Marlins 8 – Mets 5 July 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 6: Lucas Duda #21 of t...
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The Mets got another fair start from Chris Capuano. He was cruising until the sixth inning when he gave up 4 runs including the first of Gaby Sanchez’ two home runs. D.J. Carrasco and Ryota Igarashi didn’t do much better either. Carrasco gave up 3 more runs in the seventh inning and Igarashi gave up another run in the eighth.

Jose Reyes and Justin Turner had 3 hits apiece in the game. And Carlos Beltran had 3 walks as teams continue to pitch around him and go after the rest of the weak lineup behind him. Lucas Duda finally hit his first homer of the year in the ninth inning, as he and Reyes went back-to-back. But it wasn’t enough to come back from the bullpen’s implosion.

The Mets and Marlins will play the rubber game of the series tomorrow afternoon before the Mets leave for Cincinnati.

Box score

Johan Santana Visits Mets in Miami

During last night’s game against the Marlins, Johan Santana visited with the Mets. He’s been rehabbing from shoulder surgery in Port St. Lucie and even threw a three inning simulated game this week. Santana will be throwing a bullpen session for the Mets front office tomorrow at Sun Life Stadium to gauge his readiness for pitching rehab minor league games.

Unfortunately, Santana isn’t going to make it back in time to have a positive impact on the season. The rumors are swirling about Carlos Beltran trade partners. And Fox Sports reported that the Mets want to trade Beltran early next week so they can work on trading away some other players like Chris Capuano, Willie Harris, Scott Hairston, and Tim Byrdak.

Even without having an impact on 2011, it sure would be nice to see Santana back and pitching well for the Mets in August and September. It would certainly instill some confidence going into the offseason that 2012 won’t be another wasted season.

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Mets 7 – Marlins 6 July 22, 2011

David Wright wearing the Mets' alternate colors
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The Mets tonight start a 10-game road trip after a disappointing loss against the Cardinals.  One thing that is different about tonight, the team is getting David Wright back.  With the Mets all-star third baseman in the lineup, he came through in a big spot late for the Mets.

Mike Pelfrey had yet another inconsistent outing.  Pelfrey went 6 innings, gave up 4 ER’s on 5 hits, and had 3 K’s.  Pelfrey had the lead in the 6th until Gaby Sanchez hit a solo HR to tie the game at 4 apiece.   Jose Reyes continues to hit, as he got two hits tonight.  That adds to his multi-hit games total this year.  He now has 45.  That is very impressive!   In his return from the DL, David Wright went 2-4 with 2 RBI double’s. The Mets also got RBI hits from Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan, Ronny Paulino, and Daniel Murphy.   Murphy also give the Mets the go-ahead run as he hit an RBI double to bring Wright home.

The Mets continue their 3-game series against the Marlins tommorrow night as the Mets send Chris Capuano (8-9, 4.16 ERA) to the hill against Clay Hensley (1-2, 2.12 ERA).  Game time is 7:10 EST.

Picard Drops Damage Claim Against Mets’ Fred Wilpon

Bernard Madoff's mugshot
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It looks like the Wilpons have won round 1 in a legal battle against Irving Picard.

According to Mark DeCambre of the New York Post, Picard dropped his damages claims against the Wilpons and Sterling Equities.  DeCambre says that profits that were made by the Wilpons are being sought in bankruptcy court.   DeCambre also says that Picard dropped the claim against the Wilpons because he was told that it won’t hold up in court without any evidence.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York said on his twitter page that the Mets could now be liable for $300 million dollars instead of the original $1 billion dollar estimate back when this whole fiasco started.

This is good news for the Mets and the Wilpons.   I know I am not an economic anaylst or expert, but this actually is good simply because the Wilpons will probably pay a lot less then what they would have paid (if the damage claim held up), and now the Mets will probably be less affected by this for the future to come.

The only other question in this whole saga is whether or not the Wilpons will be found guilty of making profits off of Madoff.  If the Mets get away with that claim, the Mets will get their hands out of this mess, and (if a deal is in place) the new minority owner David Einhorn will be stuck as the minority owner.   All in all, this is still good news.  We’ll have to wait and see what happens in court.

Mets 2 – Cardinals – 6 July 21, 2011

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 20: Albert Pujols #5 of th...
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As the Mets today played at Citi Field, they were playing under very hot and humid conditions.  The temperature for today was over 100 degrees.  The weather must have gotten to them as the Mets miss completing the sweep of the Cardinals 6-2.

Jonathan Niese didn’t have the start that he was hoping for today.  He went 6 innings, gave up 3 ER’s on 5 hits.  Niese’s biggest mistake of the afternoon was giving up a 2-run HR to “the machine” Albert Pujols in the first inning.

On a positive note, Jose Reyes is continuing to hit the ball well, as he legged out yet another triple.  Reyes now has 16 triples in 2011.   The Mets also gotten RBI hits from Justin Turner (who continues to be the Mets main go-to guy for RBI’s), and Jason Pridie (who was the in the starting lineup for the first time since last month).

Box Score

Mets 6 – Cardinals 5 July 20, 2011

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: RY ...
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The Mets have been a team that has never quit when they are down.   Tonight was no different.

R.A. Dickey struggled against the Cardinals lineup.  Dickey went 6 and a 1/3 innings, and gave up 4 runs on 8 hits.   Despite his struggles, the Mets as a team continue to show that they never back down and never quit .  That is one of the most important traits of this team that makes this team enjoyable to watch.

The Mets would get back into the game as Carlos Beltran hit a two-run home run in the 5th inning.   Josh Thole came through with two RBI singles that contributed to the Mets comeback.  But, the guy who gave the Mets the game winner was Angel Pagan.  Pagan hit a walk-off solo HR right below the SNY crew, and gave the Mets the win against the Cards.

Box Score

Mets 4 – Cardinals 2 July 19, 2011

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: Dil...
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The Mets are taking to their role of spoiler for the NL Central’s second place Cardinals. Dillon Gee put together an excellent start going 7 innings and allowing only 2 runs. He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning. I have to admit that I was thinking about a no-hitter. Gee is the kind of pitcher that could finally do it for the Mets. Bobby Parnell was shaky in the eighth inning giving up two hits and hitting a batter but he got out of trouble. Jason Isringhausen finished the game and got his first save since 2008.

The Mets had some serious offense going with 14 hits and 3 walks. But they left 13 runners on base. Ronny Paulino and Carlos Beltran led the team with 3 hits apiece. It was a nice return game for Beltran and Jose Reyes coming back from the disabled list.

Box score