NewsMets get chance to pay back Hamels
New York (31-25) vs. Philadelphia (33-23), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble and Tim Britton / MLB.com
06/10/09 2:17 AM ET
NEW YORK -- Watching their division rivals celebrate a World Series was difficult enough for the Mets last season. Hearing Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels label them as "choke artists" during the offseason only added insult to injury.The Mets get their first chance at retribution against Hamels on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
"For the past two years, they've been choke artists," Hamels told New York's WFAN radio in December. "That's kind of what we believed, and I think we're always going to believe that until they prove us wrong."
The Mets' September struggles the last two seasons are well-documented. The team blew a seven-game lead to the Phillies with 17 to play in 2007 and a 3 1/2-game lead with 17 to go in '08.
"The choice words [Hamels] has had afterward -- we shouldn't need more motivation," third baseman David Wright said. "And Cole's backed that up and the Philadelphia Phillies have backed that up. They've done what we haven't and played their best ball in September."
The Phillies are playing some of their best ball right now in 2009. Even with Tuesday's 6-5 loss at Citi Field, Philadelphia has won eight of its past 11 games and holds a two-game lead over New York in the National League East. The Phils are in first despite owning the second-worst ERA in the league.
While Hamels' numbers (4-2, 4.40 ERA) are not as good as expected, he is coming off a shutout of the Dodgers in Los Angeles. And his ERA is inflated by two bad starts at the beginning of the season, when Hamels was getting over tightness in his elbow.
"I don't know if them as individuals will be inspired or fired up," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said of his team. "I think they should be: You're playing the world champions. They're your rivals."
Wright and the Mets will look to build off their success at the plate Tuesday night, when they got to left-hander J.A. Happ early. Happ, who came into the game 4-0 and on a roll as a starter, lasted only 5 1/3 innings and surrendered two home runs. The first was to Wright, who hit a blast to left in the second inning.
One inning later, Carlos Beltran belted his eighth home run of the year, a two-run shot. It was Beltran's fourth long ball as a right-handed batter in just 56 at-bats.
Ryan Church added a solo shot in the seventh off the apple in dead center field.
"It's always fun to face those guys," Wright said of the Phillies. "I've really enjoyed the rivalry that's come along the last few seasons."
Mike Pelfrey will try to bounce back from his worst start of the season when he takes the hill for the Mets.
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85 ERA)
Pelfrey allowed eight earned runs -- a career high -- and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings to the Pirates on Thursday, and the Mets lost for the second time in his eight most recent starts. His pitches were up throughout that appearance. Now he faces Pennsylvania's other team. Pelfrey has beaten the Phillies twice this season -- May 1 and May 7, allowing six runs and 15 hits in 12 1/3 innings. He had no strikeouts in either start. Ryan Howard, Jason Werth, Greg Dobbs and Pedro Feliz have 17 hits in 42 career at-bats against Pelfrey. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins have six hits in 27 career at-bats.
Hamels looked like the pitcher who earned World Series MVP honors Thursday at Dodger Stadium. He threw his first shutout of the season and third of his career in a 3-0 victory. He allowed five hits and struck out five. And just as impressive as his line, he threw merely 97 pitches. The key? He kept the ball down in the strike zone, which meant any time a Dodgers player made contact he seemed to be grounding out. Tidbits
Wright hit a solo homer in the second inning Tuesday, his fourth of the year and his first in 100 at-bats. His longest streak without a homer is 101 at-bats, from July 28-Aug. 29, 2006. .... Wright has 11 hits in his past 17 at-bats and six runs, five doubles and five RBIs in his past five games. ... Beltran hit his eighth homer Tuesday and is fifth on the club's all-time home run list with the 125. ... J.J. Putz underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur from the back of his right elbow Tuesday. The Mets said he is to begin rehabbing his arm immediately and resuming throwing in about six weeks. ... Chipper Jones, speaking on SIRIUS XM radio Tuesday, had this to say about Citi Field: "It is the biggest park that I have ever played in in my life. It is a huge ballpark to center and right center and right field. You know, I actually feel sort of sorry for some of the guys out there because their power numbers are really going to take a hit; guys like David Wright, Beltran, [Carlos] Delgado. The days of them hitting 35, 40 homers -- they're over." ... The Mets have begun the sale of Subway Series Packs exclusively online at Mets.com and LosMets.com. The five-game packs include tickets to one of the three Subway Series games June 26-28 at Citi Field, and tickets to any four other regular-season home games in July, August, September and October. Seats are available in the following areas: Metropolitan Box, Field Box, Caesars Club Bronze and Baseline Box. The same category must be selected for all five games. Tickets are subject to availability. The following home games are included: July 7-9 vs. Dodgers, July 10-12 vs. Reds, July 27-30 vs. Rockies, July 31-Aug. 3 vs. D-backs, Aug. 4-5 vs. Cardinals, Aug. 14-17 vs. Giants, Aug. 18-20 vs. Braves, Aug. 21-24 vs. Phillies, Sept. 4-6 vs. Cubs, Sept. 8-10 vs. Marlins, Sept. 18-20 vs. Nationals, Sept. 21-23 vs. Braves and Oct. 2-4 vs. Astros.
This date in Mets history -- June 10:
Perhaps the brightest shooting star in the history of the franchise blitzed across the sky on this date in 1966. Dick Rusteck made his big league debut a four-hit, one-walk, five-strikeout shutout of the Reds. Eddie Bressoud produced the sixth and final two-homer game of his career -- four of the others came in Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox -- as the Mets won, 5-0, at Shea Stadium. Rusteck, who developed elbow problems after the shutout, was rocked in his second start and ineffective in his third. There were no more. His big league career lasted just eight games, all in '66. he ended his career with a 1-2 record and a 3.00 ERA.
Two years later, a pitcher with greater staying power pitched the third shutout of his career; Tom Seaver beat the Dodgers in Los Angeles. He pitched 10 innings, as did losing pitcher Don Sutton, in the Mets' 1-0 victory. Oddly, Seaver struck out just two, eight fewer than Sutton. Seaver pitched 60 other shutouts in his Hall of Fame career, none with so few strikeouts.
In what stands as something of a connect-the-dots instance 40 years after the fact, Alay Soler made one of his eight appearances with the Mets and pitched an out-of-nowhere shutout against the D-backs in Phoenix on this date last year. As had been the case with Rusteck, the Mets won, 5-0. Soler, released by the Mets and signed by the Pirates n the spring of 2007, never pitched in the big leagues after his eight starts with the Mets. He ended his career with a 2-3 record and 6.00 ERA.
Tickets
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MLB.TV
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• Official game notes On television
• SNY On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Thursday: Mets (Tim Redding, 0-2, 6.97) vs. Phillies (Jamie Moyer, 4-5, 6.27), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Friday: Mets (John Maine, 5-4, 4.52) at Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, 3-1, 3.79), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Mets (Livan Hernandez, 5-1, 3.88) at Yankees (Andy Pettitte, 6-2, 4.22), 4:10 p.m. ET
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
