Mets vs.Yankees @ Yankee Stadium, Subway Series II

Game 1: As soon as Derek Jeter deposited a Pedro Martinez offering over the center field wall, chants of "Who's Your Daddy?," began to erupt in Yankee Stadium. Well, after the final result, it sure isn't the Yankees. In Pedro's second start of the season vs. the Yanks, he once again dominated the potent Yankee offense. Through strikeouts and weak grounders, only Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter seemed to get good wood off of the future hall of famer. In a game filled with solid fundamentals, the Mets showed that they too could compete with the cross town rivals. Carlos Beltran once again showed in the field why he is considered one of the best outfielders in the game. On a deep drive to center field, Beltran leaped onto the outfield fence and took away a crucial hit from the New York Yankees. Bernie Williams, on the other hand, is much to blame for the Yankees' defensive lapses as he failed to execute simple fundamentals in the field. Defensive heroics from Cliff Floyd and others also allowed the Mets to pull out a big
win in the series opener. Final Score: Mets 6, Yankees 4. Record: 36-37

Game 2: With a hall of fame pitcher on the mound for a second straight day, Tom Glavine and the Mets looked to take another game from the New York Yankees. Although not especially dominant, Glavine did pitch effectively and walked away with a win under his belt. He received much help from the Mets offense as Beltran collected a key hit to score a run and David Wright chipped in with his eleventh home run of the season. However, it was the Mets first half offensive MVP with yet another big game. Cliff Floyd, who has carried the Met offense for much of the season, hit an absolute bomb to the upper deck in right field with two outs in the first inning. He hit his second home run of the day, and 20th of the season, in the fifth inning. Furthermore, the Met defense once again came through with defensive gems from Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes. All in all, this was probably the most complete win for the Mets all season. Bring on the Unit. Mets 10, Yankees 3. Record: 37-37

Game 3: Although not backed with a great track record, the Mets certainly liked their chances of a Subway Series sweep with Kris Benson opposing Randy Johnson in the final game of the series. With Randy Johnson pitching a dominant game in the series finale, Benson also put some zeroes on the board to keep the Mets in the game. Putting pressure on the Yankee defense in the seventh inning, Jose Reyes and the Mets plated three runs in the inning to take the lead. They also received stellar defense for the third straight game as Marlon Anderson chose this game to perform some spectacular heroics. However, even with their three run lead, the Mets let the Yankees creep back into the game heading into the ninth inning. Following an effective relief appearance from Roberto Hernandez, the Mets held a one run lead and needed three more outs to sweep the Yankees in their own home. However, it was not meant to be as Met close Braden Looper failed to get an out in the ninth inning. Jason Giambi singled to center field with the bases loaded to score 2 runs for the Yankees and just like that the Mets chances for a series sweep were washed away. However, they won yet another series and played 26 innings of great baseball to close out the yearly rivalry between the Mets and Yankees. Final Score: Mets 4, Yankees 5. Record: 37-38

Series analysis: The Mets managed to get back on the right track and played spectular baseball throughout the entire series. Although they did win the series, they fell below .500 once again as the rest of their own division keeps on pushing towards the top of the standings. The impressive outing by the Mets could propel them into winning baseball, but the heartbreaking loss in the series finale could also drain them of that possible energy. They continue to man last place in the NL East and any hope they might have had to make some moves at the trading deadline might be fading. However, if they can just hang around until the All Star break, the first half may still be considered a success.

Mets vs. Angels @ Shea Stadium, Game , 2005

In the great words of Vin Scully, "I Can't believe what I just saw!!!" These were the exact words running through the heads of many as Cliff Floyd blasted a three-run home run to beat the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday Night. The game itself was perhaps the most exiting win for the Mets all season. It seemed to build up all of the Mets recent failures and with one swing of the bat a big sigh of relief could be heard around Queens.

Kris Benson earned his paycheck once again as he held the Angels to 2 runs over 7 innings. With Much thanks to Carlos Beltran, he was able to throw yet another quality start. With 2 outs in the seventh inning, Jose Molina hit a high fly ball 410 feet to center field. Were it not for the defensive heroices of Beltran, who scaled over the wall to rob a home run, the Mets probably would not have won this game. Following the seventh, the Mets could not push any runs across the plate. However, that all changed heading into the ninth inning. With one man out and a 3-1 count, Marlon Anderson looked for a pitch he could drive. Well, as fate would have it, he did that and then some. After a 3-1 offering from Angels closer "K-Rod," Anderson hit a sharp line drive to deep right center field. Angel center fielder, Steve Finley, misplayed the ball and then kicked it about 90 feet towards the right field line. Anderson never stopped running and even managed to blow a bubble while rounding second base. As Finley chased down the baseball in right field, Anderson headed towards third and was waved home by the third base coach. In perhaps the most exciting play in baseball, the cutoff throw by Adam Kennedy was a half-second too late as Marlon Anderson slid in under the tag for the game-tying inside the park home-run.

Although he would receieve some stitches for his heroics, Marlon Anderson would be a big piece of the Mets win on this saturday night. Heading into the 10th inning, the Met defense would elude them once again as Doug Mientkiewicz botched a grounder that would have ended the inning. The Angels would take the lead and it seemed as if the Mets would take yet another tough loss. Leading off the bottom of the tenth, Jose Reyes and Mike Cameron both managed to reach base safely. With the tying run in scoring position, things were looking up for the Mets. However, Carlos Beltran and Mike Piazza both struck out and the Mets were almost surely on their way to a fourth straight defeat. As Cliff Floyd stepped into the batters box, he fought off pitch after pitch until Brendan Donnelly had nothing else to offer. On a 3-2 offering, Floyd drilled the baseball deep down the right field line. Foul Ball. Once again, Met fans had been teased by the baseball gods, or so it seemed. On the very next offering, Floyd crushed a home-run to deep right center field and just like that the Mets had pulled off their first win when trailing after 8 innings, and what a way to do it. Floyd never quit and hit the ball deep into the New York Night. The Mets can breath again. Final score: Mets 5, Angels 3. Record: 32-30

Game Analysis:
After enduring a tough three game loss, this walk-off win was a good way for the Mets to forget their recent failures. However, only time will tell if these apparent big hits will ultimately light a fuse under the Met offense. The win was a big confidence booster and Floyd managed to take a few of his teammates off of the hook. Heading into the rubber game of the series, the Mets will have to hope for a big game from Pedro Martinez and their own offense. Seeing as how the wrong teams have heated up in the NL East, the Mets will have to get things rolling pretty soon or they might find themselves out of it before the All-Star Break.

Mets vs. Giants @ Shea Stadium, Game 55, 2005

As of late, I've refused to write any blogs seeing as how the Mets have been on a minor hot streak. So, I did not acknowledge the heroics of Pedro Martinez (and the sprinkler system), Mike Cameron's defense, and the Mets amazin' starting pitching. These facets of their game, and then some, have added to the overall positive attitude surrounding the Mets these days. They aren't at the top of the standings, but they are close, and with a little help from luck itself, they could find themselves pulling away from the competition if they heat up during the dog days of summer.

Following a win over the Diamondbacks, the Mets looked to win yet another series and they were up against the struggling San Francisco Giants. Tom Glavine dominated once again for seven-plus innings. His only tarnish on the day was a high fastball that Moises Alou sent over the left field fence. Aside from Glavine, the Mets also got some help from another struggling superstar. Mike Piazza delivered another big game as he collected 3 hits and 3 rbi to accompany them. Even the role players were contributing to the win and Chris Woodward found the winning contagious as he flashed some leather on the field. All in all, the Mets had taken another one at Shea and prepared themselves for a double-header on Sunday afternoon. Final score: Mets 5, Giants 1. Record: 29-26