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. Things were so bad for Trachsel he allowed a homer to Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan, who stifled the......

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. Throughout the regular season,......

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......

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......

-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......

-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......

- 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......

-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. Derek Jeter extended his career-best hitting streak to 20 games and drove in four runs. It looked like Jaret Wright might actually pitch seven innings, but he tired and left the......

- 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......

-Mets 10, Cardinals 8: With the Yankees in Seattle, the Mets can enjoy three straight nights of dominance in the 7-10 p.m. viewing window. Thanks to some shoddy pitching -- they gave back six runs of an eight-run lead -- the Mets crept past 10 p.m. Steve Trachsel couldn't thrive with a huge cushion, but the Mets' early damage off Mark Mulder proved too much to overcome. Remember, St. Louis is the National League Central......

-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......

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......

-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. Cabrera’s league-leading eighth assist put an end......

-Mariners 3, Yankees 2: After Melky Cabrera's game-winning home run Tuesday, fans didn't have long between games. Maybe the Yankees could have used more rest. Mariners starter Gil Meche allowed only five hits, and Alex Rodriguez had two of them. With the Red Sox cashing in their "Free Sweep" coupon over the lowly Royals, the Yankees are now 1 1/2 games behind. -Reds 7, Mets 4: A rain delay of over two hours only put......

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......

- 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......

-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......

-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. Johnny Damon had the go-ahead hit, a two-run triple and Rivera came in to pitch the last......

- 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. - Athletics 6, Yankees 5: The Yankees fell......

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. Like the Yankees/Rangers game, the Mets game was also a one-run game. Despite saving their best threat for the ninth inning, the Mets couldn't score and lost to St. Louis 1-0 on Wednesday. For the Mets, Gothamist couldn't help but be frustrated in the......

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......

Spotting the Dodgers a 6-0 lead proved costly for the Mets, as they lost 6-5 to Los Angeles at Shea Stadium Friday night. The loss snapped the Mets four-game winning streak, their longest since early May. Fortunately for them, they have Pedro Martinez starting Saturday's game, and he has returned to his dominant self after a brief slump in late June. Martinez is not the only Met pitcher throwing well. Prior to taking the loss......

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......

The Mets made a move to shore up their starting pitching yesterday, trading Jason Phillips to the Dodgers for Kaz Ishii. The trade ensures that the Mets will have a "reliable" 5th starter to replace Steve Trachsel, who will miss at least three months after back surgery on Saturday. Ishii, a lefty with three years of service in the Majors, has a repertoire of pitches (an 88 mph fastball, cut fastball, changeup and curve), but......

Mets pitcher, and probable 5th starter, Steve Trachsel's season seems to have been derailed for at least three months, as he goes under the knife today for a herniated disk. After announcing the injury earlier in the week, the Mets were looking internally to fill Trachsel's spot, but with Victor Zambrano, the 4th starter, performing poorly, the team may be looking outside the organization for another arm. Matt Ginter leads the candidates internally, while reports......

Pedro Martinez may be coming to New York, but not to the Yankees, the team that first talked to him. The Mets are reported to have made a 3 year $38 million offer to the 33 year-old right hander. The offer tops one from the Red Sox for 2 years and $25.5 million. In mid-November, Martinez told George Steinbrenner that he wanted to be a Yankee, but now a Met? He would be leaving a......

For now. Last night, with a chance to lose their way into a tie with the Expos, the Mets pulled a victory out of their hat, winning 3-2 (box score). Now, when the Mets leave Montreal, they won't be in last. Depending on how they play today, they might even be three games out of last. Oh, the joy in Mudville! The win was no cakewalk though. Mike Piazza won the game for the Mets......

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). The Mets hitters were also "on the right Trach", scoring seven......

It's a bad thing when, as a baseball team, you can have a good day when you're not playing. That's exactly what happened for the Mets on Monday. They didn't play, and they didn't lose. Over their three game weekend series with Phillies, the Mets managed to emulate their recent performance at home, losing all three games for their season-high 9th loss in a row. The loss is also the most consecutive losses under......

Kaz Matsui out? Naturally you start Jose Reyes...but what does this mean for the Mets next year? Yes, Gothamist is already thinking about next year for the Mets. Sure, they have won two in a row, but they beat the lowly Brewers. Since the Mets and the Brewers have the same record, one can only conclude the Mets are a lowly team as well. Hmm...we're rambling. The Mets are 8 games out of first and......