Mets Merized Online

A (adv.) – St. Lucie Mets (19-29)

5/21 - The Mets fell behind early against the Clearwater Treshers and lost 9-6. Despite back-to-back HR’s in the 6th, the Mets couldn’t push another rally. Ryan Coultas (1B) and Jamar Hill (DH) went back-to-back in the 6th inning. Jonathan Niese (3-3) got roughed up in his start. He only went 1.2 innings giving up five runs on seven hits. Those runs raised his ERA to 5.30 for the season.

5/22 - Another tough night for the Mets as they lost to the Treshers 4-2. Dustin Martin (CF) went 2-for-2 during the game. Jamar Hill (DH) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Eric Brown (3-3) got the start but got the loss. Brown went 5.2 innings allowing seven hits and four runs. A good relief appearance by Nick Abel as he pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three batters.

5/23 - After losing the previous two games to the Treshers, the Mets came back in a very strong way, 12-9. The Mets were down early in this game 9-2 in the fourth inning, but scored 10 unanswered runs, including a 7 run 7th inning. Ryan Coultas (1B), Sean Henry (LF), and Jose Castro (SS) all had three RBIs on the day. Castro and Daniel Murphy (3B) each hit their second home run of the season. Nicholas Waechter got his first start of the season, but failed to impress. He only went three innings in his no decision and allowed five runs on seven hits. Alexis Beras (1-0) got his first win of the season in a good two innings of work.

5/24 – The Mets came out of the series fire hot, but were shutout by the Dunedin Blue Jays, 12-0. Nobody on the Mets had a multi-hit game. However, Daniel Murphy (3B) and Jamar Hill (DH) each had a double. The pitching was horrible. All the runs scored were earned. Jacob Ruckle (2-3) got roughed up in only 3.1 innings of work. He surrendered six runs on four hits. He also walked three. The bullpen wasn’t any better. Combined, the bullpen surrendered six additional runs on nine hits.

5/25 - Many Mets players were disappointed at the performance on Thursday. However, they bounced back against the Blue Jays winning big, 11-3. Sean Henry (LF) went 3-for-6. He hit two triples and drove in four runs. Henry also stole his seventh base of the season. Daniel Murphy (3B) went 2-for-6 with three RBIs. Rafael Arroyo (C) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. The Mets got a strong pitching performance from Robert Parnell (3-2). Parnell pitched five innings and allowed one run on five hits. Parnell also struck out three.

A – Savannah Sand Gnats (12-35)

5/21 - Another losing streak appeared for the Sand Gnats as they lost to the Rome Braves, 5-2. Leivi Ventura (3B) went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI. Tobi Stoner was strong in his 5.1 innings of pitching. Stoner allowed two runs on six hits. He had some control problems, he did walk four but struck out four. David Koons (1-2) got the lost in relief giving up three runs, all unearned.

5/22 – The losses continue to pile up for the Sand Gnats as they lose again to the Braves, 9-5. Sean McCraw (RF) went 1-for-5 but drove in two runs. Leivi Ventura (3B) continues to heat up as he goes 2-for-4 with a double. Francisco Pena (C) also drove in a run. Tim Stronarch got the start and was solid. He went six innings giving up three runs on eight hits. He wasn’t the reason for the loss, the bullpen was. Julio Polanco (0-3) gave up four runs, on four hits, and did not get an out. His current ERA is 9.64.

5/23 – The Sand Gnats tried to come back from a couple tough losses, but this game was a heartbreaker. The fell to the Braves in 11 innings, 3-2. Leivi Ventura (3B) and Sean McCraw (C) drove in a run, the only runs for the Sand Gnats. Joe Holden (CF) went 2-for-5 with a double. Matt Durkin got the start was good. He allowed two runs on three hits in six innings of work. Jonathan Castillo (0-2) got the loss giving up the run on three hits.

5/24 - Loss after loss, the Sand Gnats wanted to recover and avoid the sweep. However, their pitching fell short to the Braves, 10-8. The offensive production was spread throughout the line-up. Six Sand Gnats had a multi-hit game including Greg Veloz (2B) who went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Daniel Stegall (CF) went 2-for-4 with one RBI and a triple. Greg Mullens wasn’t sharp in his start. He went five innings but gave up six runs on eleven hits and two walks. David Koons (1-3) pitched in relief and gave up the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the 8th to lock the victory for the Braves.

Each week I will recap the Mets Minor Leagues and give you a rundown on their games, highlights, and any significant player news, injuries or promotions. It will be posted in two parts with the first part encompassing the high minors and the second part, the low minors.

AAA – New Orleans Zephyrs (23-26)

5/22 - Despite a late comeback effort by the Zephyrs, they fell to the Isotopes 4-3. Jason Alfano (2B) went 2-for-3 for the day including a double. Alfano also knocked in two runs in the game. Anderson Hernandez (SS) went 1-for-4 with a triple. Chan Ho Park (3-3) went 6.1 innings allowing four runs on seven hits. Park did strikeout nine Isotopes while walking three. Guillermo Mota pitched one inning and struck out a batter.

5/23 -  It was an extremely long game for the Zephyrs. This game was played until the 14th inning as the Zephyrs dropped the third game of the four game series against the Isotopes, 2-1. The only offense for the Zephyrs was Andy Tracy’s 10th HR in the 4th inning. Mike Pelfrey got the start and was superb, not to mention he went 1-for-2 at the plate. Pelfrey went six innings allowing only four hits and a run. Pelfrey did strike out four batters. Jon Adkins (0-2) pitched in relief and got the loss.

5/24 - After a short three game losing streak, the Zephyrs fought back in a big way defeating the Isotopes 8-5. Andy Tracy (1B) hit, yet, another HR in the 7th inning to bring his season total to eleven home runs. Fernando Tatis (3B) had a productive day at the plate. Tatis went 2-for-4 with a double while driving in three men. Philip Humber (4-4) had a so-so outing on Thursday. Although he did surrender four runs, three earned, Humber did get the win. Humber walked three, but struck out six in his five innings of work.

5/23 – After a good win against the Defenders, the Mets defeated them again, 5-2. Caleb Stewart (RF) hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the 7th inning. This grand slam was Stewart’s sixth home run. Corey Coles (LF) was almost unstoppable. Coles went 4-for-5, including a double, and scored two runs. Fernando Martinez (CF) helped the Mets both hitting and fielding. Martinez went 3-for-5 and had an outfield assist to gun down a runner at home plate, preventing the run from scoring. Marcos Carvajal pitched six shutout innings, but could not get the win. He allowed eight hits, and struck out six batters. Joseph Serfass (1-0) pitched the 7th inning to get the win.

5/25 - Folks, they just keep on winning. The Mets defeated the New Hampshire FisherCats, 5-2. Caleb Stewart (RF) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Brett Harper (1B) went 1-for-4 with a 2-RBI double. Fernando Martinez (CF) went 1-for-3 with a RBI. Kevin Mulvey (4-4) bounced back from a bad performance as he got the win. Mulvey went six innings allowing two runs and giving up five hits. Mulvey struck out five Tim McNab got his second save of the season.

Either Willie Randolph read yesterday’s post on this site, or he actually came to his senses. Whatever the case may be, Carlos Delgado has been removed from the clean-up spot and dropped to the number six spot in the order for today’s lineup against the Braves.

It was a long time coming and hopefully the move will help the team offensively and give Delgado some time TO find his power stroke without hurting the team.

I applaud Willie Randolph for making the move. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy job to tell a veteran like Delgado that he was being moved out of his familiar role, but being a manager means making the tough decisions.

Tonight’s lineup goes like this…

1. Jose Reyes
2. Shawn Green
3. Carlos Beltran
4. David Wright
5. Paul Lo Duca
6. Carlos Delgado
7. Damion Easley
8. Carlos Gomez
9. Oliver Perez

Now that’s more like it!

As for Carlos Delgado… Start whacking the ball and get back soon big guy, we can’t do this without you!

The Mets got a day off to shake off the dust of the Subway Series and move on to the business at hand.

Sure, everyone including myself loves the Subway series and we really get a charge out of beating the Yankees, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the Yankees who we need to beat, it’s the Braves.

As a team the Mets have made a name for themselves right from the get go by pounding the World Series Champs to start the season and serving notice to the rest of the National League that they are the team to beat.

Since that opening series, the season has gone according to plan with series wins against every team except one, that’s right, the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is the only team with a winning record against the Mets. In two meetings so far this season, we have lost 4 out of 6 games to them.

Call me crazy, but I think this upcoming series is probably the most important series of the season right now. The Mets need to prove to themselves that they can beat anyone in the National League including the Braves. If the Mets are going to repeat as division champs they must do it by beating the Braves. The Mets have won five straight series, and if they can make it six straight series, they will have established themselves as the true dominant force in the National League and secure another division title.

It will fall on Jorge Sosa to get things started. The former Brave may have more than one reason to beat the Braves as he looks to exact some revenge on the team that gave up on him. A win tonight will be a great opening salvo for the Mets at Turner Field. However, it will take more than Jorge Sosa alone to beat the Braves. It’s going to take a team effort with contributions from every hitter in the lineup and every pitcher in the bullpen. In the next three days we will find out who the real "Beast of the East" is.

Billy Wagner has finally gotten used to the glaring heat that comes from being under the spotlight in New York. Last year he had a couple of rough stretches and even when things were going right, he just never looked comfortable  as a New York Met. Despite that, he finished with solid numbers and racked up 40 saves.

This year, Wagner is a different pitcher. He has been of the most dominant closers in the game. He has a swagger that hasn’t been seen in him since he left Houston. He has become as important to the Mets as any of their offensive stars.

Currently Wags leads the majors with a 0.50 ERA. In 18 innings he has allowed only 11 hits and 4 walks while striking out 18 batters. He has 10 saves in 10 opportunities and has only given up 1 run all year.

Last night he struck out the major league’s leading hitter Jorge Posada, and Jason Giambi to pick up the save against the Yankees, while protecting a one run lead. He came up big. He’s been coming up big all year long this season. I used to get nervous whenever I heard "Enter Sandman" playing at Shea. Now I just stand up and I wait for him pump his fist in the air and seal the deal for the New York Mets.

Look at that picture. Have you ever seen anything more sad and pathetic? The Yankees are on the ropes and the Mets are about to deliver the knockout punch.

Last night was more than just a win for the Mets and a loss for the Yankees. It was the passing of the torch that the Yankees have held for so long in this city. It was a great run for the Yanks, but they are now old, overpaid, selfish and just plain ordinary.

The Mets on the other hand, are like the shiny new sports car that zooms past you in the fast lane and makes you go ahh… They are fast, they are electrifying and you just watch them win game after game and go ahh…

They play with such an exuberance and such utter dominance that they kind of remind you of, well, the Yankees, check that… the old Yankees.

Joe Torre is desperate and manages like someone who is trying to save his job. Willie on the other hand, is a gambler. He goes against conventional wisdom and for the most part his moves pay off in big ways. Case in point, last night he opted to sit Shawn Green who is hitting .330, and replace him with defensive specialist Endy Chavez. Not only did Endy justify the move with a great defensive play to nail Johnny Damon at second base in the first inning, but he ends up hitting the game winning homer off left hander, Andy Pettite.

Randolph has infused his bench players with a bravado and a never say die attitude. In return, his confidence in each of them has been rewarded with a slew of huge hits and big wins.

The Yankees are yesterday’s news. They are an organization with nothing left in the tank. No amount of money in the world is going to save their season this year. The $28 million dollars they gave to Roger Clemens will be nothing more than a fruitless attempt to buy respect. A respect that is long gone and hardly missed.

The cupboard is bare in their minor leagues. There will be no phenoms this year or next year. Years of ravaging their minor leagues for veteran players has finally taken its toll. The overwhelming amount of cash thrown at sub par or end-of-the-road players like Carl Pavano, Kyle Farnsworth, Jaret Wright, Randy Johnson and Kei Igawa only shows just how inept their general manager, Brian Cashman really is.

For years Cashman has thought of himself as being among the elite, but he was never anything more than a geek on a shopping spree at Toys R Us, buying anything and everything that he could get his grubby little hands on. Being a big time spender does not make you a big time general manager.

While Omar Minaya spent the winter signing guys like Jorge Sosa, Moises Alou and Damion Easley, Cashman spent huge money on Kei Igawa and Doug Mientkiewicz. Last night, one of them was on the bench and the other resided in AAA.

While Omar Minaya resigned guys like Endy Chavez and Ramon Castro. Brian Cashman resigned Bobby Abreu and Mike Mussina to exorbitant contracts. They both are floundering and Abreu was actually benched in last nights game.

If the Yankees leadership of Joe Torre and Brian Cashman were so quick to take all the credit for the Yankees’ success all these years, why are they not being held accountable for this atrocious team that has become too unbearable to watch?

The fact is that Joe Torre was nothing more than a push button manager who was given an all-star team all of these years. Brian Cashman is like an aimless idiot waving a fist full of dollars each off season with absolutely no clue in player and talent evaluation.

Joe Torre and Brian Cashman are not even in the same league as Willie Randolph and Omar Minaya. Did you see their body language on TV last night?

Joe Torre was sitting and slouching on the bench as he has been all year, with his legs crossed and this grumpy, sad and pathetic look on his face.

His counterpart, Willie Randolph was on his feet the whole entire game, rallying his players, his head held high with a gleam in his eyes that just exuded with confidence.

You know what, I have to end this right here. I can’t go on wasting anymore of my time on the Yankees. In the next few days you will be able to read all of what I’ve said, plus a ton more of this crap as they completely unravel and step into a free fall of chaos and confusion.

Like I said in the title… The Yankees are toast and the Mets on the other hand, are the toast of the town.

Here we go Mets fans!

The first round of the 2007 Subway Series is suddenly upon us, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The Mets are still flying high coming off of that incredible win yesterday at Shea Stadium and now boast the best record in the National League at 26-14.

The Yankees however are in utter chaos. Only 2 teams in the AL have less wins than the Yanks whose record now stands at 18-21, 3 games under .500! (That’s about 12 million dollars per win!)

The Mets continue to improve with each passing day as Willie Randolph presses all the right buttons, while Joe Torre sits back and watches his team implode under the glaring eyes of George Steinbrenner. (hee hee)

As the Yankees pull into Shea, they will be facing a team that is more confident and more resilient than last years version. A team whose early season slumps from Carlos Delgado and David Wright are now behind them. A team whose questions about starting pitching have been answered with the leagues best ERA. A team who currently leads the Major Leagues with a .284 team batting average. A team who leads the Major Leagues in stolen bases by a wide margin and whose defense is among the best in baseball.

Right now the Mets are clicking on all cylinders. The Yankees certainly are not. It’s a short series and anything can happen in a 3 game set, but anything less than a sweep of the Bronx Bombers, would be a disappointment for me.

Even the good people at the Empire State Building are getting caught up in the hoopla! For the next three days the north and south sides will be lit up blue and white, while the east and west sides will be lit blue and orange! Which ever team wins the series will be honored with all four sides lit up in the teams colors! If anyone can email me a picture of the Empire State Building, I will use your picture on our site and include your name on our next blog! Email me at GetMetsMerized@aol.com. 

Maybe that new slogan the Mets have this year isn’t so stupid after all. So I’ll end it by saying this…

Hey Mets Fans, Your Season Has Come!

One more thing…  Before I ever started blogging, I only ever visited two other blogs, of course MetsBlog and the other was and still is Mike’s Mets. At MetsBlog I always used to get the short of it, while at Mike’s Mets I could get more details and analysis. Anyway, I mention it because he had a great post the other day with Mets 1st Quarter Reports and I thought it was really good reading for Mets fans. I enjoyed it and I know you will too.

Later! 

METS PRE-GAME NOTES
 
Chicago (18-19) at New York (24-14), 7:10 p.m. ET

Pitching Matchup

CHC: LHP Rich Hill (4-2, 2.51 ERA)
Hill has cooled off some after a start that saw him allow just one run in his first 22 innings, and the Mets are catching him at the right time. In his last outing, the lefty allowed five runs in five innings in Philadelphia, good for a loss and his worst outing of the year. Hill didn’t see the Mets last season, and he’s probably happy about it — in his lone career outing against them, the lefty allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings.

NYM: RHP Jorge Sosa (2-0, 2.77 ERA)
Mets fans couldn’t have asked for much more out of the traditionally erratic Sosa in his first two starts. The hard-throwing right-hander lasted into the seventh in both, allowed just two runs in both, and, most importantly, earned a win in both. He saw the Cubs twice in relief last season, holding them to a combined .200 average.

Players To Watch

Shortstop Jose Reyes is perfect in two at-bats against Hill, with two singles. He hasn’t been fazed by the lefty’s pickoff move, either, racking up two stolen bases.

Aramis Ramirez has a career .306 average at Shea Stadium, with five homers and 16 RBIs. He’s also struck out 16 times.

Todays Mets Notes

So far no word on if Moises Alou is going to the DL. My guess is that if they waited this long, he could be doing much better.

Carlos Delgado, who walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 5-4 win in Monday’s series opener, was hit in the left hand and left Tuesday’s game. X-rays were negative and there’s a good chance you’ll see him in tonights lineup.

I hope this rain lets up. It’s coming down pretty hard right now and the winds are really gusting.

Some of this information was provided by MLB.com and Mets.com.

This blog illustrates exactly what can happen when bloggers have too much time on their hands.

As most of you know we have a companion site on Myspace. One of the most frequently asked questions I get is if I know what song is playing when a particular Mets player comes up to bat at Shea Stadium. So after a little bit of research I saw that the Mets actually had this list posted on their site.

Jose Reyes – This Is Why I’m Hot – Mims
Paul Lo Duca – No Sleep Till Brooklyn – Beastie Boys
Carlos Beltran – He Is Here – David & Abraham
David Wright – Fame – David Bowie
Carlos Delgado – Rompe – Daddy Yankee
Shawn Green – Song 2 – Blur
Jose Valentin – Reggae ton – Don Omar
Ramon Castro – Imperial March – Star Wars
David Newhan – We Fly High – Jim Jones
Damion Easley – Smack That – Akon

It’s really kind of sad that my favorite Mets have such bad taste in music. I mean the only song on this list that I like is Ramon Castro’s because like most nerds, I love Star Wars. I would even go as far as saying that David Wright’s song from David Bowie isn’t that bad, mostly because I have a fascination with people who have two different colored eyes.

Now here are some of the pitcher’s songs. Most of you have heard the stories of how pitchers think they are cooler than the rest of the guys in the clubhouse, so lets see if their songs really bear that out.

Tom Glavine – Sweet Child of Mine – Guns & Roses
Oliver Perez – Can You Feel It – The Jackson’s
John Maine – Seek and Destroy – Metallica
Billy Wagner – Enter Sandman – Metallica

Heck yeah! I mean come on, 3 out of 4 songs on this list are awesome! However, someone needs to keep a real close eye on Oliver Perez… The Jackson 5? Is he kidding me???

If I was running this show I would definitely have come up with a better selection of songs. Here are just some of them…

Pedro Martinez – Miss You – Rolling Stones
Jose Reyes – Speed Kills – Bush
Aaron Heilman – Take This Job And Shove It – Johnny Paycheck
Billy Wagner – Don’t Bring Me Down – ELO
Carlos Beltran – Some Kind Of Wonderful – Grand Funk Railroad
Chan Ho Park – Please Release Me – Engelbert Humperdink
Mike Pelfrey – Rock Me Gently – Andy Kim
Paul Lo Duca – Little Sister – Elvis Presley
Julio Franco – Rock Of Ages – Def Leppard
Oliver Perez – Jumping Jack Flash – Rolling Stones

OK, I already warned you about having too much time on my hands, but what do you think?

Think you can do better? Let’s see some of your song choices! 

Mets optioned RHP Lino Urdaneta to Triple-A New Orleans. and recalled RHP Ambiorix Burgos. Urdaneta was only up for quick look because Willie Randolph wanted to see what the kid had in the tank. It turned out that it wasn’t much, so Burgos is back and should stick around for the rest of the season barring a significant step backward in progress. Burgos is one of those guys who can be dominating when his stuff is working or brutal when it’s not. If Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson figure out how to tame him, he can be a real asset for the Mets the rest of the way.

Jason Vargas is likely to start for the Mets on Thursday after having his turn skipped for Triple-A New Orleans on Monday. It wouldn’t be for more than one start unless El Duque suffers a setback in rehab. I look forward to seeing what Vargas brings to the table. It wasn’t long ago that he was considered one of the Marlins’ best pitching prospects.

Not for nothing, but isn’t it about time we give Billy Wagner his props? I mean when the guy blows a game he won’t stop hearing about it for a month, but here he is with 9 saves in 9 chances and not one word about how great he’s doing in any of the local papers. Wagner had a huge April and has continued his dominance half way through May and is on the verge of his best season in the last 10 years.

In 16 innings pitched he has allowed only 1 run on 10 hits, and has 16 strike outs to go with only 4 walks.  His ERA is almost invisible at 0.56 and his WHIP is 0.88. These numbers are not just great, they are absolutely dominating!