NewsMets must not let up vs. Pirates
Pittsburgh (12-17) at New York (15-13), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
05/09/09 1:17 AM ET
NEW YORK -- Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church, both more than competent outfielders, allowed a most catchable fly ball to fall to the Citi Field turf untouched on Friday. Jose Reyes was charged with an error, and he didn't make a play on another far less routine ground ball.Rookie starter Jon Niese made an errant pickoff throw, and David Wright might have handled the game's first play, but he didn't.
Was it coincidence that the Pirates had replaced the Phillies in the third-base dugout at Citi on Friday night? Or did the Mets play poorly by chance?
A week after the Mets' "edge" and intensity against lesser opponents were called into question, those topics again seemed like issues.
Now, the Mets have two more games against the Pirates. How will they respond to the diminished challenge is a disturbing question for their manager.
"There are still some things we can do better fundamentally," Jerry Manuel said following the Mets' 7-3 victory against the Pirates in the first game of the series. "We're lacking in execution, and we have to address those things."
Manuel had expected more on Friday, if only because Niese had pitched effectively, walking no one and throwing 67 strikes among his 95 pitches.
"We should play better with a pitcher who kept a good tempo and good rhythm," Manuel said.
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP John Maine (2-2, 5.20 ERA)
Maine has won his two most recent starts after losing his previous two. He walked a career-high six in six innings against the Braves on Monday, but he struck out seven and allowed three hits. He has pitched at least five innings in each of his five starts and surrendered only 20 hits in 27 2/3 innings. Maine is 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA in five career starts against Pittsburgh. PIT: LHP Paul Maholm (3-0, 2.97 ERA)
Maholm got right back on track his last time out, and he showcased the pitch efficiency that his teammates in Pittsburgh have become so accustomed to. The lefty needed only 98 pitches to finish 7 1/3 innings. He also recorded a season-high seven strikeouts. When he's on, Maholm is around the strike zone, getting ground-ball outs with ease. And he continues to be the Pirates' most consistent pitcher in being able to finish six innings. Maholm is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. Tidbits
By beating the Phillies on Thursday night, Mike Pelfrey put his record since June 16 at 15-5 and his ERA at 3.80. His record this year is 4-0. The last Mets pitcher to win his first four or more decisions as a starting pitcher was Maine, who produced a 5-0 record in seven starts two years ago. ... The Mets struck out no batters on Thursday -- a franchise first since April 3, 2007. Orlando Hernandez was the starter in that game. And Billy Wagner pitched an inning. ... Francisco Rodriguez earned a save on Thursday for the fourth consecutive game, a first for him. He had pitched on four consecutive dates once previously with the Angels from Sept. 2-5, 2008, saving two games and winning one. The last Mets pitcher to save a game on four consecutive dates was Braden Looper, who did so from May 31-June 3, 2004. ... Beltran hit his 122nd home run as a Met on Thursday. He and Kevin McReynolds are tied for seventh place on the Mets' all-time list.
This date in Mets history -- May 9:
A two-run single by Tim Harkness and a run-scoring wild pitch by Johnny Klippstein in the ninth inning produced the run necessary for a 3-2 Mets victory against the Phillies at the Polo Grounds on this date in 1963. The Mets had three hits in the inning, one before that. The victory was the second of three straight 3-2 Mets wins that followed 3-1 and 4-2 victories. The five-game winning streak was the longest in the first 188 games in franchise history. The streak was followed by 17 losses in 22 games.
On May 9, 1970, the Mets defeated the Giants, 14-5, at Shea Stadium. The runs were the most they had scored in one game since July 21, 1966, when they defeated the Giants, 14-3, at Candlestick Park. ... Fourteen years later, Ron Darling (eight innings) and Jesse Orosco combined to three-hit the Astros in one hour and 53 minutes at Shea. The Mets won, 2-0. The attendance: 9,717. Darling would pitch his first two big league shutouts, both four-hitters, in June and July.
The Mets suffered a second straight loss to the expansion Marlins on this date in 1993, dropping their record to 10-18. They would lose 103 games that season despite winning their last six, finishing last in the seven-team National League East, 38 games from first place and six games behind the sixth-place Marlins. The 59-103 record equaled the record by an established team in an expansion season. The 1962 Cubs had the same record in '62, the year of the first NL expansion. The Marlins lost 108 games in 1998, the year of the most recent expansion.
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• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Sunday: Pirates (Ian Snell, 1-4, 4.50) at Mets (Livan Hernandez, 2-1, 5.53), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Braves (Derek Lowe, 4-1, 3.98) at Mets (Johan Santana, 4-1, 0.91), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Braves (Jair Jurrjens, 3-2, 2.01) at Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 4-0, 5.46), 7:10 p.m. ET
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
