Mets Game #81, Road #42
New York Mets NL East – 3rd Place – (41-39) Road (23-19) – Last Ten (7-3)
@	Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers AL Central – 2nd Place – (43-38) Home (25-17) – Last Ten (4-6)

NL Wild Card Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Tigers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets have won four games in a row and six of their last seven games…The four-game winning streak is New York’s longest since a season-high six-game winning streak, April 21-27…New York is 16-9 over its last 25 games…The Mets are now 6-1-1 in their last eight series and 16-10 this month…New York is 10 games over .500 (36-26) after starting the season 5-13.
  
• Series History  – The Mets won their second straight series vs. Detroit, after taking two of three in Citi Field last year…New York is now 3-5 all-time in Detroit…The Mets went 1-2 at Comerica Park in 2007 and 0-3 at Tigers Stadium in 1997…New York swept the Tigers in a three-game series at Shea, June 18-20, 2004.New York tied its season-high moving two games over .500 for the second time this year…The Mets were also two games over .500 after a 3-1 win over the Phillies on April 5…The last time the Mets were three games over .500 was after they beat the Dodgers on July 23, 2010 (50-47).
• Road Games – The Mets are now 8-5-1 in road series this year after winning only five road series in 2010…New York is 4-0-1 in its last five road series…New York is 23-19 on the road this season, including 10-5 in their last 15 road contests…The 23 wins are tied for the fourth-most in the majors…The Mets were 18-24 after 42 road games in 2010…Jose Reyes has the fourth-highest road batting average (.337) in the National League.
• Interleague – The Mets are 126-117 (.519) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .519 winning percentage is the fourth-best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 8-6 in Interleague action this season after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	8-6

• Records – The Mets had a season-high 16 runs and pounded out a season-high 20 hits last night…Both totals were the most since they scored 18 runs and had 21 hits on September 5, 2010 at Chicago (NL)…The Mets scored 16 runs without a home run…It was the most runs the team has scored in a game without a home run in franchise history….The Mets have scored eight or more runs in four straight games, equaling the longest such streak in team history…It’s the fifth time it’s occured, last on August 26-30, 2006.
• Offensive – The Mets are batting .404 (69-171) over their last four games, with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 47 RBI…The team is hitting .484 (30-62) with runners in scoring position over their last four contests…Overall the Mets are hitting .264 (727-2,754), the fourth-highest mark in the majors…The club’s .336 on-base percentage is the fourth-best in the majors…New York also leads the National League and is third in the majors with 291 walks.
• First Innings – The Mets scored four first-inning runs last night…New York has scored 50 first-inning runs, the fifth-most in the majors…New York pitchers have allowed 33 first-inning runs, the eighth-fewest in the majors.
• Runs – The Mets have scored a franchise-record 52 runs over their last four games…New York’s previous mark for runs scored over a four-game stretch was 50 (June 12-15, 1990 against the Cubs and Pirates)…New York has plated 30 runs over its last two games, the most since the team scored 32 runs in two games, August 24-25, 2005 at Arizona.
• Two-Out Runs – New York scored 13 two-out runs last night, the most since they scored 16 two-out runs in a 23-10 win at Chicago (NL) on August 16,1987…The Mets have scored 23 of their 30 runs during this series with two outs…New York is second in the majors with 152 runs scored with two outs…Boston is first (157).
• Stolen Bases – New York had four stolen bases last night…The Mets have 23 stolen bases in their last 14 games…Overall, the Mets lead the majors with 83 stolen bases….New York also leads the majors with 33 stolen bases this month.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 119 hits, 41 multi-hit games and 15 triples…Reyes leads the National League with a .349 batting average, 65 runs scored and a .363 batting average vs. righthanded pitchers…He ranks second in the majors with 30 stolen bases, third with 179 total bases and is second in the NL with a .368 batting average during day games.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA (71 ER/104.2 IP)….The bullpen staff is 26th in the majors with 4.45 ERA, tied for 11th with 34 holds and 12th with 204 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 28 home runs, including 5 over their last 5 games, tied for the 5th most in the majors….
  Opponents HRs – The Mets have been out-homered over the first five games on this road trip, 14-3…New York is 4-1 in these games…Detroit hit five home runs last night and the Mets did not go deep…It was the first time in team history the Mets won a game in which they allowed five or more home runs without hitting one…According to Elias Sports, the negative-five home run differential tied a major league record for a winning team…The last time a team won despite being out-homered by five or more blasts was August 28, 2007 when Tampa Bay beat Baltimore 15-8 …The Orioles hit six home runs in that game while the Ray had one …New York has hit 50 home runs and allowed 86, the second largest differential in the majors (36)…Houston is first with a 54 home run differential.
• Francisco Rodriguez – is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 9.24 ERA over his last 13 outings.
• Mike Pelfrey – Has never faced the Detroit Tigers….In his last start, Pelfrey received the loss in a 8-1 defeat at Texas on June 24…Tossed 6.0 innings and alowed four runs, earned…Permitted eight hits, walked two, surrendered one home run and recorded three strikeouts on 111 pitches, 69 for strikes…The two walks allowed snapped a streak of three straight starts without a base on balls…Pelfrey has now allowed a home run in five consecutive contests, tying a season-high.
• Roster Moves – Willie Harris flew home to New York after his wife went into labor earlier that expected…He was placed on the Paternity Leave List…Fernando Martinez was recalled from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League…Martinez hit .250 (5-20) with one home run and two RBI in nine games with the Mets earlier this year…The outfielder was batting .266 (42-158) with six doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI in 45 games for the Bisons…Martinez will wear #26 and will be available for today’s game.

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Mets Game #80, Road #41
New York Mets NL East – 3rd Place – (40-39) Road (22-19) – Last Ten (6-4)
@	Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers AL Central – 1st Place – (43-37) Home (25-16) – Last Ten (5-5)

NL East Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Tigers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets have won three games in a row and five of their last six games…New York is 15-9 over its last 24 games…The Mets are 5-1-1 in their last seven series and 15-10 this month.
  
• Series History  – Prior to this series, the Mets and Tigers met last year at Citi Field with the Mets taking two of three…New York is now 2-5 all-time in Detroit…The Mets went 1-2 at Comerica Park in 2007 and 0-3 at Tigers Stadium in 1997.
• Over .500 – New York is one game over .500 for the first time since April 6 (3-2)…The Mets were a season-high two games over .500 after a 3-1 win over the Phillies on April 5.
• Road Games – The Mets will play nine of their next 12 games away from Citi Field…New York is 22-19 on the road this season, including 9-5 in their last 14 road contests…The 22 wins are tied for the fifth-most in the majors…The Mets are 7-5-1 in road series this year after winning only five road series in 2010…The Mets were 17-24 after 41 road games in 2010…Jose Reyes has the fifth highest road batting average (.337) in the National League.
• Interleague – The Mets are 125-117 (.517) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .517 winning percentage is the fourth-best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 7-6 in Interleague action this season after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	7-6

• Offensive – The Mets are batting .358 (57-159) over their last three games, with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 34 RBI…The team is hitting .476 (20-42) with runners in scoring position over their last three contests…Since May 22, the Mets are batting .286 (342-1,197), the third-highest mark in the majors…The team’s .346 on-base percentage during this stretch is the fourth highest in the majors…Overall the Mets are hitting .261 (707-2,709), the eighth-highest mark in the majors…The club’s .333 on-base percentage is the fifth-best in the majors.
• Hits – New York has collected 49 hits over its last three games…That total is the most since the club also had 49 hits from August 2-5, 2003 in two games vs. St. Louis and one contest at Houston.
• Runs – The Mets have combined to score 36 runs over their last three games…It is their highest three-game output since also scoring 36 runs, August 22-24, 2005 at Arizona.
• Grand Slams – Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran each hit a grand slam last night…It marked the second time in team history that the Mets hit two grand slams in the same game…The other occurrence was on July 16, 2006 at Chicago (NL) when Cliff Floyd and Beltran each hit a slam in the same inning – the sixth…The last major league team to hit grand slams in consecutive innings was the Washington Nationals on July 27, 2009 at Milwaukee…Last night was Bay’s third career grand slam and first since May 18, 2006, with Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati and it was Beltran’s ninth career slam and his first since August 29, 2008 at Florida…It was Beltran’s fifth grand slam as a member of the Mets which is tied for the second-most in team history behind Mike Piazza’s six…New York had gone 299 games without a grand slam, its longest such stretch in franchise history…Angel Pagan had the team’s last grand slam on August 1, 2009 vs. Arizona…The Mets had allowed 18 grand slams during that period, a major league record.
• Stolen Bases – New York has 19 stolen bases in its last 13 games…The Mets lead the National League and are second in the majors with 79 stolen bases, two behind Kansas City…The Mets are tied for the major league lead with the Royals with 29 stolen bases this month.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 117 hits, 40 multi-hit games and 15 triples…Reyes leads the National League with a .349 batting average, 64 runs scored and a .366 batting average vs. righthanded pitchers…He ranks second in the majors with 29 stolen bases…The Mets shortstop is 16-35 (.457) with runners in scoring position since May 3, the second-best average in the majors during this span.
• 1000 Games – Jose Reyes played his 1,000th major league game last night…He has 98 career triples and 360 stolen bases…The only other player with as many triples and stolen bases in his first 1,000 games is Ty Cobb who had 106 triples and 391 stolen bases when he played his 1,000th game in 1912…Information courtesy of Elias Sports.
• Four Hits – Jose Reyes collected his second straight four-hit game last night…Reyes leads the majors with four, four-hit games this year…Reyes, who had four hits on Sunday at Texas, was also the last Met to have consecutive four-hit games when he achieve the feat on July 24-25, 2006 at Toronto…Reyes holds the franchise record with 23, four-hit games.
• Triples – Jose Reyes collected his 15th triple this season and his 98th career triple last night…Among players who made their major league debut since 1946, Reyes has more triples in his first 1,000 games than any other major leaguer…Carl Crawford is second (87) and Lance Johnson is third (84)…The Mets lead the majors with 26 triples this season.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 5.99 ERA (67 ER/100.2 IP)…Overall, the 11 losses from the pen are tied for 17th in the majors. The bullpen staff is 26th in the majors with 4.37 ERA, tied for 13th with 32 holds and 12th with 203 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 26 home runs, tied for the 7th most in the majors…..Francisco Rodriguez is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 9.24 ERA over his last 13 outings.
• Mets Starters – Over their last 30 games, dating back to May 27, Mets starters have posted a 2.87 ERA (62 earned runs/194.2 innings)…The 2.87 ERA is the third-lowest in the majors over this span…New York starters have allowed three runs or less in 24 of these 30 starts…The Mets are 17-13 over this span.
• Chris Capuano – Has posted a 2.19 ERA (nine earned/37.0 innings) since May 27, ranking 11th in the majors…He is 3-2 with a no-decision over six starts…Capuano is 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA (two earned/19.0 innings) over his last three starts, the third-lowest ERA in the National League over that span.

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Mets Game #79, Road #41
New York Mets NL East – 4th Place – (39-39) Road (21-19) – Last Ten (5-5)
@	Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers AL Central – 1st Place – (43-36) Home (25-15) – Last Ten (5-5)

NL East Standing

Pitching Match-Up

Mets Lineup

Tigers Lineup

Team Rankings

Team Leaders

Tidbits of Interest

• Mets at a Glance – The Mets have won four of their last five games and are 14-9 over their last 23 games…After taking two of three from the Rangers, the Mets are 5-1-1 in their last seven series…New York is 14-10 this month.
  
• Series History  – The Mets and Tigers met last year at Citi Field with the Mets taking two of three…New York is 1-5 all-time in Detroit…The Mets went 1-2 at Comerica Park in 2007 and 0-3 at Tigers Stadium in 1997.
• .500 – New York is at the .500 mark for the sixth time this year (34-34, 22-22, 4-4, 3-3 and 1-1)…The last time the Mets were at .500 was when they were 34-34 after beating the Braves 4-0 on June 15…The Mets are 1-4 when their overall record is at .500…The Mets are 15-15 vs. teams from the NL East, 10-10 vs. the NL Central, 8-8 vs. the NL West and 6-6 vs. the American League…The last time the Mets were above .500 was at 3-2 after their 10-7 loss at Philadelphia on April 6…New York was a season-high two games over .500 at 3-1 after a win over the Phillies on April 5…The Mets were a season worst eight games under .500 after they fell 4-3 to the Astros on April 20…The Mets went 11-16 in April and 14-13 in May.
• Road Games – The Mets will play 10 of their next 13 games away from Citi Field…New York is 21-19 on the road this season, including 8-5 in their last 13 road contests…The 21 wins are tied for the sixth-most in the majors…The Mets are 7-5-1 in road series this year after winning only five road series in 2010…The Mets were 17-23 after 40 road games in 2010…Jose Reyes has the sixth highest road batting average (.322) in the National League.
• First Place Teams – The Mets enter this series against the first place Tigers after winning two of three from the AL West-leading Rangers…New York will host the AL East-leading Yankees this weekend at Citi Field…The last time the Mets played three straight series against first place teams was April 20-27, 2005 when they faced Florida, Washington and Atlanta when each opponent was at least tied for first in the NL East going into one or more games in those series.
• Interleague – The Mets are 124-117 (.515) all-time during Interleague action…The Mets’ .515 winning percentage is the fourth best all-time among NL clubs…The Mets are 6-6 in Interleague action this season after going 13-5 against the American League last year, setting a franchise record for wins in a single season.

   

  METS YEAR-BY-YEAR IN INTERLEAGUE PLAY
  1997	7-8		1998	9-7		1999	12-6
  2000	9-9		2001	10-8		2002	10–8
  2003	5-10		2004	10-8		2005	5-10
  2006	6-9		2007	8-7		2008	9-6
  2009	5-10		2010	13-5		2011	6-6

• Offensive – Since May 22, the Mets are batting .278 (310-1,114), the fourth-highest mark in the majors…The team’s .337 on-base percentage during this stretch is the fourth-highest in the majors…Overall the Mets are hitting .258 (689-2,666), the 12th highest mark in the majors…The club’s .330 on-base percentage is the sixth-best in the majors.
• RISP – The Mets were 13-29 (.448) with runners in scoring position over their last two games…Over New York’s previous 10 games, the Mets hit .235 (23-98) with RISP…From June 1-13, the team hit .305 (32-105) with RISP, the third-best mark in the majors…Overall, the Mets are hitting .255 (182-714), ranking 12th in the majors with RISP…Carlos Beltran is sixth in the NL with a .355 batting average with runners in scoring position…New York pitchers have held opponents to a .257 (185-719) mark with runners in scoring position, ranking 19th.
• Runs – The Mets have combined to score 22 runs over their last two games, both victories at Texas…It was the 33rd time in franchise history the Mets scored as many as 22 runs over a two game span, and, the first time they accomplished the feat without hitting a home run…The last team to do that was the Houston Astros, August 2-3, 2010 at St. Louis when they scored 27 runs without a home run…Research courtesy of Elias Sports.
• Walks – The Mets have drawn 279 walks to lead the National League and third in the majors…Carlos Beltran is tied for third in the NL with 16 walks this month…New York pitchers have issued 243 base-on-balls, ranking 20th in the majors.
• Triples – Jose Reyes collected his 14th triple in his 75th game on Sunday at Texas…His career-best is 19 triples set in 2008…He is three triples shy of 100 for his career…Since Reyes made his debut in the majors on June 10, 2003, only Carl Crawford has more triples (100)…The Mets lead the majors with 25 triples this season.
• Home Runs – The Mets are 4-1 over their last five games despite being out-homered 8-0…Overall, Mets pitchers have surrendered 79 home runs, the seventh-most in the majors…The Mets have hit 47 home runs, ranking 26th…The 32 home run differential is the third-largest in the majors…Houston has allowed 94 home runs and hit 44 (a difference of 50) and Kansas City has hit 56 home runs and surrendered 89 (a difference of 33). -
• Stolen Bases – New York had one stolen base on Sunday…New York has 17 stolen bases in its last 12 games…The Mets lead the National League and are second in the majors with 77 stolen bases, one behind Kansas City…The Mets lead the majors with 27 stolen bases this month.
• Jose Reyes – Leads the major leagues with 39 multi-hit games and 14 triples…Reyes leads the National League with a .341 batting average, 113 hits, 61 runs scored and a .358 batting average vs. righthanded pitchers…He ranks second in the majors with 28 stolen bases and is fourth in the NL with 37 extra-base hits…The Mets shortstop is 16-35 (.457) with runners in scoring position since May 3, the best average in the majors during this span…Reyes has scored at least one run in 22 of his last 28 games dating back to May 25…The 33 runs scored during that stretch are the most in the majors.
• Bullpen – Since May 16, the pen is 3-7 with a 6.11 ERA (67 ER/98.2 IP)…Overall, the 11 losses from the pen are tied for 15th in the majors….The bullpen staff is 26th in the majors with 4.41 ERA, tied for 13th with 32 holds and 12th with 202 strikeouts….The pen has allowed 26 home runs, the 7th most in the majors….Francisco Rodriguez is 4 saves shy of tying Roger McDowell for sixth on the club’s all-time list with 84…Rodriguez also has a 9.24 ERA over his last 13 outings.
• Mets Starters – Over their last 29 games, dating back to May 27, Mets starters have posted a 2.84 ERA (59 earned runs/187.2 innings)…The 2.74 ERA is the third-lowest in the majors over this span…New York starters have allowed three runs or less in 23 of these 29 starts.
• R.A. Dickey – In 13 career games, six starts, Dickey is 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA (25 earned runs / 56.0 innings pitched) and one save vs. Detroit…..In his last start, Dickey Received a no-decision in a 3-2 win vs. Oakland on June 22…Tossed a season high-tying 8.0 innings for the fourth time this season and allowed one run, earned…Also permitted three hits, walked one and surrendered one home run…Recorded nine strikeouts on 100 pitches, 66 for strikes…Dickey tossed 8.0 innings for the third time in his last four starts.
• Nick Evans – extended his Buffalo season-high hitting streak to 17 games last night vs. Norfolk…Evans is batting .477 (31-65) with 14 runs scored, 10 doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI during the streak

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So now we're .500, and once again we're praising the team. Talk is beginning to swirl around about how we need to be buyers — buy buy buy. Since when was .500 competitive? We're 9.5 games out of first place in the NL East and 5 games out of the Wild Card. 

We're really not that competitive of a team, because we need to establish a path in the future. Fortunately, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez are not part of our future, and it's time for Mets fans to get that through their heads. I understand we've suffered injuries, and we'll have Wright and Santana back near the All Star Break, but that doesn't mean we should suddenly be buyers. In fact, this is the same type of mentality we have held for the last 5 years, and it is exactly what has put us in this position. If the player is not in our future plans, then pack his bags and bring in somebody who will be a part of the future — it's that simple. 

Payroll is expected to be lowered to a maximum of $120M next year, from what Sandy Alderson has told us. So obviously, K-Rod and Beltran will not be a part of the roster, and it's time to get something back. Beltran has been solid this year, and I think a team like the Rangers or Angels could use a rental player for the last two months of the season. The Angels have lacked power to sustain their outstanding aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver. Both of those teams have the financial flexibility to acquire Beltran and give up a solid prospect, so Beltran would fit into their situations perfectly, giving them a boost and playoff experience as well. He can DH, and still play well in RF. 

We've talked a lot about moneyball and when it will be implemented — but the thing is, I think it already has. Alderson used small money in a big market to acquire the likes of Chris Capuano, DJ Carrasco, and Justin Turner. His young players have stepped up — Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, Daniel Murphy, and Jason Pridie. This is exactly what we've wanted to see out of the Mets for a long time — small players with small contracts making a big impact. Kids from our farm system getting the call-up and proving something. Kids like Turner and Gee have that fire and tenacity that we haven't seen in the Mets since 2006. They have something to fight for, not to be paid for. Why try to buy, and add to payroll, when we can walk into next March with more young talent from our minor leagues auditioning for a chance to do the same — to prove they can create a spark, light up the fire and create a little magic? Should we worry about putting people in the seats, or winning games? If big name players like Prince Fielder are what it takes then I don't want to see them win — I'd rather see them struggle to put fans in the seats with a team of no-names who improve each and every year, building chemistry and all fighting for the same thing regardless of their payroll. Those fans that stick around will be the true die-hard fans, not the bandwagoners who suddenly love us because we paid $18M on one free agent. One month we talk about rebuilding, the next we talk about adding to what we have. We talk about what will make the roster better in the future, although that in no way includes Beltran and Rodriguez. They are not a part of our future. So let's stop flip flopping between Buy and Sell each year, and settle on sell. Let's have a clearance sale, and build for the future. The small man has helped us this year — please, don't turn your backs on them. 

New York Mets @ Detroit Tigers
	Comerica Park

Scouting Report:

METS: Dickey was fantastic in his last outing, striking out nine against the A's without giving up a walk. He allowed one run in eight innings, pushing his ERA to 2.23 in his past seven starts. He is 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 13 appearances against Detroit.

TIGERS: Porcello grew up a Mets fan — even though he went to a lot of Yankees games with his dad — so he'll see some familiar uniforms at the plate as he looks to break a three-game winless streak in which hitters are batting .365.

Scouting Report:

METS: Capuano remains in line to make his next start despite leaving his last one after six innings with cramps in his right side. Barring a setback, Capuano will take the mound against a Tigers team he has faced just once in his career, back in 2006.

TIGERS: Coke is winless in 11 starts since April 14, and his frustration is building after blowing a four-run lead in a no-decision Friday against Arizona without allowing an extra-base hit. He said afterward he was "ashamed."

Scouting Report:

METS: A three-run Rangers rally in the first inning last Friday sunk Pelfrey, who allowed 10 hits and broke his string of three consecutive quality starts. He'll head back to a pitcher's park to face the Tigers, a team he has never pitched against.

TIGERS: Verlander has had dominant stretches in past years, but nothing like this. He's 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA in his last six starts, and 8-0 with a 1.56 ERA in his last 10. Those last six starts include just 26 hits over 49 2/3 innings.

Team Leaders

Mets Injury Report

———

Tigers Injury Report

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