Happy Recap: Mets 9 Reds 2
A nice easy victory to get back to even in the series. This game was actually closer than the final score indicates, the Mets didn't blow it open until late.
Trachsel pitched well tonight, and believe it or not, in a game that featured 11 runs...and Steve Trachsel, this one lasted only 2 hours and 34 minutes. That's got to be close to a personal best for him. He is on a mini-roll right now, having won his last 3 starts, and the game before that he allowed 1 run in 7 innings against the Giants but the bullpen blew it for him. That was the famous Milledge home run, high five loss.
Trachsel hit the second home run by a pitcher at Shea this week. It was his third career homer and his first since August 28, 1998. His teammate at the time, Sammy Sosa hit his 53rd that day. One week after that game he gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd homer.
The last time a Met pitcher hit a home run was almost four years ago to the day, when Shawn Estes homered off Roger Clemens but couldn't hit him with a pitch.
Lastings Milledge got the game off to a great start when the first batter, the speedy Ryan Freel singled to left Milledge gunned him down at second, trying to stretch into a double. Milledge took a perfect circuitous route to the ball so that his body was lined up perfectly with the base. He scooped it up and fired a strike to Valentin who was waiting and slapped the tag on the dead duck.
But later in the game Milledge got a horrible jump on a pop up and had to make a sliding catch on what should have been a routine play.
The bottom of the first was also good for the Mets as Reyes hit one in almost the spot as Freel, but he was able to get to second as Dunn was much slower getting to the ball than Milledge.
Lo Duca then hit a blast off the top of the wall in left center to drive home Reyes. Gary Cohen erroneously called it a homer, and SNY put up the 2-run homer graphic, but it did hit the top of the wall and bounce back.
No matter because Carlos Delgado drove up Lo Duca with a home run to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. It was Delgado's 20th of the year. He became the 4th Met to hit 20 in only 70 games, joining Dave Kingman, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Piazza. Beltran was one homer short.
The game stayed 4-1 into the 7th inning when Trachsel tired and loaded the bases with no out. Duaner Sanchez came got a sacrifice fly and a double play to minimize the damage.
The Mets broke it open in the bottom of the 7th off our old friend David "Stormy" Weathers. Valentin walked, and Nady homered (his first hit since coming off the DL). Milledge singled (pictured above), Duaner Sanchez got hit by the pitch and Reyes made out. Then Lo Duca doubled home the runners to make it 8-2. Weathers walked Beltran and that was it for him. Kent Mercker came on and got the last two outs.
Final line for Weathers: 1/3 inning, 7 batters, 4 hits, 4 earned runs and 2 walks.
At this time I can't find any word on an injury to Duaner Sanchez but I assume he's hurt because Willie let him bat, but didn't use him to pitch the 8th inning. Heilman pitched the 8th, Oliver the 9th.
Welcome back Xavier Nady. After getting back into the groove with a homer in the 7th, Nady followed that up with another homer in the 8th. That gives him 11 for the year, not bad considering all the games he missed. He could hit 25. But he has only 25 RBI because he's hit so poorly with men on base. Check out these two pictures below, catching his two home run swings at almost the exact same moment. At first I thought they were two pictures of the same swing but the background is completely different (check out the beer bottles on the dugout).
Keith Hernandez was at his irreverent best tonight. Trachsel did an interview with Chris Kotter from the clubhouse after he left the game. The Mets have done this several times this year and the pitchers have been gracious. Hernandez said he'd never do that if he were playing. "I love Chris but I'd say 'sorry Chris, talk to me after the game.'" Not sure if he was criticizing the SNY coverage, complimenting the current Mets for being so gracious or once again pointing out how much things have changed since he played.
This game also featured Jose Valentin and his brother Javier. Javier also has a moustache but in a light brown, as opposed to jet black. He's a little heavier than Jose and as Keith pointed out "he hasn't missed too many meals."
Trachsel pitched well tonight, and believe it or not, in a game that featured 11 runs...and Steve Trachsel, this one lasted only 2 hours and 34 minutes. That's got to be close to a personal best for him. He is on a mini-roll right now, having won his last 3 starts, and the game before that he allowed 1 run in 7 innings against the Giants but the bullpen blew it for him. That was the famous Milledge home run, high five loss.
Trachsel hit the second home run by a pitcher at Shea this week. It was his third career homer and his first since August 28, 1998. His teammate at the time, Sammy Sosa hit his 53rd that day. One week after that game he gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd homer.
The last time a Met pitcher hit a home run was almost four years ago to the day, when Shawn Estes homered off Roger Clemens but couldn't hit him with a pitch.
Lastings Milledge got the game off to a great start when the first batter, the speedy Ryan Freel singled to left Milledge gunned him down at second, trying to stretch into a double. Milledge took a perfect circuitous route to the ball so that his body was lined up perfectly with the base. He scooped it up and fired a strike to Valentin who was waiting and slapped the tag on the dead duck.
But later in the game Milledge got a horrible jump on a pop up and had to make a sliding catch on what should have been a routine play.
The bottom of the first was also good for the Mets as Reyes hit one in almost the spot as Freel, but he was able to get to second as Dunn was much slower getting to the ball than Milledge.
Lo Duca then hit a blast off the top of the wall in left center to drive home Reyes. Gary Cohen erroneously called it a homer, and SNY put up the 2-run homer graphic, but it did hit the top of the wall and bounce back.
No matter because Carlos Delgado drove up Lo Duca with a home run to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. It was Delgado's 20th of the year. He became the 4th Met to hit 20 in only 70 games, joining Dave Kingman, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Piazza. Beltran was one homer short.
The game stayed 4-1 into the 7th inning when Trachsel tired and loaded the bases with no out. Duaner Sanchez came got a sacrifice fly and a double play to minimize the damage.
The Mets broke it open in the bottom of the 7th off our old friend David "Stormy" Weathers. Valentin walked, and Nady homered (his first hit since coming off the DL). Milledge singled (pictured above), Duaner Sanchez got hit by the pitch and Reyes made out. Then Lo Duca doubled home the runners to make it 8-2. Weathers walked Beltran and that was it for him. Kent Mercker came on and got the last two outs.
Final line for Weathers: 1/3 inning, 7 batters, 4 hits, 4 earned runs and 2 walks.
At this time I can't find any word on an injury to Duaner Sanchez but I assume he's hurt because Willie let him bat, but didn't use him to pitch the 8th inning. Heilman pitched the 8th, Oliver the 9th.
Welcome back Xavier Nady. After getting back into the groove with a homer in the 7th, Nady followed that up with another homer in the 8th. That gives him 11 for the year, not bad considering all the games he missed. He could hit 25. But he has only 25 RBI because he's hit so poorly with men on base. Check out these two pictures below, catching his two home run swings at almost the exact same moment. At first I thought they were two pictures of the same swing but the background is completely different (check out the beer bottles on the dugout).
Keith Hernandez was at his irreverent best tonight. Trachsel did an interview with Chris Kotter from the clubhouse after he left the game. The Mets have done this several times this year and the pitchers have been gracious. Hernandez said he'd never do that if he were playing. "I love Chris but I'd say 'sorry Chris, talk to me after the game.'" Not sure if he was criticizing the SNY coverage, complimenting the current Mets for being so gracious or once again pointing out how much things have changed since he played.
This game also featured Jose Valentin and his brother Javier. Javier also has a moustache but in a light brown, as opposed to jet black. He's a little heavier than Jose and as Keith pointed out "he hasn't missed too many meals."
posted by Paul at 5:36 PM
4 Comments:
I think Willie used Sanchez to bunt and then when we scored a lot of runs decided not to pitch him another inning...maybe it was not related to him getting hit.
Beltran has only played in 60 games. If he hits a home run in the next 10 games, does that count? With all this talk about moustaches, the most famous Met moustache was mine after I got thrown out of the game. Looked great with my glasses.
The ball hit the bat, not me. Thankfully, the bat is not injured. Willie decided not to send me out for the next inning because we scored so many runs. Glad I'm your favorite player on the team. Most people prefer that little sissy, David Wright.
the above message was sent to me by Duaner Sanchez, sorry for not giving him credit
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