Mets turn to Dickey in Houston

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08/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The presence of Johan Santana on the mound wasn't enough to lift the New York Mets to a win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday. The team now turns to an unlikely stopper in hopes of avenging that defeat when the two clubs resume a four-game series tonight at Minute Maid Park.

R.A. Dickey entered this season with just 22 victories over a nomadic seven- year major league career with three teams, but the journeyman has emerged as a very reliable starter for the Mets in 2010. The knuckleball specialist has compiled an 8-5 record along with an outstanding 2.43 earned run average in 17 starts since joining New York's rotation in mid-May, and enters tonight's tilt off the performance of his life.

Against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Dickey yielded only one hit -- a sixth-inning single to opposing pitcher Cole Hamels -- and struck out seven in a complete-game gem that lifted the Mets to a 1-0 triumph. The right-hander is now one win shy of matching his career high in a season, set as a rookie with the Texas Rangers in 2003.

It should be noted, though, that most of Dickey's success has taken place in his home park. The 35-year-old is 5-1 with a stellar 1.22 ERA at Citi Field this year, compared to a 3-4 mark and 3.24 ERA in 11 road starts.

Dickey has never previously faced the Astros in a starting role, but has thrown two scoreless innings in a pair of prior relief appearances against tonight's opponent.

Santana also went the distance in Tuesday's matchup with Houston, but the New York ace came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 decision. The go-ahead run was provided by Hunter Pence, who belted a tie-breaking solo homer off Santana with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Pence also had a three-homer against Santana in the bottom of the first and finished 2-for-4 for the Astros, who lost Monday's series opener but are now 4-1 on this seven-game homestand.

"You know you can still come back, that's the big thing," said Astros manager Brad Mills of the win. "It's a testament to those guys in the clubhouse, the way they go about their business, the way they work and the way they are in the dugout."

Houston reliever Mark Melancon picked up his first career win despite allowing the Mets to tie the contest on David Wright's solo homer to lead off the top of the eighth. Wilton Lopez then came on to notch his first save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

The Mets will be without their regular closer for the remainder of the year, with four-time All-Star Francisco Rodriguez undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered the injury as a result of a physical altercation with his girlfriend's father following a game last week.

Rodriguez had been suspended two games by the Mets for his actions, and the club took another step towards distancing themselves from the embattled reliever by placing him on the disqualified list on Tuesday. The move allows New York to convert his contract into one that is not guaranteed.

On the field, Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 with an RBI in last night's loss, the Mets' third in four games and 14th in their past 19 contests on the road. Santana (10-7) allowed nine hits and struck out seven with one walk in his eight innings of work.

"We didn't get any clutch hits," lamented Mets manager Jerry Manuel. "It was good to see David hit a home run. We have to come back tomorrow and keep playing."

Opposing Dickey tonight will be Brett Myers, who's put together a pretty good season of his own for the Astros. The offseason acquisition is 8-7 with a 3.13 ERA over 24 starts and has been sensational on the Minute Maid Park hill.

Myers is 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA in 11 home assignments this year and had won four consecutive starts in Minute Maid Park before collecting a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Friday. He pitched well enough to prevail, however, holding the Pirates to one run and fanning seven batters without a walk.

The right-hander has thrown at least six innings in all 24 of his outings this season, tied with Darryl Kile (May 4-Sept. 2, 1997) for the second-longest streak in Astros history. Larry Dierker holds the record of 26 consecutive such starts, set between June 20, 1969-April 17, 1970.

Myers has made 27 career appearances (20 starts) against New York and owns a 9-6 with a 5.01 ERA over the course of those games.

The Mets had won six straight times over the Astros prior to last night's setback. New York took five of the six meetings between the teams last season.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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