Mets take rubber match from Cards thanks to Dickey, Davis

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07/29/2010 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Ike Davis hit a three-run homer and knuckballer R.A. Dickey went 8 1/3 innings, as the New York Mets earned a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field.

Angel Pagan chipped in two hits including a triple and scored twice, while Carlos Beltran contributed a run-scoring single for the Mets, who won for only the third time in the last 10 games overall.

Dickey (7-4), who was working on three days rest after exiting his last start on Sunday with a left leg injury after 5 2/3 innings, was sensational. He yielded only four hits, finishing with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Francisco Rodriguez retired the final two batters in the ninth to pick up his 22nd save of the season.

Jon Jay had a double for St. Louis, which has dropped five of seven since winning eight in a row. Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Colby Rasmus had the other Cardinal hits -- all singles.

Blake Hawksworth (4-7) worked six innings, allowing seven runs on four hits with three walks and as many strikeouts in taking the loss.

New York threatened in the second, but came up empty before putting up a three-spot in the third courtesy of Davis. Jose Reyes doubled to lead off the inning and Pagan singled to put runners on the corners. After Beltran flied out to shallow center, Davis jumped on a first-pitch changeup and crushed it into the centerfield seats.

Meanwhile, Dickey kept the Cardinals off the board with an effective knuckball and the Mets gave him another run to work with in the fifth. Pagan tripled into the right-field gap with one about and crossed the plate on Beltran's line drive base hit to left. New York was bidding for more, as Mike Hessman walked and Josh Thole followed with a single up the middle, however, Beltran was thrown out on the plate by centerfielder Jay.

Dickey retired nine Cardinal hitters in a row, then gave up a one-out eighth inning single to Schumaker, who advanced to second on a wild pitch with two away. Pinch-hitter Randy Winn bounced out to second to end the inning.

The Mets loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter in the home eighth, but Dickey grounded into a force out at the plate and Reyes grounded out to second to keep it a 4-0 game.

In the top of the ninth, Dickey gave up a base hit to pinch-hitter Rasmus and after retiring the next hitter, issued a walk to Jay which ended his outing at 118 pitches. Rodriguez came on and retired Albert Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday looking to lock down the win.

Game Notes

Mets third baseman David Wright was given the day off for rest...The Cardinals won two of three at home over the Mets from April 16-18, but lost four of six at Citi Field a season ago...New York went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while St. Louis finished 0-for-5 with RISP and left four.

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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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