The Mets were never really in this one, and lost to the Astros 8-3 this evening. 

John Maine was not on his game at all, and the Astros beat him every which way.  There were singles, extra base hits, walks and homeruns.  All in all, he allowed eight runs in 5.2 innings of duty, giving up 10 hits, eight runs and two walks. 

The bullpen allowed no runs, even though Duaner Sanchez gave up two hits while finishing the sixth inning, allowing inherited runners to score.  Joe Smith and Brian Stokes combined for a perfect seventh, eighth and ninth. 

Welcome back Ryan Church who in his second game since returning from the DL had an RBI double, while going 2-4.  The other two runs came off the bat off newly found slugger Brian Schneider, who remembered how to hit home runs in the last two weeks.

Oliver Perez takes on Mets killer Randy Wolf at 1:10 pm tomorrow. 

Jorge Sosa, who pitched for the Mets both last year and at the beginning of this year has been suspended for 50 games for using amphetamines, the AP reports.

Sosa had been pitching in AAA Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League as a part of the Seattle Mariners organization. 

Sosa was designated for assignment by the Mets on May 13th after posting a 7.03 ERA in his first 20 appearances this season. 

Over the past two days, Nate Silver from Baseball Prospectus has conducted the “Ultimate Fantasy Draft.”

This draft is more of a list, ranking the most valuable players in baseball according to Silver.  The way he drafts these players is mainly focused around the idea as he states it, “which players would you take—and in what order would you take them—if your goal was to win as many championships as possible over the medium-to-long-term?”

Yesterday, Silver released his rankings from 26-50, which included Carlos Beltran at number 45.  Interestingly, which many Mets fans would likely disagree with, Silver wrote, “[He] has been the rare example of a Scott Boras contract that turned out well for the acquiring club.”

Today, Silver’s rankings from 25-1 were published.  Ranking at number 10 is Mets ace Johan Santana, who Silver said any team would love to have. 

Clocking in at number six is Jose Reyes, who according to Silver is “the most exciting player in baseball.”  Silver writes:

Here is some fodder for those looking to make the case for Reyes as being the most exciting player in baseball: he is the only shortstop since World War II to have reached double digits in both triples and home runs in each of three consecutive seasons.

Ahead of Jose Reyes at number two is David Wright, who Silver compares to Hall of Fame 3B George Brett.  He writes:

The analogy isn’t perfect, but both Wright and Brett became big-league regulars at age 21, and Brett hit .305 through his age-25 season, whereas Wright thus far has hit .307. What’s important, however, is what happened in the next couple of years for Brett. At age 26, his numbers exploded; he accumulated 212 hits and probably deserved to win the MVP award, and in the year that followed that, Brett hit .390.

I don’t think anybody would argue that the Mets don’t have a solid core to build around. 

The idea of Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana being on the Mets for years to come does not guarantee them any world series rings or playoff berths, but it gives them a solid base to build around and makes winning that world series ring a whole lot easier. 

At Fox Sports, Dayn Perry broke down the schedules of all the contenders in Major League Baseball.

The Mets opposing winning percentage for the rest of the year is .488 while they play 20 of their 35 remaining games at home.  The Mets have a 39-23 record at home compared to a 32-34 road record. 

The Marlins also play easy teams for the rest of the way out, with a .480 opponents winning percentage for the remainder of the season.  However, they play 20 of their 35 remaining games on the road.  The Marlins have a 30-32 record on the road this season. 

The Phillies opponent winning percentage for the remainder of the season is .496.  They play 20 of their 36 remaining games at home. 

In terms of the NL Wild Card race, of which the Mets would be two games out, the Brewers and Cardinals have relatively difficult schedules.

The Cardinals opponent winning percentage for the rest of the year is .512.  The Cardinals play 18 of their 33 games at home where they are 34-29. 

The Brewers play 19 of their 34 games at home with a .496 opposing winning percentage. 

In other words - Mets have no excuses. 

The combination of an easy schedule and mostly home games seems like a recipe for success.  Hopefully. 

The Mets look to sweep the Braves this evening with Pedro Martinez taking on ex-Mets SP Mike Hampton.

Keys to the game:

• Beat up Hampton.  To put it simply, Hampton has been riddled by injuries and is barely a shell of his old self.  In five starts this year he has a 6.92 ERA, and the Mets should have no trouble putting up runs on the board against him. 
• Keep it up Pedro.  Although he struggled early on in the season and has been out for many times for many reasons, Pedro has been solid lately allowing seven runs in the last 24.1 innings for a 2.59 ERA.  Pedro has to continue to be efficient and take advantage of a Mark Teixeira-less lineup.

For a full lineup, head over to Adam Rubin’s blog Surfing the Mets. 

For in-game chat, banter, discussion and edgy Mets fans, head over to the Hot Foot Bleachers. 

As we move towards September, the team playoff push continues to progress as does the discussion of individual awards. 

In a chat for ESPN this week, Rob Neyer talked with fans and said that as of now he would pick David Wright as his choice for NL MVP. 

Today at Baseball Prospectus, Joe Sheehan disagrees.  He states that Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols should win the award, followed by Hanley Ramirez, Lance Berkman, David Wright and Jose Reyes.  However, he did throw out another Mets player into consideration:

As was the case a year ago, Chipper Jones would have a very strong case to be the MVP if he had just stayed on the field all year long. As it stands, Jones’ missed time is going to cost him an award that, were it based solely on rate stats, would be between him and Pujols. Well, and Daniel Murphy.

Very true and very funny. 

Hat tip to Vines for the quote and link.

On ESPN, for the segment “That’s Debatable” baseball analyst Rob Neyer runs through the candidates for NL MVP. 

Ultimately, Neyer picks David Wright as his favorite, saying:

I’m going with David Wright, because I think the Mets will close out the Phillies and he’ll wind up among the league leaders in RBIs. Oh, and also because he was my choice a year ago. But don’t be at all surprised if someone we haven’t mentioned sneaks into the mix.

Now, you can go to the chat on ESPN and send your comments to Neyer, and if you’re lucky enough he’ll grace you with a reply.

Personally, I think it’s tough for Wright to win the MVP, just because he is competing for attention from Jose Reyes.  They are both so crucial to this team, and Wright or Reyes wouldn’t be anywhere without the other so in terms of MVP voting they almost weigh each other down.  That seems like a bad thing, but is it really a bad thing that it isn’t one player that just carries the team?

In addition to his left forearm injury for which he was originally placed on the DL, Billy Wagner is now going to the Hospital of Special Surgery to have his elbow examined.  Wagner is under contract for next year at $10.5 million next season, after which the Mets have a $1 million buyout or an $8 million club option. 

The Mets sorely missed Jose Reyes this afternoon, and lost to the Pirates 5-2.  Reyes was given the day off today, one day after David Wright was given the day off.   

Initially, the Mets seemed to be doing fine without Jose, with Argenis Reyes starting the game in fine fashion.  He singled to center, and Nick Evans followed him with a double.  However, the Mets were only able to score one run in that inning off a sac-fly from Carlos Beltran.  The Mets scored again in the fourth off of a Carlos Delgado groundout to make the game 2-0. 

Jerry Manuel was ejected arguing in the fifth, after Argenis Reyes was tagged out after running through first base and apparently making a turn into fair play.  Reyes unintentionally made this turn and did not know, so he was casually tagged out.  While he did appear to make the turn, Manuel disagreed and was given the boot by cowboy Joe West. 

John Maine did not have his fastball or his control this afternoon, but managed to throw five scoreless innings.  Maine walked four and allowed two hits while throwing 96 pitches in those five innings. 

Brian Stokes relieved Maine to begin the sixth and promptly gave up a 2-run HR.  After that the bullpen moved things along to the eighth, where Pedro Feliciano and Duaner Sanchez combined to allow three runs while recording only one out.  Joe Smith worked out of the jam to prevent further damage.

After a solid 6-1 road trip, the Mets take on their classic rival the Atlanta Braves with Oliver Perez taking on Jo-Jo Reyes. 

Through five starts this season when Brian Bannister had a 2.48 ERA and a 3-2 record, Mets fans were pulling their hair out and extremely upset that Bannister was traded for the now injured Ambiorix Burgos. 

Now, Bannister is 7-12 with a 5.96 ERA partly due to his miserable start yesterday afternoon.  Facing the Yankees, Bannister failed to record an out in the second inning, and allowed 10 earned runs.  The barrage of hits included three home runs, a double and a triple. 

Bannister has lost six consecutive decisions.

Yikes

Since being signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2006, Pedro P. Martinez has yet to rise above class A ball for the Mets.  However, the 23 year old righty is certainly picking things up for the class A Brooklyn Cyclones. 

So far this season Martinez is 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 12 starts.  In his last three starts, he has tossed 17 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out 20.  He has won all of these starts, for his only three wins of the season.   

Wait, there’s another Pedro Martinez on the Mets?

Pedro E. Martinez of the Gulf Coast League Mets?  In one appearance for the GCL Mets, Pedro E. has allowed one run in an inning and a third.  Earlier in the year, Pedro E. pitched for the Dominican League Mets, where as a reliever he had a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings.  Still, unlike Pedro P. Martinez, Pedro E. Martinez has not quite picked up his game.

Is there still another Pedro Martinez?  A more important Pedro Martinez?  

Pedro J. Martinez of the New York Mets has been pitching very well lately.  In his last four starts, Pedro has allowed seven earned runs in 24.1 innings of work, totalling a 2.59 ERA.  In his most recent start, he showed some endurance and efficiency that has been lacking the entire season.  In seven innings of work, he threw only 96 pitches while allowing only one run. 

In summation, Pedro P. Martinez is heating up and surging.  So is Pedro J. Martinez.

Now how about you do the same Mr. Pedro E. Martinez!  Until you prove yourself, you are a disgrace to your name.    

At The Big Lead, they conducted a wonderful interview with SI’s rumor guru Jon Heyman.  Among other topics, Heyman gives a peek into rumor finding business that he runs, and the competitiveness that arises between him and other rumor diggers such as Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney.  How does he gain the edge? His wife helps him!

Heyman was also asked about which stadium has the worst press box food in baseball, to which he replied:

I have to say Shea since the ones I spend the most time at Yankee or Shea; we get sandwiches at Mama’s now

However, Heyman did express hope for the future of Mets food:

I am excited for Citifield, where the Danny Meyer restaurants Shake Shack and Blue Smoke will have stands.

Mmm, shake shack.  Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that we have bad press box food.  l wonder if that’s why our beat reporters always seem so grumpy in their post-game columns.  Hmmmm…

As we’ve seen this year, wins can be a deceiving statistic.

In the MLB rules regarding the official scorer a note on wins reads:

Whenever the score is tied, the game becomes a new contest insofar as the winning pitcher is concerned. Once the opposing team assumes the lead, all pitchers who have pitched up to that point and have been replaced are excluded from being credited with the victory. 

I propose an amendment to this:

If, in a standard nine inning game the starting pitcher throws at least five innings and leaves the game with a lead, and that lead is relinquished by the bullpen into a tie game, and the team that originally had that lead comes back to win, then the winner of the game shall be eligible for the victory.  The official scorer of that game has discretion over who is awarded the victory.     

Multiple times this season, Johan Santana has pitched deep into a game and left with a lead, only to see the lead relinquished by a struggling bullpen.  Prior to last night’s seemingly miraculous outcome where the bullpen successfully held onto a lead given to them by Johan Santana, the bullpen had blown the lead in two consecutive starts from Johan.  Let’s look at those two starts:

On August 2nd, Santana surrendered one run in six and a third innings of duty.  He left the game in the seventh with a 4-1 lead.  Scott Schoeneweis allowed a run in the 8th, and Billy Wagner gave up two runs in the ninth to tie the game.  Aaron Heilman then lost the game in the 10th. 

August the 7th was a different story - or at least part of it was.  Johan Santana allowed two runs through seven innings, while pitching into the eighth.  He left with a 3-1 lead, and another run was notched on his line when Pedro Feliciano allowed an inherited runner to score. 

After Feliciano let that runner score, he and Joe Smith finished off the 8th, still with a 3-2 lead for the Mets - Johan Santana still in position to earn the victory.  In the ninth, Scott Schoeneweis allowed a solo HR to Jody Gerut to tie the game.  Aaron Heilman came in and notched the final two outs of the top of the ninth.  In the bottom of the ninth, David Wright hit a walk of HR to win the game.  Aaron Heilman was credited with the win. 

This last situation is an example of why such an amendment as suggested above is needed to change the wins statistic.  Johan Santana left the game after allowing only two runs in seven innings, and a 3-2 lead.  The bullpen tied the game up, while never actually giving the Padres the lead.  Aaron Heilman managed to finish the final two outs of the ninth inning, and despite his minimal impact on the game compared to Santana’s seven innings of success, Heilman was given the win.  

Crediting Heilman with the win is not only unjust to Johan, but it is deceiving.  It misleads one into thinking that it was Aaron Heilman that was the key instrument for the Mets towards victory, while it was actually Johan Santana.  It’s not right that just because the bullpen blows the lead, the starting pitcher is ineligible for the victory.       

Breaking News:

The Mets held a lead for Johan Santana!

After Johan had to leave the game after allowing three runs in seven innings for a pinch hitter, the Mets were able to successfully record six outs to finish the game this evening.

The night got off to a rocky start for Johan, who allowed two runs in the first, giving back a two run lead that the Mets built up in the first.  The scoring in the first for the Mets came off the bat of Carlos Delgado who had a 2-RBI single.  The Mets tacked on another run in the third, on a double by Carlos Beltran.  Batting in the four hole, Beltran continues to rake against lefties going 3-4 today. 

Johan then settled down, only allowing one more run in the seventh on a solo-HR to Ryan Langerhans.  The bullpen was solid tonight, with Joe Smith pitching a scoreless eighth, striking out ex-Mets Lastings Milledge and Jesus Flores (who never actually played for the big club).  Even though Eddie Kunz was warm, Jerry Manuel played the match ups and was rewarded by a 1-2-3 ninth inning from Pedro Feliciano, who struck out two.       

Thank god. . . . . .

The Mets take on the Nationals again tomorrow as John Maine comes off of the DL and faces Jason Bergmann.