A 7 run 5th inning, sparked by Carlos Beltran’s 3 run blast (his 8th of the season) has the Mets beating the A’s, 9-3 through 7 innings today in soggy Oakland. 33 year old Brian Daubach, previously putting up big numbers for Norfolk, started at first today for the Mets and has scored twice and walked 3 times. Mike Piazza homered to left center a few minutes ago, his first roundtripper since King’s X were still playing big rooms.
(despite allowing HR’s to Mark Kotsay and Nick Swisher, Kris Benson stands to pick up his 5th win)
It is a special day for Fox Sports/MSG yackmeister Fran Healy — daughter Debbie has given birth to his first grandson. Congratulations to the Healy family, and here’s praying that Fran’s way with words skips a couple of generations.
(UPDATE : P Danny Graves, flashing the form that made him a target of fan abuse towards the end of his stay in Cincinatti, allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in the bottom of the 8th. A minor league tune up for Graves was ruled out because….there’s no symphony orchestra in Norfolk, VA?)
(UPDATE 2 : Braden Looper pitched a scoreless 9th, earning his 13th save. Kaz Matsui, having fouled a ball off his left knee minutes earlier, was on the receiving end of Jason Kendall’s uncanny Roy Keane impersonation, the A’s catcher trying unsuccessfully to break up the game-ending DP. Matsui had to be helped off the field, a scary sight what with Miguel Cairo on the DL).
NICK Swisher, Mr. C.
yikes.
I’m having one hell of a day with these Kansas City Athletics.
The extreme fringe of Mets 2B commentators are about to get what they asked for: depending on Matsui’s health, there’s a good chance that today or tomorrow it’s going to be Jeff Keppinger time (baby). The Norfolk second baseman with the line-drive bat (a batting champ at two minor league levels) and my body-type (stringy n’ unintimidating) would be next in line to step into what is apparently Shea’s most dangerous position. Or they could play Marlon Anderson there, at what is his natural position. Anyway, with the injury bugs swarming, the Mets-fan pessimist in me wonders: can the return of Wizened Wilson Delgado be far behind?
Answer: Christ I hope so. Very far behind.
Is Wilson D’s drug suspension over yet?
Willie’s gotten great results from a number of Tides players who weren’t previously thought to be on the fast track to anything in particular, and injuries are unavoidable. But there is something a little funny about a team with a $100 million + payroll that needs Victor Diaz, Marlon Anderson, Brian Daubach and Jeff Keppinger to stay afloat.
there’s a funny piece in the new SI in which Sammy Sosa is described as an exemplary teammate in Baltimore and is given much room to vent at the way he was treated by the Cubs on his way out the door. What doesn’t receive as much notice in the article is the fact that Sammy is on pace to hit fewer than 25 HR’s and 75 RBI’s this season, which would his lowest totals since 1994 (a year where he missed 57 games). The Cubs think he’ll be “recovering his power stroke soon”.
Anyhow, for all the moaning and groaning about what Carlos Delgado would’ve meant for the heart of the Mets’ batting order, we oughta be thanking Mr. Met’s graven image (or at least that of Omar Minaya) that Sosa wasn’t traded to Flushing.