Mets(courtesy of mlb.com)
The surging Mets will intend to close out what’s currently an 8-1 homestand on another high note. A seventh consecutive win would be their longest since an identical streak last May 4-10.
The Dodgers hope to have Maine-nemesis Rafael Furcal back in the lineup. Furcal sat out the nightcap of the doubleheader with a tight left hamstring, which he felt while running to try to beat a double-play relay in the seventh inning of the first game.
Furcal is 6-for-11 (.545) lifetime against Maine. An even bigger threat against the right-hander is Ronnie Belliard, who is 9-for-15 with a home run.
Stopping the suddenly-potent Mets before retreating to Los Angeles is a stern challenge for the Dodgers. Jerry Manuel’s club began this spree very tentatively — remember a 2-1 win in St. Louis that took 20 innings? — but the offense finally seems to be catching up with the consistently-stout pitching.
With rookie Ike Davis a major component of the attack, the Mets reached a new season high in runs with their 10-5 doubleheader-sweeping victory.
The twin-bill sweep was the Mets’ first over the Dodgers since Aug. 28, 1971, when New York won a pair, 9-2 and 2-1, at Shea Stadium.
Lineup
Pagan, CF
Cora, 2B
Reyes, SS
Bay, LF
Wright, 3B
Davis, 1B
Francoeur, RF
Barajas, C
Maine, P
best picture I could find...Major League Debut
Dodgers(courtesy of mlb.com)
Ely’s coming. But the resurgent Mets don’t seem to be going anywhere.
John Ely steps out for the Dodgers in Wednesday afternoon’s finale of this hurry-up series. The 23-year-old in his Major League debut will be the first roadblock in the Mets’ way to a seventh straight victory.
The Dodgers will try to heat up their bats against John Maine to avoid heading home with some unwanted baggage: Three losses in a little more than 24 hours.
Of late, the Dodgers definitely have not been getting good Mannywood on the ball. Since Manny Ramirez was shut down with a strained right calf, they have scored a total of 15 runs in losing five of six.
Hoping to benefit from an offensive reawakening is Ely, who steps into the spot vacated by Vicente Padilla when he went on the disabled list with a right forearm injury.
One of the young pitchers acquired from the White Sox in the Juan Pierre deal, Ely has a solid Minor League track record — 32-16 in three-plus seasons, including 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts at Albuquerque this year.
The consecutive shutouts were the first for the Dodgers since June 12-13, 2008 (first the Padres, then the Tigers) — six weeks before the acquisition of Ramirez. … The doubleheader sweep doomed the Dodgers (8-12 with three games to go) to their second sub-.500 April in the last 17 seasons. They were 12-13 in the opening month in 2006 and 11-12 in 1994.
Lineup
Martin, C
Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
Belliard, 2B
Paul, LF
Carroll, SS
Ely, p
Worked last time...LGM!!!
52 comments
njstuckintx
4/28/2010-1:08pm at 1:08 pm (UTC -4)
L
G
M
!
metsfan4decades
4/28/2010-1:21pm at 1:21 pm (UTC -4)
1st inning for Maine – so far, so good.
trs86
4/28/2010-1:34pm at 1:34 pm (UTC -4)
Go Maine, looking good.
CaseStreet
4/28/2010-1:35pm at 1:35 pm (UTC -4)
MOP!
trs86
4/28/2010-1:38pm at 1:38 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah Wright, slump be gone.
trs86
4/28/2010-1:47pm at 1:47 pm (UTC -4)
PAGAN, Beltran who??? OK maybe not but good job by MR. 4th OF.
trs86
4/28/2010-1:48pm at 1:48 pm (UTC -4)
Offense clicking.
prismo
4/28/2010-1:48pm at 1:48 pm (UTC -4)
Love the early 4-run lead!!! LGM!!!
trs86
4/28/2010-1:57pm at 1:57 pm (UTC -4)
Focus Jose.
trs86
4/28/2010-2:14pm at 2:14 pm (UTC -4)
Nice to see another pitcher have a high pitch count. 72 pitches through 3 innings.
trs86
4/28/2010-2:37pm at 2:37 pm (UTC -4)
Dammit, Maine, smooth sailing and then you just fall apart.
asod75
4/28/2010-2:42pm at 2:42 pm (UTC -4)
How long do they go with Maine? He looked pretty good early today, but still has no fastball (at least velocity-wise). A good lineup eventually gets around on him (just like the Cardinals game). With Perez and Maine in the rotation, the bullpen will be killed by the end of June (if not May)….
asod75
4/28/2010-2:44pm at 2:44 pm (UTC -4)
But to his credit, he buckled down and struck out a tough hitter in Ethier and got Loney to end the inning. Can’t help but think Maine might be better off as a reliever nowadays, but then again don’t know how his fragile arm would respond pitching multiple times a week. Tough call, but we need more than 5-6 innings out of the starters every night…..
trs86
4/28/2010-2:49pm at 2:49 pm (UTC -4)
Me either, he earned another start today. As long as he is keeping us in the games. He did touch 90 a few times today.
asod75
4/28/2010-2:59pm at 2:59 pm (UTC -4)
Oh he certainly earned another start, especially after that great finish. I didn’t think he’d escape the fifth, but he finished strong by striking out the side. And yes, he hit 90 and 91 on the gun today. I think it was only twice, maybe a little more, but at least it’s something. And perhaps more important than velocity, his pitches must have had some life because the Dodgers swung and missed a lot.
trs86
4/28/2010-3:05pm at 3:05 pm (UTC -4)
Uh, he’s coming back out?
asod75
4/28/2010-3:08pm at 3:08 pm (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t have done that. Let him feel good about the outing…
asod75
4/28/2010-3:08pm at 3:08 pm (UTC -4)
And there’s the leadoff walk….
trs86
4/28/2010-2:57pm at 2:57 pm (UTC -4)
Good job Maine!
metsfan4decades
4/28/2010-3:00pm at 3:00 pm (UTC -4)
Maine has thrown 94% fastbalss through 6.
Nice job, Johnny.
asod75
4/28/2010-3:09pm at 3:09 pm (UTC -4)
Let’s go Everyday Nieve!
asod75
4/28/2010-3:12pm at 3:12 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, Nieve!!!
metsfan4decades
4/28/2010-3:13pm at 3:13 pm (UTC -4)
Once again, Nieve gets the job done.
I’ll bet Houston regrets their decision…..lol. More good for us.
asod75
4/28/2010-3:16pm at 3:16 pm (UTC -4)
Just wish he didn’t have to pitch every day. But maybe he’s Turk Wendell-esque and can his arm bounces back well….
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-3:29pm at 3:29 pm (UTC -4)
94% of Maine’s pitches were fastballs. You can’t survive long term on that if your fastball barely touches 90mph.
Still concerned about Maine but at least for one day he was around the plate and didn’t get burned by only having 1 pitch.
trs86
4/28/2010-3:43pm at 3:43 pm (UTC -4)
Not unless it moves a LOT. Did have a lot of K’s with that today.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:12pm at 4:12 pm (UTC -4)
Didn’t move a lot but it worked for today at least.
But long term It is a recipe for disaster.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:18pm at 4:18 pm (UTC -4)
Hmmm, I wonder how he got so many K’s?
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:20pm at 4:20 pm (UTC -4)
I find myself asking the same question when scrub pitchers dominate our Mets in the past.
Like I said it worked today but long term you can’t survive.
stickguy
4/28/2010-4:25pm at 4:25 pm (UTC -4)
doesn’t really matter what you throw as long as they are expecting something else. And it helps to have some movement on them.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:29pm at 4:29 pm (UTC -4)
I will just say he threw 94% of his pitches as fastballs that barely toughed 90mph and had no secondary pitch. If he can continue to get away with that God Bless but realisticly speaking I don’t know many starters that 90% of their pitches are 90mph fastballs that have long term success.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:31pm at 4:31 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t know many pitchers that have k’d 9 with 90%+ FB at 90 mph either.
Lets hope it continues but I don’t expect that kind of control always.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:33pm at 4:33 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed I hope he continues to do it also. Just pointing out that historically u don’t survive as a starter under that scenario.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:40pm at 4:40 pm (UTC -4)
NJ I am not sure there is any historical record of that to even go by. LOL.
I can’t think of many that have thrown 90% FB at that rate to know how it works, common sense tells you it would not but common sense tells you the guy would not K 9 in 6 innings with it either.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:28pm at 4:28 pm (UTC -4)
Perhaps it was an Elduque type performance. He always had high K totals living in the low 80′s.
It’s one thing to be dominated by a scrub, it’s another to K 9 times in 6 innings against him.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:30pm at 4:30 pm (UTC -4)
El dugue mixes his pitches that is my point he wasnt throwing different stuff he just threw fastballs.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:32pm at 4:32 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed, which is why I ask you if they were moving or what. It’s hard to K 9 with a straight FB at 90mph.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:33pm at 4:33 pm (UTC -4)
It didnt have a lot of movement but obviously for today it was enough to win.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:38pm at 4:38 pm (UTC -4)
And K 9. Again that to me is what is interesting.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:26pm at 4:26 pm (UTC -4)
Bob Ojeda said Maine “got away” with 1 pitch today because he was locating it around the zone staying away from the center of plate.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:29pm at 4:29 pm (UTC -4)
So I guess we can rephrase that to say you can’t survive long with a slower FB unless you have great control. Plenty of pitchers that were predominant FB pitchers that did not throw hard to have success. I just don’t expect Maine to be one of them.
Mr North Jersey
4/28/2010-4:31pm at 4:31 pm (UTC -4)
u can survive with a slower fastball but not if all u r thrwoing 90% of the time is that fastball.
trs86
4/28/2010-4:35pm at 4:35 pm (UTC -4)
I have nothing to go by because I would guess no pitcher has ever done it. LOL.
Just saying all along it is strange to see a guy K 9 guys with that ratio and speed.
Of course Maddux was around 70% FB and had one around 84 but he was damn Gregg Maddux. Don’t know if he ever had a game where he pitched 90% FB or not.
I wonder if the temps had anything to do with the selection? Or if Maine’s gameplan changed because of how well he was locating the ball?
trs86
4/28/2010-4:43pm at 4:43 pm (UTC -4)
I guess bottom line is that we will just have to wait and see how he does going forward. I don’t expect him to be 90% FB nor do I expect good control or 9 K’s but that sure did happen today.
trs86
4/28/2010-3:52pm at 3:52 pm (UTC -4)
Incredible homestand.
prismo
4/28/2010-3:59pm at 3:59 pm (UTC -4)
+1
saltygary
4/28/2010-3:58pm at 3:58 pm (UTC -4)
NY Mets___________-
Philadelphia______1
Washington1_______1.5
Florida___________2
Atlanta___________4
prismo
4/28/2010-3:59pm at 3:59 pm (UTC -4)
+2
metsfan4decades
4/28/2010-3:58pm at 3:58 pm (UTC -4)
And the Game is OVER!
SWEEP!
prismo
4/28/2010-4:00pm at 4:00 pm (UTC -4)
+3
trs86
4/28/2010-4:00pm at 4:00 pm (UTC -4)
+10-1
njstuckintx
4/28/2010-4:05pm at 4:05 pm (UTC -4)
+ algebraic equation!