Choppin' Broccolah: Mets 7, Braves 3

Nice win for those Metsies tonight. Sure, the Braves are pretty awful, but it still feels good to stick it to them anyway. The Phillies were losing all game long to the Nationals, but found a way to come back and win in the late innings so the Mets' lead remains a game and a half.

Oliver Perez was off his game tonight, walking five and allowing twelve baserunners in 6.1 innings. He managed to keep the Mets in the game, though, and Luis Ayala came in with runners on the corners and one out and got a couple of flyballs to get out of the jam. He got a standing ovation from the Shea faithful, who were probably just as excited to see someone *different* as to see someone actually succeed.

Offensively, the Mets were solid tonight, though all of their production came in the first and eighth innings, bookending an otherwise lousy night at the plate. Two runs in the first eventually put them down 3-2 with six outs to play, but they hung a five-spot on the Braves' bullpen in the eighth inning, highlighted by a Carlos Delgado double with the bases loaded that plated two and gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. Damion Easley followed two batters later with a two-run single and Ramon Castro plated another run with a double (why does Schneider start games anymore?).

An exciting 7-3 win to be sure. Mets batters walked seven times, including three to Jose Reyes (one intentionally). Aaron Heilman picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning (two baserunners allowed), and, just as they drew it up in Spring Training, Scott Schoeneweis came on to close things out in a non-save situation.

Big winners: Carlos Delgado, +27.7% WPA, Luis Ayala, +13.3% WPA
Big losers: Oliver Perez, -8.0% WPA, Damion Easley, -5.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Delgado bases-loaded double, +35.7% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Chipper RBI single, +10.2% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +12.3%
Total batter WPA: +37.7%

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by BobbyV_Incognito; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.