Good Morning Mets Fans!

Four in a row is pretty damn good baseball, especially when those four wins came against the teams from last year's World Series.

The Mets are hot, and they have both their pitching and hitting to thank.  Let's start with the pitching.

Hisanori Takahashi is a big league starter...there is no question that he does what every manager wants his pitcher to do--throw strikes and keep hitters off balance.

In his second big league start Taktor K threw six innings of shutout ball and led the Mets to a shutout victory over the Phillies for the second straight game.

"He's a great pitcher with great instincts," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "He had great command of his pitches."

Manuel went on to add that Takahashi is now firmly entrenched in the rotation.

"It'd be tough to get him out.... I think his command is among the top pitchers in the league," said Manuel, who compared him to the White Sox's Mark Buehrle. "That means at any time in the count he can throw any pitch, and that's a huge advantage for a pitcher."

"I can do it," Takahashi said through a translator. "As a reliever or starter, I don't change much. I'm happy to be in the starting rotation here."

Takahashi is now 4-1 on the season with a sparkling 2.13 ERA and an astounding 44 Ks in only 38 innings.  Last night he gave up five hits without walking a batter and struck out six.

"To have a performance such as that especially against two very good teams, elite teams, it lengthens the opportunity for him," Manuel said about Takahashi's continuing presence in the rotation.

Takahashi may have been facing a struggling Philly club, but he certainly added to their misery with his array of pitches and pinpoint control.  He and Barajs were in perfect synch, and it was really fun to watch them work the hitters all night like a chess match.  I actually thought his fastball, which sat at 89-90 mph, was his best pitch of the night.  He relied on it early, and when the big spots came up later in the game he had the hitters set-up perfectly for his changeup and slider.  He struck out Ryan Howard in a huge spot with men on base.

"I know he's one of the biggest hitters in the game, and [Rod] Barajas had a good plan to get him out," Takashi said of Howard. "I stuck to the plan."

The offense was working as well.  Jose Reyes is now officially in super hot mode, with 5 multi-hit games in his last 6.  He hit his first homerun of the season, and it really lifted the entire club.

The New and Improved Rod Barajas "Now with even more A-Ha's!" had a two-run double and a sac fly in a three RBI effort and Jose Reyes had his fourth straight multihit game, with his first homer of the season for New York. Luis Castillo chipped in with two walks and two stolen bases, and Angel Pagan had two hits.

The "Strawberry Effect"???

Maybe the Strawberry talk had its desired effect after all?  It's been reported that some players didn't care for his comments, and it may be pure coincidence that the team has gelled, but it is interesting timing. Whatever the spark is, the Mets are playing very, very good baseball.  They are a hustling team, a very good defensive team, and they have removed some of the trouble spots from playing time.

Think about it--first base is now stabilized, centerfield is now stabilized, and with the addition of Takahashi to the rotation, it certainly appears more stable that it had been previously.  They have found something in Dickey as a wonderful rubber armed change of pace guy as well.

There are still issues--that is a given--but when you have professionals doing their jobs in key roles, the stars will help lift you the rest of the way.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (26-19)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
N.Y. Mets (24-23) «	0	1	1	0	0	3	0	0	x	5	7	0

Players of the Game

New York J. Reyes AB 4 R 1 H 2 HR 1 RBI 2

New York H. Takahashi IP 6.0 H 5 ER 0 BB 0 K 6

Related articles:

• Link: Takahashi Embracing New Challenge as Starter (nj.com)
• Mets deal Phillies second consecutive shutout (cbssports.com)
• Mets-Phillies:Tak Terrific Leads New York Past Philadelphia (bleacherreport.com)
• Takahashi, Mets Shut out Phillies Again (abcnews.go.com)

Pelf Dazzles

When the 2009 MLB schedule came out Mets fans pointed to this series with the Phillies with delight.

This was a weekend to pencil in around your late season vacation plans--a series that would mean everything--the one to watch.

While the season has fallen apart, last night's game certainly made for a great watch, starting with the pitching matchup--the hated Cole Hamels vs Big Mike Pelfrey.

Neither man disappointed Mets fans.

Toss in some timely hitting, a managerial ejection, a few hit batters, and some great relief, and it was the type of win the fanbase has longed for all year--if only it mattered a bit more.

The simple fact of the matter is that we like to beat the Phillies, and they hate to lose to us--if somehow we can pound them the rest of the weekend it would be one small victory in a season devoid of them.

Mike Pelfrey was outstanding, and he recognized how the rivalry helped his game: "I think when you go up against your rival, you have a little extra adrenaline and you're into the game." Pelfrey said.

Pelfrey is now 3-0 with a 3.92 ERA in four starts against Phils this season. He is the only major league pitcher with three wins against Philadelphia this year.

The hitting star of the night was Jeff Francoeur, who had three hits including a homerun. Since joining the Mets, Francoeur is batting .310 with a respectable .340 OBP, and 23 RBIs in 142 at-bats. He is putting the Mets in a position where keeping him around for 2010 is a no-brainer.

Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes combined for two scoreless innings. Stokes is having a terrific season and now sports a 2.89 ERA. Just think back to a few months ago when Stokes was in Jerry's doghouse and woefully underused.

Frankie Rodriguez came on in the 9th and gave us the typical heart palpitations that accompany the majority of his outings. With the tying runners at the corners, the All-Star closer struck out Chase Utley and Ryan Howard for his 27th save in 32 chances.

It's certainly fun to watch Cole Hamels struggle. He is now 0-3 in August and took a beating at the hands of the Mets makeshift lineup, allowing 10 hits in only 5 innings.

Since beating the Mets in his first start against them, Hamels is 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts vs. New York. That is a beautiful stat line for a kid who called the Mets "choke artists" in the offseason.

Hopefully Hamels can choke on that stat line.

Even Jerry Manuel showed a bit of fight, getting ejected after the ump clearly blew the call on Francoeur's attempted steal of second in the fifth. Jimmy Rollins clearly missed the tag, and Jerry went off on the ump, getting ejected in the process.

"We've got to continue to fight as best we can," Jerry Manuel said. "When we feel that things are against us, we've got to continue to stand up against those things."

As if all this wasn't enough, the drama continued--Sheff was tossed, and we saw another example of Luis "Brainfart" Castillo failing to cover first base on a bunt that Murph charged.

That loaded the bases for the Phillies, but Big Pelf took care of business by inducing consecutive popups from pinch-hitter Ben Francisco and Jimmy Rollins--it was a scintillating sequence for the lanky right-hander and showed how tough he can be under pressure.

"That's what won the game for him," Charlie Manuel said.

All in all a great game--if only it had meant a little more.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

"Fasten your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned off the no smoking sign, and we are preparing for liftoff."

In a ballpark that doesn't yield many homeruns, last night was different. How different? Seven homeruns worth of different, but we'll get to that a bit later.

Let's start with Johan Santana, who is well on his way to 20+ wins and another Cy Young award.

Johan Santana was a bit upset. OK, he was pissed off!

He battled through 7 tough innings and had a 6-4 lead thanks to a Ryan Church bomb that we'll get to later.

Then, in the 8th, he faced Chase Utley and did the unthinkable--he allowed his fourth homerun of the night--a cheapie homerun, but a homerun nonetheless. It was now 6-5 Mets and Jerry Manuel was out at the mound calling for a reliever. To that point Johan had only thrown 91 pitches.

So we're sitting there watching and Johan looks really agitated, he was beet red and mouthing something to his Skipper.

"I'm a man. I'm a man," Manuel remembered his ace telling him. "What he means by that, I don't know."

David Wright agreed with Jerry. "Johan gets that way. He's so competitive," Wright said. "He has little weird stuff he says. I have no idea what he's talking about. 'I'm a man?' I think we realize that. But he gets wound up and speaks in sentence fragments. He says things short and sweet and makes no sense. ... Fine with me. He wins."

"I just told him that, 'I feel good,"' Santana said. "I'm not trying to show anybody up or anything. I just felt that I had enough stuff to battle through it. But he thought different. He's my skipper and I respect everything that he does."

I love this guy--OK, looking back I was pretty surprised at his reaction--really an over-reaction, but what he does on the mound and the things he says afterwards, it just shows he gets caught up in the moment. He is a battler, a warrior, and a leader in so many ways.

He also fields his position at a Gold Glove level and battles at the plate.

He had a key hit last night as well--the key hit in the game. With the Mets down 4-3 and men on first and second, Santana was up there to bunt. He fouled off two pitches and then went butcher boy for a line drive double to right. The fans went absolutely ballistic.

"I don't want to just bunt or foul it off and get myself out," Santana said. "I was able to keep everything going and I really feel proud of it because I haven't been able to do much, you know, hitting, but tonight I think it was the difference in the game."

Luis Castillo popped out to short, and the Mets needed a clutch hit.

With runners still on second and third, the old pro Alex Cora lined a sharp single up the middle for a huge two-out RBI that put the Mets ahead 5-4.

Ryan Church and Alex Cora coming back has really stabilized this team....that two-out RBI, which was the forgotten hit of the game, is just one example of why you need vets--they produce in the clutch.

So lest we totally forget, here's a NY Sports Dog tip of the cap to Mr Cora.

But the drama was far from over--in fact it was really just beginning.

Ryan Church has been terrific since his return. Last night he plated the winning run with an absolute bomb off Chad Durbin in the seventh. The drive landed in the apple basket beyond center field.

"To drop it in their from that distance," Church said, "it ought to be worth three points." Gary Cohen said it would have been worth 50 points in skee-ball.

To watch the video of the "Apple Bomb" click here.

Speaking of Met's homeruns, David Wright's second-inning homer ended his homerless streak at 100 at-bats, one shy of his career high, set in 2006. Carlos Beltran also added a Belly Bomb that was smoked into the stands.

But back to the action....

After Santana left, Bobby Parnell came on and gave up a single to Jayson Werth.

It was serious now--8th inning, Mets up 6-5, man on first, and the heart of the philly lineup coming up: Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins--the Phils version of muderer's row.

Sprinting in from the bullpen Feliciano said he "felt 6'7" tall"....he pitched like he was a seven footer.

Feliciano first faced Ryan Howard--Pedro OWNS Ryan Howard and quickly got him to ground into a huge double play and Citi Field went absolutely wild....it was utter pandemonium.

Raul Ibanez--Mr 20 HRs already--was next. Feliciano got him to ground out quickly as well. Feliciano sprinted to the dugout to an enormous, and well-deserved standing ovation. His appreciative teammates pounded his back and congratulated him on his superhuman effort.

His effort: 4 pitches, 3 outs, let's go to the 9th!

"That was obviously a big couple of outs that he got us there," Jerry Manuel said of Feliciano. "He got us out of that inning real good."

Francisco Rodriguez finished for his 16th save in 16 chances and was extra demonstrative after the game. Hula Hoop Victorino was a little pissed off and stayed in the dugout to watch.

"Any game that we win is big for us at this point," Manuel said. "Until we feel as though we are healthy, every game is a huge game for us."

What a game, what a win, what a treat for the fans...I still feel pumped up this morning over the action and thrills from one of the biggest wins of the year.

Tonight it's Big Pelf against Cole Hamels.

Enjoy Your Coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (33-23)	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	1	0	5	10	1
N.Y. Mets (31-25) «	0	1	2	0	0	2	1	0	x	6	10	0

Player of the Game

New York
R. Church	AB	3
	R	2
	H	1
	HR	1
	RBI	1

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Luis Castillo, 2B	5	0	0	0	0	1	2	.269
Alex Cora, SS	5	1	2	1	0	1	0	.304
Carlos Beltran, CF	3	1	1	2	1	0	0	.342
Gary Sheffield, LF	3	0	1	0	1	1	3	.261
Jeremy Reed, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.311
David Wright, 3B	4	1	2	1	0	2	0	.348
Fernando Tatis, 1B	2	0	1	0	2	0	0	.277
Ryan Church, RF	3	2	1	1	1	0	3	.278
Omir Santos, C	4	1	1	0	0	0	5	.260
Johan Santana, P	3	0	1	1	0	1	2	.111
Bobby Parnell, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a- Daniel Murphy, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.245
Francisco Rodriguez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	33	6	10	6	5	7
a-struck out for Feliciano in the 8th
Batting
2B - Alex Cora (6, Happ), David Wright (17, Happ), Fernando Tatis (6, Happ), Johan Santana (1, Condrey)
HR - Carlos Beltran (8, Happ), David Wright (4, Happ), Ryan Church (2, Durbin)
RBI - Alex Cora (6), Carlos Beltran 2 (35), David Wright (35), Ryan Church (9), Johan Santana (1)
2-OUT RBI - Alex Cora (3), Ryan Church (8)
Team LOB - 8
Fielding
DP - Santana-Tatis, Castillo-Cora-Tatis

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana (W,8-3)	7	8	5	5	1	2	4	2.39
Bobby Parnell	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.96
Pedro Feliciano (H,10)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.25
Francisco Rodriguez (S,16)	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	0.65
Pitches-Strikes - Johan Santana 91-71, Bobby Parnell 4-3, Pedro Feliciano 4-3, Francisco Rodriguez 20-12
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Johan Santana 4-14, Pedro Feliciano 2-0, Francisco Rodriguez 1-0
Batters Faced - Johan Santana 29, Bobby Parnell 1, Pedro Feliciano 2, Francisco Rodriguez 4

Good Morning Mets Fans!

He is the Ace of Aces, a man among men, and truly the King of the Hill.

Johan Santana is everything a team could want in their #1 starter and more--much more.

He only needed one run....and finally, almost painfully, the Mets got it for him.

He struck out 10 in seven innings of beautiful two-hit ball, and led his team to a 1-0 victory over the first place Phillies.

Johan Santana is now 4-1 with a 0.91 ERA.

"Tonight was a great game, great atmosphere," Santana said. "We did everything the way it's supposed to be done."

"He's great. He brings unbelievable energy to the game - on and off the field," teammate Carlos Delgado said. "He's been awesome. We've been spoiled."

"He's really, really special," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "This is the most impressive I've seen him."

The Phillies got a surprisingly excellent start from Chan-Ho Park, who was beaten around by the Mets less than a week ago. But truth be told the Mets got a little lucky....one mistake was all it took.

In a strange and exciting play, Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz threw a ball to first that had no chance of getting Fernando Tatis. The ball skipped way past Ryan Howard, and rightfielder Jayson Werth dashed in to get the ball.

This is where it got strange....Carlos Delgado, who really wasn't running all that fast, just kept chugging around the bases...he rounded second on the throw, and was just rounding third when Werth got to it....Razor Shines had the stop sign up, but Delgado just kept going...and Werth threw home late--way late, allowing Delgado to score the only run of the game.

"Speed kills," Delgado said with a smile.

It was also another big night for the bullpen.

Pedro Feliciano had a great 8th inning punctuated by a huge inning ending strikeout of Ryan Howard.

Frankie Rodriguez came on and closed the 9th for another save--he is now 8 for 8 on the season.

The Mets are now only 1.5 games out of first with the chance to gain a full game tonight.

2009 National League - Standings
EAST	W	L	PCT	GB	HOME	ROAD	RS	RA	DIFF	STRK	L10
Philadelphia	14	11	.560	-	6-8	8-3	145	133	+12	Lost 1	7-3
Florida	15	13	.536	.5	6-6	9-7	132	142	-10	Lost 2	4-6
NY Mets	13	13	.500	1.5	7-6	6-7	119	114	+5	Won 3	6-4
Atlanta	12	15	.444	3	5-9	7-6	113	120	-7	Won 1	3-7
Washington	7	18	.280	7	5-7	2-11	114	145	-31	Lost 1	4-6

Tonight Mike Pelfrey is on the hill...should be a blast!

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philadelphia (14-11)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3
N.Y. Mets (13-13) «	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	x	1	2	0

Player of the Game

New York J. Santana IP 7.0 H 2 ER 0 BB 3 K 10

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.248
Alex Cora, 2B	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	.290
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	0	0	0	0	2	2	.388
Carlos Delgado, 1B	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	.256
David Wright, 3B	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	.293
Daniel Murphy, LF	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	.314
Jeremy Reed, RF	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.231
a- Fernando Tatis, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Ramon Castro, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
Omir Santos, C	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.258
b- Gary Sheffield, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.171
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Francisco Rodriguez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Johan Santana, P	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
c- Ryan Church, PH-RF	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.268
Totals	25	1	2	0	4	7
a-singled for Reed in the 7th
b-walked for Santos in the 7th
c-struck out for Santana in the 7th
Batting
2B - Daniel Murphy (3, Park)
SB - Jose Reyes (7, 3rd base off Park/Ruiz)
CS - David Wright (5, 2nd base by Park/Ruiz)
Team LOB - 5
Fielding
PB - Omir Santos (1)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana (W,4-1)	7	2	0	0	3	10	0	0.91
Pedro Feliciano (H,4)	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	4.09
Francisco Rodriguez (S,8)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.42
WP - Pedro Feliciano (1)
Pitches-Strikes - Johan Santana 101-73, Pedro Feliciano 16-11, Francisco Rodriguez 13-7
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Johan Santana 6-6, Pedro Feliciano 2-0, Francisco Rodriguez 1-2
Batters Faced - Johan Santana 27, Pedro Feliciano 4, Francisco Rodriguez 3