The LoHud Mets Blog

In case you were wondering what the disruption on the field was in last night’s game against the Diamondbacks…

NEW YORK (AP) – Two men carrying Mexican flags in protest of Arizona’s immigration law ran into the outfield during the seventh inning of the New York Mets’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night at Citi Field.

The men were apprehended by security fairly quickly without much incident.

Prior to the game, about 40 people across the street from the ballpark chanted “Oppose racism!” and “Boycott Arizona!”

Others stationed closer to the subway exit handed out leaflets that requested Major League Baseball move next year’s All-Star game out of Phoenix.

Here’s the big move Mets fans have been waiting for. Mike Jacobs, who has been playing in Buffalo, has been traded to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later.

Now you can’t say the Mets didn’t do anything before the trading deadline. Wasn’t it worth waiting for?

The Arizona Diamondbacks have only won four out of their last 15 games, and all of them have come against the Mets. The fourth win came tonight as an error by Jose Reyes led to five runs to put the D-backs up for good.

Once again, Mike Pelfrey got off to a rocky start, allowing three runs in the first inning alone. He threw more than 40 pitches in the first, giving up five hits and walk.

The Mets answered right away in the bottom of the inning when David Wright hit the first of his two home runs. This one scored three.

Pelfrey started to settle in and only allowed one more earned run in the third inning.

Down one run, the Mets fought back again. Wright hit his second home run, scoring two more to put the Mets ahead.

Pelfrey pitched into the sixth inning and got an out before Reyes committed an error on a routine ground ball hit by the opposing pitcher Ian Kennedy. Pelfrey got one more out before Jerry Manuel pulled him after 118 pitches. It was a questionable move considering Pelfrey had really settled in and looked a lot better.

Instead, Manuel went to Raul Valdes, who has been brilliant in relief. He just didn’t have it tonight, though, as Kelly Johnson hit a two-run homer. Valdes allowed two more hits after that. Instead of pulling Valdes who clearly couldn’t get an out, Manuel left him in. Miguel Montero then crushed a three-run bomb below the Pepsi Porch.

That made the game 9-5, which pretty much sealed the game since the Mets have not won after being down four runs all year. They did tack on one more run on an Angel Pagan RBI single in the seventh inning. However, that is the only run the Mets have scored against the worst bullpen in the majors in more than 11 innings.

Manny Acosta relieved Valdes and struck out all four batters he faced. Elmer Dessens and Pedro Feliciano, who looked a lot better than his last outing, also pitched scoreless innings.

Despite Wright’s and Reyes’s three-hit game, the fifth through the ninth batters went 0 for 18. Pagan’s RBI was the seventh hit, the only ones the Mets had all night.

Former Met Aaron Heilman, who had not saved a game against the Mets yet, of course did so this time.

As if the Mets didn’t have enough distractions, now there’s this:

NEW YORK (AP) – A new lawsuit blames the owners of the New York Mets for letting their workers put more than $16 million in 401K assets into accounts controlled by jailed financier Bernard Madoff.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan today. It was brought by the wife of a former employee of Sterling Equities Associates, which owns the Mets.

The lawsuit claims that Sterling Equities and several of its top executives should have known that Madoff was carrying out a massive Ponzi scheme that cost thousands of investors billions of dollars.

A message left with a spokesman for Sterling was not immediately returned.

The court-appointed trustee who is recovering Madoff money for investors has said the Mets profited from their investments with Madoff.

NEW YORK (AP) – The Mets have put outfielder Jason Bay on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion.

Today’s move was made retroactive to July 26, the day after the end of a series at Dodger Stadium in which Bay was injured.

Bay got hurt Friday night when he crashed into the bullpen gate while catching Jamey Carroll’s drive. Bay then played Saturday and Sunday, going 2 for 9 with four strikeouts.

New York said Bay had been bothered by headaches. To fill his roster spot, the Mets recalled outfielder Jesus Feliciano from Triple-A Buffalo of the International League.

The move should give Jeff Francoeur all the playing time he needs, at least for the next two weeks, and keep him off the trading block.

Hopefully, the Mets medical staff will know what to do with this concussion as they’ve had plenty of experience dealing with it over the past few years.

VIERA, Fla. (AP) – Former major leaguer Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez has made his minor league debut for the Washington Nationals’ team in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

The 44-year-old Hernandez gave up one run and two hits in one inning for the GCL Nationals in their 3-2 victory over the Marlins’ affiliate Thursday. Hernandez pitched the sixth inning.

He last appeared in the majors in 2007 with the Mets, and joined the Nationals’ organization this month. His half-brother, Livan, is a starting pitcher for Washington.

El Duque went 90-65 with a 4.13 ERA in a 10-year major league career highlighted by pitching for four World Series winners with the Yankees and White Sox.

His next stop? The Geriatric League.

NEW YORK (AP) – Darryl Strawberry is hoping to hit a home run with a new venture: a New York City restaurant with baseball-themed fare like Grand Slam appetizers.

The former Yankees and Mets slugger says Strawberry’s Sports Grill will open in Queens next Thursday.

He plans to take an active role, even serving as waiter sometimes.

The grill will feature his 1983 Mets jersey, when he was the NL Rookie of the Year, and his Shea Stadium locker.

Drugs and legal troubles derailed his career, but the eight-time All-Star remains popular with many Mets fans as one of the players who led the team to the 1986 World Series title.

He will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame this weekend.

Anyone going to check it out?

So, the Phillies just got a little better as former Houston ace Roy Oswalt was traded for J.A. Happ and two other prospects today. It’s just one more tough customer the Mets will have to face the next time they play the Phils.

Caption: Cole Hamels, left, Roy Oswalt, middle, and Roy Halladay will make a formidable top of the rotation for the Phillies. (AP File Photos)

Now the Mets get to look forward to Oswalt, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, all of whom could be the ace of any team. You gotta think this move makes the Phillies the front runners for the National League East title. That is, if their offense can keep up. Yes, the Braves are frustratingly consistent but their starting pitching isn’t as strong as the Phillies’ now.

So, where does that leave the Mets, who have not made a single move before the trade deadline? Sputtering, choking on the dust as they watch the Phillies and the Braves pull away.

It’s true R.A. Dickey has been a savior this year, and Jon Niese is well on his way to becoming everything the Mets dreamed he could be, if he stays healthy. But Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey have been too erratic to rely on on a consistent basis.

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the trade deadline passed and no moves were made, essentially writing off the rest of the season. That’s the way the Mets roll. I’m sure you’re used to it by now.

One more pitcher the Mets won’t land is the Cubs’ Ted Lilly as they reportedly don’t feel like paying the $4 million left on his contract, according to a New York Post story.

So, who’s left? The Indians’ Jake Westbrook. He’s a mid-level pitcher, more along the lines of a 2007 John Maine. He may not even be worth getting.

What are your thoughts on whom the Mets might trade for?

R.A. Dickey was brilliant once again today as he was just two outs shy of pitching a complete game shutout against the Cardinals, 4-0. He allowed only four hits and two walks as he improved to 7-4 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.32, the lowest of any Mets starter.

Caption: Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey delivers in the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on July 29, 2010. Dickey was the winning pitcher in the Mets 4-0 shutout of the Cardinals, pitching into the ninth inning when manager Jerry Manuel took him out with two men on base. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

After the Cardinals got runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, Jerry Manuel pulled Dickey. Because it was a save situation, Francisco Rodriguez came into the game and got the final two outs for his 22nd save of the season. Dickey’s pitching deep into this game was important as it gave the bullpen a day to rest, especially after last night’s taxing outing.

Despite a 13-inning loss last night, the Mets did not come out flat-footed. They had seven hits, but it was enough to put up four runs. Ike Davis provided all of the offense Dickey would need by hitting a three-run home run in the third inning. Carlos Beltran tacked on another run in the fifth inning after Angel Pagan hit a triple, his seventh of the season. Pagan had two more hits, raising his average to .309.

The Mets next will take on the Diamondbacks at home. Mike Pelfrey will try to make it back-to-back wins for the first time in a month.

Despite Johan Santana giving up six runs in the first inning alone, the Mets fought back and tied the game. Unfortunately, the Mets have not been a good extra-innings team, losing their eighth such game of the season, 8-7 vs. the Cardinals in 13 innings.

Caption: David Wright, left, reacts after he was put out by St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker while trying to stretch a sixth-inning single into a double on July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

As a team, you want your ace to start a game, building on the previous night’s starter’s excellent effort to keep the momentum going. Santana could not do that as he allowed the eight hits, the first time in his career that he gave up as many hits and runs in the first inning.

Santana settled back down, eventually lasting 5 2/3 innings. He was pulled in the sixth inning after Matt Holliday doubled off him to score the seventh run.

The Mets, to their credit, battled back. In his first start of his major league career, Mike Hessman hit a two-run double in the second inning to close the gap to 6-2.

The Mets wouldn’t score again until the sixth inning. David Wright actually got a leadoff hit, but he was thrown out at second as he overslid the bag. That mistake would hurt even more because Carlos Beltran proceeded to hit his first home run of the year to make it 6-3.

In the eighth inning, the Mets added some more runs after Angel Pagan hit a two-run homer. Wright hit a single and advanced to second after Hessman was hit by a pitch. Josh Thole walked to load the bases. Ike Davis, whom Hessman was filling in for, came in to pinch hit. He sneaked one to right field scoring two more to tie the game.

The Mets had the momentum going into the ninth inning, but they couldn’t capitalize even though they had two runners on with one out.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched two scoreless innings. Bobby Parnell pitched another but was pulled after allowing a hit in his second inning of work.

Pedro Feliciano relieved Parnell in the 12th inning and retired the side. It was the 13th where he ran into trouble and ultimately lost the game. He hit Skip Schumaker and walked Felipe Lopez. After inducing an out, Albert Pujols hit the go-ahead RBI.

The Mets couldn’t do a thing against Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin. They were out of bench players because Jason Bay was unavailable due to a mild concussion. Raul Valdes, who had pitched the final out in the top of the 13th, actually had to bat.

So, once again they failed to win back-to-back games and haven’t done so in almost a month. They lost ground again to the Phillies and the Braves. The Mets need to win the series as Mike Pelfrey takes the mound on Thursday afternoon.

Home truly is where the heart—and apparently power—is. On a night when Jerry Manuel was serving a one-game suspension, the Mets exploded for eight runs as they beat up on Cardinals ace Adam Wainright. That’s more runs scored than in the past five losses combined.

Caption: Carlos Beltran (15) and on-deck batter Josh Thole (30) greet Jeff Francoeur (12) at the plate after Francouer hit a fourth-inning, three-run home run off St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright on July 27, 2010. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

It looked like it was going to be another long night in first inning as Mets starter Jon Niese got into trouble. He allowed two singles to lead off. He got the first out, but it advanced the runners to second and third. However, Niese was able to limit the damage to one run.

After that, he settled in and didn’t give up another run. He walked two, struck out just one but only gave up seven hits, three of which were in the first inning.

With two Cardinals on base in the seventh inning, one thanks to a Mets error, Manny Acosta came in and relieved Niese. Acosta was able to escape the inning but allowed three straight batters to reach in the eighth. That’s when Raul Valdes came and cleaned up the mess, only allowing one inherited runner to score. Francisco Rodriguez cleaned up the ninth.

The real story tonight, however, was the offense. It was powered by two home runs, a three-run shot by Jeff Francoeur, who was replacing the ailing Jason Bay, in the fourth and a two-run blast by Jose Reyes in the sixth. Niese, who had singled beforehand, scored on Reyes’ no-doubter.

Carlos Beltran and Luis Castillo had two hits apiece. Beltran drove in a run with a bloop in fifth inning. Also in the that inning, David Wright hit a sac fly to score Castillo. The Mets also got a run in the second off an RBI groundout by Ike Davis.

The Mets picked up ground on the Braves who lost but are still 2 1/2 games behind the Phillies. Johan Santana will try to keep things going Wednesday but will have a tough job as he faces Jaime Garcia. The Mets hope tonight’s offense wasn’t a fluke like their six-run win over the Dodgers on Friday was.

NEW YORK (AP) – Mets left fielder Jason Bay has been diagnosed with a mild concussion and is out of the lineup for at least a few days.

Bay hurt himself when he crashed into the wall Friday night while making a catch at Dodger Stadium. He played Saturday and Sunday, but says he felt the effects from the concussion during the flight back to New York.

The Mets say Bay will be re-evaluated over the next 48 to 72 hours. Bay says he has no idea when he will return to the lineup, but says he doesn’t think the injury is anything major.

Bay is hitting .259 with six home runs and 47 RBIs. Angel Pagan is starting in left field tonight for the series opener against St. Louis.

This should mean that Jeff Francoeur gets a little more playing time. He needs to make the most of it.

NEW YORK (AP) – Mets manager Jerry Manuel was given a one-game suspension and has been fined an undisclosed amount following an ejection from a game last week.

Caption: New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel, left, yells at first base umpire Doug Eddings after being thrown out of the game for arguing a call at first during the second inning of their baseball game July 23 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Manuel is missing tonight’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bench coach Dave Jauss is filling in as New York begins a homestand following a 2-9 road trip.

Manuel was tossed from Friday night’s 6-1 win at Los Angeles after arguing a call by first base umpire Doug Eddings.

Luis Castillo was called out at first, though replays showed Castillo’s foot was already on the bag before shortstop Rafael Furcal’s throw reached James Loney’s glove.

Manuel came on the field and gestured wildly at Eddings, who gave Manuel his third ejection of the season.

NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Mets have put catcher Rod Barajas on the 15-day disabled list and promoted infielder Mike Hessman from Triple-A.

Barajas had an MRI exam today that showed a mild strain on his left side. The move was retroactive to Sunday.

The 32-year-old Hessman has hit 329 career home runs in the minor leagues, most among active players. He has 18 homers this year at Triple-A Buffalo. The Mets selected his contract and he will join them for Tuesday night’s game against St. Louis.

The Mets also say knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey reported no soreness in his hip area today. He left Sunday’s start at Dodger Stadium in the sixth inning with apparent discomfort. He will be re-evaluated Tuesday.

CHICAGO (AP) – Count Bobby Valentine among those who would like to manage the Chicago Cubs.

The ESPN analyst and former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager says he’s interested in taking over for the retiring Lou Piniella after this season.

Valentine, who led the Mets to the pennant in 2000 and managed the Texas Rangers, calls the Cubs job “one of the most coveted positions in all of sports” and adds “anybody who thinks of himself as a manager would love to be considered as one of the people who might take his place.”

Valentine spoke before today’s game between the Cubs and Cardinals.

He returned to ESPN during the 2009 playoffs after his second stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Pacific League. He says he won’t leave the network “unless something very special came up,” and the Cubs job “falls in the category of very special.”

Valentine managed the Rangers from 1985-92 and the Mets from 1996-2002.