Kuzul

PHILADELPHIA — The Mets are now a losing ballclub. After Jon Niese pitched another fine game against the Phillies, the Mets bullpen imploded in the eighth inning, and a Mets rally fell short.

The Mets were entering what could be their last important series of the season, and for a while, it looked good.

Jon Niese got off to a rocky start in the first inning, allowing a run and walking two. He was all over the plate and was not helped out by a Josh Thole passed ball.

He settled down after that to throw six scoreless innings. For the second time this season, Niese allowed one run in seven innings in Philadelphia.

The Mets tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning. Jeff Francoeur led off with an opposite field hit to right. Jose Reyes drove him in later on with a single.

In the fourth, they took the lead. Three consecutive hits produced the go-ahead run, giving the Mets a 2-1 lead.

The Mets didn’t score another run against Joe Blanton, who entered the game having allowed three earned runs or less only once this season.

The game would remain 2-1 until the eighth when it all blew up. Niese was taken out in place of Bobby Parnell, who has had a great run as the eighth-inning man.

He hasn’t been as dominant of late, and didn’t retire a batter tonight. He faced four batters, allowed four singles, and four runs.

Newest Phillie Mike Sweeney led off with a single, his first of two in the inning. Pedro Feliciano came in and allowed an immediate bunt single with two on in a 3-2 game. He then walked in a run to let the Phillies extend their lead to 4-2.

The Phillies ended up scoring six runs in the eighth, taking a 7-2 lead to the ninth. The Mets made an attempt to get the runs back.

With two on and two outs, pinch-hitter Mike Hessman hit a three-run home run off J.C. Romero, cutting the deficit to 7-5. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel brought in closer Brad Lidge, who retired Jesus Feliciano to end the game and the Mets’ comeback hopes.

Bobby Parnell got the loss and Chad Durbin earned the win for the Phillies; Lidge got the save.

With the loss, the Mets are now under .500 at 54-55, for the first time since May 23. They are officially a losing ballclub, and this may be the final blow for them. If they don’t win the next two games against the Phillies, they will be done for 2010.

They’ll try to get back on track tomorrow night with Johan Santana on the mound, facing Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels.

*NL East standings (top three teams)
Atlanta 62-46
Philadelphia 61-48 (1 1/2)
NY Mets 54-55 (8 1/2)
*-Does not include ATL result

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 62-47
—————————
NY Mets 54-55 (8)

Series probable pitchers:
August 7
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 8-6, 3.20 ERA) vs. Philadelphia: Cole Hamels (2010: 7-7, 3.56 ERA)
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 7-8 @ Philadelphia Phillies
August 10-12 vs. Colorado Rockies

Philadelphia Phillies:
August 7-8 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—After what the Mets did in their finale against the Braves, you’d think everyone was getting axed.

Instead, Mets owner Fred Wilpon came out yesterday and declared GM Omar Minaya’s job safe for next season and beyond.

It’s really a head-scratcher. Why announce this after the team suffered what basically was a knockout punch from their worst rival?

It’s just the way the Mets operate these days. They never go the extra mile to bring players in, and they never let go of someone after a crisis.

So now, knowing who’ll be running the team for the foreseeable future, the Mets limp into another house of horrors, Philadelphia. They’ll begin a three-game weekend series tonight, attempting to at least play spoiler if nothing else.

After all, with the Mets now eight games back in the NL East, all they can do is try to put a crimp in the Phillies’ chances.

There are many players trying to rebound from poor efforts. The whole Mets team is, but so is tonight’s starting pitcher, Jon Niese.

In his last start against the Diamondbacks, with the Mets needing to win the series at home, Niese blew up after a solid start.

He hadn’t allowed a hit through the first 3.1 innings, but then allowed the first of two three-run home runs to Adam LaRoche. He lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits.

Niese hadn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game since June 22 against the Tigers, but that was a game in which he got thrown off by a prolonged rain delay. So he actually hadn’t given up more than three earned runs because of his own doing since May 11 against the Nationals.

That’s how good Niese has been in his rookie season. Niese pitched a heck of a game in Philadelphia on April 30. It was a win that extended a Mets win streak to eight games. He’ll have to be just as good to get the Mets off on the right foot tonight.

Pitching for the Phillies will be Joe Blanton. He has had a terrible season, pitching to an ERA close to six. He has been extremely inconsistent while giving up 130 hits in 106 innings.

In his last start against the Nationals, he got roughed up for four runs and nine hits in six innings.

This series may be the Mets’ last important one of the season. If they were to lose two of three, or even get swept, they would be too far behind this late in the season to keep playoff hopes alive.

The good thing is, they’ll miss out on newly acquired Roy Oswalt in this series. The bad thing is, they’ll have to face both Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay after tonight.

It’s a shame that this series doesn’t mean a little more to the Mets in August (like the Yankees-Red Sox series) but at least they can play spoiler. Or, they can shock everyone and make a huge statement.

Jon Niese vs. Philadelphia (April 30)

Win, 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 SO

Joe Blanton vs. New York (May 26)

Loss, 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 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

Mets lead series 4-2

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

ATLANTA– This may mark the end for the 2010 New York Mets. The game that proved they aren’t worthy of playing October baseball.

With the game they played tonight in Atlanta, the Mets have completed two-thirds of their schedule and they are a .500 ballclub.

Tonight’s loss to the Braves was disgraceful. For a team who still has visions of possibly making a run at the division, they played themselves out of the discussion.

Errors aside for the moment, Mike Pelfrey was on the mound with his own problems. In the opening inning, he did induce a double play after allowing a leadoff single, but he still couldn’t put the inning to bed. He allowed two successive hits to produce the first run of the game.

Recently, the Mets have been responding with runs in the following half-inning virtually every time. They tied the game at 1-1 in the second on a Luis Castillo RBI single, scoring Josh Thole, who singled. 

Pelfrey gave up two more hits in the second, but was helped out by picking Rick Ankiel off at first base.

The Mets took a lead in the third. Jose Reyes lead off with a double and scored on a groundout later on, making it 2-1.

Pelfrey, as he has been doing lately, gave the lead right back. After retiring the first two batters in the third, he allowed back-to-back home runs to Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.

The Mets had a shot to tie the game in the fifth. With a runner at second and one out, Reyes and Angel Pagan recorded outs to strand the runner. From that point on, it was all downhill.

The Mets began playing really sloppy ball in the fifth. Braves reliever Mike Dunn, who replaced starter Kris Medlen due to injury, reached to lead off on a Reyes throwing error.

After two outs were recorded, Pelfrey walked a batter and allowed a run-scoring double. With two runners in scoring position, Pelfrey intentionally walked Eric Hinske and hit Matt Diaz with the bases loaded, giving the Braves a 5-2 lead.

He pitched 4.2 innings, and allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits, he walked two (one intentional) and struck out one. He also hit a batter and allowed two home runs.

In the sixth, Hisanori Takahashi had some bad luck. The Mets made three infield errors (Reyes, Davis, and Wright). With the bases loaded and one out, Wright threw a ball away attempting a double play, allowing two runs to score.

The Braves extended their lead to 7-2, and went on to win the game, 8-3.

The Mets made four errors, two by Reyes, and fell in the rubber game. The Mets are 0-6 this season in road rubber games, dropping to an even 54-54 on the season.

This game basically ends all hope for the Mets this season, dropping them 7.5 games out of first place with 54 to play.

They will take tomorrow off, before starting a three-game series in Philadelphia on Friday with Jon Niese on the mound against Joe Blanton.

NL East standings
Atlanta 61-46
Philadelphia 58-48 (2 1/2)
NY Mets 54-54 (7 1/2)
Florida 53-53 (7 1/2)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 62-46
————————–
NY Mets 54-54 (8)

Next series probable pitchers:
August 6
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.78 ERA) vs. Philadelphia: Joe Blanton (2010: 4-6, 5.86 ERA)
August 7
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 8-6, 3.20 ERA) vs. Philadelphia: Cole Hamels (2010: 7-7, 3.56 ERA)
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 6-8 @ Philadelphia Phillies
August 10-12 vs. Colorado Rockies

Philadelphia Phillies:
August 5 @ Florida Marlins
August 6-8 vs. New York Mets

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Finally, last night, the Mets did something positive. They didn’t throw the ball around and pitch poorly; they actually played a winning style of baseball.

What that did against the first-place Braves was cut the Mets’ deficit to 6.5 games in the NL East. With one more game to go against them tonight, the Mets would love to win the series and gain another game on them before heading to Philadelphia.

In order to do that, they’ll hope Mike Pelfrey can finally deliver a quality outing, which he hasn’t since June 25.

Pelfrey has been anywhere from not good to awful lately, and he seems to be all over the place mentally. Although the Mets are 6.5 games behind Atlanta, that deficit is not insurmountable, and they’ll need Pelfrey to pitch much better if they want to make a run.

Over his last nine starts, Pelfrey’s ERA is 7.51. That is just beyond unacceptable. Two of those nine starts have come against the Diamondbacks, and the Mets lost each of those games.

In his last start against Arizona on Friday, Pelfrey gave up a run when David Wright had tied the game with a three-run home run. He then gave up the tying run when David Wright gave the Mets a lead with a two-run home run. In total, he pitched 5.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits.

The start came after a seemingly bounce-back performance by Pelfrey against the Dodgers, a game in which he only allowed two runs in five innings.

Opposing Pelfrey will be Braves starter Kris Medlen. Medlen has had a good season, splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation. He has appeared in 30 games and has started 13 of them.

His last start came on Friday against the Reds where, in five innings, he allowed three runs on six hits. Overall this season, Medlen is 6-2 with a 3.66 ERA. He has a fabulous strikeout-to-walk ratio at 4-to-1 (20 BB, 80 SO).

The Mets had some great signs in last night’s 3-2 victory, and none more than that of Jeff Francoeur. Haunting his old club, Francoeur hit the game-winning home run off Billy Wagner in the ninth inning, securing a lead for Francisco Rodriguez.

Also, they got much better play defensively from Luis Castillo. What was strange to see was the lack of concentration by Jose Reyes.

He neglected to throw a ball to first base on what could’ve been a double play, and later in the game failed to hustle to first on a ground ball, not even letting go of his bat on the way down the baseline.

All in all, last night was a great win for the Mets, and it would be extra sweet to steal tonight’s game and cut the gap between them and the first-place Braves.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Atlanta this season (three starts)
2-1, 3.24 ERA, 16.2 IP, 24 hits, 10 BB, 8 SO

Kris Medlen vs. New York (May 18)
ND, 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2 HR

2010 season series (New York vs. Atlanta)

April 23: New York 5, Atlanta 2
April 24: New York 3, Atlanta 1
*April 25: New York 1, Atlanta 0

May 17: New York 3, Atlanta 2
May 18: Atlanta 3, New York 2

July 9: Atlanta 4, New York 2
July 10: Atlanta 4, New York 0
July 11: New York 3, Atlanta 0

August 2: Atlanta 4, New York 1
August 3: New York 3, Atlanta 2
Mets lead series 6-4

*-Denotes rain-shortened five-inning game

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

ATLANTA—After a mediocre home stand culminating in an embarrassing loss to the Diamondbacks, the Mets knew they had to get off to a good start on the road.

Facing the two top teams in the NL East, the Mets didn’t come to play in their opener against the Braves. They had their ace Johan Santana on the mound, but he was only 2-5 in his career against Atlanta, even with a 2.01 ERA.

What cost the Mets tonight was the entire first inning. In the Mets half, they had an immediate shot to get to Tim Hudson, who has had a great season.

Angel Pagan singled and stole second, and Carlos Beltran walked. They came up empty though, as David Wright and Ike Davis both recorded outs.

In the Braves half, the Mets got a sloppy error at the worst time, that was the key to the game. After Omar Infante led off with a single and Jason Heyward walked, Chipper Jones grounded a routine double play to third base.

David Wright threw to second for an out, but Luis Castillo fumbled the ball in the exchange, allowing runners at the corners with one out. The next batter, Matt Diaz, lined a run-scoring double to left, giving the Braves a 1-0 lead.

Luis Castillo then made a nice play throwing a runner out at home for the second out, but two batters later, Rick Ankiel brought in two with a single, extending the lead to 3-0.

Johan Santana has given up nine first-inning runs in his last two starts.

It was going to be a tough hill to climb, being Tim Hudson was 144-17 in his career with a three-plus run lead.

Tim Hudson for the first time in his career, made two errors in a game. His first one came in the second, allowing Castillo to reach third on an infield hit, but he was stranded.

Santana wasn’t sharp in the game, and actually allowed three leadoff doubles, although none scored. It was really a strange all around game for Santana, as he allowed four runs and nine hits, but struck out 11.

Therefore, whenever the Braves made contact, they generally produced. The Braves went 9-for-19 on balls hit in play (.474), known as BABIP.

The Mets had plenty of opportunities in the game, including two hits in the fourth without coming through.

They finally did break through in the fifth. Carlos Beltran scored Reyes from first on a double, cutting the Braves lead to 3-1.

Tim Hudson left after six with a high pitch count. He allowed one run on six hits, he walked and struck out three.

The Braves though, have a great backend of the bullpen, with Venters, Saito, and Wagner pitching the final three innings.

The Braves added a run in the seventh on a Chipper Jones home run, on their way to a 4-1 win.

It’s a damaging loss for the Mets, as for the first time since June 2, they fall to .500. After being 11 games over the mark, the Mets have gone 12-23 in their last 35 games.

They will now continue their series in Atlanta tomorrow night, with R.A. Dickey facing Derek Lowe.

NL East standings                                               
Atlanta 60-45
Philadelphia 57-48 (3)
Florida 53-52 (7)
NY Mets 53-53 (7 1/2)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 61-45
————————–
NY Mets 53-53 (8)

Series probable pitchers:
August 3
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 7-4, 2.32 ERA) vs. Atlanta: Derek Lowe (2010: 10-9, 4.58 ERA)
August 4
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 10-5, 4.10 ERA) vs. Atlanta: Kris Medlen (2010: 6-2, 3.66 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 3-4 @ Atlanta Braves
August 6-8 @ Philadelphia Phillies

Atlanta Braves:
August 3-4 vs. New York Mets
August 5-8 vs. San Francisco Giants

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Mets finished their six-game home stand against the Diamondbacks yesterday on Mets Hall of Fame Day and got embarrassed. Facing a last-place club, the Mets didn’t just lose, they got smoked, 14-1.

It had seemed as if it was going to be a special day. After the four members of the Mets 1986 championship team were honored, Jon Niese hadn’t allowed a hit through 3.1 innings. That’s where everything would cave in, and the Mets would lose the series again to Arizona.

The Mets lost five of six to the Diamondbacks and are on their last legs, starting tonight. Believe it or not, things have gotten so bad for the Mets that they’re actually closer in the division than in the Wild Card race.

They trail the Braves by 6.5 games in the NL East and trail the Giants by 7.5 games in the NL Wild Card. They are also tied for third place in the division with the Marlins. So therefore, this road trip will be the final chance for the Mets to breathe in 2010.

It’s a road trip that will take the Mets to Atlanta and Philadelphia, the top two teams in the NL East.

Considering what the Mets did on their last road trip, losing nine of 11 including a trip to lowly Arizona, it would be hard to imagine the Mets faring well on this road trip.

Logic would say the Mets are in for a 1-5, and no better than 2-4 trip, which isn’t good at this point. A trip of that magnitude would put a kibosh on the Mets plans for 2010.

The good thing for the Mets is they will have their ace, Johan Santana, start tonight’s opener. The two bad things for the Mets are Santana didn’t pitch well in his last start and they have to face Tim Hudson, who has been outstanding this season.

Nothing gets easier from this point on. The Mets can no longer take anything for granted, including games that haven’t been played yet against the Astros and Pirates.

The thing that stood out in the Mets 2-9 road trip was the fact that both wins were games Johan Santana started.

The Mets have to cross their fingers that Santana’s last start was a blip on the radar. After a dominant five-start month of July, Santana wilted in the first inning against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

He allowed six first-inning runs and set career-highs to forget on two accounts. The six-run first was the most runs he’d ever allowed in the first inning of a game, and he allowed a career-high 13 hits in total, spanning over 5.2 innings. It was a game the Mets would rally to tie, 7-7, before falling in 13 innings.

On the mound for the Braves will be Tim Hudson, and man has he been fabulous this season. He has gone 11-5 while pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 21 starts. In 142.2 innings pitched, he’s only allowed 111 hits.

Over his last two starts against the Padres and Nationals, he has dominated, winning both games while allowing one run.

The Braves are a team that will have a different look than the last time the Mets faced them. They added center fielder Rick Ankiel and reliever Kyle Farnsworth to their club, and second baseman Martin Prado is on the disabled list with a fractured right pinkie.

The Mets will have Carlos Beltran back in the starting lineup, and should have all the regulars in except for Jason Bay, who’s still on the disabled list with a concussion.

It’ll be a tough challenge for the Mets beginning tonight in Atlanta, as they try to stay in the race a little longer.

Johan Santana vs. Atlanta this season (two starts)
1-0, 1.29 ERA, 14 IP, 10 hits, 5 BB, 9 SO

Tim Hudson vs. New York (July 10)
Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 hits, 2 BB, 3 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Atlanta)

April 23: New York 5, Atlanta 2
April 24: New York 3, Atlanta 1
*April 25: New York 1, Atlanta 0

May 17: New York 3, Atlanta 2
May 18: Atlanta 3, New York 2

July 9: Atlanta 4, New York 2
July 10: Atlanta 4, New York 0
July 11: New York 3, Atlanta 0

Mets lead series 5-3

*-Denotes rain-shortened five-inning game

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s now the month of August meaning it’s the official start of the baseball pennant race.

There are still many teams in contention for a playoff spot, especially in the National League.

Some teams are running away with playoff spots, some are close, and some are fighting to stay alive.

What are the chances of each remaining contending team to the make the playoffs and why or why not? Find out here.

Begin Slideshow

NEW YORK: After coming back to beat the Diamondbacks last night, winning their first game against them in five tries, the Mets will hope it leads to a series victory this afternoon.

The Mets finished the month of July with one of baseball’s worst records, 9-17, and will now try to begin August 1-0.

Yes, that’s right, it’s the month of August. This is now the official start of baseball’s pennant race, as teams try to position themselves this month for a September run.

The Mets aren’t necessarily in the “thick” of the pennant race, but they are in it to a certain degree. A team in the pennant race is usually a team that isn’t completely out of playoff contention, which the Mets aren’t.

Entering today’s action, the Mets are 6.5 games behind in both the NL East and NL Wild Card races. They, along with the Marlins, are the last teams standing for a shot at the playoffs in the National League.

At the same time, there are seven teams all within 6.5 games, meaning it’ll take a red-hot month for the Mets to be serious contenders.

Every game now becomes more important than the previous one, and today the Mets have a great shot at winning the series and home stand. They’ll have Jon Niese on the mound, who has had a pretty good rookie season.

In his last start on Tuesday, Niese opened the home stand against the Cardinals with a victory. He won his first game in nearly a month, allowing one run in six innings for his seventh win of the season.

Niese has made 18 starts this season and seems to be getting better and stronger in each one. He generally gets a lot of outs on the ground and makes quick work of hitters, as his efficiency has been spectacular.

The only odd part of Niese’s last start was his lack of strikeouts. He only recorded one in six innings, the first time he’s pitched more than two innings and struck out only one all season.

Niese has arguably been the Mets second-most reliable starter to Johan Santana this season, and the Mets will hope that he won’t hit the proverbial rookie wall down the stretch.

On the mound for the Diamondbacks won’t be who originally was supposed to pitch, Rodrigo Lopez, but rookie Daniel Hudson.

The 23-year-old Hudson came over to Arizona a couple of days ago from the White Sox in the deal that sent Edwin Jackson the other way.

Hudson appeared in six games last season for the White Sox as a September call-up, and came up to make three starts for them this July.

He made two similarly bad starts and one quality one against the Mariners on July 19. In both of his bad starts, he allowed exactly five runs and six hits, while striking out four. His problem so far has been control, walking at least three in each start.

The Mets will be without last night’s hero Carlos Beltran, as Jerry Manuel will give him a day of rest. Other possible lineup adjustments could possibly be giving Luis Castillo a day off and reinserting Jeff Francoeur into the lineup, even against the right-handed pitcher.

Yesterday, the Diamondbacks traded for the Pirates’ Ryan Church, a former Met. He will not join the team, though, until Monday.

Today will also be a special day in Mets history as they will induct four members of the 1986 championship team into their Hall of Fame. Those members will be Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Davey Johnson, and Frank Cashen.

So with a lot of great aura around the stadium, the Mets will try to make the entire day special with a win, before bolting for a crucial road trip to Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Jon Niese vs. Arizona (July 21)
ND, 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 1 BB, 6 SO, 3 HR

Daniel Hudson this season (3 starts)
*1-1, 6.32 ERA, 15.2 IP, 17 hits, 11 BB, 14 SO

*-As a member of the White Sox

2010 season series (New York vs. Arizona)

July 19: Arizona 13, New York 2
July 20: Arizona 3, New York 2
July 21: Arizona 4, New York 3 (14)

July 30: Arizona 9, New York 6
July 31: New York 5, Arizona 4

Diamondbacks lead series 4-1

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The trading deadline has come and gone, many teams made moves to either help their club or plan for the future, but the Mets though, stood pat.

It was a mild surprise, considering GM Omar Minaya said earlier that he wasn’t reluctant to make a move.

Before tonight’s game against the Diamondbacks, Minaya spoke on the non-move saying due to not wanting to part with certain prospects and the Mets positioning in the standings, the right move was to do nothing.

The latter reason doesn’t make much sense. The Mets aren’t totally out of the race and they probably aren’t going to get better before the non-waiver trading deadline. If standings were a reason, then a move should’ve been made.

No matter what the thought process was, the bottom line is, the Mets are entering the season’s final two months with the same roster as the first four months.

That raises the question, can the Mets compete with the roster they currently have? That can’t be answered one way or another right now.

There are too many “ifs” in their starting lineup. If Carlos Beltran can get his knees back to 100 percent and hit with power. If Luis Castillo can give the Mets anything batting mostly eighth. If rookie first baseman Ike Davis can do more than just hit home runs.

If the Mets can get anything consistently out of Jeff Francoeur in Jason Bay’s absence, and if Jason Bay will ever live up to his 2010 contract.

In the rotation, once again, “ifs” are the theme. After Johan Santana pitched lights out for the month of July, he took a step back in his last start, giving up six first-inning runs to the Cardinals.

Mike Pelfrey has been a total wreck lately. An awful stretch of starts with a decent one in between.

The starting rotation ifs lie in the hands of Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey. Can Niese continue a solid rookie season and can Dickey continue to dominate with his knuckleball?

Then you look at the bullpen. Every bullpen in Major League Baseball is filled with “ifs.” Francisco Rodriguez has been shaky, although a little better of late. Bobby Parnell, who seemingly won the eighth inning role, blew up in tonight’s Mets win. Pedro Feliciano hasn’t been as dominant as in past seasons.

So after evaluating every angle of the team, nobody knows how well or bad the Mets will play in August and September.

Omar Minaya could have put an end to most speculation by upgrading a position or two. It would have at least made the Mets as strong as can be entering the stretch run.

He chose not to do it, and now the Mets and their fans will hope the “ifs” lead to wins.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

NEW YORK– For a second straight night, the Mets were burned by a meltdown from a reliever, but this time they won the fight.

Starting on the mound, and delivering for the Mets, was Hisanori Takahashi. With the Mets needing to beat the Diamondbacks, Takahashi stepped up to strike out 10 batters in six innings.

The game didn’t get off to a great start with an infield hit by Chris Young on the first pitch, but Takahashi rebounded to strike out two in the first.

Constructing the lineup a little differently tonight, with Jeff Francoeur out and Luis Castillo batting eighth, the Mets hoped for better fortunes.  But just like last night the Mets got virtually nothing from their four through nine hitters.

Instead it was the three guys going well right now in the Mets lineup–Reyes, Pagan, and Wright– who again contributed.

When Takahashi got into some trouble in the third, after walking the leadoff batter Augie Ojeda, he allowed a sacrifice bunt, walk, single, and sacrifice fly.

The Mets responded immediately, as they have all season, in their half of the third. It was a two-out rally, with Angel Pagan hitting a ground-rule double, and David Wright driving him in to tie the game at 1-1.

In the fifth, Takahashi allowed two singles, but also struck out three batters en route to a career-high 10 strikeouts, becoming the first Mets pitcher to strikeout 10 batters or more this season.

The Mets would take the lead in the fifth on a Jose Reyes RBI single. Takahashi was pulled after six innings, since the high strikeout total led to a high pitch count.

Bobby Parnell came in to pitch the seventh with a 0.96 ERA. He gave up a leadoff double to pinch-hitter Tony Abreu. That was followed by a single to Chris Young and walk to Kelly Johnson, loading the bases with no outs. The next batter Justin Upton singled in the tying and go-ahead runs, giving Arizona a 3-2 lead.

Pedro Feliciano would allow an inherited run to score on a fielder’s choice groundout, extending the Diamondbacks lead to 4-2. Manny Acosta, who struck out all four batters he faced last night, retired all four batters he faced tonight, striking out one.

The Mets came right back in their seventh to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs and no one on, Reyes walked, Pagan singled, and Wright doubled them both in. Wright has driven in eight runs in the series, pushing his RBI total to 77 on the season.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the Mets, giving them a chance to win the game via walk-off.

The Mets did just that. Jesus Feliciano, who came in as part of a double-switch earlier, lead off with a triple. After Jose Reyes didn’t get the job done with a shallow fly out to right, the Diamondbacks intentionally walked both Pagan and Wright to load the bases. Carlos Beltran hit a fly ball to right that was deep enough to score Feliciano with the winning run.

The Mets won the game, 5-4, avoiding another disappointing loss to Arizona, beating them for the first time this season in five tries.

The Mets will now try to win the series and home stand tomorrow afternoon with Jon Niese on the mound.

It’ll also be Mets Hall of Fame Day, honoring four members of the Mets 1986 championship team.

NL East standings
Atlanta 59-44
Philadelphia 56-48 (3 1/2)
NY Mets 53-51 (6 1/2)
Florida 53-51 (6 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:
August 1
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. Arizona: Daniel Hudson (*2010: 1-1, 6.32 ERA)

*-As a member of the White Sox

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 1 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
August 2-4 @ Atlanta Braves

Arizona Diamondbacks:
August 1 @ New York Mets
August 2-5 vs. Washington Nationals

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com