On the Mets beat

Good evening everyone! Marc will be with you as the red-hot Mets continue their four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Oliver Perez will be on the hill for the Mets (52-45), who had won 10 straight games before Friday’s 10-8 loss to the Reds (47-51). Perez (6-5, 4.44 ERA), who has a 0.90 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 20 innings over his last three starts, allowed a run on two hits and six walks while striking out seven in six innings in his last start, but he received a no-decision in a 2-1 win over Colorado on July 11. Josh Fogg (1-2, 7.94), will be going for the Reds. He too didn’t factor into the decision during his last start on July 11 when he surrendered three runs on one hit in 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win over Washington.

Will be back after the Mets bat.

Top 1st: Wright smacked a two-out double and came around to score on an error. Beltran grounded to first and Fogg mishandled the feed from Votto. Mets 1, Reds 0.

Bottom 1st: Perez had a nice inning. His only blemish was a one-out single to Keppinger, who apparently kills lefties according to JC.

Top 2nd: Delgado had a leadoff single, but that was as far as he got as Tatis popped out and Schneider grounded into an inning-ending double play. Though, it should be noted, Delgado didn’t try hard enough to prevent the dp. He could have ran over Phillips.

Bottom 2nd: Another solid inning for Perez, who again allowed a one-out single. This time it was to Encarnacion.

Top 3rd: The Mets go down in order. Perez, Reyes, who popped out yet again, and Chavez get nothing.

Bottom 3rd: Griffey’s RBI double tied the game. Perez allowed a leadoff single to the pitcher, Fogg. He got Jay Bruce to line out to Chavez, who made a nice diving catch, before Griffey came up two batters later. Mets 1, Reds 1.

Top 4th: Wright belted a leadoff homer to give the Mets the lead. He has 19 homers and 75 RBIs. Delgado singled two batters later before Tatis hit into a fielder’s choice. Mets 2, Reds 1.

Bottom 4th: Perez walked the first two batters in the inning before allowing an RBI single to Votto. Three batters later, Tatis made a heck of a play on a sliding catch on a ball hit by Bruce, but the third base umpire thought it was a trap. Though it didn't hurt the Mets as Bruce flied out anyhow. Mets 2, Reds 2.

Top 5th: Following a fly out by Schneider, Perez connected on his first extra base hit on his 282nd at-bat. Reyes followed with an infield single, but Chavez grounded into a rally-killing, inning-ending double play.

Bottom 5th: A five-pitch inning for Perez!

Top 6th: The Mets wasted an opportunity to retake the lead. Wright and Beltran singled to start the inning, but Easley grounded into a dp and Tatis fanned after Delgado was intentionally walked.

Bottom 6th: The Reds take the lead for the first time. Perez walked Encarncion, uncorked a wild pitch and served up a RBI single to Ross. Reds 3, Mets 2.

Top 7th: Once again, the Mets blew an opportunity to score. They had the bases loaded with one out, but Wright and Beltran struck out looking on a 3-2 pitches. Go figure.

Bottom 7th: Ugly inning for the Mets as the Red scored four runs to blow this game open. Feliciano started the inning, but he was ineffective to say the least. Bruce led off with a base hit, Keppingler doubled to Beltran, who literally booted the ball as Bruce came around to score. After a ground out by Griffey, Phillips was intentionally walked and Dunn followed with an RBI single. Heilman came in to stop the bleeding, but he served up a two-run triple to Votto. Tatis made a poor attempt at a diving catch. Reds 7, Mets 2.

Top 8th: Easley, Delgado and Tatis are set down in order by former Met David Weathers.

Bottom 8th: Carlos Muniz pitches a hitless inning.

Top 9th: The Mets go down 1-2-3. Sloppy game, the Mets should have played better. Final: Reds 7, Mets 2.

Hey everyone! Katie here blogging tonight. First-place Mets take on the Reds in the second game of a four-game series. John Maine (8-6, 3.99) will try and keep his pitch count under control and give the Mets some longevity tonight. He'll face Bronson Arroyo (7-7, 5.97) for the Reds. Be back after the top of the first.

Top 1st
Three outs on six pitches for Arroyo.
0-0

Bottom 1st
Bruce leads off with a single to left. He'll move to second on a wild pitch from Maine. One out and Maine strikes out KGJ with a 94 mph fastball. Phillips leaves RISP stranded with a fly out to Anderson.
0-0

Top 2nd
One away and Phillips makes a great jump to snag Easley's soft line drive. Delgado grounds out for another Arroyo 1-2-3 inning.
0-0

Bottom 2nd
Maine gets a 1-2-3 of his own. At 33 pitches after two...
0-0

Top 3rd
Tatis tries to stretch a single but get called out at second. Maine goes down swinging for the ninth consecutive batter retired by Arroyo.
0-0

Bottom 3rd
Two outs and Bruce's fly ball actually carries for a solo shot to put the Reds on the board.
1-0 Cin

Top 4th
One away and Anderson doubles to right center. Wright walks to put two on, and Beltran rips a double to right to even the score. Easley grounds out, but Wright scores to take the lead.
2-1 NY

Bottom 4th
Maine gives up a walk to KGJ, and then responds with a K on Phillips. One more walk, and Maine gets a visit from Warthen. Maine works around the BB's though and induces a Encarnacion DP.
2-1 NY

Top 5th
Mets go down in order.
2-1 NY

Bottom 5th
One away and Maine gives up a single to Bako. Maine can't handle Arroyo's sac bunt for the double play, and Bako advances to second. Two on and two outs, and Wright can't make a play on Keppinger's high chopper. Bases loaded with two down, and Maine walks Griffey to give up the tying run. Delgado can't get after Phillips' bloop single, and the Reds etch out two more. Maine hits Encarnacion with a pitch to force home another run, and Maine is out. Over 30 pitches that inning. So much for efficiency. Schoeneweis in and strands three.
5-2 Cin

Top 6th
Three up, three down as Arroyo retires his eighth straight on seven pitches.
5-2 Cin

Bottom 6th
Bako goes down swinging and Schoeneweis walks Arroyo. Two out and Bruce is picked off 1-3-6.
5-2 Cin

Top 7th
Beltran rips a triple down the right line. Easley chases one for another Arroyo strikeout. Delgado gets nailed in the belt to get to first. One out and runners at the corners and the Reds double up the Mets before they get a chance to chip away.
5-2 Cin

Bottom 7th
One down and Griffey singles on a line to right. Two on and two outs, and Smith gives up a walk to load the bases, but he gets out of a jam after Votto flies out to center.
5-2 Cin

Top 8th
Phillips robs A. Reyes of a base hit, and Arroyo notches yet another 1-2-3 inning. Looking good through eight....
5-2 Cin

Bottom 8th
Bako walks, and Heilman fans Bruce for the second out. Keppinger lines out for No. 3. and the Mets get one last shot.
5-2 Cin

Top 9th
One away and Beltran gets doubled up to snap the Mets' winning streal.
5-2 Final

Adam Ronis is your moderator for tonight's game as the Mets go for 10 straight wins. With the Phillies idle, the Mets can also move into a tie for first place in the NL East with the Phillies. Johan Santana (8-7, 2.84 ERA) faces Johnny Cueto (7-9, 4.67 ERA). Cueto has allowed 12 of his 20 home runs at home.

Bottom 9: Billy Wagner now pitching. Encarnacion pops up. Votto grounds to third. Ross bunts and Wright throws him out. The Mets win 10 straight for the first time since 1991 and are tied with the Phillies for first place. Mets win, 10-8.

Top 9: Francisco Cordero in for the save. Reyes strikes out swinging at a splitter way outside. A. Reyes singles to center. Wright hits a two-run homer to rightfield to tie the score at 8. It is his 18th homer. Beltran singles to right. Easley singles to right with Beltran running on the pitch sending Beltran to third. Delgado singles to left. Beltran scores and Easley goes to third. Tatis hits an RBI double. Cordero is removed for Bray. Castro pinch hits for Schneider and strikes out looking. Evans grounds back to the pitcher. Mets 10, Reds 8

Bottom 8: Duaner Sanchez now pitching. Keppinger lines to third. Griffey doubles. Phillips pops up to second. Dunn strikes out. Reds 8, Mets 6

Top 8: David Weathers now pitching. Easley reaches on an infield single and goes to second on a throwing error by Phillips. Delgado strikes out. Tatis walks. Schneider strikes out looking. Evans grounds into a fielder's choice. Reds 8, Mets 6

Bottom 7: Heilman now pitching. Phillips grounds out to short. Dunn grounds out to second. Encarnacion doubles down the leftfield line. Votto is intentionally walked. Ross walks to load the bases. Scott Schoenweis replaces Heilman. Javier Valentin pinch hits and hits a three-run double to give the Reds the lead. Bruce strikes out. Reds 8, Mets 6

Top 7: Mike Lincoln now pitching for the Reds. Reyes grounds out. Marlon Anderson pinch hits and singles to left. Wright flies to right. Beltran grounds to second. Mets 6, Reds 5

Bottom 6:Ross strikes out looking. Andy Phillips pinch hits and singles up the middle. Pedro Feliciano comes into pitch. Bruce strikes out. Keppinger singles up the middle. Griffey flies to center. Mets 6, Reds 5

Top 6: Easley pops up to third. Delgado singles to right. Tatis hit a two-run homer. Cueto is out. Affeldt is in. Schneider lines out to first. Evans strikes out. Reds 5, Mets 4

Bottom 5: Carlos Muniz replaces Santana. Phillips singles to center. Dunn lines out to left. Phillips goes to second on an errant throw by Muniz to first base. Encarnacion grounds to short and Phillips gets tagged out in a run down. Votto strikes out. Reds 5, Mets 4

Top 5: Schneider walks on four pitches. Nick Evans pinch hits for Santana and singles to center. Reyes pops up to left. Chavez grounds out to first, advancing the runners. Wright hits a two-run single to left. Beltran fouls out to third. Reds 5, Mets 4

Bottom 4: Phillips pops up to second. Dunn hits a solo homer to right, his 27th of the season. Encarnacion hits a solo homer to left. Votto singles. Ross walks. Cueto bunts to Santana, who gets the force at third for the second out. Bruce lines a shot to rightfield for an RBI double. Keppinger hits a two-run triple. Griffey flies to right. Reds 5, Mets 2

Top 4: Wright pops up to second base. Beltran walks. Easley grounds out. Delgado hits a blast to rightfield, his 18th of the season, on a 3-and-1 pitch for a two-run homer. Tatis strikes out. Mets 2, Reds 0

Bottom 3: Bruce flies to center. Keppinger flies to center. Griffey lines to second. A much needed 1-2-3 inning for Santana. Mets 0, Reds 0

Top 3: Santana flies out to right. Reyes pops up to left. Chavez grounds out to first. Do the Mets like Santana? Mets 0, Reds 0

Bottom 2: Phillips flied out to right. Dunn walked. Encarnacion bloops a single to shallow center. Votto strikes out. Ross walks on Santana's 30th pitch of the inning. Cueto grounds out to first. Even though the Reds don't score, this was an awful inning that could have an impact later in the game. Santana threw 34 pitches. Mets 0, Reds 0

Top 2: Beltran strikes out. Easley strikes out. That's five outs, five strikeouts. Delgado walks on four pitches. Tatis singles to center, sending Delgado to third. Schneider flies to center. At least they finally made contact. Mets 0, Reds 0

Bottom 1: Bruce strikes out swinging. Keppinger lines out to left. Griffey Jr. grounds out to short. Strong start for Santana. Mets 0, Reds 0

Top 1: Reyes strikes out swinging. Chavez strikes out. Wright strikes out. Cueto looked great. He got ahead of the count, threw strikes that weren't hittable and cruised threw the inning. Johan Santana must be on the mound with that offensive effort. Oh wait, he is. Mets 0, Reds 0

Good evening everyone. Marc will be with you again tonight as the Mets (50-44) are trying to sweep the Colorado Rockies (39-56) and win their ninth straight game. Mike Pelfrey (7-6, 3.93 ERA), who out-pitched Giants ace Tim Lincecum on Tuesday by scattering three hits with five strikeouts in seven innings, will go for his sixth straight win. He will be going up against Mark Redman (2-4, 7.07), who is looking for his first win since April 16.

Stat of the Day: The Mets relievers have allowed just two hits in 18 1/3 innings over the last five games.

Top 1st: Nice start to the game for Pelfrey, who issued a leadoff single to Podsednik, got Barmes to ground into a double play and struck out Holliday.

Bottom 1st: Great start for the Mets! Following a single by Evans and a walk by Wright, Beltran belted a 415 feet three-run homer. Mets 3, Rockies 0.

Top 2nd: 1-2-3 inning for Big Pelf!

Bottom 2nd: The Mets added a run on an RBI single by Reyes. Castro hit a one-out single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Pelfrey before scoring. Mets 4, Rockies 0.

Top 3rd: Pelfrey allowed a one-out double to Quintanilla, but nothing else.

Bottom 3rd: Not much for the Mets this inning. Beltran led off with a single, but was erased on an Easley’s fielder’s choice. Delgado then hit into a double play.

Top 4th: Nice turn by Easley on a double play ball as the Mets keep the Rockies off the score board. Following back-to-back singles by Holliday and Hawpe, Atkins grounded into the inning-ending double play.

Bottom 4th: Tatis and Castro led off the inning with singles. Following a sacrifice bunt by Pelfrey, Reyes was intentionally walked -- as Redman was relieved of his duties -- and Nick Evans connected on a sacrifice fly off Ryan Speier. Mets 5, Rockies 0.

Top 5th: Pelfrey benefited from his third double play of the evening as the Rockies continue to struggle.

Bottom 5th: The Mets add two more runs as Delgado belted a two-run homer following a single by Beltran. Mets 7, Rockies 0.

Top 6th: The Rockies go down in order. Pelfrey was hit on a come-backer off the bat of Podsednik, but he seems to be ok.

Bottom 6th: Big Pelf led off the inning with a single, but Reyes grounded into a rare double play and Evens popped out.

Top 7th: Pelfrey is looking great, another perfect inning for him!

Bottom 7th: The Mets go away quietly.

Top 8th: The only real question left in this game is if Pelfrey will go the distance and toss a shutout.

Bottom 8th: Delgado, Tatis and Castro are set down in order. One more inning to go and the Mets notch their ninth straight win!

Top 9th: Joe Smith came on for Pelfrey, who scattered six hits with five strikeouts in eight scoreless innings, allowed a single to Hawpe before getting Atkins to line out. Mets sweep the Rockies and head into the All-Star break as the hottest team in the majors! Final: Mets 7, Rockies 0.

Good afternoon everyone. Marc here, hanging with you for a few hours as the Mets continue their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Don’t look now, but Pedro Martinez (3-2, 6.86 ERA) will look to help the Mets (49-44) capture their eighth straight win! In his last start, Martinez allowed two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking three in 5 1/3 innings during a 10-9 win in Philadelphia on Monday. Ubaldo Jimenez (4-8, 4.21) is on the hill for the Rockies (39-55). He earned his first road victory on Monday when he scattered three hits, struck out seven and walked five in seven scoreless innings in a 4-3 win at Milwaukee.

Mets lineup

J. Reyes ss
A. Reyes 2b
D. Wright 3b
C. Beltran cf
F. Tatis lf
C. Delgado 1b
E. Chavez rf
B. Schneider c
P. Martinez p

Top 1st: Nice start to the game by Pedro, who fanned two (Podsednik and Holliday) and walked one (Barmes).

Bottom 1st: Quick inning for the Amazings. Jose Reyes and Argenis Reyes flied out while Wright struck out. It was an eight-pitch inning for Jimenez.

Top 2nd: It was another easy inning for Pedro. His only blemish was allowing a one-out walk to Iannetta. After that he fanned Baker and got Quintanilla to fly out.

Bottom 2nd: Not much for the Mets this inning, other than a two-out walk by Delgado.

Top 3rd: A 1-2-3 inning for Pedro! Jimenez, Podsednik and Barmes get nothing against the ageless wonder.

Bottom 3rd: Schneider led off with a walk and was stranded at third after Argenis Reyes grounded out to end the inning.

Top 4th: After allowing a leadoff walk to Holliday and issuing his first hit to Hawpe, a single, Pedro got Iannetta to ground into a double play.

Bottom 4th: A long inning for the Mets and it produced one run. Beltran got the first hit for the Mets, a one-out double, then stole third and scored on a single up the middle by Tatis. Following that the Mets loaded the bases, but pinch hitter Nick Evans struck out. Meanwhile Pedro left the game due to an apparent discomfort in his groin. He allowed just one hit with three strikeouts and three walks in four scoreless innings. Mets 1, Rockies 0.

Top 5th: Carlos Muniz came on for Pedro and worked a 1-2-3 inning.

** By the way, some sad news: it was announced that former Yankee Bobby Murcer lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away. **

Bottom 5th: Jose Reyes led off with a homer, his 10th. Mets 2, Rockies 0.

Top 6th: Another solid inning for Muniz, who allowed a two-out walk to Holliday before getting Atkins to pop out.

Bottom 6th: The Mets tack on another run on an RBI single by Schneider. Delgado led off the winning with a single and moved to second on Chavez’s sacrifice bunt before scoring. Mets 3, Rockies 0.

Top 7th: The Mets’ pitching staff is rolling! Aaron Heilman came on for Muniz, who pitched two hitless innings, and retired the side in order.

Bottom 7th: Wright led off with a bloop single off Ryan Speier, who replaced Jimenez, and stole second. He advanced to third on a Tatis ground out, but after Delgado was intentionally walked, Chavez grounded out.

Top 8th: Scott Schoeneweis replaced Heilman and kept up with the current trend by setting down the Rockies in order.

Bottom 8th: Not much for the Mets this inning. Schneider, however, picked up this third walk. Let's see if Wagner can close it out.

Top 9th: All-Star Billy Wagner came on and worked a scoreless inning as the Mets won their eighth consecutive game by limiting the Rockies to just one hit. Final: Mets 3, Rockies 0.

Adam Ronis to take you through tonight's game. Oliver Perez is coming off two great starts throwing 14 innings, allowing seven hits, one run and two walks with 14 strikeouts against the Yankees and Phillies. Perez tends to pitch well against the better teams and the Rockies don't fit that category this season. He faced the Rockies on May 23 and walked eight and allowed four runs in five innings. It's always an adventure with Perez, so enjoy the ride.

Starting for the Rockies is All-Star Aaron Cook. He is 11-6 with a 3.66 ERA. He allowed 11 hits and seven runs in 7 1/3 innings in his last start in a loss to the Marlins. He allows a lot of hits and doesn't strike out many, but has been successful because of a good sinker that induces groundballs and gets him out of trouble.

The Mets go for seven straight.

Top 9: Wagner in to try and close. Podsednik gets caught looking. The pitch was outside. Taveras strikes out swinging. Barmes flies to center. Mets win 2-1. That's seven in a row.

Bottom 8: Taylor Buchholz now pitching. Wright strikes out. Beltran pops up to second. Easley homers to center. Delgado strikes out. Mets 2, Rockies 1

Top 8: Duaner Sanchez comes into pitch. Holliday grounds out. Atkins walks. Iannetta singles to left. Baker grounds into a 4-6 fielder's choice. Reyes bobbled on the transfer and couldn't attempt the double play. Feliciano is now in to pitch. Hawpe walks to load the bases. Nix grounds out to first. The Mets escape again. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Bottom 7: Manny Corpas in to pitch. Schneider and Nick Evans is the pinch runner. A. Reyes pinch hits for Heilman and sacrifices Evans to second. Reyes flies out to right. Evans goes to third. Chavez grounds out. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Top 7: Baker walked. Hawpe singles to right. Perez is out of the game. Aaron Heilman is in. Nix sacrifices the runners to second and third. Seth Smith pinch hits for Cook. Smith walks to load the bases. Taveras strikes out looking. Barmes strikes out swining. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Bottom 6: Beltran pops up to short. Easley walked. Delgado lines out to left. Tatis grounds out to second. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Top 6: Cook struck out looking. Taveras walked. Barmes flies to center. Holliday walks. Perez walks Atkins to load the bases. Iannetta flies to center. good job by Perez to get out of trouble. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Bottom 5: Tatis grounds to short. Schneider single to right and goes to second when Hawpe bobbles the ball. Perez grounds to second. Schneider goes to third. Reyes singles to right to tie the score at 1. Chavez reaches on an infield single. Barmes makes a great play to rob Wright of a hit to end the inning. Mets 1, Rockies 1

Top 5: Iannetta strikes out swinging. Baker lines out to right. Right after SNY shows Perez was throwing a no-hitter, Hawpe hits a home run to rightfield. Don't blame me. I asked the poll question last inning. Nix strikes out swining. Rockies 1, Mets 0

Bottom 4: Wright gets thrown out on a great play by Barmes. Beltran grounds out to second. Easley singles to right. Delgado grounds out to second. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Top 4: Barmes walks on four pitches. Holliday flies to center. Atkins grounds into a 5-4-3 double play. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Bottom 3: Schneider grounds out. Perez strikes out. Jose Reyes turns a single into a double with great hustle. Chavez gets caught looking. The pitch was off the plate. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Top 3: Hawpe strikes out looking. Nix walks on a full count. Cook gets down a sac bunt moving Nix to second. Taveras grounds out to second. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Bottom 2: Beltran strikes out swinging. Easley grounds out to third. Delgado doubles to right. Tatis flies out to right. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Top 2: Atkins flies out. Iannetta grounds out. Baker strikes out looking. Excellent start for Perez. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Bottom 1: Reyes flies to center. Chavez and Wright each ground out. Cook has a good sinker. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Top 1: Willy Taveras grounds back to Perez, who went to a full count. Clint Barmes strikes out swinging on a full count. Matt Holliday strikes out looking. Perez's fastball looks excellent early. Mets 0, Rockies 0

Mets (47-44) vs.Giants (39-52)

John Maine (8-6, 3.91) vs. Barry Zito (4-12, 5.73)

The Mets extended their winning streak to five straight games yesterday with their second straight shutout of the Giants. But as the Mets look to go for number six and the sweep they learned they will continue to be with out Moises Alou, who left his rehab start with a cramping hamstring.

Another Met who experienced cramping was John Maine left his last start with cramping in his left forearm after allowing three runs and one hit over 5 2/3 innings against the Phillies. It was the second time this season Maine has had cramping issues He had them in his right arm on April 26 in Atlanta. Maine has not pitched past the seventh inning since May 7.

Barry Zito won his previous start by dominating for most of seven innings. He allowed two runs in the first inning, and cruised from there, winning his first home start of 2008. Zito retired 13 consecutive Dodgers at one point and has had quality starts in two of his past three outings.

Joseph Staszewski takes you through today's afternoon affair as the Mets look to inch closer to first place in the NL East.

Top of the First: Maine retires the first two batters, walks the next two, but gets out of the inning.

Bottom of the First: Mets get just a walk by David Wright.

Top of the Second: Maine strikes out the side and Giants strand a one out walk.

Bottom of the Second: Mets leave Tatis at second after a lead-off double.

Top of the Third: Maine retires the Giants in order.

Bottom of the Third: A. Reyes and Wright hit back to back singles. Beltran drives in Reyes with bloop over short. Tatis hits a two-run double into the gap in right center. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top of the Fourth: A wild pitch by Maine allows the Giants to score its first run of the series. John Bowker, who had doubled, scores from third. Mets 3, Giants 1

Bottom of the Fourth: Three walks help the Mets load the bases with two outs, but Beltran grounds out to third to end the inning.

Top of the Fifth: Maine walks two, including Zito, and Randy Winn scores both with a double down the left field line. Carlos Muniz comes in for Maine and gets the final out. Mets 3, Giants 3.

Bottom of the Fifth: Mets go in order.

Top of the Sixth: Muniz gets the next three Giants after a lead-off walk.

Bottom of the Sixth: Schneider walks. Pitcher Sergio Romo in with Ray Durham in a double switch. Aguila bunts Schneider to second. J. Reyes and A. Reyes both fly out.

Top of the Seventh: Scott Schoeneweis in and gets the Giants 1-2-3.

Bottom of the Sixth: Wright doubles down the left field line and Tatis hits a two-run homer to left center. Jack Taschner relieves Romo for the Giants. With two men on, Easley pinch hits for Schoeneweis and ground ones sharply to third, but the throw to first gets away. Evans scores. J. Reyes singles to center to score Schneider. Mets 7, Giants 3

Top of the Eight: Sanchez comes in. Giants get runners to second and third with two outs, but Alfonso hits into a double play.

Bottom of the Eight: Wright doubles with one out, but is left at third.

Top of the Ninth: Wagner pitches an easy 1-2-3 inning.

METS WIN 7-3

Hey Mets fans! Marc here as the Mets look to build on last night’s momentum and extend their four-game winning streak. Johan Santana (7-7, 2.96 ERA), who is 0-4 in his last six starts, will be on the hill for the Mets (46-44). He has pitched well, but has not gotten the run support. In his last start, Santana allowed two runs on six hits while striking out six in eight innings, but he didn’t factor into the decision as the Mets lost, 3-2, at Philadelphia. Jonathan Sanchez (8-4, 3.87) will go for the Giants (39-51). In last eight outings, Sanchez is 6-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings.

Top 1st: A nice start for Santana, who retired the side in order.

Bottom 1st: Wright drew a two-out walk on the 10th pitch he saw. He stole second before Beltran struck out to end the inning.

Top 2nd: Santana issued a one-out single to Rowand before fanning Aurilia and Castillo.

Bottom 2nd: The Mets go down in order. Following a ground out by Easley, Delgado and Tatis struck out.

Top 3rd: Santana allowed an infield single to Burriss, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sanchez. He then fanned Lewis and walked Durham before getting Winn to fly out to Beltran.

Bottom 3rd: The Mets had something going this inning, but failed to get a run in. Castro led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Santana. Following a walk by Reyes, Chavez and Wright struck out.

Top 4th: Santana worked in and out of trouble. He gave up a two-out double to Aurilia and walked Castillo before getting Burriss to ground into a fielder’s choice.

Bottom 4th: Finally, some runs for Santana as Castro belted a three-run homer! Delgado got things started with a two-out double (he advanced to third on a wild pitch by Sanchez) and Tatis followed with a walk before the big blast by Castro. Mets 3, Giants 0.

Top 5th: The good news. Santana cruised to a relatively easy inning and this is an official game. But the bad news is that the game is in a rain delay and it is coming down pretty hard.

Rain delay

Update: The rain has ended and the game should restart soon.

Update: OK, here we go. Game on.

Bottom 5th: After a 42-minute rain delay Alex Hinshaw replaced Sanchez, who surrendered three runs on three hits while striking out six and walking three in four innings. Reyes led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chavez. However, Wright grounded out and Beltran popped out.

Top 6th: Heilman came on for Santana, who scattered three hits in five innings, and worked a 1-2-3 innings.

Bottom 6th: Not much for the Mets this inning other than a long single by Delgado. Giants reliever Matos, who relieved Hinshaw, got Tatis to fly out and struck out Castro.

Top 7th: Another 1-2-3 inning for Heilman.

Bottom 7th: The Mets failed to tack on a run when they had a great chance to do so this inning. Argenis Reyes led off and reached on a infield single and he took second on an errant throw by Giants reliever Yabu. After a strikeout by Jose Reyes, Yabu walked Chavez and uncorked a wild pitch as both runners moved up into scoring position. But the next batter, Wright, grounded out and Easley grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Top 8th: Sanchez reliever Heilman and worked a 1-2-3 inning. 10 straight Giants have been retired in order.

Bottom 8th: Nice inning for the Mets as they added two more runs. Argenis Reyes drove in Delgado, who led off with a double, for his first major league RBI. He took second on Lewis’ fielding error and scored on Jose Reyes’ RBI single. Mets 5, Giants 0.

Top 9th: Joe Smith came on and retired the side in order as the last 13 Giants go in order. Mets win their fifth straight game! Final: Mets 5, Giants 0.

Adam Ronis here to host for tonight's game. The Mets took three of four from the first-place Phillies to pull within 2 1/2 games. Are the Mets ready to make a big run? They are over .500 for the first time since June 5 and the schedule sets up nicely. The Mets have no west coast trips remaining and host the Giants and Rockies before the All-Star break. The Mets offense has been very inconsistent, but was very good the last three games, including a season-high 17 hits in a 10-9 win over the Phillies yesterday. Will it continues at Shea Stadium? The Mets are hitting .258 at home. The Mets took two of three at San Francisco in early June.

On Tim Lincecum: The Giants righthander can make a case for starting the All-Star game, but with another start on Sunday, that likely won't happen. He is 10-1 with a 2.49 ERA and since his only loss in April, he is 6-0 with a 2.84 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. He leads the NL with 122 strikeouts. He faced the Mets last season and took a no-decision. He allowed three hits and three runs with eight strikeouts in seven innings.

On Mike Pelfrey: Is it possible that the Mets could play every game on the road? Mike Pelfrey hasn't won at Shea since April 15 despite a 3.55 ERA in his last six home starts. He is 6-6 with a 4.23 ERA and has won his last four starts. He got plenty of run support in his last start, an 11-1 win at St. Louis. He went seven innings and allowed six hits, one run, walked two and struck out six.

Top 9: Joe Smith now pitching. Winn flies to center. Molina grounds out to short. Rowand grounds out to end it. Mets pitchers retired 25 of the final 27 hitters. Mets win, 7-0 and are 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

Bottom 8: Tatis homers to center. Schneider grounds out to first. A. Reyes lines out. J. Reyes grounds out. Mets 7, Giants 0

Top 8: Schoeneweis is in. Jose Castillo pinch hits and grounds out. Lewis strikes out. Durham grounds out. Mets 6, Giants 0

Bottom 7: Lincecum is out. Argenis Reyes pinch hits for Pelfrey and gets his first major league hit. Jose Reyes reaches on a bunt single. Chavez struck out. Wright lines out to left. Beltran hits an RBI single. Easley hits an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-0. Delgado strikes out. Mets 6, Giants 0

Top 7: Rowand grounds out to third. Bowker flies to left. Pelfrey has retired 18 of 19. Aurilia reaches on an infield single. Vizquel flies to center. Mets 4, Giants 0

Bottom 6: Beltran grounds out. Easley pops up to Durham. Delgado hits his 16th homer to right-centerfield off the scoreboard. Tatis singles. Schneider grounds out to first. Mets 4, Giants 0

Top 6: Durham strikes out. Winn grounds out. Molina flies to left. Very economical inning for Pelfrey as his pitch count rises. He should start the seventh. Mets 3, Giants 0

Bottom 5: Pelfrey singles to center. Reyes pops up to second. Chavez flies out to right. Wright strikes out swinging. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top 5: Vizquel grounds out. Lincecum strikes out. Lewis strikes out. Mets 3, Giants 0

Bottom 4: Delgado singles off Lincecum's glove. Tatis grounds into a 5-4-3 double play. Schneider flies out to left. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top 4: Molina pops up to Delgado. Rowand grounds out to Reyes. Bowker singled to center. Aurilia grounds out to Easley. Mets 3, Giants 0

Bottom 3: Chavez grounds out to Vizquel. Wright reaches on an infield single. Beltran singles to right and Wright goes to third. Easley grounds into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top 3: Lewis grounds out. Durham flies to right. Winn flies to left. Pelfrey has retired seven straight. Mets 3, Giants 0

Bottom 2: Schneider struck out. Pelfrey grounded to short. Reyes singles and gets caught stealing to end the inning. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top 2: Aurilia grounds out to third. Vizquel grounds out. Lincecum grounds out to short. Mets 3, Giants 0

Bottom 1: Reyes lines out to Vizquel. Chavez singles to center. Wright walks. Beltran hits a three-run homer to rightfield for his 250th career homer. Mets lead 3-0. Easley strikes out. Delgado walks. Tatis strikes out looking. Great job to get to an ace early and make him throw a lot of pitches. Mets 3, Giants 0

Top 1: Fred Lewis reaches on an error by Damion Easley. Durham grounds out to second. Lewis was clearly out of the base line when Easley when to tag him and the umpire missed the call badly. Winn strikes out swinging. Molina gets hit by a pitch. Rowand reaches on an infield single to load the bases. Bowker strikes out looking. Mets 0, Giants 0

Mets (44-44) take on the Phillies (48-41)

Pedro Martinez (2-2) 7.39 ERA v. Adam Eaton (3-6) 4.79 ERA

The Mets are riding high after yesterday's long (looooooong) extra-inning win over the Phillies. They come into play only 3.5 games back in the East and 2.5 games behind the Marlins. There were plenty of good signs yesterday, including Oliver Perez's continued (and surprising) dominance. Joe Smith was masterful in the longest appearance of his career and Tatis continues to make a name for himself as a clutch hitter during a season where so few Mets are.

Their situational hitting, though, continues to struggle. Despite stringing together 14 hits, the Mets were only able to plate two runs before Tatis' huge home run in the 12th. Wagner, though, continues to be worrisome coming in to close. Other than that three-game stretch earlier in the season, he's been dominant, but the Mets have got to be worried after another inopportune home run and another blown save. Also something to watch: after yesterday's 7+-hour marathon, both teams are bound to be exhausted.

Pitchers:

This isn't vintage Pedro the Mets going on the mound. The aging righty has been a huge concern from the Mets. His inflated ERA notwithstanding, clubs (like St. Louis in his last start) have been flat hitting the ball hard against him. He gave up five earned runs in five innings in that appearance and got the no-decision in the loss. That was his third straight bad outing and you've gotta believe that Pedro is feeling the frustration. Pedro will have to be impeccable tonight if the Mets want to have a chance. Historically, they've struggled against Adam Eaton, who's been better than his record indicates. He's allowed only four runs in a 12 inning span but has gotten no run support to speak of. Before his two-run five-hit performance against Atlanta, he hadn't won since June 3.

Here to take you through it, Laura Albanese.

FINAL: 10-9, METS Barely.

Bottom of the ninth
Wagner in to pitch. Every Met fan watching the game cringes in fear. Charlie Manuel took Utley out a few innings ago and the decision may come back to haunt him. Victorino lines a double to the leftfield corner. Bruntlett works it to a 3-2 count...He walks. Ryan Howard up to bat as the tying run. Howard strikes out after four straight sliders. Met-killer Pat Burrell up...and flies out to right. The runners hold. Pedro Feliz in to hit for Dobbs. 0-2...conference at mound...single up the middle. Victorino scores. Beltran throws to third and it gets away. Bruntlett scores. One run game. Feliz to second and Werth up. He flies out to right to end the game.

Top of the ninth
Tatis smacks a looper to left. Burrell gets to it slowly and Tatis tries for two; he's out on the attempt. Schneider strikes out. Argenis Reyes comes in to bat for Heilman and grounds out to second.

Bottom of the eighth
Dobbs strikes out. Werth grounds a single to left. Coste strikes out with a check swing on a slider on the inside corner. Geoff Jenkins batting for Swindle hits a long two-run homerun to left. Rollins strikes out looking on a fastball.

SCORE: 10-7, METS

Top of the eighth
Beltran flies out to left. Easley pops up to second. Delgado strikes out swinging on a curveball.

Bottom of the seventh
Swindle in to hit and grounds out, 3-1. Rollins lines a single to right and goes to second on a wild pitch. Victorino doubles to the leftfield corner. Rollins scores. Eric Bruntlett comes in to bat for Utley and grounds out to shortstop. Victorino goes to third. Howard rips a double off the top of the wall in right. Victorino scores....Charlie Manuel comes out to argue that it was a home run....umpires confer. They give the Phillies the homerun. (There might have been fan interference on the play) Jerry comes out to argue and he gets ejected from the game. SUBSTITUTION: AARON HEILMAN. Burrell strikes out swinging on a slider to end the threat.

SCORE: 10-5, METS

Top of the seventh
Reyes lines out to third. Chavez flies out to right-center. Wright strikes out swinging and Swindle suddenly looks good.

Bottom of the sixth
Howard pops out foul. Burrell hits a solo home run to center. Dobbs hits the ball over Chavez's head in left for a double. Pedro out. SUBSTITUTION: TONY ARMAS. Werth strikes out swinging. Coste strikes out swinging on the slider.

Top of the sixth
In to pitch, R.J. Swindle. He's an extremely soft-tossing lefty. Extremely. D-Wright mashes a 55mph hanging curveball over the wall in left for a solo homerun. Beltran singles to left. Easley lines a single to left-center. Beltran goes to second. Delgado strikes out on an 0-2 pitch. Tatis walks. Schneider pops out. Pedro singles up the middle. Beltran scores and Easley gets thrown out at home.

SCORE: 10-1, METS

Bottom of the fifth
So Taguchi batting for Condrey and strikes out looking. K number five for Pedro. Rollins lines a single to left center (nice cutoff by Beltran to hold him to one). Victorino flies out to center. Rollins steals second. Utley strikes out looking.

Top of the fifth
Pedro grounds out softly, 2-3. Reyes grounds out to second and Chavez strikes out swinging.

Bottom of the fourth
Utley hits a solo shot to right. Howard walks on the 3-2 pitch. Burrell grounds to Wright, who gets the force at second. Dobbs grounds to first for the out. Burrell goes to second. Werth walks. Coste strikes out swinging.

SCORE: 8-1, METS

Top of the fourth
Beltran chops the first pitch back to the mound for an out. Easley lines a basehit to right. Delgado lines to right. First and second with one out. Tatis gounds the ball to Dobbs for the force at third. Delgado goes to second. Schneider also grounds it to Dobbs for the force.

Bottom of the third
Condrey strikes out swinging. Rollins flies out to left and Victorino grounds out to second for a quick inning.

Top of the third
Easley grounds out to third. Delgado lines a curveball to the rightfield wall for a double. Tatis grounds a single to left. Delgado goes to third. Schneider grounds out to short with the hit and run on. Rollins' only play is at first (or maybe home). He gets Schneider at first Tatis is safe. Delgado scores. Pedro hits a sharp liner to Dobbs, who lets it go through his legs for an error. Tatis scores and Pedro goes to first. Reyes lines a ball to the outfield grass. Utley makes a phenomenal stop to his right, but Reyes is safe at first. First and second and two outs. Chavez grounds a single to center. Pedro scores without a throw. Reyes goes to second. Eaton out. SUBSTITUTION: CLAY CONDREY. Wright pops out to center on the first pitch.

SCORE: 8-0, METS

Bottom of the second
Ryan Howard singles to center. Burrell strikes out looking on the 0-2 curve. Dobbs strikes out on the 2-2 changeup. Werth walks. Chris Coste grounds out to first and Delgado beats him to the bag by a step to end the inning.

Top of the second
Fernando Tatis lines a ball that deflects off the glove of diving third baseman Gregg Dobbs for a single. Brian Schneider lines it to a diving Utley, who gets the force at second. Pedro bunts the ball foul for strike three. Reyes draws a walk. Chavez lines the ball to right centerfield. Schneider scores and Reyes goes to third. Chavez at first. Wright lines a double up the leftfield line. Reyes and Chavez score. Beltran pops up to Dobbs right near the pitcher's mounds.

SCORE: 5-0, METS

Bottom of the first
Jimmy Rollina grounds out to second. Shane Victorino grounds out to third and Chase Utley pops out to foul terrirory. Good first inning by Pedro.

Top of the first
Jose Reyes lines to first pitch for a single to right. Reyes steals second. Endy Chavez bunts up the third base side for a hit. Reyes goes to third. Wright grounds to Utley at second. Utley tries to tag Chavez, but the umps say he missed him when Endy hopped out of the way of the tag. Wright is out at first. Reyes scores and Chavez is at second with one out. Beltran grounds out to first. Chavez moves to third. Damion Easley singles to right. Chavez scores. Delgado grounds out to Utley on the outfield grass to end the inning.

SCORE: 2-0, METS

Marcus Henry is back to take you through game three of this critical four-game set between the Mets and the Phillies. The Mets rallied late last night for a 9-4 win. But there was some bad news as Ryan Church (Migraine) and John Maine (Elbow cramps) had to leave yesterday's game early. Church will not be starting, but is available to pinch hit.

Mets (43-44) at Philadelphia Phillies (48-40), 1:35 p.m.

Starters: Oliver Perez (6-5, 4.98) for the Mets and Kyle Kendrick (8-3, 4.58) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Perez was stellar in his last start. The erratic lefthander struck out eight, allowed just three hits and one run over seven innings in a 3-1 win over the Yankees last Sunday. That was a big start for Perez, whose spot in the rotation was in flux. In his previous two starts, Perez had surrendered 11 runs in 10 innings. Kendrick has been solid for the Phillies this season. The 23-year-old righthander won five of his last six decisions. In the Phillies' 8-3 win over the Braves on Tuesday, Kendrick scattered seven hits and allowed three runs in six innings.

Good times, bad times: Good times: Overcoming a 4-3 deficit with three runs in the eighth and ninth innings Saturday night was definitely a good sign for the Mets. Bad times: In addition the Church and Maine injuries, the bullpen is in a bit of a slump. Joe Smith gave up the tying run in the eighth yesterday, while Duaner Sanchez ruined a stellar start by Johan Santana on Friday.

Top 1st: Jose Reyes grounded out to second for the first out. Endy Chavez singled to centerfield. Chavez has been hot lately with 11 hits in his last 27 at bats. David Wright grounded out to second, but Chavez was on the move before the pitch, avoiding the double play. Beltran flied out to short right to end the inning. Beltran has just two hits in his last 29 at bats.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 1st: Jayson Werth walked to lead off the inning. Perez didn't walk a batter in his last start against the Yankees. Chase Utley popped out to third for the first out. Perez had Werth on a pickoff, but Carlos Delgado had trouble getting the ball out of his glove, allowing Werth to land safely at second. Jimmy Rollins lined a ball of Perez' left leg for an infield single. Werth moved to third. Mets manager Jerry Manuel and the team trainer came out to look at Perez. Perez will remain in the game to face Ryan Howard. Rollins stole second, after the Mets tried to pick Werth off at third. Howard struck out on an outside slider for the second out. Pat Burrell, who has 41 homers and 103 RBIs in 142 games against the Mets, popped out to first for the final out.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 2nd Delgado flied out to right for the first out. Damion Easley singled to left. Easley, who has 12 hits in his last 24 at bats, has an eight-game hitting streak. Marlon Anderson walked. Easley moved to second. Brian Schneider singled to center. Easley moved to third, Anderson to second, loading the bases. Perez popped out to third for the second out. Reyes flied out to center with three men on.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 2nd Pedro Feliz reached second on an error by Anderson, who appeared to miss judge the ball. Victorino fouled out to shortstop for the first out. Carlos Ruiz lined out to rightfield for the second out. Chavez saved a run with a great running catch. Kendrick struck out for the third out.
Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 3rd: Chavez grounded out to second for the first out. Wright flied out to left for the second out. Beltran lined a solo home run to right, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. Delgado reached on an infield single to short. Easley lined out to centerfield for the third out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 3rd: Werth walked to lead off the inning. Utley flied out to deep centerfield. Werth remained at first. Rollins grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 4th: Anderson grounded out to shortstop. Schneider walked on four pitches. Perez sacrificed Schneider to second and is out 2-3. Reyes singled to left. Schneider moved to third. Reyes stole second base. Chavez grounded out to the pitcher, leaving two on. The Mets have stranded seven runners so far.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 4th: Howard struck out for the second time. It was Howard's 121st strikeout of the season. Last year he struck out 199 times. Burrell singled to short left. Burrell moved to second on a wild pitch. Feliz struck out swinging for the second out. Victorino fouled out to first.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 5th: Wright singled to centerfield. Beltran grounded into a fielder's choice. Wright was forced at second, 6-4, for the second out. Delgado struck out swinging for the second out, but Beltran stole second base. Beltran stole third base. It was his 14th stolen base on the season. Easley walked. Anderson grounded out to second to end the inning. That's nine runners stranded by the Mets through five innings.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 5th: Ruiz singled to centerfield to start the inning. Kendrick struck out attempting to bunt with two strikes. Werth flied out to right for the second out. Utley grounded out to first for the final out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 6th: Scneider lined out to first. Perez struck out swinging. Reyes doubled down the leftfield line. Chavez grounded out to first, stranding Reyes.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 6th: Rollins flied out to center to start the sixth. Howard singled to right. Burrell flied out to center. Feliz flied out to rightcenter for the third out. Chavez made anothe fine catch.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 7th: Clay Condrey is on the mound for the Phillies. Wright fouled out to first. Beltran singled to center. Beltran popped out to short for the second out. Beltran moved to second on a throwing error by Phillies catcher Ruiz trying to pick him off. Easley grounded out to second for the final out. The Mets have left 11 runners on base.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Bottom 7th: Victorino grounded out to short on a great play by Reyes for the first out. Ruiz struck out swinging. That six strikeouts for Perez. Chris Coste is pinch hitting for the pitcher. Coste flied out to centerfield for the third out.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 8th: J.C. Romero is pitching for the Phillies. Fernando Tatis is hitting for the Mets. Tatis grounded out to shortstop. Schneider grounded out to second for the second out. Chris Aguila is hitting for Perez. Aguila walked. Aguila was picked off to end the inning.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Perez' line: 7IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 6K

Bottom 8th: Duaner Sanchez is pitching for the Mets. The rain is falling steadily. Werth fouled out to Delgado. Utley reached on a fielding error by Sanchez. Utley stole second base with no throw. Rollins walked. Pedro Feliciano will come on to face Ryan Howard.
That matchup will have to wait as the tarp has been put on the field. We have a rain delay folks. Check back for updates.

Rain update 6:06 p.m.: We're still in a rain delay. But the latest radio weather reports say the rain should clear out within a half hour. Of course it's all pending what the umpires decide to do.

Rain update 6:50: The tarp is up and the game is set to resume at 7:10.

Rain update 7:07: The tarp is up and the players are stretching. Here's the situation; The Phillies have first and third with one out and Ryan Howard at the plate facing Pedro Feliciano. By MLB rules, Feliciano has to face at least one batter since he was announced before the delay.

Bottom 8th (Continued): Ryan Howard struck out swinging on three pitches. Aaron Heilman is coming on to face Burrell. Burrell walked, loading the bases. Geoff Jenkins is pinch running for Burrell. Feliz grounded out to the pitcher. Heilman escapes a bases-loaded jam.
Mets 1, Phillies 0

Top 9th: Brad Lidge is in for the Phillies. Normally closers come in when a home team is tied or leading in the ninth. Reyes singled to right. Reyes stole second base. Chavez laid down a perfect bunt to move Reyes to third. Lidge came back from a 3-0 count to strikeout David Wright for the second out. Beltran singled to right, scoring Reyes to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. Delgado struck out and was out 2-3.
Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 9th: Wagner is on to pitch the ninth. Victorino lined a single to right to start the inning. Ruiz flied out to center for the second out. Eric Bruntlett struck out looking for the second out. Werth belted a two-run homer to leftcenter, scoring Victorino, to tie the game at 2. Utley singled to right. Rollins grounded into a fielder's choice. Utley was forced at second, 6-4. But the Phillies tied the score on Werth's two-run blast. We are headed to extra innings.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 10th: Ryan Madson is on to pitch for the Phillies. Easley lined out to centerfield. Tatis struck out swinging for the second out. Schneider singled to right. Schneider is 6-for-12 against Madson. Argenis Reyes is pinch hitting. Reyes struck out swinging.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 10th: Scott Schoeneweis is on to face Ryan Howard. Howard struck out for the fourth time today. Jenkins struck out swinging for the second out. Feliz singled to leftcenter. Victorino singled to left. Joe Smith is coming on for Schoeneweis to face Ruiz. Righthanders are hitting .221 against Smith. Ruiz grounded into fielder's choice, forcing Feliz at third.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 11th Chad Durbin is in for the Phillies. Werth flied out to centerfield for the first out. Chavez singled to right. Wright struck out. Beltran popped out to third for the final out in the 11th.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 11th: Smith is still in the game for the Mets. Gregg Dobbs (pinch hitting) grounded out to third for the first out. Wright made a great play to save a base hit. Werth flied out to deep left for the second out. Utley flied out to deep left. On to the 12th inning.
Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 12th: Delgado walked. Easley sacrificed Delgado to second, 2-4. Tatis smacked a two-run homer to center, scoring Delgado to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Schneider struck out. Joe Smith is batting, which means he will remain in the game in the bottom of the 12th.
Mets 4, Phillies 2

Bottom 12th: Rollins singled to left to lead off the 12th. Rollins stole second, his second steal of the game. Howard flied out to left for the first out. Jenkins grounded out to shortstop, Rollins moved to third. Reyes made a great play and saved a base hit and maybe a run. Feliz grounded out to Smith, who made a fine play to end the game.
Final score Mets 4, Phillies 2

After 7-plus hours this one is finally over.

Joe Smith pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball for the win. Chad Durbin took the loss. That's two of three for the Mets. And they've earned at least a split in the series. The final game of this four-game set begins tomorrow at 7:05. Good night everyone.

The Mets (42-44) at Philadelphia (48-39). Philly leads the East by 3.5 games over Florida. The Mets are 5.5 games back.

Starting pitchers:
John Maine (8-6, 3.86 ERA) v. Jamie Moyer (7-6, 4.13 ERA)

The Mets are trying to bounce back after another disappointing show yesterday. Despite having Jose Reyes on third with no outs in the first inning, they again were unable to produce. This time, it came back to bite them late, as the Phillies rallied to overcome a two-run deficit and eventually won the game in the ninth. The Mets have been inconsistent and their lineup has often erupted for runs one day while going totally dry the next. After a June swoon, the Phillies have won four in a row.

Today against the Phillies, the Mets will have to solve the ageless wonder: Jamie Moyer. Moyer has been less than successful recently, losing three straight starts - issuing ten walks in those games. Moyer is all but useless without his pinpoint control, but is due for a good start. He comes in on six days rest.

Taking the hill for the Mets will be John Maine. Maine recently complained about a "dead arm" after a bad start against St. Louis. The righty insists that he's not injured, but that he's simply trying to pull through. The Mets defense didn't help, either. Maine gave up five runs, only three of them earned, on three fielding errors. His last win came on June 25 against the Mariners - a capable two-run, five-hit performance that proved to be exactly what the Mets needed.

All things considered, it should be pretty even matchup. Here to take you through it, Laura Albanese...

FINAL: 9-4, METS

Bottom of the ninth
Tony Armas, Jr. in to pitch. He retired the side, 1-2-3.

Top of the ninth
Rudy Seanez in to pitch. Tatis hitting now. (Church left the game because of dizziness, which is really bad news for the Mets) Tatis hits a double to the leftfield wall. Wright grounds out to third. Tatis moves to third. Beltran hits a comebacker to Seanez, he bobbles the ball and Beltran is safe. Tatis scores on the error. 7-4, METS. Easley lines to leftfield for a single. Beltran goes to second. It's Easley's third hit of the game. Delgado singles to right. Bases loaded with one out. Anderson grounds out to shortstop and they get the force at second. Beltran scores. 8-4, METS. Chavez lines to center. Easley scores. 9-4, METS. First and third and one out; Seanez is done. SUBSTITUTION: Clay Condrey. And, because the Phillies hate me: RAIN DELAY. It doesn't look to be raining too hard, but there might be something coming. Howie Rose: "It's barely misting!"

Rain delay lasts a good ten minutes before they realize it's not raining...the rain begins to fall as they take off the tarp.

Schneider up to bat. He grounds out to shortstop to end the inning.

SCORE: 9-4, METS

Bottom of the eighth
Schneider stays in to catch, Anderson to LF, Chavez to RF and Church comes out. Duaner Sanchez to pitch. Rollins flies out to shallow right. Victorino reaches on a bunt single and Utley hits a slow roller near the mound. Sanchez picks it up and fires low to Delgado, who makes a nice pick. Victorino goes to second. They walk Howard intentionally. Carlos Ruiz bats for Gordon. Ruiz grounds out to third.

Top of the eighth
J.C. Romero in to pitch. Beltran grounds out to short. Easly grounds a basehit up the middle. Delgado slaps a single to center and Easley goes first to third. Romero out. SUBSTITUTION: TOM GORDON. Marlon Anderson batting for Castro (3-for-25 with RISP, btw). Gordon's pitch goes through Coste's legs. Easley slides in safely to tie the game. (Charged a wild pitch) 4-4. The Mets again score without the benefit of a hit. Delgado goes to second. Anderson walks on the 3-1 pitch. Chavez in to hit for Aguila. Chavez grounds out to first and the runners move up. Schneider (.196 with RISP) in to pinch hit for Feliciano. He lines a fastball to centerfield and it rolls all the way to the wall. Two runs score and Schneider pulls in with a double. 6-4, METS. Reyes flies out to left.

SCORE: 6-4, METS

Bottom of the seventh
Joe Smith into pitch. Burrell hits a long single to the wall in right. Feliz bunts him over to second. The Mets intentionally walk Jenkins. Coste hits a hanging slider to deep to left center field. Aguila tracks it down at the track and the runners skitter back. SUBSTITUTION: PEDRO FELICIANO. Jayson Werth pinch hitting. Werth lines a the ball to left. Burrell beats the ball to the plate, but Werth is out trying to go to second on the throw.

SCORE: 4-3, PHILLIES

Top of the seventh
Castro flies out to right. Aguila singles to left. Argenis Reyes bats for Heilman. Reyes flies out to center. The other Reyes comes up to bat. Jose lines the pitch to the gap in left center. Reyes goes to second. Aguila holds at third after Victorino gets it in to Utley. Second and third with two outs - huge spot for Church. Church is struck on the side to load the bases. Moyer is taken out of the game after 99 pitches. SUBSTITUTION: RYAN MADSON. Wright grounds out to short to end the inning.

Bottom of the sixth
Victorino flies out to center. Utley grounds out to second. Something is wrong with Maine, who is grabbing his left (non-pitching) forearm. He looks to be in a lot of pain (cramp, maybe?) and Manuel lifts him. SUBSTITUTION: AARON HEILMAN. Heilman tosses one pitch and Howard, who had a 2-2 count when Maine came out, strikes out.

Top of the sixth
Wright pops out. Beltran walks for the second time tonight. Easley fouls out. Delgado hits a looper to second for the out.

Bottom of the fifth
Jenkins lines out to first. Coste lines out to center. Moyer walks on the 3-2 pitch. Rollins strikes out swinging on a slider.

Top of the fifth
Aguila grounds out to third. Maine lines a single to center for his fourth hit of the year. Reyes pops out to third on the first pitch. Church strikes out looking at a low changeup. He has some words with the umpire, but Wright drags him back to the dugout.

Bottom of the fourth
Rollins pops out to third. Shane Victorino is hit on the shoulder for the first Philly baserunner of the game. Victorino steals second. Utley walks on a 3-2 pitch. Howard hits an opposite field homerun to tie the game up. 3-3. It's the Phillies' first hit of the game. Pat Burrell strikes out swinging. Feliz grounds out to short.

SCORE: 3-3

Top of the fourth
Church strikes out swinging. D-Wright hits it to the gap in right center for a double. Wright takes off for third after a huge jump and comes in safely. Beltran walks. The Phillies pick off Beltran, but he sprints for second. Ryan Howard airmails the throw; Beltran goes to second and Wright scores. 2-0, Mets. Easley hits it up the middle and Beltran scores easily. 3-0, Mets. Delgado pops out to shortstop on the first pitch. Ramon Castro strikes out swinging on an offspeed pitch.

SCORE: 3-0, METS

Bottom of the third
Jenkins chases a fastball away for Maine's second K of the night. Chris Coste hits a ball to the gap in left-center but Aguila tracks it down for the out. Moyer strikes out looking.

Top of the third
Chris Aguila grounds out to Rollins for the out. Maine grounds out, 5-3. Reyes strikes out looking on a fastball.

Bottom of the second
Ryan Howard strikes out swinging to lead off the inning. Burrell hits the first pitch by Maine to Reyes for the out. Pedro Feliz grounds out to first and Delgado takes it to the bag himself..

Top of the second
Easley grounds out to short. Delgado grounds out to Utley. Castro grounds out to third to end the inning.

Bottom of the first
Jimmy Rollins grounds out to second. Shane Victorino flies out to left. Chase Utley flies out to shallow center.

Top of the first
Reyes hits the second pitch of the inning for a single to left. Ryan Church rips a changeup to left for a single. Reyes goes first to third. Wright grounds into the 6-4-3 double play. Reyes scores. 1-0, Mets. Carlos Beltran pops out to the catcher.

SCORE: 1-0, METS

Happy Fourth of July! Adam Ronis here to analyze and discuss tonight's game. The Mets trail the first-place Phillies by 4 1/2 games. Johan Santana will start for the Mets. He has received some criticism lately for not being a dominant pitcher. He is 7-7 with a 3.01 ERA. Keep in mind the Mets have scored just 10 runs in his last five starts. In his only start against the Phillies this season, he went seven innings, allowed four hits, three runs, no walks and struck out 10 in a 6-4 road win on April 18.

The Phillies will start J.A. Happ, who was called up to replace the demoted Brett Myers. The 6-6 lefthander made his only major league appearance against the Mets last season and allowed five runs in four innings. He went 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 17 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and led the International League with 104 strikeouts.

Bottom 9: Duaner Sanchez is now on the mound. Howard strikes out swinging. Burrell strikes out swinging. Feliz doubles to left. Victorino singles to right scoring Feliz. Phillies win, 3-2.

Top 9: Brad Lidge is now pitching. Easley grounds out to short. Church, pinch hitting, and pops up to Howard on the first pitch. Anderson pinch hits for Aguila and grounds out weakly to first. Lidge throws five pitches. Have to love this offense. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 8: Werth strikes out. Utley grounds to second. Rollins grounds to third. He has retired seven straight and certainly deserves a win. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 8: Ryan Madson is now on the mound. Chavez reaches on an infield single. Wright grounds out to first. Chavez to second. Beltran pops up to Utley. Delgado grounds out to second. We've seen this way too many times this season. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 7: Victorino grounds out to third. Coste strikes out. Bruntlett strikes out. Nice bounce back for Santana who gets them in order. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 7: Aguila strikes out. Santana strikes out. Reyes strikes out. Mets offense has hibernated...again. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Bottom 6:Durbin strikes out. Werth singles to left. Utley singles to right. Rollins pops up to center. Howard singles to left scoring Werth bringing the Phillies within 2-1. Burrell singles scoring Utley to tie it at 2. Feliz grounds to short. Santana threw 22 pitches and missed badly on some pitches. Mets 2, Phillies 2

Top 6: Delgado strikes out. Easley grounds out to third. Castro strikes out. Oh yeah, Santana is pitching. The Mets can't score too many runs. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 5: Feliz grounds out to first. Victorino flies to right. Coste flies out to right. He has thrown 50 pitches in five innings and hasn't worked too hard. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Top 5: Easley singles to left. Castro hits a ground rule double to the rightfield corner, which costs the Mets a run. Aguila walks on a full count to load the bases. Santana fouls out to Coste. Reyes grounds into a fielder's choice to score Easley. Chavez walks on four pitches. Wright walks to force in a run after he was down 0-and-2 in the count. Happ is taken out of the game. Chad Durbin enters to pitch. Beltran strikes out swinging on a full count. Mets 2, Phillies 0

Bottom 4: Utley strikes out swinging. Rollins fouls out to Castro. Howard singles to right. Burrell pops up to shallow right. Another solid inning for Santana. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 4: Wright pops up to right. Beltran struck out looking. Delgado strikes out swinging. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 3: Coste hits a liner to right and Chavez makes a nice diving catch. Happ strikes out looking. Werth grounds to short. Another great inning for Santana. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 3: Santana grounds out to short. Reyes lines to right. Chavez lines to left as the rain becomes harder. Not shocked here. Eleven runs last night means two tonight. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 2: Burrell flies to right. Feliz pops up to short. Victorino pops up to short as Santana throws just eight pitches. Not going deep into games because of high pitch counts has been one of his problems, so this is a good sign. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 2: Delgado strikes out looking. Easley flies to second. Castro singles to center for the Mets first hit. Aguila hits a liner to right and Werth makes a great diving catch. It also means Santana leads off the third. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Bottom 1: Werth singles to lead off. Just a routine 3-4-1 play on Utley. The ball went off Delgado's glove and to Easley who found Santana covering the bag. Werth advances to second. Rollins grounds to second and Werth goes to third. Howard grounds out to Santana. Way to work around the leadoff hit with three ground balls. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Top 1:Reyes leads off with a walk. Chavez grounds out to third sending Reyes to second. Reyes steals third for his 29th of the season. Wright pops up to second. Beltran pops up to right. Guess the Mets realize Santana is on the mound and they don't like scoring runs for him. Mets 0, Phillies 0

Marcus Henry's here again to guide you through the final installment of Mets vs. Cardinals. The Mets really need a win here before they trek to Philadelphia for a four-game set.

Mets (41-43) at St. Louis Cardinals (49-37), 8:15 p.m.

Starters: Mike Pelfrey (5-6, 4.47) for the Mets and Mitchell Boggs (3-0, 4.37) for the Cardinals.

Last starts: Pelfrey wasn't great in his last start against the Yankees last week. But he didn't need to be. Pelfrey gave up eight hits and four runs in five innings in the Mets 15-6 win over the Yankees last Friday. It's worth noting that Pelfrey has won his last three starts, including 5.2 innings of three-hit, scoreless baseball in a win over Colorado on June 22. It's also worth noting that Pelfrey has shaved half a run off his ERA since May 10th. Boggs has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. The 24-year-old righty give up just one run in six innings in a win over the Royals on June 28. In a win over Boston on June 21 he gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Good times, bad times: One good thing going for the Mets is that they can salvage a split with a win tonight. That notwithstanding, losing the way they did last night couldn't have left a good feeling in their mouths. The Mets fought back and actually led 7-5, only to have the pen blow the lead, blowing a chance at leaving St. Louis with a .500 record. The Mets also blew a chance to cut the gap between themselves and the Cardinals in the wild card race.

The game's first pitch, scheduled for 8:15, will be delayed due to heavy rains earlier in the day. The St. Louis ground crew put the tarp back on. Stay tuned for more updates. First pitch is scheduled for 8:40.

A couple of quick notes: Louis Castillo was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hip flexor and Carlos Muniz was demoted. The Mets purchased the contract of second baseman Argenis Reyes and called up outfielder Chris Aguila from Triple-A New Orleans.

Top 1st: Jose Reyes chops the second pitch to the pitcher for the first out. Endy Chavez reached on an infield single. David Wright walked on five pitches. Chavez moved to second. Ryan Church walked to load the bases. Carlos Delgado scored Chavez with a sacrifice fly to right. Wright moved to third. Mets lead 1-0. Church moved to second on a wild pitch. Damion Easley scored Wright on a broken-bat line drive that bounced off the pitcher's glove. Mets lead 2-0. Church moved to third. Marlon Anderson reached on an error by the pitcher. Church scored. Mets lead 3-0. Easley moved to second. Ramon Castro flied out to center for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 1st: Aaron Miles grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Chris Duncan singled up the middle. Albert Pujols struck out for out number two. Rick Ankiel walked. Duncan moved to second. Troy Glaus flied to center for the final out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 2: Mike Pelfrey grounded out to the pitcher for the first out. Reyes grounded out to second for the second out. Chavez grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Bottom 2: Ryan Ludwick lined out to third for the first out. Yadier Molina singled up the middle. Molina was thrown out by Ramon Castro attempting to steal for the second out. Mitchell Boggs struck out for the third out.
Mets 3, Cardinals 0

Top 3: Wright flied out to centerfield. Church legged out a double to left centerfield. Delgado walked. Easley reached on an infield single to load the bases. Anderson reached on a fielder's choice to second. Easley was forced out at second, 4-6, and Church scored. The Mets lead 4-0. Castro walked, loading the bases. Pelfrey lined a single to right, scoring Delgado. Mets lead 5-0. Reyes tripled to center, scoring Anderson, Castro and Pelfrey. It was Reyes' 62 triple of his career, tying Mookie Wilson's club record. The Mets lead 8-0. Chavez doubled to right centerfield, scoring Reyes. The Mets lead 9-0. Wright grounded out to shortstop. Six runs in.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 3: Adam Kennedy flied out to left on the first pitch for the first out. Aaron Miles singled up the middle, extending his hit streak to 15 games. Duncan grounded into a 1-6-3 double play.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 4: Church struck out for the first out. Delgado grounded out to second. Easley grounded out to second for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 4: Pujols flied out to centerfield. Ankiel popped out to second. Glaus struck out looking for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 5: Anderson singled up the middle to lead off the inning. Castro struck out swining for the first out. Pelfrey sacrificed Anderson to second. Pelfrey is out 2-3. Anderson advanced to third on a wild pitch. Reyes walked. Chavez bounced into a fielder's choice. Reyes was forced at second, 4-6, for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Bottom 5: Ludwick singled to shallow left. Molina grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Boggs grounded out to the pitcher for the third out.
Mets 9, Cardinals 0

Top 6: Wright walked. Church lined out to first. Delgado belted a two-run homer to right. The Mets lead 11-0. Easley grounded out to third for the second out. Anderson lined a single to centerfield. Castro grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 0

Bottom 6: Wright is out of the game. Fernando Tatis is in at third. Wright may have tweaked his back in the top of the sixth on Church's line out to first. Kennedy doubled to left. Miles grounded out to the pitcher. Kennedy moved to third. Duncan grounded out to first, scoring Kennedy. Mets 11, Cardinals 1. Pujols walked. Ankiel struck out swinging for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 7: Lefthander Ron Villone is in for boggs. Pelfrey struck out looking for the first out. Reyes grounded out to shortstop. Chavez grounded out to shortstop for the third out.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 7: Argenis Reyes is in at second for Easley. Glaus filed out to deep center. Ludwick struck out swinging for the second out. Molina doubled to right centerfield. Brian Barton is pinch hitting. Barton struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 8: Brendan Ryan is in at shortstop and Jason LaRue is catching for the Cardinals. Tatis flied out to right. Church struck out. Chris Aguila is batting for Delgado. Aguila struck out swinging.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Bottom 8: Scott Schoeneweis is in for Pelfrey. Kennedy singled off the foot of Schoeneweis. Miles walked. Duncan struck out. Braden Looper is pinch hitting. Looper struck out for the second out. Ankiel legged out an infield single to third. Kennedy moved to third. Ryan grounded out to third.
Mets 11, Cardinals 1

Top 9: Jason Isringhausen is pitching for the Ca