4:59 PM: It’s Friday night in Santa Barbara (though it is raining a bit), and I’m sitting at home blogging a baseball game I’m watching on TV. Go Mets!

5:06 PM: First pitch strike from John Maine, second pitch flyout to Beltran. Eckstein out. Similar to last night.

5:08 PM: Chris Duncan grounds out to Valentin. Two down. Maine looks sharp. Pujols flies out just short of the warning track in right field. 1-2-3 first for Maine.

5:12 PM: First pitch from Chris Carpenter way outside. Second pitch fouled back. I hope the Mets can get to him today.

5:13 PM: Leadoff double from Jose Reyes! Followed up by a sac bunt from Lo Duca, Beltran up with Reyes on third and one out.

5:18 PM: Carlos Delgado with a 3 run homer! 3-0 Mets!!!

5:20 PM: Time was called by the first base umpire because of a beach ball on the field, saves David Wright from flying out to center. No pitch. Ball four on the next pitch. Carpenter gets a visit on the mound from Dave Duncan.

5:23 PM: Carpenter just doesn’t have it tonight. The only out recorded was a sacrifice bunt so far. 3-0 count on Shawn Green.

5:24 PM: Strange play on the infield, as Green grounds out to second. Valentin flies out to center, inning over.

5:32 PM: Delgado misplays a ball at first on what could have been a double play, Cards have first and third with nobody out.

5:34 PM: Full count on Encarnacion. The payoff pitch… ball four, bases loaded. Tight strike zone tonight, Maine (and Carpenter) have been squeezed on a few pitches already.

5:36 PM: Strike one to Belliard, on a pitch everyone thought was inside. Then a close one outside called a ball. Pop up on the infield! One out.

5:38 PM: Yadier Molina lines a double to right, two runs in. 3-2 Mets, now.

5:42 PM: Carpenter strikes out, Eckstein hits a soft liner to second, inning over.

5:45 PM: For the second straight inning, a leadoff double off Carpenter. This time, from Endy Chavez. Maine successfully bunts him over to third. This inning looks awfully familiar.

5:48 PM: Basehit for Reyes, 4-2 Mets!

5:51 PM: Hit and run keeps Lo Duca from grounding into a double play as Reyes gets to second easily.

5:52 PM: Beltran looked bad at Carpenter’s changeup. 0-2 count. Now 1-2. Beltran strikes out, stranding Reyes.

5:59 PM: After a strikeout of Chris Duncan, the count is full on Albert Pujols. After fouling a few off, he walked.

6:02 PM: Heh. “John Maine came to NY from Baltimore with Jorge Julio in a trade for Anna Benson.”

6:03 PM: Jim Edmonds ties up the game with a two run shot to center. 4-4

6:07 PM: Finally another out, as Encarnacion flies out to Beltran.

6:08 PM: Belliard flies out to right, inning finally over.

6:17 PM: Good AB from Shawn Green, working the count full and making Carpenter throw a lot of pitches, after being behind 0-2. Carpenter finally loses the battle, and walks Green putting runners on first and second.

6:19 PM: Valentin then goes and grounds into a first pitch double play to end the inning. Dammit.

6:29 PM: Maine can barely throw strikes anymore. With two outs, Eckstein walked, stole second, and took third on Lo Duca’s throwing error. 2-2 count on Chris Duncan. Swing and a miss, struck him out. Hopefully, they pinch hit for him in the bottom of the 4th.

6:35 PM: After Chavez grounds out sharply to second, Michael Tucker gets a pinch hit HBP batting for John Maine.

6:36 PM: Reyes grounds it to second, but beats out the throw back to first to stay out of the double play. Lo Duca grounds out to short to end the inning.

6:43 PM: Chad Bradford replaced John Maine, and gets Pujols to ground to short for the first out.

6:46 PM: Edmonds flies out to the wall for the second out. Spiezio flies out to Chavez to end the 1-2-3 inning.

6:54 PM: Delgado with his second homer of the night, puts the Mets back on top 5-4!

6:55 PM: Wright grounds to second and barely beats out the throw after Belliard can’t pick up the ball cleanly.

7:01 PM: Green singled to right, Valentin popped out. Chavez up with two on, two out. The Ageless Wonder on deck. Grounds into a fielder’s choice to third, inning over. 5-4 Mets after 5.

7:11 PM: Bradford gives up a two out broken bat single to Yadier Molina, after retiring 5 in a row. Pedro Feliciano coming in to face pinch hitter John Rodriguez. Chris Carpenter is done for the night.

7:15 PM: Feliciano gets a popup to third, inning over.

7:26 PM: Lo Duca hits a one out RBI double, driving in Jose Reyes who walked. 6-4 Mets!

7:29 PM: Belliard makes an amazing play to throw out Beltran at first on a grounder to the left side of the second base bag. Two down.

7:32 PM: Delgado grounds out to second to end the inning.

7:36 PM: Mota in pitching for the Mets. He gets David Eckstein to groundout to second for the first out. Chris Duncan flies out to left on the first pitch for the second out. Pujols comes up with the bases empty, again.

7:42 PM: After a real battle, Pujols finally gets his first hit of the series, a single down the left field line.

7:46 PM: After walking Edmonds, Mota almost gives up a homerun to Spiezio. Shawn Green saved it from going over by having the ball hit his glove, but failed to catch it allowing the tying runs to score. Tie game, unless the umpires overturn the call, in which case the Cardinals lead 7-6. Looks like they made the right call.

7:55 PM: Heilman gets Encarnacion to groundout to second to end the inning. 6-6 going to the 7th inning stretch.

8:02 PM: Valentin finally gets his first hit of the postseason, a two out single in the 7th. Chavez grounds out to end the inning.

8:11 PM: WTF is up with Yadier Molina? Hit .216 during the regular season, and another one out single tonight.

8:14 PM: A beautiful changeup to Preston Wilson to strike him out for the second out.

8:17 PM: Eckstein is putting up a fight. Fouling off pitch after pitch, including one deep foul ball that was gone if fair. From a guy who hit two homers in the regular season.

8:21 PM: On the 12th pitch of the at bat, David Eckstein FINALLY grounds out to second. We go to the bottom of the 8th all tied up at 6.

8:25 PM: The Ageless Wonder Julio Franco pinch hitting for Heilman to leadoff the bottom of the 8th. And strikes out on three pitches.

8:29 PM: Reyes gets his third hit of the night, a single up the middle.

8:33 PM: Lo Duca takes a walk, runners on first and second for Beltran, who takes ball one.

8:35 PM: Shit, Beltran grounded into a double play. We go to the ninth tied at 6, with Pujols due up in the inning.

8:41 PM: So Taguchi hits a 3-2 over the left field wall to give the Cards a 7-6 lead.

8:49 PM: I’ve lost track of what’s happened, but the Cards have scored two more runs. 9-6.

9:04 PM: Mets go down 1-2-3 in the 9th, Cardinals take game 2.

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