NewsMets hope rainout doesn't disrupt roll
New York (48-51) vs. Colorado (54-46), 12:10 p.m., 7:10 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
07/29/09 8:59 PM ET
NEW YORK -- When the Mets' June 3 game in Pittsburgh was rained out, some players detected a silver lining in the clouds that brought the postponement. They speculated their roster would be mostly restored by the time the makeup game was to be played 29 days later. Jose Reyes had missed merely 11 games when the rains came, and the prevailing sense of his malady was that he would return to active duty before the Mets would return to the confluence of the Ohio, the Alleghany and the Monongahela on July 2.And at that time, John Maine, Carlos Beltran, J.J. Putz and Gary Sheffield still were active. The Mets had lost twice to the Pirates before the rainout, but their season hadn't cracked. Their record was five games over .500, they stood in second place and they were three games behind the Phillies.
Another rainout happened Wednesday night, this time at Citi Field. Now the Mets and Rockies will complete their four-game series with a day-night, separate-admission doubleheader Thursday. Silver linings were at a minimum Wednesday night, though, as rain pelted the ballpark. The Mets have strung together four straight victories. And, as Jeff Francoeur said, "When you're playing well, the last thing you want is a day off."
Now the Mets face two games in one day, and doubleheader splits are far more common than sweeps. They have their eyes on a series sweep. With Johan Santana scheduled to start the third game of the series, they sensed they had a genuine chance to begin Thursday's scheduled nooner with a five-game winning streak intact and a sweep on the agenda. They'd take that and they'd take their chances with Jon Niese and against Jorge De La Rosa in the fourth game of the series Thursday.
And as Joe Torre astutely said one day 30 years ago, "the hardest thing to do in baseball is win the second game of a doubleheader, whether you won or lost the first one."
Ponder that between games Thursday.
Pitching matchup
Game 1
COL: RHP Jason Hammel (5-5, 4.28 ERA)
Hammel gave up three runs and seven hits in six moderately effective innings of a 3-1 loss to the Giants at Coors Field on Friday. That constituted a step forward for him. He had struggled with fleeting fastball command during home games. But this start is at Citi Field, and Hammel is a beast on the road -- 4-2 record and 1.93 ERA in 10 appearances -- eight starts -- and 56 innings. He never has pitched against the Mets, and their active players have merely 12 career at-bats against him.
NYM: LHP Johan Santana (11-8, 3.12 ERA)
In what was his least effective performance this month, Santana allowed five runs on a career-high 12 hits and three walks against the Astros in Houston on Friday. Now he returns to Citi Field, where he has produced a 1.86 ERA and 7-2 record in 10 starts this season, and where he has produced 10 quality starts. He will be making his first career start against the Rockies, one of only two teams he has never faced -- the Twins are the other.
COL: LHP Jorge De La Rosa (8-7, 4.78 ERA)
De La Rosa lost his first six decisions this season, but he leads all big league pitchers with eight victories since June 1. In his most recent start, he pitched 7 1/3 innings, struck out seven and walked none against the Giants. He threw 96 pitches and could have had a complete game, but manager Jim Tracy was intent on getting Rafael Betancourt and rookie Jhoulys Chacin some innings. De La Rosa has been markedly more effective at night and on the road. And his performance against left-handed hitters has been quite good. They have produced a .187 batting average, .226 on-base average and .262 slugging percentage in 113 plate appearances. The Mets are most unfamiliar with him. Players on their active roster have 13 at-bats and four hits against him.
NYM: LHP Jon Niese (1-0, 4.08 ERA)
Summoned to replace Fernando Nieve -- who is on the disabled list -- in the rotation, the 22-year-old Niese sparkled in Houston on Saturday, relying more on his high-80s fastball than the pitch that usually distinguishes him, his curveball. The rookie held the Astros to one run on four hits in seven innings, walking two, both in the first inning, and striking out three. Niese's eight most recent starts, seven with the Mets' Triple-A Buffalo affiliate, have produced a 6-0 record and an 0.78 ERA. The Rockies are not among the teams he has faced in his five-start big league career. Oddly, left-handed hitters have been his undoing thus far in his career. They've batted .381 in 21 at-bats against him this season and .368 in 38 at-bats, beginning last year. Right-handed hitters have batted .222 in 45 at-bats his season and .272 in 88 at-bats in his career.
The Mets had received no word from Dr. James Andrews, the noted sports surgeon who examined John Maine's right shoulder on Wednesday. ... The Mets' lineup for the game that was postponed included Jeff Francoeur, who appeared to have little lingering effect from being struck on the left hand with a pitch Tuesday night. ... Francisco Rodriguez has warmed up six times since the All-Star break with the chance to pitch in a save situation. But the Mets' improved offense has eliminated the save opportunity in each instance. ... Second baseman Luis Castillo will miss Game 1 of the doubleheader to attend the birth of his second child.
This date in Mets history -- July 30: The '69 Mets, already in second place and the surprise of the National League, were swept -- and crushed -- in a home doubleheader against the Astros. They lost, 16-3 and 11-5, to fall 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs. They would lose the next day, as well, but then would win 45 of their subsequent 63 games to win the division. It was in the first game of the doubleheader that Gil Hodges removed Cleon Jones from left field in mid-inning for not hustling. "It caught everyone's attention," is how Jones describes the effect of that scenario 40 years after the fact. ... Four years later, the eventual champion Mets were swept at Shea Stadium by the Expos, losing 1-0 and 5-2, to fall 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Cardinals and two games behind the fifth-place Phillies.
In 1988, Sid Fernandez and Randy Myers combined for a four-hit, 13-strikeout 3-0 win against the second-place Pirates at Shea Stadium. The Mets increased their division lead to four games. They won the first three games of the showdown series, scoring six runs and allowing one. ... In 2000, the second-place Mets extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals at Shea. Bubba Trammell hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat with New York.
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• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Friday: Mets (Livan Hernandez, 7-5, 4.87)vs. Diamondbacks (Doug Davis, 5-10, 3.76), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Saturday: Mets (Oliver Perez, 2-3, 7.42) vs. Diamondbacks (TBD), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 8-6, 4.72) vs. Diamondbacks (TBD), 1:10 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.
