Choke On It, Jimmy Rollins

That Jimmy Rollins, he sure likes to talk doesn't he?

Mets fans surely know what I'm talking about.

Before the 2007 season, the All-Star shortstop declared the Phillies as the team to beat in the NL East, despite the fact that the Mets had the league's best record the year before.

Of course, the Mets rolled over and died like dogs that year ... and the year after, just for good measure.

Well Monday night, Rollins went on Jay Leno and declared the Phillies would win the World Series ... in five games.

Now, you would always expect an athlete to say his team will win, that's fair enough. But to say the Phillies would beat the Yankees in five games, talk about a lack of respect.

He must be confused and think the Phillies are playing the Mets, because no one should be expecting this to be a short World Series. This is going to be a tough, hard fought series that will be coming back to New York.

And I've got news for you, Jimmy Rollins: The Yankees are winning it six games.

The fact of the matter is that the Yankees are a very difficult matchup for the Phillies for two reasons: The Phillies' suspect bullpen and the Yankees' strong left-handed pitching.

The Phillies bullpen was a mess during the regular season, primarily because closer Brad Lidge struggled badly. He went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA and 31 saves in 42 opportunities.

You read right. He blew 11 saves.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have been the best team in the majors at coming back late in games, capturing 15 walkoff wins in the regular season, among them a 4-3 victory over the Phillies on May 23. Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer over Lidge in the ninth in that game.

And that ability to come back didn't stop in the regular season as the Yankees earned two more walkoffs in the playoffs with A-Rod hitting big homers of Twins closer Joe Nathan and Angels closer Brian Fuentes.

Yes, Lidge has been much better in the postseason, not allowing a run in 2-2/3 innings in three games while going 1-0 with one save.

But you know the Yankees and the Yankee Stadium ghosts are going to victimize Lidge in this series and when that happen, Lidge will not be able to rebound.

Meanwhile, the Phillies have a problem on offense. Don't get me wrong. Their offense is tremendous and better than most American League lineups even with a pitcher hitting ninth.

The numbers prove that as they led the NL in runs scored with 820 runs and 224 homers while hitting .258 with a .781 OPS.

But the splits reveal an Achillies' heel: left-handed pitching.

Against lefthanders, the Phitin' Phils hit just .248 with 244 runs 68 homers and a .787 OPS.

Against the Yankees, that's a problem. The Yankees feature two strong left-handed starters in CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, who could start five of the seven games if Joe Girardi goes with a three-man rotation.

In addition, the Yankees feature two more lefties in the bullpen, Phil Coke and Damaso Marte, which will allow Girardi to match up against lefties Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Matt Stairs in big spots.

What's that you say? What about the Yankees? How do they match up against the Phillies, who have lefty starters Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ, as well as reliever Ryan Madson and Scott Eyre?

Glad you asked. Of course the Yankees had the majors' best offense, scoring 915 runs with 244 homers, a .283 batting average and .839 OPS,

Against lefties they had major league-bests of 294 runs, 76 homers, .286 batting average and .846 OPS. It's virtually impossible to matchup against the Yankees' lineup that features four switch hitters (Mark Teixeira, Jorege Posada, Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera), two future Hall of Fame righties (Derek Jeter and A-Rod) and three lefties (Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, who actually hit lefties better than righties, .282 - .271).

The Yankees' lineup will get to Philadelphia's pitching in this series, while the Phillies will run into trouble.

And in the end, the Yankees will be serving Jimmy Rollins a big, fat slice of humble pie to go along with his meal of crow.

Mo Than Numbers

This wasn't going to be an easy one. No way.

Mariano Rivera's 500th save wasn't going to come by closing out a game with a three-run lead, pitching just one inning.

No, the Yankees were going to make him earn it.

But this is the Great Mariano, so was there really any reason to worry?

Leading by one, but with runners on first and second and two outs in the eighth, the Yankees called on Rivera to get them out of jam.

Rivera struck out Omir Santos, bailed Joe Girardi out of some more bad managing by walking with the bases loaded in the ninth for his first career RBI, and finished off the Mets to preserve a win for the Yankees in a 4-2 victory at Citi Field Sunday.

The win was the Yankees' fifth straight and first for Chien-Ming Wang since June 15, 2008, and pulled the Yankees to 3 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. The Yankees also swept this leg of the Subway Series and took 5 of 6 from the Mets this season.

But Rivera was the headliner.

And what's odd about this accomplishment is that in a sport that is so tied to statistics, a sport in which its history so beautifully told by numbers, those numbers really don't tell the story on this historic night.

Yes, Mariano became only the second pitcher to record 500 saves, joining the Brewers' Trevor Hoffman. We can talk about his 2.30 career ERA, his record 34 postseason saves and 0.77 ERA, and the four Rolaids Relief Man Awards.

But did that 500th save really change anything?

Did it make him a lock for the Hall of Fame? No, that likely happened with save No. 300 on May 28, 2004, against the Rays.

Did it gain him entry into the pantheon of baseball immortals as the greatest closer in history? No, that likely happened with save No. 400 on July 16, 2006, against the White Sox.

What 500 did is simply build upon Rivera's legend and allow his teammates and fans like us to show him just how much we appreciate him.

"He's the best ever, there's no doubt about it. There's not going to be another
Mariano Rivera out there. Ever," Jorge Posada said. "I was as excited as he was. I wanted to be there. Mariano has meant a lot to me and made my job a lot easier. He's the best ever."

Said Girardi, who was the catcher when Rivera recorded his first save on May 17,
1996, against the Angels: ""The longevity that he's had, the consistency that
he's had since (he became a closer in) 1997, what he's been able to accomplish
during the regular season and the postseason, he's a remarkable pitcher. To
think he did it with one pitch, it's even harder to imagine."

"He's the definition of consistency," Derek Jeter said. "You can add up all the players that have ever played the game, Mo's been as consistent as anyone."

That's all high praise, but let me put it like this. If there was no Mo, there would have been no dynasty, no four World Series championships in five years. He's been that important.

Closers walk a tightrope just about every time they take the mound. They are in high-pressure situations and performing without a net. If they fail, odds are their team loses.

Many are able to be very good for a short period of time, but most flame out either because of the pressure or injury or both. That Rivera, now in his 14 full season, has been able to endure this long is amazing.

In Rivera's case, all you need to know about his importance is that in the three postseasons (1997, 2001 and 2004) in which he's blown a save, the Yankees failed to win the World Series. And while we've seen other closers, such as Mark Wohlers, crumble after such devastating failures, Rivera has somehow been able to move past and continue to dominate.

What's more amazing is that even coming off of shoulder surgery this offseason, Rivera is rounding into form and it doesn't appear he's lost a damned thing. His cutter and fastball are still dominant and he still has insane control.

He's saved 18 of 19, including 14 straight, and has a 2.93 ERA. Those early season problems when he was allowing homers, including consecutive ones against Rays, are long gone. And if the Yankees somehow miraculously find themselves in another save situation against Boston, Sox fans can count on this: Mo will close it out. There will not be another repeat of Jason Bay's homer. I guarantee it.

But as wonderful an accomplishment this was for Rivera, it was more important for Wang.

It's been a long, hard road back from that Lisfranc injury Wang sustained more than a year ago. He's struggled with his command, struggled with is velocity and has been knocked around like pinata at an 8-year-old's birthday party.

So for Wang, this win might have been just as important as his very first.

"I think the win is great for his confidence because everyone needs a win, no
matter how good you're pitching," Girardi said. "Everyone
needs fruit from their hard work."

By starting 0-6 after starting 6-0 last season, Wang became the first pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1970 to experience that kind of reversal of fortune. Tiant was a pretty good pitcher and went on to have some pretty good seasons after that.

Wang could do the same and Sunday was just the start.

In some respects, this was a step back for Wang, who was sharp and efficient in his last outing against the Braves, against whom he allowed three runs in five innings and was lifted for a pinch hitter after throwing only 62 pitches as Girardi was searching for some offense.

But by getting the win, Wang (1-6, 10.06 ERA) made a hugely important leap. He pitched a season-high 5-1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out three and hit 94 mph with his fastball, but he didn't have command of his sinker, which had spelled trouble in the past.

Instead, Wang gutted it out, relying on his slider and fastball, throwing 48 of 85 pitches for strikes.

"It seems like every time he goes out there, he has more confidence," Posada
said. "If we get this guy straight, we're going to have a fun summer."

Wang allowed a runner in every inning except the fifth, but the only time he couldn't escape trouble was in the fourth, when he walked Gary Sheffield leading off. After Fernando Tatis grounded out, Fernando Martinez rocketed an RBI double and came around to score on Luis Castillo's RBI single to make it 3-2.

Fortunately for Wang, the Yankees' offense actually provided him with just enough support, unlike his previous outing in Atlanta.

The Yankees jumped on Livan Hernandez in the first. Jeter doubled to lead off and advanced to third when Nick Swisher ground to first and beat Daniel Murphy's ill-advised throw. That set the Yankees up with runners on the corners and no out.

Mark Teixeira brought in both runs with a double, and after the Yankees avoided a double play when Murphy dropped the relay throw on a grounder by Robinson Cano, Teixeira scored on Posada's sacrifice fly, making it 3-0.

After that the Yankees wasted numerous opportunities to put this game away, highlighted by a poor decision by Girardi, who tried to have Wang sacrifice Brett Gardner to second instead of allowing Gardner to steal second and bunt him over to third. Wang ended up bunting into an inning-ending double play.

Cano also killed two rallies by hitting into double plays, giving him a team-high 11 for the season. When Cano is hitting, he's capable of carrying a team. We saw that in the second half of 2007. But when he struggles, he can drag down a lineup.

Though Cano did hit the ball hard Sunday, he's just not getting hits and he's killing the team in the No. 5 hole in the lineup. Yes, the Yankees believe he's going to be a big RBI guy, but he's not that right now and either has to be dropped down in the lineup or spotted in the No. 2 spot to try to get his bat going.

Cano's numbers in clutch situations are dreadful right now, hitting .215 with runners in scoring position and .167 with the bases loaded. You just can't have that kind of production in the No. 5 hole. It's killing the offense and prevented the Yankees from crushing Hernandez, who actually pitched seven innings, allowed three hits and three runs, though he did walk five.

Girardi's other big mistake came in the sixth. After Phil Coke replaced Wang with one out in the sixth and struck out Martinez, Girardi called for Phil Hughes and made a double switch.

According to Managing 201: The NL, when you double switch, you take out the guy who made the final out of the previous inning, unless it's a big run producer (read No. 3 or 4 hitter).

In this case, Cano made the final out of the sixth. Instead, Girardi took out No. 2 hitter Nick Swisher, moving the pitcher's spot up three spots earlier than he had to.

Cano had already hit into two double plays -- and it should have been three -- and has not been hitting well. There was no good reason for not switching out Cano, especially since Ramiro Pena is just as good a fielder as Cano, maybe better.

The move came back to bite Girardi in the ninth.

The Yankees put runners on first and second with two outs, bringing up Jeter with Rivera on deck. Keep in mind, had Girardi made the conventional move, Rivera would not have been due up. The Mets intentionally walked Jeter because there was no way Girardi could pinch hit for his closer.

Mo, though bailed out Girardi, drawing a walk against Francisco Rivera to drive in his first career run.

After that, it was business as usually as Mo picked up his 110th career save of more than one inning.

No, it wasn't easy for Mo, but we don't need numbers to tell us he's special enough to handle it.

Runners In Scoring Position
Sunday
1-for-8 (.125)
Season
181-for-695 (.260)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
115-for-423 (.272)
Vs. Red Sox
11-for-82 (.134)

Up Next
Tuesday vs. Mariners, 7:05 p.m., YES
Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64) vs. Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81)

Joba started this five-game roll in Atlanta. Let's seem him continue it in Yankee Stadium. Throw strikes big boy. Don't worry about the homers.

Delivering On A Promise

“I’m not very consistent right now. I’m not a negative guy, so I’m not
going to beat myself up over it. But when I do get on that run, it’s going to be impressive. I promise you that.”

--A.J. Burnett after pitching 2-2/3 innings in a 7-0 loss to the Red Sox
June 9

A.J. Burnett promised he would turn it around. He knew his performance, not just for that loss to the Red Sox, but for the season to that point was unacceptable.

He was 4-3 with a 4.89, and was not pitching like the guy who won a career-high 18 games with the Blue Jays last season, earning him a big, fat contact with the Yankees.

He also promised to be impressive.

He undersold on that promise because over the his last three starts, he's been beyond brilliant.

Burnett followed CC Sabathia's dominant performance Friday and an even better one Saturday, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth and combining with two relievers on a one-hitter in a 5-0 victory over the Mets at Citi Field, the suddenly resurgent Yankees' fourth straight win.

Over his last three starts, Burnett has gone 2-1, allowing two runs, one earned, on 10 hits and 10 walks, while striking out 26 over 20-1/3 innings, improving his record to 6-4 with a 3.93 ERA.

That dominance was on full display Saturday as Burnett walked just three and struck out a season-high 10 in seven innings, hitting 96 mph with his fastball and throwing 64 of 108 pitches for strikes.

“He was absolutely tremendous," Nick Swisher said. "That just goes to show
how electrifying he can be. Topping out at 95- 96-miles per hour; a [curve]
that you can’t even see, let alone hit. He was on point tonight. I know he
needed that.”

The Mets had no clue what was coming. Burnett's overpowering fastball set up a dominant curve and a very effective change.

"I’ve just trusted my stuff more," Burnett said, "not try to paint the inside or
outside corner, just let my fastball work and put people away."

The only issue for Burnett, as usual, was his control. In the second Burnett issued a one-out walk to Gary Sheffield and a two-out walk to Jeremy Reed, but Brian Schneider popped out to first to end the inning. That would be the only time the Mets got a runner as far as second.

And the defense provided Burnett with plenty of support, including two terrific running catches by Melky Cabrera to rob David Murphy of hits in the second and fifth.

The only thing that separated Burnett for his second career no-hitter was Alex Cora's leadoff single. Cora, who had been hitless in 21 career at-bats against Burnett, laced a curve into center in the sixth.

"I’m not one of these guys who’ll tell you I didn’t know I had one,"
Burnett said. "I knew it from the first inning. From the fourth inning on, I
was pretty much shooting for it. When you see guys running around, diving like
that, it makes you go harder."

The Yankees' pitching has thoroughly dominated the injury-ravaged Mets. Sabathia allowed one run on three hits in seven innings Friday night and for the two games, the Mets are being outhit by Brett Gardner, 5-4.

In the five games played between the teams this season the Yankees have outscored the Mets, 40-15.

And though the Yankees didn't need much offense Saturday thanks to Burnett, they still provided plenty, even though Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon were out of the lineup because of a severe cold.

Swisher gave Burnett all the support he'd really need with a one-out homer in the second, but the offense made sure to put away the Mets and starter Tim Redding in the sixth.

Mark Teixeira doubled with one and scored on Alex Rodriguez's single. A-Rod has now driven in 11 runs in his last six games after driving in only nine in the previous 22.

Robinson Cano followed with a double to put runners on second and third and Jorge Posada removed any doubt about the outcome of this game by crushing a curve over the fence in left-center for a three-run homer, giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead.

Brian Bruney and David Robertson pitched the eighth and ninth.

Oh, and by the way Francisco Rodriguez, you wanted to know who Brian Bruney is. Well, he's the guy who just retired your team in order on seven pitches in the eighth.

So the Yankees head into the finale of Subway Series having already won the season series with Mets for the first time since 2003.

But this is no time to rest.

The Yankees have an opportunity here and must seize it.

They've gotten consecutive dominant performances from their two, big, free-agent pitching acquisitions. Together with Chien-Ming Wang they were supposed to be the Big Three to anchor the rotation.

Wang, of course, is having a disastrous season at 0-6 with a 11.20 ERA. He has, however, been much, much better over his last two starts and is starting to show the form that allowed him to win 19 games in consecutive seasons.

Sabathia and Burnett are starting to fulfill their promise this season.

Wang has a chance to the same by getting that first win of the season tonight and hopefully turning his year around.

And if that happens, the Yankees will be poised fulfill their promise.

Runners In Scoring Position
Saturday
2-for-5 (.400)
Season
180-for-687 (.262)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
114-for-415 (.275)
Vs. Red Sox
11-for-82 (.134)

Up Next
Sunday at Citi Field, 8:05 p.m., ESPN
Wang (0-6, 11.20) vs. Livan Hernandez (5-2, 4.05)

In six career starts against the Yankees, Hernandez is 0-3 with a 6.94 ERA. The offense should be able to provide Wang with plenty of support.

Inferior Competition

There should be a rule against this.

They shouldn't let a minor league team go up against major leaguers -- and the Yankees didn't even have their best lineup on the field.

Still, it sure was fun to watch.

CC Sabathia showed his arm was fine by carrying a perfect game into the fifth and allowing one run in seven innings, Brett Garner went 5-for-6 with a homer and triple, Alex Rodriguez also homered, and the Yankees took advantage of three Mets errors in a four-run second, rolling to a 9-1 victory at Citi Field Friday, their third straight win.

It was the kind of victory coaches draw up, but rarely happen: terrific pitching, strong defense and timely, opportunistic offense.

The Yankees played the game without Derek Jeter, who turned 35 Friday, but was held out because of a severe cough. Joe Girardi does not expect him to play today either. As a result, Ramiro Pena played short and hit eighth, while Brett Gardner led off.

In addition, Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada were given the night off. That's a lot of firepower to be missing from the lineup, but that didn't matter against the Mets.

Let's be fair and acknowledge just how beat up the Mets are. Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, John Maine, Oliver Perez and J.J. Putz are all on the DL. Those are all key players for the Mets' success.

Friday they had a lineup that featured Alex Cora at short, Nick Evans at first and Ryan Church in center. The only star that played was David Wright, and even he started throwing the ball around.

It all added up to a tough night for Mets starter Mike Pelfrey.

Melky Cabrera got the Yankees going in the second with an infield single, Wright fielding the ball, but making an errant throw that allowed Cabrera to reach second. After Cervelli struck out, Pena came through with an RBI-double to left and Sabathia delivered a grounder back through the middle to score Pena and make it 2-0.

Gardner followed with a single to left to put runners on the corners and then things really got ugly. Damon rolled a doubleplay ball to Cora and the Mets were poised to escape the inning. But Cora's through to second was offline and sailed toward right, allowing Sabathia to score and move the runners to second and third.

Mark Teixeira then hit a slow roller down the first base line that Evans couldn't field cleanly, allowing Teixeira to reach and Gardner to score to make 4-0. After walking A-Rod, Pelfrey finally got out of the inning by getting Robinson Cano to pop to second and Melky to ground out.

You had to feel sorry for Pelfrey, who threw the ball well and made to tough pitches. He ended up allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks in five innings.

But the way Sabathia was pitching, the Mets couldn't afford those mistakes.

Sabathia left his previous start Sunday at Florida after 1-1/3 inning because of left biceps tendinits. The Yankees were quite concerned about Sabathia's health and made sure to have Phil Hughes ready just in case.

Sabathia, however, wasn't worried about his arm. He was worried that his mechanics were rusty.

“I was just trying to work on my delivery and make sure I was getting the
ball down because I had so many days off. I was feeling real good,” Sabathia
said.

As a result, he didn't even know that he was perfect through four innings, having thrown 57 pitches.

But in the fifth he ran into the only trouble of the night. Gary Sheffield, who has been hammering Yankees pitching, led off by ripping a fat, 1-and-1 slider deep into the stands in left to break up the perfect game and make it 4-1.

Tatis followed with a single and after Church hit into a fielder's choice, Evans added another single to put runners on first and second. Sabathia, however, regained his footing, striking out Omir Santos and Argenis Reyes to end the inning, though his pitch count rose to 80.

He cruised over the next two innings, his night done after seven, having allowed just the three hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out 8, throwing 67 of 99 pitches for strikes.

For some reason, Girardi was going to send Sabathia back out there for eighth and allowed Sabathia to hit. Girardi is getting reckless with the health of his players -- first not resting A-Rod and now this.

Remember, Sabathia only five days earlier had come out the game after 1-1/3 innings because of an arm problem. Yes, Sabathia is a horse, but would it really have been worth it to force the issue there? Wouldn't a little more caution have been the more prudent course?

Fortunately, Gardner forced Girardi's hand, homering off Elmer Dessens to right after CC struck out for the first out of the eighth to give the Yankees some breathing room. A-Rod gave the Yankees even more with a two-run shot later in the inning, the 564th of his career to pass Reggie Jackson for 11th.

A-Rod is once again locked in, but he is no longer pull conscious, looking to take the ball up the middle and to right. And he has homered in two straight games

The Yankees tacked on two more on the ninth on Gardner's RBI triple and Damon run-scoring double to make it 9-1.

It appears Gardner has once again laid claim to the starting center field job. Over the last 27 games he's hitting .387, raising his average to .303 and on-base percentage to .374. Those are numbers that make him a very dangerous major league players. It means he's getting on base and able to wreak havoc with opponents' pitchers and defense.

And while ideally the Yankees would love to have one solid, everyday player to handle center field, the Cabrera-Gardner tandem is working out pretty well. Both guys have good attitudes, neither has sulked when he was removed from the starting lineup, both appear to like the other and they seem to be pushing each other in a way that is making both quite productive.

Combined they are hitting .294 (104-for-354) with 60 runs, 15 doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 41 RBI and 21 stolen bases. You know, that's pretty good production coming primarily from center field.

So the Yankees are rolling once again, and though memories of the series against the Nationals are still fresh in my head, I can't help but feel the Yankees will sweep this series -- even with Chien-Ming Wang pitching Sunday. The offense should have no problem with the likes of Tim Redding and Livan Hernandez.

That's what happens when you face a Triple A squad.

Runners In Scoring Position
Friday
3-for-17 (.176)
Season
178-for-682 (.261)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
112-for-414 (.271)
Vs. Red Sox
11-for-82 (.134)

Up Next
Saturday at Citi Field, 7:10 p.m., YES, Local TV (check your listings)
A.J. Burnett (5-4, 4.24) vs. Tim Redding (1-2, 6.08)

Burnett, who was suspended for five games, is coming off two strong starts, though he was outdueled by Josh Johnson last Saturday and lost. He's looking to establish some consistency and he should be able to feast the Mets' weakened lineup, especially Cora, who is 0-for-21 with 10 strikeouts in his career against A.J.

Burnett Bounces Back

After getting rocked Tuesday in Boston, there was no way A.J. Burnett was about to give up a run.

He had put his team in a big hole in the series opener against the Red Sox, and they never recovered. He needed to make amends.

But spotted to a four-run lead Sunday, Burnett loaded the bases in the third on two walks and a single. A mistake would put the Mets right back in the game.

Instead Burnett bore down, striking out Alex Cora and Fernando Martinez before getting Carlos Beltran to line out to short, sending the Yankees on their way to an easy 15-0 victory over Johan Santana to take the rubber game of the Subway Series.

The Yankees also moved back to two games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.

"[Burnett] pulled that Houdini act and somehow got out of it," Nick
Swisher said. "That just shows you how electric his stuff is."

For Burnett, it was quite a turnaround from his outing against the Red Sox, when he allowed five runs, three earned, in 2-2/3 innings and had no idea where his pitches were going.

That outing started the Yankees on a five-game spiral during which only one starter got past the fifth inning, and the staff failed to record a quality start or a victory.

Burnett breezed through the first two innings and the offense spotted him a 4-0 lead in the second on RBI singles by Francisco Cervelli and Derek Jeter and a two-run single by Johnny Damon against the Great Santana.

That should have helped Burnett to relax, but instead he seemed to lose a little of his focus and control. He walked David Murphy to lead off the third, allowed ground single to Brian Schneider and walked Luis Castillo to load the bases.

He was in trouble.

And figured out how to escape -- and did the Yankees ever need him to do that.

The recent spate of poor starts has taxed the bullpen. The Yankees needed Burnett to not only be effective, but go deep into the game. He did both, allowing four hits and four walks in seven innings. He struck out eight, threw his fastball for strikes, making his curve, slide and change more effective, and threw 66 of 111 pitches for strikes.

The only thing that prevented him from going deeper into the game was that stressful third inning, during which he threw 28 pitches.

Burnett also had the tall order of going against the Great Santana, which is never easy. The Yanks were 1-5 against him entering the game, their only victory coming last season.

And normally the recipe for beating a great pitcher is to pitch great yourself and hope to take advantage of the other team's bullpen.

But Santana wasn't himself on this day. His fastball was in the low 90s and he struggled to locate his slider. The combination made for the worst outing of his professional career, allowing a career-high nine runs on nine his and two walks in 3+ innings.

The Yankees really took it to him in their nine-run fourth.

Swisher led off with a walk and Hideki Matsui followed with a homer to make it 6-0. Matsui has hits in four of the last five games, including two homers. Also he's starting taking fly balls, preparing to play the outfield when the Yankees start a stretch of nine-game in NL parks, beginning Friday.

Melky Cabrera then continued the onslaught with a double, moving to third on Cervelli's single. Jeter then knocked out Santana with an RBI single, bringing in Brian Stokes.

Damon greeted Stokes with an run-scoring double and Mark Teixeira the loaded the bases with an infield single.

The Mets then nearly turned a triple play. Alex Rodriguez hit a sharp grounder to short and Cora tagged Damon, stepped on second an threw to first, but too late to get A-Rod, allowing Jeter to score to make it 9-0.

But the Yankees weren't done, yet. Robinson Cano crushed a two-run homer. Swisher and Matsui then walked and scored on a double by Cabrera, who ended the inning by getting thrown out a third, the second runner to get thrown out on the bases in the game.

The Yankees have had a number of runners thrown out on the bases or doubled off this week and it's starting become a cause for concern that Joe Girardi needs to put a stop to right now. This team can't afford to be giving outs away like that.

But by that point, the outcome was well in hand, the Yankees tacking on two more in the seventh on an RBI single by Ramiro Pena and a sacrifice fly be Cano.

It was an impressive offensive display. Jeter went 4-for-4 with two RBI; Damon 2-for-4 with three RBI; Cano 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI; Melky 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI and Cervelli 3-for-5 with the big RBI to jumpstart the offense.

But it all started with Burnett.

It's amazing how good this team is when it gets a well pitched game. The Yankees have won all 22 games in which they have allowed three or fewer runs. The problem is, they need to get that kind of performance more often that once every three games.

This staff has to become more consistent. It has to be better than it's been for the first 2-1/2 months and I still think pitching coach Dave Eiland has to go. He's not the guy to turn this staff around.

But I also hope Burnett's start is the start of something.

Of course, with the awful Nationals up next, it just might be.

Cut Out The Garbage
Brian Bruney and Francisco Rodriguez, I'm talking to you. Enough with this war of words. And what was with that pregame confrontation? Just shut up and let your performance do the talking.

Bruney, K-Rod has an annoying celebration. So what? So does Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Papelbon and quite a few other pitchers. If you don't want to see the opponent celebrate, win. And K-Rod, grow up and be a man. Bruney wanted to apologize. Accept it a move on.

Geez, if we wanted to watch a soap opera, I'd turn on Desperate Housewives. This is baseball. Let's get back to it.

Runners In Scoring Position
Sunday
9-for-20 (.450)
Season
155-for-584 (.265)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
89-for-316 (.282)
Vs. Red Sox
11-for-82 (.134)

Up Next
Tuesday vs. Nationals, 7:05 p.m., Local TV (check your listings)
Shairon Martis (5-1, 5.04 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (5-4, 3.68)

At first glance, it would appear Sabathia is set up perfectly to build upon Burnett's outing. Martis, however, is one of the few bright spots for the Nats. His five victories might not seem like much until you consider the Nationals have a total of a total of 16 wins.

And of course there is that issue of how the Yankees fare against pitchers they've never faced before (see Nieve, Fernando).

CC had better come out strong and seize control early. Don't let this team hang around and start to believe.

One more note about how pathetic the Nats have been. Adam Dunn has 17 homers and is the only player in the majors to have more homers than his team has wins.

The Ghosts Are In The Building

The ghosts have found their way across the street.

That's the only feasible way to explain what happened at Yankee Stadium Friday night.

With the Yankees trailing by one, runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth, Alex Rodriguez lifted a 3-and-1 pitch from Francisco Rodriguez into short right field.

It looked like an easy play for Luis Castillo to make and end the game.

Except the ball started drifting, and as Castillo drifted with it, the ball hit his glove, popped out and fell to the ground, allowing the tying and winning runs to score in the Yankees' 9-8 victory over the Mets, snapping a painful three-game losing streak.

It was stunning. It was inexplicable. It can only be explained by those ghosts who lifted the Yankees to so many stunning victories at the old ballpark -- and several all ready at this one. The Yankees have 21 come-from-behind victories this season.

“You never assume, but that’s about as close as you can to the game being
over,” Jeter said. “It’s one of those things that happens. You can see
that play 1,000 more times and it’ll never happen again.”

The play is also one you want to have on tape if you are a coach or have a child learning to play baseball.

In Little League, we're all taught to run everything out because you never know what might happen. Yet, how often do we see major leaguers not hustle on a lazy pop? More often than we care to admit.

Yet Friday, there was Mark Teixeira sprinting off first as the ball popped off A-Rod's bat. It was that hustle, that attention to detail, that professionalism and that belief in always executing the fundamentals that allowed Teixeira to score on that play with ease.

When Teixeira was struggling so badly in April, some fans were wondering if he was another free agent bust who just took the money and didn't care about winning. After watching that play Friday, no one should ever question his desire again.

It was a wild ending to a crazy game. The teams traded leads six times with Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui all homering for the Yankees, and the Mets scoring twice in the third without benefit of a hit.

And while I can gush about the Yankees' offense and its ability to scratch and claw and never give up, even against an elite closer such a K-Rod, we have to be very concerned about the pitching staff.

Joba Chamberlain allowed two runs on one hit and five walks in four innings. He struck out three and hit 94 mph with his fastball, but he threw only 52 of 100 pitches for strikes. He exited with a 3-2 lead, but left a short Yankees bullpen scrambling to eat up five innings.

It was the third game in the last four in which the Yankees starters failed to go even five innings, with A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang joining Joba with control issues. In fact, the bullpen also had control issues, with Brett Tomko walking two, David Robertson walking one and even Mariano Rivera walking only his third batter of the season, leading to the Mets' go-ahead run in the eighth.

Here are some staggering numbers for the staff: 83 homers allowed and 245 walks, both of which are second worst in the American League ... and it's not just the bullpen. The starters have allowed a league worst 156 walks. They are seventh at 45 homers allowed.

Now, the many of the homers can be attributed the homer-haven that is Yankee Stadium, but there is no excuse for all those walks. I like to say walks=not good, meaning bad things happen when pitchers start walking batters. Long innings. Multi-run innings. High-pitch-count innings. We've seen that over and over with this team and Friday was no exception.

In the third, Joba walked three and hit two batters, allowing two runs to score. The first batter Tomko walked in the fifth scored, as did the batter Rivera walked in the eighth. If you're counting, that's four of the Mets' eight runs -- and countless extra pitches.

Setting aside the bullpen for a moment, the starters are talented and deep. CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Wang and Chamberlain did not have reputations for have poor control entering the season.

Including Burnett and Hughes, all six have nasty stuff. Yet for some reason, they don't attack hitters and the strike zone consistently.

Meanwhile, that bullpen has been a disaster, but there are young, talented arms out there. And you have to wonder why they aren't developing quicker.

These pitchers just aren't performing at a major league caliber and that had to change quickly.

I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that Dave Eiland is not a major league-caliber pitching coach. He has not shown that he is very effective a correcting pitchers' mechanical flaws (see Wang). I can't think of any pitchers I'd give him credit for improving at the major league level, and in fact we've seen Burnett and Pettitte regress. And the staff doesn't seem to have a clear, coherent philosophy.

When starters are performing well and going deep into games, the Yankees are in good shape. They are the only team in the majors that are unbeaten (21-0) when it allows three runs or less in a game. But it has done that in only a third of the games this season, and that's just not often enough.

The Yankees can't continue with the staff pitching like this. They pulled it out Friday. They got lucky. But how often can that continue to happen?

If Eiland doesn't get this figured out soon, a change -- maybe the return of Nardi Contreras -- should ... no ... needs be coming.

The ghosts won't always be able to save them.

Runners In Scoring Position
Friday
2-for-9 (.222)
Season
145-for-561 (.258)
Since A-Rod's Return May 8
79-for-293 (.270)
Vs. Red Sox
11-for-82 (.134)

Up Next
Saturday vs. Mets, 4:10 p.m., Fox
Fernando Nieve (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Andy Pettitte (6-2, 4.22)

With the bullpen pretty spent, the Yankees desperately need Pettitte to at least get through the sixth. Coke and Robertson likely won't be available and Mo might not be either after going 1-1/3 innings.

Let's Tweak Interleague A Tad

For 156 games a season, I could care less about what the Mets do.

Actually, to be honest, I kinda want them to win. It makes my grandfather happy and New York gets an extra buzz in October when both teams are in the playoffs.

But for six games, I'm supposed to care about beating the Mets with a passion that rivals when the Yankees play the Red Sox.

And for the first Subway Series of the year, I do. I want to the Yankees to crush the Mets and claim the city's bragging rights. But by the second series, that passion wanes.

We're supposed to treat these two series like Armageddon, when in the big picture they are no more important to either team than, say, a series against the Twins or Reds.

Interleague play has been a great thing for baseball, and there is no way I'd ever even suggest completely doing away with the Subway Series. It is great for the city and for its baseball fans.

But what I am saying is that two series a season is overdone. It's just too much and the novelty wears off.

So I'm going to endorse an idea floated by The Hartford Courant's Dom Amore a few weeks ago: rather than the Yankees and Mets playing two series a year and the Red Sox playing a series against the Phillies and Braves each season, baseball should change the schedule to have the Yankees and Sox each play one series every year against the Mets and Phillies.

This would serve to strengthen the entire northeast baseball rivalry and also balance out the schedule between the ultra-competitive teams in each league. The Mets-Sox series and Phillies-Yankees series earlier this season were both tremendous. Why not see that every year as well?

Besides, the Braves ties to Boston weaken with each passing year and as a generation slowly passes away. Really, how many Boston fans, say, 40 and younger really feel a strong bond to the Braves?

Anyway, this Subway Series shapes up well for the Yankees with Joba Chamberlain (3-1, 3.79 ERA) facing Livan Hernandez (5-1, 3.88) tonight and Andy Pettitte (6-2, 4.22) taking on spot starter Fernando Nieve (0-0, 0.00) Saturday.

On the surface, the Yankees should take the first two games without much problem, though they are known to struggle against pitchers, such as Nieve, whom they've never faced before.

The Sunday game could be a great matchup with A.J. Burnett (4-3, 4.89) going up against Johan Santana (8-3, 2.39). Santana is as good as it gets and is tough to beat, but Burnett has a lot to prove after Tuesday's awful start against Josh Beckett and the Red Sox.

Burnett needs to bounce back and put forth a big effort. If the Yankees are going to have a chance in that game, it will be because Burnett pitches very well and keeps them in the game. If he doesn't, well, the Yanks can just write that one off.

O My, and Oh No!

Angry yet, Sox fans?

Not in my wildest dreams did I believe the Mets would be going into today's game with a chance for a Fenway sweep. Somehow I don't think Omir Santos' name will bother Bostonians as much as Bucky "bleeping" Dent or Aaron "bleeping" Boone, but that loss has to be frustrating.


Until Santos' line drive skimmed the top of the Green Monster, Red Sox pitching had dominated the inferior Met lineup. Beckett and Papelbum (from my paper's infamous back page) even made red-hot David Wright seem overmatched all night.

Not once throughout the night as Beckett kept rolling did I think the Mets were winning this game. Yet, Mike Pelfrey, after a shaky first inning, pitched his best game of the season, and, as I intimated, kept the ball in the park. Huge job by Pelfrey! I was amazed to be down just 2-1 heading into the top of the ninth.

Emotions of the top of the ninth: Gary Sheffield -- and he didn't need BALCO to do this -- showed his professionalism by working the walk to lead off the inning. Then Papelbum mows down Wright and Jeremy Reed. If anyone believes Jeremy Reed belongs in the Met lineup, let alone batting 6th, they're crazy. As Santos stepped to the plate, I mentioned to a colleague that I had a lot more faith in Santos than Reed. My faith was rewarded on the first pitch. What a line shot. At first I thought It was just going to hit the upper third of the Monster, but boy did it carry.

Good job all around by the umpires. On the field, it had to be difficult to determine it was a home run. Thankfully MLB has replay for such home run disputes. And, they rightfully changed the call to a home run and a 3-2 Met lead. I have no problem with Terry Francona going out to discuss it. He said after the game he pretty much knew it was a home run, but he had to go out anyway.

It brought me back to Monday night when Ryan Church missed third base on his way to scoring the go-ahead run in extra innings. His Marvelous Marv Throneberry-like play drew ire from manager Jerry Manuel, but only at him. I wish Manuel, even though third base coach Razor Shines assured him Church missed the bag, had gone out to argue. How do you not argue your player being called out for missing third base. You almost have to argue it on principle for the rarity of it. Just give a few minutes of debate like Francona did on Santos' HR last night.

I must say the best Met win of the season thus far was tempered by revelations that closer K-Rod missed the game with severe back spasms. Thankfully, I learned a short time ago, he's back with the team and feeling much better. If not for that, this K-Rod mention would be higher in the blog post.

Yet, J.J. Putz was a bit scary last night in getting the save last night. He threw harder than he had all season, but his pitches were flat were flat and the Sox pounced on them. And the Met defense saved -- I can't believe I'm saying this -- Putz as much as he earned the save. Incredible infield defense all around. All four infielders -- Daniel Murphy, Luis Castillo, Ramon Martinez (cough) and David Wright -- contributed beautifully in the ninth to preserve the win.

If the Sox have anything going for them today, it is that the Mets just seem to lack a killer instinct of closing out big series sweeps. If the Sox were up 2-0 right now, I'd be more inclined to think they'd sweep. But a Met fan can believe, can't he?

Take a bow, Johan

OK, so the 5-3 final came close to the 4-3 score I predicted (I did think the Sox would have the 4 runs). However, I didn't expect the Mets defense to try to giftwrap this one for the Sox like they had in every game in L.A.

Johan the Magnigicent was just that. He gave up the one homer ball to Varitek, but he was fantastic. Wild card Gary Sheffield hit a homer.

Jose Reyes isn't playing again tonight. And Ramon Martinez is at shortstop again. Needless to say, Julio Lugo is not in the Sox lineup tonight to try and match fielding nitwits with Martinez. At least Martinez helped Santana with an RBI.

My pessimism remains strong tonight, however. Look at the Met lineup:

1b Daniel Murphy
rf Angel Pagan
dh Carlos Beltran
lf Gary Sheffield
3b David Wright
cf Jeremy Reed
c Omir Santos
ss Ramon Martinez
2b Luis Castillo

If the Mets somehow get production out of 6-7-8-9 again like they did last night, they'll win, but I doubt 3-4-5 will be able to do it on their own against Beckett. Murphy leading off still boggles my mind.

The Mets' walking wounded now includes Carlos Beltran (knee) and Ryan Church (hammy). Church won't play tonight, and gold glover Beltran cedes center to Reed. Oh, the joy.

Here's looking at plenty of ground balls from Pelfrey, but nowhere near shortstop or first base.

A side note: Kevin Youkilis says he was trying to joke with Johan about being hit by the pitch Friday night. I hope this really is the case because I'm getting a little sick of Youkilis whining about being hit or close to being hit.
As a Met fan, I'm predestined to loathe the Yankees, but his anger towards Joba is a little overdone. Part of what makes him such a feared hitter is how he crowds the plate and dives in (kind of like Derek Jeter). If that's what makes you successful, you can't cry about pitches hitting you in the arm or coming close. If you don't want to be hit, don't dive into the plate. Youkilis is one of those players you love to have on your team, but can't stand him as an opponent. Can I get a little Paul O'Neill?

Bye-Bye Blue Jays

There is nothing quite like a clean sweep of a division leader to boost the spirits. And after yesterday's 5-1 torching of the Jays, Boston finds themselves only a half-game out of first. Thank God they're at Fenway, where they have an AL-leading 16-4 record. The road record...the less said about 9-12, the better.

The big news was Jon Lester bouncing back from two dreadful performances to give Boston 6 1/3 strong innings. He scattered eight hits and gave up just one run off a single in the seventh. That's the fifth quality start in a row for Boston, and they have gone 4-1 in those games. That performance also made life easier on the bullpen. Ramirez came out for his usual stellar work; 1.2 innings, two hits, no runs and two strikeouts. Then Paps finished the ninth with just one hit allowed. Both these guys have ERAs under 1.00, and Ramirez has a WHIP under 1.00 as well. This pairing is a devestating endgame combo for Boston.

The hitting wasn't atrocious, but the Sox were outhit 11-7 by the Jays. Luckilly, the Sox made those hits count. The difference maker was a homer from, you guessed it, Jason Bay. His two-run shot in the first put the Sox up 3-0 and basically settled the game right there. It was also his only hit of the night. Interesting note; Bay has yet to hit a solo shot this year, which explains why he is second in the AL with 44 RBI. Hell, if he maintains this production then Bay is looking like the MVP for 2009. He tracks right now for 51 homers, 174 RBI and 170 runs scored over the course of the season. That likely won't happen, but provided Bay stays injury-free (*knocking on big pieces of wood*) he should eclipse the 30 homer, 100 RBI plateau we all assigned him.

Youk got it done as well, going 1-3 with an RBI single. He is still batting over .400 (.402) right now and looking every bit as good as he did last year. And Ellsbury extended his hitting streak to 16 games while scoring two runs and stealing a base. Ellsbury is getting it done in the leadoff position now. We need a nickname for him but nothing immediately pops in my mind. I mean, I have nothing.

And now we come to interleague play and a visit from the Mets. I'll let you in on a secret; I hate the Mets. Not a Yankees-level kind of hate. And I'd want the Mets to run the table on every other AL team they play. But I freaking hate the Mets. Not only because of 1986, but because they beat the Sox 1-0 in a game I took my dad to on June 6, 1998. Wakefield pitched eight innings and gave up just one hit and one walk. So how did the Mets score? On the most B.S. balk call in the history of the sport. Terry Craft was, and is, a moron for making that call.

Anyway, we get to see the former Twin Johan Santana go up against the re-habbed Daisuke. This could be...interesting. Santana has been average against the Sox over his career. And Daisuke can either baffle a team or give away runs like he was getting paid for it. We could see a tight game or a run-fest. But it should be a good game. I think where Boston has the edge is in the bullpen. Sure, the Mets have F-Rod and Putz. But after that the pen gets light for them. Boston's depth could be the deciding factor in this game, and the series. That and the fact that the Mets' apparently play defense like my son's T-Ball team.

With Interleague Upon Us, A Fresh Voice

With the 2009 version of interleague play upon us, we have decided that we ought to pay attention to that other team in New York.

It is with great pleasure that we introduce Ian as our guest Mets blogger.

Ian, like us, is a Connecticut native, but he spurned UConn for Boston College. Still, we can forgive him for that.

He is a journalist with more than 15 years experience working at newspapers in Connecticut and New York.

He also is as knowledgeable a Mets fan as there is. He'd probably be able to tell you Bobby Valentine's hat size if you asked.

We look forward to Ian's insights and analysis as he tries to make a strong argument as to why his NL team will be able to keep pace with the big boys from the AL East.

Welcome aboard, Ian.

I'm Ian. I'm a Mets fan.

Hello, Red Sox and Yankees fans!

I would like to thank Dave and Aviv for inviting me to guest blog when their beloved teams play my wonderful, heart-wrenching Mets. The title of this entry is an homage to a friend of mine from Norwalk, Clayton Burroughs. I miss his Jose Reyes hugs.

A little about me. I've been a Mets fan for nearly 30 years. My first memory of a Met game was watching Tom Seaver's Cincinnati Reds win at Shea, and as my father, grandfather and I walked down the ramps leading out of the Stadium, a chorus of "Joe Torre Sucks!" chants echoed for minutes on end. Needless to say, I was hooked years before the ball trickled through Buckner's legs. I worked with Aviv at the Connecticut Post eons ago. Nearly a decade later, I work for a NY tabloid, and my views do not necessarily represent those of my employer.

I'll get straight to the point about this weekend's series at Fenway. I'm not optimistic concerning the Mets' chances of winning one game. I think they have as much of a chance to win Sunday's Tim Redding-Tim Wakefield matchup as they do tonight's Johan Santana-Daisuke Matsuzaka worldly tussle.

First off, the Mets are 3-6 in regular season games at Fenway, including a Boston sweep three years ago. No, the ghosts of Lenny Dykstra and Gary Carter from 1986 won't be much help here.
Next, Johan Santana historically does not pitch well at Fenway: He's 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA in four starts. Although for a pitcher that allows plenty of home runs, he's relinquished only one career Fenway bomb. Still, I don't like the idea of him facing gritty right-handed hitters like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay and even Mike Lowell. This is as good a right-handed lineup as he'll see all season. Throw a suddenly heating up Big Papi, and it will be difficult. Santana very well could win the NL Cy Young Award this year, mainly because he's one of the two best starters in baseball and Citi Field invites him to be even more aggressive than he normally is. A healthy Santana should win a least two Cy Youngs pitching at Citi Field, the park where home runs go to die (It's amazing how the new Yankee Stadium embraces the long ball, but Citi Field shoos them away like flies). I expect he'll keep the Mets close, maybe a 4-3 loss. But, he's the Mets' biggest hope for a win this weekend.

Mike Pelfrey (facing Beckett) tends to keep the ball in the park, so that will help on Saturday. Sunday will be nearly a tossup if Redding can go at least six innings.

The big question is which sacrificial lineup will the Mets will put out each game. No Carlos Delgado. Jose Reyes day-to-day with tendinitis in his knee. All the Sox pitchers will need to do is pitch around Carlos Beltran and David Wright, and they should go fairly unscathed. Boston must be salivating about facing Ramon Martinez, Jeremy Reed, Angel Pagan, Ramon Castro, and to a lesser degree Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Church, as many as 10 times this weekend. That list of future Hall of Famers must have Red Sox Nation trembling in anticipation. The wild card is Gary Sheffield, of course, but what he'll provide this weekend is a mystery. Plus, if you haven't noticed on SportsCenter, the Mets are fielding as well as the Amazin' Mets of the early '60s. A healthy lineup might have come into Fenway off a sweep of the Dodgers. Instead, they come in reeling, having lost four straight.

A gem from Santana could give the Mets one win, and there's a chance of stealing a game Saturday or Sunday. I won't be happy with just one win, but I'm realistic. If the Mets come away with two or more wins, that would make me angry if I were a Sox fan. Enjoy!

Mets Caught In A Time Warp

Yankees fans have suffered through quite a few gut-wrenching, heart-breaking losses this season.

But those are nothing compared to what the Mets did to their fans Monday night.

The Mets had a disastrous 11th inning, losing to the Dodgers 3-2 in Los Angeles on a comedy of errors.

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. And when it was all over, I had to go check a calendar just to make sure it wasn't 1962 again.

For those of you who were asleep, here's the "unhappy" recap:

With two outs in the top of 11th and the scored tied a 2, Ryan Church singled to left. Angel Pagan followed by driving a shot into center, that appeared to be an easy triple, scoring Church.

Only there was one problem.

Church forgot to step on third! Let me repeat that:

CHURCH FORGOT TO STEP ON THIRD!

The Dodgers appealed and Church was called out, stunning everyone. At that point I had to log onto mets.com just to make sure Marvelous Marv Throneberry wasn't on the roster.

Clearly Church never heard the story of how in 1962 with the Mets, Throneberry missed third twice in the same game. How does a major leaguer do that?

OK, that's awful, but somehow the Mets managed to make it worse.

Mark Loretta led off the bottom half by drawing a walk off Brian Stokes. And of course that cardinal sin was going to come back to bite the Mets. It was just stunning how.

Instead of having Xavier Paul bunt, Joe Torre allowed him to swing away. It could have been a managerial mistake, but Torre still has that golden touch.

Paul lifted a lazy fly to left-center that should have been an easy out, but Pagan, the left fielder, and Carlos Beltran had some trouble communicating. Both called for the ball and appeared to have difficulty hearing each other. At the last second, Pagan backed off and the ball bounced off Beltran's glove, putting runners on second and third.

We see this type of error happen from time-to-time, but not usually from a Gold Glove center fielder. Beltran is a terrific outfielder, but he has to make the play, no excuses. He called for it. It's his job to go get it, and Pagan's job to get out of the way. I'm not saying it's an easy spot for Beltran, but he has to have the concentration and focus to come up with that.

So that left the Mets in a jam ... and it only got worse.

Jerry Manuel had Stokes intentionally walk Juan Pierre to load the bases and then brought in Beltran to be a fifth infielder. The strategy nearly paid off.

Rafael Furcal lifted a fly ball to left that Pagan caught shallow enough to hold the runners. One out.

With the five infielders still drawn in, Stokes then got Orlando Hudson to hit sharp ground ball to first and the Mets looked like they'd get at least the second out at home and possibly turn a double play.

But as the throw from Jeremy Reed, an outfielder by trade playing first with Carlos Delagado on the DL, sailed well wide of home, allowing Loretta to score, I couldn't help but be thankful this game was being played on the West Coast.

My grandfather is a huge Mets fans, and when he was living in Connecticut in his younger years, he likely would have stayed up to watch the bitter end. We are fortunate that he lives in Florida and does not have SNY. He doesn't deserve to be put through something as awful as that. No one does -- except, maybe, Red Sox fans.