Kuzul

NEW YORK– It has been pretty evident that the Mets have not given Johan Santana any run support this season. Knowing that, Santana promptly parked a home run off the right field foul pole in the third inning, his first career home run, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead off Reds starter Matt Maloney.

Aaron Harang, who was scratched from his Monday night start due to back problems, was placed on the disabled list before tonight’s game. With the lefty Maloney starting, shortstop Jose Reyes was inserted back in the lineup, as he can only bat from the right side with his sore oblique.

Santana didn’t only hit a home run, he was vintage on the mound. After allowing a leadoff double to Brandon Phillips, he retired 10 batters in a row, and didn’t allow another hit until the sixth inning.

The Mets offense though, looked like it wasn’t going to support Santana yet again. The first seven batters went down in order against him until a one out single in the third by Ruben Tejada.

Tejada was caught stealing second during Santana’s at-bat, before Santana went deep on the 12th pitch of the at-bat. During the plate appearance, Santana kept fouling pitches off, getting out in front, but after hitting one foul towards right, he hit one off the foul pole.

The Mets worked Maloney tough all game, putting together long at-bats in nearly 100-degree temperature. After Santana’s home run, the Mets didn’t get anything else until the sixth.

Jose Reyes bunted a ball back to the pitcher Maloney, who couldn’t handle it, giving Reyes a leadoff hit. After Angel Pagan hit an advancing groundout, David Wright was intentionally walked. Ike Davis then hit a groundball to first baseman Joey Votto, who through wide to second trying to get a forceout, but shortstop Orlando Cabrera through Davis out at first. Jason Bay then came up and singled both runners home, extending the Mets lead to 3-0, as Bay has now driven in 13 runs in his last nine games.

Santana walked a batter in the eighth, but produced three fly ball outs to right field, raising his pitch count after eight to over 100. He surprisingly came back out for the ninth, instead of Francisco Rodriguez, attempting a complete-game shutout.

He got the first out on the first pitch thrown to Joey Votto. Scott Rolen then got a single, and Jay Bruce’s fly ball to Bay in right was dropped, putting two men on. Manager Jerry Manuel came out to possibly replace Santana, but was convinced to leave him in. Santana then got the next two batters out on two pitches, thanks to some nice defense, giving Santana the complete-game, three-hit shutout.

After four consecutive starts of allowing four runs or more, Santana has now allowed one run in his last two starts.

Jose Reyes looked good in his return, batting right-handed against a righty once, going 2-for-4. David Wright went 1-for-3, nearly hitting a home run in the first, and lining out to deep right in the eighth, he also had a single.

The Mets will now go for the series win tomorrow night, with the ever-improving Jon Niese on the mound, against Met-killer Bronson Arroyo.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 49-35
NY Mets 47-37 (2)
Philadelphia 43-39 (5)

Series probable pitchers:
July 7
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 6-2, 3.62 ERA) vs. Cincinnati: Bronson Arroyo (2010: 8-4, 4.25 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 7 vs. Cincinnati Reds
July 9-11 vs. Atlanta Braves

Cincinnati Reds:
July 7 @ New York Mets
July 8-11 @ Philadelphia Phillies

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NEW YORK—With five games left before the All-Star break, the Mets are trying to not let what was a surprisingly good first half turn into a disappointing finish.

After going on an amazing 21-7 stretch from May 22 through June 23, the Mets have played sub-.500 baseball over their last 11 games, going 5-6.

At times during their great 28-game run, the Mets seemed unstoppable and poised to take over the NL East. Lately, they’re managing to stay afloat and not fall too far behind the surging first-place Braves while maintaing a small lead over the pesky Phillies.

If they’d like to continue to play meaningful games past the three-day break starting Monday, the Mets will have to start supporting their ace, Johan Santana, and that starts tonight.

Johan Santana was great in his last start on Thursday against the Nationals, giving up one run in seven innings, but once again got minimal run support. The Mets scored one run en route to a 2-1 loss to Washington. Santana received a no-decision.

The Mets never can put together a game for Santana where they score five or more runs to give him major breathing room. In fact, the Mets have scored two or fewer runs in 10 of Santana’s 17 starts this season. In those games, the Mets are 1-9, with their only win coming on April 17 in St. Louis, 2-1, over the Cardinals.

Those stats show you that in 58 percent of his starts this season, the Mets have given their ace nothing to work with, and therefore lose virtually every time to show for it.

If the Mets are going to break out for Santana tonight, they’ll have to do it against Reds starter Aaron Harang. Harang was a last-minute scratch from last night’s game due to back problems, but the Reds have announced he should be fine to make his start tonight.

After a fine couple of seasons with Cincinnati in 2006 and ’07, going 32-17, Harang’s last three seasons, including this one, have been terrible.

From 2008 through his 17 starts this season, Harang is an atrocious 18-38, and his ERA is over 5.00 this season. His last three starts, though, may be an indication that he’s turning things around, not allowing more than three runs while pitching at least six innings in each start. 

Mets manager Jerry Manuel said yesterday that Jose Reyes should be able to return to the lineup tonight, but that was against Travis Wood, the left-hander. Wood pitched last night, replacing Harang, and being Reyes may only be able to bat from the right side, he may not return tonight with Harang being a right-hander.

The Mets finally have an idea of when center fielder Carlos Beltran may return. Jerry Manuel joked with reporters saying we may see him in New York this week, but that’s as a member of the Single-A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones.

Beltran, barring a setback, should join the team in San Francisco after the All-Star break.

With the Phillies and Braves playing each other for a couple of days, the Mets need to win in order to not lose ground to either team. They have Santana going against a subpar pitcher, hoping to force a Wednesday night rubber-game.

Notable player moves:
IF/OF Fernando Tatis placed on 15-day disabled list (sprained right shoulder)
LHP Raul Valdes recalled from Triple-A Buffalo

Johan Santana vs. Cincinnati (career)
3-0, 4.20 ERA, 30 IP, 33 hits, 11 BB, 22 SO

Aaron Harang vs. New York (career)
2-3, 6.11 ERA, 28 IP, 37 hits, 12 BB, 25 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Cincinnati)
May 3: Cincinnati 3, New York 2 (11)
May 4: New York 5, Cincinnati 4
May 5: Cincinnati 5, New York 4 (10)

July 5: Cincinnati 8, New York 6
Reds lead series 3-1

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WASHINGTON, D.C.— Jon Niese had another fantastic outing, striking out a career-high eight batters against the Nationals, as the Mets beat Washington, 5-3.

The Mets offense seemed to be flat early on for the second straight game, scoring a first-inning run on an Ike Davis RBI groundout.

Niese struck out five of the first nine outs he recorded and allowed one hit in each of the first five innings. 

After the Ike Davis run-scoring groundout, Nationals starter Luis Atilano retired eight straight batters, but it fell apart for him after that.

In the fourth, the Mets scored four runs to take a 5-0 lead. It started off with a David Wright double, which was followed by walks from Davis and Jason Bay, to load the bases with none out. It looked like the Mets may not cash in on the opportunity though as the next two batters made non-productive outs. Alex Cora put an end to the worries as he cracked a three-run triple high off the right field fence. Jon Niese followed with an RBI double down the left field line, extending the lead.

Niese cruised through the first six innings, pitching shutout ball, before giving up a leadoff home run to Josh Willingham in the seventh. He would get the next three outs to pitch seven fine innings. He gave up one run on six hits, struck out eight and walked none.

Bobby Parnell continued his great pitching in relief since his call-up, retiring the side in order in the eighth.

With a four-run lead in the ninth, a rather big lead got quite tight. Pedro Feliciano began the inning by striking out the left-handed hitting Adam Dunn. After getting his man, Jerry Manuel relieved him with Elmer Dessens, who’s only allowed runs in his first outing this season.

Dessens walked a batter, and after getting an out, allowed a double, putting two men in scoring position. With there now being a save-situation, Manuel opted to bring in closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Rodriguez really struggled attempting to record a one-out save. He allowed run-scoring singles to pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina and shortstop Ian Desmond, cutting the Mets lead to 5-3. Then, with Wille Harris pinch-hitting with two men on, Bernadina got picked off second base by Rodriguez on a smart play by shortstop Ruben Tejada, helping the Mets get out of trouble, to win the game.

The Mets really needed the win, as they will have to face Nationals rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow will mark the midway point of the 162-game schedule.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 47-33
NY Mets 45-35 (2)
Philadelphia 41-37 (5)

Series probable pitchers:
July 3
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 6-1, 2.98 ERA) vs. Washington: Stephen Strasburg (2010: 2-2, 2.27 ERA)
July 4
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 6-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Washington: Craig Stammen (2010: 2-2, 5.13 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 3-4 @ Washington Nationals
July 5-7 vs. Cincinnati Reds

Washington Nationals:
July 3-4 vs. New York Mets
July 6-8 vs. San Diego Padres

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WASHINGTON, D.C.: You try your hardest not to lose games to teams you’re better than when your ace pitches a gem.

Last night, Johan Santana maybe didn’t pitch a gem, but pitched well enough for the Mets to win. Once again, they couldn’t support him with any runs.

Therefore, the Mets will have to win the next three games against Washington to win the series. Right now, they’d settle for a split, and with Stephen Strasburg looming on Saturday, the Mets need to win tonight.

The good thing is, they will throw their most consistent starter of late, Jon Niese, against the Nationals. Niese has had a solid rookie season and has been extremely sharp since his return from the disabled list on June 5.

Niese made five starts in June and the Mets went 5-0. He went 4-0 and fell one out shy of five wins when he couldn’t get the final out in the fifth inning against the Tigers in a game delayed by rain on June 22.

That one bad inning was his only blip in June, the greatest month of his young career.

The difference was the effectiveness of his changeup to left-handers. He developed a pretty nasty curveball, used to get ahead in counts, and put righties away with the cutter.

He was so good that his potential trade value increased, especially to the eyes of the Seattle Mariners, in a potential Cliff Lee trade. Right now though, the Mets have him and hope he’s just as effective in July.

He bailed the Mets out in his last start against the Twins on Sunday, winning the Mets the rubber game of their series, shutting out the Twins over six innings, only allowing four hits. 

Niese will be opposed by Luis Atilano, who’s had a marginal rookie season with the Nationals. The 25-year-old has started 13 games for Washington and has had a gem against the Mets and a stinker.

Back on May 10, his 25th birthday, Atilano shut the Mets out at Citi Field over 5.1 innings, allowing five hits. Two starts later on May 20 in Washington, the Mets crushed him for six earned runs on nine hits in only 4.1 innings.

His last two starts have been decent, but they were against the Royals and Orioles. He didn’t do well in his start before those two against the Tigers.

Who he will face in the Mets lineup is a mystery at this point. Jose Reyes has missed the last two games after tweaking his back before batting practice on Wednesday and his return is uncertain.

Angel Pagan, on the other hand, is a curious situation. He has not started seven of the Mets last eight games, including last night’s when he could have.

Pagan pinch-ran for Chris Carter in the sixth inning and stayed in the game in center field. He batted for himself later on from the left side of the plate, the side he was having trouble from.

The question was, and since manager Jerry Manuel didn’t give a clear answer after the game, still is, why didn’t Pagan start the game if he was feeling better and available?

Even Manuel after the game said Pagan was feeling better in batting practice. Both parties say Pagan will start in tonight’s game.

Perhaps Pagan rushed himself back a little early with the news that Carlos Beltran’s return is going rather smoothly in rehab.

Beltran will play back-to-back games in the field over the weekend, and if he comes out fine, he may return when the Mets get back to New York on Monday.

The Mets though, with the loss, fell to two games behind the Braves for first place in the NL East.

They still hold a slim half-game lead over the Dodgers for the NL Wild Card lead, but they have to learn how to win consistently on the road, and have to learn how to score runs for Johan Santana.

Those are two obstacles standing in the way of the Mets playoff chances right now. They’ll try to get back on track tonight as we head towards the Fourth of July.

Jon Niese vs. Washington (May 11)
ND, 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 hits, 5 BB, 3 SO

Luis Atilano vs. New York this season (2 starts)
1-1, 5.59 ERA, 9.2 IP, 14 hits, 5 BB, 6 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Washington)

April 9: New York 8, Washington 2
April 10: Washington 4, New York 3
April 11: Washington 5, New York 2

May 10: Washington 3, New York 2
May 11: New York 8, Washington 6
May 12: Washington 6, New York 4

May 19: Washington 5, New York 3
May 20: New York 10, Washington 7

July 1: Washington 2, New York 1

Nationals lead series 6-3

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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Mets manager Jerry Manuel made some curious decisions concerning the lineup for this game and it came back to hurt the offense. With Jose Reyes still out of the lineup due to back problems, Manuel decided to give Jason Bay a night off, and he also sat Angel Pagan out, although it turned out he was available to start.

With all that being said, the Mets offense was flat for the third time this season against Livan Hernandez. After a fantastic start with the Nationals this season, Hernandez had come back down to earth, posting an ERA over 5.00 in the month of June.

The Mets did start off well against him, scoring a run on four hits in the first two innings. They got their run in the first on an Ike Davis RBI single, scoring Jesus Feliciano, who led off the game with a single.

The Mets stranded two runners in scoring position in the second, holding a 1-0 lead. Johan Santana was on the mound, trying to recover from a rocky June, where in each of his last four starts he allowed four or more runs.

In this game, he was vintage Santana. He only allowed one hit in the first three innings and shut the Nationals out over the first six innings. But just like the Mets have been doing over Santana’s career starts as a Met, they didn’t score a whole lot for him.

After their first inning run, the Mets never scored another run in the game. That means Santana had to shut the Nationals out. Although he was pretty good, he wasn’t that good, allowing the game-tying run in the seventh.

The inning started with a single by shortstop Ian Desmond. Wil Nieves bunted him to second. Santana struck pinch-hitter Alberto Gonzalez out, but then gave up an RBI single to Nyger Morgan. Desmond moved to third during Morgan’s at-bat on a wild pitch. Santana would get the next batter to fly out, keeping the game tied 1-1.

Livan Hernandez pitched just as well as Santana.  Both pitchers went seven innings while allowing one run and striking out seven. The Mets went down quickly in the eighth to reliever Drew Storen. Santana was pulled after seven to his dismay, as he tried talking his way to pitching another inning.

Instead, Elmer Dessens came on. He put two men on after getting an out, and gave way to Pedro Feliciano. After Feliciano got out of the inning unscathed, he got into trouble in the ninth.

After getting the first out, Feliciano walked the light-hitting left-hander Willie Harris. The next batter, Nyger Morgan, also a light-hitting left-hander, beat out a bunt hit. Cristian Guzman singled to left, but Harris stopped at third. With the bases loaded and one out, Manuel brought in Ryota Igarashi. The Mets brought the left fielder Jesus Feliciano in to be a fifth infielder. Igarashi fell behind Ryan Zimmeran 2-0, before Zimmerman hit the game-winning sacrifice fly out to right field.

The Mets lost the game 2-1 as they fell to 7-10 in Santana’s 17 starts this season. They are now 1-3 on the road trip.

They will try to win tomorrow night’s game with who just may be their most consistent starting pitcher of late, Jon Niese, on the mound. He’ll be opposed by right-hander Luis Atilano.

NL East standings (games back)
Atlanta 46-33
NY Mets 44-35 (2)
Philadelphia 41-36 (4)

Series probable pitchers:
July 2
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 5-2, 3.84 ERA) vs. Washington: Luis Atilano (2010: 6-4, 4.33 ERA)
July 3
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 6-1, 2.98 ERA) vs. Washington: Stephen Strasburg (2010: 2-2, 2.27 ERA)
July 4
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 6-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Washington: Craig Stammen (2010: 2-2, 5.13 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 2-4 @ Washington Nationals
July 5-7 vs. Cincinnati Reds

Washington Nationals:
July 2-4 vs. New York Mets
July 6-8 vs. San Diego Padres

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

SAN JUAN, PR– The game was delayed one hour and 20 minutes due to some heavy rain in the area, and their starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey wasn’t sharp when it started, but the Mets just got past the Marlins to avoid a sweep.

When the game did begin at 8:30pm, the Mets got off to a fast start.

Jose Reyes was scratched during batting practice after his back stiffened up, so Jesus Feliciano batted leadoff and got a double to start the game.

After Ruben Tejada, starting at shortstop, reached on an error, David Wright crushed a two-run double to deep center field, off the top of the fence, giving the Mets a quick 2-0 lead.

Ike Davis followed with an RBI single, before the next three Mets hitters were retired, giving the Mets a 3-0 lead.

Mike Pelfrey was on the mound for the Mets, coming off some hard times lately. Just like Chris Volstad for the Marlins, Pelfrey struggled coming out of the long rain delay.

Chris Coghlan lead off with a double. Two batters later, Hanley Ramirez singled the run in. Later on, Dan Uggla singled in Ramirez, who stole second, as the Marlins cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Mets scored a run in the second, as Jesus Feliciano singled in Alex Cora, who lead off the inning with a double. Cora played second, with Tejada moving to shortstop for Reyes.

After allowing the single to Feliciano in the second, Marlins starter Chris Volstad retired the next 10 batters in a row, before allowing a two-out double to Wright in the fifth. Just like his first double, it hit off the wall, barely missing a home run. He would be left stranded at second.

After gutting his way through four innings, Pelfrey couldn’t hold the lead in the fifth. The first three batters produced two runs on three hits, as the Marlins tied the game at 4-4.

Pelfrey would induce a huge double play, but then allowed two more singles, before being pulled from the game.

Elmer Dessens replaced him and got pinch-hitter Mike Lamb to hit a comebacker on the first pitch to end the inning. Pelfrey went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on a career-high 12 hits, he walked one and struck out three.

The Mets took the lead in the sixth, helped out by a sloppy defensive inning by Florida. Jason Bay reached first to start the inning, when a ball he hit to third rolled under the glove of Jorge Cantu.

Chris Carter followed with a single. Two batters later, Alex Cora reached on a fielding error by second baseman Dan Uggla, loading the bases with one out.

Josh Thole got a pinch-single, his third consecutive pinch-hit, driving in a run, giving the Mets a 5-4 lead.

Ryota Igarashi, who has been fantastic lately after an awful return from the DL, allowed a hit but struck out the side in the sixth.

The Mets tacked on another run in the seventh, again due sloppy Marlins defense. Ruben Tejada got hit by a pitch to lead off. David Wright hit a ball to third, but reached on a throwing error by Cantu.

Later on, Jason Bay would single in a run, extending the Mets lead to 6-4.

Bobby Parnell pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, and came back out in the eighth. He retired the first two batters, but then allowed two hits to score a run.

Closer Francisco Rodriguez came in for a four-out save opportunity. In the ninth, he put two men on, but got the job done, as the Mets salvaged the finale in Puerto Rico, 6-5.

The Mets will head to Washington, D.C. as a tired bunch, heading out on a four-hour plane ride, after playing until after midnight in San Juan.

They will begin a four-game Fourth of July weekend series against the Nationals later tonight, with Johan Santana on the mound, opposing former Met Livan Hernandez.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 46-33
NY Mets 44-34 (1 1/2)
Philadelphia 41-35 (3 1/2)

Next series probable pitchers:
July 1
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 5-5, 3.55 ERA) vs. Washington: Livan Hernandez (2010: 6-4, 3.10 ERA)
July 2
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 5-2, 3.84 ERA) vs. Washington: Luis Atilano (2010: 6-4, 4.33 ERA)
July 3
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 6-1, 2.98 ERA) vs. Washington: Stephen Strasburg (2010: 2-2, 2.27 ERA)
July 4
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 6-3, 4.24 ERA) vs. Washington: Craig Stammen (2010: 2-2, 5.13 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 1-4 @ Washington Nationals
July 5-7 vs. Cincinnati Reds

Washington Nationals:
July 1-4 vs. New York Mets
July 6-8 vs. San Diego Padres

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

SAN JUAN, PR—So far this season, Mike Pelfrey has won six of his 10 games following a Mets loss. That’s the definition of a stopper. In his last start, he did the same, winning on Friday night after the Mets lost to the Tigers the night before.

He has also been there for prolonged losing streaks, like after the Mets got off to a 2-6 start. Or the memorable Monday night in Atlanta, when the Mets had just been swept in a four-game series in Miami. Prior to that game, they had their entire front office (including the Wilpons) in town, with Jerry Manuel firmly on the hot seat.

Now, although it’s not that type of a crisis just yet, it’s still a game the Mets must win to stay in this race. They have lost two games in a row to a Marlins team that was reeling, having just been swept at home by the Padres over the weekend, and a team that has had a lot of controversy lately.

Up until last night, they didn’t know who their long-term manager would be, until it was announced last night that Edwin Rodriguez would keep the job for the rest of this season.

The Mets meanwhile, were the hottest team in the National League, having gone on a tear since May 22 to pull within a half-game of first-place Atlanta.

After somewhat proving that their road woes were over on their last trip, when they went 7-2 and swept the lowly Orioles and Indians, they have regressed, starting this one 0-2.

They are now 0-6 this season against the Marlins away from Citi Field. Ironically, the last time the Mets got swept by the Marlins on the road, Mike Pelfrey was the guy to get them back on track in Atlanta. Now, he’ll hope to get them back on track against the Marlins, as they try to gain ground on Atlanta.

Pelfrey will be going for his 11th win of the season, and his last couple of starts haven’t been perfect. His last one came against the Twins on Friday night, and his line shows that he pitched decently, going six innings, allowing two runs and six hits, but he did allow a leadoff home run to Denard Span on the second pitch of the game. His two combined starts prior to that, against the Orioles and Yankees, Pelfrey gave up eight runs in 13 innings of work.

In this series thus far, the Marlins have found the power stroke, bashing five home runs in two games, all of major importance. Pelfrey doesn’t allow the long ball, only giving up six home runs this season—one every 16.2 innings pitched. Still, it may be hard, given the Puerto Rican humidity and a power-laden lineup, for Pelfrey to control the home run.

If it will be a slugfest, the Mets will have to produce on their end against a guy they haven’t faced this season, Chris Volstad. As a first-round pick by the Marlins in 2005, Volstad hasn’t lived up to expectations so far.

The 23-year-old pitched great when he was called up in 2008, going 6-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 14 starts. But he struggled in his first full season in 2009. Last season, Volstad went 9-13 with an ERA of 5.21 in 29 starts, and he walked 59 batters in 159 innings, one every 2.7 innings.

This season, it hasn’t come easily for Volstad, either. He hasn’t had a lot of terrible starts, but only a few have been quality starts. He did throw a quality start his last time out against the light-hitting Padres, giving up three runs in six innings, and he struck out six without allowing a walk. Unfortunately for him, the Marlins were shut out, 3-0, as he fell to 4-7 on the season.

Angel Pagan did finally return to last night’s lineup, but he got pinch-hit for when a right-hander came into the game. He still can’t bat from the left side of the plate, and with the right-hander Volstad starting tonight, Pagan will not start. Manager Jerry Manuel did say after last night’s game that Pagan should be able to bat left-handed starting Thursday night in Washington.

Carlos Beltran participated in another rehab game yesterday morning as the DH, and he got one hit in five at-bats.

It’s the final game in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Mets and Marlins, and the Mets will hope to fly to the Nation’s Capital with a win.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Florida (career)
*1-6, 5.63 ERA, 56 IP, 68 H, 25 BB, 35 SO

Chris Volstad vs. New York (career)
1-2, 2.70 ERA, 23.1 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 14 SO

*Most losses against any team in career, highest ERA against any team (minimum five starts)

2010 season series (New York vs. Florida)

April 5: New York 7, Florida 1
April 7: Florida 7, New York 6 (10)
April 8: Florida 3, New York 1

May 13: Florida 2, New York 1
May 14: Florida 7, New York 2
May 15: Florida 7, New York 5
May 16: Florida 10, New York 8

June 4: New York 4, Florida 3
June 5: New York 6, Florida 1
June 6: New York 7, Florida 6

June 28: Florida 10, New York 3
June 29: Florida 7, New York 6

Marlins lead series 8-4

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico:   This season, the Mets have not had a good time facing the Florida Marlins as the road team.

In mid-May, they got swept in four games in Miami, and they lost last night’s series opener in Puerto Rico against them as the road team. The Mets are now 0-5 as the road team facing the Marlins in 2010.

It has seemed over the years the Mets just can’t play the pesky team from Miami no matter where the games are being played.

It all started, of course, when the Mets collapsed in both 2007 and 2008 with the Marlins finishing them off on each season’s final day.

The Mets always seem to be a victim of walk-off defeats in Miami, like this season, losing a game on a wild pitch.

They lost last night’s game with 6-0 R.A. Dickey on the mound opposing Ricky Nolasco, who hasn’t had a good season or a good career against the Mets. The bottom line is the Mets have been very unlucky against the Marlins lately.

They will try to change their fortunes tonight when they send Hisanori Takahashi to the mound looking to rebound from a clunker on Thursday against the Tigers.

So far, Takahashi has started seven games with the Mets and they have been up and down. Four have been brilliant and three, including his last one, have been bad.

His last one was against the Tigers, trying to lead the Mets to a sweep and first place; he gave up two big home runs in four innings.

His final stat line was six runs on eight hits, one walk and four strikeouts. The Mets made a furious rally, but after trailing 6-1, the Mets lost 6-5.

One of his other two bad starts came against these Marlins at Citi Field on June 6. In that game, he allowed five runs and two home runs in 5.1 innings pitched.

The Mets trailed that game by five runs, but came back to defeat Florida 7-6 on a Jeff Francoeur game-tying three-run home run. The Mets that afternoon completed a sweep of the Marlins.

Facing the Mets will be left-hander Nate Robertson for the fourth time this season. He won his first two starts against the Mets but lost his last one on June 5. The Mets got him for six runs in 4.2 innings pitched in a 6-1 victory.

Robertson didn’t have a great outing against the lowly Orioles his last time out, only lasting 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, and throwing 48 pitches. It was the sixth time this season Robertson has allowed four or more runs in a game.

After going 7-2 on their last road trip, the Mets don’t want this one to be a failure. It’s not that losing one game makes it a failure; it’s that the Mets probably should have won last night’s game with the pitching matchup in their favor.

They now must win the last two games to win the series, which won’t be easy against a Marlins team that crushed the ball in last night’s game with the Puerto Rico humidity.

The Mets had two home runs last night, both coming from Jason Bay, not really doing anything much other than that.

They played very sloppily and were perhaps distracted by the stadium festivities surrounding them, at least that’s what manager Jerry Manuel thought.

“There was a lot of activity, but I think to be a good team, you still have to remain somewhat in character,” Manuel said after the game about the environment surrounding Hiram Bithorn Stadium during the game.

It may be tough for the lefty Takahashi to get past the Marlins righty-laden lineup, but the Mets must find ways to break out in a bandbox this time around. Although they still say Angel Pagan will be returning to the lineup.

It doesn’t seem to be a slam dunk, as he suffered a “minor setback” during batting practice before last night’s game.

All of the attention to Pagan’s potential injury has eyes hooked on to Carlos Beltran’s rehab stint.

It’s going well for Beltran right now, as of last night, he played all nine innings, making one putout and going 1-for-5 at the plate. The Mets will wait to see how his knees feel today.

The Mets will try to get to Robertson with what they have tonight, knowing that if they win, they’re in good shape for the rubber match with Mike Pelfrey going on Wednesday night.

Hisanori Takahashi vs. Florida (June 6)
ND, 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 hits, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2 HR

Nate Robertson vs. New York this season (3 starts)
2-1, 5.28 ERA, 15.1 IP, 20 hits, 2 BB, 11 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Florida)

April 5: New York 7, Florida 1
April 7: Florida 7, New York 6 (10)
April 8: Florida 3, New York 1

May 13: Florida 2, New York 1
May 14: Florida 7, New York 2
May 15: Florida 7, New York 5
May 16: Florida 10, New York 8

June 4: New York 4, Florida 3
June 5: New York 6, Florida 1
June 6: New York 7, Florida 6

June 28: Florida 10, New York 3

Marlins lead series 7-4

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SAN JUAN, PR– For the first time as a Met this season, R.A. Dickey couldn’t get the job done with his knuckler, getting hit around and only lasting five innings. The humidity didn’t help Dickey out, and the Marlins pounced on him early and often, getting the pitcher for five runs on five hits.

The Mets got a leadoff single from Jose Reyes in the first, but couldn’t produce a “Reyes run” as he was picked off by Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino.

The Marlins produced a run without the benefit of a hit in their half of the first. Chris Coghlan led off with a walk, stole second, was bunted over to third, and scored on a Jose Reyes fielding error.

The Mets tied the game in the second with a home run by Jason Bay, who’s been struggling in the power department.

After an uneven beginning to his start, Dickey seemed to get things together in the second, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts. In the third, though, everything caved in on the knuckler.

Florida pitcher Ricky Nolasco led off with a ground-rule double to deep center field. Coghlan would beat out a bunt hit, and Gaby Sanchez doubled both runners in, making it 3-1 Marlins. Hanley Ramirez lined a double down the left field line, bringing in a run, and after two outs were finally recorded, Cody Ross singled in a fifth Marlins run.

Reyes had his struggles on the turf at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. He had a ball go underneath his glove on a bad hop in the first, a ball he’d normally field cleanly at Citi Field, letting a run score. On Ross’ third inning hit, the ball got past Reyes, scoring another run. The Mets, distracted by all of the stadium festivities, played a sloppy game.

After Jason Bay’s second inning home run, Ricky Nolasco, who had been struggling for a while, retired 15 straight batters. The Mets wouldn’t get another baserunner until a David Wright single in the seventh. He would score ahead of Jason Bay’s second home run of the game, but New York still trailed 6-3.

Nolasco had a dominant outing, going seven, striking out nine, and giving up zero walks. He did allow three runs (all on Jason Bay home runs) on four hits. Dickey, meanwhile, was all over the plate with his knuckler, coming up and in on right-handers most of the time.

Fernando Nieve gave up solo home runs in the sixth and seventh, and Ryota Igarashi gave up the game-breaking three-run home run to Marlins rookie Mike Stanton in the ninth, as the Mets lost, 10-3.

Angel Pagan sat out his fifth straight game with muscle spasms, but the Mets still insist he will play tomorrow night.

The Mets will try and win the next two games in the series starting tomorrow night, when they send Hisanori Takahashi to the mound against Nate Robertson.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 45-32
NY Mets 43-33 (1 1/2)
Philadelphia 40-34 (3 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:
June 29
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 6-3, 3.78 ERA) vs. Florida: Nate Robertson (2010: 6-6, 4.92 ERA)
June 30
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 10-2, 2.71 ERA) vs. Florida: Chris Volstad (2010: 4-7, 4.40 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
June 29-30 @ Florida Marlins*
July 1-4 @ Washington Nationals

Florida Marlins:
June 29-30 vs. New York Mets*
July 2-4 @ Atlanta Braves

*Series is being played in San Juan, Puerto Rico

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SAN JUAN, P.R.: So far this season, R.A. Dickey has been one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball. Seven starts as a New York Met, six wins for the 35-year-old knuckleballer.

Tonight, he and the Mets will try and take their winning ways to another country, Puerto Rico. Major League Baseball moved this three-game series starting tonight from Miami to PR, so the Marlins will be the home team and bat last.

So far, Dickey has pitched six or more innings and has not allowed more than four runs in all of his seven starts. His last start on Wednesday was his best so far.

Against the Tigers, he pitched eight innings, shutting them out on four hits. He could have pitched a complete game, since he had only thrown 97 pitches, but Jerry Manuel wanted to get Francisco Rodriguez into the game.

He faced the Marlins at Citi Field earlier in the month and threw a quality start in a win. Six of Dickey’s seven starts this season have been quality starts.

He’ll be opposed by Ricky Nolasco, who’ll be facing the Mets for the fourth time this season. Nolasco has had a very shaky season, with well pitched games and horribly pitched games.

His ERA is 4.92 and he has allowed 17 home runs this season, giving up a home run every 5.3 innings pitched.

He wasn’t great in his last start against the Orioles in a Marlins win, giving up four runs on eight hits and two home runs in seven innings, while throwing 119 pitches, a season high.

The Marlins themselves have had a bad month of June, going 9-14, while getting swept this weekend at home by the Padres.

There has been a lot of speculation about who will be the team’s next manager, with Fredi Gonzalez being fired last week. Most signs point towards former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, although there’s a report saying he may not take the job.

Things have seemingly gone south for Florida since Hanley Ramirez’s lack of hustle on a pop up earlier in the month, leading to Gonzalez benching him for a couple of games.

While the Marlins find themselves perhaps slipping out of the race for now, the Mets are riding high into July. This month, the Mets are 17-6, the best mark in the Majors, and just completed their sixth straight home series win.

In fact, as hard as it may seem, the Mets currently own a two-game lead in the NL Wild Card race. Usually, the Wild Card races remain tight because of the depth of teams competing, but right now, the Mets are a Wild Card by default.

They could very easily be in first place, but the Atlanta Braves seem to always win when the Mets win, keeping them a half-game out. The Mets’ two-game lead is held over the Phillies and Cardinals.

Angel Pagan should be returning to tonight’s starting lineup according to both him, and Jerry Manuel, coming back from muscle spasms he suffered during Wednesday’s game against the Tigers.

The Mets have 13 games to play before the All-Star break, and can win 50 if they go at least 7-6, which is very doable, facing two lower-division ballclubs on this road trip against the Marlins and Nationals.

The final series in June starts tonight in San Juan as the Mets look to ride Dickey’s knuckler to a win.

R.A. Dickey vs. Florida (June 4)
Win, 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 hits, 2 BB, 4 SO

Ricky Nolasco vs. New York this season (3 starts)
1-0, 4.00 ERA, 18 IP, 17 hits, 8 BB, 10 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Florida)

April 5 : New York 7, Florida 1
April 7 : Florida 7, New York 6 (10)
April 8 : Florida 3, New York 1

May 13 : Florida 2, New York 1
May 14 : Florida 7, New York 2
May 15 : Florida 7, New York 5
May 16 : Florida 10, New York 8

June 4: New York 4, Florida 3
June 5: New York 6, Florida 1
June 6: New York 7, Florida 6

Marlins lead series 6-4

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