Uncle

Did all of that really happen in one inning?  Johan walks the pitcher on four pitches, and then Fernando Martinez nearly breaks his face as he trips on the field after misjudging a routine fly ball, and then a walk and a double later, on an 0-2 pitch no less, Braun rips a double that turns into a virtual inside the park homerun because Johan Santana airmailed a throw from home to third... ???????

You can't make this stuff up.  

I could take it if this Mets team were simply not hitting (which they are not, of course).  No one should really expect this depleted lineup to hit much.  But no - they have to add INSULT TO INJURY with all the ridonkulous errors and mental mistakes.  They have to walk Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded.  They have to fall on their faces.  They have to airmail throws that lead to extra runs being scored.  

In April, we saw this team underachieve like we have seen them do so many times... so many times before.  In May they turned in on in a big way, and they did it mostly without Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes.  

June has been a disaster.  It started out with a sweep at the hands of the Pirates that left a bad taste in your mouth.  Then we won a series against the lowly Nats.  Then we lost four 3-game series in a row, losing 2 of 3 in each of them.  Those were somewhat tolerable, because the lineup was depleted and every freggin game was close.  And then we took 3 of 4 from the Cardinals, AFTER Beltran was placed on the DL.  WOW!  LOOKING GOOD, BOYS!

Then the Yankees came into town, and the bats have been silent since.  5 straight losses.  Yet still only 3 games behind the Phillies.  

I don't really know anymore. 

 

I have a confession to make.  I love watching Nissan Postgame Live and Geico SportsNite on SNY after the game.  LOVE it.  BUT (here's the confession) I can only watch after a win.  I can't watch after a loss.  I don't like the negativity.  I like to forget about losses fast, and I love to revel in every win.  Yet for the first time in quite a while tonight, I found myself effortlessly watching the postgame stuff.  I wasn't even that upset at the loss.  Granted, Philly losing made me feel about 2 percent better.  But the point is - at this point, I'm resigned to the fact that they will most likely lose with the team they are currently putting out there and that any sort of win is like winning the Series.  

Oh well.  

Adam Dunn

Should the Mets trade Bobby Parnell and Fernando Martinez for Adam Dunn?  I would think Dunn would cost something like that.  So let's say Washington would make that deal.  Should the Mets make that deal?  

Parnell has great stuff, showed tremendous promise in April and May, but has stunk lately and is hardly major league proven.  F-Mart, top-prospect notwithstanding, has a long way to go before he is even close to major-league ready.  And who knows how he'll turn out.  

Add on to that the fact that the Mets' offense right now is absurdly anemic.  Dunn will provide the power the lineup is missing.  He is a 40, 100 guy.  AND, if we get a healthy and able Delgado back, Dunn can move to right field.  Granted, the thought of Dunn playing right at CitiField kinda scares me, but let's face it - we need the power very badly.  Imagine this lineup:

Reyes

Castillo

Beltran

Delgado

Wright

Dunn

Sheffield/Church

Schneider/Santos

Pitcher

Yes, I'll take that.  

I don't know in my heart if this would be a good trade.  But I'm leaning towards it.  In fact, if I had to make a decision right now in the face of losing the option entirely, I'd probably say make the trade.  

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 7

Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to Volume 7 of the St. Lucie New York Mets 10-Game Report.  

 

Previous Results:  

Volume 1: Games 1-10: Record: 5-5

Volume 2: Games 11-20: Record: 4-6

Volume 3: Games 21-30: Record: 8-2

Volume 4: Games 31-40: Record: 4-6

Volume 5: Games 41-50: Record: 7-3

Volume 6: Games 51-60: Record: 4-6

 

And the latest:

Volume 7:

Games 61-70

Record: 4-6

 

@ NYY L 15-0

@ BAL W 6-4

@ BAL L 6-4

@ BAL L 5-4

vs TAM W 5-3

vs TAM L 3-1

vs TAM L 10-6

vs STL W 6-4

vs STL L 3-0

vs STL W 11-0

Runs Scored:  43

Runs Allowed: 53

Team BA: 94/335 = .280

Team BA with RISP: 28/92 = .304

Team BA with RISP & 2 outs: 12/41 = .292 (Of course, their best performance on this stat would come when half the lineup is on the DL.)

HR's: 5

HR's allowed: 10

Team ERA: 87.1IP, 52ER = 5.37 (And of course, the one time they do great with the RISP and 2 outs, simultaneously the pitching goes in the tank.  Ugh. 

Starter ERA: 59.1IP, 30ER = 4.56 (Considering the fact that Johan gave up 9 earned runs in 3 innings in this volume, this number isn’t too bad.)

Bullpen ERA: 29IP, 22ER = 6.82 (Well, they’ve been near perfect up until this one.)

Team BAA: 93/338 = .275

Errors: 3

GIDP: 11 (I think Tatis may be responsible for all of these.)

Fielding DP: 10

SB: 8

 

Volume 7 MVPs:

Starter:  Fernando Nieve comes out of nowhere to post a 1.37 ERA in 3 starts.  Wow. 

Reliever: Sean Green appears to have righted himself, and since no one else in the bullpen was good in this stretch, he’ll get the nod.

Hitter: David Wright continues to show who the best third baseman in New York is.  Yes, the power is down.  DW only has 4 homeruns.  But he is hitting .350 on the year, and .407 in June with a 1.087 OPS. 

Volume 7 Whiskey No Ice Specials:

Starter: Johan Santana finds himself with this award for the first time this season, and he deserves it for what he did in that bandbox in the Bronx. 

Reliever: Bobby Parnell has not been the same since he threw the ball 100mph at Fenway Park.  He’s been giving up a lot of hits lately.  But I’m not overly worried – because the stuff is still there.  He’s still throwing hard and still has that good slider.  He’s just in a rut.  I think he will be fine. 

Hitter: Fernando Tatis leads the league in GIDP. 

Summary Analysis: So the Mets, or as I like to call them now – a bunch of  guys and David Wright – are seriously depleted.  I mean – Jerry Manuel might be placed on the DL  soon with a massive migrane.  Carlos Beltran is the latest casualty.  No Beltran, no Reyes, no Delgado, no Maine, no Perez.  And let’s not forget that throughout all of this, for significant periods of time we were without Cora, Beltran (before this most recent calamity), Church, etc.  You can’t make this stuff up. 

Back to back 4-6 results is pretty bad.  The first thing that should be noted is that the Mets obviously cannot continue to play .400 ball and win.  The Phillies, who have been playing .200 ball lately, have allowed them to stay in the race.  Somehow, these Mets are only 2 in the loss collumn behind the Phillies. 

The second thing that should be noted about those back to back 4-6 results is that the Mets were a dropped pop-up and a K-Rod blown save away from making it 5-5 and 5-5.  And those tough losses aside, the Mets have been in almost every single one of these games.  They are playing and fighting very hard, and coming from this scrap heap of players – it’s actually pretty inspiring to watch. 

But as I’ve said many times before, it always comes down to pitching.  For the most part, despite the AAA lineup, the Mets actually got good offensive production this volume.  Look at those numbers with RISP.  But then look at the ERAs.  This volume was their worst with respect to pitching.  And that is ultimately why they went 4-6.  Now more than ever, it is imperative that they pitch well, because they are not going to score a ton of runs. 

Next up for the Mets is the finale of this St. Louis series (in which Nick Evans just got a big 2-out 2RBI double!), a series at Citi against their crosstown rivals, away at Milwaukee for 3 and then a makeup at Pittsburgh, and then 4^th of July weekend in Philadelphia.  The Mets just need to find a way to play .500 ball until the All-Star break.  If they can stay within 5 games of the Phillies by the time they hit the break, I think they can make a run.  Take a look at that second half schedule.  It really is not very tough.  The Mets can do this.  Believe!

 

Around the NL East:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 7-3, 5-5, 2-7

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 5-5, 4-6

Marlins: 9-1, 3-7, 4-6, 3-7, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 3-0

The 2009 Phillies are sort of reminding me of the 2007 Mets.  Just like the 2007 Mets, they can’t win at home.  And just like the 2007 Mets, they blew golden opportunities in June to put the division away.  In 2007, the Mets went on a horrific 4-14 skid in June, but somehow – because every other team in the division was almost as bad – they remained in first place by a game or two.  The 2009 Phillies are currently in the midst of a 5-12 skid, and yet they are still in first place because the Mets have been almost as bad.  If the Phillies had even been playing .500 ball this month, they’d be a good 6 or 7 games ahead of the Mets in the loss collumn right now.  Opportunities lost for them. 

The Braves still stink. 

Don’t look now, but the Marlins are starting to hit their stride again.  They are not too far behind the Mets.  

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 6

Greetings, my friends, and welcome to the 6th official installment of the Mets 10-Game Report.  And, remember: always use two hands when trying to catch that pop-up!  

Previous Results:

Volume 1: Games 1-10: Record: 5-5

Volume 2: Games 11-20: Record: 4-6

Volume 3: Games 21-30: Record: 8-2

Volume 4: Games 31-40: Record: 4-6

Volume 5: Games 41-50: Record: 7-3

And the latest:

Volume 6:

Games 51-60

Record: 4-6

@ PIT L 3-1

@ PIT postponed

@ PIT L 11-6

@ WAS W 3-1

@ WAS L 7-1

@ WAS W 7-0

vs PHI W 6-5

vs PHI L 5-4

vs PHI L 6-3

@ NYY L 9-8

@ NYY W 6-2

Runs Scored: 45

Runs Allowed: 49

Team BA: 100/355 = .281 (not bad for an injury laden lineup!)

Team BA w/RISP: 24/97 = .247 

Team BA w/RISP & 2 outs: 7/43 = .162 (The Mets have been so bad with this for the past two years.  It is very frustrating.)

HRs: 7 (The power drought continues.)

HRs Allowed: 15 (This is way too high, though about half of them came in the last three games.)

Team ERA: 90.2IP, 44ER = 4.39

Starter ERA: 58.2IP, 37ER = 5.72 (This is by far the worst the starters have performed all season.  Johan has uncharacteristically been giving up a lot of runs, and Pelf had that one god-awful start in Pittsburgh.)

Bullpen ERA: 32IP, 7ER = 1.96 (But the bullpen continues to rake.  Mark my words - when the Mets get healthy again, they will rock and roll mainly because of this bullpen.)

Errors: 9 (Two hands, Luis!  TWO HANDS!!!!!!)

GIDP: 6

Fielding DP: 11

SB: 10 (The Mets continue to run all over opposing pitchers, which is great.)

Volume 6 MVPs

Starter: None of the starters were good enough this volume, but this has to go to Santana for getting a big W against the Phillies.

Reliever: K-Rod notched a huge save in a 1-run game against the Phillies, and would have had another huge one the other night IF LUIS CASTILLO HAD USED TWO HANDS!!!

Hitter: David Wright is on fire.  The man, or as I like to call him - The Best Third Baseman in New York - is hitting .514 in the month of June with an OPS of 1.357, and all this after hitting .371 in May.  The man is on another planet.  

Volume 6 Whiskey With No Ice Specials:

Starter: Tim Redding lasted only 3.2 innings and gave up 8 earned runs in Pittsburgh.  Yuck!

Reliever: Switzer was called up to get left-handed hitters out, and promptly gave up a 3 run homer to Hideki Matsui.  But everyone else in that bullpen (EVEN SEAN GREEN!) has been great.  

Hitter: TWO HANDS, LUIS!  TWO HANDS!!!!!!

Summary Analysis:  Well, a pattern is starting to develop here.  Volume 1 aside, the Mets have been bad, great, bad, very good, and then bad.  They have to stay away from these 4-6 type results, and try to keep their bad stretches at 5-5.  

In any case, what sums up this volume?  As is usually the case in baseball, it all ultimately comes down to starting pitching.  And the Mets didn't get it this volume.  Too many duds in Pittsburgh, plus a dud from Maine in Washington, plus a mediocre start by Livan friday night = 4-6.  Of course, the Mets had their chances to turn this into a 6-4, or even 7-3.  In fact, this should have been a 5-5 result at least, but Luis Castillo did his best do prevent that (I don't want to talk about it anymore).  

But you know what, folks?  The Mets are battling.  They really are.  I mean, look at this lineup, people.  Just look at it.  Look at all that has happened with these ridiculous injuries this year.  And yet the Mets are still right there in the thick of things, fighting blow for blow with Philly, beating the Red Sox, beating the Yankees, keeping themselves above .500, keeping themselves within striking distance of the Phillies.  

Speaking of the injuries, I think we can go all the way back to the start of the San Francisco series in mid-May.  Since then the Mets have been without Delgado and Reyes, and there have been more too along the way.  The Mets are 14-13 since then.  Now, that's not anything to dance about, of course.  But it is over .500, and a hell of a lot better than 10-17, which it could EASILY be right now.  And also - think about the fact that after 60 games last year, the Mets were 30-30, and something like 7 games behind the Phillies.  Things are rough right now for sure, and this team has its flaws, among them being all these ridiculous injuries.  

But they are battling.  They are fighting.  Cast in point: yesterday's win against the Yankees.  This is something the Mets have specialized in over the last year and a half or so - coming back strong after a demoralizing loss.  We saw it so many times last year, and we saw it again yesterday.  I don't even want to talk about that loss on friday.  I just don't.  I just can't.  (TWO HANDS, LUIS!  TWO HANDS!!!!!!).  And then they came back the next day and decisively flat-out beat the Yankees in their home bandbox (that "stadium" is a joke).  

Of course, now we have to really brace ourselves, because the schedule really does not let up until the all-star break.  Next up for Volume 7 is the rubber game against the Yanks, 3 games at Baltimore, 3 games against the Rays at home, and then another set against the Cardinals at home.  I'd probably sign up right now for 5-5, although I think the Mets can win all of these series.  

Here we go.  Remember: Ya Gotta Believe.  

Around the NL East:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 7-3, 5-5

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 5-5

Marlins: 9-1, 3-7, 4-6, 3-7, 4-6, 6-4

Basically, the Phillies are one 10-game stretch better than the Mets so far this season.  The Braves are nothing but a .500 team.  I mean, look at those numbers.  Nothing says "we are a .500 team" more than all those 5-5's.  The Marlins have finally posted a winning 10-game stretch.  Horray!  Good for you, fishies.  

And in the American League, the Red Sox currently own the Yankees.  

You Have Got To Be F&^%$*) Kidding Me

And now for a conversation between myself and my angry twin (which one is really me is up for debate):

Myself: Did that really happen?

Angry Twin: Yes, it f%$#*&g happened. Are you blind?

Myself: Yes.

Angry Twin: I thought so.

Myself: So, what does this mean?

Angry Twin: It means that Luis Castillo is a fat POS who never should have been signed nor brought back to play again this year. It means that he is the biggest loser in baseball and also that this Mets team (a team that cannot touch third base or catch routine pop ups with the game on the line) will never win anything because they are, fundamentally, a bunch of choke artist losers with no backbone.

Myself: It has been rough for this team, and that was indeed a ridonkulous play. But it's a little early in the season to be talking like that, no? I mean the Mets are 4 in the loss column behind the Phillies, with 103 games left to play. Are you really ready to throw in the towel?

Angry Twin: The Mets have suffered some excruciating losses over the past 2 or 3 years, but I think this takes the cake. And this was the kind of loss that may just linger and ruin the entire season. This could be the start of a spiraling out of control toward 10 games under .500.

Myself: I remember that being said at least 7 times last year.

Angry Twin: At least those losses involved, oh - I dunno - ACTUAL HITS BY THE OPPOSITION THAT WON THE GAMES! This, an error on a routine pop up by a loser on a team of losers, is by far in a class of its own. And it spells the end of a season. Mark my words.

Myself: But it's almost too surreal to even take seriously. I've been asking myself: would I have been more or less upset if A-Rod had hit a homerun? And I honestly don't know the answer. At least with this I can say: "You know what, the Mets won that game. K-Rod got the final out. Luis Castillo does not exist." The fact that he didn't catch that ball almost makes me laugh. I just can't take it seriously. And I've seen what this Mets team has done after crap like this. Usually, they win after crap like this. Oh, and we're still injured as all hell.

Angry Twin: Right, blame the injuries. You know Wright and Beltran are carrying the team right now. They are playing their asses off, and the problem is that through it all - the Mets are still losing. What happens when they inevitably go cold again? The Mets have been wasting solid performances from them since mid-2007. I mean, tonight - the story should have been: "Wright shows NY who the most clutch third baseman in town is." But, no. The Mets can't have it that way. They have to find a way to lose. And instead the story is that POS at second base who deserves to be fired from all of baseball.

Myself: Castillo has actually been valuable up until that awful play. He has been having a good year. Who else is going to play second right now?

Angry Twin: When Reyes comes back, Cora plays second. Castillo goes to St. Lucie.

Myself: Well, I don't have much of a problem with that. Yeah, people who defend Luis Castillo are stupid. I agree.

Angry Twin: People who defend Aaron Heilman are stupid too.

Myself: Hey, Heilman had great stuff. He just had a terrible head.

Angry Twin: Well, in any case... I'm telling you right now - this season is over. This loss is here to stay, and it perfectly symbolizes what the New York Mets are: a bunch of f^%$#@g choke artists with no heart, guts, balls, or anything else that a team needs to be able to win. They should all be ashamed of themselves and, for the good of the sport, should quit altogether.

Myself: Incorrect. This was one, ridiculous game, out of 162. They are 4 losses behind the Phillies, with 103 games left to play. The Mets will not fold. In fact, they will now turn in on, win the next two games from the Yankees, and then go on a run of like 9-3 or 10-2 over their next 12. It's hard, but Ya Gotta Believe.

Angry Twin: Well, I sure hope you are right.

Myself: Me too.

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 5

Greetings, Mets fans, baseball fans, and internet junkies alike, and welcome to the 5th installment of the Mets 10-Game Report.  

Previous results:

Volume 1: Games 1-10: Record: 5-5

Volume 2: Games 11-20: Record: 4-6

Volume 3: Games 21-30: Record: 8-2

Volume 4: Games 31-40: Record: 4-6

And the latest:

Games 41-50

Record: 7-3

@ BOS W 5-3

@ BOS W 3-2

@ BOS L 12-5

vs WAS W 5-2

vs WAS W 6-1

vs WAS W 7-4

vs FLA W 2-1

vs FLA L 7-3

vs FLA W 3-2

@ PIT L 8-5

Runs Scored: 44

Runs Allowed: 40

Team BA: 80/322 = .248

Team BA with RISP: 29/87 = .333

Team BA with RISP & 2 outs: 12/45 = .266

HR's: 7

HR's allowed: 6

Team ERA: 90IP, 39ER = 3.90

Starter ERA: 63IP, 26ER = 3.71

Bullpen ERA: 26IP, 13ER = 4.50

Team BAA: 71/343 = .206

Errors: 6

GIDP: 7

Fielding DP: 10

SB: 9

Volume 5 MVPs:

Starter: Every starter outside of Redding has been great, but I'm going to give this one to Mike Pelfrey, who sported a 1.90 ERA in Volume 5 - including a very well pitched game at Fenway Park.  

Reliever: Bobby Parnell gets a slight edge over K-Rod for this volume only because he always seems to have the added pressure of having to clean up a mess left by Putz.  

Hitter: Omir Santos went yard on Jonathan Papelbon with 2 outs and 1 on with his team down by a run in the 9th.  He launched the 97 mph high cheddar offered by Papelbon over the Monster.  That feat alone gets him this award, but that's not the only good thing he did in this volume.  He came up clutch in several other situations as well.  He's starting to remind me of Paul LoDuca a bit with his plate presence, only he has much more pop in that bat.  

Volume 5 "Please serve me another shot of whiskey please":

Starter: Tim Redding's ERA is slowly approaching Ron Darling's IQ.  The biggest problem I see with Redding is that he is always pitching in hitter's counts.  It's hard to get good result when you find yourself at 2-0, 2-1, or 3-1 seemingly every batter.  

Reliever: There is clearly something wrong with J.J. Putz, who has allowed five hits, three walks and six runs with the last 29 pitches he has thrown.  

Hitter: I can't think of one hitter who truly deserves to be the goat for this volume.  Wait, actually, this must go to Fernando Martinez for not running out that pop fly in his second major league game of his life.  

Summary Analysis: Fingers, hips, calves, hamstrings, groins, and stomach viruses + the New York Mets = strange lineups.  But the Mets have been doing a whole lot of winning with these strange lineups featuring the likes of Ramon Martinez and Wilson Valdez at shortstop, Jeremy Reed and Angel Pagan manning center field, and even the occasional Fernando Tatis playing third base!  The no-names - from Martinez, Valdez, Santos, Reed, Pagan, and now Mr. F-Mart - have all held their own fairly well.  A lot of people have been saying: "Hey!  You take out the overpaid stars, and finally this team has grit again!"  I think there is some truth to that sentiment.  But, trust me, you want Jose Reyes back, and you want a healthy Carlos Delgado back too.  

But the Mets have shown that when you're whole team is on the DL, you can still win with solid starting pitching, lockdown relief, and timely hitting.  The stats don't need to be gaudy.  Look at the BA numbers.  The Mets hit only .248 this volume, but they hit .333 with RISP.  That's the difference maker.  We have also been seeing lots of effective small ball run by Jerry Manuel, which is great to see.  That's something the Mets should be doing more regardless of who is in the lineup.  

The Mets have also beat up on the bad teams - mostly the Nationals in this case.  The Phillies are 10-2 against the Nats this year.  The Mets are 5-1.  You have to put the cellar dwellers away to be a legitimate first place team, and the Mets have done that so far.  

Overall this was a very positive stretch of 10 games.  The Mets took 2 out of 3 the hard way in a very hard ball-park for a visiting team to succeed in against the Red Sox.  Then they had a sweet 5-1 homestand, capping off a wonderful month of May - finishing 19-9.  Of course, we ended on a downer here with the Mets blowing a 5-0 lead against the Pirates, thanks mainly to the ineptitude of J.J. Putz.  The Mets need to figure out what is wrong with this guy, and fast.  We can't have him going all 2008 on this team this year.  This is 2009, and Aaron Heilman was traded to the Cubs.  Scott Schowenweiss, too, is gone.  If Putz keeps this up, he needs to go join Mr. Heilman and Mr. Schowenweiss.  

The story remains the same for this team, for the most part: the starting pitching is very good, the bullpen (minus Putz) is lockdown.  The offense tends to have a hard time being clutch, but that's why we have Omir Santos!  Sometimes a starter will get shelled around, but this is rare and tends to happen only once every 5 days.  Sometimes Putz will come in like he did last night and lose a game.  Sometimes it might be Sean Green!  But these are the rarities.  Overall - the fundamentals of this team are solid, and they are starting to acquire some attitude.  

Forget about this most recent game in Pittsburgh.  They will shake that off and continue to roll, I believe.  This team is actually exciting for a change.  Believe, fellas, Believe.  

Next up for the Mets now in Volume 6: 3 more @ Pittsburgh, then 3 @ Washington, then 3 vs. the Phillies, and then into the first Subway Series for the new NY ballparks we go!

Around the NL East:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 6-3

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5

Marlins: 9-1, 3-7, 4-6, 3-7, 4-6, 1-1

The Phillies are playing good baseball.  One thing that is so frustrating about them, as someone who hates their guts, is the fact that the always win these games in which they give up tons of runs.  They play well offensively, obviously.  Of course, they also play in Citizens Bank Park and have played the Nationals 12 times.  Take away those 12 games against the Nats, and Phils are only 1 game over .500.  The Braves are 25-25.  Nothing says .500 better than that.  The Marlins are now trying to avoid their FIFTH volume in a row in which they play sub-.500 baseball.  Their pitching outside of Johnson and Volstad (who the Mets can't hit!) is questionable, their offense is still too streaky and one-dimensional, and they still can't play defense.  

Meanwhile, in the league that allows teams to field 10 men, the Yankees really appear to have hit their stride.  The starting pitching is coming together, and the offense has been on fire since the return of A-Rod.  And now Posada is back, and the name Xavier Nady keeps getting thrown around as well.  Look out for that subway series coming up.  It's going to be totally kick@ss.  The Red Sox are going to have to make a decision about Big Papi at some point.  What are the odds of him pulling a 2008 Carlos Delgado?