On the Mets beat

Gameday Live: 85 Mets at St. Louis Cardinals

2008-07-03T22:30:55Z

Marcus Henry's here again to guide you through the final installment of Mets vs. Cardinals. The Mets really need a win here before they trek to Philadelphia for a four-game set.

Mets (41-43) at St. Louis Cardinals (49-37), 8:15 p.m.

Starters: Mike Pelfrey (5-6, 4.47) for the Mets and Mitchell Boggs (3-0, 4.37) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Pelfrey wasn't great in his last start against the Yankees last week. But he didn't need to be. Pelfrey gave up eight hits and four runs in five innings in the Mets 15-6 win over the Yankees last Friday. It's worth noting that Pelfrey has won his last three starts, including 5.2 innings of three-hit, scoreless baseball in a win over Colorado on June 22. It's also worth noting that Pelfrey has shaved half a run off his ERA since May 10th. Boggs has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. The 24-year-old righty give up just one run in six innings in a win over the Royals on June 28. In a win over Boston on June 21 he gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Good times, bad times: One good thing going for the Mets is that they can salvage a split with a win tonight. That notwithstanding, losing the way they did last night couldn't have left a good feeling in their mouths. The Mets fought back and actually led 7-5, only to have the pen blow the lead, blowing a chance at leaving St. Louis with a .500 record. The Mets also blew a chance to cut the gap between themselves and the Cardinals in the wild card race.

The game's first pitch, scheduled for 8:15, will be delayed due to heavy rains earlier in the day. The St. Louis ground crew put the tarp back on. Stay tuned for more updates. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40.

A couple of quick notes: Louis Castillo was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hip flexor and Carlos Muniz was demoted. The Mets purchased the contract of second baseman Argenis Reyes and called up outfielder Chris Aguila from Triple-A New Orleans.

Top 1st: Jose Reyes chops the second pitch to the pitcher for the first out. Endy Chavez reached on an infield single. David Wright walked on five pitches. Chavez moved to second. Ryan Church walked to load the bases. Carlos Delgado scored Chavez with a sacrifice fly to right. Wright moved to third. Mets lead 1-0. Church moved to second on a wild pitch. Damion Easley scored Wright on a broken-bat line drive that bounced off the pitcher's glove. Mets lead 2-0. Church moved to third. Marlon Anderson reached on an error by the pitcher. Church scored. Mets lead 3-0. Easley moved to second. Ramon Castro flied out to center for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 1st: Aaron Miles grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Chris Duncan singled up the middle. Albert Pujols struck out for out number two. Rick Ankiel walked. Duncan moved to second. Troy Glaus flied to center for the final out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 2: Mike Pelfrey grounded out to the pitcher for the first out. Reyes grounded out to second for the second out. Chavez grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 2: Ryan Ludwick lined out to third for the first out. Yadier Molina singled up the middle. Molina was thrown out by Ramon Castro attempting to steal for the second out. Mitchell Boggs struck out for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 3: Wright flied out to centerfield. Church legged out a double to left centerfield. Delgado walked. Easley reached on an infield single to load the bases. Anderson reached on a fielder's choice to second. Easley was forced out at second, 4-6, and Church scored. The Mets lead 4-0. Castro walked, loading the bases. Pelfrey lined a single to right, scoring Delgado. Mets lead 5-0. Reyes tripled to center, scoring Anderson, Castro and Pelfrey. It was Reyes' 62 triple of his career, tying Mookie Wilson's club record. The Mets lead 8-0. Chavez doubled to right centerfield, scoring Reyes. The Mets lead 9-0. Wright grounded out to shortstop. Six runs in.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 3: Adam Kennedy flied out to left on the first pitch for the first out. Aaron Miles singled up the middle, extending his hit streak to 15 games. Duncan grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 4: Church struck out for the first out. Delgado grounded out to second. Easley grounded out to second for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 4: Pujols flied out to centerfield. Ankiel popped out to second. Glaus struck out looking for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 5: Anderson singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Castro struck out swining for the first out. Pelfrey sacrificed Anderson to second. Pelfrey is out 2-3. Anderson advanced to third on a wild pitch. Reyes walked. Chavez bounced into a fielder's choice. Reyes was forced at second, 4-6, for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 5: Ludwick singled to shallow left. Molina grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Boggs grounded out to the pitcher for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 6: Wright walked. Church lined out to first. Delgado belted a two-run homer to right. The Mets lead 11-0. Easley grounded out to third for the second out. Anderson lined a single to centerfield. Castro grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 0

Bottom 6: Wright is out of the game. Fernando Tatis is in at third. Wright may have tweaked his back in the top of the sixth on Church's line out to first. Kennedy doubled to left. Miles grounded out to the pitcher. Kennedy moved to third. Duncan grounded out to first, scoring Kennedy. Mets 11, Cardinals 1. Pujols walked. Ankiel struck out swinging for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 7: Lefthander Ron Villone is in for boggs. Pelfrey struck out looking for the first out. Reyes grounded out to shortstop. Chavez grounded out to shortstop for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 7: Argenis Reyes is in at second for Easley. Glaus filed out to deep center. Ludwick struck out swinging for the second out. Molina doubled to right centerfield. Brian Barton is pinch hitting. Barton struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 8: Brendan Ryan is in at shortstop and Jason LaRue is catching for the Cardinals. Tatis flied out to right. Church struck out. Chris Aguila is batting for Delgado. Aguila struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 8: Scott Schoeneweis is in for Pelfrey. Kennedy singled off the foot of Schoeneweis. Miles walked. Duncan struck out. Braden Looper is pinch hitting. Looper struck out for the second out. Ankiel legged out an infield single to third. Kennedy moved to third. Ryan grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 9: Jason Isringhausen is pitching for the Cardinals. Argenis Reyes bounced out to Isringhausen. Anderson flied to right. Castro grounded out to short.
Mets,11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 9 Joe Smith is in for Schoeneweis. Ludwick reached on an infield single to third. LaRue struck out. Barton grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Final Score: Mets 11, Cardinals 1

The Mets leave St. Louis with a split and are headed to Philadelphia for a crucial four-game set, which starts Friday. Pelfrey (6-6) picked up his fourth straight win. Mitchell Boggs (3-1) took the loss.
Pelfrey's line: 7IP, 6H, 1R, 2BB, 6K.
Boggs' line: 6 IP, 10H, 11R (10ER), 6BB, 2K

Good night Mets fans.

A few pregame notes

2008-07-03T22:16:53Z

Before we get started the tarp is on the field right now (5:17 p.m. Central) and we could be pestered by a number of passing thunderstorms tonight.Yippee.

-- Luis Castillo was placed on the disabled list this afternoon and returned to NYC for an MRI. He's officially on the shelf with a strained left hip flexor, but manager Jerry Manuel joked that they could get a good look at his whole body while he's in the MRI tube. With Carlos Muniz also demoted, the Mets called up outfielder Chris Aguila and infielder Argenis Reyes to fill the roster spots.

-- The Mets have backed off on Moises Alou, who now is not even expected to play in a rehab game until at least Monday. Alou visited with the team's medical staff Thursday in NYC and the suggestion was to let him take it slow over the weekend before reporting somewhere for a minor-league tuneup. Bottom line: looks like no Alou for Philly.

Tonight's lineup vs. St. Louis

2008-07-03T21:44:41Z

Reyes (ss)
Chavez (cf)
Wright (3b)
Church (rf)
Delgado (1b)
Easley (2b)
Anderson (lf)
Castro (c)
Pelfrey (rhp)

Missed it by that much

2008-07-03T15:56:28Z

Haven't seen the new Get Smart movie yet, but I'm a big fan of the Don Adams classic, so excuse the reference for Endy Chavez's almost-catch of Troy Glaus' game-winning home run last night. How close was it? Chavez thought he had a great read on the ball, but knew he missed it when the ball made a deafening thud off the Geico billboard behind his glove.

Nothing against Carlos Muniz, but when he entered for the ninth, it seemed like just a matter of time. Someone was going to hit the walkoff -- Pujols, Ankiel or Glaus -- and that's exactly what happened. Pujols, stuck on HR No. 299, took a huge hack but popped up foul to David Wright. Ankiel, who already had homered off Pedro Martinez, pushed Carlos Beltran up against the centerfield wall with a 400-foot fly ball. And then, of course, it was Glaus' turn. It was like a round of Home Run Derby.

Well, Muniz got a ticket back to Triple-A New Orleans following the game and the Mets will call up an outfielder for tonight's game. It looks like Oliver Perez will be available out of the bullpen if needed.

In other news, Pedro Martinez says he isn't ready to quit yet. I'm sure the Mets are relieved. And Castillo -- brace yourselves -- is still hurting. Moises Alou is now pencilled in for Monday in Philly, as long as he survives any drama in Binghamton.

Cardinals 8, Mets 7

2008-07-03T07:08:00Z

BY DAVID LENNON

ST. LOUIS – As the raindrops fell, and lightning flashed above Busch Stadium, the Mets hustled for the dugout last night in the third inning. Only Pedro Martinez never stepped off the rubber. He stared up at the sky, the baseball still in his glove, and refused to leave the mound.

“I looked up and thought, this must be a blessing, because it was 98 right before the game, sunny,” Martinez said. “And then all of a sudden, I get to the mound, it’s cloudy, it’s humid and the rain stopped the game. It must be a blessing. There’s something going on with me. There’s some adversity that I have to go through. I’m paying for something or I’m being tested.”

Martinez, who put the Mets in a 4-0 hole in the first inning, returned after the 47-minute rain delay with a vengeance, and retired seven of eight before Rick Ankiel crushed a tie-breaking home run in the fifth inning. That spoiled Martinez’s shot at redemption, and the Mets’ valiant comeback later was foiled as well.

With Duaner Sanchez still nursing a bruised left leg, Pedro Feliciano served up the tying two-run homer to pinch-hitter Chris Duncan in the seventh inning. And in the ninth, Troy Glaus’ second homer of the game was a walkoff shot against Carlos Muniz with two outs as the Mets fell to the Cardinals, 8-7. Glaus also drilled a three-run shot off Martinez in the first inning.

The Mets slipped to 41-43 and 4 ½ games in back of the Phillies. But when asked if this brutal loss might come back to haunt them in September, manager Jerry Manuel was unfazed.

“Nah, we’ll probably be five games up by then,” Manuel said, laughing. “We’ll be fine by then. If we keep competing like this on a nightly basis, we’ll be good.”

Muniz got Albert Pujols to pop up foul on his first pitch of the ninth and survived another scary moment when Rick Ankiel took him to the warning track – Carlos Beltran caught it with his back to the wall. But Muniz was not so fortunate with his 3-and-2 pitch to Glaus, who lifted a high fly ball to left that barely cleared Endy Chavez’s leaping attempt. It was reminiscent of
Chavez’s amazing grab of Scott Rolen’s deep shot in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS, only this time he didn’t come down with it.

“He got Rolen’s ball but he couldn’t get Glaus’ ball,” Manuel said. “Maybe we’ll go ahead and win the World Series now. That will turn it around for us.”

Chavez thought he had this one, too. But it just got over his glove, caromed off the Geico billboard and dropped between the wall and the bleachers.

“It was pretty close, but it didn’t hit my glove,” Chavez said. “For me, I did everything right. I just didn’t get to the point.”

The Mets erased deficits of 4-0 and 5-4 to take a 7-5 lead in the seventh inning. Carlos Delgado had an RBI single and Damion Easley added a sacrifice fly off Cards reliever Mark Mulder. When Russ Springer replaced him, Fernando Tatis followed with a pinch-hit RBI single with two outs.

But the Mets’ bullpen couldn’t close the deal. With Sanchez unavailable – he would have started the eighth inning -- Aaron Heilman made it through the seventh but was pulled after nailing Ryan Ludwick to open the eighth. With Duncan headed to the plate, Manuel called on Feliciano, and Duncan pulled his first pitch into the rightfield seats for a tying two-run homer.

While Martinez’s performance last night did not put to rest any lingering concerns, he was resilient enough to put the Mets back in a position to win right up to Ankiel’s 422-foot blast into the rightfield seats. Just looking at the numbers, it was another ugly night for Martinez, who allowed seven hits and five runs in five innings to push his ERA up to 7.39 in seven starts this season.

But most of that came in the first inning, when Martinez threw 32 pitches, surrendered five hits and served up a three-run homer to Glaus that put the Mets in a 4-0 hole. Over the next four innings, Martinez allowed only two hits – Ankiel’s homer and two-out single to Ryan Ludwick. In his last two starts, however, Martinez has been ripped for 13 hits and 11 runs in 10 2/3 innings. And it’s not something he’s been taking lightly.

“It’s been crossing my mind every time I go out there and look like I look,” Martinez said. “But I know someday it has to stop. And if I was to quit right now, I’d be a coward. You have a lot more chances to see me quit when everything is going smooth than right now. Right now is not the time that I’m going to quit. I’m going to try to find a way.

“I’m going to face whatever adversity is out there for me, and now I know how it feels to be on the other side of the coin. I’m just going to continue to battle and do what I can to help this team win a ballgame. If I fall short, I’m going to go home proudly. I’m not going to quit. That would probably be the easiest way right now and I’m not going to do that. There’s so many fans out there giving me support, I’m not going to let them down. If I’m going down or I’m going to quit, it’s going to be when things are going right.”

Pedro not done yet

2008-07-03T01:58:39Z

The press box announcer just said the game will resume in 10 minutes, that means approximately 9:10 p.m. central time, or as soon as Pedro Martinez finishes warming up. Guess I was wrong about him shutting it down after what looks like a 50-minute rain delay.

Stay tuned.

****** UPDATE ******** (9:05 p.m.)

Martinez is now warming up on the mound. The umpires are huddled over on the third-base line and Carlos Delgado is flipping grounders to the infielders. It's not raining but there are occasional flashes of lightning.

Bye-bye Pedro

2008-07-03T01:25:16Z

As the rain began to fall here, and the grounds crew sprinted for the tarp, Pedro Martinez stayed on the mound and stared up at the sky. He didn't move either, not until the first-base umpire, Paul Nauert, came over and ushered him off the field. Pedro was like Carl Spackler from Caddyshack trying to tell the bishop, "I don't think the heavy stuff is going to come down for a while."

But to no avail. The Mets rallied from a 4-0 deficit to cut it to 4-3 by the time the game was stopped, but Martinez is still on the hook if they lose this game.

Gameday Live 84: Mets at Cardinals

2008-07-02T23:41:15Z

Hey everyone! Marc here as the Mets (41-42) continue their four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (48-37). Pedro Martinez (2-2, 7.12 ERA) is making his sixth start since returning from injury and in his last two appearances, the 36-year-old right-hander has not been sharp. He allowed six runs on six hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings in a 9-0 loss against the Yankees on Friday and over his last 10 innings pitched, Pedro has surrendered a whopping 12 runs.

Joel Pineiro (2-4, 4.33), who will be on the hill for the Cards, is looking for his first win since (gasp) April 29. In his lasting outing, Pineiro allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings during a 7-2 loss to Kansas City on Friday.

By the way, if you have not done so already, check out David Lennon’s article on Carlos Delgado. Good read. Will be back after the Mets bat.

Top 1st: Reyes led off the game with a single and made it all the way to third on consecutive outs by Chavez and Wright before Beltran struck out to end the inning.

Bottom 1st: Pedro got off to an awful start, allowing five hits in the inning. The big blows: an RBI single by Ankiel and a three-run homer by Glaus. Cardinals 4, Mets 0.

Top 2nd: The Mets had three base hits in the inning, but nothing to show for it. Church led off with a single, but was erased on a Delgado double play. Easley and Schneider followed with back-to-back singles before Pedro struck out.

Bottom 2nd: Pedro bounced back with a good inning. His only blemish -- hitting Schumaker with a pitch.

Top 3rd: Beltran laced an RBI single -- his 56th -- and Easley hit a two-run single three batters later. Cards 4, Mets 3.

Rain delay

Bottom 3rd: Despite not pitching during a 46-minute rain delay, Pedro came back out and retired Glaus and Ludwick. Ankiel had flied out before the delay.

Top 4th: The Mets caught a break this inning. Reyes tripled (Ludwick tried to make SportsCenter with a diving catch, but he came up with nothing) and scored following an error by Schumaker, whose throw from left sailed past the catcher (LaRue) as Reyes dashed home to tie the game at 4. Mets 4, Cards 4.

Bottom 4th: A throwing error by Reyes -- his 12th, which matched his 2007 total -- with two outs extended the inning, but unlike Santana a few weeks back, Pedro picked up his teammate and got out of the inning without allowing a run.

Top 5th: Easley connected on his third hit of the night, a double, before Schneider hit a flare to short to end the inning.

Bottom 5th: Pedro was cruising to a 1-2-3 inning before Ankiel hit his second homer in as many nights. Cards 5, Mets 4.

Top 6th: The Mets go down in order. Kyle McClellan replaced Pineiro, who gave up four runs on 11 hits. Also, Anderson hit for Pedro, who allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one.

Bottom 6th: Joe Smith came on for Pedro and allowed just a two-out triple to Schumaker.

Top 7th: Mets take the lead after sending eight men to plate! With runners on second and third, Delgado hit an RBI single, Easley followed with a sacrifice fly and Tatis hit a bloop run-scoring single off Russ Springer. Mets 7, Cards 5.

Bottom 7th: Heilman comes on and sets the heart of the Cardinals’ order -- Pujols, Ankiel and Glaus -- in order.

Top 8th: Wright hit a one-out triple, missing a homer by a foot or so, but Beltran struck out looking and Church grounded out.

Bottom 8th: The Cards tie the game. Heilman hit Ludwick to start the inning before Feliciano came on and gave up a two-run homer to pinch hitter Chris Duncan on the first pitch he threw. Mets 7, Cards 7.

Top 9th: The Mets go down in order. Cards will try to win it in the ninth.

Bottom 9th: Walk-off homer by Glaus. Final: Cards 8, Mets 7.

Tonight's lineup vs. St. Louis

2008-07-02T21:27:13Z

Reyes (ss)
Chavez (lf)
Wright (3b)
Beltran (cf)
Church (rf)
Delgado (1b)
Easley (2b)
Schneider (c)
Martinez (rhp)

Now was that so difficult?

2008-07-02T15:55:09Z

Fourteen hits. Seven runs. Even a two-out RBI by Ramon Castro. The mystifying part about last night's 7-4 win over the Cardinals is why the Mets can't do that more often. On paper, they have the personnel to do it. But as David Wright said, it seems like they stack all their clutch hits into one game and then go the next week without one.

Like all of you, I'm sick of hearing a million different versions of "consistency" or the lack thereof for this Mets team. But that's what has made this season so frustrating, and when you're 41-42, there's no getting around it. Despite all that, the Mets showed a few encouraging signs last night.

Manager Jerry Manuel intends to get Ramon Castro more playing time and that should help -- as long as Castro can stay healthy. We know he has a history of back and hamstring problems. Also flip-flopping Ryan Church and Carlos Delgado worked like a charm, not to mention starting Damion Easley in place of the perpetually aching Luis Castillo.

I say there's one last change to make. Get Carlos Beltran out of that No. 4 spot and put David Wright there. I'm not sure what Manuel is waiting for, but it's worth a try. Once Alou comes back, I think this would be a good looking lineup:

Reyes (ss)
Castillo (2b)
Beltran (cf)
Wright (3b)
Church (rf)
Alou (lf)
Delgado (1b)
Castro (c)

I'd take my chances with that one. That has the potential to do some damage with a nice righty-lefty balance. Or when Castillo sits, stick Church in the No. 2 hole and go something like this:

Reyes
Church
Beltran
Wright
Alou
Delgado
Easley
Schneider

For all of you wondering about those dramatic day-night splits with Delgado, I wrote a little something on it for today's paper. Of course, a few hours after I filed that story, Delgado ripped three hits against the Cardinals -- at night, no less. There was a late sunset, though, so I think he benefited from the extended daylight hours.

Gameday Live 83: Mets at Cardinals

2008-07-01T23:36:06Z

Mets (40-42) take on the St. Louis Cardinals (48-36)

Pitchers: Tony Armas, Jr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) v. Todd Wellemeyer (7-2, 3.46)

The Mets are coming off a bittersweet split against the Yankees, but remain in shooting distance of first place in the East, thanks mostly to the Phillies' recent collapse. They're 3.5 games out, nestled between the Marlins (.5 games back) and the Braves (four games). The Cardinals are in a similar boat, albeit against the NL-leading Cubs. The Mets will have the unenviable task of trying to contain Albert Pujols, who came off the DL on Thursday.

On the pitchers: The Mets are taking something of a gamble on Armas, who was called up from triple-A for this spot start. The injury-prone righty has a decent fastball and a great curve, but never fully bounced back after his arm troubles in 2003 forced him to miss a chunk of that season and the next. After fully recovering, he went 9-12 in 2006 and pitched briefly for the Pirates in 2007 before bad numbers cost him his job. He's had decent success in New Orleans, pitching to a 5-6 record with 2.50 ERA. He's also stayed healthy in over 100 innings of work. Armas, right now, is fighting for a spot in the bullpen and this will be as good a tryout as any.

First, though, he'll have to get past Wellemeyer, who's been very solid for the Cardinals this year and is coming off a great May, where he went 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA. He was strong in his last start against the Tigers, shutting them out for five innings before handing it off to the pen, but got the no-decision in the 3-2 loss. His start before that, against Philly, was less successful - he was touched up for eight runs (the most he's given up this season) in 3.1 innings of work.

Laura Albanese here to take you through it.

FINAL: 7-4, METS.

Bottom of the ninth
Wagner in to close out the game. Brian Barton in to hit and he strikes out. Ryan flies out to right center. Ryan Ludwick comes in to pinch hit for Schumaker. Wagner strikes him out looking to end the game.

Top of the ninth
Wright grounds out to short and Beltran flies out to left. Church flies out to center to end the inning.

Bottom of the eighth
Duaner Sanchez in to pitch. Troy Glaus hits a long fly ball to left but Church runs it down for the out. Duncan flies out to left. Molina hits a shot off of Sanchez, who goes down. Wright plays it for the out. Sanchez gets up and walks off the field.

Top of the eighth
Marlon Anderson in to pinch hit. He pops out to third. Reyes grounds out to first and Chavez flies out to center.

Bottom of the seventh
Heilman in to pitch. Schumaker hits a grounder back to the mound for the out. Pujols drills a double to second. Feliciano in. Ankiel flies out.

Top of the seventh
Church flies out to shallow left. Delgado gets a ground-rule double and Easley flies out. Delgado tags up and goes to third. Castro flies out to end the inning.

Bottom of the sixth
Glaus hits a grounder over the third-base bag for a double. Chris Duncan lines to left to put men on first and third with no outs. Molina flies out foul and scores Glaus from third. 7-4, METS. Brad Thompson pops out. Ryan pops out to second.

SCORE: 7-4, METS

Top of the sixth
Brad Thompson in to pitch. Reyes shoots a ball to shallow center and Ankiel dives to catch the ball falling in front of him for the out. Easley grounds out to first. Wright hits a home run to left for his third hit of the game. 7-3, Mets. Beltran grounds out to end the inning.

SCORE: 7-3, METS

Bottom of the fifth
Miles flies out to left on the first pitch and Pujols flies out to right. Ankiel flies out to left.

Top of the fifth
Chavez bunts through strike out and fouls off his second attempt. He pulls back and gets a basehit to right. Wright lines a double to left to make it second and third with no outs. Beltran grounds out. Chavez scores and Wright moves to third. 4-3, Mets. Church pulls the ball right over the first-base bag to score Wright. Church goes to second. 5-3, Mets. The Cards walk Delgado intentionally to put men on first and second with one out. Easley pops out to shallow center. Castro hits a linedrive to center to drive in Church. 6-3, Mets. Armas lines out to end the inning.

SCORE: 6-3, METS

Bottom of the fourth
Molina flies out to start the inning. Wellemeyer strikes out for his second out. Ryan singles to left to bring up Schumaker. Ryan runs and Castro's throw sails to centefield. Ryan moves over to third. Shumaker grounds out to Easley.

Top of the fourth
Church grounds out to first. Delgado lines a single to left and Easley mashes a hanging slider to left to put runners at first and second. Castro hits a ball all the way to the wall and Delgado and Easley score to tie the game. Castro goes to second. 3-3. Armas grounds out to first for the 1-3. Castro goes to third. Reyes hits a chopper to short for the out.

SCORE: 3-3

Bottom of the third
Pujols flies out and Ankiel strikes out swinging. Glaus walks. Chris Duncan grounds out to Easley. Good inning by Armas against the heart of the order.

Top of the third
Reyes hits a slow grounder to third for the out. Chavez flies out to left. Wright hits one off of Glaus' glove for a single to right. Beltran strikes out.

Bottom of the second
Molina grounds a single up the middle. Wellemeyer bunts Molina over. Brendan Ryan strikes out swinging. Schumaker drives a double to center after a long at-bat. Molina scores. 3-1, Cards. Miles grounds out to shortstop.

Top of the second
Church singles up the middle. Carlos Delgado laces a double over Schumaker's head. Church holds up to see if it'll be caught and gets held at third. Damion Easley grounds out to short. Church scores and Delgado holds at second. 2-1, Mets. Ramon Castro strikes out swinging. Armas pops out to shallow right.

SCORE: 2-1, Cards

Bottom of the first
Skip Schumaker grounds out to second to start the inning. Aaron Miles rips a linedrive to the rightfield corner for a double. Pujols hits it to short, Reyes boots the ball but recovers in time to get the out at first. Rick Ankiel hits a two-run home run to right take the lead. 2-0, Cards. Troy Glaus singles to left. Chris Duncan pops out to shallow center to end the inning.

SCORE: 2-0, Cards

Top of the first
Jose Reyes leads off with a single to left. Yadier Molina cuts down Reyes trying to steal. Chavez follows up with a hit to right. Wright walks and Wellemeyer does not look strong at all. Beltran grounds out to Pujols at first and the runners advance to first and third. Wellemeyer floats a wild pitch while Chavez breaks from third. The ball hits the backstop and hops right back to Molina. Chavez gets caught in the rundown for the third out.

Tonight's lineup vs. St. Louis

2008-07-01T21:35:55Z

Reyes (ss)
Chavez (lf)
Wright (3b)
Beltran (cf)
Church (rf)
Delgado (1b)
Easley (2b)
Castro (c)
Armas (rhp)

Live chat with David Lennon

2008-07-01T14:31:43Z

Newsday's David Lennon answers your Mets questions today in a special live chat at 1 p.m.

Gameday Live 82: Mets at Cardinals

2008-06-30T21:32:57Z

Good evening baseball fans. Marcus Henry is here to carry you through the first of four games between the Mets and the Cardinals. This is a huge matchup for a couple reasons. The Mets have one their top two hurlers in John Maine going tonight. Maine leads the team in wins and has been solid over his last two starts. The Cardinals will trot out Kyle Lohse. And to think the Mets could've had Lohse. But that's just me playing Monday morning QB. The next four games are also important because the Mets travel to Philadelphia on Friday to take on the NL East-leading Phillies for three games. The Mets have a real chance to make up some ground in the wild card and the division.

Mets (40-41) at St. Louis Cardinals (47-36), 7:05 p.m.

Starters: John Maine (8-5, 3.73) for the Mets and Kyle Lohse (9-2, 3.94) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Maine has been solid his last two outings. Most recently the 6-4 righthander gave up two runs over six innings in an 8-2 win over Seattle. Lohse has won six of his last seven starts. But his last start was a bit shaky as he gave up four runs in five innings in a loss at Detroit. Lohse has been a huge surprise for the Cardinals, who have played part of their season with Albert Pujols and Adam Wainwright on the DL. On a side note; Pujols has 299 career home runs.

Good times, bad times: The good; Carlos Delgado had a great weekend against the Yanks belting three homers and driving in 10. The bad; The Mets went into last weekend's four-game set without having to face Mike Mussina or Joba Chamberlain. There was no one who believes the Mets shouldn't have won three of four games. More good; Ryan Church was activated Sunday and went 2-for-4 against the Yankees. More bad; Moises Alou will not make a rehab start today.

See you after the top of the first.

Top 1st:
Jose Reyes saw four pitches before flying out to center for the first out. Louis Castillo drew a one-out walk. David Wright struck out looking at an inside fastball for the second out. Beltran, after a fairly long at bat, grounded out to second.
Mets 0, Cardinals coming up.

Bottom 1st: Skip Schumaker led off the inning with a walk. Aaron Miles singled to right. Schumaker went from first to third. Pujols singled to right, Schumaker scored, Miles to second. Rick Ankiel walks on five pitches, loading the bases. Pujols to second, Miles to third. Pitching coach Troy Glaus grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Miles scored, Pujols to third. Chris Duncan grounded out to Delgado.
Cardinals 2, Mets 0

Top 2nd: Carlos Delgado was hit by a pitch to lead off the second. Church grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Endy Chavez singled to right for the Mets first hit. Schneider struck out looking, stranding Chavez.
Cardinals 2, Mets 0

Bottom 2nd: Yadier Molina singled to shallow right. It is the second inning in a row the leader hitter has gotten on for the Cardinals. Kyle Lohse (hitting eighth) is up. The game is being delayed a bit because home plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hit by a pitch. The pitch actually hit Lohse's bat while attempting a bunt. Strike three for Lohse for the first out. Brendan Ryan grounded out to third. Molina to second. Schumaker reaches on an error by second baseman Louis Castillo, scoring Molina. Schumaker advances to third on a throwing error by Maine attempting a pickoff. Giving away runs is exactly what the Mets don't need.
Miles flied out to centerfield.
Cardinals 3, Mets 0

Top 3rd: Maine struck out swinging. Ankiel made a fine running catch to put Reyes away for the second out. Cardinals shortstop Ryan made a fine running play to throw Castillo out. Three up and three down.
Cardinals 3, Mets 0

Bottom 3rd: Pujols flied out to center. Ankiel singled to right. Glaus doubled to left on a 2-2 pitch, scoring Ankiel. Duncan was intentionally walked. Molina fouled out to Schneider for the second out. Lohse flied to right for the third. But the Cardinals added a run.
Cardinals 4, Mets 0

Top 4th: Wright struck out swinging for the first out. Beltran singled to left past Glaus. Delgado flew out to shallow center. Church singled to left, Beltran made it to third safely. Chavez grounded out to second, stranding Church and Beltran. The Mets can't seem to get that big hit.
Cardinals 4, Mets 0

Bottom 4th: Ryan grounded out to second. Schumaker grounded out to shortstop for the second out. Miles reached second on a throwing error by Wright. Wright should've held on to it, especially with Pujols up. Pujols made the Mets pay for Wright's error with a RBI-single, scoring Miles. Ankiel lined out to first.
Cardinals 5, Mets 0

Top 5th: Schneider, swinging at the first pitch, grounded out to shortstop. Andy Phillips is pinch-hitting for Maine. Phillips singled to left. Reyes flied out to left for the second out. Castillo singled past a diving Miles. Phillips scored on a throwing error by Ankiel, who over shot Glaus. Wright, swinging at the first pitch, fouled out on a nice play by Miles. But the Mets finally got on the board, but not because of their clutch hitting.
Cardinals 5, Mets 1

Bottom 5th: Carlos Muniz is in for Maine. Maine went four innings, gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. Glaus was hit by a pitch. Duncan belted a two-run homer to right just over the reach of Church. Molina flied to centerfield for the first out. Lohse lined out to shortstop. Ryan flew out to Chavez, who made a fine running over-the-shoulder catch for out number three. But the Cardinals tacked on two more runs.
Cardinals 7, Mets 1

Top 6th: Beltran drew a leadoff walk. Delgado bounced into a 5-4-3 double play. Another opportunity wasted. Church flied out to left for the third out.
Cardinals 7, Mets 1

Bottom 6th: Carlos Muniz starts his second inning for the Mets. Schumaker grounded out to second. Miles flied out to center. Pujols flied out to center for the third out and are held scoreless for the first time tonight.
Cardinals 7, Mets 1

Top 7th: Lohse is still on the hill facing Chavez in the top of the seventh. Chavez grounded out to second. Schneider grounded out to first. Marlon Anderson (pinch hitting) grounded out to second. Three up and three down.
Cardinals 7, Mets 1

Bottom 7th: Scott Schoeneweis is in for Muniz and got Ankiel to ground out to second for the first out. Glaus double to right. Duncan struck out swinging. Molina was intentionally walked. Lohse (7 IP, 5H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, 4K) is done for the night. Brian Barton is pinch hitting. Barton walked, loading the bases. Ryan flied to centerfield for the third out.
Cardinals 7, Mets 1

Top 8th: Former Yankee Ron Villone is in for the Cardinals in the top of the eighth to face Reyes. Reyes struck out looking. Castillo reached on a fielding error by the shortstop Brendan Ryan. Wright walked. Beltran struck out looking, with two on. Delgado grounded out to shortstop, stranding two runners.

Bottom 8th: Aaron Heilman is on in the eighth and got Schumaker to ground out to first on the first pitch. The Mets lead the National league in pitching changes, according to ESPN. Miles singled to second Pujols lined out to left for the second out. Ankiel walked. Cardinals lefty Mark Mulder is warming up for what appears to be his first Major League relief appearance. Glaus was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Duncan struck out looking.

Top 9th: Mulder (his first relief appearance in MLB) is on in the ninth. Fernando Tatis (pinch hitting) grounded out to short. Chavez singles left. Ramon Castro (pinch hitting) struck out swinging. Damion Easley singled to right. Reyes flied to right to end the game.
Final score: Cardinals 7, Mets 1. The Cardinals improve to 48-36 and the Mets fall to 40-42. Kyle Lohse improves to 10-2 and John Maine falls to 8-6.

Tonight's lineup vs. Cardinals

2008-06-30T19:52:42Z

Reyes (ss)
Castillo (2b)
Wright (3b)
Beltran (cf)
Delgado (1b)
Church (rf)
Chavez (lf)
Schneider (c)
Maine (rhp)