Phenom 1B Ike Davis went 2 for 4 in his ML debut and his teammates exploded for 5 runs in the 7th inning, helping the New York Mets punish the Chicago Cubs 6-1 Monday night at Citi Field in Queens. LH SP Jon Niese pitched into the 6th(5 and 2/3rd innings) and was excellent, while Davis collected a single in his 1st ML at bat and added an rbi single in the big inning. CF Angel Pagan delivered the big blow of the game with a 2 run shot in the 7th while RF Jason Bay had 2 hits including an rbi double. The victory puts NY at 5-8 and clearly the worm is beginning to turn with the recent string of solid starting pitching and timely offense.
NICE NIESE: Really, really liked Jon’s game tonight. I think he will win 15 games real soon, just looks comfortable and throws free and easy. His cutter/slider is deadly and he just needs to learn to trust his stuff more and maximize his pitches.(112 total, 67 strikes, only 12 1st pitch strikes to 27 batters)
JACKIE ROBINSON DAY: Both teams wore #42 jerseys in honor of the Brooklyn Hall of Famer who broke baseballs color barrier. The official anniversary date was April 15th but the Mets were on the road.
GAME NOTES: Bullpen continues to really pitch well, tonight Fernando Nieve(win, 1 1/3 innings, 1 hit) and Jenrry Mejia(2 innings, 2 walks and strike outs) did the honors…. 3B David Wright stole his 5th base of the season… SS Jose Reyes was given the night off with Alex Cora starting and going 1 for 2 with a run. Reyes pinch hit in the 7th and was hit by a pitch. He also flied out in the 8th… RHP Tobi Stoner was sent down to Triple A to clear a roster spot for Davis… CF Carlos Beltran will have an exam on his surgically repaired knee sometime this week by his surgeons in Colorado. GM Omar Minaya says it is a “standard checkup.”
NEXT GAME:
Game 2 of 4 game series vs Cubs
7:10 pm
Cubs RH Carlos Zambrano(1-1,9.45) vs Mets RH Mike Pelfrey(2-0,1.29)
