...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).
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
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