IGT 05/29 Mets at Phillies

[Guest d'Kong76]

NY Mets at Philadelphia
When: 7:05 PM ET, Thursday, May 29, 2014
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SportsDirect Inc.

Ryan Howard is warming up as the Philadelphia Phillies open a five-game home series with the New York Mets on Thursday. Howard has nine RBIs in the last two games he started, including a three-run homer with two out in the bottom of the ninth Wednesday to give the Phillies a 6-3 victory over Colorado. "I didn�t care too much if it was out or not, I just knew once I hit it it was going to be a base hit and the game was going to be over," Howard, who was mired in a 2-for-30 slump before going 5-for-9 with a pair of homers in the series, told reporters after his blast landed several rows up in the seats over the left-center field wall.

The Mets defeated Pittsburgh 5-0 on Wednesday, winning their last two games to cap a 4-5 homestand after hitting coach Dave Hudgens was dismissed following Monday's 5-3 loss to the Pirates and replaced by Lamar Johnson. "I didn't expect anybody to kind of hang their heads about it," Wright told reporters about the firing. "Hopefully, the transition to LJ is going to be a smooth one. He's off to a good start." Philadelphia's David Buchanan is coming off a victory in his major-league debut and opposes Zack Wheeler, who hasn't won in his last seven starts (0-3) but continues to show the potential which New York hopes will translate into more victories.

TV:
7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, SNY (New York), CSN Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Mets RH Zack Wheeler (1-5, 4.63 ERA) vs. Phillies RH David Buchanan (1-0, 3.60)

Wheeler has pitched well enough to win with four quality starts during his drought and the Mets are 3-4 in those turns. The Georgia native, who turns 24 on Friday, allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits while striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings of New York's 3-2 loss to Arizona on Saturday. Wheeler pitched twice against Philadelphia in 2013 - his first season - and recorded a 3.18 ERA in 11 1/3 innings while losing one start and receiving a no-decision in the other.

Buchanan, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace the injured Cliff Lee in the rotation, allowed two runs and five hits in five innings of a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. "A dream," the 25-year-old Georgia native told reporters afterward. "Just to be out there, have my family out there and to do it in front of the home fans � I'm overwhelmed with emotion right now. It was an experience of a lifetime." Buchanan was 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA at Lehigh Valley.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins on Wednesday played his 2,000th game - all with Philadelphia - and is second in club history to Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (2,404).
2. The Mets sent C Juan Centeno to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday and are expected to activate C Travis d'Arnaud (concussion) on Thursday.
3. The five-game series, which concludes Monday, is the result of an April 30 rainout and the teams have split four meetings this season.

[Benjamin Grimm]

For some reason, I still remember a five-game series in Philadelphia in late June of 1982, where the Phillies won all five games. I had thought that that series included a walk-off grand slam by Bo Diaz off Neil Allen, but that game, it turns out, was played in April 1983.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I remember that Bo Diaz slam.

WE MUST AVENGE BO DIAZ. FIVE AND OH OR NOTHING.

[Edgy MD]

The terrible Bambi-era Mets had played a month of really good ball going into that 1982 series, closing the gap from something typical like 17 games out to four games out. Four games out! Single digits! It was almost unthinkable for a Met team during the Seaver interregnum. And to add to that, they were 35-33. A Mets team above .500! The tabloids were declaring a sweeping epidemic of ".500 Fever" gripping New York. That's how low our standards were.

But I didn't care. I woke up Friday morning to standings that looked like this.

Tm	W	L	W-L%	GB	RS	RA	pythW-L%
MON	38	28	.576	--	282	230	.592
STL	40	30	.571	--	308	294	.521
PHI	35	32	.522	3.5	295	277	.529
NYM	35	33	.515	4.0	272	290	.471
PIT	30	34	.469	7.0	298	309	.483
CHC	26	44	.371	14.0	288	341	.423

To be a young Met fan, it was like being on hard drugs. The team just ahead of us was the usual class of the division --- the Schmidt-era Phillies --- on whose behalf "Ya Gotta Believe" Tug McGraw invited New York fans to ""take this championship and shove it" after their 1980 parade. (Really, Tug? Who quotes Johnny Paycheck?)

But hard drugs lead to harder crashes. Fast and brutal crashes. Because of prior rainouts, the team headed to Philadelphia for what was originally scheduled to be a three-game series, now bloated to five. But there were no gap days. The series was to include two consecutive double headers. A twi-nighter on Friday, an afternoon pair on Saturday, and a Sunday matinee. Five games in 48 hours.

They weren't crushed, just outclassed. But you could feel the demoralization creep into the team's clubhouse as each game of the five-game sweep was cashed in. The tight, hard fought matches grew less tight: 1-0, 5-3, 4-3, 7-4, 8-3.

It was Pete Falcone and Dick Ruthven in game one, both going the distance, shutting down the opposing offense. In the ninth, one out, Rose singled, Matthews singled, Schmidt flew out and then he came up --- Bo F. Diaz. Diaz tapped a ball down the third base line. Hubie was a solid thirdbaseman. At least, the tools were there. Good arm. But he couldn't charge a ball like Schmidt could even on the rug. And what could have been a big out was an infield hit by the catcher.

It was a good time to lift Falcone. Bases loaded, winning run on third, bottom of the ninth, two out. But Neil Allen was down with a bacterial infection --- he would never be the same again --- and Bambi certainly didn't trust anybody else. Falcone walked Bill Robinson, Rose came home with the winning run, and the sweep was on.

Bye, bye, BambiMets. The season ended right there. And I was as blue as a boy could be. Game time was 2:03.

The 1983 Bo Diaz granny is a big part of "The Night Neil Allen Got Bad Advice."

[Benjamin Grimm]

I too was pretty demoralized by that five-game sweep. I'm sure it's why the thought of a five-game series in Philadelphia served as an immediate reminder. Those three days ruthlessly pricked whatever feeble gonfalon bubble I might have had in June 1982.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy MD wrote: T The 1983 Bo Diaz granny is a big part of "The Night Neil Allen Got Bad Advice."

That's a funny story. Oh, that Fitz.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I have a funny feeling about d'Arnaud in this series.

I mean, so does d'Arnaud, probably, but mine's less "swimmy/nauseated" and more "there's gold in them hills."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I hope so. The guy hasn't done shit yet.

I also kinda hope that Chris Young hits 13 home runs in this series but that's not a really a feeling... yet.

[Ceetar]

I'm feeling 5 HR from the Wright-Duda Duo during this series.

And one from Niese.

[batmagadanleadoff]

[fimg=444:3ctctglx]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/9119005260_8ce1bc5c1b_o.jpg[/fimg:3ctctglx]

[Edgy MD]

Looking now at the standings going into that 1982 series, I'm not noticing the Pythagorean win percentage I posted without thinking about earlier. It kind of tells the story of how illusory the Mets' quixotic June run really was.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: [fimg=444]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/9119005260_8ce1bc5c1b_o.jpg[/fimg]

The Snooze really got behind a potential Met-Philly rivalry that would match the MFYs-Bosox but it never really materialized. The Phils just got too good for us and we'd peaked so very briefly.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

[fimg=444]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/9119005260_8ce1bc5c1b_o.jpg[/fimg]

Is that supposed to be Wright. Beltran, Jose and Santana?


Whatever happened to Johan? Didn't he sign with Baltimore pending his injury return?

OE: Potential mid-June call-up: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-05-28/sports/bal-santana-could-be-to-baltimore-by-midjune-cruz-meek-notes-20140528_1_kevin-gausman-triple-a-norfolk-hunter-harvey

I wish him well!

[batmagadanleadoff]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: [fimg=444]https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3750/9119005260_8ce1bc5c1b_o.jpg[/fimg] Is that supposed to be Wright. Beltran, Jose and Santana?

That's Pelfrey on the drum. Pelf, Wright, Reyes and Johan. I put Pelfrey in two straight posts over two separate threads.

[Edgy MD]

It didn't really help excite one for the rivalry seeing Wright looking so chronically drunk and Santana so diabolical.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Really. Like Alladin's Jafar with a changeup.

[Ceetar]

Lagares-8
Murphy-4
Wright-5
Granderson-9
Duda-3
CYoung-7
Flores-6
d�Arnaud-2
Wheeler-1

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

LGM and stuff.

[Edgy MD]

Dudiffica bouncing up a notch in the lineup.

[Ceetar]

How frowned upon is it to listen to MLB At-Bat during birthing classes?

[Zvon]

I hate to kick a team when it's down but lets kick the shit out of this team while it's down. For all four. Show the Phils they suck more than us.

[Ceetar]

Zvon wrote: I hate to kick a team when it's down but lets kick the shit out of this team while it's down. For all four. Show the Phils they suck more than us.

(psst, there are FIVE!)

[Zvon]

Ceetar wrote: Zvon wrote: I hate to kick a team when it's down but lets kick the shit out of this team while it's down. For all four. Show the Phils they suck more than us. (psst, there are FIVE!)

WHAT!? I did seconds of research before I posted that!
I got one part right. They suck.

KICK EM IN THE NUTZ!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy MD wrote: Dudiffica bouncing up a notch in the lineup.

I'd say it's more a function of CYoung tumbling down, but yeah. I'd bat CY 7th or 8th until this thing passes, I would.

[Edgy MD]

I also tend to think that, if Dave Hudgens is at all right about morale being a problem for the team, Duda is probably more subject than most to the vicissitudes of social waves of emotion.

[ashie62]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Dudiffica bouncing up a notch in the lineup. I'd say it's more a function of CYoung tumbling down, but yeah. I'd bat CY 7th or 8th until this thing passes, I would.

passes?

[Edgy MD]

All things must pass.

[Zvon]

If that first inning is any indication we should hit the crap outta this Buchanan kid.

[Zvon]

3 batters into the first and Wheeler has already thrown too many pitches (16). Settle down Zack.

2 out, man on 2nd, Howard up.

[Edgy MD]

Buchanan looks like young David Cone, who looked like young Whitey Ford.