May 27, 2008

Home games: Mets hosts Marlins, then Torre's Dodgers

NewYorkology contributor Scott Ross keeps you abreast of upcoming Mets and Yankees home games in New York City. Ross toils in anonymity for a giant online news aggregator. Here's your look at major league baseball in New York City this week:

A week ago the Mets rolled into the Bronx and humiliated the Yankees, winning both games by an aggregate score of 18-6 despiting facing the Bombers' two best pitchers, Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte. When the dust settled, the Yanks were in last place, six games behind Boston, and the Mets had moved into a tie for second place, only one game out of first.

After another loss, this one to Baltimore, the Yankees regrouped, winning six in a row and climbing out of the cellar. Meanwhile, the Mets flushed all their momentum down the drain, losing four straight to Atlanta and then dropping two of three to Colorado.
Somewhere along the line Mets manager Willie Randolph suggested that much of the negative press he had been receiving was the result of racism, a claim from which he has since backpedaled. It's a surprising claim from a man who spent 25 years as a player or coach in New York. It's not that there isn't any racists in the New York press, of course there are, but no one escapes the slings and arrows of the knights of the keyboard in this town. And frankly, his team has underperformed. Randolph had a meeting with ownership, during which his comments and the team's play were surely on the agenda. The general consensus is that barring a sudden turnaround, Willie's days are numbered at Shea.

Willie's current chance to buy some time comes as the first place Florida Marlins are in Queens for a three-game set - though the Mets are already down one after last night. Despite leading the league in slugging percentage, the Fish are 8th in runs scored, largely the product of being tied for last in walks. The line-up is led by shortstop Hanley Ramirez, whose name often comes up in conversations about the best player in the game. We'll see.

Game of the Week: The game to catch is Friday's against Joe Torre's Dodgers, who will be sending young phenom Clahyton Kershaw to the hill. The 20-year-old lefty took a no-decision in his major league debut Sunday, going six innings and giving up two runs to the St. Louis Cardinals, while striking out seven and only walking one. He throws a fastball around 97-mph and a curveball that comes in at around 75-mph. While the history of the game is littered with broken down young pitchers, if you head out to Queens for Friday's game, you may some day brag to your grandkids that you saw Clayton Kershaw's first major league win.

Kershaw will face the Mets' John Maine, who has been a nice surprise, considering the Mets got him in return for Kris Benson, who was washed up and whose wife was a bit more than the Mets wanted to deal with.

Florida Marlins at New York Metropolitans
Tuesday @ 7:10 Andrew Miller (4-3, 5.33) vs. Johan Santana (5-3, 3.36)
Wednesday @ 7:10 Scott Olsen (4-2, 3.38) vs. Perez (4-3, 4.53)

Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Metropolitans
Thursday @ 7:10 Brad Penny (5-5, 5.32) vs. Claudio Vargas (1-2, 3.93), Popcorn Night
Friday @ 7:10 Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 3.00) vs. John Maine (5-4, 3.41)
Saturday @ 3:35 Chad Billingsley (4-5, 3.68) vs. Mike Pelfry (2-6, 5.33), Cap Day
Sunday @ 8:05 Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 3.48) vs. Johan Santana (5-3, 3.36)

Tickets to Mets games can be purchased here, while directions for getting to and around the stadium are also available. (The New York Water Taxi will not be running the Mets Express to Shea during the 2008 season but Rocks Off Concert Cruises is hitting some games, including this Saturday.)

Next Week: The Mets head to Arizona to face the NL West leading Diamondbacks before going to Texas for a series against the surprising Rangers, led by feel-good story Josh Hamilton. The Yankees play host to the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals.

Image source: MLB Shop's Duck House New York Mets 4pk Dinner Plates

May 27, 2008 11:34 AM in Out of Manhattan, Sports

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