The Mets are working hard to capture the lead in the NL East, and with the All Star break quickly approaching, they find themselves only three games out of the lead behind Philadelphia.

On Wednesday night, they hit a stumbling block in Baltimore, as the Orioles turned them back 6-4. It would have been a great opportunity for them if they had managed to win, as the Philies are currently riding a two-game losing streak.

The difference-maker in the game for Baltimore was Aubrey Huff, whose 7th inning two-run blast put the Orlioles in the lead for good. Reliever Pedro Feliciano took the loss for the Mets and fell to 2-2 for the year.

All things considered, the Mets are looking good this year and have a real shot at winning the East – of course a lead going into the All Star break would be a huge morale booster. Grab some Mets tickets and help them make their mark!

The Mets landed in Baltimore with an opportunity to cut into Philadelphia’s NL East league lead, and got of to a great start on Monday night with a 6-4 win over the Orioles.

Leadoff hitter Alex Cora was the star for New York as he went 3-5 on the night with a run scored. Pitcher John Pelfrey also pitched a gem in holding the Orioles scoreless through five innings.

The win is huge for the Mets as the Phillies were off – giving the Mets a free shot at the Philies lead. As the All Star break approaches, the Mets would love to capitalize on every opportunity.

Grab some Mets tickets and get out to the ballpark!

David Wright’s two run double, and incidentally his fourth hit of the night, broke 1-1 tie in the 10th inning on Friday as the NL East #2 Mets defeated the basement-dwelling Nationals in Washington 3-1. For the Mets, the win snapped a three game losing streak.

Luis Castillo led off the 10th inning for the Mets with a single off of Nats reliever Joel Hanrahan before Carlos Beltran walked. Wright then did his thing when he lined a 2-2 pitch into the right centerfiled gap to score both Mets base runners. This four hits, match his single game high.

Sean Green threw a perfect ninth inning for New York before Francisco Rodriquez polished off his 15th save opportunity of the season to remain perfect in his scoreless 10th.

Washington has dropped 9 out of their last 10 games and have fallen even further down the food chain in the NL East. The Mets are sitting three games out of first behind the Phillies, and would miss the playoff by one game in the Wild Card, if the season ended today.

Grab some Mets tickets now and enjoy the summer!

Though Livan Hernandez had the flu this week, he was able to shut down the Nationals by throwing seven shutout innings while, his offense supported him with seven runs.

“I was sick and threw up before the game,” Hernandez said. “I don’t care. I like to pitch. I didn’t sleep good last night. … I didn’t feel good, but I like to pitch, no matter what.”

With the much needed win, the Mets improved to 7-2 on the season against Washington. It was a huge series victory for New York who now must play host to league-leading Philadelphia for a three game series, before heading across town to face the Yankees.

Both of these series are bound to be phenomenal. Grab your New York Mets tickets today and join go out and meet the Mets!

The Nationals are bad. Really bad. And the Mets are only the latest to hand Washington a loss this season. At 13-33, the Nats have more losses than any major league team has wins on this still blossoming season.

In their latest tangle, Johan Santana was solid allowing three runs in the 4th inning, but otherwise shutting down the Nats for his lucky 7th win of the season.

For the Mets, rookie Daniel Murphy hit a homerun (his fourth on the season), while powerful Adam Dunn hit his 16th on the season for Washington.

The win was huge for the Mets as they are now sitting atop the NL Eastern Division a half game above the World Champion Phillies. Up next, the Mets host the Marlins for a weekend series that could help them gain on the division. Grab some New York Mets tickets and enjoy!

It’s only May, but the Mets have already had their share of ups and downs this season. And next up will be, potentially, one of their most challenging series of the young year.

Traveling to Fenway Park to take on the Boston Red Sox is never an easy task, and for a young team, like the Mets it could be even more challenging to play in the most historic park in the entire league. Combine that with the Mets roller coaster of a season and its and understandably difficult weekend for the Mets.

One helpful item is that Mets skipper has stated that Daniel Murphy is now his guy on first base, leaving left field open for a more experienced outfielder – something that will make coping with the intimidating Green Monster just a little easier to deal with.

If you’re in Boston, this is bound to be a great series – so grab some Mets tickets and enjoy yourself.

On the heels of last year’s late season power surge, Carlos Delgado looked certain to make the Mets look good, when they picked up his $12M option for 2009. But this season, he’s been nagged by a pair of leg injuries that has finally gotten the best of him.

Mets team Physician, Struan Coleman says that Delgado must have surgery in order to repair a labrum tear and remove a bone spur in his right hip.

The Mets have not released a timetable on Delgado’s return. “I wasn’t too optimistic about it,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “What we have to do now is try to find out how we’re going to continue to play good baseball without Carlos Delgado.”

In the meantime, Met’s fans will face some uncertainty as Fernando Tatis, Daniel Murphy, and Jeremy Reed will take turns on first base.

In their second consecutive 12-inning affair, the Mets came up short against the Braves in New York on Wednesday. So close to victory in the ninth, the Mets weren’t able to hang on and were finally bested in a dozen innings by their NL East opponents.

A grand slam by Fernando Tatis, a home run by Gary Sheffield, and several great defensive moments put the Mets up early – but they were unable to hold on, as the Braves chipped away finally tying the game in the 7th, before both teams scored single runs in the 8th.

The 9th, 10th, and 11th innings were uneventful, until the Braves’ Mark Prado hit a homerun in the top of the 12th off of the Mets last available pitcher, Ken Takahashi.

Despite the setback, the Mets ticket holders have something to hold their heads high about, as they completed their homestand a formidable 6-2 and have seemingly bounced back a bit from their early frustrations.

When the Mets head out west to San Francisco this weekend, they will be without the help of two of their key players. The Mets announced today that relief pitcher J.J. Putz and first baseman Carlos Delgado have both been diagnosed with bone spurs and will not be available for the weekend.

Putz has been suffering from inflammation in the back of his right elbow and is dealing with a bone spur in the joint. Putz has been doing a fine job this year as a setup man to Francisco Rodriguez, an adjustment that some thought might be difficult. A team spokesman said that Putz will miss at least the first two games of the coming series.

Delgado is also fighting a hip injury that has been reclassified as an impingement of the right hip, a slight muscle tear, and a bone spur. Delgado will be missed, as the team announced he will miss at least four games – including the entire series with the Giants.

So if you have Mets tickets this weekend, you won’t be seeing Delgado or Putz, but the Mets have plenty of star power to go around.

Having won in some bizarre fashions this season, it was the Mets who were on the losing end of one of the stranger outcomes in MLB history. The Giants only mustered two runs against New York’s Mike Pelfrey, but two of Pelfrey’s record tying three balks directly led to runs as San Francisco managed the win 2-0.

It was the first time in Mets history that any pitcher has balked three times, and the first time any Major Leaguer has done so in 15 years.

In the first inning, Pelfrey’s first balk moved Pablo Sandoval to second with two outs – Benji Molina would then drive Sandoval home for San Fran’s first run.
In the fifth inning, Pelfrey balked again, sending Aaron Rowand to second before being driven in by pitcher Matt Cain.

Though the third balk moved runners to second and third with one out, Pelfrey was able to get out of the inning with no damage – except to that of the record books.

The way the Mets are playing lately, you never know what will come next – grab some Mets Tickets and see what they’re up to next.

In the early innings it looked as though the Mets would handle the Marlins in Queens last yesterday, but the offense fell silent after the first few innings and the Mets’ bullpen was unable to hold on as the Marlins defeated New York 7-4.

Gary Sheffield’s two-run triple showed that the old man still has wheels, but also showed that the Mets offense is capable of striking hard and fast. But unfortunately for the Mets, they were unable to hold their early lead in the latter innings.

Sean Green, a Mets reliever allowed four runs in the seventh inning. A three-run homerun from Jorge Cantu on ‘a sinker that didn’t sink’ was the shot to the heart of the Mets pitching staff in what was to be the first Marlins victory in the past eight games after a fast start to the season. Furthermore, it was the Mets fourth loss this season in a game in which they were up by at least three runs at some point.

Next up for the Mets is a weekend series in Philadelphia against the reigning World Series Champion Phillies. Grab some New York Mets tickets and get out there and greet the Mets!

In perhaps the most crowded outfield in the National League, it would be easy – very easy – for a rookie to get lost in the crowd. But, the Met’s Daniel Murphy is holding onto his coaches confidence as he vies to keep his position in left field against Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis, and Gary Sheffield.

Jerry Manuel picked Murphy as a starter in the early going of Spring Training, and Murphy didn’t let his manager down, as he got off to a stellar start in the first two weeks of the season. But, since then he’s cooled off a good bit, but Manuel was impressed enough to keep his confidence in his young left fielder, recently stating that he planned on ‘sticking with Murphy in left’ during a post-game press conference.

The 25 year old Murphy has performed superbly in the outfield and is currently batting .317 with two doubles and a home run in the early going of ’09. Its hard to say whether or not Murphy will be able to maintain his great start, but Manuel’s confidence in him is a good sign.

So if you’re near Queens this summer, grab some Mets tickets and watch the rookie do his thing!

After horrible endings in 2007 and 2008, the New York Mets are off to a slow start in 2009. Individually, several of the Mets are playing great baseball, including Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, and Johan Santana. But despite great individual efforts, the Mets are off to a sub-500 start at 2-4 to begin the very young season.

There are no such thing as must-win games in April, but in baseball, every game matters and a slow start could come back to haunt the Mets later on, especially considering their past troubles in trying to close out the season.

They have a new stadium, some new firepower, and lots of great young talent, so grab some Mets tickets and come out and enjoy some baseball with Mr. Met.

Just as the AL East is the premier division in the American League, the NL East is the standard barer for the Senior Circuit. And the New York Mets are looking to continue in 2009 to be the best the NL has to offer.

For 15 years, the Atlanta Braves were the only team of consequence in the National League East – winning the division year after year, after year. Only in the strike-shortened 1995 season (when the Montreal Expos were on pace to make it into the pennant) have the Braves not led almost the entire season.

In the past few years it has been the Mets, along with the Phillies, who have been major contenders out of the East. In each of the past two years, the Mets have struggled in the later weeks to seal the deal as the Phillies have taken the division, and last year, the World Series.

Grab some Mets tickets – or Phillies, Nationals, Braves, or Marlins and be a part of the dynamo that is the NL East!

One game played, one game won. For the Mets, 2009 got off to a good start as the Mets were able to outlast the Reds for a 2-1 win on opening day. Johan Santana was brilliant in his first start with the Mets, while newly acquired Francisco Rodriguez did what he does, recording his first save of the year, after setting a single-season record in 2008.

Because of the great pitching from New York, they only need two runs to close the door on Cincinnati, and those came courtesy of a two-run homer by rookie, Daniel Murphy. Whose third inning two-run bomb provided the Mets with all they needed for win #1.

Obviously, it’s a long season, but if you were to ask any of the New York Mets Mets organization – or any Mets ticket holders, for that matter- if they’d rather win or lose, their first game, they’d tell you they are perfectly happy with the results of opening day.

That didn’t take long. The Mets announced Friday, that they have reached a one year deal with veteran slugger, Gary Sheffield, according to MLB.com’s Harold Reynolds. Sheffield, who was let go by the Tigers last week brings a turbulent off-field reputation along with his 499 career home runs into New York as the highly-touted Mets look to fulfill the prediction of World Series Champions made by Sports Illustrated.

The precise details of the deal are not yet known, though the Tigers still owe Sheffield 14 million, while the Mets most likely signed him to a minimum deal of $400,000 which releases the remainder of his salary to him at season’s end.

Sheff is no stranger to New York, where he played for the Yankees for three years (2004-2006), which ended with little fanfare as a plague of injuries limited him to only 39 games in his final season. The New York Mets are hoping he has one great year left in him.

This week’s issue of Sports Illustrated dons a picture of New Yankee’s star C.C. Sabathia, but the best news inside the magazine revolves around the other New York team. The SI baseball writers have picked the Mets as their favorites to win the World Series this year. Something that is both understandable, and ill-conceived.

The Mets are absolutely loaded on talent, with the likes of Johan Santana, K-Rod, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and the Carloses, so it’s easy to see them as a favorite going into the year. However, do you remember the last two post-season runs for the Mets? I’m not saying they choked, when the playoffs were on the line, but suffice it to say that they didn’t play their best ball when they needed to win.

It’s a bold prediction for SI to make, but if they can get off to a good start and play good baseball in the latter weeks of the season, they should have a very legitimate chance of making a run. Think that would make the Mets ticket holders happy?

Despite being plagued with injuries throughout the tournament, Team USA managed to make a great run in the 2nd World Baseball Classic before falling in the semi-finals to Team Japan. Injuries, however, were probably a major factor in Team USA not having the chance to make it further along in the WBC as more than half a dozen players came and went with injuries ranging from minor to moderate during the duration of the event.

In fact, Adam Dunn not been playing right field, and Mark DeRosa not been playing the completely unfamiliar position of first base, Team USA may have seen a different outcome. In the category of desire, however, no team seemed as enthusiastic about the WBC as Japan, who had all of their greatest players on display. Contrast that to the USA who had mostly mediocre players, and showed virtually no desire to win the tournament. For Team USA to ever win this thing, in my opinion, they need to start having pride in their country on the international baseball stage.

The WBC is over, but there’s still a lot of baseball left to be played in Florida and Arizona before opening day, so grab your New York Yankees tickets or New York Mets tickets now!

It hasn’t been an easy road for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, but the Americans are still alive, having won two straight to advance to the semi finals against Japan, Korea, or Cuba. After losing their first game against Puerto Rico a few days ago, Team USA eliminated the Netherlands in a must win game on Sunday, and returned the favor to Puerto Rico by eliminating them in a tensely fought game that came down to the bottom of the 9th inning.

After trailing by two, the USA worked their way back into the game in the 9th capped by a bases loaded walk to Kevin Youkilis that brought the USA within one run, at 6-5. Then the New York Mets standout David Wright delivered his third hit of the night, to seal it for Team USA.

Next up for Team USA is a pool championship match against Venezuela. Win or lose, both teams will advance to the semis. Team USA and Venezuela have faced off twice thus far, with the USA winning 15-6 on March 8, and Team Venezuela slipping by 5-3 in the Group C championship game.

The New York Mets haven’t gotten off to a fast start in spring training this year, though you can absolutely never tell anything by spring records. On the surface, the Mets 7-6-1 record so far looks displeasing but you have to remember that starting pitchers are going 2 innings and no one plays for more than 4 or 5 innings a day.

In fact, as far as the Mets are concerned, their ace – Johan Santana – hasn’t thrown a pitch yet (but he will tonight). I know that New York fans in generally are some of the most impassioned and, some might say obnoxious, fans in the world, but rest assured: there’s no need to fear because of a mediocre start to spring training.

If you are in Florida this spring, grab some New York Mets tickets and enjoy a little spring baseball – it’s possibly the most fun you’ll ever have!

When the final rosters were announced for the 16-team WBC last week, 19 New York Mets players were a part of the Classic. When baseball’s answer to the World Cup begins in a few days, these Mets players will proudly represent their respective countries as they try to win the second-ever World Baseball Classic. The Mets players who made the final rosters are:

• Carlos Beltran – Puerto Rico
• Shawn Bowman – Canada
• Alex Cora – Puerto Rico
• Angel Cuan – Panama
• Carlos Delgato – Puerto Rico
• Elmer Dessens – Mexico
• Jesus Feliciano – Puerto Rico
• Pedro Feliciano – Puerto Rico
• Nelson Figueroa – Puerto Rico
• Oliver Perez – Mexico
• J.J. Putz – United States
• Jose Reyes – Dominican Republic
• Francisco Rodriguez – Venezuela
• Heriberto Ruelas – Mexico
• Johan Santana – Venezuela
• Brian Schneider – United States
• Ruben Tejada – Panama
• Stephan Welch – Australia
• David Wright – United States

Grab your World Baseball Classic tickets and your New York Mets tickets ASAP, and don’t miss your favorite players hit the diamond for the first time in ’09!

Last week, Mets manager Jerry Manuel made some roster decisions for the Mets ’09 team. One of them was naming second year player Daniel Murphy as starting left fielder. Murphy hit .319 last year in limited action, but was certainly expected to have to vie for his starting outfield job along with everyone else, including Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis, and Carlos Beltran.

Much ado is being made of Manuel’s decision by fans and the talking heads who wonder how Manuel could have made such a decision before a single spring game has even been played. Here is how MLB.com’s Marty Noble answers the critics of Manuel’s decision:

The decision and the timing of it did raise my eyebrows. But Manuel was quite impressed by Murphy last summer. I am a pretty firm believer in what Davey Johnson used to say — that jobs are neither won nor lost in exhibition games; that is that managers almost always have a sense of what they want before the first exhibition game pitch. So why not implement the plan at the beginning?

The most important thing to remember is that if Church or Tatis play better than Murphy early on, then he will be replaced in the outfield. Moreover, in baseball everyone on the team gets a chance to play throughout the season, so naming a starter now, will not have long-lasting effects. If you are a Mets ticket holder, you may be seeing several different faces out there in August as the ones you see in April.

The Mets faced off against Baltimore today in the first game of the 2009 spring training season and the very first nine-inning game for both teams this year. Early spring training games never tell us much about the future of the teams, but they are fun to watch and always fun to speculate about.

The speculation today is mostly centered around a couple of lesser-known players for the Mets, center fielder Angel Pagan and first baseman Nick Evans (who is usually an outfielder). The two players each went 3-4 on the day while scoring four of the Mets nine runs on their way to a solid 9-3 win over the Orioles.

Other offensive contributors were Luis Castillo (2-3 with 4 RBI), Ryan Church (2-3 with 3 RBI), and Daniel Murphy (2-3 with 2 runs scored). Pedro Feliciano was the winning pitcher for New York pitching 1.1 innings with no runs allowed and giving up two hits.

Florida plus spring plus baseball equals a whole lot of fun, excitement, and relaxation. Grab some New York Mets tickets and enjoy a few games in the Grapefruit League in 2009.

The word is curse is thrown around a lot in the MLB, but for some New York Mets fans, it’s the perfect way to explain their late-season failures in the past two seasons. In 2007, New York was poised to win the NL East handily and were favored by many to make it to the World series, but the Phillies stormed back while the Mets lost 13 games in September and lost the division and the wildcard races.

In 2008, the mid season firing of Willie Randolph gave the Mets a boost, but again, they couldn’t hang on late in the season as they lost 12 September contests and allowed room for the future World Series champion Phillies to make the playoffs.

One of the weak points in ’08 was the fickle Mets bullpen who blew game-after-game down the stretch. With the pickups of Francisco Rodriguez, and JJ Putz in the offseason, they should have less of a problem in the late innings. The other major pickup for the Mets is starting pitcher Johan Santana. Preliminary evaluations of the New York Mets look as though they’ll be much, much better this year!

In a rather surprising move (considering the volatile sports market that is New York), both the Yankees and the Mets have resigned their General Managers, as well as their team managers after both teams their 2008 seasons with less-than-desirable outcomes. Neither team made the playoffs, and while the Mets barely missed the postseason, the Yankees finished 10 games out of the division lead and never really had a chance in August or September.

Nevertheless the Yankees have extended contract offers to GM Brian Cashman as well as Manager Joe Girardi. The move comes rather unexpectedly, as the Yankees aren’t particularly known for their patience and new “active owner” Hank Steinbrenner has shown to be no more patient than his father George, who is well known for his impatience and quick trigger finger.

Likewise, the Mets don’t have a great history of being patient with their brass. Earlier this year, Owner Fred Wilpon fired Manager Willie Randolph and replaced him with assistant Jerry Manuel. Many thought that Manuel would pull the team together and into the playoffs, but alas, they too missed the October fun. However, Manuel was resigned by the Mets organization, as was GM Omar Minaya, who came under a lot of scrutiny for the the Mets collapses in 2007 and 2008.

As surprising as they might be, I think all of these moves were good. You simply can’t expect to win it all every year, and with more and more parity in sports – baseball in particular – it’s completely unrealistic to expect a subway series every year. Bravo to Hank Steinbrenner and Fred Wilpon.

Join the boys of summer in New York again next year. Grab some Mets tickets and Yankees tickets, and cheer them on again!

In a roller coaster season of ups and downs that began with high hopes and coasted with an air of cautious optimism, the New York Mets were once again left behind their NL rivals as the Florida Marlins kept them out of the playoffs yet again.

Just as last year, their playoff hopes were dashed on the final day of the regular season when a win over Florida could have given them a taste of playoff glory. And, just as last year, it was the Phillies who fought in September to win the NL East and venture into October baseball. Additionally, the Milwaukee Brewers, who had their own sets of ups and downs this year, joined the Dodgers, Cubs, and Phillies as the NL wildcard team.

In the AL, the Angels, Red Sox, and Rays are waiting to see who will join them. A makeup game between Chicago and Detroit can earn the White Sox a playoff between themselves and Minnesota for the AL Central championship and the final playoff spot.

But for now, we know that the Mets will have to “wait until next year” once again. When the time comes, get in line for Mets tickets and watch the 2009 Mets try to regain their legacy.

MLB’s regular season is coming to a close this weekend, and after 162 games, and nearly six months of playing the greatest game in the world, most of the boys of summer will be hanging up their cleats until next April.

For New York’s dynamic duo of the Mets and the Yankees, the final weekend provides huge opportunities, huge spectacles and potentially, huge playoff implications (even for the Yankees, in a round-about way).

New York begins tonight against a very scrappy Florida Marlins team who has been playing very comfortably during the past few weeks, despite being out of the grander playoff picture. As you grab your Mets tickets for the final games in Shea, don’t think for a second that the Marlins are going to roll over and not play their starters. It should be a nail-biting conclusion as the Mets look to find a playoff spot one way or another.

For the Yankees, even though they now have no chance of making the playoffs, they can play spoiler to the bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox, who will host the Yankees in a final three-game series, with a possibility of winning the division and displacing the Rays into the Wildcard spot. For NY Yankees fans, I’m sure there is no better consolation prize than to disrupt the Red Sox plans and force them to remain the Wildcard team instead of the division winner.

What a great game! And what a great conclusion to this outstanding 2008 baseball season!

The Mets are giving their fans a scare again this year, as they have managed to make their playoff run an extremely tight race after letting the Phillies get back into the division lead, while falling into a dead-even tie with Milwaukee for the sole NL Wildcard spot.

Yesterday was a chance for separation, as the Mets entered with a one-game lead over the Brewers in the Wildcard. A win over the Cubs at home would have ensured that they kept or gained their lead in the wildcard, while also pulling closer in the division race with Philadelphia. After 10 innings of baseball, however, it was not to be as the Mets fell 9-6 and the Cubs left Shea victorious.

The Mets were not without their chances in the late innings, as they left runners stranded in the 7th, 8th, and 9th, all while involved in game that was tied at 6′s. Had any of those runners been plated, the game would have been over in regulation and the Cubs 10th inning heroics would have been null.

Currently the Mets NL East elimination number is 3. This means that three wins by the Phillies, or 3 losses by the Mets, or a combination of the two, will result in the Mets being eliminated from the division race and making the Wildcard that much more important.

With it all coming down to this, every game is more important than the last. Grab some Mets tickets and cheer them on through the 2008 playoffs!

With 10 games left in the regular season, the NL East division fight between New York and Philadelphia literally could not be any closer. After giving up a four game lead in September that reminded us all of 2007′s disastrous collapse, the Mets now stand a mere half-game in back of the Phillies for the division lead.

One key could be the Phillies game (well, lack there of) on September 25. The off-day combined with a Mets win, would pull the teams even (provided there is not separation by then), while a Mets loss, would give the Phillies a full game advantage going into a home series against the Washington Nationals.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the schedule for both teams…

For the Phillies:

• Three game series at Florida
• Three game series vs. Atlanta Braves in Philadelphia
• Three game series vs. Washington Nationals in Philadelphia

For the Mets:

• Three game series at Atlanta
• Four game series vs. Chicago Cubs in New York
• Three game series vs. Florida Marlins in New York

From the looks of the remaining games, I’d say that Philadelphia has the definite advantage with Atlanta and Washington making up their final six games – all at home. While the four game series against a stout Chicago team could spell serious trouble for the Mets.

You gotta love this time of year as we are really in the heat of the playoff races. There are still tickets available for most of these games, and you can grab some Mets tickets and be a part of the action!

The volatile National League East is the race to watch this season as the Phillies and Mets are once again taking it down to the wire, in what is sure to be a September to remember. Remember last year when the Mets inexplicably gave up the division in September after leading for nearly the entire season? Remember the emotions as the Phillies clinched the division and a playoff berth on the final day of the season? Well we could be looking at a repeat of sorts this year as the two teams are see-sawing back and forth into the final games of the season.

Yesterday, the Phillies were able to regain the division lead with an 8-7 victory over the braves, while the Mets were shut out 1-0 by Washington. The good news for both teams is that the second place team in the division is still going to be in the thick of the wild card hunt which would be a great consolation prize.

Looking at the upcoming schedules for both teams, it appears that the Phillies have a slight advantage, with division cellar-dwellers Washington and Atlanta rounding out their season, while the Mets still have to play host to the Florida Marlins, and the NL’s best Chicago Cubs.

Don’t think for a minute that these two teams won’t give it everything they have in these final two weeks of the season. Look for a phenomenal finish in the NL East and grab some Mets tickets and experience the race firsthand.

The Mets offense was on hold during the middle innings of last night’s game against the Nationals, but that didn’t matter at all, as they were able to pound out six runs in the third and four more in the seventh to out-duel Washington 13-10 in Shea Stadium.

What’s more for the Mets is that they didn’t need the long ball to complete their task, as the only home run was a two-run shot from David Wright in the 8th inning. The Mets simply strung together some timely hitting, combined with capitalizing on pitching mistakes and the type of heads-up aggressive base running that you want to see from a team fighting for their playoff spot.

Despite the big outbursts in the 3rd and 7th innings, the game was never in hand as neither starting pitcher left with a decision and the Mets blew a save attempt early on before Joe Smith picked up then win, while Luis Ayala picked up the save in place of an injured Billy Wagner.

The intra-division win was a huge one for the Mets as they now are up by 3.5 games in the division which means that even if they were to be swept in a three-game series, they would still hold on to the division. In a division like this, we won’t know anything for sure until the final days of the season, so grab your Mets tickets and come join the fun!

With three games separating the Phillies and the Mets, a weekend showdown is a huge opportunity for both teams. For Philadelphia, it’s a chance to get back into a tie for the division lead with a sweep of the Mets. For New York, a three game lead could become a six game lead, potentially making a Philly comeback very unlikely.

We’ve seen this before. Remember last season when the Mets had a seven game lead in mid-September only to lose 12 of their last 17 games while Philadelphia stormed back to swipe the playoffs right out of their hands? Many call it the “greatest collapse in MLB history”, but a playoff run or a World Series Championship would likely remove it from our memory after only a season.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, it is unlikely that either of these teams will give up without a fight. The Mets have been revitalized since the mid-season dumping of Willie Randolph and have had their eyes set solidly on the playoffs every since.

Meanwhile, the Phillies what is probably the best NL lineup in the league, with back-to-back league MVPs Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard anchoring a solid team lead by Charlie Manuel. Look for this series to be a down-and-out brawl as both teams know what the stakes are at Shea Stadium. Grab some Mets tickets now and enjoy the action!

The Milwaukee Brewers would be put away easily yesterday as it took the Mets 10 innings to finally win 6-5. After pushing out to a four run lead in the third inning, the Brewers put up a four spot in the fourth, and the game was tied at fives for the remainder of the regulation game.

In the tenth, however, Daniel Murphy, the Mets Rookie left fielder came in to pinch hit for the pitcher, promptly hitting the game winning single as the Mets closed the door by shutting down the Brewers in the bottom half of the inning.

Carlos Beltran’s 3-run shot in the third inning was the lone homerun for the Mets and provided the majority of their offense throughout regulation. Ricky Meeks had a solo homer, as well, for the Brewers.

Both teams are facing a critical stretch run in September as the Mets look to hold on to a two game advantage in the East, while the Brewers are four games behind the Cubs in the Central. Currently Milwaukee leads the wild card race, trying to stave off Philadelphia whom they lead by 4.5.

The Mets need fan support to continue their run for the playoffs. Grab some Mets tickets and show your support!

Despite taking a 3-0 lead early in their game against Houston on Sunday, the Mets were unable to hold off the Astros, who bounced back and won the 10 inning affair 6-4. The Mets struck first, scoring two runs in the first inning and another in the third, before a three run fourth from the Astros tied the game up. Each team would plate one more run before the 9th as the game entered extra innings in a 4-4 tie.

In the 10th inning, it was all Astros, as Houston homered twice off of the Mets’ Pedro Feliciano to secure the victory. Houston led off the 10th inning with a home run to Brad Ausmus, before chalking up the first two outs of the inning. With two outs and no one on, Darrin Erstad also hit a solo home run to procure the 6-4 victory.

The Mets are now looking at a meager half-game lead over Philadelphia. With five games coming up during the next two weeks between the two NL East leaders, both teams will have a chance to make their own destiny. The first two of these games are a two-game series starting tonight that could help either team establish a bit more of a lead. Grab some Mets tickets and see the action for yourself. It’s going to be good!

Atlanta’s rookie pitcher, Jair Jurrjens pitched a fairly good game on Wednesday for all intents and purposes, giving up four earned runs in a little over five innings of work. In addition, the right hander only gave up six hits the surging New York Mets. However, as is often the case in the game of baseball, his efforts were not enough.

A slow start, as well as some crucial fielding errors by his defense, put Jurrjens’ back against the wall early – very early. With two outs and one on in the first inning, it looked as though Jurrjens was out to a strong start, however, five runs later, it seemed as though a loss was imminent…and it was.

Back to back walks served up to Carlos Delgato and Carlos Beltran loaded the bases. Then consecutive singles by Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis followed by a throwing error and another single from Mike Pelfrey helped the Mets throw up a five-spot in the first. A David Wright homer in the fifth would complete the offensive production for the Mets, but enough was enough, and the Mets coasted to a 6-3 victory.

Fans with Mets tickets have a chance to see something special this year, as the Mets are proving to be one of the best teams in the NL – day in and day out… and so far, there’s no indication of a late-season collapse.

Johan Santana needed no help in shutting down the Pittsburg Pirates on Sunday, as he threw a complete game shutout for the Mets who dispatched the Bucs 4-0 to maintain the NL East lead.

A two-run homer in the second inning by Brian Schneider would have been enough for the Mets to taste victory in and of itself, but Carlos Beltran added some additional run support for Santana with a solo home run of his own in the sixth inning. For Beltran, it was his 17th long ball of the season, while Schneider took his fourth trip around the bases.

For Pittsburg, their lack of offense was nearly matched by their lack of defense and pitching. Jeff Karstens gave up all four runs (all were earned) in addition to nine hits in six innings pitched, while the Pirates defense made two fielding errors that allowed innings to continue. Jack Wilson and Andy LaRoche provided all of the Pirates offense with two hits for Wilson and one for LaRoche.

The Mets and Pirates are scheduled to meet again on Monday with John Maine taking the hill for New York, while Paul Maholm is set to take the mound for Pittsburg. Mets tickets are still available for the game so get out to the ballpark for some August baseball!

The New York Mets are in a tie for the NL Eastern Division lead after the Dodgers capped off a comeback win against the Phillies and the Mets routed Washington. The Mets dispatched The Nationals 12-0 behind a solid pitching performance by John Maine, and an all-out offensive blitz, including home runs by Fernando Tatis, and Daniel Murphy. The Mets Converted 13 hits into 12 runs, while Maine gave up only four hits in the shutout victory.

The lopsided victory by the Mets was a precursor to another game that would aid the Mets into a first place tie with Philadelphia – a come from behind win by the Dodgers over Phillies. The Dodgers victory came in the bottom of the ninth as Nomar Garciaparra belted a Clay Condrey pitch over the wall for a walk off victory,

The victory by the Mets and the loss by Philadelphia create a dead heat in the Eastern Division while an Arizona loss to Colorado and the Dodgers victory create the same scenario in the West. With six weeks left in the season, grab your Mets tickets soon and be a part of the action!

After taking the first two games of the series against the Marlins on Friday and Saturday, the Mets were unable to take the sweep as Florida salvaged the series on Sunday by taking an impressive 8-2 win.

Louis Gonzalez led the way for Florida offensively, going 3-4 with and RBI and 2 runs scored – one of his hits was a home run. Mike Jacobs was another offensive catalyst for the Marlins, converting a double and a home run, as part of his 2-4 night, into an RBI and three runs scored.

Josh Johnson pitched a fantastic game for the Marlins as well, pitching seven solid innings, giving up five hits, two earn runs, while giving up two walks with five strike outs. Johnson’s efforts were more than enough to lead the Marlins to the win, but the eight runs provided by his offense gave him a huge safety net.

With the win, the Marlins pull to a half-game behind the Mets and two-and-a-half games out of the division lead currently held by Philadelphia. This division is still very much up in the air, pick up some Mets tickets now and be a part of the pennant race.

One of the big surprises this MLB season has been the offensive production of Fernando Tatis. After 10 years in the majors (with very average numbers), Tatis left the US all together to play in the Mexican Baseball League. Soon he was overcome, as he says, with a feeling that he should build a church in his home country of the Dominican Republic. He decided to give the majors another chance and he has been owning pitchers in the NL East all year long.

Tatis’ .316 batting average is the second best on the club, while his clutch hitting numbers are turning heads across the league. In addition to his offensive production, he has become a leader both on and off the field for a club that has seen its ups and downs this year.

Last night, Tatis came through once – no, twice – again for the Mets as they were able to dispatch San Diego 6-5 in Queens. After three plus innings of no-hit ball, Tatis finally broke the offensive silence for the Mets with a solo shot in the fourth inning. He homered again in the sixth – this one a three run blast – to give the Mets a lead that they would not relinquish – despite a 3-run ninth for the Padres.

Fernando Tatis is one of the good guys in the game and if you get the chance to pick up some Mets tickets, you should definitely see him in action.

Were it not for the pesky fourth inning, fans at the New York Mets game would have left the stadium last with their heads a little higher, knowing that their team had held on to the division lead with a victory over the Florida Marlins. However, a huge 5-run spurt in the bottom of the fourth paid dividends for both the Marlins and the Phillies.

Damion Easley’s 3-run pinch hit home run in the seventh wasn’t enough to put the Mets back in control, as the Marlins now sit in third place in the NL East by only 1.5 games. Dan Uggla’s home run in the eighth was the Marlins’ capstone that kept them very much alive in the division.

Despite the game going on down on the field, there was much discussion about potential off the field moves to be mad as the trade deadline looms. The name that was discussed the most by both teams? Manny Ramirez. The Boston slugger has been named in trade talks with both the Mets and Marlins who are believed to be close to a three-way deal to bring Manny to Florida with Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay landing with the Red Sox.

Look for many moves to be made today as teams in contention (such as the Marlins and Mets) look to add a spark to their lineups for the stretch run towards the playoffs.

It’s not every day that you see a team give up five plus runs in their opponent’s last at bat, watching the game slip out of their hands in the process, but for the second time in two weeks, a Mets game ended with drama… and not the kind that Mets’ fans wanted.

Despite pulling out to a 3-2 lead in the 8th inning, the Mets were unable to hold on as a blown save resulted in a 7-3 loss last night in Dolphins Stadium. A strong start by John Maine ended in the fifth inning due to shoulder stiffness.

Despite Maine’s early efforts, the Mets’ bullpen was not able to hold on for four plus innings of relief as reliever Joe Smith blew the save in the eighth inning giving up two quick runs. Scott Schoeneweis then allowed the Marlins to pile on, by giving up three insurance runs before the inning was over – resulting in a missed opportunity for the Marlins to stave off the surging Marlins.

Lost in the shuffle was a 2-for-4 performance by Fernando Tatis, which included a triple and two RBIs. As for Florida, their 14 hits were spread out, but included multiple-hit performances by Hanly Ramirez, Josh Willingham, Cody Ross, and John Baker.

With the loss, the Mets lose ground and lead the division over Philadelphia and now Florida, by a-half-game and one game, respectively.

With the division lead on the line, the Mets once again found timely hitting, and were able to dismiss the Phillies with a 3-1 win last night at Shea Stadium. The victory gives the Mets sole possession of first place in the National League West division for the time-being as we head into the final weekend of July.

Carlos Delgado was the hero for the Metropolitans, driving in two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the victory. Delgado broke a 1-1 tie, as the two pitchers for the Mets and Phillies, Oliver Perez, and Jamie Moyer, respectively each had fantastic outings allowing only one run a piece over seven plus innings.

Jayson Werth provided the sole offensive spark for Philadelphia with a solo home run in the seventh inning.

The Mets, who now stand at 55-47, are set to kick off a weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals in Queens, while the Phillies take their 54-48 record back to Veteran’s Stadium to host the Atlanta Braves. This final season in Shea Stadium is being overshadowed by Yankee Stadium’s swan song, but don’t pass up on the opportunity to see a game in this historic ballpark. Grab some Mets tickets today!

“Wow!” was undoubtedly the most common word uttered after last night’s Mets game, in which the Philly’s found a way to win – and regain the division lead – with a six-run ninth inning. After mounting a 5-2 lead going into the final inning, Mets fans had to feel confident in their bullpen to close the game out and maintain the team’s lead in the National League East. However, the Phillies had other plans as they mounted one of the best come back of the year to take the game 8-6.

A small rally in the ninth wasn’t enough to regain the lead for Mets as they mounted one run in the home half of the inning. If there was a star in this game, it was Shane Victorino whose 2-4 performance included a home run in the 6th inning that help the Phillies stay alive in the final innings.

A game like this only reiterates the notion that the National League East is going to go down to the wire this year as we are looking at what could one of the most parity-filled years in memory. There’s definitely a lot of baseball left, and it could easily come down to the final week for four of the six Major League divisions.

The Mets started the second half of strong last night with a 10-8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds following a four run ninth inning. For the Mets, this is their win number 10 in a row as they were able to pick up right where they left off before the All-Star break.

Fans with Mets tickets were probably less-than-impressed for the first few innings last night as the Mets fell behind 5-2 after the fourth inning. However, two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings gave them a lead 6-5. Following a three run inning by the Reds in the seventh, the Mets again faced a deficit leading into their half of the 9th.

David Wright led the way with a two-run homer off of Cincinnati closer, Francisco Cordero, which tied the game at eight apiece. Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis (both of whom hit home runs earlier in the game), then capped the night with a pair of doubles to seal the deal.

The Mets are back in Cincinnati tonight as John Maine will take the mound against Bronson Arroyo as the Mets look to continue this very impressive mid-season run that makes them the team to watch in the National League.

The All-Star break is in full swing now, with the big game invading the Bronx tonight. The National League will be trying to finally break the A.L.’s 11-game unbeaten streak in the Summer Classic, as strong group of All-Stars takes the field.

The New York Mets will be starting one player, third baseman David Wright who was not voted in as a starter, but will get the opportunity due to the injury of Alfonso Soriano. This will be Wright’s third appearance in the all star (all three are consecutive). He looks to add phenomenal fielding prowess and a great bat to the potent National League team.

The lone Mets pitcher on the National League staff is veteran closer, Billy Wagner, who will be playing in his sixth All-Star game. Look for Wagner to get the call in the late innings and to perhaps get the save opportunity if the Mets are leading going into the ninth inning.

This is bound to be one of the great All-Star games in recent years. Look for both teams to give it their all as the National League looks take the crown away from the American League for the first time in over a decade.

If there’s one team that might have wanted to postpone the mid-season break, it’s the Mets, who are in the midst of a great run, winning nine in a row to really establish themselves among the best in the league. They are currently in second place in the division, but hot on the trails of the Phillies and only half-a-game back. Go out and get some Mets tickets and watch them as the crank up the second half of the season!

After winning the first two games of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Mets closed out their mid-week series with a 7-3 victory over San Francisco in Shea Stadium on Thursday.

The story of the day was Fernando Tatis, who led the way with four RBI, including a homerun and two doubles to accompany John Maine’s two hit performance in which he gave up all three of the Giants runs. The Mets are now riding a six game winning streak – their longest run since 2006.

In addition to the break-out performance by Tatis, David Wright also contributed heavily with two doubles of his own, while scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 7th inning. During the game, Mets ticket holders were persistently reminded by the team public-address announcers to text in their votes for Wright to earn the final N.L. spot on the All-Star roster.

Nevertheless, voting closed shortly after the conclusion of the game, and Milwaukee’s Corey Hart was added to the senior circuit ballot along with Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria for the American League.

Next up for the Mets is a three-game series in New York against the Colorado Rockies in a matchup of two teams who entered the season with very high expectations that have yet to pan out for either team. This series, leading in to the All-Star break, should be exciting, as the Rockies bring in their explosive offense into Shea Stadium.

Every now and then a game is played that keeps the fans, players, and even the sports reporters on the edge of their seats, and anyone with Mets tickets to last night’s game against the Phillies was able to see one of those games first hand – though for Mets fans, it probably wasn’t the type of game they would want to repeat too often.

After a very strong start, the Mets took a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, when Philadelphia began what was almost the biggest comeback of the season. Giving up homeruns to Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard, and Geoff Jenkins – in addition to an RBI double by Shane Victorino the Mets began to see the game slipping away as the Phillies eventually scored in the bottom of the 9th to come within a run at 10-9.

Despite giving up two runs with two outs in the 9th inning, Mets veteran closer, Billy Wagner limped out with his 20th save of the year, while barely preserving the win for the Mets.

Another notable event was that Phillies 2nd baseman, Chase Utley hit his 25th homerun of the year in the 4th inning. He leads the Majors in that category.

As the all-star break approaches, the NL East is one of the most exciting races in baseball. The Phillies lead the division at 48-42, with the Florida Marlins and Mets within 2.5 games.

Did you catch last nights Mets game? If you did, and you’re a Mets fan, you’re not feeling too celebratory ahead of this weekend’s holiday. While they did win Sunday’s game, Monday they were looking tired.

The New York Times described it this way:

“Shoddy fielding, a slumbering offense and poor pitching, stalwarts of the first 81 games, reappeared as the Mets opened the second half of their season with a 7-1 loss at Busch Stadium. With their lineup struggling as it is, their margin for error is minimal. Committing three errors and giving up runs in each of the first five innings, then, is no way to go ahead and ease the pressure.”

Interim Mets manager Jerry Manuel put it even more starkly: “We didn’t do too much defensively, we didn’t do too much offensively, we didn’t do too much in the manager’s seat, we didn’t do too much in the coaches’ seat, we didn’t do too much of anything tonight,” Manuel said. Pitcher Oliver Perez has proved to be on again, off again and this game it was off.

Defense was poor and the Mets lost to the Cardinals 7-1. Tomorrow is a new day: next up the Mets play the St. Louis Cardinals again at Busch Stadium.

Coming off of a very disappointing series against one of baseball’s most disappointing teams, it’s time for a little assessment. Larry Brooks of the New York Post had some hard reality for the New York Post yesterday:

“They are the residue of their historic collapse last September, a consequence of a flawed roster and a fragile rotation. They are a disappointment, no matter how much they wish to massage it, no matter how much they may detest their reflection in their own mirrors.”

Forget the fact that they mitigated the damage on Wednesday with an 8-2 win over the Mariners. It’s only a small consolation when you consider the all out drubbing they incurred the night before, losing 0-11.

Brooks says that this is the very definition of a mediocre team—to win a few, and then lose a few, as if they were ambling through life, without consideration of their actual performance.

The franchise would suggest that they’re taking their mediocrity very seriously, taking actions that demonstrate the repellent nature of said patchiness. I mean, why else did they fire Willie Randolph? Interim manager, Jerry Manuel suggested that it was time for tough decisions on Tuesday night after their embarrassing loss. What do you suppose he meant by that?

Time will tell. Let’s hope that those interested in buying Mets tickets in the coming months are able to stay patient.

Fred Wilpon is getting defensive about the decision to let Willie Randolph go. He insists that it was very simply a numbers a game—not enough wins.

An article today in the New York Post by Mark Hale paraphrases Wilpon saying, “the former manager was well aware of what the winning standard was going to be when he was hired.” Wilpon suggests that although Randolph did a good job, when they looked at the numbers, he wasn’t meeting their winning expectation.

Apparently Wilpon was also very defensive of General Manager, Omar Minaya, suggesting that he’s “done a great job.” He outlines how the firing transpired. Minaya called Wilpon on the 15th saying that he wanted to have a meeting the next day, that he wanted to fire Randolph and two coaches, that he wanted to do it quickly and in person. He also said that he wanted to sleep on it. Which he did. The meeting was then held the next morning at 9 am where the decision was finally made.

What still isn’t answered is why the Minaya disregarded his own resolve and made the move through an email in the middle of the night.

This will no doubt be a famous moment for Mets fans to relieve for years—the night Willie Randolph got the axe by email. Maybe if the Mets can turn around a mediocre season, it will be a decision that one sort of smirks at, rather than disgusts in.