DICKEY SHUTS OUT PHILLIESMETS GET THE BIG HITS WHILE PHILLY FAILS MONUMENTALLY IN THE CLUTCH
When the Mets’ six-game homestand began last Friday, it had all the makings of a last stand. They had just returned from a disastrous 2-6 trip. They were in last place in the National League East. Three starting pitchers had dropped out of the rotation because of injury or ineffectiveness. Manager Jerry Manuel, already in the hot seat, was facing persistent questions about his handling of the club. He would have been under even more pressure had his team faltered against its biggest rivals, the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, in front of big crowds filled with frustrated fans at Citi Field. But the Mets may be playing themselves back into relevance and, for now, preserving Manuel’s job. Despite some nail-biting dramatics by the bullpen, the Mets took two of three games against the Yankees over the weekend. On Tuesday, they faced the Phillies at home for the first time this season and showed, at least for one night, that their rivalry still matters. The Mets thumped the Phillies, 8-0. They improved their record to .500 (23-23) and pulled to four games behind the Phillies in the N.L. East. In recent years, games between the Mets and the Phillies have included plenty of tension and controversy. Tuesday’s intrigue included an unusual pair of starting pitchers who threw so slowly they tested the patience of the stadium’s radar gun. R. A. Dickey, a knuckleballer who is missing a ligament in his throwing arm, took the mound for the Mets. Dickey began the year in the minor leagues and was making only his second start for the Mets. He was the second consecutive knuckleballer to face Philadelphia, the first time that has happened to the Phillies since 1983, when they faced Phil and Joe Niekro in back-to-back games. On Sunday in Philadelphia, Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox shut down the Phillies, who lost, 8-3. Dickey threw six scoreless innings. He kept Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and other Phillies who often find a way to hurt the Mets off track. Dickey struck out seven batters, including pinch hitter Greg Dobbs in the sixth inning. That strikeout brought the boisterous crowd of 33,026 to its feet. Dickey, whose pitches danced to the plate between 72 and 77 miles per hour, is the type of player who could become a folk hero in Flushing. He scattered seven hits — all singles — and walked three to record his first victory of the season. He worked in and out of trouble in the second and third innings and survived a scary moment when a line drive hit by Ryan Howard bounced off his left elbow. Dickey had X-rays taken during the game. They were negative, and he resumed pitching with no apparent discomfort. The Phillies started Jamie Moyer, who at 47 is the oldest player in the major leagues this season. Only a handful of his pitches topped 80 m.p.h., and many of his changeups looked more like soft tosses at 68 m.p.h. The Mets did not hit Moyer particularly hard, but they hit him often and in key spots. The Mets scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and they added three more runs in the eighth against Nelson Figueroa, a former Met. Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs each, and Chris Carter added a pinch-hit single to drive in Francoeur. Raul Valdes, who threw three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season, also hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning. Bay started the scoring with a groundout that chased Jose Reyes home in the first inning. Bay added a single in the fifth to score Reyes again. Francoeur snapped a 12-at-bat hitless streak with a run-scoring single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score David Wright. Manuel, who has often been at a loss to explain the Mets’ recent offensive problems, had to have been happy with what he saw from Reyes, who had three hits, two stolen bases and three runs scored. In recent days, Manuel has faced questions about his leadership of the team, particularly his handling of the starter John Maine’s shoulder injury and his use (or overuse) of the bullpen. That has only increased speculation that he might be fired if the team did not rebound. Manuel has insisted that he has not worried about his employment prospects and is doing his best to motivate his team. “I don’t see it as something that affects the team,” Manuel said, speaking of the questions about his status. “I’m good, I’m good.” Darryl Strawberry echoed Manuel’s stay-the-course message in Washington last week. He told the players they were better than they were performing and needed to do a better job. The players took him at his word. “It’s not like he came in and lectured the whole clubhouse,” Francoeur said. “He just wanted to let us know we need to pick it up a little bit, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that.” (NY Times)
When the Mets’ six-game homestand began last Friday, it had all the makings of a last stand. They had just returned from a disastrous 2-6 trip. They were in last place in the National League East. Three starting pitchers had dropped out of the rotation because of injury or ineffectiveness. Manager Jerry Manuel, already in the hot seat, was facing persistent questions about his handling of the club. He would have been under even more pressure had his team faltered against its biggest rivals, the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, in front of big crowds filled with frustrated fans at Citi Field. But the Mets may be playing themselves back into relevance and, for now, preserving Manuel’s job. Despite some nail-biting dramatics by the bullpen, the Mets took two of three games against the Yankees over the weekend. On Tuesday, they faced the Phillies at home for the first time this season and showed, at least for one night, that their rivalry still matters. The Mets thumped the Phillies, 8-0. They improved their record to .500 (23-23) and pulled to four games behind the Phillies in the N.L. East. In recent years, games between the Mets and the Phillies have included plenty of tension and controversy. Tuesday’s intrigue included an unusual pair of starting pitchers who threw so slowly they tested the patience of the stadium’s radar gun. R. A. Dickey, a knuckleballer who is missing a ligament in his throwing arm, took the mound for the Mets. Dickey began the year in the minor leagues and was making only his second start for the Mets. He was the second consecutive knuckleballer to face Philadelphia, the first time that has happened to the Phillies since 1983, when they faced Phil and Joe Niekro in back-to-back games. On Sunday in Philadelphia, Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox shut down the Phillies, who lost, 8-3. Dickey threw six scoreless innings. He kept Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and other Phillies who often find a way to hurt the Mets off track. Dickey struck out seven batters, including pinch hitter Greg Dobbs in the sixth inning. That strikeout brought the boisterous crowd of 33,026 to its feet. Dickey, whose pitches danced to the plate between 72 and 77 miles per hour, is the type of player who could become a folk hero in Flushing. He scattered seven hits — all singles — and walked three to record his first victory of the season. He worked in and out of trouble in the second and third innings and survived a scary moment when a line drive hit by Ryan Howard bounced off his left elbow. Dickey had X-rays taken during the game. They were negative, and he resumed pitching with no apparent discomfort. The Phillies started Jamie Moyer, who at 47 is the oldest player in the major leagues this season. Only a handful of his pitches topped 80 m.p.h., and many of his changeups looked more like soft tosses at 68 m.p.h. The Mets did not hit Moyer particularly hard, but they hit him often and in key spots. The Mets scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and they added three more runs in the eighth against Nelson Figueroa, a former Met. Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs each, and Chris Carter added a pinch-hit single to drive in Francoeur. Raul Valdes, who threw three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season, also hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning. Bay started the scoring with a groundout that chased Jose Reyes home in the first inning. Bay added a single in the fifth to score Reyes again. Francoeur snapped a 12-at-bat hitless streak with a run-scoring single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score David Wright. Manuel, who has often been at a loss to explain the Mets’ recent offensive problems, had to have been happy with what he saw from Reyes, who had three hits, two stolen bases and three runs scored. In recent days, Manuel has faced questions about his leadership of the team, particularly his handling of the starter John Maine’s shoulder injury and his use (or overuse) of the bullpen. That has only increased speculation that he might be fired if the team did not rebound. Manuel has insisted that he has not worried about his employment prospects and is doing his best to motivate his team. “I don’t see it as something that affects the team,” Manuel said, speaking of the questions about his status. “I’m good, I’m good.” Darryl Strawberry echoed Manuel’s stay-the-course message in Washington last week. He told the players they were better than they were performing and needed to do a better job. The players took him at his word. “It’s not like he came in and lectured the whole clubhouse,” Francoeur said. “He just wanted to let us know we need to pick it up a little bit, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that.” (NY Times)
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