PELFREY BACK TO FORM; METS BACK AT .500

Mike Pelfrey finally found his way back home. After six weeks of struggles, the Mets starter returned to his early season form and earned his first win since June25. He outdueled Ubaldo Jimenez, the majors' leader in wins, and helped shut out the Rockies, 1-0, Tuesday night as the Mets returned to Citi Field to open a six-game home stand. Pelfrey, who had gotten through fifth inning just once in his previous seven starts, gave the Mets seven scoreless innings Tuesday night. He scattered four hits, walked one and struck out four. Pelfrey (11-6) threw a career-high 122pitches. The Mets bats finally gave Pelfrey a lead in the seventh after struggling early against Jimenez (17-3). After the Rockies righthander worked his way out of a bases-loaded situation in the sixth, the Mets scored a run on Jose Reyes' sacrifice fly in the next inning. Chris Carter led off by drawing a four-pitch walk and Josh Thole hit a hard double to right field to put pinch-runner Jeff Francoeur on third with no outs. After Jimenez struck out Ruben Tejada, he intentionally walked Carlos Beltran, before Reyes' fly ball to deep right field got Francoeur home. Jimenez got out of the inning by striking out Fernando Martinez. That was it for Jimenez, who went seven innings, allowing one run on four hits. He walked four and struck out eight. Hisanori Takahashi, who is still in limbo between the Mets' starting rotation and bullpen, pitched a scoreless eighth and Francisco Rodriguez finished it off in the ninth for his 25th save of the season. It was Pelfrey's start, however, that gave the struggling Mets a lift. With the Mets all but out of the playoff picture, they are focusing on the future. They are playing their young players to see what they have for 2011. Where the big 26-year-old righty fits in the rotation may be one of the biggest questions going into next year. Tuesday night, he showed he could battle back from an extended midseason slump. He did it by being aggressive with his fastball and attacking hitters from the start. Going into Tuesday night's game, the first inning had been a problem for Pelfrey, who had allowed 16 first-inning runs in his last 11starts. He had not gotten out of the first without giving up at least a run in the first in 10 of those starts. Tuesday night, Pelfrey immediately went after the Rockies hitters. He had a scoreless first inning, including striking out National League leading hitter Carlos Gonzalez (.326) in an eight-pitch at-bat. That was what manager Jerry Manuel had been looking for from Pelfrey. "I think that first inning can give you an idea," Manuel said before the game. "But I also think with Mike there has to be some adversity out there somewhere to see how he handles that, whether or not he's going to navigate through the rest of the game. I think the first inning is very critical for any pitcher, and if he comes out and does well, there and has a good second and third, and then runs into a little trouble, how he navigates that will determine (how we do)." Pelfrey, who had not gotten out of the fifth inning since June 25, found his adversity in the second inning. He gave a one-out walk to Brad Hawpe, followed by a single to Ian Stewart. When Tejada failed to turn a double play on Miguel Olivo's ground ball to third, Pelfrey had runners on first and third, but got out of the inning by getting Clint Barmes to ground into a force at second. Pelfrey looked like the more aggressive pitcher that tore out to a 10-2 start this season. In his last seven starts, Pelfrey came undone. He was 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA in those starts dating back to June 30. (NY Daily News)

METS HAVE BIGGEST DROP IN ATTENDANCE According to Baseball Reference, the Mets lead all of baseball in the biggest drop in attendance from last season to this season:

METS DIGGING THEIR OWN GRAVE

Carlos Beltran fixed his eyes on the ball, just as he had done hundreds, if not thousands, of times in his career. He was drifting backward, intending to make what would have been a fine yet makeable catch on Jayson Werth’s long fly ball. But just an instant before he jumped for it, Beltran banged awkwardly into the padded, green outfield wall. As the ball went over the fence, Beltran looked almost as if it had never occurred to him that anything might be there impeding his path. As a team, the Mets also appear to have slammed gracelessly into a wall they did not see coming. One day after the promotion of two youngsters left veterans wondering about the team’s direction, the Mets lost Sunday for the 15th time in 22 games, falling to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5. They finished the trip 2-4 as their playoff hopes continued to fade. The Mets managed to score five runs off Roy Halladay, but R. A. Dickey had a rare poor outing, allowing Werth’s home run in the second inning and Raul Ibanez’s three-run homer in Philadelphia’s five-run third. A team that was once considered a viable playoff contender, the Mets (55-56) fell nine games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, and remained seven and a half back in the wild-card race. “We’re O.K.,” Manager Jerry Manuel said, expressing an optimism that does not necessarily reflect the current position of his team. “We still got a chance to have a run, but the run can’t be a short run. You’ve got to play well for about 35, 40 games now. I think we have the ability to do that.” With a lineup that featured seven players signed and groomed in their farm system — but not Jeff Francoeur, the home run hero of their last two victories — the Mets were hoping to inaugurate a new, youthful era. They had to face Halladay, adominant pitcher in the game. The Mets did well to scrape out five runs against Halladay, who was not at his best. They had a chance to tie the game, or perhaps take the lead, by extending a rally in the seventh inning. With the Mets trailing by a run, and runners on first and second and two outs, Beltran struck out for the third time and was then removed in a double switch. The Mets are off Monday and start a three-game series Tuesday against visiting Colorado, and Manuel said Beltran might not play again until Wednesday. With an 0-for-4 day, Beltran finished the trip 3 for 22 with seven strikeouts. His overall batting average dipped to .195. “I wish I can have better results, but right now, nothing good is happening,” he said. Beltran has also struggled in the field since starting his season July 15 after having off-season knee surgery. On Sunday, he got a late break on a Werth bloop single in the third, and Werth came around to score. But it was the inning before when he seemed so strangely out of his element. “I didn’t know how close I was to the wall,” he said, “and when I was about to jump, I just got stuck in the fence.” David Wright has also slumped. On Sunday he, too, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and finished the trip 2 for 23, also with seven strikeouts. “They both struggled on this trip,” Manuel said. “I don’t know what the final numbers were, what they actually did. But it just appeared they were in good situations and just weren’t able to get it done.” One of the few players to get it done lately has been Francoeur, whose homers provided the winning margin in each of the last two wins. Ordinarily, Manuel sticks with the hot player, but this time he elected to sit Francoeur in favor of the young Fernando Martinez, who was called up Saturday along with second baseman Ruben Tejada to inject energy and athleticism to a team in desperate need of a boost. Francoeur was dismayed to learn that he would be getting less playing time, and several veterans, including Wright, said the moves sent a mixed message about whether the Mets were still pursuing the playoffs, or whether they were in development mode. If victories do not come soon, it will certainly be the latter. “We’ve dug ourselves a hole, and we’re going to have to do quite a bit of work these last 50 games or so to get back in it,” Wright said. It is definitely possible, but there are walls standing in the way.

WRIGHT AND PELFREY BOTCH GAME, SERIES, METS STRUGGLES CONTINUE TO DEPLETE CHANCES

For the Mets, this has become a matter of slow self-destruction. Few would argue that they rank among the most talented teams in the league. They do not. And so the Mets must play flawless baseball to retain their slimming chance at a playoff berth. Wednesday represented the antithesis of that ideal. Committing three of their season-high four errors in one inning and receiving another inadequate start from Mike Pelfrey, the Mets dropped a messy 8-3 game to the Braves at Turner Field. Already urgent, the Mets' quest has now reached critical status. If they do not win this weekend's series in Philadelphia, they may quickly become a Major League afterthought. "I was a little shocked," manager Jerry Manuel said, "that we played this way defensively." Already trailing by three runs, the Mets kicked away any chance at a comeback when Jose Reyes, Ike Davis and David Wright all committed miscues during a four-batter span in the sixth. First it was Reyes, allowing Melky Cabrera to reach base on his second throwing error of the game. Then, after Omar Infante's single, it was Davis booting a ball to load the bases. And finally it was Wright, firing wide of second base on Chipper Jones' potential double-play ball. Watching the theatrics unfold from the mound, Hisanori Takahashi admitted through his interpreter that it was "kind of difficult to stay focused on the batters" -- and rightfully so. Ground ball after precious ground ball rolled its way through the infield grass, resulting not in outs but in distress. "It was bad," Manuel said. "We're a better team than that. We've got to get back on that track of pitching and good defense." The first part of that equation was no better. In what Manuel called a critical start for his struggling right-hander, Pelfrey allowed a single run in the first before serving up back-to-back home runs to Jones and Brian McCann in the third. Then, after McCann hit an RBI double in the fifth inning, Pelfrey plunked Matt Diaz with the bases loaded. It was hardly a matter of stuff for Pelfrey, who appeared markedly better than he had in any of his previous handful of starts. "We got the hard-throwing Pelfrey tonight," Jones said. "The last time we faced him in New York, he was throwing 90-91. Tonight he came out and he was throwing 96, 97." But a lack of command and an unreliable split-fingered fastball hurt Pelfrey, who allowed five runs, three earned, in 4 2/3 innings. It marked the seventh consecutive start in which Pelfrey could not complete six innings, and the fourth time over that span that he could not complete five. "The team needed me to step up and be a lot better than I have been," Pelfrey said. "Giving up five runs isn't cutting it, so I take full responsibility for tonight." There would be no late rally for the Mets, who netted two runs off Braves starter Kris Medlen -- who left due to a right elbow injury in the fifth -- and another against Peter Moylan in the seventh. But by that point, the outcome was hardly in doubt. The Mets were all but packing their bags, preparing for a long, silent flight to Philadelphia. "We didn't really do anything right," Wright said. "It wasn't just the fact that we threw the ball around. Our pitchers got hit around. Offensively, we didn't do anything. And then we threw the ball around. Of course you're going to lose that game." For much of the past month, the Mets have been searching for a turning point -- and Wednesday's game may have been it. Already pointed south, the Mets managed to turn more squarely in that direction. They slipped a rung, or perhaps even several. And now to climb back up will take all their energy, all their skill, a newfound fundamental soundness and still a bit of luck. It is possible, yet improbable. Mostly, the Mets are hanging on the hopes they have provided with their own shattered history. In 2007, the Mets famously lost a 7 1/2-game divisional lead to the Phillies with 17 games to play. Now, they trail the Braves by that same 7 1/2-game margin with 54 to go. "So we know that by no means are we out of it," Wright said. "But at the same time, we've got to get hot and go on some streaks." This week represented an opportunity for the Mets to win a series against a first-place team, to poke their heads above water and announce their intentions to the rest of the league. Instead they did none of that, leaving Georgia with a sick feeling in their collective gut. "I knew this game was important," Pelfrey said. "I knew we had a chance to win a series, which is what it's all about."

FRENCHY BURNS FORMER TEAM

METS, NOW 6.5 OUT, ACTUALLY WIN A GAME ON THE ROAD

Shortly after Monday's loss to the Braves, Jeff Francoeur cited his final at-bat of the evening -- a single up the middle -- as evidence that he was about to hit a hot streak. He recorded only one hit Tuesday. But it was the one the Mets needed. Francoeur homered off former Mets closer Billy Wagner to lead off the ninth inning, snapping a 2-2 tie and leading the Mets to a 3-2 victory over the Braves at Turner Field. Two innings after the Mets tied the game against Atlanta's usually stellar bullpen, Francoeur drove a 96-mph fastball over the right-field wall, giving the Mets their first lead of the series. Mets starter R.A. Dickey allowed two runs in six innings, both runs due partly to some imperfect defense. In the second, Melky Cabrera drove home a run after Luis Castillo could not make a diving stop on Rick Ankiel's ground-ball single up the middle. And in the sixth, Cabrera tripled home a run on a tailing drive that Francoeur could not cut off in right-center field. Francoeur, though, drew a leadoff walk in the seventh to spark the tying rally. Against Braves reliever Kyle Farnsworth -- in whom the Mets reportedly showed interest before Saturday's non-waiver Trade Deadline -- pinch-hitter Chris Carter singled home Francoeur in the seventh. The Mets had scored just once earlier in the game off Braves starter Derek Lowe, on Jose Reyes' RBI double in the third. The Mets entered the game a season-high 7 1/2 games out of first place, alone in fourth for the first time since May.

14-1...METS CELEBRATE PAST, CRINGE AT PRESENT

The Mets made a weekend out of celebrating four members of the best team in franchise history, the 1986 squad that won a club-record 108 games and one of the more dramatic World Series in baseball history. But when the festivities ended, the Mets had to play one of the worst teams in the major leagues, the Arizona Diamondbacks. And in a three-game series, the Mets looked more like the Diamondbacks than the record-setting team that was being honored. After an awful start by Jon Niese on Sunday, the Mets lost, 14-1, to the last-place Diamondbacks, who entered the game with fewer victories than all but two major league teams. Niese and two relievers combined to give up 16 hits, four of them home runs, in what was one of the Mets’ ugliest pitching efforts of the season. The Mets have won one of their last nine series, and the loss dropped them into fourth place in the National League East, at least for a few hours. The loss — far worse than any defeat the 1986 Mets ever experienced — created a sharp change in emotions at Citi Field, where the day began with a mood of warm nostalgia for the Mets’ last championship team. Four key components of that team — General Manager Frank Cashen, Manager Davey Johnson, and the star players Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry — were inducted into the Mets’ Hall of Fame in an on-field ceremony before the game. Each inductee was feted with a video tribute showing highlights from that historic season and gave a brief speech. The fans applauded throughout, reveling in happy memories of accomplishments that have yet to be duplicated. Then the game began, and the 35,014 in attendance came to a sudden realization: this year’s Mets do not resemble the 1986 team. It was actually the second reality check of the weekend. The first came Saturday, when General Manager Omar Minaya neglected to make any deals as the trading deadline came and went. Minaya expressed optimism that he could still make a deal for a player who cleared waivers in August, but the Mets’ lack of aggression, combined with deals made by the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, could be interpreted as the team realizing its chances to make the playoffs were slim. The series with the Diamondbacks certainly seemed to indicate as much. One of the players whom the Mets did not want to trade was Niese, a 23-year-old left-hander who has been an unlikely stalwart in the team’s rotation. He had given up only nine earned runs in his last six starts before Sunday. Niese (7-5) held the Diamondbacks hitless for three and a third innings Sunday. Then he imploded, allowing five consecutive hits, including a three-run home run by Adam LaRoche. An inning later, Niese surrendered another three-run home run to LaRoche. Coming off the field, the Mets were booed as loudly as the 1986 stars had been cheered before the game. Over all, Niese allowed seven runs, six of them earned, on seven hits and three walks in four and a third innings. His replacement, Elmer Dessens, was no better, allowing two more home runs in two and two-thirds innings. The four home runs allowed matched the Mets’ season high. And although few fans were around to watch Dessens’s replacement, the oft-jeered Oliver Perez, he pitched even worse, allowing four runs on five hits and one walk in two innings. He was booed repeatedly by those who remained. Meanwhile, the team’s struggles at the plate continued. The Mets came into Sunday’s game with a team batting average of .210 since the All-Star Break, losing 11 of 16 games. They mustered only three hits in eight innings against the 23-year-old Diamondbacks starter Daniel Hudson, one of two players acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Friday for starter Edwin Jackson. (NY Times)

BLOG WILL RE-ACTIVATE SUNDAY NIGHT
The Author of this blog is out of town, without internet until late Sunday night. For coverage on the Mets weekend Series vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks, please rely on other blogs & news sources. Those Mets will continue its superior Mets coverage Sunday.

Some Scattered Photos, Great shots from the Series Win:

METS TAKE A SERIES THEY NEEDED

DESPERATELY TRYING TO STAY IN RACE, NEW YORK TAKES 2 OF 3 FROM CARDINALS BEHIND DICKEY'S GEM

The Mets have said all year that their goal is to win the National League East. But in the last month they have harnessed a shorter-term aspiration: to win a series. Before Thursday, the last time that had happened was late June, when the Mets won two of three against Minnesota. They failed to win their next seven series, losing six and splitting one. But in a second half that has so far been marked by nonstop malaise, the Mets found a rare positive on Thursday when they beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, to win the decisive game of their three-game series at Citi Field. As he has been so many times this season, R. A. Dickey (7-4) was a steadying force on the mound. He pitched into the ninth inning in what was his longest outing of the year. Meanwhile, Ike Davis broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a three-run home run to center field, and the Cardinals never mustered any semblance of a comeback against Dickey’s knuckleballs. The win was critical on a number of fronts. It came in a situation that the Mets have typically struggled — they had lost 9 of 12 rubber games this season before Thursday — and it kept them from dropping to .500 on the season. The Mets have been above .500 since June 4. But since reaching a season-best 11 games over .500 on June 27, they have lost 18 of 26 games. But this week’s series against the Cardinals, who came into Thursday tied with Cincinnati for first place in the National League Central, marked a bright spot — or at least a bright spot relative to the three series on the Mets’ catastrophic 11-game West Coast trip following the All-Star break. If nothing else, the Mets could use the third inning Thursday as a case study for why not all hope is lost with the personnel they have in the clubhouse — even if they have been playing lately like a team that could use a trading-deadline acquisition or two. Jose Reyes, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games, doubled down the first-base line to lead off the inning, and he advanced to third when Angel Pagan beat out a bunt that he pushed past the pitcher’s mound in the direction of the second baseman. Davis wasted no time scoring them. He swung at the first pitch from the right-hander Blake Hawksworth (4-7) and drove it over the center-field fence for his 15th home run of the season, second most among major league rookies. With Dickey on the mound, the Mets did not need any further offense (though they added one more run in the fifth when Pagan tripled and Carlos Beltran scored him with a single). The right-handed Dickey, who was working off three days’ rest, pitched five and two-thirds scoreless innings on Sunday before being removed from the game, against his wishes, after slipping on the mound and favoring his leg. In eight and a third innings on Thursday, he allowed no runs on four hits and two walks, striking out two. The win was Dickey’s first since June 23; with little run support, he had lost his last four decisions, though he could hardly be blamed for most of them. Dickey received loud applause when Manager Jerry Manuel allowed him to hit with one out and the bases loaded in the eighth inning, despite having thrown 104 pitches. (He grounded into a fielder’s choice.) But Dickey got into trouble in the ninth, allowing a pinch-hit single to Colby Rasmus and walking Jon Jay. That put the tying run on deck, and Manuel emerged from the Mets’ dugout to remove Dickey. Manuel was booed loudly as he walked toward the mound; Dickey, for his part, got a standing ovation when he walked from it. But Manuel’s decision paid off, strategically, if not emotionally. Francisco Rodriguez retired Albert Pujols on a flyout, then struck out Matt Holliday to secure a much-needed win for the Mets. (NY Times) Report from Mets.com reads as such: Turns out R.A. Dickey was just fine. Pitching on short rest after leaving Sunday's game early due to injury, Dickey fired 8 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday in a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals at Citi Field. It marked the Mets' first series win since taking two of three from the Twins back in June. Four days after begrudgingly leaving Sunday's start in Los Angeles with a sore left glute, Dickey held the Cards silent. After Jon Jay doubled with one out in the first, no other St. Louis hitter reached scoring position until Skip Schumaker with two outs in the eighth. Dickey allowed just four hits, striking out two and walking two. He won for the first time since June 23 despite posting a 1.89 ERA over his previous five starts. Ike Davis provided all the offense the Mets would need in the third, launching a three-run homer to center field off Cardinals starter Blake Hawksworth. Carlos Beltran added an RBI single in the sixth off Hawksworth, who allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings.