Kuzul

LOS ANGELES—During the Mets’ current road trip, their hitting has been as bad as it’s ever been.

The Mets are now 2-8 on their current 11-game road trip that concludes tomorrow afternoon and have gone through three prolonged hitting funks during the stretch.

Their first prolonged slump occured at the beginning of the trip. The Mets didn’t score for the first 24 innings while in San Francisco; it took them until the seventh inning of their third game to score.

Ike Davis hit a monster two-run shot into McCovey Cove at AT&T Park to snap the string in a Mets 8-4 loss.

Their second hitting drought came on Wednesday and Thursday against the Diamondbacks and Dodgers, respectively. The Mets were shut out over the final eight innings of their 14-inning 4-3 loss in Arizona and were shut out completely Thursday in Los Angeles, 2-0, to run their string to 17 straight scorless innings.

After breaking up the drought in Friday’s win, the Mets began a third streak of consecutive scoreless innings in today’s 3-2 loss to the Dodgers.

After tying the game at 2-2 in the sixth, the Mets failed to score over the final seven innings from the seventh to 13th. It’s almost equivalent to what happened in the 14-inning game, only one less inning was played. The Mets hope they’re not shut out tomorrow, the way they were following the 14-inning debacle.

The point of all of this is the Mets pitching has actually been fantastic for the most part over this stretch. On this road trip, twice has a game lasted 13 or more innings, only to find the Mets lose a close one via the walk-off.

Today’s loss was the Mets 12th walk-off loss of the season, showing that they’ve been in a ton of close affairs this season. If they at least won half of those, they would be 14 games over .500 at this point at 56-42. They aren’t, though, and that’s the shame of it.

There has to be a reason why the Mets have been so bad on the road late in games. Could it be pressure? Is it the lack of clutch players? No matter what the reason, it has cost the Mets a shot at staying in the National League playoff race.

After all, the Mets are not only fading in the NL East, they have so many teams in front of them in the NL Wild Card race, and the Florida Marlins only trail the Mets by a game and a half.

For all the moaning that people and talking heads have been doing about the Mets not having enough starting pitching, it’s not the pitching that is doing the Mets in this season.

When a team’s starting pitching keeps a game tied or close late 12 times, that team should have at least a handful of wins.

Now with the trading deadline exactly one week away, what do the Mets do? Is there any point to trade for a starting pitcher if the hitting has gone in a 48-inning combined scoreless drought over a 10-game span?

What would the Mets be giving up in a trade? Looking at things realistically, the Mets aren’t going to make the playoffs this season. They are five games behind in the Wild Card race with five teams ahead of them, and they are 7.5 games behind in the NL East.

Is this the right time to mortgage the future for pitching that won’t help instead of holding on to perhaps rebuild the team in the coming years?

If the Mets don’t make October this season for a fourth straight season, it may be time to trade some of the core players (i.e., Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana) and start rebuilding to try with a new foundation.

It’s not something that Mets fans want to hear, but this group of guys is getting stale at this point. Something is not clicking obviously, and the Mets are starting to fade away in July again.

If the Mets want any hope at all entering the season’s final months, their hitting can’t continue to enter these prolonged droughts.

So with the trading deadline coming up, what do the Mets do? Reality says, they don’t need any more starting pitching, and should hold on to future players.

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LOS ANGELES—Once again, the Mets offense disappeared right in the middle of a game, right when it looked like it was about to break out.

The Mets failed to record a hit from the seventh through the 13th innings, being shut down by the Dodgers bullpen after they tied the game in the sixth.

Mike Pelfrey was on the mound, and rebounded from a horrible four-start stretch. He only went five innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in a tight situation. He allowed two runs on six hits, walked a batter intentionally and struck out two.

The Mets tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Rod Barajas who then left the game due to injury, and an RBI single by Jose Reyes.

Both bullpens were fantastic until Oliver Perez allowed a walk-off home run to James Loney in the 13th, as the Dodgers won the game, 3-2.

For the Mets, it’s their 12th walk-off loss of the season, and they are now 2-8 on the 11-game West Coast trip that ends tomorrow.

They will try to split the four-game series tomorrow with R.A. Dickey on the mound against Clayton Kershaw.

NL East Standings

Atlanta 56-40
Philadelphia 51-46 (5 1/2)
NY Mets 50-48 (7)

* Does not include ATL result

Series Probable Pitchers

July 25
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 6-4, 2.73 ERA) vs. Los Angeles: Clayton Kershaw (2010: 9-5, 3.15 ERA)

Upcoming Schedule

New York Mets
July 25 @ Los Angeles Dodgers
July 27-29 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Los Angeles Dodgers
July 25 vs. New York Mets
July 27-29 @ San Diego Padres

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LOS ANGELES: Mike Pelfrey has gone through a rough stretch over his last four starts like none other in over 50 years.

Over his last 14.2 innings pitched, Pelfrey has allowed 51 baserunners. That’s almost 3.5 baserunners allowed per inning, a rate that hasn’t been seen since 1951.

Yes, it’s been that bad for the pitcher whom some people considered the staff’s ace in April and May.

His last start in Arizona, was the worst of his career, only lasting 1.1 innings. He gave up six runs on seven hits, and threw 51 pitches in the first inning.

It’s not as if Pelfrey has been on and off; he’s been atrocious lately, which is surprising considering the start he got off to this season.

It really came out of nowhere, and now Pelfrey must regroup immediately without a trade looking imminent, in order for the Mets to stay in the National League race.

A good start by Pelfrey would come at a good time this afternoon, trying to build a winning streak for the Mets.

The best thing that can happen to the Mets right now, is winning the final two games of this road trip, to go back home 4-7.

That may be getting carried away, but if Pelfrey can come through today, R.A. Dickey would be pitching tomorrow, and he has been rock solid.

What the Mets must do as a team is play like they did last night, for the rest of the season. No, it doesn’t mean they’ll finish the season 65-0, it just means they’ll have a chance to win the majority of them.

Last night, the Mets played with grit and passion. Three outstanding defensive plays started with Jason Bay’s faceplant into the left-field fence. Great pitching and smart offensive ball.

The lineup put out by Jerry Manuel last night is the one that should be used from here on out. It can produce in many ways, especially with the threesome on top: Reyes, Castillo, and Pagan. They all have speed, can bunt, and can play small ball.

With David Wright and Carlos Beltran hitting in front of Ike Davis, and with Bay protecting Davis, the rookie first baseman should feel very comfortable, as evidenced by his home run last night.

Manuel finally put together a lineup that produced to the tune of six runs on eight hits. There were also many great signs for the Mets in last night’s win.

Not only did Jason Bay finally come through with a huge hit in the eighth, his biggest to date, but Carlos Beltran showed some things with his sliding catch in center field.

Beltran, after making a nice catch, got up without a single problem and continued on, showing that his surgically repaired knees may be feeling better.

Trying to put together a run of games with solid run production, the Mets will go up against rookie right-hander Carlos Monasterios.

He has appeared in 20 games with the Dodgers, and has started six of them. The Dodgers are looking for a fifth starter, and have been using a number of pitchers to fill the hole in the rotation.

Monasterios is 2-2 in the six games in which he has started, and this will be his first since June 18 against the Red Sox.

He didn’t fare well in that game, allowing six runs on eight hits, and two home runs in four innings of work.

He did face the Mets in relief at Citi Field on April 27 in the nightcap of a doubleheader, allowing a hit and striking out two in two innings.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre should have both his setup man Hong-Chih Kuo and closer Jonathan Broxton available for today’s game, giving them a great late-game bullpen advantage if need be.

The Mets, who actually gained a game in the NL East standings last night, will try to begin something positive, as the long West Coast trip is winding to an end.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Los Angeles (career)
0-1, 5.40 ERA, 10 IP, 15 hits, 4 BB, 10 SO

Carlos Monasterios this season (20 games/6 starts)
3-2, 3.61 ERA, 52.1 IP, 50 hits, 18 BB, 24 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Los Angeles)

April 27 (1): New York 4, Los Angeles 0
April 27 (2): New York 10, Los Angeles 5
April 28: New York 7, Los Angeles 3

July 22: Los Angeles 2, New York 0
July 23: New York 6, Los Angeles 1

Mets lead series 4-1

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LOS ANGELES– The New York Mets are in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in game two of their series, trying to fine some offense.

New York will have Johan Santana on the mound facing Vincente Padilla. Padilla has beat the Mets more than any other team in his career (10), and is having a solid season for Joe Torre’s club.

Trying to find a way to score runs, Jerry Manuel has shaken up his lineup, moving Jason Bay down in the order.

METS LINEUP:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
RF Angel Pagan
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Ike Davis
LF Jason Bay
C Henry Blanco
P Johan Santana

DODGERS LINEUP:
SS Rafael Furcal
RF Andre Ethier
CF Matt Kemp
3B Casey Blake
1B James Loney
C Russell Martin
2B Blake DeWitt
LF Jamey Carroll
P Vincente Padilla

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LOS ANGELES—After going 13 straight games without scoring more than four runs, Mets manager Jerry Manuel has made drastic changes to tonight’s starting lineup.

Jason Bay seems to be moving lower in the order by the day. Tonight’s Mets lineup is as follows:

SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
RF Angel Pagan
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
1B Ike Davis
LF Jason Bay
C Henry Blanco
P Johan Santana

For the first time as a Met, Jason Bay will be batting seventh in the order. It’s a lineup that shows the panic level of Jerry Manuel.

Angel Pagan may be the Mets best hitter this season, so it makes some sense that he would bat third, but it’s still not a spot a player like him would bat in.

Luis Castillo was really doing nothing in the eight hole, and Angel Pagan would have no use hitting lower than top-three.

Jerry Manuel is trying to do anything to get his players to start hitting, a day after GM Omar Minaya said his job is safe. Things could change quickly if the Mets don’t win more than a game in this series.

Jason Bay got benched last night, and can soon be hitting eighth in the order. The Mets will hope this lineup can get Santana a win.

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LOS ANGELES—We are now at a juncture in the season where if things don’t heal quickly, there will be more stories about Jets and Giants training camp than the Mets.

The Mets have endured their collapses, their failures, their mid-season disappointments. But maybe never so quickly has a Mets team gone from contender to pretender mid-season—from the talk of baseball in June to absolute afterthoughts in July.

There are still 66 games left in the 2010 season. That may be a number to count on, but the way the Mets are going right now, how many wins will come of those remaining games?

The Mets offense hasn’t hit the skids or begun to slump, it has completely dissipated. The Mets have now gone 13 straight games without scoring more than four runs, and have not even scored that many in its current four-game losing streak.

Normally, the thought in baseball is to hand the ball to your ace when in a losing streak of four or more. It means that you haven’t won with any other starter in the rotation.

That’s all fine tonight for the Mets. They will have their ace, Johan Santana, on the mound, but does it mean anything at this point? Out of the eight games since the All-Star break, the Mets have lost six when getting a good pitching performance.

No matter how well Santana does, the Mets need to try and score some runs. Even if Santana doesn’t allow a run, the Mets are capable of not scoring, which would cancel out Santana’s effort.

The good thing is, they will have a guy on the mound that can keep them in the game, and someone who has been dominant of late.

After the calendar flipped to July from an awful June for Santana, he has been money. In July, Santana is 2-0 with a 0.58 ERA. That’s vintage Santana, and being that he’s one of the best second-half pitchers of all time, there’s no reason to believe he’s going to revert back to his June ways.

In his last start on Sunday in San Francisco, Santana didn’t get a win, but certainly deserved one. He pitched eight stellar innings, and left the game with a 3-1 lead, handing the ball over to Francisco Rodriguez.

Rodriguez gave up two runs to blow the save, and nearly blew the game. He was helped out by a generous call from home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, and therefore the Mets went on to win the game in the 10th inning.

So far on this 11-game road trip, that’s the only win the Mets have gotten, as they lost the three before and four after.

Trying to continue the National League pitchers’ run against the Mets will be Vincente Padilla. When healthy, Padilla has been phenomenal this season, so the Mets may have another excuse already lined up should they fail again. After all, every pitcher, according to the Mets, recently has had his “good stuff” against them.

After getting handed the ball on Opening Day against the Pirates and getting crushed, Padilla has settled in nicely. He did spend the entire month of May on the disabled list.

He pitched a gem against the Cardinals in his last start on Sunday in St. Louis. In the start, he went six innings, allowing only one hit, but he did walk five. The Dodgers would go on to lose the game, 5-4.

Last night, Dodgers manager Joe Torre elected to use his setup man Hong-Chih Kuo in the ninth inning to save the game, citing stomach problems as the reason for Broxton’s absence.

Thing is, the Dodgers don’t allow Kuo to pitch in consecutive games, so he won’t be available tonight. On those days, when Kuo doesn’t pitch, the Dodgers have had a hard time winning games.

That doesn’t matter right now for the Mets. They aren’t doing anything against anyone. Tonight’s Mets lineup is to be determined.

Jason Bay may get a second straight game off, and any of three catchers can play, although it’s likely to be Henry Blanco for Johan Santana.

The Mets need wins, that goes without saying, and they’ll try again tonight.

News and notes:
RHP Fernando Nieve has been designated for assignment
RHP Manny Acosta has been recalled from Triple-A Buffalo

Johan Santana vs. Los Angeles (April 27)
Win, 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, 3 BB, 6 SO

Vincente Padilla vs. New York (career)
*10-3, 3.54 ERA, 94 IP, 84 hits, 27 BB, 63 SO

*Most wins against any team in career

2010 season series (New York vs. Los Angeles)
April 27 (1): New York 4, Los Angeles 0
April 27 (2): New York 10, Los Angeles 5
April 28: New York 7, Los Angeles 3

July 22: Los Angeles 2, New York 0
Mets lead series 3-1

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Obviously, we all know by now that the New York Mets have gone to the West Coast and failed to prove they are contenders.

On June 27, the Mets beat the Minnesota Twins behind Jon Niese on a Sunday at Citi Field. What’s the relevance of that date? It’s their recent high-water mark of the season, when they improved to 11 games over .500 with a record of 43-32.

Since then, they have lost 14 of 20, to drop to only three games over .500, with their current record being 49-46. The Mets were doing so well in the month of June.

They looked like legitimate contenders in the National League East, hanging with the Atlanta Braves and with the struggling Philadelphia Phillies.

In June, the Mets went 18-8. David Wright had the best month of his career, hitting over .400 while driving in 29 runs, earning him Player of the Month honors in the National League.

Now, the Mets have started their West Coast trip 1-6, and could easily be 0-7 if it wasn’t for a bad call by home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi in San Francisco.

So, where did it all go wrong?

The Mets were favorites in the NL Wild Card race and were looking like a playoff team. Their terrible stretch began in Puerto Rico on June 28. Since then, they are 6-14.

Could it have possibly been the trip to another country? No, that’s just an excuse.

The real problem has been the fact that they were playing over their heads. At home, before their last home stand, the Mets were 28-12.

Eventually, records like that will even out, and it’s begun to, with the Mets losing four of six on their last homestand to the Cincinnati Reds and Braves.

But more than pure numbers, the Mets happened to all be playing well at the same time during their magnificent stretch in late-May through late-June.

They were getting fantastic starting pitching, especially clutch performances out of Hisanori Takahashi who beat the Yankees and Phillies in May. 

On June 13, Mike Pelfrey was 9-1, with a 2.39 ERA. That day, when he beat the Baltimore Orioles, things started to unravel even in the victory. Pelfrey has never been the same since.

Takahashi is more a reliever, and has proven that with his numbers being so poor going through the lineup more than once.

They have had some consistencies.

Angel Pagan, when told he’s an everyday player, has been maybe the most clutch hitter for the Mets. The Mets have gotten continued success out of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and have gotten decent pitching out of Jon Niese.

But there are some things that aren’t there that were back in April and May. Rod Barajas was carrying the Mets offense during the first two months, but the problem is, the back of his baseball card reads otherwise.

This season, Barajas is batting .226, exactly what he batted in 2009.

This season, Barajas is on pace to hit 20 home runs, whereas last season he hit 19. So, the Mets have gotten exactly what they expected out of Barajas. It’s just that the bulk of his production came early and evened out late.

The key in all of that is that the Mets were being “carried” by him. Meaning he was partially the reason why they were succeeding offensively. When he faded, the guys who weren’t hitting still didn’t hit.

Jason Bay has been a bust so far. He never picked his teammates up after they picked him up.

On April 30, Jeff Francoeur was hitting .284, he hasn’t hit higher than .275 since, and he has dipped as low as .212.

Now, as a result of losing playing time to Angel Pagan, and righfully so, he’s demanding a trade. The Mets are 0-6 on this road trip when Francoeur hasn’t played and Beltran has played.

Maybe the clubhouse has been deflated by their leader being benched. How will the clubhouse react now to him requesting a trade?

With guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Luis Castillo all returning from injuries, how long will it take for them to get back in a groove?

At the start of this road trip, the Mets front office needed to trade for a starting pitcher. They, as always at the trade deadline, were defiant, and now it may not even matter anymore.

A lot was going right for this team all at once back in their better days of May and June.

Now, as we near August, the Mets are in trouble.

They aren’t hitting a lick, scoring four or less runs in 12 straight games, and they are about to lose a leader in the clubhouse. Even if it is Jeff Francoeur’s own fault as he’s gone 5-for-44 in July.

Should the Mets make a trade for a starting pitcher, or should they concede to the fact they aren’t good enough to contend?

We’ll find out in the coming days before the trading deadline.

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PRE GAME—NEW YORK METS VS. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

PHOENIX—Tonight, the Mets will try to avoid getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, one of the worst teams in the National League. Arizona has won the first two games of the series and will have their ace Dan Haren on the mound tonight. The Mets will counter with Jon Niese.

Mets lineup

SS Jose Reyes

RF Angel Pagan

3B David Wright

CF Carlos Beltran

1B Ike Davis

LF Jason Bay

C Rod Barajas

2B Alex Cora

P Jon Niese

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PHOENIX: Every Mets season always seems to have its ups and downs. Unfortunately, they normally lead to heartbreak and disappointment.

A season that looked like it was going to be almost magical, from no expectations whatsoever to near first place in June, is starting to fade away.

Yes, it’s only July 21. There is still two and half months for the Mets to correct their problems. But right now, there are too many problems.

The starting pitching is an issue with the historic regression of Mike Pelfrey, and the uncertainty of the fifth spot.

That can be handled though, if two things were to happen. Pelfrey needs to be corrected immediately, and the Mets need to make a trade for a starting pitcher.

Really, though, the huge issue right now is the offense. Where did it go? Can anybody locate it? Maybe it’s at Citi Field and didn’t make the West Coast flight. Wherever it went, it needs to return.

Last night’s loss marked the 11th straight game that the Mets have scored four or fewer runs. It got beat badly by a rookie pitcher making his fourth career start when the Mets this season were 6-1 against rookies. It’s lifeless, without any energy.

Maybe the infusion was Josh Thole. He hit his first career home run in the eighth inning, and also earned a spot on the Major League roster for some more time.

Perhaps Thole will get more playing time. But no matter who’s playing, the hitting must return from its layoff.

The Mets are now 6.5 games out of first place, and are on the brink of solely hoping for a Wild Card spot. On this road trip, the Mets are 1-5, and should really be 0-6, looking at things realistically.

They in no way, shape, or form can lose tonight’s game, even if Cy Young were to pitch. This is a team that at one point was 11 games over .500, one-half game out of first place, and within a game of the National League’s best record.

If they can get some hitting, and perhaps break out for five or more runs, then at least that’s a start.

One thing that can’t go south in this game is the pitching of Jon Niese.

The Mets have had the luck of perhaps breaking out offensively, and have it mean little with a bad pitching performance. That can’t happen, either. All indications say Niese will pitch a fine game.

Heck, this season, he has probably been the Mets second-best starter to Johan Santana.

During this offensive rut that the Mets have been in, guys like Niese and Dickey have been hard-luck losers. That’s the answer to why the Mets have fallen off track.

Out of 16 starts made by Niese this season, only four of them has he given up four or more runs. That means, in 75 percent of the games he’s started, the Mets have had a legitimate chance to win.

He’s earned all of his decisions in those starts, and he’s 6-4. He’s received no-decisions in the other four starts.

6-4 is not good enough. Out of those 12, he should’ve been at least 9-3, and if he pitches that well tonight, the Mets have no excuse to lose.

Facing the Mets will be the ace of the Diamondbacks staff, Dan Haren. Although he’s been a great pitcher throughout his career, he hasn’t been as good this season. Yes, he’s on a bad team, but the ERA proves he’s been mediocre at 4.60.

In each of his last five seasons from 2005-2009, Haren has won 14 or more games. He could this season, as he’s 7-8.

In his last start against the Padres, Haren gave up six runs on eight hits in five innings of work. He went through an extreme rough patch in May, giving up 22 runs in a four-start span, pitching to a 7.92 ERA.

The main problem for Haren has been the long ball, as he’s second in the NL in home runs allowed, giving up 21.

He does have 133 strikeouts though, which is third in the NL. So either the Mets can hit long ones off him, or they’ll strike out and struggle. You’d probably go with the latter right now, but you never know.

The bottom line is, the Mets need to win this game, otherwise they’ll head to Los Angeles a desperate team.

Player moves:
LHP Oliver Perez activated off Disabled List
INF Justin Turner demoted to Triple-A Buffalo

Jon Niese this season (16 starts)
6-4, 3.44 ERA, 96.2 IP, 100 hits, 31 BB, 77 SO

Dan Haren vs. New York (career)
1-0, 3.77 ERA, 28.2 IP, 23 hits, 5 BB, 25 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Arizona)

July 19: Arizona 13, New York 2
July 20: Arizona 3, New York 2

Diamondbacks lead series 2-0

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