After losing the first game of the doubleheader earlier today by a final score of 5-4, the Mets look for a split of the doubleheader as well as a split of this 4-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is the final game between the two teams of the season, which is likely why it was scheduled as ESPN's Sunday Night game. ESPN of course, can't be thrilled that this game has zero postseason implications, but that's what happens when you schedule certain things prior to the season.

Depending upon the result of this game, the Mets will have finished their season series against the Phillies with a final record of either 7-11, or 6-12.

Game 2 of the matchup pits Tim Redding (2-5) 5.78 ERA against Pedro Martinez (4-0) 3.64 ERA in 6 starts. Pedro's worst start of the season came on August 23 against the Mets in which he gave up 4 ER in 6 IP, but still got the W due to Philly's offense handing him a 9-7 victory.

What's been extremely impressive this season with Pedro is that he has only walked 4 batters in 29.2 IP. With 27 K over that timespan, Pedro has exceeded all reasonable expectations so far. But can his arm make it into October?

--------------------------------------------------------------------
(All times Pacific)

Top of 1st Inning:
5:09pm: Luis Castillo slaps a liner into left-center field for a leadoff single. ESPN announcers Joe Morgan, Jon Miller and Steve Phillips argue about the description of Castillo's hit. Is it a flare? A slap? A solid hit?

5:12pm: Cory Sullivan flies out to CF Shane Victorino. Castillo cannot advance. 1 out.

5:14pm: David Wright strikes out swinging at a high and outside fastball. 2 outs.

5:15pm: Steve Phillips points out what most rational people already know. No team could survive the number of injuries the Mets have had to their major players (Reyes, Beltran, Delgado) and still compete. Of the big 3 injuries, only Beltran has returned, and it's too late. Many other players have also gone down with injury as we well know (ie: Johan Santana, Alex Cora, Oliver Perez, Fernando Nieve, Jonathon Niese, etc.)

5:16pm: Carlos Beltran walks. Luis Castillo moves to 2nd base.

5:19pm: Daniel Murphy strikes out swinging at a wicked curveball from Pedro Martinez. 3 outs.

Bottom of 1st Inning:
5:23pm: Tim Redding gives up a leadoff walk to Jimmy Rollins on a 3-1 count.

5:25pm: Shane Victorino lines a single into leftfield. Jimmy Rollins moves to 2nd base on the hit.

5:30pm: Chase Utley smashes a long flyball off the top of the LF wall just beyond the reach of Fernando Tatis for a long long single since Jimmy Rollins thought the ball might be caught by Tatis and held up at 2nd base before scoring. Carlos Beltran retrieved the ball in left-center. Shane Victorino moves up to 2nd base on the play. 1-0 Phillies.

5:33pm: Ryan Howard hits a soft liner right at 2B Luis Castillo for the out. Castillo shuffles the ball to Anderson Hernandez at 2nd base hoping to double off Shane Victorino but he's back safe. 1 out.

5:36pm: Raul Ibanez hits a high flyball to CF Carlos Beltran. 2 outs.

5:41pm: Jayson Werth strikes out swinging at a 3-2 curveball and Tim Redding escapes the jam giving up only 1 earned run, although it took him 33 pitches to get through the inning. 3 outs.

Top of 2nd Inning:
5:44pm: Fernando Tatis never took the bat off his shoulder in this AB, watching 5 pitches go by, 3 of them for strikes. 1 out.

5:45pm: Brian Schneider ropes a first-pitch into rightfield for a single.

5:46pm: ESPN cameras are showing Tatis in the Mets tunnel with trainer Ray Ramirez checking out his left hand/arm which he may have injured in the 1st inning when he leaped into the wall on Utley's long single that just missed clearing the fence. He may be out for the rest of the game.

5:47pm: Anderson Hernandez lines a single past 1B Ryan Howard into rightfield. Brian Schneider makes it to 3rd base on the hit.

5:48pm: Tim Redding lays down a sac bunt to the 1st base side of the diamond. The ball is fielded by Pedro Martinez who throws down to Chase Utley covering 1st base for the out. 1-4. 2 outs. Anderson Hernandez moves to 2nd base on the sac bunt.

5:49pm: Luis Castillo gets drilled in the right elbow by a Pedro Martinez pitch and he's hopping around in immense pain before falling to the ground. Mets trainers along with manager Jerry Manuel are out to check on Luis.

5:51pm: While Castillo tries to recover, we're shown a stat that the Mets have had players spend 1,007 days on the DL, more than any other team in baseball by a wide margin. Luis Castillo is ok, and finally gets to 1B. The bases are loaded with 2 outs for Daniel Murphy.

5:53pm: Daniel Murphy flies out to LF Raul Ibanez. 3 outs.

Bottom of 2nd Inning:
5:56pm: Jeremy Reed is in LF to replace Fernando Tatis.

5:57pm: Pedro Feliz pounds the ball onto the left-centerfield warning track for a leadoff double. ESPN announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan think Tim Redding got screwed by the home plate ump on the previous pitch that should've been called a strike instead of a ball. They're right.

5:59pm: Redding attempts a pickoff of Feliz at 2B but no dice.

6:00pm: Carlos Ruiz hits a weak grounder to 3B David Wright who makes a clean throw to 1B Daniel Murphy for the out. Feliz does not advance on the play. 5-3. 1 out.

6:01pm: Pedro Martinez grounds out to SS Anderson Hernandez, 6-3. Feliz moves to 3rd base on the play. 2 outs.

6:03pm: Jimmy Rollins flies out to LF Jeremy Reed. 3 outs.

Top of 3rd Inning:
6:05pm: David Wright is at the plate against Pedro Martinez for the first time ever. Well, that would make sense considering they've been teammates since 2005 up until this year, and David was on the DL the last time Pedro faced the Mets on August 23.

6:06pm: Pedro wins that battle getting Wright swinging at a full count 91 MPH fastball that is tipped but caught by catcher Carlos Ruiz. 1 out.

6:08pm: Carlos Beltran grounds out hard right to 1B Ryan Howard, who runs to the bag himself to get the out. 2 outs.

6:09pm: Daniel Murphy flies out to SS Jimmy Rollins in short leftfield. 3 up, 3 down.

Bottom of 3rd Inning:
6:12pm: Shane Victorino hits a weak chopper back to the mound. Tim Redding fields it and throws to Murphy at 1B for the out. 1-3. 1 out.

6:14pm: Chase Utley strikes out swinging at the high heat. 2 outs.

6:17pm: Tim Redding gets Ryan Howard to strike out swinging at the high heat on a full count. 3 outs.

Top of 4th Inning:
6:20pm: Jon Miller reports that the injury to Fernando Tatis was a sprained index finger on his left hand.

6:21pm: Jeremy Reed strikes out swinging at a fastball.  1 out.

6:22pm: Brian Schneider hits a hard grounder right to 1B Ryan Howard. He takes the ball to the bag for the out. 2 outs.

6:24pm: Anderson Hernandez flies out to SS Jimmy Rollins in shallow leftfield. 3 outs. Pedro is starting to cruise along in this game with 5 Ks in 4 IP.

Bottom of 4th Inning:
6:27pm: Raul Ibanez skies out to CF Carlos Beltran in right-centerfield. 1 out.

6:29pm: Jayson Werth smokes a ball right into the mitt of SS Anderson Hernandez. 2 outs.

6:30pm: Pedro Feliz grounds out to 3B David Wright. 5-3. 3 outs. That was 9 pitches for Redding, who has definitely settled in. Problem is, so has Pedro, and Tim Redding is usually garbage after 5 IP.

Top of 5th Inning:
6:33pm: Tim Redding grounds out to SS Jimmy Rollins. 6-3. 1 out. That makes 8 Met batters in a row retired by Pedro Martinez.

6:34pm: Luis Castillo is up with a little padding above his right elbow. However, he lines out to 2B Chase Utley. 2 outs.

6:35pm: Cory Sullivan tries to check his swing at a low pitch but he makes contact. The ball goes right back to Pedro Martinez on the ground, he throws to first. 1-3. 3 outs.

Bottom of 5th Inning:

Every year, MLB begins their All-Star game balloting near the end of April, which is far too early. I advocate for voting only after June 1, as you simply cannot elect players to the All-Star game based on less than one month of baseball.

First, a quick recap of the ALCS and NLCS predictions I made...
http://letsgomets.vox.com/library/post/mlb-2nd-round-playoffs-nlcs-and-alcs-predictions.html

ALCS:
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays

My prediction: Rays in 7 games
Reality: Rays in 7 games

This didn't necessarily become the home-field advantage series I thought it would, meaning that Tampa would win their 4 at home, Red Sox would win their 3 at Fenway. Boston won Game 1, Tampa won the next 3 games (1 in Tampa, 2 in Boston), Boston won the next two (home and away), and Tampa won the all-important (and thrilling) Game 7.

NLCS:
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

My prediction: Dodgers in 6 games
Reality: Phillies in 5 games

I pretty much went over this series in this post: http://letsgomets.vox.com/library/post/never-so-happy-to-be-wrong.html
and there's not much more to be said about it.

So now, we have the World Series matchup which may not be watched by too many people, but it should make for an intriguing matchup either way.

World Series:
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies

In analyzing this matchup, there are a number of factors to take into consideration.

Home-field advantage: Tampa has it, in part due to Scott Kazmir's performance at the All-Star game back in July at Yankee Stadium. Playing at Tropicana Field didn't mean as much in the ALCS as it did in the ALDS, but I still feel that knowing how to play balls off that turf has a big impact. That's not to say the turf will make an iota of difference when guys like Ryan Howard are hitting 400-foot shots over the fences, but the Rays have their own sluggers.

Offense: People keep thinking that Philadelphia has the advantage here with guys like Utley, Howard and Burrell. Meanwhile, Evan Longoria and BJ Upton were pounding the tar off the baseball. Longoria have hit 6 HRs in this year's postseason so far, with BJ Upton hitting 7 bombs in the same timeframe. The rest of the team is hitting too, posting a team SLG of .508 during the ALDS and ALCS. Philadelphia has a team SLG of .431 during their NLDS and NLCS.
So here as well, the advantage goes to Tampa.

Defense: This is tricky. The Tampa Bay defense has been less than stellar during the playoffs, especially during the ALCS, but very good during the regular season. The Phillies have been excellent throughout, so the advantage goes to Philadelphia here.

Starting Pitching: Cole Hamels and then.... Yeah, that's kinda the problem for the Phillies. Brett Myers is hit and miss, and Jamie Moyer has not had a good postseason at all. The Rays have the studs of Matt Garza (ALCS MVP), James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Andy Sonnanstine.

Bullpen: The Phillies have had the best bullpen in the postseason, and the effectiveness of Brad Lidge all season has been the key reason to their success. But Tampa's bullpen has also been very good all season, although very shaky in some of the games against Boston. Still, David Price may prove to be the X factor as the Rays' de facto closer who pitched under unbelievable pressure in Game 7 of the ALCS and prevented Bostom from scoring. Besides, I have to believe that Brad Lidge blows a save at SOME point 2008. Wouldn't the World Series be the best time?

Overall: Tampa just has too much going for them right now. It's not that Philadelphia isn't a good team, but I believe that they are overmatched by the Tampa ballclub. I see the Phillies taking a game in this series, likely one pitched by Cole Hamels, but I think Tampa is going to take this series fairly quickly.

My prediction: Tampa Bay Rays in 5 games.

Game 3 of the final series between the Mets and Phillies during the regular season all comes down to this.

The Phillies won the first two games of the series and have shrunk the Mets NL East-division lead to 1 game. If the Phillies complete the sweep at Shea, they will be tied for first place as the two teams go their separate ways. The Mets have a 2-game series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Phillies return home to face the Marlins in a 3-game set Monday through Wednesday.

A lot is going to be made of this series, but even if the Mets lose this game, there are still 19 games remaining for both teams, and it's very likely going to be a race that goes down to the final week, or even day unless one team... ahem... collapses.

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(All times Pacific)
Top of 1st Inning:

5:11pm: Jimmy Rollins grounds sharply to SS Jose Reyes. 6-3. 1 out.

5:12pm: ESPN's Jon Miller reads off a bunch of stats as to how many times Santana has pitched well only to have the Mets' bullpen blow it for him. *sigh*

5:13pm: Chase Utley lines a single into centerfield.

5:14pm: Jayson Werth is up, and he hits lefties VERY well this season, especially with the longball. He has 15 HRs in 2008 against lefty pitching, which leads the majors.

5:15pm: Johan Santana falls behind Jayson Werth going 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, and ends up walking him.

5:17pm: Ryan Howard singles to leftfield scoring Chase Utley from 2nd easily. Jayson Werth to 2nd. Phillies go up 1-0.

5:18pm: Met-killer Pat Burrell is up. Although he's slumping something fierce over the last month. Burrell has 42 HRs against the Mets, the most among all active players.

5:20pm: Johan Santana is having trouble throwing strikes. 20 pitches in the inning so far 11 of them are balls.

5:22pm: Pat Burrell thinks he just saw ball 4, but it was clearly strike 3 that went into Schneider's mitt. 2 out.

5:23pm: Shane Victorino flies out to deep centerfield. 3 out.

Bottom of 1st Inning:

5:28pm: Jose Reyes pops out to 2B Chase Utley. 1 out.

5:30pm: Ryan Church fights off a high fastball and hits it into LF for a single.

5:31pm: David Wright, swinging an 0-2 pitch, fouls it off but also hits catcher Chris Coste's glove on his swing, triggering a catcher's interference call from the home plate umpire. David Wright automatically gets 1st base, Ryan Church moves to 2nd.

5:33pm: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is out to argue and gets the toss for his argument. The fans pop huge and a "LETS GO METS" chant erupts.

5:34pm: Carlos Beltran lines a ball down the leftfield line. Ryan Church scores easily. David Wright beats the tag of Pedro Feliz at 3rd base, Carlos Beltran to 2nd on the throw. Tie game 1-1. Bench coach (acting manager) Jimmy Williams is out to argue the call at 3rd. Replays show Wright may have been out but it's tough to tell. No ejection this time.

5:37pm: Carlos Delgado grounds a ball up the middle for a single, driving in David Wright and Carlos Beltran. 3-1 Mets.

5:39pm: Fernando Tatis grounds a ball up the middle but SS Jimmy Rollins makes a nice play to field the ball, toss to Utley at 2nd for an out, but Tatis beats the throw to 1st. 2 out.

5:41pm: Cole Hamels strikes out Damion Easley. Pretty exciting inning to start this one. Mets up 3-1, a rare catcher's interference call, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel ejected, and Cole Hamels looks very hittable. Hopefully moreso than Santana.

Top of 2nd Inning:

5:45pm: Pedro Feliz goes down swinging at a Johan Santana changeup. 1 out.

5:46pm: Chris Coste takes a trot down to 1st base.

5:47pm: Cole Hamels lays down a bunt in front of Johan Santana who fields it cleanly, fires to Reyes at 2B for the out. Reyes throws to Easley covering 1B, but Hamels beats the throw. 2 out.

5:49pm: Jimmy Rollins grounds to 3B David Wright. 5-3. 3 out.

Bottom of 2nd Inning:

5:52pm: Brian Schneider strikes out swinging. 1 out.

5:55pm: Johan Santana lines a 3-2 pitch down the leftfield line. If not for 3B Pedro Feliz knocking it down, it would have been a double for Santana. However, he'll settle for a single.

5:56pm: Jose Reyes is not looking good at the plate against Cole Hamels.

5:57pm: Jose Reyes hits a weak groundball to SS Jimmy Rollins who tosses the ball to Chase Utley at 2B, but Utley comes way off the bag and Santana is safe at 2nd. That should be ruled an error on Utley as there was no need for him to field the toss from Rollins that way.

5:58pm: Ryan Church hits a grounder back to pitcher Cole Hamels, but he can' t field it cleanly as it goes off his glove.  Bases loaded for the Mets and that may end up rule being an infield single. David Wright to the plate with bases full and 1 out.

6:01pm: Miller and Morgan note David Wright's less-than-stellar numbers with bases loaded. And sure enough, Wright goes down swinging on a 3-2 fastball from Hamels. 2 out.

6:02pm; Carlos Beltran swings at the first pitch and fouls out to 1B Ryan Howard. Phillies escape the jam. 3 out.

Top of 3rd Inning:

6:06pm: Johan Santana strikes out Chase Utley. 1 out.

6:08pm: Johan Santana strikes out Jayson Werth on 3 pitches. 2 outs.

6:09pm: Ryan Howard crushes the first pitch he sees from Santana into the LF bleachers for his 40th HR of the season. Mets lead cut to 3-2.

6:10pm: Pat Burrell strikes out swinging. Santana ends up striking out the side but gives up the dinger to Howard. 3 out.

Bottom of 3rd Inning:

6:12pm: Carlos Delgado hits a scoreboard moonshot SLAMMA LAMMA DING DONG, which is all the more dramatic considering the piece ESPN just did on him, explaining how the Mets were trying to figure out what to do with Carlos after his subpar first half. Mets up 4-2.

6:15pm: Fernando Tatis hits a hard lineshot into the glove of CF Shane Victorino. 1 out.

6:16pm: Damion Easley breaks his bat with a bloop shot to shallow center which is tracked down and caught by SS Jimmy Rollins. 2 out.

6:18pm: Brian Schneider smokes a shot into centerfield which almost gets past CF Shane Victorino, but Schneider is limited to the single.

6:20pm: Johan Santana grounds out to 3B Pedro Feliz who throws to Utley for the forceout at 2nd. 3 out.

Top of 4th Inning:

6:24pm: Shane Victorino foul pops to 1B Carlos Delgado. 1 out.

6:25pm: Pedro Feliz pops out to 2B Damion Easley. 2 out.

6:26pm: Chris Coste grounds to 3B David Wright. 5-3. 3 out. A very economical 7-pitch inning for Johan Santana.

Bottom of 4th Inning:

6:28pm: Cole Hamels is going to be lucky to go 5 innings this game with his pitch count now above 80.

6:29pm: Jose Reyes continues to look horrible against Cole Hamels, swinging at a pitch in the dirt for strike 3. 1 out.

6:30pm: Ryan Church grounds out sharply to 1B Ryan Howard who runs to the bag for out 2.

6:31pm: David Wright flies out to 2B Chase Utley in shallow left-center. 3 out.

Top of 5th Inning:

6:34pm: Johan Santana strikes out Cole Hamels, which is now 6 K's through 5.1 IP. 1 out.

6:36pm: Jimmy Rollins grounds to SS Jose Reyes. 6-3. 2 out.

6:38pm: Chase Utley flies out to LF Fernando Tatis. 3 out.

Bottom of 5th Inning:

6:43pm: Carlos Beltran goes down swinging. 1 out.

6:45pm: Carlos Delgado crushes yet another moonshot off of Cole Hamels' first pitch. This time off a changeup instead of the curveball. Mets up 5-2.

6:46pm: Fernando Tatis grounds out to 3B Pedro Feliz. 5-3. 2 out.

6:47pm: Damion Easley hits a hard shot to LF that bounces up against the wall for a double.

6:48pm: With a base open, Cole Hamels gives the IBB to Brian Schneider so they can face Johan Santana.

6:49pm: ESPN's Jon Miller says Carlos Delgado's 2nd HR went an estimated 460 feet. Wow.

6:50pm: Johan Santana strikes out swinging on Cole Hamel's 109th pitch. 3 out.

Top of 6th Inning:

6:53pm: Jayson Werth grounds out to 3B David Wright who makes a very nice play and throw onto 1st for the out. 1 out.

6:55pm: Ryan Howard flies out to CF Carlos Beltran. 2 out.

6:58pm: Pat Burrell works out a walk.

6:59pm: Shane Victorino flies out to RF Ryan Church. 3 out.

Bottom of 6th Inning:

7:02pm: Now pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies is right-hander Clay Condrey. Maybe Jose Reyes can start hitting better now.

7:03pm: Or not. Reyes breaks his bat with a grounder to 2B Chase Utley. 4-3. 1 out.

7:05pm: Ryan Church strikes out swinging. 2 out.

7:06pm: David Wright grounds the first pitch he sees from Condrey right to SS Jimmy Rollins. 6-3. 3 out.

Top of 7th Inning:

7:08pm: Pedro Feliz grounds a ball past Carlos Delgado into RF for a single.

7:09pm: With Johan Santana nearing 100 pitches, this will surely be his final inning.

7:10pm: Chris Coste flies out to CF Carlos Beltran. 1 out.

7:11pm: Carlos Ruiz in to pinch-hit for Clay Condrey.

7:13pm: Ruiz grounds out to David Wright who makes a diving stop, gets up and throws to Easley for the out. Easley throws on to Delgado at first but Ruiz beats it easily. 2 out.

7:15pm: Jimmy Rollins lines a 3-2 pitch directly at David Wright for the third out. Santana throws 110 pitches for the night through 7, and he's done. Another very good outing from Johan.

Bottom of 7th Inning:

7:20pm: In relief for the Phillies is right-hander Rudy Seanez.

7:21pm: Carlos Beltran just misses a HR by a bit as he hits a long flyball to the warning track, but Jayson Werth catches it. 1 out.

7:22pm: The fans chant "MVP" at Carlos Delgado, which he may be for the Mets team, but certainly a joke if they think it's for the National League. Mind you, a good percentage of these "fans" are the same asshats who were busy booing Delgado in May, demanding his release, and parroting the words "Bring up Mike Carp!" until their empty heads exploded.

7:23pm: It is noted that no Met has ever hit 3 HR in one game at Shea Stadium.

7:24pm: Carlos Delgado strikes out swinging. 2 out.

7:26pm: Jon Miller notes that no one is pitching in the Mets bullpen, which indicates Santana is going another frame.

7:27pm: Fernando Tatis skies a shot into left-centerfield, but it's caught by Shane Victorino. 3 out.

Top of 8th Inning:

7:29pm: Johan Santana pitching another inning to the heart of the Phillies order. Utley, Werth and Howard. Endy Chavez is in LF as a defensive replacement for Fernando Tatis.

7:31pm: Chase Utley grounds out to 1B Carlos Delgado who jogs to the bag for the out.

7:32pm: Jayson Werth pounds a ball to deep CF for a double. Mets manager Jerry Manuel goes to the mound to get Johan Santana, who gets the standing ovation from the Shea fans. Santana even tips his cap to the 1st-base side fans. Sometimes lefty-specialist Pedro Feliciano is coming in from the bullpen to face lefty powerhouse Ryan Howard.

7:36pm: Ryan Howard grounds out to 1B Carlos Delgado who jogs to the bag for the out. Jayson Werth goes to 3rd on the play. That's all for Pedro Feliciano. Jerry Manuel to the mound for the pitching change as righty Brian Stokes is in to face righty Pat Burrell.

7:39pm: Pat Burrell breaks his bat on the first pitch he sees from Brian Stokes, grounding out to SS Jose Reyes. 6-3. 3 out.

Bottom of 8th Inning:

7:42pm: Luis Ayala is warming up in the bullpen for the 9th. Ayala may be the closer for the rest of the season if Wagner's setback today is as serious as is being reported.

7:43pm: Damion Easley hits a ball over CF Shane Victorino's head that goes just past his glove for a leadoff stand-up triple.

7:45pm: Brian Schneider hits a long fly ball into RF caught by Jayson Werth, but Damion Easley tags up easily to expand the Mets lead to 6-2. 1 out.

7:46pm: Marlon Anderson is in to pinch-hit for Brian Stokes.

7:47pm: Marlon Anderson fouls off two pitches before swinging through the third and striking out. 2 out.

7:48pm: Jose Reyes grounds out to 1B Ryan Howard who is a step away from the bag when he fields it. 3 out.

Top of 9th Inning:

7:51pm: Luis Ayala is on to pitch the 9th in a non-save situation.

7:52pm: Shane Victorino hits an excellent unintentional swinging bunt which deadens downs the 3rd-base line. Catcher Brian Schneider fields it and tries to throw out Victorino at 1st, but the throw sails over Delgado into RF and bounces into the stands. Victorino to 2nd on the error.

7:53pm: Greg Dobbs is in to pinch-hit for Pedro Feliz. Dobbs flies out to CF Carlos Beltran. 1 out.

7:54pm: Righty pitchers Al Reyes and Joe Smith are warming up in the Mets bullpen. Lefty Matt Stairs is on to pinch-hit for Chris Coste.

7:55pm: Matt Stairs basically does the same thing Shane Victorino did. A swinging bunt, except the ball goes further up the third-base line for an infield hit. David Wright knows he has no chance so he lets the ball go. Victorino to 3rd base on the play. The hide is torn off on this ball.

7:57pm: Tadahito Iguchi is in to pinch-run for Matt Stairs. Andy Tracy is in to pinch-hit for Rudy Seanez.

7:58pm: Andy Tracy hits a flyball to deep LF which Endy Chavez catches near the wall with a slight jump. Victorino tags up. Mets lead cut by one, but they're still up 6-3. 2 out.

7:59pm: Luis Ayala gets the dramatic strikeout game-ender with Rollins swinging and missing. 3 out. GAME OVER. Mets win 6-3.

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With the Mets victory, they lose the series but gain a division lead back on the Phillies to 2 games.

The two teams will not meet again this season, and with Milwaukee looking to be the NL Wildcard team at this point, they can't face each other in the postseason either.

More importantly, the Mets win the season series from Philadelphia 12-7, something they did not do in 2007 when they went 6-12 against the Phillies.

The next 19 games will be very important to both teams, which I believe will go down to the final week. The Mets have a 4-game series against the Chicago Cubs Sep 22-25 which the Mets are going to have to dominate if the Phillies are still in the race 2 weeks from now, and with their upcoming schedule, there's no reason to expect that they won't be.

The MLB All-Star game is a little over a month away. Voting began on May 1, which is way too early to make All-Star picks, but as of June 10, with the latest results available, and the timing right, here are my votes and analysis for the 2008 All-Stars.

Keep in mind that there is still a lot of baseball left to be played between now and the end of the initial voting period which ends on July 2. Player performances can drastically change over that time period, so a ballot submitted then could look a lot different than one submitted on June 10.

American League:
1B Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Kevin Youkilis (Boston)            926,758
2. Justin Morneau (Minnesota)     678,037
3. Jason Giambi (New York)        437,656
4. Carlos Pena (Tampa Bay)        296,769
5. Paul Konerko (Chicago)           270,410

My Pick: Justin Morneau (Minnesota)

Kevin Youkilis is practically neck-and-neck with Justin Morneau in stats across the board, so either one is a fine choice.

The Angels' Casey Kotchman should be getting more votes than he has, leading all AL 1B in BA (currently .307) and has been consistently good all season. The Tigers' Carlos Guillen is also a good pick, but he's since been moved out of 1B for the defensively-challenged Miguel Cabrera, who this year would be a terrible pick at any position.

Paul Konerko isn't remotely reasonable in that spot when he's been hitting under .220 practically the entire season, and doesn't have the power numbers that a Jason Giambi has to justify the votes. Carlos Pena is also a bad choice here, as he has more HRs than Konerko, but similar BA. Pena leads all AL 1B in strikeouts, and is also on the DL. A terrible choice.

2B Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Dustin Pedroia (Boston)          809,114
2. Ian Kinsler (Texas)                  512,894
3. Robinson Cano (New York)      512,045
4. Placido Polanco (Detroit)         333,336
5. Brian Roberts (Baltimore)        233,752

My Pick: Ian Kinsler (Texas)

Red Sox nation may be stuffing the ballots here, but these results are completely absurd. Kinsler has better stats than Pedroia across the board to the point that it's ridiculous to vote for anyone BUT Ian Kinsler at this point. Brian Roberts would be a better pick than Pedroia, but still not close to Kinsler.

Robinson Cano is having a terrible year and doesn't even belong in the top 5. This category is a joke if Kinsler doesn't win. There's not a single justifiable reason for anyone else to get it.

SS Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Derek Jeter (New York)            1,218,881
2. Michael Young (Texas)               533,582
3. Edgar Renteria (Detroit)              365,269
4. Julio Lugo (Boston)                     281,408
5. Orlando Cabrera (Chicago)          271,702

My Pick: Michael Young (Texas)

Derek Jeter is in this spot for two reasons. One, legacy at the position. Two, the All-Star game is in Yankee Stadium, so he's getting a LOT of hometown voting. But again, the fans are completely wrong and should be ashamed for voting this way.

This is a terrible pick when Michael Young's numbers trump Jeter's across the board in the same way Kinsler's stats obliterate the entire field at 2B.

The Rangers' middle infield is clearly getting short-changed in the voting because they're not a major market like New York or Boston, even though Young and Kinsler are the ONLY reasonable choices at these two positions.

3B Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Alex Rodriguez (New York)         1,109,916
2. Mike Lowell (Boston)                     584,563
3. Miguel Cabrera (Detroit)                 379,813
4. Joe Crede (Chicago)                      334,024
5. Scott Rolen (Toronto)                     204,472

My Pick: Alex Rodriguez (New York)

A-Rod's stint on the DL makes his stats this season seem on the weak side. What, ONLY 10 HRs? But he's still the best pick at the position.  Mike Lowell also spent time on the DL this season, but his stats don't compare to A-Rod's in the least.

Miguel Cabrera isn't at 3B anymore, and even if he were, doesn't have the stats to warrant the votes.

The only other slightly reasonable pick at 3B is Chicago's Joe Crede, who leads all AL 3B with 14 HR and has a very good .291 BA.

C Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Jason Varitek (Boston)               681,451
2. Joe Mauer (Minnesota)               630,372
3. Ivan Rodriguez (Detroit)               505,645
4. Jorge Posada (New York)            445,455
5. Victor Martinez (Cleveland)          321,063

My Pick: Dioner Navarro (Tampa Bay)

Based on stats, there are only two reasonable choices at what is a fairly weak field of catchers. Joe Mauer, and the Rays' Dioner Navarro, who despite a .349 BA leading all catchers, and has been hitting well over .300 all season, doesn't crack the top 5, which is ridiculous.

Varitek is a poor choice here, as he is every year. Red Sox Nation continues to try and flood the All-Star team with their players, even when very few of them should be involved.

Both Rodriguez and Varitek get votes based on how they performed 7 years ago, instead of in 2008. Jorge Posada spent a fair amount of time on the DL this season, and while he is hitting .311, hasn't played enough this year to matchup with Mauer and Navarro's stats.

DH Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. David Ortiz (Boston)                   1,261,879
2. Hideki Matsui (New York)             672,267
3. Jim Thome (Chicago)                   403,881
4. Gary Sheffield (Detroit)                 192,557
5. Frank Catalanotto (Texas)             188,622

My Pick: Hideki Matsui (New York)

David Ortiz is a great pick except he's on the DL and may be done for the season. Gary Sheffield is also on the DL, but is not a good pick at all this year.

Jim Thome has very good power numbers but that's about all. He's hitting .212 and strikes out at a very high rate.

Matsui is hitting .323 with 6 HR, 29 RBIs and a 1-to-1 BB/K ratio. With Ortiz out of the mix, no one else should get a vote except for Hideki Matsui.

OF Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Manny Ramirez (Boston)              1,179,884
2. Josh Hamilton (Texas)                     922,220
3. Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle)                     696,176
4. Vladimir Guerrero (Los Angeles)       610,877
5. Bobby Abreu (New York)                 545,852
6. Magglio Ordonez (Detroit)               512,245
7. Johnny Damon (New York)              444,973
8. Melky Cabrera (New York)               439,893
9. Torii Hunter (Los Angeles)                421,694
10. Grady Sizemore (Cleveland)           410,465

My Picks: Josh Hamilton (Texas), (write-in) Carlos Quentin (Chicago), Manny Ramirez (Boston)

Josh Hamilton is having an amazing season so far, 17 HR, 69 RBIs (wow), and .315 BA. Clearly deserves the vote.

Carlos Quentin is an unfortunate victim of not being on the ballot, so he's not getting the votes. He'll definitely make the team thanks to the players' voting, but fans should be writing him in at a faster clip. If I could write-in Milton Bradley (Texas) as well, I would.

And Manny Ramirez is a fine choice this season based on his numbers.

There are a good number of options for the AL outfield. I have no quarrel with guys like Ichiro, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu making the top 10.

There are still people on the list though, who shouldn't be. Vladimir Guerrero is having a very mediocre season. Melky Cabrera is good, but is no All-Star. Torii Hunter isn't having the season that other better players are.

Pitching:
Fans of course, don't get to vote for pitchers in the All-Star game. But here are my 10 picks in case the players need some guidance. J 5 starters, 5 relievers, in no particular order. 

Starters:  Cliff Lee (Cleveland), Roy Halladay (Toronto), Ervin Santana, (Los Angeles), Scott Kazmir (Tampa Bay), Jose Contreras (Chicago).

Relievers:  Mariano Rivera (New York), Frankie Rodriguez (Los Angeles), Jonathan Papelbon (Boston), George Sherrill (Baltimore), Joakim Soria (Kansas City)

So, in conclusion, my AL ballot:
C: Dioner Navarro (Tampa Bay)
1B: Justin Morneau (Minnesota)
2B: Ian Kinsler (Texas)
SS: Michael Young (Texas)
3B: Alex Rodriguez (New York)
DH: Hideki Matsui (New York)
OF: Josh Hamilton (Texas), (write-in) Carlos Quentin (Chicago), Manny Ramirez (Boston)     

Overall, the fan voting is leading to some absolutely terrible choices so far at 2B, SS and C positions, picking 3 guys who don’t belong starting.

Onto the National League Ballot!!!

National League

1B Current Leaders (as of June 10, 2008)
1. Lance Berkman (Houston)            1,046,249
2. Derrick Lee (Chicago)                     771,516
3. Albert Pujols (St. Louis)                   700,777
4. Ryan Howard (Philadelphia)              368,012
5. Prince Fielder (Milwaukee)               317,039

My Pick: Lance Berkman (Houston)

Berkman is the best pick of them all by far, although I wouldn’t necessarily spit on someone for voting for Pujols, Lee, or San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez.

Ryan Howard doesn’t deserve to be on the All-Star team with a .214 BA. Prince Fielder isn’t putting up the numbers that other more worthy candidates are.

2B Current Leaders (as of June 10, 2008)
1. Chase Utley (Philadelphia)     1,284,961
2. Mark DeRosa (Chicago)            589,637
3. Kazuo Matsui (Houston)            523,335
4. Dan Uggla (Florida)                   366,848
5. Orlando Hudson (Arizona)          333,998

My Pick: Chase Utley (Philadelphia)

Up until recently, no one was even remotely close to being a reasonable option OTHER than Chase Utley.

Florida’s Dan Uggla has experienced an offensive surge which is still short of Utley’s numbers, but would make a good option as a backup. DeRosa is a good hitter but doesn’t have the power of Utley or Uggla.

SS Current Leaders (as of June 10, 2008)
1. Miguel Tejada (Houston)             726,835
2. Hanley Ramirez (Florida)             607,528
3. Ryan Theriot (Chicago)                583,433
4. Jose Reyes (New York)               498,007
5. Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia)         442,885

My Pick: Hanley Ramirez (Florida)

Up until he went on the DL in early May, Rafael Furcal of the Los Angeles Dodgers was having an All-Star caliber start to his season. Alas, he’s been out for over a month now and there’s no definitive timetable on when he’ll return.

With the current field of shortstops, it’s really a 2-man race and the fans have it right for once. Miguel Tejada and Hanley Ramirez are the best options. Jose Reyes has improved greatly from his slow April, but he’s still not as good a choice as Ramirez or Tejada.

I give the edge to Hanley because of the power numbers (14 HRs compared to Tejada’s 7), but don’t find Tejada to be a bad pick since he’s been hitting hover .300 most of the season.

Ryan Theriot and Jimmy Rollins are good choices, but not the best. Atlanta’s Yuniel Escobar is at the same level.

3B (Current Leaders (as of June 10, 2008)
1. Chipper Jones (Atlanta)            1,110,171
2. Aramis Ramirez (Chicago)           726,973
3. David Wright (New York)              655,105
4. Ty Wigginton (Houston)                359,989
5. Mark Reynolds (Arizona)              292,702 

My Pick: Chipper Jones (Atlanta)

Open and shut. Chipper Jones is hitting .420 on June 10 and leads all NL 3B with 15 HRs. Any other vote is retarded. Seriously. And I HATE Chipper Jones.

C (Current Leaders (as of June 10, 2008)
1. Geovany Soto (Chicago)          969,853
2. Brian McCann (Atlanta)           578,276
3. Yadier Molina (St. Louis)         458,084
4. J.R. Towles (Houston)             367,248
5. Russell Martin (Los Angeles)   350,694 

My Pick: Brian McCann (Atlanta)

Brian McCann and Geovany Soto are the top 2 in the voting, and either one would be a good choice at starting catcher. Currently McCann has the better numbers, but they’re so close, either one would be fine.

Yadier Molina is hitting .295, but older brother Bengie Molina is hitting .333 with better overall numbers. Bengie isn’t in the top 5 votegetters.

J.R. Towles might be the most ridiculous pick ever, with a .145 BA. Embarrassing.

Russell Martin is hitting very well but doesn’t have the power numbers of Soto or McCann. He still should be higher in the voting than Molina or Towles.
 

OF (Current Leaders (as of June 9, 2008)
1. Alfonso Soriano (Chicago)               1,088,866
2. Kosuke Fukudome (Chicago)             918,262
3. Ken Griffey Jr. (Cincinnati)                 775,759
4. Carlos Lee (Houston)                         587,027
5. Carlos Beltran (New York)                  518,838
6. Ryan Braun (Milwaukee)                     514,913
7. Matt Holliday (Colorado)                     507,628
8. Hunter Pence (Houston)                     500,857
9. Pat Burrell (Philadelphia)                    487,131
10. Rick Ankiel (St. Louis)                     478,136

My Picks: Ryan Braun (Milwaukee), Alfonso Soriano (Chicago), Ryan Ludwick (St. Louis)

This is an interesting result that the fans have put together. Kosuke Fukudome has become a fan favorite of the Cubs and had a very good start to the season but has cooled off considerably. He’s probably good enough to be a reserve OF, but in no way should be a starter.

Ken Griffey Jr. is a nostalgia pick but doesn’t have the numbers to warrant being here.

Carlos Beltran is a ridiculous choice unless you’re voting for the best defensive CF of the bunch. Otherwise, he has no business on the team having the nothing season he’s having.

Matt Holliday would probably be one of my picks if not for him being on the DL.

Carlos Lee’s BA isn’t good enough to warrant so many votes, although Astros fans are clearly voting in big numbers when guys like J.R. Towles, Kazuo Matsui and Carlos Lee are garnering as many votes as they’ve gotten.

A lot of absurd people in the top 10 here, as opposed to the AL’s top 10, which are mostly good picks.

Pitchers:
5 starters and 5 relievers, in no particular order.

Starters: Edinson Volquez (Cincinnati), Tim Lincecum (San Francisco), Brandon Webb (Arizona), Ben Sheets (Milwaukee), Ryan Dempster (Chicago).

Relievers: Billy Wagner (New York), Brad Lidge (Philadelphia), Kerry Wood (Chicago), Matt Capps (Pittsburgh), Brandon Lyon (Arizona).

So, in conclusion, my NL ballot:
C: Brian McCann (Atlanta)
1B: Lance Berkman (Houston)
2B: Chase Utley (Philadelphia)
SS: Hanley Ramirez (Florida)
3B: Chipper Jones (Atlanta)
OF: Ryan Braun (Milwaukee), Alfonso Soriano (Chicago), Ryan Ludwick (St. Louis) 

Overall, the fans have put together much better picks for the NL starters except in the Outfield, with only Alfonso Soriano being deserving of starting in the current top 3 votegetters.

Ok, I've mentioned a couple of times that the Luis Castillo signing was more complex than most people know or understand, and I've been meaning to write about it forever.

But thankfully, Metsblog.com's Matt Cerrone makes about 65% of my point. There's good, and bad in Luis Castillo.

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http://www.metsblog.com/2008/05/27/note-luis-castillo-likes-double-plays/

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Luis Castillo has grounded in to seven double plays in only 25 opportunities, which is the third-worst rate in baseball.

…what’s worse, it feels like so many of castillo’s double plays occur during what could be a big rally…first and second, one out, castillo hits in to a double…over and over again, it seems…

…for what it’s worth, from what i can gather out of people close to the team, Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to sign David Eckstein, not castillo…

…however, eckstein’s plan was to hold out a) for more money from another team, and b) the opportunity to remain at shortstop…in fact, there are lots of people who believe eckstein had zero intention of playing second base…anywhere…

…meanwhile, castillo had a three-year offer from the Astros, and, for the sake of not waiting around, the Mets gave castillo one more year and ended their search for a second baseman…

…and so now the Mets have a 33–year-old, rally-killing second baseman with bad knees, earning $6 million per season for the next four years…

For what it’s worth, Eckstein is batting .246 in 30 games for the Blue Jays, while starting at shortstop.

Also, in 34 games for the Braves, Ruben Gotay is batting .258 in just 31 at bats.

--------------------

Here's the thing about 2B in the league... There aren't many who are great at the plate. Can you name someone other than Chase Utley who is a superstar at that position?

At the end of last season, the Mets simply didn't have a whole lot of viable options at a position that is already tough to fill.

- Ruben Gotay. Currently riding the bench in Atlanta as a backup. Defensive liability. Had one good year at the plate with the Mets, and not surprisingly, hasn't repeated that in his bench role with Atlanta.

- Anderson Hernandez. Great defensively, can't hit major league pitching, can't hit minor league pitching. Other than pinch-running or as a late-inning defensive replacement, I'm not sure what purpose he would ever serve to any major league club.

- David Eckstein. 2B is not his natural position, and as Cerrone alludes to, he likely wouldn't have agreed to play 2B to begin with. It should also be noted that Eckstein was actively looking for more money, and FIVE years. He ended up signing with Toronto for one year when the leverage his agent thought they had, was gone.

- Tadahito Iguchi. The Mets don't have much luck with Japanese players to begin with, but aside from that, look at his current numbers with San Diego. Worse than Castillo.

- Kazuo Matsui. Couldn't handle New York. Some players are meant to play elsewhere. And while he's been better with Colorado and Houston, he's hardly the same guy any team expected him to be based on his play in Japan.

- Damion Easley. Really? As an everyday starter?

- Jose Valentin. A lot of fans don't comprehend that Jose Valentin was the team's "accidental 2B" in 2006, and turned out to be a genius signing by Omar Minaya, even if it was never planned that way. A shortstop most of his career, Valentin was more than likely on steroids during his time with the Chicago White Sox, as his mediocre power numbers while with Milwaukee, jumped when he got to Chicago. He was hitting 25+ HRs a year, and increased his BA that hovered around .225, to .260 for the next couple of years. To be fair, Valentin was never caught but the numbers are quite suspect.

Once Valentin became a free agent, the White Sox moved on, and he signed with the L.A. Dodgers for the 2005 season. Valentin's numbers with Los Angeles were abysmal, and it didn't help that he was on the DL most of the season after suffering torn knee ligaments. He put up a BA of .170 in 56 games. His career was pretty much over.

Until he signed with the Mets for the 2006 season as a bench player, and backed into the 2B position mid-season once Kazuo Matsui was traded to Colorado and it was apparent that Anderson Hernandez wasn't the answer either. Valentin revitalized his career, at least for one season.

But the 2B position still needed to be filled, and Jose Valentin wasn't the full-time answer. In the offseason, the team signed him to a one-year deal with an option for 2008, as Valentin was still a player who should've been valuable in a bench role, but not as a full-time 2B. However, there were still no better options available.

So Valentin began 2007 as the team's everyday 2B, but didn't quite put up the same numbers he did in 2006. In a game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on July 20, 2007, Valentin broke his leg off an foul ball. After recovering from the freak injury, Valentin has been working his way back through the Mets minor leagues, and would be great to have on the bench. But no longer as a full-time 2B.

Oh yeah, Luis Castillo...  As far as the available 2B free agents the team had at the end of the 2007 season, Castillo's agent had the leverage over Omar Minaya.

There weren't better options available and the Astros had made a 3-year offer to Castillo. Minaya gave him a better deal and that was that.

Was the 4-year deal too long? Definitely, but at that point, what else could Omar Minaya do?

But lets look at what should at least be the positives of Luis Castillo...
- Above-average defensively. Of the aforementioned options listed, only Anderson Hernandez is better at fielding the position. Maybe Valentin too.

- Career .300 hitter with a 1:1 BB/K ratio, if not better during certain years. Maintains a higher OBP than Jose Reyes every single season.

- As a solid contact hitter, he is difficult to strike out.

- Even on creaky legs, still maintains good speed, and is 9 for 10 in SB this season.

Luis Castillo is not having the best start this season (though other than Ryan Church, what Met is?), but if you look at the other 2B options that were available to the Mets, he's STILL the least of all evils.

Wow, I haven't updated this blog in 6 months. That's not very good of me, but with the new 2008 MLB season, and the beginning of the NHL playoffs today, I'll be updating this a LOT more than I have since October.

Onto today's Liveblogging, which is the New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies on ESPN2. From beautiful (?) Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadow, NY. This is the 45th and final season the Mets will play at Shea Stadium. People often refer to Shea as a dump, and for the most part, it is. But it's still a nicer place than Yankee Stadium, even if Shea doesn't quite have the history.

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Top of 1st inning:
4:10pm First pitch from Mike "Should have been in the Santana trade" Pelfrey is to Shane Victorino, leading off tonight since Jimmy Rollins hurt his ankle. Boo hoo.

4:11pm: Pelfrey K's Victorino. Out 1.

4:12pm: Squibber hit in front of the plate by Bruntlett. Brian Schneider, he of great defensive skill, runs the ball down and throws to 1st for the 2nd out.

4:14pm: Chase Utley got hit by pitches 25 times last year. Ouch! That's a lot. In any case, Utley flies out to center for the third out.

Bottom of 1st inning:
4:16pm: Normal 2B Luis Castillo is out with a sore knee tonight, so Damion Easley is playing 2B instead. Angel Pagan will bat behind Reyes.

4:17pm: Jose Reyes draws a leadoff walk.

4:19pm: Angel Pagan hits the 1st pitch on the ground to pitcher Kyle Kendrick. He can't field it cleanly but is able to throw out Pagan at 1st. Reyes to 2nd. 1 out.

The announcers note that Jose Reyes hasn't stolen a base since Sep. 15 last year. This angers me since I'm counting on him for steals in my fantasy league.

4:20pm: David Wright singles the ball to rightfield, Jose Reyes scores easily. Mets 1-0.

4:21pm: Carlos Beltran lines out to Shane Victorino in CF. 2 out.

4:22pm: There sure are a ton of empty seats at Shea right now. Then again, it's quite cold in NY right now so I don't blame people for not showing. Of course, if this were Dodger Stadium, they'd announce the attendance at 50,000 either way.

4:25pm: Carlos Delgado draws a walk. Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out.

4:26pm: Ryan Church up, who is having a pretty good start to the season so far hitting .333, leading the team with 6 RBIs.

4:27pm: Church walks too. So now it's bases loaded for Damion Easley.

4:29pm: Damion Easley hits a chopper up the middle but SS Eric Bruntlett fields it and throws to 1st for the third out.
The David Wright single earlier in the inning that scored Jose Reyes was changed to an Error on Chase Utley, who really should have fielded the ball.

Top of 2nd inning:
4:33pm: Mike Pelfrey strikes out Ryan Howard. Ryan Howard either hits HRs or strikes out. Luckily, Pelfrey didn't give up a HR, yet. 1 out.

4:34pm: Pat Burrell singles up the middle.

4:36pm: Geoff Jenkins singles through the hole in between 1st and 2nd

4:39pm: It's starting to rain at Shea. Pedro Feliz hits what should be a double-play inning-ender, but Jose Reyes gives a bad feed to 2B Damion Easley who can't catch the ball. Error on Jose Reyes, and now it's bases loaded.

4:40pm: Carlos Ruiz singles to rightfield. Pat Burrell scores. Bases still loaded. Tie game at 1.

4:41pm: Pitcher Kyle Kendrick hits a squibber to Carlos Delgado in front of the first base bag. Delgado throws to Brian Schneider at home for the force. 2 out.

4:42pm: Shane Victorino grounds to David Wright who throws to 1st for the 3rd out.

Bottom of 2nd Inning:
4:46pm: Brian Schneider draws a walk to leadoff.

4:47pm: Mike Pelfrey lays down a nice sac bunt. Schneider to 2nd. 1 out.

4:49pm: Jose Reyes hits a broken bat grounder to Ryan Howard, who tosses the ball to Kyle Kendrick covering at 1st. Schneider to 3rd.  2 outs.

4:51pm: Angel Pagan draws a walk. That's the 5th walk from Kendrick, and it's only the 2nd inning.

4:56pm: Kyle Kendrick keeps trying to paint the corners but isn't getting the calls. He walks David Wright. That's the 6th BB now.

4:58pm: Carlos Beltran up with bases loaded. I'd much rather have Beltran up than Easley with bases loaded. But there are 2 out.

4:59pm: Beltran hits a 2-2 pitch to Chase Utley, who throws to Ryan Howard for the 3rd out. The Mets can walk all day but that's twice with bases loaded that they didn't convert anything. 3 out.

Top of 3rd Inning:
5:02pm: We are reminded, seemingly forever, of the 2007 Mets collapse. Curious how no one mentions that the Phillies, after winning the NL East, got swept in 3 games by the Rockies.

5:03pm: Eric Bruntlett grounds out, 4-3. 1 out.

5:05pm: Chase Utley strikes out. 2 out.

5:07pm: Ryan Howard finds a way to get a ground ball through the Ryan Howard shift on the right side, singling to rightfield.

5:09pm: Pat Burrell pops out to Damion Easley in foul territory of shallow rightfield. 3 out.

Bottom of 3rd Inning:

5:12pm: Carlos Delgado hits a double to leftfield. Carlos has been defeating "the shift" lately by hitting balls the opposite way.

5:14pm: Ryan Church hits the first pitch from Kendrick to centerfield for a single. Delgado moves to 3rd base.

5:15pm: Damion Easley singles a weak grounder through the hole in-between 3rd and short, Carlos Delgado scores. 2-1 Mets.

5:16pm: Brian Schneider lines out to Ryan Howard. 1 out.

5:19pm: Mike Pelfrey lays down a bad bunt right in front of the plate, but catcher Carlos Ruiz fields it anyways even though it was going foul, throws to Feliz at 3B trying to get the lead runner but it gets away from him so it's bases loaded again for the Mets. Charlie Manuel wants to argue interference by Pelfrey who briefly was in Ruiz's way as he tried to run, but that's horseshit. His catcher shoulda let the ball roll foul for an out. Instead, error on Ruiz.

5:20pm: Kyle Kendrick is visited at the mound by his pitching coach for the third time in this game, once per inning.

5:22pm: Jose Reyes hits what should be a 6-4-3 DP groundball to Eric Bruntlett, but he can't field it at all, so Church scores. Error on Bruntlett. Bases still loaded. Mets now up 3-1. The Phillies have 3 Errors in 3 Innings.

5:23pm: Angel Pagan doubles down the leftfield line. Damion Easley scores with Mike Pelfrey following. Jose Reyes to 3rd. Mets up 5-1.

5:24pm: That's it for Kyle Kendrick. Charlie Manuel giving him the early hook. Though the way he's pitching tonight, ya can't blame him. I guess there's hope for Mike Pelfrey tonight after all.

5:26pm: Funny that only one of the 5 Met Runs was charged to Kendrick. The rest were thanks to shoddy Phillie defense.

5:27pm: Now pitching for Philadelphia...delphia.....elphia....lphia..... Chad..chad chad chad...Durbin...Durbin....urbin... rubin.....

5:28pm: David Wright hits a grounder to SS Eric Bruntlett who can't field that ball either. They're sure missing J-Roll right now. Jose Reyes scores on the 4th Phillie error. 6-1 Mets.

5:29pm: Chad Durbin throws a wild pitch which hits the front of the plate, bounces over the catcher. Ruiz can't handle at all. The ball goes to the backstop so Angel Pagan scores. 7-1 Mets.

5:30pm: Carlos Beltran draws a walk.

5:31pm: Carlos Delgado is up again. The Mets have now batted around this inning.

5:32pm: Carlos Delgado lines out to Geoff Jenkins in rightfield who makes a nice diving catch. 2 out.

5:33pm: Ryan Church strikes out to end the inning. 3 out. Mets score 6 in the inning and now lead 7-1.

Top of 4th Inning:
5:39pm: Geoff Jenkins grounds out softly to Carlos Delgado. 1 out.

5:42pm: Pedro Feliz draws a walk after going full against Pelfrey.

5:46pm: Carlos Ruiz grounds out to 2B Damion Easley, who tags out Feliz and throws to 1st for the 4-3 DP. 3 out.

Bottom of 4th Inning:
5:50pm: Damion Easley skies a ball to shallow leftfield, caught by Pat Burrell. 1 out.

5:51pm: Brian Schneider grounds out to Ryan Howard. 2 out.

5:52pm: Mike Pelfrey strikes out. 3 out.

Top of 5th Inning:
5:55pm: Chad Durbin grounds out to Jose Reyes, 6-3. 1 out.

5:57pm: Shane Victorino grounds out to Carlos Delgado. 3-1. 2 out.

5:58pm: Eric Bruntlett walks. Why does Mike Pelfrey wear a mouthguard?

6:01pm: Chase Utley doubles to left-center, scoring Eric Bruntlett. Mets lead cut by one, now 7-2.

6:02pm: The announcers are talking a lot about Bill Buckner and his big return to Boston last night. They even show the famous clip from the 1986 World Series. I never get tired of seeing it because that is the definition of awesomeness.

6:04pm: Ryan Howard scalds a grounder right into the glove of 1B Carlos Delgado, who runs to the bag for the third out.

Bottom of 5th Inning:
6:06pm: Jose Reyes pops out to shortstop Eric Bruntlett. 1 out.

6:07pm: Shea Stadium ONLY cost $28.5 million to build back in 1964. I think CitiField costs around $600 million.

6:08pm: Angel Pagan grounds out to Eric Bruntlett, who almost boots that one as well but manages to hang on and throw to first for the 2nd out.

6:10pm: David Wright goes down on strikes. 3 out.

Top of 6th Inning:
6:13pm: Mike Pelfrey's pitch count was at 100 through 5 Innings, so Jorge Sosa is on in relief.

6:14pm: Pat Burrell hits a soft line drive that bounces to Jose Reyes, who boots it, but manages to recover in time to still throw out Burrell, who I imagine wasn't running too hard out of the box to still get thrown out. 1 out.

6:15pm: Geoff Jenkins grounds out to Carlos Delgado. 2 outs.

6:16pm: Dave O'Brien and Joe Morgan are discussing the Amazins lack of a no-hitter in franchise history, despite numerous former Mets such as Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Tom Seaver, doing so with other teams.

6:17pm: Pedro Feliz grounds out to Jose Reyes, 6-3. 3 out.

Bottom of 6th Inning:
6:21pm: Carlos Beltran strikes out. 1 out.

6:22pm: Carlos Delgado flies out to centerfield. 2 out.

6:23pm: Ryan Church grounds out to Ryan Howard, 3-1. 3 out.

Top of 7th Inning:
6:25pm: Carlos Ruiz fouls out to Carlos Delgado. 1 out. Eric Bruntlett's blonde beard is silly.

6:26pm: Greg Dobbs is up pinch-hitting for Chad Durbin.

6:29pm: Dobbs goes down swinging. 2 outs.

6:30pm: Shane Victorino flies out to leftfield. 3 outs.

Bottom of 7th Inning:
6:33pm: Clay Condrey is in to pitch for the Phillies. After Jorge Sosa pitched 2 solid innings for the Mets, with a 5-run lead, I wouldn't fault Willie for using Scott Schoeneweis in the 8th or 9th, providing the lead stays what it is.

6:35pm: Damion Easley leads off with a walk.

6:36pm: Brian Schneider singles to rightfield, Damion Easley stops at 2nd.

6:38pm: Marlon Anderson pinch-hitting for Jorge Sosa.

6:39pm: Anderson flies out to deep left-center. Shane Victorino catches up to it, but Damion Easley is able to tag up to 3rd base. 1 out.

6:41pm: Jose Reyes grounds to 2B Chase Utley. Schneider avoids the tag, Utley throws to first to get Reyes, and then they apply the tag to Schneider for the third out. However, Easley scored the run before Schneider was tagged out, so the Mets sneak another run in. 3 outs. Mets up 8-2 after 7.

Top of 8th Inning:
6:44pm: Pedro Feliciano is on to pitch the 8th Inning, and promptly gives up a leadoff single to error-maker Eric Bruntlett.

6:45pm: Chase Utley flies out to Angel Pagan in leftfield. 1 out.

6:47pm: Ryan Howard gets fooled on a nice changeup for strike 3. 2 out.

6:49pm: Joe Morgan tells a story about ordering a $9 hamburger from room service back in 1966 when he stayed in a Manhattan hotel. That's insane even nowadays.

6:50pm: Pat Burrell singles to rightfield. Bruntlett moves to 2nd.

6:51pm: Jayson Werth is in to replace Geoff Jenkins. Werth provides a right-handed bat against lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano.

6:53pm: Jayson Werth takes 4 straight balls for a walk. Rick Peterson out to check with Feliciano before he pitches to powerhitter Pedro Feliz.

6:54pm: Bases loaded, 2 out. Pedro Feliciano gets 2 strikes on Feliz before throwing 2 balls outside.

6:55pm: Feliz pops out to Damion Easley in shallow rightfield. 3 out. No damage done.

Bottom of 8th Inning:
6:58pm: Rudy Seanez is now pitching for the Phillies, Jayson Werth is now in RF in place of Geoff Jenkins.

6:59pm: Angel Pagan draws a leadoff walk.

7:02pm: David Wright lines out to SS Eric Bruntlett. He tries to double Pagan off of first but Angel gets back safe. 1 out.

7:04pm: Carlos Beltran flies out to deep rightfield. 2 outs.

7:05pm: Carlos Delgado flies out to Pat Burrell in left. 3 outs.

Top of 9th Inning:
7:07pm: Pitching the 9th for the Metropolitans is Carlos Muniz, who just replaced reliever Matt Wise after he went on the DL.

7:09pm: Carlos Ruiz goes down swinging. 1 out.

7:10pm: Pinch-hitting for Rudy Seanez, Chris Coste doubles down the leftfield line.

7:11pm: Shane Victorino grounds out to Damion Easley, 4-3. Coste to 3rd. 2 out.

7:12pm: Eric Bruntlett pops out to catcher Brian Schneider for the 3rd out.  Game over. METS WIN!!

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The Mets finally beat Philadelphia for the first time in the last 10 games. Mike Pelfrey pitched pretty well through 5 Innings, giving up 2 ER on 5 Hits. He walked 2 and K'd 3.

A big thank you to Eric Bruntlett, whose 2 costly Errors were the major difference in the game allowing the 6-run 3rd Inning.