Remember how I said Mike Pelfrey needed to make a statement last night? Well, I wish he'd retract it. Pelfrey was awful, throwing 74 pitches and allowing 6 runs over 1.1 innings. Needless to say, this outing combined with the currently anemic offense lead to a 13-2 rout in the desert. I have no idea what's going on with him right now, but he seems to have regressed into Crazy Pelf. The quick, efficient pace at which he was working to start the season has completely disappeared, and despite what Jerry Manuel says, I think his confidence has too. Ron Darling made some interesting comments regarding Pelfrey last night. He said that Pelfrey seemed to be aiming the ball rather than picking a quadrant of the strike zone and attacking it. Darling believes Pelfrey has been taking a passive approach to pitching, saying, "You gotta go out and win the games - the wins won't come to you."
I like this theory and attitude. When we talk about pitchers being frustrating, we're saying the same things for the most part: he's not throwing strikes, seems to be afraid to go after hitters, and doesn't have the right mindset on the mound. Right now, Mike Pelfrey is the embodiment of all these things. I'm not sure where or how exactly he lost his way, but he has to get back on track because there are enough tenuous pieces in the rotation as it is - we don't need Big Pelf having a breakdown.
As for the offense... it's just getting depressing. It seems like we can't string together hits OR come through with runners in scoring position. Jason Bay always seems to be slumping - even when he's hitting - and at this point, I'm not holding out hope for any big offensive resurgence. I'm going to consider any production we get from Bay a bonus, even though we signed him to be a major part of the offense. The poor showing in San Francisco didn't worry me as much because at least the Giants are competitive. The Diamondbacks are a last place team - the kind of team GOOD teams beat.
I'll be looking for R.A. Dickey to right the ship tonight. I don't think we could have possibly asked for anything more out of Dickey, but at the same time, I can't shake the feeling that we're rolling the dice too many times by continuing to send both Dickey and Takahashi out as starters.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Post All-Star Break Blues
Things have not been very happy in Mets-land following the All-Star Break. While fans and the team had been counting down the days until Carlos Beltran's return to the line up (which I refused to acknowledge until it actually happened), losing Jose Reyes due to an oblique strain was not a welcomed development. I have no idea why Reyes wasn't shut down leading up to the Break, but I was also in California so maybe there was some phenomenal explanation I just haven't heard since returning to the east coast.
Anyway, four games into the second half the Mets are reeling just a tad. After dropping the first 3 games, they salvaged the series in San Francisco... but only after K-Rod made things horrifically interesting (read: blew his fifth save of the season then recovered for the win in 10 innings). K-Rod - or K-Fraud as he is being referred to in some circles - has just been riding a roller coaster this season. He's also dragging Mets fans along for the ride. As much as I recognize the glaring need for another starting pitcher, the closer situation is going to continue to be a problem unless Rodriguez can figure himself out.
This brings me to my next point: Oliver Perez is reportedly meeting the team in Arizona but will not be activated for tonight's game. It depresses me that the Mets are seemingly unable to grasp the concept of a sunk cost. You know how everyone is always saying that the Mets can't just release Perez because so many teams would jump at the chance to acquire him and then they'd have to watch him be successful somewhere else? Where the hell are all these teams NOW, when the Mets have been trying to trade Perez according to reports? We need to find a starting pitcher so that Hisanori Takahashi can move back to the bullpen and stop pitching like Ken Takahashi. Don't get me wrong, Taka was a shot in the arm at first, but now we're lucky if he survives his second time through a batting order. If that's the case, we might as well start Perez... and Lord knows I don't want to do that.
Big Pelf is looking for a bounce back start tonight after a rough end to the first half followed by skipping a start due to a stiff neck after the flight to California. Having recently completed some cross-country flights myself, I actually sympathize with this, as ridiculous as it may sound. A lot of the Mets' first half success was due to Pelfrey, and if we're going to continue to be successful and consider a playoff run, we need him to return to pitching like an ace once again.
Anyway, four games into the second half the Mets are reeling just a tad. After dropping the first 3 games, they salvaged the series in San Francisco... but only after K-Rod made things horrifically interesting (read: blew his fifth save of the season then recovered for the win in 10 innings). K-Rod - or K-Fraud as he is being referred to in some circles - has just been riding a roller coaster this season. He's also dragging Mets fans along for the ride. As much as I recognize the glaring need for another starting pitcher, the closer situation is going to continue to be a problem unless Rodriguez can figure himself out.
This brings me to my next point: Oliver Perez is reportedly meeting the team in Arizona but will not be activated for tonight's game. It depresses me that the Mets are seemingly unable to grasp the concept of a sunk cost. You know how everyone is always saying that the Mets can't just release Perez because so many teams would jump at the chance to acquire him and then they'd have to watch him be successful somewhere else? Where the hell are all these teams NOW, when the Mets have been trying to trade Perez according to reports? We need to find a starting pitcher so that Hisanori Takahashi can move back to the bullpen and stop pitching like Ken Takahashi. Don't get me wrong, Taka was a shot in the arm at first, but now we're lucky if he survives his second time through a batting order. If that's the case, we might as well start Perez... and Lord knows I don't want to do that.
Big Pelf is looking for a bounce back start tonight after a rough end to the first half followed by skipping a start due to a stiff neck after the flight to California. Having recently completed some cross-country flights myself, I actually sympathize with this, as ridiculous as it may sound. A lot of the Mets' first half success was due to Pelfrey, and if we're going to continue to be successful and consider a playoff run, we need him to return to pitching like an ace once again.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Catching up: K-Rod, Beltran, and Interleague Play
I find it fairly interesting that being unemployed has given me fewer opportunities to post over the past week or so. I guess there was something about being forced to sit at a computer all day long that enabled me to write more. Anyway, a few interesting scenarios have presented themselves concerning the Mets. Let's jump right in.
First, my dad wants the Mets to cut K-Rod (along with Jerry and Dan Warthen). His logic behind this is that he is tired of the attitude surrounding him and the bullpen by association. Dad used the weekend Yankees series to justify his point of view: up 4-0 on Friday night, the Mets started the ninth inning with Raul Valdes. I guess I understand trying to get K-Rod a day off if at all possible since he throws a ton of pitches every outing... but isn't it more important to secure the win in the first game of the series at Yankee Stadium? Then on Sunday, with the Yankees leading 4-0, was there ever even a question about who was pitching the 9th? The Yankees just want to close out the game, and that was my dad's point. Sadly, I could not really come up with a coherent argument - other than that Mariano is a robot and so it's unfair to compare other closers to him.
Next, we've actually got some positive news on the Carlos Beltran front. With Beltran set to start a rehab assignment, we're looking at having him back just after the All-Star Break. The thing I'm having the most trouble understanding is why this automatically means Angel Pagan will be relegated to a bench player. First of all, we have no idea if Beltran is even physically capable of playing center field at Citi on a regular basis. Secondly, has anyone been watching the games this season? I like Jeff Francouer and I respect/appreciate that his arm in right field has an effect on runners trying to tag up - but Pagan is absolutely blowing him away in terms of offensive numbers AND he plays solid defense. Jose Reyes and Pagan have been SO successful at the top of the order, I just can't wrap my head around breaking them up. This will definitely lead to some interesting debates in the upcoming weeks, and I never thought I'd say this, but I'm pulling for Pagan to remain in the lineup.
Finally, I am so tired of listening to people talk about how the American league is "superior" to the National League. Why can't we accept the fact that they are different, with teams constructed differently out of necessity - and that this does not necessarily make one league better than the other. And somehow, the fact that the AL has more completely inept teams than the NL always gets lost in these arguments. I'll admit to a bias here because I (obviously) follow the NL and I despise interleague play - I think it's an outdated post-strike fix - but the comparisons are just ridiculous. So far in interleague, the Mets have split the season series with the Yankees, swept the Orioles and Indians, and taken the first game of their series with the Tigers. I'm not seeing this superiority everyone keeps talking about.
First, my dad wants the Mets to cut K-Rod (along with Jerry and Dan Warthen). His logic behind this is that he is tired of the attitude surrounding him and the bullpen by association. Dad used the weekend Yankees series to justify his point of view: up 4-0 on Friday night, the Mets started the ninth inning with Raul Valdes. I guess I understand trying to get K-Rod a day off if at all possible since he throws a ton of pitches every outing... but isn't it more important to secure the win in the first game of the series at Yankee Stadium? Then on Sunday, with the Yankees leading 4-0, was there ever even a question about who was pitching the 9th? The Yankees just want to close out the game, and that was my dad's point. Sadly, I could not really come up with a coherent argument - other than that Mariano is a robot and so it's unfair to compare other closers to him.
Next, we've actually got some positive news on the Carlos Beltran front. With Beltran set to start a rehab assignment, we're looking at having him back just after the All-Star Break. The thing I'm having the most trouble understanding is why this automatically means Angel Pagan will be relegated to a bench player. First of all, we have no idea if Beltran is even physically capable of playing center field at Citi on a regular basis. Secondly, has anyone been watching the games this season? I like Jeff Francouer and I respect/appreciate that his arm in right field has an effect on runners trying to tag up - but Pagan is absolutely blowing him away in terms of offensive numbers AND he plays solid defense. Jose Reyes and Pagan have been SO successful at the top of the order, I just can't wrap my head around breaking them up. This will definitely lead to some interesting debates in the upcoming weeks, and I never thought I'd say this, but I'm pulling for Pagan to remain in the lineup.
Finally, I am so tired of listening to people talk about how the American league is "superior" to the National League. Why can't we accept the fact that they are different, with teams constructed differently out of necessity - and that this does not necessarily make one league better than the other. And somehow, the fact that the AL has more completely inept teams than the NL always gets lost in these arguments. I'll admit to a bias here because I (obviously) follow the NL and I despise interleague play - I think it's an outdated post-strike fix - but the comparisons are just ridiculous. So far in interleague, the Mets have split the season series with the Yankees, swept the Orioles and Indians, and taken the first game of their series with the Tigers. I'm not seeing this superiority everyone keeps talking about.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
WOW - 6 game winning streak with FIVE on the road?!
The Indians and Orioles might be playing beginning-of-a-Disney-movie brand of baseball right now, but they are good for something: getting struggling teams back on the right track. I think it's unfortunate that these teams are this terrible, but the Mets needed a road confidence boost, and I'll take that in any form I can get it.
The Mets haven't exactly been playing flawless baseball themselves, but the Orioles and Indians have just been dying to give games away with errors and poor all around fundamentals. The pitching for the Mets continues to be strong and they have been embracing small ball (have you ever seen 7 infield hits in one game?!) with the occasional home run to spice things up now and then. I like watching this team play baseball, and they are finally finding ways to win rather than finding ways to lose.
Also, Johan's last start has made me think it's time to stop using the phrase "Santana didn't have his best stuff but..." because I think at this point, this IS Santana's best stuff. He still has the ability to dominate a line up, but he is not the same pitcher he was a few years ago. Time for everyone - Santana included -to come to terms with that. He is a fighter and he will make in-game adjustments to get the most out of his pitches, but he's simply not the same pitcher as the one we traded for. There's nothing wrong with that, because he'll still get the job done extremely well, and I'm looking forward to see how he makes the changes at this point in his career.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey takes the mound against Cleveland tonight looking to go 5-0 on the season as the Mets try to finish off a sweep of the Indians. Let's go Mets!
The Mets haven't exactly been playing flawless baseball themselves, but the Orioles and Indians have just been dying to give games away with errors and poor all around fundamentals. The pitching for the Mets continues to be strong and they have been embracing small ball (have you ever seen 7 infield hits in one game?!) with the occasional home run to spice things up now and then. I like watching this team play baseball, and they are finally finding ways to win rather than finding ways to lose.
Also, Johan's last start has made me think it's time to stop using the phrase "Santana didn't have his best stuff but..." because I think at this point, this IS Santana's best stuff. He still has the ability to dominate a line up, but he is not the same pitcher he was a few years ago. Time for everyone - Santana included -to come to terms with that. He is a fighter and he will make in-game adjustments to get the most out of his pitches, but he's simply not the same pitcher as the one we traded for. There's nothing wrong with that, because he'll still get the job done extremely well, and I'm looking forward to see how he makes the changes at this point in his career.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey takes the mound against Cleveland tonight looking to go 5-0 on the season as the Mets try to finish off a sweep of the Indians. Let's go Mets!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Mets split DH with Padres, take series
The day and night segments of the Mets double header against the Padres yesterday could not have been more different.
On a day where Johan Santana actually got some run support (ok, it was only 2 runs, but that's more than he's gotten in his last two starts combined) he had no command. Santana struggled and gave back the lead and then some almost instantly. Mat Latos completely shut down the Mets, with the exception of Henry Blanco's two-run home run in the second inning. And of course, David Eckstein was right in the middle of everything the Padres put together. Once Latos was taken out, the Padres' bullpen took care of the rest. I'm not buying into the Padres for the entire season - but if their bullpen holds up, they might make me look foolish.
But last night, the story was Jon Niese. That kid was absolutely cruising, hurling a complete game one hitter. Niese did not walk a batter, retired the last 21 hitters he faced, and only a third-inning double by Chris Denorfia kept him from a perfect game (or no-hitter. Mets fans aren't picky there since we're still waiting for our first one). He was just completely locked in from the first inning and it was incredible to watch.
Games like that give me hope for the upcoming road trip. If there was ever a time to start winning on the road, it's against the Orioles and Indians. In order for the Mets to make the jump from a .500 team to serious contenders, they need to get a nice little streak going on the road to get their confidence levels up. At Citi Field, this team looks like they could win the World Series. It's every other major league ball park that's presenting a problem at the moment. R.A. Dickey takes the mound against the Orioles tonight (I think the logic there was that a knuckleballer can mess up a team for an entire series). The Orioles have just 17 wins on the season and it's time for the Mets to take advantage of their ineptitude.
On a day where Johan Santana actually got some run support (ok, it was only 2 runs, but that's more than he's gotten in his last two starts combined) he had no command. Santana struggled and gave back the lead and then some almost instantly. Mat Latos completely shut down the Mets, with the exception of Henry Blanco's two-run home run in the second inning. And of course, David Eckstein was right in the middle of everything the Padres put together. Once Latos was taken out, the Padres' bullpen took care of the rest. I'm not buying into the Padres for the entire season - but if their bullpen holds up, they might make me look foolish.
But last night, the story was Jon Niese. That kid was absolutely cruising, hurling a complete game one hitter. Niese did not walk a batter, retired the last 21 hitters he faced, and only a third-inning double by Chris Denorfia kept him from a perfect game (or no-hitter. Mets fans aren't picky there since we're still waiting for our first one). He was just completely locked in from the first inning and it was incredible to watch.
Games like that give me hope for the upcoming road trip. If there was ever a time to start winning on the road, it's against the Orioles and Indians. In order for the Mets to make the jump from a .500 team to serious contenders, they need to get a nice little streak going on the road to get their confidence levels up. At Citi Field, this team looks like they could win the World Series. It's every other major league ball park that's presenting a problem at the moment. R.A. Dickey takes the mound against the Orioles tonight (I think the logic there was that a knuckleballer can mess up a team for an entire series). The Orioles have just 17 wins on the season and it's time for the Mets to take advantage of their ineptitude.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mike and Ike!
Anyone else remember that candy? That was the only thing I could think of following the Mets' 2-1 extra innings win over the Padres last night. Mike Pelfrey continued his brilliant 2010 campaign, throwing 103 pitches over 9 innings (78 of them for strikes!) and allowing 1 earned run. My favorite stat of the night: he didn't go to a 3-ball count once in 9 innings. I absolutely love watching him pitch right now. He doesn't get derailed by things that sent him off the deep end just one year ago. He works quickly, throws strikes, keeps the defenders in the game, and gives them a chance to win every single time he's on the mound.
It's really too bad Mets couldn't get more than a Jose Reyes home run off of the Padres' pitching staff during the game, because Big Pelf deserved the win last night. But at the same time, I'm happy Jose was able to hit one out, because a no decision is better than a loss - especially with a performance like the one Pelfrey had last night. AND of course the team won, so personal stats really shouldn't matter as much.
And then Ike Davis - man, I love this kid - gave the Mets the win with a no-doubter in the bottom of the 11th, erasing what had been a disappointing night at the plate with one swing. Davis has really impressed me with his maturity and poise so far. He says and does all the right things and just seems normal. He's the kind of guy I would buy a drink if I met him in a bar, regardless of the fact that he's a professional baseball player.
Johan Santana gets the start tonight - hopefully the Mets can have a break out game offensively and get him - and the team - a win. We're really cruising at Citi Field this year, which makes at least half of the games exciting and fun. Plus, it's Johan and his starts are always awesome. He's the original "gives the Mets a chance to win every time" guy... now we just need to show some spark and get him some run support!!
It's really too bad Mets couldn't get more than a Jose Reyes home run off of the Padres' pitching staff during the game, because Big Pelf deserved the win last night. But at the same time, I'm happy Jose was able to hit one out, because a no decision is better than a loss - especially with a performance like the one Pelfrey had last night. AND of course the team won, so personal stats really shouldn't matter as much.
And then Ike Davis - man, I love this kid - gave the Mets the win with a no-doubter in the bottom of the 11th, erasing what had been a disappointing night at the plate with one swing. Davis has really impressed me with his maturity and poise so far. He says and does all the right things and just seems normal. He's the kind of guy I would buy a drink if I met him in a bar, regardless of the fact that he's a professional baseball player.
Johan Santana gets the start tonight - hopefully the Mets can have a break out game offensively and get him - and the team - a win. We're really cruising at Citi Field this year, which makes at least half of the games exciting and fun. Plus, it's Johan and his starts are always awesome. He's the original "gives the Mets a chance to win every time" guy... now we just need to show some spark and get him some run support!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Odds and Ends
I don't really have a theme here but it's been a few days and there are some random things on my mind. Including the fact that the Mets swept the Fish over the weekend! I love beating the Marlins because 9 years out of 10 they are just ankle biters who screw up the standings in the NL East (particularly when it comes to the Mets). And then there's always that one year they randomly win the World Series, immediately followed by a panicked fire sale because they are a small market team with no fans and therefore can not afford to keep their players. But I'm sure a new stadium will fix that problem.
Next up, I owe someone on the Mets an apology.... Angel Pagan, please stand up. As I'm sure most of you remember, I was sippin' a TON of Pagan Hater-ade last year and during spring training. I have to give Angel credit though: his base-running instincts have improved by leaps and bounds, his defense is MUCH better (occasional bad fly ball route aside), and he has been one of the only offensive constants in the everyday line up. And I learned that he takes the young Hispanic guys under his wing and helps them learn English - which has nothing to do with his ability to play baseball, but sways my opinion of him nonetheless.
Also, seemingly overnight, the Mets made some rosters moves that fans have been screaming about for WEEKS. Gary Matthews, Jr. was designated for assignment and Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez were placed on the DL. Of course, since this is the Mets, there is an official inquiry regarding Perez - the timing was just too perfect with Jon Niese eligible to come off the DL, plus it's not exactly a secret that the Mets have been begging Perez to go to the minors. To be honest, I really don't care at this point because, as previously stated here, I'm done with Ollie P. All these roster moves and improvements by certain players add up to the Metsies having a little fight in them this year, which means it's actually fun to watch baseball again!
Finally, I realized that on the heels of Armando Galarraga's not-perfect game, I let something very, very important fall to the back burner: Ken Griffey, Jr. announced his retirement. That announcement hit me hard. Back in the day, I wasn't a huge Junior fan... something about his home run pimping act bothered me. But as I got older, I began to appreciate him more and more. Seeing highlights of his time in Seattle makes me realize now how much I missed out on by being indifferent for all those years. I was happy when Junior went back to Seattle for the 2010 season because I like to see things go full circle. I'm sad and disappointed that retirement was the right choice for him, in the midst of a bad season on an even worse team. Ken Griffey, Jr. was an icon, and this is truly the end of a baseball era.
The Mets host the Padres tonight at Citi Field - let's keep up the home hot streak and pay back the Pads for taking that series last week!
Next up, I owe someone on the Mets an apology.... Angel Pagan, please stand up. As I'm sure most of you remember, I was sippin' a TON of Pagan Hater-ade last year and during spring training. I have to give Angel credit though: his base-running instincts have improved by leaps and bounds, his defense is MUCH better (occasional bad fly ball route aside), and he has been one of the only offensive constants in the everyday line up. And I learned that he takes the young Hispanic guys under his wing and helps them learn English - which has nothing to do with his ability to play baseball, but sways my opinion of him nonetheless.
Also, seemingly overnight, the Mets made some rosters moves that fans have been screaming about for WEEKS. Gary Matthews, Jr. was designated for assignment and Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez were placed on the DL. Of course, since this is the Mets, there is an official inquiry regarding Perez - the timing was just too perfect with Jon Niese eligible to come off the DL, plus it's not exactly a secret that the Mets have been begging Perez to go to the minors. To be honest, I really don't care at this point because, as previously stated here, I'm done with Ollie P. All these roster moves and improvements by certain players add up to the Metsies having a little fight in them this year, which means it's actually fun to watch baseball again!
Finally, I realized that on the heels of Armando Galarraga's not-perfect game, I let something very, very important fall to the back burner: Ken Griffey, Jr. announced his retirement. That announcement hit me hard. Back in the day, I wasn't a huge Junior fan... something about his home run pimping act bothered me. But as I got older, I began to appreciate him more and more. Seeing highlights of his time in Seattle makes me realize now how much I missed out on by being indifferent for all those years. I was happy when Junior went back to Seattle for the 2010 season because I like to see things go full circle. I'm sad and disappointed that retirement was the right choice for him, in the midst of a bad season on an even worse team. Ken Griffey, Jr. was an icon, and this is truly the end of a baseball era.
The Mets host the Padres tonight at Citi Field - let's keep up the home hot streak and pay back the Pads for taking that series last week!
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