Mets Merized Online

Sorry folks, but no full report today. Minor League Report will return next Saturday in its entirety.

PLAYER NEWS:

FERNANDO MARTINEZ has been to selected to play in the 2007 All-Star Futures Game at San Francisco. The game will take place on July 8th. MARTINEZ will play on the World Team, managed by Juan Marichal. Catch the 18-year-old phenom, FERNANDO MARTINEZ on July 8th at 4PM only on ESPN2!

Congratulations Fernando!

TEAM RECORDS: 

AAA – New Orleans Zephyrs – (44-37) *

AA – Binghamton Mets – (32-45)

A (adv.) – St. Lucie Mets – (3-5)

A – Savannah Sand Gnats – (4-4)

SS (R) – Brooklyn Cyclones – (8-3)*

* – First place 

METS MERIZED QUESTION OF THE WEEK!

Last weeks answer was Mike Piazza and David Wright. Piazza appeared on Triple Play 2001, and Wright appeared on MLB 07: The Show. 

This week’s question:

On June 13, 2001, the Mets came back from a 6 run deficit to beat the Orioles at Camden Yards. This rookie’s RBI single scored Piazza in the top of the 10th for the winning run. Who is it?

Charlie Manuel, the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, and the rest of those Philadelphia Cheesecakes may have just catapulted the Mets out of their month long slump on Friday.

Besides continuing their usual round of trash talking, this time from starter Cole Hamels, they picked a fight with the wrong guy during game one of the doubleheader when they accused El Duque of illegally doctoring baseballs with a foreign substance.

El Duque was shocked, when in the middle of his warm-up pitches all the umpires and Willie Randolph gathered around him on the mound and asked for his baseball cap. Of course they found nothing that a little Tide or Wisk couldn’t fix, and gave him his hat back.

El Duque was furious as he pointed his fingers right into the Phillies dugout with a flood of Spanish expletives that was definitely not for the faint of heart. When Ramon Castro was asked if he thought El Duque was mad, he replied "Oh, yeah," Castro shook his head. How angry was he? "He was talking Spanglish," the catcher said, as he broke out laughing.

Willie Randolph said "I was glad they did that. They did us a big favor."

El Duque went on to dominate the Phillies for the entire game. He was at his absolute best and even his fastball clocked in at 94 MPH, a new season high. On the day he allowed the Cheesecakes only two runs and three hits, while striking out seven batters.

In what could only be seen as a small token of justice or revenge, El Duque ended the game with a strikeout in the sixth inning, and as he left the mound he stared into the Philly dugout and pumped both of his fists in the air.

Take that!

Before I report on the bullpen, just a little info on tonight’s pitching match-up.

Orlando Hernandez will take the mound tonight and try to defeat someone who gave some Mets fans nightmares in the off-season, including Carlos Beltran. Of course I’m talking about Adam Wainwright who takes the mound tonight as a starter rather than the closer who ended our season last year in Game 7 of the NLCS.

It was Wainwright who, in the ninth inning of that fateful game, struck out Carlos Beltran with the bases loaded to clinch St. Louis’ 3-1 win.

El Duque will be facing the cardinals for only the second time in his career. Although he is winless in so far in June, it is by no fault of his own as the Mets failed to give him any run support. El Duque currently has a team leading 2.77 ERA, and is coming off of a no-decision in which he pitched 7 shut out innings against the Oakland A’s. He has been the Mets most consistent pitcher when he is healthy.

The bullpen should be well rested after yesterdays Mets win that was shortened due to the rain. Billy Wagner is having one of his best seasons in a decade, and along with Pedro Feliciano, who has also pitched brilliantly, they give the Mets a lethal 1-2 punch in the bullpen.

The rest of the bullpen is still trying to find it’s way. Scott Schoeneweis continues to disappoint and has looked like a first class bust so far this season. I would be surprised if he is ever allowed into a game with less than a three run lead.

Joe Smith has slipped a little since starting the season strong, and you can tell that Willie has lost some confidence in him.

The good news is that Aaron Heilman has pitched much more effectively in his last five outings, and it looks like he may have turned a corner. Guillermo Mota also has started to pitch better in his last few appearances. In his last appearance, he even hit 95 MPH on the radar gun. He could be the ace up the Mets sleeve in that bullpen.

All in all, despite Schoeneweis’ implosion, the Mets’ bullpen has taken a step forward after an absolutely awful month of May and most of June.

Everyone wants to know what the deal is with Carlos Delgado. It’s really plain to see if you ask me.

Carlos Delgado has just turned 35. Much like sluggers Jeff Bagwell, Glenn Davis, and Jack Clark to name a few, Delgado has experienced a very sharp decline like they did. The players I mentioned played the same position and were similar type sluggers, and each of them became shells of their former selves at age 35.

Delgado’s situation is compounded further more by two things…

1. He is trying to return from off season surgery. He insists it is not a problem, but has also been jockeying for the Mets to pickup his $16 million dollar team option for the 2009 season. Any player will tell you that returning from one surgery is difficult enough, two surgeries, well that may be asking for too much, especially at his age. There’s a difference huge between coming back from surgery when your 25 and when your 35.

2. He missed considerable time physically and mentally in the spring due to the birth of his child. At a time when Delgado should have been hard at work rehabbing, getting back into game shape, and getting his timing back, he spent too much time on personal matters for a player who had so much on the line.

Delgado takes things to heart and is a proud guy. You may remember his stance on standing for God Bless America, and the US vs Puerto Rico case. Guys like him are the last ones to admit that they are in decline.

Unfortunately for the Mets, he is not going to get any better than what we now see. He is what he is. It happens. Over 50% of major league baseball players are out of the game by their 35th birthday. That percentage is even higher in football and in hockey.

Carlos Delgado’s defense is also taking a major hit. He never was great defensively to begin with, but he was never as bad as he appears to be now.

The slump is beginning to weigh heavy on him, and pretty soon the boo birds at Shea Stadium will certainly bring him down even further. It is beginning to look much like some other Mets who broke down completely in their thirties. Players like Roberto Alomar(34), Mo Vaughn(35), Gary Carter(33), Howard Johnson(32), and Keith Hernandez(33). When you consider all of the facts it should come as no surprise that Carlos Delgado has come to the probable end of a long career.

Willie Randolph could probably help his cause somewhat by hitting him even lower in the lineup than 5th, but he is reluctant to do so.

So, we are all left with a situation that will only get worse and maybe even ugly, as time goes on.

Delgado is owed $14.5 million dollars for this year, and $16 million dollars for 2008. As I mentioned earlier, the Mets have a team option in 2009 for another $16 million. The Florida Marlins were very smart when they structured this deal. In the first year (2005) it paid $4 million, then escalated to $13.5 million in 2006. As soon as his first year was up, they moved him to the Mets.

All we can do is hope that we can some production out of him for the money. There is no team that will ever take him off of our hands unless he can drastically turn it around. But guys his age don’t ever drastically turn things around unless they’re juicing as the steroids generation has shown us. But that’s a story for another blog.

It’s now official…

Mike Pelfrey will indeed start one of the games against the Philadelphia Phillies in Friday’s doubleheader. This move is borne more out of necessity rather than Pelfrey dominating hitters in the minors. He is currently 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in New Orleans, and has given up 43 hits and 15 walks in 42 innings. Not exactly mind boggling.

During his first go-around with the Mets, he went 0-5 and sported a 6.53 ERA. Pelfrey is expected to go up against Cole Hamels.

Sounds like the 4th of July fireworks might get started a little bit early in Philadelphia…

 

Today is the final day for All Star voting! 

If you are a REAL Mets fan, than I implore you to vote today for Paul Lo Duca.

He is the heart and soul of the New York Mets and we owe it to ourselves to show him how much we appreciate the impact he has made on our team.

I’m sure there are those of you who think there are catchers more deserving for the All Star nod, but until Major League Baseball adopts a better way to vote, the current system is just a popularity contest.

We need your help to get Paul Lo Duca to San Francisco.  If you truly bleed orange and blue, then please help us get the word out!

Mets Merized Online has just sent a bulletin to almost 20,000 of our Myspace Friends from our very popular Mr. Met page imploring our readers to vote now and vote often!

I encourage all of you to spread the word, because together, we can make a difference!

Remember that you can vote up to 25 times per email registration.

Click here to vote!

Man, what difference a week makes. From losing six straight series, to winning four games in a row, it appears to me that the Mets are back. When I think of the Mets, I think of winning series, clutch hits, and a good combo of pitching and hitting. Well, they got that right now. If you ask me, the Mets are evolving into the elite team everyone thought they would be. Jose Reyes is creating havoc with his speed, Paul Lo Duca is creating the hyped up atmosphere with his eruption on Saturday, Carlos Beltran is heating up like last year, David Wright is hitting the ball with authority, Shawn Green is still punishing the baseball, and Jose Valentin has continued his hitting ways. even when hurt. Everyone is doing their job, and it’s helping the Mets boost their respect around the league.

There are still a few bumps on the road. Carlos Delgado still can’t seem to hit the ball with consistency. Since June 10th, Delgado’s average has been .220. He hasn’t been able to find those strings of hits to push is over .240, or even .250. Once he finds his steady swing, boy oh boy, the Mets will be unstoppable!

Since I’ve been talking about my perspective on hitting, let’s talk about pitching. During this Mets streak, Tom Glavine looked like the dominant Tom from the early 90’s when he was on the Braves. Back then, Glavine had his control and played with the hitters mind. Good job Glavine, do it again! El-Duque showed me something that made this streak legit. He told Willie, "No man, I wanna pitch to this batter, man." Then Willie agreed, and I’m sure he was happy with the results. Orlando thougt "he’s my batter and I will get him out myself." This determination added to the confidence boost the Mets needed.

Jorge Sosa is a guy who can either pitch like Cy Young, or like Sidney Ponson. But, for most of the time, he’s been pitching lights-out. Sosa has been that fresh air we needed after a bit of a rough ride with Pelfrey. Sosa came in and delivered for the Mets. The Mets needed a pitcher, and we got one.

Now, let’s talk about my man, the "Maine Man." John Maine continues to be the most consistent starter for the Mets this season. He showed that in his previous start, he has the stuff to be the Mets top pitcher for the next few years. And folks, he’s not even in his prime yet. Yes, I know he had his rough outings, but he’s been the stopper on most occasions for any Mets losing streaks. In my opinion, John Maine is the Mets ace. Maine is poised like one, and man, can he pitch.

Last week, I was worried that we needed Moises Alou. Well, we could still use him, but we don’t need him. Carlos Gomez is developing into the player I thought he’d be. A little impatient, extremely speedy, and some pop in his bat. Right now, Carlos Gomez is making us forget Moises Alou. Now, Alou is that player that will make the Mets an offensive juggernaut. However, we don’t need that right now.

The fans are electrifying Shea Stadium right now, and it seems to help out the Mets in a big way. We, the Mets fans, are the catalyst to the Mets success. Without our support, they’re going no where. So, even when the Mets are down, continue to root for them. That’s what they needed all along.

Just as they say on the Flight of the Concord, IT’S BUSINESS TIME! Heh, in a different context of course. But, in all seriousness, LET’S GO METS!

Can a team intentionally walk an opposing hitter too many times in one game? Morally, I don’t think it is appropriate. But there is no rule in Major League Baseball that limits the number of free passes you can issue a hitter.

When the Yankees intentionally walked David Wright THREE times during a Subway Series game at Shea back in May, it got me to think, “Maybe not in one single at-bat, but three times, it’s possible Wright could have made a difference!” A player like David Wright is getting paid to hit and drive in runs. Of course, he plays third base too. But his superstar prowess comes from his bat, not his glove. When he is intentionally walked, he is being denied the opportunity to do his job. The pitcher is using the easy way out of having to pitch to a dangerous hitter. Perhaps he may be setting up the possibility for a double play. Or maybe he is looking to get the eighth place hitter for the third out, so that the pitcher will lead off the next inning. In any case, a hitter should be able to go up there and beat the opposing pitcher fair and square. If the pitcher can’t do his job and get a hitter like Wright out, then what exactly is he getting paid to do?

A team should be allowed to intentionally walk a hitter only once during a game. If that hitter comes up again in a key situation, and they have already been “put on”, then that’s when the true showdown begins. Granted, while a pitcher may not intentionally walk a hitter, he can “pitch around” them and yield the same results. However, there is the possibility that the hitter may get what he considers to be a good pitch, make contact, and cause some damage. But again, that would be a fair opportunity for both the pitcher and the hitter.

Of course, the ultimate revenge is when a hitter is intentionally walked and the next batter comes up and belts one over the left field fence – take that!

I’m not looking to rag on Willie Randolph, but he really ticked me off for showing up David Wright and getting in his face when he got picked off first base Monday against the Cardinals. It was actually the first time this season that he got caught stealing, but when Wright went into the dugout, Randolph gave him and earfull and neither one was willing to let it go for an entire inning, and I’m talking bottom and top of the inning.

A few innings earlier Jose Valentin got picked off as well, but he didn’t get the royal rebuke from Willie. If Randolph wants to get on someone’s butt, why don’t he get on Delgado? I find it very upsetting that the only guy on the team that is having a solid season gets singled out for getting picked off. Gimme a break!

As long as I am talking about Willie, let me also say that I thought he pulled Jorge Sosa out of the game way too early. You could tell that Sosa was steaming when he was told his day was done after only six innings of 1 run baseball. I thought that Willie had learned his lesson lately with his early hook, but I guess not. Thanks to that move, the Mets ended up using 4 relievers including two innings each from setup man Pedro Felicano and closer Billy Wagner. Considering the Mets don’t have another day off until next Monday, you would think that preserving the bullpen would be a top priority.

OK, I’m glad I got that off my chest. Boy, that felt good…