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Week 6: May 7, 2008 - Ryan Church has definitely made Mets fans forget what's his name... oh yeah Lastings Milledge. Church is leading the team in average and runs scored. He's standing tall with a .328 average and 27 runs scored along with 6 homeruns and 24 RBIs.
Hey Father Ryan, thanks for saving us!
Photo courtesy of Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
If Angel Pagan ends up heading to the DL, and I hope he doesn’t, one player that I hope the Mets call up to replace him is first baseman Mike Carp. I think it’s time for the Mets to assess the viability of our depth at the position in anticipation of the eventual departure of Carlos Delgado at season’s end.
I have no interest in seeing more re-threads like Brady Clark, Fernando Tatis or flavor of the month, Valentino Pascucci. Yes, Tatis is hitting a bunch of homers, but his batting average is hovering around the Mendoza line. Yes, Pascucci is hitting .300, bur he strikes out in a third of his at-bats.
If the Mets want to glimpse into their future they should look beyond New Orleans and to Binghamton where Mike Carp is tearing it up and leading the league in almost every offensive category.
He is currently batting .339 with 6 homeruns and 23 RBI’s. He has an on-base percentage of .388 and has only struck out 19 times in 127 at-bats. He has continued his torrid pace all season long and has shown no signs of letting up. What I find most amazing is his ability to hit against left handed pitching (currently .362), and to do so with power. Compare that to Delgado who is batting .205 against lefties.
A 15 day cup of coffee will ignite the team with a certain injection of youthful exuberance that has not been seen since Reyes and Wright first emerged. While he’s up he should get plenty of playing time with at least a couple of starts a week at first base and plenty of opportunities as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for Delgado. A cup of coffee in the majors is not going to stunt his growth, even if he doesn't play everyday. I'm not saying to keep him on the team for the rest of the season, just a little taste.
If anyone in the system can make the jump from AA to the majors, I believe it is Mike Carp. He has excellent plate discipline and a great batting eye. Forget all those burned out castaways that the Mets always seem to rely on. We can use a jolt of sonic youth on this team and who knows… we may even be able to catch some lightning in a bottle.
Lost in yesterday's big 12-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers was the remarkable catch that left fielder Angel Pagan made in the first inning, a catch, that will send Pagan to get an MRI today on his left shoulder.
While going after a pop up off the bat off Andre Ethier in the bottom of the first inning, Pagan dove over a cement wall along the third-base line to make an spectactular catch, but injured his left shoulder and although he stayed in the game, was forced to leave after aggravating the injury on a slide into second base in the third inning.
"I was trying to play through it, but it just kept getting worse and worse," said Pagan, who was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. "I had to stop because it got to be too much."
Hopefully Pagan will be ok. I'm sure at some point this season Pagan will play an important role again, as the Mets will look at him to make some starts for the oft-injured Moises Alou, and to give Carlos Beltran some much needed rest throughout the season.
Mets fans have every reason to be jaded, annoyed at the team and their manager. Willie Randolph recently ran his mouth saying fans haven't gotten over 2007 but he has and his players have. Maybe that's the problem. See, the Mets didn't just lose a handful of games toward the end of last year. It was a historic collapse - and as history shows time and time again, time heals wounds... give me a blown save or three, and I'm over a Mets loss. Give me a historic collapse? Well, that takes time, Willie.
Willie needs to drill into the head of his team that losing is not an option. It's not OK to crap the bed last season and start off mediocre this season. Willie needs a spine. He needed to come out in 2008 and prove that he's not the same ho-hum manager he's been since spring training last year. If I dip back even further - you know what? I don't think Willie was upset enough after blowing Game Seven against the Cardinals in 2006. As I recall, unfortunately vividly in mind, Paul Lo Duca was the only player who showed his emotions after Carlos Beltran struck out to end the 2006 campaign. David Wright tipped his hat to the Cards like the class act he is, and Willie just said they got the best of him.
It's unacceptable to just let things slide so easily - especially when you consider how Willie essentially killed Jose Reyes' esteem by embarrassing him in front of his teammates for not hustling enough. Geez, sorry Willie - how about you get on Luis Castillo for running like Wilford Brimley this year?
On a related note, Willie killed Pagan's confidence by benching him when he was molting hot. Thanks Willie - take the hottest bat out of the lineup to get Endy some playing time. How'd that work out? What I guess all of this comes down to is if Willie is a good manager on the wrong team.
Is it possible to trade managers? If so, I'd love to take Joe Girardi off the Yankees hands. The other night, I watched at a bar as Bobby Abreu was thrown out at third during the Yankee game. He was clearly safe, and within seconds Girardi was out there arguing the call. On a similar play on the Mets, methinks Willie would give a blank stare to the ump, shrug his shoulders and let it go. Willie once said on WFAN that he didn't argue a call because there's no way an umpire would reverse the call - so why bother. Well Willie, it'd be nice if you at least tried. If a botched play happens, complaining to the ump and letting him know he made a crap call may not reverse the decision, but it'll earn the respect of your players.
I just get the feeling, and mind you I'm not in the clubhouse, that Willie doesn't have that respect anymore. He has no respect. If he did, Billy Wagner might've thought twice before ripping Perez in the media. - Which by the way, has only made me respect Wagner even more. This team needs to show some guts. They need to be like the 1986 team where losing wasn't an option. They need to be more determined, and dare I say it, a little ruthless. What this team really needs is a Lenny Dykstra or Ray Knight who will kick your ass in the field - literally and figuratively. The inmates need to run the asylum - instead they're taking their meds , and they're devoid of any character and raw emotion just like their manager. Don't get me started on Rick Peterson either.
So bottom line? Win and we'll be less jaded. Show us something, and we'll boo less. Show us some heart and if you're going to show us some confidence (note: Willie), make sure you can back it up with stellar wins or at the very least - hard fought losses.
Well being that the Mets have an off-day tomorrow, right now would be a good time to take a glance at the Mets division foes, in the NL East Report.
Florida Marlins : The Marlins continue to roll, a week into May. Florida's received many key contributions so far this year; especially from Hanley Ramirez. Han-Ram's hit .318 with 8 home runs and 19 RBI's so far this year. Other offense producers in their lineup have been Mike Jacobs (9 home runs so far this season), and Jorge Cantu (.298 average in April). Surprisingly, one of their most consistent starters has been tempermental southpaw Scott Olsen, who's touting a 2.22 ERA so far this year. Former New Jersey Net Mark Hendrickson's notched 5 saves at this point in time. Perhaps the Mets should have skipped on Johan Santana in the off-season in favor of free agent Evan Eschmeyer.
Atlanta Braves: The Braves would have the MLB's best record if they were allowed to use Chipper Jones at every position in the field. Larry's hitting .426 with 10 dingers so far this year. Jeff Francouer (.309 OBP), and Mark Teixeira (.258 average) are off to slow starts. Jair Jurrjens has been a very nice surprise to their starting rotation (4 wins, 2.84 ERA), but Tom Glavine (4.50 ERA) has dissapointed. Until John Smoltz returns to the starting rotation, I don't see this Atlanta Braves team making trouble for any division rival.
Philadelphia Phillies: Same ol, same ol for Philly this year. Chase Utley (.351 average, 13 home runs) has been tremendous this year. The same goes for Pat Burrell (9 home runs). However, Kyle Kendrick hasn't lived up to expectations this year (5.01 ERA). Adam Eaton (1.43 WHIP, 5.63 ERA) has been, well, Adam Eaton. The Phightin Phils will have to start pitching to win the NL East for a 2nd straight year. The return of speedy switch hitting Shane Victorino should help out the team's offense.
Washington Nationals: Part of me was tempted to leave this section blank. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to that part of me and now I'll have to talk about DFA candidate Johnny Estrada (.179 BA), Paul Lo duca (.213 BA), Ryan Zimmerman (.224 BA) and the rest of this team. Though the Nats have played slightly better of late (3 wins, 2 losses in last 5 games), they have still maintained a hearty 14-19 record, in last place in the NL East. Washington needs a big year from former Met Lastings Milledge (.262 BA with 1 home run), but he looks like he's about 2 years from being an above average hitter. One of the lone bright spots for this team has been Christian Guzman (.305 BA, 15 RBI's), who's performance has left Felipe Lopez on the bench. Still, the pitching's been hideous; Matt Chico is 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA, Odalis Perez is 0-3 and Chad Cordero's on the 15 day DL. Good days do not look to be on the horizon for the Nats.
I know some of my fellow bloggers already mentioned this, but it bears repeating: One day the Mets can’t hit their way out of a paper bag, the next day they can break through a ton of bricks!
Keep in mind that since I was at work today, I did not see the game. I only know the details because of Andrew V’s recap and a few highlights from my mom, who was fortunate enough to watch it. So I can’t comment on the actual play. However, I did catch the bottom of the ninth inning and was disappointed to learn that after a brilliant performance by John Maine, he lost a complete game shutout with just two outs to go.
Our bullpen should be well-rested for the next series, not having been used today and having an off day tomorrow. Hopefully the bats will stay hot and carry over their run-producing abilities. Don’t forget, ladies and gentlemen, we have the Yankees to play in only eight days! Could we at least be out of fourth place and putting together a little winning streak before we face them? While every game is important, it is especially significant to earn the city’s bragging rights by beating the Yankees, as well as to beat the rival Braves and Phillies. It’s good for the morale and confidence of the team and for the trust and support of the fans.
There’s the old saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” That only goes so far. That’s okay when teaching teamwork, responsibility and good sportsmanship. At this point, it’s consistency, leadership and results that matter. A team of the Mets caliber should not have the struggles it does, despite all the injuries it continues to suffer. But there is another saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Hopefully the Mets will find a way to win it all this year.
It has been frustrating to watch the Mets play over the past two days, who have shown us many ways to be frustrated about baseball. The Mets will be facing their nemesis again this afternoon, being the Right Handed Pitcher. Penny is the pitcher for the Dodgers today as Maine takes the mound for the Amazin's, trying to stop a three game slide.
So far this season, Penny has been 5-2 over 7 games and 42.1 innings pitched with an ERA at 3.19. He pitched against the Mets three times last year to the tun of a 2-1 record, 19.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 6 walks and 14 strikeouts. Despite these numbers, many current Mets have good career numbers against Penny:
Reyes 7-26, 2 2B, HR
Schneider 2-5
Alou 10-24, 2 2B
Delgado 6-21, 3 2B, HR
Wright 9-14, 2 HR
Wright continued his struggles last night against RHP's but these stats suggests that he should be able to do damage today. He sees the ball well from Penny, and hopefully will crush it today. Same thing goes for Delgado, who has great power numbers against Penny with 4 of his 6 hits against him being for extra bases.
Maine last year had an 0-2 record in as many games against the Dodgers going 11 innings, with a 5.73 ERA, 3 BB, and 8 K. Some Dodgers can destroy Maine, while others can't even touch him:
Furcal 5-9, 2B, HR
Pierre 3-8, 2 3B
Jones 0-6
Martin 0-5
Lets see if former Brave Andruw Jones can continue his hitless streak against Maine today. This is an important game today because tomorrow is an off day. I do not know about the Mets players, but nothing makes an off day worse than losing right before, because the thought about the game just lingers in the mind. And here, that would mean bringing a 3 game losing streak into an off day which, well I don't even want to talk about it. Win this one today.
Lets Go Mets!
Don't Forget to check out 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news!
Ahh the smell of green grass, beautiful palm trees, tropical drinks and sushi... that is what baseball is all about. At least it is in Los Angeles. (freaking wierdos!)
Our New York Mets are in a virtual paradise, far away from the hostile crowds and boo birds they must deal with at home games. Ahh... this is the life. Rest and relaxation...
Rest and relaxation my ass! Get on that damn field and start swinging that lumber and do what your getting paid to do. Pick up that damn baseball and start throwing strikes for Pete's sake. I don't want to hear about how rested and relaxed you are anymore.
The fact is this team does not play better in visiting ballparks (7-10), and they have a 9-5 record at home. Road warriors my butt. After another miserable loss at the hands of the Dodgers, the Mets are now on the verge of getting swept unless they can pull out a win this afternoon.
All these losses seem to follow the same exact script... you know what I'm talking about... last night's loss only differed because it didn't feature any at-bats from Carlos Beltran taking a called strike three. The climax to these losses is always the same... wasted opportunities. bases loaded and no outs and not scoring any runs. We can't buy a hit with runners in scoring position and we are stranding runners at an alarming rate.
Now, the fully relaxed Mets will hop on a plane back home to Shea right after the game. They get to face the Reds and the Nationals... which Mets team will show up? The stressed out, zombified, dead from the neck up team, or the relaxed and cozy, pass me another Corona team?
Obviously I'm as frustrated at this team as the next fan. I expect more from them than I should. I'm definitely too emotionally attached to them, so when they lose it hurts. I know you can't win them all, but I hate losing games we had no business losing. I hate when a sure-fire win disintegrates before my very eyes. We've had too many games like that so far this season...
First off, this was probably the most maddening game of the year, so if you didn't stay up until 1:32 a.m., you were probably better off.
The Mets had an early lead and forced the Dodgers to go to their bullpen in the fourth inning, but just couldn't hold on to the lead as they dropped the second game of the series to the Dodgers by a score of 5-4.
Nelson Figueroa was on the bump for the Mets, only lasting five innings. Figueroa allowed five earned runs on eight hits and four walks. Figueroa struck out three. He needed 104 pitches to get through the five innings.
Not good, not terrible. The Mets starters need to pitch more innings or the coaching staff is going to have no choice but to go to the bullpen. Something needs to be done, but I don't think Rick Peterson is the problem.
Ryan Church put the Mets on the board early, crushing a solo home run to deep center field as the second batter of the game.
The Mets didn't take any time off, and in the second added two runs on RBI singles from Luis Castillo and Jose Reyes. The Mets failed to score any more runs, as they had the bases loaded with nobody out, but Church grounded into a double play, 1-2-3, followed by a David Wright called strike three.
The Mets were 2-14 with runners in scoring position tonight. They absolutely cannot buy a hit with runners on base. They absolutely could have won this game, as they pounded out 11 hits and walked four times. Terrible.
The Dodgers got on the board in the second, as Juan Pierre singled in Blake DeWitt with two outs for LA's first run.
Pay attention to the two outs.
The best inning of the game was the fourth, even if the Mets only scored once. Leading off the inning, Moises Alou reached on a dribbler to third that DeWitt couldn't handle. Carlos Delgado then singled up the middle, and Alou took an aggressive turn at second, catching Andruw Jones flat footed. Alou slid into third, which would set up a coming play. Angel Pagan, starting in center for Carlos Beltran who was out with flu-like symptoms, grounded into a fielders choice, erasing Delgado at second.
With Brian Schneider batting, Pagan broke for second. Russel Martin popped up and made the strong throw to second, and as soon as Alou saw this, he broke for home. Pagan slid in safely at second and the throw home wasn't even close as Alou stole home for the fourth time in his career.
Just great, aggressive stuff on the basepath from Alou this inning. He's trying to make up for lost time, and thankfully so. This team needs some fire.
The third inning saw the Dodgers scratch back, as DeWitt knocked a two out single to right field, driving in both Jeff Kent and James Loney.
Again, two outs. DeWitt wasn't done for the day either.
In the fourth, the Mets knocked out LA starter Hiroki Kuroda as he was replaced with Hong-Chih Kuo. Kuo was the Dodgers savior, as he pitched 3 2-3 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball, walking only one while striking out eight.
He was absolutely nasty. The Mets didn't even have a shot while he was on the bump. Dominant performance.
The game breaker came in the fifth inning with one on and, of course, two out. Martin singled with two outs. DeWitt came up and crushed a ball to deep right field. Church went back to the wall and made a leaping attempt at the ball. It hit off the top of the wall, barely catching the edge of his glove. Church fell to the warning track as the ball bounced back onto the field, still in play.
Church lay there, either expecting Pagan to come over and back him up on the play and pick up the ball, or he thought the ball was already called a home run, but he paused for a second, which allowed DeWitt to chug around the bases. By the time Church got up and fielded the ball, DeWitt had rounded third and headed home for his second career home run, an inside the park job.
And from there, the Mets looked defeated. I believe it should have been Pagan's ball to field as he should be backing up Church on a play like that, but I can't be 100 percent sure. Just an unlucky bounce and chain of events. Only the Mets...
Aaron Heilman turned in two innings of scoreless baseball, only allowing one hit while striking out two. Pedro Feliciano and Joe Smith combined for one inning, with Feliciano allowing one hit and Smith recording one strike out.
Well, the bullpen looked good, especially Heilman. These scoreless innings have to be huge boosts to his confidence.
The Mets threatened in the ninth, getting consecutive two out singles before Castillo was called out on strikes to end the game.
Honestly, the strike zone was terrible, all night. I don't want to blame it on the ump because the Mets had a TON of chances to get hits and drive in runs, but I was screaming and throwing things on some of those strikes.
Game Ball: Alou. The team needs more hustle like that.
This photo of Jose Reyes seems to fit Mets fan's emotions everywhere.
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