Tom Seaver Fan Club

With Duaner Sanchez’s taxi cab accident, there was no doubt the Mets were going to go shopping for some pitching. The price was Xavier Nady who was spent most of his time in right field in a platoon situation.  Nady was having a solid year, but he netted the Mets the venerable Roberto Hernandez and the erratic Oliver Perez.

Roberto Hernandez will be 42 in November, and while his season has hardly been great, he gives Willie Randolph another right handed option out of the bullpen.  Hernandez is also a familiar face because he obviously was with the Mets last year.

Oliver Perez was 2-10 this year in what’s been a bizarre career.  A Cy Young candidate in 2004, Perez was injured last year and has been downright horrible this year.

While it’s a not block buster, Nady was expendable and we needed some arms.  While I’m not sure Perez will do much for us this year, Hernandez should proved Wagner with some solid set up work.  I like the trade, but I’m not overwhelmed.

Welcome back Pedro Martinez.  The Mets pitching has been a little subpar of late, and while Martinez was hardly stellar on Friday, he got the job done.  Obviously on a pitch count, Martinez game up four runs on five hits and two walks over six innings.  Jose Reyes and David Wright homered for the Mets and they both scored two runs.  Billy Wagner picked up his 21st save of the season.

Yesterday was a beatdown.  Carlos Beltran homered twice and drove in five and he could have beaten the Braves by himself.  Paul LoDuca had four hits and four different Mets scored twice.  Orlando Hernandez threw a very nice game and he gave up three unearned runs on three hits with seven strikeouts in eight innings. 

Today was another offensive onslaught.  Carlos Beltran hit two more homeruns and drove in five more runs and Carlos Delgado jumped on the HR train as well.  He hit number 26 and drove in three runs.  Tom Glavine struggled again and Darren Oliver ended up picking up the win.  Wagner picked up save number 22.

The Phillies are back in second place and they’re playing as we speak.  Regardless, the Mets will have at least a 13 1/2 game lead, and we’re heading into August.

July 30, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Cubs 4, Mets 3  (66-32)

A comeback attempt by the Mets fell short as they split their four game series with the Cubs.  A solid start by Sid Fernandez went to waste.  He got hit hard early (three runs in the first) but settled down to strike out eleven batters through only five innings.  The Mets bullpen was stellar and allowed the Mets to try to stage a comeback but it was all for naught.  Doug Sisk and Randy Myers combined to throw four innings of one hit ball and they struck out three.

Darryl Strawberry drove in a run with a sac. fly and Howard Johnson had an RBI double to account for the Mets two runs.  Gary Carter went three for four.

July 29, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 3, Cubs 0  (66-30)

Ron Darling threw a gem as the Mets won the first game of their doubleheader with the Cubs.  Darling improved to 11-3 with the complete game six hit shutout and he struck out eight batters.

Ironically, the Mets were outhit but they made what they could of the baserunners they had.  They scored all three runs in the fourth inning.  Lenny Dykstra drove in two with a single and Tim Teufel drove home Dykstra with a double.

July 29, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Cubs 2, Mets 1  (66-31)

The Cubs managed a split in their double header with the Mets by edging them in a pitchers dual.  (Rookie) Jamie Moyer held the Mets to one run on six hits and Lee Smith slammed the door on the Mets in the final two innings.  Rick Anderson pitched six solid innings but it was reliever Doug Sisk who gave up the go ahead run in the seventh.

George Foster drove home the only for the Mets with an RBI single in the sixth.  Mookie Wilson had two of the Mets’ six hits.

July 28, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 9, Cubs 2  (65-30)

The Mets blew out the Cubs to open up their weekday series.  Four runs in the first inning were all they’d need, but a run in the sixth and four more in the eighth put the game away for sure.

Bob Ojeda improved to 12-2.  He went seven innings and gave up two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.  Roger McDowell threw the final two frames and he earned his tenth save for his troubles.

Kevin Mitchell had a big game as he went three for three with a homerun, three runs and two RBIs.  Darryl Strawberry went two for four with a homerun and two RBIs while Howard Johnson drove in three runs.

July 27, 1986 at Fulton County Stadium

Mets 5, Braves 1  (64-30)

The Mets avoided a sweep at the hands of the Braves behind Rick Aguilera’s second straight solid start.  Aguilera threw his first complete game as he gave up a single run on eight hits.  He improved to 4-3 on the season.

Gary Carter capped of a five run third inning with a three run shot.  Darryl Strawberry and Kevin Mitchell both hit solo homeruns that inning as well.

Thankfully, Pedro is coming back because this stuff has to stop.  The Cubs are one of the very worse teams in the league and they ran up eight runs in two different games and outscored us.  Then today it took us ten innings just to score a single run that ended up being the game winner.

Steve Trachsel is starting to show signs of wear.  On Monday, he gave up eight runs on ten hits including three homeruns in the loss.  The Mets actually put seven runs on the board to make it 8-7, but a loss is a loss.  Carlos Delgado drove in two and all seven runs were scored by different Mets.

Yesterday it was more of the same, only this time the Mets only scored six.  Tom Glavine was roughed up and like Trachsel, he’s showing signs of wearing down.  He gave up eight runs (five earned) on seven hits through 6 1/3 innings.  Carlos Beltran homered and drove in two while Endy Chavez homered and drove in three.

John Maine was spectacular today.  He threw seven shutout innings and didn’t get a win for his troubles.  The game went into extra frames and Jose Valentin singled home the winning run in the tenth inning.  Aaron Heilmann picked up his first win of the season in relief.

The Mets still have a twelve run lead.  Next up is a three game set with the Braves in Atlanta.  Pedro is being activated and should pitch in the opener on Friday.

July 26, 1986 at Fulton County Stadium

Braves 4, Mets 3  (63-29)

The Mets let this game get away from them despite getting some much needed rest after two long games.  The Mets got on the board first in the top of the third on a two run shot by Mookie Wilson, but Dwight Gooden gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth to give up the lead.

The Mets tied the game in the top of the eighth on Mookie Wilson’s RBI single (his third RBI of the game).  Unfortunately, Roger McDowell, in his second inning of work, gave up a walk off sac. fly to end the game.  McDowell lost his fifth game of the season, and a solid start by Dwight Gooden went to waste.  Gooden gave up three runs on only four hits and he struck out five in seven innings.

July 26, 1986  Braves 8, Mets 5  (63-30)

The Braves completed their doubleheader sweep of the Mets with a couple of strong innings.  Sid Fernandez was coasting through the game with a shutout through four innings.  The Mets even spotted him three runs but he gave up four runs in the fifth and then reliever Doug Sisk gave up three in the sixth as the Braves busted the game open.  Fernandez dropped to 12-3.

Howard Johnson and Keith Hernandez both homered for the Mets and they both drove home two runs.  Darryl Strawberry stole his 22nd base and scored a run while Len Dykstra stole his twentieth.

It’s weird because with the Wild Card wide open, the Mets can pretty much determine who their first round playoff opponent is.  If they ever have a series where they drop two or three games (I know, but it could happen), that team would have a distinct advantage over the teams like the Astros and Reds before them, who dropped two of three.

Rookie John Maine came out of nowhere on Friday and threw a four hit shutout.  The Mets played some extra inning games earlier in the week, so this was a welcome relief for the bullpen.  All seven runs were driven in by two guys.  Jose Valentin drove in four runs and Carlos Delgado drove in three.  Both guys hit homeruns.

Orlando Hernandez gave up three runs in the first and then calmed down and threw a nice game.  He ended up pitching scoreless ball the rest of the way and he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings.  Xavier Nady gave the Mets the lead with a three run shot in the fourth inning.  Billy Wagner threw the ninth and picked up his 20th save of the season.

The Astros avoided being swept and actually got some offense.  Mike Pelfrey was knocked around and he didn’t even last five innings.  Carlos Delgado tagged Roy Oswalt for a three run shot.  It was homerun number 25, and Delgado now has his batting average up over .250. 

Next up are Cubs, who are way down in the standings.  In fact, they’re one of the very worst teams in the league and one of the few that aren’t realistically in the wild card mess.  This should be a beat down.

July 23, 1986 at Riverfront Stadium

Mets 3, Reds 2  (63-28)

The Mets completed their sweep of the Cincinnati Reds as they combined solid pitching with timely hitting.  Ron Darling yielded two runs on two solo shots in the bottom of the third, but he calmed down to hold the Reds to only five hits in eight innings of work.

In the top of the fifth, the Mets cut the Reds lead to a single run when Tim Teufel doubled home Rafael Santana.  Then in the top of the eighth, Kevin Mitchell hit a two run shot to give the Mets a one run lead that would stand.

Roger McDowell threw a perfect ninth inning to earn his ninth save of the season.  Darling won his tenth game of the season.

July 22, 1986 at Riverfront Stadium

Mets 6, Reds 3  (62-28)

After the fifteen inning loss to the Astros on the 20th, you’d think the Mets’ tanks were on empty.  And to play a second five hour game only two days later must have been taxing for the team, but they really came through to pull out the win.

The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the third inning as Dave Parker hit a two run shot off of Bobby Ojeda.  The Mets shaved that lead in half in the fifth on Len Dykstra’s RBI triple, but the Reds answered in the bottom half of the inning on Buddy Bell’s solo homer.  Neither team scored in the next three innings so it was 3-1 heading into the top of the ninth.

The Mets appeared to catch in early break in the ninth when Howard Johnson struck out.  He then kicked the ball and ended up advancing to first on what turned out to be a passed ball.  Mookie Wilson then put that threat to rest by hitting into a double play.  Fortunately the Mets weren’t done.  Len Dykstra drew a walk and then moved to third on Tim Teufel’s double.  Keith Hernandez then hit a fly ball to Dave Parker, who then misplayed the ball.  Parker was credited with an error and Dykstra and Teufel scored to tie the game up.

As the game went into extra frames, neither team scored until the fourteenth inning.  Ed Hearn led off with a double and then Jesse Orosco drew a walk.  Roger McDowell struck out, but then Howard Johnson came up huge with a three run homer to put the game away.

Davey Johnson’s use of the pen was simply fantastic.  At the end of the game, he had Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco both on the field.  While one was pitching, the other was out in the outfield.  This went on from the tenth inning. 

Roger McDowell threw three innings and gave up only a single hit as he improved to 8-4.  In all, five different relievers held the Reds to no runs on eight hits through nine innings of work.

The Mets keep winning series, and as they do, the playoffs become more and more of an eventuality.  Ironically, the Mets went head to head with the team they’d play in the first round of the playoffs if they started today, and I like the results.

On Tuesday, solo shots by Xavier Nady and Javier Valentin gave the Mets an early lead, but it was Carlos Beltran’s seventh inning grand slam that put them up for good.  It was his second grand slam in as many days.  Mike Pelfrey looked solid and he gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts through six innings.  Six of the eight Mets hits were hit by the guys who hit homeruns.

Wednesday was a downer.  The Mets jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second, then watched it evaporate with scoring another run the rest of the way.  The game was tied 4-4 when the Reds scored three in the bottom of the eighth.  Jose Reyes and David Wright each had two RBIs in this one.

The Mets got back on track yesterday, but they needed ten innings.  Cliff Floyd and Carlos Delgado hit solo shots but the Reds eventually tied it.  Then in the tenth Eric Chavez and Carlos Beltran each had an RBI double to give the Mets the runs they needed to win it. A solid start by Tom Glavine ended in a no decision and Pedro Feliciano picked up the win.  Billy Wagner pitched a perfect ninth and picked up his 19th save of the season.

Next up is a three game set against the Astros.  Matters for the Astros, not really for the Mets.  Our lead just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

July 21, 1986 at Riverfront Stadium

Mets 4, Reds 2  (61-28)

The Mets ended their three game skid with a solid pitching performance by Rick Aguilera.  Aguilera went eight innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on eight hits and he struck out nine.  Jesse Orosco didn’t give up a hit as he pitched the final inning to earn his thirteenth save of the season.

Gary Carter drove in two runs and Darryl Strawberry went one for four with a run and an RBI.  Wally Backman had the only multihit game for the Mets.  He went two for four with an RBI and a run.

July 20, 1996 at The Astrodome 

Astros 9, Mets 8  (60-28)

If there was any indication that these two teams would have a terrific series in october, this game was it.  It had it all.  Big homeruns, timely hitting and some good (and bad) relief pitching.

The Astros drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning.  Sid Fernandez gave up an RBI double to make it 1-0.

The Mets answered in the third inning.  Mookie Wilson led off by grounding out to third, but Kevin Mitchell drew a walk.  Keith Hernandez singled and Mitchell moved to third and then Gary Carter hit into a fielders choice that scored Mitchell.  Darryl Strawberry then tripled home Carter for the first of many lead changes.  Mets lead 2-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Astros got to Sid Fernandez again.  Alan Ashby drove home Glenn Davis with a two out single.  Game tied 2-2.

The Astros then took the lead for the second time in the sixth inning.  Kevin Bass homered and Ashby doubled home Jose Cruz.  Astros lead 4-2.

In the top of the eighth, the Mets jumped back on top.  Kevin Mitchell and Keith Hernandez led off with back to back homers to tie the game up.  Gary Carter singled, but he was forced out by Darryll Strawberry.  George Foster singled and move Straw to third and then Ray Knight drove home Strawberry on a fielder’s choice.  Mets lead 5-4.

The Astros then busted the game open.  Doug Sisk gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth, and just like that, the Astros had a commanding 8-5 lead.

But this is 1986.  Howard Johnson led off the ninth with a walk and moved to second on Kevin Mitchell’s ground out.  Johnson then scored on Keith Hernandez’s single.  Gary Carter was beaned to put runners on first and second before Darryl Strawberry struck out.  Rafael Santana then singled home Hernandez to make it a one run game and then Ed Hearn singled home Carter to tie things up.  The score was 8-8 and was heading for extra frames.

Neither team scored in the first five extra innings.  In the top of the fifteenth, the Mets went down 1-2-3, but in the bottom of the fifteenth, Kevin Bass finally ended the game with by driving home Bill Doran on a fielder’s choice.  Final score was 9-8 in fifteen and the game took five hours and 29 minutes.  The Astros had the lead four times and the Mets three times.

What a game.  The Astros won the series and the game, but this must have been some drama.

July 19, 1986 at Astrodome

Astros 5, Mets 4  (60-27)

This time it was Mike Scott who held the Mets in check.  Through the first eight innings of work, Scott had a two hit shutout.  But the Mets finally got the bats going and they scored four runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game up.

Darryl Strawberry hit a two run shot and Lenny Dykstra went yard as well.  Unfortunately, the comeback ended up being for naught as Roger McDowell gave up a walk off homerun to Craig Reynolds to end the game.  He dropped to 7-3 with all three losses coming in the month of July.

July 18, 1986 at Astrodome

Astros 3, Mets 0  (60-26)

The Mets were shutout for the first time this season as Bob Knepper held them to three singles.  Ron Darling threw a good game but he dropped to 9-3 on the season.  He gave up two runs on five hits and three walks.

Nothing much to talk about on the offensive side.  The Mets managed only the four hits and one walk and they struck out nine.  It was by worst their best hitting performance of the season.

July 17, 1986 at Astrodome

Mets 13, Astros 2  (60-25)

The Mets started the second half of the season just like they finished the first half by running up the score on the Astros.  The Mets were actually down 1-0 for most of the game before the exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning.  They added three runs in each of the last two innings to complete the blow out.

Wally Backman had a huge game as he went three for six with five RBIs.  Darryl Strawberry and Len Dykstra both drove in three runs and Ray Knight scored three times.

Bob Ojeda improved to 11-2 on the season with six quality innings.  He gave up one run (unearned) on four hits and he struck out two batters.

Pedro Martinez continues to get his rest and hopefully he’ll be back soon.  He has to tune up before the Mets make their playoff run.  The Braves appear to be making one last run at a playoff spot but with what’s still a twelve game lead, the Mets have plenty of room to work with.

On Friday, Steve Trachsel got the job done again.  He’s fit in to this rotation quite well and with guys like Tom Glavine tapering off, it’s nice to see Trachsel picking up his game.  Javier Valentin  had three hits and a run and Cliff Floyd went two for four with a run and an RBI.

Saturday was the downer.  Tom Glavine got beat up by the Cubbies and he dropped to 11-3.  Not a whole lot to report on the hitting side.  Valentin went two for four with a run and the Mets only managed five hits off of Carlos Zambrano.

Man, was last nights game weird.  The Cubs jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the end of two and were coasting along until the sixth inning came around.  Then the Mets scored 11 runs in a brutal inning, including two grand slams.  Cliff Floyd homered twice and drove in five and Carlos Beltran hit the other grand slam.  Seven of the 11 runs scored with two outs.  Pedro Feliciano picked up the win in relief and overall, the Mets pen did a nice job. 

Next up is a three game series with the Reds. If the playoffs started today, the Mets would square off against the Reds.  Right now, it doesn’t matter much to the Mets.  I will be interested to see though if they make a move before the deadline.

July 13, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 2, Braves 0  (59-25)

The Mets went into the All Star break on a winning note as they completely dominated the Braves in their four game series.  They outscored the Braves 28-2 in the four games and the Mets entered the break with a comfortable 13 1/2 game lead over the Expos.

Ron Darling improved to 9-2 with the complete game shutout.  He gave up nine hits and he struck out seven.  Lenny Dykstra scored both of the Mets runs (one on a solo homer) and had two of the Mets’ four hits.  Wally Backman drove in the other run.  Oddly, the Mets didn’t draw a single walk and they stranded only one runnner in the entire game.

July 12, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 10, Braves 1  (58-25)

The Mets continued their domination of the Braves in the final weekend before the All Star break.  The Mets put up ten runs on fifteen hits while Rick Aguilera and the pen held the Braves in check.

Lenny Dykstra had four hits while Keith Hernandez, Mookie Wilson and Ray Knight all had two RBIs.  Gary Carter went three for four with two runs.

July 11, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 11, Braves 0  (57-25)

This one was over pretty quickly.  The Mets scored three in the first, four in the second and three more in the third to make it 10-0.  They added insult to injury by scoring another run in the fourth en route to the blow out win.

Sid Fernandez threw a gem.  His two hit shutout improved his record to 11-2 and he struck out nine.  Gary Carter had a monster game with a three run shot in the first inning and a grand slam in the second.  In all, he drove in seven of the Mets eleven runs.  Len Dykstra drove in two and Wally Backman scored twice.

Twelve games.  That’s the Mets lead in the NL East heading into the All Star break and that was after a mediocre performance against the Marlins.  Right now, the Mets are the best team in the National League and nothing makes me happier right now as I enjoy the All Star festivities.

Way back on Thursday, the Marlins touched up Jose Lima for six runs in the fourth to put this game away early.  Lima dropped to 0-4 but Darren Oliver had a nice game in relief.  He threw five innings of one hit ball to at least give the Mets a chance.  Chris Woodward hit a solo homerun and Xavier Nady drove in two runs in the 7-3 loss.

Game on Saturday didn’t go very well either.  Josh Johnson outdueled John Maine and the Marlins held on to beat the Mets 3-2.  Both Mets runs were scored in the fifth inning on bases loaded walks and the Mets only managed three hits the entire game.

The second game of the doubleheader was a completely different story though.  Five runs in the first were all the runs the Mets needed but by the end of seven, the Mets had rolled out 17 runs.  Javier Valentin, Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran all homered and Valentin finished the game with seven RBIs.  Beltran scored four times and Floyd finished with three runs and five RBIs in the 17-1 blowout.

Yesterday we got some late inning heroics.  Down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, David Wright hit a three run shot to put the Mets ahead.  The Marlins threatened in the ninth and picked up one run but Bill Wagner slammed the door after that and picked up his eighteenth save of the season.  Xavier Nady also homered and he drove in two runs.

Next up for the Mets after the All Star break is a three game set against the lowly Cubs.  Should be two of three and hoping the Mets come back rested for the second half.

July 10, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 5, Braves 1  (56-25)

The Mets got back on track as they won their 56th game at the midpoint of the regular season.  The Mets put up five runs before the Braves finally got to Bob Ojeda, who was fantastic in his tenth win of the season.  He went the distance and gave up one run (unearned) on seven hits and he struck out six.

George Foster led the hit attack with a bases clearing double in the fifth inning.  Gary Carter hit his 14th homer of the season and he scored two runs.

July 9, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Reds 11, Mets 1  (55-25)

The Reds blew out the Mets en route to a series sweep.  It was the Mets fourth loss in five games and it was tied for the worst five game stretch of the season.

The lone Mets run came off of a sac. fly by Ray Knight as the Mets were held to five hits.  Dwight Gooden dropped to 10-4 and he only lasted four innings.  The pen didn’t fare much better as all three relievers gave up at least one run.

July 8, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Reds 5, Mets 4  (55-24)

The Mets lost for the third time in four games as the Reds edged them in ten innings.  The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the sixth inning, but the Reds scored in each of the last three innings to tie the game up.  Then Roger McDowell gave up the go ahead run in the top of the tenth to wrap the game up.

Ron Darling threw a nice game but he didn’t get anything for his efforts.  He went seven innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts.  Jesse Orosco gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth as he was ineffective and then Roger McDowell dropped to 7-2 after giving up the run in the tenth.

Len Dykstra hit a solo homerun and Darryl Strawberry scored twice.  The Mets only managed six hits in the game.

The more we play, the bigger our lead gets.  Twelve and a half games now, and we still have a few games before the break.  I’ll have to check and see if that’s some kind of record.

Although things didn’t start well in the Mets’ series with the Pirates.  On Monday, the Pirates scored eleven runs while rookie Paul Maholm held the Mets to a single run (Carlos Beltran Sac. Fly).  John Maine took the loss, but it was Chad Bradford and Pedro Feliciano who gave up the bulk of the runs (eight combined over two innings).  Jose Reyes had three hits and he scored the lone Mets run.

Then, like a good team, the Mets bounced back.  They were down 6-4 but three runs in the bottom of the eighth sealed this one up.  Xavier Nady singled home the go ahead run and he finished with three RBIs and three hits.  Jose Reyes had three more hits and two steals to bring his season total up to 37.  Duaner Sanchez picked up the win and he’s 5-0 while Billy Wagner saved his sixteenth game of the season.  Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes collided in the outfield in this one but Floyd played the next day.

And what a day that was.  The Mets scored five runs in the first inning, and then neither team scored after that.  Orlando Hernandez, Chad Bradford and Duaner Sanchez combined for a seven hit shutout.  Javier Valentin drove in two runs and the Mets only racked up four hits, all by different people.

Yesterday, the Mets jumped all over rookie starter Gorzelanny.  By the end of the fifth we had a 7-2 lead but the Pirates made things interesting by scoring single runs in each of the last three innings to make it a 7-5 final.  David Wright homered and drove in two runs and Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes each drove in two runs a piece.  Steve Trachsel continued to throw well and he gave up three runs on seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts through 6 1/3 innings.  Wagner saved his 17th.

Pedro Martinez was put on the DL, which is fine.  The break is dead time and I don’t mind seeing him getting some time off to rest.  Next up is a four game set, which includes a double header on Saturday, against the Marlins.  Tough team to tell how we’ll do, but at this point, we can play .500 ball and still coast to the division win.

July 7, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Reds 7, Mets 6  (55-23)

The Mets lost a hitfest as both teams combined for thirty hits.  The Red took an early 3-0 lead and the Mets came back to tie it with three of their own.  The Reds then took a one run lead in the sixth which the Mets matched in the bottom half of the inning.  But then in the seventh they were on the short end of things as the Reds scored three and the Mets only answered with two runs.

Darryl Strawberry hit his thirteenth homer of the season and he scored two runs.  Rick Aguilera and Howard Johnson also homered and Len Dykstra went three for five with a run.

Aguilera was hit hard.  He went only 5 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on eleven hits.  Randy Niemann fared even worse as he gave up two runs on two hits while only getting on batter out.  He dropped to 1-3 on the season.

July 6, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 5, Astros 3  (55-22)

The Mets bounced back from yesterday’s tough loss to take their series with the Astros.  Howard Johnson and Kevin Mitchell both homered and Wally Backman went three for four with an RBI.

Sid Fernandez improved to 11-2 on the season.  He went 6 2/3 and gave up one run on six hits and five walks and he struck out five.  Doug Sisk put the Astros back in the game by allowing two runs in the top of the ninth, but Roger McDowell got the final two batters out to end the threat.  He earned his eighth save of the season.

July 5, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Astros 2, Mets 1  (54-22)

This time the Mets were on the receiving end of a one run loss.  In the bottom of the first, they scored a single run on Keith Hernandez’s solo shot but they were held scoreless (and to three hits) the rest of the game.

The Astros finally got to Bob Ojeda, who really threw well.  In eight innings of work, he gave up a run on only six hits and seven strikeouts.  In the top of the ninth, the Astros tagged Roger McDowell for a run that ended up being the difference, and he lost his first game of the season.

July 4, 1986 at Shea Stadium

Mets 2, Astros 1  (54-21)

Dwight Gooden shined on Indenpendence Day as the Mets won their eighth straight game.  It was the fourth straight win that was decided by a single run as Dwight Gooden and Nolan Ryan were locked into a pitcher’s dual.

The Mets tagged Ryan early when Keith Hernandez singled home Len Dykstra.  Neither team scored until the top of the seventh when Kevin Bass hit a solo homerun to tie the game up.  The Mets took the lead again in the bottom of the seventh when Len Dykstra doubled home Rafael Santana.

Gooden gave up one run on five hits and five walks and he struck out four.  He improved to 10-3 on the season and he also bunted the winning run over to second base in the seventh inning.