Mets Beat Reds 9-7 To Improve To 2-0
Offense Comes Alive In New York Mets' Victory Over Cincinnati Reds
Apr 8, 2009
Two games into the season, the Mets look like a strong favorite in the National League. They have won both a low scoring game and now a high scoring game demonstrating their ability to win in a variety of different ways. Last night, their prolific offense overcame a shaky performance from the pitching staff to post their second consecutive victory to start the season.
The Mets' Pitching
Mike Pelfrey, who is expected to do big things this year coming off a 15 win season last year, struggled with his command the whole night. He got roughed up in the very first inning, including giving up a three-run homerun to Joey Votto. He battled nicely the rest of the way, though, holding the Reds scoreless for the next four innings.
The bullpen also had its problems. Parnell was able to overcome a couple of walks to throw a scoreless inning. Feliciano, the only bullpen holdover from last season, struggled, giving up two earned runs. Putz had some trouble as well, giving up a run in the eigth. In the ninth, Rodriguez also ran into trouble with a couple of walks, but was able to get out of the jam for his second straight save.
The Mets' Offense
The Mets' Offense broke out to the tune of nine runs last night. The heart of the order came through in a big way. Wright had one hit and scored three runs, Delgado homered and drove in four runs, and Beltran had two hits and two RBIs. Schneider, not known as much of a hitter, had two hits and broke the game open with a three-run double in the top of the seventh. The Mets' offense as a whole showed great balance. For the second straight game, seven of the eight position players had at least one hit. The offense accomplished this, at least early in the game, against Edinson Volquez, who was one of the best pitchers in baseball last season. That is a very promising sign for the Mets' offense.
Final Thoughts on the Game
Mike Pelfrey got a win but he is going to have to pitch much better if the Mets are going to have a successful season. He has the stuff to be a solid number two starter but he needs to show better control and go deeper into games.
The bullpen must also pitch better. Feliciano needs to have a better season than he did last year. Putz much pitch better than he did today and Rodriguez cannot continue to play with fire because eventually he is going to get burned.
The offense finally came through with runners in scoring position, highlighted by a two-run single from Carlos Beltran and a bases clearing double by Brian Schneider. The offense needs to be consistent with runners in scoring position, something that was a problem for the Mets last season.
Looking Ahead
The Mets will look for the sweep tomorrow afternoon in Cincinnati. They will send Oliver Perez, who was mr. inconsistency last season, to the mound, against Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo had his struggles last season, but he pitched a gem against the Mets at Shea Stadium. A win tomorrow would set up a batte of the undefeateds showdown on Friday against their nemesis from the last two seasons, the Florida Marlins.
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