Daniel Murphy had four hits and Jon Niese pitched a gem as the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 to salvage the final game of the series and avoid the four-game sweep. The Mets got on the board in the third when Jordany Valdespin ignited a two-run rally with a perfect drag bunt in the third and then scored when the red-hot Murphy lined double to score Spin and then came around [...]

Any enthusiasm and energy the Mets may have had when they broke camp in St. Lucie and headed north have slowly dissipated. The visions of grandeur that Jon Niese would be the ace of the team, that Lucas Duda and Ike Davis would have breakout seasons, that Collin Cowgill would be the leadoff hitter they haven’t had since Jose Reyes, that Kirk Nieuwenhuis would rake in right field, that the bullpen couldn’t possibly be worse than [...]

The newest Met, Rick Ankiel, couldn’t hold onto Ty Wigginton’s sinking line drive for a double. Wigginton then scored from second on an infield hit off pitcher Scott Rice. Matt Holliday followed with a two-run homer, and just like that it was over and the Mets had their fourth straight loss, 6-3, at St. Louis to fall seven games below .500. ON THE MOUND: Jeremy Hefner had his third straight quality start, giving up three runs in six [...]

Starting Lineup Mike Baxter – RF Daniel Murphy – 2B David Wright – 3B Ike Davis – 1B Lucas Duda – LF John Buck – C Rick Ankiel – CF Ruben Tejada – SS Jeremy Hefner – RHP Game Notes The Mets signed Rick Ankiel and is in the lineup starting in centerfield tonight and batting seventh. Ankiel, 33, was released by the Astros last week after hitting .194 with a .231 OBP in 25 games. [...]

WFAN is confirming that the Mets and Rick Ankiel have come to an agreement. Ankiel is expected to be in uniform on Monday night for the Mets and Andrew Brown already has been told he is being dispatched to Triple-A Las Vegas according to Adam Rubin. Ankiel, 33, was released by the Astros last week after hitting .194 with a .231 OBP in 25 games for the Astros. He also hit five home runs and drove [...]

PRETTY IN PINK? The Mets were beaten by the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 3-2 this afternoon in front of a nicely packed Mother’s Day crowd at Citi Field. Matt Harvey started and while he pitched good enough to win, he wasn’t at his best and he seemed to rely mostly on a variety of breaking balls and off-speed stuff rather than his usual 95-98 mph fastball. He tossed seven innings and allowed two earned runs [...]

Ike Davis frustrates me. Unlike Lucas Duda who was drafted much later in the draft, expectations have always been really high for the first-round first baseman and for the most part I’ve wanted more from him than what he’s shown thus far. I gave Davis a pass during last season’s first half, what with the Valley Fever and that whole ankle debacle, but what’s his excuse this time? How long can we afford to continue [...]

Among the highs and lows to already come out of the first month of this season, the continued improvement of Daniel Murphy has certainly been one of the brighter spots to this point so far. Playing out of his natural position, Murphy has slowly made the proper adjustments on both sides of the diamond. After being jostled all over both the infield and outfield, Murphy has finally found himself a home at second base with [...]

Terry Collins says a lot of things that will raise eyebrows whenever we go to these pre and post game press conferences. Many times he’ll say one thing on Monday and then do the exact opposite on Wednesday. Just to cite two recent examples remember when he proclaimed Collin Cowgill the everyday center fielder on Opening Day? Cowgill then proceeds to start in just 6 of the next 15 games. Or how about two weeks [...]

That shot of Lucas Duda entering the dugout after a solo homerun in the second inning of the game was tonight’s highlight as the Mets were defeated by the Chicago White Sox by the score of 6-3. What a difference between the energy in last nights game compared to this one which had all the excitement of a wake. Jeremy Hefner started and to be honest, he pitched better than what you’ll see in his pitching line. Even terry [...]

I don’t know what’s up with Keith Hernandez lately. I mean he’s always been kind of funny, provides great insights, is definitely entertaining and amusing, and he keeps each Mets broadcast light-hearted and serious all at the same time (when he’s there). The truth is that love him. I was crazy about him as a player, and I’ve felt as though we became buddies, through the magic of TV, when he joined Gary and Ron [...]