At this point, I’ve almost gotten used to the Mets getting shut out. It’s come to that point. They got a decent start from Fernando Nieve going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs. That’s enough to make a game of it on most night… for most teams.
Once again, the Mets had nothing going on offense at all. They only had 4 hits in the game and two were by Daniel Murphy. Again, there were no extra base hits. It’s ugly.
Bronson Arroyo got the complete game shutout tonight for the Reds.
Cincinnati Reds (41-43 Road: 21-23) at New York Mets (40-44 Home: 23-19) 7:10 pm
Bronson Arroyo (8-8 5.85) vs. Fernando Nieve (3-2 2.73)
TV: SNY Radio: WFAN
What to watch: The Reds come to town having lost four of their last five games. Arroyo has had three terrible starts in a row and the Reds have lost six of the last seven that he started. Nieve has lost his last two starts after a remarkable start with the Mets. Although the Mets are really hurting right now, the Reds may be the cure to their ills.
Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Live Game Chat during the game to chat with other Mets fans!
Johan Santana vs. TBD
The Mets get the 2009 season started on the road and come home to their first game at Citi Field on April 13th 7:10pm vs. San Diego.
Mike Pelfrey came back to Earth a bit today, but he was still pretty good. He went seven innings and gave up five runs. Although he only threw 89 pitches in the game, which is a good sign. He did give up three big home runs today though which is odd for Pelfrey.
The Mets got huge offensive games from Jose Reyes (4 for 6, 3 R, 3B, SB), Ramon Castro (2 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR), and Carlos Delgado (3 for 4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR). Delgado has raised his average to a respectable .261 for the season. That’s not far below his .279 career average.
Robinson Cancel had a clutch double in the tenth inning that started a rally in which the Mets scored two runs to take the lead for good. Billy Wagner locked down the tenth inning for the save to secure a 2-2 series split with the Reds. Wagner struck out the side for those of us getting concerned about his shaky outings recently.
The Mets come home for an off day tomorrow and start a big three game series with the Phillies at Shea on Tuesday. With the win today and a Phillies loss, the Mets are tied with the Phils for the lead in the NL East and .5 games up on the Florida Marlins.
New York Mets (52-46 Road: 24-28) at Cincinnati Reds (48-51 Home: 28-20) 1:15pm
Mike Pelfrey (8-6 3.64) vs. Edinson Volquez (12-3 2.29)
TV: CW11 Radio: WFAN
What to watch: This is probably the best pitching matchup of the four game series. And that’s saying something in a series that Johan Santana pitched in. The Mets really need this game badly to avoid losing 3 of 4 to the lowly Reds. The Mets absolutely need to win this game to have a little momentum going into the Phillies series that begins Tuesday at home.
Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Live Game Chat during the game. You can access the chat room for Mets fans on the "Live Game Chat" link above or just click here.
New York Mets (52-45 Road: 24-27) at Cincinnati Reds (47-51 Home: 27-20) 7:40pm
Oliver Perez (6-5 4.44) vs. Josh Fogg (1-2 7.94)
What to watch: The Mets don’t have the pressure of a winning streak hanging over them anymore after last night’s loss. But the team can still guarantee a split in the series against the Reds with a win tonight. Perez has been stunning in his last three starts, absolutely dominating the opposition. Fogg has gone back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen for the Reds, and hasn’t won a game since April 9th.
Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Live Game Chat during the game. You can access the chat room for Mets fans on the "Live Game Chat" link above or just click here.
The Mets ten game winning streak came to an end in Cincinnati last night at the hands of Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo. He threw a terrific eight innings giving up only two runs. The four hits he gave up were all the Mets could muster after Reds closer Francisco Cordero, last night’s losing pitcher, came in to shut the door in the ninth. That happens sometimes. A hot starting pitcher can be a buzz saw for a team, and Arroyo sure was- leading the Reds to a 5-2 victory.
The bigger question is John Maine. After his dazzling spring training, he hasn’t lived up to the hype during the regular season. I expected him to have a break out year but it’s been anything but that. His start last night was a microcosm of his season. He had way too many pitches, 102 through 4.2 innings. That’s no way to pitch successfully. The killer was that he walked five. The Mets bullpen didn’t help either walking four more Reds for a season-high-tying nine walks.
Carlos Beltran had a nice game going 2 for 4 with a double and a triple but he didn’t get much help from his teammates.
We knew the streak would end sometime. But I really hoped the 2008 version of the Mets would at least tie the team record 11 game streak of the 1969 version of the Mets. After such a gloomy start to this season, it would’ve been a nice feat for this team to hang their hat on. It wasn’t meant to be and that’s okay because the season has turned around so dramatically over the last month. Hope lives on.
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