NewsSeason finale has Mets looking forward
New York (69-92) vs. Houston (74-87), 1:10 p.m. ET
By Marty Noble / MLB.com
10/03/09 8:15 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Finally, the finale. The day the Mets have anticipated since they were certain Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and J.J. Putz weren't returning and, for sure, since they learned of Johan Santana's need for surgery ... finally, that day has arrived. Take out the boxes and packing tape. Shake hands, exchange numbers, e-mail addresses and BBM pins. And say see ya in Port St. Lonesome. To quote Roy Orbison: "It's over."At least it will be on Sunday afternoon when the Mets play game 162, against their first cousins (see 1962 expansion), the Astros.
Someone wrote Saturday that the Mets would put "the finishing touches on their season Sunday." And someone else in the clubhouse wondered what kind of baseball catastrophe would be appropriate as a final image for a season that already has produced 92 losses and a disabled list as long as Dave Kingman's inseam.
"We already had a game-ending triple play," one of them said. It was left to David Wright to put it in words: "I'm excited to get it over with."
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Nelson Figueroa (2-8, 4.70 ERA)
Figueroa's final assignment is the Mets' final game of the 2009 season. He has lost each of his five most recent starts, and the Mets have lost eight of his nine starts. His ERA in four select starts among those eight team losses is 2.77. He has shown flashes of effectiveness in September, holding his opponent to two runs in three of his five starts. Figueroa is winless in seven games, two of them starts, against the Astros in his career.
Only five batters on their roster have faced him.
HOU: RHP Wilton Lopez (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
Lopez allowed six hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings, taking the loss in his first big league start, Tuesday against the Phillies. He surrendered a grand slam to Pedro Feliz in the fourth inning of a tied game. Right-handed hitters are batting .462 against him, left-handed hitters .350. Lopez was recalled from Double-A Corpus Christi on Aug. 28 after producing a 4-5 record and a 4.73 ERA.
Tidbits
Carlos Beltran was removed from the posted lineup on Saturday because he felt ill, Jerry Manuel said. The manager also said he and the trainers didn't want him playing in a day game preceded by a night game.
With Wright driving in three runs and Delgado contributing four hits, the Mets defeated the Dodgers, 6-5, in the first game of the Division Series in 2006. The victory included a distinctive double play. A relay from Shawn Green to Jose Valentin to Paul Lo Duca on a base hit by Russell Martin produced two outs. Jeff Kent and J.D Drew were out at the plate in rapid succession. The Mets swept the series.
Tickets
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MLB.TV
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Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
