Canterbury Baseball Club
by Sean Callahan 11 March 2007
Facing elimination from the second-half playoff chase, the Mets took advantage of some sloppy Padres' defense and base running to win 7-4. Sam Ballinger (6-5) picked up the win, while Makoto Saito (4-3) was hung with the loss, despite 11 strikeouts.
The tone was set in the top of the first as Sean Callahan dropped any easy fly ball in left leading to three unearned runs in the inning and staking the Mets to a 4-0 lead they would never surrender.
The Padres looked to have Ballinger on the ropes in the bottom of the first, but Yoshimitsu Fuchigami was thrown out at home on Nicholas Batchelor's double for the first out. Ballinger then walked the bases loaded before getting another defensive save, as Scott Sutherland turned Callahan's ground ball up the third base line into a 5-3 double play to end the inning.
The Mets made it 6-2 in the second, as Sutherland and Tyrone Bartorillo had solo shots.
It stayed that way until the sixth, as the Mets turned a 5-4-3 double play in the third and a 6-4 line drive double play in the fourth to keep the Padres at bay.
Ballinger tired in the sixth, walking the first two batters and allowing one to score on two stolen bases and a wild pitch. Bartorillo came in to close out the inning, stranding a runner on third as Kunio Kamiya lined out to Justin Holcroft in center after striking out the first two batters he faced.
Both teams traded runs in the seventh, but the Padres couldn't catch up in the end, as the Mets look to sweep their last four games to catch the division-leading Cardinals at the top for the first half.
Notes: Jim Chasey lined the ball up the right field line in the seventh, with it easily rolling 375 feet. He chugged into third happy with a stand-up triple.
The tone was set in the top of the first as Sean Callahan dropped any easy fly ball in left leading to three unearned runs in the inning and staking the Mets to a 4-0 lead they would never surrender.
The Padres looked to have Ballinger on the ropes in the bottom of the first, but Yoshimitsu Fuchigami was thrown out at home on Nicholas Batchelor's double for the first out. Ballinger then walked the bases loaded before getting another defensive save, as Scott Sutherland turned Callahan's ground ball up the third base line into a 5-3 double play to end the inning.
The Mets made it 6-2 in the second, as Sutherland and Tyrone Bartorillo had solo shots.
It stayed that way until the sixth, as the Mets turned a 5-4-3 double play in the third and a 6-4 line drive double play in the fourth to keep the Padres at bay.
Ballinger tired in the sixth, walking the first two batters and allowing one to score on two stolen bases and a wild pitch. Bartorillo came in to close out the inning, stranding a runner on third as Kunio Kamiya lined out to Justin Holcroft in center after striking out the first two batters he faced.
Both teams traded runs in the seventh, but the Padres couldn't catch up in the end, as the Mets look to sweep their last four games to catch the division-leading Cardinals at the top for the first half.
Notes: Jim Chasey lined the ball up the right field line in the seventh, with it easily rolling 375 feet. He chugged into third happy with a stand-up triple.
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