Mets end grand slam drought, move above .500 with 14-3 romp over Tigers

DETROIT — These were not miracles, though they felt as such. The first arrived at 8:21 tonight, with the bases loaded and Jason Bay batting. A reliever for the Detroit Tigers named Daniel Schlereth chose a 92-mph fastball to eradicate an interminable Mets streak.

Before the fourth inning of tonight’s 14-3 Mets victory, the grand slam drought had lasted 299 games, tagging along with this team as a grim reminder of their poor luck and their limp lineups. Moments after the ball left Schlereth’s hand, Bay bombed it into the left-field stands, thereby reducing nearly 23 months of angst into a footnote witnessed by the 28,480 fans at Comerica Park.

“Two years?” shortstop Jose Reyes said. “That long? Wow.”

The first slam served as the opening act on an evening that must have felt like a dream to this team. Their record (40-39) rose above .500 for the first time since April 6. They waffled a division-leading opponent. And once the inglorious ordeal ended, they waited all of 18 minutes for another round of deliverance.

At 8:39 p.m., Schlereth offered another 92-mph pitch to defuse a bases-loaded jam. Instead, Carlos Beltran unloaded on the waist-high offering. The baseball fell into the Tigers bullpen in left field. You can sprinkle rock salt on the spots where hell has frozen over, because a streak that began with Angel Pagan’s slam on Aug. 1, 2009 is now buried.

“I guess the no-hitter’s next, right?” starter R.A. Dickey said.

Most members of the team were aware of the streak. But, Bay cautioned, “it wasn’t something that was in here eating us alive.” Still the two slams — the first by two Mets in the same game since Beltran and Cliff Floyd unloaded on the Cubs in 2006 — overshadowed a game overflowing with good cheer. Reyes tallied his second four-hit game in a row and rifled his 15th triple. Dickey (4-7, 3.77 ERA) knuckled through seven innings for the victory.

For Terry Collins’ return to Michigan, the homecoming appeared note-perfect. His team has now produced 36 runs in their past three outings, and they have won five of their last six.

“You have to sustain it, if you can,” Collins said. “It’s all part of us getting to where we want to get to, and that’s back in the hunt.”

The Mets already led by two when the deluge began in the fourth. With two outs, catcher Josh Thole punished former Seton Hall prep star Rick Porcello (6-6, 5.06 ERA) for an 89-mph pitch down the middle. It was his first home run of the year, and his team’s first homer since June 21. Consider it a prelude.

Steve Jobs figurine creates buzz in toy world, leaves Apple ...

Steve Jobs sure as hell has a bunch of fans who’ve been left dazed by the ingenious gadgetry he has brought out into the world, under his brand name, Apple. And if you’ve been worshipping the Apple alter for quite a while now; we’ve just come across a statue that you could add on to it, perfectly detailed and good enough to be prayed to. This Steve Jobs figurine has showed up on a bunch of toy blogs and forums recently, and Apple is still looking out for its maker, to spend some quality time in court with. Until Apple gets wind of who’s manufacturing these and finally sues, you could still pick up one of these beautifully designed and cleverly detailed figurines that come complete with a toy Mac Book, an iPhone 4, an iPad 2, a desk, a chair and a Magic House and Keyboard too!

For all this, you’d probably need to shell out a good $160 or probably more if it finally gets banned. To us, this figurine seems a bit too good to be sued for, an we pretty much hope Apple softens up a bit, and lets it end up on store shelves.

[ OhGizmo ]

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