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Mets entering September in no-Maine's land
by KEVIN KERNAN , New York Post
More from the New York Post
The bone spur in the back of Maine's right shoulder is too painful to deal with and he was placed on the disabled list before last night's 9-1 blowout of the Astros at Shea. Now it's on to Philadelphia for the main event.
There's nothing like an injury down the stretch to keep a team focused. Last year at this time the Mets were in their dream world, thinking the division belonged to them. They learned the hard way. Now the Maine injury has put them on notice.
Manuel and the Mets rode Maine hard in the middle of the season and they are doing the same with Mike Pelfrey. All the talk about getting Pelfrey extra rest is out the window.
Pelfrey came up huge again Monday night, shutting down the Astros on 109 pitches and earning chants of "PEL-Frey!" from the crowd. The big right-hander won his second straight complete game. He has surrendered four runs in his last three starts, a span of 25 innings. He even scored from first on Jose Reyes' eighth-inning triple.
"Sometimes we get too caught up in that pitch-count thing," Manuel said. "Where we are at now, complete games are huge for us."
Said Reyes, "We lost Billy (Wagner). Now John Maine, it's tough man, but now is not the time to think about that. We just have to find a way to win."
Reyes singled in the first and came around to score on Carlos Delgado's three-run home run down the left-field line. Given that early cushion, Pelfrey dominated with his power sinker.
Delgado homered again in the seventh, and took his curtain call, something he didn't do in April. This curtain call was deserved and accepted.
The Mets have come full circle. And in Pelfrey and Johan Santana the Mets have bookend aces -- fire and ice. Essentially, that's two huge weapons the Mets didn't have last year when they concocted their historic collapse.
"I feel great," said Pelfrey, who is 11-2 over his last 14 starts and has thrown 163 innings, 11 more than his previous high. "I'm not grinding through innings. I'm just concerned with making pitches at the bottom of the strike zone."
The back-to-back, complete-game victories were the first for a Mets pitcher since Bret Saberhagen in 1995.
Maine was the main man for Manuel after he took over, making five straight starts on four days' rest. Under Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson Maine never had that kind of workload. The Mets are saying that the bone spur can be fixed quite easily after the season with surgery.
Pelfrey (13-8) has been a wizard against everyone except the Marlins. There was talk that Pelfrey would skip the Marlins this weekend to get extra rest, but Manuel put an end to that, saying, "No, you just got to go with your best. And your best got to face the best, got to face your toughest foe. That's where I am at this point."
Pelfrey said he will do whatever the team wants. He talked to Manuel about it before the game, saying: "I guess that rest thing is over. Whenever they give me the ball I'm going to take it and try to win."
Manuel is putting the pieces together his way.
"You know what I feel like sometimes," he explained. "I feel like I'm bobbing and weaving out there and every now and then I get caught, bam!"
Despite the bam of injuries, the Mets have the talent to win the division.
If Pelfrey doesn't wear out - and with Santana being so solid every time out - it's unlikely the Mets are going to get KO'd in this fight.
Member Comments
Hey mako41 do this board a favor and keep your stupid comments home in august,sept., oct., etc....you get the hint....LOL.What's this We stuff, watched the game last night and did not see you out there helping the Mets blow it...LOL
jab628/27/2008 14:27:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Unless the Mets once again blow a 7 1/2 game lead within the last couple of weeks of the season, I doubt anything could make Randolph look better.<br /><br />At least it can be said that this team has a pulse, which probably wasn't the case before Jerry Manuel took over.<br /><br />But, then again, I try to view that glass as half full, so who knows? :-p
poeticadam8/27/2008 13:59:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
I don't know about "making up for last year's collapse", but rather to make Willie Randolph look better than his getting dumped makes it appear.
YankeeFanLB8/27/2008 12:57:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
CELEBRITY-- DO THE BASEBALL WORLD A FAVOR AND KEEP THE PHILS HOME IN OCTOBER. NO ONE NEEDS TO SEE ANOTHER BORING SERIES LIKE THE ONE THEY PLAYED LAST YEAR. GET A GRIP, THEY DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES, ALEAST THE METS DO, THEY JUST CAN'T KEEP THEM ON THE FIELD. THAT'S ALOT MORE PROMISING THAN HOPING THEY HIT 10 HO0MERUNS EVERY NIGHT TO WIN. I THINK LAST OCTOBER YOU FOUND THAT OUT THE HARD WAY. I COULD BE THE NUMBER 2 ON THAT STAFF, RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE WIFE BEATER , COACH KILLER, MYERS
mako418/27/2008 12:51:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
mls531- 22 blown leads and you guys only have a .5 game lead. the mets have been desimated all year, no one is complaining but ya boy rollins. if he would play ball instead of runnin his mouth maybe you would have a lead big enough to where it wouldn't even be a story. with all the injuries and turmoil the mets went through this year it will be one of there greatest achivements winning the division this year. and by the way, you didn't win the division last year, we gave it to you. you should be thanking us for that rare and single playoff appearence you had last year. better luck next year. or should i say, better luck getting anyone to help hammels next year.
mako418/27/2008 12:43:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
Hey slickityric22, It says a lot for OUR Phils, that is why they are in first place and not complaining about injuries. It classic METS....they know how to choke!
mls5318/27/2008 8:07:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
your right celebrity. they are lucky to be in the hunt. when your bullpen blows 20+ games to date but that's not saying too much for your phils.
slickityric228/27/2008 6:05:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Lol...you guys are living in a dream world.The Mets have no "best case scenario".With the injuries the Mets have plus the joke that you guys call a bullpen there is no way you guys are getting into the playoffs.Consider yourselves lucky that ur even contending.If in doubt juss check the scoreboard from last nights game (Mets up 7-0 and they STILL lose the game 8-7 in 13 innings!!!).Like I said consider yourselves lucky to even be in the race this far into the season...just leave it at that. (^_~) GO PHILLIES!!!
Celebrity8/27/2008 3:11:00 AM(Report inappropriate content)
Even if we win another world series, I don't think we will ever be able to make up for "the collapse". <br /><br />Having a flashback to game 7 against the Cardinals, with El D. on the bench with the plans to start him in game 1 of the Series back from injury. Fact is 2 hot starters won't do it, just ask Cleveland fans and our bullpen is a joke.<br /><br />I love that we are beating up on Philly (again) (9-4 on the year going in tonight) but unless something changes I fear our best case scenario is winning the division in front of Philly and that would be great, but I think that's about as far as we will go. But hey, Maine stepped up 06' maybe someone else will and between the three we might just have a shot. Hokey post I know, but man I'm sick of being on the edge just to fall short.
Pythonian8/26/2008 18:00:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
this is a major loss...the Mets could still win the division but we'd be fooling ourselves if we thought this loss wasn't significant...
highlander648/26/2008 13:15:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
the Mets need to make up for last year's collapse.
8/26/2008 12:08:00 PM(Report inappropriate content)
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