NEW YORK — They play one game at a time, they say. But they think ahead — sometimes two or three days ahead. The Mets were fully aware of what they faced this weekend when the Braves were to provide the competition. Almost every Mets hitter knew at least this much — a rookie, Tim Hudson and John Smoltz would be on the mound.
The Braves’ starting pitcher plans, translated into Mets thinking, was this: “A pretty decent chance to win on Friday, not as good a chance come Saturday and hang with ‘em on Sunday.”
It was a little harder to figure. The Mets lost to rookie Jair Jurrjens Friday night and beat Hudson on Saturday. Those outcomes don’t change facing Smoltz on Sunday into anything less than a steep challenge.
Even if the Mets didn’t know the name of their Sunday opponent, his ERA — 0.78 — would send a message.
“That’s why you have to take advantage of every opportunity to win,” David Wright said. “Because you might have someone like John Smoltz looming.”
And, oh, how he looms!
“That’s why winning today [Saturday] was so big after we lost last night,” Wright said. “You don’t want to go into a game against him, thinking you have to beat him or get swept.”
Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Nelson Figueroa (1-1, 4.05 ERA)
Mark Teixeira, Jeff Francoeur and Tom Glavine have a combined 1.000 batting average against Figueroa. Each is one for one. But the peril is diminished for the Mets starter. Glavine is assigned to the disabled list.
ATL: RHP John Smoltz (3-1, 0.78 ERA)
Only one pitcher has struck out David Wright more often than Dontrelle Willis (seven times in 39 career at-bats). That is Smoltz, who has faced Wright 50 times and struck him out 19 times.
Tidbits
Batting coach Howard Johnson left the team on Saturday morning to attend the funeral of his sister Traci, 41, who died Wednesday. He is to rejoin the team Monday. … The club paid tribute Saturday to Jack Lang before and during the game. The late baseball writer for the long-defunct Long Island Press and later the New York Daily News also was the long-time secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers Association of America. The tribute to Lang was linked to fund raising for the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island. Lang died Jan. 25, 2007.
This date in Mets history — April 27
Darrell Evans and Henry Aaron, two of the three Braves who would hit at least 40 home runs in 1973, hit successive home runs against Tom Seaver in the fourth inning on this date in ‘73. Seaver allowed one other hit in seven innings and emerged as the losing pitcher in the Mets’ 2-0 loss in Atlanta. Winning pitcher Pat Dobson pitched a three-hit shutout. … The Mets scored six runs, four earned, without an extra-base hit in the seventh inning and defeated the Expos, 7-6, in Montreal on this date in 1975. … A year later, the Mets scored one, one and three runs in the seventh, eight and ninth innings to beat the Braves, 6-5, at Shea. Bruce Boisclair’s two-run double with two out provided the decisive runs.
The Mets scored five runs in the ninth inning, two on a home run by Keith Hernandez, to beat the Braves, 5-2, in Atlanta on this date in 1988. The winning pitcher was reliever David Cone, who had a 2-0 record in relief before he was moved to the rotation six days later — he pitched a shutout in his first start. Cone produced a 20-3 record that season.
On this date in 1990, Frank Viola, Wally Whitehurst and John Franco combined on a three-hit shutout of the Astros in the Astrodome. The Mets won, 1-0, on a home run by Mark Carreon against Mark Portugal. The home run was the lone extra-base hit in the game. The Astros’ three singles — two against Viola — came from Eric Yelding, who had nine hits and two walks in 17 career at-bats against Viola.
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