BY DAVID LENNON
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Forget the Rally Monkey. The Mets now have Rally Manuel.
Left for dead so many times in the late innings this season, the Mets tied the score off one of the game's most dominant closers, Francisco Rodriguez, in the ninth on David Wright's two-out single. In the 10th inning, Damion Easley's two-out homer off Justin Speier in the 10th delivered the improbable 5-4 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night.
“It was great for us,” Easley said. “We showed some resiliency and hopefully it will kick-start us. I really don’t think we’ve been playing that bad. We’ve had some bad breaks. We just need to keep going, stay focused and good things will happen.”
Two games into the Jerry Manuel Era, the Mets faced long odds in the ninth. Rodriguez was riding a club-record streak of 25 consecutive saves and the Mets, well, comebacks have not been their specialty this season. They were 3-23 in games they had trailed after six innings.
But Jose Reyes, who already had scored twice, reached on a one-out single and took second on a wild pitch. Rodriguez whiffed Fernando Tatis, but Wright, with a 2-and-1 count, golfed a nasty slider into leftfield for the tying single.
“Everybody in here really loves and respects Willie,” Wright said of his former manager Willie Randolph, who was fired late Monday night. “That being said, we have to move on if we’re going to make the playoffs and Jerry is extremely capable.
“As much as I hate to say it, I hope what transpired the past couple of days is a wakeup call for everybody to get their stuff together and get going.”
Wright’s tying single then set the stage for Easley, who started in place of Luis Castillo at second base, and he crushed only his second home run this season over the leftfield wall.
“We have to play all nine innings,” said Reyes, who scored six runs during the three-game series in Anaheim. “That’s why we won tonight.”
Duaner Sanchez (3-0) got the victory and Billy Wagner pitched a scoreless 10th to get the save. The Mets have won four of six, inched closer to .500 (34-36) and moved to within 5½ games of the first-place Phillies in the NL East. The Mets also improved to 6-2 against the American League after winning their second straight series.
It was the first victory for Manuel as manager of the Mets, who lost 6-1 on Tuesday, and his first win as a manager since Sept. 28, 2003 when he held the same job with the White Sox. Wednesday night’s victory was No. 501 of his career.
“This is something I’ve probably been waiting for a long time,” Manuel said. “To come here and win this game against this type of team, in the way in which we did it, was very impressive.”
Earlier, Oliver Perez (5-5) retired 10 of the first 13 batters he faced and the Mets built a 3-0 lead before it all came crumbling down. Reyes, pulled from Tuesday's game with a tight left hamstring, scored the first two runs and Carlos Delgado swatted his 10th home run.
Reyes, who went 3-for-5, has scored 16 runs in the Mets’ last eight wins. After his leadoff infield single on Wednesday, Manuel climbed to the top step of the dugout and jokingly yelled out, “Are you all right?” It was in reference to pulling him from Tuesday’s game with the hamstring issue.
“He’s a tremendous talent,” Manuel said. “I think he’s got to take his rightful place as one of the top shortstops in the division. Hopefully he can challenge that energy in the right direction and help us win ballgames.”
Staked to a 3-0 lead, Perez allowed Jeff Mathis' two-out RBI-single in the fourth inning and the Angels scored three more runs in the fifth -- on four singles and a walk.
Manuel suggested that he would tinker with the lineup more than his predecessor and he did before Wednesday night's game when he switched Delgado to DH and moved Marlon Anderson over to first base. Delgado hit a solo homer in the fourth.
Delgado's blast, his second in four games, put the Mets ahead 3-0. But danger is always lurking around the corner for Perez, and when asked Wednesday about the erratic lefthander, Manuel said he would be jittery watching for the first time as the manager.
"I will have one foot on the top of the dugout when he warms up," Manuel joked. "As soon as he throws his first pitch, I'll be like, 'Hey, you all right?"'
Vladimir Guerrero had a two-run single and Torii Hunter put Anaheim ahead, 4-3, with a base hit in the fifth off Perez. But the Mets got lucky when the Angels ran themselves out of the inning with a strange double play. Wright cut down Guerrero at the plate on a grounder and catcher Ramon Castro then got Hunter caught in a rundown for the third out.
Reyes tortured Angels starter Jon Garland in his first two at-bats, reachng on an infield single in the first and hitting a triple in the third.
Manuel wants to give Reyes more rest in the coming months, but as Randolph realized, that's easier said than done. Reyes may get tired, but even at half-speed, he's the best the Mets have from the leadoff spot.
"Jose Reyes plays with the pedal on full throttle every day," Manuel said before Wednesday night's game. "I don't know how he doesn't' run out of gas earlier. We're going to have to keep him fresh. If you remember back in spring training, at least to me, when Jose Reyes came into spring training the first days, wow, he was just faster than everybody. Now everything has kind of come back to normal."
"Now we've got to get him to where he's still that guy that's a little faster, a little quicker. He's going to have to rest whether he likes it or not."
Comments (17)
Fair is fair....That was a nice win......With that said the MEts need to show 3 weeks of good ball before ANYONE gets on their bandwagon!
Two winning series is a good start....They started playing this way for Willy for the record!
Since the Mets won and I can't criticize and insult them like I usually do, I guess I have to act like a real fan for once.
If I were a real fan, I wouldn't have gotten off their bandwagon in the first place.
To the TROLL that keeps using my sign on...Thank you ... Keep getting the word out brother....FIRE OMAR TODAY !!!
**A true fan does not sit on his or her hands when things are going wrong. A true fan does not mind losing or bad streaks...Yet when the TOP of your organization is ruining your team and embarassing thefans...HE SPEAKS UP!
p.s GET A LIFE !!
I'M REALLY UPSET RIGHT NOW AND LOVE USING CAPITAL LETTERS TO MAKE A POINT.
don't tell me this is becoming like the Islander blog...
No doubt Fire Omar is a true fan. But I've listened to you moan forever and have never heard who you think should take over as GM and what moves he should make. Its easy to sit back and criticize and say Fire Omar but the complicated part is picking a replacement GM who will do a better job. For instance, replacing Delgado, trading for Nady, replacing Pelfrey with Vargas, convincing a soon to be fired Cashman to switch boroughs. . .
Dearest Fire Omar, This sick Troll immitator has to be an inside Troll job, someone that you probably argue with alot, which makes this case a tiugh one to troll crack. We are exploring all possibilities in the Troll Cave.....Knicks4Life does not compute...Beep Bepp shut down sequence complete. WILL MEET IN 48 HOURS.
When my parents gave me my name, they made sure I always remembered THREE words...."Pass the Bags".
You want a replacement??? How about Theo Epstein who has built the model franchise of the century in Boston?
Sorry I speak my mind Knick4life....Maybe if you spoke up like I am trying the Knicks would not be the worst franchise in sports and embarass you nightly...Do you sit on your hands about them? Do you like Dolan and what he has done? Do you like watching the Celtcis in parades???
I have been complaining since Game One on Omar....Never trusted him from DAY ONE !!! He lies....He makes up promises...He has made US FANS suffer along with the franchise. Every paper in Amercia is now what printing what I have been saying since GAME ONE !
HE needs to go. He has no class. HE has no clue. He doesn't have the book keeper, he's got nothinggggggggg! (Movie line)
I guess forgotten in all this is the Willie's paranoid delusion of an article in which he decided his poor MGMT was truly a racially motivated instigation by Mets mgmt. How quicky the press forgets, let's add that to Willie's now sympathic take that he deserved better. What he truly desreved was to be fired imeediately after he made that BIG press BLUNDER with the racial angle. When that happened I wonder how many of his players were scratching their heads wondering? Let's now forget all the SERIES in which the MEts were swept by last place clubs, or DIvision rivals, SWEEPS, not 2 0ut of 3 or 3 out of 4, but 3 and 4 game sweeps. Go back to last Sept and find two seeps by Phils with a total of 8 in a row and Willie sitting back with his feet up saying not to worry we will tomorrow and then losing to Wash and Fl and running out of tomorrows. These are the FACTS that need to be remembered. If anything Willie was given way more chances then he truly deserved.
It is now obvious why Willie was such a POOR leader. It is now clear that he was creating a huge DISTRACTION for this locker room. It shows in his never ending need to keep the STORY alive even when he is gone. Imagine to now want to throw Manuel under the bus with Willie's take that Jerry as after his job. I will say it again Willie's tenure ended in Yankee Stadium the moment Delgado's ball hit the foul pole and Willie choose not to get ejected. Manuel became the MGR that moment with his ejection. It was painfully obvious that there was someone who was willing to go to war for his players and that GUY was not WIllie. The racial comment only added fuel to the fire and certainly the collective locker room must have been scratching their heads when Willie went off in the paper with the Racial tone. It would seem that the Wilpon's did not want to feed Willie's paranoia and fire him that dreadful Monday, when the mistake of keeping him was made. This story is OVER and Willie should ride into the sunset, collect his money and STAY away from the MEDIA and TALK radio, but he won't, he will continue to seek out attention for as long as the press feeds into his needs. Maybe the Media will take notice and move on themselves, only time will tell.
T Roll was that an attempt at humor . . .
@ Fire Omar: I speak up about the Knicks all the time but this is not the blog to do that. Theo Epstein retired.
What are you talking about Theo is retired??? My God are you LOST !!!
Anyone else think that the 5 Ways To Save the Mets article is horrible ????????????
So bad!
Real 5 Ways to Save The Mets:
1) Get a TRUE utility infielder!
2) Add an arm to the Bullpen
3) Dump Delgado and try and get a young atheletic 1st baseman!
4) Add a TRUE CLUTCH player to the team...Does not have to be an all star, but someone that can step up in the clutch!
5) FIRE OMAR ! :) :) :)
**Long term...Build up the farm....Get younger....Add arms...All about PITCHING PITCHING PITCHING PITCHING and CLUTCH hitting! !!!
Why fire OMAR?
His trades have brought Duaner Sanchez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, EL-Duque, For pretty much nothing.
He has been able to sign pedro, beltran.
He skipped on overpaying Zito.
None of the young players he has traded have turned into anything.
His big mistake is he hasn't realized that all the players of the past 15 years played well into their 30's becuase of roids. The average player starts declining after 30.
STOP GETTNG OLD GUYS OMAR!!
Otherwise he has done o.k. since he got here.
By the way, I love the fact that my hockey team signed a goalie who gets annual hip surgery to a lifetime contract. I also LOVE to use CAPS to MAKE things STAND out.