Mets Recap: Mets win in 11 to end skid

Corey Sipkin | New York Daily News

For the better part of four hours, it seemed like the Mets were going to leave Citi Field with a six game losing streak.

Their offense was floundering.  The ability to drive home base runners wasn't present, going 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position in a series that saw over three dozen runners left on base.

After falling into a 3-1 hole, former closer José Valverde surrendered one more run when he walked Jimmy Rollins, and gave up a triple to Chase Utley to bring Rollins home.

Then in the bottom of the ninth, the Mets caught a break as they did not have to face closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Instead, Antonio Bastardo gave up a double to Eric Young and a home run to deep right by Daniel Murphy.  After getting David Wright to strike out swinging, he gave up a double to Chris Young that ended his afternoon.

Friday's starter, Roberto Hernández, gave up a single to Bobby Abreu to set up runners on the corners with one out.  Juan Lagares was able to do something very few Mets have been able to do this series, bring home base runners with contact, as he was able to ground the ball to the shortstop, allowing Chris Young to plate the tying run.

After a scoreless 10th, the Mets were able to leave runners on 1st and 2nd after Reid Brignac grounded to Lucas Duda to end the top half of the 11th.  Then with the bases loaded, Ruben Tejada lines to left field [CSN Philadelphia feed] to bring Chris Young home to end the Mets 5 game losing streak.

Having pitched the top half of the 11th inning, Scott Rice was the pitcher on record for the win, his first of the season.  Jeff Manship was charged with the loss for Philadelphia.

WHEELING: After Chris Young singled to kick off the Mets 11th, Terry Collins sent Zack Wheeler to the plate.  Wheeler's involvement in the game as a pinch hitter became obvious immediately, he was up to square a bunt.  It worked, as Young was able to move to 2nd.

Had Zack Wheeler been able to get a hit, it would not be registered as a hit by a pitcher, thus continuing their 0-for streak at the plate for the 2014 season.

STREAKING: Speaking of that streak, that streak will be put on hold the next two nights as the Mets kick off the Subway Series with two in the Bronx.

Ruben Tejada's 2-for-4 game including the game-winner in the 11th inning breaks a six game hitless streak for the shortstop, and helps bring his average up to .195 for the season.

MURPHY MURPH: Daniel Murphy scored 5 runs during the weekend series, and has a hit in 21 of the Mets last 24 games.  He has multiple extra base hits in three of those games, including two doubles in yesterday's win over Philadelphia.

Offensive Explosion: Mets roll with big 3rd

Zack Wheeler's now 7-3 on the year after the New York Mets use a 6-run 3rd inning in their 11-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

Already with a 2-0 lead in the 3rd, The Mets pieced together three straight singles before Ike Davis provided the first out via a sacrifice fly to left field to plate the 2nd run of the inning.  Then three more straight singles chased starting pitcher Dan Haren from the game.  Two straight walks from new pitcher Tanner Roark plated the 4th run of the inning, and then back to bat for the 2nd time in the inning, Eric Young brought the last two runs of the inning home with a single to left to give the Mets a 8-0 lead.

Zack Wheeler retired the first 8 of the game before surrendering the first hit of the game to relief pitcher Roark.  He and following hitter Denard Span would be stranded after Ryan Zimmerman lined out.

The Nationals would get on the board after Zack Wheeler started the bottom 6th by hitting Anthony Rendon, who moved to 3rd base on Denard Span's single.  A walk to Bryce Harper loaded the bases, and then Jayson Werth and Ian Desmond brought runs home.  But the threat was over when Adam LaRoche lined out, with the Mets up 8-2 at that time.

The Mets would add three more runs in the 8th, and the Nationals would plate one in the 9th, but it would be the Mets taking their second straight against the Nationals with their 11-3 victory.

Zack Wheeler gave up 5 hits in his 6 2/3rd innings, striking out 3 and walking 1, as his record improves to 7-3 on the year.  Dan Haren pitched only 2 2/3rd innings, his shortest start since September 7th, 2005, when he gave up 5 runs on 8 hits against the Seattle Mariners as a member of the Oakland A's.  This was the second time this year that Haren failed to make it to the 4th inning, the last coming on June 22nd when he pitched 3 1/3rd innings against the Colorado Rockies.

Associated Press via NorthJersey.com

No Ike: Ike Davis left the game in the 3rd inning with a side injury during his sacrifice fly.  There's no timetable for his return, but sources are saying that the Mets 1st Baseman will be out for the remainder of the season.

Under The Lights: The Mets aim to sweep the Nationals on national television tonight as Jonathan Niese will try to carry a winning record for the first time since his April 12th outing against the Minnesota Twins.  This is Niese's first time seeing the Nationals hitters this year.  Last year Niese was 1-0 with 1 no-decision against the Nationals, giving up only one run in the two outings at Nationals Park.  Ross Ohlendorf will take the mound for the Nationals, giving up 6 hits and only 1 run in his last start against the Mets on July 26th.  In that game, he struck out 8.

Radio: 7:25PM - 1230 FOX Sports Radio - TV: 8:00PM - ESPN2

Jonathan Niese leaves early, causing concern for Mets fans

A scary moment for Mets fans last night that could temporarily resolve their rotation issue, but not the way they were hoping for.

Jonathan Niese departed after 3 1/3rd innings after shoulder discomfort caused him to exit early with the Braves leading 3-2.  The bullpen responded with 5 2/3rd innings of shutout ball as the Mets came back with a run in the 5th and a run in the 7th as the Mets take the series with the 4-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

LaTroy Hawkins earned the credit for the win as he was the pitcher on record when Josh Satin doubled in Omar Quintanilla in the 7th inning.

David Wright homered twice, once in the 1st inning and again in the 4th inning, to help the Mets cause.

The three-to-two series win marked the first time this year that the Atlanta Braves have lost a series at Turner Field, and also marked the first time the Mets have won a series against the Braves down in Georgia since 2011.

Niese is heading back for New York, where he will get examined today to see what exactly is ailing him.  He, and the rest of the Mets, are hoping that it's tendinitis, and that he will only be gone a limited time.

His departure will settle what was going to be a rotation issue, with the Mets having to demote a pitcher to the bullpen with the call-up of Zack Wheeler.

LOOK AHEAD
It's been a tough season for Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.  A 2-10 record isn't what he envisioned in the 8th year of his Major League career.  But he does, as one of those wins came against the Mets back on April 28th.

But it was a game where the Mets should have made Hamels pay.

Hamels yielded 6 free passes to the Mets, none of which came back to home plate in the Mets 5-1 loss to the Phillies.  Instead, the Mets were only able to scatter two hits on Hamels, both coming in the 1st inning.

Jeremy Hefner has allowed only one earned run in each of his last three starts, the latest coming in an effort where Kirk Nieuwenhuis walked off with a three-run shot in the bottom 9th to beat the Chicago Cubs.  Three runs were scored against Hefner in that effort, but only one was earned as two runs were scored in the 5th inning on a David Wright error.

In those three starts, he has dealt 14 strikeouts and 3 walks in 18 innings of work.  He has allowed 18 hits in that span.

First pitch from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia is scheduled for 7:05PM.

Mets Coverage on 1230 FOX Sports Radio kicks off at 6:25PM.

Midday Recap: Round 1 goes to the Mets

@MistaJRMoore

Under the new interleague schedule, this week has been dubbed "Rivalry Week", where yearly interleague combatants face each other for four games, 2 at home and 2 away.

For the Mets, that means 4 games against their cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees.  The Yankees have been surprising many this year, plagued by injuries yet tied for the top spot in the American League East.  The Mets, looking for something that can turn their season around, are trying to build from a national-TV win against the Braves on Sunday.

Jonathan Niese pitched well in his last start, but had the misfortune of a David Wright error in the 1st inning that ultimately led to three runs as he took the loss without being charged an earned run.  And in the 1st inning it appeared that Niese was in his early-season form as he triple-K'd the side.

Phil Hughes escaped a David Wright triple when Lucas Duda grounded out to 1st.

In the top 2nd, Niese got into trouble as he loaded the bases on a Lyle Overbay walk, but got some help from his fielders when Chris Stewart grounded into a double play to end the threat.

It looked like the 6th inning was going to be the Mets undoing, as Niese surrendered a lead-off triple to Brett Gardner, and then saw Jayson Nix bring him home for the 1-0 Yankees lead.  In the bottom half, Daniel Murphy had the chance to bring Niese home, but got robbed when Gardner's glove went over the wall to take away what would be a 2-run homer, ending the inning still 1-0 in favor of the Bronx.

The Mets needed to go further, and David Wright was able to accomplish this with his lead-off homer in the bottom 7th that tied the game.

After the Yankees grounded into a double-play in the top of the 8th, the Mets took advantage in the bottom half, setting up runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out after Chris Stewart let a pitch go past him.  Mike Baxter ran home on a Ruben Tejada grounder, but didn't make it fully to home plate before Stewart was able to apply the tag, ruling him out.

Then came Daniel Murphy.  He took the 3-1 offering from David Robertson to center field, scoring Jordany Valdespin for the go-ahead run.  The Mets had the chance to tack on more with Lucas Duda at the plate with the bases loaded, but a strikeout brought the threat to an end.

In the 9th, Bobby Parnell earned his 8th save of the season, striking out two and getting Travis Hafner to pop out to end the game.

Niese struck out 4 and gave up the lone run in the 6th as he picked up his 3rd no-decision of the season.  Brandon Lyon was given credit for the win, having pitched the 8th inning.  It was his 2nd win of the season as he improved his ERA to 3.66.  David Robertson was given the loss, his first of the season.

Subway Series Round 2: The final of the two at Citi Field comes tonight as the Mets send Matt Harvey to the mound.  Harvey was roughed for 4 runs in 6 1/3rd innings against the Reds last week, which blossomed his ERA to 1.93.  The Mets will face Hiroki Kuroda, who will be looking for much better after getting yanked in the 3rd inning against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits, two being home runs.  Prior to that, the last time Kuroda failed to make 5 innings was in his season debut against the Boston Red Sox on April 3rd.

Radio Coverage: 6:30PM - WMML 1230 FOX Sports Radio
Television Coverage: 7:00PM - WRGB CBS 6; SNY; ESPN (in some markets, blacked out in NY)

LIVE BLOG: New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals, 5/16 1:45PM ET

New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals

We're trying something different today

Follow along with today's Mets game against the St. Louis Cardinals.  First, for instant updates, follow us on Twitter (@WMML1230), and for more in-depth coverage, keep refreshing this blog.

Midday Recap: Let's Walk it off again

Jim McIssac | Newsday

For the second time in three days, Mike Baxter is the hero of New York.  This time, extra innings wasn't needed to find this out.

The New York Mets took advantage of a Marlon Byrd lead-off single in the bottom of the 9th inning by sacrificing him to 2nd base on an Andrew Brown bunt, then Mike Baxter brought the magic touch again with a single that brought Byrd home to end the game.

It was the third time in a row that a Mets win at Citi Field was determined by a walk-off.  Baxter was the hero in the bottom of the 10th against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, and the Mets walked off after coming back against the Los Angeles Dodgers last month with a Jordany Valdespin grand slam.

PROTESTED GAME
The Los Angeles Angels played last night's game against the Houston Astros under protest for awhile after a questionable pitching change in the 7th inning.  With runners on 1st and 2nd, Houston Astros manager Bo Porter signaled a pitching change, and brought Wesley Wright in to replace Paul Clemens.  However, Mike Scioscia countered with a pinch hitter, Luis Jiminez.  Not liking that pitching match-up, Porter went back to the bullpen before Clemens threw a single pitch.

This brought the protest, as Scioscia argued that there is no rule that allows the Astros to change pitchers without throwing a pitch unless it's under extreme circumstances, under approval of the umpire crew.

The Angels later rescinded their protest, and rallied in the 8th inning to beat the Astros 6-5.

LOST ISLAND
What a difference a different city makes.  The New York Islanders, who looked like they were getting comfortable in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, now find themselves in trouble as they got blanked in Pittsburgh, 4-0.

Pittsburgh now leads the series, three games to two, as the series shifts back to the island for Game 6.

Tomas Vokoun, who started in place of Marc-Andre Fleury, stopped all 31 shots he faced as the Islanders had a tough time finding offense all game.

ELIMINATED
The Montreal Canadiens were 23 seconds away from tying the series 2-2.  Instead, they became the first team to be eliminated from the Eastern Conference after losing Game 5, 6-1, to the Ottawa Senators.  Cory Conacher scored two goals for the Senators, and Curtis Anderson stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced.

The Sens wait to see who their opponent will be, as it could be any of the teams except for the Islanders in the next round.

The Minnesota Wild are also eliminated on Thursday after their 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.  Marian Hossa scored two goals for the Blackhawks, who knows their 2nd Round opponent will either be the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings.

HOLLYWOOD CLOSING
Even though we're in the midst of one of the biggest seasonal events in horse racing, the Triple Crown, there are still reminders about the overall state of racing in the country.  Hollywood Park announced yesterday that after 75 years of racing, they will cease racing after the conclusion of their fall meet, on December 22nd, and will be torn down to make room for business development.  There's no word what will become of the 4 months of racing hosted at Hollywood Park a year, as it's possible Santa Anita will take the extra days, similarly to what happened with Golden Gate after Bay Meadows folded years ago.  Or perhaps Del Mar will expand their summer meet.  Andrew Champagne talks more about Hollywood's closing in his column in The Saratogian, and is worth the read.

SPORTS ON THE RADIO
Tonight the Mets continue their 4 game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Shaun Marcum will be looking for his first win, and to relax his swelling E.R.A. that sits at 7.20.  He only survived 4 1/3rds innings against the Braves last time out, surrendering 3 runs on 6 hits.  He'll oppose Wandy Rodriguez, who is 2-2 this season and saw his E.R.A. jump from 0.56 after he kept the Braves scoreless in 7 innings for his 2nd win of the season in mid-April to 3.91 when he allowed 7 runs on 6 hits in 3 2/3rds innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.  Radio Coverage: 6:30PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

On Saturday, Jonathan Niese will try to calm down from his 4 inning nightmare in Atlanta where he allowed 7 runs.  He'll be facing Francisco Liriano, who makes his Pittsburgh debut.  The Mets celebrate Banner Day on Saturday, which was moved from Sunday, May 26th once it was announced that the game would be moved to a night game to accommodate ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball coverage.  Radio Coverage: 12:30PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

On Sunday, the Mets wrap things up with Matt Harvey on the mound.  He'll be looking to finally earn a win after three no-decisions when the Mets face Jeanmar Gomez.  Gomez has a 2-0 record and a 2.38 E.R.A., shutting out the Seattle Mariners in his last start in 5 innings pitched.  However, that 5 inning game was his longest outing of the season, only one other time did he make it onto the field for the 5th inning.  If the Mets can find a way to abuse the bullpen in the upcoming two games, that may put more pressure on Gomez to play longer.  Radio Coverage: 12:30PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Midday Recap: Mets get swept, NHL Playoffs set

Howard Simmons | New York Daily News

John Buck dropped the ball.  Both Figuratively and Literally.

Midday Recap 4/24: Niese goes down, Cardinal Watch, Rangers fall and First-Goal blunder.

Adam Hunger | Reuters

With one of the Mets two good pitchers on the mound, it was a scary moment in the 3rd inning when Mark Ellis hit a grounder that bounced its way onto Jonathan Niese's leg.  After hobbling over towards the first base line, he went down to the ground and was grabbing his leg.  Niese's night was done, and thankfully for him and the Mets, X-rays came back negative.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that wasn't the only thing to come back.  The Dodgers would come back against the Mets bullpen to pull out a 7-2 victory at Citi Field.  Brandon Lyon and Josh Edgin took the brunt of the Dodger comeback, surrendering 5 combined earned runs.  Edgin only lasted 1/3rd of an inning, but got rocked for four hits during his time out.

TONIGHT'S OUTLOOK

MLB

It's been a phenomenal start for Matt Harvey this season, going 4-0 and allowing only 10 hits in his 29 innings pitched.  He'll be going up against the 8th different starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, Ted Lilly.  Lilly has had a rough 2013 so far, getting slammed around for 15 runs and 5 home runs in his three minor-league games this season.  He'll be looking for some confidence against a Mets squad that could only muster 4 hits on Monday.  Radio Coverage: 1230 FOX Sports Radio - 6:30PM

CARDINAL WATCH

We don't get to talk much about High School Sports on the Midday Recap, and that's more because of everything else that's going on with playoffs and our obvious focus on the New York Mets.  But Joe Foran of the Fort Ann Cardinals is a player you're going to want to watch out for in the coming 6 weeks, as he has put together an impressive resume.  On Tuesday, he broke the Section II record for most hits; he's tied for the state record for RBI's and ... oh, by the way, he pitched a one-hitter as the Cardinals improved to 8-0.

By the way, if you know of a stellar high school performer here in the North Country, let us know!

CAPITAL-IZING ON AN OPPORTUNITY

Entering last night's game, the New York Rangers had the opportunity to earn themselves a playoff spot.  If the Washington Capitals would knock off the Winnipeg Jets in regulation, AND the Rangers win against the Florida Panthers, the Rangers would clinch a spot.  Well, Washington did their part by beating the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 and earning themselves the guaranteed 3-seed by clinching the Southeast Division title.  

The Rangers couldn't take advantage, as the Florida Panthers took advantage of free icing during a penalty kill to score an empty-net goal late in the 3rd Period.  The Rangers would get it back, with 30 seconds left on Derick Brassard's tally, but could not get the equalizer through.

The Rangers need only two points in their last two games in order to clinch a playoff spot.  They play the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, and then wrap up the regular season on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils.

OF ALL THE WAYS TO SCORE YOUR FIRST GOAL

Philadelphia Flyer and former Adirondack Phantom Oliver Lauridsen got credited for his first NHL goal, but not the way you'd expect a player to get their first.  The goal came as the Bruins Zdeno Chara retrieved the dumped in puck and passed it, went off the stick of the Bruins netminder, Anton Khudobin, and into the net. Lauridsen got credit for the goal as he was the last Flyer to touch it, dumping the puck into the zone off a center draw.  | Watch the Video

During the game, the Flyers announced that the 50/50 would be benefiting the One Fund Boston.  As a result, the 50/50 raised over $86,000, more than double what is brought in on a normal night.

SPORTS ON THE RADIO

Tonight:

MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets - 7:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Tomorrow:

MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets - 1:10PM; 1230 FOX Sports Radio

Midday Recap 4/23: Lob City Heroics and a Giant Walkoff

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Lob Heroics
Finally a road team won a game, as the Chicago Bulls evened their series with the Brooklyn Nets with their 90-82 win on Monday.  And out west, lob city became last-second heroics when Chris Paul nailed the game-winning bucket with 0.1 seconds left to give the Clippers a 2-0 series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.

3 games tonight as the Boston Celtics hope to even their series against the New York Knicks at the Garden, plus the Heat look to ignite themselves to a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks.  And in the nightcap, the Denver Nuggets narrowly took game 1 over the Golden State Warriors, and hopes to take a 2-0 lead before the series shifts to Oakland.

Minne-cancellation
The Minnesota Twins were unable to play Monday night due to inclement weather.  The postponement was their fourth in their last 8 games, three of them at home, including one against the Mets that will have to be made up in August.  The three home cancellations match a season record for Target Field, and re-raises questions about why the field was built without a retractable roof.

Giant Walkoff
Sergio Romo gets the win as he pitched a third of an inning.  That's because he was the last pitcher on record for the San Francisco Giants, who won 5-4 on a Brandon Belt pinch-hit single in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Buster Posey's 2nd home run of the season in the bottom of the 8th tied the game for the Giants, who improve to 13-7, matching the Atlanta Braves (13-5) and the Colorado Rockies (13-5) for most wins in the majors.

Southern Comfort
Tonight's best game on the rink is the Washington Capitals hosting the Winnipeg Jets.  The Southeast Division is not strong this year, as current division leader Washington has as many points as the 7th and 8th teams (New York Rangers & Ottawa Senators). Winnipeg would love to join that crowd, and the only way they may be able to is to win their division.  Being a single point behind the Caps, a win today will move them from 9th in the conference to 3rd because of the division champions incentive.  If the Caps lose in regulation, it will join them in an already congested battle of teams with 52 points.  That is, of course, unless the Rangers win tonight against the Florida Panthers.

Another good game on the ice will be the Dallas Stars vs. the San Jose Sharks (10:00PM; NBC Sports Network).  The San Jose Sharks can wrap up a playoff spot with a win, currently 5th in the Western Conference.  The Dallas Stars are 3 points behind Minnesota and Columbus for the last playoff spots, with Minnesota playing Los Angeles tonight.

Dodge City
The New York Mets begin a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight.  Clayton Kershaw started the season 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, but has given up 8 runs (6 earned) on 13 hits in his last two outings, both losses.  Padres hitters went long against Kershaw last Wednesday, hitting three home runs against the six-year Dodger pitcher.  The Mets may want to test Kershaw early, and not allow him to get into a comfortable rhythm.

The Mets send Jonathan Niese to the mound.  Niese gave up three runs on nine hits in his last start against the Rockies, and received the loss after the Mets bullpen surrendered 6 runs in the bottom of the 7th, already down 3-2.  The bullpen has greater confidence after Sunday's shutout against the Nationals, but can't get too cocky against a punishing Dodgers lineup.  Radio Coverage: 1230AM FOX Sports Radio, 6:30PM

Midday Recap: Marlins get first win over Mets

The New York Mets were hoping to rebound from their Thursday 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres as the Miami Marlins came to town to start a three game series at Citi Field.  On paper, they should be in good position to, after all, the Marlins only scored 1 run against the Washington Nationals during their three game series. 

The 1st inning started off well enough, as Jeremy Hefner got the Marlins to go down in order.  Then Jordany Valdespin led off with a line-drive single, and then stole 2nd base.  After Daniel Murphy walked to set up 1st and 2nd with no outs, David Wright lined out.  Ike Davis, batting clean-up, cleaned up the bases hitting into a double play to end the threat.

Greg Dobbs doubled the Miami Marlins season run output with a homerun to lead off the 2nd Inning.  That would be Jeremy Hefner's only blemish, made worse as the Mets could not figure out Alex Sanabia.

7th Inning Mayhem
The New York Mets got on the board in the 7th inning after  Daniel Murphy cleared the left field wall for a 3 run homerun off relief pitcher Chad Quails, who replaced Sanabia at the start of the inning.  The only problem: The Marlins scored 5 runs in the top of the 7th inning off Greg Burke to build a 6-0 lead.  So Murphy's homerun only closed the gap in half.

Turning Point
The Mets would load the bases in the bottom of the 8th after Jordany Valdespin was hit by a pitch.  With two outs, Daniel Murphy would come to the plate, and bounced a 3-1 cutter to Donovan Solano, who easily threw to Dobbs for the final out.  The Mets would again send the tying run to the plate in the 9th inning, but a bouncer to first ended the game, and the Mets would fall to the Miami Marlins 7-5.

Ike's Woes
In the first game of the season, Howie Rose commented that Ike Davis' swing resembled that of the first half of last season when he was going through his hitting troubles.  And after four games of the season, he is 1-for-16, batting a rocky .063.  Of his 18 plate appearances this season, he has reached base only three times, and has struck out 7 times.  On Friday, he provided the third out three times, grounding into a double play in the 1st inning, and fly outs to left field in the 3rd and 5th innings.

RISP-Troubles
The Mets went 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position on Friday.  Coupled with Thursdays 0-for-5, the Mets now are 2-for-16 in their two losses this season.

Will Saturday be nice for Niese?
The Mets will try to rebound as Jonathan Niese pitches his 2nd game of the season on Saturday.   Only allowing 2 runs against the Padres on Monday, he'll try to stop the Marlin bats.  For the Marlins, Ricky Nolasco will be on the mound as he tries to curb his opening day loss where he surrendered two solo home runs against Bryce Harper.  Not a lot of time to think about the Friday loss - it's a day game with a 1:10PM first pitch.

Coverage begins with Mets Extra with Ed Coleman at 12:30PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio.

Cowgill's Grand Slam Caps Mets Explosive Opening Day Offense

It was a Spring Training of sorts for the New York Mets.

At first, it was planned to have Johan Santana as their opening day starter, similar to last year when he started the season with a win over the Atlanta Braves.

However, that plan didn't work out the way the Mets would have hoped.

Instead Terry Collins went to Jonathan Niese, who went 13-9 last year with a 3.40 ERA, to kick off the Mets season against the San Diego Padres on Monday.  Despite surrendering a base hit on the first pitch of the game, Niese and the Mets made sure that the base runner wouldn't score.

After a quiet bottom of the first inning, the bottom of the order got things going as Rubin Tejada and Niese would bring home the first runs of the season.

In the 3rd and 4th innings, Byrd was the word as Matt Byrd brought home a run in each inning, helping the Mets jump out to a 7-1 lead.

The game would be sealed in the 7th inning when the Mets loaded the bases.  Jordany Valdespin, who showed he had power last year, grounded and reached on-base on a fielder's choice when they opted to force-out the runner going home.  Then Collin Cowgill came to the plate, and with a single swing of the bat, Cowgill became the RBI leader for the Mets this season as he hit one that barely made it over the home-run line, making the score 11-2.

Scott Rice came in to finish the game for the Mets with a non-save situation, and fanned two of his three batters as the Mets defeat the San Diego Padres, 11-2.

Mets Starting Pitcher Line:
Jonathan Niese (W, 1-0): 6.2 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 4K, 1HR   ERA: 2.70

Batter Woes: Of the nine starters, only two did not record a hit.  Lucas Duda struck out once and reached base twice on walks.  But Ike Davis did not reach base at all, striking out 4 out of the 5 times he was at the plate.  Jay Bruce of the Cincinatti Reds had a similar fate in his game against the Los Angeles Angels with 4 K's on 5 at bats, however he did reach base on a walk.

Base-Thief: David Wright leads the majors with 2 steals after he took advantage of two curve balls early in the game, helping to propel the Mets offense.

Around The Majors: Bryce Harper is not the only player with a 2.000 slugging percentage after one game.  He is joined with Justin Maxwell of the Houston Astros, who had two triples in their first game against the Texas Rangers.

Next Mets Game: Matt Harvey makes his season debut for the Mets as he goes up against Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.  First pitch is schedule at 7:10pm, with Mets Extra with Ed Coleman getting the coverage started at 6:30pm on AM1230 FOX Sports Radio.