SHUTOUT SWEEP COMPLETE

27 ZEROS VS. PHILADELPHIA MARKS ONLY THE 3RD TIME IN BASEBALL HISTORY A FIRST PLACE TEAM HAS BEEN SHUTOUT THREE GAMES IN A ROW; METS 2 GAMES OUT OF 1ST

Shortly after completing one of baseball's rarer achievements, Mike Pelfrey was told that the only other time the Mets shut out the same team in a three-game series came back in 1969, when Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan and two others took the mound. "Those guys aren't bad, are they?" Pelfrey said. And what of Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi? "Comparable," Pelfrey said, rolling his eyes. Yet this week -- if only for a week -- they were. Pelfrey capped the improbable run Thursday night, pitching seven scoreless innings to lead the Mets to a 3-0 victory and a series sweep of the Phillies at Citi Field. Pedro Feliciano pitched the eighth; Francisco Rodriguez closed things with a scoreless ninth. The Mets have not allowed a run since the ninth inning Sunday against the Yankees. They became the first team to pitch a three-game shutout since the Twins blanked the Royals for three games in 2004. And they became the first Mets team to do it since that group of Miracle workers took the mound for the first three games after clinching the division title in 1969. "It was the most amazing series I've ever been a part of," right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. "The pitching staff was awesome." Pelfrey, on this night, played the role of Seaver, as he continues to develop into something resembling an ace. Using a sharp splitter to combat his lack of fastball command, Pelfrey struck out five, induced three double plays and held Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth to a collective 0-for-10. Against the same team that tagged him for six runs earlier this month in Philadelphia, Pelfrey was something just short of dominant. Afterward, manager Jerry Manuel noted that "he feels good about being Mike Pelfrey." And the Mets feel good, too. Jose Reyes contributed to all three runs off Phillies starter Cole Hamels, singling and scoring on Jason Bay's double in the first before doubling home two runs of his own in the seventh. And by that time, the Mets were playing some bizarre version of baseball hot potato. Nobody wanted to be the one to give it up. But against the Phillies -- a so-called American League offense, the highest possible honor for an NL team -- somebody had to. Didn't they? "You're always looking at some point for them to explode," Manuel said of the Phillies. "They've got so much power." But they would not and could not use it. "I've never seen anything like that," Reyes said. "Against that kind of team? Shut them out for three straight games? That's unbelievable." When Angel Pagan made a diving catch in the seventh, capping Pelfrey's night and extending the scoreless-innings streak to 25, the thousands who sat through a one-hour, 55-minute rain delay began buzzing. When Feliciano struck out Placido Polanco to make it 26 and counting, the noise increased. And when Rodriguez finally fanned Werth for the 27th out and the 27th scoreless inning, Citi Field grew as loud as it has been all year. "Awesome night," Rodriguez said. Unlike in 1969, when the Mets needed just five pitchers to shut out the Phillies over three games in Philadelphia, the Mets needed nine this time. Back then, Seaver and Koosman pitched complete games, and Ryan threw three innings in relief of Gary Gentry. This time, it was Dickey and Takahashi and Pelfrey and smoke and mirrors. And it worked. "To keep this team from scoring in three games, that's huge," Manuel said. "That speaks volumes for the entire pitching staff. They did a tremendous job." Or as David Wright wryly noted: "Three shutouts is good, isn't it?" Yes, very good indeed. And so the Phillies left Citi Field early Friday morning with their pride a little wounded. Three games against the Mets were not supposed to end like this. But they did still hold the trump card. "No matter how you want to spin it, we're still in first place and we've got a real good ballclub," Werth said. That, of course, is the rub. By any standard, the Mets outdid themselves this week, finishing 5-1 against the two teams that played in last year's World Series. They cannot keep up this pace. No team can. But then, they were also supposed to be umpteen games out of first place right now. They are instead just two games removed, with Johan Santana slated to pitch Friday in Milwaukee. And they have learned the formula for success. "It's tough to lose a game," Pelfrey said, grinning, "when you don't give up a run." (MLB)

DICKEY SHUTS OUT PHILLIES

METS GET THE BIG HITS WHILE PHILLY FAILS MONUMENTALLY IN THE CLUTCH
When the Mets’ six-game homestand began last Friday, it had all the makings of a last stand. They had just returned from a disastrous 2-6 trip. They were in last place in the National League East. Three starting pitchers had dropped out of the rotation because of injury or ineffectiveness. Manager Jerry Manuel, already in the hot seat, was facing persistent questions about his handling of the club. He would have been under even more pressure had his team faltered against its biggest rivals, the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, in front of big crowds filled with frustrated fans at Citi Field. But the Mets may be playing themselves back into relevance and, for now, preserving Manuel’s job. Despite some nail-biting dramatics by the bullpen, the Mets took two of three games against the Yankees over the weekend. On Tuesday, they faced the Phillies at home for the first time this season and showed, at least for one night, that their rivalry still matters. The Mets thumped the Phillies, 8-0. They improved their record to .500 (23-23) and pulled to four games behind the Phillies in the N.L. East. In recent years, games between the Mets and the Phillies have included plenty of tension and controversy. Tuesday’s intrigue included an unusual pair of starting pitchers who threw so slowly they tested the patience of the stadium’s radar gun. R. A. Dickey, a knuckleballer who is missing a ligament in his throwing arm, took the mound for the Mets. Dickey began the year in the minor leagues and was making only his second start for the Mets. He was the second consecutive knuckleballer to face Philadelphia, the first time that has happened to the Phillies since 1983, when they faced Phil and Joe Niekro in back-to-back games. On Sunday in Philadelphia, Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox shut down the Phillies, who lost, 8-3. Dickey threw six scoreless innings. He kept Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and other Phillies who often find a way to hurt the Mets off track. Dickey struck out seven batters, including pinch hitter Greg Dobbs in the sixth inning. That strikeout brought the boisterous crowd of 33,026 to its feet. Dickey, whose pitches danced to the plate between 72 and 77 miles per hour, is the type of player who could become a folk hero in Flushing. He scattered seven hits — all singles — and walked three to record his first victory of the season. He worked in and out of trouble in the second and third innings and survived a scary moment when a line drive hit by Ryan Howard bounced off his left elbow. Dickey had X-rays taken during the game. They were negative, and he resumed pitching with no apparent discomfort. The Phillies started Jamie Moyer, who at 47 is the oldest player in the major leagues this season. Only a handful of his pitches topped 80 m.p.h., and many of his changeups looked more like soft tosses at 68 m.p.h. The Mets did not hit Moyer particularly hard, but they hit him often and in key spots. The Mets scored in the first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, and they added three more runs in the eighth against Nelson Figueroa, a former Met. Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur drove in two runs each, and Chris Carter added a pinch-hit single to drive in Francoeur. Raul Valdes, who threw three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season, also hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning. Bay started the scoring with a groundout that chased Jose Reyes home in the first inning. Bay added a single in the fifth to score Reyes again. Francoeur snapped a 12-at-bat hitless streak with a run-scoring single in the second and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score David Wright. Manuel, who has often been at a loss to explain the Mets’ recent offensive problems, had to have been happy with what he saw from Reyes, who had three hits, two stolen bases and three runs scored. In recent days, Manuel has faced questions about his leadership of the team, particularly his handling of the starter John Maine’s shoulder injury and his use (or overuse) of the bullpen. That has only increased speculation that he might be fired if the team did not rebound. Manuel has insisted that he has not worried about his employment prospects and is doing his best to motivate his team. “I don’t see it as something that affects the team,” Manuel said, speaking of the questions about his status. “I’m good, I’m good.” Darryl Strawberry echoed Manuel’s stay-the-course message in Washington last week. He told the players they were better than they were performing and needed to do a better job. The players took him at his word. “It’s not like he came in and lectured the whole clubhouse,” Francoeur said. “He just wanted to let us know we need to pick it up a little bit, and sometimes you need to be reminded of that.” (NY Times)

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY NIGHT

Rod Barajas hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning - his second homer of the game - and rookie Ike Davis smacked two homers as well as the Mets beat the Giants, 6-4, Friday night in a thrilling game in front of 34,681 at Citi Field. After Met closer Francisco Rodriguez blew a save chance in the top of the ninth, Barajas homered off Sergio Roma after Davis had drawn a one-out walk. The Mets, who had lost four-of-five entering the game, got a solid performance from starter Mike Pelfrey, who rebounded from a poor start in Philadelphia last week. Struggling cleanup hitter Jason Bay even contributed, drilling an RBI double in the first inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. Davis was dropped to seventh in the lineup because the Mets were facing stingy lefty Jonathan Sanchez. Sanchez had not given up a homer to any hitter or a hit to any left-hander batter this season until Davis slammed a 1-1 pitch off the Pepsi Porch in right field with one out in the second inning. Lefties had been 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts this season against Sanchez until Davis' blast. Barajas followed with a home run down the left-field line, the first time this season the Mets have hit back-to-back homers. It was Barajas' 100th career home run. Barajas, a late signee after the Mets could not come to an agreement with the catcher in the other dugout Friday night, Bengie Molina, now has nine home runs this season. Davis has three. (NY Daily News)

ROD BARAJAS GETTING IT DONE

Before spring training, Rod Barajas and Ike Davis were uncertain of their major league status, but they were looking at their careers from different perspectives. Barajas, a veteran catcher, was hoping to catch on somewhere as a free agent. Davis, a young first baseman, was a prospect, hoping for a chance on the big-league roster. Both are playing regularly for the Mets and have added sparkle to a team that seems to be shedding the air of ineptitude that has surrounded it the past few seasons. In a 6-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on Friday night, Davis and Barajas each hit two home runs and added dramatic flair to a game that could have resulted in a disheartening loss for the Mets. The climactic moment came on the second home run by Barajas, a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth off Sergio Romo that barely cleared the fence in the left-field corner. The 34,681 fans seemed to hold their collective breath before the ball landed in the second row to give the Mets their eighth straight victory at home. “I wasn’t sure,” Barajas said of his hit. “Was hoping, was hoping, was hoping.” He also slammed a solo shot in the second. Davis hit his two, both with no runners on base, in the second and the fourth. Both players were also involved in unusual fielding plays that showed grit. With closer Francisco Rodriguez struggling in the top of the ninth, Davis got the third out of the inning by catching a foul pop-up on the run and tumbling over the rail into the Mets’ dugout. “I’m going to try to catch any ball I can,” Davis said. Barajas was charged with an error in the seventh when a pitchout thrown by Mike Pelfrey to Eli Whiteside stayed too near the plate. When Barajas jumped out of his crouch, Whiteside swung. His bat hit the catcher’s glove, injuring Barajas’s left index finger and putting the batter on first. Pelfrey, the Mets’ starter, got out of the inning, but Barajas said he felt pain and swelling immediately. “I wanted to suck it up,” Barajas said. “Just a matter of playing through the pain.” He refused to take an X-ray until after the game, but acknowledged his limitations at bat. “One good swing and my finger’s going to go numb,” Barajas said. When his teammates greeted him at home plate for a celebratory pounding after his winning home run, Barajas said: “My whole body went numb. I didn’t feel anything.” A postgame X-ray was negative, he said. Of course, Barajas — who leads the team with nine home runs — spoke while holding his finger in a paper cup filled with ice. Pelfrey, who gave up three runs and eight hits and left with one out in the eighth, said he had asked his catcher, “Are you mad at me?” for allowing the batter to hit a pitchout. Barajas said he was not. He seemed happy with everyone and praised Davis, who has quickly become a favorite of fans and teammates. “There’s no arrogance to him,” Barajas said. “He’s down to earth. He doesn’t have a big head.” The game’s most sour note came before Davis’s catch in the ninth when Rodriguez, who was trying for his fifth save of the season, gave up a solo home run with one out to pinch-hitter John Bowker to tie the score, 4-4. Rodriguez allowed two more hits before Davis made the catch on Pablo Sandoval’s pop fly. Davis made a similar catch in his first week as a Met in April, but he said the play Friday was more difficult to execute and “definitely, there was more pressure.” It was, literally and figuratively, a tipping-point moment. Romo seemed afraid of Davis, walking him in the ninth. That put Davis in position to be the first to welcome Barajas at home plate as the team streamed from the dugout to celebrate. The Mets also had to be encouraged by the performance they received from Pelfrey, who was coming off his worst start of the season. He gave up six runs in four innings last Saturday at Philadelphia in a 10-0 Mets defeat. Pelfrey had an M.R.I. on his sore right shoulder after that outing, but it revealed no damage and he did not seem in pain Friday, working quickly and efficiently. His best fastballs were in the mid-90s. Most of his first pitches were strikes; three of the hits he allowed were on the infield and two runs scored on infield outs. The Mets also made three errors behind him, but he never became unnerved. Manager Jerry Manuel said before the game that he preferred to play Barajas over Henry Blanco, Pelfrey’s usual catcher, because “Barajas is swinging the bat well; right now, he’s a bigger offensive threat.” In Barajas’s last 11 games, he has 10 runs scored, 7 home runs and 10 runs batted in. After the game, Manuel recalled a conversation he had with Barajas in the spring. “The first time I talked to him, he mentioned how he likes the clutch,” Manuel said. “He’s been quite an acquisition. He seems to rise to that occasion.” (NY Times)