Mets take third from Giants, give Santana much-needed 9-6 win

Posted on 17 May 2009 by Danielle

Last night's win made three in a row for the Mets over San Francisco. Yesterday, when the fog was absent and the temperature reached the high 70s by the bay, the Mets pounded the Giants, 9-6, before another sellout of 41,336 at AT&T Park.

They've been a problem team for the Giants, taking eight straight from San Francisco dating to 2008.

This one was supposed to be a battle between historic lefthanded pitchers: the Mets' Johan Santana and the Giants' 45-year-old Randy Johnson, with his 298 wins.

For the Mets - who had 16 hits, 11 off Johnson (3-4) in four-plus innings - it was special the way they went after the 6-10 lefthander.

The Mets, who have scored 24 runs in the series, led 3-0 after one inning. The Giants got an unearned run in the third and two runs, one of those unearned, in the fourth to tie. But 10 men batted for the Mets in a four-run fifth in which they had six hits, including an RBI double by Carlos Beltran, a two-run double by David Wright and an RBI single by Ramon Castro. Castro had another RBI single in the ninth, and even Santana had a hit.

Perhaps the biggest sign of things coming together for the Mets was that they finally gave Santana a decent amount of run support. They had been just 4-3 in games started by their ace, largely because they were averaging just over two runs in those games. But they scored three runs in the first inning Saturday, and when the Giants tied it in the fourth, the Mets responded with a four-run fifth inning.

They needed all the offense they could muster. Santana gave up six runs -- four earned -- on 11 hits, only the second time in his career he has allowed 11 or more hits. And the Mets continued to make defensive mistakes behind him.

Luis Castillo's fielding error in the third inning led to a Giants run, and another fielding error by Wright cost the Mets one more in the fourth.

Only this time, none of it cost the Mets a victory... and that's the best sign of all.

Notable performances:

Luis Castillo, Ryan Church, and Johan Santana all had hits, with Castillo scoring once.

Alex Cora continues to prove that he's an ample substitute for the injured Jose Reyes with his 2-5 day, scoring twice.

Carlos Beltran is still on fire and went 3-5 with three RBI's and three runs scored. His average is .379.

Gary Sheffield also continues to improve and provide much needed pop in the Mets' lineup offensively, going 3-4 with two runs scored and a walk.

Ramon Castro had a 2-5 day, knocking in two runs.

David Wright went 3-5 with three RBI's and a run scored, continuing his red hock streak. His average is up to .350.

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Mets come from behind again, beat Lincecum and Giants

Posted on 16 May 2009 by Danielle

David Wright is starting to make a habit out of this clutch hitting.

The Mets' star third baseman, who has been criticized often for leaving key men on base, had a big hit for the second night in a row.

Wright hit a game-tying three-run double in the seventh inning and had four ribbies overall as the Mets overcame a four-run deficit against Giants ace Tim Lincecum for an 8-6 win Friday night. It was the first time all year the Mets had come back from four runs down.

The Mets handed Giants closer Brian Wilson a loss for the second straight night. After Gary Sheffield and Wright opened the ninth with singles, Ryan Church tried to sacrifice both runners. Wilson pounced on the poorly executed bunt attempt, but threw the ball past third baseman Pablo Sandoval. Sheffield scored the tiebreaking run. Wright, who had advanced to third, eventually came home on Omir Santos' sacrifice fly to give Francisco Rodriguez a two-run cushion for his 11th save in 11 chances.

The Mets moved a season-high five games over .500 and won for the 10th time in 12 games.

For the record, Wright's most recent clutch hit came at 12:13 EDT this morning. So perhaps it's time to table the dialogue about that strikeout in the ninth inning against the Cubs the final week of last season.

After Lincecum gave up an infield single to Luis Castillo and walked Carlos Beltran to open the seventh, he departed with a 6-3 lead. Merkin Valdez entered, walked Sheffield on four pitches, then gave up the three-run double down the left-field line to Wright.

Wright lifted his career average with the bases loaded to .381, with 70 RBI in 79 plate appearances. In the Mets' win in Thursday's series opener, Wright drove in the tiebreaking run in the ninth against Wilson.

Lincecum was charged with five runs on 10 hits while striking out eight and walking three in six-plus innings.

After his double, Wright stole third - the Mets' 11th steal through two games of the series - with none out. But he was left there when reliever Jeremy Affeldt entered and consecutively struck out Church, Santos and pinch-hitter Jose Reyes, sending the game into the seventh-inning stretch tied at 6.

Reyes was sitting for a second straight game with right calf discomfort, but Manuel predicted he would reenter the lineup today, when Johan Santana opposes the 298-game winner Johnson in a stellar matchup.

Manuel didn't get to see the game's resolution firsthand. He was ejected by plate umpire Doug Eddings for jawing about a called third strike on Beltran that ended the top of the eighth - the manager's second ejection this season.

Brian Stokes preserved a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the eighth he overcame a one-out triple and stranded Randy Winn at third base.

The Mets had closed within 5-3 in the sixth against Lincecum on a sacrifice fly by Santos, then Daniel Murphy's RBI single while pinch-hitting for starter Livan Hernandez. But in the bottom half against reliever Sean Green, Lincecum drove in Rich Aurilia from second by chopping a single down the third-base line past Wright, who was playing well off the line.

Hernandez, who had allowed a combined three runs in 12-1/3 innings and picked up wins in his previous two starts, this time was charged with five runs on eight hits in five innings.

Notable performances:

Alex Cora was 1-4 with a walk.

Luis Castillo was 1-5 with two runs scored.

Carlos Beltran added a hit of his own, going 1-3 with a run scored and two walks.

Gary Sheffield continues to surge, going 2-4 with three runs scored and a walk.

Both Ryan Church and Jeremy Reed had two hits a piece.

Fernando Tatis was 1-1 as a pinch hitter, as was Daniel Murphy, who knocked in a run.

Once again, however, the performance of the night belongs to David Wright, going 3-5 with four RBI's and a run scored. His average jumped to .341.

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David Wright in Stack Magazine

Posted on 15 May 2009 by Danielle

Big thanks to Josh over at Stack Magazine for providing us with links to David's current feature in the magazine. If you look below, you will see two of David's videos for Stack Magazine. The first is the full episode of his interview and the second is his cover shoot. If you visit Stack, you can watch the individual clips

These videos are not only informative in terms of David's methodology for success, but are extremely helpful to aspiring baseball players of all ages!

Be sure to visit David's Athlete Page by clicking here.

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With Wright's stellar performance, Mets battle it out to beat Giants in ninth, 7-4

Posted on 14 May 2009 by Danielle

For the second time in three days, the Mets have come through in the late innings to win the game.

More importantly, for the first time in over TWENTY YEARS, the Mets came into San Francisco for the first time in a season... and won.

They may have been depleted, but they weren't going down without a fight.

Mere minutes after the bullpen coughed up a two-run lead, David Wright singled home the winning run in a 7-4 victory over the Giants at AT&T Park. The win, the Mets' ninth in 11 games, came with Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, and J.J. Putz all unavailable due to injuries.

Carlos Beltran sparked the winning rally, doubling with one out and then barely beating catcher Bengie Molina's throw on a steal of third base. The stolen base wound up being critical. Two batters later, Wright sent a sharp single into right field, which likely would not have scored Beltran from second.

The Mets added some insurance later in the inning off reliever Brian Wilson, when Ramon Castro hit a two-run single.

Wright stole a career-high four bases, and the Mets stole a team-record seven in all.

Despite walking two batters and throwing two wild pitches in an eight-batter first inning, Mets starter John Maine escaped from that jam having allowed only two runs -- and from that point forward, he was nearly unhittable. Challenging the Giants with an overwhelming number of fastballs, Maine didn't allow another hit until the fifth.

He did whack two hits of his own, however -- one a bunt single that helped the Mets score a run in the fourth. The Mets also scored on Gary Sheffield's RBI single in the first, Wright's base hit in the fourth and Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez's wild pitch later that inning.

Despite blowing the lead, Bobby Parnell picked up the win and Frankie Rodriguez picked up a save.

Today's Notables:

Alex Cora had a 1-4 day, scoring once and walking once.

Carlos Beltran continues to perform well, going 2-5 with an RBI, a walk, a double, and two runs scored.

Gary Sheffield went 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's, as well as a walk.

Ryan Church and Ramon Castro each had a hit. Castro scored once and knocked in two.

John Maine had a great day at the plate, going 2-3.

David Wright was undoubtedly the player of the game, going 3-3 with a run scored, two walks, and two RBI's on three singles. David ALSO stole FOUR BASES, setting a career record for himself. His average jumped to .331 on the day.

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Mets waste many opportunities in 7-8 loss in 12.

Posted on 14 May 2009 by Danielle

They had been on the threshold of a victory in the traditional nine, put there by a grand slam by Fernando Tatis, a dazzling throw by Ryan Church and a home run by Gary Sheffield that tied the score in the eighth inning. But no one carried the Mets over that threshold and, ultimately, they were undone by the solo home run Martin Prado hit against Ken Takahashi, their last available reliever.

And no one, save Takahashi, seemed particularly upset by the defeat. Evidently a successful homestand is a comforting salve for a blemished performance and their seventh loss in 14 games decided by one run. Long faces were at a minimum and even the hush that often follows losses was missing from the postgame clubhouse. First place still was theirs.

No one expected the Mets to hang their heads after 33 games, 18 of which have been victories. But given how they had won Tuesday, coming from three runs down and winning on a final-pitch bases-loaded walk, they could have lost all three games in the series easily.

Manuel seeks a higher level of play from his team and doesn't appear or sound dissatisfied when it isn't delivered. The team's first extra-innings loss included several instances that fell short of a higher level. Two involved Jose Reyes, the increasingly perplexing shortstop of skill and ragged performance. Less than 24 hours after Reyes was thrown out at third on an unwise attempt to stretch a double, he was guilty of two -- perhaps three -- baserunning mistakes Wednesday.

Leading off the 12th, Reyes hit a fly ball off the wall in left and watched its journey before he put his considerable speed to use.

Once the ball fell short, it lacked triple potential, he later explained, because it caromed hard and directly to left fielder Garrett Anderson. Reyes knew that much because he had watched it. He responded with "Nope, nope" when asked about the possibility of three bases.

Five innings earlier, he was thrown out at third for the second out when he tried to advance from second on a ground ball to the shortstop.

Moreover, Reyes didn't slide or try to escape by forcing a rundown.

There were more examples of the kind of play that preceded the seven-game winning streak and put the Mets in a 9-12 hole. The Mets had leadoff hits in the ninth, 10th and 12th innings. Only Reyes, in the 12th, reached third. They had three hits in 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Wright made his second costly error of the series in the seventh when the Braves tied the score at six with an unearned run against Bobby Parnell. Mets starter Jon Niese, optioned to the Minor Leagues after the game, allowed one-out walks to Yunel Escobar in the first and third innings when the Braves produced leads of 2-0 and 4-2.

Carlos Beltran was on second and Sheffield was on first in the fourth when Wright hit a flare to shallow center. Beltran jogged to third. The seventh grand slam of Tatis' career and the Mets' second this season followed immediately and overshadowed Beltran's misdemeanor.

That the Mets grounded into three double plays; that J.J. Putz allowed two doubles and a run in the eighth, just as he had Tuesday night; that Chipper Jones delivered as if he were batting at Shea Stadium; that Beltran and Sheffield struck out with the tying run on third -- all that was just baseball.

Notables:

Jose Reyes was 3-5 with a run scored on a walk, a double, and two singles.

Luis Castillo was 1-4 with a RBI and a run scored on a walk and a triple.

Carlos Beltran was also 1-4 with a run scored on two walks and a single.

Gary Sheffield was 2-6 in the game, with two runs scored and an RBI and a home run and a single.

Fernando Tatis was the player of the day with a 3-5 day, including four RBI's and a run scored on his grand slam in the fourth inning.

Ryan Church was 1-5.

David Wright was 1-4 with a run scored on a single. His average dropped slightly to .315.

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Mets walk it off against the Braves in 4-3 win

Posted on 13 May 2009 by Danielle

When the Mets were down after six in 2007 and 2008, it was almost a forgone conclusion that they would roll over and play dead. Fans had already turned off the TV by the time it reached the bottom of the ninth.

But so far, the 2009 Mets have proved that you can't count them out, no matter what inning it is.

The Mets' offense had remained quiet for most of the evening, providing starter Mike Pelfrey the level of support it usually reserves for Johan Santana. And even when it did muster a semblance of production, the Braves' defensive execution was more than up to the challenge. But there is no defending walks.

The Mets mounted the decisive rally after Bennett had retired the first two batters. An infield single by Jose Reyes, a stolen base, an intentional walk to Alex Cora and walk to pinch-hitter Ramon Castro loaded the bases for the second-leading hitter in the National League. Six pitches later, the Mets had won for the seventh time in 13 one-run games and for the first time in 14 games in which hey had trailed through eight innings. The run made a winning pitcher of Francisco Rodriguez, who pitched two innings and made the Mets winners eight of their past nine games overall.

They had overcome a 3-0 deficit in their final three turns, scoring twice in the eighth on a double by Reyes, once in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Luis Castillo and then in the first 10th inning at Citi Field.

Beltran had played a significant role in the Mets' tying rally in the ninth against the Braves closer Mike Gonzalez. His double, a one-out steal of third base that third baseman Chipper Jones disputed only after the game and, following a hit batsman, Castillo's sacrifice fly produced their eighth ninth-inning run in 32 games.

Singles by Jeremy Reed, leading off the eighth, and pinch-hitter Ryan Church, after one out, afforded Reyes his chance. He hit a gapper to left-center. Church made the 270-foot trip without a play. The Braves threw out Reyes, Jair Jurrjens's final batter, at third, though.

Here in the Citi, where triples are the specialty of the house, the reigning king of triples was thrown out -- and it wasn't even close, though a replay showed Reyes may have slipped his hand onto the base. His out at third completed a cycle of sorts for the Mets. They also had one runner, David Wright, thrown out at the plate in the seventh, two would-be base stealers thrown out at second and, of course, outs at first.

Even the four runs was substandard support for Pelfrey who, like Santana on Monday night, deserved a better fate. The Mets had spoiled him, scoring 36 runs in his first five starts. Nothing so lusty against Jurrjens. Pelfrey provided seven solid innings in his best performance to date. He allowed six hits and a walk and even struck out three batters, ending his streak of batters without a strikeout at 76, the fourth longest in franchise history. He struck out Kelly Johnson to begin the game and his second batter, Yunel Escobar.

Pelfrey got the ball back from Wright after the first strikeout and playfully tossed it into the dugout as a keepsake. Maine later inscribed it: "They end of consecutive inning streak without a strikeout."

Notable performances:

Jose Reyes was 2-5 with two RBI's and a run scored.

Alex Cora and Jeremy Reed each had a hit on the night.

Carlos Beltran was 2-4 with a RBI, a walk, and a run scored.

David Wright was 2-4 in tonight's game. His average jumped to .317.

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Mets can't hold Johan's lead, lose to Braves 3-8

Posted on 12 May 2009 by Danielle

Johan Santana allowed not an earned run in 6 1/3 innings and was charged with only two of the unearned variety. The Mets afforded him defensive support that was inadequate and offensive support that was less.

The Braves beat the best pitcher in the National League. The Mets performed poorly with their primary pitching on the mound.

Santana surrendered seven hits, all singles, and a walk, hit a batter and struck out six. He wasn't outpitched by Derek Lowe, but Lowe emerged as the winning pitcher, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks in 6 2/3 innings. Only four of the 20 outs Lowe achieved came on fly balls. He struck out one and defused two potential rallies with double-play ground balls.

The evening had brought Santana's first loss at home -- Shea Stadium and 2009 included -- in 14 games. He lost in a game in which the Mets committed two errors and allowed five unearned runs. The Mets scored once before Santana was removed with a runner on first base and one out in the seventh inning. Three batters after his departure, Jose Reyes muffed a two-out ground ball behind second base, putting runners at second and third. Successive two-run singles by Matt Diaz and Casey Kotchman followed, producing a 5-1 deficit for the Mets.

The Braves did what the Mets often do, scoring in the first inning. The run was unearned because of a throwing error by David Wright. And even the threat that preceded the error would have been averted had Wright made a makeable play at third base. The play in question happened with Yunel Escobar on first base after reaching on a ball Reyes knocked down. Martin Prado followed with a hard ground ball to Wright's left that might have resulted in a double play. But the ball stayed down and bounced under Wright's glove for a single that moved Escobar to second. After Brian McCann popped out, Diaz hit a ground ball to Wright's right. The third baseman fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw to first base bounced away from Fernando Tatis, and Escobar scored.

And now they have lost three of his seven starts. Santana has an 0.78 ERA, the lowest by a Mets starter after seven starts, and they have lost three times.

Notables:

Fernando Tatis was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Jeremy Reed went 2-3 with a walk.

Carlos Beltran was 1-4.

Alex Cora was 1-1.

David Wright was 2-4 with a run scored. His average is now .311.

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Mets extend streak to seven with win sweep of Pirates

Posted on 11 May 2009 by Danielle

The New York Mets went to bat against the Pirates in yesterday's game, but with pink bats in their hands, pink wristbands on their arms; some with pink shoelaces, and others, like Francisco Rodriguez, with pink cleats, the Mets also went to bat against breast cancer.

And did it in perfect fashion.

The Mets extended their winning streak to seven games Sunday with an 8-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field, their best stretch since they won 10 in a row in July 2008. The win gave the Mets (17-13) a three-game sweep over the Pirates (12-19) and kept them in first place in the National League East.

The sweep might not have been as important in the standings as wins over the Phillies and Braves earlier in the week. But for a team that struggled against lesser-caliber teams in 2008, avoiding a letdown against the Pirates was a significant sign of progress.

For the Mets, as with most teams, the key to consistency has been starting pitching. It was the primary factor behind their 9-12 start, and it's the main reason they've won eight of nine since.

Livan Hernandez threw six solid innings Sunday, giving up two runs on seven hits and four walks. It was the second straight quality start for Hernandez, and the seventh consecutive game that a Mets starter has lasted at least six innings. Mets starters are 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA over that span.

And they have. The last time a Mets starting pitcher other than Oliver Perez allowed more than three runs in a game was April 23, when Hernandez gave up seven as the Mets were swept in St. Louis.

After that game, Manuel put the entire rotation except for Johan Santana on notice that they needed to improve quickly, or the Mets might have to make some changes. The only one who did not respond was Perez, who was briefly demoted to the bullpen last week before being put on the disabled list with knee tendinitis.

A surging offense doesn't hurt, either. Over their past four games, the Mets have outscored opponents 32-13. Jose Reyes, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI Sunday, has eight hits and five RBI over that span.

Carlos Delgado has 11 hits in 26 at-bats over his past seven games, and Carlos Beltran continued his hot start Sunday with a two-run double in the eighth inning.

But the go-ahead runs came from an unlikely source -- catcher Omir Santos, whose two-run single in the fourth inning put the Mets up 3-2.

And another sign of seemingly everything going right.

Oh, and one more: Now, it's Santana's turn to pitch Monday against the Braves.

Notables:

Jose Reyes was 2-4 with a run scored an an RBI, number 300 of his career.

Luis Castillo kept up his production with a 2-4 game, knocking in two.

Both Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado added a hit each, with Delgado scoring once.

Ryan Church continues to show signs of slump-breaking with a 1-4 afternoon, scoring once.

Super sub Omir Santos was 2-4 in the game with two RBI's and a run scored.

Even Livan Hernandez got in on the action with a hit.

David Wright was 1-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. His average is .304.

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Happy Mothers' Day

Posted on 10 May 2009 by Danielle

The Wright Stuff would like to wish every Mom out there a very Happy Mothers' Day!

Personally, I would like to wish my own mother, Nancy, my grandmother, Shirley, and my aunt, Lisa, a very Happy Mothers' Day.

- Danielle

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Maine and Mets jump into first with 6th straight win!

Posted on 09 May 2009 by Danielle

Six quality innings from starter John Maine and a five-run explosion in the bottom of the fourth against Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Maholm pushed the Mets to extend their season-high winning streak to six games, as they beat the Pirates, 10-1 Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.

Maine (3-2) won his third straight start, striking out three batters and allowing only three hits, while walking two (one intentionally) and taking advantage of the spacious outfield in the Mets' new ballpark.

The Mets' offense, meanwhile, continued to roll against the Pirates, who have now lost 11 of their last 12 games and fallen to 12-18 on the season.

The Mets (16-13), at least temporarily pulled into a first-place tie rival Philadelphia, which plays later Saturday afternoon against Atlanta. They will attempt to sweep the Pirates -- and sweep their third straight series -- when they send Livan Hernandez (2-1, 5.53 ERA) to the mound Sunday afternoon in the final game of the three-game series.

The Mets racked up 17 hits against Pirate pitching, six of those coming in the fourth, when the Mets put together consecutive one-out, RBI singles by David Wright, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Tatis, as well as a two-out, two-run single by Jose Reyes (3-for-5, 3 RBI). Carlos Beltran added a homer in the fifth inning, and the Mets got another run in the seventh on Wright's RBI triple, and two more in the eighth on run-scoring singles by pinch hitter Jeremy Reed and Reyes.

Every Mets starter except Maine and catcher Ramon Castro had at least two hits. Castro left the game when Maine did, after the sixth, because of tightness in his hamstring. Omir Santos came in and promptly got a hit in his first at-bat.

Notable performances:

Jose Reyes kept up his progression, going 3-5 with three RBI's and a run scored, as well as a stolen base.

Luis Castillo was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.

Carlos Beltran went 2-5, as well, with two runs scored and an RBI. His homer off Maholm in the fifth, his sixth of the year, went into the second deck at Citi Field. This was the first time a home run has landed in a level other than the first.

Carlos Delgado was also 2-5 with two RBI's and a run scored.

Gary Sheffield and Fernando Tatis were 2-4. Both knocked in a run each, but Tatis scored twice, while Sheffield only scored once.

Omir Santos was 1-1 in his appearance at the plate with a run scored after his double in the eighth.

David Wright bounced back from yesterday's rough game with a 2-5 performance. He knocked in two and scored once, bumping his average to .306.

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