Sure, we’re bitter as Mets fans, because yes, Omar Minaya went out and got Frankie Rodriguez to close games and traded for JJ Putz to set up K-Rod, but he also did nothing else except re-sign train wreck Oliver Perez for $12 million per season.  And here’s the kicker.  Amaro said in the article that he traded for Lee because he didn’t want his team to “collapse” like the Mets.  Here is his direct quote:

“Getting someone like Cliff motivates everyone. Our fans can feel it. They want that swagger. We just need to get going. They sure don’t want to see us do a Mets collapse.”

Are you kidding me?  We don’t like the Phillies, their fans, or anyone associated with the team, and we’re jealous that Amaro can make smart moves to help bolster his team’s chances.  But for him to go and say that is infuriating and embarrassing at the same time.  It’s like the words “Mets” and “collapse” are now considered to be synonymous.  

Of course, if you want a silver lining, it’s that the Mets are so bad this year that they won’t have to collapse—they’ve already done that slowly over the last two months.  In fact, with the surging Nationals having just won 8 games in a row, the Mets are now just 12 games from falling into the cellar.  Yes, it’s really gotten that bad. 

But that article proved two things to me—that the Phillies have the right guy for the job, and we have the wrong guy for the job.  It’s been said on this site a lot lately, but I think we as fans deserve some changes, and fast.

The Mets have 53 home runs, worst in the majors.  The Phillies have 126 and the Yankees 136.  Gary Sheffield leads the team with 10 homers, and David Wright still only has 5.  FIVE. 

Speaking of Wright, while he’s batting a respectable .322, his 5 homers and 44 RBI puts him in the company of guys like Jacoby Ellsbury (5, 29), Freddy Sanchez (6, 34) or Pat Burrell (5, 32).  Those are decent players, but Wright is supposed to be more in the company of guys like Ryan Braun (16, 58) or Albert Pujols (34, 90).  In fact, Wright has similar power numbers to teammate Daniel Murphy (5, 29).  What the hell is that?

The Mets have 814 hits and 362 RBI.  The Phillies have 804 hits and 457 RBI.  Think about that….less hits, but almost 100 more runs batted in? 

The Mets have one complete game, and it’s not by Johan…it’s by Livan.  The Giants and Royals each have 8 complete games to lead the majors.  The GIANTS and ROYALS.

Mets’ pitchers have given up 361 walks, trailing only Washington (365) for worst in the majors.  And of course, their 10 balks leads the majors by far, thanks mostly to Pelfrey’s “yips.” 

The Mets could have had Raul Ibanez, who has 24 homers, 65 RBI and is batting .316 for you-know-who.  

The Phillies’ notable rookie this year is pitcher JA Happ, who is 7-0 with a 2.68 ERA and 65 strikeouts.  The Mets’ notable rookie is F-Mart, who is batting .176 with one homer and 8 RBI. 

Amazingly, the Mets’ hitters have only struck out 501 times, which is best in the majors.  But I guess power hitters strike out more, and the Mets have almost no power, so in that context it makes sense. 

The Phillies’ top home run hitters are Ibanez (24), Ryan Howard (23), Chase Utley (21) and Jayson Werth (20).  The Mets’ top home run hitters are Sheffield (10), Carlos Beltran (8), and Wright (5).  Oh, and Jeff Francoeur also has 5, but he hit most of those with the Braves. 

I probably just made you all sick, and I’m right there with you.  I can’t wait for this season to be over so we can move on!

The Philadelphia Phillies will be needing a new bat in the lineup for at least two weeks.  SI.com is reporting that Raul Ibanez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin.  He is eligible to return from the DL on July 3, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is unsure whether Ibanez will be ready to play then.

“It may be longer.  But it’s to the point where we needed to shut him down and get him healthy. We’ll find out as he goes through his rehab and the things he needs to do to get it calmed down. We’ll monitor it, and hopefully he’ll heal properly and be ready in 15 days. That’s the plan. That would be great, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”

Ibanez had been off to a flying start with the Phillies in the first year of his three-year, $31.5 million contract.  His 22 HR rank second in the National League to Albert Pujols and his 59 RBI trail only Prince Fielder.  He had been deadly to the Mets this season, producing three HR and nine RBI against New York in only seven games, including a game-winning three-run HR against Ken Takahashi on June 11.  It now appears that all this production had been accomplished in pain.  Amaro went on to say,

“It’s been bothering him, I guess, a little bit off and on since the beginning of April.  Really not that much of an issue for him until more recently. It probably started bothering him more during the course of the last long road trip.  He’s not pleased. I know he wants to play.  He’s got a chance to really damage the groin if he continues to play on it. And if he does that, he could be out for a very, very long period of time, and that doesn’t make sense to us.”

Ibanez’s absence leaves a gaping hole in the Phillies’ lineup, as his spot on the roster will be filled by John Mayberry Jr.  Mayberry was hitting .257 with 8 HR and 31 RBI at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, a far cry from the MVP-type numbers being put up by Ibanez.  Mayberry is prone to striking out, as seen by his 56 strikeouts in 183 minor league at-bats.

It looks as if the Mets aren’t the only team to have players play through injuries until they have to be placed on the disabled list.  You would think the Phillies would have learned by watching the struggles the Mets have been through due to their improper handling of injured players.  Now the Phillies will be left without their team leader in batting average, runs scored, home runs and runs batted in for a minimum of 15 days.  Let’s see if the Mets can capitalize on this latest setback for the Phillies.

By the way, for those who think one great hitter on a team full of hitters doesn’t make much of a difference, the Phillies lost to the Blue Jays today by a final score of 8-7.  They had the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on first base when the game ended.  How did it end?  John Mayberry Jr. popped out to second base to end the rally and the game.  I wonder how things would have played out had Ibanez been in the lineup.

Forgive me for being a backseat general manager, but after ever Raul Ibanez home run, do you cringe a little like me?

When I perused the market of free-agent corner this winter his name jumped out because of his consistency and veteran leadership (all reports are he is well-liked and respected by his brethren). His price tag of around $27 million did not seem cost prohibitive considering Omar Minaya sunk $24 million into an oft-injured second baseman (but we’ll leave Luis Castillo alone, for now).

The prevailing wisdom on why he was not coveted by Minaya was he hit from the left side and would make the Mets top-heavy there. So, the Phillies, who already had Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, added him. The rest they say is history, and if Raul continues to devour major league pitchers, the Mets could be too.

Well, the master plan had Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy slated to commandeer the majority at-bats as the corner outfields. Currently, the production has been paltry from the pair, and Murphy eventually has replaced Carlos Delgado, another lefty at first, as it turns out.

The twists and turns of a baseball season is as unpredictable as the next Mets injury. However, there exists one certainty: another one is coming (goodbye Ramon Hernandez, we hardly knew ya). So why not plug in a player who has averaged 157 games the last five years and will not endanger his buddy, Carlos Beltran in left-center? Because the Mets placed a lot of stock-maybe too much, in Murphy’s potential performance.

That is a lot of pressure on a kid who started the year beating the bushes up in Binghamton, New York.

By the way, the Phillies replaced their righty slugging left-fielder Pat Burrell (relief for Mets fans) with the left handed Ibanez. Burrell has been a bust for the Rays, and his replacement in Philadelphia has 19 HR, 51, RBI, is batting .340 (.333 against southpaws, with 6 home runs) and is slugging at a monstrous clip of .716, with a point shy of an impressive .400 OB%.

Not shabby, and more production than Delgado, Church, and Murphy combined.

The old bromide says some of the best trades are the ones you don’t make. Conversely, some of the best free-agent signings are the ones you do make.

Moreover, hindsight is 20/20, but that is what backseat GM’s get paid to do.

I don’t know about you, but the last few days I’ve had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, and what I’m feeling is not the Beltran/Maine virus….it’s AGITA.  Davey Johnson, where are my Rolaids?  Seriously, the last two Septembers have wreaked havoc on our collective gut, as our Mets kept losing and the Phils kept winning.  Now, with May giving way to June, all of the injuries seem to be catching up to the Mets, as they have lost two straight games to the Pirates, while Philly has beaten the Padres twice in a row in San Diego after sweeping the Nationals over the weekend.  A half-game lead is now a 2.5 game deficit, and don’t kid yourself into thinking that gap won’t grow wider in a big hurry. Yes, folks, it’s September in June. 

Okay, so two losses are no reason to hit the panic button again, especially because there have been so many bright spots this season, including a few nice winning streaks.  But this is less about the Mets and more about the Phillies.  They are mostly healthy, and they made the big offensive off-season move the Mets didn’t by signing Raul Ibanez Mantle.  Seriously though, did anyone see that coming?  (Side not to MLB: you might want to check the milk in Raul’s corn flakes).  And last night, with Brett Myers possibly out for the season, the Phillies get six innings of one-run ball from rookie Antonio Bastardo.  Ha.  Does that name fit how we feel about the Phillies, or what? 

In trying to joke here, I’m only doing it to hide the pain we’re all starting to feel.  We can get healthy and get back in this race, but it’s going to take a .600 winning percentage or better against Philly, and it’s going to take some help from the Phils’ opponents.  How confident are all of you?