New York Mets (22-22) at Atlanta Braves (25-21) 7:10pm
Johan Santana (5-2) vs. Tim Hudson (6-3)
TV: SNY Radio: WFAN
What to watch: The Mets are trying to avoid getting swept tonight in this four game series in Atlanta. Santana once again has to stop the bleeding for the Mets. It’s been his job all season long. Make sure that you tune into Willie Randolph’s least favorite TV station (SNY) to see if the Mets can finally get a win before heading to Colorado.
The Mets lost their third straight game in Atlanta. Mike Pelfrey was awful giving up six runs over four innings. I have to give him a pass because his previous two starts were very good.
Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran had two hits each. But they were no match for Jeff Francoeur who went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s. After getting hit in the second inning he went crazy with a singe, triple, and home run.
The momentum gained in the Yankees series is officially gone. The first three games against the Atlanta Braves have been ugly.
Pedro Martinez left Atlanta to be with his father in the Dominican Republic. His father is suffering from brain cancer.
Ryan Church suffered a mild concussion last night and won’t play tonight. He expects to be back in the lineup tomorrow or the next day.
New York Mets manager Willie Randolph appeared on WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog show this afternoon and apologized to everyone (except the fans) for claiming that SNY portrays him negatively and that criticism that he’s received has racial motivation.
He said that he thought the conversation with Ian O’Connor of the Bergen Record was off the record (throwing O’Connor under the bus). He said that he takes full responsibility for his comments. But just yesterday he was backtracking from his comments. How is that taking full responsibility?
Listen for yourself by clicking the play button next to the link below. He sounds like a soon to be former Mets manager to me.
The Baseball Tonight crew talks about Mike Piazza’s retirement and focuses on his years with the Mets.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3405894
Adam Rubin of the Daily News reported last night that the Mets couldn’t trade Jorge Sosa while he was on waivers and Aaron Heilman is being shopped around.
On Sosa:
The Mets placed reliever Jorge Sosa on unconditional release waivers after failing to trade him. Sosa was designated for assignment on May 13.
On Heilman:
The buzz among scouts is that the Mets are shopping Aaron Heilman. Of course, they’re looking for a set-up man – something hard to find.
I agree with releasing Sosa. There really wasn’t another choice. He was terrible. But trying to trade Heilman when his value is at an all time low? That doesn’t make sense. They should keep pitching him in blow out games to get his confidence back. I’m confident that he can get back to his old form. He just needs to get a few stable appearances under his belt.
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You already know my opinion on Willie Randolph’s comments to the media about his portrayal by SNY and racial bias. Here are some links that you should check out.
William C. Rhoden of the New York Times wrote a good column explaining that winning is the problem for Willie.
WFAN’s Joe & Evan interviewed Ian O’Connor of the Bergen Record about his conversation with Willie. Click the link below to listen.
The Mets Report 