Sunny day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street
Big Bird aka Mike Pelfrey
New York Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey (2-0), in the 9th game of the season, became the 1st Mets starter to pitch more than 6 innings, throwing 7 shutout innings leading the Mets to a 5-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Pelfrey gave up no walks, struck out 6 and allowed just 5 harmless singles.
Grover aka Jason Bay
The Mets got on the board early. In the top of the 1st inning Luis Castillo singled with one out, then David Wright walked. Jason Bay singled to center driving in Castillo and the Mets led 1-0.
Forgetful Jones aka whoever misread the baserunning sign in the 3rd
In the top of the 3rd the Mets added another run but could’ve added many more if not for some interesting base running. Pelfrey walked, then advanced to 2nd base on a wild pitch by Rockies starter and loser Jorge De La Rosa (1-1). Jose Reyes singled moving Pelfrey up to 3rd base. Then the follies began. Castillo hit a sharp grounder and Pelfrey was caught in no-man’s land between 3rd base and home, so he casually jogged toward home plate while Rockies 3rd baseman Ian Stewart figured out what to do with the ball. When Stewart finally decided to throw it to catcher Miguel Olivo, Pelfrey was sort of running into him which bungled the play for the Rockies and Pelfrey scored with Reyes and Castillo safely on 2nd and 1st respectively. Then with Wright at the plate Reyes took off from 2nd base and Castillo followed from 1st base. But, Reyes stopped and returned to 2nd base as Castillo continued running. Eventually Castillo was tagged out in a rundown. Then Reyes finally decided to steal 3rd but was caught on a nice throw from Olivo. So the Mets went from no one out and runners on 1st and 2nd with Wright at the plate to 2 outs and no one on. Inspired, Wright struck out ending the innning with the Mets up 2-0.
Harvey Kneeslapper aka Angel Pagan
In the 4th the Mets added 2 more runs. Angel Pagan grounded into a fielder’s choice plating Bay, then Pelfrey singled scoring Guy Smiley Jeff Francoeur and it was 4-0 Mets after 3 1/2 innings.
Guy Smiley aka Jeff Francoeur
The Mets scored their final run in the 5th when Castillo scored on a wild pitch. But the big story of the day was Pelfrey.
The Yip Yips aka Pelfrey's nemesis
In the bottom of the 5th Pelfrey was called for a balk. A cloud formed over my television and the theme music from Jaws began to play. Dun dun! But Pelfrey didn’t lose his mind, or his cool, or whatever it is that he used to lose. The yips tried to make an appearance (sponsored by the letter A) but Pelfrey beat them back and got out of the inning and the game without incident.
Snuffleupagus aka the warm blanket of a Mets win
Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez finished up the shutout with a scoreless inning each. The Mets are now 3-6 heading to St. Louis.
5 comments
CaseStreet
4/15/2010-6:31pm at 6:31 pm (UTC -4)
Love the theme grave. Jose is def Elmo.
metsfan4decades
4/15/2010-6:34pm at 6:34 pm (UTC -4)
How do you think these theme’s up? Good stuff.
Great game to watch. Just what the doctor ordered.
Have we found our #2? At least 2/5s of the rotation seems on track.
Still not getting that big hit with runners in scoring position. But give them credit. Unlike last night, they took every opportunity handed to them with poor defense, etc. and got some runs in. Turns out, Big Pelf only needed one run.
Watching the post game, Jerry said that wasn’t a double steal. It apparently was something Reyes and Castillo communicated between themselves. And Castillo made the mistake. He thought Reyes was going with that fake dink, put his head down and ran. –Only to find out Reyes wasn’t going anywhere.
Was interesting to hear Gary and Keith talking about how Chip Hale noticed a problem with Wright’s throw to first. Something to do with his positioning/hip. Gave him a few pointers to straighten out that throw. Looked better today.
On to St. Louis. Here’s hoping the Pelf’s pitching is contagious.
gipperpdx
4/15/2010-7:06pm at 7:06 pm (UTC -4)
LOLOLOLOL
Just seeing the CORRECT Sesame Street intro song from my youth and a picture of The Yip Yips made my day, and helped me get over the fact I totally blanked it was a day game today!
LGM, sweep the cards and, er, get back to mediocre!!
rustyjr
4/15/2010-7:08pm at 7:08 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah the theme brings back memories and Jerry Manuel would be telly
gategem
4/15/2010-9:36pm at 9:36 pm (UTC -4)
“What a difference a day made
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain”
Ah, what a little pitching can do. I momentarily let my mind wander and thought suppose the Mets had gone after Joel Piñeiro. With Pelf emerging into a quality starter and with Niese ever so close and with Santana at the top of the rotation it could have been a solid rotation. But, alas it was not to be.
From Newsday:
Originally published: April 14, 2010 7:56 PM
Updated: April 14, 2010 8:06 PM
By ANTHONY RIEBER anthony.rieber@newsday.com
“If yesterday’s seven strong innings against the Yankees are any indication, the Angels’ Joel Piñeiro would be an upgrade over anyone in the Mets’ rotation other than Johan Santana.
So why didn’t the Mets sign him when they had the chance?
Piñeiro seemed to wonder that after his gem in the Angels’ 5-3 win at Yankee Stadium. He said he considered the Mets the “front-runner” going into the free-agent season, but he couldn’t wait forever and signed with the Angels in mid-January.
Asked if he wanted to be a Met, Piñeiro said: “I was looking forward to it . . . I thought they were the one team before anything happened that had the advantage or were the front-runner . . . It was getting down to mid-January and I was like, ‘My family wants to know where we’re going to set up.’ ”
Piñeiro said he was in contact with the Mets’ Alex Cora, a neighbor in Miami. But apparently not even Cora, who has the ear of general manager Omar Minaya, could get the team to move.
“I guess it’s a business decision or just baseball,” Piñeiro said. “They had their guys already or it’s just a matter of the right fit here in Anaheim.”
The Mets did not sign any of the top free-agent pitchers who were on the market. Piñeiro is at least the second who had the Mets No. 1 on his list; Staten Island’s Jason Marquis practically begged the Mets to sign him before going to Washington.
Marquis is off to a slow start with the Nationals, but Piñeiro, 31, looked pretty good against the Yankees, allowing one run in seven innings. Think the Mets could use some of that?
“I never said I don’t want to go to New York,” Piñeiro said. “I just wanted to be one of the starters. I didn’t care if it was No. 1 or No. 5. I knew if I go out there I’m going to help that team . . . “