The LoHud Mets Blog

NEW YORK (AP) – Dave Bush pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning and helped his own cause with an RBI single, Ryan Braun hit a two-run double and the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 3-1 victory over the Mets to complete a doubleheader sweep tonight.

Prince Fielder’s RBI single and Carlos Gomez’s hustle in the eighth inning of the first game rallied the Brewers for an 8-7 win after they squandered a six-run lead.

Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth inning of the second game for his first save since notching No. 600 on Sept. 7.

After New York tied a franchise record by using eight pitchers in a nine-inning game in the opener of the twi-night doubleheader, knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (11-9) gave up six hits in seven innings.

It would’ve been nice if Dickey had won one more game, but no one at the beginning of the season probably would’ve thought he would win 11 games. He was a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, he can do as well or better next season.

NEW YORK (AP) – Carlos Beltran says he will miss the rest of the New York Mets’ season after an MRI showed he has mild inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.

Beltran left the Mets’ game against Milwaukee on Tuesday night and had the test today. He says the test showed the knee is much improved since returning from offseason surgery at the All-Star break. But he was told by doctors to sit out the final five games of the season.

Beltran is batting .255 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 220 at-bats. He appeared to be finding the stroke that has made him an All-Star center fielder, though. He hit two homers and made a diving catch Sunday, his previous game.

NEW YORK (AP) – Prince Fielder hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the eighth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied for an 8-7 victory over the Mets tonight after squandering a six-run lead in the first game of a doubleheader.

Pinch-hitter and former Met Carlos Gomez walked, stole second and advanced to third when rookie catcher Mike Nickeas’ errant throw went into center field. He scored on Corey Hart’s tapper off Manny Acosta (3-2) between the mound and third base to tie it at 7 with two outs in the eighth.

Ryan Braun hit another infield single and Hisanori Takahashi relieved. Fielder followed with a sharp single to give the Brewers the lead a night after they blew a game in the ninth and lost to the Mets.

NEW YORK (AP) – Light-hitting rookie Ruben Tejada laced a two-run double in the ninth inning off closer John Axford, rallying the New York Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.

David Wright had a two-run homer and the Mets opened their final homestand of the season with their third consecutive win.

Corey Hart homered for Milwaukee and Randy Wolf pitched seven strong innings. Lorenzo Cain had an RBI double.

Axford (8-2) struck out Wright to escape an eighth-inning jam, but Ike Davis opened the ninth with a double off the base of the right-center fence. Josh Thole blooped a one-out single to left that put runners at the corners and Tejada drove the next pitch up the left-center alley for his third hit of the night.

NEW YORK (AP) – Carlos Beltran has left the New York Mets’ game against Milwaukee with discomfort in his right knee, the same one he had surgery on last offseason.

The All-Star center fielder was removed in the sixth inning Tuesday night. He struck out in the first and reached on an error in the fourth.

Jesus Feliciano moved from right field to center, and left fielder Nick Evans shifted to right. Lucas Duda was inserted in left field and batted in Beltran’s No. 3 spot.

Beltran missed the first half of the season recovering from surgery in January to clean out the arthritic area of his right knee. He began the day batting .257 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 218 at-bats.

The switch-hitter has one season remaining on the $119 million, seven-year contract he signed with the Mets before 2005. He hit two homers and made a diving catch in his previous game, a 7-3 victory Sunday in Philadelphia.

The New York Mets announced that tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers has been postponed due to rain and has been rescheduled as part of a single-admission doubleheader Wednesday starting at 4:10 p.m.

Only tickets marked “Wednesday, September 29 – Game 77” will be valid for admission to both the rescheduled game and the regularly scheduled 7:10 p.m. game to follow.

Tickets from tonight’s rainout will NOT be honored for admission Wednesday.

Fans holding paid tickets for tonight’s rainout – including those for Bark in the Park – may exchange them for tickets comparable in price and location for any regular season Mets home game prior to Sept. 27, 2011, subject to availability. Complimentary tickets and tickets marked “NO RAINCHECK” can be exchanged IN PERSON at the Citi Field Bullpen Ticket Windows on 126th Street starting two-and-a-half hours prior to game time on Sept. 28, 29 or 30 for that day’s game ONLY.

Tonight’s Bark in the Park event is canceled, and tickets can be exchanged following the above paid ticket policy. The $10 dog ticket will be honored and the value applied to the exchange. Dogs will only be permitted to attend designated Bark in the Park events.

For additional information, please visit Mets.com or call (718) 507-TIXX.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The going-nowhere New York Mets made sure the Philadelphia Phillies took their champagne on the road.

Carlos Beltran hit a pair of homers, David Wright also connected and the Mets beat Philadelphia 7-3 on Sunday, preventing the Phillies from clinching their fourth straight NL East title at home.

“The champagne was on ice and the fans here are very passionate. I’m glad we were able to get it done,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said.

The two-time defending NL champions came in needing a win and a loss by Atlanta to secure the division crown. The Braves lost 4-2 to Washington, dropping Philadelphia’s magic number to one.

Chase Utley hit a three-run homer for the Phillies, who will finish the season on the road with three games at Washington and three at Atlanta.

“It would’ve been nice if our fans could’ve seen us,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said.

The Mets roughed up Cole Hamels (12-11) again. Hamels allowed five runs and nine hits in four-plus innings, falling to 0-4 against New York this year. The lefty had been dominant recently. He gave up just four runs in his previous six starts, a span of 43 2-3 innings.

“Just one of those days where I wasn’t able to locate and be consistent,” Hamels said. “Sometimes it happens. With the way I’ve been pitching, I know I can correct it and get it back on track.”

Manny Acosta (3-1) tossed 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Mets starter Pat Misch had a 5-0 lead going into the fifth, but couldn’t finish the inning. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 4 2-3 innings to remain 0-4.

The Phillies are 45-17 since July 21, when they trailed Atlanta by seven games. They are 19-5 in September and have a six-game lead over the Braves.

The crowd of 45,302 marked the 123rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park. Fans came hoping to watch the Phillies win the division at home for the fourth straight year, but now they’ll have to wait for the playoffs to break out those “Fightin’ Phils” rally towels.

“They’re going to celebrate sooner or later,” Beltran said. “We just wanted to win some games here.”

Trailing 5-0 in the fifth, the Phillies got back in it when Utley went deep with two outs to cut the deficit to two runs. Ryan Howard followed with a double, chasing Misch.

A pair of outstanding defensive plays by Mets outfielders saved two runs. Beltran made a diving grab on pinch-hitter Ross Gload’s drive to left-center to leave a runner on third in the sixth. Left fielder Nick Evans made a sliding catch on Howard’s shallow fly to strand a runner at second in the seventh.

Jimmy Rollins, sidelined since Sept. 8 with a hamstring injury, got a standing ovation when he came up as a pinch hitter representing the tying run in the eighth. He grounded out against Elmer Dessens to end the inning.

Wright gave New York a 1-0 lead, driving his 26th homer deep into the seats in left in the second.

The Mets scored three in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Angel Pagan walked leading off and went to third on Ike Davis’ single. Joaquin Arias then hit a slow roller near the mound, but Pagan got caught in a rundown and was tagged out.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Jose Reyes drove in a run with an infield single to make it 2-0. Evans followed with a two-run double for a 4-0 lead. Right fielder Jayson Werth slipped chasing Evans’ looper and the ball skipped past him. Reyes was thrown out trying to score on the hit to end the inning.

Beltran connected leading off the fifth to make it 5-0, ending Hamels’ day. He hit a two-run shot off Ryan Madson in the ninth.

The Phillies twice had a runner on third with less than two outs, but didn’t get a run. Raul Ibanez doubled and moved to third on a groundout in the sixth, but Wilson Valdez hit a tapper to the mound and Gload got robbed by Beltran.

With runners on first and third and one out in the fourth, Carlos Ruiz trotted to first after ball three. He was called back to the plate and grounded into a double play.

Notes: The Mets finished 32-49 on the road. … The teams split the season series 9-all. … Philadelphia hadn’t lost consecutive games since Sept. 5-6.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The plastic hanging at the top of the lockers in the Phillies clubhouse remained unfurled. Philadelphia will have to wait at least one more day to celebrate a return to the playoffs.

Lucas Duda hit a three-run double in the Mets’ five-run seventh inning, and New York snapped the Philadelphia Phillies’ 11-game winning streak with a 5-2 win on Saturday night.

“We’ve been around long enough that it’s not much of a factor,” Phillies reliever Chad Durbin said.

The NL East-leading Phillies missed out on a chance to clinch a fourth straight playoff berth – all they need is one win and they’re in – with their first defeat since Sept. 11 in New York. Philadelphia’s magic number to secure its fourth division title in a row is two.

The two-time defending NL champion Phillies are 45-16 since July 21, when they trailed Atlanta by seven games. They are 19-4 in September and have a six-game lead over the Braves, who beat Washington 5-0.

“This one’s gone,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Rookie Dillon Gee (2-1), making his fourth big league start, limited the Phillies to two runs on five hits in seven innings, helping the Mets end a season-high six-game losing streak.

“I was nervous at the start. I’ve never played before a crowd like that,” Gee said, referring to the 45,274 fans, the 122nd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park. “But I settled down and felt OK. I like the atmosphere a lot.”

Hisanori Takahashi worked the ninth for his eighth save in eight chances. Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Philadelphia.

Kyle Kendrick (10-10) cruised through the first six innings before the Mets rallied. Carlos Beltran singled ahead of David Wright’s fielder’s choice. Ike Davis then hit a single. An error by Howard at first loaded the bases. Josh Thole singled in the first run, chasing Kendrick. Durbin came on and gave up a pinch-hit double to Duda, who has nine hits this season, seven for extra bases.

“He’s a run producer,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “He’ll put up some big RBI numbers if he gets his at-bats.”

Two batters later, Jose Reyes hit an RBI double to make it 5-2.

The game was played without incident a day after the Mets were angered by Chase Utley’s hard takeout slide into second baseman Ruben Tejada in the fifth inning. There were a few hard slides Saturday, including one by Wilson Valdes into Reyes in the fifth, but no tempers flared.

Utley went 1 for 4 Saturday. Some Mets were still upset at the play.

“He’s too good to be doing that,” Beltran said. “He’s such a good player, but I guess that’s the way he plays.”

Beltran also said the intention from the Mets side was to “send a message” and “hit somebody,” though such a response never came.

Saturday’s win was the 700th win of Manuel’s career, 200 with the Mets.

NEW YORK (AP) – Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was arraigned today on seven counts of criminal contempt for sending his girlfriend dozens of text messages begging for forgiveness despite a restraining order issued after he was accused of attacking her father at Citi Field.

Rodriguez posted the $7,500 bail almost immediately and left Queens court. A new order of protection was issued barring him from contacting Daian Pena.

The 28-year-old reliever was accused of grabbing Pena’s father, 53-year-old Carlos Pena, hauling him into a tunnel near the family lounge beneath the team’s new ballpark and hitting him in the face.

Rodriguez was told to keep away from Carlos Pena and his daughter. But a week after he appeared in court, he sent her two text messages and kept going, sending 56 in all. Assistant District Attorney Scott Kessler said Rodriguez understood he wasn’t supposed to contact her, and he mentioned a previous case where he was accused of assaulting her in Venezuela.

“He’s not naive or loving. He’s manipulative and controlling,” Kessler said.

Pena never responded to the messages, which included 17 sent in one day alone, Kessler said.

The messages got progressively angrier. “Thank you for sinking me turning your back, take good care of my children … and now I see that your were with me because of the money to see that your family …” he wrote in the final message on Aug. 23, according to Kessler.

Rodriguez could be jailed if he has any further communication with Pena. The restraining order is in place until at least February.

Rodriguez was 4-2 with 25 saves and a 2.24 ERA this season. He was restricted for two days without pay after the incident and was booed when he returned to the mound. He apologized to fans, but tore a ligament in his thumb of his pitching hand during the fight, and had to have season-ending surgery.

His financial problems got worse after the Me ts wouldn’t pay him while on the disqualified list. They also exercised a contractual right to convert the rest of his $37 million, three-year deal to nonguaranteed, meaning they could try to avoid paying most of what’s left on it. The altercation has cost him about $3.1 million already.

By converting his contract, the Mets also gave themselves the ability to release Rodriguez in the early part of spring training next year for 30 days’ termination pay.

The players’ union filed a grievance protesting how the team has handled the case.

Rodriguez signed the contract with the Mets after saving 62 games with the Angels in 2008.

MIAMI (AP) – Gaby Sanchez is quietly keeping his name in the race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

His performance Tuesday night will be tough to ignore.

Sanchez hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Florida Marlins a 5-2 victory over the New York Mets.

“The award is the last thing I’m thinking about,” Sanchez insisted.

Following his three-hit night, Sanchez is hitting .283 with 19 home runs and 81 RBIs, all among the rookie leaders.

“It has been a tremendous season for Gaby, and he keeps putting the numbers up there,” Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “He’s been outstanding. Sometimes you forget he’s a rookie; he’s been very, very consistent.”

The loss officially eliminated the Mets from playing in the postseason.

“It would have been a long shot,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “Once we lost the three to the Braves that made it a difficult thing to do.”

The Mets have not been to the postseason since 2006 when they won the NL East.

“It’s disappointing, we had our chances, but for whatever reason – injury, poor performance, poor execution – we really shot ourselves in the foot the second half and weren’t able to keep up that pace that we had in the first half,” Mets third baseman David Wright said.

Jose Veras (3-2) worked one inning and picked up the win despite losing the lead in the top of the eighth.

Clay Hensley pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save in seven chances.

Marlins rookie Adalberto Mendez allowed one run and scattered 10 hits over seven innings. He was helped by his defense, which turned three double plays for him.

“We turned double plays when we had to and Mendez made his pitches when he had to,” Rodriguez said.

With two outs in the eighth, Manuel brought in Elmer Dessens (3-2) to relieve Pedro Feliciano to face Hanley Ramirez, who lined a single to center as did Dan Uggla . Sanchez then drilled a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for his 19th homer.

“When I hit, I knew I hit it really good,” Sanchez said. “And when I saw the flight of it, I knew I had gotten it.”

The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the seventh thanks to a fielding error by Wright. He made up for the error by hitting his 25th homer off Veras to tie the game.

“It’s an error, it’s part of the game, but it happens so you forget about it,” Wright said. “You can’t take your offense out defensively with you and you can’t take your defense up to the plate with you.”

Lucas Duda homered in the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, but an RBI groundout by Chad Tracy in the bottom half of the inning tied the game.

Mets starter Mike Pelfrey allowed two runs – one earned – and five hits in seven innings. He struck out four.

“Ever since my debut they have kicked the heck out of me so it was enough motivation to come in here, want to pitch well, and want to beat them, but unfortunately it didn’t work out,” Pelfrey said.

Notes: Wright leads NL 3Bs with 20 errors. … Mets SS Jose Reyes’ triple in the third inning set a team record as he hit safely in 23 consecutive road games breaking Keith Hernandez’s mark of 22 set in 1986-87. Mets RHP Bobby Parnell has been ruled out for the season after an MRI revealed he has an inflamed right elbow.

MIAMI (AP) – New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel is upset with Joe Torre for saying he is curious about the Mets job.

Torre has managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years but is stepping down after this season. He told WFAN radio in New York on Monday that he is “curious” about managing the Mets in 2011.

Torre later publicly apologized for the comments.  “I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else,” Torre told ESPNLosAngeles.com today.

Manuel remains New York’s manager.

“I find it also curious when someone comments about a job that someone already has,” Manuel said before tonight’s game against the Florida Marlins. “I don’t know him on a personal basis, but when things like that come out, you question the integrity.”

When asked if he felt Torre’s comments were disrespectful because Manuel currently holds the job, Manuel replied, “Sure, no question.”

Manuel noted that the two haven’t talked since Torre was the manager of the Yankees, but understands why he would want to return to New York, where he won four World Series titles in 12 years with the Bronx Bombers before an acrimonious split after 2007 season. Torre also was in the Mets’ dugout from 1977-1981 in his first managerial gig.

“I can understand the desire to come back when you have been there,” Manuel said. “Once you bite the apple, you are hungry for it. That’s just the way it is. It’s a place once you get there and feel the passion, you are hungry because there’s no place like it. I could see that people would want these types of positions in New York. There are a 1,000 people that would want this job. For him to say what he said only validates how special it is to have this opportunity.”

Torre entered Los Angeles’ game against San Diego tonight with 2,319 wins in 29 years as a manager.

“He’s an icon in New York,” Manuel said. “That’s to be expected, that’s home. New York is the Mecca of baseball. You can go many places, but after you have been in New York, and I’m probably sure for him, nothing satisfies you other than New York.”

Manuel is 199-206 over 2 1/2 seasons with New York, heading into a two-game set at Florida. The Mets are fourth in the NL East after finishing fourth last year, putting his job in jeopardy.

“The uncertainty, I’m still going to do my thing,” Manuel said. “Once the game starts I’ll do what I can, the best that I can do. It has no effect how I am going to manage. I’m still going to do what I do.”

Manuel added that he was thankful of Torre for including him as an AL coach for the 1999 All-Star game.

Check out the story in The Journal News about how Mike Pelfrey reached his goal of 15 wins this season. The Mets went back over .500 after they beat the Pirates 6-2 last night at Citi Field.

NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Mets say pitcher Jenrry Mejia won’t pitch again this season after being diagnosed with a strained right shoulder blade.

The 20-year-old right-hander left in the third inning of Wednesday night’s 8-7 win over Pittsburgh, and the team said Thursday an MRI exam revealed a strained rhomboid muscle, which is on the inside border of the shoulder blade and attaches to the spine.

Mejia was 0-4 with a 4.62 ERA. He made 30 relief appearances for New York before going to the minors to get stretched out, then got hurt during his third big league start.

Mejia had a shoulder injury in the minor leagues before, but pitching coach Dan Warthen said Wednesday night’s problem was different.

NEW YORK (AP) – Angel Pagan capped New York’s seven-run fourth inning with a tiebreaking two-run single and the Mets handed the Pittsburgh Pirates another road loss with an 8-7 victory Wednesday night.

Jose Reyes hit his 10th homer in the sixth inning for the Mets, who have won three straight.

The Pirates helped New York out with two errors in the big fourth inning, when they wasted a 5-0 lead. Ike Davis and pinch-hitter Mike Hessman each had run-scoring hits in the frame.

Paul Maholm (7-15) lasted just 3 2-3 innings for Pittsburgh, which dropped to 15-58 on the road and could threaten the 1963 Mets’ record for worst road mark (17-64) in a 162-game season.

Raul Valdes (3-3) came in when Mets starter Jenrry Mejia left with one out in the third inning after straining a muscle in the back of his shoulder. Valdes allowed four runs in 1 2-3 innings and Hisanori Takahashi, the last of seven Mets pitchers, surrendered a homer to Andrew McCutc hen on his first pitch before retiring three straight for his seventh save in seven chances.

Seven consecutive batters reached after Pagan led off the fourth with a routine grounder. He came up again with two down and singled to left-center to put the Mets ahead 7-5.

The Pirates let the tying run score when shortstop Ronny Cedeno mishandled a one-out grounder by pinch-hitter Joaquin Arias. Before Cedeno’s miscue, catcher Chris Snyder dropped a throw from third baseman Pedro Alvarez on Ruben Tejada’s grounder, letting Davis and Nick Evans score.

Maholm (7-15) was charged with seven runs, just two earned, and seven hits. He walked two and struck out one.

The Mets had their own fielding problems in Pittsburgh’s four-run fourth.

Snyder came around on McCutchen’s two-run single when Mets catcher Henry Blanco caught the ball up the line toward third, but could only lunge at him coming home. He missed, but forced Snyder wide around him and past home.

Both players dove for the plate, but when Blanco pushed himself up with his glove hand, the ball popped loose because it had been snared in the top of his webbing, and Snyder scored easily.

The Pirates have lost their only six games at Citi Field. They get another chance Thursday when this four-game series wraps up.

NOTES: The Mets said Mejia went for an MRI to evaluate what they called an acute strain. The Mets honored their minor league prospects who won organizational awards, having all eight of them throw out first pitches simultaneously. … Valdes’ win gave the Mets 22 by rookie pitchers this season. … Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez was shown on the big screen operating a camera during a pitching change in the eighth inning.

Is it too early to start thinking about next season yet? Not at all. Below is the release from the Mets about the tentative 2011 schedule.

The New York Mets today announced their preliminary 2011 schedule that has the team opening the season in Florida against the Marlins on Friday, April 1.  The Mets’ home opener at Citi Field is scheduled for Friday, April 8, against the Washington Nationals at 4:10 p.m.

The Mets start on the road for the fourth time in five seasons and continue their season-opening series with the Marlins on April 2-3 before traveling to Philadelphia for a three-game set with the Phillies, April 5-7.  The team returns home for a seven-game homestand that concludes with four dates against the Rockies, April 11-14.

The division rival Phillies’ first trip to New York is set for May 27-29.  The Mets will play host to the Subway Series, July 1-3 at Citi Field after visiting the Bronx, May 20-22.

Other interleague matchups at Citi Field include three dates with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, June 17-19 and a three-game series with the Oakland Athletics, June 21-23.  The Mets round out their interleague schedule with trips to Texas, June 24-26 and Detroit, June 28-30.

Starting times for Mets 2011 home games at Citi Field will be 7:10 p.m. for night contests and 1:10 p.m. for those in the day.  Along with the home opener, exceptions include Thursday, July 21 vs. St. Louis and Thursday, Aug. 11 vs. San Diego. Those two games have a 12:10 p.m. first pitch.

The Mets will finish the regular season at home with a six-game homestand, featuring three-game sets against the Phillies, Sept. 23-25, and Cincinnati, Sept. 26-28.

The 2011 schedule is subject to change, including all Saturday and Sunday games, which are subject to Major League Baseball’s national broadcast agreements with FOX and ESPN. Further, MLB adopted the recommendation of The Commissioner’s Special Committee for On-Field Matters to begin the regular season earlier and mid-week to avoid playing World Series games in November.