Chris Schwinden made his major league debut and was hit hard in the Mets 6-5 loss, and in the second game of the double header, Dillon Gee overcame early trouble to hand the ball to a bullpen that would cough up two more runs in the Mets second loss, a 5-1 defeat.

Game One

Chris Schwinden made his MLB debut, and it will probably not be a memorable one for many. Schwinden went five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, including a home run while walking one and striking out five. Schwinden was throwing strikes, but those strikes were being hit hard. While these next few starts will just be gauging if he is the real deal or a Quad-A pitcher, we shall see.

Daniel Herrera came out for two innings of work, and struck out two and gave up a hit. The fact he pitched two innings is a positive, considering he was a lefty. Possible crossover candidate next year? Ryota Igarashi came out and made a mess, loading the bases so Tim Byrdak could hit lefty Michael Bourn and drive in what would turn out to be the winning run. Bobby Parnell finished up, allowing a hit and striking out one in two-thirds

Yet again, why is Ryota Igarashi being used at all in the season is a bit curious to me. Do the Mets not want to call up a reliever who they have to place on the 40-man roster? If so, DFA Igarashi.

The offense today was primarily of two hits. Jason Bay, who has had a dissapointing season yet again, hit his second grand slam of the season, for his twelfth home run. The other run came on a Nick Evans sac-fly in the ninth, scoring David Wright

Jose Reyes – 1 for 1 in a pinch hitting appearance. As bleak as the Mets season is, Jose does have a fair shot at the batting title.

Jason Bay – 2 for 4 with four RBI. I guess any production is better than no production.

Ruben Tejada – 0 for 5 with a strikeout. Is this fatigue, or has Ruben been figured out again?

Turning Point

Igarashi being an ineffective reliever, putting Tim Byrdak in a difficult spot and giving up the winning run.

Goat Of The Game

Igarashi. No other reason than being completely ineffective.

Game 2

Dillon Gee faired much better than Chris Schwinden, getting charged for three runs (two earned) on four hits, walking two and striking out six in his six innings of work. Gee struggled in the first inning, but settled in for the middle innings. Gee shouldn’t be expected to be that mid-3 ERA guy, but if he could hold an ERA around 4, limit the walks and provide six innings, that would be a major plus for the 2012 Mets

Daniel Herrera went out for the second time today, and pretty much did the same thing he did the game before. Herrera pitched one clean inning. Pedro Beato was hit hard yet again in his two innings of work, allowing two runs on three hits including a home run, walk and one strikeout. Whether this is fatigue, or Beato coming back down to expected performance is to be decided

The offense managed seven total hits, none for extra bases. The only RBI was on a Jason Bay sac-fly in the first. Nick Evans managed to strand five of the 11 Mets baserunners. Not much else to say.

Jose Reyes – 1 for 4 with a run. Leading the league in average.

Duda & Evans – 0 for 8. Tough day at the dish

Turning Point

When the Mets couldn’t manage to get an extra base hit and played uninspired for the second game of the doubleheader.

Goat Of The Game

Nick Evans, 0 for 4 and stranding nearly 50% of the total baserunners in the game.

On Deck

The Mets travel back to Citi Field to take on the Cubs, sending Mike Pelfrey to the mound to face-off against Casey Coleman, who the Mets hit hard the last time they faced him. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Dillon Gee pitched a great game and the offense didn’t manage many hits, but a big David Wright hit ensured the 7-3 Mets win.

Game Notes

Dillon Gee was in control both figuratively and literally up until the seventh inning, after being hit on the right knee in an at-bat the inning before. Gee went six and two-third innings, allowing one run on five hits, walking four and striking out five. Two of the hits Gee gave up on the night came in the seventh. By Gee’s recent standards, this was an outstanding game and its good to see a productive outing from Dillon Gee

The bullpen today was stable, with Tim Byrdak coming in to face a righty and walking him. Manny Acosta came in with the bases loaded and struck out Jason Bartlett on a 96 MPH fastball. Bobby Parnell pitched a quality eighth, striking out one and allowing no hits or walks. Ryota Igarashi came out, and did his usual routine of being wild, then allowing a hit and two runs to score, and then striking out Jasn Bartlett to end the game

Both offenses overall struggled, but that didn’t matter since David Wright decided today was a good day for the long-ball, sending a three-run homer to LF in the third. Ruben Tejada scored on an Angel Pagan RBI groundout in the seventh. The Mets had an offensive outburst in the eighth inning fueled by walks and scored two runs on an Angel Pagan two-RBI single and another run on a Willie Harris RBI single. The offense did come alive, and finally got through to the Padres relievers who have been worked hard this entire series.

Jason Bay – 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and a walk. Currently in an 0 for 19 streak.

Jason Pridie – 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Pridie hasn’t hit much and I imagine he’s up here as the defensive outfielder, with Harris being the pinch-hitting option.

Turning Point

Getting out of the seventh inning only allowing one run. Kudos to the bullpen for holding when needed.

Game Ball

Dillon Gee/David Wright. Big game pitched for a needed series win after the sweep at the hands of Arizona. David Wright had a key hit, and its always good to see David hit the ball with authority either pull or opposite way

On Deck

The Mets have off tomorrow as they travel back to New York to face the Brewers on August 19th (my birthday, coincidentally). Mike Pelfrey will face off against Shawn Marcum. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

R.A. Dickey pitched seven quality innings, but Tim Hudson held the Mets in check in their 4-1 loss.

Game Notes

R.A. Dickey had another great outing that was marred by an inability for his offense to score runs for him. Dickey went seven, giving up two runs on five hits, walking none and striking out five, including two in the sixth. Dickey has had good stuff for his last few starts, but his offense is not helping him out at all.

Tim Byrdak came out for the eighth, gave up an infield single and a sac-bunt. Not the cleanest inning, but the infield single was a hard hit ball, so can’t say he was ineffective. Ryota Igarashi came out to clean-up Byrdak’s mess, and induced one ground-ball, and then allowed a two-out, two-RBI single to Dan Uggla. Then he walked Heyward and Ross. Iggy has not been good at stranding runners this year, and it may not be in the best interests of the Mets to keep bringing him out to stop the bleeding. Carrasco came out for a clean ninth inning, striking out one.

The Mets offense did not exist today. A David Wright double that scored Daniel Murphy scored the only run. David Wright had two hits, accounting for 50% of the Mets hits. In a key situation in the eighth, Angel Pagan flew out to right and Jason Bay grounded out to second, both on the first pitch, with runners on first and second.

Jose Reyes – 0 for 4. Jose is coming down to earth it seems.

David Wright – 2 for 4 with an RBI and an error. Poor throws have been David’s calling card lately.

No other Mets of note, as they all equally under-performed today.

Turning Point

Dan Uggla’s two RBI single put the game out of reach.

Game Ball

R.A. Dickey gets the game ball with a big outing that just wasn’t backed by any variation of offense.

On Deck

The Mets will continue the series against the Braves, sending Jonathon Niese to the mound to face-off against Tommy Hanson. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Jonathon Niese went five and one-third innings, and Bobby Parnell ruined a comeback attempt in their 3-2 loss against the Nationals

Game Notes

Jonathon Niese looked very good for five innings, and then came unraveled in the sixth, allowing three straight doubles. Jonathon’s final line was five and one-third innings, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six. Niese looked good, but seemed to lose his location and that summoned his early exit. Niese was pulled only after 78 pitches, but sometimes the pitch count doesn’t matter.

Ryota Igarashi came out to clean up Niese’s mess, and struck out both batters he faced in his two-thirds of an inning. Pedro Beato went an inning and two-thirds, allowed one hit while walking one and striking out one. Beato has not had as good control as he did earlier in the season, so hopefully its just fatigue and not an injury. Byrdak came out to do his LOOGY duty and struck out ex-Met Alex Cora in his one-third of an inning of work. Bobby Parnell came out for the ninth, and gave up a hit, then hit Rick Ankiel, then threw a wild pitch and Rick Ankiel scored on a chopper right passed the pitcher.

The Mets offense was victimized by a bad baserunning play by Daniel Murphy in the third and an inability to get hits with RISP. Scott Hairston hit a solo HR that was scorched into the LF bleachers, which was his third pinch-hit HR of the season. The Mets spent too much time at the plate watching called third strikes. With Scott Hairston up, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he sent another blast to LF to tie it up.

Willie Harris – 1 for 4 with two K’s (both looking)

Pagan & Bay – 1 for 8 with four strikeouts. Never good when your 5 & 6 hitters do this.

Daniel Murphy – 2 for 4. Bad baserunning play really stands out.

Josh Thole – 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Also fouled two balls of of his shin in two separate AB’s.

Turning Point

When Jonathon Niese fell apart in the sixth inning.

Game Ball

Scott Hairston – 2 for 2 with two HR, both solo shots in key situations

On Deck

The Mets will be returning home to face the Marlins on Monday. Mike Pelfrey will oppose Javier Vasquez, and game time is 7:10 P.M.

In 31.0 IP, Igarashi has a 0.87 ERA and a .774 WHIP. He has finished 13 games and saved 5 games. He has posted a 9.9 K/9 rate and has only allowed 2 HRs. He’s held opposing hitters to a .139 AVG against so one can only hope Igarashi has finally found himself and will have similar success with the Mets.

Here’s to success for the Izzy/Iggy confusion! (Although only one of them is short 7 saves of 300.)

Jonathon Niese had a decent outing, and a big home run by Jason Pridie gave the Mets the win in the series opener versus the Dodgers, 6-3.

Game Notes

Jonathan Niese had a mixed outing today, being strong in some innings, and then being hittable in another inning. Jonathon was worked hard in the first inning, so his final line was five and two-third innings, with three runs allowed on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Location wasn’t a problem for Niese today, but putting hitters away. His curveball was snapping and got a few strikeouts looking. His inability to go the distance robbed him of a win.

Ryota Igarashi came out for one out, and after giving up a single got rookie Jerry Sands to strike out to end the inning, and Ryota would be the winning pitcher on the day. Taylor Buchholz came out for the seventh, and after giving up a single to Andre Either, Buchholz would strike out two batters and walk one in his inning of work. Izzy came out, and had a clean inning with 0′s across the board. K-Rod came out for the ninth, and after allowing a lead-off single, got three flyball outs for his eighth save of the season.

The offense today existed in spurts as has been popular. After a Jose Reyes triple, a Carlos Beltran sac-fly scored Reyes in the first inning. In the second inning Ike Davis blasted a shot off the Pepsi Porch to make the score 2-2. With the Mets behind the eight-ball, after the Dodgers intentionally walked Ike Davis, Jason Pridie made them pay with a three-run home run, his third of the year. Jason Bay would knock in Jose Reyes with a single in the sixth and that would be all the offense the Mets would need,

Josh Thole – 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. 19 strikeouts is troublesome.

Jose Reyes – 3 for 4 with a run, a walk and a steal. Every hit was for extra bases (two triples, a double).

Murphy & Wright – 0 for 7 with two walks and two strikeouts. Both appear to be pressing, but Murphy made an impressive play on defense in the eighth.

Ike Davis – 1 for 4 with a home run, an RBI, two runs, a walk (intentional) and a strikeout.

Willie Harris – Walked in pinch hitting appearance.

Turning Point

The Jason Pridie home run, which accomplished two Mets failures. Hitting with RISP and winning.

Game Ball

Jason Pridie. 1 for 4 with three RBI and a run, in addition to two strikeouts. Pridie has been as-advertised, a good defensive CF with some pop and a penchant for the K.

On Deck

The Mets will look to extend their two game winning streak, sending Chris Young to the mound to face off against the Dodgers and Jon Garland. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Chris Young, in his first start off the disabled list had a poor outing, but the Mets offense and bullpen carried them through to a 6-4 series opening win versus the Nationals.

Game Notes

Chris Young struggled in his first start off the DL, going four and two-thirds innings allowing three runs on four hits, but all the runs scored on home runs, walking two and striking out three. Despite only the two walks, both in the fifth inning, Young did now have his best command today. He left pitches up and got hurt with the deep ball, and he didn’t have a chance for retribution thanks to the 85 pitch limit the Mets were attempting to impose. Young threw 88 before leaving.

Ryota Igarashi came out in probably the most pressure-packed situation of the game, and managed to get one key out, striking out Jayson Werth. Ryota’s final line of one-third, one strikeout doesn’t give him credit for what he did, but the win he earned for it does. The bullpen would hold strong and look sharp the rest of the way, with Taylor Buchholz going two innings allowing one hit and striking out one. Jason Isringhausen went one inning, allowing a run on two hits but the run was manufactured with good baserunning and smallball. K-Rod came out in the ninth to get his fifth save, going one inning giving up one hit while walking and striking out zero.

The Mets bullpen has looked extra sharp lately, probably due to the rest and rotation actually pitching well.

The offense showed up for yet another game, ready to manufacture runs. The first run scored on an RBI groundout by Josh Thole, scoring Jason Bay in the second. The Mets were not done in that inning, with an excellent base-running play by Ike Davis on a Chris Young sac bunt that became a safety squeeze and scored Davis. The Mets struck again in the third, when a Carlos Beltran double scored Daniel Murphy, and Beltran advanced to third on an error by former Phillie Jayson Werth. The Mets went quiet until the sixth, when a Josh Thole double off of lefty!?!?! Doug Slaten found its way past Mike Morse and scored Jason Bay and Ike Davis to give the Mets the lead. The Mets would add the final insurance run in the ninth on a David Wright liner that nearly decapitated Sean Burnett, scored as a groundout to pitching scoring Jason Pridie.

The bats came alive when it mattered, and played a pretty smart game.

Jose Reyes – 1 for 4 and caught stealing. He was leaning, and he was vehement he wasn’t out, but he was.

Josh Thole – 1 for 4 with three RBI. Hopefully Josh is out of that slump, because he is tied for third on the team with 16 strikeouts..against four walks. For someone who was believed to have plate patience, this is either not a good sign or nerves.

Ike Davis – 3 for 4, hitting .368 on the season. He scored two runs as well.

Jason Bay – 2 for 4 with two runs. Welcome back, Jason.

David Wright – 0 for 5 with two K’s. David is tied for fourth in the league in strikeouts.

Turning Point

Ryota Igarashi ending the fifth and Thole’s double in the sixth made a great transitional point.

Game Ball

Josh Thole. Good day at the plate. Hopefully it remains

On Deck

The Mets will look to carry the momentum of their five game win streak, sending R.A. Dickey to the mound against Nationals lefty Tom Gorzelanny. The Mets hit Gorzelanny hard at home the last time they faced him, scoring six runs, five earned. Game Time is 7:10

Instead, Igarashi sailed a throw to Josh Thole, who then had to step on home plate for the force out but didn’t get the inning-ending double play. Instead, Carlos Gonzalez then hit a game-tying two-run single through the infield to tie the game at 7-7.

Earlier in the game, the Mets executed a wheel play — something they haven’t done in nearly five seasons — but blew the double-play opportunity when Jose Reyes threw wide of first base while Daniel Murphy was covering. Though it was the right idea with the pitcher running, perhaps Reyes could have held on to the ball and kept the runners on first and second and still have a double play opportunity. Instead, the runners advanced to second and third.

In the eighth inning, Bobby Parnell had a chance to get an out at home when Carlos Gonzalez sent a chopper back to him. Parnell threw home but riffled it way over the head of Thole, allowing Dexter Fowler to come home for the go-ahead run. And, in typical Mets fashion, Parnell then served up a two-run home run to Troy Tulowitzki to give the Rockies a 7-4 lead. Mind you, Tulowitzki kept the game tied in the bottom half of the seventh inning when he made a great play in the hole on Daniel Murphy with a runner in scoring position.

Sure, the Mets battled back in the eighth inning and cut the lead to 7-6, but with Ike Davis on first base and zero outs, the next three batters went down in order, ending the inning. The Mets went silent in the bottom of the ninth against Rockies closer Houston Street.

For me, it’s these mental lapses that have been so frustrating over the past four or five seasons. It seems to happen quite often—at least more often than I want them to. I don’t know how often it happens with other teams; I’m sure it does. But does it happen as much as it does with the Mets? I don’t know, that’s question for a fan of a team who watches their team every single night.

But the most annoying thing is I didn’t expect these players to make these silly and mental mistakes under Terry Collins. I expected them to be more focused. Those three mistakes cost the Mets the game last night. The offense provided six runs, which typically should be enough to get a victory.

The Mets have to limit these lapses on the field. If they can do that, I think they can turn things around. But they have to play smarter, more mentally focused baseball all nine innings, every night, if they want a chance to win games.

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.

Johan Santana was on his game today, but Ryota Igarashi couldn’t continue the Mets winning streak nor their scoreless inning streak in a 2-0 loss to the Brewers

Game Notes

Johan Santana was dominant against the Brewers, becoming the first Mets pitcher to pitch a full 8 innings in the season up to this point. Johan allowed 0 runs on 3 hits, with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Johan was drawing flyball after flyball, pitching “citi-ball” and had the Brewers hitters fooled for most of the night, getting out of trouble when he needed to. Johan was popping the mitt today too, with the SNY radar guns clocking him as high as 92 – but i believe those guns were slow. Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers was equally dealing, and he was blowing fastballs by people that were only clocking at 94 MPH – he can throw in the upper 90′s fairly easily. This is another encouraging sign for the Mets pitching staff, but Johan took a no decision.

The bullpen only made it out for 3 batters, and Pedro Feliciano made sure Prince Fielder did not receive a chance to be a hero, getting him to ground out to David Wright essentially playing shortstop in a shift. Ryota Igarashi came in the face the right-handed part of the lineup and promptly gave up a hit to Ryan Braun. Corey Hart would then end Ryota’s night and the Mets win streak with a game-ending 2 run home run to left field. Why Jerry brought in Igarashi instead of K-Rod I don’t know, but thats just how the game played out.

The bats were stifled for the vast part of the day by Yovani Gallardo, who was matching Johan Santana inning-for-inning. The Mets didn’t draw their first walk until the 9th inning. There isn’t much to write about the bats. Rod Barajas went 2-3 with 2 singles, and Johan Santana went 2-3 with a double in the 8th that almost started a rally but Jose Reyes was called out on strike 3.

Ike Davis, David Wright and Angel Pagan went 0-10 with 5 strikeouts and a walk

Ike Davis struck out twice, and his at-bat in the 9th he looked every bit the rookie, swinging way-ahead of 2 curveballs in the dirt from Gallardo.

The Mets were called out looking on about 5 of the 7 strikeouts, with Angel Pagan nearly getting kicked out for arguing a called strike three in the 8th.

Turning Point

When Johan Santana was pulled. He was only at 105 pitches, his at-bat was already cleared and he was set to face lefty Prince Fielder. Johan was locked in ALL game and why he would be pulled is beyond me.

Game Ball

Johan Santana, in shades of 2008, taking a no decision for a lights-out performance when the Mets offense just couldn’t get anything going

Up Next

The Mets will send bullpen workhorse Fernando Nieve to the mound for his first start of 2010. He will be opposing Brewers lefty Manny Parra. The Mets have faired very well against lefty pitchers so lets hope for a continuation. Game time is 7:10 PM

According to mets.com, rather than send highly regarded prospect Jenrry Mejia back to the Minor Leagues to stretch out as a starter, the Mets opted to keep Mejia on the roster following Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Yankees, instead optioning Manny Acosta to Triple-A Buffalo to make room for reliever Ryota Igarashi.

With Igarashi ready to return from his stay on the 15-day disabled list, the Mets needed to make space on their roster — and manager Jerry Manuel indicated as recently as this week that the team might use the opportunity to send Mejia back to the Minors.

But about an hour after Mejia pitched into and out of a seventh-inning jam in Saturday’s win, Manuel announced the demotion of Acosta.

Asked what the team plans to do with Mejia, Manuel said simply: “Do what he did tonight — seventh inning.”

Manuel also added that the team still haven’t made any decision as to what direction they will go with Mejia this season. Previously, Manuel has stated that he needs the right-handed Mejia to give him flexibility late in games.

Igarashi, was pitching well and had a 1.35 ERA before straining his left hamstring in April.

After his MRI Wednesday morning, the Mets announced that he sustained a moderate injury to his left hamstring in last night’s game. The right-hander strained his left hamstring in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s 4-0 victory over the Cubs when he squatted to field a bunt.

Iggy was just beginning to emerge as a viable setup man in the Mets bullpen and had a 1.35 ERA through 6 2/3 innings in his first year in the Major Leagues.

Acosta, 28, was 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 8.1 innings with the Bisons, and will be in uniform in time for tonights game.

Hat tip to Sach…

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?

Competition is a good thing, and in Mets camp there is a lot of it. Many players have entered Mets camp this year hopeful they can win a job with the big league club. Let’s break down this completion position by position and name the favorites.

Center Field - Carlos Beltran’s injury leaves a void in center field. The Mets acquired Gary Mathews Jr. to compete with Angel Pagan for the opening day center field gig. Pagan did a nice job filling in last year for Beltran when he batted .306 in 88 games. Pagan has his flaws though, many question his decision making and his intelligence on the base paths and in the field as well as his ability to stay healthy. Pagan is very talented and Matthews is going to have a hard time trying to pry the starting job away from him.

Favorite - Angel Pagan

Dark Horse – Fernando Martinez

Fifth Starter - The Mets did not acquire a big name starting pitcher this winter, leaving an open competition for the fifth starter’s job. Jon Niese, Fernando Nieve, Nelson Figueroa, Hisanori Takahashi, and R.A. Dickey are all names that should be considered for that final rotation spot. The Mets doubted that Niese would be healed from off-season surgery, but he has proven his health. Nelson Figueroa and Fernando Nieve proved useful to the Mets last season, and are hoping to break camp as the fifth starter.

Favorite - Jon Niese

Dark Horse - Hisanori Takahashi

Set-up Man – The Mets acquired Japanese import, Ryota Igarashi to compete for the eighth inning role with former Angel, Kelvim Escobar. Escobar pitched in only one game last year after missing all of 2008. Escobar is most known as a starter for the Angels, but was an effective reliever in the past for the Blue Jays. Early word is that Igarashi has impressed Mets’ coaches. Bobby Parnell is also an interesting name in consideration for this role.

Favorite – Ryota Igarashi

Dark Horse – Bobby Parnell

Final Bench Spot – With Alex Cora, Henry Blanco, Fernando Tatis, and Matthews/Pagan guaranteed to make the bench, that leaves one spot open assuming the Mets go with a five man bench. Mike Jacobs, Frank Catalanotto, Chris Carter, and Anderson Hernandez are likely to compete for this spot. It’s believed the Mets want this bench spot to be occupied by someone who can potentially enter a platoon with Daniel Murphy at first base, so that knocks Hernandez out of consideration. Jacobs is a power hitter, who just two years ago hit 32 homeruns for the Marlins. Catalanotto is known for being a clubhouse leader. Catalanotto has a slight edge over Jacobs because of his ability to play first base as well as outfield.

Favorite – Frank Catalanotto

Dark Horse – Chris Carter

The Jason Bay saga continues for yet another day as both sides continue to hold firm on their positions. The Mets of course, are yet unwilling to budge from their original 4 year offer, while the Bay camp insists it will take a deal longer than 4 years for them to agree. Adam Rubin of the Daily News writes,

The Mets continue to hold to their position that they don’t need to significantly improve their offer of four years for approximately $65 million, at least not until they are convinced that the 31-year-old Bay has a better alternative.

My biggest fear is that as long as the Mets remain in this holding pattern, some team can still swoop in, make a substantially better offer, and pull the rug out from under the Mets. Ken Davidoff of Newsday reported that the Mets expected to hear back from Jason Bay today. Hopefully, this could lead to some sort of resolution. 

Mets Get Their Setup Man

The Mets finally made it official and announced the signing of Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi to a two-year, $3 million dollar deal. Igarashi will essentially replace J.J. Putz and become the Mets’ setup man for closer Francisco Rodriguez.

The 30-year-old righthander went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA in 56 games last season.

“We’ve had an interest in Ryota for two years,” GM Omar Minaya said in a statement “He’s got a power arm and an outstanding split-finger .”

From all accounts, this looks like a great signing for the Mets and at reasonable cost as well. Igarashi was considered the hardest thrower in Japan and features a mid-nineties fast ball among his repertoire.

A National Treasure?

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com believes the Mets and Phillies are among several teams who are interested in the recently on-tendered relief pitcher Mike MacDougal, formerly of the Nationals.

MacDougal, 32,  was 20 for 21 in save opportunities last season after joining the Nationals. The right hander has a career ERA of 4.09 with 70 saves in 314 games.

He has a very heavy fastball that sits at around 96-97 mph, along with a plus slider, and an average change-up and curve ball. He has been plagued with control problems throughout his career.

I’m not sure what the interest is here… With Igarashi already on board, as well as right handers Sean Green, Brian Stokes and Bobby Parnell, I don’t see the logic in adding another RH reliever, especially one that will probably get a multi year deal averaging a minimum of $3 million annually.

Mets Still Interested In Cuban Free Agent

Jorge Arangure of ESPN says that 21 year-old Cuban free-agent Aroldis Chapman threw about 50 pitches for dozens of scouts representing about 15 MLB teams in Houston.

Arangue’s report suggests that the results of the exhibition were somewhat inconclusive. Due to bad weather the workout took place indoors. Chapman wore sneakers, and threw about 40-50 pitches off a wooden mound reaching as high as 97 mph, though mostly in the 92-93 mph range. He did not face any live batters.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN (via MetsBlog),

“Some evaluators view Chapman as a left-handed Stephen Strasburg, who was the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft last year.”

You had me at Strasburg… Chapman is young, has electric stuff and is left handed… All qualities that would keep me very interested and engaged. If he is really a “number one overall” caliber talent, the Mets should make every attempt to reel him in.

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says he talked to a Mets official who believes the team is going to sign Igarashi.

According to the NPB Tracker, his agent Arn Tellem was quoted as as saying,

“I think Igarashi is a member of the Mets. We’re working out the fine points of the contract.”

Although the deal is not official, there is still some major competition coming from the Red Sox who seem to have a history with Japanese players, so I don’t think the Mets signing of Igarashi is completely a done deal yet.

Igarashi is said to be capable of being a legitimate setup man in the majors. He is a power pitcher who features a mid 90s fastball.

I feel the Mets definitely need a reliever to handle the 8th inning, and to hand the ball off to Frankie Rodriguez, although it is unknown if Igarashi, a guy who has never pitched in the majors, can be that guy.

If the deal features a low annual salary (which many have reported it does), I think it would be a nice signing.

The 30 year old Igarashi was 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 56 games with the Yakult Swallows last season.