Mets Beast

Welcome to Citi Field

2009-04-13T14:39:00.007-05:00

And the day has finally come. Mike Pelfrey will throw the first meaningful pitch ever tonight at 7:10 pm (most likely later than that, you get what I mean) in what is sure to be a fantastic night at the Mets new digs. While yesterday's heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Cy Young, er uh Josh Johnson makes today seem bittersweet, I really think it's time the Mets show what they are made of. If they really want to put down the horrors of the past two years, something like a 5-1 homestand should do the trick. They have lost 3 of their past 4 after taking the first two from the Reds, and they seem to still have problems with getting that big hit, or putting the other team away when ahead.

Instead of dwelling on the inconsistencies of this past week, I'm really looking forward to this week. I'm going to the game Friday night with my brother, treating me to a nice birthday weekend for the first weekend series at Citi Field. I tell ya, StubHub is the greatest. I'm sitting in Section 125 nine rows from the field (3rd base side). We paid almost half the price of the actual price of the seats. Back to tonight, I can't wait until I hear Howie Rose's voice welcoming the sellout crowd to Citi Field. While this will be a crazy game even before it starts, I think it's very important for the Mets. After Johnson mowed them down yesterday, they should be very aggressive against the Padres starter Walter Silva (who?). A win tonight would really up the team's morale and whatnot, getting out to a nice start at their new stomping grounds. Hopefully there are no tough fly balls hit to Daniel Murphy...

So as a new chapter is written in Mets history, the Mets have a lot to look forward to. But with high expectations for the 2009 after a totally rebuilt bullpen, a questionable starting rotation beyond Johan Santana and almost the same offense as last year, except a year older, and the NL East (save for the Nationals) looks better than expected, the Mets look like they're in for a tough ride this year. I happened to turn on the Cubs pre-game show before and the announcers were talking about preseason predictions about who would make the playoffs. One of the announcers was talking about how the baseball season is one long struggle. I mean any team can have high expectations and just totally suck (see: 2008 Detroit Tigers), but the Mets are better than that. Hopefully the veterans can step up and help the youngsters and the unproven to really get through the season.

Optimism at its Best?

2009-04-07T11:27:00.007-05:00

When Sean Green entered in the bottom of the 6th inning from the bullpen with a runner on second, I thought of the worst possible thing that could've happened. Another blown win for our ace, Johan Santana. Edwin Encarnacion sent a screaming liner to the worst defender on the field, Daniel Murphy. He looked like Carlos Beltran on that play. Murphy snared the liner and Santana went on to win the ballgame. Green went 1 1/3 perfect innings while J.J. Putz walked a hitter in his inning of work. Let me tell you, when Putz was in there, I was scared. I guess that's what two years of horrific relief pitching does to you. Francisco Rodriguez (I don't like calling him K-Rod or Frankie, but I'll only use K-Rod on this blog) notched down his first save in a Mets uniform by pitching a dominant 9th inning. While stats show the Mets bullpen did a fine job, it seemed the Reds relievers did an even better job. It seemed like they set down the Mets hitters with ease, while the Reds took every pitch possible. Now I may seem like I'm complaining, but I guess thats how a Mets fan feels. My brother shared this same opinion with me.

While I missed the top half of the first inning (I was updating most of it on my phone), I caught some of the bottom half of the inning in my car. Wright struck out with a runner on 3rd with less than two out, and that's a spot where he needs to cash in. In my opinion, save his great play at third, Wright played like ceap yesterday. On the other hand, in the bottom of the 1st, Santana was struggling to find the zone. While he struck out the first two men, Jerry Hairston Jr. and some guy Darnell McDonald, he threw more than 30 pitches. After that, he settled in until his pitch count rose to the upper 90's and Manuel decided to relieve him with Sean Green. I think it was more of the fact that Edwin Encarnacion has had Santana's number. In five at-bats, Encarnacion had 4 hits, 2 being home runs, for an average of .800.

Green got out Encarnacion, albeit on a very scary line drive, and pitched a perfect seventh. Putz seemingly had trouble with his splitter in the 8th, but his fastball was pretty much unhittable. K-Rod shut the door perfectly in the 9th, squashing any Braden Looper comebacks for the Reds. Thank god Adam Dunn and Joe Randa are no longer members of this team...

As for the offense, 1 for 12 with RISP is inexcusable. Aaron Harang was all over the place, and I think the only thing that helped him only give up 1 run was the crappy weather. However, Daniel Murphy's epic at-bat in the fifth against Harang really put this kid as a force to be reckoned with, even though all Mets fans know it already. After falling behind 0-2, he worked it back to 3-2 fouling off pitches left and right. When Harang attempted to jam Murphy with a fastball, it came back over the plate and Murphy smashed it into the right-center field stands. He drove in the second run in the sixth with an RBI groundout.

I wanna talk about Wright for a minute. He had a 2-0 count yesterday and got a great pitch to hit. He fouled it off with the ball barely reaching the stands, just beyond the reach of Joey Votto. It seems he jams himself when he gets a good pitch to hit, and it looks like he steps in the bucket. I know this because when I played when I was younger my coach always told me to keep my foot out of the proverbial bucket. And I did. But to me, it seems Wright started this last year. I know he hit 33 homers and drove in 124, but it's something I've noticed.

**
W- Johan Santana (1-0) 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 1.59 ERA

L- Aaron Harang (0-1) 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1.80 ERA

S- Francisco Rodriguez (1) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER , 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA

Ollie and his Woes Continue

2009-03-26T12:15:00.005-05:00

New year, same old Ollie. Yesterday in a Spring Training start in Port St. Lucie against the Detroit Tigers, Oliver Perez was shelled for six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings. He put 11 men on base for a WHIP of almost 3. Sure it's just Spring Training, but this brings up a red flag. He walked 6 and gave up 5 hits, and gave up a homer to our old friend from the Phillies, Placido Polanco, known more for his spectacular defense rather than hitting bombs off of a pitcher who wanted a $15 mil/year salary in the off-season.

Dan Warthen, the pitching coach who turned around Perez's season last year was extremely worried about this start.

"I think he's out of shape, the arm is out of shape," Warthen said. "It's a combination. Since he's come back we really haven't seen the life out of the hand, the ball is just not jumping out right now ... I think he's gained a little weight and needs to start pushing himself a little more."

When I checked my phone for the score of the game yesterday I was shocked to see how much Perez struggled in this one. He pitched fine last Friday against the Orioles, a lineup that contained most, if not all, of the Orioles starters, not including highly touted C Matt Wieters, who relieved starting C Gregg Zaun. Looking back at Ollie's stats, however, I noticed he didn't strike anyone out in his three innings of work. He walked two, but didnt give up any runs and only one hit. I didn't catch any of Perez's outing yesterday, but it seems his velocity and command, which fluctuates more than the Dow Jones on any given day during his entire career were terrible. Anytime a pitcher walks six men in not even four innings of work should be seen as horrible, but in Ollie's case, we all know he is prone to throw five perfect innings and then in the sixth just totally crumble.

As Omar Minaya and The Wilpons welcomed Perez back with a 3 year/$36 million deal this winter, I'm sure they, as well as us, expected this inconsistency to be a thing of the past, or to a smaller extent, not as glaring as it used to be. With John Maine pitching today, it is yet to be seen if Warthen's work with him will be a success. But it looks like Dan has his hands full with Ollie again, just like Jacket er, um Rick Peterson had with Perez ever since he joined them on July 31, 2006. Perez has, for the most part, pitched well in big games (see: Game 7, 2006 NLCS; Game 162, September 28, 2008), but his continued ability to crumble after domination is something of an anomaly, or as I like to call him, an enigma.

**
I caught the end of yesterday's 10-6 loss to the Tigers and seen Brian Stokes pitch two fabulous innings. In that time, he allowed no baserunners and struck out two men. At this point, Stokes' power arm is sure to make the final cut but it has yet to be seen if young Bobby Parnell would make it. He's only 24 and throws in the mid-90's as well. If the Mets break camp with both hard throwing righties, the Mets could have one of the nastiest bullpens in the league. Putz, Parnell and Stokes can really heat it up with 95+ mph and O'Day and Green can get the best right-handed hitters out with Feliciano returning to hopefully his 2006 form and retiring the likes of Howard, Utley, etc.

**
I look to begin writing Mets Beast more often. I am currently a freshman in college and maybe this will help me get away from the constant work I have to deal with. 2009 looks like a real promising year for the Mets, and I hope I can finish off my Spring semester the way the Mets should finish the 2009 season.

Gone With The Wind

2006-08-17T01:09:00.000-05:00

That's where the Mets offense has gone. If it wasn't for Jose Reyes on Tuesday, we'd be shut out this series, a total of 27-0. The Mets were previously shut out only 3 times this season cominginto this series. Tack it up to 5 now that our offense has taken a vacation. I'd never thought I'd see it, but it is safe to say that Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright, the 3-4-5 hitters, have all hit a prolonged slump that they can't seem to find their way out of. Carlos Delgado actually showed some signs of life tonight, but it was rapidly put to death. In the top of the 2nd, he ripped a single to right field where Shane Victorino gave Carlos Delgado a Hawaiian Punch in his gut. Delgado got thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double, a ball even Mike Piazza, Jason Phillips, or even Bengie Molina for embarrassment could've had a double on. Well from then on, there wasn't much to be wetting your panties or writing home about. Jon Lieber went the distance, striking out 4, walking none, with the Mets working one 3-ball count all day. This was against a pitcher who now has a 5.10 ERA. How much worse can this shit get? All this worse.

On the bright side, Tom Glavine seems to have found his groove once again, throwing seven strong innings in which saved the bullpen for some upcoming games. Glavine threw over 100 pitches for his second straight game, throwing 114 with 69 going as strikes. Glavine has pitched extremely well in his past 2 starts, pitching a total of 13 innings, 13 hits, 5 earned, 3 walks, and 10 k's. Unfortunately for Glavine, he has lost these two games, thanks to the Mets now-anemic offense only scratching across a Paul Lo Duca homerun back in the first inning in last Friday's game. Paul Lo Duca. Paul almost hit another homer for Glavine tonight in the ninth inning, missing about 10 feet left of the pole in left. He quickly flew out for the first out. I'm not a big fan of Glavine, but I feel bad for the guy. He pitches shitty, they score a zillion runs (against Braves, Cubs), but when he pitches great like tonight and Friday, they can't even get a hit for shit. (Interesting tidbit- Time of Game- 2:03.)(Another interesting tidbit- Glavine's previous 2 outings- 25 groundouts-4 flyouts. Tonight- 8 groundouts-10 flyouts.)

**
The Mets put Pedro on the DL, and I seen it coming from the beginning. They called up, yes you guessed it, for two days. I'm not even going to say it. You guys know better. Possible call-ups for Saturday night's spot start- Dave Williams (played horrible for Reds to begin this year, will be another Geremi Gonzalez or Jose Lima; perform well in Minors, shit in MLB), and Oliver Perez (Pittsburgh throw-in in the shitty trade we made with the Pirates. I wish we could have Nady back; our corner outfielders really suck, see Milledge. A lefty stud who used to throw in the mid- to upper-90's, now throws in the mid- to upper-80's. Pirates tried to make him into Tom Glavine; Mets will possibly try to see how he can fit in with all the other mid- to upper-80's starters we have, exception Mike Pelfrey (Minor League DL; since when do they have a DL?!?) No wonder why Pirates suck every year, trying to make a fantastic pitcher with also a great slider into Tom Glavine. Way to go Pirates. If Perez can revert to his former talent, this is a great trade, unless Xavier Nady wins the Triple Crown or MVP.)

**
W- Jon Lieber (5-9) 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 5.10 ERA.

L- Tom Glavine (13-6) 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 3.92 ERA.

The Fifth Sense = #1

2006-04-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

The Mets have won five in a row, and they look great. Sporting the best record in the MLB right now, I think it is extremely important for the Mets to get off to a torrid start. At 6-1, Pedro threw a great game to win for the second time this season. Pedro went seven strong, giving up only a solo home run to Jose Vidro. Everyone was expecting there would be a brawl in this game, or somewhere in that category. In Guillen's first at-bat, Pedro threw everything outside, but Guillen hit a monster shot to center, one which Beltran made a catch on. Pedro has started out 2-0, and he looks great. In the sixth inning, Pedro was muscling the fastball up to 91 MPH, his fastest on the year. If Pedro blows guys away with 85 MPH fastballs, and 91 MPH fastballs, imagine what he could do if he could rear back once in a while and blow someone away with a 95-96 MPH fastball. Those days are long over, but Pedro's fastball has nasty movement on it, making it seem that an 85 MPH fastball is coming in the low-mid 90's. Last year, Pedro posted a 15-8 record with a 2.82 ERA. This year, if Pedro pitches how he did yesterday, I think he will do better than last year, considering last year his toe was bothering him towards the end of the season. Now, with a specially designed Nike cleat on his right foot, he can still be one of the best in the NL and the MLB.

Throughout the first three innings, Pedro and Armas Jr. were locked in a pitchers duel. In the fourth, David Wright tripled on a huge fly ball to center field over Brandon Watson's head. Cliff Floyd would follow with an infield single, one on which Jose Vidro couldn't field cleanly, and was ruled a hit for Cornelius. In the bottom of the inning, Vidro would get the first hit and run for the Nats with a homer to right field. Jose Guillen hit a sharp grounder right back where it came from, but Pedro got him at first. In the top of the fifth, Carlos Beltran hit a two-out single to center. Carlos Delgado followed with a scorching double down the right field line to score Carlos Beltran all the way from first base. In the bottom of the sixth, things got a little scary for the Mets. Brian Schneider led off with a single to right. Pedro walked pinch hitter Marlon Anderson to put runners on first and second with none out. Brandon Watson, quite possibly a worse hitter than Anderson Hernandez from what I've seen, got a bunt single which Pedro didn't know which base to throw to. With bases loaded and none out, Jose Vidro stepped to the plate. This is when Pedro muscled up for some extra velocity. Jose Vidro struck out on a 91 MPH fastball, and it was one out. Jose Guillen, the one who hates Pedro Martinez, came to the plate. On a 2-1 count, Guillen grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, one in which Anderson Hernandez was the most vital part of. A-Hern stayed in there, taking to the air as Brandon Watson came in for the break-up slide. It was 2-1, and the Nationals would never score again. In the top of the seventh, Jose Reyes led off with a double off of Nationals suspended reliever Felix Rodriguez, who is appealing his 3 game suspension. Lo Duca followed with a sac bunt, a day where Paul Lo Duca turned 34-years old. Carlos Beltran came back with a sac fly, scoring Jose Reyes. It was 3-1 at that point, and would be all for the scoring. In the ninth, Billy Wagner hit 99 MPH on the gun with a high fastball, a pitch Alfonso Soriano whiffed on. Wagner gave up a hit to Jose Guillen, but that was all. Wagner picked up his second save of the year.

With Pedro Martinez mostly back to full health, as I believe he is, he can be one of the best pitchers in the National League, along with Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt. Once again this year, when Pedro is on the mound, the Mets must expect to win the game, and there will be a special feeling at Shea Stadium, and everyone will know it. Pedro is still the best starter on the Mets roster, and I think the whole major leagues will know it.

**
W- Pedro Martinez (2-0) 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 3.46 ERA.

L- Tony Armas Jr. (0-2) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3.27 ERA.

S- Billy Wagner (2) 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1.80 ERA.

The Wright Stuff... Again

2006-04-10T18:59:00.000-05:00

David Wright, the cornerstone player of the New York Mets franchise once again proved to be the juggernaut against the dwindling Florida Marlins franchise. As the Mets edged the Fish 3-2, David had all 3 RBIs and Tommy Glavine pitched a great game against a bunch of below-average players. David Wright is quite possibly the best hitter on the roster, and, if not, second only to veteran slugger Carlos Delgado. Not only is Wright batting .474/.478/.895, but he has a K/BB ratio of 0/2. I know it's only the fifth game of the year, but Wright already has 9 RBIs, 2 HRs and 9 hits in 19 at-bats. A very small sample, but David should keep producing like this all year. He's obviously not going to hit .474/.478/.895 all year, as it is virtually impossible. but .315/.405/.540 shouldn't be out of the question. Wright hit .306/.388/.523 last year, and that's pretty good for a 2nd year player. The Mets haven't had a player of David's caliber out of the system since Darryl Strawberry, and we all know the problems Strawberry encountered down the road. Wright will definitely not encounter these blemishes on his career, and he should blossom into the best third basemen the Mets have ever had, and will be a great hitter for at least the next 15 years. I have no doubt that he can be the first Met ever to win the MVP, as he should get some serious consideration this year.

On Sunday's 3-2 win over the Marlins, hits were hard to come off of the always unhittable Dontrelle Willis when he faces the Mets. 8-1 career against the Mets, I figured when the Fish scored two off Glavine, the final was going to be 2-0 Marlins. Throughout the first five innings, nothing interesting happened. In the sixth, Hanley Ramirez doubled to left to lead off the inning. Jeremy Hermida, the next hitter, dropped down a sac bunt, bringing Ramirez to third. What figures to be a huge trend this year, Tom Glavine walked Miguel Cabrera intentionally, putting runners at the corners with one out. This would prove to be a decision which worked against the Mets, but I'd rather face Josh Willingham any day of the year rather than Miguel Cabrera. Willingham took a high Glavine change-up and hit a long fly ball to right center which would score Ramirez from third easily, and Miguel Cabrera from first with some slow running. Cabrera, the 22-year old third baseman is pretty slow, but nonetheless, got home safely. At that point, the Marlins led 2-0, but unfortunately for them, that's all they would score. Mike Jacobs would follow with a strikeout. Dan Ugly... umm... Uggla would be hit by Glavine's 1-2 offering, not even making an attempt to get out of the way. Olivo would fly out to center, and the Marlins were done. In the bottom of the seventh, Paul Lo Duca worked a 3-2 count and singled against Willis. Carlos Beltran would follow that with another single to left. On a ground ball which should have been a double play, Dan Uggla couldn't come up with it cleanly. Carlos Delgado hit it to second, and Uggla bobbled it, looked to second, but got Delgado at first. With second and third and one out, David Wright stepped up to the plate. On a 1-2 offering by Willis, Wright smacked one to right, one which Hermida tried to make a sliding catch on, but missed, and the ball would travel all the way to the wall, with Wright cruising into third with a two-run triple. 2-2, tying it off of Willis. In the top of the ninth, the Mets gave us some heartburn. Enter Sandman, came in a tied ballgame. Wagner got the first two outs, Miguel Olivo and Reggie Abercrombie. Chris Aguila would bat for Willis, and work a walk against Mr. Wagner. Aguila would then steal second with Hanley Ramirez at the plate. Ramirez would hit a grounder to Reyes, and Jose would commit his second error of the contest, this one a throwing error, throwing to far up the line. Runners on the corners with two out, Jeremy Hermida had a chance to redeem himself after his bonehead play in right field. Hermida hit a grounder to Anderson Hernandez, which Hernandez would knock down after not coming up with it cleanly. Hermida would dive head first into first base but to no extent, was still thrown out, as the score remained tied at 2. In the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Beltran led off with a walk, and Delgado followed with a single of his own. With runners on the corners and no out, David Wright stepped to the plate again. On the first pitch he seen from Marlins pitcher Carlos Martinez, who I doubt anyone has ever heard of, gave up a first pitch, game-winning sacrifice fly off the bat of David Wright, scoring Carlos Beltran. A good game all around.

As the Mets have won 3 in a row, and have started out their exciting 2006 campaign with a 4-1 mark on the season and at home, we should be in for a real treat this year. With the young hitting of David Wright, the quickness of Jose Reyes, the slick fielding of Anderson Hernandez, and the crazy starts for Pedro Martinez, this is going to be a season to remember.

**
W- Billy Wagner (1-0) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 3.00 ERA.

L- Carlos Martinez (0-1) 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 3.86 ERA.

**
The Mets and Nats are going to be warned, even before the first pitch is thrown.
"Umpire supervisor Steve Palermo is expected to alert the crew working this week's Mets-Nationals series of the strained relationship that exists between the two National League teams because of a series of hit batsmen last week when the Nationals played at Shea Stadium."

Interesting, and I guess the first pitcher who they believe throws at the other player intentionally will face serious consequences. I think they should just make them play, but don't let it get out of hand.

**
Cliff believes if Pedro nails Guillen, there will be a fight.
It will be interesting if anyone gets hit now.

**
David Lennon just about sums it up about Wright.
Great read. He's got the "Wright Attitude."

**
Was Willie the key to Cliff's success last year?
Marty Noble talks about Willie's career changing attitude to Cliff.

Core Of The Apple

2006-04-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

In Friday night's 9-3 win over the Marlins, David Wright and Jose Reyes shone on both sides of the ball, flashing their offensive abilities, both hitting homers, and making slick defensive plays on hard hit balls to their respective positions. David Wright, the third baseman who is only 23 years old, is expected to make a run at the MVP award, along with first baseman Carlos Delgado. So far this year, David Wright is batting .500 with 8 hits in 16 at-bats, along with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. In the win, David went 2 for 3 with a huge solo shot over the Picnic Area, an RBI single, and a sac fly on which Eric Reed, the Marlins young centerfielder, made a spectacular diving catch on. With 3 RBI last night, Wright should be among the best hitters in the game for many years to come.

Jose Reyes, the slightly younger shortstop is another vital part of the Mets for years to come. Reyes has outstanding speed, an outstanding arm, and a very good glove. Reyes, he of 27 bases on balls last year in 696 at-bats is something that he must improve on. If he does, he'd be one of the best leadoff men in the league. Reyes smacked 190 hits last year to go along with 24 doubles, 17 triples, and 60 stolen bases. If he can keep that up for years to come, David Wright and Jose Reyes could be one of the best ever left side of the infield combo that will go down in history. The Mets certainly struck gold in two kids of Wright's and Reyes' potential and attitude towards baseball and fans.

In the bottom of the first, Jose Reyes led off with the first pitch swinging double to left center off of left-hander Jason Vargas. Lo Duca sacrificed Reyes to third, and Beltran followed with an RBI single. Carlos Delgado was next and was hit on the hip with a Vargas pitch. He was OK. Carlos Beltran would steal third, and David Wright would later hit a sac fly on which Reed made the diving stab on. After the first, the Mets were up 2-0. It was the third game in a row they have scored in the first inning. In the top of the fourth, Mike Jacobs, the kid we traded to Florida for Carlos Delgado hit a mammoth shot off Steve Tracshel, which went to the back of the Mets bullpen and I believe out of the stadium. I envision Jacobs as a future Met killer, showing them why they shouldn't have traded him, but we did get Carlos Delgado out of it. Jacobs' raw power is a thing to watch in the future. In the bottom of the inning, Steve Trachsel, a pretty good hitting pitcher, lined an RBI double down the left field line, scoring Xavier Nady. Jose Reyes followed with an RBI single, scoring Trachsel. It was 4-1 Mets. In the bottom of the fifth, David Wright would whale a solo shot out of the Picnic Area beyond left field. 5-1 Mets. In the bottom of the sixth, Todd Wellemeyer hot Paul Lo Duca, threw a wild pitch, and gave up an RBI double to Carlos Delgado. David Wright followed with a weak RBI single to center, scoring Delgado. 7-1 Mets. In the bottom of the seventh, Endy Chavez would bat for Chad Bradford. A player who was signed by the Mets in 1996, going through the farm system, made his Major League debut in 2001 with the Kansas City Royals. The first pitch he seen last night was hit for a double into left center field, showing why he will be a good player off the bench this year. Jose Reyes would follow with a laser beam two-run homer, making the score 9-1. In the top of the ninth, Armando Benitez... uhh excuse me... Jorge Julio, would take over the pitching duties. George July, who lost the game on Wednesday, would give up another two runs, with all the RBIs coming off the bat of Mike Jacobs. Jacobs hit a two out, two-run single, but the Marlins could've added more except Jeremy Hermida was thrown out at third on a great throw by Xavier Nady to get the third out at third base. Darren Oliver would pitch a perfect ninth for his first work of the year.

David Wright and Jose Reyes both homers, Wright's being a solo shot and Reyes with a two-runner. They both had 3 RBI, with Wright going 2 for 3 and Reyes going 3 for 5. I have never been anymore excited about these two kids on our team, and they aren't even in their primes yet. Oh boy. Do we have a treat in the future.
**
W- Steve Trachsel (1-0) 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1.50 ERA.

L- Jason Vargas (0-1) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 9.00 ERA.

Pedro in the BeanFest™

2006-04-07T16:11:00.000-05:00

Pedro Martinez was part of the craziest Mets game so far this year, and it was only Game #3. Right from the first inning, I knew this was one of those crazy games. In the first, Pedro got the Nats sort of 1-2-3, with Guillen grounding into the inning-ending 3-6-3 double play. The Mets got two home in the first, and Beltran got his first RBI of the year. In the top of the second, Pedro started slow. The Nats scratched out two runs on a throwing error by Pedro Martinez. Ramon Ortiz, the pitcher, came up with the bases loaded and hit the worst ever dribbler. Pedro ran over, picked and threw, but went over Delgado's head, scoring two. The scoring was an RBI single and a throwing error, giving Ortiz his first ever RBI. In the fourth, Pedro came up with the bases loaded this time. And Pedro too, hit an RBI single. This plated Wright. Reyes followed with a 2-run single to right, and the Mets were up 5-2. In the top of the fifth, the Nats answered right back. After a Vidro walk, Pedro struck Guillen for the second time of the game, this time in the arm. More on that later... Nick Johnson followed, and, for the second straight game, he whaled a three-run homer, for, his second hit of the season. Now it was 5-5.

The Mets would answer right back, with Carlos Delgado hitting a line shot to right for his second in as many days. The Nats wouldn't get any closer. Up 6-5, Pedro would go six, throwing with absolutely no command in his first start in a regular season game with his new cleat. In the seventh, Lo Duca walked to lead it off. Carlos Beltran followed from the right side of the plate, getting his first hit of the year, being a homer. It was a two-run shot off the serial killer Joey Eischen. When Beltran got back to the dugout, the fans, who have booed him unmercifully for the first two games of the year, wanted a curtain call. Walking through the dugout, Beltran sat down, refusing to take the curtain call. Julio Franco, the mediator of the Mets, basically, talked to Carlos about the situation and whatever he said, he got him to take the curtain call. You can't boo the guy for the rest of the year now. Wright walks, Floyd doubles, and that put the Mets up 9-5. In the bottom of the eighth, Beltran hit a sac fly, scoring Jose Reyes to end the Mets scoring and put the score at 10-5.

Getting to the BeanFest™, it started in the second when Pedro hit Nick Johnson to lead off the inning. Pedro, who walked five in the contest, was very wild in the game. In the third, Pedro would hit Guillen for the first of second times in the game. The first was probably intentional, since Guillen hit the game winner in Wednesday's loss in extras. Guillen looked clearly pissed, and took his base without argue. In the bottom of the fourth, Ortiz threw two way inside to my favorite player, David Wright, and everyone knew why. Wright singled in the at-bat, making Ortiz look like a fool. In the top of the fifth, Pedro walked Vidro to lead off the inning. Then came Jose Guillen. Guillen was hit once again, and this time, he clearly wasn't happy. He kept the bat in his hand, pointing it straight at Pedro. Home plate umpire Ted Barrett, who is a pretty big guy, and Paul Lo Duca held Guillen back, restraining him from reaching Pedro Martinez. Pedro just stood there, as everything unfolded, playing it cool, Warnings were issued, but no one was ejected. Julio Franco, playing mediator for the first time, went over to Guillen, calming the situation, and keeping Guillen cool. When baseball came back to playing, the first pitch Pedro threw to Johnson was up and in, right under Johnson's right elbow. Johnson made Pedro pay for everything, hitting his second three-run shot in as many days. In the top of the seventh, Duaner Sanchez relieved Pedro Martinez of his duties, and did a good job. But Sanchez hit Johnson for the second time of the game. Sanchez was not ejected, which was OK by me, but why didn't Frank Robinson come out and argue the call? In the bottom of the eighth, Paul Lo Duca was hit, the first time a New York Met was hit the whole year. Felix Rodriguez, who bars a striking resemblance to Ezequiel Astascio of the Houston Astros, with his weird hair, was ejected by Rick Reed, the home plate umpire, who relieved Ted Barrett of his duties, for an injury in which he suffered from the ball that hit Jose Guillen the second time of the game. Weird. Robinson was ejected also, because a manager is ejected whenever a warning like this one was issued. I feel if Robinson argued Sanchez's plunk on Johnson, he could've had a beef.

**
W- Pedro Martinez (1-0) 6.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, 6.00 ERA.

L- Ramon Ortiz (0-1) 5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 10.80 ERA.

Enter Sandman, Exit Loss

2006-04-06T17:32:00.000-05:00

Well the magic from game one was good while it lasted. Brian Bannister was great in 6 innings, pitching a no-hitter for 5 1/3 innings. Bannister was wild at times too. Bannister walked 4, hit 2, almost hit another 2 or 3, but for a first MLB career start, he did pretty good. He gave up 2 hits in the sixth inning, but it proved to be fatal. A single by Jose Vidro got rid of the no-no, just as Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez got finished talking about it. With two men on, and Nick Johnson up, he smacked a Bannister fastball the other way for a 3-run shot, putting Washington right back in the game.

To start the game, Jose Reyes worked a great 10-pitch at-bat, and then hits a single to left field. Reyes even drew a walk, and stole a base last night. I also seen him taking a little off his throws when he doesn't need full velocity on them. Looking good Jose. Following Reyes, Lo Duca drew a walk, but went 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Beltran struck out next, but went 0 for 2 with 2 runs scored, 3 walks, but still, no hits. Delgado struck out, but he went 2 for 4 with a 2 run shot which he hit in the third. He drew a walk also. David Wright came up with an RBI single, scoring Reyes. That was his only hit, going 0 for 4 the rest of the way. Cornelius went 1 for 4 with a K and a walk, and is batting .143 to begin the season. He didn't hit the home run he promised he would on TRL on Tuesday. Way to go Cliffy. X went 1 for 5 with a solo shot in the second, pushing his season average to .556. Anderson Hernandez still only has 1 hit in his career, going o for 4 with the sombrero, 3 strikeouts. He did have a fanta-cular catch in the 8th inning in which he got the wind knocked out of him when he hit the ground. Bannister, who was a 2nd baseman walk-on with USC, went 0 for 2 and 2 strikeouts.

John Patterson gave up 2 runs and threw over 60 pitches in the first two innings, but he only struck out the side in both those innings. Interesting. Jon Rauch, the tallest baseball player in MLB history at 6'11", relieved Patterson of his duties. Talk about one of the most ugliest and fattest teams in the MLB. John Patterson and Jon Rauch had full beards. Matt LeCroy, Nick Johnson, and Mike Stanton are just some of the fatty's on the Nats.

In the ninth, the Mets were up 4-3. When Ryan Zimmerman worked a 3-2 count against Billy Wagner, Billy tried to get a heater up and in, but got it up. Zimmerman took it, and deposited it in the left field stands. I was heartbroken. So 4-4 going into the bottom of the 9th. Bases loaded and 2 outs for Lo Duca, but nothing special. In the 10th, Julio blew it apart. He gave up four hits, five runs, and two earned in 2/3 of an inning. He walked one and struck out two, but that doesn't really matter. The fact is that he did terrible, and it was gut wrenching to watch it.

**
W- Chad Cordero (1-0) 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA.

L- Jorge Julio (0-1) 2/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 27.00 ERA.

The X-Man, Glavine, Wags, LoDuca, and The Wright Stuff

2006-04-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

On a gloomy Monday afternoon, these were the players who combined for all the hits and runs (excluding Billy Wagner.) Xavier Nady went 4 for 4 with two doubles, and an RBI. Tom Glavine wasn't particularly sharp, but he did pitch six strong innings, giving up six hits and one earned, walking three and striking out five. He even went 2 for 2. Wagner pitched the ninth for his first save. I'll get more in-depth later... LoDuca went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a double. David Wright went 2 for 4 with a solo shot in the sixth.

For most of the game up until the bottom of the 7th, I had to get updates on my cell phone. After I got off the bus, I walked as fast as possible to get home, only to see Carlos Beltran strike out looking. The next batter, Carlos Delgado hit a foul home run, then drew a 3-2 walk. David Wright hit a homer in the sixth to right center, Mike Piazza style. That was a great flashback. I seen the shot as David came up in the 7th, and hit a broken bat single over Jose Vidro's head. Frank Robinson then went to the lefty, serial killer-looking Joey Eischen, who Floyd doesn't have a bright past against. Floyd grounded out weakly to Ryan Zimmerman at third, and took it himself for the force and third out. It was 3-2.

Heilman was back in there after a 7th inning in which he wasn't to good in. He gave up 3 hits and a run, but got out of trouble when Jose Guillen grounded into a double play. In the 8th, Heilman gave us some more heartburn. Alfonso Soriano led it off with a skying single over David Wright's glove, with David jumping as high as possible. Then, Ryan Zimmerman, a future Met killer, drove one down the line for a double. But instead of stopping at third for 2nd and 3rd with none out, Soriano decided to test Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes. Floyd threw it in to Reyes, and Jose fired as quickly as he could to Paul LoDuca. When it was live, Soriano clearly looked out. On the replay, it went on to show that the ball fell out of LoDuca's hand, and Soriano was actually safe. LoDuca did a great job of covering it up, making Rick Reed, the home plate umpire (not the ex-Mets pitcher), call Soriano. I jumped off my couch and went crazy when Soriano was called out at home.

The fact that Aaron Heilman had a bad game is beyond me. I'm pretty sure he had butterflies in his stomach, pitching in a role that he hasn't pitched a regular season game in since last season. A lot of his pitches were high in the strike zone, but his change-up looked devastating when Brian Schneider struck out to end the inning, with the bat flying out of his hands. The Mets threatened in the bottom of the 8th, but Majewski pitched out of it.

In the ninth, "Enter Sandman". Billy got Brandon Watson on a sharp grounder to Wright, which he fielded cleanly. Then Matt LeCroy was blown away by Wagner on a fastball. Jose Vidro, the Nats last hope, smacked a Wagner offering to left-center. Beltran fielded, threw in to second where Vidro was trying to stretch a single into a double, and was tagged out by Anderson Hernandez, to end a spectacular game. Gary Cohen, a true Mets announcer, was going crazy. It couldn't have been better.

**
W- Tom Glavine (1-0) 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1.50 ERA.

L- Livan Hernandez (0-1) 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 4.50 ERA.

S- Billy Wagner (1) 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0.00 ERA.

Bannister In, Heilman Out

2006-03-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Mets are going with inexperience. Brian Bannister, the 25 year-old spring training surprise is the new 5th starter. The righty is the son of former major league lefty Floyd Bannister, has been inserted into the starting rotation for the sake of bullpen help. Aaron Heilman, the 27 year-old righty who had a spectacular year in the bullpen throughout the second-half of last year, is back in the set-up spot. He was the perennial favorite to start the season in the rotation in the fifth spot. The Mets brass has other opinions. Omar Minaya feels that Heilman is the best way to get the ball to Billy Wagner. Many feel this same thing. It isn't fair to Heilman though, who is disappointed in the situation. "It is what it is. I'm certainly disappointed. ... But I'll go to the bullpen and give it my best. ... There aren't many people who can say what they want and get it."

I strongly adore his confidence in going back to this role. Heilman shows love for the Mets too. He'd rather be in the bullpen with the Mets than starting for any other team. That shows he is still confident he can one day be in the rotation that seems to age every minute of the day. Heilman has no choice but to accept his new role, but if he flourises in it, there is no doubt in my mind that he will have locked up a place on the Mets roster and starting rotation for next year. Not many expect Glavine or Trachsel to be back next year, and if someone in the rotation fails or faulters (e.g. Victor Zambrano, possibly Bannister), Heilman should be the first to fill in. It'll be tough to go from setting-up to starting again. That is the doubt in my mind. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't throw Heilman in there, since he is probably the most valued pitcher in the bullpen besides Billy Wagner.

"I'm happy to be here," he said. "We're going to have a good team this year, and I want to be a part of that." That's the sound of a team player.

If in fact Bannister or Zambrano faulter, or anyone else in the rotation is injured, we'll probably see "Lima Time!" or Jeremi Gonzalez, or possibly Yusaku Iriki. Mike Pelfrey is a longshot in that situation, but he could see the lights of Shea in September.

**
John Rocker calls Tom Glavine a "jackass".
Interesting. This is a good read.

**
OF Lastings Milledge, OF Tike Redman, C Sandy Martinez and 1B Todd Self were reassigned to minor league camp. 2B Jeff Keppinger, LHP Royce Ring and LHP Juan Perez were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

I think Milledge will be at Shea at some point this year. There will be hype, and I'm gonna be hyped too. I'm gonna be just as hyped as when David Wright came up.

Tike Redman, who had the infamous 113 pitch at-bat against Braden Looper before the all-star break has not made the team. They seem to like the speedy, well-NL East traveled Endy Chavez. He was previously on the Expos/Nationals, and the Phillies.

Sandy Martinez is basically insurance if Paul LoDuca or Ramon Castro go down to injury.

Todd Self had no chance.

Jeff Keppinger was the other option at second base, but Willie Randolph prefers A-Hern's glove to Kepp's bat.

Royce Ring and Juan Perez failed to impress, and only Pedro Feliciano and Darren Oliver are the lefties vying for the spot. It's a tight competition between the 2 non-roster invitees.

**
Kaz was placed on the 15 day DL, retroactive to March, with a strained MCL. He is available to come back April 8.

To Bunt or Not To Bunt?

2006-03-25T10:23:00.000-05:00

Carlos Beltran has a 7 year contract worth $119 million. Do you get paid that amount of money to bunt? Well, ever since his overhyped, underachieving season of 2005, Beltran should no longer be considered a slugger, but he can slug one out if he had to. The power should be coming off the bats from Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Cliff Floyd. I know the Mets are spending a ton of money on him, but if bunting helps get runs on the board and runs batted in for the sluggers, then let it be. If he's bunting, and popping them up, or not sacrificing, then there is a problem. Fans might not want Beltran bunting because of his previous success as a power hitter, but I think Beltran and everybody knows he is not going to be a power hitter in the Big Apple or Shea Stadium. There is a chance of getting more home runs when the new stadium is built, but he is going to be over 30 years old by then. A switch-hitter of his size is not really a power hitter. Too bad Carlos Delgado wasn't a bit younger... he could have fun in the new stadium, since it's going to be more friendly to hitters. But for the time being, Carlos Beltran is better suited to bat second, move runners along, and make contact. And in the second place of the lineup, fastballs come along a lot. Beltran is a good fastball hitter.

A lineup of Jose Reyes, Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Cliff Floyd, Paul LoDuca, Xavier Nady, and Anderson Hernandez is a fantastic looking lineup. Once you get towards the bottom though, it is not a very scary lineup. But I think we have all the offense we need in the first half of the lineup.

**
SNY is changing its focus to signing with satellite companies.
"Now the focus will turn to the two major satellite distributors. An industry source said DirecTV almost certainly will sign on in time for the April 3 opener."

About time. I am a very impatient person, and this will finally make me a little bit more patient about the DirecTV-SNY situation. I'm just hoping they broadcast it in HD.

**
Tom turns 40 today.
"Willie Randolph obviously isn't concerned about Glavine's age, either, telling reporters shortly after the game, 'He's our Opening Day starter. We're in good hands, that's for sure.'"

Tom feels good, and that's all that counts. When you're 7 years younger than a player on your team when you turn 40, you know you're still young at heart.

**
The Mets take on the Astros today at 1:05 pm. The game can be seen on WB11 and MLB.TV, and can be heard on Gameday Audio. Brian Bannister, who has a shot to be the 5th starter, will start for the Mets in Kissimmee, FL, the spring home of the Astros. Andy Pettitte will start for Houston.

I'm Back

2006-03-23T23:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long time for no posting. When the 2006 season starts on April 3rd, Tom Glavine will take on Livan Hernandez, but I'll be in school for most of the game. While I hate the fact that's how it has to be, I will be posting occasionally to regularly depending on my schoolwork. Once summer rolls around, I'll be posting probably everyday. Whoever still reads this site, I'm looking to get it back on it's feet. I am completely psyched for this season, if anybody isn't already. I will have more to come in the upcoming days. I'm just getting restarted now, but I promise I will be a loyal blogger and Mets fan. At least no more "Got'em's" from Fran Healy this year. Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Gary Darling are perfect for this job. Gary is probably one of the best play-by-play announcers, and Hernandez and Darling former Mets, and not to mention, World Series winners. Not only is our team looking like winners, but so is our broadcasting crew. I like it.

**
Pedro is a No-Go for the opener.
I guess we all seen this one coming. Tom Glavine isn't a bad pitcher, but if he puts up the numbers like he did last season, he will be one of the most vital parts for a successful 2006 season. While everything rests on the big toe of Pedro Martinez, a lot of other things have to work out for the mets in the right way.

**
SNY has reached an agreement with Cablevision.
I could care less about this, but many Mets fans have Cablevision. Since I have DirecTV, rumor is that DirecTV and DISH, along with others, will soon reach agreements with SNY. Personally, I can't wait.

A Bunch of Turkeys... And a Fat Old One

2005-10-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Braves, once again the division winners, once again knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Talk about turkeys. Once again, to the Houston Astros. Once again, Joey Devine serves up a gopher ball. The fat bastard Roger "Anal Rocket" Clemens (now thats a turkey; literally) won the game, pitching 3 scoreless innings in relief of Dan Wheeler (naturally). The infamous broken bat thrower of Mike Piazza and bean ball thrower to the head to Mike Piazza pitched his first relief appearance since his rookie year in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox. Seems that the Astros made it further than the Padres who had a worse record, the Braves (now we all know that don't we?), the Red Sox with 95 wins, and possibly the Skankees of the Bronx. Chris Burke, probably the last consideration for a walk-off home run in the Astros' most important game of the year, did it. Mets fans remember this man also. Chris Burke hit a home run against Pedro Martinez on June 7 of this year, to break up a no-hit bid by Pedro, and the juggernaut hit his first career homer against him. As I am happy the Astros beat the Braves, I don't like them much either. It seemed that when the Mets lost the next 2 to the Astros in that very series, they just awoke from the doldrums to once again take out the Bravos in the 2005 NLDS. And remember when the Mets played the Oakland Athletics on June 14, the A's were doing horrible. They were 25-37 before the game, and wouldn't you know it, after that series, they just turned it on, finishing with an 88-74 record.

We look back on the lone World Series the Braves won during the 14 division titles in a row. Only 144 games were played that year, and in the World Series, the Braves (90-54) faced off against the Indians (100-44). In the final game of the series, the Braves won 1-0, on the back of Tom Glavine's greatest performance of his career. 8 innings, 1 hit, and the World Series MVP.

**

I'm not sure which playoff game I was watching, but the only active player to play the most games without a playoff appearance, is of course someone on the Mets. And that man is the only other 10-5 player on the Mets (well after the World Series... close enough)... and that is Stephen Christopher Trachsel of Oxnard, CA, one of the most reliable Mets starters of years past, but on some pretty bad teams. Sorry Steve... if you stick around this year, I think that streak will end in about a year.

Goodbye Mike!

2005-10-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

With Mike Piazza basically out the door, I for one, would love to see him stay and retire a Met. A Mike Piazza/ Ramon Castro platoon again wouldn't cross my mind. Piazza and Castro hit 27 HR's and drove in 103 RBI from this spot, hitting at a clip of .248/.324/.444. Not bad, but not great.

Even though many Mets fans, including myself, know that he's leaving, think about how much he has done for this franchise. Hitting homeruns that counted in years past... think back to June 30, 2000... ring a bell? Well Piazza did and smacked a homerun that capped one of the best comebacks in a game in Mets history, against the always despised Bravos. Now think September 11, 2001. We all know what happened then. Every human being in the country felt shockwaves from this disaster. But on September 21, 2001, the Mets were still in a pennant race. One of the best known and memorable homeruns in Mets history happened at the first baseball game played in Queens, and for that, New York since the tragedy. In the eighth inning as the Mets were losing 2-1, Steve Karsay planted one where Piazza could crush it... and did. Piazza struck with a huge shot hitting the camera tower in center field, sending 41,275 fans screaming at the top of their lungs, as Mike delivered a fresh pizza, one that Mets fans will remember for their lifetime.

Piazza, the best hitting catcher in major league history, is Cooperstown-bound, with many Mets fans to be there when he is elected in as a New York Met. There will be plenty to support him when his number is unveiled in left field, next to Tom Seaver, Casey Stengel, and Gil Hodges, as Piazza will be one of the greatest players to ever don a New York Mets uniform, and he should be darn proud of it.

20-50

2005-09-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Is that Cliff Floyd's vision? No, it's the Mets all-time record at Turner Cemetery. When Cliff Floyd steps to the plate with 1st and 3rd with one out, what other way to get out of that scenario besides striking out and not scoring? The pitchers best friend of course, and that's what Cornelius grounded into in the 3rd inning. Absolutely no clutch offense. Remember when the Mets smacked the D'Backs around? Well, here's an interesting fact that Marty Noble, the Mets beat writer, dug up. The Mets had 22 hits in 52 at-bats with runners on base in their 14-1 and 18-4 routs of the Diamondbacks on Aug. 23 and 24, for a .423 average. Beginning the next night and through their loss here in Atlanta yesterday (11 games), they had 23 hits with runners on base. But those hits came in 143 at-bats -- 91 more. That average is .161. That is absolutely terrible... Gruesome.

Why the Mets can't score runs? Ask Subway Willie... the answer must be somewhere in those sandwiches. Ask Cornelius why he is not clutch, especially against the Braves. He'll make up some bullshit that his knee hurt. Ask Pedro Martinez why he didn't look Marcus Giles back when the 137-year old 1st baseman of the 18th century Julio Franco hit a dribbler that Giles scored on from second base... and the dinosaur was out at first. How does this happen? Your answer... Only the Mets can manage to do it.

I love the Mets. Even when after they lost, I would proudly wear my blue cap with orange logo, but enough is enough. I don't even do that anymore. It's gotten to the point when watching them just puts me sick to my stomach... THEY'RE JUST SICKENING! The Mets will make one more run to make you think they're gonna contend, but despite that, they're finished for this year. I am already starting to look forward to next year, and I see a much, much better team ahead of us. We have to be a young team, and Cliff Floyd is not the answer. Neither is Manny Ramirez or Alfonso Soriano. The Mets have always had good homegrown talent, looking back to Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, and looking forward to David Wright and Jose Reyes. This is a youth movement ladies and gentlemen. Lets get going on the road to it.

LETS GO METS!

It's Now Or Never

2005-09-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight could make or break our season, but isn't that every game that could do it? It's Pedro Martinez, the Mets ace, versus John Smoltz, the Braves ace. The Mets need Pedro to be vintage Pedro as I like to call it, and the bats need to get smoking... and I mean smoking. Our starting pitching is fabulous, but our offense is downright dismal. I know Smoltz is a great pitcher, and can still get it into the low- to mid-90's, but Pedro's velocity hasn't been there in a real long time. At one time during his career, Pedro could throw mid- to high-90's, but his velocity has been down to 85-87 mph for his fastball, which is Tom Glavine territory. The first game Pedro Martinez faced John Smoltz this year was when the Mets carried a horrible 0-5 record through the first five games of the season. Smoltz sat down 15 Mets on strikes, but still lost the game. After that game, Carlos Beltran had 2 home runs on the season and their record was 1-5. Carlos Beltran now has 14 home runs, only 12 more since that 6th game of the year. The Mets record is now 70-67, 137 games into the season, 25 games left to make the playoffs. 3 games out of the Wild Card are the Mets, but with 7 losses in the last 9 games, it's very tough to make the playoffs. The offense can't produce, and you can't get far in the playoffs if your offense can't score and drive in runs.

When the Mets lose, I get extremely pissed. When they win, I think they're going to make the playoffs the next day. If the Mets don't make the playoffs, it's still a good year, because I expect them to finish over .500. They should definitely finish better than last year because their final record last year was 71-91, and they only have to win two more games to eclipse that mark. The Mets need a huge offensive bat right in the middle of that lineup, but who is it?

Put Your Money Where Your Bat Is

2005-09-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

Carlos Beltran... King of The Un-clutch. Can't hit a fastball above his belt. I know he drove in a run today, but still, this guy is supposed to be the best player the Mets have ever signed, and he has done nothing to show it. When Beltran drives in a run, or hits a home run (very rare occasion on both), I get a little giddy. Like yesterday, he drove in two runs, and I thought he might be turning it around. The next day, he just blanks that previous memory, and you hope this guy will bounce out of it, but never does.

Mike Piazza during his long tenure with the Mets, was extremely clutch, hitting meaningful home runs during the 1999-2000 regular and post-seasons. He is still one of my favorite players, but Carlos Beltran is nowhere near Mike Piazza in any terms of production. I know Beltran wears a shirt that says "Mets" or "New York" across the front, but doesn't this guy practice so hard? He does in fact, but it never pays off for some reason. When Beltran was signed this winter, I thought we had a very good chance to make the post-season. But then as usual, the Mets jerk your chain... and when you just think they're out of it, they turn it on again. If they don't get out of this offensive funk, slump, dump... whatever you want to call it... this season is gonna be done. We have been getting terrific starting pitching, but the game is lost to a bullpen snafu, offensive slump, or a Willie gut feeling...

Steve Trachsel pitched an excellent game once again today, only to be lost to the Jones Brothers. Larry drove in one in the first, following Marcus Giles' double with a double of his own. It was already 1-1 after the first, but I didn't expect much from the Mets. Thomson was done after 5, throwing over 100 pitches, and left holding the Mets to one run, and on for the win. Andruw smacked a Steve Trachsel offering a long ways away in the fourth inning. In the seventh, the Mets had bases loaded with one out, and Mr. Un-Clutch flied out to Francoeur in right, who threw an absolute strike on the fly right to Johnny Estrada, who tagged Victor Diaz out easily, after he slid right into his leg, which was blocking the plate. The Mets tied it in the top of the 8th when Ramon Castro flew out to Andruw, who made an off-line throw to Estrada at home, which hit David Wright as he was diving home, allowing Doug Mientkiewicz to advance to second. In the bottom of the inning, Furcal led off with a single, and Giles popped up a bunt attempt. Jones smacked a fastball inside as Furcal took off for second, and hit it over the left-center field wall, almost towards dead center.

Oh Jae Can You See

2005-09-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

Today the Mets beat out the Marlins 7-1 with some pretty good offense for once. The Mole had 2 RBI, Wright had 2, and Cliff Floyd smoked a 2-home run to absolute dead center over Juan Pierre's head. Jae Seo had a great game with seven strong innings of five-hit one-run ball. He struck out 6 and walked 2 for a great performance. Jae Seo and Co. shut down Delgado and Cabrera today, and Shingo Takatsu wasn't involved. Braden Looper threw a perfect ninth for a no-save situation.

**
Mike Piazza still believes he can play this year.

**

Tomorrow... the Mets take on the always hated Braves at 1:05 pm on Labor Day. The matchup is Steve Trachsel (1-0, 0.00) vs John Thompson (3-4, 4.80) the one-time Met of 9 games started... holder of a record of 2-6 during that brief tenure of the 2002 season.

Tuesday- Pedro Martinez (13-6, 2.90) vs John Smoltz (13-6, 3.02) 7:35 pm
Wednesday- Tom Glavine (10-12, 4.00) vs Tim Hudson (12-7, 3.38) 7:05 pm

Carlos "Mole" Stinktran and Bullpen meltdowns

2005-09-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

Mole boy just keeps sucking it up more and more. If this guy is getting paid $119 million dollars, he should be able to perform better than a 22-year old third-baseman making the league minimum, correct? Well, in the face of the Mets, this doesn't happen. David Wright is probably worth more of that $119 million than Carlos Beltran will ever be. Hey Carlos, you haven't even been on the team a year yet. What is that like the 37th game you lost for us this season?!?

Diaz... what the hell are you doing in right field? You and Victor Zambrano should be playing second base! Zambrano... why did you ever move from the infield? Duquette... why did you try to get the Mets in the playoffs when they were no where near it, trading one of the top prospects for a shitty pitcher like Zambrano who can't pitch a game for his life?!?
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Kevin Kernan has an article in today's Post on when the bullpen enters, the game's over.

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Will Jae Weong Seo be his old self of last year when he went 1-2 with 3.86 ERA against them? Or will we see the new and improve Jae (not the one we saw on Tuesday)?

I'm sick of L-o-s-i-n-g

2005-09-04T00:53:00.000-05:00

Why can't Willie Randolph manage? Boy I wish we still had Bobby V. This is my first blog and I hope to create more.