Gee, Mets Look To Ruin Milone's Debut

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: Dillon Gee (12-5, 4.24 ERA)

After his disastrous outing in Philadelphia, Gee was able to bounce back in his last start, giving up just one run and striking out six. In his career, he is 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA against the Nationals.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

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

Milone is making his Major League debut tonight for the Nationals. In 24 starts for Triple-A Syracuse, Milone was 12-6 with a 3.22 ERA.

METS LINEUP:

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

NATIONALS LINEUP:

Desmond-SS, Bernadina-RF, Zimmerman-3B, Morse-LF, Werth-CF, Espinosa-2B, Marrero-1B, Flores-C, Milone-P

Mets Morning News: Mr. OBP, Johnson Asks If Mets Are Ready For LowPayroll, Davis & Santana Updates

Josh Stinson made his Major League debut last night, and along with pitching 1.2 innings of relief, he also managed to work out a four-pitch walk in his first plate appearance. He now has a 1.000 on-base percentage.

"J.T. [Justin Turner] told me the guy threw 89-90 (mph)," Stinson said. "The first pitch to Nickeas was 98 and I said, 'Uh-oh. It looks like I’m not taking the bat off my shoulder.' T.C. told me when I was going on deck, 'Take two strikes no matter what. Don’t swing before that.' Luckily it got to 3-0 and he didn’t throw a strike."

Mike Puma of the NY Post felt the need to ask Nationals manager Davey Johnson his thoughts on the Mets financial woes, and the potential for just a $100 million payroll next season.

"That's fine, $100 million, if you've got all the pieces together and you only have one or two question marks, then you're a competitive club," Johnson said. "But in the scheme of things, $100 million is not a huge payroll. What's the Phillies' payroll? One hundred and [seventy] million? And you're in a bigger market. You do the math and analyze the process, and 'Are they ready?' "

Ike Davis reported to Port St. Lucie on Friday to begin baseball activities. According to David Lennon, Davis played catch, hit off a tee, and took 20 ground balls. He is expected to continue baseball activities today.

Johan Santana will pitch two innings for Class A St. Lucie today.

Mets Show Some Power In Win Over Nationals

The Mets took command of this game early on and never looked back, beating the Nationals, 7-3.

• R.A. Dickey went six solid innings, giving up three runs on nine hits, while striking out one and walking none. He gave up a two-run homer to Rick Ankiel in the fifth inning.

• David Wright provided Dickey with some early run support. With two on in the first inning, Wright hit a three-run shot to left center field to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. Wright finished the night going 2-3 at the plate.

• Nick Evans began the second inning with a solo home run, his third homer of the season.

• Angel Pagan drove in two runs in the third inning with a single to right field.

• Lucas Duda hit his eighth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, in the seventh inning.

• Josh Stinson made his Major League debut tonight. He went 1.2 innings, and gave up no runs and only two hits. He was lifted in the ninth with two outs, and manager Terry Collins opted to bring in another newbie, Daniel Herrera, to close out the game.

Next Up: The Mets continue their series against Washington on Saturday night. Dillon Gee will get the start against the recently called up, Tom Milone. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Mets Minor League Update: As Regular Season Ends, Opportunities InPlayoffs Begin

Buffalo Bisons: 3 – 4

The Bisons were eliminated from playoff contention a long time ago, currently sitting 15 games back in the Wild Card race with only three to play. Their season comes to a close Monday.

Josh Satin has already finished his season with the Bisons, as he was called up to the Mets when rosters expanded. To earn at bats, Satin will have to produce early, whenever his chance ma come, because with Justin Turner and Ruben Tejada already splitting at bats at second base, Nick Evans playing well with his chance as the everyday first baseman, and David Wright at third, there is not a lot of room for Josh.

Some other potential AAA call-ups include Val Pascucci, Chris Schwinden and Pat Misch. It is doubtful these guys have a long term impact on the Mets, but will mainly just be bodies to give the regulars some rest, or eat up some innings as the season winds down.

As for the prospects still in Buffalo, Jordany Valdespin is finishing the season on a tear. He now owns a ten game hitting streak, hitting .400 with a .600 SLG over that span, with two walks and eight strikeouts. It is not a large sample size, only 91 at bats, but it should boost his confidence knowing he can play at AAA, heading into the offseason.

Who Needs Rest? Dickey Ready To Go Against Nationals

September 2, 2011

7:05 PM ET

Nationals Park, Washington D.C.

TV: SNY

RADIO: WFAN 660

NEW YORK METS

Starting Pitcher: R.A. Dickey (6-11, 3.57 ERA)

Dickey is pitching on three days rest. In his last start, he finally got a win, giving up no runs over seven innings. In his career, Dickey has made five starts on three days rest, going 1-3 with a 7.52 ERA.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

Starting Pitcher: Ross Detwiler (2-4, 2.86 ERA)

Detwiler was not good in his last start, giving up six runs over six innings of work. Against the Mets, he is 1-0 with a 0.96 ERA.

METS LINEUP:

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

Mets Morning News: Einhorn Deal Dead, Thole & Tejada Injuries, K-RodDeal Complete

The Mets announced yesterday that the deal that would have allowed for David Einhorn to buy a $200 million stake in the team ended after an agreement could not be reached.

Einhorn, the 42-year-old president of hedge fund Greenlight Capital, said the Mets had altered the deal last week. “Given the extensive nature of the last-minute proposed changes, further negotiations would be pointless,” Einhorn said.

If the deal had gone through as planned, Einhorn could have potentially bought a controlling interest in the team if the Wilpons were unable to return his $200 million.

Instead, team officials worried that Einhorn — despite numerous public denials — desired full control of the franchise. That led to their backing off of the deal. The Wilpon family favors control of their beloved franchise over all other considerations. They did not want their ownership to be compromised.

Josh Thole and Ruben Tejada had a painful night last night. Thole left the game after being hit in the wrist by a pitch from Miguel Batista. X-rays were negative, and he will see a hand specialist. Tejada was hit on the knuckle of his left middle finger. X-rays were negative for him as well.

The trade which sent closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for two players to be named later was finally completed yesterday. The team acquired left-handed pitcher Daniel Herrera and right-hander Adrian Rosario.

Bullpen Tries To Blow It, But Mets Hold On To Beat Marlins

Things got a little shaky in the ninth inning, but the Mets were able to hold on, beating the Marlins by a score of 7-5. This was the 3,800th franchise win for the Mets.

• Miguel Batista pitched six innings, giving up two runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking three. This was Batista's 100th career win.

• Lucas Duda got the Mets on the board after drawing a bases loaded walk in the third inning. David Wright then followed with a big two-run single. Duda would go on to score the fourth run of the inning on a passed ball.

• The Mets would score three more runs in the eighth inning. With a runner on, Duda hit his 16th double of the season to drive in a run. Duda would once again come around to score after Angel Pagan hit a sacrifice bunt and Marlins pitcher Steve Cishek threw the ball away. A few batters later, Mike Nickeas hit an RBI single to left field.

• Josh Thole left the game in the second inning after taking a pitch off his left wrist. X-rays were negative, but Thole will see a hand specialist.

• D.J. Carrasco was charged with three runs in his two-thirds of an inning of work. After giving up a two-run single to Emilio Bonifacio, Carrasco was taken out, and Bobby Parnell entered the game. He allowed Bonifacio to score, but was then able to get Greg Dobbs to pop out and end the game.

Next Up: The Mets head to Washington D.C. for a weekend series with the Nationals. R.A. Dickey will take the mound against Ross Detwiler. Game time is 7:05 p.m.