Tag: John Maine

On Deck- July 23- Phillies at Mets Game 2

Philadelphia Phillies (54-46 Road: 27-23) at New York Mets (53-47 Home: 28-19) 7:10pm

Brett Myers (3-9 5.84) vs. John Maine (8-7 4.22)

TV: SNY Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets need to pick themselves up from the floor and go after the next two games to win this series. Myers is back from a minor league stint attempting to re-gain his form. Maine needs to keep his walks down along with his pitch count. He hasn’t won a game in nearly a month, since June 25.

Stop by the Mets Report Live Game Chat room during the game by clicking the link above or by clicking here.

Mets Ten Game Streak Is Dead, Hope Lives On

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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Video Highlights

On Deck- Mets At Reds Game 2

New York Mets (52-44 Road: 24-26) at Cincinnati Reds (46-51 Home:26-20) 7:10pm

John Maine (8-6 3.99) vs. Bronson Arroyo (7-7 5.97)

TV: SNY   Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets take their ten game winning streak into tonight’s game. Maine hasn’t won a game since June 25th (his last win) and hasn’t pitched more than six innings since June 20th. He’s got something to prove tonight. Maine’s a high ball pitcher though, which can be dangerous in the small park in Cincy.

Surging Mets Complete Sweep of Giants 7-3

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Video Highlights

The Mets win their sixth game in a row to complete the three game sweep of the San Francisco Giants.  John Maine wasn’t very sharp today lasting only 4.2 innings. He only gave up two hits but walked five and gave up two runs.

Fernando Tatis was on fire today going 3 for 4 with a huge two run homer to break a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning. He also had a double in the fifth inning. Jerry Manuel’s practice of playing the hot hitter paid off again.

The bullpen success was big today. The final 4.1 innings were worked without allowing a run by Carlos Muniz, Scott Schoenweiss, Duaner Sanchez, and Billy Wagner.

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On Deck: July 10- Giants At Mets Game 3

San Francisco Giants (39-52 Road: 22-24) at New York Mets (47-44 Home: 24-18) 1:10pm

Barry Zito (4-12 5.73) vs. John Maine (8-6 3.91)

TV: SNY Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets go for the three game sweep this afternoon and six wins in a row. The biggest bust in baseball history Barry Zito goes up against the Mets today. He has won four of his last ten starts though after a dreadful start to the season. Maine left his last start with cramping in his non-pitching arm but should be fine today. He hasn’t had a “bad” start since June 15th against Texas.

Don’t forget to join the Mets game chat here for in game chat with Mets fans.

Mets In The News: Beltran, Reyes, El Duque, And More

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As the Mets prepare to face the Phillies today at 1:35pm, there are several stories circulating the newswire:

  • Mets manager Jerry Manuel told the press that he’s thinking of moving Carlos Beltran to second in the batting order so he sees more fastballs. I’m in complete agreement. Even moving him to third would be better.
  • El Duque is going to start his rehab work in Port St. Lucie this week.
  • Moises Alou is working out in NYC now. He’s expected to play a few rehab games with Brooklyn or Binghamton before returning to the Mets from his calf strain injury.
  • John Maine feels fine after experiencing cramping in his left forearm last night. He’ll be doing his regular workouts between starts.
  • A fan has filed notice to the City of New York that he intends to sue for $5.5 million after being hit in the face last August by a piece of Luis Castillo’s bat that shattered.
  • David Wright will not participate in the All-Star game home run derby.
  • Mike Lupica writes at the Daily News that Jose Reyes is the best shortstop in New York this season and gets picked on too much for the things he does on the field.
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Maine Hurt As Mets Drop Phils 9-4

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Video Highlights

John Maine went 5.2 innings before a cramp in his non-pitching forearm forced him to leave the game. He looked much better than his previous start in St. Louis when he complained of dead arm symptoms. The cramp in his forearm didn’t appear to be too serious though.

The Mets scored nine runs, so there were many offensive stars. But Damion Easley really stands out. He went 3 for 5 last night with an RBI and has really been a consistent offensive force. It’s going to be tough for Luis Castillo to break into the starting lineup when he comes off the disabled list.

The top of the eighth was tremendously exciting for the Mets (and fans). Easley scored on a wild pitch. Then Brian Schneider came off the bench to hit a huge pinch hit two run double to right. He’s been on the bench a lot lately but after that hit he’s guaranteed to be starting today.

The Mets tacked on three more runs in the ninth to secure the game in a must-win situation for the Mets. It was a great game to watch. Both managers emptied their benches including back up catchers which is really rare for a regular season game. It was obvious that both managers were going all out for the win. Gary Cohen mentioned during the SNY broadcast that it was a playoff atmosphere and he couldn’t have been more correct.

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