On the Mets beat

With Tropical Storm Hanna en route, the Mets already have postponed today's game. It will be made up as the first game of a split doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 2:15 p.m. The second game will start at 8:05 as regularly scheduled.

Here are the full details below:

TODAY’S METS-PHILLIES GAME RESCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 AT 2:15 P.M.

Tickets Marked Game 68, from Today’s Rainout, To Be Honored for 2:15 P.M. Sunday Day Game

Tickets Marked Game 69 Valid for Separate Admission Sunday Night Game Starting at 8:05 P.M.

FLUSHING, N.Y., September 6, 2008 – The New York Mets this morning announced that today’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies has been postponed due to expected severe weather and heavy rains and has been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, September 7 at 2:15 p.m. Tickets marked Game 68 from today’s game will be honored for tomorrow’s 2:15 p.m. game only.

The separate admission Sunday night game against the Phillies will begin at 8:05 p.m. Upon the conclusion of the 2:15 p.m. day game, all fans will exit Shea in advance of the 8:05 p.m. game.

The Mets strongly encourage fans to use mass transit for Sunday’s games, each of which has advance ticket sales in excess of 53,500. Fans can connect from anywhere in New York City to Shea by taking the 7 Subway to the Willets Point-Shea Stadium station. The Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington Branch from Penn Station (with 16 minute connections to Shea from New Jersey Transit trains) or Woodside has half-hourly service.

For those coming from the northern suburbs, Metro-North trains on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines connect with the 7 Subway. For more information, visit www.mta.info or call New York City Transit at 718-330-1234, Long Island Rail Road at 718-217-LIRR (NYC), 516-822-LIRR (Nassau), 631-231-LIRR (Suffolk) or Metro-North at 800-METRO-INFO.

Only fans holding Mets tickets will have access to purchase parking in Shea Stadium lots tomorrow.

Mike Gavin here for another night of Mets baseball.

No matter how well the Mets play or how large their lead in the NL East becomes, the seed of doubt that was planted after last season's historic collapse will continue to haunt the team. The Mets can begin to dispel that doubt tonight by doing what they failed to do last September, beat the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mike Pelfrey takes the mound for the Mets, as he makes the biggest start of his young career. He opposes Brett Myers, who has won six of his last seven starts.

The Mets look to take a big step towards assuring a playoff berth for 2008 and erasing the images of 2007. First pitch is just minutes away.....

Top of the 1st: Shane Victorino singles and advances to third after Brian Schneider throws the ball into center on a stolen base attempt. Chase Utley sacrifices him home. Not exactly the start the Mets were hoping for. Phillies 1, Mets 0.

Bottom of the 1st: A double by David Murphy and a walk to David Wright are negated by a Carlos Delgado double-play. After one, we are witnessing shades of the September 2007 New York Mets.

Top of the 2nd: Good inning for Pelfrey. Strikes out the first two batters. It will be interesting to see how Pelfrey performs in a game of this magnitude.

Bottom of the 2nd: The Mets strand runners at first and second for the second consecutive inning. Myers strikes out the side but his pitch count is already over 40. The Phillies' bullpen may have to earn their paychecks tonight.

Top of the 3rd: 1-2-3 inning for Pelfrey.

Bottom of the 3rd: Reyes had an easy double down the line but was robbed by Ryan Howard at first. Murphy and Wright go down on strikes. Five strikeouts through three innings for Myers.

Top of the 4th: Pelfrey looks good. He is consistently getting ahead in the count and seem to have good command tonight. If only the Mets can reward him with a timely hit with a runner in scoring position.

Bottom of the 4th: Myers continues his quest for the most strikeouts in a single game as he strikes out Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church, giving him seven through four innings. Someone better alert Roger Clemens.

Top of the 5th: Pelfrey makes quick work of the Phillies once again. On a side note, the amount of empty seats in the stadium tonight is astonishing. Was it the threat of the hurricanes that scared the fans away or the frightening memories of last September? With the Mets coming off a sweep of Milwaukee and the playoff implications of this game, it should be a sell-out.

Bottom of the 5th: Nice glove work by Howard takes a base hit away from Schneider. Mets go down in order. These guys are playing as if they have somewhere to go. Five innings in an hour and fifteen minutes.

Top of the 6th: Jimmy Rollins leads off with a single but has a short stay at first after getting picked off. Pelfrey continues to roll. Top of the order coming up for the Mets. Time to put some runs on the board before Met fans start making appointments with their therapists.

Bottom of the 6th: Murphy missed a game-tying home run by mere feet but wound up with a double. Wright and Delgado both hit shallow fly balls and failed to bring him home. The Mets offense has looked uglier than John McCain's smile.

Top of the 7th: Pelfrey was one strike away from ending the inning, but he left a pitch high and inside that Greg Dobbs put over the right field fence, just eluding the glove of Ryan Church. With the way the Mets are swinging tonight, a three-run lead seems insurmountable. Phillies 3, Mets 0.

Bottom of the 7th: Myers continues to shut the Mets down. He is approaching 110 pitches and is most likely done for the night. The Mets are showing no patience or discipline at the plate. They are swinging at bad pitches, evident by their three hits, and nine strikeouts.

Top of the 8th: Brian Stokes relieves Pelfrey and puts the Phillies down 1-2-3.

Bottom of the 8th: Despite his pitch count, Myers remained in the game and continued to dominate. Reyes looked horrible in his at-bat, lunging for pitches out of the strike zone. Unless Myers goes for the complete game, the Mets will have to figure out a way to get to closer Brad Lidge, who hasn't blown a save all season.

Top of the 9th: Phillies go down in order. Last chance for the Mets. This has the potential to be a sleepless night for Met fans.

Bottom of the 9th: The Mets made it interesting, as Wright hit a double and Delgado singled, but Beltran and Church both flied out to end the game. The division lead drops to two games, and, at least for tonight, the Phillies will haunt the once pleasant September dreams of Met fans. Final Score: Phillies 3, Mets 0.

As Ken Davidoff first reported here on his MLB Insider blog, Mike Schmidt sent a pep talk e-mail to the Phillies before the start of this weekend's series at Shea.

Among other things, Schmidt wrote, "The Mets know you're better than they are. They remember last year. You guys are never out of a game. Welcome the challenge that confronts you this weekend. Good luck. #20."

When Billy Wagner was shown the message on a Blackberry, he interjected, "No they're not" after the "better" line, but resisted saying anything more flammable.

"Wow," Wagner said when he was finished reading. "Did Gary Carter send us one?"

Reyes (ss)
Murphy (lf)
Wright (3b)
Delgado (1b)
Beltran (cf)
Church (rf)
Castillo (2b)
Schneider (c)
Pelfrey (rhp)

Not the winning streak. That's still intact as the Mets open a three-game series tonight against the Phillies at Shea.

I'm talking about the Newsday back page streak, which ended today at four. Apparently the Giants opened their season last night against the Redskins and only an event of that magnitude could temporarily derail the Mets from the coveted back-page exposure.

Here's a little montage to get you warmed up for tomorrow morning. I'm sure the Mets will be starting a new streak then.

Have to say that was a little surprising. Sweeping the Brewers? I know the Mets didn't face the incredible C.C. Sabathia, and Ben Sheets only lasted five innings because of a groin injury, but this is a first-round playoff matchup that the Mets seem well-equipped for.

As manager Jerry Manuel pointed out before yesterday's 9-2 win, the Mets have a pitching staff that can "spin the ball," meaning a bunch of guys that throw good changeups (Martinez, Stokes, Santana), sliders (Perez, Smith, Feliciano) and the occasional curves (ditto Martinez, Pelfrey). With an aggressive hitting club like the Brewers, that off-speed attack worked like a charm, and Milwaukee's growing frustration only played into the Mets' hands.

I'd add Luis Ayala somewhere in that list, but I have no idea how he's getting people out.

Good to see Ryan Church not only feeling better, but also getting his power stroke back. There wasn't a happier guy in that clubhouse after yesterday's game. Listening to all that playful abuse from Carlos Delgado, it was like that grand slam got him back into the club.

And here's an interesting scenario: Does Billy Wagner automatically get his old job back when the Mets decide to activate him, perhaps on Tuesday? Or does he need a game or two in a set-up role to get his feet back under him? Just wondering. The Mets are 21-8 since Wagner's last appearance, a blown save on Aug. 3. Something to keep in mind.

Obviously, the first try went smoothly, and it was funny that Alex Rodriguez was involved.

But do you like it? And if you like it, do you think it should be expanded or kept right where it is -- home runs calls only?

Here's a quick debate about that topic.