The Very Late Recap: April 15, 2009

Studious Metsimus hasn't been around too long, so unfortunately, there have been games that could not be recapped for this site. We are doing our best to provide thorough Mets coverage for our SMFs. Therefore, we will take advantage of today's off-day in the Mets' schedule and present you with the recap of the April 15 victory over the Padres. It will be written as if the game was just played tonight. Enjoy!

The Mets played their second game at Citi Field tonight, after dropping the home opener two nights ago by the score of 6-5. Tonight's result was far better than Monday's, as the Mets showed why they are one of the best hitting teams in baseball with excellent starting pitching to boot!

Oliver Perez showed why he was worth his three-year, $36 million deal by shutting down the Padres in his six innings of work, giving up only one run and three hits, while walking only two and striking out four. He needed only 90 pitches to get through his night, showing how far he's come as a pitcher. Who needs Derek Lowe when the Mets can send out Ollie every fifth day?

The big four of Reyes, Beltran, Delgado and Wright all contributed to the offensive explosion. The always-healthy foursome combined to reach base nine times (five hits, four walks) and gave the Padres all sorts of problems.

The scoring began in the fourth inning when the Mets loaded the bases with no outs for Beltran, who proceeded to line an RBI single to plate the first run and keep the bases loaded for Gary Sheffield. Sheff grounded into a double play, which scored the second run of the inning. Brian Schneider ended the inning with a weak groundout to the pitcher. Although the Mets did not do more damage after loading the bases with no outs, this should not be the norm in 2009, as this lineup will produce many crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

The Padres scored a run against Perez in the fifth inning, but Ollie was able to use his newfound maturity on the mound to get out of the inning without any other runs scoring.

The Mets still had their 2-1 lead when Bobby Parnell took over for Perez in the seventh inning. Parnell looked like the real deal by pitching a 1-2-3 inning. It appears he will be a force on the Mets' staff for many years to come.

Seven was indeed the lucky number for the Mets as they added two more runs in the seventh inning. The key moment of the inning came when Jose Reyes used his speed to manufacture a run. With Reyes on first and Castillo on third, Reyes showed why he will be one of the top basestealers again in 2009. He stole second on a ball that got away from catcher Nick Hundley. When Hundley threw the ball away trying to unsuccesfully throw out Castillo at the plate, Reyes raced all the way around the bases to score the second run of the play. The two-run passed ball/error gave the Mets a commanding 6-1 lead, but they were not done yet.

J.J. Putz continued to dazzle for the Mets by pitching a scoreless eighth inning. The acquisition of Putz continues to prove the genius of Omar Minaya, who took a chance on the reliever who was injured in 2008, but is now paying great dividends for the Mets in their restructured bullpen.

The final blow was added by Carlos Delgado in the bottom of the eighth inning. He launched a long solo home run into the Pepsi Porch to give the Mets a 7-1 lead. In the last year of his contract, Delgado is poised for a big year, as the 500 home run mark is also within his reach. Fans should flock to the Pepsi Porch all year whenever Delgado comes up to bat as he will most likely deposit many home runs there.

After Sean Green got out of the ninth inning, giving up a meaningless run, the Mets left with their first victory at Citi Field, a 7-2 decision over the San Diego Padres. With more games like tonight, the Mets should have plenty of these wins at home.

With the win, the Mets improved to 4-4 on the season. They remain in fourth place for the time being, but do not expect them to stay there very long.

The combination of outstanding pitching by Oliver Perez and the hitters' ability to score early and often will keep the Mets in contention for a division title and supremacy in the National League. The one-two lefty punch of Santana and Perez will make the Phillies cower in the batter's box, especially when they face them down the stretch in September.

Ah, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, it's only April, but fear not, Mets fans. The best is surely yet to come!

...And The Winner Is: STUDIOUS METSIMUS

There you have it! It's a new era in Mets blogging, as Studious Metsimus has arrived! A new name, a new look, a new banner (...and what a gorgeous banner it is! I needed something that beautiful SOONER than later!)

This site has changed its name more times than Prince. We used to be known as "Zombies and Comics and Bears...Oh My!", then came "It's A Mets Mets Mets Mets World", followed by fifteen minutes of another name that I will not write here because silly me didn't notice that someone else already had that name.

However, I had brains on my mind and "Ed's Smart-Ass Mets Site" wasn't very kid-friendly, so I was thinking for a moment while watching the Mets game. I felt an itch on my brain so I decided to scratch my gluteus maximus.

That's when the cartoon lightbulb appeared over my head. I shut it off quickly because it wasn't a fluorescent bulb and I need to conserve energy. Going green is cool unless if you're Sean "No Neck" Green.

Before I shut off the light, I took my crayons and scribbled out the new name of the site. No, I did not choose Gluteus Maximus. Behold its rhyming cousin, STUDIOUS METSIMUS!

Studious Metsimus will be your new home for smart Mets commentary and silly little blogs. From game recaps to Joey's musings to the "I Hate Joe Orsulak" feature (I'm sure you can't wait to find out what that's all about. So do I! I haven't written one yet!), this will be your place when you want something a little different with your Mets fix!

Relax, have an adult beverage (I'm not talking about Metamucil, although that name would be appropriate for this site, wouldn't it?) and enjoy the blogs! I'll do my best to make sure you won't be disappointed. Thanks for visiting and LET'S GO METS!!

Injured Player of The Week Award: Week of 8/1-8/7

The ZCB Injured Player of The Week Award could go to any number of candidates. As usual, there was no shortage of injuries over the past seven days. Let's take a look at this week's nominations:

Luis Castillo: After grounding out on August 4, he took a stumble down the dugout steps, injuring his leg. He has not played since he became acquainted with the dugout floor.

Jonathon Niese: He covered first base awkwardly during a failed attempt to complete a double play on August 5. After throwing his first warmup pitch to test his leg, he collapsed in a heap on the mound. Niese had to be helped off the field and will now miss the rest of the season after suffering a complete tear of his upper right hamstring tendon.

Gary Sheffield: Sheffield hit a line drive off the left field wall at Citi Field on August 5. What appeared to be an easy double turned into a painful single, as Sheffield aggravated the hamstring injury that put him on the 15-day DL in July. Although he has been able to take batting practice, he has not started a game since Wednesday.

So who wins this week's award? Although Luis Castillo's injury gave him a pretty cool nickname (Luis "I now use two hands, but not on the handrail" Castillo), this week's award goes to...

SEAN "NO NECK" GREEN!

In a shocking upset, Sean Green is the recipient of the IPW award. He came into the game on August 4 in the tenth inning. The game was tied 7-7, with the bases loaded and two men out. Mark DeRosa was Green's first batter as Albert PooHoles salivated on deck. One pitch later, DeRosa went ouchie as Green forced in the go-ahead run with a hit batsman. With the bases still loaded, Green was left in the game to pitch to PooHoles, who feasted on an 0-2 pitch by launching it into the left field seats for a grand slam. Green did not watch the pitch leave the ballpark as he has no neck.

Green then forgot about his secret identity as the masked adventurer, Captain Obvious, when he offered this quip to reporters after the game:

"That's not how I had it planned out."

For his achievements in giving Mark DeRosa a boo boo, giving Mets fans a brain cramp and inadvertently revealing his secret identity to the world, ZCB presents Sean Green with the Injured Player of The Week Award. He may not be physically injured right now, but he should be.