Big right hander Mike Pelfrey starred on the mound and in the batters box, leading the slumping New York Mets to a 5-0 win over the Colorado Rockies Thursday afternoon at Coors Field. Pelfrey, now 2-0, pitched 7 strong innings and plated a run with an rbi single in the 4th while 2B Luis Castillo and RF Jeff Francoeur both had 2 hits and drove home runs. The win ends a 4 game losing streak for NY as they move to St. Louis to face a powerful Cardinals club this weekend.
SMALL BALL: Mets scored 2 runs on ground outs(3rd and 4th innings) and another in the 5th on a wild pitch. These are the types of plays and breaks a team that is struggling needs to turn the tide.
PLEASED PELFREY; Huge, huge start by the 6’7 righty and this franchise needed it… BIG Time! He allowed 5 hits while walking none(16/25 first pitch strikes) and threw 106 pitches. (69 for strikes) His teamates are noticing as well, “He’s pitching with some confidence,” said the Mets’ Jeff Francoeur, who singled twice and scored a run to extend his season-opening hitting streak to nine games.”He knows how good he is, what kind of stuff he has. He’s 6-7, pretty intimidating on the mound. I’ve told him, ‘Don’t let guys just dig in there,’ and I thought he did a great job, backing guys off the plate today and throwing the split-finger and slider. We needed that,” he said.
BAD BASE RUNNING: Mets made some mistakes on the bases(Botched double steal in the 2nd for 1) and Manager Jerry Manuel said he will address it, “We don’t mind the aggression, but we have to be a little smarter about it.” The team had 2 caught stealings(Castillo, SS Jose Reyes) in the game with David Wright getting his 3rd theft of the year.
SHOCKING SHUTOUT: Put this feather in the Mets cap, the Rockies were the only team in the major leagues to not be shutout at home in 2009.
OUTFIELD RESTS: Rockies had only 2 hits off Pelfrey leave the infield!
BAY STARTS THE DAY: RF Jason Bay, whose bat has picked up as of late, drove home Castillo for the games first run in the opening inning.
THATS HOW ITS SUPPOSED TO WORK: Pitching wise, NY had the perfect 21st century model game: 7 innings from the starter(Pelfrey), 1 inning by the set-up man in the 8th(Perpetual Pedro Feliciano) and an easy ninth by the closer(Frankie Rodriquez).
GAME NOTES: CF Angel Pagan drove in a run out of the 8 hole… Reyes had 2 hits including a double….Mets beat one of the more underrated pitchers in the game today, Rockies LH Jorge De La Rosa(26-17, 4.65) over the past 2 years. Guy knows how to pitch and had gone 5-0 with a 2.49 ERA in his past 8 starts … Wright drew 3 walks…. Manuel is still considering putting Reyes in the 3 spot in the lineup and said pre game he might try it this weekend
NEXT GAME:
Friday, start 3 game set at the St. Louis Cardinals(Busch Stadium)
8:15 pm
Cardinals RH Chris Carpenter(1-0,5.73) vs. Mets LH Oliver Perez( 0-1,6.35)
