Kuzul

NEW YORK– Although many believed the Mets were out of the playoff race, that may not totally be the case. Yes, it’s going to be tough to overcome, but coupled with last night’s Phillies loss, the Mets are now seven back in the Wild Card race.

At one point, it seemed they were forever sinking into oblivion. What could keep the Mets in a wild race that has seven teams within 7.5 games, is the way they play at home.

The Mets are now 15 games over .500 at Citi Field (37-22), and they seem to play with much more confidence at their home stadium. They did last night what they’ve done virtually all season at home—fight hard, comeback, and, most of the time, win.

Even Luis Castillo, the bench version of him, came through last night against his former club. Castillo is the Marlins’ all-time hits leader ironically, but last night’s hit for the Mets was huge. It crept them closer to the Phillies, who fell into a tie with the Giants for first in the Wild Card.

With the games dwindling, the Mets have to win of course, and especially at home. What will really decide their fate in 2010 are the games they’ll play against Philadelphia. They will play the Phillies six more times, one series in each city.

Tonight, they’ll try to perhaps gain some more ground, pitching Pat Misch. Originally, Mike Pelfrey was supposed to start but manager Jerry Manuel cited the length given by his starters as a reason to push everyone back.

Therefore, Pelfrey will pitch on Friday against Houston, and Johan Santana will pitch Saturday on an extra days’ rest.

Misch will make his third start for the Mets this season, and is 0-2 so far. He hasn’t pitched poorly though, just has been very unfortunate.

In his first start against the Phillies, he allowed three unearned runs thanks to poor defense behind him. In his last start against the Astros on Thursday, he retired 16 straight batters at one point, before blowing up in the seventh.

After swimming along, one-hitting Houston, he gave up two singles and a three-run home run to Carlos Lee to start the seventh and end his night. It cost the Mets a chance to win three of four in the series, as they had to settle for a split.

By pitching Misch tonight, not only do the Mets give their starters extra rest, Misch won’t have to face the Astros again over the weekend. Instead, his next start, barring a meltdown, will come Monday in Atlanta.

Misch threw a shutout against the Marlins late last season, so this move to pitch him tonight is a great idea by Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen.

The Marlins will counter with soon-to-be 22-year-old right-hander Alex Sanabia. After making some relief outings to begin his career in June, Sanabia has made five starts for Florida.

With the exception of one horrendous start against the Giants, giving up seven runs in two innings, he has pitched well. In the other four starts he’s made, he has allowed one run or less.

His last start against the Pirates on Thursday was his best so far. In 7.2 innings pitched, he allowed one run on four hits, while striking out five.

What he has been able to do, which is impressive at a very young age, is keep his walks down. He has only allowed seven walks in 31 innings pitched.

After hitting Josh Johnson well last night, expect the same lineup out there tonight. The only difference may be Luis Castillo at second instead of Ruben Tejada. You’d figure Castillo would get rewarded with a start for his walk-off hit, and replace Tejada who’s 1 for his last 39.

The Mets will try to hang on in the NL playoff race tonight, looking to win another home series.

Pat Misch vs. Florida (career)
1-2, 5.49 ERA, 19.2 IP, 21 hits, 7 BB, 7 SO

Alex Sanabia vs. New York (June 30- in relief)
Loss, 2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 hits, 0 BB, 2 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
June 29: Florida 7, New York 6
June 30: New York 6, Florida 5

August 24: New York 6, Florida 5
Marlins lead series 8-6

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NEW YORK– It was a chilly and misty night at Citi Field, almost a tease of October, which the Mets hope to somehow get to. That may be a stretch, but if they will play deeper into the season, tonight certainly helps.

The Mets were 0-7 entering this season against Marlins ace Josh Johnson before beating him on opening day. Johnson hasn’t been on top of his game of late, and the Mets hit him hard tonight.

In fact, they had a collection of great at-bats and baserunning plays throughout the entire game.

David Wright led the second inning off with a well-struck triple into the right field gap. He would score two batters later on a Jeff Francoeur sacrifice fly, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.

R. A. Dickey was starting for the Mets, and just like earlier in the month in Atlanta, he couldn’t grip his knuckleball in the wet conditions. He gave up a bunch of hits early on, including giving up the lead in the third inning.

After a couple of singles and a steal, the Marlins recorded two straight sacrifice flies on consecutive pitches, giving them a 2-1 lead.

The Mets immediately tied the game at 2-2 in their third. After two outs were made, Angel Pagan beat out a hit, his first of four on the night. He stole second and scored on a Wes Helms error at third base, hit sharply by Wright.

The Mets missed out on a chance in the fourth. Once again after two outs, the Mets put two men on thanks to lack of control by Josh Johnson. He hit Ruben Tejada, a batter in a 1-for-39 drought, and walked Dickey. Reyes though, would ground into an inning-ending force play.

The Mets smacked Johnson around in the fifth. Pagan lead off with a single, and advanced all the way to third on a fielding error by center fielder Cameron Maybin. Carlos Beltran singled him in, advanced to third on a single by Wright, and scored on another Francoeur sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 Mets.

Johnson had a high pitch count, and was pulled after five innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. He also walked four and hit a batter.

Just like in Dickey’s last start in Houston, he blew his own game towards the end of his outing. With two on and two outs in the seventh, probably his last inning, he allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to rookie first baseman Gaby Sanchez.

An outing that could’ve been quality, finished ugly. In seven innings, Dickey allowed five runs on 10 hits. He did strike out eight without walking a batter.

The Mets would get him off the hook in the eighth. Yet again it was a two-out rally. Pagan got a hustle double and scored on a Beltran single to right, tying the game at 5-5. Clay Hensley suffered the blown-save for the Marlins.

After Hisanori Takahashi wiggled around a double in the ninth, the Mets gave him the win in walk-off fashion.

Ike Davis lead off the ninth with an infield single. He grounded the ball past pitcher Will Ohman, and second baseman Dan Uggla’s tumbling throw wasn’t quick enough. Josh Thole then hit a soft single to left field.

Two batters later, Luis Castillo, who came in the game in the eighth, won the game with a single to right. Ike Davis beat Mike Stanton’s bad throw to give the Mets a 6-5 victory.

The Mets were 1-47 this season when trailing after seven innings. They win the first game on the home stand, and will try to win the series tomorrow night.

Pat Misch will make his start for the Mets, facing Alex Sanabia.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 73-53
*Philadelphia 70-55 (2 1/2)
NY Mets 63-62 (9 1/2)
*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 7 behind

Series probable pitchers:
August 25
New York: Pat Misch (2010: 0-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. Florida: Alex Sanabia (2010: 2-1, 3.77 ERA)
August 26
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 8-5, 3.33 ERA) vs. Florida: Anibal Sanchez (2010: 10-8, 3.16 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 25-26 vs. Florida Marlins
August 27-29 vs. Houston Astros

Florida Marlins:
August 25-26 @ New York Mets
August 27-29 @ Atlanta Braves

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

NEW YORK CITY: After going 4-3 on the just-completed road trip, the Mets will open a six-game home stand tonight against the Marlins and Astros. It’ll be a very intriguing matchup between two pitchers having good seasons.

The Marlins, who generally have plenty of Mets killers on their team, will have a very different look. They traded Jorge Cantu at the trading deadline and just lost two more players over the last week.

They lost catcher Ronny Paulino to a 50-game suspension because of failing a drug test, and they lost outfielder Cody Ross to waivers. All three of those players were Mets killers, especially Cantu.

The Marlins lineup will not be as strong, and that should be a huge break for the Mets. It should please RA Dickey more than anyone, as he’ll try to continue his fine pitching.

In his last start, he nearly threw a second straight shutout, and ended up not even throwing a complete game. It still wasn’t a bad start against the Astros last Wednesday, as he allowed a game-tying home run to Geoff Blum in the ninth inning.

He allowed two runs in 8.1 innings, walked one and struck out six. He couldn’t earn his ninth win, as the Mets won the game, 3-2, in 14 innings. His ERA went down a tad to 2.41.

The Marlins will throw their ace Josh Johnson at the Mets, and he has had great success against them in his career. He lost his first game to the Mets on opening day, and is 7-1 lifetime.

After getting off to a fantastic start and putting himself in the NL Cy Young race, he’s struggled lately.

Two starts ago on Aug. 13 against the Reds, he allowed six runs on 10 hits. His first start of the month had him giving up five runs and walking four against the Padres.

Overall in August, Johnson is 1-2 with an ERA of 5.33 and hitters are batting .299 against him. It’s one of the worst months of his career.

So with the Marlins playing younger guys, and with Johnson’s recent struggles, the Mets might be catching them at the right time.

The Mets trail the Phillies, who lost last night, by eight games in the NL Wild Card race. Time is running out with 38 games to play, so the Mets need a good home stand, their final one in August.

RA Dickey vs. Florida this season (2 starts)
1-1, 6.35 ERA, 11.1 IP, 12 hits, 3 BB, 7 SO

Josh Johnson vs. New York this season (2 starts)
0-1, 3.75 ERA, 12 IP, 8 hits, 4 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

June 28: Florida 10, New York 3
June 29: Florida 7, New York 6
June 30: New York 6, Florida 5

Marlins lead series 8-5

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PITTSBURGH– It must be something about Johan Santana starting a game for the Mets. After scoring 12 runs in the first two games of the series against the Pirates, the Mets seemingly improving offense faded away.

They got off to a decent start against Zach Duke, who has been awful this season and over the past couple of years.

Jose Reyes continued his red-hot stretch, beating out a bunt hit and wreaking havoc on the base paths to start the game. He reached second on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Doumit. He would go on to steal third base and score on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran, giving the Mets a quick 1-0 lead.

That would be the only run they would score against Duke and the Pirates bullpen. Duke would retire 19 of 22 after allowing a double to David Wright in the first to finish his outing.

Johan Santana looked extremely sharp early on with a wicked changeup. He struck out the first four batters to face him and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning.

After allowing a leadoff single to Pedro Alvarez in the fifth, he erased him on a double play. The next batter though, former Met Lastings Milledge, hit a home run to center field to tie the game at 1-1.

In the sixth, Santana allowed a home run to Jose Tabata after two outs were made, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. It was his second straight start of allowing two home runs.

Zach Duke pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Santana stayed in to pitch the eighth inning, finishing with a one-two-three frame. He was hoping it wouldn’t be the last Pirates inning of the game. It turned out to be just that.

The Mets got a leadoff hit from Ike Davis in the ninth, but three consecutive pinch-hitters were retired by reliever Joel Hanrahan to end the game. The Mets got six hits in the game, two each from Jose Reyes and Ike Davis.

Johan Santana has now pitched three straight complete games, with the last two being losses. He suffered his eighth loss of the season, as he’s now 10-8.

The Mets have still not swept a series of three or more games against an NL team on the road since Sept. 2008.

They will have an off day in New York tomorrow before starting a three-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field on Tuesday night. R.A. Dickey will oppose Josh Johnson.

NL East standings:

Atlanta 73-51
*Philadelphia 70-53 (2 1/2)
Florida 62-61 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 62-62 (11)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Next Series Probable Pitchers:

August 24
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 8-5, 2.41 ERA) vs. Florida: Josh Johnson (2010: 11-5, 2.27 ERA)
August 25
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 12-7, 3.80 ERA) vs. Florida: Alex Sanabia (2010: 2-1, 3.77 ERA)
August 26
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 8-5, 3.33 ERA) vs. Florida: Anibal Sanchez (2010: 10-8, 3.16 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins
August 27-29 vs. Houston Astros

Florida Marlins:
August 24-26 @ New York Mets
August 27-29 @ Atlanta Braves

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

PITTSBURGH: The last time the Mets swept a road series against a National League team of three or more games was September 2008. It’s hard to believe, but that’s a fact.

Today, the Mets can end the drought by beating the Pirates. With Johan Santana on the mound against Pittsburgh, you’d think there’s no way the Mets can lose.

Hopefully, that’s the case, as the Mets try to pick up more ground in the NL Wild Card chase.

It may be a long shot, but the Mets last night cut the deficit to 7.5 games behind the Phillies. If they can sweep the Pirates and perhaps cut it to 6.5 before returning home, the dream may be well in reach.

Santana has thrown back-to-back complete games, although his last one came in a losing effort.

So far in four starts this month, Santana has had either two types of effort. Twice, he’s allowed four runs and nine hits, and twice he’s allowed no runs and four or five hits.

The former was the effort he made in his last start on Tuesday against the Astros. He got burned by two Hunter Pence home runs, one being a three-run shot in the first inning.

He then put up six scoreless innings from the second through the seventh, before allowing a go-ahead homer to Pence in the eighth. It was a start in which he couldn’t find himself early, dominated in between, and tired late.

Even with the four earned runs allowed, Santana kept his ERA below three at 2.97. He may not need to throw a complete-game this time around.

With last night’s rain-shortened six-inning game, the Mets didn’t have to use their bullpen. On Friday night, the Mets only had to use Bobby Parnell after Mike Pelfrey’s eight-inning performance. Therefore, if need be, Santana has a fresh crop of relievers behind him.

He will be matched by Pirates left-hander Zach Duke. The 27-year-old burst on to the seen in 2005 when he made 14 starts for Pittsburgh. In those starts, he went 8-2 with an incredible ERA of 1.81. He was never the same after that.

In his five seasons since then, Duke’s lowest ERA has been 4.06 last season, but with 16 losses. He has a career record that’s 25 games below .500 at 42-67. This season, he’s having a career-worst season.

Duke’s problems have always been limiting hits. In 2006 he allowed 255 hits in 215.1 innings. His problems aren’t any different this season. In 120 innings pitched, he’s allowed 157 hits.

He had a bad start his last time out against the Marlins on Tuesday. In 5.2 innings, he allowed five runs on nine hits. His season ERA is 5.33.

The Mets meanwhile, have been hitting like they haven’t in ages. It may be against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, but they have scored 12 runs in this series in two games.

Last night, they scored five runs in five innings, and who knows how many they would’ve gotten hadn’t it been cut short.

In all likelihood Jerry Manuel will continue to bat Chris Carter cleanup and keep the lineup as is until his luck runs out. Only problem is, Duke is a lefty and Manuel may want to play Jeff Francoeur instead.

If he decides to play a right-handed lineup, expect to see Ike Davis sitting. Henry Blanco will do the catching.

The Mets have the advantage with Santana against an easy-hitting Duke. Can they actually get a sweep? It would be hard to imagine how they wouldn’t.

Johan Santana vs. Pittsburgh (career)
2-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 IP, 18 hits, 5 BB, 22 SO

Zach Duke vs. New York (career)
3-1, 3.20 ERA, 39.1 IP, 43 hits, 5 BB, 20 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Pittsburgh)

Aug. 20: New York 7, Pittsburgh 2
*Aug. 21: New York 5, Pittsburgh 1
Mets lead series 2-0

*Rain-shortened, six-inning game

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PITTSBURGH: The Mets have finally won a road series against a National League team in 2010. Of course, it’s not as legitimate as a complete-game effort, but a win is a win.

The Mets beat the Pirates tonight, 5-1, in a rain-shortened, six-inning affair. Once again, Jon Niese was solid, pitching five innings of one-run ball.

The Mets scored their first run in a weird way in the first inning off Pirates starter James McDonald.

Jose Reyes lead off with a double, as he continues to tear the cover off the ball. Angel Pagan then beat out a bunt hit, moving Reyes to third.

Two batters later, Chris Carter struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher. Chris Snyder threw Carter out at first but Reyes broke for the plate.

He slid in head first and scored, suffering a rib bruise. He would be fine and stayed in the game. 

Jon Niese gave up a leadoff double to Andrew McCutchen in the Pirates’ first, but he stranded him at third.

McDonald, who was traded from the Dodgers to the Pirates, didn’t have an impressive start, as he walked Niese twice, and nearly a third time.

The Pirates tied the game in the third inning. McCutchen lead off with another double and this time he scored. After being bunted over, Neil Walker singled him in, making it 1-1.

The Mets took the lead back in the fourth. Ike Davis lead off with a double, one of five leadoff doubles combined in the game. He advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Ruben Tejada sacrifice fly.

Tejada scorched two balls hard, but still went 0-for-2, as he’s now 1 for his last 34.

In the fifth, the Mets took a comfortable lead. With two on and one out, David Wright hit a three-run home run, his 19th of the season, extending the Mets lead to 5-1. He now has 81 runs batted in this season, seven shy of the NL lead.

The game had already started 20 minutes late due to rain, and after a leadoff hit from Reyes to start the sixth, it was stopped. A little over an hour later, it was called, giving the Mets a 5-1, six-inning victory.

Jon Niese doesn’t get credit for a complete game because the game was stopped in the sixth. He gets his eighth win of the season after three straight tough no-decisions.

The Mets will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Johan Santana facing Zach Duke. They have not swept a three-game road series against an NL team since September 2008.

NL East standings

Atlanta 72-51
*Philadelphia 69-53 (2 1/2)
Florida 62-60 (9 1/2)
NY Mets 62-61 (10)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 7 1/2 behind

Series probable pitchers:

Aug. 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
August 22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
August 22 vs. New York Mets
August 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets have 40 games remaining in their 2010 season. Their elimination number from playoff contention stands at 33, as they trail the Phillies by 8.5 games in the NL Wild Card race.

If you ask manager Jerry Manuel, he’ll tell you his team still has a shot. Not once during any press conference, even after a rough loss, has Manuel declared his team dead.

But realistically, the Mets would have to pull off a 2007 Rockies-like effort to reach the postseason, and that happens once in a generation.

The Mets pulled it off themselves a couple of generations ago in 1973, as they were actually six games worse record-wise than they are now. Through 122 games in 1973, the Mets were 55-67 and seven games out of first place. This year’s Mets through 122 games are 61-61 and 8.5 games out of a playoff spot.

There wasn’t a Wild Card in those days, so the Mets had to fight hard over the last 40 games, and they stunned the world. They ended up losing Game 7 of the World Series that year to the Oakland Athletics, as Oakland won their third straight title.

So, comebacks have been made, and the Mets know about them first-hand, but with the way they’ve been playing since the All-Star break this season, it’s hard to imagine a miracle.

After all, both the Braves and Phillies would have to slip up, since the Mets can’t finish any worse than second to make the playoffs.

Assuming they don’t get to play in October for a fourth straight season, what are the last 40 games going to be about for the Mets? Are they going to fight tooth and nail every night with their best players until they’re mathematically eliminated? Or, are they going to play all the young guys every game starting September 1?

They have exactly 10 games to play before the date where teams can expand their rosters up to 40 players. Most likely, the Mets are going to see where they are in the standings after those games are completed.

Right now, they can try to take advantage of playing an awful Pirates club, and perhaps jumpstart a run. Where is the line drawn? Is it five games behind for a playoff spot? Can it still be eight? That will be up to Omar Minaya and the front office to decide, but the bottom line is, unless the Mets go on a tear and get some help, it’s a lost cause in 2010.

The Mets schedule isn’t that easy in September either. Their next road trip includes a trip to Atlanta for four games. An awful time on the road can end all hopes for good.

13 of the Mets last 40 games will come against the Braves and Phillies, so the Mets can look at it two ways. Either go 10-3 to make up some ground, or go 3-10 and play until they’re mathematically eliminated.

The best thing for the Mets to do is to play their young guys immediately. They can’t be fooled by beating up on a hapless Pirates team that just clinched it’s 18th straight losing season.

What Major League teams use this time of year for when the playoffs are a longshot, is to take a look at some future pieces.

How can the Mets ever expect to get an idea of Fernando Martinez if they send him down after two weeks? By sending him down on Thursday for a veteran catcher who won’t be here next season, Rod Barajas, it’s as if the Mets really think they’re going somewhere.

There are plenty of teams who think they’re still in it, but why should a .500 ballclub even deserve to make the playoffs? Heck, before their win against the Pirates last night, they had a losing record.

What is this, the NBA or NHL? Teams with losing records back in as an eighth seed? No, it doesn’t work that way in MLB. Teams that are .500 regroup the following March.

So, it’s time to see Ike Davis play everyday, including against lefties. It’s time to see Josh Thole get the majority of playing time behind the plate.

Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco are older catchers in their mid-to-late 30s, not guys who hold a long-term future on the club.

It’s time to see Ruben Tejada play everyday at second base. He’s one for his last 32, and if he doesn’t hit, his glove won’t even keep him in the big leagues. It’s time to see Fernando Martinez replace Jeff Francoeur as an everyday outfielder to see if he’s worth keeping, trading, or demoting.

Two nights ago, pitcher Jenrry Mejia pitched an excellent game in the Minors. The Mets have said they will give him a shot to start if they’re out of it in September, and will make him a reliever if they’re still in it.

The bottom line is, the Mets would be better off forgetting about a miracle run this season, and seeing what they have for a realistic run next season.

2011 will mark five years that the Mets last went to the playoffs. They need to take these 40 games to position themselves to end the drought and play October baseball again.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

PITTSBURGH—Finally, the Mets found the right team to score plenty of runs against. It took a trip to Pittsburgh for the Mets to feel good about themselves offensively, as they jumped all over Jeff Karstens in 3.1 innings.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel called the Mets offense “pathetic” after last night’s loss to the Astros. He changed things up tonight, batting Chris Carter cleanup, and it paid off for the Mets and Carter.

In the opening inning, the Mets put together a three-run, five-hit attack charged by Jose Reyes, who is on fire.

Reyes led off with a single and stole second base. After two outs were made, Carter drove Reyes in with a bloop hit to right. That was followed by three straight singles, producing two more runs, giving the Mets a quick 3-0 lead.

In that mix was a David Wright hit. It was his first hit with a man on base this month.

Mike Pelfrey was on the mound for the Mets and battled through eight solid innings. He didn’t have his best stuff but was able to control the game and hold the lead.

The Pirates cut into the Mets three-run cushion in the second. Ryan Doumit hit a long home run to left, only the 10th long ball allowed by Pelfrey this season.

The Mets would get the run back and more in the third. Chris “The Animal” Carter crushed a first-pitch home run off Karstens, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead. Later in the inning, Josh Thole singled in Wright, who singled and stole second.

Jerry Manuel said Rod Barajas would get the majority of the playing time behind the plate, but would base who catches tomorrow night on how Thole did tonight. Thole had a good game, going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.

The Pirates scored another run in the third. It was an unearned run thanks to a Wright throwing error from third base. Ronny Cedeno reached on that play to start the inning, and scored two batters later on an Andrew McCutchen single, making it 5-2. With men on second and third, Pelfrey struck out Pedro Alvarez to end the inning.

The Mets knocked Karstens out of the game in the fourth. Reyes doubled and Angel Pagan moved him to third on a single. They would both score on a Carlos Beltran hit.

Pagan went first to third, and scored on a throwing error by the left fielder Jose Tabata. That would give the Mets a 7-2 lead, and they wouldn’t score again.

Pirates reliever Sean Gallagher pitched three scoreless innings, holding the Mets lead at five. Pirates manager John Russell made a curious decision in the fourth with his team rallying.

With two runners in scoring position and two outs, he allowed his reliever Gallagher to bat for himself. Gallagher nearly got a hit, but second baseman Ruben Tejada made a fine play in the hole at second to throw him out. The crowd at PNC Park would boo their team off the field after the out was made.

Pelfrey would get in and out of trouble through the rest of his outing. He pitched eight innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out five, while allowing a home run.

The Pirates bullpen combined to shut the Mets out over the final 5.2 innings after Karstens was pulled.

The Mets pounded out 15 hits, with Reyes and Wright combining for six of them. The Mets went on to win, 7-2, as Pelfrey earned his 12th win of the season.

The Mets didn’t actually prove what they could do against a great club, as the Pirates clinched their 18th straight losing season with the loss.

New York will go for their first NL road series win tomorrow night with Jon Niese facing James McDonald.

NL East Standings

Atlanta 72-50
*Philadelphia 69-52 (2 1/2)
Florida 61-60 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 61-61 (11)
*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Series Probable Pitchers

August 21
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.38 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: James McDonald (2010: 2-1, 2.55 ERA)

August 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming Schedule

New York Mets:
August 21-22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
August 21-22 vs. New York Mets
August 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Both the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates will have something to play for as the teams begin a three-game series tonight in Pittsburgh.

The Mets, of course, just want to win two of three in order to win an NL road series. They haven’t done that this season, nor have they won consecutive NL road games.

The Pirates just want to win, period. Pittsburgh enters tonight’s game with a record of 40-81, the worst mark in the majors. Their next loss will clinch them their 18th consecutive losing season dating back to 1993.

That means the Pirates have lost more games than they have won 18 straight seasons. That’s the most consecutive losing seasons in North American sports history. It’s really puzzling for a team to not be able to turn things around for that long. The most wins the Pirates have had in this stretch is 79 back in 1997.

It’s pretty embarrassing for the Mets to have to win their first NL road series against the Pirates, but they’re in a lose-lose situation. If they do win the series, people will tease them. If they lose the series, people will bash them to no end.

The Mets know this may be their only chance to win an NL road series, the way their offense has been playing since the All-Star break. The Mets have now gone 10 straight games since scoring five runs or more.

The last time they did it was in a loss to the Phillies on August 8. In fact in that series in Philadelphia, the Mets lost two games, both while scoring five runs.

The Mets have gone 17 straight games since scoring five runs or more in a win. It’s the reason why their manager called their effort last night against Bud Norris “pathetic.”

Norris entered the game with a 5.42 ERA, and the Mets collected two hits off him, one being from the pitcher Pat Misch. Things don’t look like they’re about to change anytime soon.

To kick the series off in Pittsburgh, Mike Pelfrey will be on the mound for the Mets tonight. His last start came on Sunday night at Citi Field in the rain against the Phillies. He allowed three runs in seven innings, but his problem was control and the Phillies running game.

In two of the three innings the Phillies scored, it was followed by stolen bases. He also hit two batters in the game.

After a long rough stretch by Pelfrey, three of his last five starts have been decent. His sinker has had more bite, and his velocity has increased. He and the Mets can only hope for a strong finish to the season.

Pitching for the Pirates will be Jeff Karstens. The former Yankee has had a rough Major League career, with an ERA near five.

He made six straight relief appearances in May, but was reinserted back in the rotation on June 1. He has lost his last seven decisions, to fall from 2-2 to 2-9 on the season.

He had a bad start his last time out on Sunday in Houston. In 5.2 innings pitched, he allowed five runs on seven hits in a Pirates 8-2 loss.

After not starting last night, Carlos Beltran will be back in tonight’s lineup. Catcher Rod Barajas came off the DL and started last night as well, but will probably sit in place of Josh Thole tonight.

The Mets need to win tonight to avoid having to win the last two games. The easiest way for them to win a series will be to win the first and third games, although a sweep wouldn’t be bad either.

After tonight, the Mets will have Niese and Santana on the mound, so they do have a shot if they can just do a little hitting.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Pittsburgh (career)
1-1, 6.75 ERA, 10.2 IP, 16 hits, 4 BB, 4 SO

Jeff Karstens vs. New York (career)
0-1, 5.27 ERA, 13.2 IP, 17 hits, 3 BB, 6 SO

2009 season series (New York vs. Pittsburgh)
Mets won series 4-3.

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HOUSTON: It’s almost unbelievable to imagine how the Mets lost their game tonight to the Houston Astros. They just keep finding original ways to do so.

Pat Misch was on the mound for the Mets making his second Major League start of the season. The Mets were trying to win their first NL road series of the season.

Over the first six innings of the game, it felt as if Misch was going to throw a one-hitter. After all, he had only allowed one hit through six.

Bud Norris was facing the Mets for the first time in his career, coming off a 14-strikeout performance against the Pirates. He threw a ton of pitches through the first three innings, and the Mets broke through against him in the fourth.

After a walk and hit batsman, Astros shortstop Angel Sanchez gave the Mets a couple of runs. Ike Davis hit a ball to short, where Sanchez didn’t step on second base, therefore only getting one out, and allowing two runners to get to scoring position.

The next batter, Jeff Francoeur, grounded out to short, allowing a run to score. Chris Carter, playing left field, hit a ball in the hole at short, and Sanchez couldn’t throw him out, allowing another run to score.

Earlier in the game, Sanchez dropped a ball thrown by the pitcher Norris, allowing Davis to go first to third. The Mets though, would only record two hits against Norris and his 5.42 ERA.

Pat Misch kept rolling along after allowing a double to Hunter Pence in the first inning. After the double, until the end of the sixth, Misch retired 16 in a row.

Norris came back to pitch the seventh after throwing 110 pitches, and it paid off for him.

The Astros put together a three-batter, three-run rally against Misch to start the seventh. Sanchez and Pence singled, and Carlos Lee hit a three-run home run to left field, giving Houston a 3-2 lead.

Misch was immediately pulled thereafter, having only thrown 69 pitches. He allowed three runs on four hits (three runs, three hits in seventh) and struck out one.

Trying to get the tying run back in the eighth, the Mets stranded Jose Reyes at second base. Luis Castillo hit a comebacker and Angel Pagan lined out to shortstop.

The Astros had second and third with one one in their eighth, but Ryota Igarashi struck two batters out. It was his first Major League appearance since July 4.

The Mets went down in order to Brandon Lyon in the ninth, losing a devastating series finale. With the 3-2 loss, the Mets split the four games in Houston.

They still haven’t won a road series against the NL or consecutive road games against the NL this season. Pat Misch is now 0-2 in his first two starts in 2010.

The Mets couldn’t take advantage of the Braves and Phillies both losing, staying 8.5 games out of a playoff spot.

They will try to finally win a road series this weekend, facing the team with the worst record in baseball, the Pirates. Mike Pelfrey opens up the series tomorrow night against Jeff Karstens.

NL East standings

Atlanta 71-50
*Philadelphia 68-52 (2 1/2)
Florida 60-60 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 60-61 (11)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Next series probable pitchers:

Aug. 20
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 11-7, 3.95 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Jeff Karstens (2010: 2-9, 4.57 ERA)
Aug. 21
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.38 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: James McDonald (2010: 2-1, 2.55 ERA)
Aug. 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
Aug. 20-22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Aug. 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
Aug. 20-22 vs. New York Mets
Aug. 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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