Mets end streak with win over Nationals

Posted on 25 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Throughout the early innings on Friday night, Johan Santana was hurling fastballs in the mid-90s. He struck out the first batter, than the second and the third. He struck out the fifth and the sixth and the seventh.

By the time Santana had made his way through the Nationals' lineup once, he had retired eight of the nine batters, striking out seven of them. He was well on his way to what would become a 4-3 Mets victory, and for a fireworks display, his tactics proved mighty effective.

Their two best offensive moments -- Carlos Beltran's RBI triple for his 1,000th career RBI in the third inning and Fernando Tatis' leadoff triple in the sixth -- came thanks to Nationals defensive miscues. Closing out the game was also an issue, thanks to the two-run homer that closer Francisco Rodriguez served up with no outs in the ninth.

Santana struck out six of the first seven batters he faced, becoming the first Mets pitcher to record his first six outs on strikeouts since David Cone in 1991. And if not for a pop single to shallow center field in the second, Santana would have been perfect through three. The only mistake that haunted him all game was a fastball that Nick Johnson lined over the left-field fence for a solo home run to lead off the sixth.

And though his pitch count was a worry, it wound up helping the Mets. Manuel removed Santana after 104 pitches, with Tatis on third base and one out in the sixth. Moments later, in his second pinch-hit at-bat of the season, Daniel Murphy singled him home to help the Mets reclaim a two-run lead.

Santana didn't need much more offense -- Luis Castillo singled and scored in the third inning on Beltran's triple, which Nationals center fielder Elijah Dukes misplayed. Castillo singled home a run with two outs in the fourth, one of two hits the Mets had in 18 opportunities with runners in scoring position. And Carlos Delgado walked with the bases loaded in the eighth.

The end game was more or less what the Mets expected -- what was supposed to happen. Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, J.J. Putz and Rodriguez combined to pitch the final three innings, with K-Rod allowing the only runs.

Rodriguez, after nailing down a shaky save, spoke of the importance of having a short memory -- of forgetting the home run Nationals catcher Jesus Flores just hit and moving on to the next batter. But Santana has a long memory, and that's important, too.

Notable performances:

Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Gary Sheffield, Ramon Castro, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan Church each had a hit in the game.

Luis Castillo went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

David Wright's 1-5 performance resulted in his average dropping slightly to .302.

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Mets drop game to Cards, on bats, not errors, 2-5.

Posted on 23 Apr 2009 by Danielle

John Maine walked five and gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings... and the Mets only managed two.

The offense, which has scored just seven runs in its past three games, again stalled, putting only two runs on the board against Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro.

The two problems which have caused New York to stumble to a 6-8 record to start the season again doomed the club on Wednesday.

The Mets trailed early as the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Albert Pujols. After an RBI single by Daniel Murphy tied the game in the top of the third, St. Louis added two runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a 5-1 lead. The score stayed that way until the ninth, when Carlos Beltran doubled in a run to make it 5-2.

Maine threw 111 pitches, giving up seven hits to go along with his five walks. He fell to 0-2 with a 7.47 ERA in three starts to open the season.

The Mets' rotation is now 13th in the National League with a 5.19 ERA, and their 37 walks tie for the second most in the league.

While some could have seen the pitching woes as a possibility, the lack of offense has been surprising to everyone involved. The Mets are third in the NL in batting average at .283, but 11th in the league in runs scored at just 4.4 runs per game.

The Mets have just 36 extra-base hits, good for 14th in the league, including only four in the past two losses against the Cardinals.

Looking for ways to jumpstart the stagnant offense, Manuel will shake up the lineup for the series finale on Thursday afternoon against the Cardinals. In addition to flipping Wright and Beltran in the order, Manuel plans to give Gary Sheffield the start in left field, and he will insert infielder Alex Cora and catcher Omir Santos into the lineup, as well.

Two weeks into the season, the Mets sit in fourth place in the NL East. It's not the start that anyone saw coming, both from the mound and at the plate.

Something that Manuel and the rest of the Mets hope will begin to happen soon.

David Wright was 1-4 in last night's loss, with a run scored. His average dropped slightly to .302.

New Design: D-Wright is for lovers!

Posted on 20 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Click on the picture to check out all of the shirt information!

If you'd like to check out any of our other shirts, please click here. All shirts are $19.99 and under!

Remember, all profits will be donated to the David Wright Foundation at the end of the year and I will post the check/any confirmation letter for proof!

We've raised over $125 so far! Please keep it going!

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Mets drop series finale to Brewers, 4-2

Posted on 19 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Nelson Figueroa pitched reasonably well Sunday in a fill-in appearance for Mike Pelfrey, but the Mets stumbled back to .500 (6-6) by wasting one scoring chance after another in a 4-2 loss to the Brewers at Citi Field.

Figueroa, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo after Saturday's 1-0 Santana victory with Pelfrey unable to start due to forearm tendinitis, lasted six innings in his first big-league start of the season. The Brooklyn product allowed three runs on five hits, including a solo homer by ex-Met Mike Cameron in the sixth.

But the Mets, whose 12 hits included three apiece at the top of the order by Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy, only scored twice in six-plus innings against 2006 NLCS nemesis Jeff Suppan - going 1-for-7 against him with runners in scoring position and 2-for-13 overall in those situations.

Carlos Delgado ripped an RBI double to left-center in the first, and Reyes scored Omir Santos, who had smacked a leadoff triple in the seventh, with an infield single off lefty reliever Mitch Stetter.

But Fernando Tatis, making his first career start at second base and his first start at any position for the Mets this season, flew out to the warning track in left-center with runners on second and third to end the sixth. Reliever Todd Coffey snared Delgado's comebacker and started a 1-2-3 double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.

Coffey also fanned Tatis (0-for-4) with runners on first and second for the first out of the eighth, before Carlos Beltran was doubled off at second on a line-drive double play to third by Santos to squelch yet another threat.

Coffey, who recorded the final eight outs for the throwback save, added a sacrifice bunt to set up an insurance run for the Brewers against Bobby Parnell on Rickie Weeks' RBI single in the ninth.

David Wright went 0-4 in today's game.

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Santana's gem gives Mets 1-0 win for guaranteed series victory

Posted on 19 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Yovani Gallardo was fantastic yesterday for the Brewers. But Johan Santana was better.

Santana breezed effortlessly through seven innings in his first start at Citi Field, and the New York Mets took advantage of a key error to scratch out the only run they needed in a 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

Santana (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk. He never allowed a Brewers baserunner past first.

Santana was coming off a sharp performance against the Florida Marlins in which both runs were unearned in a 2-1 loss. He's allowed only one earned run in his first 19 2-3 innings, and hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since last July 17.

All those stellar outings haven't always led to wins, though. This was the fourth straight game that the Mets failed to score more than two runs for him.

After Gallardo fought to keep Milwaukee in the game, he turned the ball over to Carlos Villanueva starting the seventh.

Villanueva (1-2) issued a leadoff walk to Ramon Castro, and after Omir Santos came in to run for the plodding catcher, pinch-hitter Alex Cora laid down a sacrifice bunt. Cora sprinted to first and hit the bag just as Rickie Weeks was dropping the throw, allowing Santos to head for third.

Moments later, Jose Reyes lined a pitch back at Villanueva for an RBI fielder's choice, and the Mets' new bullpen took care of things after that.

J.J. Putz set the Brewers down in order in the eighth, and new closer Francisco Rodriguez worked around a leadoff single to Ryan Braun for his third save of the season.

The game ended when K-Rod struck out J.J. Hardy and Santos gunned down Braun attempting to steal second, eliciting a roar from a packed stadium on a picture-perfect afternoon.

Gallardo matched Santana almost batter-for-batter until leaving with his pitch count at 103.

Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes each had two of the Mets' five hits yesterday. Ryan Church had one.

David Wright went 0-3 with one walk, breaking his ten game hitting streak. His average is now .317.

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Sheffield hits 500th and Castillo walks it off in Mets' win over Brew Crew

Posted on 18 Apr 2009 by Danielle

It was never a question of IF Gary Sheffield would hit his 500th. It was a question of when.

And when, was April 17, 2009.

The historic blast - his first hit in a Met uniform - tied the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 4-4 in a contest the Mets won 5-4 on Luis Castillo's walk-off single.

The historic milestone, which makes Sheffield just the 25th member of the 500 club, came in the 7th inning on a 3-2 86mph slider from Mitch Stetter that caught a little too much of the plate.

Sheffield had taken several good cuts before he dispatched Stetter's ninth offering over the left field wall right down the line.

Sheffield raised both hands above his head as he left the batters box and jogged to first base, savouring the moment before being greeted by every Met after he crossed home plate and pointed towards the sky.

First to hug him was Jose Reyes, then David Wright, the one who convinced him to come to New York, then the rest of his team mates. Some individually, others in twos or threes.

It was the start of a happy evening, even if it did take the Mets another hour to finally take the lead for good.

The Mets had taken a 1st inning 3-0 lead, but they fell behind after leaving Livan Hernandez in a batter too long.

Hernandez gave up two runs on six hits last time out against the Marlins, but he could not retire a batter in the 6th inning on Friday as the Mets had to come from behind.

Jose Reyes, Daniel Murphy
Beltran couldn't put the ball in play and Dave Bush walked Ryan Church intentionally to get to Ramon Castro, who has never hit a grand slam.

Castro fell behind in the count but Bush missed with a 2-2 breaking ball outside before missing with a fastball in to walk in a run.

Luis Castillo dribbled an infield single to score Wright to make it 3-0, but it could have been worsewhen JJ Hardy threw the ball away as he tried to make a play at third base which was never, ever on. Livan Hernandez struck out looking as the Mets batted around on four hits and a pair of walks.

Milwaukee nibbled away at the lead in the top of the 5th inning after Mike Cameron and Bill Hall hit back-to-back one-out singles to putmen on the corners.

Mike Rivera hit a sac fly to Beltran to make it 3-1 and starter Bush continued in his grove in the bottom of the frame to record his seventh and eighth consecutive batters before walking Wright on four pitches.

After throwing 34 pitches in the 1st inning, Bush only threw 35 combined between the 2nd and 4th innings.

By contrast, Hernandez cruised through the first four innings, began to tire in the 5th and got hit hard and knocked out of the game in the 6th.

Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart singled to lead off the inning and Ryan Braun hit a three-run home run down the line in left field to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.

The Mets have blown a pair of three-run leads already this season, including Thursday, and they led the NL with 14 such blown leads in 2008.

However, following Sheffield's home run the Mets loaded the bases as the celebrations continued in the dugout and they also put the go-ahead run at third base in the 8th inning as Wright then left them loaded against Todd Coffey.

The Mets' bullpen did everything they were asked, with Feliciano, Green, Parnell and Putz combining for four innings of shutout ball and they gave the offense every chance they needed to win the game when they game to bat in the 9th,

Delgado led off the bottom of the 9th with a double to the centre field wall but Beltran struck out on a high fastball.

Ryan Church was intentionally walked and Omir Santos grounded out to first to move the runners over to second and third with two away, but Castillo's dribbler to the left side of the infield was hit just slow enough that Hardy couldn't get the throw across the diamond away in time.

Notable performances of the night:

Jose Reyes had a great night, going 3-5 with a win scored.

Daniel Murphy was 1-4, with a run scored and a walk.

Carlos Delgado was 1-3 with a double and a run scored.

Carlos Beltran went 1-5.

Ramon Castro did well in his first start of the year, going 2-3 with a walk.

Luis Castillo had the game winning, walk off single in his 2-5 performance, plating two.

And of course, Gary Sheffield was 1-1 as a pinch hitter, blasting his 500th career home run.

David Wright was 2-3 in last night's game with a run scored and two walks. His average is .342.

In Remembrance: Virginia Tech

Posted on 16 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Two years ago today, on April 16, 2007, a school shooting consisting of two separate attacks approximately two hours apart took place on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States.

As a result of the shooting, 32 people were killed and many others injured. The massacre is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.

Today, at The Wright Stuff, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and friends, as well as the students of Virginia Tech.

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Check out David's Jackie Robinson Day Cleats

Posted on 16 Apr 2009 by Danielle

David Wright is one of a number of top players around the league tonight who will a specially designed shoe to commemorate Jackie Robinson Day. Here's the rundown from Nike.

As part of Major League Baseball’s annual “Jackie Robinson Day� tribute, several Nike baseball athletes will take to the diamond in a uniquely designed cleat that features an engraving of Robinson’s iconic image sliding into home plate as well as his number ‘42’ stitched on each heel.

Credit: Newsday

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Good Ollie shows up, leads mets to a 7-2 win over Padres on Robinson's Day

Posted on 16 Apr 2009 by Danielle

Hello, Good Ollie. Welcome to Citi Field. Stay a while. Make yourself at home.

Oliver Perez masterfully held the Padres to three hits -- two of which came from Luis Rodriguez -- as the Mets cruised to their first Citi Field win, a 7-2 series-tying victory on Jackie Robinson Day.

Perez approached each inning with a nearly methodical pace, going to his slider early and often to keep the Padres off balance.

After allowing a leadoff single to Rodriguez in the third inning, Perez retired the side 10 pitches later. An RBI single to score Rodriguez in the fifth inning was the lone blemish for Perez, who diligently and economically approached each inning and finished with 58 of his 90 pitches for strikes.

But what was the most positive affirmation for Manuel wasn't Perez's numbers: It was the southpaw's mental fortitude.

Buoyed by Perez's performance on the mound, the Amazins' bats put up a pair of runs in the fourth and capitalized on the Padres wild relievers to score four runs in the seventh.

Carlos Delgado had two of the team's seven hits and extended his hit streak to 13 games with an RBI single to score Daniel Murphy in the fourth. David Wright also crossed the plate on Gary Sheffield's double play ground ball.

Like Sheffield, the Mets are still a work in progress. But Wednesday night there was a lot more good -- such as Jose Reyes
Notable performances:

Jose Reyes was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Daniel Murphy also had a 1-3 day with a hit and an RBI.

Carlos "Esta en fuego" Delgado went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored on his solo BOMB, as well as a walk.

Carlos Beltran went 1-2 with an RBI and two walks.

Luis Castillo continues to hit, going 1-3 with a run scored.

David Wright was 1-4 in the game with a run scored.

Want to check out the Mets of the future?

Posted on 15 Apr 2009 by Danielle

The Binghamton Mets will be playing the Trenton Thunder in Trenton on May 8th. As a part of the Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club (RUSEPRC), I'm selling tickets to the game for $8 each.

The RUSEPRC raises German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers from a few months old until they are 12-16 months and does their preliminary behavioral training for The Seeing Eye of Morristown.

TIckets are $8 and all those attending will be sitting near the dogs, so if you like cute puppies and would like to attend (or just want to catch the B-Mets!), please send me an email at TWSDanielle@gmail.com OR message me on Twitter!

Thanks everyone and let's go Mets!!!!
Danielle

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