Omar is Wilpon's Guy

Bart Hubbach reported the following from Fred Wilpon in response to a question from The Post's Mike Puma: "Am I going to bring Omar [Minaya] back next year? Absolutely. That's a fact."

Oh boy.

Let's look at some of Omar's memorable moves, both good and bad...as you look through the list you will see some real doozies, including the trade for Bartolo Colon in exchange for Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Cliff Lee that might be, in my opinion, the worst trade of all time!

As GM of the Expos

• March 25, 2002: Traded outfield Jason Bay and Jim Serrano to the New York Mets for infielder Lou Collier
• April 5, 2002: Traded pitcher Scott Strickland and others to the New York Mets for pitcher Bruce Chen and others.
• July 11, 2002: Traded pitchers Carl Pavano, Graeme Lloyd, infielder Mike Mordecai, and minor leaguers Justin Wayne and Donald Levinski to the Florida Marlins for outfielder Cliff Floyd, utility player Wilton Guerrero, and pitcher Claudio Vargas.
• July 28, 2002: Traded first baseman Lee Stevens, SS Brandon Phillips, pitcher Cliff Lee, and outfielder Grady Sizemore to the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.
• March 24, 2003: Traded pitcher Jim Brower to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Livan Hernandez and catcher Edward Guzman
• December 4, 2003: Traded pitcher Javier Vazquez to the New York Yankees for first baseman Nick Johnson, outfielder Juan Rivera, and pitcher Randy Choate.
• January 5, 2004: Traded pitcher Scott Stewart to the Cleveland Indians for infielder Maicer Izturis and outfielder Ryan Church
• March 25, 2004: Traded Randy Choate to the Arizona Diamondbacks for John Patterson
• July 18, 2004: Traded Carl Everett and cash to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Jon Rauch and Gary Majewski
• July 21, 2004: In a four-team deal, acquired shortstop Alex Gonzalez, Brendan Harris, and minor league pitcher Francis Beltran from the Chicago Cubs, while sending shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox. Also involved were the Minnesota Twins.

As GM of the Mets

• November 30, 2004: Re-signed Kris Benson to a three year, $22.5 million deal, plus $7.5 million club option
• December 3, 2004: In his first trade as Mets GM, Minaya traded pitcher Mike Stanton and cash to the New York Yankees for Felix Heredia
• December 13, 2004: Selected Henry Owens from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Minor League Rule V Draft
• December 15, 2004: Signed free agent catcher Ramon Castro
• December 17, 2004: Signed free agent pitcher Pedro Martinez to a four year, $53 million deal
• January 6, 2005: Traded catcher Vance Wilson to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Anderson Hernandez
• January 13, 2005: Signed free agent centerfielder Carlos Beltran to a seven year, $119 million deal
• January 17, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Roberto Hernandez
• January 27, 2005: Traded minor league first baseman Ian Bladergroen to the Boston Red Sox for Doug Mientkiewicz
• June 7, 2005: Selected Mike Pelfrey with the 9th overall pick in the amateur free agent draft
• November 18, 2005: Traded outfielder Mike Cameron to the San Diego Padres for outfielder Xavier Nady
• November 24, 2005: Traded first baseman Mike Jacobs and pitchers Yusmeiro Petit and Grant Psomas to the Florida Marlins for Carlos Delgado and cash.
• November 29, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Billy Wagner to a four year, $43 million deal, plus an $8 clup option
• December 27, 2005: Signed free agent pitcher Chad Bradford to a one year, $1.4 million contract
• January 4, 2006: Traded pitchers Jae Weong Seo and Tim Hamulack to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll
• January 22, 2006: Traded pitcher Kris Benson to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine
• May 24, 2006: Traded pitcher Jorge Julio to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Orlando Hernandez
• July 19, 2006: Traded infielder Jeff Keppinger to the Kansas City Royals for infielder Ruben Gotay
• July 31, 2006: Traded outfielder for Xavier Nady to the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez
• August 22, 2006: Traded Evan MacLane to the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfielder Shawn Green and cash.
• November 15, 2006: Traded pitchers Heath Bell and Royce Ring to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Jon Adkins and Ben Johnson
• November 20, 2006: Traded pitchers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins for Adam Bostick and Jason Vargas
• November 21, 2006: Signed free agent outfielder Moises Alou
• December 6, 2006: Traded pitcher Brian Bannister to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Ambiorix Burgos
• December 7, 2006: Re-signed pitcher Guillermo Mota to a two year, $5 million deal.
• January 16, 2007: Signed free agent pitcher Scott Schoeneweis three year, $10.8 million contract
• July 30, 2007: Traded minor leaguers Drew Butera and Dustin Martin to the Minnesota Twins for Luis Castillo
• November 30, 2007: Traded outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider
• January 29, 2008: Traded outfielder Carlos Gomez, pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Johan Santana.

The noise Omar made in 2009 was primarily to throw some money around--he did this to acquire Frankie Rodriguez and to re-sign Ollie Perez. He also went cheap on the 5th starter, signing Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez. I liked the pickup of Alex Cora for the bench and the trade of Scott Shoeneweis.

The "big trade" of 2009 was an Omar creation--and I did like the trade at the time though I wish we had managed to hold on to Mike Carp, long a favorite of mine--The New York Mets sent Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, and Mike Carp to the Mariners and Joe Smith to the Indians in return for JJ Putz(closer), Sean Green(RP), and Jeremy Reed(OF). The Mets also dealt 3 other minor leaguers, including Jason Vargas.

The trade itself has actually failed for each team--Jason Vargas is 3-6 with a high ERA for Seattle--Endy Chavez went down for the season with an ACL--Joe Smith had a poor first half, and he is pitching well now--Aaron Heilman's been a huge disappointment. Franklin Gutierrez has been the best value of the whole deal--he's having a very good season for Seattle.

For the Mets the trade was supposed to be addition by subtraction, but it really hasn't worked out at all.

JJ Putz cost money for very little return, and his future is in doubt following surgery. Jeremy Reed is a dime a dozen player. Sean Green has flashed hot and cold.

The in-season trade of note was swapping Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur--by all accounts this looks like a good move for both teams.

Bottom line is that Omar is from a GM school that is somewhat old fashioned--he likes to spend money--he likes older veterans--I believe he undervalues prospects and needs to learn to draft out of slot. I also think he fails when it comes to measuring players using newer, more advanced stats--something that is so commonplace these days.

The thing with Omar is it's not just the moves he makes--and again, he has made some good ones--but he has drafted poorly.

Remember, this is the guy who, in 2002, passed over Cole Hamels, Prince Fielder, Zach Grienke, James Loney, Jeremy Guthrie, Nick Swisher, Jeff Francoeur, Matt Cain, Joe Blanton and Scott Kazmir in order to take Clint Everts 5th overall.

So if we're to believe the Wilpon's it looks like the Mets will have Minaya at the helm for a few more years--that's unfortunate.

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!

John Maine had another strong outing, though he was a bit wild. He gave up a career-high six walks, but thanks to two homeruns by Mets superstar Carlos Beltran, and another by David Wright, the Mets overcame some early struggles to beat the rival Braves 6-4.

Wright and Beltran drove in all 6 runs--it was a continuation of an amazing start for Beltran, and more sparks of life from DW, who has an outstanding .964 OPS over his last 7 games, with four extra-base hits in 26 at-bats.

I think it's safe to say that Wright is officially "back, " and Chipper Jones agrees.

"They're great players, man. They're hitting in the middle of that lineup for a reason," Atlanta's Chipper Jones said about Beltran and Wright.

John Maine provided a much needed strong outing--his second in a row--and his teammates and manager appreciated what he accomplished.

"I'm proud of Maine for what he did for us," Beltran said. "He struggled for a couple of innings and was able to adjust and give us an opportunity to get back in the game. That really shows he's giving everything he has. ... He didn't give up."

"He only lost it for an inning or two," Manuel said. "Then he made an adjustment and was able to throw strikes. That's batting."

Maine said he was motivated by a "good vibe" in the Mets' dugout.

"Nobody else gave up on me and it was a good feeling," Maine said. "I didn't give up on myself."

“It was a different kind of dugout today, which I like,” said Maine, who allowed only three second-inning runs over six innings. “Everyone was really up, really wanting to win this one.”

But even with the good vibe and the win, Maine, a thinking man's pitcher, knows he is not quite there yet.

"Walks are killing me," Maine said, adding he made an adjustment in his mechanics after the second inning. "It's about slowing myself down and not rushing myself."

How hot is Carlos Beltran? I will tell you...my fingers are burning just typing about him.

Beltran, hitting .400, was 2-for-3 with a walk and four RBI...the two home runs gave him four this season.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said Beltran thrives by being more than just a pull hitter.

"He can be very, very dangerous to hit the ball to center field, left field," Manuel said. "It's a very, very good sign for him."

Beltran leads the National League with a .400 average and has reached base in all 24 Mets games this season, but he hadn't shown much power the first month.

"When it went out, it was good relief for us," Beltran said of his first homer.

Neither of Beltran's homers were pulled. Both went just to the left of center field.

"I'm seeing the ball good and letting the ball get deep," Beltran said. "I'm using the whole field. All my career, I've been a pull hitter. Using the whole field gives you a better opportunity."

"It's good to see the power," Manuel said.

The other hitting hero, David Wright, hit another two-run blast that gave him his 500th and 501st of his career. DW is now the seventh Met to reach the 500-RBI plateau.

In another good sign, Carlos Delgado returned and had a single. His sore right hip will hamper him all year, but he took healthy cuts and looked decent despite the layoff.

The Mets relievers were excellent. Bobby Parnell pitched a scoreless 7th, J.J. Putz came in and gave up one run on a Chipper Jones' home run in the eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save on the young season.

Go over and see this piece from Metsradamus on Ollie's first night in the bullpen. Prepare to laugh.

Over on Mets.com is a good article on the Mets happiness in seeing Delgado back in action.

DW is coming on strong.

DW 2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	24	92	16	27	6	1	2	12	15	28	4	3	.293	.389	.446	.835
Career	727	2742	480	846	189	11	132	501	355	527	96	25	.309	.389	.530	.918
Last 7	7	26	3	8	2	1	1	6	4	8	2	1	.308	.387	.577	.964
Projected	162	621	108	182	41	7	14	81	101	189	27	20	.293	.389	.446	.835

Mack of Mack's Mets has some great writeups on our minor leaguers, including Sean Ratliff winning SAL Player of the Week!

OK my friends....Livan is on the hill tonight, so the bats must stay hot!

Enjoy your coffee!

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

Player of the Game

New York C. Beltran AB 3 R 2 H 2 HR 2 RBI 4

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	4	1	1	0	1	0	1	.257
Daniel Murphy, LF	4	1	1	0	1	0	2	.316
Francisco Rodriguez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Carlos Beltran, CF	3	2	2	4	1	1	2	.400
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	1	1	0	0	2	1	.250
David Wright, 3B	4	1	2	2	0	1	0	.293
Ryan Church, RF	4	0	0	0	0	2	1	.286
Ramon Castro, C	4	0	0	0	0	1	1	.243
Luis Castillo, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.344
John Maine, P	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
a- Alex Cora, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.321
Bobby Parnell, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
J.J. Putz, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b- Gary Sheffield, PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.176
Jeremy Reed, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.273
Totals	34	6	8	6	4	9
a-singled for Maine in the 7th
b-walked for Putz in the 9th
Batting
2B - David Wright (6, Vazquez)
HR - Carlos Beltran 2 (4, Vazquez, Vazquez), David Wright (2, Vazquez)
RBI - Carlos Beltran 4 (18), David Wright 2 (12)
2-OUT RBI - Carlos Beltran 2 (6)
SB - Jose Reyes 2 (6, 2nd base off Vazquez/Ross, 2nd base off J. Bennett/Ross)
CS - Gary Sheffield (1, 2nd base by J. Bennett/Ross)
Team LOB - 5
Fielding
DP - Reyes-Castillo-Delgado
E - Luis Castillo (2, Throwing)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
John Maine (W,2-2)	6	3	3	3	6	7	0	5.20
Bobby Parnell (H,5)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1.46
J.J. Putz (H,6)	1	2	1	1	0	2	1	3.60
Francisco Rodriguez (S,6)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1.69
Pitches-Strikes - John Maine 100-59, Bobby Parnell 13-6, J.J. Putz 20-15, Francisco Rodriguez 11-8
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - John Maine 4-6, Bobby Parnell 1-1, J.J. Putz 1-0
Batters Faced - John Maine 26, Bobby Parnell 3, J.J. Putz 5, Francisco Rodriguez 3

Mets Mates on Ollie: Yes, Yes, Yes

One thing is certain: Oliver Perez has the full backing and support of his 2008 teammates and coaches.

"Bring him back!" is the universal rallying cry.

Billy Wagner: "He's possibly one of those guys who can win the Cy Young award every year," Billy Wagner told The Post yesterday. "It's just, which Ollie is going to show up?

"Oliver has got No. 1 stuff, but he's probably that No. 3 or 4 type pitcher because he can't stay focused for pitching against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's that No. 1 guy for when you're playing against the Phillies and Braves or in the playoffs and you've got to get that win."

Johan Santana: "Oliver is a guy that has learned a lot from last year and we had a good time with him,” Santana said.

“Hopefully Omar finds a way to keep him. He’s learned a lot of things from last year. He learned that every game is important. I told him from the beginning it doesn’t matter what you do tomorrow. Learn from today and you’ll be fine tomorrow.

“Sometimes he lets his emotions take over. I’m pretty sure he’ll improve this year. Hopefully Omar finds a way to keep him in NewYork. He’s not just a great teammate. He’s going to be a good pitcher, too.”

Rick Peterson: "You want a guy who can dominate in your division, and he's only going to get better," Peterson said. "If I'm a Mets fan or in the front office, I'm very happy if Oliver Perez is returning."

Bottom line is the Mets know they have a chance to win now--and that chance is better with Ollie in tow.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

There are wins, and there are WINS!

Last night was a WIN!

The Mets demonstrated a huge amount of intestinal fortitude and resiliency in coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Phillies 6-3.

It was a breathtaking, exciting win that left no doubt that these 2008 Mets will fight and claw and work with every ounce of strength until the end.

"This was a huge, huge win for us simply because of the way we lost last night," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "We could've afforded to (lose), but the way we lost last night, you never know where that's going to lead you."

The unabashed star of the game, Carlos Delgado, swatted two long flies and drove in 3 runs to continue his amazing production since June.

Delgado has 57 RBIs in his last 56 games and a .303 batting average and .991 OPS since the all-star break.

"He's been amazing," said Mets Manager JerryManuel. "When he hits we simply win because he just carries us."

How good has Delgado been? Since June 27 he leads the NL lead in home runs (19) and RBI (58).

Moreover, Delgado is talking and acting like a leader, heaping praise on his teammates, going out to the mound, playing a solid first base, and being the rock his club needs him to be.

"It shows that we have a lot of character and a lot of guys with short-term memories," said Delgado, who continued his remarkable hitting turnaround since late June. "We were able to put [Tuesday] night behind us and come back and play. That's important."

Delgado wasn't alone in shining for the first-place Mets. Rookie Daniel Murphy, who had been in an 0-16 mini-slump, had a clutch double in the 8th to score Beltran. His hit gave the Mets the lead for good. That he hit the double off of closer Brad Lidge was particularly sweet for the hard working Murphy.

It was one of those moments that get lost a bit in a 162 game schedule. After Carlos Beltran stole second, the Phils intentionally walked Ryan Church to get to "the Kid".

Manager Jerry Manuel could easily have pinch-hit for Murphy there--tie game, one of the best closers in baseball on the mound, and Murphy in a slump. But Jerry stuck with Murphy and the young hitter paid his manager back in spades.

“I feel very confident in him,” Manuel said later. “He’s a good young hitter. I never thought about pinch hitting for him or anything like that. He's a big part of what we're doing."

Murphy has been leaning on Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley for advice--three pretty good role models. He spoke about Easley and some recent advice.

"'Murphy, come here,' " Murphy recalled Easley saying. "When you're scuffling, you just try to feel that swing, Easley told him. "Then what you do is you just try to unhook that train you've been dragging for along the whole time."

Consider the train unhooked.

Brian Schneider followed Murphy and promptly blooped a single to short leftfield to plate two more.

6-3 Mets and they never looked back.

The bullpen relieved starter Johan Santana and put zeros on the board--Brain Stokes, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Luis Ayala combined for 1-hit ball over 3 innings. Stoked got the win and Ayala got the save.

Santana didn't have great stuff, but he did hold the hot hitting Phils to 3 runs in 6 innings.

The Mets now get a day off before heading to Florida. Another day in which they hold onto to first place in what has become an incredibly exciting season in Met Nation.

This is why they play the games--this is why we're Mets fans--this is what baseball is all about!

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (74-60) «	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	6	13	0
Philadelphia (73-60)	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0

Player of the Game

New York

C. Delgado	AB	4
	R	2
	H	3
	HR	2
	RBI	3

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	5	1	3	0	0	0	0	.306
Luis Castillo, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	.257
David Wright, 3B	5	0	0	0	0	2	2	.291
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	2	3	3	1	0	0	.263
Carlos Beltran, CF	5	1	3	0	0	0	3	.273
Ryan Church, RF	2	1	1	0	2	1	1	.307
Daniel Murphy, LF	4	1	1	1	0	1	4	.328
Endy Chavez, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.270
Brian Schneider, C	4	0	1	2	0	1	3	.254
Johan Santana, P	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.131
a- Nick Evans, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.261
Brian Stokes, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667
b- Damion Easley, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.270
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Joe Smith, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Luis Ayala, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	37	6	13	6	3	6
a-struck out for Santana in the 7th
b-hit into fielder's choice for Stokes in the 8th
Batting
2B - Daniel Murphy (3, Lidge)
HR - Carlos Delgado 2 (30, Kendrick, Seanez)
SH - Luis Castillo (7)
RBI - Carlos Delgado 3 (93), Daniel Murphy (13), Brian Schneider 2 (31)
2-OUT RBI - Carlos Delgado 2 (36), Daniel Murphy (6), Brian Schneider 2 (11)
SB - Carlos Beltran (19, 2nd base off Lidge/Coste), Ryan Church (2, 2nd base off Kendrick/Coste)
Team LOB - 8
Fielding
DP - Castillo-Reyes-Delgado, Castillo-Reyes-Delgado

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana	6	5	3	3	3	6	2	2.70
Brian Stokes (W,1-0)	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	3.18
Pedro Feliciano (H,18)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.94
Joe Smith (H,15)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.01
Luis Ayala (S,2)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5.37
IBB - Utley by Brian Stokes
Pitches-Strikes - Johan Santana 106-67, Brian Stokes 18-8, Pedro Feliciano 12-7, Joe Smith 1-1, Luis Ayala 10-6
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Johan Santana 5-6, Brian Stokes 2-0, Pedro Feliciano 1-1, Joe Smith 1-0, Luis Ayala 3-0
Batters Faced - Johan Santana 25, Brian Stokes 5, Pedro Feliciano 2, Joe Smith 1, Luis Ayala 3