June 24, 2009, St. Louis Cardinals-New York Mets game story and early sidebar for Metro (NY) Newspaper
One for the Birds
Pineiro two-hits the Mets
MLB. Alex Cora was halfway up the first base line when he grabbed his batting helmet and flung it off the infield dirt in frustration.
That fleeting glimpse epitomized the Mets’ night at chilly Citi Field.
In their 3-0 loss to the Cardinals last night, the hobbled Mets were shut down by Joel Pineiro, who threw a complete game two-hitter. That's the same Joel Pineiro (6-8) that had lost his previous eight of nine starts. Pineiro recorded an astounding 22 ground ball outs and, for good measure, went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
“He was very good. I thought that he got a lot of outs early with the sinker, kept the ball on the ground and we couldn’t get anything going,” said Jerry Manuel.
The only Mets (35-34) to record hits were Luis Castillo in the third, following a 52 minute rain delay, and Jeremy Reed in the ninth. The last time the Mets had a complete game two-hitter thrown against them was August 5, 2002, by then-Diamondback starter Randy Johnson. The Mets finished that season 75-86, a cool 26 ½ games behind Atlanta.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals (40-32) got all the offense they would need in the third. Pineiro doubled to start the inning, then scored on a throwing error by Daniel Murphy, who whizzed a ball past Luis Castillo trying to get Brendan Ryan out at first. The damage, however, was done. St. Louis had a 1-0 lead. It might as well have been 1,000-1.
“I kind of made the read on the pick but (Ryan) didn’t give me much of an angle,” said Murphy about his sixth error of the season. “It’s a play that I have to make. If it’s 0-0, who knows what happens?”
Albert Pujols ended any pretence of drama in the seventh. With the bases loaded, the probable N.L. MVP front runner hammered a single into left off Livan Hernandez that scored two to make 3-0. Hernandez responded by picking off Joe Thurston at second and Omir Santos threw out Pujols, who was inexplicably trying to steal second.
Hernandez was the hard luck loser, having scattered eight hits and three runs over seven innings.
“Livan pitched outstanding. He gave up two earned runs. There were some positives,” said Manuel “He was better than [our offense].”
That has been a month long theme for the Mets. Without Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, among others, Jerry Manuel’s team has scored 84 runs in 21 games. That’s an average of four runs a game. However, five times this month, the Mets have scored one or fewer runs.
“We need a couple guys to get hot and we need to manage around that,” said Manuel in repeating a premise that he has offered in the last two days. “Right now, we don’t have that right now. That’s the thing that we’re going to have to be observant about.”
METS NOTES:
Jose Reyes met with reporters at his locker before batting practice. The shortstop said that he and head trainer Ray Ramirez were fine following Monday’s car accident on the Triboro Bridge, calling it “nothing big.” Both had been headed to the hospital for special surgery to see how Reyes’ injured hamstring has progressed.
Reyes said that the hamstring feels better but that there is no timetable for his return.
Mets need bullpen to be the backbone
MLB. Last year’s disaster has become this year’s saving grace.
With nine players on the disabled list, including Carlos Beltran and J.J. Putz, the Mets’ bullpen needs to keep protecting leads and producing leads. Entering last night’s game with the Cardinals, which ended too late for this edition, the Mets boasted the game’s sixth best bullpen. In 210 innings, Met relievers have only allowed 83 earned runs and limited opponents to a .250 batting average.
“That’s crucial for us,” said manager Jerry Manuel. “We’re going to have people step up. That’s going to be the key. People are going to get opportunities. They have to take advantages of the opportunities.”
One of those opportunities has been in the role of setup man, as Putz has been on the DL since June 5 with an elbow injury. Pedro Feliciano leads the team with five holds this month, while Sean Green has three. The Mets have just two blown saves in June, Putz had two by himself in the month leading up to his injury.
“Each guy is pretty unique,” said catcher Brian Schneider. “In a ground ball situation, Green has a big sink and a slider that drops down a little bit. Lefties, Feliciano is one of the toughest ones in the big leagues.
http://www.ny.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/24/09/5754-82/index.xml
http://www.ny.metro.us/us/article/2009/06/24/05/2143-82/index.xml
http://www.readmetro.com/show/en/NewYork/20090624/2/16/
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 1:51 AM
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