Tag: Tim Hudson

Posted in Newark Bears, Uncategorized

Sunday morning roundup: Mets get Chipper-ed; Phils win another title & Rivera chases saves mark

Posted on by Paul

The Mets lost another disappointing game to the Atlanta Braves yesterday, getting beaten 1-0 thanks to Chipper Jones yet again.

Tim Hudson didn't allow a run against the Mets on Saturday. (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

I’d like to give Tim Hudson credit for pitching a good game, but after watching the Mets’ offense look pathetic all week (except for Friday’s 20-hit game) I just don’t know how much he deserves.

R.A. Dickey pitched well again and ended up with a loss – he never seems to get any run support. However, he bears part of the responsibility for the team’s failure to score. Twice yesterday he came up in sacrifice situations; both times (including once with runners on first and second with none out), he failed to get the bunt down. This has become a pattern with the team – one that Terry Collins needs to address.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their fifth consecutive division title and Mariano Rivera tied Trevor Hoffman for the all-time saves record. Now maybe it’s just me, but I’m surprised at how much less attention Rivera’s push towards the saves record is getting compared to Derek Jeter‘s 3000th hit chase. I’m not enamored with the saves stat, but I think an all-time record is more significant than reaching a plateau that 27 others have achieved before.

And the Phillies’ “2011 Playoffs” cap is ugly. Whatever happened to caps that actually said “Division Champion”?

Continue reading “Sunday morning roundup: Mets get Chipper-ed; Phils win another title & Rivera chases saves mark” →

Posted in Baseball Scorekeeping, Uncategorized

On the eve of the hurricane, an improbable shutout

Posted on by Paul

If you asked me which Mets pitcher would be the first to throw a shutout this year, I probably would have laughed at the question. If pressed for an answer, I don’t think Chris Capuano would have been my pick.

Yet Capuano pitched his best game as a Met, shutting out the Atlanta Braves on just two hits while striking out a career-high 13 batters. That’s the great thing about baseball – you never know what will happen on any given night.

Nick Evans continued to take advantage of his chance to play, going 1-for-3 with a pair of walks. He drove in the first run of the game. Justin Turner and Lucas Duda each hit doubles to drive in a pair of runs, and Ruben Tejada had a three-hit game.

I don’t how many of these guys will still be Mets the next time they’re true World Series contenders, but it was sure fun to see them beat Tim Hudson and the Braves.

Continue reading “On the eve of the hurricane, an improbable shutout” →

Posted in Baseball, Baseball Game Reports, Uncategorized

Yet another disappointing Mets-Braves game

Posted on by Paul
Citi Field sunset (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

Last night’s Mets game stunk. Sure, it was better than hanging out at Citi Field for a couple hours to watch the rain fall on Wednesday – but you have to invoke that old saying about a bad day at the ballpark being better than a good day anywhere else if you want to pretend it was fun.

Continue reading “Yet another disappointing Mets-Braves game” →

Posted in Uncategorized

Friday morning roundup: Dillon Gee, Johan Santana & the Braves

Posted on by Paul

 

The Mets will face Tim Hudson tonight (Photo credit: Paul Hadsall)

The Brooklyn Cyclones retired Dillon Gee‘s uniform number last night, making him the fourth former Cyclone to receive that honor. (The others were Danny Garcia, Brian Bannister and Angel Pagan.)  SNY broadcast the game since the Mets were off, but listening to Kevin Burkhardt and Bobby Ojeda talk to Gee and Justin Turner was more entertaining than watching the Cyclones’ 5-1 loss to the Williamsport Crosscutters.

Johan Santana was diagnosed with shoulder fatigue yesterday, but the doctors apparently didn’t find any other problems. Still, he’s going to stop throwing until his should is at full strength… that certainly makes it seem like we won’t see Santana in a game before 2012. That’s ok – the 2011 Mets are really just trying to play a spoiler role and force themselves back into the playoff picture if they can. Of course, 2012 may not be realistic either – Joe Janish pointed out yesterday that Santana may never return to the Mets’ rotation. I certainly hope that we don’t spend years debating whether Omar Minaya made a bigger mistake signing Jason Bay or trading for & signing Santana.

In another interesting article, Patrick Flood asks who could play second base in 2012?

The Mets open a big three-game series against the Atlanta Braves tonight. I’ll be there for Jose Reyes Banner/ Fiesta Latina Night. Hopefully the rain stays away and the Mets can keep their 2011 winning streak against Tim Hudson going. Let’s go Mets!

Posted in Autographs, Uncategorized

Opening Day 2008

Posted on by Paul

The 2008 National League baseball season finally began tonight. The hated Atlanta Braves helped the Washington Nationals officially open their new ballpark on the ESPN Sunday Night baseball game.

Now, under ordinary circumstances I avoid ESPN telecasts like the plague… I can’t stand Joe Morgan. And the Braves? Other people hate the Yankees; I hate the Braves. But I haven’t seen a live baseball game that counted for anything since October, so I watched.

And I was treated to an unexpected pitchers’ dual in a beautiful new ballpark.

Tim Hudson had a rough first inning. He gave up a pair of runs and made a throwing error on a pickoff. But he rebounded to retire the final 19 batters he faced without allowing another baserunner.

Odalis Perez was a bigger surprise. He pitched five solid innings, allowing only one run on a Chipper Jones solo shot to center field.

The quick-paced game continued with a 2-1 score in the Nationals’ favor into the ninth inning. Chad Cordero should have come on to close out the victory, but Jon Rauch came jogging in from the bullpen instead. (Peter Gammons mentioned something about Cordero experiencing stiffness when he was warming up — if I were a Nationals fan, I’d be a little concerned.)

Rauch snared a line drive from Chipper Jones for the first out, but then he gave up a long double to Mark Texieira to put the tying run in scoring position. Crap. He got Jeff Francoeur to ground out. Sure, the runner moved up to third, but Rauch had two outs. He looked like he was going to get out of the inning. Then he threw a pitch that Paul LoDuca couldn’t handle, and the tying run scored on a passed ball.

Paul LoDuca, you’re doing a great job of making a Brian Schneider fan out of me already.

So I was all set for extra innings once Rauch retired Brian McCann for the final out. And when Peter Moylan retired the first two Nationals in the bottom of the ninth, it sure looked like I was going to get them.

Fortunately for the Washington fans (and those, like me, who were just rooting against the Braves) Ryan Zimmerman was able to provide some late game heroics.

I love baseball, and I’m happy it’s back.