Kuzul

NEW YORK– In order for the Mets to compete into August and September, they’ll have to start doing two things. Win games on the road and beat up on bad teams.

The Mets have had trouble doing both, and are now 0-4 this season against the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

Last night, the Mets scored six runs but five were on two swings from David Wright. Other than his bat, the Mets offense didn’t do a whole lot much.

Usually, six runs is still enough to win a ballgame, but the combination of Mike Pelfrey’s continued struggles and Raul Valdes’ implosion put an end to hopes for a win.

Tonight, the Mets will hope to score as many (or more) and for Hisanori Takahashi to get the job done.

Takahashi last started nine days ago in the series opener against the Dodgers. He pitched a brilliant game, only allowing two runs and three hits in seven innings, but just like any other Mets pitcher on the road trip, it wasn’t good enough to win. The Mets lost 2-0 and Takahashi suffered his fifth loss of the season.

Takahashi did come in on Wednesday in the seventh inning to get an inning of relief and retired the side in order, striking out two. It’ll be Takahashi’s 12th start of the season, he’s 4-4 in his previous 11.

Pitching for the Diamondbacks will be Barry Enright, who pitched a masterful game against the Mets in Arizona on July 20. In that game, Enright went eight innings, allowing one run on five hits, he walked one and struck out eight.

The rookie Enright has done a decent job so far in his first five Major League starts, pitching at least five innings while not allowing more than three runs in each start.

Once again, a major issue with the Mets offense last night was the lack of hitting against the Diamondbacks bullpen. Just like in Arizona, the Mets couldn’t get to the Arizona relievers, a bullpen among the worst in Major League history.

They had three innings to try and score four runs, and only came up with one in the seventh. The biggest indication of the Mets struggles against that bullpen was how they fared against Chad Qualls. They went down in order against him in the eighth, a pitcher with an ERA of 8.51.

Especially at home, where the Mets thrive and as bad as the Diamondbacks are on the road, the Mets can’t end up losing this series.

Arizona had lost seven straight games, and 11 of 14, with the three wins coming against the Mets. The Mets must find a way to win the next two games, and they’ll have a shot with Jon Niese pitching tomorrow.

With the way Jeff Francoeur has played, hitless since his three-run home run on Tuesday, he may get the night off against the right-hander Enright.

The Mets have some left-handed options with Chris Carter and Jesus Feliciano. If that is the case, Angel Pagan would play right field, with one of those two playing left. No matter what the lineup is, the Mets have to win tonight.

It’s not likely, but with the trading deadline ending before the Mets game, the Mets may have some new faces or some old faces by the time this game is played.

Hisanori Takahashi this season (28 games/11 starts)
7-5, 4.47 ERA, 88.2 IP, 89 hits, 34 BB, 81 SO

Barry Enright vs. New York (July 20)
Win, 8 IP, 1 ER, 5 hits, 1 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR

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
Diamondbacks lead series 4-0

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The Mets were looking to get revenge against the Arizona Diamondbacks after being swept by them in Arizona on the last road trip, but it didn’t start out well.

Mike Pelfrey was also looking to rebound against Arizona after an awful performance on July 19 against them, a game in which he threw 51 first inning pitches.

Tonight’s game got off to a similar start for Pelfrey, as he allowed three runs on four hits in the first. He threw about 40 pitches this time around, and struggled to control his fastball while getting squeezed by the home plate umpire.

The Mets, though, would respond in their half of the first inning. Jose Reyes got it started with a single, followed by a walk from Luis Castillo. After Angel Pagan popped out, David Wright launched a three-run home run to left field, tying the game at 3-3.

In the third, Pelfrey gave the lead back to Arizona. Catcher Miguel Montero scored after leading off the inning with a double. He was driven in by a Stephen Drew double.

The Mets would strike right back in their half of the third to take the lead. After two outs were recorded, Pagan walked and Wright hit a two-run home run to the black in center field, giving the Mets a 5-4 lead. It was Wright’s 17th home run of the season and second of the night. To that point, he had driven in all five Mets runs.

The Diamondbacks wasted a leadoff double in the fourth as Pelfrey settled down after a poor start.

After giving up a leadoff double to Chris Young in the fourth, Pelfrey retired seven batters in a row, and it should’ve been eight.

Pitcher Ian Kennedy reached base safely with one out in the sixth on a Jose Reyes fielding error. After Pelfrey got the second out, he was pulled from the game having thrown 118 pitches.

Trying to protect a 5-4 lead with a man on first and two outs, reliever Raul Valdes blew up. He gave up a two-run home run to the first batter he faced, Kelly Johnson, giving Arizona a 6-5 lead. He then gave up two straight singles before giving up the game’s biggest blow, a three-run home run to Miguel Montero, making it 9-5.

Valdes faced four batters, allowing four runs on four hits and two home runs. Manny Acosta would replace him and do the exact opposite; four batters, four strikeouts.

Pelfrey’s final line looked as follows: 5.2 innings, five runs (four earned), eight hits, two walks, four strikeouts.

After Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy was pulled after six innings, the Mets had a chance against a bad Arizona bullpen.

The Mets attempted a rally in the seventh against Blaine Boyer. After the Mets scored a run on an Angel Pagan single, Carlos Beltran flew out to center as the tying run at the plate, as the Mets still trailed, 9-6.

In the eighth, the Mets had what looked like an advantage against Chad Qualls. Qualls entered the game with an ERA of 8.51, having allowed 61 hits in 37 innings, but the Mets went down in order against him.

In the ninth, facing former Met Aaron Heilman, the Mets couldn’t get the job done with Angel Pagan lining out on the 11th pitch to end the game.

It seemed early as if it was going to be the Mets night, receiving two home runs from David Wright, but Valdes’ meltdown cost a win.

The Mets have now lost all four games to the Diamondbacks this season, and Arizona has won four games in their last 15, all against the Mets.

In order to avoid losing the series, the Mets will have to win the remaining two games, starting tomorrow night. The pitching matchup will be Hisanori Takahashi against Barry Enright.

Player moves:
LF Jason Bay placed on 15-day Disabled List (concussion)
OF Jesus Feliciano recalled from Triple-A Buffalo

NL East standings (top three teams)
Atlanta 59-43
Philadelphia 56-47 (3 1/2)
New York Mets 52-51 (7 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:

July 31
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 7-5, 4.47 ERA) vs. Arizona: Barry Enright (2010: 2-2, 2.73 ERA)

August 1
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. Arizona: Rodrigo Lopez (2010: 5-9, 4.68 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
July 31-August 1 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
August 2-4 @ Atlanta Braves

Arizona Diamondbacks:
July 31-August 1 @ New York Mets
August 2-5 vs. Washington Nationals

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NEW YORK— Now is the time to start reeling off some series victories, and the Mets already have one under their belt on the home stand.

After taking two of three from the first-place Cardinals, the Mets will welcome the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks, a team who swept the Mets a week and a half ago.

Tonight’s pitching matchup will be a rematch of the series opener in Arizona on July 19—Mike Pelfrey against Ian Kennedy.

That was the infamous game in which Pelfrey threw 51 first-inning pitches, and hit rock bottom. He only lasted 1.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, while thowing a total of 74 pitches.

The Mets went on to lose the game, 13-2, in what was part of an awful road trip.

Pelfrey did rebound in his last start on Saturday against the Dodgers, where he went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits, in a Mets 13-inning loss.

It was his most effective start since June 25, which was his last win against the Twins. He seemed to be throwing more fastballs and sinkers, staying away from the offspeed pitches, which apparently hurt him.

Facing Pelfrey will be Ian Kennedy who beat the Mets in that 13-2 Diamondbacks win. The Mets had trouble hitting Kennedy, as they did against virtually every pitcher on the road trip, only managing four hits in five innings.

Kennedy’s last start wasn’t spectacular, lasting 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, in a 10-4 loss to the Giants.

Since the Diamondbacks swept the Mets, finishing it off with a 14-inning marathon win, they haven’t won another game. They have lost seven in a row, having gotten swept four at home to the Giants, and three in Philadelphia.

The problem with the Diamondbacks so far this season is the difference between home and road. They aren’t that great at home, but only five games under .500 at 24-29. On the road, they have been awful with a record of 13-36.

Although Arizona swept the Mets in their park, it may be different in this series. The combination of the way they’ve been playing, the way the Mets have been hitting on this home stand, and the Mets 32-17 home record should give the Mets a huge advantage this time around.

Today, the Mets are expected to make a decision on the concussed Jason Bay. In all likelyhood, they will put him on the disabled list.

The Mets will get back both David Wright and Luis Castillo who both rested yesterday, so they’ll have a full lineup against Ian Kennedy.

With R.A. Dickey going 8.1 innings yesterday, the Mets have a fully rested bullpen except for Francisco Rodriguez, who came in and got the final two outs yesterday.

The key in this series amongst other things, will be for the Mets to get to the Diamondbacks bullpen. With one of the worst bullpens in Major League history, the Mets couldn’t doing anything against the Diamondbacks relievers in Arizona.

It’s the final series in July, and the Mets will try to win the home stand this weekend.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Arizona (July 19)
Loss, 1.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 hits, 2 BB, 1 SO

Ian Kennedy vs. New York (July 19)
Win, 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 2 BB, 1 SO

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)
Diamondbacks lead series 3-0

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Through the first 102 games of the 2010 season, the Mets have gone through just about everything.

They’ve had their surprises in R.A. Dickey and to a certain extent Angel Pagan. They’ve gotten a huge lift from rookie first baseman Ike Davis and rookie left-hander Jon Niese.

During the season, the Mets have had two separate eight-game winning streaks to keep them afloat when it seemed things were sinking.

During the first half of the season, Mike Pelfrey was a Cy Young candidate, carrying the Mets rotation, while Johan Santana was struggling.

They brought up some players from the Minor League levels to fill in at second, catcher, and in the bullpen. Basically, the Mets have been fighting to stay alive from day one of the season, and heck, they started 2-6.

So, here we sit on July 29, two days before the non-waiver trading deadline, and the Mets are 6.5 games behind in the NL East and 5.5 games behind in the NL Wild Card.

Every season with the parity in Major League Baseball since the Wild Card was installed in 1995, there seems to be some teams in the Mets’ current position. Not completely out of the race, but not sure whether they’re in it or not.

It seems as if that’s the Mets’ case right now. Five-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot is not out of the race by any means, but they don’t know if they should make a move to improve at the deadline.

The three top pitchers that were available, all have moved elsewhere within the last two weeks. Cliff Lee was dealt to the Rangers, Dan Haren to the Angels, and now Roy Oswalt to the division-rival Phillies.

If the Mets wanted to make a move for one of those three, they should have acted quicker, even before their recently completed 11-game West Coast trip. Now, with less than 48 hours until 4 pm ET Saturday, the Mets are wondering what they should do or not do. 

Winning a series from a first-place Cardinals team should help them in making their decision, not hurt. At the same time, the Mets just got swept by the Diamondbacks last week, and no one knows what will happen this weekend.

By the time the series is over, it’ll already be past the deadline. You’d think the way the Mets play at home, and the way Arizona plays on the road, the Mets should do fine.

But after this weekend’s series, the Mets have a make-or-break road trip against the two top dogs in the NL East—Atlanta and Philadelphia. It’s a trip that will either propel the Mets to within a few games or end all hope for 2010.

That’s why they should still have a winning mindset. It’s not as if Ted Lilly or Brett Myers would beat out Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt, but it would do two things.

It would improve the club’s pitching depth, allowing Hisanori Takahashi to go back to the bullpen where he belongs, and it would show the fanbase that there is still a season to watch.

The Wilpons are not satisfied with the fact the Mets fell backwards in the standings on the 2-9 road trip they completed.

Everyone knew coming into this season, it was the final chance for manager Jerry Manuel and perhaps GM Omar Minaya. Along with that, it may be the final chance for some core players on the team.

It wasn’t a given that the Mets were a playoff team entering the season. In fact, many experts picked them to finish closer to last in the NL East.

But with everything the Mets have gotten through at this point to be within striking distance, it’s time to go for it.

Leave everything on the table and make the final moves to improve the club so that it could be at it’s strongest for the stretch run.

Everything is on the line for the 2010 Mets, and these next two days will make them or break them.

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NEW YORK: All of a sudden, the Mets are a different team since resuming play at Citi Field. Over the course of their 11-game road trip, they’re bats looked lifeless, and people were wondering what was happening.

Now, over the first two games of their series against the Cardinals, the Mets have scored 15 runs.

Last night, they almost came back to win a game trailing by six for the first time in four years. Although it didn’t happen, it’s encouraging to see the offense come around.

The problem is, just when the Mets start hitting, they get an awful performance from their ace, which is unfortunate.

Today, a little over 12 hours after their 13-inning loss, the Mets will try to win the series with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitching on three days’ rest.

The last time Dickey pitched was on Sunday, a game he left after 5.2 innings due to a leg problem.

He was in the midst of throwing perhaps the greatest game of his career against the Dodgers, allowing two hits and striking out six.

At the beginning of the sixth inning, he tripped awkwardly after throwing a pitch, causing some concern from the Mets dugout.

After a second trip to the mound by manager Jerry Manuel and trainer Mike Herbst, Dickey was pulled from the game with two outs in the sixth, and do his dismay, got a no-decision.

Because he’s a knuckleballer, and catcher Josh Thole is Dickey’s personal catcher, Dickey can pitch today on only three days’ rest.

The plan by Jerry Manuel was to have catchers Josh Thole and Henry Blanco catch every other day, and since Blanco is Santana’s personal catcher who caught Santana last night, it lines up the right way to have Dickey pitch this afternoon.

Along with throwing a gem in his last start, Dickey has been impressive all season since his call-up. With the shutout ball that he threw on Sunday, Dickey’s ERA is now 2.55.

Dickey will be opposed by starter/reliever Blake Hawksworth. The Canadian has appeared in 28 games this season, and has started seven games, including five this month.

After pitching decently in his first three starts in July, Hawksworth has not done well in his last two. Against the Phillies and Cubs, he pitched to a 7.84 ERA, allowing 17 hits in 10.1 innings pitched.

Overall this season as a starter and reliever, Hawksworth is 4-6 with a 5.23 ERA. He has allowed 24 more hits than innings pitched, while walking 28 and allowing 10 home runs in only 63.2 innings.

In other words, the Mets have the pitching advantage this afternoon, and if they can hit, they will be fine.

The Mets used every reliever last night except for Oliver Perez, and because Dickey is a knuckleballer, he will be asked to go deep, even on three days’ rest.

Returning to today’s lineup will be Ike Davis, who sat against the lefty Garcia last night but contributed with a game-tying pinch-hit in the eighth.

Jerry Manuel may want to rest Beltran today, after Carlos played 13 innings in the field on his surgically repaired knees. Luis Castillo may rest as well, although none of that is a given for a rubber game.

Today’s game starts at noon because it’s the first of two camp days at Citi Field, and the Mets will try to give the kids a victory.

R.A. Dickey vs. St. Louis (career)
0-1, 30.38 ERA, 2.2 IP, 10 hits, 4 BB, 0 SO

Blake Hawksworth vs. New York (career)
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7 hits, 2 BB, 5 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. St. Louis)

April 16: St. Louis 4, New York 3
April 17: New York 2, St. Louis 1 (20)
April 18: St. Louis 5, New York 3

July 27: New York 8, St. Louis 2
July 28: St. Louis 8, New York 7 (13)

Cardinals lead series 3-2

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The game of baseball is extremely hard to figure out. Today, the point was backed up with the way the Mets pounded Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright.

After struggling to score or even collect hits on the entire 11-game road trip, the Mets knocked Wainwright out of the game after five innings, scoring six runs.

The Cardinals had something cooking in the first inning against Jon Niese, putting two men on to start the game on soft singles.

Niese recovered and retired both Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, with David Wright throwing out a runner at the plate to get through the big bats.

Ryan Ludwick then hit a soft comebacker to Niese, who couldn’t snare the ball, allowing Ludwick to beat it out for a run-scoring infield hit.

It looked like the Mets were already in trouble, being the Cardinals were a Major League-best 39-9 when scoring first this season, and they had 14-game winner Adam Wainwright on the mound.

Wainwright looked sharp in the first, inducing three groundouts, but it looked like his curveball wasn’t at its best.

The Mets tied the game in the second.

David Wright worked out a leadoff walk and went to third on a double by Carlos Beltran. Now, only if Beltran had gotten that double nearly four years ago, history would’ve been different. Ike Davis followed with a run-scoring groundout, tying the game at 1-1.

The Mets broke through against Wainwright and finally got to his breaking stuff in the fourth.

After a walk to Beltran and single by Davis, Jeff Francoeur cracked a three-run home run to left field, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead.

Francoeur got the start in right field after the news that Jason Bay was sidelined with a concussion.

The Mets added two more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Wright and RBI single by Beltran, extending the Mets lead to 6-1.

Wainwright would not return, going five innings, allowing six runs on six hits. He also uncharacteristically walked three batters in the game, having only walked 36 all season.

Niese, who has been starved for run support, held the Cardinals down nicely. He got into his biggest jam in the sixth.

After recording the first two outs, he loaded the bases on two walks and a Wright error. He would not allow anything, getting Aaron Miles to fly out to end the frame.

The Mets blew the game open with two more in the sixth on a two-run home run by Jose Reyes, making it 8-1.

After allowing two hits to start the seventh, Niese was pulled by acting manager Dave Jauss, filling in for the suspended Jerry Manuel.

The Cardinals would score another run in the eighth off Manny Acosta, as the Mets beat the first-place Cardinals, 8-2.

Niese didn’t have his best stuff, but pitched solidly. In six innings, he allowed one run on eight hits, he walked two and struck out one.

With the win, the Mets are now 15 games over .500 at home, and are 51-49 through the first 100 games of the season.

They gain a game in the NL East, with the Braves having lost to the Nationals.

The Mets will have Johan Santana on the mound tomorrow night against Jaime Garcia.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 57-42
Philadelphia 53-46 (4)
NY Mets 51-49 (6 1/2)

Series probable pitchers:
July 28
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 8-5, 2.79 ERA) vs. St. Louis: Jaime Garcia (2010: 9-4, 2.21 ERA)
July 29
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 6-4, 2.55 ERA) vs. St. Louis: Blake Hawksworth (2010: 4-6, 5.23 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 28-29 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
July 30-August 1 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

St. Louis Cardinals:
July 28-29 @ New York Mets
July 30-August 1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

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We all know by now that the Mets had a road trip to forget, having lost nine of 11 on the West Coast. It may be hard to think of, but that’s a thing of the past.

The Mets still think they have a shot at competing, and on July 27, who doesn’t think so? Therefore, it’s time to move on.

For the Mets, this will be their first home game in over two weeks. The last time they played at Citi Field was on July 11, a huge win over the Braves.

That was against a first-place team, and now, they’re ready to face another first-place team. The Cardinals come to town for three games, and tonight’s first game will feature two rookie left-handers opposite one another.

The Mets will go with 23-year-old Jon Niese, and the Cardinals will go with 24-year-old Jaime Garcia. Both youngsters have pitched well in their rookie seasons, and being that this game is at Citi Field, a pitchers’ duel seems probable.

The last time Jon Niese pitched was on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks. He wasn’t terrible, but the three runs he allowed were via three solo home runs.

He pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walked one, and struck out six while throwing 99 pitches. He did not factor into the decision in a game the Mets obviously lost, being they were swept.

Overall, though, Niese has done a fine job this season, keeping his ERA at 3.54 while having a 2.59-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The Cardinals will counter with Jaime Garcia, who has pitched phenomenally this season after missing all of 2009 due to Tommy John surgery.

Garcia was a 22nd-round pick of the Cardinals in 2005, and made his Major League debut in 2008. After appearing in 10 games that season and having a rough go of it, Garcia had elbow surgery, and made the team this season.

On June 22, Garcia was 7-3 with a 1.79 ERA, stunning everyone across Major League Baseball.

His ERA jumped a little after that due to a poor start against the Royals one month ago today. He was sharp, though, in his last start against the Phillies, giving up one run and four hits in seven innings.

He did make a start against the Mets in St. Louis on April 17, which turned out to be one of the more memorable games in Mets and Cardinals history.

After Garcia held the Mets hitless through the first five innings, the game would go on another 15 innings, with the Mets winning, 2-1, in 20 innings.

It will be a difficult task for the Mets, who have had all sorts of trouble not just scoring, but hitting on the road trip. The Mets hit .195 as a team in the 11 games in three cities, and facing Garcia tonight and Adam Wainwright tomorrow doesn’t make things easier.

The Mets also used 11 different lineups, and will try to stick to one through the home stand.

All the Mets can hope for now is to find a little hitting and continue to receive good pitching to try to earn some victories as we near August.

Jon Niese vs. St. Louis (career: 8/5/09)
*ND, 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 1 BB, 2 SO

Jaime Garcia vs. New York (April 17)
ND, 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 hit, 2 BB, 5 SO

*Left game after injuring hamstring

2010 season series (New York vs. St. Louis)
April 16: St. Louis 4, New York 3
April 17: New York 2, St. Louis 1 (20)
April 18: St. Louis 5, New York 3
Cardinals lead series 2-1

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The Mets went on an 11-game road trip to try to fortify themselves as a contender in the National League.

After losing four of six on their last home stand before the All-Star break to the Reds and first-place Braves respectively, the Mets and everyone affiliated with them knew that this West Coast trip would be their toughest challenge of the season.

The Mets front office decided not to make a move for a starting pitcher at the break, when it was clear that they could’ve used one on the trip. They thought they would at least survive the three-city ride by winning five or six games, and then make a move.

You can look at it from two angles. Were the Mets right by not making a move and now finding out they’re not good enough to compete? Or, were the Mets dead wrong, and did they just pay the price for standing still?

You’d have to agree with the latter, considering it was only July 15, and the Mets were within a couple of games of the Wild Card and even division.

Now, to play devil’s advocate, you make the case that it was the hitting that cost them nine of 11 games, and that’s obviously so. But, no one knew that before the trip started.

The feeling everywhere was that the Mets needed another starting pitcher. Everyone close to the situation were barking for the Mets to trade for a Ted Lilly or Dan Haren, and not too many of those people cried for hitting.

The sentiment was that the Mets have no room for another bat. That’s true. The Mets are filled virtually everywhere, and the only possible place to add a bat would be right field.

That’s if you don’t think Angel Pagan is capable of being the right fielder for the future, which scouts would disagree with. Scouts predict Pagan to be an outfielder with an above-average arm, and a bat capable of hitting around .290. That’s not bad for a once backup on another team.

So, what the Mets did was wait an extra week and a half. As usual, the Mets weren’t aggressive at the deadline.

They felt in Spring Training that they had enough pitching. John Maine is out for the season, having undergone shoulder surgery last week, and Oliver Perez has been rumored to be on his way to Kansas City.

Now, it’s too late. The Mets are 7.5 games behind in the NL East, and six games back in the NL Wild Card race, with the Marlins on their heels.

Let’s break this down from both sides. If the Mets were to trade for a pitcher, it wouldn’t matter based on the recent lack of hitting. If the Mets trade for a hitter, they’re still going with Hisanori Takahashi in the rotation along with more question marks concerning Mike Pelfrey.

Now, you say, “Why did we need a pitcher then if we had no hitting?” Well, we didn’t know the Mets weren’t going to hit, and now you can’t trade for both a pitcher and a hitter.

It’s just a major mess for the Mets right now. They put themselves in a position to fail, and now are paying for it by fading off into oblivion.

Their crosstown rivals are rolling in the Bronx, and football season is right around the corner.

So, what would fans have wanted to see today? A coach, if not manager, get fired. What did the Mets do? Nothing.

That’s right, nothing, after a 2-9 road trip for a team playing in baseball’s biggest market. Nothing, after having today off at home, the perfect day to cut someone loose.

Someone had to pay. Would it make a major difference? No, maybe not. But it would’ve shown that the Mets care about winning, and are not satisfied with batting .195 as a team over the most crucial 11 games of the season.

Yet, they decided to shrug their shoulders and welcome in the first-place Cardinals on Tuesday.

Now, that’s a nice way to treat your fanbase that won’t show up this week. Tickets are still available to the Mets Hall of Fame ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

Does anyone care about that? Those guys (Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Davey Johnson) won their ring in 1986.

Will this team ever come close? Not with the attitude of their current front office. They missed the boat today, and always will.

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LOS ANGELES—For the fourth time on the 11-game West Coast trip—that the Mets ended 2-9 today—the Mets got shut out. For the third time on the trip, the Mets enter a prolonged scoreless innings streak.

After starting the trip scoreless over 24 innings, the Mets end the trip going 16 innings without scoring a run.

They had R.A. Dickey on the mound, and he did all he could do to keep the Mets in the game. Just like in his previous two starts, and like with any other Mets pitcher, no run support was given.

Dickey was in the middle of pitching perhaps the greatest game of his career into the sixth inning. He had thrown just about 70 pitches, with 55 thrown for strikes, two outs into the sixth inning, having given up only two hits.

He began the inning tripping awkwardly on the mound after throwing a pitch, and that resulted in a trip to the mound by Jerry Manuel and trainer Mike Herbst.

After he threw some warmup pitches and stayed in the game, he retired the first two batters of the inning.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel noticed that he was trying to “protect” his leg while making a throw to first on a comebacker, and therefore went out to the mound once again.

After a rather heated exchange between Dickey and both Manuel and Herbst, and even the home plate umpire, Dickey was pulled from the game, with the game still scoreless. He walked back towards the dugout mumbling to himself and anyone around him, as he couldn’t qualify for the win.

His frustration was probably also due in part to the lack of run support. The Mets couldn’t do anything offensively yet again, although they did record seven hits against Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw.

The Mets’ biggest threat came in the seventh, when they had two men on for Josh Thole. Just like Luis Castillo on Saturday, Thole hit into a double play on the first pitch of the at-bat to end the inning.

Dickey was relieved in the sixth by Raul Valdes, who gave the Mets another clean inning of work.

Manny Acosta retired the final batter in the seventh before handing it off to Pedro Feliciano in the eighth.

After retiring the lefty leadoff hitter, he allowed a single to the righty Casey Blake. Two batters later, he allowed an extra-base hit to righty Russell Martin.

Carlos Beltran couldn’t cleanly field the ball in left-center, allowing Blake to score from first, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

In the ninth, Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre brought in rookie Kenley Jansen to close. Jansen had looked extremely impressive in his Major League debut on Saturday, and he looked even better today, flying by the Mets’ Nos. 4-6 hitters to earn his first career save.

The Mets finished their second-worst road trip in franchise history, 2-9, and got shut out for a fourth time on a single road trip for the first time in team history.

They hit .196 as a team in the 11 games, and suffered six one-run losses. They now fall to only one game over .500 at 50-49 on the season, and they will begin a six-game home stand against the Cardinals and Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

During the 11-game trip, the Mets used 11 different lineups. They will try to find some way to use Citi Field to their advantage, in front of what is expected to be a small crowd on this homestand. Jon Niese will face rookie Jaime Garcia to open things up against the St. Louis Cardinals.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)

Atlanta 57-41
Philadelphia 52-46 (5 games back)
NY Mets 50-49 (7 1/2 games back)

Next series probable pitchers:

July 27
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 6-4, 3.54 ERA) vs. St. Louis: Jaime Garcia (2010: 9-4, 2.21 ERA)

July 28
New York: Hisanori Takahashi (2010: 7-5, 4.52 ERA) vs. St. Louis: Adam Wainwright (2010: 14-5, 1.94 ERA)

July 29
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 8-5, 2.79 ERA) vs. St. Louis: Jeff Suppan (2010: 0-6, 6.18 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
July 27-29 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
July 30-August 1 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

St. Louis Cardinals:
July 27-29 @ New York Mets
July 30-August 1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

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LOS ANGELES: There’s only one thing you can do once you’ve gone 2-8 on a road trip. That’s win the finale, which at least sends you home with some positive feelings.

The Mets need all the positive feelings they can get right now, having gotten embarrassed on an 11-game West Coast trip.

On Thursday, Mets GM Omar Minaya told reporters that Jerry Manuel is the Mets manager, and that there hasn’t even been discussion regarding his future.

Well, if the Mets lose today and complete a 2-9 road trip, will all of that change? Would Omar Minaya even have a say, and will he be the one to get axed?

All of that is still up in the air, depending on whether the Mets can pull out today’s finale.

It has been a disastrous road trip to the Bay, the Desert, and SoCal, and the Mets will be glad to return home where they haven’t been in over two weeks.

But first, they have to focus on winning today’s game, not focus on the flight to follow. There’s a lot on the line for the Mets today.

They’ll put the finale in the hands of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who was a hard-luck loser in each of his last two starts.

Dickey, against all odds, continues to impress and pitch well.

In his last start on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks, Dickey went seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, and received his fourth straight loss, after starting the season 6-0.

In three of those four losses, Dickey hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs, which further documents the Mets recent offense struggles.

Every Mets pitcher seemingly in the month of July has been a hard-luck loser on multiple occasions, and Dickey has proven so, keeping his ERA at 2.73.

It has been said so many times that it’s becoming redundant, but if the Mets continue to squander solid pitching performances, they’ll fall ever so further away from the National League race.

What Dickey must do to help the team out, other than pitch effectively, is go deep into the game. The Mets used everyone in their bullpen during yesterday’s 13-inning affair except for Francisco Rodriguez.

Out of Dickey’s 12 starts so far, in six of them he has pitched at least seven or more innings, so he’s capable of resting a bullpen.

Pitching for the Dodgers will be their ace, Clayton Kershaw. This will be Kershaw’s 21st start of the season, and only in three previous starts has he allowed four or more earned runs.

His overall numbers have been great this season, as he’s allowed 25 fewer hits than innings pitched, and his strikeouts-per-nine innings is at 9.9.

In his last start on Tuesday against the Giants, Kershaw pitched six innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits, he walked two and struck out six.

He has only allowed seven home runs in 122.2 innings pitched this season, which is only one home run allowed every 17.5 innings. Kershaw, only 22 years old, has already won more games, nine, than he ever has in his brief career.

He might have an even bigger advantage in today’s game, as Jerry Manuel announced after yesterday’s game that David Wright might get today or Tuesday off. Manuel, seeing Wright’s struggles, wants him to get consecutive days off, paired with Monday’s team off-day.

For the Mets, their longest road trip since 2007 comes to a bitter end today. Will it be bitter-sweet? We’ll see.

R.A. Dickey this season (12 starts)
6-4, 2.73 ERA, 79 IP, 78 hits, 22 BB, 54 SO

Clayton Kershaw vs. New York (career)
1-0, 3.72 ERA, 9.2 IP, 8 hits, 6 BB, 9 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Los Angeles)

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

July 22: Los Angeles 2, New York 0
July 23: New York 6, Los Angeles 1
July 24: Los Angeles 3, New York 2 (13)

Mets lead series 4-2

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