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The Mets lost to the Reds this evening by a score of 6-3.  Their record now sits at 20-17 for the year. Overall this was a rather upsetting loss as the Mets had a two run lead in the 8th inning.

The Reds opened up the scoring thanks to some heads up base running by Mike Leake, who pitched a solid game tonight earning a quality start.

The Mets scored to tie the game in the 3rd inning on a Lucas Duda single. Lucas was 3-4 tonight and it looks like he is finally heating up.

In the 6th, Ike Davis had a nice RBI hit down the first line to drive in Duda to take a 2-1 lead. The Mets then pulled of their second successful squeeze bunt in three games with Nickeas at the plate.

Todd Frazier cut the lead to a singleturn with a solo shot to CF off Johan in the 7th. Santana ended up earning the no decision going 6.2 innings while giving up 2 runs.

After some poor bullpen management, Brandon Phillips tied the game with and RBI single. Soon after Jay Bruce hit a sacrifice fly and the Reds took a 4-3 lead. DJ Carrasco then entered the game and Todd Frazier took him deep on the first pitch, extending the Reds lead to three runs.

Aroldis Chapman and Sean Marshall closed out the game for the Reds.

This was a very disappointing game because it was a very winnable game. Santana pitched amother great game but some mismanagement of the bullpen cost him another win. I felt that Bobby Parnell should have started the 8th inning after throwing only 5 pitches in the 7th.

Other than Santana’s good start, it is a promising sign that Lucas Duda is heating up as the middle of the order needs to start producing more, and it gives David Wright some protection.

The Mets play and afternoon game tomorrow, with RA Dickey taking on Matt Latos. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm eastern.

Full box score from tonight’s game can be seen here.

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In case you missed it last night, the Brewers versus Mets game last night seemed completely unremarkable until the seventh inning, when D.J. Carrasco, who was supposed to just be mopping up a blowout loss, hit Ryan Braun with a fastball. The incident came right after Ricky Weeks had homered off of Carrasco to make the score 8-0, and although it doesn’t seem like Carrasco intentionally threw at Braun, he was ejected from the game anyway.

With the game out of hand, Terry Collins pinch hit for David Wright in the bottom of the inning. Collins figured Wright would be targeted by Milwaukee starter Zack Greinke in a retaliatory move, so he did what he had to do to protect his star.

“He’s not getting hurt in that game tonight,” Collins said. “Believe me, I’m not accusing them of anything. I just know what might have taken place and I was trying to avoid it.”

Wright was visibly upset at Collins for pulling him from the game. It seems Wright was content to allow the Brewers to have their retribution and end the incident right there. Instead, there was no opportunity for Milwaukee to strike back.

The Mets don’t play Milwaukee again until mid-September, so this will probably just stay on the shelf until then. Right now, the Mets will just try to win more baseball games. That starts tonight against the Cincinnati Reds, who send Mike Leake to the mound to duel against Johan Santana. The game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN 660.

Mets Lineup

Nieuwenhuis, CF - Baxter, LF - Wright, 3B - Duda, RF - Muprhy, 2B - Davis, 1B - Turner, SS - Nickeas, C - Santana, SP

Andres Torres is getting the night off, with Kirk Nieuwenhuis moving up to the lead-off spot and Mike Baxter taking over left field while batting second. Since coming off the disabled list on a hot streak, Torres has cooled off some, with no hits in the last three games. He’s batting .241/.369/.352 on the season. Meanwhile, Baxter has been ridiculously hot even though he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time at all. In his last four at-bats (dating back to May 11), Baxter is 4 for 4 with three doubles.

Cincinnati Reds Lineup

Cozart, SS - Stubbs, CF - Votto, 1B - Phillips, 2B - Heisey, RF - Ludwick, LF - Frazier, 3B - Mesoraco, C - Leake, SP

The Reds haven’t made much of an impression on offense this season. They rank 12th in the National League in runs scored with 134 and 15th in on-base percentage with a .302 average, but they are also sixth in slugging with a .387 mark. The most dangerous guys are mega stud Joey Votto and fellow lefty Jay Bruce. It’s the Mets lucky day because Bruce is getting the day off, but he’ll almost certainly appear if the Mets bring in a right-handed reliever while the game is close. Votto is his normal amazing self this season with a .311/.465/.571 line, and he’s also the rare left-handed hitter who doesn’t melt against lefty pitching.

Pitching Match-up
NYM — LHP Johan Santana (2.92 ERA, 41 K, 12 BB)
Santana’s return to ace form has been the most pleasant surprise of the Mets season so far. It almost makes up for Ike Davis not hitting. Although Santana has finally started allowing home runs in his last two starts, he’s still be striking guys out at a rate that suggests he may have never had a serious shoulder injury. Last time out, against Miami, Santana allowed three runs in the first inning before pitching splendidly for the next five. Although he didn’t get the win in that one, the Mets have a great shot at one every time Santana takes the hill.

CIN — RHP Mike Leake (7.11 ERA, 16 K, 11 BB)
Two years ago, Mike Leake made news by going straight to the Reds rotation without pitching even one inning in the minor leagues. Last year, he made news because he stole t-shirts. This year, he hasn’t made much news; he’s just been an incredibly lousy pitcher. In 2011, Leake was a pretty good back-end starter with a 3.86 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 167.2 innings, but this season, he’s got a 7.11 ERA and 5.55 FIP in his first 31.2 innings. Leake’s strikeouts are down almost two per nine innings and his walks are up about one per nine. He’s also forcing 8% less ground balls than before. Bascially, everything about Leake as a pitcher is bad right now, and if he doesn’t improve soon, the Reds will probably give his rotation spot to Aroldis Chapman or someone else. Here’s what Red Reporter wrote last week:

I’m not sure what to make of Mike Leake. Leake’s skill has always been ground balls with no walks to make up for his modest strikeout rate. That’s not happening so far this year, and his strikeouts are well below his career average. His swinging strike %, however, is actually up, as is velocity. It almost suggests a difference in approach, but it could also just be a small sample size issue. I’ve always liked Leake, so I hope he can get it going again.

It’s never too much fun to see a young pitcher struggle like this, but hopefully the Mets can take advantage and get Santana some runs tonight.

Continue reading »]]> The Mets will have to hold off impending storms if they hope to get the chance to sweep the Brewers in their brief two-game set. First pitch is still scheduled for 7:10 p.m. and the game can be seen on SNY or heard, as always, on WFAN 660AM.  Join the conversation on Twitter by following @dailystache or yours truly, @DevOnSports.

The rains came late in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Brewers and haven’t stopped much since, but even they couldn’t put a damper on a solid outing by Miguel Batista, who gave the Mets a much needed boost from the mound. Dillon Gee takes the hill tonight looking to duplicate that success against a Brewers lineup that features the return of second baseman Rickie Weeks. Injuries have mounted for Milwaukee this year, forcing the Brewers to piece together different lineups on a daily basis, but their 2-through-5 of Weeks, Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart remains formidable.

Milwaukee sends ace Zack Greinke to the mound to oppose Gee. It will be the 28-year-old righthander’s second career start against the Mets and first since 2004. The Mets counter with the same lineup that they sent out to face Yovani Gallardo last night, because why fix what isn’t broken?

Mets Lineup:

Torres - Nieuwenhuis - Wright - Duda - Murphy - Davis - Cedeno - Nickeas - Gee

Stache Fact:  Kirk Nieuwenhuis is hitting .354 against righthanded pitchers this season and 29 of his 35 hits have come against righties.

Brewers Lineup: 

Aoki-Weeks-Braun-Ramirez-Hart-LuCroy-Ishikawa-Izturis-Greinke

Stache Fact: Brewers All-Star second baseman Rickie Weeks is off to a terrible start. Weeks is hitting just .157 with a .289 slugging percentage and has struck out 41 times. He will make a pitcher work though, and his 23 walks are the only thing keeping his on-base percentage above .300.

Pitching Matchup:

NYM: Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.78 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 33 K) – Gee and that thing on his face will be looking to build on his last start, when, despite giving up 10 hits and four earned runs, Gee was good enough to keep the Mets in the game against Philly. Best of all, he didn’t walk a batter for the first time this season.

Gee has just one career start against the Brewers, coming in his first year in the majors. He allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits over six innings to pick up the loss in a 9-2 Brewers win on September 30, 2010. No player in tonight’s lineup has faced Gee more than four times or has more than one hit against him.

MIL: Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 46 K) – Greinke has been mostly great this year — one bad start against the Cubs not withstanding. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in five of his seven starts and strikes out a ton of hitters. Greinke is coming off by far his best start of the year, as he shut down the Reds over eight shutout innings last Wednesday, allowing just two hits while striking out 11. He last pitched against the Mets in his rookie year of 2004 with the Royals. Since no members of that team remain, the only member of today’s Mets lineup who has faced him is Ronny Cedeno, who is 3-for-10 lifetime vs. Greinke

Stache Keys to the Game:

1. Surviving the Middle – Milwaukee’s lineup is in shambles due to injuries and the departure of Prince Fielder, so if Gee can get through the heart of the order without much issue, he can have a start similar to Batista’s last night.
2. Keep Walking – The Mets’ collective approach at the plate has been something to behold. With six more walks in last night’s win (against three hits) the Mets now have 129 for the season, tied for sixth in MLB.
3. Fear The Reaper – The Mets’ bullpen has been their undoing. Without the collective misgivings of the relief corps, we could be talking about a first place team. Gee needs to go deep and the offense needs to pile on so we don’t have to reach for the Rolaids in the ninth.

This Date in Mets History:
On this date in 1970, Tom Seaver twirled one of his infamous one-hitters. A 15-strikeout performance in a 4-0 victory over the Phillies, Seaver’s one-hitter marked the second consecutive one-hitter for the Mets, who also saw Gary Gentry one-hit the Cubs on May 13, 1970, with an off day in between. The Mets have 35 one-hitters in franchise history but still no no-no’s.

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Better bring a catcher's mask and goalie pads of you plan on hanging out on the Shea Bridge during the Homer Run Hitting Contest during All-Star Game festivities. Photo courtesy of Citi2Shea.wordpress.com

According to multiple sources, MLB commissioner Bud Selig and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will announce tomorrow that the 2013 MLB All-Star game will be held at Citi Field.  It’s about time that not only MLB, but the rest of the world will see that there is more going on at Citi Field than just Ponzi schemes and trips to the disabled list.

The last time the New York Mets hosted an All-Star game was way back in 1964, the first year of the “state-of-the-art” (I know you are giggling) Shea Stadium.  In that game, Phillies outfielder Johnny Callison hit a walk-off home run to give the NL a 7-4 win.  That was the last time an All-Star game has ended with a walk-off homer.

With the Mets turning the corner after the Bernie Madoff mess, they are now able to focus on the positives that are happening on the field. As stated in an earlier post here on TSB, the Mets are NOT a bad team.  They are actually 5 games over .500 and only 2 games out of first place.  Granted, it’s only May 14th, but there weren’t too many fans or “experts” who believed that this would even be possible this early into the season.

Being a Mets fan, I cant wait to see the buzz around the stadium and franchise next summer.  Would I love to sit in the Pepsi Porch next summer?  Absolutely.  Would I love to mill around on the Shea Bridge?  You betcha!  But as we all know, the regular die-hard fan won’t be able to afford that ticket.  A $40 ticket on the Pepsi Porch will for sure run in the $150-$200 range.  But you know what?  Maybe it’s just better off sitting at home and watching on TV.

The Pepsi Porch at Citi Field will be one hot ticket next summer. Photo courtesy of Metsseatingchart.com

These days, the best part of the whole thing is the Home Run hitting contest.  If somehow Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, or David Wright are in the contest, I’ll break the bank for a ticket, but that’s probably it.  The game has truly become a bore and it’s no fun watching fringe players having good years, possibly decide wether or not the Mets have home field advantage in the World Series.

I hope next year that the Mets fans stuff the ballot boxes like other cities fans do.  David Wright should be the leading vote getter and if he’s not, shame on Mets fans.  Make a statement and have Johan Santana represent the New York Metropolitans.  Hell, give Jose Reyes the middle finger and vote Ruben Tejada the starting shortstop.

Here’s to the New York Mets and turning to the page to baseball.  Not “money” ball.

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Terry Collins was right…twice.  First, he stood up for Miguel Batista, saying he was going to get many more chances to prove himself as a starting pitcher.  Well, tonight he did more than prove himself, throwing 7 scoreless innings of 4-hit ball.  He stymied the Brewers tonight, with Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell taking care of the 8th inning.  On a side note, Bobby Parnell has allowed only 1 run in his last 12 appearances (11 innings)…quite an improvement from last year.

Terry’s second triumph came tonight after Frank Francisco managed to close out the game.  Yes, things looked shaky there for a bit and he gave up a run, but Terry was very forthcoming about how adamant Francisco was about wanting to get back on the mound and pitch.  Francisco picked up his 9th save in the process.  It was a heck of a risky move, but I have to give Terry credit for having faith in his closer.  Hopefully it will give Francisco a confidence boost and he’ll continue to improve.

Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo certainly had his problems tonight, including his catcher Jonathan Lucroy.  The two couldn’t seem to get their act together, and both endured a “talking to” from their pitching coach between innings.  Gallardo somehow managed to keep the Mets to only 2 runs however, during his 6 innings pitched.

Turning Point

Ronny Cedeno laid down the perfect suicide squeeze bunt, allowing Daniel Murphy to score in the 6th.

Moment(s) of Note

Cedeno’s textbook-perfect suicide squeeze that enabled Murphy to score from 3rd, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead in the 6th.

Aramis Ramirez bobbling the ball and dropping it during a run-down with David Wright, allowing the Mets to score a much-needed insurance run, making it 3-0.  The pitcher he scored against?  None other than old friend K-Rod.

David Wright with another great night on defense, making two great plays to keep the Brewers off the board until the 9th inning.

Game Ball

Daniel Murphy, the Irish Hammer, who continues to produce in clutch spots, and simply gets better on defense every single night.

Next Game

Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.78 ERA) will take the mound tomorrow against Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.35 ERA) as the Mets (20-15) and the Brewers (15-20) play game 2 of their 2-game series at CitiField tomorrow night at 7:05 pm EST.  The game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN660 AM. @MetsWFAN @dailystache @Meriwyn

Let’s go METS!!

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The Brew Crew comes to town for a short stay, and tonight will play the 1st of only 2 games against the Mets at CitiField during this brief stay.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 pm and the game can be seen on SNY and heard on WFAN660AM.  Be sure to follow @MetsWFAN, @dailystache and @Meriwyn as well.

The Brewers have had their share of struggles this year both with the departure of Prince Fielder and the off-field troubles of Ryan Braun’s steroid scandal.  The Mets, meanwhile, come home after losing an absolute heartbreaking 2 out of 3 games to the Marlins, which by all means should have been another Mets sweep.  The bullpen absolutely imploded, giving up decent leads that resulted in walk-off wins for the opposition.  Let’s just say TC has a few more headaches to deal with upon his return home today in addition to getting bad news that SS Ruben Tejada has yet to resume any baseball activities.

The Brewers are facing their own injury problems, with OF Carlos Gomez currently on the DL, and 2B Rickie Weeks out for a few days with a bruised hand.

David Wright is currently leading the NL, batting .400 as of today.  It would be great to get a 2nd consecutive batting title for the Mets, only hopefully Wright would actually stick around.  Lucas Duda seems to be feeling better after his battle with the flu, as he played a big part in the Mets offense this past weekend as well.

Mets Lineup

Torres, Nieuwenhuis, Wright, Duda, Murphy, Davis, Cedeno, Nickeas, Batista

Brewers Lineup

Morgan, Lucroy, Braun, Ramirez, Hart, Green, Conrad, Izturis, Gallardo

Pitching Matchup

NYM: Miguel Batista (0-1, 5.89 ERA).  Batista struggled early in his first start as a member of the starting rotation, and gave up 4 runs over the first 2 innings. He leveled himself off and pitched into the sixth, prompting Terry Collins to stand by his commitment to giving him more chances as a starting pitcher.

MIL:  Yovani Gallardo (2-3, 5.35 ERA).  Gallardo had an impressive 6-inning outing against the Reds in his last start, which also subsequently gave the Brewers their first quality turn through the rotation this year.

Stache Keys to the Game(s)

• Do what they’ve been doing…rebound after a loss.
• Disrupt the Brewers pitching, which has recently hit their stride.
• Keep producing on offense.  This lineup seems to be working well.

May 14th in Mets History

Happy Birthday to…ME!

LET’S GO METS!!

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Based on the events of the past three days (and some other events before then), it might be time for Terry Collins to make some changes to the Mets bullpen. Frank Francisco has done a terrible job in the ninth inning so far, but that doesn’t mean that moving him to the seventh or eighth will automatically straighten him out?

Just leaving him in the ninth would almost definitely result in Francisco getting better results than he has. His past performance is evidence of this.

While pitching in the hitter’s havens of Arlington and Toronto for the past four seasons, Francisco has not once had a season ERA above 4.00. His ERAs for the past four seasons are 3.13, 3.83, 3.76 and 3.55. Sure, those aren’t figures that will remind anyone of Mariano Rivera or Jonathan Papelbon, but that track record is just as good as anyone else in the Mets bullpen.

Francisco’s FIP and xFIP were below 4.00 for all four years as well. It doesn’t make sense for Francisco’s ERA to suddenly blow up to while pitching in a pitcher’s park in the inferior National League. Even if you believe that pitching in the ninth inning is more difficult than the eighth or that pitching in New York is tougher because of enhanced media pressure (there’s no evidence of either), the jump in ERA is still more likely the result of a small sample size.

If Terry Collins does get impatient and decides that now is the time to change his closer, let’s hope he decides to go with the more talented Bobby Parnell instead of the more experienced Jon Rauch.

Rauch has been pretty good this season, with a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched, but there’s a couple of red flags that indicate his ERA could be going up soon. First of all, Rauch doesn’t have very good stuff so far this season. His strikeouts per nine innings is down to 4.11 from a career average of 7.14, which means Rauch is missing less bats and allowing a lot of contact. The low ERA is probably the result of a .235 BABIP (batting average on balls in play). Although Rauch does have a relatively low career BABIP against him of .278, the .235 of this season is very likely unsustainable.

Also, Rauch is a fly ball pitcher who hasn’t allowed a home run yet this season. Over his career, Rauch’s performance has bounced up and down with the amount of homers he’s allowed. Although, this is something a pitcher can sometimes control, it’s a bad combination for someone to have a low strikeout rate and a low ground ball rate. That’s what Rauch is working with this season, and it’s a good reason to leave him out of high-leverage situations.

Parnell, on the other hand, playing the best baseball of his career. He’s striking out about one batter per inning while working on a career low 1.69 walks per nine. A 53.1% ground ball rate and a 2.25 ERA (2.36 FIP) are also great signs for the Mets future closer.

Because Francisco’s ERA is not going to stay at 8.56, Terry Collins will be praised no matter what he does. Leave Francisco in the ninth, and Collins’ faith will be rewarded. Move Francisco to the seventh or eighth, and he’ll pitch better in the new role. The only thing Collins shouldn’t do is move someone who isn’t Bobby Parnell into the closer’s role.

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2. Matt Harvey, Pitcher, Bats: R, Throws: R, Age: 23, ETA: 2012

Here is a glance at the definite future of the New York Mets. He’ll be an important portion at least. 2010 first round selection Matt Harvey (7th overall) is en route to the bigs for the Mets, and he is on the fast track.

Out of the University of North Carolina, Harvey blew through Port St. Lucie last year and ended up finishing his first season in the minors at Double-A Binghamton. Single-A Advanced was absolutely nothing to him. There, he posted an 8-2 record in 14 starts where he allowed a meager 20 earned runs.

He worked his way into Binghamton improving upon his fastball’s command and craftiness. His prior struggles had raised debate about where he could end up landing in a Major League pitching staff, but such discussions have dissipated for the most part.

He’s settled in at Triple-A Buffalo this year, and has pitched well  for the most part, give or take a few shaky outings. Through eight starts thus far, his velocity has shined and his ERA sits at 4.29, not terrible when you consider how he has bolted up the system in a year and a half. Whats more intriguing is how rough his biting speed is on left-handed batters.

Now if you’re to look at Harvey’s Major League readiness, he probably is there, which means you will see him in some capacity before the end of the 2012 regular season. His ceiling won’t budge either; he has top of the rotation starter written all over him once his experience is adequate.

With Mike Pelfrey done for the year, there have been those radicals out there that are fully prepared to see Matt Harvey assume a full-time position at the highest level, and he can probably succeed in doing so. But the continued Minor League seasoning doesn’t harm anyone. In the event that another Mets starter goes down, I think its safe to say there’s no reason Harvey shouldn’t get a shot. It isn’t like his playing time would dwindle.

Regardless, Harvey is in the fortunate position that allows him to continue to develop no matter what level he is at. So long as the wheels don’t come off completely, he’ll get some innings with the Mets this year.

10. Matt Den Dekker, Outfield, Bats: L, Throws: L, Age: 24, ETA: 2013

9. Jordany Valdespin, Middle Infield, Bats: L, Throws: R, Age: 24, ETA: 2012

8. Cesar Puello, Outfield, Bats: R, Throws: R, Age: 20, ETA: 2013

7. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Outfield, Bats: L, Throws: R, Age: 24, ETA: 2012

6. Wilmer Flores, Third Base, Bats: R, Throws: R, Age: 20, ETA: 2014

5. Reese Havens, Second Base, Bats: L, Throws: R, Age: 25, ETA: 2012

4. Brandon Nimmo, Outfield, Bats: L, Throws: R, Age: 19, ETA: 2015

3. Jeurys Familia, Pitcher, Bats: R, Throws: R, Age: 22, ETA: 2012

2. Matt Harvey, Pitcher, Bats:R, Throws: R, Age: 23, ETA: 2012

1.

Continue reading »]]> As the Mets try to recuperate from their second ninth inning meltdown in the last three days, Monday morning started out with a dose of good news — the Mets are preparing a formal offer to retain David Wright.

Whether you want to or not, it’s very easy to think about how the whole Jose Reyes situation panned out when thinking about Wright’s future in the orange and blue, but the truth is, the two situations couldn’t be much different. Wright, for example, has an option next year, which will automatically disappear if he is traded. Although it’s for a hefty $16 million, the Mets would undoubtedly exercise that option, seeing as he’s returned to the David Wright of old form.I’m fortunate enough to have been at David Wright’s first game at Shea Stadium. The hype was something to behold. He didn’t exactly get the treatment that Bryce Harper has, but he was a guy everyone thought would be a solid third basemen for many years to come. While he has had his struggles the past couple of seasons, you’re still hard pressed to find many other better third basemen in the game.

When Wright is on his game, as you see early on in 2012, there are few better hitters in the game. We saw early on in his career that he can drive the ball to right center field with authority. Let’s get this straight. While he certainly has the power to hit home runs, he is not a home run hitter. Wright’s best game plan is to work the gaps.

Now, the negotiating must begin. What would you offer to keep David Wright in Queens for the forseable future?

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Frank Francisco struggled for the second straight out and twice in the series against the Marlins

It was a pretty ho-hum afternoon in Miami, Florida as the Mets and Marlins played into the ninth inning tied at two. The Mets bullpen imploded today with the exception of Jon Rauch who pitched the eighth inning, meanwhile DJ Carrasco, Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell didn’t pitch in the game.

Prior to the game the pitching matchup on paper was well in favor of the Marlins who were riding on Carlos Zambrano who entered with 16 straight shutout innings, he continued that stretch into the first as he set down the Mets 1-2-3.

Counterpart Jon Niese worked around a leadoff walk to former Met Jose Reyes to match Zambrano with a zero in the first.

The Mets got their first hit of the game as catcher Rob Johnson singled with one out in the third and was bunted over to second, but the offense was unable to bring him around. New York broke through in the fourth inning after Kirk Nieuwenhuis and David Wright started things off with back-to-back singles.

The two runners moved up on a passed ball by John Buck, which allowed Nieuwenhuis to score on a groundout by Lucas Duda. The next batter was Daniel Murphy who went to the opposite field with a single to bring home Wright and put the Mets up 2-0.

Niese continued to roll on the mound scattering five hits through six innings of work before being pinch hit for by Ike Davis in the top of the sixth. Ramon Ramirez came on next and allowed a triple to Emilio Bonifacio followed by recent Met killer John Buck launching a game-tying two run home run over the left centerfield fence. Ramirez allowed a single to Reyes and did a brilliant job holding him on base for as long as he could and eventually Hanley Ramirez to strike out.

Edward Mujica relieved Zambrano and got the Mets out in the eights, while Rauch did the same in the bottom of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth Marlins’ closer Heath Bell came on looking to keep the game tied and got Duda out for the first of the inning. Murphy doubled and Ronny Cedeno walked, Jordany Valdespin grounded out to move them up before Mike Baxter was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Justin Turner was up next to face Bell and was looking for another epic at-bat to the one he had a few weeks ago at Citi Field. This time it only took Turner seven pitches to lace a double to the opposite field and put the Mets up 4-2.

Then came Frank Francisco looking for the save and allowed a leadoff triple to Bonifacio followed by a walk to put runners at the corners with no one down. Pinch hitter Greg Dobbs came up and did what he did two nights earlier and blooped a single into right center to bring home Bonifacio and trim the deficit to one. Terry Collins brought on Manny Acosta to replace Francisco who had lost his composure on the mound and berated the umpire during his exit.

Acosta allowed a sacrifice fly to Reyes to tie the game at four before getting Omar Infante to pop up for the second out. Austin Kearns was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring up the artist formerly known as Mike Stanton. First pitch fastball was sent well into the deepest part of the park near the hideous home run structure for the walk-off game-winning grand slam.

Game Ball: Jon Niese pitched six shutout innings while leaving with a 2-0 lead, Jon Rauch and Justin Turner get a piece of the pie too for their contributions.