Kuzul

NEW YORK– It was a chilly and misty night at Citi Field, almost a tease of October, which the Mets hope to somehow get to. That may be a stretch, but if they will play deeper into the season, tonight certainly helps.

The Mets were 0-7 entering this season against Marlins ace Josh Johnson before beating him on opening day. Johnson hasn’t been on top of his game of late, and the Mets hit him hard tonight.

In fact, they had a collection of great at-bats and baserunning plays throughout the entire game.

David Wright led the second inning off with a well-struck triple into the right field gap. He would score two batters later on a Jeff Francoeur sacrifice fly, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.

R. A. Dickey was starting for the Mets, and just like earlier in the month in Atlanta, he couldn’t grip his knuckleball in the wet conditions. He gave up a bunch of hits early on, including giving up the lead in the third inning.

After a couple of singles and a steal, the Marlins recorded two straight sacrifice flies on consecutive pitches, giving them a 2-1 lead.

The Mets immediately tied the game at 2-2 in their third. After two outs were made, Angel Pagan beat out a hit, his first of four on the night. He stole second and scored on a Wes Helms error at third base, hit sharply by Wright.

The Mets missed out on a chance in the fourth. Once again after two outs, the Mets put two men on thanks to lack of control by Josh Johnson. He hit Ruben Tejada, a batter in a 1-for-39 drought, and walked Dickey. Reyes though, would ground into an inning-ending force play.

The Mets smacked Johnson around in the fifth. Pagan lead off with a single, and advanced all the way to third on a fielding error by center fielder Cameron Maybin. Carlos Beltran singled him in, advanced to third on a single by Wright, and scored on another Francoeur sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 Mets.

Johnson had a high pitch count, and was pulled after five innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. He also walked four and hit a batter.

Just like in Dickey’s last start in Houston, he blew his own game towards the end of his outing. With two on and two outs in the seventh, probably his last inning, he allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to rookie first baseman Gaby Sanchez.

An outing that could’ve been quality, finished ugly. In seven innings, Dickey allowed five runs on 10 hits. He did strike out eight without walking a batter.

The Mets would get him off the hook in the eighth. Yet again it was a two-out rally. Pagan got a hustle double and scored on a Beltran single to right, tying the game at 5-5. Clay Hensley suffered the blown-save for the Marlins.

After Hisanori Takahashi wiggled around a double in the ninth, the Mets gave him the win in walk-off fashion.

Ike Davis lead off the ninth with an infield single. He grounded the ball past pitcher Will Ohman, and second baseman Dan Uggla’s tumbling throw wasn’t quick enough. Josh Thole then hit a soft single to left field.

Two batters later, Luis Castillo, who came in the game in the eighth, won the game with a single to right. Ike Davis beat Mike Stanton’s bad throw to give the Mets a 6-5 victory.

The Mets were 1-47 this season when trailing after seven innings. They win the first game on the home stand, and will try to win the series tomorrow night.

Pat Misch will make his start for the Mets, facing Alex Sanabia.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 73-53
*Philadelphia 70-55 (2 1/2)
NY Mets 63-62 (9 1/2)
*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 7 behind

Series probable pitchers:
August 25
New York: Pat Misch (2010: 0-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. Florida: Alex Sanabia (2010: 2-1, 3.77 ERA)
August 26
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 8-5, 3.33 ERA) vs. Florida: Anibal Sanchez (2010: 10-8, 3.16 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 25-26 vs. Florida Marlins
August 27-29 vs. Houston Astros

Florida Marlins:
August 25-26 @ New York Mets
August 27-29 @ Atlanta Braves

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The Yankees have just lost the first game of a three-game set to the Blue Jays, 3-2. Here are my thoughts:

Granderson’s AB

One of the turning points in the game was a questionable strikeout call on Curtis Granderson in the top of the ninth inning. The graph shows it wasn’t that close, it was way out of the strike-zone.

Jeter in the clutch

One of the biggest arguments for Derek Jeter is that he is great in the clutch, and one of the biggest arguments against Alex Rodriguez is that he is horrible in the clutch. Well, Jeter’s clutch rating this season is a horrible 0.27, and Rodriguez’s is 0.75. That was made evident by Jeter’s high leverage pop-out in the top of the ninth inning to end the game.

Gardner’s arm

A huge play in the game was when Brett Gardner threw out a runner at the plate after the bases were loaded with nobody out. He saved a run and created a double play, stopping a dismal inning. That was his 10th outfield assist of the season, the second best in the league. For a guy that was once criticized for his bad arm, Gardner is putting up some great numbers.

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For anyone who doesn’t think the Cincinnati Reds are for real, this article is for you.

They have just exorcised a demon that has tormented their souls since July 28, 2005. That was the last time the Reds won a game in Chavez Ravine, aka Dodger Stadium. Coincidentally, it was their second win in a row during that four game set.

The Reds used two Jason LaRue home runs and seven strong innings by Brandon Claussen to crush the Dodgers 6-1.

Winning that game and splitting the series, the Reds brought their record up to 13 games below .500 at Dodger Stadium.

You have to go all the way back to May of 2004 to find a Reds series win at the Ravine.

My, how things have changed.

You see, the Reds weren’t getting beat, they were getting outscored 2-1. In those 12 losses the Reds scored only 39 runs while allowing the Bums to score 78.

On Friday night, Homer Bailey tamed the demon with a four-hit outing in seven strong innings. The Reds used eight singles—three by Brandon Phillips—to whip the Dodgers 3-1. Phillips also drove in all three runs.

Yes, the joy was short lived as the Dodgers came back and launched four bombs in route to an 8-5 pasting.

In the rubber match on Sunday, war horse Bronson Arroyo pitched seven strong innings, allowing seven hits and only two runs while raising his record to 14-7. He is now tied for third with Chris Carpenter for wins in the National League.

Phillips continued his hot hitting with a 4-5 outing, scoring the Reds first run.

Joey Votto knocked in all three runs, ruining a very good outing by Clayton Kershaw by lofting an opposite field solo shot in the sixth inning. Votto is batting .350 with a HR and seven RBI on the current road trip.

Kershaw struck out 11 men in his seven innings of work, which was marred with five free passes.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0 to remain 3.5 games behind Cincinnati.

The Reds begin a three game series with the Giants Monday night, with Edinson Volquez facing Matt Cain. The Reds will be seeking vengeance against Cain who tossed a two hit shutout against them in June at the Great American Ball Park.

The Reds won their 29^th series of the season and third consecutive after being swept by the Cardinals.

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The future looks bright for the Colorado Rockies.

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The Boston Red Sox have been successful despite a mountain of injuries and a sub-par pitching staff. Today, in their series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, they relied on one of their replacements and their only consistent pitcher, riding the momentum train started on Saturday by Jed Lowrie’s game winner.

On paper, the team has one of the better pitching rotations in baseball. But currently they only have one efficient pitcher, Clay Buchholz, whom they have been close to trading multiple times over the years.

And, with his play this season exemplified in his start against Toronto, he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. He entered with the best earned run average in the American League, and he only lowered it with another brilliant outing.

The 26-year-old right-hander worked out of a first and third, one-out jam in the opening inning, struck out the side in the second, then pitched around a one-out walk in the third to strike out two more.

He allowed some hits, issued a few walks, but was as crisp as he has been all year long, and especially all month long. He hadn’t allowed a run in his previous two starts, blanking the Angels over seven innings and these same Blue Jays over eight. Total in the month of August, he had relinquished just four earned runs in 30 1/3 innings.

That earned run total remained the same following Sunday’s performance, as Toronto was once again blanked by Buchholz, this time over six sparkling innings in which seven Jays were struck out.

Buchholz wasn’t given any support in the first four innings, as Shaun Marcum matched him zero for zero. Buchholz ran into some trouble over the course of his outing, but he wouldn’t allow that big hit. Marcum, however, eventually succumbed to the opposition.

Buchholz had just thrown his 22nd consecutive inning without an earned run when David Ortiz strode to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning to face Marcum. Ortiz took a changeup for a strike then turned on a curve that hung in the zone, stinging it into the left-center gap. Center fielder Vernon Wells was shaded over to right-field, playing Ortiz to pull, and could not cover enough ground to snag Ortiz’s liner, which resulted in a triple.

Adrian Beltre, Boston’s top RBI-man and one of the better overall hitters in the American League this year, wasted no time in scoring the game’s first run, lacing a double down the left-field line to plate Ortiz.

Marcum collected himself to retire Mike Lowell, who will retire after the season, and the aforementioned Lowrie, but then had to face Hall.

Hall, 30, played his first seven-plus seasons in Milwaukee, becoming a very well-liked player there. He was versatile, with the ability to play all three outfield positions as well second base, third base, and shortstop. His best season average-wise came in 2005, when he hit .291 with a .342 on-base percentage, and his best all-around season was in 2006, when he socked 35 homers, drove in 85 runs, and scored 101 runs.

From there, though, it was all downhill. He lost his ability to hit and increased his ability to strike out, and his struggles to carry a batting average above .250 and an on-base percentage above .300 led him to Seattle, where he mustered only 24 hits in 104 at-bats.

Still, despite a poor bat, his relative youth, great character, and versatility found him a home in Boston on a one-year contract. His average is nothing to jump up and down about, but his overall statistics are very satisfactory.

He entered the game with 15 homers, a solid amount for someone with his recent history, and especially so for a utilityman. And he ended with 16, a majestic drive that flew over the Green Monster in left and completely out of Fenway Park. A two-run homer, giving Buchholz and the bullpen all the support they needed.

Two insurance runs were scored in the eighth in run-scoring singles by Victor Martinez and Ortiz, but it was the six shutout innings tossed by Buchholz—which resulted in a 14th victory and lowered his ERA to 2.26—and Hall’s timely longball that propelled Boston to their fourth victory in their last six games.

Buchholz has been stellar all year, as have the replacements, including Hall, who was the latest unsung hero for a team remarkably still in the playoff hunt.

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PITTSBURGH– It must be something about Johan Santana starting a game for the Mets. After scoring 12 runs in the first two games of the series against the Pirates, the Mets seemingly improving offense faded away.

They got off to a decent start against Zach Duke, who has been awful this season and over the past couple of years.

Jose Reyes continued his red-hot stretch, beating out a bunt hit and wreaking havoc on the base paths to start the game. He reached second on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Doumit. He would go on to steal third base and score on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Beltran, giving the Mets a quick 1-0 lead.

That would be the only run they would score against Duke and the Pirates bullpen. Duke would retire 19 of 22 after allowing a double to David Wright in the first to finish his outing.

Johan Santana looked extremely sharp early on with a wicked changeup. He struck out the first four batters to face him and didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning.

After allowing a leadoff single to Pedro Alvarez in the fifth, he erased him on a double play. The next batter though, former Met Lastings Milledge, hit a home run to center field to tie the game at 1-1.

In the sixth, Santana allowed a home run to Jose Tabata after two outs were made, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead. It was his second straight start of allowing two home runs.

Zach Duke pitched seven innings, allowing one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Santana stayed in to pitch the eighth inning, finishing with a one-two-three frame. He was hoping it wouldn’t be the last Pirates inning of the game. It turned out to be just that.

The Mets got a leadoff hit from Ike Davis in the ninth, but three consecutive pinch-hitters were retired by reliever Joel Hanrahan to end the game. The Mets got six hits in the game, two each from Jose Reyes and Ike Davis.

Johan Santana has now pitched three straight complete games, with the last two being losses. He suffered his eighth loss of the season, as he’s now 10-8.

The Mets have still not swept a series of three or more games against an NL team on the road since Sept. 2008.

They will have an off day in New York tomorrow before starting a three-game series against the Marlins at Citi Field on Tuesday night. R.A. Dickey will oppose Josh Johnson.

NL East standings:

Atlanta 73-51
*Philadelphia 70-53 (2 1/2)
Florida 62-61 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 62-62 (11)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Next Series Probable Pitchers:

August 24
New York: R.A. Dickey (2010: 8-5, 2.41 ERA) vs. Florida: Josh Johnson (2010: 11-5, 2.27 ERA)
August 25
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 12-7, 3.80 ERA) vs. Florida: Alex Sanabia (2010: 2-1, 3.77 ERA)
August 26
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 8-5, 3.33 ERA) vs. Florida: Anibal Sanchez (2010: 10-8, 3.16 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins
August 27-29 vs. Houston Astros

Florida Marlins:
August 24-26 @ New York Mets
August 27-29 @ Atlanta Braves

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PITTSBURGH: The Mets have finally won a road series against a National League team in 2010. Of course, it’s not as legitimate as a complete-game effort, but a win is a win.

The Mets beat the Pirates tonight, 5-1, in a rain-shortened, six-inning affair. Once again, Jon Niese was solid, pitching five innings of one-run ball.

The Mets scored their first run in a weird way in the first inning off Pirates starter James McDonald.

Jose Reyes lead off with a double, as he continues to tear the cover off the ball. Angel Pagan then beat out a bunt hit, moving Reyes to third.

Two batters later, Chris Carter struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher. Chris Snyder threw Carter out at first but Reyes broke for the plate.

He slid in head first and scored, suffering a rib bruise. He would be fine and stayed in the game. 

Jon Niese gave up a leadoff double to Andrew McCutchen in the Pirates’ first, but he stranded him at third.

McDonald, who was traded from the Dodgers to the Pirates, didn’t have an impressive start, as he walked Niese twice, and nearly a third time.

The Pirates tied the game in the third inning. McCutchen lead off with another double and this time he scored. After being bunted over, Neil Walker singled him in, making it 1-1.

The Mets took the lead back in the fourth. Ike Davis lead off with a double, one of five leadoff doubles combined in the game. He advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Ruben Tejada sacrifice fly.

Tejada scorched two balls hard, but still went 0-for-2, as he’s now 1 for his last 34.

In the fifth, the Mets took a comfortable lead. With two on and one out, David Wright hit a three-run home run, his 19th of the season, extending the Mets lead to 5-1. He now has 81 runs batted in this season, seven shy of the NL lead.

The game had already started 20 minutes late due to rain, and after a leadoff hit from Reyes to start the sixth, it was stopped. A little over an hour later, it was called, giving the Mets a 5-1, six-inning victory.

Jon Niese doesn’t get credit for a complete game because the game was stopped in the sixth. He gets his eighth win of the season after three straight tough no-decisions.

The Mets will go for the sweep tomorrow afternoon with Johan Santana facing Zach Duke. They have not swept a three-game road series against an NL team since September 2008.

NL East standings

Atlanta 72-51
*Philadelphia 69-53 (2 1/2)
Florida 62-60 (9 1/2)
NY Mets 62-61 (10)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 7 1/2 behind

Series probable pitchers:

Aug. 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
August 22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
August 22 vs. New York Mets
August 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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PITTSBURGH—Finally, the Mets found the right team to score plenty of runs against. It took a trip to Pittsburgh for the Mets to feel good about themselves offensively, as they jumped all over Jeff Karstens in 3.1 innings.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel called the Mets offense “pathetic” after last night’s loss to the Astros. He changed things up tonight, batting Chris Carter cleanup, and it paid off for the Mets and Carter.

In the opening inning, the Mets put together a three-run, five-hit attack charged by Jose Reyes, who is on fire.

Reyes led off with a single and stole second base. After two outs were made, Carter drove Reyes in with a bloop hit to right. That was followed by three straight singles, producing two more runs, giving the Mets a quick 3-0 lead.

In that mix was a David Wright hit. It was his first hit with a man on base this month.

Mike Pelfrey was on the mound for the Mets and battled through eight solid innings. He didn’t have his best stuff but was able to control the game and hold the lead.

The Pirates cut into the Mets three-run cushion in the second. Ryan Doumit hit a long home run to left, only the 10th long ball allowed by Pelfrey this season.

The Mets would get the run back and more in the third. Chris “The Animal” Carter crushed a first-pitch home run off Karstens, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead. Later in the inning, Josh Thole singled in Wright, who singled and stole second.

Jerry Manuel said Rod Barajas would get the majority of the playing time behind the plate, but would base who catches tomorrow night on how Thole did tonight. Thole had a good game, going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.

The Pirates scored another run in the third. It was an unearned run thanks to a Wright throwing error from third base. Ronny Cedeno reached on that play to start the inning, and scored two batters later on an Andrew McCutchen single, making it 5-2. With men on second and third, Pelfrey struck out Pedro Alvarez to end the inning.

The Mets knocked Karstens out of the game in the fourth. Reyes doubled and Angel Pagan moved him to third on a single. They would both score on a Carlos Beltran hit.

Pagan went first to third, and scored on a throwing error by the left fielder Jose Tabata. That would give the Mets a 7-2 lead, and they wouldn’t score again.

Pirates reliever Sean Gallagher pitched three scoreless innings, holding the Mets lead at five. Pirates manager John Russell made a curious decision in the fourth with his team rallying.

With two runners in scoring position and two outs, he allowed his reliever Gallagher to bat for himself. Gallagher nearly got a hit, but second baseman Ruben Tejada made a fine play in the hole at second to throw him out. The crowd at PNC Park would boo their team off the field after the out was made.

Pelfrey would get in and out of trouble through the rest of his outing. He pitched eight innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. He walked two and struck out five, while allowing a home run.

The Pirates bullpen combined to shut the Mets out over the final 5.2 innings after Karstens was pulled.

The Mets pounded out 15 hits, with Reyes and Wright combining for six of them. The Mets went on to win, 7-2, as Pelfrey earned his 12th win of the season.

The Mets didn’t actually prove what they could do against a great club, as the Pirates clinched their 18th straight losing season with the loss.

New York will go for their first NL road series win tomorrow night with Jon Niese facing James McDonald.

NL East Standings

Atlanta 72-50
*Philadelphia 69-52 (2 1/2)
Florida 61-60 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 61-61 (11)
*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Series Probable Pitchers

August 21
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.38 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: James McDonald (2010: 2-1, 2.55 ERA)

August 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming Schedule

New York Mets:
August 21-22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
August 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
August 21-22 vs. New York Mets
August 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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The San Diego Padres are simply too strong for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs could not avoid the sweep by the NL West leaders Thursday afternoon.  Once again, their bullpen sank and a careless defensive play in the seventh inning put them down 5-3 in the series finale.

Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs’ starter, did not have a stellar performance.  However, he managed to limit the Padres to one run and four hits in six innings.  Even though he walked far too many batters—giving six Padres free passes to first base—he got out of his jams, stranding runners one inning after another.

Well…except in the second, when the Padres took a 1-0 lead. 

He issued back-to-back walks to Yorvit Torrealba and Will Venable.  Chris Denorfia followed and loaded the bases with a single to shortstop.  One out later, Jerry Hairston, Jr. hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Torrealba from third.

The Cubs scored two runs off Mat Latos in the sixth for a 2-1 lead, the first time they had a lead in this series.  Lead-off man Kosuke Fukudome singled and scored on Marlon Byrd’s line-drive double to left field.  Aramis Ramirez also doubled to left field to drive in Byrd. 

The lead did not last long.  The following inning hurt the Cubs.  The Padres scored four runs with help from the careless Cubs’ defense.

Left-handed reliever Sean Marshall was brought in to try to protect the Cubs’ one-run lead.  But he walked lead-off batter Miguel Tejada and gave up a single to Adrian Gonzalez.  Ryan Ludwick tied the game with an RBI single that brought Tejada home. 

Chase Headley followed with another single to load the bases.  One out later, Venable hit a single to score Gonzalez and Ludwick.

Then with Headley on third and Venable on second, Chris Denorfia hit a ground ball to third baseman Aramis Ramirez.  Headley tried to head home, but he was tagged out on a 5-2-5 rundown.  Having already reached third on the play, Venable caught the Cubs off guard.  Seeing no Cub covering home plate, he hustled home and scored before the late relay arrived.

Marshall (6-4), who had not given up a run in the month of August, blew the save and took the loss.

On the other hand, Padres starter Latos (13-5) tossed seven innings, giving up two runs with 10 strikeouts and one walk for the Padres, who improve their season record to a National League-best 73-47.  They sit six games over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

The Cubs got a consolation run in the bottom of ninth.  Alfonso Soriano scored on Blake DeWitt’s two-out single.  But Heath Bell struck out Koyie Hill, the potential game-tying run, to end the game for his 37th save of the year.

NOTE: The Cubs recalled outfielder Sam Fuld from Triple-A Iowa Thursday.  He pinch-hit in the sixth inning.

The article is also featured on www.sportshaze.com.

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HOUSTON: It’s almost unbelievable to imagine how the Mets lost their game tonight to the Houston Astros. They just keep finding original ways to do so.

Pat Misch was on the mound for the Mets making his second Major League start of the season. The Mets were trying to win their first NL road series of the season.

Over the first six innings of the game, it felt as if Misch was going to throw a one-hitter. After all, he had only allowed one hit through six.

Bud Norris was facing the Mets for the first time in his career, coming off a 14-strikeout performance against the Pirates. He threw a ton of pitches through the first three innings, and the Mets broke through against him in the fourth.

After a walk and hit batsman, Astros shortstop Angel Sanchez gave the Mets a couple of runs. Ike Davis hit a ball to short, where Sanchez didn’t step on second base, therefore only getting one out, and allowing two runners to get to scoring position.

The next batter, Jeff Francoeur, grounded out to short, allowing a run to score. Chris Carter, playing left field, hit a ball in the hole at short, and Sanchez couldn’t throw him out, allowing another run to score.

Earlier in the game, Sanchez dropped a ball thrown by the pitcher Norris, allowing Davis to go first to third. The Mets though, would only record two hits against Norris and his 5.42 ERA.

Pat Misch kept rolling along after allowing a double to Hunter Pence in the first inning. After the double, until the end of the sixth, Misch retired 16 in a row.

Norris came back to pitch the seventh after throwing 110 pitches, and it paid off for him.

The Astros put together a three-batter, three-run rally against Misch to start the seventh. Sanchez and Pence singled, and Carlos Lee hit a three-run home run to left field, giving Houston a 3-2 lead.

Misch was immediately pulled thereafter, having only thrown 69 pitches. He allowed three runs on four hits (three runs, three hits in seventh) and struck out one.

Trying to get the tying run back in the eighth, the Mets stranded Jose Reyes at second base. Luis Castillo hit a comebacker and Angel Pagan lined out to shortstop.

The Astros had second and third with one one in their eighth, but Ryota Igarashi struck two batters out. It was his first Major League appearance since July 4.

The Mets went down in order to Brandon Lyon in the ninth, losing a devastating series finale. With the 3-2 loss, the Mets split the four games in Houston.

They still haven’t won a road series against the NL or consecutive road games against the NL this season. Pat Misch is now 0-2 in his first two starts in 2010.

The Mets couldn’t take advantage of the Braves and Phillies both losing, staying 8.5 games out of a playoff spot.

They will try to finally win a road series this weekend, facing the team with the worst record in baseball, the Pirates. Mike Pelfrey opens up the series tomorrow night against Jeff Karstens.

NL East standings

Atlanta 71-50
*Philadelphia 68-52 (2 1/2)
Florida 60-60 (10 1/2)
NY Mets 60-61 (11)

*Lead NL Wild Card; Mets 8 1/2 behind

Next series probable pitchers:

Aug. 20
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 11-7, 3.95 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Jeff Karstens (2010: 2-9, 4.57 ERA)
Aug. 21
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.38 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: James McDonald (2010: 2-1, 2.55 ERA)
Aug. 22
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 10-7, 2.97 ERA) vs. Pittsburgh: Zach Duke (2010: 5-12, 5.33 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:

New York Mets:
Aug. 20-22 @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Aug. 24-26 vs. Florida Marlins

Pittsburgh Pirates:
Aug. 20-22 vs. New York Mets
Aug. 23-25 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

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