First off, I feel like I need to say that when I mentioned about a month ago that Glavine needed to come up with a mysterious injury that would land him on the DL for an extended period of rest, this is NOT what I had in mind. That was written in jest, meaning a rest of two weeks would do Glavine some good as the Mets prepared for October. Now, with tests due on Glavine's shoulder, nothing is certain regarding Glavine.
This is a huge blow to the Mets. Their pitching was shaky before this happened, now it's downright trembling. The Mets will send John Maine, Steve Trachsel, and Dave Williams to the mound in the upcoming series against St. Louis (at Shea). Orlando Hernandez is in the rotation, and the question is who will fill Glavine's spot the next time that comes around. Oliver Perez is a possibility, so is Brian Bannister. Mike Pelfrey will probably be back in the majors after September 1st, but he's nursing an injury right now. You know what would have been great? If the Mets could have gotten Jamie Moyer, who went to the Phillies in a waiver wire deal over the weekend. I don't know that Moyer would have gotten all the way through to the Mets (probably not), but he would have been ideal for a team desperate for starting pitching.
As I wrote Sunday, the Mets need top-notch performances from the above-mentioned guys for the rest of the season (a la Dave Williams' [surprising] outing Saturday against Colorado, or El Duque's on Sunday). And they need Pedro Martinez* to come back healthy. A healthy Pedro* goes a long way to making up for a lack of Tom Glavine.
And the other big point is this - the Mets' lineup hasn't been affected. It will only get better when Cliff Floyd is back, and when the likes of David Wright start hitting consistently. And the pitching around the league isn't much better than the Mets' pitching, so the offense could make up for the lack of pitching.
The one last major point that I want to bring up is that despite the recent string of injuries, the Mets are lucky. They have the luxury of a 14 game lead in the National League East. Their magic number is 26. They are going to win the division, no matter what happens the rest of the way. And they're going to win the division with plenty of time to line up their pitchers, rest players, and test out some arms, to see who can help them come playoff time. That's a huge advantage. Most of September can be like it has been the past few years for the Mets - a chance to see what they have. The difference is that instead of seeing what they have for the future, the Mets will be division champions, seeing what they have for the playoffs.
I am a positive person. I like to look on the bright side of things. I am hopeful that Glavine will get good news about his arm, and be cleared to play in a couple of weeks. But I am aware that the Mets, a lock for the World Series not too long ago, are no longer a lock. There's a very good chance this season will come to a disappointing end in the National League playoffs, and they might not make the World Series. But I also feel that with the pieces the Mets have right now, they can still compete against the best in the NL in the playoffs, and with the Mets' offense, they can hold their own in the World Series against the best of the AL.
This week will show what the Mets have - they are a better team than the St. Louis Cardinals. They need to go out and prove that, and inch closer to a pressure-free September, with a pressure-packed October still looming in the not-too-distant future.
MORE ON THE 1986 METS REUNION: In the last posting I talked about how the 1986 Mets came out through the stands down to their places on the field. I wanted to show you how that looked - and where I wish I was sitting (click on the picture so you don't strain your eyes).
BLUE JAY WAY: Yikes. Manager on the hot seat: John Gibbons. The former Met is losing his team north of the border. A month or so after he challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight in the clubhouse, Gibbons got into an argument with Ted Lilly on the mound during a pitching change, then apparently got into a fight with Lilly in the clubhouse (this is speculation on my part - but Gibbons went down into the tunnel with Lilly, soon after a bunch of players followed them from the dugout, and Gibbons was later seen with a bloody nose). That's not the way a manager should be leading his team...actually, it's better than the guys who let the players run the show...but it probably won't keep Gibbons in charge for long.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets beat Palm Beach, 9-2 Monday night, to increase their lead to 2 games over Palm Beach. Daytona won, keeping pace with St. Lucie, to stay a game-and-a-half back.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Norfolk had a doubleheader on Monday against Charlotte, and Edgardo Alfonzo started Game 1 at third base, going 0-for-3 with his 12th RBI. His average is now at .260. He also started Game 2 at third, and is 0-for-2 at this writing, with the game in the 4th inning.
NEW METS STADIUM ON THE WAY: As you know, the Mets will begin construction soon on their new stadium, which will be opening for the 2009 season. I'm very excited about that, and Saturday night I had visual proof that the pieces are in place for the groundbreaking. Here is that proof:
The scene behind center field - where construction will soon begin on the Mets' new stadium.
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