ODLB: Mets-Marlins, Innings 7-9

If you're new to these proceedings, click here and here to catch up on what you've missed.

If you're not into the extended catch-up, you've missed a six-run Mets fourth and a two-run Josh Willingham home run and some entertaining fat men dancing. Johan Santana's on his way to his first Mets win, we'll see if he can get it after the jump.

TOP SEVENTH

Castillo cues one to second base for the first out of the inning. If you're reading this and not checking out the other live blogs that are making today such a blast around the FanHouse, welcome to the Fukudome. He hit a three-run homer to tie the Cubs and Brewers at 3 in the bottom of the ninth. Eric Gagne, unlike Jose Reyes, is yet to recover from the end of last season.

Wright muscles a double the other way to get the Mets in business. My NL MVP selection was Mark Teixeira but Wright's not a bad choice. He's got everything you look for in a MVP candidate up to and including the saccharine public image that writers everywhere love to pieces.

He doesn't have the best basestealing radar, however. He gets caught trying for third, which is just silly given the situation. Beltran up, one out and a chance to post a few insurance tallies. Beltran can't hold up on a nice curve in the dirt and it's time to stretch.

BOTTOM SEVENTH

Santana leaves one up a bit and Jorge Cantu takes it into left for a leadoff single.

Cody Ross flies out on the first pitch. You've got a runner on, it's the first game of the season and Santana is right near 90 pitches. Why not take a couple to see if you can't get him out of the game?

Darling mentions "manlove" again and Hernandez giggles, providing me a sordid image of the 1986 Mets clubhouse. As if there are non-sordid images of that clubhouse.

Gonzalez is out on a fielder's choice while the announcers run down the less-than-glorious history of Opening Day Met rightfielders in the post-Strawberry era. Bobby Bonilla, Jeromy Burnitz and Derek Bell make Ryan Church look a little bit better. They also mention a start by Pete Harnisch which makes Mark Hendrickson look better as well.

They discuss how Treanor will likely be Santana's last batter because you don't want to push him much past 100 pitches. "He's not a Livan Hernandez-type," offers Cohen. No, Gary, he isn't although Hernandez is replacing him in the Twins rotation. He strikes out Treanor for his eighth K and heads for a well-earned shower. Just watch out for the manlove, Johan.

TOP EIGHTH

Nolasco, who is doing a very nice job, gets Delgado to pop out to Cantu at third.

Cohen makes a good point about long relievers in the NL. It's helpful if they can hit a little bit as it avoids burning another pitcher and a pinch hitter. It's a real luxury skill, to be sure, but a nice one to find. Nolasco, as it happens, has one career homer and a .149 average in 47 career at-bats.

Pagan draws a walk and Church sends one right up the middle. OOOH! Helluva stab by Ramirez who flips to Uggla for the force. They couldn't turn two but a nifty play by Ramirez, who we all know isn't known for his work with the glove.

Schneider flies out to deep left to end the inning.

BOTTOM EIGHTH

During the break, they showed a commercial for Procede, a hair replacement system hawked by a "Beverly Hills Salon Owner" named Giuseppe Franco who "isn't putting his name on the line for something that doesn't work." Franco's a convincing pitchman but that's the third different hair replacement system advertised during this game which says a lot about SNY's ad sales staff and their audience. This comes on the heels of an announcement about how much Santana's acquisition is helping the network in terms of ad sales. Yet in his first game on Opening Day they have three slots for these fly-by-night looking companies? Interesting.

Matt Wise is in for the Amazins and Alfredo Amezaga is pinch hitting for Nolasco. Wise is best known for being addicted to In-and-Out Burgers and bumping his head on the dugout while with the Brewers. Amezaga is known for being alliterative. He singles to bring the lineup back to the top.

Ramirez finally makes contact, 2 K's and a walk to this point, but skies the ball to Reyes.

Uggla with a grounder to Reyes in the hole, he goes to second but Amezaga beats the throw. He flew down there because Wise didn't even try to keep him close. That brings Willie Randolph out of the dugout and Scott Schoeneweis out of the dugout.

Jacobs moves the runners to second and third with a bouncer to Delgado and Randolph's back out to summon Jorge Sosa to face Josh Willingham. It's the right move based on Schoeneweis's lack of success against righties but a bit surprising he doesn't go to Aaron Heilman.

Darling says it's because Willingham homered off Heilman last year but he's homered off Sosa as well. It's also a bit of surprise that Sosa didn't get in the mix for the fifth starter job. Mike Pelfrey may have more upside, although that's increasingly subject to debate, but Sosa did a nice job last season. He makes the move look like a masterstroke, ending the threat and the eighth with a strikeout.

TOP NINTH

Matt Lindstrom comes in to pitch for the Marlins and will face Marlon Anderson who hits for Sosa. How many players are homonyms for major league clubs? I guess you could have a guy with the last name Metz, I went to college with a guy whose nickname was Fillie and Ray, while pronounced the same, is not a homonym. Any others?

Anderson breaks his bat but dumps a single over first anyway. Reyes bunts him down to second. They should have had a play at second but Ramirez reverted to being an indifferent fielder after his earlier heroics.

Lindstrom throws a wild pitch to Castillo that comes right back to Treanor who, oy vey, throws the ball away. Anderson scampers home for a 7-2 lead and fielding has given the Mets a bit more breathing room. Worth noting that Ramirez didn't back up Cantu on Treanor's throwaway, making two straight asleep at the wheel plays for a man who can't move to the outfield soon enough.

Castillo bounces out.

Wright draws a walk and, given Ramirez's presence and Beltran batting lefty, should steal second because the throw might end up in Biscayne Bay. Alas, he's too fine and upstanding a gentleman to do that with a five-run lead and Beltran grounds out to end the inning.

BOTTOM NINTH

Now Randolph goes to Heilman, who is an important cog for the Met bullpen. He's been effective for the past few years but he still whines about wanting to be a starter. I get it, starters and closers get the glory, but baseball has been paying set-up guys quite well for some time now and he'll cash in one way or the other.

Cantu is out in front of a changeup for the first out. It's not in Santana's class, perhaps, but that was a sharp pitch.

And now a fastball to get Ross. Gonzo, first pitch swinging, hits it right back to the mound and that's that. Just the way you would've drawn it up for the Mets. Santana gets a win with seven innings of three hit, eight strikeout ball and the bottom of the order keys the six-run rally that carries the day. Hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Adios amigos.