The Mets exploded in the first inning for six runs, including four on a Ryan Church grand slam.
Oliver Perez cruised with a big lead through 6.2 innings giving up two runs.
The Mets complete the sweep of the wild card leading Brewers in Milwaukee.
Tag: Ryan Church
Maine Shelled As Mets Lose To Astros 8-3
John Maine had a really bad start going 5.2 innings and giving up 8 runs. He still doesn’t have the velocity on his fastball that he had in the first half of the season.
Ryan Church looked good in his comeback going 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. And Brian Schneider hit another homer tonight. He’s really finding an offensive groove right now.
The Phillies won today so the Mets are only 1.5 games up in the division with a series in Philly coming up next week.
Stellar Santana Leads Mets Over Astros 3-0
Mets ace Johan Santana (12-7) threw seven shutout innings giving up eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts. He had a few innings where he had to work out of trouble and ended throwing a season high 121 pitches.
All of the offense came in the first two innings on a David Wright RBI single and a two run homer by Brian Schneider in the second. The Mets only managed four hits in the game but really made them count. Roy Oswalt was outstanding for the Astros tonight pitching eight innings.
Ryan Church made his long awaited return to the team tonight going 1 for 3 with a run scored and hit seventh in the lineup.
Luis Ayala got the call to close the game tonight with Aaron Heilman pitching the eighth. Ayala has quickly moved up the ladder in the bullpen with two good outings.
Church To Re-Join Mets Friday
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Mets manager Jerry Manuel told reporters before tonight’s game that outfielder Ryan Church will be activated prior to Friday’s game against the Astros. He expects Church to be in the lineup Friday and Saturday, then get a day off on Sunday.
We’ve heard that Church is close to coming back from his post concussion syndrome before. But it sounds like this is legitimate.
Mets Injury Updates- Wagner and Church
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Billy Wagner pitched a simulated game in Pittsburgh on Saturday. He’s attempting to return from a stint on the disabled list for a problem with his left forearm. But he suffered a setback when his left elbow felt sore. He’ll return to New York today to be examined by the Mets medical staff. Obviously, he won’t come off the disabled list as planned tomorrow.
The Wagner setback leaves us crossing our fingers, holding our breath, or covering our eyes at the end of games into this week. As many saves as Wagner has blown this season, it’s still difficult to watch the patchwork bullpen working through close games in late inning situations.
Ryan Church was the designated hitter yesterday in the Gulf Coast League. He’ll return to New York to play with Brooklyn or Binghamton as inclement weather is expected in Florida. The Mets want him to keep playing games as much as possible. His next step is to play right field in a game tomorrow.
I’m still surprised that the Fernando Tatis and rookie platoon in left field has gone as well as it has since Church went on the disabled list.
>Ryan Church Cleared For Baseball Activity
Mets outfielder Ryan Church found out last night that he’s cleared to resume baseball activities. He’ll report to Florida this weekend to work out and begin playing in rehab games this coming week.
Church had tests in Manhattan on Thursday that showed that his post concussion syndrome symptoms are cleared.
He could re-join the Mets when they return from a road trip on August 19th.
Flickr photo by imagesbyferg
Time To Second Guess Mets Trade Deadline Inactivity?
The Mets had a rough road trip and the two main weaknesses of the team were exposed, the corner outfielders and the bullpen. The two positional weaknesses should be looked at independently.
Sure, the losses of Moises Alou and Angel Pagan for the season and Ryan Church for an unknown period of time have hurt the team. There’s no denying that. Church is being evaluated by doctors in New York this week and may begin rehab games within the next week. The Mets have to count on him coming back in their plan for the rest of the season.
When Church gets back they can mix and match in left field between Fernando Tatis, Nick Evans, and Daniel Murphy. If things don’t work out as planned they may be apt to give Fernando Martinez a shot at the job too.
The bullpen is another story. Although Billy Wagner has gone through bad patches, the Mets are married to him as their closer. As long as he’s healthy he’ll be closing games. Duaner Sanchez and Aaron Heilman haven’t been living up to expectations though. I really think Heilman could use a change of scenery. He’d be great waiver deadline trade bait during August. Sanchez may need some time on the disabled list to refresh his arm. He won’t be successful throwing a fastball in the mid-80’s as he has been over the last week and a half.
The Mets may need to explore a trade for a relief pitcher like Brian Fuentes if the Rockies fall out of contention this month. Heilman for Fuentes would be a fair deal for both teams in my mind. The Mets may need to throw in another mid level prospect but not any of their top prospects. If Eddie Kunz looks good over the next couple of weeks it may not even come to that.
I’m not ready to hit the panic button because of this bad road trip. And I’m not second guessing the Mets lack of activity at the trade deadline. But if they don’t take five out of seven games on this home stand against San Diego, Florida, and Pittsburgh then I will think there’s a problem with this team… again.
The Mets Report 