Steve Trachsel's 15 wins during the regular season didn't help him Saturday. The luck that gave him that total despite a 4.97 ERA abandoned him. The righty gave up five runs without getting an out in the second inning, and his Mets trail the Cardinals two games to one in this best-of-seven National League Championship Series. more ›

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. more ›

Paul Lo Duca, Shawn Green and Guillermo Mota all hurt their former team and led the Mets to a 9-5 win over Los Angeles as the Mets swept the National League Division Series. Lo Duca had two RBIs, Green had three hits, and Mota threw two innings of scoreless relief. The win gives the Mets three off-days before they host the winner of the St. Louis-San Diego matchup in the NL Championship Series on Wednesday. more ›

Tom Glavine twirled six shutout innings and the Mets' offense patiently worked over the Dodgers' pitchers in a 4-1 victory that gave them a 2-0 lead in the three-of-five National League Division Series. The Dodgers have to think they lost this series when they had two players tagged out at home plate in the second inning of Game 1. If they didn't, they could have lost it with offensive impotence against Glavine, who showed that the Mets made the right move in holding him back until Game 2 before starting him. more ›

-Mets 7 Braves 4: This one soothed the soul. The Mets haven’t looked like much the past week, but Thursday night, El Duque reminded everyone why they are the best team in the NL. Hernandez pitched five innings allowing only an unearned run and showed why he will take the mound in Game One of the NLDS next week. Carlos Beltran added his 41st home run and Jose Reyes added his 64th steal in the win. more ›

-Devil Rays 11, Yankees 4: Manager Joe Torre's history makes clear that he doesn't care too much about home-field advantage in the playoffs. Last year, he started a second-class lineup against Boston when a win would have given the Yankees the edge in their first-round series against the Angels. This year, his team will go down to the wire battling the Tigers for the American League's best record, but Torre's lineups won't reflect it. Mike Mussina hurt his glove hand in the loss, but it shouldn't be serious. more ›

- Pirates 3, Mets 0: No need to overreact to the Mets' being swept in Pittsburgh by the lowly Pirates, but the series can provide a few laughs. On a serious note, fans should hope Pedro Martinez doesn't have too many more outings to cry over and that Willie Randolph doesn't make Steve Trachsel is Game 4 starter just because the pitcher's piled up wins. John Maine, who lost Sunday, doesn't get the run support Trachsel receives, but he does hold teams to fewer runs, a stat the pitcher has most control over. more ›

-Yankees 9 Orioles 4: Sal Fasano became a Yankee because of his defense and not his hitting, but on Sunday he showed that he has some offensive skills too. Fasano went 2-4 with a three-run homer as New York cruised to an easy victory. more ›

- Mets 10, Rockies 5: The humidor didn't seem to be keeping the offense down in Colorado last night as the Mets rang up two home runs and David Wright's bat came back to life. TheRockies didn't help their cause with some missed opportunities in the outfield. Carlos Beltran hit his 39th home run of the season, setting a career record and later in the game batted to chants of MVP from at least one Mets fan in attendance at Coors Field. Steve Trachsel pitched six innings and allowed three runs for his 14th win of the season. more ›

-U.S. Open draws relaesed: The U.S. Open doesn't start until Aug. 28, but Andre Agassi got some bad news with the release of the draw today. As an unseeded player, Agassi is unprotected, and if he and Marcos Baghdatis in their first round matches, they'll meet in the second round. With Agassi limping through the summer season and an arduous draw, his good-bye party might not last long at the Open, and the tournament will suffer. more ›

-Yankees 12, Red Sox 4, Yankees 14, Red Sox 11 : In a long day of baseball at Fenway Park -- including the longest nine-inning game ever -- the Yankees came away with a sweep of the doubleheader to start their five-game series in Boston. Each team started a pitcher Friday that has no business on Major League contender: Jason Johnson for the Red Sox (who was designated for assignment after the opener) and Sidney Ponson for the Yankees (who should be designated for assignment after the nightcap). In case people haven't noticed, these teams haven't gotten to where they are with deep rotations, and the Yankees' lineup is better than that of the Red Sox. With this result, the Yankees can feel good if they win one of the remaining three games. more ›

For the Mets, the trading deadline represents opportunity and a time for caution. With a 12-game lead in the division, New York doesn’t necessarily need to make a trade, but it may be in their best interests to do so. If, and that’s a big if, a premiere pitcher becomes available, say a Zito or Willis, will Omar pull the trigger? With Steve Trachsel and El Duque struggling and John Maine and Mike Pelfry still unknown quantities, adding another starter would transform the Mets from playoff contender to playoff favorite. more ›

-Yankees 6 Rangers 2: This time last year, Melky Cabrera was back in Columbus after failing a six-game audition in centerfield. Now, he has become an integral part of the team and one of the main reasons that New York is still in the pennant race. Monday, Cabrera went 3 for 4, hitting a single, double and triple, stealing a base and throwing a runner out at second. more ›

-Williamsport 3, Staten Island 1: The other Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the first, but they would be held scoreless the rest of the way. more ›

As the Mets commence with the second-half of their season, they have a twelve-game lead in the division and barring a miracle, should coast into the playoffs. That doesn’t mean that they can just sit back and wait until October. In order to contend in the fall, New York will need to make sure that Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine are rested and ready to go. If that means keeping Pedro on the DL indefinitely and skipping some of Glavine’s starts, so be it. more ›

- Mets 8, Yankees 3: The Mets woke up from their four-game slump in the first inning during yesterday's game at Yankee Stadium, scoring two runs in the first frame. It got better for the Mets in the 4th when they scored 5 runs. Randy Johnson allowed 8 runs in a game for the first time since 2003 and continued his 1st inning struggles. Steve Trachsel pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs and left the game with tightness in his groin, something that was bothering him previously, but shouldn't result in any missed action. The eight runs scored by the Mets equals their run production during their losing streak. The two teams face off tonight at 8:05 in the rubber game with Alay Soler facing Jaret Wright. more ›

-Mets 7, Blue Jays 4: What are the chances the Mets will reach the playoffs? High, according to Baseball Prospectus? Why? Their offense has been excellent and their pitching has kept up. A year after making the fourth-most outs in the history of baseball, Jose Reyes has proved to be something other than an offensive black hole. Carlos Beltran has come close to earning his paycheck, and everyone knows about David Wright. Steve Trachsel has always been adequate, and that's what he was Sunday. more ›

-Yankees 9 Ryan Howard 7: New York broke a three-game losing streak, but almost lost to Philadelphia thanks to the electric performance of Ryan Howard. Howard had two home runs and a triple, knocking in all seven of the Phillies’ runs. Howard ended the game 3 for 4 and only Mariano Rivera was able to get him out. more ›

- Mets 10, Diamondbacks 6: Steve Trachsel picked up his first win since April behind a season-high five home run performance of the Mets hitters. Trachsel allowed 5 runs, 3 earned, in 5.1 innings. Carlos Beltran continued his hot streak, going 4-5 with 3 RBI and 4 runs scored including two home runs. David Wright added one homer while Carlos Delgado added two of his own. more ›

Yankees 4, Rangers 3: The Yankees held off the Rangers behind an excellent performance by Chien-Ming Wang and Jorge Posada. Posada has an insane seven RBI in the last two games. more ›

Another year, another slogan for the Mets. This year's: "The Team. The Year." Indeed it seems like that's the company line so far. At yesterday's "Workout Day," Cliff Floyd and David Wright both mentioned bringing a World Series to Queens. It was a notion that proved to be very popular with the 13,000 plus fans on hand. Perhaps it was the constant reminders that 2006 is the 20th Anniversary of the World Champion '86 Mets that was getting everyone excited or maybe it was the sun. But for a Mets fan, when you look at the moves during the off-season, you can't help but think the 2006 Mets have a chance. more ›

Martinez is not the only Met pitcher throwing well. Prior to taking the loss on Friday, Victor Zambrano had been suprisingly effective, with an ERA in the mid-3s. Tom Glavine has pitched his best since the first half of 2004, and even Kaz Ishii threw six shutout innings on Thursday. With Steve Trachsel expected back in early August, the Mets should have few complaints about their pitching staff. more ›

Since starting the season 0-5, the Mets have been on fire, winning 10 of 13 games. Their play has lifted them to two games over .500, which generally isn't very good, but when was the last time the Mets were in this position? One area of concern pops up for the Mets despite their record, the starting pitching. Three starting pitchers - Kris Benson, Steve Trachsel, Kaz Ishii - for the Mets are currently on the disabled list, but somehow the Mets are still winning. more ›

Despite his lack of control, his coaches have called him clutch. Jim Colborn, his pitching coach with the Dodgers said, "He does stuff that is self-destructive, but he still winds up being successful. That's one of his strengths. He's unbelievable in the clutch. He seems to need his back against the wall to pitch his best." With all those walks, Gothamist is hoping that he's clutch and the change in location helps, or that the Mets hitters are able to get him out of early holes, because if those don't happen, the Mets will be looking for another 5th starter. more ›

The Mets also parted with Joe McEwing, their long-time utility player this week. Despite his poor play last year, Gothamist will miss McEwing who seems to have played hard every time he was given an opportunity. With five years on the team when he was released, McEwing was the 2nd most senior member of the Mets and the only player besides Mike Piazza that was on the 2000 World Series team. more ›

The offer, if accepted, would be the first splash for GM Omar Minaya (we're not counting the Kris Benson signing), who has dabbled in trading for Sammy Sosa and trading Mike Piazza. Is this the right move for the Mets? Martinez, who would surely hear more "Who's your daddy?" chants or shirts, has signs that his abilities may be on the decline - he lost 5 mph off his fast ball last season. If he signs with the Mets, Martinez will become the rotation's ace, joining Kris Benson, Tom Glavine, Victor Zambrano and Steve Trachsel. Al Leiter, a mainstay of the Mets is unlikely to return in 2005 and may sign with the Yankees. more ›

The win was no cakewalk though. Mike Piazza won the game for the Mets in the 8th inning when he hit a two-out single that scored Gerald Williams. Braden Looper worked a perfect 9th for his second save since August 14th and his 26th overall. Steve Trachsel, the starter for the Mets, pitched 6 innings and gave up two runs in the no decision. more ›

Okay, we admit that we hate it as much as anyone when the Mets bust out the "On the right Trach" stuff at Shea, but when they're right, they're right. The Mets won their first series since August against the Rockies. Steve Trachsel pitched six strong, giving up only two earned runs as well as two unearned in the 9-4 loss (box score). more ›

Tonight, the Mets take on the Florida Marlins, who have won seven consecutive, in Miami. With any luck on the part of the Mets, the game will be rained out by the remnants of Hurricane Frances. Better yet, maybe they can finally scrape out a win. more ›

The Mets are 8 games out of first and 8.5 games out of last. They are slightly closer to the wild card than they are to first place. With the trades the Mets made last week, there is still some hope for improvement, but we're wondering if there are any Met fans out there that aren't thinking of next year already. more ›