In the continuing hope of maybe seeing the first ever Mets no-hitter in person – or at least a bench-clearing brawl when Pedro Martinez goes inside on Elijah Dukes – I’ve extended my weekend stay in D.C. and will be attending tonight’s game between the Mets and the Nats.
I’m looking forward to seeing the league’s newest ballpark, and perhaps it will give a hint to what it will feel like to sit in Citi Field next year when Shea fades to but a memory.
I was initially planning on seeing Pelfrey start, but the weekend rain resulted in a little rotation shuffling. If you remember during the recent Mets-Nats series at Shea, Dukes took a bit of exception when Pelfrey went inside on him just a tad.
Martinez is a little less subtle with taking ownership of the inside of the plate, so this could be interesting. But, bean balls aside, this is an important game and we need a big start from Martinez. He has tended to get off to a slow start during his games this year, and we can’t afford to spot anyone any runs.
The Phillies are idle but begin a three-game series with the Braves in Atlanta on Tuesday, and getting a half-game back tonight would be big. Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox and third-baseman Chipper Jones have said the Braves will be no pushover, so again (and I don’t say this very often) GO BRAVES!
