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Not bad... not bad at all...

Maybe the Mets should consider playing with their pink bats at least for a few more days. Okay what about just Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church? Today they both connected on back-to-back homeruns in the fifth inning to sink the Reds 8-3 and take the rubber game of the series on a beautiful Mothers Day afternoon at Shea. It was the second straight day they went back-to-back. Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider went back-to-back in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Just like they did during yesterdays first game of the double-header, the Mets bats came alive and exploded for 14 hits, 7 of them for extra bases. Carlos Beltran's bat has started to get hot since having Church hitting behind him in the five spot.

Marlon Anderson and Moises Alou both hit doubles, and Alou picked up a couple of RBI's in the process. Table-setters Castillo and Reyes went a combined 5 for 8 and Reyes added two stolen bases. Luis Castillo came out of the game with a strained quad muscle in the sixth inning.

Oliver Perez pitched good enough to win. He went six innings and allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and 3 earned runs, with all of the runs coming in his final inning of work. He gave up a double, triple and threw a wild pitch in that frame. At times he looked dominating today, but he was not able to maintain it. All in all it was his best start in a long time. It was his first win since April 19th. Oliver Perez treated the crowd when he took off and stole second base in the second inning without a throw.

The bullpen did a great job pitching three scoreless innings. Hat's off to Pedro Feliciano, Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Smith! Poor Joe is probably sitting in Willie's office right now being told to empty his locker and hit the road.

I think the Mets did what they had to do and took two out of three from the Reds, however I expect nothing less than a sweep of the Nats!

Lets give today's Game Ball to Oliver Perez and all the Moms who were at the game today!

Posted by Joe D. at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Joe D. at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I love this game! There's nothing else like it...

Yesterday one of our regular readers pointed me to a fact that has gone widely unnoticed by many Mets fans. He told me that the only two Mets batting over .300 were Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. That's right... the two players we got in the much maligned Lastings Milledge trade were the top two hitters on the Mets. Sorry for ever doubting you Omar, can you ever forgive me?

Yesterday during the broadcast on SNY, the poll question asked whether Ryan Church was the Mets MVP. The results were a virtual landslide... 89% of Mets fans who voted agreed...

Currently, Church has more runs scored than our leadoff hitter Jose Reyes (27-20), more RBI's than our cleanup hitter Carlos Beltran (25-18), and a higher OPS than our number three hitter David Wright (.915-.905).  

As for Schneider, so far I like what I see. His mobility behind the plate has been affected by earlier injuries, but he seems to be coming around and his game calling has been solid. Surprisingly, his bat has been a big plus so far.

The bottom line is that this team would have been in a dreadful quandry had we not made this trade. Lo Duca has hardly played this season and when he has it's been underwhelming to say the least. Milledge has been just as bad when you consider his .258 average, 11 RBI and 26 strikeouts... not to forget his fine for being late... again...

Posted by Joe D. at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Yesterday was a good example of the season. Literally, a good team showed up, and then the bad team showed up. I am not referring to an A team vs a B team. The Way the Mets played as a team in the second game was really different than the first game. We had momentum, and then it was gone. So which team will show up today? It is really hard to tell. Generally when a team is going to play against a rookie who has been struggling for most of the season, the game looks like a lock on paper. However, the Mets struggle against pitchers who are not known/who they should beat.

That being said, on the mound for the Reds today is Johnny Cueto who has electric stuff but struggles. In 7 games and 41 innings pitched this year, he has a 2-3 record with a 5.27 ERA. In his four games at home, his ERA is 3.67 but in his three games away, his ERA is 8.36. He is a right handed pitcher.
The struggling Perez will be taking the mound for the Mets today. Perez has really bright spots followed by really bad spots and unfortunately for Perez, he has not recently strung together his success innings in one game. Actually, one of his problems is a lot like Pelfrey's last year. When the game starts to get out of control, he has lost his ability to get the game back in control. In two games against the Reds last year, he posted a 2-0 record over 11 innings pitched, 4.09 ERA with 8 walks and 8 strikeouts. The following Reds have these stats against Perez:
    Freel 9-26, 2B, HR
    Dunn 6-21, 2 2B, 3 HR
    Griffey 2-16
    Patterson 3-13
    Phillips 3-8
The Mets can easily win this game. Like all rubber games, this game is important because when you win series, you start to separate yourself from the .500 line and clearly move into a playoff spot. So, lets get this win, take this series, and build momentrum.
Lets Go Mets!

Don't Forget to check out 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news. 

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Willie Randolph has an appointment with destiny at the end of the month regarding his job security. The owners will meet with Omar Minaya and I assume Willie Randolph, to evaluate the team's performance as well as Willie. <begin humming Taps>

Like the majority of fans, I like Willie a lot. I think he's accomplished many great things for the Mets in the short time that he has been here. Unfortunately though, he has rustled a few feathers and rubbed some people the wrong way during his tenure. It's not that he has an attitude problem, it's more like a bad case of stubbornness. It's so prevalent that it can be perceived the wrong way by many. While he has been praised for his ability to communicate with his players, it may be his ability to communicate with the fans and the media that may eventually be his fatal flaw.

There are many stubborn managers in the game today, and it includes some of the games finest in Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa and Jim Leyland. They are loved by their fans and the media. However, unlike those managers, Willie has a tough time pulling it off. Whenever he is second-guessed he becomes very defensive and gives you either a terse retort, or he insults your judgment with a less than adequate generalization or analogy. Either way it just continues to add to the building frustration that surrounds him.

To be quite honest, I was shocked he wasn't let go after last season. In fact, I guarantee you that Omar Minaya put his own job on the line by convincing the Wilpon family to give Willie one more chance. Whatever happened during that meeting last October 2nd, the fact that Willie kept his job was certainly not a joyous occasion as evidenced by a press conference that was filled with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Hey look, let's not kid ourselves, we all expected the Mets to come busting out of the gate this season and they certainly haven't, even with the addition of the best pitcher in baseball. More often than not, they look exactly like they did in '07. In fact, many of the players are off to even worse starts than last year. We can blame the players for playing uninspired or unmotivated baseball, but isn't it Willie's job to inspire and motivate?

Willie is on a very short leash, but at least he was on a leash. Certain aspects of his management style does not work with the current blend of veterans and younger players on this team. He was made aware of that in a face to face meeting and he even admitted as much last October. He said he learned a valuable lesson. So what's up Willie?

As a show of faith in Randolph, I've comprised a very short to-do list for him.

1. Stop resting or benching players who are in the middle of a hot streak.

2. Stop presuming there is no benefit to arguing a bad call by the umps. Your presence on the field may not change the call, but it certainly gives your players a vote of confidence and a show of support.

3. Stop getting so creative with your in-game strategy. They wrote the book so new mangers like you can manage by the book. Nine times out of ten you guess wrong when you stray from conventional wisdom, and the worst part is you can't defend your actions at the press conference.

4. Stop utilizing double standards between your young and veteran players. It's the best way to lose the respect of your players. All your players should be accountable for maximum effort at all times.

5. Get back to basics! This team is fundamentally flawed and consistently exhibit a poor grasp of basic fundamental baseball. Your coaches are doing a poor job of positioning outfielders and infielders, teaching patience at the plate, making the right calls on the field, throwing strikes, etc. If it's going to take extra batting practice, fewer days off and daily infield practice, so be it! 

Hey Willie, Good luck to you at the end of the month. Whatever happens, happens... I'm still a believer no matter what. With or without you it's full steam ahead.

Posted by Joe D. at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Mets offense really seems to be clicking, running on all cylinders, or whatever baseball-esque cliche you want to throw in there. The Mets beat up on the Reds, taking the first game of the day/night doubleheader by a score of 12-6.

Johan Santana made the start for the Mets, and seemed to struggle a bit. He allowed a career high 10 hits, but only allowed three runs. Santana walked only one while striking out five. Johan gave up three hits in the top of the first, but was helped out when Corey Patterson, who led off the game with a single, was thrown out while trying to steal second.

He's good. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, and allows 10 hits, he still shuts a team down for only three runs. That's when you know he's good. People get on against him on a semi-off day, but he still limits the damage and keeps his team in the game.

The Mets got on the board early. In the bottom of the second inning, with Moises Alou on third and Brian Schneider on first, Santana struck out swinging. Fortunately for the Mets, the ball skipped away from David Ross, and Alou came home for the first run of the game.

I'll take it any way they can get it.

In the fourth, Carlos Beltran drove in Luis Castillo with an RBI single up the middle. One out later, Alou drove home two with a bloop single just beyond the infield dirt with the Reds infield playing in.

Crazy move by Dusty Baker playing the infield in there. It would have been an easy pop-up for Brandon Phillips at second, but with the infield in, it drops in for a two RBI hit.

In the top of the fourth, Santana allowed the first run of the game for the Reds when Edwin Encarnacion homered to left field. Alou made an attempt on it, but it was just out of his reach, bouncing off the front of the bleachers.

In the fifth, Beltran picked up another RBI with a sacrifice fly to center, driving in Castillo again. Ryan Church later singled to right, scoring David Wright from second base.

Beltran is getting hot. Watch out other teams, these Mets seem to be clicking.

Encarnacion added an RBI single in the 6th inning before Scott Hatteberg hit a pinch-hit single, plating the second run of the inning.

The Reds are pesky, but the Mets should be able to pick them apart, as we saw today. Let's hope they can match this in the nightcap.

With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the sixth, Wright drew a walk, driving in Carlos Delgado. Beltran added to his huge day, picking up his first hit of the season with two out and runners in scoring position, as he smoked a ball down the right field line, driving in all three and earning him a stand-up triple as the ball died after hitting off the wall.

What to say? This team looks good. This lineup is absolutely overpowering when they're all hitting, or contributing in some way. I love it.

Aaron Heilman's 5 2-3 inning scoreless streak came to an end in the 7th as Joey Votto doubled in Ryan Freel.

And he was booed, mercilessly.

The bottom of the seventh saw the Mets pick up their first back-to-back home runs of the year as Delgado and Brian Schneider each went deep. Delgado crushed his ball just to the left of the Mets bullpen in right field. Schneider, picking up his first extra base hit of the year, lined a ball down the right field line, just clearing the fence.

Welcome to the club, Schneider. As Gary said, he's now "off the schnied." (pun intended)

Ken Griffey Jr. came within inches of his 598th home run of his career, as he doubled off the wall in the 8th inning against Pedro Feliciano, driving in two runs.

Jorge Sosa came in and walked one batter, but put up a hitless and scoreless inning to put the game away for the Mets.

Game Ball: Beltran.

Via: The 'Ropolitans! 

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 04:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Welcome back to another addition of Hot and Not. The Mets have shown great strides towards improvement, but they had good numbers against Brad Penny to begin with. Hopefully, they'll sweep this doubleheader and they get the confidence they need.

Who's Hot
Moises Alou: Okay, so he's only played in a couple of games. And he may need time to get his swagger back. But the man is certainly making up for lost time. Any 41-year-old who steals home plate has earned my respect.

Ryan Church: The Reverand continues to carry the Mets on his back. He currently leads the team in batting average with a .328 and is certainly making a campaign for his first All Star Game. I'm still trying to think of a cool nickname for him. The Reverand's the best I got. Your suggestions are welcomed.

John Maine: The Maine of last year is back, as he proved in his last start. Okay, so he didn't really need to pitch all that effectively with such a lop-sided score, but he gave the same effort to a 12-1 game as he would have a 2-1 game. And for that John Maine, I thank you.

Who's Close
Carlos Delgado: For what it's worth, he is certainly making his way back. Slowly but surely, Delgado is on his way. In his last 10 games, he is batting a .257 but it is certainly much better than the .186 he was posting last week. Look for him to perform in the afternoon game today. He currently has a .277 average during the day.

Nelson Figueroa: I was actually considering him for my "not" column. However, Figs has kept the Mets in the game while he was on the mound. He needs to be able to work past the fifth inning, so Willie doesn't have to put Heilman in to "boost up his confidence."

Aaron Heilman: He's on his way back. He's only allowed 4 earned runs in his last 10 outings, lowering his ERA to a 4.66 before today's doubleheader. He's gaining his conifdence back bit by bit. He'll put putting up Heilman-esque numbers (circa 2006-2007) soon enough.

Who's Not
Mets offense: This is why Figs and Pelf don't fall in this category. Okay, so the offense stepped up big time on Wednesday; however, they need to put on performances like that every day and not just when they do good against a certain pitcher (this type of offense, however, is welcomed and appreciated next weekend).

Carlos Beltran: Strike 3...and again and again. He probably looks at Strike 3 more than any player I have ever seen. If he's going to strike out, can he at least swing? I understand we have a pretty patient line-up, but swing when the count's 3-0! His .218 average, 2 homers, and 13 RBI are nothing like the pre-NLCS Beltran. 

I would also like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all our Mets Moms out there! You guys rock!

Posted by Jessica DeMattia at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Due to the rain-out last night, the previews for todays games are a little mixed up. In the first game at 1:10, Belisle, who was the probable pitcher for the Reds last night, will be pitching. However, the Mets are staying with Santana in the 1:10 slot. Then in the second game, Arroyo, who was supposed to pitch in the early afternoon game, will be pitching the night cap. Pelfrey was supposed to take the mound last night, and instead he will go Saturday night.
That being said, if you want to read about the Reds vs Pelfrey and the Mets vs Belisle, please refer to yesterday's post. This post will deal with Arroyo vs the Mets and Santana vs the Reds.

Arroyo has had a pretty tough year for the Reds. He has pitched in 7 games, 32.1 innings, to the tune of a 1-4 record and an 8.63 ERA. Last year he pitched against the Mets once, taking the loss in 7 innings allowing 3 runs, a walk and striking out three. The following Mets have these stats against him. They are not that pretty:
    Delgado 3-16, HR
    Alou 2-14, HR
    Reyes 4-11, 2 2B, HR
    Beltran 1-11
    Wright 2-10
Since Arroyo is pitching in the night cap, I would expect that if Willie wants to put in a B-squad, that will be the game. The starters do not have great numbers against Arroyo, and this way, the team will be ready for Sunday's game vs Cueto.

Santana has not pitched against the Reds since 2001. Because of the time difference, his stats in that game do not really apply here. Anyway, the past two starts, he has been denied wins thanks to the bullpen. Hopefully the offense in the 1:10 game can get Santana a victory. Current Reds have these stats against Santana:
    Keppinger 0-6
    Phillips 1-6
    Patterson 3-6, 2B, HR
    Griffey 0-3
I have always like Keppinger when he was with the Mets, and I do not know why. I doubt many in the crowd will remeber his short Mets days. I was at a game in 2003 where he hit either his 2nd or 3rd homer of the game. It was in the ninth inning, and it made the score 10-2 Dodgers (Ventura on the Dodgers had a Grand Slam in that game).

Don't forget to check 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news! 

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Based on how this team was constructed, it's really no surprise how many days the team has lost to the disabled list so far this season. We got sacked with a bunch of injuries all at the same time and that's what was a little surprising.

Alou, Pedro, El Duque, Wise, Castro, and Schneider all started the season on the disabled list. The Mets have already gotten back Moises Alou last week, plus with last nights activation of Ramon Castro we finally have our catching tandem healthy for the first time this season. Both Alou and Schneider have shown some signs of rust, but continue to look more comfortable at the plate.

We will most certainly get our first glimpse of Ramon Castro some time today as the Mets get set to battle the Reds in a doubleheader. 

As for the remaining guys on the DL...

Believe it or not, Matt Wise is actually with the team now and would have already been activated if not for the dilemma his activation causes. I wrote about this problem last week as the Mets are torn between designating Jorge Sosa for assignment or demoting Joe Smith to New Orleans. Expect a decision to be made as soon as this weekend.

Pedro Martinez through a simulated mound session yesterday and by all accounts he threw all his pitches well. There is no timetable set for his return, but if he continues to progress he could be back in a couple of weeks.

Orlando Hernandez finally had his boot removed. His bunion (I hate that word) is still there and a big concern. He is a long way from returning.

Posted by Joe D. at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After a delay of about one hour, the Mets finally postponed tonights game. They have rescheduled the game as part of a day/night double header tomorrow. Johan Santana will take the mound on Saturday for the 1:00 PM start, and Mike Pelfrey will start the 7:00 PM game. Look at the bright side, our bullpen will be completely rested AND Mike Pelfrey has always pitched better on five or more days of rest. I think a sweep is in order for the Amazins'.

Speaking of Amazins' I stumbled across some very surprising information on our team. I don't know how many of you bet on baseball, but whether you enjoy a little action on the side or not, it's always great to check out the odds on the team for upcoming series, games or even future events.

Yesterday I found out that the New York Mets are the odds on favorite to win the National League Championship Series! Yes you read that right... They are even tied with the Yankees and Red Sox to win World Series!

Check out the following MLB Odds...

To win the NL East
8/13  New York Mets
5/2    Philadelphia Phillies
4/1    Atlanta Braves
12/1  Florida Marlins
60/1  Washington Nationals

National League Pennant
5/2  New York Mets
7/2  Arizona Diamondbacks
5/1  Chicago Cubs
6/1  Philadelphia Phillies
9/1  Los Angeles Dodgers

It really makes you wonder why so many Mets fans are up in arms over the season so far. The whole country is placing their bets on the Mets! So should we!

Posted by Joe D. at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The most predominant question in my mind has been if the Mets have the fire within them to succeed. For whatever reason, to me, it seems like the Mets of September have simply just carried over into 2008. They're not playing with the same zest and enthusiasm that they played with in 2006 and most of 2007.

Obviously, the Mets do have a fire and a passion. If they didn't, they wouldn't even be playing baseball right now. It's not that there's no fire; I feel it is being stifled and being held within each and every Mets player. I feel like they haven't reached the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring their passion.

Paul Lo Duca had a meltdown last year and the Mets went on a tear. Lou Piniella kicked some dirt on an umpire and the Cubs won the division. Bobby Cox, well, the Braves wouldn't be the Braves without him going out to defend his team. Even Bobby Valentine exhibited great passion for the game and guided the Mets to the World Series.

When I think of a spark for this team, I find myself having trouble. Willie obviously hasn't stepped up in that department; he argued more for a hit batsman in Spring Training than he did for Carlos Beltran's "double" against the Marlins. I also look at David Wright; however, he is too much of a class act. Don't get me wrong, he shows great passion for the game and the team, but the Mets need someone to have a meltdown.

The Mets totally dominated Brad Penny and the Dodgers on Wednesday. With the upcoming series against Cincinatti, I look for them to regain confidence as a team. However, I'm still waiting for the one meltdown and the one bad call that will turn the Mets season around.

Posted by Jessica DeMattia at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Mets come home after a roller coaster road trip to face the Reds tonight. Over the last 6 games, the Mets have played against two very good teams, and made some bad plays, made some good plays, didn't hit, did hit. You get the idea, there were a lot of ups and downs. Tonight the Mets will face off against Belisle of the Reds.
Belisle has pitched in three games this year, with a 1-2 record, and 14.1 IP. His ERA during this time is 6.91. He pitched against the Mets two times last year, getting two no decisions, 12.1 IP, a 4.38 ERA, walked 3 and struck out 6. Some Mets stats against Belisle:
    Beltran 2-7, HR, 2 RBI, .286 BA
    Delgado 4-7 RBI 
    Reyes 1-8
    Wright 2-7
    Castillo 2-3
    Alou 0-3
The Mets have really struggled with RISP with 2 outs this year, and hopefully they can show their ability to hit tonight. (This is looking at you Beltran). In 19 AB with RISP and 2 outs, Beltran has 0 hits. Clutch-plays would be nice. Meanwhile Delgado has some good numbers here and Wrights are not to shabby either.

On the pitching side of the ball, Pelfrey will be taking the helm tonight. He pitched 1.1 innings against the Reds last year, allowed a run, BB and a K. Here are some career stats from the Reds vs Pelfrey:
    Dunn 1-2
    Griffey 0-4
    Phillips 1-4
Lets hope that the Mets hit, pitch, and field the ball well tonight. They had a travel day to remeber their amazing day on Wednesday and a repeat of that level of play will be amazing to send this team in the right direction. Specifically, I have always been a believer of it takes a big inning to turn things around to launch a winning streak because it builds momentum. That 6 run inning, that separated the game could be that inning starts a winning streak. Lets see tonight...Lets Go Mets!

Don't Forget to check 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news! 

UPDATE:

Tonights Game has been postponed.
Double-header tommorow

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 04:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A 12-2 win on Wednesday and a 3-3 West Coast trip, considering the competition, is a very nice way to start the weekend…next…

The fourth place NY Mets (17-15), return home to take on the last place Cincinnati Reds (14-21) at Shea Stadium. The Mets are 6-4 over their last ten games while Cincinnati is 4-6.

Probable pitchers are…

Friday: Mike Pelfrey, RHP (2-2, 5.27) vs. Matt Belisle, RHP (1-2, 6.91)
Saturday: Johan Santana, LHP (3-2, 2.91)  vs. Bronson Arroyo, RHP (1-4, 8.63)                Sunday:  Oliver Perez, LHP (2-3, 4.63) vs. Johnny Cueto, RHP (2-3, 5.27) 

It will be interesting to see how Mike Pelfrey pitches with Brian Schneider back behind the plate. He is 2-0 with him and 0-2 without him. Matt Belisle is not over powering but he also does not walk many batters.     

Posted by Brian McGarvey at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Isn't technology wonderful?

Our apologies to everyone for some of the server problems we've been experiencing in the last 24 hours. It seems we had some issues that needed to be fixed, and it caused the commenting system to become disabled as well as our ability to post new content. They are still working on our site, but for the most part the storm has passed.

Speaking of storms I hope the Mets are able to get the game in tonight... so far there has been no word and we'll continue to monitor the situation.

We now return you to you regularly scheduled programming...  Enjoy...

Posted by Joe D. at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Kelly Horn at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Charlie Ryczek at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

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.

Posted by Joe D. at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

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. 

Posted by Tommy V at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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. 

Posted by Jon Chattman at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

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.

Posted by Milo Taibi at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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.

Posted by MetsWrighter at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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! 

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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...
 

Posted by Joe D. at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

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. 

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 02:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

    The Mets will try to force a rubber game tonight as they take on the red-hot Dodgers and their new pitcher, Kuroda. The Mets will have Figueroa, who has been much better so far this season than anyone has expected. So far he has started in 4 games (pitching in 7), has posted a 2-1 record over 28.2 IP, and posting a 4.08 ERA. There are a few Dodgers that have some AB's against him:
    Jones 4-11, 2B, HR
    Furcal 3-10
    Kent 1-7

Kuroda is pitching his first season in America. So far, he has a 1-2 record, has pitiched 37.2 innings and has posted a 3.82 ERA. The big challenge for the Mets tonight will be getting hits off of them, because as a team, they have really struggled against right handed pitchers. Just take a look at some of these stats. The first BA is vs. RHP, the second BA is vs LHP.
    Church .299, .333
    Reyes .263, .263
    Wright .198, .469
    Beltran .205, .269
I knew Wright was struggling against RHP, but I didn't realize that it was that bad. (On the other side, I didn't realize that his BA against LHP was so good). For Beltran, the difference of his BA between RHP and LHP is the difference between the Mendoza line and his BA last season. This split also shows how balanced Reyes is becoming at the plate.
Anyway, if the Mets can win tonight, it will demonstrate that they have started to figure out RHP, and after yesterday's performance, it would be nice to see some offense.
Force the rubber game! Lets Go Mets!

Don't Forget to check out 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news! 

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The one thing that has constantly bothered me over the last few years with Major league baseball is the incredible amount of afternoon baseball games during the week. While it is understandable for opening day and a few times over the summer for the kids, it just doesn't make sense to me why there has to be a getaway day at least once a week. I work night hours and there is nothing like tuning into a Mets game on the radio during my shift. If I worked regular 9-5 hours, the one thing I would always look forward to when I get home is to watch the game that night. But once during the week (usually on Wednesdays or Thursdays) I am deprived of this privilege because of the travel or getaway day. By the time I get into work, the game is already over. If I worked 9-5, then I would have nothing to watch at night.

As far as I understand, getaway/travel days are scheduled so one or both of the teams could have plenty of time to travel to the next city for a game the day after. What I don't understand is why it can't be situational. For example last week the Mets and Pirates played a 1:00 game on a Wednesday. The Mets had Thursday off to travel to Arizona for a Friday night game and the Pirates had to play a Thursday night game 4 hours away down the New Jersey Turnpike. If a night game was scheduled for the Mets and Pirates on Wednesday, both teams still would have had plenty of time to travel to their respective destinations the day after. If extra innings is a factor, you could always schedule a 3, 4 or 5 o'clock start. I think it would be less strain on the players as well. Even if you had to play at 1:00, why not play the rained out Monday game as the second half of a doubleheader instead of making the Pirates come back to Shea for one day in August to make it up? Another example is this week when the Mets play in Los Angeles on Wednesday at 3:00 EDT, 12:00 PDT. Both the Mets and Dodgers have off on Thursday. On Friday, the Mets return home to play the Reds, while the Dodgers stay in Los Angeles to take on the Astros. I always thought one of the reasons why baseball went to a heavier inter-division was to ease up on the travel and getaway days?

Weekday afternoon games certainly make sense when one or both teams have to travel to the opposite coast the next day, or cities like Chicago where day baseball is the norm. But I think a majority of fans would rather see or attend games at night where it is more convenient for them rather than play hooky from work or school to see a mid season day game. Days like opening day, Saturdays and Sundays are probably better suited for day games, but not during the week. I don't know where everyone stands on this issue but I would love to hear your opinions.

Posted by NYgroove at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

The Dodgers were fans of the long ball tonight, knocking three off of Mets starter Oliver Perez, and coasted to a 5-1 win in the series opener.

Perez struggled through another start, this time lasting much longer. He threw six innings, giving up six hits and two walks, which allowed five earned runs to score. Perez kept the walks down, only giving away two free passes while striking out three batters.

Perez gave up his first dinger to the first batter of the game, as Rafael Furcal homered an 0-2 pitch to center field. Juan Pierre followed this up with a single and a steal, and was driven in by a Russel Martin two out single to center to field.

Perez then got the side in order for two straight innings in the third and fourth. He did not have the same luck in the fifth, as Blake DeWitt crushed his first home run of his career to straight away center field. After getting the first two outs of the inning, Perez allowed a two out walk to light hitting Pierre, and paid for it as Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run to right field.

This is actually a better start for Perez. Kept his walks low, which was big, but he wasn't hitting the glove where Brian Schneider wanted it. He kept it over the plate too much, and it showed as the Dodgers took him deep three times. A step in the right direction, but he needs a few more of these before Mets fans will trust him again.

The Mets got on the board in the sixth inning as Carlos Beltran smoked a ball down the right field line. The ball rattled around in the corner and Kemp booted it once or twice. Beltran coasted into third with a triple, but was being waved around by third base coach Sandy Alomar Sr. It was a moot point as Moises Alou followed it up with a single up the middle, easily scoring Beltran.

Beltran didn't pick up Alomar until it was too late. They have to get the basics down, or they're not going to win anything. Nice to see Alou contributing while he still adjusts to major league pitchers.

Where the heck does the offense go? One day they're there and smacking the ball left and right, the next day they're nonexistent. So far, through these 30 games, this team has been extremely inconsistent. One day they play great, another day they stink up the joint. They need to get into a rhythm somehow and I thought they sort of did that in Arizona. Guess not.

Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Mets. Sosa allowed one base runner, as Kemp singled during his stint on the mound.

Nice to see these guys turning in scoreless innings. Wish they meant more, like if the Mets had a lead, but alas.

Game Ball: Beltran

You probably know the drill by now.  Via: El 'Ropolitanos! 

Posted by Andrew V. -- TheRopolitans.com at 01:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Greetings and salutations my fellow Met-heads! Once again we had a nice finish to the weekend with the Mets beating the D-backs in 2 out of 3 games in the desert. Even if Johan didn’t get the victory, we can still take away the fact he out dueled Danny Haren. Now on to Dodger Stadium to take on Joe Torre, Andruw Jones and the rest of our rival Dodgers. Hopefully, Ollie will get his head out of the clouds long enough to shut these guys down. I’m sure the last thing any of us Mets fans want is a repeat performance of his last outing…

On to the “Monday Metsy Award”!

This week I gotta go with Ryan Church who has been playing as well as anyone and was referred to as the Mets MVP so far this season by my esteemed colleague Jessica DeMattia. I can hardly disagree with her given his .318 batting average, 4 homers and 22 Ribbies while playing a very good rightfield. So congratulations Ryan Church, this “Metsy’s for you! No thanks needed…you earned it.

Also, while on the subject of the “Metsy”, it was suggested to me to change it up a bit. So next week, I’m inviting YOU, our loyal readers to decide who should win. Next week, just leave a comment on my Monday blog about who you think should win and why. Let’s see who gets the most votes…

Just a side note before I close. Does anyone else enjoy watching Roger Clemens look worse as this whole McNamee/HGH/Steroids mess goes on? Now he’s apparently hooked up with Mindy McReady, John Daly’s ex, and a bartender. He’s like Wilt Chamberlain Lite….

Anyway, I hope you all have a great night.

I’ll leave you with a video from Ryan Parker, who comes up with yet another song about Roidger.

Enjoy! Later folks!

Posted by Adam Baker at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight is a test for the Dodgers, a test that the Mets will want them to fail. The Dodgers just ended yesterday a 8 game win streak that pushed them to 3 games above .500. The Mets, who are also 3 games above .500, will try to turn the Dodgers loss yesterday into a losing streak. With momentum from taking a series from the best team in baseball, the Mets will now have to count on Perez tonight as he tries to right his pitching ship. Perez has recent history on his side though tonight. Last year in two games against the Dodgers, he was lights out. In those two games, which he won both, he pitched 14.1 innings where he posted a .63 ERA, walked 8 and struck out 14. Tfollowing Dodgers have put up these numbers against Perez:
    Jones 6-25, HR
    Furcal 4-19
    Pierre 5-20
    Martin 3-7
    Kemp 1-6

The pitcher tonight for Dodgers is Billingsley, who has had very little prior experience with the Mets. So far this season, Billingsley has posted a 1-4 record over 7 games, 27.2 IP, and having a 5.20 ERA. He has only pitched one inning against the Mets, which has been a perfect one. As his number suggest, this season has been a bit of a struggle for him. The only Mets that have numbers against him are Mets that recently joined the team:
    Church 0-4
    Schneider 1-4
    Castillo 1-4

This should be an interesting game. Both teams are trying to establish momentum with this series. If the Mets can figure out Billingsley, because we all know over the past few years that the new pitchers on the block tend to frustrate the Mets, and if Perez can perform like his 2007 numbers suggest, the Mets can get the win tonight.
Lets Go Mets!

Don't forget to check 213 Miles From Shea for more Mets news! 

Posted by 213 Miles To Shea at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Excellent series win against the D-backs, excellent…for the first time all year the Mets had their full offensive line-up and were able to beat the best team in the National League…next…the hottest team in the National League…

The second place NY Mets (16-14), continue their West coast trip against the second place Los Angeles Dodgers (17-14) at Dodger Stadium. The Mets are 6-4 over their last ten games while Los Angeles is 8-2.

Probable pitchers are…

Monday: Oliver Perez, LHP (2-2, 4.03) vs. Chad Billingsley, RHP (1-4, 5.20)
Tuesday: Nelson Figueroa, RHP (2-1, 4.08)  vs. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP (1-2, 3.82)
Wednesday:  John Maine, RHP (3-2, 3.48) vs. Brad Penny, RHP (5-2, 3.19)

Oliver Perez looks to bounce back from an absolute debacle of a start. Billy Wagner’s comments about focus couldn’t be more true for OP as he seems to just fall apart after every error, big hit, or wild pitch. Perhaps those comments, which seemed to have helped the Mets’ collective focus, will help Oliver Perez’ focus tonight. Billingsley has thrown at least 8K’s in his each of his last 4 starts but can be wild at times…the Mets need to be patient, drive up the pitch count, and take him out of the game early.

Nelson Figueroa’s steady hand returns to the rotation after a skipped start compliments of a rain-out last week. He faces off against Hiroki Kuroda, a control pitcher who the Dodgers imported from Japan this past offseason. Kuroda isn’t necessarily over powering, so if the Mets can find some holes and connect with a little power they can chase him off the mound.

Posted by Brian McGarvey at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mets Merized - Joe D.
It's been an inconsistent and uneven start so far for the New York Mets. While many expected the team to explode out of the gate they instead continue to churn along and stay at or close to the top of the standings. We have seen a few stinkers in the early going, but the promise and hope of something special is clearly evident too.

The Mets need a few things to break their way though, and chief among them is to get better and more predictable results from the bullpen. Secondly, they need better results from Beltran and Delgado. Beltran has been superb defensively, but has slipped dramatically at the plate despite all the walks. Delgado has shown signs that he might be ready to get out of the longest slump in his career dating back to last season. His power stroke seems to be back.

April Grade: B-

213 Miles From Shea - Elliot
The Mets faced enormous pressure from the start of the season thanks to the end of last season. Did they answer the pressure? Yes they did. They did not dominate this month but the Mets finished two games above .500. They have a few kinks in the system to work out, mainly the bullpen and hitting with runners in scoring position. As the Summer comes, the bats and the team will get hot.

April Grade: B- 

Mets Space - Joey
April 2008 is “asi, asi”, as Jose Reyes would say, meaning “so, so”. It was certainly a big blow in the beginning of the season with Pedro being put on the DL, but somehow we’ve been able to stick it through. David Wright has been able to put up some great numbers, and Reyes finally started to show signs of life in the middle-end of April. Overall, it was an okay start... We just need to improve in a few areas though if we want to be playing baseball in October.

April Grade: B

Mets Lounge - Ryan P.
The Mets started off April with a bang. They took the series from the Marlins a