Last Night's Action: A Good Start

Photograph of Johan Santana pitching against the Brewers by Bill Waugh/AP

• Mets 4 Milwaukee 2: There is a good chance that this series could be a preview of the playoffs so it behooves the Mets to jump on the Brewers and pay them back for a series loss back in April. Johan Santana pitched very well, striking out 10 over six innings, but he left the game losing 2-0. Luckily for the Mets, Brewers’ starter Ben Sheets left the game with a tight groin after five innings. Sheets had held the Mets to two hits over five innings, but the Milwaukee bullpen wasn’t able to protect it. Carlos Beltran scored on a wild pitch in the seventh to cut the lead in half. Then in the eighth, Carlos Delgado parked an 0-2 pitch into the seats to put New York in front 3-2. Ryan Church added a RBI double to put New York up 4-2. The Mets’ bullpen did the rest, with Luis Ayala earning his fourth save.
• Yankees 13 Tigers 9: It wasn’t pretty and yes, they almost lost a bigger lead than they did on Saturday, but the Yankees managed to win the game. Ahead 11-2, Sidney Ponson showed why he belongs back in the minors and Robinson Cano continued his poor defense. Edwar Ramirez came in and didn’t stop the bleeding and 11-2 became 11-9 after five innings. But, Derek Jeter provided a big hit in the sixth to give the Yankees some breathing room and Phil Coke in his first MLB game and three other relievers shut Detroit down over the rest of the game.
• Out in Flushing, the Williams sisters easily advanced to the quarterfinals where they will face-off against each other. Also advancing in straight-sets in the women's draw were Flavia Pennetta and Dinara Safina. In the men's draw, top-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated American Sam Querrey in four sets and will face Mardy Fish, another American in the quarters. Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro, a 19-year-old Argentinian on a 23-match win streak, also advanced.