Archie Bunker's Army

Going into last night the Mets had beaten the Braves three in a row to give 'em the auld death blow to NL East hopes. They lost two of three to the Marlins knowing the Marlins are not serious contenders this season and now they've completed the demoralisation of the Phillies by taking two of three, last night by an 8-1 margin in a quasi crucial series and crushing their hopes as well. The lead is back to 13 games. There's no one left in this dust heap and the Army, anxious to plant the NL East flag in the dirt and start looking at the postseason competition, declares the Mets the NL East Champions. After 11 days rest, enough to forget he even HAD a scoreless streak running, John Maine continued to justify the unloading of Mr Anna Benson by continuing his scoreless innings pitch streak by what can only be slight of hand, mirrors and deception. Maine threw six innings, gave up a mere three hits, walked three and struck out four to stretch the streak to 23 innings, retirin...

(Army's Note: from the bunker of Stratford Upon Avon, catching up with the Mets ): Friday Night, Lose : Whattaya gonna do? In spite of the loss, good news. The Mets stopped Chase Utley's repugnantly pseudo hitting streak (I watched what was termed a "hit" in St Louis last Wednesday where the streak technically "should have" ended.), grounding it to an unmitigated halt. Now one loss in the scheme of things isn't such a big deal, even if it was precipitated by another perilous performance by the bullpen. The big deal was ending Utley's streak, stopping the madness. "Nothing against Chase Utley, but we didn't want him to get a hit," Jose Valentin tried to explain. "Not because of the streak, [but] because we wanted to win." Nothing against Chase Utley? Hitting .400 in the first 4 games of the season at Shea? 7 homers in 19 career games at Shea? I think there's plenty against Chase Utley. In any event, the Phillies moved...

Although oft rumoured, it was probably never a deal that was going to materialise before this trade deadline, the one wherein the Mets would get one of the brightest young pitchers in baseball to complete their raid of the Marlins' former blockbuster roster. Pedro even went as far as admitting he'd wished it had come true, that the D Train would be part of the Mets starting rotation by now. "I would've liked to have him doing that job for us," The Pedro admitted. "That'd be a dream come true." Oh, tell us about it, Pedrito . It's moments like this that the we realise the players are usually more rabid in their hopes amongst the rumours than the fans. I'll bet every one of the Mets, save perhaps Milledge , Heilman and Pelfrey would have said the same. In any event, Pedro's lustful thoughts may or may not have been taken with him to the mound last night as he faced the D Train in a showdown that, were a double digit margin not sepa...

You might call this a workman-like performance. In other words, not a millionaire, not a welfare recipient but just good enough to get by. Why does is seem like Trachsel is putting a 16 pound shot rather than a 5 ounce avoirdupois baseball Steve Trachsel allowed 3 earned runs and 7 hits in less than six innings work, just enough to squeak by with his 10th victory against 5 losses in a 6-5 Mets victory over the Marlins, just enough to maintain his telling 5.12 ERA, down from 5.14 which by last count ranked him 81st in the Major Leagues. It's also expected when you've walked more batters (54) than struck out (53) for the season. I think I've just reduced this from workman-like to a pedestrian performance . Interestingly enough, Willie slipped Aaron Heilman in the set-up to Wagner for the second consecutive night although Roberto Hernandez did get his 2006 Met debut. After Trachsel allowed two homers in the 6th off three batters, then walked another, Hernandez came in ...

Let's wax hysterical for a moment. If you hadn't listened to the game last night, merely looked briefly at the score, scanned the earliest reports off the wire, you might just feel your guts churning like the intestines of a alchoholic at an All You Can Eat burrito buffet. On the day Duaner Sanchez underwent season-ending surgery Billy Wagner takes the opportunity to blow his fifth save of the season. There simply must be some sort of dreadful innuendo in that phrase. Lastings Milledge , replacing Xavier Nady a few days after bumping an ump in AAA, meted out three walks in four at-bats. And through all this the Army wonders what happened to all those relatives riding in that fateful taxi with Duaner Sanchez? Did all of them seperate their shoulders extending their pitching arms towards the glass divider in front of them or was it only Duaner? And while I'm on it, google searches have led me to the name of the next big punk band to come out of Queens: Duaner Sanchez T...

What a bizarre set of circumstances. Whilst the inner baseball world speculated whether or not the Mets would be willing to move either or both Aaron Heilman or Lastings Milledge in a blockbuster trade to secure postseason infamy for a name starter like Barry Zito or Jason Schmidt to strengthen the postseason rotation, instead we mourn the loss of both Duaner Sanchez and Xavier Nady and perhaps the weakening of the Mets postseason aspirations. Ironically, as a result of these losses, Milledge will be called up to the Mets to prove his mettle and perhaps it will be to the relief of many that he was never traded to begin with and perhaps it will be an injection like Milledge which helps spark the Mets at some point later on. That's the optimistic side of things. Further irony is that the other piece of trade bait, Aaron Heilman just might be promoted one step further up the ladder to setup man. Perhaps we should be saying with relief that no, Duaner Sanchez was not traded for fo...

What's Uncle Bobby been smokin? Indeed a month to remember? Well, if a 16-9 record for July isn't particular spotless at least the closing certainly was spectacular. The hottest Mets in July were undoubtedly Paul LoDuca , who hit .410, Beltran of course, who had 10 homers and 32 RBIs and John Maine , surreptitiously sublime despite a deceiving 1-2 record with his sparkling 1.63 ERA 8 walks and 21 Ks in 27.2 innings of work. Well done, lads. ***** Backroom solutions to Tom Glavine's early late season swoon: Baseball Prospectus gives props in its Monday Morning Ten Pack to none other than Phillip Humber , making the scene with a magazine: RHP Philip Humber, High-A St. Lucie (Mets) Now, if you're looking for a Florida State League comeback that's real, here you go. Humber has been receiving rave reviews of late, and he looks to be all the way back from Tommy John surgery, showing the same stuff that made him the third overall pick in 2004. On Saturday, the former Ri...

It's taken nearly a year and a half but finally, the Carlos Beltran everyone hoped for, the Carlos Beltran of the 2004 NLDS, has arrived on the Mets. After a massive performance against the Mets most virulent rivals, leading the Mets to a season-ending three game sweep for the Braves, inclusive of back to back games with a brace of homeruns, his third grandslam of the month, four homeruns in all and twelve RBIs in three games. The 2006 Beltran is much improved. Incidentally, Beltran is only the eighth player in Major League history to hit three slams in a month. The last was Devon White in May 2001, when he played with the Brewers. Piazza hit three with the Dodgers in April 1998. Not to be left out, Carlos Delgado , a day after getting plunked by Tim Hudson , had four hits, including a two-run homer, and Reyes had three hits and scored three runs for the Mets, who had a season-high 19 hits. Once again the Mets used their time-tested formula for victory which is score early. T...

El Duque asks the question, Zito Who? A sixth inning 7 run explosion led by a three run homer from Beltran , his second of the game and 30th of the season, and capped by El Duque's two run single up the middle (his first career RBI) that realistically deflated any miscreant hopes the Atlanta Braves might have had about continuing their 14 season streak of NL East titles as the Mets crushed their most hated rivals 11-3 at Loser Field. And perhaps just as big a story as the crushing of the spirit of the Braves was El Duque's sterling performance in which he retired 17 in a row, allowed nil earned runs over 8 innings, no walks and 7 strikeouts and looked very cosy as a postseason solution. Meanwhile, amid the speculative frenzy, the oft-proclaimed saviour of the Mets postseason rotation, Barry Zito was surrendering a first inning grand slam to the Blue Jays before surging back with six scoreless innings and a victory thereafter. So forget Zito, (and the Army appears to be quite...

It certainly wasn't a pretty beginning. The game marked the fourth time this year, but merely the sixth time ever, that the Mets have begun a series leading the Braves in the standings: once -- April, 15, 1966 -- before divisional play, and again one day shy of 36 years later. (Reyes celebrates whilst bench coach Jerry Manual, looking more like Morgan Freeman every day, shares a larf.) Well, a lead off homer by Jose Reyes and two runs for the Mets in the opening frame was certainly cause for excitement and cause to quiet a record Turner Field crowd of 53,943, most of whom were probably there for the post-game fireworks show. But with a trepid Pedro, still recovering from food poisoning weight loss, in his first appearance in 30 days on the mound and giving up a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with none out in the bottom half of the first, it started getting ugly quick. Then Andruw Jones slams a two-run double to tie the score and in days of auld, this might be head...

Although the talk all preseason was about the infamous toe, what felled the Mighty Pedro in the end this season was an inflamed hip and some dirty Dominican chicken. But now, after the Mets have held their own in his nearly month-long absence, with the Mets having held off the Braves in spite of a hard charge by those vainglorious rubes south of the border, Pedro is returning to resume his glory and put his definative stamp on the Mets final sprint to the finish. Indeed, it is still only July and there is still much to be decided but a healthy and effective Pedro will do alot towards spelling a quick and painless end to any belated challenges from the Braves or anyone else in the nearly comotose NL East. Pedro will taking the mound to face the resurgent Horacio Ramirez, who allowed only a single run in each of his past two starts. Exclusive of an embarassing outing against Cincinnati on July 7, when he allowed seven runs in one-plus inning of work, and Ramirez has allowed only six earn...

No, not a new bizarre Mets torture ritual rather a celebration following Jose Valentin's two-out 10th inning game-winning RBI single off Chicago Cubs pitcher Glendon Rusch to give the Mets a 1-0 victory. So, here were the Mets sitting on a three game losing streak like an ostrich egg, the irredeemable Cubbies having humiliated them twice in a row and Mark Prior throwing a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings - who comes to the rescue? You might argue it was John Maine. The same John Maine who may have magically pitched his way out of the starting rotation with the return of Pedro Martinez. Willie would not guarantee Maine a start on the upcoming road trip. ""We'll see," Willie said with cryptic glee, "He needs to solidify a spot." Hmmm. Solidify? He pitched a shutout against Houston Friday, allowing just four hits and needing only 98 pitches. Yesterday, he threw 118 pitches, allowed three soft singles struck out seven and allowed a mere three hits. Loo...

Good news sportsfans! The hiatus is over and although the Army has been following the plights and exploits of the Mets from a respectable distance, it's now time to rejoin the human race of Mets supporters once again and play catch up on the season since we last looked in: 1. The Lead Is Still Double Digits! : (11 1/2 games and falling over the Atlanta Braves. A month ago, it was the same 11 1/2 games only it was over the Phillies and the Braves were 15 1/2 out. ***** Stats: Over the last 30 days, Paul Lo Duca is hitting .370, no homers, 7 doubles, 10 RBIs. Over the last 30 days, Mike Piazza is hitting .429 with 5 homers and 16 RBIs. Over the last 30 days, David Wright has 25 strikeouts and 10 walks. Over the last 30 days, Jose Reyes has 13 strikeouts and 6 walks. Over the last 30 days, the ERAs of the six Mets starters still standing: John Maine 1-2 2.18 ERA Tom Glavine 0-2 4.76 ERA Steve Trachsel 3-1 6.15 ERA El Duque 2-1 3....

I believe the Mets will win the World Series this year. It takes half the fun out of it. But the other half is that I can't keep on with listening to games that start at 1 am and having to go to work, etc. March along, the Mets will. This will be, I belive an historic season. If you read this blog, I suggest you now read instead, or in addition to, this dude . Adios.

It's not as though the Mets can afford to give away victories like they've clinched the NL East already but with Jeremi Gonzalez starting and Pedro Feliciano plus the recently-recalled Heath Bell relieving, with Willie letting the ever-effete Kaz Matsui hit in the 8th for himself with two out and two runners on base and a chance to rally extinguished, you rather wonder that the Mets weren't very bothered about completing this sweep after all. Shane Victorino doing his Aaron Rowand impression in the 2nd inning You might call it a lack of killer instinct. You might call it simply a matter of not being able to comeback from every single deficit you face. You might call it having a narrow rotation with few options beyond Gonzalez and you might call it giving your overworked aces in the bullpen a rest and then you might realise the auld adage, hey, you can't win 'em all. For whatever reason, this was about as painless a loss as they come. Perhaps the novelty of the...

The collection is growing... For the first inning of Alay Soler's first Major League start last night the Mets bullpen must have been wincing with every pitch, envisioning the return of the Ghost of Victor Zambrano : Ball, ball, ball, called strike, ball four. Jimmy Rollins walks. Ball, ball, called strike, ball, called strike, ball four. Chase Utley walks. Ball, ball, called strike, ball, foul and ball four, pitch in the dirt, Bobby Abreu walks to load the bases with none out. Things didn't get better for our humble defector when the first three pitches thrown to Met nemesis Pat Burrell were all balls, making it 3-0 with the bases loaded and the game threatening to be over before it started. But then, whilst we were all digging our fingernails into our skin and burning our mini Cuban flags, Soler suddenly got a grip on himself to throw two strikes in a row over the plate. Our perhaps homeplate umpire Jerry Meals just felt sorry for Alay and decided to be generous. Bu...

Five hours, 22 minutes and 522 pitches. That's how long it took Carlos Beltran to end the 16 inning marathon at Shea this morning, that's how long it took to stuff the Phillies. And it wasn't easy. Falling behind 2-0, 6-2 and 8-5 before a furious rally in the 8th inning capped by a Jose Reyes homerun tied the game and sent it spinning into eternity, the Mets used up all 7 members of their bullpen whilst Ryan Madson threw 7 innings of relief for the Phillies before giving up Beltran's walk-off homer on pitch 105. This was the fourth straight one-run game the Mets have been involved in and this latest victory boosts their record in one-run games to 13-6, the most one-run game victories in the Majors. Only the Braves, with 20 1-run games have been involved in more and they are a measely 7-13 in such affairs. Another tight and happy ending at Shea The game started off as most games do that either Pedro or Glavine aren't pitching. That is, close your eyes and hop...

Seeing as how Metsradamus already has his Quarter Poll Grades 2006 (to which I would only add, not very visionary, giving out grades after the first 40 games have been played - where were you in January,) I've been forced to rewrite my entire column and come up with something different. So with little else to say, I thought I'd let the Mets say it for themselves. Thus, here are my Top Ten Mets Quotes for the Season To Date . I will admit however that rather than undertake the Gargantuan task of culling the internet for Mets quotes all evening I took the shortcut and merely used quotes quoted herein since the Spring. So without further ado, 10. "I just voiced my opinion and I was thrown out. I thought the ball was low. You say your little piece and the umpire doesn't want to hear it and he throws you out of the game." - Willie Randolph on getting tossed from a game for the second time this season. It was a close race last season between which would be happ...

For the third game in a row of this Subway Series victory came down to the last man. This time, unlike Game Two, a beautifully pitched game wasn't snuffed out with incompetence. This time, Billy Wagner was able to get the last man out before the tying or go-ahead run came home. Yes, there was the three run bomb by Carlos Delgado to produce the first lead after Derek Jeter had a two-run single go past the gloves of both David Wright and Jose Reyes . Delgado looks to rub Beltran's head in the Battle of the Carlos' Then there was the larger bomb to left field, over the bullpens, a prolific shot from David Wright that produced the final run for the Mets, the telling number to give the Mets their 4-3 victory and their two out of three series victory at home over the Yankees. Of course, none of it would have been possible without a bated-breath ninth inning that saw Billy Boy trotted out for the third time in three days to try and hammer the last three nails in. He didn...

An utter reversal of fortune. Friday night it was Billy Wagner striking out the side in the 9th and Mariano Rivera blowing the save. Yesterday, it was Wagner's turn to put the goat's head on. A four run lead wasn't enough as he completed a Looperesque meltdown by first walking a run home with the bases loaded and then hitting Bernie Williams to cut a 4-0 lead to 4-3. The man who looked like the man looked decidedly like the mouse yesterday, blowing another certain Pedro victory after a particularly poignant outing. No, Pedro left the game after 7 innings pitched, no runs and a mere four hits along with 8 strikeouts. Of course, once Wagner was cashed, back to back ballgames causing his slider not to break and command of his fastball to be non-existent. And if that wasn't bad enough, with the pen depleted, Jorge Julio came in to give up the inevitable losing run. Two games, two 4-0 leads blown. Instead of looking at a possible sweep the Mets will now be trying to ...