IGT 5/11, Braves at Mets

[Guest Kong76]

(Sports Network) - There aren't many things in baseball that New York Mets starter Johan Santana can't do. A win over the Atlanta Braves, though, is still missing from his resume.

Santana will try to help lift New York to an eighth straight victory tonight in the opener of a three-game series with the Braves at Citi Field.

In his career, Santana has won 113 games, struck out 1,641 batters and captured a pair of Cy Young Awards, but the Braves are the one team he has yet to beat on the mound. That does not include his former team, Minnesota, or Colorado, both of which he has never faced.

In five career starts versus the Braves, Santana is 0-3 with a 2.76 earned run average, and Atlanta as a team is batting .301 against him.

However, the 30-year-old southpaw enters this start on a roll. He has won his last three decisions and lowered his season ERA to 0.91 after beating Philadelphia on Wednesday with seven innings of shutout ball. Santana also struck out 10 batters for his third double-digit strikeout game in six starts.

Santana might also catch a break tonight if Atlanta's Chipper Jones decides to sit out the game. Jones left Sunday's win over the Phillies early due to a sore right elbow and went 0-for-3 in the test to halt his 29-game hitting streak versus Philadelphia.

"We'll see how it feels (Monday)," Jones told Atlanta's official site after yesterday's game. "If I can throw, I'll play. If I can't, then I won't...That area is pretty jacked up right now. But I don't see it being more than a day."

Jones is 5-for-11 in his career versus Santana, while teammates Matt Diaz (8- for-15), Kelly Johnson (6-for-14) and Brian McCann (5-for-13) have all enjoyed success versus the Mets ace.

New York's current seven-game winning streak includes a 5-0 mark on an eight- game homestand that ends with this series. In Sunday's 8-4 win over Pittsburgh, Livan Hernandez tossed six innings of two-run ball for the 150th win of his career.

"It feels great. Every time you see a starter go out there and pitch six, seven innings, you feel like you have a chance to win the ballgame," said Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who hit a two-run double as part of a four-run eighth inning.

Omir Santos and Luis Castillo each drove in two runs as well for first-place New York, which outscored Pittsburgh 25-8 in the three-game set.

Atlanta's Derek Lowe will try to win a fourth straight outing tonight for the Braves. However, he escaped with a win on Wednesday versus Florida despite allowing a season-high six runs over five innings.

"That was a bad game. I did nothing. This (was) an offensive victory," Lowe said after the game.

The right-hander is 1-2 with an 8.78 ERA and two saves in eight career games versus the Mets, two of those starts.

Atlanta, winners in four of its last five, took two of three from the Phillies over the weekend and won Sunday's contest, 4-2. Casey Kotchman finished 3- for-5 with three RBI, giving him six runs driven in over the set.

New York swept a two-game set in Atlanta from May 4-5 and won six of nine at home versus the Braves last year.

[Guest Kong76]

Kelly Johnson 2B
Yunel Escobar SS
Martin Prado 3B
Brian McCann C
Matt Diaz LF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Jordan Schafer CF
Derek Lowe P

Jose Reyes SS
Luis Castillo 2B
Carlos Beltran CF
David Wright 3B
Daniel Murphy LF
Fernando Tatis 1B
Jeremy Reed RF
Omir Santos C
Johan Santana P

[Centerfield]

Delgado scratched. According to Metsblog, he's out until Friday at the earliest, and may go on the DL. This a result of his hip which continues to bother him.

Troublesome.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Nicht sehr gut.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]"It feels great. Every time you see a starter go out there and pitch six, seven innings, you feel like you have a chance to win the ballgame," said Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who hit a two-run double as part of a four-run eighth inning.

That's some low standards for great.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

There womn't be a no-hitter or shut out tonight. Braves scratch out an unearned run. The offense needs to get that one back. It would be great to see the offense actually give Santana a few runs to work with for a change.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Soon enough, other teams are going to wise up by fielding lineups of all pitchers versus Johan.

[Guest Edgy DC]

We just got hit with a torrent down here.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

For once, the catcher is the dude behind the plate who's blind. Time to run.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Blech.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Time to take control of this shit, right, Bertrand?

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Rope by Tatis and a Balmer chop by Reed set up 1st-n-3rd, 1 out for Santos.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Big seeing-eye single and plastic Bertrand is driving us forth.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

A run! We're upgrading to space-age polymer Bertrand!

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's a tie game.

It's a new game.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Come on, Mets on the corners with one out. Santos lifts a sac fly to tie the game.

I was so afraid of the GB DP to end the inning.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Keep proving me wrong, Omir. It'll be the best tasting hat.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fear is gonna killya. Ya gotsta believe.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Stop doing the wave in front of the pitcher.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Stop doing the wave.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Stop wave.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

They froze on Francoeur mid-swing, and he looked just like Jim Carrey as Fire Marshall Bill.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Did Santana look like he was grinding when he bounced those curveballs, or what? He's at the magic 100-pitch level.

[nymr83]

WEAR THE MUSTACHE!!! (stupid yankee fan)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Damn, 6 1/3.

But he seemed to be laboring.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Damn it, Jerry. Santana is the best pitcher you have, let him finish the inning.

Another fine performance by Santana and he could again sue his teammates for nonsupport.

Come on Parnell, get these guys out. Damn, lucky broken bat hit puts runner at first and second with one out.

[metirish]

Cohen set this up all wrong , the way he was talking when they came on air was always going to be hard to live up to. Calling it event viewing and generally talking like it was a play off game......still Santana clearly not with his best stuff was better than most.

[Guest Edgy DC]

i think that boot by Reyes was a result of him thinking the ball was going to hit the bag.

[nymr83]

Reyes fucks up.
And now Diaz, murderer of lefty relievers, will bat with bases loaded.

[Piggiestomatoes]

I know the error wasn't Feliciano's fault but why's he in there against a righty?