• Phillies 7, Mets 2: That sound the Mets heard is Livan Hernandez's other shoe dropping. A guy with ERAs of 4.83, 4.93 and 6.03 the last three seasons wasn't going to keep his mark at 4.04. After he allowed seven runs in three innings, Hernandez now sports a 4.56 mark. That's what happens when you allow 14 of the 23 batters you face to reach base. The Mets couldn't rally, even against Philadelphia starter Rodrigo Lopez, who hadn't pitched in the big leagues since 2007. Ryan Church went 3-for-4 to continue his hot hitting, but no one else did much. The Mets got their two runs on three doubles in four batters in the seventh inning. The Mets trail the Phillies by two games in the National League East. Florida is also ahead of the Mets.
• Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2: This is the A.J. Burnett the Yankees paid for. Will he stick around? Burnett allowed two runs in seven innings, striking out seven and walking two. Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez each homered. The Yankees are back to a season-high 13 games over .500, but they have Chien-Ming Wang facing Roy Halladay on Saturday. Good luck with that.
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• Mets 9 Pittsburgh 8 (10 Innings): They were down and they were up and they were down again, but in the end they prevailed for the win and established a two-game winning streak. The Pirates jumped all over Tim Redding for a 5-0 lead, but the Mets came back. Two runs in the fourth, four runs in the fifth and two runs in the sixth put them up front 8-5, but Francisco Rodriguez couldn’t hold it. Rodriguez gave up the lead, but escaped a jam that would have cost the Mets the game in the 9th and then set the Pirates down in order in the 10th. That proved to be the difference thanks to Ferando Tatis who got hit by a pitch and stole second. He scored on a single by Ryan Church, which proved to be the game-winner.

• Mets 6, Phillies 5: Who says Citi Field suppresses home runs? Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran and David Wright all went yard as the Mets overcame a shaky start by Johan Santana, who allowed four Philadelphia home runs. Santana, who squandered a 3-0 lead, helped himself with a game-tying double in the sixth, and Alex Cora drove in the go-ahead run. Francisco Rodriguez worked around a Jimmy Rollins single in the ninth to get his 16th save in 16 chances. He then pointed to the sky three times -- once for each out he got? The Mets trail the Phillies by two games in the National League East.

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It’s time for the Mets to go shopping and Omar Minaya needs to find a bat to bolster the lineup. With the Mets in first place and finally living up to their potential, their GM needs to patch the biggest remaining hole in the team and a corner outfielder would do that. more ›

• Yankees 2, Red Sox 1: Classic games between these teams usually take four hours -- or four hours, 45 minutes -- not 2:58. The Yankees will take this. Mike Mussina spun six scoreless innings before Mariano Rivera wriggled off the hook in the ninth inning. The win came on the heels of two straight losses to open this four-game set. Mussina, whose unexpected successs (11 wins, 3.64 ERA) probably deserves to be on the All-Star team, finally started against Boston without throwing the Red Sox batting practice. more ›

The Mets got home runs from Ryan Church and Jose Reyes and should have had one from Carlos Delgado, but the umpires clearly blew the call. Strangely, Delgado’s shot which hit the base of the foul pole was originally ruled a home run, but then overturned after the umpires conferenced. Jerry Manuel got thrown out in the ensuing argument. But, the botched call did not slow down the Mets and they beat up on Chien-Ming Wang and Russ Ohlendorf. And, they were very efficient, leaving only three men on base all night, while scoring 11 times with only 13 baserunners. more ›

But, the blame shouldn’t go on the pitching staff, they only allowed two runs over eleven innings, it was the hitting that was awful. The Yankees managed to only get six hits and draw three walks and would have lost 1-0 if not for Hideki Matsui’s solo homer in the ninth. A-Rod isn’t due back until next Tuesday, but will he be enough to wake up the Yankees’ offense? more ›

• Cleveland 5 Yankees 3: Could the definition of irony be that Joba Chamberlain gives up three runs in the majors on the same night that Ian Kennedy dominates AAA? Perhaps, but maybe we should just focus on how tough it is to protect a one-run lead. more ›

Staal’s goal was one of the many highlights for the Rangers, who played a superior game to New Jersey except for a stretch in the third period. Chris Drury had a very good game, getting big wins off the draw and adding a goal and an assist. Gomez had two goals, including a very creative empty-netter to clinch the win. Patrik Elias had two goals for New Jersey and a very big uncalled slash that setup the third Devils goal. New Jersey will head home and try and fight off elimination on Friday. more ›

The bad news came from Pedro Martinez who is out 4-to-6 weeks with what is being described as a “mild strain” of his hamstring. What that means is Martinez is definitely out for April, but beyond that is impossible to tell. El Duque told SNY before the game that he needs three rehab starts in the minors, so he could be back in the rotation around April 20th. more ›

Okay, Mets manager Willie Randolph hasn't been in pinstripes for a while, but this photograph of him saying hi to new Dodgers manager Joe Torre just seems like something from the bizarro world - not that there's anything wrong with that! Randolph, who was a Yankees coach under Torre, said, "It was a little strange, a little different. But I told him, 'You look good in any uniform.'" more ›

A Historic Collapse: The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 to play and were caught looking ahead to the playoffs. What followed was among the worst collapses in history and one that revealed the weaknesses of the players, the manager and the general manager. Jose Reyes and his questionable -- and downright poor -- play summed up the the performance on the field. Manager Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen came to light more down the stretch. So did Omar Minaya's complete neglect of the roster's periphery. The Mets trotted out inexperienced and ineffective pitchers down the stretch, and the bullpen that Randolph had to deal with wasn't that good to begin with thanks to some questionable trades. What this means for the 2008 season remains to be seen, but it cost the Mets fans Lastings Milledge, another symbol of the collapse. He was dumped dealt to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. more ›

After two seasons of constant trade speculation, the Mets finally have moved Lastings Milledge in a deal this afternoon to the division rival Washington Nationals. In return, the Mets receive Outfielder Ryan Church and Catcher Brian Schneider. Milledge was not always a model citizen as a Met, either on the field or of the field, but nonetheless had been long touted by the organization and the media by a top tier outfield prospect. While he... more ›