Who is the best shortstop in New York?

The real answer to this question is almost certainly Alex Rodriguez. But since he'll be playing third base for the Yankees, once again, let's look at Jose Reyes vs. Derek Jeter.

Jose Reyes is a young rising star who will turn 26 in June. Derek Jeter is an old fading star who will turn 35 in June. Derek Jeter's numbers look as though he is in decline. Jose Reyes's numbers look as though he is in ascent, or at the very least at a plateau - certainly not in decline. You might think that this is enough to say that Reyes is more valuable - in 2009 - than Jeter is, but some persistent Yankee fans have been hard-headed enough to lead me to pull some numbers out.

2008 Numbers

Reyes vs. Jeter
.833 OPS .771
113 Runs 88
37 Doubles 25
19 Triples 3
16 HR 11
56 SB 11
15 CS 5
9 GDP 24

Jose Reyes beats Derek Jeter in almost every major offensive category. Jeter does manage to squeak by Reyes in batting average and on-base percentage but those few points are nothing compared with the huge difference in their power numbers. Jeter also produces more outs, with many more double plays and has a significantly worse stolen base percentage.

On the fielding side of things, Reyes fielder much more balls than average for his position in the National League, while Jeter fielded fewer than AL average. So, while Jeter had a better fielding percentage than Reyes, he also made fewer plays. It is not worth having a fielder with no range and few errors over one with good range and more errors. Reyes, playing with a variety of second basemen, also turned many more DPs (89 to 69) than Jeter, playing essentially with Robinson Cano.

Overall, I (and the Mets) will go with Reyes.

Fresh Faces

Well, they've done it. After six months of nail-biting anguish whenever a ballgame was passed over to the bullpen, the front-office has finally shown that it means business. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez, who set the record for saves in a season (with 62) just months ago, has been signed by the Mets to close out games in 2009 and beyond.

Additionally, in a large and complicated trade, the Mets acquired Mariners' closer JJ Putz to be the primary set-up man for the club. The Mets parted with Aaron Heilman and Joe Smith - exchanging quantity for quality.

Whether they will contend (or, dare we say it, win) in 2009 has not yet been determined. However, these transactions certainly show that the Mets are committed to compete.

Go "K"razy - Reportedly, the Mets have come to terms with free-agent closer Francisco Rodriguez (pending a physical, etc.).

No News (is Good News)

Thus far, the Mets, like the other 29 teams, have been rather quiet. This will probably change soon.

The Mets must decide whether they want to keep Oliver Perez. While he is admittedly remarkably inconsistent, you've got to realize that there aren't a lot of quality starters out there to choose from. Pedro Martinez will almost certainly not return, and if Oliver Perez doesn't either, the Mets' rotation will be two men short. The proven pitchers, such as Derek Lowe, will be quite expensive, and the Mets are unlikely to acquire more than one high-priced starter. (Others include CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett.)

Oliver Perez is familiar with New York and has shown a propensity for pitching well under pressure. He may be the free agent that the Mets need.

If he returns, the Mets will have a solid, if not amazing, top 4 starting pitchers of Johan Santana, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey. And one other good starter, and the rotation is really good.

* * *

But, realistically, the rotation is not the problem. Last year, the Mets had very good starting pitching and they still came up short.

What were the problems? Relief Pitching and Hitting (particularly of the clutch variety). With Ryan Church presumably recovered from his concussion, Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy splitting time in left-field and Carlos Delgado, once again, a feared slugger, the Mets should have a quite respectable offense.

* * *

Good starting pitching. Good hitting. That takes us to the bottom of the ninth. With a lead. To whom? The answer to this question and the rest of the bullpen puzzle may well decide the fate of the 2009 New York Mets. The only two longstanding members of the Mets bullpen are Aaron Heilman and Pedro Feliciano. Heilman is campaigning for a starting slot and both are coming off off-years. The bullpen is in shambles. Joe Smith should be returning. Scott Schoenweiss should also be, but who knows what he is worth. There is a closer (Billy Wagner) being paid, but there is none, as of yet, who will be putting on the orange and blue.

Omar Minaya: This is your place to shine. Build a good bullpen, and you know any talks about your recent extension will be squashed (unless they say, "They should have extended him for 10 years). The rotation and offense are important, but this ballclub will go nowhere without a quality bullpen.

The Moose Has Left His Tracks - But They Shouldn't Lead to Cooperstown

Last week Mike Mussina announced his retirement. Good for him. He had a very good career and, with his renaissance last year, he ended it off on a good note (unlike many other pitchers, like John Franco and Al Leiter, who didn't know when to call it quits.) He doesn't need the money, having made well over 100 million dollars playing baseball. Now, of course, the Mussina-related discussion turns to whether or not he belongs in the Hall of Fame. I think not. Mike Mussina was quite good for quite a while, but is he really a great?

A natural place to turn in this discussion is awards. If a man has shown himself time and again to be the best pitcher in his league (such as Pedro Martinez) then he certainly qualifies as an all-time great. Mike Mussina has never won a Cy Young Award. Ron Guidry, Fernando Valenzuela and Doc Gooden all won Cy Young Awards and none of them is in the Hall of Fame. So did David Cone and Orel Hersheiser. Bret Saberhagen won two, and he isn't in it, either.

Not only was he never the best pitcher in the league, but he was never even particularly close. In 1999, Mussina was so much worse than Pedro Martinez, who got the Cy Young, that Mike did not even garner one first-place vote. His ERA was also well over a run higher than Pedro's.

Mike was almost always good, but never top quality. There was one year (1999) where he was maybe (I don't think so, but it's close -) in the top 5 pitchers of baseball.

Additionally, Mike did not do well in the postseason, and that will quite possibly count against him.

The question of whether Mike Mussina belongs in the Hall of Fame may boil down to this: Is a starting pitcher who received three first-place votes for the Cy Young in his entire career really Hall of Fame quality?

I think not.

Looking Towards Next Year

With season 2008 a thing of the past, we can all try to forget about the World Champions, and concentrate on bringing the 2009 World Series Crown to New York. Queens.

If Omar Minaya can obtain the necessities on this shopping list, the Mets will no longer have an excuse for failing. (Their excuses over the past few years have been woefully inadequate, but have still existed. If the necessary parts come in, there will be no excuse. Period!)

Shopping List:
2nd Baseman
2 Starters
6 adequate relief pitchers

Right Now: The Mets are tied for first place with the Nationals, Braves, Marlins and Phillies (why shouldn't they be listed last?). They all have the pristine record of 0-0.

There's Nothing to Say

Actually, there's always something to say. How about, "How lame would this team be without Johan Santana?"

Oliver Perez's good outing was far from enough as the offense (and to a much lesser extent the bullpen) took the day off. What it added up to was the third straight year that the Mets' season has ended on a sour note, and the second straight time it's been in Game 162.

Omar: Make it worth it to...

Wait 'til Next Year!!

Thin Ice

After some ups and downs over the course of 2 weeks, this Friday night the Mets began a steep decline. They've lost 3 of 4, with a culpable bullpen, and the Phillies have been hot. The sum of things? The Mets are a dangerous just a half game ahead of the Phillies.

The fact is that the Mets are in first place. And while they are hardly firmly entrenched there, their fate is in their collective hand (which, in terms of the bullpen, is kind of scary). Additionally, with Milwaukee's recent troubles the Mets could fall back on the Wild Card as a means to the postseason if the Phillies take the NL East.

If you look at things logically, the Mets should try resigning Tom Seaver to their ballclub and putting him in the bullpen. There's nothing to lose - he can't be worse than anyone else out there. And the potential benefits are great: He might be able to pitch better than the other fellows, in which case the benefit is obvious. Even if he can't muster that, perhaps he can influence the bullpen members, or teach them something about the art of pitching (which he probably knows something about - look at this). Even if that doesn't happen, he's such a popular figure that he will undoubtedly put fans in the seats. Added revenue could very possibly get ownership to spend more money on salary for other, perhaps better, players (see Johan Santana).

All in all, I think it's a no-brainer.

What's the Difference?

What's the difference between the New York Mets of 2007 and the New York Mets of 2008? I'm not asking for some of the obvious ones, the roster changes and such. What is the difference that will very possibly put them over the top?

1. Johan Santana. Having an ace, a stopper, who goes out every five days is extremely huge for a team in the pennant race. Johan essentially replaced Tom Glavine as the Mets' #1 starter, so the difference from 2007 is huge. (Remember Game 162 of last year?)

2. Carlos Delgado. His miraculous turnaround from a year ago is huge to a Mets' offense that's been without Moises Alou and Ryan Church for most of the year. He is hitting well and hitting clutch and has certainly been carrying the team.

There are a few others that can go in there. Camraderie, better production from the corner outfield spots, better defense, better starting pitching (overall), but I think that Carlos D. and Johan are the two essentials that can make this team win.

Coming Up: Oliver Perez takes on Chris Volstead of the Marlins as the Mets look to increase their lead over the Phils.

Flaming Hot

Mike Pelfrey is pitching really, really well right now. How well? 4 runs in his last 18 innings, which were collected in two straight complete games. He also just cracked the top 20 in pitching in the National League.

Over the weekend, the Mets let the Philles climb even closer to them; currently Philadelphia is just one half game out of first. Tonight, the Mets play the first of two in Philadelphia. It's an opportunity for the Mets to strenghten their slim lead, and an opportunity for the Phils to regain it for themselves.

Up Next: Pedro Martinez and Jaime Moyer face off against each other in Philadelphia tonight. Each has been hot of late, so prepare for a pitching duel.

Baseball Note: The Washington Nationals and Seattle Marinersn each have a real possibility of being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in the month of August. The Reds and Pirates each have an outside shot at this dubious honor. The San Diego Padres may get eliminated from the wild-card before September but will still (theoretically) be in the division race. Better luck next year.

Blog Update: You know how it seems as though Billy Wagner is going to be out longer than expected. Well, in some parallel universe I am emulating him. I've extended the deadline for voting in the Billy Poll. Now go out and vote!

After hearing the disheartening Billy Wagner news, (he requires rest before he can resume throwing) the Mets went out and beat Atlanta 7-3. The game was a lot closer than that, however. Good starting pitching by both Jo-Jo (not a typo) Reyes and Oliver Perez left the game at 3-2 in favor of the Braves going into the bottom of the eighth.

The eight inning, the clear turning-point of the game, featured 5 Met runs including 2 RBIs each by Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley and one by Ramon Castro.

The fielding (at least for the Mets) was satisfactory once again.

The Mets maintain a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies.

Yankee Update: After their loss today, the floundering Yankees (3-7 in their last 10 games) are 11 games out of first place and 6.5 games out of the wild card. With Melky Cabrera (lost at the plate, so redirected to the minor leagues) out of the picture and Hideki Matsui in it, Johnny Damon is finding his way into center field. Not very effectively. He made two big miscues in tonights' game, and while only one went for an error, he really showed what he can - or can't - do out there in centerfield.

Poll: Time is running out to vote in our poll. Vote early; vote often.

No Nonsense

Johan Santana didn't want to let the game go to the Mets' abysmal bullpen, so instead he opted to pitch the whole thing. Johan's 0-for-4 might not look pretty, but his complete-game shutout - the first by a Met all year - certainly was pleasing.

The bulk of the offense was delivered by the least likely of the starting 8, catcher Brian Schneider. His 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs was more than enough to deliver the Mets to a victory, their sixth straight.

Apology: In my last blog post I wrote that the Mets were on the verge of sweeping the Pirates. I had not realized that the series in Pittsburgh was a four-game affair and that the Mets will only be going for the sweep tomorrow.

Specific Stats: The Mets are in first place. Johan Santana's ERA is third-best in the league.

Get Your Brooms Ready...

...because the Mets are looking for the sweep. After two impressive victories, the Mets are sending ace Johan Santana to the mound opposite Pirate (and former Yankee) Jeff Karstens.

Where's the Cat?

Because the Mets, like the proverbial mouse, are certainly playing around. Tonight, they were all over Washington pitching with a total of 12 runs on 13 hits.

Two pitching surprises: The Mets won via the shutout, limiting the Nationals to just 4 hits, and they used only 2 pitchers. That's right. After John Maine pitched five great innings, Brian Stokes finished it off.

In the peculiar events of the last two nights, the Mets have had 2 saves - both by different people, neither of whom is the man they pronounced as their closer yesterday (Eddie Kunz).

On the defensive side of things, the Mets have been playing much better, of late. With Argenis Reyes (instead of Damion Easley) and Fernando Tatis (instead of Marlon Anderson) each getting a bit more playing time, no-one should be surprised at the decrease in errors. The surprising part is that the Mets have not made any errors in 18 of their last 21 games. That's pretty good! Included in that was a 12 game errorless streak from July 22 to August 2.

As of this writing, the Mets are just one half game behind the Phillies. That means that if the Phillies lose tonight, (unlikely, they're winning 6-1) the Mets would be tied with them for first place in the National League East.

Quality Starting: The Mets' rotation is really looking formidable. Johan Santana, arguably the greatest pitcher in baseball (I might argue that) is 5th in the league with an ERA of 2.89. Oliver Perez and John Maine are, respectively, 3.90 and 3.97, both very good marks. Mike Pelfrey backs up the list with "only" a 4.11 ERA. That's good stuff.

Surprise Twist

After prevailing rumors (unfortuantely not on this site, I may have been slacking off) of Eddie Kunz being the new closer (until Billy Wagner's return), the closer tonight was Pedro Feliciano.

The good news, of course, that there was a save situation. Johan Santana pitched pretty well and the offense gave its contribution. Add that to good performance by the bullpen, and you've got a victory.

Unlucky

Unlucky just about describes Pedro Martinez (in regard to a certain thing), in that he received a no-decision as compensation for his great outing today. (I can't call the guy unlucky - he'd pulled in over $134 million in baseball contracts coming into this year, according to this.)

Once again, the bullpen blew it. Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano and Aaron Heilman each contributed to today's debacle, combining to give up 6 runs in an inning-plus. Especially distressing (at least to me) was Heilman's reverting to his old ways after two positive outings.

As you may recall (from the last paragraph of this), I have supported Aaron Heilman as the second-in-line closer (i.e. closer when, like now, Billy Wagner is unavailable). I still do support him, but I must admit that his inconsistency is really getting distressing. The step after that is depressing.

However, even after today's loss, the Mets are just 2.5 games out of the division lead. There's plenty of baseball, yet. All is not lost.

Yankees Update: The Yankees, in serious trouble at 8.5 games behind the Rays and 4 behind wild-card leading Boston, are currently losing to the Twins. Boston, too, is currently losing.

Poll Update: Apparently, consensus is that the Mets' biggest problem is their relief pitching. After today's game, I think it'd be hard to argue against that.

New Poll: Coming soon.

Well, it Counts

Johan Santana pitched well again, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in 7+ innings. Scott Schoenweiss blew the Mets' lead and David Wright saved the day in the bottom of the ninth. Just another day in the exciting adventures of Metville.

David Wright and Carlos Beltran had three hits apiece.

The Mets can regain second place by winning the upcoming series against the Florida Marlins.

While he was certainly shaky earlier in the week, Aaron Heilman pitched effectively today. I think that, considering that Billy Wagner is currently out, Aaron Heilman should be the default closer. Sure he has some bad outings - everyone does. However, if you look at his career statistics, it is apparent that he is a very good pitcher. Dominant. Probably closer material. He may be shaky this year, but who's going to do a better job? Scott Schoenweiss? Duaner Sanchez? I believe, Jerry, that the closer's job should be Aaron's to lose.

Beyond Crazy

The Mets just got swept in Houston in embarassing fashion. On a day when they had 9 hits and 4 walks they cashed in for a depressing 0 runs.

Oliver Perez pitched pretty badly, overall, but he only gave up 4 runs in 6 innings. The Mets had the opportunity to do something today, and the offense blew it.

Robinson Cancel made a big base-running blunder in the 3rd inning, getting caught stealing at third base for the third out with David Wright at the plate. Gary Cohen was jumping all over him for that dumb play, but I didn't think that it was so crazy. The very fact that it was a stupid play might catch the Astros off guard, he probably thought. In fact, Robinson had already caught them off-guard once in the inning with his bunt single.

On the bright side of things, Nick Evans had two asssist in leftfield (both at second base), Reyes, Beltran and Delgado each had multi-hit games (3 for Carlos D.), and Eddie Kunz, in his major-leauge debut, pitched a scoreless, if not uneventful, 7th inning.

I believe that at this point, Carlos Delgado should be instated as the number 3 hitter (which would shift David Wright down to fourth). Besides the fact that Carlos is currently hitting better than David, Jose Reyes is hot, too, so by batting Carlos 3rd, you'd be bunching together the consistent hitters.

Oh, to all you batting-average watchers out there, Carlos Delgado (.268) has raised his batting average above that of Carlos Beltran (.266).

Nothing Doing

The non-waiver trading deadline has come and gone, and while there has been a flurry of moves changing the look of New York baseball, the Mets remain unchanged. The Yankees have a new catcher, outfielder, and relief pitcher, but the Mets just have their irregulars and bullpen unreliables (and the hope of Ryan Church's return).

But listen to this: DON'T WORRY! At the current time, the Mets are just a game out of first place. Against a good (but not great) Phillies team, the Mets should probably emerge as NL East Champions.

Additionally, the Mets seem to have a relatively light schedule from here on in. Only seven inter-division games are against good teams (Brewers, Cubs). Also, until August 26th, the Mets play just three games against a third place team, and no games against a team in first or second place. New York also has more home games (29) remaining than away games (25).

All in all, it is clear that the Mets have a decent chance. It's up to the players. If Fernando, Carlos, Carlos, Endy, David, Jose, Damion and Brian (and the pitching staff, especially the bullpen) can get the job done, the Mets will end up on top.

We'll see.

New Poll Question

There is a new poll question up on the right side of the page. Please vote.

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Great victory yesterday, by the way. Oliver pitched really well. Again. Carlos Delgado is making the Mets think about whether they should re-sign him. David Wright had an RBI. What else is new?

4-1 is pretty good. So is first place.

Fried by the Fish

On a relatively quiet night for the Mets' offense, the New York's bullpen gave the Florida fans a lot to cheer about. Called to duty in the middle of the 5th inning (due to an injury by John Maine), the bullpen gave up 6 runs in 3.2 innings. The major culprits were Smith and Schoenweiss, who gave up the lead and, ultimately, 5 runs in the penultimate 8th inning.

Maine had pitched very well prior to leaving the game, having given up just one run in 4.1 innings.

Most of what the offense did muster came from the bottom of the batting order. Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley each had 2 hits and had all 3 RBIs between them. Tatis had the only extra-base hit for the Mets, a triple off of Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco.

Hopes are that Maine will be alright.

Currently, the Mets are 57-49, half a game ahead of the Phillies and 1 game ahead of the Marlins.

Poll Update: Consensus of our (nonscientific) poll seems to be that Mike Piazza should go into the Hall of Fame as a New York Met. That's what I, personally, believe, as well.

Baseball Tidbit: In 1912, Ty Cobb (regularly a left-handed outfielder) played a game at second base. In 4 total chances, he made 1 out and 3 errors. And some people wonder why there are no left-handed infielders.

Red-Hot

Backed by a great performance from Johan Santana, the Mets beat the Cardinals for the second time in three nights to retain their slim 1-game lead over Philadelphia.

David Wright, Fernando Tatis and Ramon Castro each went deep, and Johan himself hit a ball off the right field wall. (It went for a single; he didn't run at first because he thought that it was foul.) His 2 hits raised his batting average to .178.

Santana was also helped out by a great defensive play, a home-run robbing catch made by Carlos Beltran.

Perhaps unsettled by the turn of events after he left his last start (after 8 innings), Johan went the distance tonight, giving up 1 run on 6 hits in 9 frames.

Final Score: 9-1

Up Next: The FIRST PLACE Mets venture off to Florida to take on the Marlins for three games.

Up and Down

The Mets had a good victory on Friday night, in which Mike Pelfrey pitched impressively. Again.

Earlier today, the Mets lost in extra innings to the Cardinals. It's hard to complain about that loss. Even with the regular starter (Pedro Martinez) on bereavement leave, it took the Mets 14 innings to lose. Good show.

(Sorry for the late posting of this entry.)

Back In First

The Mets, coming off a debacle in yesterday's nighttime matchup, have beaten the Phillies and moved into a tie for 1st place in the National League East.

John Maine gave up 3 runs (all earned) in 7 innings, the defense defended, and the offense scored 6 runs. The bullpen (Schoenweiss and Smith in the 8th, Wagner in the 9th) pitched hitless ball, and the Mets are in position to get full control of first tomorrow afternoon.

The game was far from perfect - Maine gave up the lead on two separate occasions, the offense left a troubling 13 runners on base, but when all was said and done there were smiles on the faces in the home clubhouse.

Jose Reyes had the big blow, a 3-run homer off of reliever Ryan Madson in the 6th, to give the Mets the lead that would prove to be enough. Carlos Delgado, hitting cleanup, and David Wright were on base 4 and 3 times, respectively. Damion Easley had 3 hits and an RBI and also scored on the Reyes homerun.

Next Game: Jamie Moyer faces off against the steaming hot Oliver Perez. This duel of the southpaws may shape up as a low-scoring game because both gentlemen have been pitching lights-out of late.

Ridiculous

Ridiculous game today. Nothing more to say. Check mets.com for the facts.

Word of the day: Objectionableness.

Johan Should've Been Sant

We polled the readers of this blog as to who should be the Mets' representative on the National League All-Star Team. The unanimous winner was Johan Santana, who has pitched extremely well of late (not taking last night's debacle into account).

The Mets will continue playing the Reds thru Sunday.

Poll Update: Just a few more days to vote for the remaining poll on the right side of this page.

What Else is New?

(Sorry for my time off.)

The National League loses the All-Star Game. Billy Wagner blows the save. At least you don't need to check whether or not the sky is still up there.

Decent showing for David Wright at the game, with 1 for 3 and a walk. He did not field, as he was the DH.

The Mets are currently leading the Reds 6-5 in the 7th inning in Cincinnati.

El Duque left his rehab game in the first inning due to injury.

If the Mets win this game, they will tie the Phillies for 1st place in the National League East.

WOW!!

The Mets are truly as hot as can be, what with winning the last 9 in quite impressive fashion. In 5 out of the last 6 games, Mets pitching limited the opponents to 3 hits or less. That's the first time since 1990 that that has happened. Even in the 6th game (last night's the pitching staff shut out the defending NL Champion Rockies on 7 hits to complete a series sweep.

The Mets 9-game winning-streak is the longest since they won 9 straight in their 2000 NL pennant-winning season. Hey, there's something to shoot for. Since June 1st, the Mets have won more games than any National League team. Their 24 June and July victories put them

Mike Pelfrey has been dominant recently, allowing just 1 run in his last 22 innings. He raised his record to 8-6 and lowered his ERA to a very respectable 3.64.

With Joe Smith's shutout inning last night, the Mets' bullpen hasn't allowed a run in 19.1 innings.

The hitting was great, too, with both Carloses blasting homeruns.

Congratulations

David Wright has been named to the National League All-Star Team as a replacement for Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano.

Just by the way, the fact that Soriano was selected to start the All-Star Game is an embarrassment. It's clearly an example of ballot-stuffing. His .283-15-40 is far from worthy of starting the All-Star-Game. All of the outfield reserves on the team (especially no-longer-reserve Matt Holliday) have numbers that are clearly better than his.

Even numerous players who did not make the team at all (think Jason Bay and Xavier Nady) had better numbers than him. That makes him worse than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates outfield. Others like Rick Ankiel and Carlos Beltran have similar offensive numbers but are much better defensively, and should also have been given the honor in his stead.

In terms of the rightful position-holder of reserve shortstop, see the final paragraph of this.

Upcoming Series: Tonight, the Mets will take on the Colorado Rockies (defending NL Champions) in the first of three games. Tonight, Oliver Perez will (possibly) show whether he is a good pitcher or a true enigma.

Another Victory

John Maine didn't have his greatest performance of the year today, but after 9 innings of play, the Mets came out on top. After Maine gave up 3 runs in 4.2 innings, Muniz, Schoenweiss (who got credit for the win), Sanchez, and Wagner shut out the on just a single hit.

It is, amazingly, the second straight game in which Mets pitching gave up just 3 hits.

Fernando Tatis was the hero today, with his 2 run homer part of his 3 hit, 4 RBI game.

The final score was 7-3.

Team Effort

In a very impressive performance overall, Johan Santana and the bullpen combo of Heilman, Sanchez and Smith held the Giants scoreless on just a paltry three hits. In a game held up by a 42 minute rain delay, the Mets, perhaps, decided to show that they could win rain or shine.

Ramon Castro had a big three-run-homer in the 4th off of losing pitcher Johnathan Sanchez. Carlos Delgado went 3 for 4 with a couple of doubles. Argenis Reyes got his first (and second) major league hit tonight, and scored a run, as well.

In summation, the quintessential sweet victory. (Okay. Maybe that's a stretch. All the runs were batted in by the 8,9 and 1 batters.)

Florida won and the Phillies are winning. It is likely that the Mets will remain 1.5 games out of first.

All-Star Game Coverage: As you may have noticed, I've put up an additional poll on the righ-hand side of the blog. This one is about which Mets pitcher is most worthy to be the Mets' All-Star representative.

With his solid start today, Johan Santana put the icing onto what should be his All-Star cake.

Great Game

Great game all around today as the Mets took on the Giants in impressive fashion, ultimately emerging victorious by a score of 7-0. Pelfrey impressed, and the bullpen did its job (for a nice change) and the Mets got the win.

All-Star Coverage: Two Mets got slighted in not being picked for the All-Star Team: Jose Reyes and Johan Santana. Johan has pitched much better than his 7-7 record, and has a stellar 2.96 ERA, good for (a tie of) 5th in the league. He's also (tied for) 5th in the league in Innings Pitched, a combination which should certainly have propelled him past Billy Wagner and onto the All-Star Team.

Jose Reyes has the numbers to be in the Bronx next Tuesday. He leads the league in triples and stolen bases and is tied for 12th in batting average. He has a decent amount of walks and 9 homers and 38 RBIs from the lead-off spot. How Miguel Tejada is going to the All-Star Game instead of him is an enigma. (With superman Lance Berkman on his team, Tejada is not the sole Astro, which would solve the mystery.)

Have You Had Your Phil?

Though they exit the city of Brotherly Love just 2.5 games out of first and having just taken 3 out of 4 from their rivals, I think that the Mets have certainly had their fill.

The circumstances that led to the Mets series victory was almost comical. The bullpen was ridiculous, with Billy Wagner leading the way, and the Mets came relatively close to losing each of the last two games in embarrassing fashion.

Nevertheless, they outlasted the Phillies, and for once, or twice, showed a little backbone on both Sunday and Monday.

Pedro pitched relatively well (2 runs, 5.1 innings), and that is remarkably encouraging. If he's got something left in the tank, the rotation is set.

Impossible as it may seem, if Scott Schoenweiss becomes the Mets closer today, I think I will have more confidence in him than in Mr. Wagner. Scott Schoenweiss. No question about Heilman or Joe Smith, who are possibly the two best relievers right now (Heilman's play on Monday notwithstanding).

At 2.5 back, the Mets have a bad (bot not ridiculous) chance of capturing first place by the All-Star break.

Blog Note: I've extended the poll on the right-hand side of the main text of the blog. Come on! Vote!

A Win In at the Cards

After yesterday's disappointing loss, the Mets sure enjoyed today's victory. The hitting was clearly there, with the Mets scoring 3 runs in the first and an astonishing 6 runs in the 3rd inning. Add in Carlos Delgado's 15th home run and Jose Reyes' 10th triple, and you've got yourself a "W."

Carlos Beltran had the night off, but it didn't seem to hurt the Mets at all. Super-sub Endy Chavez went 2 for 5 and scored a run and knocked in another. The Met with the worst day offensively (arguable, obviously) was Ramon Castro, and even he had a walk and a run scored.

Even Mike Pelfrey (a terrible hitter, historically) got in on the fun, getting a hit, a run, and get this, his first Major League RBI in yesterday's game. Oh, he also pitched pretty darn well, giving up a single run in 7 innings.

Going into a weekend four-game series against the division-leading Phillies, the Mets are 42-43 and 4.5 games out of first.

The Mets can theoretically leave Philadelphia on Monday just half a game out of first.

51/49

As we stand at the halfway mark (or rather, just past the halfway mark) of the season, things are remarkably up in the air.

Here are the facts: Reyes is a bit of an interesting fellow, a great player, and a huge enigma. Wright is great at hitting (although his average is a little lower than usual). The Carloses are not quite what they were. (Don't take that the wrong way. I think that they are both quite good, though neither hits for much of an average.

Johan and Maine are good. Pelfrey is pretty good too. Perez's last start was encouraging (which of course means absolutely nothing).

Pedro did pitch pretty well today with the exception of the first inning.

Heilman has been good recently.

41-42 and just 4 games out! I'll take it.

The Main(no 'e') Problem

Regrettably ignored by me thus far, but still ridiculously true, the Mets defense is bad. Today, the Mets had the embarrassing total of 3 errors: 1 each for Maine, Castillo, and Wright. That is just an atrocius number.

The Mets can't hope to play for too long (i.e. October) if they don't get over this sloppy spell. It's just not going to happen. They have good fielders in center, right (now that Church is back) and behind the plate. Left is not that good, unless it's the great Endy Chavez. The entire infield, however, is remarkably inconsistent. It's not that Reyes or Wright is terrible - they both make a lot of good plays. But, they make a ridiculous amount of misplays that just don't add up to a winning situation.

John Maine had a rare bad outing today, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in just 4 innings. The offense had another day off, and it led to another blowout.

The Mets, at 40-42 and playing remarkably inconsistent baseball, are still just 3.5 games behind the division-leading Phillies. It's still June, and this thing is far from over.

It's Ol the Same Story

The Mets won two; the Mets lost two - what else is new? Who would have thought that Oliver Perez would pitch better - clearly better - than Johan Santana? Who could have anticipated Sidney Ponson's great start or Pedro Martinez's bad one?

Oliver Perez, Carlos Delgado and David Wright are looking good - good luck to them, but I think you can get even money that the Mets will be 81-81 come the season's end.

Singing in the Maine

John Maine pitched well (2 runs in 6 innings), and the Mets found themselves in relatively uncharted territory - the victor's seat.

It'd be hard to say that the offense began clicking tonight, after all the mighty Miguel Batista and four relievers held the Mets to just five hits, but #5 proved worth his salary tonight with a coupla home runs and 3 RBI (and a walk). Everyone else went 3-for-26, but at this point, you have to take it. It may be all you can get.

The real newsworthy news is happening over the weekend in a four-game Subway Series. If the Mets win 2, that's good. 3 or 4 would be amazin'. While the Yankees boast a superior record to their New York rivals, the Mets are actually not in such a bad position.

Pitching: The Mets starting pitching is clearly superior. Johan is good. Pedro is a maybe. Oliver Perez is going to pitch very well because he pitched so badly last start. Mike Pelfrey's been pretty consistent. The Yankees counter with Rasner, Geis, Pettitte and Joba. If the Yankees get more than two quality starts, you should be surprised. That is not the case with the Mets.

The bullpens are relatively equal.

Hitting: The Yankees seem to have better hitters than the Mets. However, most of the Mets have been underperforming this year, hitting-wise. I wouldn't be surprised if they hit well over the weekend.

Still, Times Aren't That Bad

Considering all of the Mets problems, they are in a pretty good position. At 37-39, they're just two game under .500, and a manageable 4 games behind the Phillies. That's closer to first than the Yankees or Detroit. Tonight's game features John Maine against Seattle hurler Miguel Batista.

If the Mets offense is looking to cash in, tonight is the time. Batista is 3-9, with an unsightly 6.26 ERA. John Maine, on the other hand, is a healthy 7-5, with an above-average 3.78 ERA (20th in the league).

"Next GAME is now."

Here We Go Again

Inconsistent. That, in a word, sums up the 2008 New York Mets (as of June 25). Omar Minaya and Fred Wilpon (and to a lesser extent, Jerry Manuel) are really going to begin to look stupid if this team doesn't start playing well. Delgado is not what he used to be - I can live with that. Beltran and Wright are around .270 - I can live with that. Santana is less than great. Heilman is less than good. Perez is less than average. You hire a left-fielder who's more consistent than anyone in the game - consistently on the Disabled List. I can live with any of this. But the team can't live with all of it. That's ignoring the fielding on the left side of the infield.

For the Mets to turn it around, things have to change. The hitting has to hit, Howard Johnson. David Wright. Carlos Delgado. Carlos Beltran.

Otherwise you're going to keep losing games 2,3,4 to 1 (or 0).

Jo, What's Up

Johan Santana gave up a grand-slam in the second inning. To the pitcher. On an American Leauge team.

Was he A) not paying attention/frustrated with Wright's error, or B) trying to challenge Hernandez and make sure he didn't walk in a run?

Off auto; onto Manuel

Willie's gone, Jerry's in. I have absolutely no idea why. There's no way that anything is Willie's fault. I guess Omar's just dumb!

Nixon' the Holes

Trot Nixon is here. I hope he's raring and ready to go crush the Yankees in the Subway Series in 2 weeks. Here's wishing him well.

David Wright with a weird play yesterday. Check it out.

Losing Streak

The Mets are currently mired in a funk- a slump.

Hats off to Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes for hitting the ball.

Happy Birthday, Jose!

Ty Cobb and Jose Reyes are the only dudes with 250 steals 50 triples by age 25.

Ty Cobb is rated 5th best baseball player by Bill James. That includes pitchers and Negro League players. Of course, a lot of people would say that James is crazy - Cobb's .367 career batting average would have to make him first or second best player. Of course, either way, Reyes is in good company (hitting-wise).

Hmmmm

Befoe yesterday's ridiculous 10-2 loss, the Mets had won 5 out of 6. Wright and Reyes were hitting, as was Tatis. Tomorrow, Pedro's pitching. We'll see what happens.

Change of Plan

Due to time constraints brought about by Finals and other pressing things, this blog has been changed and will now be receiving 1-3 posts a week, instead of the previous 5-7. Hopes are that in the relatively near future we will revert to our previous status.

On a Metropolitan note, don't ask? The Mets just got swept in a 4 game series by the rival Atlanta Braves. It's simple: Reyes and Castillo are below their potential (and Beltran), Church and Alou are hurt, Delgado is aging, and the pitching is scarily inconsistent, beyond Maine and Santana.

If Pedro comes back, the big boppers get hot, Pelfrey and Perez pitch better, or Reyes and Delgado start playing like 2006, the Mets should keep pace with the pack. If all those things happen, you can welcome October with a grin.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch

After my brief hiatus, the Mets are looking, precariously good. Second thing first: The Metropolitans looked quite good in sweeping the crosstown-Yankees in an abbreviated series. Johan pitched alright. Perez pitched very well. Reyes hit; Wright hit - everything was good. Carlos Delgado hit a home run a long drive that the umpires, after a coffee-break and a conference, decided was foul even though it was fair. Bravo! Fortunately, the Mets won.

The Mets are a game back of Florida.

Bullpen Failure

In a disappointing defeat against the Nationals, the Mets managed just 6 hits while losing to the Nationals 6-3. Jason Vargas pitched a great game, giving up just 2 runs in 6.1 innings.

Ryan's Rockin'

Ryan's Rockin' - Ryan Church that is. The Mets new right-fielder continues to hit the tar out of the ball at a Ruthian clip. His 2 hits today raised his average to .324. His 4 RBIs lifted him to 30, which is good for (a tie of) sixth in the league.

John Maine's stellar outing today (1 earned run in 6 innings) lowered his ERA to 2.81, good for 11th in the league.

Moises Alou and Brian Schneider continue to hit. They recently joined Church as regulars in the lineup hitting above .300 (for Moises Alou, at .364, way above). Even John Maine, a notoriously bad hitter (see this) did some work at the plate today, getting a single off of John Lannan.

In other baseball news, Andruw Jones is hitting .170, Robinson Cano is hitting .183, and Jason Giambi, by going 2 for 2 today, raised his average to .194. I think these three ballplayers are making a combined 40 million dollars (approximately). Meanwhile, Johan Santana is hitting .222. I know it's impossible, but maybe he should ask fo,r a pay raise.

The Mets, at 20-17 are in 3rd place, half a game behind the Phillies and two games behind the Marlins.

Not Quite Stellar

10-4. That was the score of today's game. It's also a very good representation of it. Nelson Figuerroa did not pitch well. The most optimistic person will look at the stats, and note that Nelson gave up 4 Earned Runs in 5 innings. Never mind that of the two Mets errors, one was made by him. Never mind that he walked more men than he struck out. There are no two ways to look at it - Nelson was ineffective.

On the other hand, he wasn't terrible. Even with all his walks, hit-by-pitches and hits given up, he still limited the Nationals to 6 runs (4 earned). The man who lost the game is Jorge Sosa. Sosa once again proved himself inadequate of handling major-league pitching. He gave up 4 runs in just an inning rasing his ERA to an astronomic 7.06. Sanchez, Smith and Wagner each contributed a scoreless inning; Wagner retaines a pristine ERA of 0.00!

The hitting was on tonight: Reyes, Beltran and Alou had multi-hit games, as did super-sub Damion Easley. Wright and Easley homered. The only thing that the Mets lacked was clutch-hitting.

David Wright is currently 3rd in the league in RBI with 32.

The Mets are currently in third place at 19-17, 1/2 a game behind the Phillies and 3 games behind the Marlins.

Bounceback Performance

In an encouraging performance overall, Oliver Perez was Mr. Encouraging himself. He pitched quite well over six innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks over a respectable 6 innings. Even in this start, he showed both sides of himself: Through 5, he was the dominant pitcher who became a number 2 starter when Pedro went down; in the sixth he was the inconsistent pitcher that the Mets have met over the last few weeks. But there's no denying his performance - he bounced back from a bad outing and put in a solid effort, overall.

The hitters were having a blast today, pounding 14 hits against hapless starter Johnny Cueto and 4 relievers. Beltran and Church homered, for Church his 7th blasting him past David Wright for the team lead. Beltran also had a double, and Luis Castillo had a three-base hit to help the Mets to victory. It's good to note that while their batting averages are still quite low, Beltran, Castillo, and Reyes seem to be getting going. If they can hit consistently, who knows where this lineup can take the team?

Beltran and Wright are each in the top 10 in walks. Hence, while they've been struggling, they both have good On Base Percentages.

David Wright is currently tied for third in the leagues in RBIs, having amassed 31. If Reyes and Castillo start hitting like they have historically (and Wright does, too) there is no saying what kind of numbers he can end up with. 150 RBIs? 160? Time will tell.

The Mets are currently 19-16, tied for second place with the Phillies at three games behind the Marlins.

50/50

I guess you can describe today for the New York Mets as average - no more, no less. With a record of 1-1 today that would seem to fit. More on this soon.

You could easily look at today's two games as essentially similar for the starting pitching. Both pitchers pitched pretty well. You coud delegate the difference in scores between the two games to two things: 1. the Mets relief pitching; and 2. the Mets offense. And you might be right. But, in reality, there was much more than that going on. Johan Santana, the greatest pitcher this side of Tom Seaver, pitched okay (at the best). He gave up 3 runs and 10 hits in just 6 innings of work. Now, I'm not getting down on him, that's a great game if it's one of your worst (which it is), but still, not a great performance. Mike Pelfrey, on the other hand, has been down on his luck recently. His previous 3 starts had a composite ERA of over 8. Today, he pitched 6 innings - not more than you'd expect for a number 4 or 5 starter) and gave up just 2 runs, while registering 6 strikeouts. That's a pretty darn good step in the right direction.

Funnily enought, with the starting pitching going down in the first game and up in the nightcap, the hitting provided a veritable contrast. In the first game, 5 Mets had multiple base-hits (Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Schneider), including 3 who had been slumping. They amassed an impressive 12 runs on 12 hits. In the second game, the whole team got just 4 runs, mind you, this was with somewhat of a B lineup with Alou, Church, Schneider, and Castillo being replaced by Anderson, Chavez, Castro (Welcome Back) and Easley. Note: All 4 of the hits were by the four regulars: Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado.

Beltran and Delgado got multiple extra-base hits.

The Mets are currently in third place at 18-16, a game behind the Phillies and two games behind the Florida Marlins.

Maine Alive

Maine Alive - John Maine is a terrible hitter. Before today's game, he had no hits in 11 at-bats this year. Well, you might think that that is just because it's early - he hasn't gotten into a groove yet. However, the facts remain that going into today's game his career average was a minuscule .074. His season high (last year) was .109. In his entire career, he has just two extra-base hits. Now, would you have guessed, going into the game, that he would bat in more runs than he would give up. Personally, I doubt it. The fact remains that he pitched extremely well, giving up a lone run in 8.1 innings, and doing all right with the bat, 1 for 4, with, get this, 2 RBIs.

Of course, it wasn't really necessary. Offensively, the Mets did quite alright without him. Ryan Church had 3 hits (including a home run) and Luis Castillo, Marlon Anderson and Raul Cassanova had two apiece. Everyone else in the starting lineup had 1 hit except Jose Reyes who walked twice and scored a run. All in all, quite satisfactory.

By the way, with a total of 13 runs scored in today's game, I think I made a slightly bad prediction on Monday. Wednesday afternoon should be a low-scoring game, with John Maine facing off against Brad Penny. I guess everyone has to get their share of mistakes.

The Mets are currently in third place, one game behind the division-leading Phillies and Marlins.

Defeat tastes terrible

Last night, the Mets played a pretty bad game against the Dodgers. Oliver Perez, while showing some improvment by only walking two batters, gave up 5 runs in 6 innings. I'm not going to say that hope is lost (like some others), but he definitely didn't contribute too much yesterday. I mean, three home runs, please!

The batters seemingly took a day off, with the whole team accumulating just 5 hits (2 for extra bases).

The two (relative) bright spots in this game were the defense and the bullpen: Both played adequately in an otherwise unproductive Mets night.

The Mets are currently 16-14. They trail the Marlins by half a game and the Phillies by 1.5.

On the road to LA

The Mets are currently having trouble hitting Dodger Chad Billingsley. Wright has two strikeouts, and the Mets have yet to score a run after four innings of play.

This game is the first of 3 for the Mets against the Dodgers on this last stop of their road-trip. Tomorrow night Nelson Figueroa will face Japanese import Hideki Hiroki Kuroda. Wednesday afternoon should be a low-scoring game, with John Maine facing off against Brad Penny.

According to this, with the Mets impressive win yesterday, they improved their record while wearing black uniforms to 4-1. Some people may argue with the black uniforms objectively, but 4-1 is not the kind of track record you can argue with.

Series win in the desert

Some statistics are really deceiving. If I told you that one team had 6 hits and 2 errors, and the other had 10 hits and 1 error, you'd probably feel pretty confident that the first-mentioned team emerged victorious. However, in the only statistic that counts, the Mets beat the Diamondbacks 5-2. The pitching was phenomenal. Johan Santana gave up a run in 6 innings. While it took him a lot of pitches to do so, he surely showed the D-backs who is boss. Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa and Billy Wagner combined for 3 innings pitched and just one run allowed.

The Diamondbacks pitching was equally special, with Danny Haren and three relievers giving up just 3 runs over 9 innings.

The hitting was not all that great, which is understandable, considering the fact that the pitching matchup was Santana vs. Haren.

The difference in this game came in the top of the ninth. With the score died at 2, Beltran and Alou hit singles. Delgado grounded to first base, where Conor Jackson, attempting to make a double play, threw the ball into left-field. The result was disastrous for the Western-division leading Diamondbacks. Beltran scored with ease and Delgado joined Moises Alou on the basepaths. Then, Schneider bunted the runners over, Castillo received an intentional walk, and Marlon Anderson, the pinch-hitter, plated Delgado and Alou with a well-struck single to right.

All in all, great pitching, decent fielding (Ryan Church made a great play on a ball in the 8th) and good, timely hitting. To me, that spells victory.

The Mets are currently tied for second place with the Florida Marlins, half a game behind the Phillies.

Update: Just a couple of non-vital stats that I just saw. Johan Santana currently leads the major leagues in strikeouts, with 47. He also just cracked the top 10 in the National League in ERA.

Just a quick recap

Over the last two games, the Mets emulated what they've done throughout the past month: look good and look bad. Friday night's game was great. John Maine pitched well, the offense came alive and Jose Reyes hit like he did a year ago. Yesterday, Pelfrey pitched badly, the bullpen copied him, and the offense was not enough to offset that. Tough break.

It's a good thing that the Mets have their ace going tomorrow. A good performance can have the Mets take 2 of 3 from these pesky D-Backs. That's pretty good, against the best team in baseball.

Just as a sidepoint, I don't know who exactly designs a team's uniforms, but whoever does it for the Diamondbacks should be shot. Twice. Take a look at this. Maybe it never got to those Arizona officials, but a nickname is supposed to be a NICKNAME!! What are they doing putting it on their uniforms?? It's meant to be shortened for the benefit of fans who say the name often, and sportswriters who write it frequently! Nobody's going to get tired of seeing the word "Diamondbacks" on the uniform once. And if they do, they have other problems.

At least when they come to New York, we won't have to see this embarrassment. They actually spell out the whole "Arizona" on their away jerseys.

Pre-game Intro

Coming up tonight is the first of 3 between the Mets and the Western Division-leading Diamondbacks. Tonight's matchup is Micah Owings (4-0) against John Maine (2-2). The pitching differential, however, is a lot closer than it looks. Maine's 3.58 ERA is practically equivalent to Owings' 3.48. Owings also has a better walks-to-strikeouts ratio, but overall, they're reasonable equal.

On the hitting side, however, the difference between these two pitchers is real. This year, Maine is hitting below his stellar .077 career average, while Owings is hitting a ridiculous .421.

Let's go METS!

Day off for the Mets - but not for the blog

--Edited: June 16th, 10:12 PM

Considering that the Mets are off today, there's got to be something else to talk about. How about the Yankees?

The Yankees, to put it bluntly, are hurting - no pun intended. No, seriously, no pun intended. I'm not referring to people like A-Rod, Posada, and the rest of the walking wounded that they call the New York Yankees. I'm talking about their dreadful production from first and second base, and about their starting and middle-relief pitching.

Case in point: Today's game against the no-longer-struggling Detroit Tigers. Ian Kennedy pitched 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs (all earned). Hey, I have to say one thing in his favor: He's
better than Phil Hughes. Seriously - who wouldn't take an 8.37 ERA over a 9.00? And after he left the game, I'm sure Yankee fans were delighted that the ball wasn't given to Farnsworth or Hawkins.

Congratulations to Robinson Cano, who went 1 for 4, raising his batting average to a fearsome .155! Bravo! In all seriousness, he'd better shape up. This "beginning of the year" bit won't hold up too long - he's had 110 at-bats, already. Then there's the third member of the "I make more than the Florida Marlins" club, Jason Giambi. He's got to be feeling good about himself, he's outhitting Robinson Cano! His .164 batting average is certainly inspiring fear in the minds of his opponents. Jason, better watch out, or you'll be the first player since Mark McGwire to have more RBIs in a season than hits.

With the highest payroll in baseball, the Yankees are in 4th place, 3 games behind division leading Orioles and Red Sox.

The Mets are 14-12, tied with the Marlins at half a game behind the Phillies.

Ol is Lost

Ol is lost - Oliver Perez that is. Directions wouldn'tve been enough for him to find the plate last night - what he needed was a roadmap. With 5 walks in just an inning and two-thirds, Perez was clearly lost. Unfortunately, so was the rest of the team. While Perez may have lit the fire for the Pirates, Jorge Sosa, with 5 runs allowed over 1 inning, doused it with gasoline. The rest of the bullpen was surprisingly good. Feliciano contributed a scoreless frame, and Heilman pitched two, lowering his ERA to a more manageable (if not optimal) 5.51. Nelson Figueroa pitched well in 3.1 innings of relief.

The bats, too, seemed to be lost. Against a mediocre combination of Gorzelany, Van Benschoten, and Meek, the Mets amassed just a run on two hits. If Delgado and Reyes can turn their games around, the Mets will be in good position. If not, too much is being left to Ryan Church, David Wright, and the starting rotation.


The Mets are currently 14-12, tied with the Phillies at half a game behind the Marlins.

Back after my Passover break...

...well, here we are again, 24 games into the season. First things first: The Mets are in 3rd place, 1 game behind the Marlins, and half a game behind the Phillies. The current record is 13-11. This basically portrays how they've been playing: pretty good.

David Wright's in a bit of a batting slump - his average is down to .280. Brian Schneider, Angel Pagan and Ryan Church are all playing above and beyond expectations. Luis Castillo, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Delgado a bit below what you'd expect. The pitching has overall been pretty good, especially once you consider that 2 of the top 5 (or 6) pitchers are on the Disabled List. Aaron Heilman, in particular, has been a disappointment coming out of the bullpen. The same applies to Jorge Sosa. Other than that, the bullpen has been very good, especially Billy Wagner and Duaner Sanchez.

One eerie point of note: I had an unsettling memory recently of a Mets rightfielder doing well in the beginning of the season (similar to what has occurred this year thus far with Ryan Church). In that particular season, the outfielder slacked off heavily. I am talking, of course, about Shawn Green and last year. Here's to hoping that Ryan Church can retain his optimum rate of production longer than Shawn did last year. I suppose that there is reason to expect this, because Church is, after all, significantly younger this year than Green was last year.

Game in progress: 4-4 New York versus Pittsburgh. Middle of the 11th. Details to follow (perhaps).

Series Sweep

Great game tonight, as the Mets toppled the Nationals in 14, 3-2. Great pitching by both teams. Perhaps more to follow. Got to go now!

The Mets are currently 8-6, just1/2 game behind the division-leading Marlins.

Series Sweep

Pitching was the name of the game last night, as the Mets outlasted the Nationals in 14 innings, b a score of 3-2. The starting pitching was tremendous with Washington's John Nallan giving up just 1 run on 3 hits in 6 masterful innings. He struck-out 11 and walked none, and at one point retired 16 consecutive Mets. However, he was only slightly better (and at that, only arguably better) than New York's Nelson Figueroa. He allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in 7 innings, and gave the Mets a great chance at victory. Figueroa has now pitched well in both of his starts, which is a great sign for the New York Mets.

On the offensive side of things, things were rather quiet. Nick Johnson homered for Washington's two runs in the fourth inning. For the Mets, Ryan Church had an RBI double in the first, and Carlos Delgado had a clutch RBI single in the eighth.

And they're over .500

The Mets, tonight, kept Matt Chico winless as they conquered the Nationals for the second straight night, this time by a score of 5-2. Once again, good pitching was an integral component in the victory. John Maine gave up just 2 runs in 6.2 innings. Joe Smith relieved and Billy Wagner saved as the Mets emerged victorious.

On the hitting side, the Mets performed well. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran each launched their first home runs of the year and Ryan Church hit his second. Luis Castillo went 3-4, which is a great sign for the slumping second baseman.

If the Mets can continue to get quality starting pitching from their 2-4 starters, they should rule the division and regain the crown that they lost to the Phillies in 2007. The past two nights' pitching of Pelfrey and Maine is extremely exciting. Not to be ignored, too, is the quality relief of the past two nights. If the pitching can hold up, the sky is the limit for 2008.

The Mets now stand alone in second place at 7-6, 1.5 games behind the Florida Marlins.

Pitching

With Mike Pelfrey's great outing last night, the pitching situation looks rather secure. This is not definite at all. Mike still has to prove himself more consistently as does Nelson Figueroa, the fifth starter right now.

With Duaner Sanchez back, things look very good for the bullpen. One interesting thing to note is the order in which the relievers came out of the 'pen: Aaron Heilman entering the game before Sanchez. That would seem to imply that the eighth inning will now belong to Duaner, with Aaron being demoted to the seventh. It's not clear that this is what Willie plans on doing (time will tell), but if it is, I'd like to note that I think that it is a bad decision. Aaron is a quality reliever. There is no point in messing with his confidence. Pushing a guy who hasn't pitched in 21 months ahead of him seems rather degrading. If this is what Willie does, I hope it doesn't ruin Mr. Heilman.

Victory over the Nationals

The Mets played a great game overall. Mike Pelfrey pitched dominantly, and David Wright and Jose Reyes wielded hot bats and the Mets emerged victorious by a score of 6-0.

Luis Castillo, who is mired in a bad slump has been dropped down to 8 in the batting order. Ryan Church is consequently hitting second, between All-Stars Jose Reyes and David Wright. This order seemed to work out because Wright had 5 RBIs and Reyes had 4 hits. Pelfrey, over six innings, gave up no runs.

Their record is now 6-6. They are tied for second place with the Phillies, 1.5 games behind the Florida Marlins.

One more thing

I apologize. I forgot about another rather significant injury: Moises Alou. Though, it's hard to believe that his absence is hurting the team, what with Angel Pagan putting up great numbers.

That's all for now, folks.

Just a little introduction

Right now, the Mets are 5-6. To get to the playoffs, they probably need around 90 wins. With an above-average lineup and an excellent pitching staff, it should be pretty easy. But there's a problem: Injuries. 2/5 of the rotation is injured. (El Duque Hernandez, Pedro Martinez.) The 2nd or 3rd best relief pitcher (Duaner Sanchez) is injured. The All-Star shortstop (Jose Reyes) is injured. So it's not going to be so easy.

On the other hand, the Mets still have a rather volatile lineup with perennial forces like David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo. They have the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana, going every 5 days, and Oliver Perez and John Maine are nothing to sneeze at either. The bullpen is decent, with Billy Wagner and Aaron Heilman leading the way. So there's still hope.

Additionally, with some luck, the Mets will have all of their wounded back before too long. This should certainly make them the team to reckon with. All right. That's all for now. Check back later for anything new.

P.S. On a more broad baseball note, I watched part of the game between the D-backs and the Giants yesterday. Even facing a terrible Giant lineup, Randy Johnson didn't look too great. After all, 44 is 44. Get the hint man: Leave. I never used to have anything against the guy, but when he started messing with the camera-man, I lost my respect.