error in Poll

correction who will hit the most hr in 2010 not 2009....my mistake

Prediction for 2010 (hr)

Reyes- 10-15 hr..considering hes 100% healthy
Castillo- 0-3 3's a max for this guy...he has no pop
Beltran- 25-30 if he doesnt hurt his knee again(08,09)
Bay- 25-35 i have faith in him playing at citi field
wright- 20-25(max 30) with a healthy lineup....he will produce!
Francoeur-15-25 new city, new stadium, new team.......can he return to 07 form?
Murphy- 15-20. 15 last yr...he survived the season healthy! why not give him 20hr!
Molina?-10-15, last year he had 20....12 hr home at at&t park and 8 away

at at&t park dimensions

Left field line - 339 feet (103 m)
Left field - 364 feet (111 m)
Left-center field - 404 feet (123 m)
Center field - 399 feet (122 m)
Right-center field - 421 feet (128 m)
Right field - 365 feet (111 m)
Right field line - 309 feet (94 m)


Citi field dimensions


Left field 335 ft (102 m)
Left center 364 (111)
Deep left center 384 (117)
Center field 408 (124)
Deep right center 415 (126)
Right center 378 (115)
Right field 330 (101)

Mets Reach Agreement With Jason Bay

WEDNESDAY, 4:07pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse tweets that Bay's 2014 vesting option is worth $17MM, but the slugger would receive $80MM total if it vests and $66MM if not. The math doesn't check out at first glance, but Price said he assumes there's a $3MM buyout if the option does not vest.

MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone believes the contract will be backloaded and the vesting option "will be based on Bay averaging something like 140 games played each of the first four years of the deal."



(im not late) i knew about this...when WFAN announced it.......i haven't been blogging...its the holidays!

Bay and molina and my lineup

It’s Been 10 Days since offers to Bay & Molina

John Morosi of FoxSports.com believes free-agent catchers Rod Barajas, Jose Molina and Yorvit Torrealba will remain on the free-agent market until Molina signs a new contract.

Does bay want to be a mets? is it the stadium? or is it because the mets happen o suck?
...................................................................................

this who i want for the 2010 opening day lineup

Reyes
castillo
Beltran
Bay
wright
Jacob or delgado
Francoeur
molina
pitcher

Santana
sheets
pelf
marquis
perez

Jason bay update

"Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that Jason Bay can thank his agent, Joe Urbon, for pricing him out of a good situation in Boston. With no obvious bidders remaining for Bay besides the New York Mets, Madden says that Urbon returned to the Red Sox to see if they would revisit negotiations with Bay. The Sox, however, having signed Mike Cameron, no longer appear interested.

Madden thinks that Bay's reluctance to accept the Mets' four-year, $64MM offer suggests the outfielder is wary of playing in Citi Field for a team that "even with him, looks to be no better than a third-place club." Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees that Citi Field could be a factor, as the Mets pursue Bay and other free agents. Davidoff points out that, statistically, the park doesn't seem all that bad for hitters, but it's hard to shake that perception."

The Mets have offered Bay a four-year deal worth $64 million, but Urbon is pushing for a fifth year.

Many believe that Bay simply doesn't want to play at the cavernous Citi Field.

Mets waiting by the bay, finding the chemistry and molina game

the mets haven't heard from jason bay yet.
Is Bay avoiding the mets? I hope not. The mets are likely going to get Bay, as the cardinals will get holliday, and the angels could get damon. Bay had 32 Hr last year, he would certainly be a big factor in the mets lineup.


He brings good leadership to any clubhouse. Him and Reyes played in the minors together and they got along great. Mets need to increase there chemistry, like in 2006 when they knew every game they were going to win!

The mets are also interested in bengie molina. This veteran would teach young pitchers well,as well has henry blanco too. Molina wants 3yr/20mil but the mets want2yr/around 16mil........obviously the mets are the top bidder for molina, primarily because they have the money to get him.

Lets play a wait game play a wait game
does he want money or a winning team is he playing a wait game, wait game
^^^beging of a remix to lady gaga love game XD

-Bre S.

Omar might make right moves in offseason.

he has signed chris coste and Henry blanco. Guys, coste is gonna go to the minors and try and make buffalo win. Henry Blanco is going to be the backup catcher for the mets. Omar is gonna try and get Bengie Molina.
The Jon lackey situation, we probably are not gonna get him! Omar is gonna get 2 decent pitchers, (joel pinero, randy wolf,or some pitcher similar). Omars main focus is on left fielder, he will be patient in the winter meetings, according to mlb hotstove. Hes gonna see what holliday wants, (probably omar will over 6 year 90 mil)

I think we need Pitching.
Pitching wins ball games

You can win a game 1-0....yes i know this was impossible for the mets the past 2 years!

Mets, Jays and Cubs working on 3-way Deal

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com believes the Mets, Blue Jays and Cubs are discussing a three-way deal that would send Luis Castillo to Chicago, Milton Bradley to Toronto, and Lyle Overbay to the Mets.

According to major-league sources, Rosenthal writes, “The teams indeed have discussed the framework of such a deal,” however, it is a ‘longshot.’

The 32–year-old Overbay hit .265 with a .372 OBP, 16 HR and 35 doubles in 132 games for the Blue Jays in 2009.

Overbay will earn $7 million in 2010, after which he can be a free agent.

Castillo is due $6 million each of the next two seasons.

2006 mets

Offseason

* November 18, 2005: Xavier Nady was traded by the San Diego Padres to the New York Mets for Mike Cameron.
* November 24, 2005: Carlos Delgado was traded by the Florida Marlins with cash to the New York Mets for Mike Jacobs, Yusmeiro Petit, and Grant Psomas (minors).
* November 29, 2005: Billy Wagner was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
* December 5, 2005: Paul Lo Duca was traded by the Florida Marlins to the New York Mets for Dante Brinkley (minors) and Gaby Hernandez (minors).
* December 12, 2005: Julio Franco was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
* January 22, 2006: Kris Benson was traded by the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for Jorge Julio and John Maine.



2006 New York Mets
Roster
Pitchers

* 40 Brian Bannister
* 19 Heath Bell
* 53 Chad Bradford
* 25 Pedro Feliciano
* 43 Bartolomé Fortunato
* 47 Tom Glavine
* 32 Geremi González
* 48 Aaron Heilman
* 26 Orlando Hernández
* 39 Roberto Hernández
* 49 Philip Humber
* 34 Jorge Julio
* 17 José Lima
* 33 John Maine
* 45 Pedro Martínez
* 59 Guillermo Mota
* 27 Darren Oliver
* 36 Henry Owens
* 34 Mike Pelfrey
* 46 Óliver Pérez
* 50 Duaner Sánchez
* 59 Alay Soler
* 29 Steve Trachsel
* 13 Billy Wagner
* 32 Dave Williams
* 38 Victor Zambrano

Catchers

* 11 Ramón Castro
* 6 Mike DiFelice
* 16 Paul LoDuca
* 36 Kelly Stinnett

Infielders

* 21 Carlos Delgado
* 23 Julio Franco
* 1 Anderson Hernandez
* 25 Kazuo Matsui
* 7 José Reyes
* 18 José Valentín
* 4 Chris Woodward
* 5 David Wright

Outfielders

* 15 Carlos Beltrán
* 10 Endy Chávez
* 20 Víctor Díaz
* 30 Cliff Floyd
* 20 Shawn Green
* 9 Ricky Ledee
* 32 Eli Marrero
* 44 Lastings Milledge
* 22 Xavier Nady
* 22 Michael Tucker

Manager

* 12 Willie Randolph

Coaches

* 50 Manny Acta (third base)
* 2 Sandy Alomar, Sr. (bench)
* 56 Guy Conti (bullpen)
* 54 Rick Down (hitting)
* 53 Jerry Manuel (first base)
* 51 Rick Peterson (pitching)

BY RONNIE MOSIMANN
STACHE WRITER

Don’t even get me started on last season. It was one of the most pain inflicting adventures I have ever experienced. Come mid-July, all hope was lost. Talks of next season were already starting to begin. Of course there was the typical trade deadline all-nighter, only to be zapped by Mr.Minaya once again. “I think we can solve the issues using the internal players we have in the organization.” Omar, you have already called everyone up. Unless you can turned rock into water, stop talking.

Hot Stove is heating up. Players options are being picked up, declined, etc. What’s next for the Mets? I know it’s easy to simply say “just spend huge dollars and get the best players out there,” but don’t forget- our GM is Omar Minaya. That won’t happen. I want to talk about two men who I believe have the ability to change the attitude and chemistry of this team into something we have not seen since 2006.

Bring back Cliff Floyd and Darren Oliver. Watching the 2009 ALCS killed me. Seeing Darren Oliver get huge outs for the Angels in the biggest of spots was heart-wrenching. All I could think about was him coming out of the bullpen for the Mets and knowing that the out would get made. Omar Minaya- trade for Darren Oliver. But-we’re not done. Cliff Floyd is possibly the Met that I loved the most since I have been a fan. I know he was/is injury prone- but I want him back for his attitude.

He kept guys like Reyes and Delgado loose. He especially kept Wright fresh and on his toes. Cliffy and David were great friends, and bringing back Floyd would not only change the morale in the clubhouse, but it would make our third basemen a very happy man. Floyd is loved by the fan base, and was cheered for very loudly on Opening Night at CitiField when he was introduced for the San Diego Padres. He was really happy in New York- and I would bet that he’d love to make a return for a year or two.

current and former Mets player of the day: marlon anderson

06/12/05

The Mets twice were within two outs of a fourth straight defeat, the second time thanks to an error by usually reliable first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. But they were spared each occasion, first by a pinch-hit, inside-the-park home run by Marlon Anderson in the ninth inning and, then, after Mientkiewicz's error, by the third last-pitch home run of Floyd's career. If not for Anderson, the pinch-hitter extraordinaire, Mientkiewicz never would have had the chance to mess up. Anderson hit his first career inside-the-park homer and the seventh pinch-hit home run of his career off hard-throwing Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez.

With one out, Anderson hit a line drive into the right-center-field gap that center fielder Steve Finley misplayed. The ball caromed off Finley's leg and bounced along the warning track toward right field as Anderson rounded the bases.

Finley's relay to second baseman Kennedy was fine, and Kennedy's relay to the plate, though bounced and to the first-base side, beat Anderson.

But he slid in before backup catcher Jose Molina applied the tag, completing the Mets' first inside-the-park home run at Shea Sadium since 1989 and their first anywhere since 2000. In the play at the plate, Anderson mashed his face into Molina's mask -- he needed three stitches in his cheek -- and his knee into Molina's knee.

"It was well worth it," said Anderson who now has 13 hits in 28 pinch-hit at-bats.

questions for the GM

what players a are you interested in this offseason?
would you give holliday the years and the $ he wants?
are you gonna be a aggressive?
Are you going to sign top $ pitchers?

ALL of these questions have to be answered, they should of been answered last year but omar thought once he fixed the bullpen our team was amazing, WRONG!

mets need to be aggressive in signing free agents, if they are not, their rivals
(nl east teams) might pick up them.

Matt holliday or Jason Bay

in 2009 matt holliday(29) batted .313 with 24 hrs and 109 rbi's. while jason bay(31) had a batting average of .267, with 36 hrs and 119 rbi's. These guys are perfect for NY. The fans would love him, but can the mets pay 7yr/90 mil for them? I wanna hear what you fans think!

Putz’s Option Officially Declined, Pelfrey’s Option Exercised

Michael Baron of metsblog said....

Adam Rubin, in a post to his blog for the Daily News, is reporting that the Mets have now officially declined the option for reliever J.J. Putz.

In addition, the Mets announced that they have exercised the $500,000 option on Mike Pelfrey.

Cora and Martinez File for Free Agency

Cora played in 82 games with the Mets and hit .251 with one home run and 18 RBI, missing a significant portion of the season due to a torn ligament in his thumb.

Martinez injured his hand sliding into home plate in early June after initially replacing Cora at shortstop, and hit just .167 with four RBI in 12 games.

Catchers on the Market

The mets need a catcher. The last time they had a good one was back in 2006/2007, paul loduca.
since then it has been Brian Schneider, who only batted .218 in 2009.

who the mets are looking for:
-Ramon Hernandez
-Bengie Molina
-Rod Barajas
-Yorvit Torrealba

News: Pirates trade LaRoche to Red Sox

The Red Sox have acquired 1B Adam LaRoche from the Pirates, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

…so far, there are no indications of what the Sox sent to Pittsburgh… keep an eye on MLB Trade Rumors, who does an amazing job of following and logging the activity of these deals when in action…

The 29–year-old LaRoche is hitting .247 with 12 HR and 40 RBI in 87 games for the Pirates this season.

He ended the last two seasons with at least 21 HR, 85 RBI and a .341 OBP, while batting at least .270.

LaRoche will be a free agent at the end of this season.

For what it’s worth, Jack Wilson was not in today’s starting lineup for the Pirates as well, though there is no indication he is being moved.

Update, 1:15 pm:

According to WEEI, the Sox traded RHP Hunter Strickland and 21–year-old SS Argenis Diaz in exchange for LaRoche.

Mets and Julio Lugo, Workouts and Contracts

Alex Speier of WEEI.com is not convinced soon-to-be free-agent infielder Julio Lugo will sign with the Mets.

…hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link to WEEI…

In case you missed it, last Friday, the Red Sox designated infielder Lugo for assignment.

According to yesterday’s Boston Herald, the Mets, Cardinals and Cubs have all expressed interest in Lugo, who is due $4.5 million through the rest of this season, plus $9 million in 2010.

Adam Rubin of the Daily News said yesterday he believes the Mets will sign Lugo when he becomes a free agent toward the end of next week.

…according to eyewitnesses, lugo has been working out at the Mets baseball academy in the Dominican Republic… however, from what i can gather, this is not totally uncommon…

Update, 2:33 pm:

Speaking of aging, middle infielders…

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com believes the Mets are interested in acquiring A’s SS-2B Orlando Cabrera, as are the M’s, Cardinals, Rockies and Reds.

Mets @ Nationals - Game Two

Again, Gary Sheffield will not start tonight, missing his fourth-straight game with a cramp in his hamstring.

Instead, Fernando Tatis will start in left field and hit fifth.

Angel Pagan will bat leadoff, followed in order by Luis Castillo, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur in right, Tatis, Daniel Muprhy at first base, Omir Santos behind the plate and Alex Cora at shortstop.

Oliver Perez (2–2, 7.99 ERA) will start tonight for the Mets. He allowed seven runs and nine hits in just 4.1 innings against the Nationals in Citi Field during late April. He is 1–0 with a 4.09 ERA in his last two starts, against the Braves and Dodgers.

Update, 4:50 pm:

David Lennon of Newsday said on Twitter that Sheffield could end up on the disabled list if he does not improve by Friday.

…really… wow… i mean, you don’t say… i’m shocked…

Meanwhile, also on Twitter, WFAN reports Jose Reyes ran ‘under control,’ while John Maine pitched in a simulated game today.

…from what i can gather, reyes only ran down to first base, and has yet to go 100 percent around all four bases… best case scenario, though, he’s still two to three weeks away from a possible return…

For other pre-game notes, follow Lennon on Twitter, click here.

To follow the Mets crew from WFAN, click here.

Mets season over?

phillies
marlins 6gb
braves 6gb
mets 8.5gb
nationals 1 million gb



IS the mets season over? how can we get our injured players healthy in time to make a run?

Mets vs. Braves (3 games)

Frenchy is back in ATLANTA!...but hes a met!

Mets take on derek lowe the first game of the series and Oliver perez is starting his second game since coming back from the DL

Ryan Church will reunite with the mets!
Frenchy will do the same with the braves

Will they BOO JEFF???

Game at 7pm on sny (7/16/09)



LGM!

Mets embark on a crucial road trip

After a three-game sweep by Yankees that brought their record to 37-37, the Mets begin a a seven-game road trip that concludes this weekend in Philadelphia.

Nieve keeps chilling opponents' bats, holding the Cardinals scoreless on three hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 in three starts in place of the disabled John Maine. Nieve has given up just 10 hits in 20 2/3 innings as a starter this season and has lowered his ERA to 1.31. Nieve is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA in three career appearances against the Brewers, including one start. Back on May 2, 2006, Nieve allowed four runs on six hits in seven innings at Miller Park, earning the win for the Astros.
He needs to pitch well and hold a lead (if they have one).

lets go mets

Mets struggling to hit, finds them 37-37 and 2.5 games out of first

well the mets have just got swept by the yankees!
They find themselves 37-37 and only 2.5 games out of first place!
Mets fans i want you to know we are still striking distance of first place.
We do need a big bat; Matt holiday, adam dunn or nick Johnson
Omar is just waiting for a call, hes not taking his time to MAKE a call.
we really need a big bat or else were in trouble, we cant afford to wait till Beltran, Reyes and Delgado come back because at that time we could be under the .500 mark and several games out of first place.



-Believingmets

Struggling Perez may be placed on DL Lefty has sore right knee, could pitch in relief this week

PHILADELPHIA -- The plan for the immediate future of Oliver Perez became murkier Sunday at a time when some new sense of structure and certainty was expected. The Mets made no decision involving the troubled pitcher other than to exclude him from the pending turn of the rotation, a decision made easier because of Sunday's rainout and a decision with few lasting consequences.

Before the team flew to Atlanta on Sunday, manager Jerry Manuel still was uncertain, though he, pitching coaches Dan Warthen and Randy Neimann and assistant general manager Tony Bernazard had discussed the possibilities. As was the case Saturday, Perez's retaining a place in the rotation never was mentioned as an option. Moreover, Manuel noted starting Perez comes with potential costs beyond the likelihood of a poor performance -- "stress on the bullpen and on the mentality of the team," he said.

Manuel did say Perez could be used in relief this week. But he neither discounted an assignment to the Minor Leagues -- Perez would have to approve that -- nor re-assignment to the bullpen.

"When you don't have to make a decision," Manuel said, "why make a decision?"

What made the situation more unclear Sunday were two new factors -- Perez developed an injury, a sore right knee, and he became non-committal about accepting a Minor League assignment, if asked. Perez had said Saturday, following a performance he characterized as horrible, "If I need it, I'll have to go." But after meeting with club officials in the trainer's room Sunday, he hedged.

"I was so frustrated [Saturday], I [could have said] anything," Perez said.

Perez said the club had told him nothing and that he was more relaxed than he had been after allowing six walks, five hits and four runs in 2 1/3 innings Saturday.

"I can't say anything," he said more than once.

And Perez repeatedly said, "It's not my decision."

Once it seemed to be in response to whether he would accept the demotion. He was anything but clear. Of course, the decision to accept demotion -- if asked -- is his alone. He didn't say whether he had spoken with his agent, Scott Boras.

The injury was a new development. Perez made no mention of it after the game Saturday or at all before that. But an ice bag on his knee was conspicuous by its presence Sunday, prompting speculation -- among players and others -- that assignment to the disabled list had become another option for the club.

Three teammates, one who has become frustrated with Perez's poor pitching, said they knew nothing of the injury before Sunday. Manuel said he had noticed Perez "fussing with it [his knee]" after beating out an infield hit in the second inning. After he had dressed for the flight and the ice bag had been removed, Perez was asked which leg he had injured. He hesitated and looked down before indicating it was his right leg.

"The knee has been bothering me all season," Perez said. "It doesn't feel good. This is my first time pitching with something that has bothered me. It's not easy."

Manuel already had said the possibility of assigning Perez to the DL has not been discussed with him.

The manager's suggestion that Perez could pitch in long relief seemed to indicate Manuel doesn't consider the injury serious. He said Perez could used in an extra-inning game, but how much could he be used in circumstances with so little margin for error, especially on the road. The Mets play in Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday nights. Having thrown 77 pitches -- 41 for balls -- Saturday, Perez probably wouldn't be available to pitch until Tuesday.

Without Perez, the rotation is this: John Maine and Livan Hernandez against the Braves and Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey against the Phillies at Citi Field on Wednesday and Thursday. Perez's start, pushed back because of the rainout, now would come against the Pirates on Friday night.

That assignment may go to Ken Takahashi, who impressed Manuel in his 2 2/3-inning cameo Saturday. The manager indicated Takahashi might have 65-pitch stamina.

More on olly

The Mets will likely turn to Ken Takahashi, Nelson Figueroa, Tim Redding, Jon Niese or Dillon Gee for Perez’s start, assuming he is skipped in the rotation.

I'd like jon niese or dillon Gee...
what do u think?

The mets will be way better without oliver perez!
out of 5 of ollys starts....he went 1-2......
without him we COULD OF WON all 5.....
WE COULD OF BEEN
15-8 INSTEAD of 10-13

so its your pick folks...do you still want Olly to pitch
or should we send him down?

Game at 1:30

Pitcher- John Maine Pitcher-Joe Blanton Delgado is unlikely to be in the lineup Game on SNY

Mets fall in 10; Perez likely out of rotation Lefty may be sent to 'pen or Minors to get back on track

PHILADELPHIA -- In the messy postmortems of a troubling loss to the Phillies on Saturday, the Mets manager and general manager spoke of forthcoming discussions and decisions, of options and alternatives and of Oliver Perez. A game that could have been won had been lost in the most troubling way, a bases-loaded walk. But that hardly warranted a mention amid the issues involving the problematic pitcher.

Will the Mets ask Perez to accept assignment to the Minor Leagues or will his exile take him to the bullpen? What will they do? How will he be fixed? Can he be fixed? They'll talk about it, Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya said repeatedly. What neither man said through all the hand-ringing, though, was that retaining Perez in the rotation was an option. Evidently, it is not.

So 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.

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 egregious transgression, 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 said "I feel embarrassed," characterized his pitching as "horrible" and seemed to indicate he would accept demotion to the Minor Leagues if the Mets were to suggest that course of action probably would be the most beneficial for him.

"If I need it," Perez said, "I'll have to go."

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

"Everything will be considered," Manuel said. "I'll sit down with our pitching people, put our heads together and try to come up with a plan."

mets loose 6-5 on bases loaded walk

wow u bring in sean green........1st and 2nd one out....ok
I would bring in krod but no....
ok now its 2 outs
oh crap now basesloaded
now bring in krod?
NO
Green walks victorino and phils win

and the top of the 10th inning
there were runners at the corners(1st and 3rd, 1 out)
Beltran up(hot hitter)
he grounds into a double play....and i know he wasn't sprinting his fastest!

Green is now 0-2


Mets had a chance but didnt come through........
mets had a chance to get out of the inning in bottom of the 10th but they didnt get the double play and/or out! Mets had the lead going into the 6th inning but they gave up a HR to ibanez

Mets- 10-13
phillies-12-11

if mets loose tomorrow they will be 4 games under .500 =(

Tough game, Tough Lose

Well theres tomorrow
lets go mets

ken takahashi

i rather have him as our LHP in the rotation! olly is garabe.....omar made a mistake signing him.
hes 66-84 in Japan and his pitches can be pretty nasty

he just made Victorino hit into a double play...something olly would of never thought to do.

well its still 4-2
bottom 4 and yeah what r we gonna do with olly

Mets loosing 4-2

ibanez has a sack fly RBI
Werth has a RBI double
and Bruntlet has a sack fly too......i think

Daniel murphy has a sack fly RBI
Ollie got a infield hit...so bases loaded
reyes pops up leaving 3 on base

Olly- 92 Mph average 88
Moyer- 88 mph average 83

its only the 3rd
lets go mets~



David Wright is up with runners at 2nd and 3rd.....come on!
david wright pops out and louis Castillo scored
were down by one only!

Olly is done bottom of the 3rd he was taking out after giving up 4 straight walks
which the 4th was to the pitcher and it walks in a run.
6 walks in 2.1 innings
Oliver perez sucks

Perez ready for make-or-break start

PHILADELPHIA -- The Mets are to miss two of the Phillies' starting pitchers this weekend -- the one who characterized them as "choke artists" in December, Cole Hamels, and the one who was sent on a Minor League sabbatical last season and returned to make a significant contribution to Philadelphia's push to a Word Series championship, Brett Myers.

Hamels almost certainty will serve as motivation for New York at some date this season. Even though he's not pitching, Myers may do the same this afternoon when the Mets and Phillies play the second game of their series. Perhaps he will be the motivation that will prompt some improvement in Oliver Perez.

It is conceivable, though not likely, that New York will ask Perez to accept demotion to the Minor Leagues if his performance in his fifth start is similar to his performances in three of his first four. It's an option the Mets may consider if only because Perez has one Minor League option remaining. Perez already knows his place in the rotation is in jeopardy. His 9.31 ERA says as much, and his manager has indicated another poor performance would make him think about a change.

A longer step in the same direction would be to demote the 27-year-old pitcher, who has perplexed the Mets almost since the day the club signed him to a three-year, $36 million contract in February. As a player with five years service, he would have to approve the demotion, as Myers did last season when the Phillies thought pitching regularly in the Minor Leagues would benefit him. The move is not without precedent for New York. Steve Trachsel accepted the assignment in 2001 after the Mets asked him to step down.

New York has few alternatives in the situation; i.e., it has almost no candidates to start in Perez's place. Three of the Spring Training candidates for the rotation are not in position to serve as Perez's understudy. Tim Redding hasn't completed his rehab from shoulder weakness, Freddy Garcia has been released and Jon Niese has pitched merely 16 innings in four starts with Triple-A Buffalo. Niese is 0-2 with a 8.44 ERA.

But at the same time, the club can't afford to have Perez find a solution for his problems as a starter in the big leagues if poor pitching continues. So the Mets must hope Perez will execute the same kind of reversal he pulled off last season after Dan Warthen replaced Rick Peterson as pitching coach. Then, he produced 13 consecutive starts of at least six innings. He won merely four of them, but the Mets won 10. And the bullpen wasn't so stressed.

"I'm looking at this Philadelphia outing as a big outing for him," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said Monday. "I'm hoping to find something."

Perez has worked with Warthen and Johan Santana since then. The objective is for him to "finish his pitches," which is to complete his follow-through. But his problem Sunday when he was battered by the Nationals -- nine hits and seven runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings -- was lack of command and a troubling lack of velocity. Another performance without command, velocity or success could prompt the Mets to complete a follow-through of their own and at least remove Perez from the rotation and perhaps seek to have him removed from the roster.

Pitching matchup
NYM: LHP Oliver Perez (1-2, 9.31 ERA)
When Perez was removed from his most recent start Sunday against the Nationals, the opposing pitcher was due to bat in the fifth inning with two runners on base and the Mets trailing by five runs. What else need be said? This: For the third time in four starts, Perez was removed without completing the fifth, and for the third time in his four starts, the Mets lost. Now he is to oppose the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. Perez started four games against the them last season, producing a 0.35 ERA (in 26 innings), but merely one victory. The Mets won three of the games. Chase Utley (3-for-16) and Ryan Howard (2-for-22 with 14 strikeouts) have produced a .132 batting average in 38 combined career at-bats against Perez.

Mets win against Phils

On there first meet,(1 of 19) the mets take one, so far.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Mets had been their own worst enemies in at least a half-dozen of the 21 games they had played through Thursday. So what did they do to avoid another such episode? They came to the home of their own best enemy Friday night. And, seemingly motivated by the presence of the Phillies in the other dugout, they played with energy, purpose and resolve. And they won, too.

They scored in the first three innings, taking a five-run lead against Chan Ho Park, resisted when the Phillies flexed their resilience and beat the team that has denied them the past two seasons. They scored a 7-4 victory that included few of the foibles that had led them to a 9-12 record and a fourth-place standing in the National League East.

The victory, the fourth in 10 road games, was fueled by a two-run home run by Daniel Murphy in the first inning, three sacrifice flies, a run-scoring single by David Wright and -- drum roll, please -- an honest-to-goodness hit by winning pitcher Mike Pelfrey.

Not only did Pelfrey gain his third victory and remain unbeaten, he provided a long sacrifice fly in the second inning that momentarily appeared to have home run potential. Not to be outperformed, veteran reliever Pedro Feliciano, who replaced Pelfrey in the sixth inning, batted for the eighth time in his career and drew a walk -- on four pitches, no less.

As surprising as those developments were, the outcome was not. The Mets have won 11 of 18 games against the Phillies since last season. And they have played with zeal, comparable to what they demonstrated Friday night, in most of them.

Pelfrey (3-0) allowed three runs, all in the third inning, in 5 1/3 innings, surrendering seven hits and four walks. He struck out no one. Feliciano allowed one run, a home run by Chase Utley, in 1 2/3 innings. J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez pitched the eighth and ninth innings, with K-Rod earning his fifth save.

Pelfrey, Jose Reyes and Omir Santos provided the sacrifice flies, Carlos Beltran scoring -- he slid -- on Santos'. Beltran had a double to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

Hit and runs takes pressure off the hitters cause all they have to do is pull the ball the other way!