Kuzul

Finally, New York fans get to see Stephen Strasburg. I have been waiting a while to see him face the Mets MAJOR league team. I actually saw his last minor league start against the Buffalo Bisons. He was pitching with the Syracuse Chiefs and went five innings, allowing three hits, no runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. Three words. He looked awesome.

Courtesy of NewYorkMets on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17660757036 here is today’s lineup, with some notes from me of course:

1. Angel Pagan – CF  Pagan is starting his second straight game after being out with an injury. Pagan went 1-for-5 in his return yesterday.

2. Alex Cora – 2B  Honestly, Cora is hitting second in the order? I don’t understand that at all. Just because he had a three-run triple yesterday and scored a run, he gets rewarded by hitting second? Jose Reyes is still out, but still, I do not understand. I honestly think this will really come back to haunt the Mets today if they wind up in an RBI situation with Cora up. With Strasburg pitching—it’s a big IF.

3. David Wright – 3B  Wright had a big night last night going 3-for-5 with his 25th double of the year.

4. Ike Davis – 1B  Davis brought home a run yesterday but went 0-3. He is currently in the middle of a huge slump.

5. Jason Bay – LF  Bay has been a streaky hitter this year but the surprise about him has been his defense. Coming into this year, I heard a lot of people complaining about his defense, but he has done a stellar job in left field this year.

6. Josh Thole – C  I am really surprised by this move honestly. I have to wonder if something is wrong with either Rod Barajas or Henry Blanco that the Mets are not telling us. Blanco has become the personal catcher for the knuckleballer, the Mets announced his last start, so I wonder why they are throwing rookie Thole out to catch him.

7. Jeff Francoeur – RF  Gosh Francoeur has been such a streaky hitter this year. But he has stayed consistent defensively. He had a nice time at the plate last night though, going 2-for-4.

8. Ruben Tejada – SS  This is Tejada’s fourth straight start at his natural position, with Reyes still out with the strained oblique. What surprises me here though is why Cora hitting second and Tejada hitting eighth? Another thing is, with Reyes out, the Mets had an EXCELLENT opportunity to give Fernando Tatis a start or two at second base, have Cora play short, and give Tejada a day off. Reyes is expected back tomorrow.

9. R.A. Dickey – SP  Dickey has had a great year thus far, only having one bad start, which came last time out against the Marlins.

Today’s starting pitching matchup will be R.A. Dickey (6-1, 2.98 ERA) for the Mets against Stephen Strasburg (2-2, 2.27 ERA) for the Nationals. Strasburg is coming off two consecutive losses.

Notes: Game time today is 4:10pm. Today’s game will be broadcast on FOX.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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Remember Brian Bruney? He is well known in New York for his comments about Francisco Rodriguez last year. If you don’t remember, this is basically what happened:

After K-Rod blew his first save last year, when Luis Castillo dropped the pop up against the Yankees, Bruney said, “It couldn’t happen to a better guy on the mound, either. He’s got a tired act.”

Because of this comment, the two almost fought before a game a couple of days later.

Now the Mets have signed Bruney to a minor-league deal. Bruney has pitched with the Nationals earlier this year, going 1-2 with a 7.64 ERA before being released.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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Alex Cora and Jon Niese, I tell you. I actually missed tonight’s game, but was watching updates, and when I heard Cora hit a bases-clearing triple, I had to see how legit it was. It was pretty dang legit.

Niese had a heck of a start, allowing one run (a home run by Josh Willingham in the seventh) and striking out a career high of eight batters. He is now 5-0 since returning from the disabled list. Here are a few notes:

Ike Davis had an run-scoring ground out in the first.

After the Cora triple, Niese followed with a run-scoring double.

The Mets wore eye-catching white caps tonight for the Fourth of July weekend, I assume. I did not like them.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a third of an inning allowing two hits and got the save.

W-Jon Niese (6-2)

L-Luis Atilano (6-5)

S-Francisco Rodriguez (19)

Tomorrow’s game will start at 4:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on FOX.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Well, time for another link. This time, courtesy of Randy Medina, who 6 days a week (not Sundays), posts humorous things in regards to the Mets. This time the topic is Carlos Beltran . So check it out HERE . Or go to: http://www.readtheapple.com/2010/07/beltrans-return-will-mark-debut-of-new.html

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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Last night, the Mets got a STELLAR start from Johan Santana, but still lost. Tonight they ask the same of Jon Niese and hope to take game two from the Nationals in Washington D.C.

Courtesy of NewYorkMets on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17591305534 here is tonight’s lineup, with notes from me:

1. Angel Pagan —CF  Pagan did not start last night but came in to replace Chris Carter then played center, with Jesus Feliciano moving to left field. Pagan is celebrating his 29th birthday tonight.

2. Ruben Tejada —SS  Again Jose Reyes is out with the strained oblique. He hopes to be back in the lineup tomorrow. Tejada gets his third straight start at his natural position of shortstop.

3. David Wright —3B  Wright, on the last night of All-Star Game voting, went 0-4 to start July.

4. Ike Davis —1B  Davis went 1-4 last night, with his only hit coming in the first inning to score Jesus Feliciano, the Mets’ only run.

5. Jason Bay —LF  Bay got the night off last night with Chris Carter playing left field. Bay pinch hit in the ninth for Henry Blanco and singled.

6. Rod Barajas —C  Barajas got the night off last night, with Henry Blanco catching. Barajas did catch in the ninth inning.

7. Jeff Francoeur —RF  Francoeur struggled last night going 0-4 with two strikeouts. The game-ending sacrifice fly was hit to him.

8. Alex Cora —2B  Cora is getting his third straight start tonight with the absence of Jose Reyes.

9. Jon Nies—SP

Tonight’s starting pitching matchup will be Jon Niese (5-2, 3.84 ERA) for the Mets vs. Luis Atilano (6-4, 4.33 ERA) for the Nationals.

Notes: Game time tonight is 7:05pm. Tonight’s game will be broadcast on SNY. Jose Reyes will miss his third straight game with a strained oblique. Angel Pagan makes his return to the lineup.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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http://mymetsjournal.blogspot.com/2010/07/not-again.html?spref=tw

Joe Petruccio has done an EXCELLENT job this year on recording each game in art afterwards. Check it out!

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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The New York Mets are coming off of a series loss against the Marlins in Puerto Rico, but they did win the final game. Now they head to Washington D.C. on little rest for a four-game series against the Nationals. Courtesy of NewYorkMets on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17516245075 here is tonight’s Mets lineup, with some notes from me:

1. Jesus Feliciano – CF  Feliciano is still in center field because Angel Pagan still can’t really hit off of right handers. Feliciano is still hitting lead off because Jose Reyes is still out with a sore side, most likely a prevention and recovery thing.

2. Ruben Tejada – SS  For the second straight game, Tejada is starting at his natural position, shortstop. Reyes is still out so Tejada will get the start.

3. David Wright – 3B  Wright is coming off a hot June where he hit .404 with 6 home runs and 29 runs batted in. Wright is 12-36 (.333) with 4 home runs and 10 runs batted in against Livan Hernandez .

4. Ike Davis – 1B

5. Jeff Francoeur – RF  Francoeur got the start off yesterday but came in for defense late in the game. Francoeur is 7-16 (.438) with a home run against Hernandez.

6. Chris Carter – LF  Carter started in right field yesterday as a reward for a big double late in Tuesday’s game, but left late for a defensive upgrade of Francoeur. Jason Bay had a run scored in yesterday’s game to give the Mets the lead for good. He gets the day off today.

7. Henry Blanco – C  Blanco gets the start in place of Rod Barajas tonight. Blanco is 9-24 (.375) against Hernandez.

8. Alex Cora – 2B  Cora gets his second straight game where he is starting at second. He would not be starting if Reyes was not injured. Cora is 11-45 (.244) against Hernandez.

9. Johan Santana – SP  Santana did not leave ahead of the team last night, which means he flew with the team to Washington D.C. They most likely hit rush hour traffic when they landed, so he probably is running off little sleep. One can only hope it has a positive effect on him. In most starts he either has had lack of velocity or lack of command.

Tonight’s starting pitching matchup is, Santana (5-5, 3.55 ERA) for the New York against former Met, Livan Hernandez (6-4, 3.10 ERA) for the Nationals. These two pitched against each other once this year, on April 11. Santana allowed a grand slam in the first inning of that game and received a loss. Hernandez pitched seven shutout innings.

Notes: Game time tonight is 7:05pm. Tonight’s game will be broadcasted on SNY.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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“At 12:21 a.m., the Mets have won it.”

Gary Cohen was on his game tonight providing tons of jokes, and of course, we needed them in this game.

In a game that had an 80 minute rain delay to start off, the game didn’t begin until 8:30 p.m. Three hours and 51 minutes later, the game ended.

Keith Hernandez and Cohen were constantly cracking jokes at home plate umpire Tim McClelland for his slow strike call. My personal favorite was:

“Bay struck out to end the inning. Nice of Tim McClelland to let us know half an hour later.”

After the rain delay, Chris Volstad struggled for the Marlins, allowing three runs before he even got an out. He still went five innings, allowing six hits and four runs, three earned. Mike Pelfrey struggled too, allowing two runs in the first inning. Pelfrey went 4.2, allowing four runs, all earned, on 12 hits.

Pelfrey did not have any command of his splitter tonight. He has used that so much this year and has been pretty good with it. But, without the command of it, he was forced to rely on other pitches, which didn’t work too well for him. Elmer Dessens came in for one out in the fifth and got it done on one pitch, which was good enough for the win.

David Wright put a finish to his hot month of June by going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in with two doubles.

A crucial moment in this game came with two outs in the eighth inning. After Gaby Sanchez hit a run-scoring double to make it 6-5, the Mets then walked Hanley Ramirez to supposedly face Jorge Cantu . In a move that surprised everyone, the Marlins pinch-hit for Cantu with Wes Helms . Cantu is known for clutch hitting, so I don’t know why that move was made.

Francisco Rodriguez added his usual dramatics. He came on for a four-out save attempt and got the first out on one pitch. He struggled in the ninth, allowing the tying run to reach third before striking out Brian Barden , who was pinch-hitting.

Notes

The Mets won their first road game against the Marlins this year. Jesus Feliciano shined in the final game in his home country, going 2-for-5 with a run batted in. Johan Santana did not head to Washington early and will be leaving with the team. Jose Reyes was a late scratch due to a sore side.

W: Elmer Dessens (2-1)

L: Alejandro Sanabia (0-1)

S: Francisco Rodriguez (18)

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss the Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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The Mets are in a rain delay. The earliest they will start is 8:00pm, but I suspect an 8:15 or 8:30 start.

Updated at 7:06pm:

Tonight’s game is currently scheduled to start at 7:15 due to a rain delay, but the tarp is back out there and it might start later.

Updated at 6:12pm:

Jose Reyes was scratched from the lineup due to a stiff lower back. He was in the batting cage then left with the trainer. Ruben Tejada will replace Reyes at SS and will hit second in the lineup. Jesus Feliciano will hit lead off and still will play center field.

Original Post at 3:30pm:

Here is the New York Mets lineup for game three of three against the Marlins in Puerto Rico according to NewYorkMets on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17434628286).

1. Jose Reyes – SS

2. Jesus Feliciano – CF  Angel Pagan finally made his return to the lineup yesterday but Feliciano pinch hit for him in the eighth and struck out. The game winning hit was hit to Feliciano.

3. David Wright – 3B  Wright is in the middle of an All Star race for the 3B position. Yesterday Wright went 3-4.

4. Ike Davis – 1B  Ike did not start yesterday and got a major pinch hitting appearance against Taylor Tankersley as the tying run but struck out. He also had a deep fly out in the ninth.

5. Jason Bay – LF  Bay had two walks and a sacrifice fly in yesterday’s game.

6. Chris Carter – RF Jeff Francoeur gets a day off today. Carter pinch hit yesterday and hit a double in the ninth, and got pinch run for.

7. Rod Barajas – C

8. Alex Cora – 2B  Cora pinch ran for Chris Carter yesterday and scored the tying run. Cora is playing in his home country.

9. Mike Pelfrey – SP

Tonight’s pitching matchup will be Mike Pelfrey (10-2, 2.71 ERA) vs. Chris Volstad (4-7, 4.40 ERA).

Notes: The Mets have lost six straight road games to the Marlins. Game time is 7:10pm and will be broadcast on SNY. Pelfrey is 6-0 when pitching after a loss. Mets are trying to avoid a sweep.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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According to the NewYorkMets post on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NewYorkMets/status/17272109005 , the Mets will begin the series against the Florida Marlins in Puerto Rico with the following lineup:

1. Jose Reyes —SS  Reyes has really become hot and is the Reyes we all know and are glad to have on the Mets.

2. Jesus Feliciano —CF  Feliciano is returning to his home country, Puerto Rico, during this series. Angel Pagan still is out due to muscle spasms.

3. David Wright —3B  Wright has been heating up of late. He hit two home runs in the series against the Twins.

4. Ike Davis —1B  Wright and Davis hit back to back home runs yesterday.

5. Jason Bay —LF  After Wright and Davis hit back to back home runs, Bay hit a triple; his 1000th career hit. He is only the 10th Canadian to reach that milestone.

6. Jeff Francoeur —RF  Francoeur has been streaky all year, but he seems to be coming into a hot streak.

7. Henry Blanco —C  This will be his third straight time catching Dickey.

8. Ruben Tejada —2B  Tejada got a hit yesterday to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. With that hitting streak, he has tied the longest hitting streak by a rookie this year. Last time a Mets rookie had a 10 game hit streak was Jason Phillips in 2003.

9. R.A. Dickey—SP  Dickey came into this year not expected to do much, but he has surprised a lot of people with how well his knuckleball has faired.

Tonight’s pitching matchup:

R.A. Dickey (6-0, 2.33 ERA) will face Ricky Nolasco (6-6 4.92 ERA) of the Marlins.

Notes: The Mets will be trying to win their 8th consecutive series opener. This series will be played in Puerto Rico. The game will start at 7:10pm eastern time and will be broadcast on SNY.

Flushing Baseball Daily reporter, Tyler Moore. Follow Tyler on Twitter, where he’ll discuss Mets, and also his posts. If you wish to email him, send an email to Tyler with the subject of Flushing Baseball Daily Mail. Thanks for reading!

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