NewsLivan fits right in with Mets' new vibe
New York (35-33) vs. St. Louis (39-32), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Tim Britton and Marty Noble / MLB.com
06/23/09 1:18 AM ET
NEW YORK -- Amid talk of keeping their heads above water, of maintaining optimism and of doing more but not too much, the Mets did just enough in Monday night's 6-4 victory over the Cardinals.They'll look to replicate that formula on Tuesday, hoping for crucial contributions from secondary, tertiary, and now even quaternary players.
There aren't too many primaries left in the Mets' lineup. Beyond David Wright, the Mets' starting nine looked more like the team they would send out for a split-squad game during Spring Training. But on the same day the team announced center fielder Carlos Beltran would join teammates Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado on the disabled list, the Mets were propelled by a cast of utility men and afterthoughts.
It's only fitting that the Mets will try to do it again behind Livan Hernandez -- the afterthought who won the fifth-starter spot in Spring Training and has proceeded to be the team's most consistent starter this season.
Outside of a spotty outing at Yankee Stadium on June 12, Hernandez has been money for the Mets over the last month. He's pitched seven innings or more in four of his past six starts and hasn't lost since April 23 -- the last time he faced the Cardinals.
He hopes to match Tim Redding's performance from Monday night. Redding did his best Livan impression, throwing seven-plus solid if not sparkling innings and giving the Mets' bullpen a much-needed break.
Manager Jerry Manuel stuck to his plan to rest relievers Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell and Sean Green, allowing Jon Switzer and Brian Stokes to work through the eighth. Stokes, one of two holdovers from last season's bullpen, got the biggest two outs of the game, inducing a double-play grounder from Albert Pujols with the tying run on base.
Manuel wants to see his entire team follow that example.
"We have to have people step up; there's no doubt about that," the manager said. "People are going to be given opportunities, and they have to take advantage of those opportunities."
On offense, it will continue to be Wright plus seven other guys, which added up to a surprisingly balanced attack on Monday. Seven of the eight position players had hits, and five drove in runs. Alex Cora, the utility man-turned-leadoff hitter, had RBIs in the sixth and eighth innings while Omir Santos, the afterthought-turned-starting catcher, had a career-high four hits.
"It takes more than five superstars to win a World Series. It takes a total team effort," Cora said. "We're not as bad as people think we are."
Pitching
matchup
NYM: RHP Livan Hernandez (5-1, 4.18 ERA)
Hernandez would have beaten the Orioles last Thursday if not for a blown save, and he still has not lost any of his past 10 starts. And that from a pitcher who wasn't even projected to make the Opening Day rotation. He is not walking batters -- just 2.5 per nine innings -- and he is stranding men on base. With runners in scoring position, opponents are batting merely .183 against him this season. Hernandez will try to continue that trend against the Cardinals, a team that thumped him for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in St. Louis in his only loss of the season on April 23. Pujols (three), Khalil Greene, Brendan Ryan, Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel have combined to hit seven home runs in 62 composite at-bats against Hernandez.
Pineiro retired 16 straight Tigers on Thursday after allowing four runs in the first inning. He then fell to the ground in pain after striking out Josh Anderson to end the seventh and had to be carried from the field with cramps caused by dehydration. Only one of his four runs was earned, and he took the tough-luck loss. Pineiro has lost five straight starts and eight of his past nine after winning his first four decisions. His ERA in seven starts (41 innings) on the road this season is 5.27. He allowed two runs in eight innings in a Cardinals victory against the Mets on April 22. The Mets' most productive hitter against Pineiro are Beltran and Reyes. Oh well!
Tidbits
On the same day Beltran was assigned to the disabled list, Reyes, already disabled, and trainer Ray Ramirez were headed to Manhattan to have Reyes' troublesome right knee examined. Their car was rear-ended by a fire truck. ... The Mets have won 14 of their most recent 21 games at Citi Field and have won the first game in 17 of their 24 series to date, the best first-game record in the game. ... Santos established a new career high with four hits. He has five RBIs in his most recent four games ... Francisco Rodriguez now has eight totally clean saves.
This date in Mets history -- June 23: Jimmy Piersall celebrated the 100th home run of his career by running the bases backwards at the Polo Grounds on June 23, 1963. The pitcher at the time was a no-nonsense fella with the Phillies, Dallas Green, who found nothing amusing in Piersall's putting it in reverse. Piersall had been traded to the Mets for Gil Hodges a month earlier, but he was released on July 27. He and Green became friends years later, after Piersall had impressed Green as a Minor League outfield instructor with the Phillies.
The Mets killed "The Vulture" on June 23, 1970, beating Phil Regan and the Cubs, 12-10, in 10 innings at Wrigley Field on a two-run home run by Duffy Dyer. Regan, who began his career as a starter with the Dodgers in 1960, moved to the bullpen in 1966 and to the Cubs two years later. As a reliever, he was known to give up leads and then earn victories when his team came back -- hence the nickname "Vulture," which morphed into a verb, used when any reliever squanders a lead and wins.
On June 23, 1984, Bruce Berenyi and Doug Sisk combined to pitch a three-hit shutout against the Expos at Shea. The Mets won, 2-0, with Danny Heep hitting a home run. ... Dwight Gooden pitched a two-hitter and Darryl Strawberry hit a two-run home run in the Mets' 3-0 victory over the Phillies at Shea on June 23, 1990. The victory was the Mets' fifth in a sequence of 11 straight victories that put them in first place, three percentage points ahead of the Pirates, the eventual division champions.
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MLB.TV
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• SNY On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Wednesday: Mets (Fernando Nieve, 2-0, 1.84) vs. Cardinals (Brad Thompson, 2-2, 3.89), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Mets (Johan Santana, 8-5, 3.22) vs. Cardinals (Chris Carpenter, 5-1, 1.53), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Friday: Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 5-2, 4.74) vs. Yankees (CC Sabathia, 6-4, 3.71), 7:10 p.m. ET
Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
