Pelf's Big Flop - NYM falls to PHI 10-7, 4/6/2011

Number one starter Mike Pelfrey struggled through his second start of the season and the Mets came just short of a comeback victory as the Phillies took Game 2 of the road series tonight in Philadelphia.  Pelfrey lasted only 2.0 innings and left with the bases loaded in the third, but Taylor Buchholz did his best to stop the bleeding and the Mets rallied in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game at 7-7.  Blaine Boyer allowed three runs in relief of Buchholz and the Mets were unable to build a second rally, so Philly ties the series at 1-1 and the Mets head into the final game of the series tomorrow looking for a win against Roy Halladay.  Jon Niese will start for New York, and the offense will attempt to carry the grit and attitude that they displayed while down 7-0 tonight into a game where they will likely need to scratch and claw for one or two runs.

Pelfrey's second atrocious outing is an obvious cause for concern, especially when you consider the string of hits and runs that the Mets put together against Blanton.  Assuming a regular schedule and a consistent 1-5 rotation, the Mets may not face Blanton again this season (that's just the way that the schedules line up), so games where they can avoid dealing with Halladay and Lee have to turn into wins.  Hopefully, Niese can spin a gem tomorrow against Halladay, and the momentum will continue to build for the Mets as they head back to New York for their home opener.  Obviously, neither of tonight's starters deserve a fantasy pick, but fantasy players have to love the offensive onslaught.  Tomorrow, you probably won't see 28 hits and 17 runs.

Mets Invade Philly - NYM over PHI 7-1, 4/5/2011

On a night where the Mets had everything to gain against the supposedly infallible Phillies, New York rode into Philadelphia and took the first game of their second road series on the tall shoulders of 6'10" starter Chris Young.  One-time World Series MVP Cole Hamels was shelled for six runs and knocked out in the third inning, giving the Mets all but one of their runs in that frame, but the standout performance of the night was not what Young did with his pitches (though he did baffle the Phillies for 5.1 innings) but what he did with his bat.  Alongside a 4-for-5 night from David Wright, Young went 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and he became the first pitcher in Mets history to collect two hits in one inning.

Young and the bullpen looked great, and the lineup's ability to take advantage of Hamels's mistakes are a positive sign for this club at this early point in the season.  The big question is whether "ace" Mike Pelfrey will be able to handle the pressure against Joe Blanton on Wednesday night, but at least he won't face Roy Halladay in his second start.  With a few more wins of this caliber, the Mets can start to turn some heads in the media, but they have to try for a series win against Philly, and that campaign continues with Game 2 and another chance to silence Ryan Howard and the Phillies' staff of Cy Young favorites.

Interesting sidenote, courtesy of talk radio WFAN: with this loss, Hamels is 1-6 with a 4.84 ERA in eight starts since calling the Mets "choke artists" in December 2008.  As I argued in a prior post, the Mets can turn the perception of this team around with a hot start, and though tonight's game was somewhat uneventful and quiet after the big inning of offense and after Young worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth, the fact that the Mets were able to keep the comeback-prone Phillies off of the board speaks volumes about how effective they were.  Let's hope that Pelfrey can take a page from Chris Young's book - if not at the plate, then at least on the mound.

Boom Boom Pow! - DET beats NYY 10-7, 4/3/2011

Well, you can't win 'em all! In summary, the Yanks suffered their first loss of the season despite another offensive outburst. Hughes and subsequently Colon pitched poorly, giving up 4+ runs a piece; the Tigers' Max Scherzer was really no better, so neither starter deserved a pick in my book.

In terms of offense, the Yankees were clicking on all cylinders (particularly Posada), but the Tigers went one step further. They had a torrid 0.359 BA during the game and capitalized on scoring opportunities as reflected by a relatively high RBI/Left on Base ratio despite a similar # of total bases by the Yanks. Miguel Cabrera was ripping balls out of the park as fast as he took down [generic liquor] shots before his DUI; the Tigers rookie Brennan Boesch was just as effective at the plate.

On a final note, I only knew of Jose Valverde when he was a closer on my fantasy team, but today was the first time I've seen him pitch. As the YES commentators were pointing out, the 254 pound chubster took FOREVER to throw a pitch. He was doing fake stretches and taking pauses in between throws, not just at-bats! Is he trying to psych out the batter? Or maybe he's just trying to catch his breath. Either way, he's also got a very Joba-esque way to wrap up his games. Now we know how it feels to get mocked on the mound.

The Yankees can go home at least with the satisfaction of winning 2 of the 3 games. Next up, the Twins come to town... hope it goes as well as the ALDS for the past two years!

Opening Night! - FLA over NYM 6-2, 4/1/2011

The Mets began their 2011 campaign tonight hoping for a win against the Marlins and ace pitcher Josh Johnson, but they came up short en route to a 6-2 loss in which they mustered only four hits and two runs.  Newly-appointed number one starter Mike Pelfrey had trouble staying ahead of hitters and kept his pitches low all night, struggling through the first four innings and ultimately getting knocked out of the game by John Buck's grand slam.  The Marlins' retooled bullpen contributed 2.1 scoreless innings and prevented a Mets comeback when reliever Mike Dunn struck out pinch-hitter Scott Hairston to strand two baserunners and end the 7th inning.

This loss hurts, especially since the Mets have the best winning percentage on Opening Day games in the entire league: 32-17.  They had won five season openers in a row heading into the evening, but without Johan Santana getting the start, and especially against Met-killer Josh Johnson (who is now 8-1 lifetime against the Mets), it would not have been unreasonable to expect a 0-1 start to the season.  Still, despite Pelfrey's poor outing, there were some bright spots; Brad Emaus played solid defense at second base, Carlos Beltran looked comfortable at the plate and in the field, and the bullpen performed well.  The Mets will try to take the second game of the series tomorrow, with Jon Niese opposing Ricky Nolasco.  On Sunday, it will be knuckleballer R.A. Dickey against Javier Vazquez.  I'll be away this weekend, but I'll return on Monday with plenty to talk about.  Until then, Let's Go Mets!