Kuzul

Check out Sammy’s video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2egK0V_FMk

NEW YORK: The theme for the Mets this season has been, lose heartbreakers or shut opponents out. In fact, the Mets have now compiled the most shutouts in the Majors this season with their one last night, 18.

Against the Phillies, they just don’t allow anything. The Mets’ last five wins against the Phillies have been shutouts, including all four games at Citi Field.

Last night, the string continued, behind R.A. Dickey’s one-hitter. Once again, the Mets would be denied a no-hitter, as the only hit off Dickey was a Cole Hamels sixth-inning single.

It might be difficult for the Mets to shut out the Phillies tonight though, as they will rely on minor league call-up Pat Misch.

He made his Mets debut on June 24, 2009, and appeared in 22 games for them, while starting seven. In the seven starts, he went 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA.

This season in 23 starts for Triple-A Buffalo, Misch was having a good season. He was 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA and had a more than four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Going for the Phillies will be their ace Roy Halladay, whom the Mets faced on Sunday and lost to.

Trailing 6-2 after three, the Mets staged a rally but fell one short, losing 6-5. The Mets got to Halladay for five runs on nine hits in seven innings of work, although he did strikeout 10.

Overall, Halladay has had a great first season with the Phillies, going 14-8 with a 2.34 ERA.

Tonight’s Mets lineup will look very different than last night’s. Whenever a right-hander is on the mound, the Mets will have a younger lineup, being all of their young players are lefties.

Tonight’s lineup should feature Ike Davis back at first base, Fernando Martinez back in right field, and Josh Thole back behind the plate. Perhaps Luis Castillo will get the start over the struggling Ruben Tejada at second base.

The Mets are working on a good home stand so far, having gone 3-1 against the Rockies and Phillies. All three wins have been shutouts, and their last two games have been complete-game shutouts.

It has been shutout-mania this season at Citi Field for the Mets, and they’ll hope that Misch can continue the trend tonight.

Player moves
RHP Francisco Rodriguez taken off restricted list (violation)
LHP Pat Misch recalled from Triple-A Buffalo
RHP Ryota Igarashi demoted to Triple-A Buffalo
LHP Raul Valdes demoted to Triple-A Buffalo

Pat Misch vs. Philadelphia (career)
0-1, 5.09 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 BB, 16 SO

Roy Halladay vs. New York this season (2 starts)
2-0, 2.81 ERA, 16 IP, 12 hits, 2 BB, 16 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)

April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

Aug. 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
Aug. 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
Aug. 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Aug. 13: New York 1, Philadelphia 0

Mets lead series 6-4

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Check out Sammy’s video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9xHB81eJjg&feature=youtube_gdata

NEW YORK—The last time the Philadelphia Phillies came to Citi Field, they left without scoring a run. No, not just the last game they played—the entire series they played back in May.

As you all should know, the Mets, for the first time in their history, from May 25-27 shut a team out all three games of a series.

It was a time when the Mets were trying to resurrect their season, and the Phillies were looking for their offense.

Now, two-and-a-half months later, the Mets and Phillies meet at Citi Field headed in opposite directions. While the Phillies have found themselves since, the Mets have dug a deep hole to try and climb out of.

The Mets did win their home series against the Rockies, perhaps due to the youthful energy, but time is running out with 48 games left to play.

These two teams played an important series in Philadelphia last weekend, and the Phillies won two of three. Now, the Mets must enter this series with the same sense of urgency. If they don’t win the series, they can pretty much end hopes of a 1973-type comeback.

Before his last start, the Mets would think they’re in great shape to start the series, but R.A. Dickey pitched his worst game as a Met against these Phillies on Sunday.

In only three innings, Dickey allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two home runs.

The Mets put together a solid rally against ace Roy Halladay, but fell one short, falling 6-5.

There was a thought that the Mets may have brought Dickey back on one day of rest, but they instead have given him a full four.

Even with the season-worst start, Dickey’s ERA is still a stellar 2.65. Dickey didn’t have a good knuckleball, and the Phillies were getting to him early in counts, smacking around hard hit after hard hit. He’ll have to change the program tonight, and maybe Citi Field will work to his benefit.

Pitching for the Phillies will be Cole Hamels, whose last start came against the Mets on Saturday. He pitched a heck of a game in seven innings of work.

He allowed one run on six hits, while striking out 11. He didn’t walk a batter, either, but the effort was all for naught. The one run he allowed was a seventh inning home run to Jeff Francoeur, as Hamels was defeated by Johan Santana.

The Mets will continue on tonight without their star closer, Francisco Rodriguez. After getting charged with third-degree assault on Wednesday night, K-Rod was placed on the restricted list for two days without pay.

It didn’t matter in yesterday’s win, as Santana went the distance. As a knuckleballer pitching on normal rest after having thrown only 60 pitches in his last start, Dickey is capable of doing the same if he’s effective.

The Mets lineup will look a little different tonight. David Wright will return after getting yesterday off, following a four-strikeout performance.

Against the left-handed Hamels, expect Jeff Francoeur in right field and Henry Blanco behind the plate. Perhaps Ike Davis will sit in place of Mike Hessman, but that’s not a given.

The Mets, with yesterday’s shutout of the Rockies, notched their Major League-best 17th of the season.

Four of them have come against the Phillies, including all three games played between the teams at Citi Field. The Mets will hope for more shutout magic behind R.A. Dickey tonight.

Player moves:
RHP Francisco Rodriguez placed on restricted list for two days (violation)
RHP Ryota Igarashi recalled from Triple-A Buffalo

R.A. Dickey vs. Philadelphia this season (Two starts)

1-1, 4.00 ERA, 9 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 7 SO

Cole Hamels vs. New York this season (Two starts)

0-2, 2.03 ERA, 13.1 IP, 15 H, 1 BB, 14 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)
April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
August 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
August 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Mets lead series, 5-4.

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What a relief for Mets fans tonight. After one of Mike Pelfrey’s roughest career stretches, he bounced back with a gem to get the Mets off on the right foot.

Opening up a six-game home stand starting with the Colorado Rockies, Pelfrey was on the mound facing 17-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez.

The feeling was that it would be a lopsided Rockies victory. It turned out to be a classic pitchers’ duel between two extremely talented pitchers.

There were a lot of similarities between the two tonight. They each pitched seven innings, each threw 122 pitches, and each gave up four hits. There was one difference—Jimenez gave up a run.

He didn’t give up his first hit until the fourth inning—an infield hit by Fernando Martinez leading off. Martinez never scored.

The Rockies had a chance in the second inning, after Pelfrey walked a batter and allowed a hit. The Rockies stranded runners on the corners.

Both teams wasted leadoff hits in the fifth. Miguel Olivo singled and stole second for Colorado and was stranded. Chris Carter singled but was thrown out at second on a strike out-throw out double play.

Mike Pelfrey would allow a double to Carlos Gonzalez in the sixth but didn’t allow him to score.

Both teams were stranding runners all over the place, and the Mets did the same in their sixth. Pelfrey lead off with an infield single and the Mets would load the bases. Ike Davis, though, struck out for a third time to end the rally.

The Mets would finally break the ice in the seventh against Jimenez. Carter led off with a walk and Josh Thole moved him to third with a double. Two batters later, Carlos Beltran was intentionally walked to load the bases. Jose Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to right field, driving in the game’s first run.

In the eighth, Jerry Manuel went with a new wrinkle, bringing in Hisanori Takahashi to set up for Francisco Rodriguez. Takahashi rolled to a perfect inning, and Rodriguez would do the same in the ninth.

The Mets beat the Rockies, 1-0, for their Major League leading 16th shutout of the season.

Mike Pelfrey looked like his old April-June self, earning his 11th win of the season; Jimenez lost his third game.

After the game, Mets manager Jerry Manuel said Hisanori Takahashi will remain in the bullpen and not make his scheduled Saturday night start. Candidates to come up from Triple-A Buffalo to replace him are Pat Misch and Dillon Gee.

Tomorrow, the Mets will go for the series win with Jon Niese facing Jeff Francis. Expect to see Jeff Francoeur starting against the left-handed Francis; Beltran will be starting as well.

NL East standings (top three teams)
Atlanta 64-48
Philadelphia 62-49 (1 1/2)
NY Mets 56-56 (8)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 64-49
——————————————
NY Mets 56-56 (7 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:

August 11
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jeff Francis (2010: 4-4, 4.67 ERA)
August 12
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 9-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jason Hammel (2010: 8-6, 4.38 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 11-12 vs. Colorado Rockies
August 13-15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Colorado Rockies:
August 11-12 @ New York Mets
August 13-15 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

NEW YORK: The Mets return home tonight to Citi Field against the Colorado Rockies to begin a six-game home stand.

They will try to rebound from a 2-4 road trip against the two teams in front of them in the NL East.

Not only did the Mets lose ground in the division, but they lost some players in place of a youth movement.

When the Mets take the field tonight, they will be playing guys like Fernando Martinez, Ruben Tejada, and Josh Thole, not the veterans like Luis Castillo or Jeff Francoeur.

It’s a move to audition some younger players for next season, so it’ll be difficult for the Mets to win tonight.

They’ll be facing 17-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez, who has been baseball’s most dominant pitcher of 2010. Not only is he 17-2 with a 2.61 ERA, he has allowed 44 fewer hits than innings pitched.

He did go through a rough stretch of starts from June 23-July 24. In six starts, he pitched to a 7.64 ERA, allowing four earned runs or more in five of the starts.

He has bounced back though, allowing exactly one run and four hits in seven innings in each of his last two starts. His last start was a great one against a good team in the Giants.

On Wednesday, he allowed one run on four hits, walking two and striking out nine in seven innings.

It’ll be a tough challenge for the Mets to hit him, especially with all of the inexperienced hitters now in their lineup.

Going for the Mets will be the struggling Mike Pelfrey. After getting off to an amazing start this season, Pelfrey continues to try to fine himself.

He has lost four straight decisions spanning seven starts. In his last start against the Braves on Wednesday, he allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits, he allowed two home runs and hit a batter.

He has been all over the plate recently, and his sinker has been flat without any velocity.

If the Mets are indeed thinking of 2011, they must see better things from Pelfrey, who is on the verge of giving up a spot in next year’s rotation.

The Mets are planning to rest Carlos Beltran tonight after he didn’t look well at the plate or in the field on Sunday.

It’ll be the Mets trying to beat a pitcher with two losses all season, looking for something to be positive about in front of their home crowd.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Colorado (April 15)
Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, 0 BB, 6 SO

Ubaldo Jimenez vs. New York (career)
2-1, 2.79 ERA, 29 IP, 20 hits, 11 BB, 18 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Colorado)

April 13: Colorado 11, New York 3
April 14: Colorado 6, New York 5 (10)
April 15: New York 5, Colorado 0

Rockies lead series 2-1

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Every team in Major League Baseball has about 50 games to go in the regular season.

Most division leaders are involved in tight races that will be decided in late September.

All six teams have one thing in common. They have their strengths and weaknesses.

It’s a very important topic because it’ll decide whether a team is in good shape to make a big run or not.

So, without further ado, here is a breakdown of every division leader’s strengths and weaknesses.

Begin Slideshow

PHILADELPHIA– The Mets have completed another losing road trip. This one coming against the two teams in front of them in their own division.

The Mets had to face Phillies ace Roy Halladay today, but they thought they had a chance to match him with R.A. Dickey on the mound.

It didn’t happen. In fact, what was supposed to be a pitchers’ duel turned out to be a hard-fought slugfest.

The Mets got off to a promising start. They hit Roy Halladay hard in the first inning, producing a run two batters in. Jose Reyes doubled and was driven in by Angel Pagan, giving the Mets a quick 1-0 lead. Pagan would then steal both second and third base and scored on an Ike Davis infield single off the glove of Halladay.

The Mets seemed in pretty good shape with Dickey pitching, having thrown six quality starts in his last seven.

Although the Phillies didn’t score in the first inning, signs were not pointing in the right direction. The three hitters all hit the ball hard against him, as Dickey’s knuckleball wasn’t sharp.

It would only take until the second inning. Jayson Werth hit what appeared to be a pop fly, but the ball carried over the center field fence to cut the deficit to 2-1. Carlos Beltran kept going back on the ball, and bumped his head against the fence, not knowing where the wall was.

After a shaky first inning, Halladay settled down to retire 10 batters in a row, while the Phillies kept hitting Dickey.

They knocked him around in the third, and Dickey suffered his worst inning as a Met. The Phillies sent 11 men to the plate, scoring five runs on seven hits to take a 6-2 lead.

After a Jimmy Rollins double, Jose Reyes made a fielding error. Lately, he has been making some errors, and most of them have opened the door to big innings. It did once again.

Two batters later, Raul Ibanez hit a three-run home run, giving the Phillies a 5-2 lead. Later in the inning, former Met Brian Schneider would add a run on a single.

Dickey would be done after three innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits, and one walk.

The Mets started to rally back from the four run deficit against Halladay in the sixth. Just like in the opening inning, Jose Reyes doubled and Pagan singled him in, making it 6-3.

The Mets bullpen did a great job keeping the team in the game, not allowing a run after Dickey’s departure.

The Mets continued to fight back in the seventh. Fernando Martinez led off with his first Major League hit of the season. Josh Thole followed with a double, moving the runner to third.

Ruben Tejada grounded into a run-scoring play. That was followed by a Chris Carter pinch-double, cutting the Phillies lead to 6-5.

With two on and one out, down a run, Pagan flew out and Beltran struck out for a third time to end the inning.

In the ninth, facing Brad Lidge, the Mets got a leadoff single from Thole; his third hit of the game. After two straight groundouts moving Thole to third, Reyes flew out to center, as the Mets fell 90 feet short of completing the comeback.

The shame of it is, the Mets did a good job against Halladay, and their young players contributed in the comeback effort. Unfortunately, Dickey just didn’t have it, and therefore the Mets finish off a losing road trip.

They were not helped out by their middle of the order, especially Beltran and Wright, who each struck out three times.

Beltran hasn’t looked good at the plate since his return, and he looked awful today in the field. So much so, that he was pulled in a double-switch in the seventh inning.

The Mets are now 0-7 in road rubber games this season, and have gone 40 straight games without winning consecutive games. That run of futility is the longest streak of such games without back-to-back wins in the Majors this season.

The most important note of all, is that with today’s Braves win, the Mets fall nine games out of first place.

They’ll try to turn things around at home, starting Tuesday night against the Rockies. It’ll be a tough challenge for the Mets, as they’ll face Ubaldo Jimenez.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 64-47
Philadelphia 62-49 (2)
NY Mets 55-56 (9)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 63-49
—————————
NY Mets 55-56 (7 1/2)

Next series probable pitchers:
August 10
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 10-6, 4.16 ERA) vs. Colorado: UIbaldo Jimenez (2010: 17-2, 2.61 ERA)
August 11
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jeff Francis (2010: 4-4, 4.67 ERA)
August 12
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 9-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jason Hammel (2010: 8-6, 4.38 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 10-12 vs. Colorado Rockies
August 13-15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Colorado Rockies:
August 10-12 @ New York Mets
August 13-15 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

PHILADELPHIA: The Mets needed a dominant performance from a starter in order to be sure of a victory, with the way their offense is slumping. They got that from Johan Santana last night.

Today, they will pitch R.A. Dickey, who unbelieveably owns the lowest ERA on the Mets staff. Yes, that’s not a typo, Robert Allen Dickey has been the Mets most consistent and reliable pitcher since his call-up.

He has pitched at least five innings in each start, and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 15 starts this season.

Even when he doesn’t have his best knuckleball, he tends to battle his way through a quality start. That was the case in his last start against the Braves on Tuesday.

It was a game played under wet weather conditions, and he admitted after the game that he had trouble gripping the ball. That didn’t stop him from throwing six innings of two-run baseball.

The only issue due to the poor weather was control. He walked four and hit a batter; he got a no-decision in a Mets 3-2 win.

Out of his last seven starts, six have been quality, falling one out short in the other. That was the game against the Dodgers in which he came out due to a freak injury in the sixth inning of a gem.

Johan Santana might be the “ace,” but Dickey has been the ace this season.

Speaking of true aces, the Phillies will have theirs on the mound this afternoon. That guy is Roy Halladay, who has been as advertised in his first season in Philadelphia.

The stat that might throw people off is the eight losses, but that has nothing do with him. He has been brilliant in winning 13 games with a 2.17 ERA.

He has already thrown eight complete games, one shy of his career-high nine that he has set three times including the last two seasons.

One of those complete games came against the Mets on May 1, stopping an eight-game winning streak. That a lot of eights, huh?

Halladay’s last start came on Tuesday against the Marlins. It was at the site of his May 29 perfect game, and although he wasn’t perfect this time around, he was solid.

In seven innings, he allowed one run on five hits, he walked one and struck out nine. He did give up a home run to Dan Uggla in the Phillies’ 6-1 victory; his 13th.

The Mets will have both call-ups in the lineup today. Ruben Tejada will be playing daily, and Fernando Martinez will be playing against righties like Halladay. Ike Davis should be back in the lineup as well after not starting last night.

The Mets are 0-6 in road rubber matches this season, and they most recently lost one to the Braves on this road trip. They will try to win their first today, and it should be another pitchers’ duel.

R.A. Dickey vs. Philadelphia (May 25)
Win, 6 IP, 0 ER, 7 hits, 3 BB, 7 SO

Roy Halladay vs. New York (May 1)
Win, 9 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, 1 BB, 6 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)

April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
August 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0

Mets lead series 5-3

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As much as the Mets don’t want to admit it, by calling up two of their top minor league prospects, they are planning for 2011.

Perhaps their thinking is that the young players is what energized them early in the season, but it’s too late for that now.

There are so many negatives that outweigh every potential positive. By bringing up Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, a couple of veteran players are upset. Of course, Mets fans don’t care about feelings and they shouldn’t.

The problem is, one of those players means a lot to the Mets clubhouse. The Mets have said that Martinez will platoon in right field with Jeff Francoeur.

If Francoeur wasn’t already upset when he lost playing time to Angel Pagan, now he has every reason to be.

Although he was upset when Pagan took his job, he shouldn’t have been as Pagan earned it. This move though is a little strange.

Martinez hadn’t had a Major League at-bat all season, and has really been a bust so far. He was supposed to be an up-and-coming star young player that has never hit on the big league level. He has always been injury prone, having had knee surgery last season.

Francoeur has proven way more in his career between the Braves and Mets. He can occasionally get into a hot streak, which Martinez hasn’t shown, and he has a superior glove to Martinez, who isn’t an established right fielder.

Regarding the Tejada-for-Castillo situation, it’s a smart move on the Mets part, but it doesn’t mean it won’t get Castillo fired up.

It’s extremely shocking that the Mets went in this direction. Tejada was sent down for more seasoning at the plate, and Castillo was to play when he returned from the disabled list because of his contract status.

The positives did show in Saturday night’s Mets win, with Tejada making some stellar defensive plays at second, which Castillo wouldn’t have had the range to make. Defense is probably why Tejada is here.

But the thought of having both Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur on the bench for the majority of the games doesn’t make much sense. Castillo is virtually useless off the bench other than a need for a sacrifice bunt, and Francoeur as we’ve seen, can’t stay fresh as a pinch-hitter.

According to reports, Francoeur once again has asked Omar Minaya to be traded. For that to happen, he’d obviously have to be claimed off waivers by August 31.

The Mets have been desperately trying to deal Castillo but no one wants his bad contract.

Looking that the roster as a whole, the Mets now have three useless backups in Francoeur, Castillo, and Oliver Perez.

The reason why the Mets made these moves is because they’re holding open auditions for 2011. Fernando Martinez wouldn’t have a role, unless Carlos Beltran is dealt in the offseason. Jason Bay and Angel Pagan are locks to be back and starting next season.

Tejada, though, could replace Castillo assuming the Mets can rid of his contract. The Mets won last night’s game, and it had nothing to do with the moves that they made.

It had to do with their ace stepping up, and odd-man out Jeff Francoeur hitting a long ball. There wasn’t any renewed energy in a 1-0 win. The team was rather flat.

But the Mets, hovering around .500, have decided to start thinking next season. Now how disappointing is that considering where the Mets were in June?

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PHILADELPHIA– The Mets made some bold moves after last night’s loss to the Phillies, calling up some younger players to try to install energy in the team.

It’s not as if the Mets were completely energized tonight, but they did more than enough to earn a victory.

Johan Santana was on the mound, and he was as dominant as possible. He was opposed by Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, and they locked up in a classic pitchers’ duel.

Santana carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, and looked ultra sharp. His change-up was fantastic with plenty of movement.

With two outs in the sixth, Santana struck out Raul Ibanez but the ball got away from catcher Henry Blanco allowing the batter to reach base. The next batter, Placido Polanco, singled cleanly up the middle, ending the bid. Looking at the big picture, his performace was outstanding, rebounding from some rough starts.

Meanwhile, Cole Hamels wasn’t giving in either. He finally cracked in the seventh, allowing a leadoff home run to Jeff Francoeur, his second game-winning shot of the road trip.

Hamels went seven, striking out 11 without walking a batter. It’s his second straight start of at least 10 strikeouts without a walk.

Santana did allow a leadoff double in the seventh, protecting a 1-0 lead. The next batter hit a ground ball to shortstop. Jayson Werth, who doubled, foolishly ran to third and was thrown out by Jose Reyes. The Phillies never came through in the inning.

The Mets had a chance to distance themselves from the Phillies in the eighth. Jose Reyes lead off with a single. Two outs later, Chad Durbin walked two straight batters to load the bases. He would strike out Jeff Francoeur on what looked like ball four to stop the Mets from scoring.

The Phillies eighth was the key inning of the game. Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez both singled to start the inning.

The moment of the game came with Polanco at the plate. He bunted back to Santana, who would throw out the lead runner at third base.

That’s the final out he would get, as Jerry Manuel opted to bring in Francisco Rodriguez for a five-out save.

After inducing a line drive out, he loaded the bases with a walk. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload, after a long at-bat, grounded out to Ruben Tejada. It was a scary moment though, as Tejada threw low to first, but Ike Davis bailed him out.

Rodriguez would come back on for the ninth and pitch a 1-2-3 inning, to preserve a Mets’ 1-0 victory.

Ruben Tejada started the game at second base, and Fernando Martinez came in for defense in the eighth; he grounded out in his only at-bat.

Santana earned his ninth win of the season, and Cole Hamels lost his eighth.

The Mets will try to win the series tomorrow in a fine pitching matchup. Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey will pitch opposite the Phillies Roy Halladay.

Player moves:

INF Ruben Tejada promoted from Triple-A Buffalo

OF Fernando Martinez promoted from Triple-A Buffalo

OF Jesus Feliciano demoted to Triple-A Buffalo

INF Alex Cora released

NL East standings (Top three teams)
Atlanta 63-47
Philadelphia 61-49 (2)
NY Mets 55-55 (8)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 63-48
—————————
NY Mets 55-55 (7 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:
August 8
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 7-4, 2.36 ERA) vs. Philadelphia: Roy Halladay (2010: 13-8, 2.17 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 8 @ Philadelphia Phillies
August 10-12 vs. Colorado Rockies

Philadelphia Phillies:
August 8 vs. New York Mets
August 10-12 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Follow Sammy on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/SammyMakki

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

PHILADELPHIA– The Mets had a grasp on last night’s opener against the Phillies, but couldn’t secure the final six outs. With that, they fell below the .500 mark for the first time since May 23rd.

They must win the final two games of this series to even be considered a contender down the stretch.

In reality, the Mets are cooked in 2010. But, if you want to spin it from a homeristic point of view, you can say “Ya Gotta Believe.” After all, that phrase worked for the Mets 37 years ago.

Think about this: in 1973, the Mets were 49-60 through 109 games; the 2010 Mets are five better. That team was 10.5 games behind, further behind where this year’s Mets are.

The 1973 Mets’ 109th game was also played on August 6. Final result: National League champions; lost game seven of the World Series. Thus the phrase “Ya Gotta Believe.”

Now, how can the Mets make such a run like the one of the Miracle Mets? Right now, they look lifeless, shot, without any confidence.

The Mets need to start streaking tonight, and they will have Johan Santana on the mound. Their ace has not been dominant though lately.

Over Santana’s last two starts, he’s allowed nine first-inning runs. In his last start against the Braves to begin the road trip, he did strike out 11, but gave up four runs and nine hits. The Mets offense didn’t show up and they lost, 4-1.

This would be the worst time of year for Santana to fatigue. The Mets are not going anywhere or channeling their inner 1973 if Santana fades off. It seems right now as if he is fatiguing.

Teams are trying to get to Santana early in counts, especially in the first inning. He has no velocity on his fastball, thus there’s no differential between it and his change-up.

The last time Santana pitched in Philadelphia back on May 2nd, he suffered a career-worst start. That was on a Sunday night in May. Tonight, he must step up on a crucial Saturday night in August. Although he is a 31-year-old veteran, you just hope that start doesn’t get to him at any point in the game.

The Phillies will be pitching their left-handed ace, Cole Hamels. He may be playing third-fiddle on a team that has a couple of Roy’s on top, but he is back to being the “good” Cole Hamels.

After bursting on to the seen back in 2006, Hamels put together two consecutive quality seasons in 2007 and 2008. He went 29-15 over that time, and won both NLCS and World Series MVP in 2008.

Last season, he declined, and seemed mentally drained. He had a losing record and pitched to a high ERA by his standards.

This season, he has rebounded back into old form. He’s only 7-7 but that’s due to the lack of run support. His one bugaboo has been the long ball, as he’s given up 21 home runs in 139 innings pitched.

He received a no-decision in his last start against the Nationals in a Phillies victory. In seven innings, he allowed four runs on six hits, he walked none, and struck out ten.

After last night’s Mets loss, it was reported that top prospects Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada were scratched from their minor league game.

Sources say Martinez may be dealt to the Seattle Mariners, while Tejada could potentially replace Luis Castillo if he were traded as well.

The Mets will try to beat the Phillies and get back on track tonight, with Santana looking for some revenge.

Johan Santana vs. Philadelphia (May 2)
Loss, 3.2 IP, 10 ER, 8 hits, 2 BB, 1 SO, 4 HR

Cole Hamels vs. New York (May 27)
Loss, 6.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 hits, 1 BB, 3 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)
April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6th: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
Mets lead series 4-3

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