Happy Recap: Mets 10 Pirates 8
If you missed the first six batters of this game you missed 5 runs. The Mets got out to a hot start with Reyes and Castillo on, then doubles by Wright and Delgado and the inning was punctuated by another big hit, a home run, by Moises Alou. He has 7 homers in his last 41 at bats.
But that was the end of the Mets offense, they got nothing for the next 7 innings.
And a struggling John Maine slowly gave the lead back.
It started with a solo homer to lead off the second inning. Then he walked 8th hitter Jack Wilson after a 10 pitch at bat and with two outs gave up an RBI double to the pitcher. And in the 4th he gave up another solo homer to Nate McClouth, which came right after a beautiful diving catch of a bunt by Delgado that he turned into a double play. Maine didn't pitch badly but he definitely didn't have the same stuff he had earlier in the year. He did have 8 strikeouts in 5 innings but he also threw 117 pitches, and a high number of those were foul balls late in the count. He seems the Pirates were able to fight him off.
Maine turned a 2-run over to Gulliermo Mota in the 6th when the Mets poor defense cost him a run. Mota hit Jack Wilson, then Matt Kata pinch hit and blooped one in front of Alou. Any other outfielder might have caught it, but Alou had no chance. But instead of playing it on a bounce Alou dove or slid, and it went past him and brought the run home, to cut the lead to one.
But the Mets got hitless innings out of Jorge Sosa and Aaron Heilman. And then added to their lead in the 9th.
Milledge singled then Reyes sacrificed him to second. I don't mind a bunt here because one run can be crucial, but ahead of Castillo it's maybe not the best move because he can't hit a deep flyball. Milledge stole third, and then Castillo hit a chopper back to the pitcher who tried to get Milledge but threw it away. Milledge scored, then Wright singled, Beltran doubled, Easley doubled and Alou once again finished off a 5-run inning.
But just when you thought it was going to be easy Aaron Sele came in and gave up two singles and a hit batsman. All three of those runs came in and Willie had to go to Billy Wagner in what was now a save situation. Sele did his job as a setup man. Wagner got out of the mess and the Mets got the win.
One side note to this game, there were 6 hit batters:
Nate McClouth by Maine in the 2nd.
Mike DiFelice by Morris in the 3rd.
David Wright by Morris in the 4th.
Jack Wilson by Mota in the 6th.
Shawn Green by Marte in the 9th.
Freddy Sanchez by Sele in the 9th.
The only one that seemed intentional was Green by Marte in 9th. It came right after the Mets had scored 5 runs in the inning and with no one on base (Alou was thrown out at second), and he drilled him right in the back.
After that both teams were warned, but Sele was not ejected when he hit Sanchez in the bottom of the inning because it was a curveball and there were two men on. It will be worth watching to see if the this escalates into a beanball war in the last game these two teams will play against each other until next year.
But that was the end of the Mets offense, they got nothing for the next 7 innings.
And a struggling John Maine slowly gave the lead back.
It started with a solo homer to lead off the second inning. Then he walked 8th hitter Jack Wilson after a 10 pitch at bat and with two outs gave up an RBI double to the pitcher. And in the 4th he gave up another solo homer to Nate McClouth, which came right after a beautiful diving catch of a bunt by Delgado that he turned into a double play. Maine didn't pitch badly but he definitely didn't have the same stuff he had earlier in the year. He did have 8 strikeouts in 5 innings but he also threw 117 pitches, and a high number of those were foul balls late in the count. He seems the Pirates were able to fight him off.
Maine turned a 2-run over to Gulliermo Mota in the 6th when the Mets poor defense cost him a run. Mota hit Jack Wilson, then Matt Kata pinch hit and blooped one in front of Alou. Any other outfielder might have caught it, but Alou had no chance. But instead of playing it on a bounce Alou dove or slid, and it went past him and brought the run home, to cut the lead to one.
But the Mets got hitless innings out of Jorge Sosa and Aaron Heilman. And then added to their lead in the 9th.
Milledge singled then Reyes sacrificed him to second. I don't mind a bunt here because one run can be crucial, but ahead of Castillo it's maybe not the best move because he can't hit a deep flyball. Milledge stole third, and then Castillo hit a chopper back to the pitcher who tried to get Milledge but threw it away. Milledge scored, then Wright singled, Beltran doubled, Easley doubled and Alou once again finished off a 5-run inning.
But just when you thought it was going to be easy Aaron Sele came in and gave up two singles and a hit batsman. All three of those runs came in and Willie had to go to Billy Wagner in what was now a save situation. Sele did his job as a setup man. Wagner got out of the mess and the Mets got the win.
One side note to this game, there were 6 hit batters:
Nate McClouth by Maine in the 2nd.
Mike DiFelice by Morris in the 3rd.
David Wright by Morris in the 4th.
Jack Wilson by Mota in the 6th.
Shawn Green by Marte in the 9th.
Freddy Sanchez by Sele in the 9th.
The only one that seemed intentional was Green by Marte in 9th. It came right after the Mets had scored 5 runs in the inning and with no one on base (Alou was thrown out at second), and he drilled him right in the back.
After that both teams were warned, but Sele was not ejected when he hit Sanchez in the bottom of the inning because it was a curveball and there were two men on. It will be worth watching to see if the this escalates into a beanball war in the last game these two teams will play against each other until next year.
Labels: happy recap, maine, pirates
posted by Paul at 11:35 PM
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