R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball were highly effective today, and Chris Carter hit his first home run in the MLB as the Mets beat the Orioles 5-1.
Game Notes
R.A. Dickey was as effective today as he was wild and that was what made his knuckle ball as good as it has been since his call-up. Dickey went 7 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits with 1 walk. Dickey had the Orioles off balance the whole night, getting weak contact, swing and misses and also confusing even Rod Barajas, leading to 2 passed balls and a wild pitch. This was the 5th straight useful outing that R.A. has provided, and has not pitched less then 6 innings in any of those 5 starts.
The bullpen tandem of Feliciano-Rodriguez came out to shut the gates on the game, and almost blew it open. Pedro Feliciano went 1 inning giving up 3 hits but striking out the one batter he needed to, the last one. Pedro was hittable, and Matt Wieters of the Orioles almost took him yard but missed hitting a home run by INCHES! He proceeded to strike Wieters out on the next pitch, a changeup to a right-hander. K-Rod looked about as good as he has in this season, falling behind none of the hitters and his lone blemish in his 1 inning of work was a long double to Corey Patterson. K-Rod struck out all 3 batters in a non-save situation. The only awkward sight was watching K-Rod attempt to break 90 MPH – since none of his fastballs were faster then that.
Offensively, the Mets set out to get on Baltimore Orioles (and possible future Met?) starter Jeremy Guthrie early, and it worked. David Wright knocked in Jose Reyes in the 1st inning on a first-pitch single. The Mets would’ve opened the wound more in the 1st inning if it weren’t for an Adam Jones catch that robbed Jason Bay of a sure-fire double. Chris “The Animal” Carter got the start at DH today, and proved Jerry Manuel a smart man, as he launched his first ML home run, a three-run shot, deep into the right field bleachers to put the Mets ahead 4-0. David Wright would tack on an RBI double that would score Angel Pagan and that proved to be the final run.
Ruben Tejada, believing he was going to walk in the 7th, proceed down to first base only to be called back by HP umpire Ed Rapuano. Rapuano got his revenge on the rookie, by calling him out on the 3rd strike. Welcome to the Majors, Ruben. Respect the ump. He also went 0-4 dropping his average to .167.
Jason Bay is still slumping, going 0-3 with a BB and a R. The move to the 5 hole hasn’t seemed to really provide him with any more insurance.
Turning Point
R.A. Dickey getting out of a no-outs, bases-loaded jam in the 4th inning with 7 pitches (2 k’s and a pop-out).
Game Ball
R.A. Dickey and Chris Carter will split this ball. Dickey for another phenomenal outing, matching his career-high in strikeouts in a game, and Chris Carter for his first ML home run. Who would’ve figured 2 guys who weren’t on the opening day roster would help the Mets win a game?
Up Next
Hisanori Takahashi hopes to rebound after his last 2 bad starts against the Orioles and prospect Brian Matsuz. Game time is 7:10
