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A REAL Purpose Pitch!!!! A REAL Great Win!!
The Mets won game 2 of their 4-game series versus the Nationals tonite, by a score of 6-3. Matt Wise returned, pitching an inning and giving up a run, but the stars of the night were starter, John Maine, and rightfielder, Ryan Church (yet again!) On to the happy recap!
Take THAT, Nationals....Take THAT, Lopez...and perhaps the NEXT TIME your team acts in such a "juvie" way as they did yesterday, in what Nelson Figueroa likened to "a bunch of softball girls" you will tell the likes of Elijah Dukes to cut it out, since HE doesn't bat lead-off.
BIG HATS OFF to one JOHN MAINE, for one, uncorking that "purpose pitch" and two, for pitching another gem, if only for 6 innings. Damion Easley's errors didn't help, but thankfully didn't cost us as much as they could have; Maine also needed 109 pitches to get through said 6 innings, with 5 k's, 1 walk and 1 earned run (out of 2) in winning his 5th game (against 2 losses)
and lowering his ERA to 2.81.
Mets' broadcaster (and personal fave) Lee Mazzilli summed it up best, when he said that, in his day, someone on the "other team" would be paying for last night's juvenile tactics; Maine took us back to those days, following it up with such a strong performance, and his maturity on the mound and as a budding star has been the best story of this short season, unless you happen to be discussing his teammate:
RYAN CHURCH was at it again, along with teammate (and fellow Nationals' export) Brian Schneider; Church went yard - again- and knocked in 4 (his 30th), going 2 for 4 and raising his average to .324; Schneider, not to be outdone, besides calling a great game, went 3 for 4, scoring 2 runs and knocking in his 10th, raising his average to .321. Amazingly, they are 1 and 2 in batting on the Mets, not counting Moises Alou, who has only been in the lineup for a few weeks so far (but whom, I might add, i
s hitting a brisk .364 since his return!) Even the newly-called-up Fernando Tatis got into the act, adding a pinch-hit in his only time up and scoring a run.
This was a game that seemed like it would get away from us, once Ryan Zimmerman uncorked one for 2 runs; David Wright added 2 hits, Jose Reyes had an RBI, even John Maine had a hit, and, oh yeah, Billy Wagner was his usual dominant self tonite, striking out 2 of 3 in the ninth for his 8th save, but tonite belonged to Maine, the pitcher, and Church, the hitter; games like this are a pleasure to watch, especially after having to shut the computer off last night. However, the Mets still only have the 7th best record in the NL and 3rd best in their division; it will take a really nice run this week, as in winning the next 2 from the Nats and 2 of 3 from the Yankees to start making believers out of even the most enthusiastic of fans. We're not asking for perfection; just more games like tonite!!!! I hope that's not too much to ask for!!! Still hoping...
Game Ball (tie): Maine & Church - no surprises here!!!
Final Note: My dad and grandfather both loved Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson, for their fearlessness on the mound and for the fact that neither one would allow a teammate to be showed up by the opposition. Tonight, John Maine, while far from being in that hallowed company, took a great step forward in the eyes of his teammates and fans, and perhaps other teams will remember that moment before acting like kids again. Is this the spark the team has been looking for???
To watch the SNY post-game extra, click here.
and lowering his ERA to 2.81.Mets' broadcaster (and personal fave) Lee Mazzilli summed it up best, when he said that, in his day, someone on the "other team" would be paying for last night's juvenile tactics; Maine took us back to those days, following it up with such a strong performance, and his maturity on the mound and as a budding star has been the best story of this short season, unless you happen to be discussing his teammate:
RYAN CHURCH was at it again, along with teammate (and fellow Nationals' export) Brian Schneider; Church went yard - again- and knocked in 4 (his 30th), going 2 for 4 and raising his average to .324; Schneider, not to be outdone, besides calling a great game, went 3 for 4, scoring 2 runs and knocking in his 10th, raising his average to .321. Amazingly, they are 1 and 2 in batting on the Mets, not counting Moises Alou, who has only been in the lineup for a few weeks so far (but whom, I might add, i
s hitting a brisk .364 since his return!) Even the newly-called-up Fernando Tatis got into the act, adding a pinch-hit in his only time up and scoring a run.This was a game that seemed like it would get away from us, once Ryan Zimmerman uncorked one for 2 runs; David Wright added 2 hits, Jose Reyes had an RBI, even John Maine had a hit, and, oh yeah, Billy Wagner was his usual dominant self tonite, striking out 2 of 3 in the ninth for his 8th save, but tonite belonged to Maine, the pitcher, and Church, the hitter; games like this are a pleasure to watch, especially after having to shut the computer off last night. However, the Mets still only have the 7th best record in the NL and 3rd best in their division; it will take a really nice run this week, as in winning the next 2 from the Nats and 2 of 3 from the Yankees to start making believers out of even the most enthusiastic of fans. We're not asking for perfection; just more games like tonite!!!! I hope that's not too much to ask for!!! Still hoping...
Game Ball (tie): Maine & Church - no surprises here!!!
Final Note: My dad and grandfather both loved Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson, for their fearlessness on the mound and for the fact that neither one would allow a teammate to be showed up by the opposition. Tonight, John Maine, while far from being in that hallowed company, took a great step forward in the eyes of his teammates and fans, and perhaps other teams will remember that moment before acting like kids again. Is this the spark the team has been looking for???
To watch the SNY post-game extra, click here.
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