I was inspired to come up with this team by Dave in Brighton, who hasn't checked his fantasy team in so long that he may not remember this, but he built it this year around players he liked. I thought about the players I liked, and if I could make a team out of those players. I can. Some of this is dated, though, because I jotted it down so long ago (for example, before Mike Piazza was officially retired). I figured today was a good day for one last fluff piece before the nitty-gritty of September hit.
Terry Francona, Manager: I've written before about how much I like Terry Francona. I think he's done a great job, facing his fair share of adversity and maintaining a high level of success. He can manage my team any day. I share the concern of many who follow the Red Sox, though, for his overall health. Hopefully he's at least kicked the chewing tobacco.
Mike Piazza, Catcher: I don't know who I'd pick if I had to go for a player who isn't retired - perhaps Matt Wieters, this Orioles prospect who's supposed to be great. But I pick Piazza because he's a class act, and played the game hard. Clean? I'm not sure - I find it suspicious that he couldn't find a place to play this year...but I certainly hope so. I wouldn't pick him if I didn't believe it in my heart.
Sean Casey, 1st Baseman: This team isn't all about talent. Sure, Casey's a good hitter, but by all accounts, he's one of the nicest people in sports. That means he can play for me.
Chase Utley, 2nd Baseman: Yes, he plays for the Phillies, but he's one of the fantasy league all-stars I have on my team. Actually, not all of them are all-stars, as you will see.
Bobby Crosby, Shortstop: I bought into the hype when he first came up and was supposed to be the next Miguel Tejada for the A's. I still check out how he did in the box score.
David Wright, 3rd Baseman: Need I say more?
Ryan Braun, Left Field: A fun young player to watch.
Johnny Damon, Center Field: When countless Red Sox players snubbed me on the field when I was working for a local TV station, he spoke to me. It went like this - he comes out of the dugout, I asked him for a word. "I have to take a couple of swings, then I'll be right back." He walked over to the cage, signed some autographs for fans in the stands, took his cuts, then came straight back to me. "You wanted to talk, right?" I'll never forget how he helped me. I'll also never forget how Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon were among those who wouldn't even look at me.
Vladimir Guerrero, Right Field: I guess time heals all wounds. When he was with the Expos, I despised him. Now, he's one of the players I most enjoy watching.
Roy Halladay, SP: He's awesome now, but I owned him back when he had to be sent back down to Single-A for some seasoning. I feel like a proud papa seeing him have this success.
Erik Bedard, SP: I feel bad for him for the whole Seattle thing. It just never seemed like a good fit to me. I wish he was back in Baltimore.
Mike Maroth, SP: He will always have a special place in my heart - we suffered through his 21-loss season together.
Boof Bonser, SP: Just because.
Troy Percival, CP: I almost didn't go with a closer - there aren't many I like - but I've always liked rooting for the Angels, and Percival reminds me of them. Plus, it's been nice to see his resurgence with Tampa this year.
BENCH - Freddy Sanchez (I was there the night he had an insane game for the Red Sox against Houston, which must have been the reason Pittsburgh traded for him), Grady Sizemore (maybe just because of his birthday - 8/2/82), Jason Bay (so excited to see his Red Sox debut), and Ken Griffey, Jr. (a schoolyard favorite growing up).
Showing posts with label Chase Utley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chase Utley. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 04, 2006
STREAKING PHILLIES BEAT METS
Phillies 5, Mets 3 (NYM: 64-44, PHI: 53-55)
I never considered the possibility that Chase Utley's hitting streak would end, and the Mets would lose. I only considered two options:
I never considered the possibility that Chase Utley's hitting streak would end, and the Mets would lose. I only considered two options:
1) Utley's hitting streak would continue, and the Mets would win.
2) Utley's hitting streak would end, and the Mets would win.
Maybe 3), Utley wouldn't play, and the Mets would win.
This kind of blows my mind - Chase's Chase is over at 35 (time to shift attention to Manny Ramirez and his 20-game hitting streak), and the Phillies kept the magic number from decreasing any more with a win at Shea.
I realize the Phillies are playing much better baseball since the trading deadline. I realize they're on a bit of a streak. I realize they've cut into the Mets' lead in the division. But they still don't scare me. They're a better team than they were - but they're still not a good team. I'm not worried about them challenging for the division, and I'm not worried about them winning the wild card. I'm not worried about the Mets facing anyone in the National League playoffs, to be honest. (The Cardinals are a joke right now - they've had more 5+ -game losing streaks this year than any other first-place team in history, says me. It's got to be a record. They're awful.) So I'm not upset that the Mets lost this game to the Phillies.
It was a pretty good game. Orlando Hernandez pitched very well, so that's encouraging. He battled all night, and had thrown 115 pitches by the time he was done in after 6 innings. Along the way he gave up 3 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, had 7 strikeouts, 2 balks, and a triple. That's right, a triple. Again, the Mets left some runners in scoring position, missing out on a few timely hits.
But it was a 3-3 game into the 7th, when Darren Oliver surrendered a homer to David Dellucci. Oliver's been very reliable all year - chalk this loss up to bad timing on the part of the Mets' hitters, and Oliver throwing a bad pitch at a bad time. I'm really not concerned.
The Mets play the Phillies 9 more times this month (10 total in August). The worst they will do is 5-5 through those 10 games. And by going 5-5, the Mets will trim 10 games off the magic number. Good enough for me. I bet they do even better than 5 wins. Starting Saturday at Shea. And hopefully Tom Glavine gets back in the "W" column as the Mets rock Jon Lieber.
(I will not see Saturday's game due to childbirthing class - Saturday and Sunday, all day. I will be able to watch Sunday's game, I'm not sure I'll be able to write afterwards. The Mets are the Sunday night national telecast, but with a workshop I need to attend next week, I'm not sure I'll be up late. I'll post daily starting Monday, but I'm not sure if it will be after games.)
MAGIC NUMBER: Stalled on 44.
ALL PEDRO*, ALL THE TIME: Red Sox fans will be happy to know that Pedro Martinez* is still up to his old off-day antics in the dugout. He has a "magic bat", a plastic, wiffle ball-type bat, in Mets colors, the kind with a bigger barrel than a normal wiffle ball bat. Anyway, during home games, he waves the bat around, jokes around with players in the Mets dugout, and in the visitor's dugout. He got a lot of air time during the Mets telecast Friday night, and I figured I'd mention it tonight, because I had forgotten for a while. It's fun to watch, as Red Sox fans are well aware.
CONTEST: I think I need your help. I need to name my fantasy football team, and I can't think of anything too clever. I need it to be clean - good, family fun. But I think it needs to have something to do with the fact that I'm going to become a father. I've got a couple of ideas, but I'm open to suggestions. E-mail me (I'd prefer e-mails to posted comments) suggestions at johnnymetsmail@yahoo.com and I'll post the good ones, and if I don't come up with anything myself, I'll use the best one as my team name. And maybe the winner will get a cool t-shirt.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets lost to Clearwater, 6-2 Friday, and fell to one full game behind Daytona, which beat Lakeland. Interestingly, the Alfonzo nephew took the loss for the Mets.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Apparently Edgardo Alfonzo reads the blog. One night after I bemoaned the fact that Alfonzo was only hitting singles, as he attempted to get back to the Majors with the Mets, he goes 2-for-3, mixing in a double. This continues his modest hitting streak, and lifts his average to .250. He also had a walk and a run scored.
BEAT THE STREAK: At two right now - Vladimir Guerrero had a hit in his first game against Texas. Friday night, he's 0-for-his-first-at-bat, striking out on some very high heat. Guerrero is on a tear against Texas. Let's examine what he's doing - it has to be the best string against one opponent ever:
- He's hit in all 43 career games he's played against Texas.
- In those 43 games, Guerrero is hitting .441, with 15 homers and 35 RBI.
- He's a .348 career hitter against Texas' starter Friday night, Vicente Padilla (I needed a 3rd bullet)...he'll end up with a hit on Friday.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
HEILMAN OFFERS NO RELIEF
Marlins 4, Mets 1 (NYM: 64-43, FLA: 51-57)
Aaron Heilman's inconsistent season continues, and it's getting frustrating. Heilman (and the Mets) wasted an outstanding start by Pedro Martinez* Thursday night in Miami, losing to the Marlins, 4-1.
Pedro* turned in 6 innings, giving up just a solo homer to Mike Jacobs - one of four hits. He struck out 9. After the homer, Pedro* showed some rare anger, cursing at himself (I'm assuming it was at himself) as Jacobs rounded the bases. It was the only mistake Pedro* made all game.
The Mets rallied to get that run back in the top of the 7th, but like the last two nights, there were a lot of wasted chances, and that came back to haunt them.
Heilman got two outs in the 8th, but loaded the bases, and then gave up a bases-clearing double to Miguel Cabrera, breaking the 1-1 tie. Heilman looked very good the past couple of nights, posting consecutive 1-2-3 innings. It's tough to say this inning means he's back to his inconsistencies - maybe he's just not ready to be going three nights in a row, all in tight spots. But he'd better get used to it - because that's what the Mets need from him.
Roberto Hernandez turned in another nice inning - maybe he'll thrive now that he's back with the Mets and being in a pennant chase.
The Marlins turned three double plays - all three coming at key times, squelching Mets rallies. This was a frustrating game - it was the type of game you want the Mets to win for their starting pitcher, especially when he turns in an outing like Pedro* turned in. The good news? David Wright was 2-for-4, possibly breaking out of his slump. His average is back up to .309.
Friday night the Mets come back home to play the second-place Phillies - Orlando Hernandez gets the series started for New York. It's one of the final '86 Mets giveaways before the reunion on August 19th (which I'll be going to). My parents say they're going for me, to get me the '86 championship T-shirt the Mets are giving away. They're wonderful people, my parents. My sister and future brother-in-law were nice enough to give me one of their pictures of Mookie running down the first-base line from a game against the Pirates last month. I missed out on an '86 commemorative pin, and a replica '86 yearbook. But I don't care much for pins, and I didn't need the replica yearbook because I have the real thing. Looking forward to a t-shirt, though. I've outgrown all my '86 championship gear.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Phillies are winning as I write this, so there looks to be no change in the Magic Number, unfortunately, staying at 44.
MINOR NEWS: Before Wednesday's game, Mike Pelfrey was sent back to the minors, and reliever Royce Ring was brought up. Pelfrey was the odd man out, with the Mets having six starters after Pedro* came back from his injury. It came down to John Maine or Pelfrey, and Maine has just been pitching better. Pelfrey will be back when rosters expand in September.
MAJOR NEWS: The Mets signed THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, to a 4-year contract extension before Thursday's game, with an option for a fifth year. This is good news, locking up the kid for a while. Now the Mets have to do the same with Future Hall of Famer David Wright. Remember how it was sort of a big deal that Wright's contract for this year was so small, comparatively speaking? It wouldn't look right for the Mets to lock up Reyes and not Wright. I'd be expecting an announcement before the season's up.
Although I just read on the Mets' website that Wright doesn't expect anything, because he has a different situation than Reyes - he came to the Majors a year later. So I guess it's good if Wright's OK with things...still, the Mets should work out a contract with Wright now. Don't waste time. It would show him that they care, and he's the type of player who would remember something like that down the line.
QUICK NOTE: I see Dave in Brighton left a comment about the LOB from the Mets' game last night. I've been thinking about it, and the most players a team can leave on base in an inning can be 9, if they load the bases, and then there are three outs. Three LOB per batter. That's the number I was looking at - LOB per batter, which ended up being 28 total for the Mets. And I guess just 10 total at the end of each inning.
MADDUX: As I write this, Greg Maddux has thrown 6 no-hit innings in his Dodgers debut against the Reds in Cincinnati. I'm going to go watch the end of that now - hope he throws the no-hitter - it's been too long since the last no-hitter in the majors.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets lost to Clearwater Thursday, but Daytona was losing in the 9th inning at press time, so they could still be tied for first in the second half of the season.
Also of note, during the Marlins broadcast, the Aflac Trivia Question was "Which former Met won manager of the year during his rookie season in 2005?" Then the announcers said it was in the minor leagues, and of course, we all knew the answer was Gary Carter. Then the announcers talked for a little while about how great it was that a Hall of Famer was managing in the low minor leagues. It was nice to hear some Gary Carter talk during a broadcast - but I still can't stand those Florida broadcasters. Of note, too, Carter, right after retiring from baseball, was an announcer for the Marlins for a few years.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Back to 3B Thursday night for Edgardo Alfonzo - he was 1-for-4, which raises his average to .226. The problem here is these past few games (it's about a 5-game hitting streak now) have all been singles for Alfonzo - no extra base hits. Oh well, we'll keep rooting for him.
CHASE'S CHASE: A hit in his first at-bat, so it's a 35-game streak for Utley. Now is the moment of truth - do I root for the streak to continue, with three games against the Mets, or do I root for the Mets to end it?
Honestly, as much as I like a good hitting streak, I want the Mets to end it. But if Sunday rolls around, and Utley hit in all three games, but the Mets went 3-0, I'll be perfectly fine with that.
BEAT THE STREAK: I'm looking for Vladimir Guerrero to continue his lifetime hitting streak against the Texas Rangers in their 4 games this weekend. It begins tonight, after press time.
Aaron Heilman's inconsistent season continues, and it's getting frustrating. Heilman (and the Mets) wasted an outstanding start by Pedro Martinez* Thursday night in Miami, losing to the Marlins, 4-1.
Pedro* turned in 6 innings, giving up just a solo homer to Mike Jacobs - one of four hits. He struck out 9. After the homer, Pedro* showed some rare anger, cursing at himself (I'm assuming it was at himself) as Jacobs rounded the bases. It was the only mistake Pedro* made all game.
The Mets rallied to get that run back in the top of the 7th, but like the last two nights, there were a lot of wasted chances, and that came back to haunt them.
Heilman got two outs in the 8th, but loaded the bases, and then gave up a bases-clearing double to Miguel Cabrera, breaking the 1-1 tie. Heilman looked very good the past couple of nights, posting consecutive 1-2-3 innings. It's tough to say this inning means he's back to his inconsistencies - maybe he's just not ready to be going three nights in a row, all in tight spots. But he'd better get used to it - because that's what the Mets need from him.
Roberto Hernandez turned in another nice inning - maybe he'll thrive now that he's back with the Mets and being in a pennant chase.
The Marlins turned three double plays - all three coming at key times, squelching Mets rallies. This was a frustrating game - it was the type of game you want the Mets to win for their starting pitcher, especially when he turns in an outing like Pedro* turned in. The good news? David Wright was 2-for-4, possibly breaking out of his slump. His average is back up to .309.
Friday night the Mets come back home to play the second-place Phillies - Orlando Hernandez gets the series started for New York. It's one of the final '86 Mets giveaways before the reunion on August 19th (which I'll be going to). My parents say they're going for me, to get me the '86 championship T-shirt the Mets are giving away. They're wonderful people, my parents. My sister and future brother-in-law were nice enough to give me one of their pictures of Mookie running down the first-base line from a game against the Pirates last month. I missed out on an '86 commemorative pin, and a replica '86 yearbook. But I don't care much for pins, and I didn't need the replica yearbook because I have the real thing. Looking forward to a t-shirt, though. I've outgrown all my '86 championship gear.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Phillies are winning as I write this, so there looks to be no change in the Magic Number, unfortunately, staying at 44.
MINOR NEWS: Before Wednesday's game, Mike Pelfrey was sent back to the minors, and reliever Royce Ring was brought up. Pelfrey was the odd man out, with the Mets having six starters after Pedro* came back from his injury. It came down to John Maine or Pelfrey, and Maine has just been pitching better. Pelfrey will be back when rosters expand in September.
MAJOR NEWS: The Mets signed THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, to a 4-year contract extension before Thursday's game, with an option for a fifth year. This is good news, locking up the kid for a while. Now the Mets have to do the same with Future Hall of Famer David Wright. Remember how it was sort of a big deal that Wright's contract for this year was so small, comparatively speaking? It wouldn't look right for the Mets to lock up Reyes and not Wright. I'd be expecting an announcement before the season's up.
Although I just read on the Mets' website that Wright doesn't expect anything, because he has a different situation than Reyes - he came to the Majors a year later. So I guess it's good if Wright's OK with things...still, the Mets should work out a contract with Wright now. Don't waste time. It would show him that they care, and he's the type of player who would remember something like that down the line.
QUICK NOTE: I see Dave in Brighton left a comment about the LOB from the Mets' game last night. I've been thinking about it, and the most players a team can leave on base in an inning can be 9, if they load the bases, and then there are three outs. Three LOB per batter. That's the number I was looking at - LOB per batter, which ended up being 28 total for the Mets. And I guess just 10 total at the end of each inning.
MADDUX: As I write this, Greg Maddux has thrown 6 no-hit innings in his Dodgers debut against the Reds in Cincinnati. I'm going to go watch the end of that now - hope he throws the no-hitter - it's been too long since the last no-hitter in the majors.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets lost to Clearwater Thursday, but Daytona was losing in the 9th inning at press time, so they could still be tied for first in the second half of the season.
Also of note, during the Marlins broadcast, the Aflac Trivia Question was "Which former Met won manager of the year during his rookie season in 2005?" Then the announcers said it was in the minor leagues, and of course, we all knew the answer was Gary Carter. Then the announcers talked for a little while about how great it was that a Hall of Famer was managing in the low minor leagues. It was nice to hear some Gary Carter talk during a broadcast - but I still can't stand those Florida broadcasters. Of note, too, Carter, right after retiring from baseball, was an announcer for the Marlins for a few years.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Back to 3B Thursday night for Edgardo Alfonzo - he was 1-for-4, which raises his average to .226. The problem here is these past few games (it's about a 5-game hitting streak now) have all been singles for Alfonzo - no extra base hits. Oh well, we'll keep rooting for him.
CHASE'S CHASE: A hit in his first at-bat, so it's a 35-game streak for Utley. Now is the moment of truth - do I root for the streak to continue, with three games against the Mets, or do I root for the Mets to end it?
Honestly, as much as I like a good hitting streak, I want the Mets to end it. But if Sunday rolls around, and Utley hit in all three games, but the Mets went 3-0, I'll be perfectly fine with that.
BEAT THE STREAK: I'm looking for Vladimir Guerrero to continue his lifetime hitting streak against the Texas Rangers in their 4 games this weekend. It begins tonight, after press time.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
METS, WAGNER BACK ON TRACH
Mets 6, Marlins 5 (NYM: 64-42, FLA: 50-57)
Another game that didn't really seem like the Mets were going to run away with it, despite an early lead. The Marlins just won't go away - all season, even early in the year, every time the Mets play them. But the important difference between this game and the one on Tuesday night - the Mets came out a winner.
Roberto Hernandez, Pedro Feliciano, Chad Bradford, and Aaron Heilman all combined to get the Mets from Steve Trachsel to Billy Wagner (new Met Hernandez gave up 2 runs) - and prevent the Mets from blowing a 6-0 lead.
The Mets built a 4-0 lead after one, and managed to build their lead without an extra-base hit. Typical of the night, probably, was Carlos Delgado, who was 1-for-1, with 3 walks. But this should have been a blowout - the Mets couldn't get a big hit. David Wright left 10 men on base, going 0-for-5. Cliff Floyd was 1-for-5, with an RBI, but he left 6 men on.
All told, the Mets left 28 men on base - not a formula for success.
The Marlins left their share on base, too - including two in the ninth. Wagner was back to his tightrope-walking self, but managed to get three straight outs, after letting the first two men on (including a pinch-hitting pitcher, who Wagner hit with a pitch - the pitcher was up there only to sacrifice bunt). The Marlins left 19 on - I almost feel like these are typos - that seems like way too many people left on base. I wouldn't know if it's correct or not - I had the Marlins broadcast - those guys drive me nuts. You barely know there's a game going on listening to them. It doesn't help, I guess, when the most boring man on earth, Steve Trachsel, starts the game.
It was just another typical Steve Trachsel night. Trachsel is 10-5 now, but his 5.12 ERA really bothers me. That's way too high. The Mets still have a chance to take two out of three from Florida, with a Pedro Martinez*-Dontrelle Willis matchup Thursday night. That should be a good one.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Mets win knocks the magic number down one, to 44, but the Phillies beat the Cardinals Wednesday night, keeping the number from going down one more. I'm tired of waiting for the Phillies game to end, matter of fact, so I'm posting this before it's final. The Phillies blew an 8-2 lead, with Saint Louis making it 8-7, before the Phillies have opened it up again, to 16-8. But I'm done waiting for it to be over. The Cardinals stink. I'm telling you - if they're the Mets' stiffest competition in the playoffs, the National League playoffs will be a breeze.
BOOF: All-Star rookie sensation Francisco Liriano hurt his elbow, and couldn't make his start for the Twins on Wednesday afternoon against the Rangers, so guess who got the call from Rochester to make the emergency start? That's right, Boof. He showed up, unfortunately, the Twins defense didn't.
Bonser pitched 4 innings, giving up 7 runs, of which only 4 were earned, while striking out 5. He should have been out of his bad inning (5 runs allowed) a few different times, but different players kept making errors, forcing him to get extra outs. It really wasn't fair. The loss dropped Bonser's major league record to 2-3, and his ERA is now 5.67. He was sent back to Rochester after the game.
THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie moved into a tie for first with Daytona, after beating Daytona, 6-2 Wednesday. There's one more game in this series - both teams are 22-16 in the second half of the season, with about a month left to play.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: A start at second base for Edgardo Alfonzo on Wednesday, and he was 1-for-2, with 3 walks, and a run scored. He's now hitting .224. Things are certainly on the upswing.
CHASE'S CHASE: It took five at-bats, but Utley legged out a nubber past the mound in the 8th inning against the Cardinals, extending the streak to 34 games. He really didn't look like he was going to get it - maybe this will bring the streak a second wind.
BEAT THE STREAK: I managed to not jinx Utley (barely), so maybe Vladimir Guerrero's hitting streak against the Rangers will continue as well. I have him for all 4 games. My streak stands at 1.
Another game that didn't really seem like the Mets were going to run away with it, despite an early lead. The Marlins just won't go away - all season, even early in the year, every time the Mets play them. But the important difference between this game and the one on Tuesday night - the Mets came out a winner.Roberto Hernandez, Pedro Feliciano, Chad Bradford, and Aaron Heilman all combined to get the Mets from Steve Trachsel to Billy Wagner (new Met Hernandez gave up 2 runs) - and prevent the Mets from blowing a 6-0 lead.
The Mets built a 4-0 lead after one, and managed to build their lead without an extra-base hit. Typical of the night, probably, was Carlos Delgado, who was 1-for-1, with 3 walks. But this should have been a blowout - the Mets couldn't get a big hit. David Wright left 10 men on base, going 0-for-5. Cliff Floyd was 1-for-5, with an RBI, but he left 6 men on.
All told, the Mets left 28 men on base - not a formula for success.
The Marlins left their share on base, too - including two in the ninth. Wagner was back to his tightrope-walking self, but managed to get three straight outs, after letting the first two men on (including a pinch-hitting pitcher, who Wagner hit with a pitch - the pitcher was up there only to sacrifice bunt). The Marlins left 19 on - I almost feel like these are typos - that seems like way too many people left on base. I wouldn't know if it's correct or not - I had the Marlins broadcast - those guys drive me nuts. You barely know there's a game going on listening to them. It doesn't help, I guess, when the most boring man on earth, Steve Trachsel, starts the game.
It was just another typical Steve Trachsel night. Trachsel is 10-5 now, but his 5.12 ERA really bothers me. That's way too high. The Mets still have a chance to take two out of three from Florida, with a Pedro Martinez*-Dontrelle Willis matchup Thursday night. That should be a good one.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Mets win knocks the magic number down one, to 44, but the Phillies beat the Cardinals Wednesday night, keeping the number from going down one more. I'm tired of waiting for the Phillies game to end, matter of fact, so I'm posting this before it's final. The Phillies blew an 8-2 lead, with Saint Louis making it 8-7, before the Phillies have opened it up again, to 16-8. But I'm done waiting for it to be over. The Cardinals stink. I'm telling you - if they're the Mets' stiffest competition in the playoffs, the National League playoffs will be a breeze.
BOOF: All-Star rookie sensation Francisco Liriano hurt his elbow, and couldn't make his start for the Twins on Wednesday afternoon against the Rangers, so guess who got the call from Rochester to make the emergency start? That's right, Boof. He showed up, unfortunately, the Twins defense didn't.Bonser pitched 4 innings, giving up 7 runs, of which only 4 were earned, while striking out 5. He should have been out of his bad inning (5 runs allowed) a few different times, but different players kept making errors, forcing him to get extra outs. It really wasn't fair. The loss dropped Bonser's major league record to 2-3, and his ERA is now 5.67. He was sent back to Rochester after the game.
THE KID'S KIDS: St. Lucie moved into a tie for first with Daytona, after beating Daytona, 6-2 Wednesday. There's one more game in this series - both teams are 22-16 in the second half of the season, with about a month left to play.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: A start at second base for Edgardo Alfonzo on Wednesday, and he was 1-for-2, with 3 walks, and a run scored. He's now hitting .224. Things are certainly on the upswing.
CHASE'S CHASE: It took five at-bats, but Utley legged out a nubber past the mound in the 8th inning against the Cardinals, extending the streak to 34 games. He really didn't look like he was going to get it - maybe this will bring the streak a second wind.
BEAT THE STREAK: I managed to not jinx Utley (barely), so maybe Vladimir Guerrero's hitting streak against the Rangers will continue as well. I have him for all 4 games. My streak stands at 1.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
BILLY GOAT
Marlins 6, Mets 5 (NYM: 63-42, FLA: 50-56)
So much for Billy Wagner's string of impressive outings. One pitch to Josh Willingham, one 2-run homer later, it's a blown save and a Mets loss.
This was a weird game. It almost felt, from the start, like the Mets didn't deserve to win it. In the first inning, THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, led off with a walk. One out later, Carlos Beltran doubled down the left field line, and Reyes fell rounding third, so he went back to third, Beltran was hung up between second and third, and he was tagged out. Reyes would score on a Carlos Delgado single, but that wasted run seemed ominous.
The Marlins tied it, and this made things seem a bit more ominous. Mike Pelfrey should have been out of this inning, but a fly ball to right landed in front of Lastings Milledge. Not sure how. He should have had it - it was a line drive with lots of hangtime, and he let it drop. No Green Monster in Miami. I'm almost starting to wish the Mets had traded Milledge - he'd better start maturing soon. Of course, the next batter drove the run home, making the Mets pay.
In the third, the Mets took a 2-1 lead, then a 4-1 lead, on Beltran's 33rd homer of the year. It was a little more comfortable, but there was still a ho-hum feeling to the way the Mets were playing.
Pelfrey actually pitched very well in what may have been his last major league start for a while - he went 6 innings, giving up 4 runs (the first should not have been earned), and striking out 4, including the last batter he faced. So he looked good, but the rest of the time the Mets seemed lackadaisical. Very tough for me to explain.
Reyes homered in the seventh inning, and suddenly the Mets were on top again, and Wagner came in to close the door, gave up a single, a sac bunt, then the 2-run homer. And just like that it was over. Such a strange game - it just seemed like the Marlins wanted it more than the Mets. And I hope the Mets realize that, and I hope they come out with more of a killer instinct on Tuesday night. Because they didn't have it on Monday.
Steve Trachsel goes against Ricky Nolasco on Wednesday. Yawn. I bet there's a rain delay too. It always rains on Trachsel.
MAGIC NUMBER: First time in a while there's no change here. Still at 45. Not worth a graphic. The Mets lost, and the 2nd-place Phillies beat the Cardinals.
MORE TRADE INFO: Turns out the Mets were in some serious talks to get Roy Oswalt in a 3-way deal involving the Orioles. The Mets would have gotten Oswalt, the Astros would have gotten Miguel Tejada, and the Orioles would have gotten Morgan Ensberg, Adam Everett, Lastings Milledge, and I think Aaron Heilman (or one of those Mets might have gone to the Astros). But those talks fell apart. I'm glad the Mets didn't give up more than just Xavier Nady, to be honest, but Roy Oswalt would have been an awesome addition. The problem would have been he is a free agent (or up for arbitration at the end of this year, I guess), so there's no guarantee the Mets would have had Oswalt for very long.
MORE TRADE REAX: I caught a little of Mike & Mike in the Morning Tuesday morning, and Mike Greenberg was very critical of the Mets for not making a bigger and better deal. He doesn't think they can win the World Series the way they are constituted right now. I actually agree with Mike Golic, who said that the Mets are in no danger of missing the playoffs - and once they get into the playoffs, anything can happen. He says they had the luxury of sitting back a bit at the deadline, because they aren't looking to make a deal to get into the playoffs like a lot of the other teams were. (Keep in mind, the Mets did fill their need in the bullpen - and who knows what Oliver Perez may offer down the line.)
I also agree with Steve Philips, who refused to criticize his former assistant, Omar Minaya, but said that the Mets were reluctant to give up a lot of talent for a rental player. Which I agree with - why give up the future for just a couple of months, when you're already in pretty darn good shape for the next couple of months. My problem with what Philips said: He talked about how he traded Terrence Long for Kenny Rogers, another rental player, who helped the Mets reach the playoffs, in 1999. But then he became my arch-nemesis, by costing the Mets that same playoffs - in the NLCS, walking Andruw Jones with the bases loaded in extra innings, losing the series. Just awful - throw a strike, Kenny! (Have you noticed how poorly Rogers has pitched since the All-Star break? That always makes me happy.)
HERE'S WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN: I've been thinking, and I think Tom Glavine needs a mysterious Pedro Martinez*-type injury to pop up, landing him on the disabled list for a few weeks. Then, Glavine can come back rested, and pitch like he was pitching at the beginning of the year. I'm no longer worried about Pedro*, because he's basically had a month off to rest his arm. And I think Glavine's struggles are because he's old and tired. He has next year to get his 300th win. This year, he should only count on about 5-7 more wins in late August and September, and worry about getting some post-season wins.
SANCHEZ OUT: As expected, Duaner Sanchez had surgery on his separated shoulder on Tuesday, and WILL miss the rest of the season. There was a slight chance he would not need surgery, but he did wake up on Tuesday in excruciating pain, apparently. What an awful problem for the Mets. You hate when off-the-field stuff affects the team. Apparently the cab Sanchez was in was hit by another car going the wrong way.
THE KID'S KIDS: On Monday night, the St. Lucie Mets beat Daytona, 4-0, behind Brian Bannister's 7 shutout innings, as he rehabs his way back to the Majors. The big series between first-place Daytona and 2nd-place St. Lucie (in the second half of the season, remember) continued Tuesday, with the Mets winning, 5-4. They're just a game behind Daytona now.
Also of note, Tuesday afternoon I saw the 2-Minute Drill on ESPN Classic which featured Hall of Famer Gary Carter asking questions. I'd love for ESPN to bring back 2-Minute Drill. If I were on the show, I think I'd pick the 1986 Mets' post-season as my expert category. Depends how specific you can get with your category.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: On Monday, Alfonzo was 1-for-3, with two walks. He upped his average to .205. (I missed the Monday night games due to the early post-surgery posting.)
On Tuesday, another 1-for-3, with one walk, and Alfonzo's average is now .213. Maybe he's finding a groove.
CHASE'S CHASE: Not much drama here - Utley had a hit in his first at-bat, making it 33 games in a row.
BEAT THE STREAK: Lots of drama here, ending with an o-fer for Ichiro. So back to square one. And it being August 2nd, I need this to turn into a 57-game hitting streak, or else it's not worth playing this game the rest of the season. I'll go with Utley to get me started, then it's Vladimir Guerrero Thursday through Sunday, since it's Angels-Rangers, and he's never played the Rangers without getting a hit. (So looks like I'll be ending two streaks before Sunday - Utley's and Guerrero's.)
So much for Billy Wagner's string of impressive outings. One pitch to Josh Willingham, one 2-run homer later, it's a blown save and a Mets loss.This was a weird game. It almost felt, from the start, like the Mets didn't deserve to win it. In the first inning, THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, led off with a walk. One out later, Carlos Beltran doubled down the left field line, and Reyes fell rounding third, so he went back to third, Beltran was hung up between second and third, and he was tagged out. Reyes would score on a Carlos Delgado single, but that wasted run seemed ominous.
The Marlins tied it, and this made things seem a bit more ominous. Mike Pelfrey should have been out of this inning, but a fly ball to right landed in front of Lastings Milledge. Not sure how. He should have had it - it was a line drive with lots of hangtime, and he let it drop. No Green Monster in Miami. I'm almost starting to wish the Mets had traded Milledge - he'd better start maturing soon. Of course, the next batter drove the run home, making the Mets pay.
In the third, the Mets took a 2-1 lead, then a 4-1 lead, on Beltran's 33rd homer of the year. It was a little more comfortable, but there was still a ho-hum feeling to the way the Mets were playing.
Pelfrey actually pitched very well in what may have been his last major league start for a while - he went 6 innings, giving up 4 runs (the first should not have been earned), and striking out 4, including the last batter he faced. So he looked good, but the rest of the time the Mets seemed lackadaisical. Very tough for me to explain.
Reyes homered in the seventh inning, and suddenly the Mets were on top again, and Wagner came in to close the door, gave up a single, a sac bunt, then the 2-run homer. And just like that it was over. Such a strange game - it just seemed like the Marlins wanted it more than the Mets. And I hope the Mets realize that, and I hope they come out with more of a killer instinct on Tuesday night. Because they didn't have it on Monday.
Steve Trachsel goes against Ricky Nolasco on Wednesday. Yawn. I bet there's a rain delay too. It always rains on Trachsel.
MAGIC NUMBER: First time in a while there's no change here. Still at 45. Not worth a graphic. The Mets lost, and the 2nd-place Phillies beat the Cardinals.
MORE TRADE INFO: Turns out the Mets were in some serious talks to get Roy Oswalt in a 3-way deal involving the Orioles. The Mets would have gotten Oswalt, the Astros would have gotten Miguel Tejada, and the Orioles would have gotten Morgan Ensberg, Adam Everett, Lastings Milledge, and I think Aaron Heilman (or one of those Mets might have gone to the Astros). But those talks fell apart. I'm glad the Mets didn't give up more than just Xavier Nady, to be honest, but Roy Oswalt would have been an awesome addition. The problem would have been he is a free agent (or up for arbitration at the end of this year, I guess), so there's no guarantee the Mets would have had Oswalt for very long.
MORE TRADE REAX: I caught a little of Mike & Mike in the Morning Tuesday morning, and Mike Greenberg was very critical of the Mets for not making a bigger and better deal. He doesn't think they can win the World Series the way they are constituted right now. I actually agree with Mike Golic, who said that the Mets are in no danger of missing the playoffs - and once they get into the playoffs, anything can happen. He says they had the luxury of sitting back a bit at the deadline, because they aren't looking to make a deal to get into the playoffs like a lot of the other teams were. (Keep in mind, the Mets did fill their need in the bullpen - and who knows what Oliver Perez may offer down the line.)
I also agree with Steve Philips, who refused to criticize his former assistant, Omar Minaya, but said that the Mets were reluctant to give up a lot of talent for a rental player. Which I agree with - why give up the future for just a couple of months, when you're already in pretty darn good shape for the next couple of months. My problem with what Philips said: He talked about how he traded Terrence Long for Kenny Rogers, another rental player, who helped the Mets reach the playoffs, in 1999. But then he became my arch-nemesis, by costing the Mets that same playoffs - in the NLCS, walking Andruw Jones with the bases loaded in extra innings, losing the series. Just awful - throw a strike, Kenny! (Have you noticed how poorly Rogers has pitched since the All-Star break? That always makes me happy.)
HERE'S WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN: I've been thinking, and I think Tom Glavine needs a mysterious Pedro Martinez*-type injury to pop up, landing him on the disabled list for a few weeks. Then, Glavine can come back rested, and pitch like he was pitching at the beginning of the year. I'm no longer worried about Pedro*, because he's basically had a month off to rest his arm. And I think Glavine's struggles are because he's old and tired. He has next year to get his 300th win. This year, he should only count on about 5-7 more wins in late August and September, and worry about getting some post-season wins.
SANCHEZ OUT: As expected, Duaner Sanchez had surgery on his separated shoulder on Tuesday, and WILL miss the rest of the season. There was a slight chance he would not need surgery, but he did wake up on Tuesday in excruciating pain, apparently. What an awful problem for the Mets. You hate when off-the-field stuff affects the team. Apparently the cab Sanchez was in was hit by another car going the wrong way.
THE KID'S KIDS: On Monday night, the St. Lucie Mets beat Daytona, 4-0, behind Brian Bannister's 7 shutout innings, as he rehabs his way back to the Majors. The big series between first-place Daytona and 2nd-place St. Lucie (in the second half of the season, remember) continued Tuesday, with the Mets winning, 5-4. They're just a game behind Daytona now.
Also of note, Tuesday afternoon I saw the 2-Minute Drill on ESPN Classic which featured Hall of Famer Gary Carter asking questions. I'd love for ESPN to bring back 2-Minute Drill. If I were on the show, I think I'd pick the 1986 Mets' post-season as my expert category. Depends how specific you can get with your category.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: On Monday, Alfonzo was 1-for-3, with two walks. He upped his average to .205. (I missed the Monday night games due to the early post-surgery posting.)
On Tuesday, another 1-for-3, with one walk, and Alfonzo's average is now .213. Maybe he's finding a groove.
CHASE'S CHASE: Not much drama here - Utley had a hit in his first at-bat, making it 33 games in a row.
BEAT THE STREAK: Lots of drama here, ending with an o-fer for Ichiro. So back to square one. And it being August 2nd, I need this to turn into a 57-game hitting streak, or else it's not worth playing this game the rest of the season. I'll go with Utley to get me started, then it's Vladimir Guerrero Thursday through Sunday, since it's Angels-Rangers, and he's never played the Rangers without getting a hit. (So looks like I'll be ending two streaks before Sunday - Utley's and Guerrero's.)
Monday, July 31, 2006
TRADE DEADLINE
Couldn't let the deadline pass without a quick comment. I'm still not sure if the Mets have Scott Linebrink - ESPNEWS is a little vague on this. One guy kept mentioning that the Mets swung Oliver Perez to the Padres for Linebrink....the rest of the station keeps saying only that the Mets traded Xavier Nady to the Pirates for Perez and Roberto Hernandez.
If the Met have Hernandez and Linebrink, that's a good deal. I'd say it makes their bullpen a lot better, but then there's this Duaner Sanchez situation...which sets the Mets way back. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that if the Mets think they're getting last year's Roberto Hernandez, I don't think they are. There's the chance he wasn't as good in Pittsburgh because they aren't competing, and he'll be in good shape back in a pennant race. But I watched him pitch a little this year, and he didn't look as good. I admit I don't know much about Linebrink, but a lot of teams wanted him, so I guess it's good the Mets got him.
This Sanchez story makes my mouth hurt (although, that could be the oral sugery). Apparently he was in a cab in Miami, there was a car accident, he suffered a separated shoulder, and is out for the rest of the season. That's awful. He was THE number one surprise for the Mets this year, not knowing what the Mets were getting from LA for Jae Seo - and he's been nothing short of awesome. The Mets can only hope Linebrink and/or Hernandez come close to filling the hole he'll be leaving.
Also, I am shocked the Mets traded Nady. Really. I though for at least the next five years the Mets outfield would be Lastings Milledge in left, Carlos Beltran in center, and Nady in right. Either the Mets are liking what they're seeing from Victor Diaz, and want him there, or they have long-term plans for Endy Chavez (he's 28). I'm really surprised - I didn't think Nady was going anywhere. I had read recently he was a little miffed about Chavez getting so much playing time, but that he was going to get some at-bats coming up against a bunch of lefties. I wonder what else there is to this story.
MAGIC NUMBER: It's 45 now, thanks to the Marlins win over the Phillies on Monday afternoon.
Also Monday afternoon:
CHASE'S CHASE: The hit streak is at 32 games. That's exciting.
I'll definitely be OK to write Tuesday night. I need some rest though.
P.S. Oral surgery sucks.
If the Met have Hernandez and Linebrink, that's a good deal. I'd say it makes their bullpen a lot better, but then there's this Duaner Sanchez situation...which sets the Mets way back. The only thing that makes me hesitate is that if the Mets think they're getting last year's Roberto Hernandez, I don't think they are. There's the chance he wasn't as good in Pittsburgh because they aren't competing, and he'll be in good shape back in a pennant race. But I watched him pitch a little this year, and he didn't look as good. I admit I don't know much about Linebrink, but a lot of teams wanted him, so I guess it's good the Mets got him.
This Sanchez story makes my mouth hurt (although, that could be the oral sugery). Apparently he was in a cab in Miami, there was a car accident, he suffered a separated shoulder, and is out for the rest of the season. That's awful. He was THE number one surprise for the Mets this year, not knowing what the Mets were getting from LA for Jae Seo - and he's been nothing short of awesome. The Mets can only hope Linebrink and/or Hernandez come close to filling the hole he'll be leaving.
Also, I am shocked the Mets traded Nady. Really. I though for at least the next five years the Mets outfield would be Lastings Milledge in left, Carlos Beltran in center, and Nady in right. Either the Mets are liking what they're seeing from Victor Diaz, and want him there, or they have long-term plans for Endy Chavez (he's 28). I'm really surprised - I didn't think Nady was going anywhere. I had read recently he was a little miffed about Chavez getting so much playing time, but that he was going to get some at-bats coming up against a bunch of lefties. I wonder what else there is to this story.
MAGIC NUMBER: It's 45 now, thanks to the Marlins win over the Phillies on Monday afternoon.
Also Monday afternoon:
CHASE'S CHASE: The hit streak is at 32 games. That's exciting.
I'll definitely be OK to write Tuesday night. I need some rest though.
P.S. Oral surgery sucks.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
UGLY SWEEP
Mets 10, Braves 6 (NYM: 63-41, ATL: 48-56)
The Mets completed their first sweep in Atlanta in 21 years, but it wasn't pretty...and it wasn't as easy as it would have seemed to be after an inning-and-a-half.
I'm a little concerned about Tom Glavine - he hasn't won in a while now, and the Mets staked him to a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the second, which he went on to nearly give back. He didn't pitch past the fourth inning, and he just didn't look good at all the entire game. I'm starting to doubt if he's going to be effective come October. I know he's had his troubles pitching against Atlanta since becoming a Met, and I'm hoping that's what the problem was on Sunday. But it hasn't just been the Braves he's struggled against recently.
How did the Mets jump out to the 7-0 lead? Glad you asked. In the first inning, Carlos Delgado hit a 2-run homer, after I thought he wouldn't even play Sunday, because of a hit-by-pitch on Saturday. I guess he was OK. (Delgado was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI - maybe his slump is behind him.) Then Xavier Nady doubled home David Wright, to make it 3-0. In the top of the second, Carlos Beltran continued his assault on the Mets' record books (and baseball's) with another grand slam, giving the Mets the 7-0 lead. It was Beltran's 3rd grand slam this month, putting him in a tie for the major league record for grand slams in a month. It was also the sixth Mets grand slam this month - tying that Major League record. Beltran added another homer, a solo shot, in the fifth. He has 32 now on the year - most ever by a Mets center fielder. Beltran also has 94 RBI - way ahead in the team lead.
So Beltran was pretty much the story for the Mets in Atlanta - the Atlanta series is still a big deal to the Mets, and for Beltran to show up in these big games bodes well for October. What does not bode well for October is 6 ER in 4 IP, with 10 hits - Glavine's line. He needs a really good start his next time out.
Billy Wagner was again effective, pitching the Mets out of an 8th inning jam, then working an easy ninth to record his 22nd save. This game was a lot closer than it should have been - not Wagner's fault.
The Mets have Monday night off, before opening up a three-game series in Florida on Tuesday.
MONTHLY BREAKDOWN: With the day off Monday, the final tallies are in for July. I think I mentioned this, but my earlier estimate of 112 wins was way off. I guess I counted October as a full month of the season, and did 16 wins times 7 months. There are really only 6 months in the season, projecting the Mets to 96 wins, with 16 wins a month. The Mets met their quota in July, going 16-9.
April: 16-8
May: 16-12
June: 15-12
July: 16-9
Hopefully they'll get 17 wins in August, making up for that 15 in June.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Mets decreased the number by one with their win, so it's now at 46. Unfortunately, the Phillies swept their doubleheader with the Marlins, so they prevented the number from going any lower. The Mets play the Marlins next, while the Phillies take on the Cardinals - then it's Mets-Phillies at the end of the week. So maybe by Friday we can start seeing significant decreases in the magic number.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: 1) I have oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth early Monday morning. So I might be out of commission for a couple of days (they really prepare you for the worst with this surgery - I hope it's only a couple of days, anyway). Luckily Monday's an off-day. Hopefully I'll be back for Tuesday.
2) If you're jonesing for some Mets stuff, and you didn't read over the weekend, I actually wrote a lot on Saturday and Sunday, which would be worth checking out. So enjoy. You could also check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com.
PROGRAMMING NOTE 2: Dave from Brighton brought up an interesting point this weekend that I thought was worth repeating. He watched Friday night's Mets-Braves game on TBS (and I'm assuming Sunday's), and he says even though the TBS guys are his least favorite broadcasters, he really enjoyed the telecast. He says he watched the game(s) with no volume. Dave's a smart guy, but this borders on brilliance, especially with TBS factoring into the national baseball picture more and more in the coming years. Their graphics are great (I really like their "Lead chart", where when a guy is taking his lead off first base, they show you the area he would stand in when he's most likely to steal - most of us could figure this out anyway, but it's a cool graphic.), and they have a very good ticker at the bottom of the screen. If you don't listen to the guys broadcasting, Dave's right, it's a very pleasant experience.
TRADE TALK: The Yankees won the Bobby Abreu sweepstakes (if you could call it that), trading three minor leaguers to the Phillies for Abreu and Cory Lidle. This basically puts the Yankees closer to the same position they were in in April - with a better starter, and now one outfielder short. It's a good deal for the Yankees, and for the Mets, it means the Phillies scare me even less.
INJURY UPDATE: Just thought it would be worth mentioning that after missing his last start on Friday against the Yankees, Scott Kazmir was placed on the disabled list by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday. He has inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Also, Ty Wigginton was put on the Tampa Bay DL as well. But of the two ex-Mets, I'd say he's a little bit less noteworthy.
THE KID'S KIDS: I guess the Class-A advanced schedule-makers knew about Hall of Famer Gary Carter's Hall of Fame obligations today. There was no game for the St. Lucie Mets, so Carter probably managed Saturday night's game, then took off for Cooperstown, coming back Monday. That's my guess. Good for Carter, that he didn't have to miss a game.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Edgardo Alfonzo flied out in the 8th inning as a pinch-hitter, his only at-bat of Sunday's game. His batting average is now at .195.
CHASE'S CHASE: Utley extended his hitting streak to 30 games in Game 1 of the doubleheader, and then homered and had another hit in Game 2, making it a 31-game hitting streak.
BEAT THE STREAK: Tense moments. Dan Uggla went through Game 1 of the doubleheader without a hit, after I had seen Derek Jeter with a big hit in the Yankees games. Second-guessing all over the place. Then in Game 2, it took him three at-bats to get a hit. But he got a hit. So I'm at 10 games in a row. On Monday, I'm taking Brian Roberts. On Tuesday, in case I don't get a chance to log on Monday, I'm going with Ichiro again. Hopefully I'll be at 12 when next I write.
The Mets completed their first sweep in Atlanta in 21 years, but it wasn't pretty...and it wasn't as easy as it would have seemed to be after an inning-and-a-half.
I'm a little concerned about Tom Glavine - he hasn't won in a while now, and the Mets staked him to a 7-0 lead in the bottom of the second, which he went on to nearly give back. He didn't pitch past the fourth inning, and he just didn't look good at all the entire game. I'm starting to doubt if he's going to be effective come October. I know he's had his troubles pitching against Atlanta since becoming a Met, and I'm hoping that's what the problem was on Sunday. But it hasn't just been the Braves he's struggled against recently.
How did the Mets jump out to the 7-0 lead? Glad you asked. In the first inning, Carlos Delgado hit a 2-run homer, after I thought he wouldn't even play Sunday, because of a hit-by-pitch on Saturday. I guess he was OK. (Delgado was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI - maybe his slump is behind him.) Then Xavier Nady doubled home David Wright, to make it 3-0. In the top of the second, Carlos Beltran continued his assault on the Mets' record books (and baseball's) with another grand slam, giving the Mets the 7-0 lead. It was Beltran's 3rd grand slam this month, putting him in a tie for the major league record for grand slams in a month. It was also the sixth Mets grand slam this month - tying that Major League record. Beltran added another homer, a solo shot, in the fifth. He has 32 now on the year - most ever by a Mets center fielder. Beltran also has 94 RBI - way ahead in the team lead.
So Beltran was pretty much the story for the Mets in Atlanta - the Atlanta series is still a big deal to the Mets, and for Beltran to show up in these big games bodes well for October. What does not bode well for October is 6 ER in 4 IP, with 10 hits - Glavine's line. He needs a really good start his next time out.
Billy Wagner was again effective, pitching the Mets out of an 8th inning jam, then working an easy ninth to record his 22nd save. This game was a lot closer than it should have been - not Wagner's fault.
The Mets have Monday night off, before opening up a three-game series in Florida on Tuesday.
MONTHLY BREAKDOWN: With the day off Monday, the final tallies are in for July. I think I mentioned this, but my earlier estimate of 112 wins was way off. I guess I counted October as a full month of the season, and did 16 wins times 7 months. There are really only 6 months in the season, projecting the Mets to 96 wins, with 16 wins a month. The Mets met their quota in July, going 16-9.
April: 16-8
May: 16-12
June: 15-12
July: 16-9
Hopefully they'll get 17 wins in August, making up for that 15 in June.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Mets decreased the number by one with their win, so it's now at 46. Unfortunately, the Phillies swept their doubleheader with the Marlins, so they prevented the number from going any lower. The Mets play the Marlins next, while the Phillies take on the Cardinals - then it's Mets-Phillies at the end of the week. So maybe by Friday we can start seeing significant decreases in the magic number.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: 1) I have oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth early Monday morning. So I might be out of commission for a couple of days (they really prepare you for the worst with this surgery - I hope it's only a couple of days, anyway). Luckily Monday's an off-day. Hopefully I'll be back for Tuesday.
2) If you're jonesing for some Mets stuff, and you didn't read over the weekend, I actually wrote a lot on Saturday and Sunday, which would be worth checking out. So enjoy. You could also check out johnnyjets.blogspot.com.
PROGRAMMING NOTE 2: Dave from Brighton brought up an interesting point this weekend that I thought was worth repeating. He watched Friday night's Mets-Braves game on TBS (and I'm assuming Sunday's), and he says even though the TBS guys are his least favorite broadcasters, he really enjoyed the telecast. He says he watched the game(s) with no volume. Dave's a smart guy, but this borders on brilliance, especially with TBS factoring into the national baseball picture more and more in the coming years. Their graphics are great (I really like their "Lead chart", where when a guy is taking his lead off first base, they show you the area he would stand in when he's most likely to steal - most of us could figure this out anyway, but it's a cool graphic.), and they have a very good ticker at the bottom of the screen. If you don't listen to the guys broadcasting, Dave's right, it's a very pleasant experience.
TRADE TALK: The Yankees won the Bobby Abreu sweepstakes (if you could call it that), trading three minor leaguers to the Phillies for Abreu and Cory Lidle. This basically puts the Yankees closer to the same position they were in in April - with a better starter, and now one outfielder short. It's a good deal for the Yankees, and for the Mets, it means the Phillies scare me even less.
INJURY UPDATE: Just thought it would be worth mentioning that after missing his last start on Friday against the Yankees, Scott Kazmir was placed on the disabled list by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Sunday. He has inflammation in his throwing shoulder. Also, Ty Wigginton was put on the Tampa Bay DL as well. But of the two ex-Mets, I'd say he's a little bit less noteworthy.
THE KID'S KIDS: I guess the Class-A advanced schedule-makers knew about Hall of Famer Gary Carter's Hall of Fame obligations today. There was no game for the St. Lucie Mets, so Carter probably managed Saturday night's game, then took off for Cooperstown, coming back Monday. That's my guess. Good for Carter, that he didn't have to miss a game.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Edgardo Alfonzo flied out in the 8th inning as a pinch-hitter, his only at-bat of Sunday's game. His batting average is now at .195.
CHASE'S CHASE: Utley extended his hitting streak to 30 games in Game 1 of the doubleheader, and then homered and had another hit in Game 2, making it a 31-game hitting streak.
BEAT THE STREAK: Tense moments. Dan Uggla went through Game 1 of the doubleheader without a hit, after I had seen Derek Jeter with a big hit in the Yankees games. Second-guessing all over the place. Then in Game 2, it took him three at-bats to get a hit. But he got a hit. So I'm at 10 games in a row. On Monday, I'm taking Brian Roberts. On Tuesday, in case I don't get a chance to log on Monday, I'm going with Ichiro again. Hopefully I'll be at 12 when next I write.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
BELTRAN BURIES BRAVES
Mets 11, Braves 3 (NYM: 62-41, ATL: 48-55)
It's almost humorous that the Braves thought they had a shot at climbing back into the race against the Mets this weekend. I know they had been one of the hotter teams in baseball recently, but the Mets came into Turner, and the Braves looked just like they did when the Mets were there early in the season - awful. They are done - I don't want to hear any more talk about the Braves making a run towards the post-season. Forget about it.
It's very similar, actually, to the Braves-Mets early-season meetings - I think Chipper Jones landed on the DL just after the Mets series early in the year - it looks like he's headed back after hurting himself swinging on Friday night versus the Mets. The Braves are a disaster this year - they can hide it all they want by getting hot for a few weeks, but they are a disaster. Their pitching is a mess, and Chipper Jones isn't as scary as he used to be.
On Saturday, the Mets dominated right out of the gate. Carlos Beltran had a 2-run homer in the 1st (it could have been a 3-run homer, but Jose Reyes was caught stealing). The Braves got one back in the bottom of the 1st, then the Mets added another in the 2nd, before the Braves tied it in the bottom half. None of the Braves runs were earned, as a couple of Mets' errors allowed them to come in. But the Mets then broke the game open.
In the sixth, the Mets scored seven runs, 2 coming on a single by El Duque, and another 3 coming on Beltran's second homer of the day. He now has 30 homers on the season, and we have to start talking about him as having one of the best offensive seasons by a Met - perhaps the greatest ever. Remember last year, at the break, we looked at how Cliff Floyd's numbers were measuring up. Floyd lost steam. If anything, at this point, Beltran is picking up steam. We might also have to talk about how David Wright is having a close second in the best offensive season ever category...but that will be an article down the line.
Paul LoDuca was 4-for-4, and Endy Chavez had a good game, with 3 RBI. Hernandez helped his cause to stay in the rotation, going 8 innings, no earned runs, giving up just the three hits, and striking out 7.
The Mets go for the sweep on Sunday with Tom Glavine going against Chuck James. It'd be nice for Glavine to finally get back into the win column, and for it to come against his old team would be even better.
BAD NEWS: The one bad thing to come of this game was Carlos Delgado leaving the game in the third inning after being hit by a pitch in his leg. Delgado had Friday night off against the lefty, and now leaves Saturday's game early. I bet he doesn't play Sunday, to recover, then the Mets have an off-day on Monday. At least he'll be well-rested.
MORE BAD NEWS (LESS BAD, REALLY): If the playoffs ended this weekend, I'd be in trouble with my new matchups in the World Series. Let's figure the Mets come out of the National League. The way things line up in the American League right now, we'd need some shakeup, because I don't like my odds. The only team that would make the playoffs that the Mets HAVEN'T played in a World Series would be Detroit...and I just don't like the odds that with Oakland, Boston, New York, and Detroit, that the Tigers would be the team to come out of the AL. Now, there's always the chance I'd get a new matchup, with, say Boston and San Diego...but then the Mets wouldn't make the World Series - and that would be just plain silly.
GOOD NEWS/MAGIC NUMBER: I'M GIVING INTO THE COMPUTER, WHICH WON'T LET ME POST MY GRAPHIC - THE # IS 47: The Phillies beat the Marlins on Saturday night, and combine that with the Mets' win over the Braves, you get a decrease in the magic number by 2! There's no way the number can decrease by two on Sunday - either the Phillies or Marlins will win, so one of them will stay at 54 losses. But the Mets can get it down to 46 with another win over the Braves.
CHASE'S CHASE: Listen, he's more than halfway to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, so it's about time we made this a regular feature, with a title and everything. Thus, we have "Chase's Chase", chronicling Chase Utley's hitting streak. He did get another hit (a couple, actually) Saturday night, so it's a 29-gamer right now. Apparently, whenever the media asks Utley about the streak, he changes the subject, and starts talking about the weather, anything, really, but the streak. I can't tell if he's being a jerk about it, or just superstitious. I need to figure that out before I start rooting for him to keep hitting. (I have no qualms about rooting for individual success by a Phillie - because the Phillies don't scare me.)
BOOF: You know, I've really dropped the ball on this whole following Boof Bonser thing. I'm going to blame losing computer access for those couple of weeks in late June, early July. I think that's when Bonser was sent down to Triple-A, or at least stopped being used in the majors. Bonser wasn't as effective as I would have liked with the Twins after his call-up. His numbers:
In 7 starts, he went 2-2, with a 5.30 ERA. He struck out 27 in 35-and-two-thirds inning pitched, giving up 40 hits (9 homers) and 12 walks.
Back in Rochester, he's still involved in a pennant race, as Rochester is tied with Scranton atop their division. And he pitched on Saturday, getting another win, improving to 6-4, by going 7 innings, striking out 8, walking 1, giving up 4 hits, and 2 earned runs. His ERA is 2.84. Too good for Triple-A, not good enough for The Show.
THE KID'S KIDS: It's Hall of Fame weekend, so I'm not sure if Hall of Famer Gary Carter is managing, or if he's in Cooperstown for the induction of Bruce Sutter. Knowing Carter, and how proud he is of being a Hall of Famer, though, I'd say he's in Cooperstown (I bet he makes the trip as a Minor League manager, but when he's a Major League manager, he doesn't).
Anyway, St. Lucie still played on Saturday, and they lost, 2-1, so I'm assuming Carter was NOT there - if he was, they'd probably have won. The Single-A member of the Alfonzo family took the loss. As for that other Alfonzo...
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Just when things were starting to look really bleak, signs of life from Edgardo Alfonzo. He was 2-for-4 with a run scored in Norfolk's 6-4 win Saturday night. That raises his average all the way to .200.
BEAT THE STREAK: Albert Pujols got a hit against Greg Maddux, so now I face a tough decision for Sunday. I'm thinking about going against Bruce Chen of the Orioles....but I'm not sure I like any of the White Sox hitters. Not sure who to choose, with a 9-game streak on the line.
OK. I've made my decision. Considering the Yankees are playing the Devil Rays, and as I write this on Saturday, are getting whooped 18-5, I think they bounce back offensively Sunday against James Shields. So I take Derek Jeter, the team's leader, and .356 hitter, to get a hit.
Whoa. Hold the phone. Just found out the Marlins-Phillies are playing a doubleheader on Sunday. So I'm taking Dan Uggla - all I need is one hit in the two games from him to keep my streak going. I hate changing picks once I've decided - but this is a doubleheader - the closest thing to a gimme in Beat the Streak. (Also, a split in the doubleheader could mean the Mets pick up another game in the Magic Number category.)
It's almost humorous that the Braves thought they had a shot at climbing back into the race against the Mets this weekend. I know they had been one of the hotter teams in baseball recently, but the Mets came into Turner, and the Braves looked just like they did when the Mets were there early in the season - awful. They are done - I don't want to hear any more talk about the Braves making a run towards the post-season. Forget about it.
It's very similar, actually, to the Braves-Mets early-season meetings - I think Chipper Jones landed on the DL just after the Mets series early in the year - it looks like he's headed back after hurting himself swinging on Friday night versus the Mets. The Braves are a disaster this year - they can hide it all they want by getting hot for a few weeks, but they are a disaster. Their pitching is a mess, and Chipper Jones isn't as scary as he used to be.
On Saturday, the Mets dominated right out of the gate. Carlos Beltran had a 2-run homer in the 1st (it could have been a 3-run homer, but Jose Reyes was caught stealing). The Braves got one back in the bottom of the 1st, then the Mets added another in the 2nd, before the Braves tied it in the bottom half. None of the Braves runs were earned, as a couple of Mets' errors allowed them to come in. But the Mets then broke the game open.
In the sixth, the Mets scored seven runs, 2 coming on a single by El Duque, and another 3 coming on Beltran's second homer of the day. He now has 30 homers on the season, and we have to start talking about him as having one of the best offensive seasons by a Met - perhaps the greatest ever. Remember last year, at the break, we looked at how Cliff Floyd's numbers were measuring up. Floyd lost steam. If anything, at this point, Beltran is picking up steam. We might also have to talk about how David Wright is having a close second in the best offensive season ever category...but that will be an article down the line.
Paul LoDuca was 4-for-4, and Endy Chavez had a good game, with 3 RBI. Hernandez helped his cause to stay in the rotation, going 8 innings, no earned runs, giving up just the three hits, and striking out 7.
The Mets go for the sweep on Sunday with Tom Glavine going against Chuck James. It'd be nice for Glavine to finally get back into the win column, and for it to come against his old team would be even better.
BAD NEWS: The one bad thing to come of this game was Carlos Delgado leaving the game in the third inning after being hit by a pitch in his leg. Delgado had Friday night off against the lefty, and now leaves Saturday's game early. I bet he doesn't play Sunday, to recover, then the Mets have an off-day on Monday. At least he'll be well-rested.
MORE BAD NEWS (LESS BAD, REALLY): If the playoffs ended this weekend, I'd be in trouble with my new matchups in the World Series. Let's figure the Mets come out of the National League. The way things line up in the American League right now, we'd need some shakeup, because I don't like my odds. The only team that would make the playoffs that the Mets HAVEN'T played in a World Series would be Detroit...and I just don't like the odds that with Oakland, Boston, New York, and Detroit, that the Tigers would be the team to come out of the AL. Now, there's always the chance I'd get a new matchup, with, say Boston and San Diego...but then the Mets wouldn't make the World Series - and that would be just plain silly.
GOOD NEWS/MAGIC NUMBER: I'M GIVING INTO THE COMPUTER, WHICH WON'T LET ME POST MY GRAPHIC - THE # IS 47: The Phillies beat the Marlins on Saturday night, and combine that with the Mets' win over the Braves, you get a decrease in the magic number by 2! There's no way the number can decrease by two on Sunday - either the Phillies or Marlins will win, so one of them will stay at 54 losses. But the Mets can get it down to 46 with another win over the Braves.
CHASE'S CHASE: Listen, he's more than halfway to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak, so it's about time we made this a regular feature, with a title and everything. Thus, we have "Chase's Chase", chronicling Chase Utley's hitting streak. He did get another hit (a couple, actually) Saturday night, so it's a 29-gamer right now. Apparently, whenever the media asks Utley about the streak, he changes the subject, and starts talking about the weather, anything, really, but the streak. I can't tell if he's being a jerk about it, or just superstitious. I need to figure that out before I start rooting for him to keep hitting. (I have no qualms about rooting for individual success by a Phillie - because the Phillies don't scare me.)
BOOF: You know, I've really dropped the ball on this whole following Boof Bonser thing. I'm going to blame losing computer access for those couple of weeks in late June, early July. I think that's when Bonser was sent down to Triple-A, or at least stopped being used in the majors. Bonser wasn't as effective as I would have liked with the Twins after his call-up. His numbers:In 7 starts, he went 2-2, with a 5.30 ERA. He struck out 27 in 35-and-two-thirds inning pitched, giving up 40 hits (9 homers) and 12 walks.
Back in Rochester, he's still involved in a pennant race, as Rochester is tied with Scranton atop their division. And he pitched on Saturday, getting another win, improving to 6-4, by going 7 innings, striking out 8, walking 1, giving up 4 hits, and 2 earned runs. His ERA is 2.84. Too good for Triple-A, not good enough for The Show.
THE KID'S KIDS: It's Hall of Fame weekend, so I'm not sure if Hall of Famer Gary Carter is managing, or if he's in Cooperstown for the induction of Bruce Sutter. Knowing Carter, and how proud he is of being a Hall of Famer, though, I'd say he's in Cooperstown (I bet he makes the trip as a Minor League manager, but when he's a Major League manager, he doesn't).
Anyway, St. Lucie still played on Saturday, and they lost, 2-1, so I'm assuming Carter was NOT there - if he was, they'd probably have won. The Single-A member of the Alfonzo family took the loss. As for that other Alfonzo...
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Just when things were starting to look really bleak, signs of life from Edgardo Alfonzo. He was 2-for-4 with a run scored in Norfolk's 6-4 win Saturday night. That raises his average all the way to .200.
BEAT THE STREAK: Albert Pujols got a hit against Greg Maddux, so now I face a tough decision for Sunday. I'm thinking about going against Bruce Chen of the Orioles....but I'm not sure I like any of the White Sox hitters. Not sure who to choose, with a 9-game streak on the line.
OK. I've made my decision. Considering the Yankees are playing the Devil Rays, and as I write this on Saturday, are getting whooped 18-5, I think they bounce back offensively Sunday against James Shields. So I take Derek Jeter, the team's leader, and .356 hitter, to get a hit.
Whoa. Hold the phone. Just found out the Marlins-Phillies are playing a doubleheader on Sunday. So I'm taking Dan Uggla - all I need is one hit in the two games from him to keep my streak going. I hate changing picks once I've decided - but this is a doubleheader - the closest thing to a gimme in Beat the Streak. (Also, a split in the doubleheader could mean the Mets pick up another game in the Magic Number category.)
Friday, July 28, 2006
METS WIN AGAIN AT HOME OF THE BRAVES
Mets 6, Braves 4 (NYM: 61-41, ATL: 48-54)
If this keeps up, Turner Field is going to lose its image as a House of Horrors for the Mets. Then again, Horacio Ramirez is really a far cry from the likes of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. The Mets pounded Ramirez, gave Pedro Martinez* some time to settle in, and went on to beat the Braves, 6-4, Friday night in Atlanta.
The game looked promising, then didn't, then did again. Here's why - the Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Ramirez and the Braves, but then Atlanta responded against a spotty Pedro Martinez*, scoring 4 in the bottom of the first. It didn't look like it at the time - but that was all they would get. The Mets got two more in the top of the 2nd, and another in the 3rd to take a 5-4 lead. Then Pedro* settled in, combining with Pedro Feliciano and Duaner Sanchez to set down a stretch of 17 straight Braves (Martinez* retired 12 straight to end his outing). Pedro* improved to 8-4 with the win. He gave up those 4 earned runs in 6 innings, on five hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. Billy Wagner pitched another perfect inning, striking out 2, to record his 21st save.
Pedro* just furthered my argument tonight that he has to be the all-time leader in percentage of innings pitched that are scoreless - because he gave up those 4 first-inning runs, then threw up 5 straight innings of 0's. He's been doing that all year - and most of his career.
David Wright helped the Mets get some pad in this game with career homer number 63 (22 on the year) , and also had his 25th double of the year, while continuing to own Horacio Ramirez (see BTS, below).
The Mets have now taken 3 out of 4 in Atlanta so far this year. Orlando Hernandez goes against Tim Hudson Saturday afternoon - I'll see if I can post something - I am not going to be able to see this game because the Red Sox are on Fox locally.
TBS COVERAGE: This quote from the opening of the TBS coverage of Friday night's Mets-Braves series: "The Mets find their stranglehold on the NL East slipping." First of all, I thought TBS was supposed to be less biased towards the Braves as it got away from being strictly a "Braves" station and moved towards being a national baseball station. Secondly, "stranglehold on the NL East slipping"? Let me know when the Braves are within shouting distance of first place, thanks very much. For crying out loud! I have a Magic Number countdown going already! Speaking of which:
MAGIC NUMBER: The Braves lost, of course, and the Mets won, but the Marlins also won, keeping the Mets' magic number from decreasing by more than one. So it stays at 49...now if the Phillies win and the Mets win on Saturday, we will see the magic number decrease by two. There's something to root for!
TRADE TALK: I want to clarify what I wrote yesterday about the Mets' trade possibilities, because I'm not sure I was clear. I wouldn't mind a deal that netted the Mets a good pitcher for the post-season and beyond. That's one thing - it would have to be a solid starter that stays with the Mets (a la Dontrelle Willis, who is signed through 2008). I also would not mind the Mets trading Lastings Milledge OR Mike Pelfrey - but I would hate to see BOTH of them dealt. And finally, a couple of additional pieces on Barry Zito: First, it's rumored that Billy Beane would trade Zito to the Mets straight up for Milledge. Now, Zito is a free agent at the end of the year, but he might stay with the Mets, considering he'd be their ace, and they'd be competitive. Also, if the Mets traded for him, and lost him, they'd get supplemental draft picks - I think two of them. So it's not like they'd get nothing for him.
The Brewers traded Carlos Lee today to the Texas Rangers for Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix. I think that's a good deal for both teams. Yes, the Brewers are losing a big bat, but Mench can plug that hole in the lineup pretty well. Cordero lost his closer's job with the Rangers, but the Brewers have been having bullpen problems, so this move could help them shore that up, whether he replaces Derek Turnbow as the closer, or helps set him up. And for the Rangers to get a big bat like Lee is huge - it almost returns them to the days of Juan Gonzalez in their outfield, where they could outslug almost anybody.
Also on Friday, the Giants acquired Mike Stanton from the Washington Nationals for a minor league player. That doesn't mean much other than the fact that the Nationals now don't have any lefties worth a darn in their bullpen.
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE MAJORS: Chase Utley's hitting streak is now at 28 games. Dare I pick him for Beat the Streak during this run? Stay tuned.
Watch out John Maine - you have some competition. The Cleveland Indians' Jeremy Sowers pitched his second straight shutout, beating the Mariners 1-0 on Friday. Sowers has now pitched 19 straight scoreless innings, 1-and-two-thirds more than Maine.
For the first time I saw Tony Gwynn's son, Tony Gwynn, play for the Brewers. He pinch hit in Friday's game. It was weird hearing the announcers talking about Tony Gwynn. Just weird. They don't call him junior or anything - it's not even on his name in the graphic. He is also 4-for-8 in limited pinch-hit duty...so the similarities are striking (except for the weight issue - the young Tony Gwynn is quite slim.)
NAME GAME: I have a meter on this page and the Jets page which allows me to see how many people read each day. (And each day it increases by 4 or 5, thanks to Justin, Steve, Kevin, Dave, and the Wife.) But once in a while, there's a reader directed to the site by a search engine, because they searched for something like "Mike Pelfrey", or, recently, "Harold Reynolds", and my site will occasionally register. Well, Thursday, someone searched "John Mets", and when you search that, my page comes up as the second hit - right behind the website of an artist, or art dealer, I'm not sure, named John Mets. How awesome is that!? Too bad that name's already taken - I would sign up for that name in a heartbeat.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets split their doubleheader with Lakeland on Friday (making up Thursday's rainout), losing game one, 5-1, but bouncing back to take game 2, 9-2. Interestingly, game 2 went to extra innings, tied at 2, when St. Lucie opened up for 7 in the extra frame.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: This is sad to keep reporting on. Another 0-for-3 for Alfonzo, dropping his average to .167. Alfonzo did manage to get an RBI - his 5th. He also walked. Heath Bell got a save in his first game back with Norfolk - he was demoted to make room on the roster for Pedro Martinez*.
BEAT THE STREAK: That was easy - it only took one at-bat for the David Wright double off Horacio Ramirez. That made Wright 8-for-his-last-8 against Ramirez. So I now have an 8-game hitting streak. I wasn't sure who to take Saturday, I settled on Albert Pujols against Greg Maddux.
If this keeps up, Turner Field is going to lose its image as a House of Horrors for the Mets. Then again, Horacio Ramirez is really a far cry from the likes of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. The Mets pounded Ramirez, gave Pedro Martinez* some time to settle in, and went on to beat the Braves, 6-4, Friday night in Atlanta.
The game looked promising, then didn't, then did again. Here's why - the Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Ramirez and the Braves, but then Atlanta responded against a spotty Pedro Martinez*, scoring 4 in the bottom of the first. It didn't look like it at the time - but that was all they would get. The Mets got two more in the top of the 2nd, and another in the 3rd to take a 5-4 lead. Then Pedro* settled in, combining with Pedro Feliciano and Duaner Sanchez to set down a stretch of 17 straight Braves (Martinez* retired 12 straight to end his outing). Pedro* improved to 8-4 with the win. He gave up those 4 earned runs in 6 innings, on five hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. Billy Wagner pitched another perfect inning, striking out 2, to record his 21st save.
Pedro* just furthered my argument tonight that he has to be the all-time leader in percentage of innings pitched that are scoreless - because he gave up those 4 first-inning runs, then threw up 5 straight innings of 0's. He's been doing that all year - and most of his career.
David Wright helped the Mets get some pad in this game with career homer number 63 (22 on the year) , and also had his 25th double of the year, while continuing to own Horacio Ramirez (see BTS, below).
The Mets have now taken 3 out of 4 in Atlanta so far this year. Orlando Hernandez goes against Tim Hudson Saturday afternoon - I'll see if I can post something - I am not going to be able to see this game because the Red Sox are on Fox locally.
TBS COVERAGE: This quote from the opening of the TBS coverage of Friday night's Mets-Braves series: "The Mets find their stranglehold on the NL East slipping." First of all, I thought TBS was supposed to be less biased towards the Braves as it got away from being strictly a "Braves" station and moved towards being a national baseball station. Secondly, "stranglehold on the NL East slipping"? Let me know when the Braves are within shouting distance of first place, thanks very much. For crying out loud! I have a Magic Number countdown going already! Speaking of which:
MAGIC NUMBER: The Braves lost, of course, and the Mets won, but the Marlins also won, keeping the Mets' magic number from decreasing by more than one. So it stays at 49...now if the Phillies win and the Mets win on Saturday, we will see the magic number decrease by two. There's something to root for!TRADE TALK: I want to clarify what I wrote yesterday about the Mets' trade possibilities, because I'm not sure I was clear. I wouldn't mind a deal that netted the Mets a good pitcher for the post-season and beyond. That's one thing - it would have to be a solid starter that stays with the Mets (a la Dontrelle Willis, who is signed through 2008). I also would not mind the Mets trading Lastings Milledge OR Mike Pelfrey - but I would hate to see BOTH of them dealt. And finally, a couple of additional pieces on Barry Zito: First, it's rumored that Billy Beane would trade Zito to the Mets straight up for Milledge. Now, Zito is a free agent at the end of the year, but he might stay with the Mets, considering he'd be their ace, and they'd be competitive. Also, if the Mets traded for him, and lost him, they'd get supplemental draft picks - I think two of them. So it's not like they'd get nothing for him.
The Brewers traded Carlos Lee today to the Texas Rangers for Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix. I think that's a good deal for both teams. Yes, the Brewers are losing a big bat, but Mench can plug that hole in the lineup pretty well. Cordero lost his closer's job with the Rangers, but the Brewers have been having bullpen problems, so this move could help them shore that up, whether he replaces Derek Turnbow as the closer, or helps set him up. And for the Rangers to get a big bat like Lee is huge - it almost returns them to the days of Juan Gonzalez in their outfield, where they could outslug almost anybody.
Also on Friday, the Giants acquired Mike Stanton from the Washington Nationals for a minor league player. That doesn't mean much other than the fact that the Nationals now don't have any lefties worth a darn in their bullpen.
ELSEWHERE AROUND THE MAJORS: Chase Utley's hitting streak is now at 28 games. Dare I pick him for Beat the Streak during this run? Stay tuned.
Watch out John Maine - you have some competition. The Cleveland Indians' Jeremy Sowers pitched his second straight shutout, beating the Mariners 1-0 on Friday. Sowers has now pitched 19 straight scoreless innings, 1-and-two-thirds more than Maine.
For the first time I saw Tony Gwynn's son, Tony Gwynn, play for the Brewers. He pinch hit in Friday's game. It was weird hearing the announcers talking about Tony Gwynn. Just weird. They don't call him junior or anything - it's not even on his name in the graphic. He is also 4-for-8 in limited pinch-hit duty...so the similarities are striking (except for the weight issue - the young Tony Gwynn is quite slim.)
NAME GAME: I have a meter on this page and the Jets page which allows me to see how many people read each day. (And each day it increases by 4 or 5, thanks to Justin, Steve, Kevin, Dave, and the Wife.) But once in a while, there's a reader directed to the site by a search engine, because they searched for something like "Mike Pelfrey", or, recently, "Harold Reynolds", and my site will occasionally register. Well, Thursday, someone searched "John Mets", and when you search that, my page comes up as the second hit - right behind the website of an artist, or art dealer, I'm not sure, named John Mets. How awesome is that!? Too bad that name's already taken - I would sign up for that name in a heartbeat.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets split their doubleheader with Lakeland on Friday (making up Thursday's rainout), losing game one, 5-1, but bouncing back to take game 2, 9-2. Interestingly, game 2 went to extra innings, tied at 2, when St. Lucie opened up for 7 in the extra frame.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: This is sad to keep reporting on. Another 0-for-3 for Alfonzo, dropping his average to .167. Alfonzo did manage to get an RBI - his 5th. He also walked. Heath Bell got a save in his first game back with Norfolk - he was demoted to make room on the roster for Pedro Martinez*.
BEAT THE STREAK: That was easy - it only took one at-bat for the David Wright double off Horacio Ramirez. That made Wright 8-for-his-last-8 against Ramirez. So I now have an 8-game hitting streak. I wasn't sure who to take Saturday, I settled on Albert Pujols against Greg Maddux.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
THIS ONE MAINE-LY ZEROES
Mets 1, Cubs 0, 10 innings (NYM: 60-41 , CHC: 39-61)
It took a while for the Mets to get a hit on Wednesday afternoon at Shea...and it took even longer for them to finally scratch out a run. But when they did, it ended the game, and gave the Mets a big win before heading out on a 6-game road trip, and a longer stretch against divisional opponents.
John Maine matched up with Mark Prior in Wednesday's game, and both were awesome. Prior walked 5 through 5-and-2-thirds, but left in the sixth without allowing a hit (he's been constantly injured, and had thrown 103 pitches, so I'm sure Cubs fans couldn't blame Dusty Baker for that decision). Maine went 7 innings, giving up just 3 walks and 3 hits, while striking out 7. Neither pitcher, obviously, gave up a run, and for Maine, that's now 17 (and two-thirds) straight scoreless innings, following up his complete game, 4-hit shutout of the Astros on Friday. It seems like Maine will be in the rotation for a while now (ERA now 2.45). Mike Pelfrey will get to make one more start, but if he's not effective, he might be sent down to the minors. If the Mets decide to keep Pelfrey around, we might see someone like El Duque go to the bullpen. (Interesting note on Maine - during the Astros' broadcast of the shutout, the Astros' broadcasters said he is the only player in Major League history to have a last name that is spelled exactly the same as one of the states. I think that's interesting - football had Joe Montana...wonder if other sports have other state players?)
So the Mets figured out how to stop the problem of giving up 8 runs a game - but in this game, they didn't get their first hit until the 7th inning, and they couldn't score. The walks helped, and Jose Reyes stole his league-leading 41st base, along with 2 stolen bases by Carlos Beltran - his first in months. But none of those guys could cross the plate. Hopefully the Mets put it all together in Atlanta this weekend.
They certainly finished the game strong. After 3 shutout innings by the bullpen (Duaner Sanchez, Billy Wagner, and Aaron Heilman), the Mets loaded the bases in the 10th. Beltran singled, Carlos Delgado doubled down the left field line (all with two out), and David Wright was walked intentionally, bringing up Jose Valentin. He's had a ton of success with the bases loaded this year, so the Mets must have felt good about him in that position, and he came through with a bullet up the middle to win the game. (I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the DL, though, after the celebration at first base - the Mets need to work on that...they beat the crap out of Valentin.)
The Mets are off on Thursday (I'll see what I can dig up for a posting - perhaps the Mets will pull off a trade - deadline is just 4 days away), then it's a big series in Atlanta, with Pedro Martinez* pitching game one. Heath Bell will get sent back down to Norfolk before Friday's game to make room on the roster for Martinez*.
**NEW FEATURE** MAGIC NUMBER: I'll tell you my first exposure to the term "Magic Number". It was, of course, 1986. Every day in the Daily News, when it became clear the Mets were running away with the division, the News ran a picture of Davey Johnson pulling a rabbit out of a hat, with the Mets' magic number for clinching the NL East in the hat. I quickly learned the term "Magic Number", and being numerically and statistically inclined, I've been sort of obsessed with it ever since. So I've calculated the Mets' magic number right now to be 51. Every day I will update it, until I am proven to have the wrong magic number, or until the Mets clinch. If you're new to the concept, every time the Mets win, or the second place team loses (right now that's the Braves), the magic number decreases by one. So it's the combined number of Mets' wins or second-place losses before the second place team is mathematically eliminated from the division crown. Steve from Queens, you made a prediction about when the Mets would clinch the last time I saw you - care to have that prediction published? Because it was early-to-mid September, and it seems like it was accurate...but I can't remember the specific date. So if you want me to mention the date on the site, please write me with it, if you remember it.
A WORD ON WAGNER: Overshadowed, I guess by the Mets' recent struggles, has been Billy Wagner's performance. He threw a scoreless ninth inning, on just 11 pitches, and would have come back out for the 10th, but his position in the batting order came up in the bottom of the ninth, and he was pinch-hit for. It was Wagner's fifth straight appearance without allowing a run - and in those appearances he's given up just 2 hits and a walk. Wagner has very good post-All Star break numbers in his career - if that holds true this year, the early-season struggles won't matter. And his performances of late seem to indicate that things are getting better when the Mets have a lead in the ninth inning.
STATS FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY'S GAME: The win was the Mets' 10th in their last at-bat this season - that leads the majors. They're one better than Milwaukee in that situation. Actually, that must be walk-off wins...because the Mets have 15 wins overall in their last at-bat - which probably includes road games. It was also the Mets' 22nd win in one-run games - they're 22-10 in one-run games, best in the majors there too.
ELSEWHERE IN THE MAJORS: Did you notice the Twins just completed a 3-game sweep of the White Sox to move into a tie with Chicago? The Twins have been on fire since the All Star break, and the White Sox have been ice cold. The Yankees won late Wednesday, so both the Sox and the Twins are a half-game behind New York for the AL Wild Card.
The Phillies are awful (and therefore do not scare me), but Chase Utley is pretty good. He's riding a 26-game hitting streak right now.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets are back on track, outscoring Lakeland, 8-6, on Wednesday night. They're still 3 games out of the second-half-of-the-season division lead.
It took a while for the Mets to get a hit on Wednesday afternoon at Shea...and it took even longer for them to finally scratch out a run. But when they did, it ended the game, and gave the Mets a big win before heading out on a 6-game road trip, and a longer stretch against divisional opponents.John Maine matched up with Mark Prior in Wednesday's game, and both were awesome. Prior walked 5 through 5-and-2-thirds, but left in the sixth without allowing a hit (he's been constantly injured, and had thrown 103 pitches, so I'm sure Cubs fans couldn't blame Dusty Baker for that decision). Maine went 7 innings, giving up just 3 walks and 3 hits, while striking out 7. Neither pitcher, obviously, gave up a run, and for Maine, that's now 17 (and two-thirds) straight scoreless innings, following up his complete game, 4-hit shutout of the Astros on Friday. It seems like Maine will be in the rotation for a while now (ERA now 2.45). Mike Pelfrey will get to make one more start, but if he's not effective, he might be sent down to the minors. If the Mets decide to keep Pelfrey around, we might see someone like El Duque go to the bullpen. (Interesting note on Maine - during the Astros' broadcast of the shutout, the Astros' broadcasters said he is the only player in Major League history to have a last name that is spelled exactly the same as one of the states. I think that's interesting - football had Joe Montana...wonder if other sports have other state players?)
So the Mets figured out how to stop the problem of giving up 8 runs a game - but in this game, they didn't get their first hit until the 7th inning, and they couldn't score. The walks helped, and Jose Reyes stole his league-leading 41st base, along with 2 stolen bases by Carlos Beltran - his first in months. But none of those guys could cross the plate. Hopefully the Mets put it all together in Atlanta this weekend.
They certainly finished the game strong. After 3 shutout innings by the bullpen (Duaner Sanchez, Billy Wagner, and Aaron Heilman), the Mets loaded the bases in the 10th. Beltran singled, Carlos Delgado doubled down the left field line (all with two out), and David Wright was walked intentionally, bringing up Jose Valentin. He's had a ton of success with the bases loaded this year, so the Mets must have felt good about him in that position, and he came through with a bullet up the middle to win the game. (I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the DL, though, after the celebration at first base - the Mets need to work on that...they beat the crap out of Valentin.)
The Mets are off on Thursday (I'll see what I can dig up for a posting - perhaps the Mets will pull off a trade - deadline is just 4 days away), then it's a big series in Atlanta, with Pedro Martinez* pitching game one. Heath Bell will get sent back down to Norfolk before Friday's game to make room on the roster for Martinez*.
**NEW FEATURE** MAGIC NUMBER: I'll tell you my first exposure to the term "Magic Number". It was, of course, 1986. Every day in the Daily News, when it became clear the Mets were running away with the division, the News ran a picture of Davey Johnson pulling a rabbit out of a hat, with the Mets' magic number for clinching the NL East in the hat. I quickly learned the term "Magic Number", and being numerically and statistically inclined, I've been sort of obsessed with it ever since. So I've calculated the Mets' magic number right now to be 51. Every day I will update it, until I am proven to have the wrong magic number, or until the Mets clinch. If you're new to the concept, every time the Mets win, or the second place team loses (right now that's the Braves), the magic number decreases by one. So it's the combined number of Mets' wins or second-place losses before the second place team is mathematically eliminated from the division crown. Steve from Queens, you made a prediction about when the Mets would clinch the last time I saw you - care to have that prediction published? Because it was early-to-mid September, and it seems like it was accurate...but I can't remember the specific date. So if you want me to mention the date on the site, please write me with it, if you remember it.A WORD ON WAGNER: Overshadowed, I guess by the Mets' recent struggles, has been Billy Wagner's performance. He threw a scoreless ninth inning, on just 11 pitches, and would have come back out for the 10th, but his position in the batting order came up in the bottom of the ninth, and he was pinch-hit for. It was Wagner's fifth straight appearance without allowing a run - and in those appearances he's given up just 2 hits and a walk. Wagner has very good post-All Star break numbers in his career - if that holds true this year, the early-season struggles won't matter. And his performances of late seem to indicate that things are getting better when the Mets have a lead in the ninth inning.
STATS FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY'S GAME: The win was the Mets' 10th in their last at-bat this season - that leads the majors. They're one better than Milwaukee in that situation. Actually, that must be walk-off wins...because the Mets have 15 wins overall in their last at-bat - which probably includes road games. It was also the Mets' 22nd win in one-run games - they're 22-10 in one-run games, best in the majors there too.
ELSEWHERE IN THE MAJORS: Did you notice the Twins just completed a 3-game sweep of the White Sox to move into a tie with Chicago? The Twins have been on fire since the All Star break, and the White Sox have been ice cold. The Yankees won late Wednesday, so both the Sox and the Twins are a half-game behind New York for the AL Wild Card.
The Phillies are awful (and therefore do not scare me), but Chase Utley is pretty good. He's riding a 26-game hitting streak right now.
THE KID'S KIDS: The St. Lucie Mets are back on track, outscoring Lakeland, 8-6, on Wednesday night. They're still 3 games out of the second-half-of-the-season division lead.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: Another 0-for-3, this one with 2 strikeouts, on Wednesday night for Edgardo Alfonzo with Norfolk. Alfonzo is now hitting .207. He did reach base with a walk...but he was caught stealing. Also interesting from this game - Jose Lima got the loss, droppping his record to 6-6. Lima actually pitched pretty well...as he bides his time in Triple-A, waiting to get his ring.
BEAT THE STREAK: Bill Hall got me an early-game homer, so I'm at a 6-game hitting streak right now. Thursday I'll stick with afternoon baseball, and I'll go back to that Arizona-Philadelphia series and take Bobby Abreu, because I like his career numbers against D-Backs starter Claudio Vargas.
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