IGT 8/2/05: Los Brewers al Los Mets... En Espanol!

[metirish]

Nice one OldMole, Bob Murphy would have liked that one, Piazza frightened the poor pitcher.

[Guest Rotblatt]

What a great motherfucking game.

I'm going tomorrow and it'll almost HAVE to be a letdown.

But that's the petty side of Rotblatt thinking. The more generous side says THE METS WIN!!! THHHHHHHHEE METS WIN!!!!!

Woooo!!!

Petey's got a heavy load to carry tomorrow . . . But there's no one else we want in that spot.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Can we DFA Graves and call up Bell for tomorrow night's game?

I'm totally serious. If our pen tomorrow consists of Koo, Graves & Padilla (only 14 pitches tonight, so he should be okay, but everyone else is up to 34+ pitches), we should make a move. Graves is toast anyway--I bet he'd even clear waivers.

Although Bell did pitch a ninth tonight (perfectly), so maybe he won't be the freshest . . .

While I'm at it, Hernandez went 3-3 with 2 walks and 2 SB, breaking out of his slump, and Lambin went 2-4 with a homer and a double. He also had two errors from SS, though. Valent went 1-4 with a walk and Diaz went 0-3.

Tides lost 8-13 as Scobie struggled and Lavigne got hit hard in relief. Bell & Hamulak each pitched a perfect inning to finish out the game.

[nymr83]

sadly i started thinking "kenny rogers" when that happened.

i think pitchers should be fined for not throwing a strike there.

[metirish]

Rotblatt I'm with you, but what kinda contract does Graves have, did Omar give him an incentive for next season, I really see know reason why he is on the team , he hardly ever pitches, what's his story?

[smg58]

They basically gave Graves the minimum for this year, with and option for $5M or a 500K buyout. Right now, the buyout is looking a bit more likely.

Notice how well Bell, Ring, and Aybar are doing in Norfolk with consistent innings. Bell especially. And then there's Hamulak, who's come out of nowhere. I don't think we can afford another Dan Wheeler to slip through our grasp. Which means not continually blocking their paths with veteran mediocrity. Honestly, the bullpen would get my lowest priority this offseason.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Holy hell, what a game! I didn't pick games to go to all that well this year but this one was the best I've seen in 5 years probably.

I'll have to scan the scorecard.

Cameron? Off Turnbow?

What a team!

[seawolf17]

That was fun. Nice W!

[Guest Edgy DC]

]From Faith and Fear in Flushing: Not that we have a lot to brag on in terms of starting pitching. Or was that BP? Are you there God? It's me, Victor. I don't know why these things happen to me. I pitch beautifully and they don�t score for me. I pitch dreadfully and they hit all night. I'm a good pitcher God. Why do you make me feel like a Devil Ray all the time?

[Guest ABG]

From the Happily Academic Questions Department: If you were Ned Yost, wouldn't you play your middle infielders back against Piazza?

[seawolf17]

ABG wrote: From the Happily Academic Questions Department: If you were Ned Yost, wouldn't you play your middle infielders back against Piazza?

I briefly thought the same thing at the time, actually. But you can't do that; you can't assume the DP. You have to play them in to cut off the run on a slow roller, and if it's hit hard and right at someone, then you go home first -- Wright is the only guy that matters -- and then maybe try to get Piazza at first.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Marty Noble's game story -- a treat:

08/03/2005 1:36 AM ET

Resilient Mets rally for thrilling win
Piazza's bases-loaded walk in the 11th caps night of comebacks
By�Marty Noble�/�MLB.com

NEW YORK -- For a moment or two Tuesday night, it was 1999 at Shea Stadium. Mike Piazza was a statue in the right-handed hitter's batter's box, standing motionless and locked in, still intent on making solid contact and producing a run when nothing more was needed. The Mets already had won, making his bat and all his good intentions superfluous.

Piazza was batting at 11:39 p.m. ET. His teammates were already celebrating their 11th-hour, 11-inning victory against the Brewers. The decisive run in their 9-8 victory had scored when Piazza walked with the bases loaded. But it was as if he hadn't noticed, as if he still were in batter mode.

"It was kind of weird," Piazza said.

Piazza reacted late Tuesday night as he had reacted to the final pitch of the Mets' final regular-season game of '99. Then, too, he was the Met of the moment, in position to assure his team of at least a tie for the Wild Card. Same batter's box as Tuesday night, and again, the winning run was on third base. Piazza was poised to be a hero. But Brad Clontz threw a pitch neither his catcher nor Piazza could reach. Piazza was denied. The Mets weren't, though.

He recalled the Clontz pitch Tuesday night, recalled how it had defused and confused him that Sunday afternoon. "I told David [Wright] it felt kind of the same," he said. "You're there, you're so intent. And then you do nothing, and it's over."

He smiled and spoke facetiously.

"This one's sweeter," Piazza said. "I didn't get the RBI on that one."

He had the chance only because the Mets had spent most of the evening flexing their resolve after the Brewers had spent most of the first two innings flexing their muscle. To reach the 11th inning, the Mets had to offset the four home runs the Brewers had hit in 10 at-bats against Victor Zambrano in the first two innings and the go-ahead home run Geoff Jenkins had hit against Roberto Hernandez in the ninth.

Moreover, they had to overcome Derrick Turnbow and wretched conditions they must have brought with them from Houston.

On this night, it was the 4 H's: hazy, hot, humid and home run. The Brewers hit five, the Mets two, including one by Mike Cameron -- it was the third of his four hits -- against Turnbow with one out in the ninth that tied the score at eight.

The Mets had overcome deficits of 3-0 after one inning and 6-2 after two, and tied the score at seven with three runs in the seventh inning. But Jenkins' second home run of the game put them in position to lose. Then, Cameron, who had been robbed of two doubles and, therefore, a six-hit night, struck. Turnbow had converted 15 consecutive save opportunities when Cameron hit his 11th home run.

Both teams threatened in the 10th inning, and the Brewers made the remnants of a crowd of 32,453 sweat even more in the 11th. But winning pitcher Braden Looper (4-4), who had pitched the 10th, struck out two with two runners on base.

The Mets then loaded the bases against losing pitcher Julio Santana (2-5) on a single by Wright, Cameron's fourth hit and the team's 18th, a single that seemed to pass through the glove of shortstop Bill Hall, and an intentional walk to Doug Mientkiewicz. Piazza then walked on four pitches, producing his fourth game-winning RBI in the Mets' last 22 games.

"I wish I could say there was some strategy involved," he said.

Santana overthrew, lost the plate and lost the game. Piazza stood still and nonetheless produced the Mets' seventh victory in eight home games, and helped them forget their disappointing road trip.

The Mets began their rally in the seventh after Hall had made a remarkable catch in center field to take a hit away from Cliff Floyd. Wright hit his 16th home run to right-center field off Justin Lehr, the Brewers' third pitcher. After a second out, Mientkiewicz doubled inside first base.

Ramon Castro, starting because he has been productive of late -- and because Piazza's back was sore -- drove in Mientkiewicz with a double and, after left-hander Jorge De La Rosa replaced Lehr, Marlon Anderson delivered Castro with a single, his 16th hit in 36 pinch-hit at-bats (.444). Anderson has the most pinch-hits by a Met since 2001, when Lenny Harris had 21.

All the offense -- the 18 hits constitute a season high -- were necessary because of Zambrano's meltdown. The Mets starter surrendered a two-run home run to Carlos Lee and a bases-empty home run to Jenkins in the first inning, marking the first time the Brewers had hit home runs in successive at-bats this season. The second time came in the second inning. The first two batters, Russell Branyan and Damian Miller, hit home runs.

After a single by Brady Clark, Zambrano hit Rickie Weeks. Then he hit the bricks, the 1 1/3-inning outing equaling the shortest of his career.

Zambrano, battered in his previous home start -- six runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Dodgers on July 22 -- was gone after facing 11 batters. One of the outs he achieved was a caught stealing. He allowed seven hits overall, hit a batter and committed a balk. The Brewers slugging percentage against him was 1.900.

For it to be Zambrano surrendering four home runs was an aberration. As poorly as he has pitched at times this season, he seldom has been hurt by home runs. Indeed, he had allowed merely six in 116 2/3 innings before Tuesday night, and his average -- one home run allowed each 75 at-bats -- was the third-best in the National League. Only Roger Clemens (one per 101 at-bats) and Dontrelle Willis (one per 90 at-bats) were better.

Perhaps all that aberrational behavior was a result of the presence of Steve Trachsel, who four years ago surrendered four home runs in one inning. Trachsel was in the park Tuesday night, having returned from Port St. Lucie to throw a side session this week in preparation for a rehab start Saturday with the Double-A Binghamton Mets.

He pled innocent.

Clontz' wild pitch:

[seawolf17]

That Brad Clontz WP is my favorite personal Shea Stadium moment. The place was literally shaking. That was awesome.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's the sort of thing that happens when the Mets wear the dress whites.

[Elster88]

Love that UMDB.

Please note the starting pitcher for the Pie-Rats that day. It's a small league that we play in.

[url]http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/gamedetail.php?gameno=6065[/url]

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

This here game thread was most excellent.

But wait'll ya see this one:

[url]http://p092.ezboard.com/fbrewersfandemoniumfrm3.showMessage?topicID=8987.topic[/url]

Highlight quote: "I want to violate the policy on foul language very badly."

Page 10: game starts
Page 22: Brewers knock out Zambrano
Page 24-25: Cameron HR
Page 35: Hall doesn't bunt
Page 41-42: Piazza's PA

[seawolf17]

A 47-page IGT?!? Wow. Them's some dedicated IGT junkies.

edit: I picked a page at random and saw this:

]Did anyone see Mandkfheopwif hit the ground when Hall pulled back the bunt and swung away.

That's a new spelling for Mientkiewicz... I like that.

[metirish]

Those guys are great, excellent site,imagine what they'll be like when the Brewers are contending in a few years, and Mr.Met getting more love...

]How long will it take Daron to mention Mr Met.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

]Did anyone see Mandkfheopwif hit the ground when Hall pulled back the bunt and swung away.

Great random observation. That was a fascinating play to watch live, as the Mets put on the wheel and guys on both teams were running in every direction like a coked-up marching band or something. Poor guy hit the ball the ball just a little too hard or its over. For a second I thought Cammy might have a play at first but Minky hit the deck and couldn;t get back in time.

I'm still high from this game, can you tell?

[Guest cooby]

="seawolf17"]A 47-page IGT?!? Wow. Them's some dedicated IGT junkies.

I'll bet nobody ever really reads them though. That's too long

[metirish]

This is a great read..

]Roberto Hernandez is amazing. He's somewhat fat, very old, and he throws in the mid-to-high-90s with a nasty splitter. He and Julio Franco should collaborate on a health/fitness book... they'd make billions.

[metirish]

]Dear Shea Stadium sound crew. 1993 called, they want their music back.

[Elster88]

]I'm still high from this game, can you tell?

Me too. I'm worried about the other shoe.