Mets Spoil Nothing, Waste A Stellar Dickey Start

The Mets weren't able to do much at the plate as R.A. Dickey and Tim Hudson were locked in a pitchers duel until the eighth inning.

• Dickey went 7.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out four and walking six. Note to Dickey and the rest of the Mets pitching staff, walks kill. Dickey walked two in the eighth inning before giving up an RBI single to Chipper Jones. That's all the Braves needed.

• Ruben Tejada was 2-3 at the plate. Lucas Duda and Josh Thole are responsible for the other two hits.

• There's really nothing else to report from this game. Dickey and Hudson were both outstanding on the mound.

Next Up: The Mets finish their series with the Braves tomorrow afternoon. Dillon Gee takes the mound for the Mets. Game time is 1:10 p.m.

Mets Look To Play Spoiler Against Braves

September 17, 2011

4:10 PM ET

Turner Field, Atlanta

TV: FOX

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (8-12, 3.43 ERA)

Dickey gave up two runs in seven innings of work in his last start, striking out seven and walking none. Despite it being his tenth consecutive quality start, it wasn't enough, as he was handed the loss. Against the Braves, he is 1-3 with a 4.54 ERA.

ATLANTA BRAVES

Starting Pitcher: Tim Hudson (14-10, 3.32 ERA)

Hudson has lost three of his last four starts, posting a 5.55 ERA during that stretch. He is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA against the Mets this season, and is 14-9 with a 3.64 ERA in his career.

METS LINEUP:

Reyes-SS, Pagan-CF, Wright-3B, Duda-RF, Bay-LF, Evans-1B, Thole-C, Tejada-2B, Dickey-RHP

Mets Morning News: Collins' Words Seem To Have Lit A Spark, Mets NotPlaying The Waiting Game, Minor Leaguer Suspended

David Wright had his 17th multi-home run game last night, hitting a two-run homer followed by a three-run shot. He is now tied for second place in team history. Darryl Strawberry currently holds the record with 22 multi-home run games.

"With the way we’ve been swinging the bats, we score more than one it’s a good night for us," Wright said. "Offensively, we got some good at-bats early and ran from there. Sometimes when you get in a rut it’s kind of contagious."

Did manager Terry Collins' harsh words following Thursday's game have something to do with the Mets 12 run, 20 hit night?

"He's good, but he's not that good," Wright said, smiling. "I give him a lot of credit, but I'm not quite ready to give him credit for 20 hits. It's good obviously that we come out and play well after he had his little rant. We try to go in with the mind-set of having each other's backs and Terry's had ours, so it would be nice to not only finish strong for ourselves but finish up strong for him and give him the credit that he probably deserves for holding this team together for the majority of the year."

According to Jason Stark of ESPN, the Mets most likely will have no interest in waiting for Jose Reyes to make up his mind as to whether or not he wants to remain with the team or test free agency.

"One source who's tight with the Mets brass tells Rumblings they're 'either going to be in or out real quick.' The Mets' baseball people haven't met yet to lay out their offseason game plan. But if Reyes' preference is to test the market, collect offers and then ask the Mets to counter, there are indications that the Mets don't want to play by that script. And Reyes' lackluster second half (.277/.316/.378, with only six stolen-base ATTEMPTS) only figures to reinforce their reluctance to do anything crazy right out of the chute to keep him from exploring the market."

Right-handed minor league pitcher, Brandon Moore,was suspended for 50 games after violating baseball's minor league drug policy. This is his second violation. This violation allegedly involved a "drug of abuse," whatever that means. His suspension will begin at the start of the 2012 season.

Mets Show Signs Of Life In Win Over Atlanta

The Mets' bats finally showed signs of life in tonight's win over Atlanta.

• Chris Capuano went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking two. After giving up a run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Chipper Jones, Capuano gave up a leadoff home run to Martin Prado in the second inning. He then went on to retire nine batters in a row. He ran into trouble in the sixth inning, but overall, pitched a nice game.

• David Wright had not one, but two, home runs in the game. His first was a two-run shot in the first inning, and his second was a three-run homer in the fourth inning. He finished the day going 3-6 with five RBIs and two runs scored.

• Josh Thole had a nice night, going 3-5 with three RBIs. He hit a two-run single in the third inning, and drove in another run in the sixth on a single to right field.

• Jason Bay channeled his inning Endy Chavez in the fourth inning, making a leaping catch to rob Alex Gonzalez of a home run.

• The Mets had 20 hits tonight. To put that into perspective, the Mets only had a total of 25 hits in their entire four-game series with the Nationals.

Next Up: R.A. Dickey takes the hill for the Mets tomorrow in Atlanta. Game time is 4:10 p.m.

Mets Morning News: Quitters Never Win, Pitchers Can't Hit, Wright'sTired

In case you missed it, after yesterday's loss to the Nationals, manager Terry Collins had a mini meltdown in his post-game press conference.

"The perception I have right now: We folded it up. And I won’t stand for that," he said. "You want to see me be intense? You guys are going to see it. I don’t play that game."

Between the poor pitching, nearly non-existent offense, and daily fielding errors, the Mets are certainly playing like a team who has been eliminated.

Everybody knows that pitchers are generally not hitters. This is especially true for the Mets. According to the New York Times, Mets pitchers rank second from last in the National  League with a .102 batting average. The only other team worse at the plate than the Mets, is the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"In spring training, maybe we need to make an adjustment and get more work at it," the hitting coach Dave Hudgens said. "We probably waited too long to do that. Usually pitchers are pretty good athletes. They should be more competitive with the bat."

David Wright has been horrendous in the field during this past homestand. He's committed eight errors in the past ten games.

"I haven't been playing well," Wright said. "Sometimes there's nothing to say except that you're not playing well defensively. It's the middle of September, so obviously I think everybody's a little tired, including me. But you try to make the plays. Sometimes you make them and sometimes you don't."

Umm...of all the people on this team, Wright should be the least fatigued, seeing as how he had about two months off due to injury.

Collins Is Disgusted, And You Should Be Too

Terry Collins was none too pleased following today's game.



"This has been an awful time...I’m the manager of this team and I’m responsible. We didn’t manage, we didn’t coach and we didn’t play. It’s pretty simple. You go through stretches and this is one of them. But perception is reality in our game, and the perception I have is that we folded it up. I won’t stand for that. You want to see intensity? You want to see me be intense? You guys are gonna see it. I don’t play that game. You come to play the game right. I don’t care what the situation is, I don’t care what the standings say, I don’t care about pitch counts. I only care about playing the game correctly. Our fans should be upset. I don’t blame them one bit...We need to find a new formula. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’ve got a three-hour plane ride to figure it out."

Thanks to the writer's over at Metsblog for transcribing this.

Mets Going Down In Flames

Ugliness. Just, ugliness. That's the best way to describe today's game and this homestand. The Mets got beat up this afternoon, losing to the Nationals, 10-1. They finished their homestand with an 1-8 record.

• Chris Schwinden went five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits, while striking out three and walking two.

• As far as pitchers went in this game, it was like Little League. Just about everyone got to play. Pedro Beato and Manny Acosta were awful out of the bullpen. Beato gave up three runs in the eighth inning, and Acosta was roughed up for four runs in the ninth. Daniel Herrera balked in a run in the seventh inning as well.

• Fielding was sloppy also. Valentino Pascucci made a fielding error in the fifth inning allowing a run to score. David Wright committed ANOTHER error. That is his eighth error in the past ten games.

• The Mets were 0-11 with runners in scoring position. They scored a total of five runs in the entire series.

• They managed to score one run in today's game thanks to of all people, Jason Bay. Bay hit an RBI double in the sixth inning, and finished the day going 2-4 at the plate.

Next Up: The Mets are going to hit the road, heading to Atlanta for a weekend series. Chris Capuano will take the mound for New York. Game time is 7:35 p.m.

Schwinden Gets A Second Chance

September 15, 2011

1:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Chris Schwinden (0-1, 9.00 ERA)

Scwhinden will make his second Major League start today, and hopefully it goes better than his first. In his debut, he allowed five runs on eight hits over five innings of work.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Starting Pitcher: Tom Milone (0-0, 6.30 ERA)

Milone is making just his third Major League start. His MLB debut was against the Mets on September 3. He went 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on six hits.

Mets Morning News: Santana's Not Returning, Mets Officially Eliminated,Wilson's Painting

Johan Santana will not pitch in the majors this year, and he also won't be making a rehab start for Single-A Savannah today. Manager Terry Collins told reporters:

"I just think, for him to come here, even for one outing, we were asking for a bad experience afterwards. … [Rehab coordinator] Randy Niemann told me today he's gonna be ready for spring training and that's good enough for me."

As for Savannah, the team is playing in the South Atlantic League championship series, and Santana doesn't feel it's his place to participate.

Most Mets fans have known for a while that the team would not be making the playoffs this season. That became official yesterday, as the Mets were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

"It's obviously disappointing," David Wright said. "It's another year we're not going to the playoffs. You would've thought with the resources we have and the players we've had that we would've had the opportunity to go to the playoffs more than once (in 2006) and that hasn't happened. But there's only one thing to do and that's play better. We have to try to finish strong and next year figure out a way to get it done."

Jason Bay added:

"I think it's foolish to think that all the pieces are here. And that's no slight to anybody, that's looking at the other teams in baseball and what they're doing and how they're doing it.

"Every team's got some pieces, we probably have a few more than others. But I think it would definitely take maybe a piece or two more. Are those pieces getting back Ike and Johan and having other guys step up, have myself have a better year, have guys have career years? That's how a lot of those things work - you get a lot of contributions.

"A lot of things have to go right and a lot of things haven't gone right for us."

Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner unveiled a painting completed of them illustrating that play from the 1986 World Series. You may have heard of it. The play where the ball gets by Buckner? Wilson said the two men were tired of doing the same photo over and over again, so:

"We wanted to do something special. We’ve been talking about it for a couple of years now, and we could not ever quite decide on what to do . . . And we thought that this was the best way to do it, with both of us having equal billing, you could say, on the painting. That’s how it all came about."

In case you're wondering, all proceeds from the painting which can be purchased at theplay86.com, will go to Wilson and Buckner.

"As you know, Bill’s been out the game quite a while. He just started managing again this year [in the independent Can-Am League]. And I’ve been out of the game for a while. I’ve been back and forth, off and on. And we have part-time jobs. As you know, that little 8x10 that the collectors and the promoters have been selling for years now is old and worn-out."

Another Day, Another Loss To The Nationals

Stop me if you've heard this one before. The Mets lost to the Nationals, 2-0, and couldn't do a thing at the plate.

• Mike Pelfrey pitched well tonight, giving up two runs on six hits over seven innings. Both of those two runs were unearned.

• David Wright committed another error. In the third inning, his fielding error in the third inning allowed for Ian Desmond to reach base. Desmond would later score on a single by Michael Morse.

• The Mets offense was, for lack of a better word, pathetic. They were 1-11 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten men on base.

• Then there was the bunting. For the love of all that is holy, please stop with the bunting. In the bottom of the ninth with no outs and two runners on, Justin Turner was unable to lay down a bunt. Jason Pridie then grounded out, and Jose Reyes lined out to end the game.

Next Up: The Mets close out their series with the Nationals tomorrow afternoon. Chris Schwinden gets the start. Game time is 1:10 p.m.

Mets & Nats Preview, Mets Eliminated, 2012 Schedule

September 14, 2011

7:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Mike Pelfrey (7-11, 4.66 ERA)

The last time Pelfrey faced the Nationals on September 4, the Nats knocked him out of the game after five innings. In 4.2 innings, he allowed three runs on five hits. Lifetime against Washington, he is 4-6 with a 4.30 ERA.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Starting Pitcher: Brad Peacock (0-0, 6.75 ERA)

Peacock will make his first Major League start  tonight for the Nationals. His first Major League appearance was September 6 against the Dodgers. He gave up one runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work.

METS LINEUP:

Reyes-SS, Tejada-2B, Duda-RF, Wright-3B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Satin-1B, Thole-C, Pelfrey-RHP

NOTE:

The Braves beat the Marlins this afternoon, 4-1, officially eliminating the Mets from playoff contention.

Mark your calendars, the Mets released their 2012 schedule. The season kicks off April 5, at Citi Field. The Mets will take on the Atlanta Braves.

Mets Morning News: Tragic Numbers, No Surgery For Dickey, Franco ToTutor, Reyes' Hammy

Following last night's 3-2 loss to the Nationals, the Mets are one game away from being officially eliminated from postseason contention.

After partially tearing his plantar fascia on May 26, R.A. Dickey's foot has healed enough that he will avoid surgery once the season ends. Is it just me, or did it seem like Dickey pitched better once he hurt his foot?

The Mets have called on John Franco to begin working with Bobby Parnell. The former Met will soon begin "frame of mind" discussions.

"The more that [Parnell] can understand it's an attitude, that you've got to believe that everything is going to work your way and you've got to choose your battles, the better he will be," [Pitching coach, Dan] Warthen said. "I think John Franco can help him in that respect. He's a good, name guy and I try to use all the people I can."

Jose Reyes admitted that his left hamstring has been experiencing some tightness as of late, and it's effecting his game.

"The other day I felt it a little bit when we played Chicago -- nothing crazy, but I feel some tightness in my leg. That’s why I backed off a little bit. ... Sometimes, when you’re at home plate, you think about it -- ‘Oh, man, if you hit a shot, how am I going to run to third base?'"

I Feel Like I've Seen This Before, Mets Fall To Nationals, 3-2

The Mets were plagued by one bad inning, and failed offensively, all leading to a 3-2 loss to the Nationals.

• Dillon Gee went 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on six hits, whiles striking out five and walking two. Gee pitched well through the first five innings, but things fell apart for him in the sixth when he gave up RBI doubles to Rick Ankiel and Michael Morse.

• Lucas Duda hit a two-run single in the fifth inning to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. Duda finished the night going 3-5 at the plate.

• Dale Thayer got himself in a jam in the seventh inning, giving up back-to-back singles. Tim Byrdak replaced Thayer and was able to get a ground out, but he was then replaced by Bobby Parnell. Parnell didn't help anyone out, giving up the go-ahead run on a single from Ryan Zimmerman.

•  Jose Reyes was 3-4 with a walk and a run scored.

• The Mets were just 2-9 with runners in scoring position, and they stranded 10 men on base.

• The Mets failed miserably when it came to moving runners over via a bunt.  After Josh Thole doubled to start the fifth inning, Dillon Gee was not able to bunt him over. Then in the seventh inning following a walk from Reyes, Ruben Tejada failed to get a bunt down.

Next Up: Mike Pelfrey takes the mound for the Mets in game three of their series with Washington. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Gee, Mets Look To Bounce Back From Last Night's Loss; Another Day,Another Met Honored

September 13, 2011

7:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Dillon Gee (12-6, 4.42 ERA)

Gee has been inconsistent as of late, but he did have a quality start in his last outing. In six-plus innings of work, he gave up three runs. This season, Gee is 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA against the Nationals. Lifetime, he is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Starting Pitcher: Chien-Ming Wang (2-3, 4.43 ERA)

Wang went six innings in his last start, giving up four runs. In his career, he is 2-2 with a 5.26 ERA against the Mets.

METS LINEUP: 

Reyes-SS, Tejada-2B, Duda-RF, Wright-3B, Pagan-CF, Harris-LF, Evans-1B, Thole-C, Gee-RHP

NOTE:

The Mets announced today that Mike Pelfrey has been named the Mets' 2011 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The award, "recognizes a Major League Baseball player who best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement." Fans can vote for Pelfrey to win the award by visiting www.chevybaseball.com/clemente.

Can't Forget

This Sunday was the tenth anniversary of September 11 - a nearly inescapable fact for the majority of the week leading up to Sunday and certainly unavoidable during the day.  It was the opening Sunday of the NFL season, and featured 15 MLB games, and every single one of them paid tribute in some way to the victims of 9/11.  Teams unfurled huge American flags, singers belted bone-chilling renditions of the National Anthem, and nearly every athlete who picked up a ball on Sunday did so while wearing a ribbon honoring those who died ten years ago.  The theme of the day seemed to be: Never Forget.

Did anyone really think we had?

Many turned to sports after 9/11 to forget, and I found myself tuning in to football and baseball so I wouldn't have to deal with the flood of memories.  I didn't want to watch names being read, or footage of the Twin Towers burning and collapsing, or see photos of people covered in ash.  It's not that I want to forget - I just didn't want to have to re-live it.  Of course, it was impossible to avoid, and by the third time I heard the National Anthem on Sunday night, I had remembered it all.

I'm not here to tell you how to pay tribute to those that died on 9/11 - mourning is private, and complex, and ambiguous and all of those feelings are multiplied given that we have reached a milestone year and that the perpetrator of the attacks met his demise earlier this year.

We all experienced the day differently. I had just turned 13 and was in my first week of eighth grade when I learned my city had been attacked.  I drove home with my father, listening to 1010 WINS on the radio and still remember turning east on 116 Street and staring down at the cloud of smoke hovering over lower Manhattan.  Sports were the furthest thing from my mind, and remained so for most of that year.  I don't remember the first Mets game after 9/11, barely remember the first Giants game after the attacks, but I still have vivid memories of the day I saw Ground Zero for the first time, or the first time I spied the altered New York skyline while driving back to Manhattan.

Sunday had some touching tributes, and some notable missteps.  I thought the NFL did a decent job of reminding us that there are things more important than sports, though I couldn't quite understand what marketing genius decided to run the Budweiser ad featuring the horses bowing to Ground Zero, or the stupid sappy Verizon ad with kids singing.  And of course, baseball managed to botch the entire event by scheduling the Yankees on the West Coast and forcing the Mets to wear the "official" MLB memorial hats as opposed to the NYPD/FDNY/PANY hats that become so ubiquitous after 9/11.

Look, letting the Mets wear the hats would not have accomplished much. It wouldn't bring global terrorism to its knees or reunite a country that is bitterly bipartisan.  It certainly wouldn't have reminded any absent minded New Yorkers about the attacks.  We are reminded every day by having our bags randomly searched on the subway, or by the pangs we get walk past a firehouse with a plaque or mural, or the quick fear we get when a siren wails in the distance.  We remember every time a service member gets a standing ovation at a game, or when we get wanded and patted down at security outside CitiField, or when we stare at the neon skyline above the scoreboard and see the Twin Towers replaced by a ribbon.

If the Mets had worn those hats, it would not have prevented us from forgetting.  Rather, it would have showed that the players understood what the day meant, and how the Mets gave everyone a little bit of normalcy after watching our city burn for weeks on end. It would have showed that the players get it, that they are part of something bigger than themselves and that they were doing a little something to honor the real heroes in this world.  It would have shown that they give a damn, which is all we ask for sometimes as fans.

Instead, someone from MLB snatched the hat off of David Wright's head, and Joe Torre sent a stupid letter out warning of "prohibitive fines" if any players wore unauthorized apparel.  It seemed so phony to have pregame ceremonies and yet not allow the players to pay tribute to the tragedy in their own way.  It was as if baseball were saying: "Sure, we remember your pain.  Buy these official hats to sooth it!  But don't you dare have any individuality - or else!"

I don't blame the players for not breaking the rules and doing it anyway. Honestly, it was enough of a gesture that they wanted to do it in the first place.  But I do blame baseball for telling people how they are allowed to mourn and how they are allowed to remember.  9/11 wasn't "America's day," in the sense that Memorial Day is about mourning as a nation.  It was New York's day, it was Washington DC's day, it was Pennsylvania's day, it was some person out in Wisconsin and some person down in Florida and some person up in Maine all realizing that the world can be a terrifying place.  It was a day of individuals, dealing with tragedy in their own way.

Ten years later, we are all still dealing with 9/11 in our own ways.  And MLB should have figured that out by now.

Evan is also the author of Umpire State. Follow him on Twitter @Evan_S_S.

Mets Morning News: Star Wars Night, Still Talking About Hats, Lack OfFocus, Relievers

Get excited Star Wars fans. Tonight is Star War Night at Citi Field, and yes, there will be people walking around the park dressed as Darth Vader, Jedi, and Stormtroopers. The nigh serves two purposes: to celebrate the release of Stare Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-Ray, and it will help raise money for cancer research. For every ticket sold for the event, a $5 donation will be made to Stand Up For Cancer.

The hat scandal from Sunday night is still alive and well. According to the NY Post, Joe Torre said that the Mets were never threatened with a heavy fine if they wore first responder hats during the game. A source also hinted to The Post that perhaps the Mets front office made up the threat of fines from MLB in order to get players to abide by the rule. Another source believes that, with the Mets already owing MLB $25 million, COO Jeff Wilpon decided to not ruffle any feathers, and had the team not wear the hats. This is turning into a game of he said, she said, and frankly it's getting old. Move on already.

Terry Collins believes some of the blame for last night's loss can be attributed to Sunday's hat drama.

"I just think today we lost focus on some things," Collins said. "The attention is away from the game right now. And that's an issue with me. Because you have to focus on the game.

"What's the attention been since we walked in the ballpark today? It's not on who we're playing. It's not on who's pitching. We all want to know which kind of hat we're going to wear tonight. That takes away from the game. We have to start focusing on what the game is."

Andrew Keh of the New York Times looks at how Josh Stinson and Daniel Herrera have contributed to the team.

Another Tough Luck Loss For Dickey

The Mets dropped their third game in a row, losing to Washington by a score of 3-2.

• R.A. Dickey went seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits, while striking out seven and walking none. He had another quality start tonight, but defense was an issue yet again on the left side of the infield. He was also charged with two wild pitches. Such is the life of a knuckleballer.

• David Wright committed an error in the fifth inning, allowing for Wilson Ramos to drive in a run, giving the Nationals a 1-0 lead. This was Wright's fourth error in the past three games, and his sixth error in the past seven games.

• After falling behind the Nats, 2-0, in the sixth inning, the Mets came back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning on a David Wright single and a double from Angel Pagan.

• The Mets had a chance to take the lead in sixth inning, but Nats reliever Todd Coffey managed to strike out the reigning National League Player of the Week, Jason Bay.

• Jose Reyes went 0-4 at the plate, snapping a 14-game hitting streak.

• Josh Stinson, Daniel Herrera, D.J. Carrasco, and Tim Byrdak pitched a combined two innings of scoreless relief.

Next Up: The Mets continue their series against the Nationals tomorrow night at Citi Field. Dillon Gee starts for New York. Chien-Ming Wang takes the mound for Washington. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Mets & Nationals, Plus Bay Wins Player Of The Week Honor

September 12, 2011

7:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (8-11, 3.47 ERA)

Dickey went seven shut out innings in his last start. That made for nine consecutive quality starts from the knuckleballer. Against the Nationals, Dickey is 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Starting Pitcher: Ross Detwiler (2-5, 3.83 ERA)

Detwiler missed his last scheduled start because of a rain out, and will therefore be pitching on nine days rest. In his career, he is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA.

METS LINEUP:

Reyes-SS, Turner-2B, Duda-RF, Wright-3B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Evans-1B, Nickeas-C, Dickey-RHP

NOTE: 

Jason Bay, yes, the same Jason Bay that plays for the Mets, has been named the National League Player of the Week. Last week, Bay had a .481 batting average, and was tied in the Major League in hits (13), total bases (24), and doubles (five). He drove in a National League leading 10 runs.

Mets Morning News: Hat Drama, Duda Going To Winter Ball, Santana GetsAnother Start

If you somehow missed it, Major League Baseball issued an "edict" banning tribute hats from games played on 9/11. That meant the Mets were not allowed to wear hats representing first responders like the FDNY and NYPD during the game. The players had considered wearing the hats anyway, but finally decided to follow the guidelines because the fines would have been too steep. Of course, MLB tried to do the same thing following the attacks on 9/11, but the 2001 Mets squad told the league to shove it. Todd Zeile recalled the following:

"The quote was attributed to me that I said, 'They're going to have to pry them off our heads if they think we're going to take those off.' But the quote was really attributed to me because I was the player rep. It was really a collective feeling from everybody in the clubhouse, and (manager) Bobby (Valentine) included, that, 'Hey, we're wearing these out there as a tribute. This is not some trivial, novel little sign and gesture. This is a tribute. And we're going to wear these hats until we can't wear them anymore, until they're ripped off our heads.' That was the feeling we had toward New York. There was a unity there."

Lucas Duda plans to play winter ball in Venezuela. The team had felt that Duda did not need to go to winter ball because of all the innings he played this season, but Duda wants to continue to learn right field.

Johan Santana will get another rehab start. With Class A affiliate Savannah advancing to the South Atlantic League championship series, Santana will make his fourth rehab start. He is expected to throw at least four innings.

Following The Great Hat Dilemma, Mets Fall To Cubs 10-6

Prior to the start of the game between the Mets and Cubs, a controversy was brewing.  Word had got out that Major League Baseball was not going to allow the Mets to wear various first responder hats. This threw Mets fans into an almost blind rage, and just didn't make any sense. Apparently, Joe Torre wanted to keep uniforms across MLB consistent. Whatever, Joe. It was a bad move. It should be noted that despite the controversy, the Mets did put together a nice September 11 remembrance ceremony.

Now to the game. The Mets lost to the Cubs in eleven innings by a score 10-6.

• Miguel Batista went five innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out one and walking three. Control was an issue for Batista from the very start of this game, hitting Matt Garza and Tony Campana. Batista gave up an RBI triple to Carlos Pena to put the Mets in an early 1-0 hole. With two outs in the third inning, he allowed a two-run single to Tyler Colvin. Colvin would get Batista again in the fifth inning, hitting an RBI triple.

• Angel Pagan got the Mets even in the first inning with an RBI double. Pagan also stole his 31st base of the season.

• The Mets would tag on two more runs in the sixth inning to bring them to within one run of the Cubs. Nick Evans doubled to score Jason Bay. Evans would later score on an RBI single by Ronny Paulino.

• Justin Turner, pinch hitting for Daniel Herrera in the eighth inning, got a base hit up the first base line, and an error by Jeff Samardzija allowed Pagan to score the tying run.

• The game was tied until the eleventh inning, when Josh Stinson and Ryota Igarashi allowed a combined six runs to score.

Next Up: The Mets and Nationals begin a four-game series beginning Monday night. R.A. Dickey gets the start for the Mets. Ross Detwiler will take the mound for Washington. Game time is 7:10 p.m.

Mets Involved in Controversy Before The Game Even Starts

September 11, 2011

8:10 PM ET

Citi Field

TV: ESPN

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Miguel Batista (1-0, 2.25 ERA)

Batista has been good in his first two starts with the Mets, but walks have been a concern. He has walked seven in 12 innings. Against the Cubs, he is 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA.

CHICAGO CUBS

Starting Pitcher: Matt Garza (8-10, 3.52 ERA)

The Mets better hope they can knock out Garza early in this game. Garza is 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA in games where he reaches the seventh inning. This will be his first career start against the Mets.

METS LINEUP:

Reyes-SS, Tejada-2B, Duda-RF, Wright-3B, Pagan-CF, Bay-LF, Evans-1B, Paulino-C, Batista-RHP

NOTE:

Major League Baseball released a league-wide policy addressing uniforms for today's games. As a result, the Mets are not allowed to wear FDNY or NYPD hats in tonight's game. So, MLB is willing to essentially exploit the Mets and September 11th on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN in order to bring in ratings, but the team can't wear first responder hats. Classy.

As of right now, the Mets plan on following MLB's rules. The 2001 Mets told MLB to shove it when the league attempted to ban the hats then as well. This team should do the same.

Memories of 9/11, And How The Mets Helped A City Heal

Ten years ago today, I was in tenth grade, sitting in my french class. As it goes with most high school teenagers, rumors spread. Stories get mangled. On this early Tuesday morning, a few students had heard a rumor that a plane had hit Twin Towers. You see, Twin Towers was the name of the middle school up the street. All rumors were quickly put to rest when our principal began relaying the mornings events over the loud speaker.

Not one, but two planes had hit the Twin Towers in lower Manhattan, and by 10:28 a.m., they were gone.

I remember trying to wrap my head around what was happening. News soon began to filter in about the planes. One flight in particular grabbed my attention: United Airlines Flight 93. Long before it was known about the heroics which took place on that flight, there was one fact which caught my eye. Flight 93 was scheduled to leave Newark International Airport that morning.

That morning, before I left for school, I had said goodbye to my mom. She was flying out of Newark that day. It wasn't until I heard this news that I realized I couldn't remember what time my mom's flight was. That afternoon my volleyball coach pulled me out of my biology class to tell me that my mom had called the school to say she was alright. Her flight had been scheduled for later that day, and was obviously cancelled.

Baseball played a major role in the healing process in the weeks following 9/11. By now, everyone knows about the Mike Piazza home run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBMC1tA4CdM

It was what the Mets did off the field, however, that impressed me the most.

The Mets had been playing in Pittsburgh when the attacks happened. With all flights cancelled, the team took at eight hour bus ride back to New York. As soon as they returned, manager Bobby Valentine and the players immediately began assisting in the relief effort.

Shea Stadium was turned into a staging area for rescue workers, and the Mets helped pack supply boxes with food, water, and medical supplies.

Everyone realized that it was time to role up their sleeves and help. It wasn't a time to play the celebrity card, and avoid the situation.

Then, on September 21, there was a reason to cheer again. Serving as the first sporting event held in New York since the attacks, Shea played host to the Braves, the Mets' long-time rivals.

I wasn't at Shea for this game, but I watched it on television. You could sense that no one was quite sure how to act.

Then Piazza hit that home run, and all of a sudden, it was like a weight had been lifted off this crowds shoulders. People were smiling for the first time since the attacks. Firefighters, and other first reposnders in attendance were smiling, jumping up and down, and cheering.

That's what's great about this game. It serves as a distraction from our everyday lives. It makes us forget our troubles, even if it is just for a short period of time.

Mets Morning News: Wright & Reyes Errors, Will Santana Pitch This Year?

Jose Reyes discussed he and David Wright's disastrous day in the infield with reporters. The combined four errors allowed for three unearned runs to score.

"That happens sometimes. This is baseball. We just try to do our job and sometimes we're going to make a mistake. Hopefully, it's not going to happen too much."

It's not looking like Johan Santana will be making any kind of appearance for the Mets this season. According to manager Terry Collins, the only game he'll be pitching in for New York this season is in a simulated game.

"The gameplan has been to get him in some competitive situations where he finds out how he feels bouncing back from each and every outing," Collins said. "(Sunday) I’m hoping that we hear that his recovery is fine and his long toss session is fine and he can get ready for whatever his next time pitching will be...If I don’t think he’s ready to pitch, I’m not gonna pitch him."