After a bad start by Miguel Batista, the Mets came back only to have Josh Stinson and Ryota Igarashi blow the game in the 11th inning, and the Mets lost 10-6 to the Chicago Cubs

Game Notes

Miguel Batista had his first poor outing as a Met, going five innings, allowing four runs on five hits walking three and striking out one. Batista was not helped by the Mets defense, as David Wright made his third error in two days. Batista couldn’t find control, and when he gave up hits they were for extra bases.

Today saw a huge bullpen day, with D.J. Carrasco, Tim Byrdak, Pedro Beato, Daniel Herrera, Manny Acosta, Josh Stinson, Ryota Igarashi and Dale Thayer came out. Everyone but Stinson and Igarashi was effective, but Stinson was hit hard and walked two to not record an out.

The offense today existed in spurts, with runs being scored in the first, sixth, eighth and 11th. Jason Pridie hit a home run in the eleventh, but by then the Mets were already down six, so it just closed the deficit. The offense today wasn’t stifled, but stranded runners, 26 to be exact.

Jose Reyes – 1 for 5 with a walk and a strikeout. Jose dropped his average to .332

Jason Pridie – 1 for 2 with a two-run HR.

David Wright – 0 for 5 with two strikeouts and a walk. Tough last two days for David.

Turning Point

The ineffective bullpen work of Stinson/Igarashi

GOAT of the Game

Josh Stinson takes the cake in this one. Not getting an out and giving up four runs will do that for a player.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their home series, playing against the Washington Nationals at 7:10 P.M. Ross Detweiler will pitch for the Nationals, and R.A. Dickey for the Mets.

Miguel Batista had another good outing spoiled by a blown save, but Nick Evans had a huge day in the Mets 7-4 win.

Game Notes

Miguel Batista took the mound, and pitched another surprising game, but was not as sharp as his last outing. Batista went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking four and striking out three. Batista wasn’t hit hard, but he had Marlins batters chasing bad pitches consistently. While some Mets fans are upset Batista is taking away starts from prospects, Batista may have a chance to be a useful bullpen piece next year, at an inexpensive price.

The bullpen today was solid, but Manny Acosta was charged with an unearned run after another Angel Pagan misplay in the outfield allowed the runner to advance to second on a single. Acosta still got out of the inning without much damage, but it was to be expected. Jason Isringhausen came in for the eighth inning, and exhibited absolutely no control, walking three batters and consistently falling behind. However, when needed Izzy struck out Jose Lopez with the bases loaded, and struck out Emilio Bonafacio to end the inning. Bobby Parnell blew another save, giving up a two run double in the ninth. Tim Byrdak & Pedro Beato combined for two scoreless innings, and Josh Stinson nailed down his first MLB save in the 12th inning.

The offense today was quiet, but did manage to get hits when it was needed. Justin Turner hit an RBI single in the fifth, Nick Evans an RBI single in the sixth and was thrown out trying to advance to second, and Evans yet again in the eighth with an RBI single. In a bit of insurance, Angel Pagan hit a double right off the first base bag, scoring Jose Reyes and moving David Wright to third. The Mets rallied in the 12th inning, thanks to RBI singles by Nick Evans & Jose Reyes, and a bases-loaded walk by Lucas Duda.

Jose Reyes – 3 for 6 with a walk, an RBI and a strikeout and a strikeout. Jose has struggled since his return from the DL.

Justin Turner – 3 for 4 with two walks and an RBI. Any production right now is good, because he is playing for next year.

David Wright – 0 for 6 with two strikeouts and an intentional walk. Rough game for David, not many of these since return from DL.

Turning Point

The 12th inning comeback, showing the offense hadn’t died

Game Ball

Nick Evans – 3 for 6 with three RB, a walkI and a good play on a ball to force the runner at second on a bunt. Nick has been hot as of late, and as most Mets prospects is playing for a spot on the team next year.

On Deck

The Mets will finish the series against the Mets, sending R.A. Dickey to the mound against rookie Brad Hand of the Marlins. Game time is 5:10 P.M.

Mike Pelfrey had another poor outing, but the offense spearheaded by Lucas Duda’s second home run in two days rallied to snatch a win from the Nationals, 6-3.

Game Notes

Mike Pelfrey took the mound, and as has been a recent theme has not had his best stuff, and when he runs into that one bad inning, it doesn’t end. Pelfrey threw 106 pitches over 4 and two-third innings, giving up three runs on five hits, including five walks and three strikeouts. Pelfrey seemed to struggle with control all game, and took a beating pitch-wise in the fourth inning when he allowed all three runs. Pelfrey seems to just struggle with the mental aspect of the game at this point in his career.

The bullpen today came through in a big way, pitching four and one-third innings of scoreless relief. Ryota Igarashi pitched a clean third of an inning, Josh Stinson went two allowing one hit and one walk while demonstrating his top-notch fastball/slider that could have him in Flushing next year. Jason Isringhausen continued his effective campaign, allowing a hit in one inning. Bobby Parnell, after yesterdays meltdown picked up his fifth save of the season, walking one batter.

A big question/food for thought – why not reduce the role of Ryota Igarashi in the pen, and allow someone who may be pitching for the Mets next year a shot?

The offense today struck early, with Ruben Tejada hitting a two-RBI single in the third inning. After a few quiet innings, Lucas Duda went out and hit another big home run, this time to right center. Willie Harris then hit a two-RBI single, scoring David Wright and Angel Pagan. Mike Nickeas capped off the scoring with a sacrifice that some aggressive baserunning by Jason Bay turned into an RBI sacrifice.

The offense hasn’t been an issue in most of the Mets recent losses, so knowing one side of the equation is working is a positive going into the offseason.

David Wright – 2 for 4 with a run and no strikeouts. Since his return from the DL, David has been driving the ball and has cut his strikeouts dramatically.

Josh Satin – 1 for 2 with a strikeout. Josh got his first MLB hit today playing 1B, congratulations.

Ruben Tejada – 1 for 5 with two RBI batting out of the leadoff spot.

Turning Point

While it only tied the game, the Lucas Duda home run was definitely the momentum swing the Mets needed in the sixth inning.

Game Ball

The entire Mets bullpen gets today’s game ball due to their quality effort covering nearly half of the game only allowing two hits and two walks in four and one-third innings.

On Deck

The Mets will travel to Florida to begin another series against the Marlins. Chris Capuano will take the mound for the Mets, opposing Javier Vazquez. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

The offense, spearheaded by a David Wright three run shot in the first never let up, and R.A. Dickey pitched a quality six innings in the Mets 7-3 win against the Nationals.

Game Notes

R.A. Dickey had a good outing and the definition of a quality start, going six innings allowing three runs on nine hits, striking out one. Dickey may have not had his strikeout stuff today, but allowing three runs is nothing to scoff at. This win has been the easiest win Dickey has had in well over two months.

The bullpen got a fair amount of work today, and most of it was displaying new faces. Tim Byrdak came out and continued to impress, striking out two in his two-thirds of an inning. Ryota Igarashi came out for one-third of an inning, and gave up a hit and struck out a batter. One of the two new bullpen arms called up to the Mets, hard throwing righty Josh Stinson went one and two-third innings, giving up two hits and striking out two. His stuff does look impressive, and his control wasn’t that erratic today, throwing 15 of 20 pitches for strikes. The second lefty in the bullpen now, Daniel Ray Herrera came out, and struck out the only batter he faced.

The only plus of roster expansions & being out of the playoff race – get to test the competence of your farm system, and in the Mets case rebuilding the bullpen from within.

The offense today was hot from the start, as David Wright sent a three-run homer into the left-center bleachers. Nick Evans agreed with David’s decision, and sent another ball into the left field bleachers for a solo shot. Angel Pagan hit a two-run single, scoring David Wright and Lucas Duda and the last long ball belonged to Mr. Duda when he deposited a ball into deep right field. Today, the offense ran on all cylinders and was not going to let R.A. Dickey pitch another good game and suffer a loss.

Justin Turner – 1 for 5 with three strikeouts. Tough day.

Jason Bay – 0 for 4 with two strikeouts….and Bay has cooled again.

Mike Nickeas – 0 for 4. Not up here for his bat.

Turning Point

When the Mets came out swinging for the fences, and connecting. As dissapointing as it is to say, the three best power-hitters on the team all went yard today.

Game Ball

Lucas Duda – 2 for 4 with two runs, a solo home run and a strikeout. Duda has been on fire this entire month, and if this is Duda “figuring it out” then next year can only improve

On Deck

The Mets will continue the series against the Nationals and send Dillon Gee to the mound against Tom Milone, making his MLB debut. Game time is 7:05 P.M.

For Mets thoughts, responses to the game, and news about the Mets in general follow me on twitter @TheSeanKenny