The Mets 10-Game Report

Volume 10: Games 91-100: Record: 6-4

Volume 11: Games 100-110: Record: 2-8

Volume 12: Games 110-120: Record: 5-5

And the latest:

Volume 13:

Games 121-130

Record: 2-8

vs ATL L 3-2

vs PHI W 4-2

vs PHI L 4-1

vs PHI L 9-7

vs PHI L 6-2

at FLA L 2-1

at FLA L 5-3

at FLA W 10-3

at CHI L 5-2

at CHI L 11-4

Runs Scored: 36

Runs Allowed: 50

Team BA: .279

Team BA w. RISP: .258

Team BA w. RISP & 2 outs: .260

HRs: 5

Team ERA: 5.12

Starter ERA: 5.86

Bullpen ERA: 4.09

Team BAA: .277

HRs Allowed: 11

Errors: 6

GIDP: 7

Fielding DP: 10

SB: 7

Analysis: My theory with the 10-Game Report is that, basically, 6-4 and better is a win, 4-6 and worse is a loss, and 5-5 is a tie. That puts the Mets' record this season at 3-8-2. That's pretty damn awful.

But look - Mike Pelfrey is now the on paper ace of this staff. Fernando Tatis is starting at 3rd base. Luis Castillo has been the team's MVP. Delgado, Reyes, and Beltran aren't back yet, and probably won't be back.

What a crazy season.

There's no feeling anymore. As a fan, I'm simply numb. It's liberating, in a way. Last season at this time I was a nervous wreck - hanging on every pitch - crazy. This year? The other day I actually made it through a day having forgotten that there was a game. By the time I remembered, the game was over, and I was merely slightly amused to see that the Mets had lost a game to the Fish.

Is there anything left to root for now? For me there are two things. One is watching the September call-ups. The other is watching David Wright, for whom my awe and respect just continues to grow.

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 12

2009-08-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Volume 12 of the Mets 10-Game Report. I apologize for being tardy with this volume. You know, it's just a little hard to be motivated when it comes to this current Mets team.

Previous Results:

Volume 10: Games 91-100: Record: 6-4

Volume 11: Games 100-110: Record: 2-8

And the latest:

Volume 12:

Games 110-120

Record: 5-5

@ SDG W 5-1

@ ARI L 7-4

@ ARI L 6-2

@ ARI W 6-4

vs SFO W 3-0

vs SFO L 5-4

vs SFO W 3-2

vs SFO L 10-1

vs ATL W 9-4

vs ATL L 15-2

Runs Scored: 44

Runs Allowed: 54

Team BA: .272

Team BA w. RISP: .267

Team BA w. RISP & 2 outs: .227

HRs: 3

Team ERA: 5.18

Starter ERA: 5.92

Bullpen ERA: 4.93

Team BAA: .313

HRs Allowed: 7

Errors: 6

GIDP: 8

Fielding DP: 6

SB: 3

Analysis: In 1973, the Mets were 61-71 at the end of August. They made it to a seventh game of the World Series. Granted, the competition that year was quite bad. But miracles can happen. And that's all that needs to be said.

That, and, oh, David Wright getting hit in the head. Unbelievable. David - next time you get chin music, you better charge the mound.

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 11

2009-08-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Volume 11 of the Mets 10-Game Report. After making a brief cameo appearance, Hope has officially left the building.

Previous Results:

Volume 10: Games 91-100: Record: 6-4

And the latest:

Volume 11:

Games 101-110

Record: 2-8

vs COL L 4-2

vs ARI L 3-2

vs ARI W 9-6

vs ARI L 5-2

vs ARI L 6-5

vs STL L 12-7

vs STL W 9-0

@ SDG L 8-3

@ SDG L 6-2

@ SDG L 3-1

Runs Scored: 42

Runs Allowed: 53

Team BA: .262

Team BA w. RISP: .277

Team BA w. RISP & 2 outs: .035 (Not kidding. 1 for 28)

HRs: 9

Team ERA: 5.11

Starter ERA: 6.11

Bullpen ERA: 4.25

Team BAA: .274

HRs Allowed: 13

Errors: 4

GIDP: 12

Fielding DP: 7

SB: 7

Volume 11 MVPs:

Starter: Johan only pitched once in this volume due to the double-header against Colorado, but I still think he's the only SP who deserves this.

Reliever: I hear that Billy Wagner threw a scoreless inning for AAA Buffalo.

Hitter: Jeff Francoeur has looked impressive at the plate in a Mets uniform.

Volume 11 "Just Shoot Me in the Face!":

Starter: Mike Pelfrey has been so inconsistent this year - so disappointingly inconsistent. He's still young, and maybe next year will be the year he REALLY puts it together. I mean, Johan Santana didn't become Johan Santana until his late 20s. But nonetheless, it has been very frustrating watching Mike take one step forward and then one or two steps back all season.

Reliever: K-Rod, you picked a bad time to go bad.

Hitter: Remember when for the last two months of last season, Daniel Murphy looked like one of the most talented hitters in the league?

Analysis: Losing 3 out of 4 at home to the lowly D-Backs proved that that 5 game winning streak really was just a fluke. The Mets need a miracle to make the playoffs. Hell, they may need a miracle just to finish ahead of the Nationals. Check this out. This was the Mets opening day lineup:

Reyes, SS

Castillo, 2B

Wright, 3B

Delgado, 1B

Beltran, CF

Church, RF

Murphy, LF

Schneider, C

Santana, P

Here's the team we fielded last night and have been fielding for most of the season now:

Pagan, CF

Castillo, 2B

Wright, 3B

Murphy, 1B

Francoeur, RF

Sullivan, LF

Santos, C

Hernandez, SS

Santana, P

And that's basically all she wrote, folks.

Think about just how inept our front office is, though. We could have made moves in May or early June, but we didn't. We didn't because we thought we were getting Reyes, Beltran, and Delgado back. But now we'll be lucky to get even one of these guys back, given the newly discovered extent of their injuries. Unreal.

The only thing the Mets have going for them is that they still have plenty of games to play against the teams they are chasing. But, they basically have to win all of those games. I continue to believe that anything is possible in the game of baseball, but I'm pretty much looking toward next season now.

Around the NL East:

Oh, who cares...

Quote of the Day

2009-08-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

"What I will criticize about management is that they don’t take sufficiently seriously their obligation to serve as the custodians of the Mets’ identity and heritage. It is shameful for an executive of a team to dismiss the idea of an “Old-Timers’ Day” game because it is not sufficiently profitable. We all know that baseball is a business, but management has to know that fans don’t love baseball because it’s a business. We don’t give a flying f— how much money the owners make. The owners have been entrusted with our faith, our personal identities, and our family histories. This game is about our souls and our community, not their bucks. Owning a baseball team is a privilege, a public trust. So if your fans want an “Old Timers’ Day” game or a “Banner Day,” a Mets museum, a visible Mets Hall of Fame, Mets banners, Mets logos, Mets colors, in a stadium that feels like the home of the Mets, if your fans want to stand behind the dugouts and see the players up close in batting practice two hours before the game the way they used to in their old stadium, you give it to them! Do you hear me?! It DOESN’T MATTER whether or not any of these things increase profitability (they do in the long run, but American business doesn’t usually take the long run into account). None of this would cost you more than a backup shortstop. To make Citi Field a true home for the Mets fan is your moral responsibility. You owe us this. And we would appreciate enormously having some sign from you that you understand this obligation."

-Dana Brand

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 10

2009-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Mets fans, hello. Welcome to the 10th official installment of the Mets 10-Game Report. They are giving us hope again. Keep the whiskey at hand.

Previous Results:

And the latest:

Volume 10:

Games 91-100

Record: 6-4!

@ ATL L 7-1

@ WAS W 6-2

@ WAS L 4-0

@ WAS L 3-1

@ HOU L 5-4

@ HOU W 10-3

@ HOU W 8-3

vs COL W 7-3

vs COL W 4-0

vs COL W 7-0

Runs Scored: 48

Runs Allowed: 30

Team BA: 91/327 = .278

Team BA w. RISP: 27/74 = .365 (Nice!)

Team BA w. RISP & 2 outs: 12/34 = .352 (WOW!)

HRs: 6

Team ERA: 86IP, 27ER = 2.82 (That. Is. Awesome.)

Starter ERA: 59.2IP, 21ER = 3.19

Bullpen ERA: 27IP, 6ER = 2.00

Team BAA: 76/313 = .242

HRs Allowed: 6

Errors: 6

GIDP: 10

Fielding DP: 14

SB: 2

Volume 10 MVPs:

Starter: Livan Hernandez got two wins in this volume with two very nice starts.

Reliever: Pedro Feliciano's arm may fall off by the end of the season, but boy has he been good.

Hitter: Luis Castillo & Jeff Franceour have been tearing the cover off the ball.

Volume 10 "Just Shoot Me in the Face!":

Starter: Oliver Perez drives me crazy with all of those stupid walks. To his credit, he hasn't had a true meltdown start yet.

Reliever: Tim Redding stinks.

Hitter: Ya know, I actually don't think anyone deserves to be here for this.

Analysis: After four straight volumes of pure crap, the Mets have finally turned in an over .500 result, posting a solid 6-4 for Volume 10. And they had to work hard for this one, as they started the volume out 1-4 and came back to win 5 straight.

They truly hit rock bottom after that Washington series. And I guess after that, they figured the truly worst was behind them, and perhaps it gave them a sense that they were about to start anew. Who knows. It all comes down to pitching though at the end of the day, especially starting pitching, and the Mets have been getting excellent starting pitching. Santana is back to normal, Big Pelf - dare I say - seems to be back to normal, Livan is good again, Niese has given the team a lift, and Ollie - though he hasn't been great - hasn't been classically horrid Ollie.

And the offense? I'm not sure how to explain the offensive surge. Basically - you have Pagan and Castillo playing extremely well and getting on base. DW is DW. Franceour has been scary good, and has provided protection for Daniel Murphy. So now you have 5 guys in that lineup who really can hold their own. This takes pressure off a player like Cora who is not really an everyday player. And look - even bad teams go through hot offensive streaks. Now, I hope that's not what is going on with the Mets, but I'm not about to declare them new and improved and ready to storm into first place in the WC chase. Not yet, anyway. I need to see another 20 games or so of this.

But there's hope again, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I had resigned myself to the fact that the Mets were not going to do anything but lose. But now, with this 5 game winning streak and with them only 5 games out of the WC lead, and with Beltran, Reyes, Delgado, Putz, and Wagner all looming and looking to come back sometime next month, there is hope.

Next up for the Mets: 6 more games on the homestand - 4 vs the D-Backs, and 2 vs the Cardinals. They must win 4 out of those 6, which would make for a 7-3 homestand, which is excellent. Then they go on the road to play the Padres for 4 games. So of the next 10 games, 8 of them will be against teams that are well below .500. The Mets must take advantage. I mean, simply put, they can't afford to lose much anymore.

Around the NL:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 7-3, 5-5, 2-8, 6-4, 8-2, 6-3

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 5-5, 6-4, 6-4, 0-1

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

Well, since that putrid 4-14 stretch that the Phills suffered, they have really turned it on. So much so we Mets fans have stopped paying attention to the division race and have a hearts set on the WC race now. Both the Braves and the Marlins have been playing solid baseball as of late, but if the track record of the season as a whole means anything, they should be back to .500 and below soon.

Quote of the Day

2009-07-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

"The good thing for Wilpon is his team seems to be oblivious to the chaos in the front office. The Mets posted their fourth straight victory last night. Maybe they should fire Bernazard every night." - Tim Smith, New York Daily News

2009-07-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Damn it, they're giving me hope again!

Mets 7, Rockies 3... and Omar Minaya is a f***&^% idiot

2009-07-28T08:43:00.001-07:00

That win last night was simply the most fun I've had watching a Mets game since sometime in May. And it feels like longer than that. It feels like I haven't seen a game like that since '06. I mean last night was basically the '06 formula: decent, keep-you-in-the-game staring pitching; clutch offense; shutdown bullpen; come from behind win. The Mets mastered that formula in 2006.

That's 3 wins in a row now. But so what? They are still 4 under .500, and while they are not completely out of the WC hunt, they are not exactly right in the mix either. Still, the Mets last night at the very least gave me reason to smile - they gave me reason to be happy about them and about baseball, if only for one freggin' game. One day at a time.

............................................................................

Omar, Omar, Omar... Forget about the fact that you are a scumbag for a second. We'll get to that. Let's start with what a completely horrible public speaker you are:

“Adam, for the past couple of years, has lobby [sic] for a player development position. He has lobby [sic] myself, he has lobby [sic] Tony…”

“All I’m saying was [sic]… that I know that when you wrote the reports, that I am saying, that in the past, you have lobby [sic]… you have lobby [sic], for a player, for a job…”

Listening to you abuse the english language, Omar, makes me want to gouge my eyes out and shove them deep into my ears.

Now, on you being a scumbag... It's pretty clear that you have much love and affection for your good friend Mr. Bernazard and that you are very angry about having to fire him. And this is why you chose to lash out at Adam Rubin in the despicable way that you did, only adding more wood to a fire that you were supposed to be putting out yesterday. That's a real piece of shit thing to do, Omar, and also a very stupid and imprudent thing to do.

But here is what really puzzles me. You stand by your claim that Adam was lobbying for a job with the Mets; that he wasn't just asking people for "career advice", that he was actually trying to get a specific position with the Mets organization. And of course you strongly implied that this had something to do with his negative (but wholly true and accurate) reporting on Tony Bernazard. Yet yesterday when you scheduled YET ANOTHER press conference to issue a quasi-apology for your despicable behavior, Jeff Wilpon who stood by your side confirmed Adam's account of the story, not yours. Jeff Wilpon confirmed what Adam said - that he was seeking career advice, NOT a specific job with the Mets. Yet you still stand by your claim that Adam was lobbying for a job with the Mets. So you're not even on the same page as your boss here. You are in a world of shit, now, aren't you?

I'm so tired of this stupid circus. But hey, all I really care about are the Ws. Let's keep them coming.

Let's Go Mets!

Musings

2009-07-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

So here's basically what has happened to the Mets this season and why they are so bad:

The Starting Rotation: Only Santana has been reliable. We went into this season needing the trio of Maine, Pelfrey, and Perez to solidify the middle of the rotation. Maine is still on the DL, Perez spent most of the season on the DL and has an ERA over 7.00, and Pelfrey has been disappointing. Nieve and Hernandez held down the fort for some time, but could not adequately prevent the inevitable bleeding. Tim Redding is one of the worst pitchers I have ever seen in my life. I can't stand him. Watching him makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

The Bullpen: K-Rod has been great, but we went into the season needing Putz to be great too. He has been on the DL most of the time, and when he wasn't on the DL, he was bad anyway. Parnell started out hot, but is now struggling.

The Lineup: We went into the season needing Carlos Delgado to be what he was in the second half of 2008 and not revert back to his 2007/first half 2008 form. He was good, until he went on the DL, where he is still today. Reyes and Beltran joined him and remain there. Various other key parts spent significant amounts of time there. Replacements and hopefuls such as Tatis and Murphy have been amazingly disappointing, and there has generally been a huge drop-off in talent. Defense? - we won't talk about defense.

So that's it. Outside of Santana and K-Rod, everything else the Mets sorely depended on going into this season has betrayed them. Oh, and we have an utterly inept front office. You simply can't win like that.

..............................................................

I absolutely adore the documentary on the Brooklyn Dodgers that HBO put out a couple years ago. Really informative, and really moving. I wonder what it would be like today if both the Dodgers and the Giants didn't move out of NYC. Imagine? 3 baseball teams in NYC? The traffic would be nuts, but damn - how cool would that be?

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 9

2009-07-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Mets fans, to the 9th installment of the Mets 10-Game Report. Things could be worse, folks. We could be Nationals fans instead

Previous results:

http://www.philliesnation.com/archives/2009/07/commentary-two-scenes-say-a-whole-lot/

And the latest:

Volume 9:

Games 81-90

Record: 3-6

@ PHI L 2-0

vs LAD L 8-0

vs LAD W 5-4

vs LAD L 11-2

vs CIN L 3-0

vs CIN W 4-0

vs CIN W 9-7

@ ATL L 5-3

@ ATL L 11-0

@ ATL W 5-1

Runs Scored: 28 (Yeah, that's 2.8 runs per game)

Runs Allowed: 52

Team BA: 64/318 = .201

Team BA w. RISP: 20/78 = .256

Team BA w. RISP & 2 outs: 5/28 = .178

HRs: 2 (Two. Two homeruns. In 10 games.)

Team ERA: 78IP, 50ER = 5.76

Starter ERA: 49.1IP, 34ER = 6.23

Bullpen ERA: 28IP, 16ER = 5.14

Team BAA: 100/344 = .290

HRs Allowed: 10

Errors: 2 (At least they haven't been making many errors.)

GIDP: 7

Fielding DP: 4

SB: 5

Volume 9 MVPs:

Starter: Johan seems to have returned to form. He pitched a gem in Atlanta a couple days ago.

Reliever: I suppose K-Rod should get this.

Hitter: There aren't even any hitters on this team, let alone MVP hitters.

Volume 9 "Just Shoot Me in the Face":

Starter: Mike Pelfrey has been simply abysmal lately and is seriously underachieving this year. He is currently arguably the biggest disappointment on the staff.

Reliever: Bobby Parnell hasn't been the same since late May.

Hitter: One through Nine.

Analysis: The numbers speak for themselves. Before Beltran went down 40 games ago, the Mets could still hang in there. But look at the last 40 games - the last four volumes... The numbers speak for themselves. This isn't rocket science. When you hit .201, score less than 3 runs per game, and pitch to an ERA over 5.00, you're going to do a lot of losing. And that's what the Mets do - they lose a lot. The lineup has nothing. It simply stinks. It's not that the lineup is underachieving. This is simply what they are with no Reyes, Beltran, and Delgado to compliment guys like Wright, Castillo, and Francoeur.

The starting pitching, on the other hand, is underachieving. For example, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez. For example, Johan Santana's horrible month of June (though he seems to have been better lately.). Add to that the injuries that the rotation has suffered as well, and it only exacerbates the problem. The bullpen has flaws too - with no Putz, and with Parnell struggling. K-Rod is all we really have. Him and Pedro Feliciano. It's funny how the pitching really didn't go into the tank until the offense started to fumble, but I guess when it rains it pours.

There is not much else to play. The Mets stink and simply cannot win with this current lineup. The players deserve blame of course, but the organization deserves more. If I have to hear one more time about a guy who has a slight strain all of the sudden needing surgery...

I said it in the last volume - this team, from top to bottom - organization to the players - is one big joke. And the joke is really on us, since we're the ones who really give a damn and since we're the ones who pay the $$$.

If the Mets can actually get Beltran, Delgado, and Reyes all back and all healthy and all productive by the end of August, and if they are still within 10 games of the WC at that point, then maybe there is a slight chance that they can make a run and get the WC. But now re-read exactly what I just said in that last sentence. Yeah.

Up next for the Mets is a 3 game set in Washington, D.C., followed by a 3 game set in Houston, followed by 4 against the Rockies at home. 10 games against bad teams. 5-5 would be a miracle.

Around the NL East:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 7-3, 5-5, 2-8, 6-4, 7-2

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 5-5, 6-4, 1-1

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

The Phillies are on fire. It all started with their sweep of the Mets 4th of July weekend. Since then, they haven't looked back. Leave it to the Mets to make the Braves actually look good. The Marlins are starting to falter yet again, and they are not playing the Mets any time soon, so they could be in trouble for a while.

The 2nd half, and the state of our New York Mets

2009-07-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

On occasion, I like to check out other teams' blogs in order to get an idea of the pulse of the other fanbases. Mostly I do this with the Phillies, and I tend to check out philliesnation.com most of the time. I read this piece just the other day:

Everything seems to be perfect in Phillies nation. If that post is representative of the feelings of the fanbase, and I think it is, I have to say - I don't think I've ever seen a team and their fans feel so good about themselves before. And they have every reason to feel good about themselves. They are defending champs, and they have a commanding lead in the division entering the second half.

The Mets and their fans, on the other hand, don't have much reason to feel good about themselves. Our injury ridden squad is in 4th place and 6 and half games behind, with no relief immediately in sight.

Call me crazy, but I like this situation. While the injury situation still greatly concerns me, I like them feeling good and smug about themselves, and I like us chasing. The Mets are better this way.

Hope.

The Mets' 10-Game Report: Volume 8

2009-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Howdy, Mets fans, and welcome to the latest disaster.

Previous results:

And the latest:

Volume 8:

Games 71-80

Record: 3-7

vs STL W 3-2

vs NYY L 9-1

vs NYY L 5-0

vs NYY L 4-2

@ MIL L 10-6

@ MIL L 6-3

@ MIL W 1-0

@ PIT W 9-8

@ PHI L 7-2

@ PHI L 4-1

Runs Scored: 28 (This is a season-low. Just under 3 runs per game for 10 games. Wow.)

Runs Allowed: 55

Team BA: 70/331 = .211 (As we shall see, while they could somewhat deal with the losses of Delgado and Reyes, Beltran's absence is the straw that has broken the camel's back.)

Team BA w/RISP: 20/81 = .246

Team BA w/ RISP & 2 outs: 6/38 = .157 (What a joke. This team really has become a joke.)

HRs: 5 (That's a half of a homerun per game!)

Team ERA: 87IP, 50ER = 5.17 (How did they even win 3 games? I mean really... 2.8 runs per game, 5.17 ERA...)

Starter ERA: 52.1IP, 35ER = 6.04

Bullpen ERA: 34IP, 16ER = 4.23

Team BAA: 102/339 = .300 (ouch)

HRs Allowed: 10

Errors: 9 (The Mets' defense has been comically and disturbingly bad this season. Lately there has just always been a gaffe of some kind.)

GIDP: 6 (Really? Only 6? Didn't Fernando Tatis ground into about 160 double plays just last week?)

Fielding DP: 11

SB: 8

Volume 8 MVP's:

Starter: I guess this can go to Big Pelf, who threw a great game in Milwaukee the other day.

Reliever: Sean Green got some big outs in Milwaukee and has looked a lot better lately.

Hitter: Alex Cora seems to be making contact a lot. Actually, you know what... the only guy who seems to be having good at-bats lately is Luis Castillo.

Volume 8 I'd Like a Tall Glass of Whiskey With No Ice Now!:

Starter: Sorry, Livan, but you can't go into Philadelphia and give up 7 earned runs in 3 innings.

Reliever: Elmer Dessens? You're still in baseball?

Hitter: David, I'd like to know why you have been such a ridiculously streaky hitter for the last 2 seasons. You'll hit .500 for a good 12 games, and then you'll hit .100 for the next 12. wtf?

Analysis: When it became a reality that the Mets would be without Delgado and Reyes, which was sometime around the Boston series (actually Reyes became an official casualty just a bit later), I thought that the team was still capable of playing .500 ball, perhaps even just above .500 ball. And they did sustain a .500 level of play for a decent period of time. But then Carlos Beltran went down right before this volume got under way. One player really, really can make a difference. And now this team is just in an offensive free-fall. Simply put: they can't hit. Hardly anyone in this lineup can hit, and the only ones who can are seriously hurt by the fact that there is ZERO protection in the lineup for them. Look at the numbers, folks. 28 runs over 10 games. 2.8 runs per game. They just can't hit. Like any bad offensive team, they will on certain occasions score a bunch of runs. But most of the time they are not going to hit and score.

Now, add onto these offensive woes the fact that the starting pitching is now just starting to get exposed for what it is: a mediocre rotation. That happens when you lose 2/5 of it to the DL. Oliver Perez comes back this wednesday. It cannot be stressed enough just how well we need Ollie to come through. And then we need Maine back as well. But for now, Ollie has to make Tim Redding the mop-up man in the bullpen (because, let's face it, TIM REDDING STINKS. Let me say that again: TIM REDDING STINKS).

I really don't want to talk about the appalling defense this team has played. It really has been appalling. I can deal with the fact that we are getting beat due to injuries. But please, Mets, don't add insult to injury. Please, stop that.

Where do the Mets go from here? We keep hearing, "Just make it to the all-star break; just make it to the all-star break..." But, look: Delgado, Reyes, and Beltran aren't coming back until, at the earliest, the last week of July. We are probably looking at early August for all of them. So, it's another month of this ugliness... Another month of 3 runs per game.

It's not even like they have to play like all-stars to win. They just have to pitch a little bit better, and hit a little bit better. They just have to play .500 ball. They have to stay within 5-7 losses of first place. They also have to hope that the NL East continues to stink. Because, wow, does this division stink right now.

But there is a real concern that this team could be way too far out of the race by the time they get the "cavalry" back. And again - as a diehard fan of this team, as someone who bleeds blue and orange - I can deal with losing tough games due to the fact that we are depleted. I cannot deal with dropped pop-ups and mental gaffes. Stop it, Mets. Stop adding insult to injury.

But aside from the sloppy defense, I cannot direct my ire towards the players as I could last year and the year before. My ire is directed at Omar Minaya, the Wilpons, all of the coaches, and the trainers. My ire is directed at the Mets organization who put this disaster together.

Mets fans, listen up: We and our team are, quite simply, the joke of baseball right now. 2007, 2008, the dropped pop-up, the injuries, the double plays, the errant throws, not touching third-base, Jimmy Rollins and being owned by the Phillies, the Yankees sweeping us at CitiField in brutal fashion, Mariano Rivera with his first RBI, the Yankees being the only team playing winning baseball in New York, all this in the inaugural year of a new and VERY EXPENSIVE ballpark... need I go on??? We are the joke of baseball. And it sucks. It really, really sucks.

The good news is that it is only July 6th. There is half of a season left to go. The Mets have 81 games left to play. And this is baseball, after all. Not another sport in the world is more fickle and unpredictable than this one. With all that has happened, the Phillies could lose 4 in a row starting tomorrow and the Mets could win 4 in a row. Would that shock you? Would ANYTHING shock you, at this point?

Around the NL East:

Phillies: 4-6, 7-3, 5-5, 7-3, 7-3, 5-5, 2-8, 5-4

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

Marlins: 9-1, 3-7, 4-6, 3-7, 4-6, 6-4, 5-5, 7-3, 2-1

Have the Phillies snapped out of their funk? Tomorrow will determine that. If they turn their Volume 8 into a 6-4, they'll have snapped out of it. If it turns into 5-5, then just take a look at their last 30 games. Not pretty. I'm not convinced they are ready to take off any time soon. Their starting pitching stinks, and before the depleted Mets came into that joke of a ballpark they call Citizens Bank, they had just completed a 4-14 skid. As the Mets showed in 2007, a team that is capable of going on a 4-14 skid in June is capable of doing some pretty amazingly awful things. The Braves? - still a .500 team. That's all they are. Now, that being said, I still don't relish the thought of the Mets going into Turner Field right after the All-Star Break.

And those pesky fish... I was ready to write them off, and now all of the sudden they are back! 20-13 over their last 33. Still, unless they are 15 or so games over .500 come September, the only team I see as capable of winning this division right now, and thus the only true threat to the Mets, is the Phillies. And the Mets have no shot at winning anything until they get their regulars back. And, hopefully when that time comes, they won't be too far out of it.

Meanwhile, in the other league, the Yankees continue to battle with their schizophrenia. Are they good? Are they bad? Well, they look pretty damn good right now. But they are still 0-8 against the Sox.

Uncle

2009-06-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

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

Previous Results:

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

2009-06-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

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:

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

2009-06-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

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

Previous results:

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?

2009-05-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 4

2009-05-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to the 4th installment of the Mets 10-Game Report.

Previous results:

And the latest:

Games 31-40

Record: 4-6

vs ATL L 8-3

vs ATL W 4-3

vs ATL L 8-7

@ SFO W 7-4

@ SFO W 8-6

@ SFO W 9-6

@ SFO L 2-0

@ LAD L 3-2

@ LAD L 5-3

@ LAD L 2-1

Runs Scored: 44

Runs Allowed: 47

Team BA: 101/355 = .284

Team BA with RISP: 25/96 = .260

Team BA with RISP and 2 outs: 8/42 = .190

HR's: 2 (2?)

HR’s Allowed: 4

Team ERA: 90.1IP, 37ER = 3.69

Starter ERA: 61IP, 27ER = 3.98

Bullpen ERA: 31IP, 10ER = 2.90

Team BAA: 103/363 = .283

Errors: 12 (gasp!!!)

GIDP: 13

Fielding DP: 11

SB: 17 (nice)

Volume 3 MVP's:
Starter: Mike Pelfrey: he has been very steady over his last few starts, and is very economical with his pitches - which I love.
Reliever: K-Rod: this guy is a winner. But we knew that.
Hitter: David Wright: Wright appears to be in first-half 2006 clutch mode. Welcome back, David.

Volume 3 Makers Mark Specials:
Starter: John Maine: he wasn't even that bad, but he got roughed up a bit in his most recent start.
Reliever: J.J. Putz: this man needs to stop giving up a run every time he comes into a game.
Hitter: Fernando Tatis: he has been very cold at the plate.

Summary Analysis: Obviously this is a disappointing result. But I would submit that things are not as bad as they seem. Sort of. The Mets started this volume after having won 7 in a row, so we can tolerate that they started off by losing two of three to the Braves (even though they lost those games in typical frustrating Mets fashion). Then they went to San Francisco and won 3 in a row, and - wow - did they look good doing it. All of the sudden (and this started shortly before the San Fran series) the Mets began to get those big clutch hits, to rake with runners in scoring position, and they began to score lots of runs late in games. They looked stellar.

Then they lost 4 in a row: they lost the last game in San Fran, and then they got swept by the Dodgers. They were in every one of those games until the very end, and - no - I don't want to talk about Church not touching third base in game 2 against the Dodgers. If there is any positive to look at over this mediocre 4-6 result, it's that the pitching was still very, very good. And at the end of the day it's all about pitching.

The problem was the offense. On this recent 4 game losing streak, they couldn't get any hits with RISP. But this time, injuries have played a much bigger role in the offensive struggles. No Reyes, no Delgado. Delgado I believe can be made up for - especially with Daniel Murphy manning first base. And the Mets did alright for a little while with Reyes out of the lineup. But then - and this really killed them - Alex Cora went down with a thumb injury. Enter Ramon Martinez. Mr. Martinez, you have no business being in the major leagues. In any case, the Mets lineup has been a mess over the last few days because of this.

On the one hand - this is comforting, since we can be confident that once the lineup is back in tact, everything will be fine. But on the other hand - who knows how long it will be in flux? Reyes will likely go on the 15 day DL now. Will we have to watch Ramon Martinez play short stop or second base all this time???

In any case - it's worth noting that after 40 games last year, the Mets had the exact same record as they do now. They did it a bit differently last year, going 5-5, 6-4, 5-5, 5-5. I have to say that I feel much, much more confident about the team right here right now than I did after 40 games last year. The Mets posted a putrid 3-7 in volume 5 last year, so this next 10-game stretch for the Mets right now is very crucial I think. They have 3 against Boston at Fenway, and then they come home to play the Nats and Fish. 6-4 would be perfectly fine.

Around the NL East:

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

Braves: 5-5, 5-5, 4-6, 6-3

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

I saw an interesting stat on the Phillies recently. They are 7-2 against the Nats this year. Take away those games, and they are one game under .500. The Braves appear to be playing better, but they are still a .500 team until they prove otherwise. And the Marlins - well they are quickly making a case for being pulled off the list here. They just can't seem to get out of their own way.

In other news, the Yankees look pretty hot right now. Ah, baseball is so funny and so fickle. Things change so quickly. One week, the Yankees are losing everything and look awful and the Mets look like world beaters, and then the very next week things are completely reversed. This weekend is going to be very, very interesting, and - I hope - a hell of a lot of fun. Mets @ Red Sox; Phillies @ NYY. I'll be rooting for the pinstripes for the first time in my life.

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 3

2009-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Volume 3 of the Mets 10-Game Report. The Amazins are starting to roll, and are currently in first place in the NL East.

Previous results:
Volume 1: Games 1-10: Record: 5-5
Volume 2: Games 11-20: Record: 4-6

And the latest:
Games 20-30
Record: 8-2

vs FLA L 4-3
@ PHI W 7-4
@ PHI L 6-5
@ PHI postponed
@ ATL W 6-4
@ ATL W 4-3
vs PHI W 1-0
vs PHI W 7-5
vs PIT W 7-3
vs PIT W 10-1
vs PIT W 8-4

Runs Scored: 58

Runs Allowed: 34

Team BA: 103/340 = .302 (yes)

Team BA with RISP: 30/88 = .340 (yes)

Team BA with RISP and 2 outs: 9/45 = .200 (they still suck at this)

HR's: 12 (see, Citi Field ain't that big)

HR’s Allowed: 8

Team ERA: 72.2IP, 30ER = 3.73 (yes)

Starter ERA: 59IP, 21ER = 3.20 (yes)

Bullpen ERA: 31IP, 9ER = 2.61 (yes)

Team BAA: 77/333 = .231 (nice)

Errors: 10 (woah - too high)

GIDP: 7

Fielding DP: 8 (Big Pelf is a double-play ground-ball inducing machine)

SB: 16 (nice)

Volume 3 MVP's:
Starter: Johan Santana: Is this guy even human? His ERA is 0.91.
Reliever: K-Rod: 4 saves in a row vs the Braves and the Phillies - nice. And in that second game against the Braves, he needed to get 5 outs.
Hitter: Carlos Beltran: He is still locked in and looks as good at the plate as he has ever looked in a Mets uniform.

Volume 3 Makers Mark Specials:
Starter: Oliver Perez: Disabled list, bullpen, minors, whatever - I'm just glad he is no longer in the rotation. Hopefully he will work his stuff out and return in shape.
Reliever: Sean Green: Visions of Aaron Heilman...
Hitter: Ryan Church: His batting average has dropped to the .260s after hitting over .400 through the first 2 weeks of the season.

Summary Analysis: This isn't rocket science, folks. When you pitch well, and when you hit with runners in scoring position, you're going to do a lot of winning. And that's exactly what the Mets have done in this 3rd Volume of the season - they have won a lot. 8-2. That's impressive. It must be noted that the Mets did not notch themselves an 8-2 on the 10-Game Report last year until Volume 13.

Of course, at the end of the day, it really does come down mainly to pitching. The Mets struggled in the first two volumes mainly because the starting pitchers other than Santana pitched to a collective ERA of about 6.50. But over the last 10 games, everyone seems to have gotten themselves in a groove. Big Pelf, Johnny Maine, and El Duque's brother have all been solid. And it was quite nice to see the young Jonathan Niese pitch well against the Pirates on friday night. Hopefully he will be consistent.

I made a point of saying in the last two volumes that we haven't even yet gotten to see the Mets bullpen really show their value. Well we got to see it in Volume 3. Those wins against the Phillies and Braves? - Yeah, not happening with the 2008 Mets bullpen. Parnell, Putz, K-Rod. Wash, rinse, repeat. When the Mets are ahead after 6 innings, they are going to win most of the time. No one is perfect of course, and even K-Rod will eventually blow a save or two. But over the course of a 162 game season, this current Mets bullpen will be the best in the business.

The offense, though they still can't get those hits with RISP and 2 outs, have nonetheless gotten the hits with RISP and less than 2 outs. It's about time, and really was only a matter of time, I suppose. A team with a collective batting average of over .300 is eventually going to bring in those runs. The lineup is starting to gell. Reyes seems to have turned the corner away from his early season slump, Castillo continues to be great at the plate, Beltran is just in the zone, Delgado still has his pop, and even David Wright has shown some signs of improvement. He does still have way too much of a tendency to strike out in big spots. It's funny with Wright. No one looks as bad hitting .310 as he does. But that's the thing - we're all getting on Wright, and rightfully so at times, and the guy his still hitting over .300. He'll only get better too as the season goes along.

The Mets have also gotten some very good help at the bottom of the batting order, thanks to the likes of Gary Sheffield, Omir Santos, Fernando Tatis, and Ramon Castro. Brian Schneider - take your time getting back from the DL.

Winning cures all ailments, and it's very contagious. And it's pretty nice, if you're the Mets, to be able to follow up a 7-game winning streak with Johan Santana on the mound to try to make it 8. What we're seeing now is the starting pitching performing to its potential, which has allowed the offense to relax and simply realize their talent. And there is tremendous talent in that lineup and on this team.

We have, of course, seen this team lose in mind-blowing ways, and we have seen them before look awful after a decent stretch of looking great. But they gave us one encouraging sign here: they whopped the Pirates and swept them out of Citi Field after beating the Braves and the Phillies. Last year the Mets might have dropped 2 of 3 to a team like the Pirates after looking great against their division rivals. So there is good reason to think that this team is on the right track.

For Volume 4, the Mets have a 3-game set at home against the Braves, and then they travel to the west coast to take on the Giants for 4 games, and the Manny-less Dodgers for 3.

Things are finally looking up for this team. Let's hope they keep it that way.

Around the NL East:

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

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

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

The Phillies continue to showcase the fact that they have no starting pitching and a one-dimensional offense. The Braves still can't get their stuff together, and the Marlins continue to struggle after starting off the season 11-1. The Marlins will rebound I think. Their starters have taken a beating lately, but they still have a nice rotation and a lot of power in that lineup.

And in the American League, the Yankees still can't get anyone to sit in those 25oo dollar seats, which now cost only 1200 I hear. And their ballpark is giving up more homeruns than Citizens Bank Park. Meanwhile, the Red Sox continue to play the role of "Daddy" to the Yankees, while the Rays continue to play the same role to the Sox.

2009-05-07T22:55:00.001-07:00

A fork in the road

2009-04-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

The Mets have been terrible this season. They are 9-12. They have been bad in every way (especially David Wright, the "face of the franchise").

There are two ways I could react to this. I could pound on the negative. I could obsess over how they have started a trend over the last two seasons of being a bunch of choke artists. I could write them off, and I could write off the whole season.

(It'd be easier if this was a financially blue collar team. But we know that's bullshit.)

Or, I could recognize that being a Mets fan is about being able to endure pain. I could realize that the money spent is basically irrelevant. These are the Mets.

I could recognize that with the Mets - it is not, and it never was, nor is it ever supposed to be, easy. Even in 1986 when they dominated the regular season, they had to endure Mike Scott. They had to endure game 6 against the Red Sox. They had to endure the brink of elimination.

I'm tired of this team. I'm tired of caring about them. I'm tired of caring about a bunch of millionaires.

But I love the Mets. Maybe they really do suck. Maybe they are a bunch of choke artists. Maybe they will amount to nothing, and the whole team will be blown up at the end of the year, including David Wright and Jose Reyes.

But as long as this season is still alive, I don't give a flying fuck. I love the New York Mets. Unconditionally. And until they are mathematically eliminated, I will believe in this season, and I will believe in this team.

The Mets 10-Game Report: Volume 2

2009-04-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hello, boys and girls, and welcome to the second official installment of the Mets 10-Game Report, brought to you with the confidence that Johan Santana will make it 2 series wins in a row today for the Amazins and get them off on the right foot for Volume 3.

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