Results tagged ‘ Johan Santana ’

Rubber Game: Phillies vs. Mets

..early afternoon:
In tonight’s big rubber game between the NY Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets have announced Ike Davis and Angel Pagan will get the night off.  Gary Matthews Jr. will start in center field and Fernando Tatis will get the start at first base.

If anyone needs a day off today it’s David Wright. He needs to clear his mind. Did you see that curve ball Halladay snapped off that David nearly broke his hip and his ankles getting out of the way from; the one that dropped in for strike three? Say what you will but getting beaned still presses on his mind. I’ve noticed it a few times this year with a good hook coming at him. He’s not concentrating and recognizing the pitch. He’s not picking up the signature dot on a curve ball at all.

If Ike and Pagan need a day off that’s fine, but it’s incumbent upon Omar to make upgrades from our current Matthews and Tatis off the bench situation. Omar needs to have that situation corrected by, if not before the trade deadline. I do not mean Beltran either. I’m talking bench upgrades here. Cora is a keeper. I know the return of Beltran puts Pagan back on the bench. But I am not counting on Beltran.
 
Tonight’s Mets Line-Up:
CF ~ Matthews
2B ~ Castillo
SS ~ Reyes
LF ~ Bay
3B ~ Wright
1B ~ Tatis
RF ~ Francouer
C   ~ Barrajas
SP ~ Santana

Game Blog:

*Top 1st inning  ~  Castillo single.  Bay single.  David Wright hit a three run Home Run.  So much for me saying he needs a day off.  Tatis base hit.
*Bottom 1st inning  ~  Placido Polanco hit a laser to left on an 0-2 pitch for a Home Run…a high fastball out of the strike zone.  Against the Ryan Howard Shift, Ryan Howard hit an outside corner change-up to left field for another Philly solo Home Run.

After 1st inning  ~  Mets 3 – Phils 2

*Top 2nd inning  ~  Barrajas single.  Matthews fielder’s choice.  Barrajas out trying to advance to 3rd. 
*Bottom 2nd inning  ~  a seven pitch inning for Johan Santana.  Phils out in order.

After 2nd inning  ~  Mets 5 hits – Phils 2 hits    score = Mets 3 – Phils 2

*Top 3rd inning  ~  3B Polanco makes nice bare hand pick-up and throw out of Jason Bay.  Jamie Moyer gets through Mets 3,4 and 5 hitters easily with his pitches topping out at 81 mph and averaging 78 mph.  A couple of pitches have come in at 71 mph.  I hate this guy!
*Bottom 3rd inning  ~  Moyer slaps a ball to short and hustles up the line but is thrown out by Reyes.  Moyer is on HGH!(not).  He’s becoming the Minnie Minoso of pitchers.  Phils muster nothing this inning.
Phillies announce Joe Blanton will pitch for Philadelphia tomorrow.  I’m sure that’s welcome news for Philly.

*Top 4th inning  ~  Tatis is punched out - caught looking at a high strike.  Moyer’s first K.   Francouer hit by pitch.  Moyer hits 82 mph…game high!  Francouer steals second base.  Barrajas hits one off the foul pole in left field..Home Run Barrajas, his 6th of the year.  Moyer strikes out Johan.  Matthews just committed his third out of the night.  We only get 27 outs a game and he has mastered accumulating them as a Met.  Matthews produces outs at an astonishing 86% clip.
*Bottom 4th inning  ~  Utley lead-off double.  Ryan hits fly to warning track in left and Utley does not/can not tag up from second base.  Werth hits a dribbler.. out catcher to first, Utley to third.  Ibanez singles to right.  Utley scores Philly’s 3rd run.  Single by Castro.  Ruiz walks on four pitches.  Bases loaded for Jamie Moyer and two outs.  Johan walks Moyer.  Run scores, bases still loaded.  GRAND SLAM HOME RUN by Shane Victorino on the first pitch.  Single for Polanco and the Phils have batted around.  Not so much as a visit by Dan Warthen or Manuel through-out this inning.  AND Chase Utley just smashed another HOME RUN to right.  Two more runs in.  Score now Philly 10 – Mets 5.  Eight runs this inning all coming with two outs.  Johan Santana’s best pitch came in at 91 mph tonight but with no command and control tonight, the Phils were able to sit on the fast ball.  Johan is headed for an early shower.  Takahashi is the new Met pitcher.  Howard single.  Werth doubles, Howard scores.  Ibanez is out and inning finally ends.

After 4th inning  ~  Phillies 11 – Mets 5

*Top 5th inning  ~  Who Cares?!

Johan’s line:
3.2 innings pitched
8 hits
10 runs all earned
2 walks, 1 strikeout
4 home runs allowed.

P.U.!!!

And that concludes tonight’s broadcast.  I suddenly no longer feel the motivation to continue this post any longer.    *sigh*
  I’m back…just in time to announce this game just went final at 10:54 p.m. EST.

Philadelphia Phillies 11
New York Mets 5

The Mets are now 1/2 game out of first place.  It’s not a bad place to be.  Good night all.

BTB
 
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/
 
 

A Leap Off the SideWalk Into an OnComing Bus

The knock on Jerry Manuel in Chicago when he managed the White Sox was that as soon as things got a little bit hairy for him, he started throwing players under the bus.  He pointed fingers so fast in Chicago’s SouthSide that he looked like Neo in the Matrix.

: D        …don’t mind me.

Fast forward to 2009.  I or anybody else never understood what Ryan Church did to Jerry Manuel to get himself in Jerry’s doghouse, but Church was a permanent resident.  He did have a game where he failed to touch third as he rounded the bag…etc etc.  The real rub stemmed from Church’s post concussion syndrome.  Manuel interpreted the symptoms otherwise if at all and basically viewed Ryan Church as a malingerer.  If you’re asking me, Church was being scape-goated for the team’s troubles.  Ramon Castro, back-up catcher, was also being scape-goated by Manuel, if you’re asking me.  He was suffering nagging injuries and it rubbed Manuel the wrong way.  But in a year lost to injury all around, Church and Castro were identified by Manuel as malcontents because they showed a backbone against Jerry, who  instigated Omar to trade them.  Regardless of opinions about the trades, that’s the way it went down.

Just in this last week alone, there are three current Mets that if they’re not finding themselves under a bus, are speaking in open defiance of their manager.

A leap off the side walk into an on coming bus ~ CASE ONE: 
John “RAIN” Maine; -  After John Maine’s performance Tuesday night, among other things broached by reporters, and offered up by Manuel, was John Maine’s status in the starting rotation needed to be re-evaluated.  It warranted concern and perhaps a change may be needed is the way I summarize it.  He said they needed to have a discussion.  Things started going terribly wrong that same night with the “He said, She said”.  A Mets’ beat reporter, kept Manuel’s comments in mind and yesterday asked John Maine if he was feeling better about Jerry Manuel’s decision to keep him in the rotation.  (revised decision = Jerry decided Maine should pitch when his turn comes around again.  He hinted maybe a change was warranted Tuesday night, then decided Maine would stay in turn yesterday, all before or ever saying anything to John Maine since Manuel made his comments the previous night.)  John Maine was taken back by the reporter’s question saying he didn’t even know taking him out of the rotation was even an option!

Uh – OH!  A short time later on the Wednesday afternoon, John Maine was seen making a B-line into the manager’s office.  The team said it was a scheduled meeting.  So now guess what the latest plan is?  After pitching coach Dan Warthen and Maine looked over tapes and “stuff” (yea STUFF – because these guys are ponderous!)  John Maine insisted he was going back to his old way of pitching and reverting to his style and abandoning the team’s edict of concentrating on throwing strikes to minimize the big inning.  It’s their thinking folks…Not Mine!  He said his style is fastballs high in the zone.  John Maine must know something we don’t because he needs to make up about 4 to 5 mph on his fastball to be taken seriously.  Does he think those 5 mph are just going to come because he’s abandoning the old plan?  The team’s concept is low in the zone and strikes.  For a change I don’t think it’s the club’s fault this kid is coming in at 88mph, but the lack of communication is.  But John Maine has stated he is done with the Met’s plan and he practically said it in those words.  Me?  I like the attitude, but no one is going to like the results.  His 88 mph fastball looks like a grapefruit right now.

And lastly….Dan Warthen?  C’mon with this guy.  I wouldn’t trust him to mail a letter for me.  Rick Peterson was arrogant and instigated the Scott Kazmir trade, but we replaced him with Dan Warthen?  And he’s still here?  Someone…Please?

CASE TWO:  Jose Reyes ~  has stated over and over his reluctance to hit third in the line-up.  Jerry Manuel has flirted with that idea for two years now. Jerry said Jose Reyes will be batting third when they open the series with the Cardinals in St. Louis.  These two still have not seemed to reach a middle ground and Reyes continues to verbalize his displeasure with the idea.  It appears to be item number two where a player is in open defiance of the manager.

CASE NUMBER THREE:  Johan Santana ~ Monday the 12th was an off-day/travel day.  Jerry Manuel flipped the rotation for the upcoming St. Louis series choosing to start HAIL (aka Oliver Perez) Friday, thereby giving Johan an added day off and not having him pitch after his normal 4 days off.  Manuel said the extra day off would serve Johan well.  Johan Santana responded to this move by saying, “There are times when you feel a little beat up and need the time to rest.  This is not one of those times.”   This isn’t something I would classify as an incident.  It’s just a drifting scent in the air of something that is turning sour.

I’m not hinting at anything.  Am I?  I’m just bringing you up to date on what’s been going on and the reputation that followed Jerry out of Chicago.  That’s all.  This is not a Fire Manuel Rant….is it?  I think not.

Buses?  Dangerous.   Trolleys?  Safe.

****Elsewhere in METropolis****

Remember that Great January the Mets had?  Yea!  Neither do I.  In January the Mets signed two pitchers; Kelvim Escobar and R.A. Dickey.

R.A. Dickey.   *sigh*

****The very latest in METropolis****

Sleet (aka – Jon Niese) pitched unimpressively Wednesday night to a no decision after the Mets got him off the hook by tying the game in the 9th inning.  They wound up loosing the game on a walk-off HR in the 10th but what the hey…  Unfortunately he did separate himself from his name a little more with this outing and the Mets ensured they’d loose their third straight series to start the season.  Sorry kid.  It’s the WeatherBoyz (starting rotation) that concern me, not blowing Wednesday’s game in extra innings.

Here’s the SLEET line:
5 innings pitched
9 hits
5 runs, 5 earned
1 walk
2 strikeouts
1 home run
99 pitches
6.55 era
He’s a youngster and I’m taking it easy on him.  Keep at it Rook.

Today!  The Colorado mound was the EAST and MIKE PELFREY was the Sun!!  He was marvelous.  He threw 7 shut-out innings today salvaging one game for the Mets in the last game of this series.  He struck out 6 and walked none, gave up 5 hits and earned his second victory in as many tries.  Atta’ boy Mike!

They head to St. Louis now sporting a 3-6 record for the season.  If they want to finish this road trip at .500 they need to take two of three from the Cardinals.  Let me see….Next in line are HAIL, Johan and another dose of RAIN.  But Rain promised he’s going to be new and improved this time.  I’ll get back to you on that.  We may have to re-name him yet again to REBEL.

****Tonight’s Final Words of METrospection****

Assistant General Manager John Ricco had more to say this week and has gotten more press and face time than I care to see.  He dealt in minor issues but it shows the Wilpons are forcing this guy into the mix.  I am terrified by the prospect the Wilpons might be grooming this guy to be our next GM.  Please JOBU No!  Please tell me it isn’t so.

That is all.  Go back to your homes.  There’s nothing more to see here.

BTB

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

 

 

Mets Soaked by RAIN in Colorado

(subliminal song of the day follows):

..Rocky Mountain Hiiiiiigh….Colorado   and Rain!
..Rocky Mountain Hiiiiiiigh….Colorado   and Rain!

Dear Colorado Head Grounds Keeper, on behalf of the NYM, I apologize for the large puddle of mud that used to be your mound.  I hope you can restore it in time for tomorrow’s game.

I oft wondered if fish really care if it’s Raining outside or not.  Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of making a sunny day sunnier for us?  What do they think about Rain?  Do they say, “Hey it’s raining out, don’t swim so fast today…Be careful.”  OR  “Hey it’s really raining out there, better put on some SPF-40!”

I’ve noticed in different parts of the country it Rains differently.  In South Florida, there are the obligatory random thunderstorms of the day.  They say it never Rains in California but if you watch CNN you know that aint true.  Here in the North East we usually get those blanketing steady downpours.

Native American Indians used to perform ritual dance to make it Rain.  PacMan Jones had his own methods of making it Rain too.  Yea-eeaya!  The Addams Family had a cloud constantly hovering and Raining down on their house.  And that reminds me this Gov’t is engaged in Cloud-Seeding to induce Rain.  Or so I think.  DUNn Dunn dunn!!!  Hoo Hoo hah hah hah hah hah!

Rain.  If you tune into the Weather Channel tonight and see something that looks like this on the screen:
3 innings pitched.
8 runs, 8 earned
7 hits
3 walks
4 strikeouts
1 HR
Rockies bat around in the third inning.
12.38 era in two starts
0-2 Mets’ record in games he started.

It just means there’s a lot of RAIN headed your way.  Ya might want to pack an umbrella.

There is a 25 mph wind blowing out tonight but only when the Rockies are at bat, otherwise Rain Rain Rain.  While it continues to pour in the Met dugout and on the Colorado mound, the Rockies are cruising with an 8-1 lead in the 7th.

See people?  I know this team and how it works.  I know my baseball.  I may be snarky in how I describe things, but I will not be denied.  Panic?  No!  I’m a pragmatist.  I call it as I see it.  Tonight Luis Castillo was thrown out at 2nd base trying to stretch a single into a double in the top of the 6th with one out.  When you’re down 8-0 at the time, you just don’t do that.  But he did and was promptly gunned down.  On the very next pitch and first to David Wright in his at-bat, he pulled a first pitch fastball to left for a HR.  In the top of the 7th, with one out, and Fernando Tatis at second, Tatis did not tag up and advance to third on a fly to left center that was mid-warning track!  Tatis wasn’t even on the bag.  He did some Cha-Cha step off second as if he was willing the left fielder to drop the fly ball.  Ponderous!  Matthews stranded him anyway by striking out.  Matthews?  What are Matthews and Tatis doing on this team?  Matthews does not figure into any future plans.  Tatis the Perp was stealing playing time and money tonight at 1st base.   WHY are they on this team when we don’t need them, and their replacements had fantastic springs and have not slowed down one bit since the AA and AAA season kicked off?  Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis must be called up to the club and this nonsense of Matthews and Tatis must stop.  In the bottom of the 7th Angel Pagan and Jason Bay didn’t communicate on an easy fly ball and it dropped in between them allowing another run to score making it an 11-2 game.

Panic Indeed!!! 

You can continue to question me, or just stop being contrarians and take my word for it.
Some people just need to find out for themselves.  I don’t begrudge that.  But if you needed the proof for any blanket statements I may have made….there ya go!  I submit to you today’s example of just one day in the season with our supposed #2 guy and the feeble play that seems to possess players when they don a Mets uniform these days.

Karma.  Someone in this organization upset the Great JOBU and we’re paying the price for that mis-step.

Everyone keeps pointing to the talent on this team and how it can change on the drop of a dime for us.  Don’t you know I get that?  I get it.  Why do you think I’m so discombobulated by the performance of this team over the last 3 years?  They are the ultimate under-achievers.  That’s the rub!!  We have as many stars around here as a Dean Martin Roast, and to watch them fail with such lugubriousness gives me pins and needles all over my body.

Let’s assume SLEET earns a name tomorrow and the Mets win.  The rubber game of this series will fall on Mike Pelfrey.  That’s not a bad spot to be in from my perspective.  I welcome that.  And I say that to also show I can be fair.  If we can take 2 of three the way our pitching lines up for the next two games, I’ll feel a lot better about HAIL opening the series against the Cardinals in St. Louis.  Should HAIL fail, again, I have Johan next to salvage a game for us before RAIN blows in again.  I can therefore end this road trip .500 going 3-3 and be very satisfied.  That’s the optimistic slice of pie for ya.

You know what happens when you get old?  You understand Rain doesn’t make the grass grow.  Blood makes the grass grow.  You’d have to take out your history books and deal in reality to get the meaning of that statement.  Reading between the lines help.  I know that’s a little dark for a baseball blog.  Every so often I burp out something politically uncivilized.  I’m Ok now.

Rain can have devastating effects.  Water erosion is no joke.  Rain eroded my patience a little more tonight.  Sleet goes tomorrow.  That poor Colorado Grounds Keeper.  Sorry dude!

The game is going into the bottom of the 8th.  Rockies 11 – Mets 3.  The Mets telecast team is resorting to taking calls from fans now.  This is all so very yawn inspiring if I may say so myself.  What else can they say without blurbing out the truth about what their eyes see and getting reprimanded for it.

RAIN on ME…Rain On Me…LOOOOVVVE!!!  RAIN ON ME!!!  RAIN on Me!!

The game is now final.  Rockies 11 ~ Mets 3   Jerry Manuel’s Snoozers are now 2-5.  I hope there is someone in the locker room smashing flat screens, throwing trash cans, knocking over the buffet table and screaming his head off in a rage about tonight’s game, insisting this can not happen, this can not happen again, this can not happen again this early.  I don’t mean the Ground’s Keeper either.
I’ll say it a million times if I have to.  I believe in good starts.  I believe every game matters when you loose a division by one game as this team has, surrendering division leads late in September as this team has.  You can point to any reason you want for that as long as you agree that poor play in April is as good as any reason you may have for loosing a division by a game.  You can’t win pennants in April, but you can loose them.  2007 was like that.  They came on like gangbusters after a miserable start and were in the mix till the end.  However their April and May were lethargic.  In 2008 we lost the division by a game.  Again I can point to a .500 April if you chose to blame Tom Glavine (don’t get me started on him) for offering up a stinker.  And what a stinker it was!  Having seen it all with basically this same cast, I don’t want to go thr
ough that again.  Simple.

And lastly I offer you this little tid-bid.  My right fielder Jeff Francoeur, said, “It’s probably good if we got out of town for a while”…referring to the current road trip.  I didn’t say that folks; My right fielder did.  Whose panicking now?

Rockie Mountain Hiiiiigh….Colorado   and Rain!
Rockie Mountain Hiiiiigh….Colorado    and Rain!

BTB

Congratulations to everyone who ranked in the top 50 Blogs!!!

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

 

Johan and the WeatherBoyz

Jose Reyes started at shortstop for the Mets today!  I’ll get to him another time.

The Mets’ Pitching Staff made it’s first go ’round of the season.  All four mound loiterers paid to be a part of, and start a game for the Mets this season and Johan Santana have one game under their belt.  I guess you can call this the initial evaluation through the first five games for Johan and the WeatherBoyz, aka my Starting Rotation (some names with-held).

As we broke camp and headed north, the Mets Starting Rotation was named as follows:

1) – Johan Santana
2) – Rain  
3) – Snow
4) – Sleet  
5) – Hail

Johan Santana won his Opening Day start. 

In Game Two, Rain had his chance and did nothing to change his name.  He will continue to be referred to as Rain until his clouds start to break-up or BTB notifies you otherwise. 

Then came Game Three started by Snow.  Snow is nice.  I appreciate snow while it’s falling and while it’s still, quiet and white.  Then life takes over and makes slush.  I am not disappointed with Snow’s performance in Game 3.  He’s a rook, and he showed some good stuff.  It just got slushy at the end.  So I give Snow an E for Effort.  Snow looks like he’ll earn his stripes fairly quickly if his first start is an indication.  Hang in there Rook.  You’ll earn your name back soon.

In Game Four, Sleet, aka, Mike Pelfrey got his first win of the season.  He’s got a real hard sinker that’s always caught my attention.  He’s working hard on a third pitch.  He pitched himself a good game and the BTB decided he is to be called by his rightful name.  Welcome in from the weather Mike.

Ahh.  Game Five and el Lanzador (that’s pitcher) Senor Hail.  I’ve seen worse outings from him than the one he offered up today.  We lost to the Nationals today by the way.  Remember I told you we’d do squat against them?….Just like the lead Bugs Bunny had on Cecil Turtle and still lost.  Ponderous!  I digress.
Hail?  How did we get into this situation?  Omar resigned him for $36 Million!  Ponderous!  I wouldn’t recommend driving every 5th day in NYC due to threats of  HAIL coming off Flushing Bay when he’s pitching.

So as for the Mets’ Starting Rotation we have two hard names on the list, one push but coming on, and we still have some weather phenomena to deal with every 2nd to 5th day of the cycle.

Sometimes it Snows in April folks.  If you live in the northern parts of this country, you know what I’m talkin about.  The weather is always wacky in April.  That’s fair enough.  I guess my mistake was the day I forgot to read the paper to learn the Mets signed El Nino to pitch for us.  Omar, why don’t you sign Global Warming and Al Gore to round out the top four?  Why Omar Minaya chose to use my starting rotation to play X-Files? –  I’ll never know.

Johan is on the mound for us again tomorrow and then we’re off to Colorado where I’m sure the weather is tropical compared to all the wintry slush we’ve been pitching up at Citi Field.

Mike, BTB

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

 

 

Opening Day at “NEW” Citi Field

METS Opening Day  Part I

 

Johan pitched, Wright homered, Francisco Rodriguez closed it out.

That’s a winning formula.  It worked for us today.

Mets 7  Marlins 1  Final

After day one in METropolis, all seems well.

Woo-Hoo!

 

METS Opening Day  Part II

 

This year there is a very different feel to Citi. I gotta tell ya, I was disappointed last year with our monument to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Wilpons heard our displeasure and changed things up a bit. Our HOF is back and there’s more Met-centric eye candy to gaze upon. It’s a huge step in the right direction, but please Mr. Wilpon, don’t stop now.

Everything I saw on TV today looks good to me. I can’t wait for my first game out there. The response the Met HOF was getting was overwhelmingly positive. And from what I caught on the tube, it looks great.

Last year’s christening of Citi Field left something to be desired. They lost and the place really didn’t feel like home. It was a nice place but I could have been anywhere. When I get there this year, I GOTTA BELIEVE things will feel a lot different.

There’s nothing we can do about the Ebbets Field resemblance. The important thing is that this place pumps with the heart of a Mets’ fan. Cool Met decorations help.

I believe. I’ll always believe. We all GOTTA BELIEVE!! Happy Opening Day everyone. Happy Opening Day…NEW Citi Field;  Home of the Mets.

 

METS Opening Day  Part III

 

John Maine.  This is a pitcher with something to prove coming off two injury riddled seasons. Is he the pitcher of 2006 or the pitcher we’ve been getting the last two seasons? He’s starting Met game 2. This is the same person who said during a spring training relief outing that, “I just wasn’t into it”- and some other things your fan base just doesn’t want to hear from someone who’s trying their collective patience.

This is NYC and this much is certain whether you like it or not and whether you agree with it or not; if John Maine does not put forth a decent to quality start, the ever circling Boo-Birds will rain down on Flushing Field. You know it, I know it, we all know it. John Maine’s Met Game 2 start can go a long way towards shaping the fan’s perception of him right out of the box. A good start will buy him a month of good will. And it’s hard to pitch when you have 40,000 angry people anticipating your failure. Isn’t it?

Of course I know I’m talking about the second game of the season. You can’t win pennants in April but you sure as hell can loose them in April. But that’s not what this is all about. This is about John Maine and karma and perceptions.

There are a handful of games every season that demand you seize the moment. If for nothing else, it’s like grabbing destiny by the throat. John Maine can seize the moment by coming out of the box strong. He should be ready by now right? He’s been battling for two injured years leading up this this start. So what if it’s only game two of the season. It’s a game that needs John to seize the moment for the sake of anxious Mets fans who no doubt are ready to BOOO, but more for John Maine’s sake, because we like him. We want him to do well.

Concerning yourself with the standings after game two of any season is an exercise in boredom. This is about perception and fan attitude after John’s upcoming start on Wednesday. He can have a good April by getting us off his back now.  John Maine needs to do what David Wright did Monday with one swing of the bat.  He bought himself about 2 weeks.  Most importantly, he dismissed the BOO-Birds post haste and shut us all up.  With a good outing Wednesday John Maine can shut us up too, and maybe then he can go about having a good April without us breathing down his neck.  Maybe he can buy a month.

What’s it gonna be? John Maine or Pray for Rain?

btb

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

*pic – Drew/AP

 

Pitchers & Catchers: Met’s Pitchers, My Angst

This shouldn’t take long at all.  The Mets’ starting rotation:

1 – Johan Santana
2 – pray for rain
3 – pray for snow
4 – pray for sleet
5 – pray for hale.

There is no shot gun to JOHAN SANTANA.  There is no number two guy here.  Additionally Johan is coming off injury.

JOHN MAINE is coming off two consecutive injury years.  I like the guy, I really do.  His durability is a huge question.  If he does not step up and fill the shot-gun role behind Johan this year, I’m not sure we can compete with the Phillies.

OLIVER PEREZ is slimmed down and supposedly with a repaired knee.  Even during the Baseball Classic his weight gain was noticeable.  I don’t think he is the head case everyone makes him out to be.  I know that’s surprising coming from me.  But I think his problems are strictly mechanical and correctable.  His landing foot is like lightning; it never strikes the same ground twice.  His landing foot is closed and not open perpendicular to his catcher.  That throws everything else off as you are throwing against your body and with nothing but arm support behind the pitch.  I can’t believe for the life of me why Dan Warthen can not see this.  Ollie could be the Mets’ Phantom Menace or saving grace this year but it still comes back to Maine if Ollie can even help and be a factor and give the Mets depth.

MIKE PELFREY is Omar Minaya’s only hope right now of ever proving what used to be written in bold letters on his resume…: Talent Evaluator.  Pelfrey’s freshman and sophomore years have produced a .500 win pct. and an era around 4.30 +/-.  The kid has ability.  I’m certainly patient with him as I am most kids.  I believe too much was demanded of him last year because of the way things went.  His hard sinker is a very miss-able pitch and if he can improve on his change-up this kid could be dangerous.  I think he’s got mental toughness and he eats up innings.  If the season turns sour on the Mets this year I don’t think it will have anything to do with Pelfrey.

The number 5 starter – I don’t know and neither do the Mets.  JOHN NIESE is a kid I like and I would give him the job out of the box.  I believe in telling a kid “here’s the ball. We’re gonna give it to you every five days. Make the most of it and we’ll talk after a couple of starts.”  I think that way you give the kid confidence and relieve him the stress and pressure of thinking his next pitch gets him yanked and sent back down to the minors.  NELSON  FIGUEROA is a useful spot starter and good for long relief.  I’m not ready to give him the 5 spot yet in spite of a rather impressive effort in Venezuela this winter.  The only other credible option in the 5 spot is FERNANDO NIEVE.  Again, I’m not averse to give a 5 spot to a kid.  My choice is Niese.  It’s the best we can do considering what we have to work with.  Does Kelvim Escobar fit into this rotation?  I dunno.  Maybe.  But it seems like he’s destined to be out 8th inning guy.

To summarize the NYM starting rotation, this is my feel:

Johan
big IF
bigger IF
Maybe
and Who?…(not to be confused with Who the 1st baseman)

Can you feel my angst?

This is what we need to know about the Mets’ bullpen.  

K-ROD has been pitching competitively and continuously since last February when he began preparing for the Baseball Classic.  He pitched through the season and pitched in Winter League in Venezuela right up until February 1st.  I fully expect him to have a dead arm by August.  It’s just too much of a load with no recuperation time to speak of.

KELVIM ESCOBAR, another pitcher coming off a two year recovery from injury has credible work on his resume.  That is before he got hurt.  Omar Minaya is trying to catch that lightning in a bottle that CAN be found from time to time when these players come back from injury.  Omar has said he’ll begin the season as our 8th inning guy.  This has been a position with bad luck attached to it between Duaner Sanchez and JJ Putz lately.  Will Kelvim be the latest guy to suffer the 8th inning voodoo?  I guess his arm will answer that for us.

EDDIE KUNZ and BOBBY PARNELL are two more youngsters I think can be tremendous contributors.  I like these kids a lot and sort of blows back in my face my complaints about our farm system coming to a screeching halt.  But let’s see.  Time will tell who’s right.

There it is, the Mets pitching information as told by me.  After Johan Santana we have two question marks, followed by Hope and a Mystery in the five spot.  Omar Minaya is putting all his eggs in the Maine and Perez basket.  He belongs in Vegas if he’s such a gambler.  I will say this in his defense about the Mets’ apparent lack of activity this winter, Jason Bay aside.  The free agent pool wasn’t all that.  While I can’t explain their head-in-the-sand approach with John Lackey knowing full well their number one need is a #2 starter, I’ve thought, like the Mets and Omar it’s best not to have signed the other pitchers still available.  They would have commanded too much for a minimal return and cost us more in the way of a mismatched and mediocre roster with onerous contracts.  So you see, I can be fair minded and not be so narrowly focused on complaining.

The New York Metropolitan’s positional players and offense with be addressed in my next posting.  Blog ya later.

Omar is in a real pickle.  I like him.  I wanted him in 2004.  I’m still on his side.  I’ll complain and disagree with him.  I’m not in favor of firing him as a purely reactive measure.  I want to ensure we can get someone with some real clout first.  That requires back room wheeling and dealing.  I’m afraid that’s not the Wilpon’s gig.  And if the Mets idea of change is another in house move, I’d rather keep Omar.  I digressed.

The Mets starting rotation has a 65% chance of stinking like hot garbage this summer.  However if they cash in on the other 35%, they can be very good.  Maine and Ollie are former 15 game winners.  When Ollie is on he can be electric and his strikeout totals become impressive. If…only if.  If my aunt had hair on her back she’d be my uncle.

That’s the Met’s and Omar’s idea of the 2010 Pitching Staff with my opinion about it.

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

 

There’s a (paper)TIGER on the Loose in Flushing

Ever since Carlos Beltran watched a final curveball drop in the strike zone finishing our 2006 season and playoff run, it’s been a pretty frustrating 3 seasons since.  2007?  I’ll go along with the crowd and call it a choke.  2008?  Not so fast.  I don’t call that one a choke regardless if you do.  You can’t win pennants in April and May, but you can loose them that early.  That’s my take on ’08. And 2009?  Well?  Yea.  It was everything you want to say about it.  Things have been pretty rotten lately.  Look what it did to this poor little girl.

 

crying met fan.jpgSo let’s take a look at where we stand as of this present 2010 winter:

CATCHER –

they say Santos & Blanco.  I say I’m ready to give the kid,  Josh Thole the job.

FIRST BASE -

Murphy.  I hope his doubles totals are leading to something more from him.  I want Carlos Delgado back for one year.  He needs 27 home runs for 500.  He needs 88 rbi for 1600.  I want him to do it in a Mets uniform.  I think the numbers are very attainable.

SECOND BASE –

Luis Castillo is that guy right now.  I’m not sure how a Castillo for Mike Lowell deal helps things.  In defense of Castillo, he had a good year in ’09 and seemed healthy throughout.  They jury is still out.

SHORT STOP -

How is Jose, Jose, Jose?  If he can’t run, he’s not Jose Reyes.  I’m concerned.

THIRD BASE –

David Wright.  He’ll be OK.  He’ll be fine.

LEFT FIELD -

Jason Bay.  He’ll be OK.  He’ll be fine.

CENTER FIELD –

Carlos Beltran. Health.  Health.  Health.  If he’s healthy, he’ll be OK.  He’ll be fine.

RIGHT FIELD –

Jeff Francoeur.  Oh Brother!  I’m not havin good vibes here.  The Braves didn’t want him and took Ryan Church knowing his cranium was a little sore.  Jury is definitely out.

 

STARTERS: 

1) – Johan Santana, showing signs of wear and tear.  Not terribly concerned here.

2) – BaaaHahaha!  There is no shotgun to Johan.  The Mets say Pelfrey is #2 man.  Really?  Uh-oh.

3) – BaaaHahaha!  John Maine?  Pray for rain!  We have no indication he’s healthy yet.

4) – BaaaHahaha!  Ollie Perez?  Good Grief!!  I’d rather have Charlie Brown.  I’m actually an Ollie supporter.  I think he can be fixed.  Till then watch the RedSox when he pitches.

5) – BaaaHahaha!  The Mets are saying and rookie tandem of J.Niese and Nieve.  I’d rather have those two old guys up in the balcony heckling the Muppets.

Don’t ask me where Kelvim Escobar fits into this equation.  He can come out of the pen and he can start.  But I’ll be quite honest, unless we catch that lightning in a bottle, it doesn’t matter much.

 

When you look at the names and put aside the injuries, it’s not a bad looking squad.  It can be a damn good squad.  But this game is played on a field of grass and not in physical therapy, doctor’s offices and running around for second opinions.  I wish I can make that poor little girl feel somewhat better but the team as currently constituted is only a Paper Tiger.

met tiger.jpg

 

http://theBrooklynTrolleyBlogger.mlblogs.com/

http://theBrooklynTrolleyBlogger.blogspot.com/

Bay, Molina…the Silence is Deafening

Jason Bay wants a 5th year from the Mets.  Ben Molina wants a 3rd year from the Mets.  If I’m the Mets I counter Bay with a 3 year offer and with Molina I stand firm on 2 years.

If these two individuals were in such demand, they would have signed already, here or anywhere.

NOBODY wants them!  The Mets are competing against themselves for their services.  Where are the other offers for these players?  Where are they?

Aside from that, these are just stop gap players in the Mets’ scheme of things, what ever that is.  They have no plan in place.  These two signings would just be more random acts of futility by the Mets front office.  The Mets aren’t in as bad a shape as I may portray, currently.  But we are headed in the wrong direction and we’re picking up speed.

Jason Bay…..3 year deal.  I’d rather see Angel Pagan in left over a full season anyway.  He just can’t stay healthy it seems.  Please Mister Met,  bust into the Met Think Tank and give’em a good headbutt.  Tell them not to sign Jason Bay for 5 years.  I’m cool with Bengi for 2 years.  That will buy us time till our kid catcher, Josh Thole is ready.

Why aren’t the Mets showing interest in Matt Holliday?  No gumption!

If anyone wanted Bay or Molina they would have signed already.  Mets, you have all the leverage right now, concidering there are no more pitchers left on the market.  Bay is not going to change the overall direction of this organization. Don’t get bogged down with an onerous contract in years (3), 4 and 5.

When Omar got here the Mets needed to address catcher, firstbase, second base, the outfield corners, #2 and #3 starting pitchers and the bullpen.  That was 2005.  Today, entering Omar’s 6th year as GM, the Mets need to address catcher, firstbase, second base, the outfield corners, #2 and #3 starting pitchers and the bullpen.  Sorry Omar, your predicessors gave you the only stability you have in Wright and Reyes.  Johan Santana?  You’ve earned credit for that.  Nice job.  Billy Wagner and K-Rod?  OK, I’ll give him that too.  Beltran?  Yep, you’ve earned that badge too.  That leaves 20 other roster spots that are still in disarray since 2005 with no real improvement in sight either from the farm or the market and certainly not trades; we just don’t have the chips for trades.  right Omar?

This team was one pitch away from a World Series in 2006.  It’s seems they put their tale between their legs and have been fleeing in the opposite direction ever since.

Enjoy the silence everyone.

 

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.mlblogs.com/

http://baseballtrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

 

 

| back to blog home |
Theme: MLB “fan” | Get a free blog at WordPress.com
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.