Results tagged “chriscarpenter”

It doesn’t make up for the NLCS, but the Mets got 2007 off to a great start, pummeling Chris Carpenter and getting a great start from Tom Glavine. Paul LoDuca had 3 RBI’s and Carlos Delgado had 2, while Shawn Green got off to a good start with a 2-for-4 night at the plate.

With his teammates and fans crossing their fingers, John Maine held the Cardinals scoreless over 5 1/3 innings, and the Mets bats scratched their way to a 4-2 win over St. Louis on Wednesday. The win forces a deciding seventh game in the National League Championship Series on Thursday.

All those wins during that memorable cruise-control summer mean nothing now. The Mets can become the latest regular-season juggernaut to fall in the postseason with only one more defeat. After a disheartening 4-2 loss to St. Louis on Tuesday in which they couldn't solve Jeff Weaver or the Cardinals bullpen, the Mets head home needing both games to win the series. To make matters worse, their Game 6 starter is the sometimes-shaky John Maine, and their Game 7 pitcher is To Be Determined.

Mother Nature didn't agree with the scheduled off-days in this year's National League Championship Series. Monday's rainout was the second of the series, and the Mets will stay in St. Louis to play Game 5 against the Cardinals today instead of being back in New York. The more recent postponement removes the imbalance the first created -- the starting pitchers will be working on normal rest instead of three days' worth. Early speculation that Chris Carpenter would be moved up to start today's game was ruled out by Tony La Russa.

When Carlos Delgado hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Fox might have started to think about which reruns to air next week instead of baseball. Much to the network's delight -- and the Mets' chagrin -- the Cardinals rallied to a 9-6 win over the Mets on Friday to even the best-of-seven series at one game apiece. With the scored tied at 6 in the ninth, Mets closer Billy Wagner came in and promptly gave up a solo homer to So Taguchi. He allowed two more runs before leaving with two outs in the ninth. His poor outing was one of several by Mets pitchers in a game in which the they couldn't hold leads of 3-0, 4-2, and 6-4.

After the Mets' Tom Glavine and the Cardinals' Jeff Weaver exchanged shutout innings Thursday, few were surprised by who blinked first. Weaver did when he allowed a two-run homer by Carlos Beltran in the sixth. The shot broke a scoreless tie and helped the Mets to a Game 1 win. With their only reliable starter going, the Mets surely wanted this game. Series are not won or lost in the first game, but with St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter looming before Friday's game, New York is pleased to have this one in the bag.

In anticipation of the National League Division Series showdown between the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, Mayor Bloomberg and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay announced a friendly foodie wager for the game. (Wager because "bets" are verboten in professional sports.) :

If the Mets win, Mayor Slay will send a care package of St. Louis products to Mayor Bloomberg in New York, including two Imo's thin-style pizzas, toasted ravioli from the Pasta House Company, and a gift basket from Bissinger's Chocolate. If the Cardinals win, Mayor Bloomberg will send Italian subs from Leo's Latticini and Mama's of Corona, ice cream from Eddie's Sweet Shop in Forest Hills, a pizza alla vodka and the Smokin' Goodfella pizza from Goodfella's Pizzeria on Staten Island, a case of Brooklyn Lager, and a tub of lemon ice from the Lemon Ice King in Corona.

We're very upset by this wager. Why isn't Mayor Slay sending any of those famous St. Louis ribs? Or Ted Drewe's frozen custard? Clearly, St. Louis thinks they'll lose (they have no pitching aside from Chris Carpenter!) so they are sending the dregs. And don't you think they should send the arch to make things a little more equitable?

After making quick work of the Dodgers in the division series, the Mets start a four-of-seven series against the Cardinals tonight. As they stand four wins away from the World Series, the Mets look across at a team that -- like the Dodgers -- could be vulnerable on the mound, especially in the bullpen. The Cardinals have been inconsistent all year, and their pitching has been a big reason why.