Game 23: Mets vs. Nationals @ RFK Stadium

In the rubber game of the series, John Maine would try to get a series win for the Mets.

The Good: Maine was magnificent once again, allowing no runs over seven innings and striking out a career high 8 hitters. Carlos Beltran won the game with a home run to right field in the seventh inning.

The Bad: The Mets cannot seem to score runs from third base with less than 2 outs.

Overall: Yet another great game to watch. The Mets continue to win close ballgames as they did last year. They also went back into a first place tie with today's win.

Final Score: Mets 1, Nationals 0. Record: 15-8.

Notes: Cardinal pitcher Josh Hancock was killed in a car accident earlier in the day. For the second time in five years, the Cardinals lost a pitcher during a series against the Cubs. The St. Louis/Chicago game was postponed.

Memories of the Month: The Virginia Tech tragedy. The Mets pitching rotation being productive after all of the preseason speculation that they would tank. Chipper Jones and the Braves being good again. Alex Rodriguez hitting everything thrown his way. Barry Bonds being Barry Bonds. Sammy Sosa coming back and being Sammy. The Yankees being bad. The Red Sox hitting four straight home runs off of the same pitcher. Endy Chavez's walkoff bunt. Shawn Green and Moises Alou feasting off NL pitching.

Game 22: Mets vs. Nationals @ RFK Stadium

Tom Glavine on the mound searching for his fourth win.

The Good: Glavine pitched well enough to win, allowing only one run through six innings. The bullpen, albeit a late one by Aaron Heilman, only allowed one run. Down by one in the ninth inning after Ronnie Belliard put the Nats ahead, the Mets would come back for the second time this week. With two outs, Shawn Green would single to left, followed by a Damion Easley single to shortstop (called safe although replay's showed he was out). Julio Franco would then step to the plate and drill a Chad Cordero offering into right field. The throw to the plate was just late enough as Endy Chavez slid aroud the tag to tie the game. Jose Reyes would then line out to first to end the scoring. In the twelfth inning, Carlos Beltran would double to right with the bases loaded to put the Mets on top for good. David Wright would add a single to score two more runs. Billy Wagner would come on to close out the game.

The Bad: Jose Valentin left the game with an apparent knee injury - it was later determined that he has a partial tear of the ACL and will miss 2-4 weeks. The Mets were robbed of basehits on two spectacular plays by Ryan Zimmerman. Although great plays, replays showed both runners were clearly safe. This prompted an ejection of Willie Randolph, who was tossed by Tony Randazzo. Randazzo later gave the Mets a break when Easley was called safe prior to Franco's game-tying hit.

Overall: Great comeback and good to see Willie stand up for his players.

Notes: Nationals starter, Jerome Williams, had a no-hitter into the sixth inning. In the bottom half of the inning, he drove a Tom Glavine offering off the left field wall. Williams went into a home-run trot, injured his left ankle, and was then placed on the disabled list. Jerome Williams does not have a home run in his career.

Final Score: Mets 6, Nationals 2. Record: 14-6.

Game 21: Mets vs. Nationals @ RFK Stadium

Oliver Perez's turn once more.

The Good: Perez struck out nine over seven innings but allowed four runs. Moises Alou had a good game with three hits.

The Bad: The Mets just couldn't come through with a clutch hit and never recovered after Austin Kearn's first inning three-run homer.

Overall: Second straight lose to a subpar opponent.

Notes: The Nationals scored in the first inning for the first time all season (League record - 22 games).

Final Score: Mets 3, Nationals 4. Record: 13-8.

Game 20: Mets vs. Rockies @ Shea Stadium

Time to see Mike Pelfrey grow up.

The Good: The game ended. Shawn Green and Endy Chavez would collect five two-out rbi to make the score a bit easier to take.

The Bad: Mike Pelfrey's final line - 3IP, 8H, 6ER, 1BB. Bad day to be a Met fan.

Overall: Movin' right along.

Final Score: Mets 5, Rockies 11. Record: 13-7.

Game 19: Mets. vs. Rockies @ Shea Stadium

El Duque takes the hill tonight looking for his third win.

The Good: El Duque looked great tonight, matching zeroes with Aaron Cook through seven innings. The game would stay scoreless until the 10th inning when Billy Wagner allowed a Troy Tulowitzki triple that scored Willy Taveras. However, down to their last strike, Damion Easley kept the Mets alive with a magical home run to center field. The game would remain tied until the twelfth inning - After Shawn Green was balked to third base, Dave Newhan would strike out swinging for the second out of the inning. Jose Reyes was then intentionally walked and took second on fielder's indifference. Endy Chavez would step to the plate with the game-winning run 90 feet away. Personally, I have never seen a game end in such unique, dramatic fashion. Catching everyone by surprise, Endy Chavez laid down a bunt down the first base line and beat Ryan Speier's flip to the bag. Drag-off bunt. Ballgame over - The legend of Endy grows.

The Bad: Billy Wagner seems to fold under non-pressure situations.

Overall: Most exciting game of the season thus far.

Notes: They always say you'll see something you've never seen when you watch a baseball game and tonight was a perfect example of that. Joe Smith would win his first game as a big leaguer. Late in the game, a jumping catch at the fence by Steve Finley brought back memories of Todd Pratt's walkoff home run in the '99 NLDS.

Final Score: Mets 2, Rockies 1. Record: 13-6.

Game 18: Mets vs. Rockies @ Shea Stadium

Time to re-up after yesterday's heartbreaker.

The Good: John Maine pitched 7.2 innings for his third win. Jose Valentin would homer and add a sac fly to put the Mets up 4-1. Carlos Delgado would then hit his first home run of the season, a two run blast, in the seventh inning.

The Bad: Good game played by both teams.

Overall: It was good to see the Mets come out and win after a terrible loss.

Notes: Clint Barmes collected a golden sombrero by looking terrible at the plate all night long.

Final Score: Mets 6, Rockies 1. Record: 12-6.

Game 17: Mets vs. Braves @ Shea Stadium

Glavine-Smoltz (Again).

The Good: The Mets played swung the bats well enough to win. The climax of the offense occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning when Jose Reyes tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases. Paul LoDuca would follow with a hit of his own to drive in Reyes. At that point, it seemed as if the Mets had it in the bag. However, Shawn Green would drop a fly ball that would open the flood gates for Atlanta. Edgar Renteria would go on to hit a three-run home run off of Aaron Heilman to tie the game in the seventh and Kelly Johnson would hit another three run bomb in the eighth to seal the Mets fate.

The Bad: Kelly Johnson hit another first-pitch home run against the Mets to lead off the game. Costly errors and Heilman's recent propensity for giving up big hits is not helping the team. Shawn Green probably takes the blame for this one.

Overall: First heartbreaker of the season. Errors cost the game for Glavine AND the team.

Final Score: Mets 6, Atlanta 9. Record: 11-6.

Game 16: Mets. vs. Braves @ Shea Stadium

Bounce back time for Oliver Perez. Chuck James on the hill for Atlanta.

The Good: Perez was great as he struck out nine over six-plus innings. The Mets would hammer Chuck James for six runs, mostly because of Carlos Beltran. Beltran would collect four more hits once again - two singles, a double, and a triple. Ramon Castro and Damion Easley also got in on the action with home runs of their own. The Met bullpen would hold the fort down by not allowing a run to end the game.

The Bad: Lots of runners left on base but also enough runs to win.

Overall: It's good to even up the series and get one in the win column vs. Atlanta.

Final Score: Mets 7, Braves 2. Record: 11-5.

Game 15: Mets vs. Braves @ Shea Stadium

Mets-Braves - What more is there to know?

The Good: Moises Alou prevented a no-hitter, Jose Valentin continued his gold glove play. Shawn Green continues to stick around with the bat.

The Bad: No hitting whatsoever. The Mets had a chance when Reyes batted with the bases loaded and the Mets down four runs. However, Kelly Johnson had a nice sliding stop to end the threat. The Met bullpen scoreless inning streak ended at 21+ innings. David Wright's streak also ended after Rafael Soriano walked him in the 9th inning.

Overall: Lost the game, lost in the standings, and lost any momentum.

Final Score: Mets 3, Braves 7. Record: 10-5.

Game 14: Mets vs. Marlins @ Dolphin Stadium

El Duque pitched today as he looked to take care of his recent struggles.

The Good: For a second straight night, the Met offense killed Florida's pitching. Valentin homered, Beltran collected four hits, Reyes tripled -- just another night for the Mets. They'll need it for Atlanta's pitching. El Duque struck out 10 hitters as well.

The Bad: Not Much but the first inning runs allowed by El Duque.

Overall: The Mets sweep the Marlins and take over first. Time for the Braves.

Final Score: 11-3. Record: 10-4.

Game 13: Mets vs. Marlins @ Dolphin Stadium

John Maine vs. Old Met Nemesis Dontrelle Willis.

The Good: There's a first time for everything - the Met offense finally hammered Dontrelle Willis, along with the rest of the Marlin bullpen. They put four runs on the board in the first inning on numerous hits. The capper of the night was Carlos Beltran's right-handed home run to left. David Wright set a new Met record by extending his hitting streak to 25 games, albeit over two seasons. Everyone but Lo Duca collected a hit, and even he scored two runs. John Maine carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

The Bad: Maine couldn't "finish the job" on his no-no bid, but there was another pitcher who managed to do so in the big leagues tonight: Mark Buehrle no-hit the Rangers while only allowing a walk to Sammy Sosa and then promptly picking him off.

Overall: The Met bats keep clicking while the pitchers keep pitching.

Final Score: Mets 9, Marlins 2. Record: 9-4.

Game 12: Mets vs. Philles @ Shea Stadium

Tom Glavine would make the start looking to notch career-win #293 while Freddy Garcia would make his first start for the Phils.

The Good: Tommy fought through another rough start to get the win. Moises Alou took a page out of Julio Franco's book by crushing 2 mammoth home runs and also diving for a sinking liner in the game. Jose Reyes, David Wright, and the rest of the offense produced 8 more runs. David Wright would extend his hit streak to 24 games over two seasons, tying Hubie Brooks and Mike Piazza. Jose Valentin and Reyes would turn a nifty double play in which Reyes turned and pivoted off of second all in one motion. The bullpen was solid once again.

The Bad: Paul Lo Duca left the game after taking a foul ball off of his throwing hand while behind the plate. X-rays were negative.

Overall: The game was in question for much of the first few innings until the Mets started piling on runs. The team leads the league in both starter and bullpen e.r.a.

Final Score: Mets 8, Phillies 1. Record: 8-4.

Game 11: Mets vs. Nationals @ Shea Stadium

El Duque start #3.

The Good: David Wright and Shawn Green keep contributing.

The Bad: El Duque looked bad and was ejected, Beltran gunned at the plate, no clutch hitting, and no luck.

Overall: Nationals outplayed the Mets in every phase of the game.

Final Score: Mets 2, Nationals 6. Record: 7-4.

Game 10: Mets vs. Nationals @ Shea Stadium

Mike Pelfrey's first start of the season would come against the Washington Nationals. Time to show the world what you got kid.

The Good: Pelfrey pitched into the sixth inning, Jose Reyes stayed hot, Delgado stayed clutch, Julio Franco got the game winning RBI, and Wagner closed it out for 10th all-time on the saves list (good bullpen work overall). Braves lose.

The Bad: Pelfrey still missing the zone on many occassions.

Overall: Well-played game on both sides.

Final Score: Mets 3, Nationals 2. Record: 7-3.

Game 9: Mets vs. Philles @ Shea Stadium

The closest thing to an ace that we have, Tom Glavine, would try to inch one step closer to his 300th win.

The Good: Jose, Jose, Jose, Joseeee, Joseeeeee, Joseeeeee. Reyes continues to mash the ball. However, he failed to get one in from third with less than 2 outs before his big hit in the fourth inning. Bad situational hitting, aside from Reyes' and Alou's two-out hits. Glavine bounced back from a bad first two innings. Glavine would also get career win 392 and David Wright would collect his first triple.

The Bad: Milledge would pop out on the first pitch he saw as a pinch hitter and failed to drive in a runner from third base. He was outrighted to AAA New Orleans for Mike Pelfrey after the game.

Overall: A win is a win.

Final Score: Mets 5, Phillies 3. Record: 6-3.

Game 8: Mets vs. Phillies @ Shea Stadium

Ollie Round 2.

The Good: Aaron Sele & Jose Reyes.

The Bad: Everything else. The umpires.

Overall: Just Bad.

Final Score: Mets 2, Phillies 5. Record: 5-3.

Game 7: Mets vs. Philles @ Shea Stadium

In today's Met home opener, John Maine would toe the rubber looking for a repeat of his last outing in which he threw 7 strong innings for the win. The Mets would also look to make Jimmy Rollins eat some crow.

The Good: In the words of the great Art Howe: "We Battled." After falling behind numerous times, the Mets would overcome their own misplays in the field to take advantage of those by the Phillies. Shawn Green continues to rake and Julio Franco seems to be getting better with age.

The Bad: John Maine was not as effective. Until the 7 run outburst in the 8th inning, David Wright's bat continued to kill the Met offense in crucial situations. Wright missed a grand slam by about a foot, hitting it off the top of the left field fence. Ambiorix Burgos went from hero to goat in a matter of one Ryan Howard swing. Although good for the Phillies at the time, Shane Victorino's sprawling catch to end the seventh inning seemed to have saved the game. The Mets had other ideas.

Overall: The image to the left symbolizes today's ballgame - the Mets just barely pulled one out. You need to win some of these every now and then. A three game losing streak would not have been good. It also feels good to have some hand over Rollins and his comments - at least for one game. Met fans can only hope for more of the same to come from Rollins.

Nuggets: Keith Hernandez threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Jimmy Rollins was booed, all the Mets were not. Willie Randolph stuck with Maine and gave him a chance to go five innings. However, Maine could not finish the job. Billy Wagner would pitch a 1-2-3 9th inning to end the game.

Final Score: Mets 11, Phillies 5. Record: 5-2.

Game 6: Mets vs. Braves @ Turner Field

El Duque would take the mound today looking for a series win.

The Good: El Duque looked good and Shawn Green crushed another ball for a home run. Good defense. Pitching continues to impress. The Mets will not lose many 3-2 ballgames this year.

The Bad: No clutch hitting. Heartbreaker.

Overall: Chokejob. Stranded 31 runners in the series.

2 Cents: The Mets played well through 8 innings and allowed their first bullpen-earned runs this season. They did not have Paul Lo Duca in the lineup (although Castro homered), stranded lots of runners, and had a potential third strike called a ball to start the Braves rally. The Braves also deserve credit where it's due for battling back and effectively using their bullpen. The MLB regular season is a long haul and the Mets will lose many more games before it is all said and done.

Final Score: Mets 2, Braves 3. Record: 4-2.

Game 5: Mets vs. Braves @ Turner Field

Smoltz-Glavine.

The Good: 2 stupid errors led to the game winning runs (Delgado dropping a simple throw and Green losing it in the sun). We battled, Shawn Green looked good at the plate.

The Bad: Couldn't come through with the big hit today. Green lines out on leaping catch to save tying runs.

Overall: Borderline heartbreaker.

Score: Mets 3, Braves 5. Record: 4-1.

Game 4: Mets vs. Braves @ Turner Field

The Good: Oliver Perez looked like the 2004 version of himself. Jose Reyes hit two more triples. Offense was showcasing themselves tonight.

The Bad: Tough to pick anything out in this one.

Overall: The Mets are 4-0 for the first time since 1985. They are playing flawless baseball, have outscored the opponent 31-3 this season, and have pitched to a .75 era.

Final Score: Mets 11, Braves 1. Record: 4-0.

Game 3: Mets vs. Cardinals @ Busch Stadium

Coming off two straight wins and stellar pitching performances, John Maine would square off against formet Met Braden Looper to try and keep the trend going.

The Good: Maine attacked the strike zone and allowed only one hit over 7 innings. Ambiorix Burgos looked good as well. Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes proved they still have the power stroke. Shawn Green hit a couple line drives and Julio Franco came off the bench to provide a couple of rbi - on a hit to right field, of course.

The Bad: None come to mind.

Overall: Another solid effort by the Mets. They will square off against the rival Braves on friday night in a battle of the undefeateds.

Finals Score: 9-1.

Game 2: Mets vs. Cardinals @ Busch Stadium

After seeing the Cardinals receive their World Series rings, the Mets sought to continue their journey for their own pieces of jewelry. El Duque would take the mound against former Pirate Kip Wells.

The Good: Reyes steals first base. El Duque looked great tonight on the mound and at the plate. Hernandez would allow 1 run over 7 and would collect 2 hits and a couple of rbi. He would also induce 3 double plays. Aaron Heilman came on in the 8th to get Pujols to flyout as the tying run at the plate. Billy Wagner would close it out with a 1,2,3 9th inning, even clocking in at 95 mph.

The Bad: Situational hitting after the first inning was not very good. Mets stranded lots of baserunners. Mets cannot keep relying on double plays and relief to escape out of jams.

Overall: 2-0 on the season for the first time since 1994.

Quote of the day: "We're feeling very good, very strong, very legitimate. We're a pretty good team again."

Final Score: Mets 4, Cardinals 1. Record: 2-0.

Game 1: Mets vs. Cardinals @ Busch Stadium

Opening Day finally arrived. 6 months after "the strikeout," the Mets were ready to go for the 2007 season. Glavine would start the Mets opener for the 4th time as a Met and Moises Alou would be added to a near carbon copy of last years lineup.

The Good: Moises Alou gets a hit in his first at bat. Shawn Green starts the season with two hits after proclaiming he has "found a hitch in his swing." Mets turn 4 double plays. Moises Alou nice diving play, Beltran guns Eckstein at home, Jose Valentin with game-saving dive to start bases loaded, inning-ending double play. Joe Smith looked decent. Offense is still there.

The Bad: Not much tonight. Battled through trouble. Show grit and defense. Did not move up runners a few times. Unneccessary walks.

Overall: Solid first win.

Quote of the Day: "This is the hardest working team I've ever been around. You look around the clubhouse after the game and no one is in here, because they are all working out or doing something to get better." - Moises Alou -

Final Score: Mets 6, Cardinals 1. Record: 1-0.