R.A. Dickey left in the third inning with an injury and the Mets bullpen proceeded to allow nine runs in their 9-3 loss to the Cubs today

Game Notes

R.A. Dickey looked good or seemed to be pitching a great game, until the injury bug struck. While fielding a grounder, Dickey seemed to hurt his heel and left the game with an undisclosed injury. Typical Mets luck

Pedro Beato came in, and was hit like nobody has hit him thusfar, going one and one third, allowing four hits and four runs (three earned) while walking two. If this was just jitters, the weather, rust, or the possible short-notice warmup, that is to be seen but Beato was tee’d off on today giving up hard hit balls including a home run to Carlos Pena. Pat Misch didn’t fare much better, going one inning allowing three runs on four hits walking one and striking out one.

K-Rod scoreless streak, still continues. Izzy gives up a longball and three hits in his two-thirds of an inning of work, and Tim Byrdak strikes out everyone in his one and one third innings – unfortunately between those k’s, two hits and an earned run.

Where is the rotation depth going to come from? The Mets AAA starters have all essentially been, atrocious. AA has two guys and a stoner.

Mets offense, they existed somewhat I guess. Jose Reyes scoring himself on a bunch of errors, Justin Turner RBI groundout and a Josh Thole single accounted for the major offense.

The lineup is obviously devoid of big hitters, as the threat of the long ball is only coming from Carlos Beltran. Everyone else is a doubles hitter or Jason Bay.

Reyes – 2 for 4 with a walk and a run. Good day Jose.

Turner – 0 for 4 – the Red Machine is being slowed…for now.

Beltran – 0 for 5 with two strikeouts – lack of lineup protection can lead to this.

Tejada – 0 for 3 with a walk. still hitting .292, but 2 to 7 BB/K doesn’t look good. He’ll be Buffalo bound once David or Ike returns, whoever is first.

Turning Point

Dickey injury/Beato being assaulted in the fourth.

Game Ball

Daniel Murphy, 3 for 4 and seems like he is getting comfortable at the plate again.

On Deck

The Mets will look to shrug off a bad series against the Cubs, facing the Phillies at home. Chris Capuano, coming off a bad start in the Bronx will be facing up against Roy Oswalt. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Pat Misch pitched eight strong innings and solo home runs from Ike Davis and Josh Thole secured the win in extra innings for the Mets.

Game Notes

Pat Misch pitched the best he has this entire season, striking out a career-high ten batters and walking one and allowing a run on three hits in his eight innings. Pat was getting the anxious Nats to swing at breaking balls out of the zone, and this was a great start to see. From another lens, its a horribly teasing start, because Misch is a soft-tossing 29 year old lefty. May he challenge for a start out of spring training? Possibly. Misch either pitches a quality six innings, or gets dominated.

Hisanori Takahashi was the only bullpen arm used today, and Hisanori went two innings, striking out four and walking one to earn the win. That gives Takahashi ten wins on the season.

The bats were stifled for the most part today, sans the Ike Davis home run, and the least likely of people to hit a walkoff home run, Josh Thole. Watching Josh pull the ball really shows me that he may actually have the ability to hit 10-15 home runs possibly.

Ike Davis notched his 72nd walk and his 136th strikeout. His stats nearly mirror Jason Heyward, minus a home-run and 10 or so walks. ROTY?

Hessman, 0-4. I’d rather have seen Joaquin Arias start at third base. Or Henry Blanco.

Jose Reyes, 0-4. Nothing really special. I think he’s winding down for the year.

End of the season, and this is my last recap. Thanks to everyone for reading, putting up with my viewpoint, and getting through my 500 word recaps. Lets Go Mets.

Turning Point

Josh Thole’s walkoff home run. Good going Josh.

Game Ball

Joe D, for giving me a chance to blog about the team I’ve loved since Anthony Young went 1-16. And any Mets fan who read, commented or wrote about the team. you deserve it.

On Deck

Raul Valdes will start tommorrow against Yuneisky Maya, who the Mets were rumored to be signing earlier this year. Game time is 1:10 P.M.

The Buffalo Bisons have announced Lucas Duda as the team’s MVP, Pat Misch as the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher, and Dillon Gee as the team’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Duda was 0-3 in his ML debut and had to be taken out in the eighth inning with hamstring cramps but Jerry said he was impressed with Duda and made his claim for his love for Duda talking about the sound the ball made off of Duda’s bat before Thursday game.

Duda hit .314 average with 17 homeruns and 87 RBIs with the Bisons this year.

Gee is 13-7 with the Bisons with a 4.69 ERA and a Bisons record 161 Ks.

Misch was 11-4 with the Bisons with a 3.23 ERA and had 99 strikeouts.

Game Summary

Pat Misch has likely pitched his last start for the Mets this season. After giving up hit after hit and run after run, Misch only lasted three innings pitched. Misch was just laying his pitches in and was getting beating around badly by the Braves. Misch pitched three innings and gave up five runs on eight hits and a homerun. He did record one strikeout before his outing ended. Mejia had 7 K’s by that point. Just saying.

Mets had to go their bullpen early as everyone expected. Elmer Dessens was the first pick by Jerry and pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning. Had a troubled fifth inning, but got out of it unscathed. Former Brave, Manny Acosta, got the call for the sixth inning. The “Acostalypse” occurred as he gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in his inning of work.

Oliver Perez made his first appearance into a game since August first and was greeted by a homerun on the second pitch he threw.  Welcome back Ollie, we’ve missed you. Finished out the inning with two walks as well.

Igarashi rounded out with pitching the eighth inning giving up one hit and a strikeout.

The Mets offense has been a joke lately, but the punchline is starting to hurt. Mets could only scrounge up three runs despite nine hits. RBIs from Thole, Pagan and Hernandez. Wright and Ike, were like Wright and Ike of now. Mets were 1-14 with RISP and left 12 men on base.

Ike Davis and David Wright had terrible at-bats in the game. Combined for 1-10 with six strikeouts.

Jeff Francoeur had two hits on the night. To go with his two strikeouts.

Josh Thole had his first triple of the season. Second of his career. He has been showing more power lately.

Turning Point

Homerun from Jayson Heyward.

Game Ball

Ollie? Best choice, I guess.

Up Next

Jon Niese goes for his ninth win of the season against the Braves is the second game of a four game series. Atlanta will have rookie lefty, Mike Minor, on the mound for them. In Minor’s last start he pitched six inning and struck out twelve batters in his second career win. Game time is 7:10 PM.

After a decent outing from Pat Misch, the Mets nearly managed to come back against the Marlins for the second day in a row, but fell short losing 5-4

Game Notes

Pat Misch was hit hard today from the onset of the game, and despite being efficient with his pitches, Misch only managed to go six innings, giving up four runs, three earned on nine hits and four strikeouts. Misch only threw 82 pitches, but the Marlins hit him hard the first and second innings of the game. Pat Misch may be a more effective long-man then a starter if the Mets are hoping to remain in contention, because he is always one home run away from implosion.

The bullpen had its scoreless inning streak broken when Ryota Igarashi came out for the first time in six days and allowed an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez. Igarashi went one inning allowing one run on two hits, and it may have been two runs had Jose Reyes not thrown out Hanley Ramirez at home. Manny Acosta would pitch himself into trouble, but after a great relay throw, Jose Reyes threw out Wes Helms at home. Acosta went one inning, allowing one hit and one walk and striking out one. Bobby Parnell pitched an inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.

The Mets offense couldn’t figure out Marlins soft-tossing starter Alex Sanabia today, only taking him to 73 pitches in six and one-third innings. The Mets scored on another boneheaded error by Cameron Maybin on a Josh Thole single, allowing David Wright to score and sending Thole to third. The Mets wouldn’t score

re again until the seventh, when Ike Davis notched his first MLB triple, scoring David Wright and Jeff Francoeur followed up with an RBI single to center. The Mets made a bid for a comeback, led-off by a David Wright blast to center field, his 20^th home run of the season. With the bases loaded and two outs, however Jose Reyes couldn’t knock in the game-tying run.

Ruben Tejada, 0-2, still slumping and was pinch hit for in the 7^th inning

David Wright, 2-4 with three runs scored and the home run.

Reyes, Pagan, Beltran went 0-12 with a walk and a strikeout.

Josh Thole, 2-3 with a walk. Thole’s approach is definitely advanced but with Ruben Tejada hitting behind him, it doesn’t give him too much to work with.

Mike Hessman has been pretty bad since he was called up, and grounded into a fielders choice in the ninth inning. Lucas Duda plays first base too. Nick Evans plays all corners.

Turning Point

When Jose Reyes grounded out weakly for the fourth time in the game in the ninth inning.

Game Ball

David Wright, 2-4 with an HR, three runs scored and an RBI. The inability of  Reyes, Pagan and Beltran to get on base was essentially the death of many rallies. Carlos Beltran’s days as the three hitter may be coming to a close very shortly if he can’t consistently hit.

On Deck

The Mets will look to win this series, sending Jonathon Niese to the mound to face off against Anibal Sanchez. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Game Summary

Pat Misch started tonight against the Houston Astros in his second start of the season. He started off great and was just cruising for the first six innings. At one point retired sixteen batters in a row. In those six innings only one hit was allowed. But entering the seventh inning gave up back-to-back hits, followed by giving up a three run homerun to give up the lead. The soft tossing lefty was bound to get hit hard and just came at a bad time. Still pitched great. Expect to see him in another start. Misch went 6+ innings pitched, gave up three runs on four hits and that one homerun in the seventh inning. He walked none and struck out batter. Misch receives his second loss.

Manny Acosta came into relieve Misch in the seventh and got his three batters out, including one strikeout. Pedro Feliciano came into the eighth and faced a couple of right-handed batters. He got one batter out but gave up two hits before taking his exit. Ryota Igarashi was called in to pitch in the eighth inning. He hasn’t pitched with the Mets since July 4th. He struck out the two batters to face him.

Mets offense had one inning of work tonight. Two runs scored in the fourth. Nothing else. A total of three hits for the Mets. And only one of those hits came from a core player, Jose Reyes. The other two by Carter and Misch.

The Mets 2-6 hitters combine for 0-17. Rod Barajas also goes 0-3 with a K. Welcome back!

Not much to say about this offense. Swinging at 0-2, 0-3 pitches. Swinging at pitches out of the zone. Just trying to get away with any swing of the bat.

Angel Pagan stole his 30th base of the season.

Ollie sighting: Was warming up in the bullpen during the ninth inning. Wasn’t used, thankfully.

Turning Point

That three-run homerun by Carlos Lee in the seventh inning off Pat Misch to take the lead and win away from the Mets.

Game Ball

Game ball goes to a World Series champion by the name of, Ron Darling, who turns 50 today! Happy birthday!

Up Next

The Mets head to Pittsburgh to begin a three game series against the Pirates. Mike Pelfrey will start the first game for the Mets, as he looks for his twelfth win of the season. The Pirates will have Jeff Karstens (2-9) on the mound for them. Karstens hasn’t won since June 19th. Game time is 7:05 PM.

Victorino & Werth score on Wright's fielding error in sixth inning

Mets couldn’t keep the win streak going as they lose game two against the Phillies, 4-0. The Mets held the Phillies to 38 scoreless innings in Citi Field but that was snapped in the third inning. Pat Misch pitched well in his first start with the Mets on the season. The bullpen was great. The offense was not there. And neither was the defense as three errors on the night cost the Mets three runs. Mets fall back to .500 on the season.

Game Summary

Pat Misch made his first start for the Mets tonight against the Phillies. Had had a great start to the game, getting the first eight guys out. He later gave up a hit to the pitcher Halladay. He would also score later in the third to end the Phillies 38 inning scoreless drought when playing in Citi Field. Misch, who doesn’t blow away hitters and isn’t a superb pitcher still did his job and did his job well. He went 6 innings, giving up 8 hits, four runs – one earned – walked two batters and struck out two batters on 106 pitches. Expect to see him on Tuesday in Houston. However, because of the three errors on the night and no offense to back him up, his debut this season ends in a loss.

Bobby Parnell came into the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Elmer Dessens pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout. Dessens hasn’t been used since August first. Frankie Rodriguez, who was released from his suspension today, pitched the ninth inning only giving up one hit.

The Mets tallied only six hits while being shutout by the Phillies. Halladay aced the Mets tonight. Eight innings, four hits, seven strikeouts. There was no Mets offense. You know the story by now.

Mets six hits belong to their 1-4 hiters plus Thole and Carter who each had one hit. Tejada was the only starting hitter not to strikeout in the game.

Ike Davis went 0-4 with a hat trick of strikeouts.

David Wright went 1-4 with a K. Wright who had four at-bats saw 11 pitches on the night. Ruben Tejada who had two at-bats saw 12 pitches on the night. Take that as you will.

The biggest blunder for the Mets on the night were the three errors. The first one was by Misch throwing, second was by Tejada throwing that cost a run, and the biggest error was by Wright’s fielding error that cost the Mets two runs. “Gets by Buckner Wright!” He was assuming the ball would take another hop into his glove. He needs to go back and learn the fundamentals. Starting by not assuming anything in this game.

Turning Point

The error by Wright really sealed the deal for the Phillies win tonight.

Game Ball

The bullpen, after getting 18 innings of rest, didn’t allow any runs in the game.

Up Next

Mets will have Mike Pelfrey on the mound for them as he starts the rubber game against the Phillies. Philadelphia will have Kyle Kendrick (7-4) on the mound for him. Kendrick has gotten to the seventh inning or beyond in only two of his last ten starts. Game time is 8:05 PM and will be broadcasted on ESPN.

The Mets have sent down Ryota Igarashi and Raul Valdes to AAA-Buffalo to make room for Pat Misch and Frankie Rodriguez returning.

Original Post 5:34 PM

Jerry Manuel has confirmed that left-hander Pat Misch will start for the Mets on Saturday against the Phillies. The choice was between Misch and Oliver Perez. They made the wise decision.

Pat Misch will go up against the Phillies ace, Roy Halladay.

Pat Misch has spent this season with AAA-Buffalo and has composed an 11-4 record in 23 games pitched. He has a 3.23 ERA in 150.2 innings pitched. He has 99 strikeouts, 34 walks and has giving up eleven homeruns on the season. He has pitched two complete games and one shutout.

Misch has gone at least five innings in each of his last 10 starts, including a game where he went eight innings and only gave up three hits and struck out seven. Misch was pulled early in his last start only going five innings but still getting the win.

Frankie Rodriguez will also be back in uniform on Saturday as his two game suspension will have ended.

Since then, Misch has made two starts and allowed just one run in 15 innings pitched, striking out 15 more batters and walking none.

His record now stands at an impressive 10-4 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.

This morning, I couldn’t help but notice something I read in Adam Rubin’s minor league report. He writes:

Left-hander Pat Misch produced his first major league win last Sept. 3 at Colorado, while pairing with Josh Thole in the catcher’s major league debut. Later that month, Misch’s other major league highlight occurred. Misch, who turns 29 in two weeks, shut out the Florida Marlins on Sept. 27 at Miami.

This year, Misch has not appeared with the Mets at the major league level. The southpaw cleared waivers near the end of spring training and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Misch was claimed off waivers from the Mets on June 5, 2009 from the San Francisco Giants.

If he is not called up by season’s end or added to the 40-man roster, he will become a minor league free agent.

I’m sure the Mets higher-ups are aware of the situation, but these days, you can never really tell. It would be a shame if the Mets were to lose Misch without ever giving him a real opportunity to succeed in the majors.

I understand that keeping Oliver Perez on the roster, means less flexibility to promote another pitcher from the minors, but I feel that in this particular instance, Misch can make the callup worth our while.

Based on the current makeup of the bullpen, I think the odd man out would be Raul Valdes. The southpaw has had his moments while with the Mets, but lets face it, a 4.85 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP is hardly worth arguing for. Plus, with Takahashi going back to the pen, there’s no real need for a third lefthanded reliever.

And of course, you could always call Valdes back up when rosters expand on September 1st.

Takahashi has been very sporadic since joining the rotation. He’s been very good in half of his starts, and very bad in the other half. We already know how effective  he’s been working in relief, and we can certainly use the boost he would provide in our pen right now.

Even if Misch is effective in just half of his stars like Takahashi, it’s still an upgrade for the team. But I have a hunch that Misch could perform even better and be more consistent.

The way I see it, it’s a no-brainer.

The Buffalo Bisons hit four home runs last night, but they still fell short of a miracle comeback and lost to the Gwinnett Braves 8-7

In that game, Val Pascucci hit a pinch hit home run, but the star of the night was right fielder Fernando Martinez, who clubbed a pair of home runs, his eighth and ninth of the season.

F-Mart went 3-5 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI from his solo shots. On the year, he is batting .267 with 27 RBI, 20 runs scored, and a stolen base in 50 games played.

The Mets have a couple of players having solid seasons for Buffalo this year. 

In 25 games played, outfielder Lucas Duda is batting .340 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. That’s more RBI’s than games played. Duda has a 1.123 OPS for the Bisons and of his 32 hits, 17 of them were extra-base hits.

Pat Misch continues to dominate in AAA and has a 9-3 record to go with 3.12 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has struck out 67 batters while walking 17 in 112 innings pitched.

The Bisons lead the International League with 101 home runs this season, yet surprisingly they have the second lowest strikeout rate in the league. Not a bad combination.

As of last night, Misch is 5-1 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 70.1 innings pitched. He has walked 11 batters while striking out 41, a very impressive ratio.

Dillon Gee, who seems to be the one getting all the press this season, is far off that pace with a 4.37 ERA (over a run higher than Misch) and a 1.31 WHIP in 70 innings. Gee has walked 23 and struck out 65.

Tobi Stoner, who is also mentioned quite often and highly regarded, is sporting an unsightly 5.23 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP in 63 innings pitched. He has walked 21 while striking out 48 batters. Numbers that jump out at you, but for the wrong reasons.

Bobby Parnell, seems to have fallen off the map completely, and this one time Mets untouchable isn’t even starting for the Bisons as the original plan called for. Instead, he now pitches out of the pen and in 20 appearances this season, he has a 4.46 ERA to go with a 1.44 WHIP. He’ll be 26-years old in September, and he still occasionaly hits 100 mph on the radar gun, but he’ll need to start improving those secondary pitches if he ever wants to see the light of day in the Majors anytime soon. 

Misch is now the Buffalo Bisons ace, and had an outstanding month in May since replacing R.A. Dickey in that role. He held batters to a .180 BA in 28.1 innings pitched, while posting a 1,91 ERA and a 21/4 K/BB ratio. He also threw a complete game shutout two starts back.

Misch pitched well for the Mets last season, and I suspect that if the Mets run into any trouble with the bullpen or the backend of the rotation, we’ll see him again and ahead of Parnell, Gee or Stoner.

According to MLB sources Pat Misch was placed on waivers which he needs to clear before the Mets can send him to minors.

The problem with that is nobody seems to believe that Misch will clear waivers.

Misch had a 2.84 ERA in 18.1 innings last season for the Mets, and after a shaky start he rebounded nicely to give the Mets some solid starts including a complete game shutout in his last start of the season.

Misch was having a fantastic spring and was one of the top three performers for the Mets. In seven games he compiled a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings pitched.

I hope he doesn’t become this years version of Darren O’Day who went on to become one of the premier relievers in the AL last season after being waived by the Mets.

Regarding the rotation, Adam believes that Jon Niese is still the front-runner to be the team’s fifth starter and writes,

The smart money still has Jon Niese claiming the final slot in the rotation over Fernando Nieve, with Hisanori Takahashi only on the fringe of that race, despite the Japanese lefthander slated for a pair of Grapefruit League starts, on March 27 and April 1.

I have a feeling that the winner of the competition for the fifth starter spot may still be undecided when spring training ends. I’d bet that we may see two to three of them each getting starts in April, with Jerry Manuel playing the hotter hand for the rest of the season. The fifth starter spot has been constantly in a state of flux for the past few seasons now, with over a dozen different pitchers trying but not succeeding in keeping a job in the rotation.

In the bullpen Adam writes that Bobby Parnell and Sean Green are in some jeopardy of not making the Opening Day roster, although Green would seem to be less vulnerable because his salary is $975,000 even if he’s in the minors.

I actually mentioned that both Parnell AND Green were dangerously close to losing their bullpen spots last week, especially when you consider the outstanding spring performances of Nelson Figueroa, Pat Misch, Ryota Igarashi, Hisanori Takahashi and Jenrry Mejia.

Rubin points to Francisco Rodriguez and Pedro Feliciano as the obvious locks, with right-handers Ryota Igarashi and Kiko Calero virtually assured of spots as well. Fernando Nieve is also close to locking up a bullpen spot leaving just two more spots that are yet to be decided.

He believes that Jenrry Mejia will most likely unseat Parnell with Green’s spot possibly going to free-agent lefthander Joe Beimel, whom he says the Mets remain in touch with. But if that doesn’t transpire, Hisanori Takahashi or Nelson Figueroa could make the team.

It’s starting to look more and more like Mejia could make the team, even though I’m still against such a move. Ironically, he could replace Bobby Parnell who was exactly in the same position Mejia now finds himself in. We had these same debates regarding Parnell last spring, and I wondered if promoting him to the bullpen would jeopardize his ability to be a future starter for the Mets. Now Parnell could find himself going back to the minors, and whether he returns as a reliever or starter is still to be determined. Now everyone is just as fascinated with Mejia’s fastball as they were with Parnell’s… Hopefully Mejia won’t suffer a similar fate…

I have a strong hunch that the Mets could possibly trade Sean Green to make room in the bullpen and create an opportunity for Misch or Takahashi.

K-Rod had a nice season, but his dip from 62 saves in Los Angeles the year before to 35 with the Mets was both a reflection on the Mets having a bad season and him being a bit inconsistent.  His 3.71 ERA was also way inflated from his 2.24 mark the previous season.  Putz was pitching pretty well before blowing out an elbow and being put on the DL about a third of the way into the 2009 season.  And Parnell was great at times, and a gas can at others.

So now, how do you feel knowing that K-Rod is coming off a sub-par season, with Parnell, Kelvim Escobar, Jose Feliciano, Sean Green, Pat Misch and Ryota Igarashi behind him?  On paper, this bullpen is almost as much of a question mark as the starting rotation is.  That’s not to say they can’t overachieve and keep the team in games, but how likely is that?  And the rotation is not exactly the kind of group that will give the bullpen long stretches of rest at a time.  To the contrary, they will be called upon to pitch 2-3 innings each night.

So I ask you, how do you all feel about this bullpen?

Following his first career complete game shutout on Sunday against the Marlins, Misch won his second consecutive decision.  Before rain put an abrupt end to his workday, Misch had thrown only 61 pitches entering the sixth inning.  He gave up one run and five hits while walking no one.

Following Friday night’s 14-hit outburst against Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros’ bullpen, the Mets banged out another ten hits on Saturday against Yorman Bazardo and his band of merry men. This barrage included multi-hit efforts by Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis and Josh Thole.  Although the Mets did not hit any home runs today, half of their hits went for extra bases (four doubles and one triple).

David Wright and Carlos Beltran were not in the starting lineup as Jerry Manuel wanted to give Wright a break and Beltran was feeling ill.  Manuel did expect to pencil both of them into Sunday’s starting lineup.  The Mets did not need their services today as their replacements, Fernando Tatis and Cory Sullivan, (Angel Pagan moved from left field to center field to play in Beltran’s stead) combined to go 3-for-7 with three runs scored, two runs batted in and two stolen bases.

The Mets were clinging to a 2-1 lead as the rain began to fall sporadically by the third inning.  Needing to play 4½ innings to make the game official, Misch carved his way through the Astros lineup quickly and effectively.  After the game became official when Miguel Tejada grounded out to Luis Castillo to end the top of the fifth inning, the rain began falling in earnest.  However, before the umpires decided they couldn’t swim, they allowed the bottom of the fifth inning to be completed.  The Mets added two insurance runs on a two-run single by Fernando Tatis.  The timely hit gave the Mets a 4-1 lead and brought the grounds crew out to cover the field.

After making us wait (by us, I mean me and the other thousand or so fans who are also Mets-ochists) through a 2 hour and 20 minute rain delay for a meaningless game to resume, the Mets gave us a special treat.  Fans were allowed to move down into the field level seats for the final four innings of the game.

Unfortunately, not much action happened after that.  The Mets did add another run in the seventh inning when Fernando Tatis hit a two-out double off the left field wall.  This was followed by an RBI single by catcher Josh Thole.  The latter hit gave the Mets a 5-1 lead.

After two Astros reached base in the top of the ninth inning,  Francisco Rodriguez was called upon to get the last out.  It was Frankie’s first appearance since his colossal meltdown on Wednesday in Washington.  This time, the results were much better as he got speedster Michael Bourn to fly out to Jeff Francoeur to end the game for his 35th save.

Pat Misch will probably not be in the starting rotation in 2010, but his last two starts have showed that he can be a serviceable fill-in should one of the Mets’ regular starters get hurt (Johan Santana), become ineffective (John Maine) or both (Oliver Perez).  It was a nice finish for Misch in the next-to-last game of the season.

Tomorrow’s season finale will not have everything on the line as the previous two seasons did.  That means the Mets might actually win the game.  Nelson Figueroa will face the Astros’ Wilton Lopez at 1:10 PM.  It’s almost time to say “th-th-that’s all, folks” to the 2009 season.  Hopefully, the Mets can go out with a sweep of the Houston Astros.

Useless stat of the day (because useless seems to go with the Mets this season): When Jose Thole tripled in the fourth inning, it was the Mets’ 48th triple of the season, setting a new franchise record.  The previous high of 47 was achieved by the 1978 and 1996 teams.  Why is this a useless stat?  Because the 1978 Mets finished the season with a 66-96 record and the 1996 team went 71-91.  It should come as no surprise that this Mets team will finish with a similar record to those triple-happy teams.

Just as the Marlins took two out of three to keep the Mets out of the playoffs each of the last two years, the Mets got some payback today.  By taking the series against Florida, the Marlins were eliminated in the National League East race and are all but eliminated in the wild card race as well.

Pat Misch pitched the first complete game shutout by a Mets pitcher this season, retiring the last 13 batters he faced and Jeff Francoeur hit one out of the park (two-run homer) and kept one in the park (robbing Chris Coghlan of a potential shutout ending homer).  That combination helped the Mets to a 4-0 victory over the Marlins.

Things didn’t start off so well for Misch, but he kept getting out of jams that he created.  After wiggling his way out of a second and third, no-outs situation in the first inning, he continued to put men on base.  He gave up eight hits and three walks in the first five innings, but none of the baseunners scored.  It was a far cry from his previous outing Monday night against the Braves when he gave up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Although Misch got the only run he needed when Josh Thole hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning, it wasn’t until Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run homer in the third inning that Misch got a little breathing room.  The home run was Francoeur’s 14th of the season and ninth as a Met.

After Francoeur reached home plate, Anderson Hernandez promised he’d hit one as well, eliciting a giggle from Jeff Francoeur (see photo above).  Channeling the spirits of Joe Namath and Mark Messier, Hernandez made good on his guarantee and homered in the fifth inning.  That blast gave the Mets a 4-0 lead.

Francoeur still had one last moment to upstage Hernandez and he did so in the bottom of the seventh inning when he robbed Chris Coghlan of a home run in front of the 385-foot sign in right field.  The Marlins players and their many dozens of fans couldn’t bear to watch as Jeff helped preserve the shutout for Misch.

However, the day truly belonged to Pat Misch.  He did not cave in when the Marlins kept putting men on base against him in the early innings and got stronger as the game progressed.  In doing so, he picked up his second victory of the season and helped the Mets put a huge dent in the Marlins’ fleeting playoff chances.

The Mets will now enter the last week of the season by opening their final road series against the Washington Nationals on Monday.  Nelson Figueroa will take the mound against Ross Detwiler in the 7:05 PM start.

The Mets might not be going to the big dance in October.  It looks like the team that prevented them from doing so in 2007 and 2008 will also not have a date to the baseball prom in 2009.  It may not erase the sting still felt by many Mets fans, but the Mets did exhibit a modicum of revenge this weekend against the Marlins.  It’s nice to have a feel-good moment every now and then.

Pat Misch made his fourth start for the Mets and wasn’t sharp at all, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 1 walk in five innings pitched. He’s looking less and less like an option for the rotation. After two spectacular starts, Misch has followed them up with back to back dismal performances.

The offense was practically inept, much as it was on Sunday when they were shutout by Pedro Martinez. The Mets were only able to collect four hits, two of them by Daniel Murphy.

Here’s the scary thing though…

Look at that bench…

What we are seeing right now is quite possibly a preview of the 2010 Mets without the presence of Jose Reyes.

With all this talk of Dan Murphy remaining at first base, and a platoon with Angel Pagan being a viable plan in left field, we’re getting a glimpse of how impotent this team could be unless the Mets get a bonafide slugger for first base, left field or both.

With Carlos Beltran and David Wright back in the lineup, and Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur and Thole/Omir behind the plate, would this team be that much better even if Jose Reyes was healthy and playing?

First we were shutout by an aging pitcher who was left for the dead on the side of the road by Omar Minaya, and now the team is shutout by a rookie who was the Braves 22nd round pick in 2005. All a starting pitcher needs is just one plus pitch to shut this team down.

Another thing worth discussing is this…

Last week, Jerry Manuel held a team meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to get the message across that he expected his team to think and play as if they were going to win a championship.

“I just wanted to be sure that we stay concentrating on what’s ahead.  And, despite where we are in the standings, even though the end is very near, the quest for a championship continues.  You have to try and prepare that mindset, despite the conclusion of the season being so close.  There are enough players here who we feel are going to be a part of this, who still have to think in that mindset of ‘championship.”

Somehow, it doesn’t seem like the team embraced this idea… Either that or Manuel’s message went in one ear and out the other. And therein lies my concern… Does Jerry Manuel still have his finger on the pulse of this team?

Are any of the current players still listening as intently as they were when he first became manager or when he directed his first spring training with the team?

It just bugs the hell out of me that this team looks like they would rather be doing anything else besides playing baseball right now, and that’s a little disturbing to say the least.

In particular the starting pitching staff has been decimated by injuries. Three of the team’s top pitchers (Santana, Maine and Perez) are all currently on the disabled list, and only one of them (Maine) has any chance of coming back by the season’s end.

The replacements for this trio are the tandem of Nelson Figueroa, Tim Redding and Pat Misch or as Ron Darling has coined them “The Fab Three”.

Let’s take a look at these players and examine whether or not they are worthy of a role with the team in 2010.

Nelson Figueroa -

In the words of SNY personality Adam Schein, Nelson Figueroa is “my guy”.

Despite riding the Heath Bell express throughout his two years in the big apple, Figueroa has generally been reliable to make a spot start or a long relief appearance.

He maybe 35 years of age, which makes him no youngster, but Figgy has shown this year he can still pitch effectively at the major league level.

As a matter of fact in his one of his recent starts against the Chicago Cubs, Figueroa pitched one of the best games in his career when he struck out ten batters and held the opposition to only one run.

In 38 innings pitched this year, Figueroa has maintained a 4.74 ERA, which is just a hair above his career average (4.62).

One thing to keep in mind with Nelson is that he is not a lights out pitcher, and he generally does not pitch very deep into games.

What makes Figueroa so attractive is the bevy of international experience this player has. He has pitched all over the globe and has found success pretty much everywhere he has been.

Verdict:I like what Figueroa has done for the depleted ball club this year, however I would not give him a guaranteed major league deal, which he has been seeking the past few seasons. What I would offer him, though, is another minor league deal that way he could possibly help the club later on next season if injuries strike. The rest of the decision would be left in his hands.

Tim Redding -

It’s been a rough year for The Honeymooners star, Joyce Randolph’s grand-nephrew, Tim Redding. Sidelined by a foot injury in Spring Training that resulted in arm trouble later on, Redding has had a tough season to say the least. To add insult to injury had it not been for the rash of injuries, Redding would have been released a couple of months ago.

Luckily, for him he has strung together three strong outings in his past three starts, including holding the potent Philadelphia Phillies lineup to just one run over five innings. Redding brings to the table veteran experience and has had some success at the major league level with both Houston and Washington.

This year with the Mets, Redding has appeared in 25 games and started 12 of them. Over that period of time he has pitched to a 5.70 ERA with a 60:37 K:BB Ratio.

Looking solely at the stats it would appear that Redding is an easy candidate to be let go at the year’s end, but he does make a case to stay.

Despite, being ridiculed by both the fans and the media, and even being shunned by his own teammates Redding has still kept his head up and remained professional.

Also, as field reporter, Kevin Burkhardt, pointed out, Redding is still arbitration eligible, which could improve the chances of him being brought back.

Verdict: Even with a strong showing down the stretch I don’t see Redding pitching in a Mets uniform. It’s a shame because he seems like a good guy overall and a good teammate, but it is what it is. I think he will find work at as back-of-the-rotation starter on another NL team.

Pat Misch -

Pat Misch has been quite a bargain for the Mets, since they claimed him off of waivers from the Giants earlier in the year. Before joining the Mets, Misch had spent two seasons as both a starter and reliever in San Francisco. At that time it appeared Misch did not have big league stuff.

However, Pat has put all that behind him and cherished the change of scenery from one coast to the other. In his brief Mets tenure Misch has been rather impressive.

In 17 games this year with New York, Misch has posted a 2.48 ERA. This includes two appearances as a starter, both of which lasted seven innings.

Misch is not a hard thrower and doesn’t strike out many batters. As a matter of fact his K:BB ratio with the Mets is practically 1:1 (18:14). Instead of trying to baffle hitters he pitches to contact and induces many fly outs.

His pitching style fits Citi Field rather well because the ballpark does not yield many home runs due to it’s deep dimensions.

Although Misch is pitching very well as a starter right now, I do not see that being his role with the team for the long term.

As Ed Ryan at Mets Fever points out, Misch’s career numbers as a reliever (2.85 ERA) are far better than those in the twelve games he has started (6.32).

Thus, I see him as a long reliever, who can also take some of the burden off of Pedro Feliciano when it comes to getting left-handed hitters out.

Verdict: Misch should absolutely be brought back next season. He’s cheap, young and has good stuff. The Mets cannot count on him to be a starter, but I think he would be very successful out of the bullpen. In the event of an injury Misch would be available to slide in and provide the team with a player, who has the ability to pitch quality outings.

There were certainly a couple of positive developments for the Mets yesterday, as they took the series finale and avoided the sweep.

Pat Misch started the game and delivered another spectacular performance, allowing just two runs on four hits and two walks, while striking out three, in seven innings. As unbelievable as this may sound, it was the first Major League win of Misch’s career after logging 55 major league appearances and twelve starts over the course of three years. Wow. To say that Misch was elated after the game would be an understatement.

“It’s better than setting records,” Misch said of the long-awaited win. “It’s a good feeling. It’s stuff that you dream of and you think about. Did you think it would take this long? Who knows. No one’s got the answer. I’m just pretty excited.”

Let’s hope his next win comes much more quickly.

Misch has looked good in his two starts and unlike other Mets starters, he has this uncanny ability to throw strikes… Lots of them. It was his second straight solid start since he was installed into the rotation, and he now bears watching. Misch is 1–0 with a 1.92 in his last two starts and working in his favor is that he lasted into the seventh inning each time. Now there’s something we don’t see too much from a Mets starter.

Another significant and positive development was the not-so-long anticipated Major League debut of catcher Josh Thole. Thole wasted no time in notching his first hit after driving a single into right field to get his Major League career off to a good start. He later drove another pitch to centerfield which hopped over the wall for a ground rule double. Here is a video of his first hit:

Thole finished 2-for-5 on the day and even managed to steal second base. If you judge him by the results, he also caught and called a solid game in this Mets victory despite the passed ball.

The Mets exploded for 16 hits in the game, most of them coming from 2009 All Star, Jason Marquis.

In addition to Thole’s two hits, Angel Pagan, Anderson Hernandez, David Wright and Daniel Murphy, all had multihit games, with Pagan and Wright picking up three hits apiece. Daniel Murphy hit his eighth homer of the year, and how ironic will it be if he ends up leading the Mets in that category? He is only two away from team leader, Gary Sheffield, who has ten.

It was good to see David Wright attacking the zone and having a solid day in only his second start since being activated off the disabled list. I think we can all breathe easy as all the doomsday prophets were wrong about the wisdom in letting him play.

One more thing, Angel Pagan collected three more hits and is now batting .303 with a .346 OBP and a .504 SLG in 234 at-bats or roughly half a season worth of at-bats. Could he be having his breakout season at age 28? The switch hitting Pagan, hits left handers and right handers equally well, and he is certainly starting to look like a real find that will be forcing the issue that he deserves to play everyday. I have been emphatic on this site that he is nothing more than a fourth outfielder, but as each day passes, Pagan keeps proving me wrong. Let’s see how he does in September and then we’ll have an entire off season to debate his role on the 2010 Mets.

So another game, and another win, and some good vibes all over.

Nick Evans played for the Mets earlier this season after Fernando Martinez got injured.
Nick Evans is batting .250 with 1 homerun and 6 RBIs.

Pat Misch was recently sent down after activating Wagner, but will be called back up.
Misch has a 4.09 ERA in 22.0 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Also Nelson Figueroa will be taking Santana’s spot in the rotation for now.
Figueroa is 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA in 20.0 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts and 8 walks.