The Mets lose the series in Washington today and take their second straight loss. Jon Niese had a decent start going 5.1 innings and allowing 2 runs on 8 hits.
The Mets had no offense going until Scott Hairston came in for Lucas Duda in the seventh. He hit a solo homer in his first at-bat, then another solo homer in the ninth to tie the game. That was all of the offense the Mets could muster today.
Bobby Parnell pitched the ninth inning and was a complete mess. He hit a batter and the umpire, was wild as you’ve ever seen him, and gave up the game winning infield single.
The Mets head home to face the Marlins starting tomorrow night.
The Mets five game winning streak came to an end in Washington tonight at the hands of Nats starter Yunesky Maya. Jason Marquis was supposed to start but got traded to the D-Backs right before the game. Maya held the Mets scoreless into the sixth inning and the Nats bullpen continued the shutout.
Obviously, there isn’t much offense from the Mets to talk about. But Josh Thole was 2 for 2 and got hit twice so he was on base four times. And the Mets did manage to load the bases with 2 outs in the ninth inning, but Willie Harris struck out looking to end the game.
The Mets and Nats will play the rubber game tomorrow at 1:35.
The Mets jumped all over Chien-Ming Wang scoring 4 runs in the first inning. They greeted Wang rudely in his first start in more than two years. The offense continued to be in high gear as they had 12 hits and 1 walk. Ronny Paulino had the big game going 3 for 4 with 2 runs and 1 RBI.
Dillon Gee was solid and made it into the seventh inning allowing only 2 earned runs. Bobby Parnell and Tim Byrdak did their best to give the game back in the eighth inning allowing the sorry Nationals to score 2 late runs. But D.J. Carrasco killed the rally and, once again, Jason Isringhausen shut the door in the ninth.
The Mets trade of Carlos Beltran and cash to the Giants for prospect Zack Wheeler should be completed and announced by both teams today. There’s quite a bit of video of Zack Wheeler available including some boring interviews. Here’s some quality video of a single-A start that Wheeler made for San Jose on May 11, 2011.
Wheeler was the sixth overall pick in the draft in 2009 by the Giants. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s assigned to St. Lucie or Binghamton when he joins the Mets. Here are his minor league stats:
The Mets put a third straight beat down on the Reds after the announcement that Carlos Beltran was traded. Honestly, I was expecting a let down tonight but the Reds poor fielding and a big game from Mike Pelfrey kept that from happening. Pelf got a complete game and didn’t walk anyone. He looked smooth and in control throughout the game. It’s amazing that he can’t replicate that type of performance more frequently.
The Mets also got a huge game from David Wright going 2 for 4 with a HR and 4 RBI’s . Daniel Murphy also went 4 for 5 and Lucas Duda hit his second home run.
The Mets have the chance tomorrow for the rare four game road sweep in Cincy before leaving for Washington.
For all the complaints I have made about Carlos Beltran in the past… how selfish I think he was, how he never stood up to be a leader in the clubhouse or on the field, how he didn’t show up to a Veteran’s Hospital visit, how he ended the 2006 NL Championship with his bat on his shoulder and even his preference to play for the Yankees for a discount before he settled on the Mets… his bat and glove will be missed.
Let me make that clear… His bat and glove will be missed. The player will not be.
He has had a productive career here but he was (and still is) clearly playing for his next contract and a chance to win now. Who can blame him? He currently has a 32 game on base streak that dates back to June 16th. It’s the second longest active streak in the majors. He’s leading the NL in doubles with 30 and he’s seventh in the NL with 66 RBI’s. He’s http://laparkan.com/buy-sildenafil/ also tied for 2nd with 47 extra base hits.
Basically, Beltran was having a monster season and showing everyone he was finally healthy, proved he could still play the field and was still dangerous on the base-paths. This was a 4 month audition for his next team. Nothing more so I had no emotional attachments to Beltran this year. I’m not glad he’s gone, don’t really care he’s gone either.
I am glad he went to the Giants though. I can now root for the Giants. Beltran’s going to have a monster 2 months and he still has the capability of carrying that team all the way to the World Series. I would love to see Beltran help the Giants beat the Phillies and the Yankees at some point. The trade is bittersweet but had to be done. We did get a great pitching prospect in return and the future looks a little brighter for it.
So I will say Goodbye Carlos Beltran. I’ll enjoy watching you hit homers out into the San Francisco Bay.
The Mets finally pulled the trigger today on a Carlos Beltran trade. For those of us holding tickets for a game in 2011, we just lost out big time as the Mets threw in the towel on the rest of the season. There’s not much reason to go to Citi Field or watch on TV anymore this season for the casual fan. We’ll check in with you in February for spring training. Only the hardcore fans will remain and it seems like there’s getting to be fewer and fewer of us left.
I don’t blame the Mets or Sandy Alderson for making the deal. They got Zack Wheeler from the Giants a single-A pitcher that was taken sixth overall in 2009 and top 40 prospect. That’s not a bad haul for an aging star with two months left on his contract and a clause that doesn’t allow the team to offer salary arbitration.
My point is now that the Mets have traded their closer and their starting right fielder there’s nothing to really look forward to this season from the Mets. It’s too bad that the Mets haven’t been able to get themselves into contention like the Giants, Phillies, Braves, etc. I wish the Mets were looking to add pieces for a playoff run. It’s incredibly disappointing for a team with one of the highest payrolls in baseball.
The Mets Report 