Results tagged “nlwest”

-Mets 6, Nationals 2: From the Mets' persepctive, the only notable part of this game was Cliff Floyd's return to the lineup. Bothered by a left achilles tendon injury, Floyd hit leadoff to get extra plate appearances. He'll know Monday if he'll play in Game 1 of the playoffs on Wednesday, but the Mets know they'll welcome the Dodgers, the wild card winner. San Diego's win clinched them the NL West; they'll play the Cardinals.

- Mets 15, D iamondbacks 2: Pedro Martinez has waited a long time for his sixth win (since April 28), and the Mets didn't want their bullpen to have a chance to blow it. So they scored 15 runs and swept four games from Arizona, who entered the series leading the NL West (they've since dropped to second). The Mets continue to lead the NL East.

Sunday, Mike Piazza agreed to a $2 million contract to return to the state where he began his Major League career, signing a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres. Staying in the National League, the 37-year old, joins the defending NL West champs and, according to his agent, was told that he could "catch as much as he wanted to." How much might that be? Reportedly about 90-100 games behind the plate as well as some action at 1st base and being the DH during interleague play.

With the sweep, the Mets are now a whopping three games above .500, 3rd in the NL East, and 4.5 games behind the Braves, who moved into a tie for first with the Nationals last night. They Mets are also 4.5 games out of the wild card.

The offense was supplied by Jose Reyes's speed, and RBIs by Carlos Beltran and Mike Piazza. Reyes had three singles and three (!!!) stolen bases, Beltran had his first hit since returning to the line-up Tuesday, and Piazza continues to look better after some dismal times earlier this season.

Monday's game featured a virtual explosion in offense from the Mets, as they scored 4 runs, but still went on to lose 9-4. Tuesday, they were stymied by the pitching of David Wells, scratching out one run in the 9th inning of a 3-1 loss. Last night, they were shut out 4-0 (box score) by Brian Lawrence, who had a complete game. Newsday reports that the Mets only had one runner in scoring position after the 3rd inning. Now that's anemic.

After the game, Johnson also credited his catcher Robby Hammock, "The job Robby did back there was amazing. I shook him off two or three times. That was in the eighth and ninth. It's nice when you're on the same page with your catcher." Giving credit where credit is due. Johnson entered the game with a 2.83 ERA, but with a losing record. He finished the game with a mark in baseball history. Johnson's line on the night - 9 innings pitched, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 13 strikeouts. All this on 117 pitches and 87 strikes.