IGT - 4/8/07 Mets vs. Braves - The battle for first place...

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Let's win this thing. Play ball!

NY Mets
1. J. Reyes, SS
2. J. Valentin, 2B
3. C. Beltran, CF
4. C. Delgado, 1B
5. D. Wright, 3B
6. M. Alou, LF
7. S. Green, RF
8. R. Castro, C
9. O. Hernandez, P

=red]Atlanta Braves
=red]1. K. Johnson, 2B
2. E. Renteria, SS
3. C. Jones, 3B
4. A. Jones, CF
5. B. McCann, C
6. J. Francoeur, RF
7. S. Thorman, 1B
8. R. Langerhans, LF
9. K. Davies, P

[Guest OlerudOwned]

More ominous: putting leadoff man on third and not getting him home or giving up a first pitch home run?

[Guest OlerudOwned]

[Guest OlerudOwned]

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Green and Castro with a pair of back to back jacks to give the Mets a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the second.

Castro's shot was crushed.

[Guest iramets]

Rockin' Doc wrote: Castro's shot was crushed.

No, Khruschev's shot was crushed. Castro's (as the joke had it) was castrated.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Hernandez does a nice job pitching out of a jam in the botom of the fifth. Atlanta leaves runners stranded at second and third. Mets holding on to a slim 2-1 lead through five.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Hernandez is one of those pitchers that just amazes me. I watch him pitch and nothing looks that tough to hit. I sometimes find myself shaking my head and thinking I can't believe he gets big league hitters out with that junk.

Luckily, the Braves hitters seem equally puzzled by Hernandez's offerings.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Alou gets on and then steals second to lead off the 7th.

The Mets need to get him in. Green strikes out for the first out.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Grandpa pitch hits for Hernandez with 2 outs and draws a walk. It's up to Reyes to drive in the geriatric contingent.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

That ones got to go.

Reyes pops up to Larry on the edge of the outfiled grass.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Schoeneweis gives up a lead off single, then promptly balks the tying run to second. He gets a routine grounder to short that Reyes almost throws away, but Delgado tags the runner. Now Woodward walks to put the go ahead run on for the Braves top of the order.

Hopefully, the Braves will squander this opportunity as the Mets have continually donme with theirs today. Johnson grounds out for the second out. Runners on second and third with 2 outs and that will thankfully be it for Schoeneweis. I'm guessing it will be Heilman's job to finish getting the Mets out of this mess.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Heilman gets out of the inning with a soft dribbler toward second that Valentin made a nice play to get Renteria. Mets still lead 2-1 through seven.

Nice to see you back online Willets.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Delgado strides to the plate wearing the golden sombrero with Beltran at first with one out. Come on Carlos!

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Heilman surrenders the first run of the season by the Mets bullpen on a pair of doubles to Chipper and McCann in the 8th. Tie ball game with one out and McCann on second.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Ugh. A third double, this one by Francoeur, gives the braves the lead.

[Guest Giant Squidlike Creature]

This is kind of a trip down memory lane...in a bad way. The House of Horrors live.

[Willets Point]

Note to self: Don't post while archiving.

[nymr83]

perhaps the squid will bring good luck.

[nymr83]

Newhan will PH as the last chance...

strike 1 looking, strike 2 looking, foul ball, strike 3 looking. way to swing the bat :/

[Willets Point]

Season's over, man! Braves will win the division.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

The Mets really need a lefty bat on the bench. I seriously doubt Newhan is going to be the answer.

[Guest Kid Carsey]

Well, that was fun.

Newhan can walk back to NY for all I care.

[Farmer Ted]

4-2 on the opening road series of the season. I can't complain, especially since the Mets went down with hope in two of those losses.

[nymr83]

i wasn't feeling very hopeful with Newhan at the plate.

[Frayed Knot]

31 Met LOBs for this series.
We out-hit and out-scored Los Bravos this week (largely on account of that first game obviously) but needed a few clutch hits here and there for games 2 & 3 but didn't get them. Multiple culprits were involved.

* I just became #70 Jim Hickman

[Willets Point]

This may sound Pollyannaish, but I'll take multiple LOB's over no on base at all. At least over a couple of games the odds are going to work against you for getting guys home. Of course, if the trend continues, my song may change but for now I'm not going to raise my hackles too much.

[Frayed Knot]

Well yeah. Having high percentages of your runners as LOBs is generally a temporary situation rather than a chronic one.
All it means in this case is that we were in good position to win either of the two we lost but wound up winning neither for want of a timely hit here or there.
The Braves, on the other hand, are 5-1 with 4 of those 5 wins being close ones that could have gone either way. They won't be able to keep up that kind of tap dancing all year.