The Mets played a heck of game and beat the Phillies 4-2 in the first of a four game series with the Phillies. I usually save me comments for the end of the recap, but I gotta tell you how impressed I was with the intensity of the Mets given their dismal situation. They played the game with a heart and soul that I’ve been longing for all season long.
Jeff Francoeur commented after the game,
“Now I know what it feels like to be in real rivalry. It felt like a playoff atmosphere, it was awesome. They really hate the Phillies”
Mike Pelfrey started the game and delivered his second straight solid performance, holding the Phillies to just two runs. His sinker was really working, and he did a fantastic job of pounding lefthanded hitters inside and keeping them off balance. If he can just do that every time he pitches, he could be a consistent 17 game winner in my opinion. He finished with six innings pitched and allowed just six hits, one walk, and struck out five. Pelf was able to get out of a big jam in the sixth inning when the Phillies were about to break the game wide open and had the bases juiced. It was another good sign to see him maintain his composure and get out of the inning with no damage. He has been a Phillies killer this season and in four starts he is 3-0.
Offensively, Jeff Francoeur was the hitting star of the game as he belted his 11th homerun of the season and sixth as a Met in just 142 at-bats. He went 3-4 on the night and is batting .335 at Citi Field to lead the Mets. Since joining the Mets, he leads the team in homeruns, RBI’s, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases, and is second only to Castillo with a .310 batting average.
Luis Castillo picked up another two hits and is now batting .314 this season, sixth in the National League. Dan Murphy and Angel Pagan also collected two hits each.
Murphy stole a base, and Francoeur would have too, but was called out on botched call be the second base ump who then tossed out Jerry Manuel went he argued the call. Francoeur was never even tagged by Jimmy Rollins who was smirking and laughing while Manuel was getting his two cents in.
Gary Sheffield was also ejected from the game for arguing a called strike three.
The bullpen did a great job as Pedro Feliciano, Brian Stokes and Frankie Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings. K-Rod picked up his 27th save of the season.
It was a satisfying win for the Mets…
Today, the Mets will honor the Miracle Mets as long as the weather holds up. Maybe some of that magic will rub off on our team and we can continue playing competitive baseball the rest of the season. Unlike the last two seasons, when the Mets completely choked, at least this shell of a team still has some fight in them.
