Tom Seaver Fan Club

June 30, 1986 at Busch Stadium

Mets 7, Cardinals 0  (50-21)

The Mets won their fourth in a row and their 50th of the season as Bob Ojeda bounced back from a rough start in his last outing.  He threw a seven hit shutout and struck out six as he improved to 9-2.

Kevin Mitchell hit his fourth homer of the season and he scored three runs. Gary Carter went two for five with two RBIs and a run while Keith Hernandez went two for five with a run.

This was ugly.  One thing I learned was, the Mets were the last team in all of baseball to finally have a three game losing streak.  And it’s just as unfortunate that we lost to the team we manhandled twenty years in our last World Series win.

I’d rather not go into the recaps.  The first two games were blowouts and a good start by Tom Glavine went to waste today.  Time to move on to the Yankees.  Hopefully the Mets will take out their frustrations on Bronx Bombers.

This was ugly.  One thing I learned was, the Mets were the last team in all of baseball to finally have a three game losing streak.  And it’s just as unfortunate that we lost to the team we manhandled twenty years in our last World Series win.

I’d rather not go into the recaps.  The first two games were blowouts and a good start by Tom Glavine went to waste today.  Time to move on to the Yankees.  Hopefully the Mets will take out their frustrations on Bronx Bombers.

June 29, 1986 at Wrigley Field

Mets 7, Cubs 4  (49-21)

The Mets won their third game in a row behind a huge game by Darryl Strawberry.  Straw went three for four with his tenth homerun of the season, three RBIs and two runs.  Wally Backman went three for four with two runs and Gary Carter drove in two runs.  George Foster hit his thirteenth homerun of the season.

Dwight Gooden was shaky but he earned his ninth win of the season.  He picked up another complete game and he gave up four runs on ten hits and three walks while striking out six.

June 28, 1986 at Wrigley Field

Mets 5, Cubs 2  (48-21)

Ron Darling and Roger McDowell won their pitching dual with the Cubs staff as the Mets won their 48th game of the season.  With the scored tied 2-2, the Mets busted the game open in the top of the ninth with three runs to put the game away.  Ray Knight did the bulk of the damage with a two run single that scored Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter.

Darling went seven innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks.  He struck out seven batters.  Roger McDowell gave up one hit in his two innings of work and he improved to an impressive 7-0 on the season.

The Mets play two of the heavy hitters in the American League next week.  The Mets get tomorrow off, then they travel to play the Boston Red Sox at Fenway.  Then we hop over for a weekend series against the Yankees.  It should be a good week to test our mettle.  It really shouldn’t matter though.  The Phillies keep losing as does the rest of the NL West, and the Mets now have a 11 1/2 game lead in the division.

Most of our winning of late has been because of the impressive play from Jose Reyes.  Reyes is now riding a thirteen game hitting streak and he’s been doing it all.  On Friday, it was David Wright and Tom Glavine who came through for the Mets though.  Wright hit a three run homerun in the top of the third to give the Mets a nice 4-0 lead and then Tom Glavine rode that to his 11th win of the season.

Yesterday was the loss.  In a bit of snafu, Willie Randolph was forced to take Orlando Hernandez out of the game because he visited the mound twice after El Duque gave up six runs in the second inning.  He took the loss and he’s now 4-7 on the season.  Jose Reyes had four hits and two runs in the 7-4 loss.

Today’s score was the same as yesterdays with the teams flipped.  The Mets jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third and never looked back.  Jose Reyes had a monster game and he went four for five with a homerun, a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs.  Steve Trachsel wasn’t great but he did enough to win.  He’s now 6-4 and Wagner walked two in the ninth but picked up his fifteenth save of the season.

Coasting time folks.  If the Mets played .500 ball the rest of the way, they’d win 90 games.  For the Phillies to tie them, the Phillies would have to go 55-33, and I don’t see either of those things happening.

June 25, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 5, Expos 3  (47-21)

The Mets avoided a sweep at the hands of the Expos by coming up big with four runs in the fourth inning.  With the Expos up 2-0, Keith Hernandez grounded out to first.  Darryl Strawberry doubled and moved to third on George Foster’s groundout.  Kevin Mitchell doubled and drove home Strawberry and then Ray Knight singled home Mitchell.  Ed Hearn walked, and then Sid Fernandez helped out his own cause by singling home Knight.  Lenny Dykstra then capped off the inning with an RBI double to give Sid Fernandez a little extra insurance.

Fernandez improved to 9-2 and went six innings.  He gave up two runs on six hits and five walks while striking out five.  Roger McDowell threw the final three frames without giving up a run to earn his sixth save of the season.

June 24, 1986 at Shea Stadium 

Expos 6, Mets 2  (46-21)

The Mets were held to six hits and as the Expos jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back.  Bruce Berenyi was pulled before he even had an official start, and Rick Aguilera gave up two more runs in the top of the eighth as the Expos cruised to an easy win.

Keith Hernandez had two hits and Darryl Strawberry hit his ninth homerun of the season.  Gary Carter also had an RBI single.

I thought the Mets might do a little better then this against the Reds, but it looks the Reds might actually be for real.  Not like the Mets, but they definitely should contend for the Wild Card.

On Monday, Bronson Arroyo outdueled Orlando Hernandez.  Hernandez was actually sharp through seven innings and left the game down by a run, but the major damage was done in the eighth when Pedro Feliciano gave up two runs.  Final was 4-2 so those two last runs were the clinchers.

Carlos Beltran hit his 19th homerun of the season and he drove in both runs.  Jose Reyes had two hits and he scored on Carlos Beltran’s ground out.

Steve Trachsel got the Mets back on track on Tuesday.  He got a nice lead early when Carlos Delgado hit a two run homer to cap off a three run first inning.  Trachsel went six innings and gave up two runs on six hits.  Xavier Nady had a huge day and went two for four with two homeruns and three RBIs in the 9-2 win.

It’s bad when everyone in your pen does great except your best reliever.  The Mets came back from a 4-2 deficit and scored three runs in the seventh to take 5-4 lead.  Then Billy Wagner came in and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the ninth and he earned his first loss (and fourth blown save) of the season.  Jose Reyes had a montster game and he hit for the cycle.  He drove in one and scored twice.  Javier Valentin went three for four with a homerun, two RBIs and a run.

Leave it to Pedro to swing things in a positive direction.  He gave up two runs on two hits and five walks with eight strikeouts in six innings.  David Wright had a monster game and he went two for three with two homeruns, four RBIs and two runs.  Jose Reyes went two for four and stole two bases and he now has a ten game hitting streak.

The Phillies dropped two of three to the Yankees so we’re now a nice cushy ten games ahead in the NL East.  The Mets head to Toronto for a three game series beginning today.  The Blue Jays are better then years past, but the Mets are the cream of the crop so I’m expecting two wins in the series.

June 23, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Expos 5, Mets 4  (46-20)

It took until late June, but the Mets finally lost their 20th game.  The Expos jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the top of the third, but the Mets tied the game up in the bottom of the fifth with three runs.  The inning was capped off by Howard Johnson’s second homerun of the game.

Neither team scored in the final four innings.  Jesse Orosco came in to pitch the tenth and ended up yielding the go ahead run.  In the bottom half of the inning, the Mets went down one-two-three and the game was over.

Dwight Gooden went six innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks.  Roger McDowell threw three innings of shutout relief.  Orosco dropped to 3-4.

June 22, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 4, Cubs 2  (46-19)

Lenny Dykstra hit a two run shot in the bottom of the third inning to put the Mets up early and with some solid pitching by Ron Darling, the Mets held on to win the game.  George Foster went two for four with a solo homerun and Ron Darling went two for four with a run.

Darling went the distance and gave up only two runs (one earned) on five hits.  he struck out five batters and improved to 8-2.

June 21, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Cubs 8, Mets 6  (45-19)

The Mets overcame an early 6-2 deficit only to give this game up in the top of the ninth inning.  The Cubs scored three runs in the first inning then one each in the next three innings to jump out to a four run lead.  The Mets scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth and then a tying run in the bottom of the sixth.  Jesse Orosco then lost the game in the top of the ninth by giving up two runs and while the Mets threatened in the bottom of the ninth by getting two men on, Lee Smith struck out the final three batters to end the game.

Kevin Mitchell went three for four with two RBIs and two doubles.  Danny Heep went one for three with two runs.  Bob Ojeda was shelled and pulled after only three innings and while the pen did a good job, it was their top reliever who eventually lost the game for them.

June 20, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 10, Cubs 3  (45-18)

The Mets bounced back from their two game mini-skid by blowing out the Cubs.  Gary Carter hit a big three run shot to open the game up in the seventh.  Keith Hernandez and Ed Hearn also homered.

Sid Fernandez improved to 8-2.  He went seven innings and gave up two runs on only three hits.  He did walk five, but he struck out five.

This series definitely wasn’t fun.  Kris Benson got some revenge and the Mets lost two of three.  Fortunately, the Phillies didn’t fare much better so that monster lead is intact.

On Friday, the Mets took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning before Aaron Heillman was shelled for four runs to make it 6-3 (the eventual final score).  Alay Soler gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings.  Jose Reyes had two hits and two RBIs as well as his 29th stolen base.

Yesterday we saw the return of Kris Benson and he ended up in a pitchers duel with Pedro Martinez.  Pedro wasn’t his usual self (four runs, eight hits through seven innings) and Benson held the Mets to two runs on six hits in eight innings.  Even worse, Benson took Pedro deep for a solo homerun that tied the game at 2-2.  The final was 4-2.  Carlos Delgado had two hits and an RBI.

The Mets finally got it done today.  David Wright had yet another monster game.  He went three for four with a homerun, five RBIs and two runs.  The homerun was his fifteenth of the season.  Ramon Castro went yard as well and he drove in two in the 9-4 win.  Tom Glavine won his tenth game and he gave up four runs on nine hits with six strikeouts in six innings.

The Phillies are up by three and if they hold on to snap their six game losing streak, we’ll have the same 9 1/2 game lead we had heading into the series.  Next up is a four game series with the Reds, who can hit the snot out of the ball.  They’ve struggled the last week or so though, so I like our chances.

June 18, 1986 at Olympic Stadium

Expos 7, Mets 4  (44-18)

The Expos blew out the Mets and took two of the three against a team that came into the series on a hot winning streak.  Dwight Gooden was shelled for seven runs (six earned) on six hits and six walks.  He only struck out one batter and he gave up two homeruns.

Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter both hit solo homeruns.  It was Strawberry’s eighth and Carter’s twelth of the season.  Wally Backman went three for four.

June 17, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Expos 4, Mets 2  (44-17)

Despite jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first, the Mets seven game winning streak came to an end.  They Scored two runs on two hits, but they were held scoreless in the final eight innings.

In the meantime, the Expos put up single runs in four different innings to chip away, and then eventually take over, the lead.  Bruce Berenyi walked seven batters and gave up three runs on three hits to drop to 2-1 on the season.

Mookie Wilson, Tim Teufel and Kevin Mitchell all had two hits.  The Mets were unable to draw a single walk in the game, and they struck out eleven times.

June 16, 1986 at Olympic Stadium

Mets 4, Expos 1  (44-16)

The Mets extended their winning streak to seven games as Ron Darling and the pen held the Expos in check.  Darling threw seven shutout innings in which he gave up four hits and six walks while striking out eight.  Roger McDowell gave up a run in the eighth, but that was all the Expos could get.  Unfortunately, that one run sent the game into extra frames, but the Mets ran up three runs in the tenth to put things away.

Wally Backman went three for five with two doubles and a run.  Darryl Strawberry went two for three with an RBI and a run while Lenny Dykstra drove in two.

This was what just the doctor ordered.  We walked into the second place team’s house and cleaned it for them.  The net result is, we come home with a massive 9 1/2 game lead in the NL East.  It’s only mid-June, but it’s time to start thinking playoffs.

Tuesday, it was long ball and relief pitching.  Aaron Heillman was roughed up but Chad Bradford, Pedro Feliciano and Billy Wagner all did their jobs.  Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Davd Wright all hit homeruns, and Jose Reyes wen two for three with three walks (yes, three walks) and three runs.

Yesterday, Orlando Hernandez was limited to three innings because of a 65 minute rain delay, but Darren Oliver picked him, and the win, up.  The Mets jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the third inning and despite the rain delay, never looked back.

David Wright hit homerun number 13 and Reyes went four for five.  Carlos Delgado drove in three runs and all nine Mets’ runs were scored by different people.

This afternoon, the Mets rode a four run first inning pretty much the entire way.  They added a run in the fifth to give them what would eventually be the winning run, a Carlos Beltran sac. fly.  David Wright did it again with a three run shot and he homered in each of the three games of the series and Steve Trachsel picked up the win despite giving up four runs on six hits in six innings.  Heillman, Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner each threw a perfect inning to close out the game so a great job by the pen in this one.

Baltimore comes to town as interleague play starts back up.  The Orioles haven’t been that great, so it’d be nice to see that lead creep into double digits for the first time sometime this weekend.

June 15, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 4, Pirates 1  (42-16)

Bob Ojeda shut down the Pirates in the first game of their doubleheader.  He pitched all nine innings and gave up only a single run (which wasn’t scored until the ninth) on nine hits with five strikeouts.  He improved to an impressive 8-2 on the season.

Lenny Dykstra had a big game.  He went three for four with a triple and two runs.  Wally Backman scored twice and the Mets were patient at the plate again.  For the second straight game, the Mets drew seven walks.

June 15, 1986 at Shea Stadium 

Mets 8, Pirates 5  (43-16)

The Mets swept the Pirates not only in their double header, but also in their four game series.  In the process, they extended their winning streak to six games.

Rick Aguilera was roughed up for three runs in only 5 1/3 innings, but he walked away with his first win of the season.  Roger McDowell held the Pirates hitless in the final 2 1/3 innings to earn his fifth save of the season.

Mookie Wilson, Gary Carter and Ed Hearn all homered for the Mets.  Tim Teufel went two for four with four RBIs and Rafael Santana went two for four with three runs.

June 14, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 5, Pirates 1  (41-16)

The Mets extended their winning streak to four games behind Sid Fernandez’s three hitter.  The only run against him came in the first when rookie Barry Bonds scored on Mike Brown’s sacrafice fly.  In the final eight frames, Fernandez only gave up two hits and no walks.  He finished the game with eight strikouts.

Wally Backman went two for four with a run and RBI.  The Mets drew seven walks and they scored all five of their runs in the fifth inning.

June 13, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 6, Pirates 5  (40-16)

The Mets won their third straight game by topping the Pirates with some late inning heroics.  The Mets were up 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth, but the Pirates scored two runs on Jesse Orosco to tie the game up.  Then in the bottom of the ninth, Darryl Strawberry singled home Mookie Wilson with two outs to end the game.

An awesome start by Dwight Gooden almost went to waste as he didn’t get a decision.  He went eight innings and gave up three runs on only three hits while striking out thirteen.  Keith Hernandez hit a two run homer in the fifth inning and Wilson hit a solo shot in the third.  Wilson and Wally Backman both scored twice.

Winning heals all wounds and the Mets not only won this weekend, they won big.  And when you throw in the Phillies losing three of four to the Nationals, it makes for a nice, cushy 6 1/2 game lead in the NL East.

On Thursday, Orlando Hernandez had his best start since joining the Mets.  He went the distance and gave up one run on three hits.  He needed only 114 innings to finish off the Diamondbacks.  On the hitting side, Carlos Beltran homered and drove in two and Endy Chavez had three RBIs.

Friday’s game was the closest the Diamondbacks got and this was after we piled on a five run lead.  Carlos Beltran seems to be getting over that injury and he homered twice and Steve Trachsel picked up a cheap win despite giving up fourteen baserunners.  Carlos Delgado also homered twice and drove in three runs.

Saturday was all about Alay Soler.  He threw a two hit shutout in only his fourth career start.  Even better, he outdueled Brandon Webb.  If there was one game in this series that I expected to lose, it was this but the rookie came through. 

Today’s game was a blowout.  Carlos Delgado drove in three runs and Carlos Beltran drove in four and scored three times.  Endy Chavez scored four times and on top of 15 hits, the Mets drew ten walks.  Pedro Martinez had as many runs as he usually needs by the by the end of the first inning and he picked up his sixth win of the season.

Things could get really ugly because we head to Philly for a three game series beginning Tuesday.  If we can pull off a sweep, we’ll have a 9 1/2 game lead before even the All Star break.  It’s not cruising time yet, but it’s definitely time to start thinking playoffs.  Maybe saving Pedro and Glavine a bit and leaning on the pen, because those are the guys we’ll need come playoff time.

June 11, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 5,  Phillies 3  (39-16)

The Mets won their series with the Phillies behind Ron Darling’s strong start and some solid pitching from the bullpen.  Darling went six innings and improved to 7-2.  He gave up three runs on six hits and he struck out six.  Randy Niemann, Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco held the Phillies to two hits in the final three frames.  Orosco earned his eleventh save of the season.

Ray Knight homered and drove in two runs and Gary Carter was one for three with two RBIs.  Mookie Wilson went two for five with two runs.

June 10, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 8,  Phillies 4  (38-16)

The Mets got back on track with a huge eleven inning win over the Phillies.  After being up 3-2, Bob Ojeda gave up the trying run in the seventh and the go ahead run in the eighth before getting pulled.  The Mets answered in the bottom of the eighth on a solo shot by Gary Carter to tie the game up.

Neither team scored in the ninth and tenth inning and Roger McDowell mowed down the Phillies in the top of the eleventh.  Then in the bottom of the eleventh, the Mets loaded up the bases before Tim Teufel hit a huge game winning walk off grand slam to finish the game.

Another series, another series win.  The Mets continue to cruise along and right now, Baseball Prospectus is giving them better odds then any other team of making the postseason.  That doesn’t mean the Mets can let up, but it does mean they can relax a little bit.
 

On Monday, Soler picked up his first career win.  He went seven innings and gave up one run on six hits with seven strikeouts.  Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado both homered in the 4-1 win.
 

You don’t see Pedro Martinez get outdueled, and that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday.  Derek Lowe threw a better game and Pedro gave up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in five innings of work.  David Wright went two for four with a run and an RBI.
 

Wednesday was another great game for the youngster, Lastings Milledge.  Milledge homered and drove in three runs in the 9-7 win.  Carlos Beltran returned from his injury and he went three for five with two RBIs and a run.  Tom Glavine didn’t bring his best stuff but he picked up his ninth win.  Billy Wagner threw a perfect ninth and notched his twelth save of the season.
 

The Mets trade Kaz Matsui for Eli Marrero.  You would have thought Matsui would garner more, but his stock has been way down since he signed with the Mets.  It’s yet another disappointing signing by the Mets.