It's Official: We've Seen Everything

The Mets lost on an unassisted triple play to end the game.

The 15th unassisted triple play in major league HISTORY...yes, and of course it happens against the 2009 Mets.

Angel Pagan led off the 9th by slashing one through the legs of Ryan Howard and racing to third. He scored when Phils backup second baseman Eric Bruntlett botched Luis Castillo's grounder.

Suddenly we had a game--after being down 3 in the 9th, 2 errors and a hit led to a run, and suddenly there were men on 1st and second with Jeff Francoeur at the plate.

And then IT happened....

Jerry sent the runners, Francoeur hit a bullet right to Eric Bruntlett, who was moving to second to cover...he steps on the bag to get Luis Castillo and tagged Daniel Murphy, who was right in front of him.

It felt like Referee Mills Lane counting out the Mets...

ONE, TWO, THREE....y'er out!

We've officially seen everything now.

Here's the video of Buntlett's unassisted triple play.

Mets Sweep Braves, Extend Lead in the NL East

The Mets won again and swept the Braves. The red-hot team and extended their lead in the NL East to 2.5 games over the Phillies and 6 games over the floundering fish.

We'll have the full game report in the morning.

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
N.Y. Mets	71	57	.551	-	38-23	32-34	28-20	13-16	20-15	8-2	W 3
Philadelphia	68	59	.535	2½	34-28	34-31	27-22	21-14	16-12	4-6	L 1
Florida	65	63	.508	6	35-31	30-32	27-21	15-17	18-15	3-7	L 2
Atlanta	56	72	.441	15	34-31	22-40	20-26	11-24	17-14	1-9	L 4
Washington	45	83	.352	26	23-39	22-44	17-30	14-23	6-20	1-9	W 1

Good Morning Mets Fans! 7 Straight Edition!

Welcome to Jerry's Mets.

Jerry Manuel deserves to lose the interim tag and get a nice 3-year deal.

Why, you ask? Is it because the Mets have won 7 straight and are now 1.5 back in the NL East and 2.5 back in the Wild card? Well, that is only part of the reason. The real reason is relationships.

Jerry is in charge and has made a few subtle moves that have produced results. The relievers now know their roles--no more guessing as to who will do what. They have responded. He has the Mets looser and more relaxed because he treats them like men. Facial hair? Sure. Music in the clubhouse? Why not.

And then you see him on the field lecturing the entire team a few days back after a few mental errors nearly cost the Mets a win against the Phillies. You see him taking care of Jose Reyes the right way, which has kept our young star focused on his mission to get on base vice sulking with hurt feelings after Willie's rebuke last year. Jerry also happens to put together a great lineup and has a great feel for his pitchers.

It's the same in any workplace--give me feedback, treat me with respect, communicate up and down, and work together toward a common goal. Do that and I will give you 110% every day.

Jerry is the man.

And how about those Mets? The suddenly Amazin' pitching staff did something that hasn't been done in the National League since the 1920s--allow 3 hits for the 4th consecutive game. That's right--12 hits and 4 runs total over the last 4 games....a stunning display of pitching.

Ollie Perez threw another gem....he surrendered 2 hits and 1 run in 6 scintillating innings. His fastball crackled through the Shea air at 93 to 97 miles per hour. He finished the night with 7 Ks, but he also gave up 6 walks. When he left it was tied 1-1 and Ollie, gamer that he is, stuck around to cheer on his teammates.

It was nice to see Jerry leave Ollie in for the 6th and 7th when the previous manager would have definitely pulled him.

On sending him back out for the 6th: "His fastball was dominant," Manuel said. "When you've got that kind of stuff, you've got to give the guy the benefit of the doubt."

In his last 3 games, Ollie has pitched 20 innings, given up 2 runs, and only allowed 9 hits, while striking out 21....that is #1 starter stuff.

How about Damion Easley! With the Mets and Rockies tied 1-1 in an exceptionally well pitched game, Mr Professional hit an 8th inning, two-out HR over the left-centerfield wall for the clutch hit of the day.

Easley, who is hitting .405 for the month, is no longer a Super-Sub--he is the starter, and it looks like he'll remain the starter.

Here's a very telling bit from the NY Post on the shot:

"Little by little starting on the road trip [last week], we built some confidence by winning some tough, close games," said Easley, hitting .422 in his past 13 games. "That really set us off and really helped our focus."

Easley's decisive shot - just his third homer of the season, and one day after backup Fernando Tatis' homer led to a win - came on a 3-2 pitch from reliever Taylor Bucholz. But the homer almost didn't happen.

Manuel revealed that he nearly pulled Easley two pitches before the homer because of a strained left quadriceps that is likely to keep the 38-year-old journeyman out of today's contest.

"Considering the injury, that was a very impressive at-bat," Manuel said. "[Easley] is a very smart, stable and professional player - the whole nine yards. He's been a welcome, welcome, welcome surprise."

And how about the Mets bullpen? During this homestand the Mets bullpen has not allowed a run in 13.1 innings....incredible.

"Guys are picking up other guys and going in and getting the job done," Manuel said of the bullpen. "They're making us a tough team to play at the end of the game."

Heilman has really turned his season around. In June he had an 0.64 ERA in 14 appearances, and in July he looks even better. In 6 weeks he has lowered his season ERA from 6.67 to 4.59.

All in all a great day for the Mets--Ollie was an Ace, the bullpen was smashing, Easley continues to rake, the Mets were clutch, David Wright was rightfully named to the All-Star team, Jose Reyes drove in a run, Delgado had a hustle double, Schneider had a few nice at-bats, and the Mets won their 7th in a row.

Color me optimistic!

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Colorado (39-55)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	2
N.Y. Mets (49-44) «	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	x	2	7	0

Players of the Game

New York D. Easley AB 3 R 1 H 2 HR 1 RBI 1

Colorado A. Cook IP 6.0 H 6 ER 1 BB 1 K 3

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	4	0	2	1	0	0	1	.302
Endy Chavez, RF	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.268
David Wright, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	2	.285
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.262
Damion Easley, 2B	3	1	2	1	1	0	0	.292
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	1	2	.246
Fernando Tatis, LF	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	.295
Brian Schneider, C	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	.250
Nick Evans, PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.185
Ramon Castro, C	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.274
Oliver Perez, P	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.154
Aaron Heilman, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a- Argenis Reyes, PH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.308
Duaner Sanchez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Billy Wagner, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	31	2	7	2	1	5
a-hit a sacrifice bunt for Heilman in the 7th
Batting
2B - Jose Reyes (23, Cook), Carlos Delgado (19, Cook)
HR - Damion Easley (3, Buchholz)
SH - Argenis Reyes (1)
RBI - Jose Reyes (41), Damion Easley (23)
2-OUT RBI - Jose Reyes (22), Damion Easley (10)
Team LOB - 7
Fielding
DP - Wright-Easley-Delgado

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Oliver Perez	6	2	1	1	6	7	1	4.44
Aaron Heilman	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	4.59
Duaner Sanchez	0.2	1	0	0	1	0	0	3.57
Pedro Feliciano (W,2-2)	0.1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2.86
Billy Wagner (S,21)	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	2.37
Pitches-Strikes - Oliver Perez 119-66, Aaron Heilman 16-10, Duaner Sanchez 13-6, Pedro Feliciano 7-2, Billy Wagner 13-7
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Oliver Perez 5-5, Aaron Heilman 1-0, Duaner Sanchez 2-0, Pedro Feliciano 1-0
Batters Faced - Oliver Perez 25, Aaron Heilman 4, Duaner Sanchez 4, Pedro Feliciano 2, Billy Wagner 3

The Mets Are Not Really an Old Team

I've been having an interesting chat with a guy who has been convinced all year long that the Mets problems stem from the fact that they are an "old team".

I decided to take a look at all the teams, and here are the results. Yes, the Mets are the oldest team in baseball at 30.8 years of age on average, but considering that the Phillies are 30.6, the Red Sox 30.4, and the Cubs 30.3, I don't think the extra tenth or two of average makes a hill of beans difference.

The Mets are playing poorly, but not because they're old.

Major League Rosters
RNK	Team	RHB	LHB	SH	RHP	LHP	HT	WT	Age	Young	Old
1	Arizona	7	5	2	9	3	6-2	205	27.6	20	44
2	Florida	8	5	2	15	4	6-2	207	27.6	21	40
3	Minnesota	8	4	3	11	3	6-1	210	27.7	22	37
4	Texas	6	5	3	14	4	6-2	217	27.8	23	37
5	Oakland	10	7	1	11	3	6-1	209	27.8	22	40
6	Tampa Bay	7	6	2	11	3	6-1	207	27.9	22	38
7	Colorado	9	6	1	11	4	6-2	207	27.9	22	38
8	Washington	10	4	4	12	3	6-1	221	28.1	23	36
9	Baltimore	6	4	2	14	6	6-2	208	28.3	22	37
10	LA Angels	9	2	5	10	2	6-1	205	28.3	23	37
11	Pittsburgh	9	4	1	5	7	6-0	205	28.4	24	36
12	Kansas City	7	5	1	12	3	6-1	200	28.5	24	37
13	Cleveland	8	4	2	9	5	6-1	207	28.6	22	37
14	San Francisco	9	3	4	9	6	6-1	204	28.6	22	41
15	Atlanta	6	5	4	12	6	6-1	207	28.7	22	42
16	Cincinnati	10	6	1	11	4	6-1	212	29.2	21	40
17	LA Dodgers	10	5	3	10	3	6-1	212	29.2	20	40
18	St. Louis	9	3	2	17	4	6-2	210	29.3	22	39
19	Detroit	11	3	3	9	6	6-1	201	29.4	23	43
20	NY Yankees	5	5	3	19	1	6-3	222	29.5	21	39
21	San Diego	8	4	3	14	4	6-1	206	29.5	25	42
22	Milwaukee	10	3	0	13	4	6-1	211	29.8	22	39
23	Seattle	10	3	1	8	4	6-1	213	29.8	22	38
24	Chicago Sox	10	2	1	8	4	6-2	225	29.9	23	37
25	Toronto	11	4	1	10	4	6-1	210	30.0	23	40
26	Chicago Cubs	9	4	0	12	3	6-1	208	30.3	22	38
27	Boston	6	6	2	11	3	6-2	208	30.4	23	42
28	Philadelphia	7	4	2	11	4	6-1	205	30.6	23	45
29	NY Mets	5	5	6	10	6	6-1	209	30.8	24	42
30	Houston	8	2	3	10	3	6-0	204	30.8	23	41

Deja Vu All Over Again

What a brutal offensive stretch for the Mets--three straight losses to the San Diego Padres by 2-1 scores.

The real shame? The pitching has been brilliant.

The Mets now stand 6.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, and 5.5 games behind the Cards for the Wild Card, with four other teams sandwiched between.

Ever the eternal optimist when it comes to the Mets, I have begun to worry.

I'm worried that we'll never have the offensive consistency needed to win 90+ games.

I'm worried that Moises Alou won't have 90 more games of baseball left in his old body.

I'm worried that Ryan Church might have cobwebs for another month.

I'm worried that our weak hitting bench is going to be the team's downfall.

Speaking of the bench, I love those guys individually, but as a unit they have got to be among the worst in baseball. Tatis, Endy, Easley, Castro, Casanova, and Nunez?

My kingdom for Angel Pagan!

Hey Omar....we need some offense, and I believe it is time to make a move and part ways with one of the weak hitting guys that currently make up our roster. Tatis is the obvious candidate, but don't rule out Easley....he has just lost his ability to turn on a fastball and cover the plate on breaking pitches.

It's time for a move on the bench and a little shakeup.

Damion Easley Stats and Projections--what has he done to deserve 360 at bats this season?

2008 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	37	96	7	22	4	0	1	11	5	13	0	0	.229	.262	.302	.564
Career	1630	5264	709	1323	281	25	158	651	496	910	114	56	.251	.328	.404	.732
Last 7	4	10	1	4	1	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	.400	.455	.500	.955
Projected	138	358	26	82	15	0	4	41	19	48	0	0	.229	.262	.302	.564

Good Morning Mets Fans! (hello first place)

Is there any doubt that Johan Santana is worth every penny? Last night, against the Mets main rival, Santana dominated the hard hitting Phillies en route to his second win of the year.

His amazing effort included 10 strikeouts and catapulted the Mets back to the top of the NL East. In his 4 starts as a Met, the lefthander has only walked 4 batters in 27 2/3 innings, while striking out 28. His WHIP is a stellar .867--this means he is allowing less than 8 baserunners per 9 innings pitched.

His ERA is a solid 3.25, but it could be, and should be, better. Part of that can be attributed to the bullpen. Aaron Heilman, who continues to struggle, allowed two inherited runners to score on a homerun by Philly pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs.

Still Santana is soaring. His athleticism, desire, focus, and control gives the Mets something they haven't had in a while--a #1 no-kidding, opponent fearing, stopper. Seaver, Gooden, Santana...it's a short list.

Last 4 Games (Season Game Log)													Season to Date
Date	Opponent	Score	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K			W	L	SV	IP	ERA
Apr 18	@ PHI	W 6-4	W	7.0	4	3	3	1	0	10			2	2	0	27.2	3.25
Apr 12	MIL	L 3-5	L	6.2	6	5	4	3	2	7			1	2	0	20.2	3.05
Apr 6	@ ATL	L 1-3	L	7.0	7	1	1	0	0	3			1	1	0	14.0	1.93
Mar 31	@ FLA	W 7-2	W	7.0	3	2	2	1	2	8			1	0	0	7.0	2.57
Total				27.2	20	11	10	5	4	28			2	2	0	0	3.25

Pitching
Last 3 years	G	GS	W	L				IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2006	34	34	19	6				233.2	186	79	72	24	47	245	2.77	1.00	.216
2007	33	33	15	13				219.0	183	88	81	33	52	235	3.33	1.07	.225
2008	4	4	2	2				27.2	20	11	10	5	4	28	3.25	0.87	.196
Career	255	179	95	46				1336.1	1088	511	478	149	368	1409	3.22	1.09	.220

Billy Wagner continued his perfect season last night with his 3rd save of the year in a ballpark that has been less than friendly to the Mets outspoken closer. Perhaps the most encouraging signs about Wagner this year is his efficiency. He is getting it done with a minimum of pitches, throwing only 69 pitches in his 6 appearances in 2008, 49 for strikes.

Last 6 Games (Season Game Log)													Season to Date
Date	Opponent	Score	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K			W	L	SV	IP	ERA
Apr 18	@ PHI	W 6-4	SV	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0			0	0	3	6.0	0.00
Apr 17	WAS	W 3-2	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	1			0	0	2	5.0	0.00
Apr 16	WAS	W 5-2	SV	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	1			0	0	2	4.0	0.00
Apr 11	MIL	W 4-2	SV	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0			0	0	1	3.0	0.00
Apr 10	PHI	W 4-3	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	2			0	0	0	2.0	0.00
Apr 2	@ FLA	W 13-0	-	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	1			0	0	0	1.0	0.00
Total				6.0	0	0	0	0	1	5			0	0	3	0	0.00

In a game where several key players came up big, David Wright was the undisputed offensive star, stroking 4 hits and drawing a walk to reach base safely in all 5 plate appearances. Wright seemed totally locked in on Philies ace Cole Hamels, and seemed to frustrate the lanky lefty with each at bat. DW is now leading the NL in RBIs with 17 and is well on his way to a monster season.

I keep wondering what Wright's true ceiling is, and judging by the way he has looked out of the gate this year, he still has a ways to climb....500 HRs? 600 HRs? 3,500 hits? He is 25 years old and has 149 doubles, averaging over 40 a season.

To put that in perspective the major league record for doubles is held by Tris Speaker with 792. If DW can average 42 doubles a year for the next 15 years he will own the record. Possible? Yes. Probable? Who knows. It just goes to illustrate the point of how good a player the Mets have here.

All-time Top 10 in Doubles:

Rank	Player (age)	Doubles	Bats
1.	Tris Speaker+*	792	L
2.	Pete Rose#	746	B
3.	Stan Musial+*	725	L
4.	Ty Cobb+*	724	L
5.	Craig Biggio (42)	668	R
6.	George Brett+*	665	L
7.	Nap Lajoie+	657	R
8.	Carl Yastrzemski+*	646	L
9.	Honus Wagner+	640	R
10.	Hank Aaron+	624	R

How about Ryan Church in the 2 hole! 3 more runs scored last night, 2 more hits, another walk. Memo to Willie: You HAVE your #2 hitter (and his name doesn't rhyme with Bastillo).

Jose Reyes gave us all a scare last night when his head collided violently with Eric Bruntlett's knee. Reyes, who appeared dazed and confused for several minutes, gamely stayed in the contest and scored one pitch later on David Wright's triple.

Jose Reyes = Gamer.

OK Mets fans, enjoy your coffee! Ollie against Moyer today in what should be a great one.