says the Mets must go back to New York right now, but if they had their way they might just stay on the road for a while. Baseball's best road team completed a three-game sweep of the Nationals with an 8-2 win on Sunday. The road trip ends with a 5-1 record, and the standings reflect that New York has pulled away in the National League East, holding a five-game lead over Philadelphia.

"It was a great road trip for us," first baseman Shawn Green said. "We're putting ourselves in much better position as we get closer to September."On Sunday, a pitchers' duel between Orlando Hernandez and Shawn Hill ended when Hill left the game, and the Mets lit up reliever Jon Rauch."We want to be able to rally late in the game, and that is what's going on," Green said. Continue

Mets one step ahead of Nats in victory

Luis Castillo was feeling good when he arrived at the ballpark on Saturday. The switch-hitter was hitting from the right side, which is his more powerful one. During batting practice, he was hitting so well that he challenged teammate Jose Reyes to a home run derby. It seemed like a no-brainer for Reyes to accept. After all, his teammate didn't have any home runs this season. But Castillo was on fire.

"The last one I got, I hit a bomb," he said. "I hit a ball to the fence, and I didn't try it again." When he got the bat back out in the first inning, he repeated the performance, launching the opening run in a 7-4 victory over the Nationals. It was Castillo's first home run in 674 at-bats. Continue

Glavine leads Mets past Nationals

The Mets continued their ride to the postseason on the wheels of Jose Reyes, who contributed two stolen bases and started a spectacular double play in a 6-2 victory over the Nationals on Friday.

Reyes made the highlight-reel plays, but pitcher Tom Glavine had the night's flashiest numbers, picking up his 301st victory by allowing just one run over seven innings. With his final pitch of the evening, Glavine struck out Ronnie Belliard for career strikeout No. 2,555, moving him into a tie with Tim Keefe for 27th on the all-time list. Continue

Mets let one get away vs. Bucs

From a perspective forced on him by the injury he suffered one night earlier, Carlos Delgado watched the unfathomable become the accomplished. He watched the eighth and ninth innings unfold and the Mets fold. He saw a sweep of the Pirates morph into another head-scratching what-if. He wasn't amazed by it -- he knows how fickle a game baseball is -- but confused. "Why is it," Delgado said, "that when it rains, it pours? That's the phenomenon I never can understand."

He applied his implied analogy to a most disturbing defeat, perhaps the most unsettling of the 53 the Mets have endured in their first 120 games. Leading the have-not Pirates, 5-0, and then, 7-3, they repeatedly stubbed their toe Thursday night until the team with the worst record in the league had beaten them. Continue

Mets open early, late against Bucs

The point at which the Mets begin to play their best baseball of the season was postponed again Wednesday night, unless that period already has begun and no one has noticed the improvement. Whether their performance against the Pirates was good, bad or indifferent was not the issue. The Mets took their 10-8 victory, called it "weird" -- it was at least that -- and moved on.

For the second time in two nights, the first-place team in the National League East strained and struggled before it struck down one of the NL's have-not teams. Though the Mets scored five runs before the Pirates batted and five more in their final turn at bat, they still endured moments in the ninth inning when they held their collective breath. Continue

Signs of a winning team in Pittsburgh

The Pirates have trouble in their own stadium, though not nearly as much as the Mets regularly experience at PNC Park. It has been that way for both teams for a while now. The Pirates have the worst home record in the game, and before their visit on Tuesday night, the Mets had lost seven out of eight games at the confluence of the Ohio, the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers.

The problems continued for both teams on Tuesday night. The Pirates lost for the 34th time in 60 home games, and the Mets endured an unqualified struggle before they put away the team that, regardless of site, is the least successful in the National League. Continue

Mets flex their muscle to dispose of Fish

The rallying cry that the Mets now embrace as they approach their 120th game is, "We haven't played our best baseball yet." Tom Glavine said it first, just prior to the All-Star break, and they hold the hope that it is still true. Little that has happened since the break suggests that view has changed.

Their run of unremarkable baseball continued on Sunday, when they finally beat the fourth-place Marlins. With Moises Alou hitting two home runs for the third time this season and Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado hitting one each, the Mets survived another inadequate start by Oliver Perez, their own sloppy defense and another demonstration of resistance by a mediocre team. Continue

Mets 'pen unable to boost Glavine

One night before the scheduled celebration of Tom Glavine's 300th career victory, Shea Stadium staged several impromptu salutes -- one for Glavine as he warmed up before the first inning, another for him after he was removed in the seventh inning and, in between, two for David Wright, who tried to make Glavine's evening successful with two home runs.

And two more. Guillermo Mota also was saluted -- Doug Sisk style -- as he walked from the mound following the top of the seventh inning, after he had allowed a grand slam by Josh Willingham. And Aaron Heilman received the Braden Looper salute as he exited following the top of the eighth, having allowed the decisive runs in the Mets' 7-5 loss to the Marlins. Continue

Wagner's off-night a rare sight to behold

There's been a tinge of imperfection swirling through Billy Wagner's apparent precision over the past two weeks. Yet, in a game where it's the ends -- and most certainly not the means -- that matter, nobody seemed to care. A save is a save, and one's as good as the next.

Wagner had been racking up those saves, and that's all that counted. There's no stat for harrowing saves, nothing that signifies blood-pressure levels rising as the drama grows. But there is a stat for blown saves. And now, Wagner has another. Continue

Mets' rally falls short against Braves

As David Wright described it, it was nothing short of emotional whiplash he and his comrades had endured. An "Oh boy" moment followed by an "Oh no" instant, then renewed hope and hope dashed. "All in two seconds," Wright said.

The Mets were going to tie the score, and then they weren't. And then they didn't, and a Thursday afternoon of baseball fell well short of what they had envisioned. The team with the best record in the National League in games decided by one run had lost by one. But it seemed much closer. Continue

Alou's homer caps Mets' comeback

The dynamic that is the Mets-Braves is different, unusual and special. It alters how developments are viewed. It tints and sometimes it taints what happens. As Robin Ventura once said, trying to explain it, "Normal isn't normal when these two teams are involved."

They are quite involved this week, and they were particularly tangled Wednesday night when the Mets barely prevailed. Winning, of course, was the best thing they did. And because it was the Braves in the other dugout, the second-best thing they did was nearly lose. Continue

Mets can't recover as Perez hits bump

The non-waiver trading deadline is now one week in the past, but its effects are only beginning to surface. For all the talk surrounding Atlanta's revamped lineup, bolstered bullpen and newfound confidence, the Mets still lead the National League East. They -- not the Braves -- have owned the division since Day 1. And they -- not the Braves -- remain the team to beat.

But now, they've been beaten. And if the Braves weren't comfortable before this week -- though they certainly should have been after dumping their rivals in six of the first nine meetings -- Tuesday night's 7-3 thrashing of the Mets eased them even more. Continue

Glavine joins 300 club vs. Cubs

One of the clubhouse attendants in Wrigley Field approached Tom Glavine on Sunday as a special evening was winding down and extended a hand with two baseballs. Glavine knew the drill. He signed on the sweet spots as he had done countless times. But he also knew he now was free to add a PS.

So under his signature -- which had become significantly more valuable 75 minutes earlier, Glavine added to the inscriptions. For the first times ever, he wrote 300 under his name. And, oh, how he liked the way that looked. Now that three-digit figure is almost part of his name, like HOF is likely to become in five or six years. With a performance that reinforced his image as a brilliant pitcher, an intense competitor and a pretty competent batsman, Glavine forever changed his baseball identity Sunday night. No longer is he merely the two-time Cy Young Award winner or the five-time 20-game winner or the savvy left-hander who ... Continue

Maine's messy outing dooms Mets

The way the Mets buried Cubs closer Ryan Dempster on Friday afternoon prompted manager Lou Piniella to wonder whether Dempster was tipping his pitches. "You see four straight hits with two outs," Piniella said before Saturday's game, "and you start thinking. I don't know, but they didn't miss many."

Saturday afternoon brought Willie Randolph's turn to wonder. The Mets' sixth engagement with the Cubs this season was the second with John Maine starting. The Cubs beat him in May and battered him on Saturday. What happened to the Mets' most effective starter wasn't as dramatic as the ninth-inning meltdown Dempster endured on Friday, but it was equally telling. Continue

Confident Mets stage late rally for win

Their left-on-base total seemed to be multiplying exponentially. At-bats with runners in scoring position seemed more like assignments than opportunities. The Mets were involved in one of those games. And the wind off the lake was an ally to no batter. If they were going to beat the Cubs on Friday, the Mets would have to find a hole or hit a line drive.

For eight innings, the Mets had done little of either. They had four hits -- one that cut through the wind and found the seats, a double and two singles, two runs and untold exasperation. The ketchup bottle was holding out, no matter who shook it and how much it was shaken. Continue

Easley's wheels lead Lawrence to win

Summer day games often are a setting for the unusual, particularly those preceded by night games. For reasons of rest, day-game lineups often are missing regulars. Those who are playing might be manning unfamiliar positions. And, generally, players of this generation are mostly nocturnal. Night time is the right time for most of them. They fear the light more than darkness. For some of those reasons and others, the Mets played an uncommon game Thursday when, as a preamble to their visit to Wrigley Field, they beat the daylights out of the Brewers at Miller Park, a curious place to begin with.

With David Wright and an atypical cast of characters making significant contributions, the Mets rolled over the fading Brewers. Wright was routinely productive, collecting four hits, including his 19th home run, and scoring three times in the 12-4 victory. But consider the names of his collaborators -- Brian Lawrence, Damion Easley and Jorge Sosa. Hardly bizarre, but not the usual suspects either. Continue

Mets even score with Brewers

An oversized 8 dominated a wall in the dormitory room in which Marlon Anderson lived at the University of South Alabama 12 years ago. It was the handiwork of the young man who lived there. No special significance then, just a numerical preference, one that almost has grown into an adult obsession.

Anderson will take an 8 anytime one's available. It was his number in 1999 when he first played regularly with the Phillies. And if the Mets' uniform No. 8 were not out of circulation in deference to Gary Carter, he'd been wearing it these days, too.

His druthers aside, Anderson will make do as he did Wednesday night. He began the evening with an 8 next to his his name. A second baseman by trade, he started in center field, the No. 8 position. And before the Mets were deep into their 8-5 victory against the Brewers, Anderson had gone deep, hitting the three-run home run that would prove decisive. Continue

Glavine denied No. 300 as Mets fall in 13

The Mets outfielders assembled in center field in the seventh inning Tuesday night as Willie Randolph, Ramon Castro and Tom Glavine conferred on the mound. One conversation led to Glavine's removal, the other to an exchange of ideas. "It's like a playoff game," Moises Alou said to Shawn Green before correcting himself. "It was more like a no-hitter," Alou decided.

As Glavine himself would say hours later, "In playoff games, you care about one thing only -- winning." But in the game the Mets played -- and eventually lost -- Tuesday, the objective was different. Continue

Mets shine early in rain-shortened win

In the evolving lexicon of the dugout, it no longer is identified as a "five and fly," Dock Ellis' phrase for part-time work as a starting pitcher. It had morphed into "five and dive" probably because of rhyme, not reason. No matter, the meaning is unchanged -- pitch long enough to qualify and well enough to have a lead and get out of the way.

John Maine threw one Sunday at Shea -- sort of, the difference being that when he moved out of the way, he was deferring to the weatherman, not a relief pitcher. "Five and dive" it was, in more ways than one. Had the Shea Stadium drainage never been upgraded, conditions would have been ideal for diving. Continue

Mets rally twice, but fall short

In the latter stages of the Mets' third defeat in three days to two of the National League's worst teams, a quick glance down the home bench wouldn't reveal many forlorn faces. It wouldn't, in fact, reveal many faces at all. The Mets emptied their bench in a shorthanded attempt to upend the Nationals, and left Shea Stadium equally as empty -- owners of nothing but a 6-5 loss in the second half of a doubleheader split. "We're short," said manager Willie Randolph. "And we really can't play with fire." Continue

El Duque leads Mets in twin bill opener

Orlando Hernandez continued his dominance at home on Saturday, pitching seven solid innings at Shea Stadium as the Mets topped the Nationals, 3-1, in the first installment of the day's twin bill. El Duque limited Washington to just three hits and one run -- a game-tying homer to right field by Felipe Lopez, his sixth dinger of the season -- while striking out eight batters and walking two.

"I've seen him many, many times, and he never ceases to amaze me," manager Willie Randolph said. "When he's on his game and hitting his spots, throwing his breaking ball, not many guys can do what he does." Continue

Mets fall short against Nationals

The omen came before its effects. Confidently, Jorge Sosa strode to the mound on Friday night against the lowly Nationals, a team that stood just percentage points away from being the NL's worst. Confidently, he warmed up, showcasing his fastball and two different sliders. And confidently he delivered to Felipe Lopez, the slumping Nats shortstop who hadn't poked his average above .250 since May. Then, not so confidently, he poured in four straight balls.

Sosa escaped that early bind without issue -- but the first inning, it turns out, was the highlight of his night. Five innings later he was back on the bench, left to ponder his shortcomings in a 6-2 loss to the Nats. Continue