NewsMets set for tilt with Phillies on FOX
New York (62-79) at Philadelphia (80-59), 4:05 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
09/12/09 1:46 AM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- That their series against the Phillies this weekend has lost its juice is a disappointment to the Mets. And they are not alone in that regard. Saturday's game is to be nationally televised by FOX, and the second game of the day-night doubleheader Sunday is to be carried by ESPN."They were looking forward to a showdown and so were we," Mets catcher Brian Schneider said Friday after the Phillies had beaten the Mets in the first game of the four-game series. "I wish we could have given them what they wanted."
Which is not to suggest the telecasts are without appeal. The FOX game is to be called by Tim McCarver and Howie Rose, the Mets' radio play-by-play man who has an abiding appreciation for McCarver and how the former catcher's insight and analysis changed the genre.
Moreover, the Mets' starter is Mike Pelfrey, the only pitcher to beat the Phillies three times this season.
And the Sunday night game has Pedro Martinez pitching against the Mets for the second time.
"We'll give them their money's worth," Jeff Francoeur said. "Tell 'em to watch."
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Mike Pelfrey (10-10, 4.83 ERA)
Following extended conversations with manager Jerry Manuel and sage Alex Cora, Pelfrey completed eight innings for the first time in 28 starts this season, beating the Cubs at Citi Field on Sunday. Pelfrey allowed six baserunners and one run, and he needed merely 105 pitches -- 25 in the seventh inning and 10 to his final batter -- to do so. He resumed throwing his two-seam fastball and threw it for strikes the way he hadn't in his two previous starts, in which he walked 10 in 9 2/3 innings. Next, he faces the team he has beaten three times in four starts this season -- the Phillies. The Mets lost Pelfrey's only no-decision against the Phillies this year. His ERA in 24 1/3 innings against the Phillies is 3.70, and though his career ERA in Citizens Bank Park is 5.28 in 15 1/3 innings, he has a 1-1 record there. Pelfrey has surrendered 30 home runs in 453 career innings. Chase Utley has faced him 23 times and hit three of the 30.
J.A. Happ is to miss a second start because of a strained right intercostal muscle, so Moyer makes his second start in Happ's place. Moyer allowed three hits and two runs in six innings in a loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park on Monday. He had produced a 2-0 record with a 1.35 ERA in three relief appearances (13 1/3 innings) since Aug. 9, when he was assigned to the bullpen to accommodate Pedro Martinez in the rotation. Moyer has a 10-9 record and a 5.36 ERA in 23 starts, four of them against the Mets. He split two decisions and produced a 7.08 ERA in 20 1/3 innings against them, allowing five home runs and 27 hits. David Wright has a .432 average and three home runs in 44 career at-bats against Moyer. This date in Mets history -- Sept. 12: The Mets lost, 6-0, to the Giants on "Duke Snider Night" at the Polo Grounds on this date in 1963. Snider, in his lone season with the Mets, went hitless in three at-bats in a four-hitter by Juan Marichal. The Mets' leadoff hitter was Ed Kranepool. Two years later, Dick Selma struck out 13, then a club record, in a 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Milwaukee Braves at Shea. Charley Smith drove in the run.
The '69 Mets produce two more memorable, distinctive and important 1-0 victories on this date. They swept the Pirates at Forbes Field, with Jerry Koosman pitching a three-hitter in the first game and Don Cardwell and McGraw combining for a five-hitter in the second game. Koosman and Cardwell drove in the only runs in the first doubleheader shutout in club history. On this date in 1974, Bob Gibson gained his 28th and final career victory against the Mets in a 12-5 Cardinals win at Shea. Gibson, who lost his lone 1975 start against the Mets, beat them more often than any other team except the Phillies (30) and Astros (29). Only Greg Maddux (35) and Steve Carlton (30) have exceeded Gibson in victories against the Mets.
And on this date in 1984, Dwight Gooden struck out 16 in a five-hit 2-0 shutout of the Pirates at Shea. Gooden's season strikeout total reached 251, surpassing the big league record for rookie pitchers (245), established by Herb Score of the Indians in 1955.
Tickets
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MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• FOX On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español) Up next
• Sunday: Mets (John Maine, 5-4, 4.52) at Phillies (Kyle Kendrick, 0-1, 5.06), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Mets (Tim Redding, 2-5, 5.78) at Phillies (Pedro Martinez, 4-0, 3.64), 8:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day
Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
