Delgado knocks in five, knocks off Pirates

Posted on 09 May 2009 by Danielle

Carlos Delgado hit a three-run homer in a five-run eighth inning and finished with five RBIs, moving past Mantle on the career list and helping the surging New York Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-3 on Friday night for their fifth straight win.

Jonathon Niese plugged a hole in New York's rotation with six effective innings and Carlos Beltran had a tiebreaking RBI single for the Mets, who improved to 3-0 on their eight-game homestand.

Jose Reyes got the winning rally started with a single to center off Tyler Yates (0-2). Luis Castillo then walked before Beltran sliced a single down the third-base line to give New York a 3-2 lead.

Sean Burnett came in for Yates and Delgado greeted him with a drive over the wall in right-center. Delgado's fourth homer gave him 1,512 RBIs, snapping a tie with Mantle for 48th place on the career list.

Omir Santos tacked on an RBI single as New York sent 11 batters to the plate in its second-biggest inning of the season. The Mets scored six runs in the first against Florida on April 27.

Bobby Parnell struck out two in a perfect eighth to earn the win, the first in his career as a major leaguer.

The 22-year-old lefty starter struck out five and walked none, earning another turn in the rotation.

Niese got a break in the first when Morgan slid past second on a steal attempt and was tagged out before Nate McLouth's base hit into left field. Morgan pounded the bench when he got back to the dugout.

But Niese experienced a little misfortune in the third. Morgan hit a one-out RBI single and moved to second on Freddy Sanchez's groundout. McLouth then hit a lazy fly that looked like the final out of the inning.

Beltran, a Gold Glove center fielder, and right fielder Ryan Church each ran into right-center to get the ball but both struggled to find it in the night sky and it landed behind Beltran in center. Morgan scampered home on McLouth's double to tie it at 2.

Pirates right-hander Jeff Karstens also had to deal with some bad luck. Castillo's well-placed grounder to the right of the mound in the first helped set up Delgado's two-run single.

Notables:

Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo had identical batting lines, going 2-4 with two runs scored off of two singles and a walk.

Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran, Omir Santos, Ryan Church, and Jon Niese each added a hit.

Carlos Delgado went 3-5 with a run scored on three hits, two singles and a home run in the eighth off of Burnett. He knocked in five runs.

David Wright had a slow day, going 0-4. His average is .302.

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Mets break out the broom and sweep the Phillies, 7-5

Posted on 07 May 2009 by Danielle

Carlos Beltran and David Wright each hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 on Thursday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

Jose Reyes added a solo shot in the second off an ineffective Jamie Moyer as the Mets again gave Mike Pelfrey the run support Johan Santana has lacked all season. Pelfrey (4-0) beat the rival Phillies for the second time this month, his only wins in 10 May decisions during his career.

Ramon Castro had a two-run double, Wright went 3 for 3 with a walk and the Mets made Moyer look his age by turning spacious Citi Field into a band box for one night.

Still, manager Jerry Manuel was infuriated with first-base umpire Bill Welke much of the evening. Manuel came out to argue three times with Welke - twice over calls that appeared as though they should have gone New York's way.

Manuel was finally ejected by Welke in the eighth following an obstruction call on Reyes that let Shane Victorino slip out of a rundown. Screaming in Welke's face, Manuel appeared to bump the umpire on the nose with the bill of his cap.

Later in the inning, Jayson Werth hit a two-run homer off Pedro Feliciano to cut it to 7-5.

Francisco Rodriguez saved his fourth game in four days, getting three outs to improve to 9 for 9 this season. With a runner on, he retired Jimmy Rollins on a popup to end it.

Werth had four hits and Ryan Howard drove a solo homer over the 415-foot sign in right-center for the Phillies, swept in the two-game series during their first visit to Citi Field. Santana beat them 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Howard also had an RBI double in the first before the Mets roughed up Moyer (3-2), who was looking for his 250th win.

Manuel stacked eight right-handed hitters against the 46-year-old lefty, and they jumped all over his soft tosses from the start. Beltran hit his third homer in four games, Carlos Delgado followed with a double and Wright drove a 1-2 pitch over the center-field fence.

It was only the second homer hit between the power alleys in 14 games at Citi Field. Howard's sixth-inning shot made it three.

Beltran and Wright also teamed up for two-run homers in the sixth inning of Monday night's 6-4 win at Atlanta.

Castro's two-run double off the base of the center-field fence made it 7-1, chasing Moyer with one out in the third. The Mets (14-13) have scored 36 runs in Pelfrey's five starts, 24 more than they've managed in Santana's six outings.

Pelfrey yielded three runs and eight hits in seven innings without a strikeout. The Mets are yet to have a starter pitch into the eighth this year.

Notable Peformances:

Jose Reyes went 1-5 with a solo shot off Moyer in the second.

Carlos Beltran went 1-4 with two RBI's on his two run homer that scored Castillo.

Fernando Tatis also added a hit.

Carlos Delgado had a 2-3 day with two runs scored.

David Wright continues to perform well, going 3-3 with a two-run home run and two singles. His average is now .314.

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Mothers' Day Alert!

Posted on 06 May 2009 by Danielle

Hey, everyone! As you know, Mothers' Day is right around the corner!

And if you don't know what to get your mom/grandmother/aunt/etc., why not get one of our fantastic Mets shirts! Not only will she look fabulous in her new shirt, BUT... ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of our profits will be donated to charity at the end of the season, meaning the money you spend on her will go to The David Wright Foundation.

And while you're over at our store, why not buy a matching shirt for yourself? You know you want to!

Click here to view all of our fabulous designs. All shirts start at $19.99 and under!

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Hernandez stellar in Mets' sweep of Braves

Posted on 06 May 2009 by Danielle

Carlos Delgado was proud of his performance during Tuesday night's final inning in one respect. "Game-winning RBI," he said about his two-run single in the ninth, which gave closer Francisco Rodriguez a three-run cushion.

Of course, the Mets would have been perfectly content if those runs weren't needed.
Delgado's drop of a routine pop-up by Omar Infante on what would have been the game's final out ultimately led to two unearned runs.

The Mets survived for a 4-3 win and completed a two-game sweep of the Braves when K-Rod overcame the flub and notched his seventh save by retiring Chipper Jones on a lineout to Ryan Church in right field that stranded Infante at third.

Despite the late scare, the Mets got back on track at a stadium that no longer serves as an annual burial ground. Livan Hernandez (2-1) took a scoreless effort into the seventh inning, and David Wright and Ramon Castro hit RBI doubles as the Mets (12-13) moved within a game of .500 entering another meeting with the Phillies, and a seeming mismatch between Johan Santana and Chan Ho Park tonight in Flushing.

Until Delgado's error, the most anxious moment came in the seventh, when Bobby Parnell tried to protect a two-run lead after inheriting two runners from Hernandez with one out. Parnell, a starter in the minor leagues, had been called upon only twice before in his professional career to enter a game with a runner on base. But the hard-throwing rookie has demonstrated he is ready for that challenge while serving as the primary seventh-inning reliever.

Parnell struck out pinch-hitter Greg Norton looking, but pinch-hitter Martin Prado followed with an RBI double to left field. Still, Parnell escaped with the Mets maintaining a 2-1 lead. With two runners in scoring position, Parnell retired Infante on a hard grounder to shortstop, although there was an anxious moment as the ball rolled up Jose Reyes' arm before he recovered and threw to Delgado.

Rodriguez entered the game in the ninth with a three-run cushion thanks to the two-run single by Delgado. It came after a throwing error by Jones put two runners in scoring position and Carlos Beltran was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Beltran and Wright, who combined for three homers and six RBI in Monday's win, didn't go deep Tuesday night but provided key contributions.

Beltran opened the third inning with a single off Kenshin Kawakami (1-4) to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games. He then stole second, and Wright's one-out double drove him in as the Mets struck first. Wright scored and gave the Mets a 2-0 lead when Castro, starting a third straight game, also doubled.

Beltran has reached base in each of the Mets' first 25 games, surpassing Kevin McReynolds' 1989 streak for the second-longest in franchise history to open a season. John Olerud, who reached base in the first 30 games of the '99 season, owns the team record. Beltran is the only player in the majors this season to reach base in every game now that Baltimore's Nick Markakis failed to do so Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, Hernandez looked spry in a 75-pitch effort while limiting the Braves to seven hits and two walks in 6-1/3 innings.

In the third, Church was unable to make a sliding catch on No.8 hitter David Ross' shot, turning the sinking liner into a double. Kawakami then tried to bunt Ross to third base, but Hernandez pounced off the mound and threw to Wright, who tagged out Ross. The Braves still loaded the bases that inning with ensuing singles by Infante and Yunel Escobar. But Hernandez had good fortune, too. Jones lined out to Luis Castillo, who doubled a retreating Infante off second base to end the inning.

Notables:

Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy had identical days, going 1-4 with a run scored and a walk.

Carlos Beltran continues to be on fire, going 2-4 with a run scored and a walk. His average, in case you were wondering, is .404. Yeah. You read that right.

Carlos Delgado, despite dropping a popup, went 2-5 with two RBI's.

Ramon Castro also continues to perform, going 3-5 with an RBI.

David Wright is still getting back into the swing of things, going 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored after a double. He also stole a base. Wright is just under the .300 mark at .299.

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HR's by Beltran and Wright propel Mets over Braves

Posted on 04 May 2009 by Danielle

Carlos Beltran slugged a pair of two-run homers and David Wright also had a two-run shot as the Mets beat the Braves, 6-4, Monday night at Turner Field.

Beltran's 26th multihomer game extended his hitting streak to 15 games, which he also accomplished in 2004 spanning a trade from the Royals to the Astros.

The Mets rallied from a 3-0 deficit and avoided dropping four games under .500 for the first time since Sept. 17, 2005 - when a loss to Atlanta capped a 3-14 stretch that removed them from wild-card contention during the first season under Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph.

Minaya, the GM who joined the team in Atlanta Monday and dispatched Oliver Perez to the bullpen, had suggested last week that the Mets lack a champion's "edge," only to backtrack when he realized how the statement played publicly.

Monday night, Braves starter Javier Vazquez overcame a pair of two-out walks in the third by striking out Beltran. An inning later, Vazquez surrendered his first hit, a one-out double by Wright. He took a 3-0 lead into the sixth, before Beltran and Wright each slugged two-run homers. In the seventh, Beltran drilled a second two-run shot to give the Mets a 6-3 lead and chase Vazquez.

The Mets had entered the day ranked 27th in the majors in homers with 16. Wright, who participated in an early batting practice session with hitting coach Howard Johnson Monday afternoon at Turner Field, homered for just the second time this season, his other longball coming off San Diego's Walter Silva on April 13.

John Maine, pitching for the first time in a week after his start was delayed a day by Sunday's rainout in Philadelphia, issued six walks and three hits in six innings. He surrendered all three runs charged to him in the second inning, after the Braves loaded the bases with none out on consecutive walks to Brandon Jones and David Ross.
Maine nearly wiggled out of the predicament unscathed. After striking out No. 8 batter Jordan Schafer, he got Vazquez (2-3) to send a slow grounder to Jose Reyes at shortstop, too slow to turn a double play.

Reyes threw to Luis Castillo for a forceout, and the second baseman attempted a desperation double-play turn to keep Atlanta off the scoreboard. Ross had a hard but clean takeout slide, forcing Castillo's throw to go wide of first baseman Carlos Delgado. Not only did Jeff Francoeur score, but Jones scampered home, too, as the ball bounced off the fence in front of the home dugout. Yunel Escobar's broken-bat single to center later in the inning scored Vazquez as the Braves took a 3-0 lead.

Maine then cruised into the sixth, when he ran into difficulty a half-inning after the Mets took the 4-3 lead. He issued his sixth walk, a one-out free pass to Jones, which pushed Casey Kotchman to second base. Ross then tried to catch the Mets off-guard with a bunt for a base hit down the third base line, but Wright charged in, barehanded the ball and retired him at first.

With two runners in scoring position, Maine completed a 101-pitch outing by striking out Schafer. Beltran's two-run homer in the seventh gave Bobby Parnell a three-run lead with which to work.

J.J. Putz surrendered a solo homer to Chipper Jones in the eighth as the Braves (11-14) pulled within two runs, but Francisco Rodriguez notched his sixth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Notable performances:

Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy each went 1-4 with a run scored and a walk.

Carlos Delgado also went 1-4 with a run scored.

Alex Cora also added a hit in his pinch hitting performance.

Player of the day, Carlos Beltran, was on fire, going 2-3 with a walk and four RBI's on two home runs.

David Wright went 2-4 today with a two-run home run and a double, scoring once and knocking in two RBI's.

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Condolences

Posted on 03 May 2009 by Danielle

Last night, Adam Cook, the brother of American Idol's David Cook, passed away after a decade-long battle with brain cancer.

Adam's illness inspired David to continually give back to the community through his work with various charities, both before and after his time on American Idol. This past November, David Cook joined David Wright at the Fourth Annual Do the Wright Thing Gala to benefit the David Wright Foundation as a performer, even offering time away from his schedule to the winning bidder of an auction package.

Adam Cook is survived by his wife, Kendra, and his seven-year-old son and daughter.

Here, at The Wright Stuff, we send our condolences out to the entire Cook family and want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

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Takahashi takes Bad Ollie off hook, but Green blows it

Posted on 03 May 2009 by Danielle

Come Thursday, when the Mets return home from this Philadelphia-Atlanta excursion to engage the Phillies at Citi Field, someone other than the pitcher on whom the Mets bestowed a $36 million contract in February will be the starting pitcher. The Mets don't know the identity of the replacement.

Jon Niese? Ken Takahashi? But that's where Perez is at his juncture. His work has been so poor, the Mets feel obliged to eliminate him from their plans even though they don't know how they will replace him.

Oliver Perez saw to that in a remarkably imprecise 18-batter performance that covered merely 2 1/3 innings. Eleven batters reached base -- six on walks, one of which went to the opposing pitcher with the bases loaded.

Some 3 1/2 hours later, Sean Green repeated that awful performance, forcing in the decisive run in a 6-5, 10-inning loss. But it was Perez who was regarded as the primary offender on this day; Green was merely an accomplice by comparison.

Perez has sufficient service in the big leagues -- five years is the threshold -- that he can reject assignment to the Minors.

The club suspects Perez's problems go beyond the usual lack of command and lack of control, beyond the fairly new issue of diminished velocity that now are in his head.

That Ollie survived for 18 batters was surprising. He threw 77 pitches, 41 for balls. Even when he walked his counterpart, Jamie Moyer, to force in the Phillies' third run, in the third inning, one of the called strikes was well above the strike zone. Four of the five batters he faced in the third walked. And he already had surrendered two runs in the first and one in the second. One of the seven outs he did achieve was a well-struck fly ball that scored a run.

And the Phillies are the team Perez regularly dominated last season -- an 0.35 ERA in 26 innings.

The lefty's inadequate performance followed five days of intense work with pitching coach Dan Warthen and, at times, Johan Santana. If anything, Perez was less effective, less in control Saturday than he was in his previous start against the Nationals on Sunday in Citi Field. Then he allowed nine hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. That start put his ERA at 9.31. It now is 9.97.

Perez has pitched 21 2/3 innings in five starts, allowing 49 baserunners.

As poorly as the game started, the ending was only slightly less vexing for the Mets. After they had overcome all that Perez had wrought and taken a lead -- albeit short-lived -- they endured their third loss in four games. The bullpen was responsible for the loss. Green surrendered the bases-loaded walk to Shane Victorino. Green had been undermined by a infield roller by Pedro Feliz after one out. But then Green hit pinch-hitter Matt Stairs. After a fly ball out, he walked pinch-hitter Chris Coste to load the bases. The walk to Victorino was the Phillies' 11th with the bases loaded this season.

The loss was the sixth for the Mets' bullpen -- the 'pen was responsible for losses Tuesday and Wednesday as well, the team's sixth in 10 one-run games. It was the Mets first extra-inning game. The Phillies, 4-1 in one-run games, won in their final at-bat for the sixth time.

A home run by new Phillies fan favorite Raul Ibanez against Pedro Feliciano had tied the score at 5 in the sixth. Pedro Feliciano had allowed a home run to another left-handed hitter, Chase Utley, on Friday night as well. The Mets nearly scored in the eighth when Carlos Beltran singled to left with pinch-runners Omir Santos and John Maine on second and first base. But Jayson Werth threw out Santos at the plate.

The Mets had scored three times in the sixth against Moyer to lead, 4-3. Moyer, taking his first run at his 250th career victory, retired he first two batters of the inning before Daniel Murphy and Ramon Castro hit home runs in successive at-bats, a Mets first this season. And before manager Charlie Manuel could remove his starter, pinch-hitter Alex Cora tripled to center field. Reliever Scott Eyre walked Jose Reyes before Luis Castillo finished off a contentious at-bat with a run-scoring single through the right side.

But the Mets had been at a deficit after two Phillies had batted and even though they took the lead for a mere inning, Green failed to hold it together.

Notables:

Luis Castillo was 1-3 with a walk, a single, a RBI, and a run scored.

Carlos Beltran was 2-5.

Sheffield, Ryan Church, and Ollie each had a hit in the game.

Daniel Murphy was 1-2 in the game, with two walks, and two RBI's on his home run in the sixth inning.

Ramon Castro was 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI, as well as a walk.

Alex Cora was 2-2 with a run scored.

David Wright was 0-2 with an RBI and two walks. His average is now .284.

Mets' bats come alive in 7-5 win over Phillies

Posted on 02 May 2009 by Danielle

Marching into a raucous Citizens Bank Park, the Mets bore little resemblance to the team that appeared, at times, to sleepwalk through the season’s first month. Jumping out to a 5-0 lead, the Mets steeled for the Phillies’ inevitable charge, weathered it and soldiered onward.

Carlos Beltran was a big part of an offense that scored three runs on sacrifice flies and two on a first-inning homer by Daniel Murphy. The Mets, who have had trouble scoring add-on runs, tallied two more on fifth-inning singles that impaired the Phillies’ chances at mounting another of their patented comebacks.

One of those run-scoring singles was from the struggling David Wright, who finished with two hits and a run batted in. The other was from Mike Pelfrey, who pitched five and one-third adequate innings that paled beside his performance at the plate. Pelfrey also drove in the Mets’ third run on a sacrifice fly that was caught at the left-center-field fence.

The Phillies’ resilience stands in stark contrast to the Mets, who are 0-10 when trailing after seven innings. By tacking on those two insurance runs Friday, and by watching their bullpen limit the Phillies to one run (a Chase Utley homer in the seventh) in the final three and two-thirds innings, the Mets showed signs of progress.

The Mets were undeniably better than the Phillies in one category: pitching. As poorly as the Mets’ rotation has looked this season, the Phillies’ pitchers have been worse. The Phillies’ staff began Friday with a National League-worst 5.63 earned run average and was tied with Baltimore for allowing the most home runs in the majors (40).

The Phillies returned four of their five starters from last season, but Friday’s starter, Chan Ho Park, was not one of them. He spent part of 2007 with the Mets, making one awful start for them in April, and the Mets pounded him Friday as if they knew what pitches were coming. Alternately showing patience and aggressiveness, the Mets battered Park for seven runs in four and two-thirds innings, drawing six walks.

Another poor showing with runners in scoring position (2 for 8) was mitigated by the Mets’ surge in productive outs, hitting three sacrifice flies in the second and third innings that gave them a 5-0 lead. Their lineup, still without Carlos Delgado (sore right hip) and Luis Castillo (back spasms), had a flow not seen recently, as every starter but Jose Reyes and Ryan Church reached base.

Notables:

All batters, with the exception of Reyes and Church, had a hit.

Carlos Beltran was 1-2 with three walks, a double, and two runs scored.

Fernando Tatis went 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored on a double.

Omir Santos continues to impress, going 1-2 with a double, an RBI, a run scored, and an RBI.

Even Mike Pelfrey was 1-2 with two RBI's on a single.

David Wright broke out of his slump, going 2-4 with an RBI and a walk, and no strikeouts. His average is up to .291.

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Bullpen blows it for Livan, Mets drop game to Florida

Posted on 28 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Sean Green allowed four runs in the seventh inning, three on the second home run of the night by Jorge Cantu. As a consequence, the Marlins ended their losing streak at seven games and, for the fourth time in 20 games, the Mets lost a game in which they had led by at least three runs.

Cantu provided the Marlins' first two runs, hitting his fourth home run against starting pitcher Livan Hernandez in the fourth, following a leadoff walk to John Baker. The fifth home run Hernandez has allowed in what now is 21 1/3 innings moved the Marlins within one run at 3-2. David Wright drove in Alex Cora with a single in the fifth inning, affording Hernandez a 4-2 lead.

Florida scored in the sixth after Hernandez departed with a runner on first. A soft single to left by Cantu off Bobby Parnell moved Baker to second base, and a bad-hop ground ball off Wright -- it was scored an error -- produced the run. Then Green (0-1) took the bullpen's fourth loss, allowing a leadoff walk to Alfredo Amezaga and a one-out chopped single to right by Emilio Bonifacio. After Cameron Maybin drove in Amezaga with a soft roller, Green walked Baker on four pitches and allowed Cantu's second home run.

The Mets had scored twice in the first against Ricky Nolasco on a triple by Gary Sheffield. Cora drove in Omir Santos in the second with a single. The Mets managed five more baserunners, but couldn't score them.

Notables:

Carlos Beltran, Sheffield, and Santos each had a hit in today's game, with Santos scoring once.

Pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy also added a hit to the Mets' total.

The best performance of the day was from Alex Cora, who was 2-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk.

David Wright went 1-4 with an RBI. His average is now .282.

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Mets' bats come alive against Marlins in series opener

Posted on 27 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Omir Santos hit his first big league home run, the Mets' first grand slam and Citi's first grand slam, as well. The remaining eight innings were staged for the benefit of John Maine who gained his first victory in a long time.

Santos and Maine were foremost in a 7-1 victory that must be characterized as battery-powered. Santos is the 27-year-old catcher in the process of making a strong first impression. And Maine is a primary reclamation project, a pitcher the Mets need to perform at a high level if they are to extend Citi's inaugural season beyond early October.

Their contributions left little for the others to handle. Santos' slam and the two runs that preceded it eliminated all sense of drama, which is not to say what followed was unimportant. Maine produced a long-awaited renaissance start -- he hadn't won in six starts, four this season, and hadn't completed the sixth inning in eight. And David Wright made contact in each of his four at-bats; nary a strikeout. Of such elements is progress made.

The Mets still didn't look quite like the team they believe they are. Left field produced another error -- though not by Daniel Murphy -- and the offense catnapped between their first and final turns at-bat. But they asserted themselves against a team that now has lost seven successive games after beginning the season with 11 victories in 12 games and beat a pitcher, Anibal Sanchez, who had tamed them 17 days earlier.

Maine decelerated his delivery and accelerated his fastball, which he used almost exclusively in the early innings. He surrendered an unearned run in the first when Gary Sheffield misplayed a mostly routine fly ball to left. A single by Jorge Cantu, the lone hit Maine allowed, followed three batters later, but it wasn't as if Maine bowed to the adversity as Oliver Perez appeared to Sunday following a Murphy muff. Maine followed Cantu's hit with two of his four strikeouts. Aside from three walks, Maine was in control until his removal after 94 pitches. He won for the first time since Aug. 13, the first time since his offseason shoulder surgery.

He wasn't flawless. His last two batters reached the warning track and the walks unsettled him. He had worked to slow his delivery between starts after finding rush-hour mechanics were undermining his pitches.

But tonight, it didn't matter.

Santos' well-struck home run cleared the left-center-field wall by a healthy margin and allowed Maine to throw most of his pitches with room for error. The rookie hit a 1-1 fastball and became the third player in franchise history to hit a grand slam as his first career home run. Pitcher Jack Hamilton did it in 1967, and Jose Reyes notched his six years ago.

He received a curtain call, a personal first, after his teammates explained the phenomenon.

Santos started for the third successive game. For now, as manager Jerry Manuel makes evaluations, he has displaced Ramon Castro as the primary catching understudy. Manuel said before the game he might face a difficult decision when regular catcher Brian Schneider ends his assignment to the disabled list, which will be Sunday at the earliest. After the game, the manager reinforced that thinking.

Santos, who turns 28 Wednesday, spent seven seasons in the Yankees' chain then signed with the Orioles last year and made his big league debut. A Minor League free agent again in the winter, he signed with the Mets at his family's urging, choosing them rather than the Braves, Marlins or Orioles.

Lucky us.

Notable Performances:

Luis Castillo went 1-2 with a run scored and a walk before being pulled after experiencing back spasms. He will be back in the lineup after a few days rest.

Both Carlos Beltran and Gary Sheffield went 1-4, with Sheffield knocking in a run.

Ryan Church also added a hit and an RBI today.

Fernando Tatis was 1-4 as a substitute for Delgado, scoring once.

Hero of the day, Omir Santos went 1-4, but the one was a BIG one. His grand slam, the first ever at Citi Field, helped the Mets jump out to a quick lead.

Daniel Murphy also got a hit in his pinch hitting appearance.

David Wright burst out of his slump with his new haircut, going 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. He didn't strikeout once. His average is up to .284.

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