Rants other than mine

I enjoyed this rant about last night's game from editors at Metsgeek.com. Certainly can't be happy about getting our asses handed to us by the braves AGAIN.

You know Carlos Delgado, I know you’re mired in a slump and are sucking. But when the opposing team puts on the shift, why don’t you suck it up and stop thinking about your pride and bunt down the goddamn open third base side. I care about hits, I don’t care how you got them, or that you’re not paid to bunt. You’re certainly not paid to suck like you are right now, either. So put it down the third base line. If Papi can do it, you can do it.

los bravos

glad to see we're getting handled by the braves. I was a little uncomfortable with all the winning lately, it's good to be back in a more familiar situation - the braves putting us in our place. nice to see both the hitting and pitching vaporize.

Lineup time

With the day off and the subway series behind us, it's the perfect time to revisit the lineup. Willie's done some tinkering, but if I were the manager I'd do a little more (hope you're listening Fred):

Reyes
Chavez
Wright
Beltran
Alou
Delgado
LoDuca
Easley/Gotay

Trade Green now! He will never have value again, and an AL team can move him from OF to DH. Besides, if Chavez had been in RF against the Stanks that blooper to right would never have fallen in. And the guy's hitting .370, so it's tough to argue against putting him in the lineup.

D Wright

Came to play against the Yanks. Not only did he hit three HR's, but they were all game changers.

M-E-T-S

Barring unforseen injuries I think it is a safe bet to say Mets will win NL East this year, and if not, certainly will get the wild card. It's hard to see a team as talented as Mets not making playoffs in the weak NL.

That said, here are a few things I've seen this year carry over from last year that I think are going to cause the Mets problems in big games, such as the playoffs. These definitely frustrate me to no end.

1. Jose Reyes' disappearance in big games. The fact that he is hands down the best player on the Mets 9 nights out of 10 makes his lack of production in big names that much more noticeable. Beyond what you saw over this weekend series with Yankees, we can look at last year's series with Yankees (6 games, 5-24 = .208 avg), last year's playoffs (10 games, .250 avg, .298 OBP), and last year against Red Sox (3 games, 1-13 = .077 avg). Somehow he has got to find a way to be more of a factor in big game series.

2. Beltran's defense. Beltran has got a great arm and certainly above average speed, range, and fielding ability. The problem is he never seems to want to lay out; I always feel like he's playing injured or "safe". I've never seen a gold glover who has fewer spectacular catches than Beltran. Twice this season already, including last night's game against Yanks, I've seen him not hold onto balls in his glove that he really should have caught. Certainly Andruw Jones or Coco Crisp (a guy with a cereal name for F's sake!) easily make those catches as well as ones 10 times harder. See for example the 2B David Wright should've had in game 3 against Sox last year but was robbed by Crisp on a #1 web gem of the week diving catch. I've never seen Beltran even attempt anything close.

3. Approach at the plate. The mets never really seem to have a team plan when facing a pitcher. They rarely drive up anyone's pitch count, and also never seem to modify their swing depending on the situation. There are definitely spots and pitch counts where it makes sense to try to go yard. But far too often, when the situation clearly calls for something else, I almost never see any adjustment. Two exceptions are Chavez and Lo Duca, they definitely adjust their swing depending on who's on base, # of outs, and pitch count.

4. I think not re-signing Bradford and Oliver is going to haunt the Mets. Bradford is getting $3.3 M/yr and Oliver got $1.5 M. Instead we've got Schoeneweis ($3.6 M) and Sele ($1 M) at almost same amount.

Good stuff

Key to pick up W against pettitte, even better that perez looked excellent.

Barry zito: 3-5, 5.13 ERA. Good stuff. I think everyone was in agreement he was not worth the king's ransom they drove from the market; I'm glad Minaya agreed and held strong.

Larrrr--rrryyyyy

is right on with his complaint of modified set-up for interleague play. Definitely hurts mets and braves. We should go back to original interleague schedule from several years ago.

Gomez

Wow, how good does Gomez look? Seems like the real deal. We could have a trio of Carlos' soon.

Sosa also appears to be solid, with three great MLB starts and all his AAA starts. I really hope he is for real with his modified delivery, since he would be an unbelievable addition to our rotation the way he's pitching.

Two mets minor league pitchers suspended for drug violations, one for 50 days (1st offense), one for 100 days (2nd offense).

Well, We All Knew it Was Coming...

From foxsports.com:

http://www.benmaller.com/archives/2007/may/16-mets_outfielder_in_trouble_over_rap_song.html

Apparently, even while on the DL, controversy will still find Lastings Milledge.

Jankees

Well, assuming no rain-outs this week, Mets will have Perez, Glavine, and Maine against Janks this weekend. Couldn't have asked for a better shot.

Taking 2 of 3 from Brew Crew was good statement this weekend. It would be nice to take at least 2 of 3 from yanks, considering how atrocious their pitching is, their sub .500 record, and the fact that Sox have taken 5 of 6 from them. Then we just have to start beating the Braves.

Glimpse of the future

How'd you like the look of Chavzez, Beltran, and Gomez in left to right? Future looks pretty good, what a combination of hitting, power, speed, and defense. Of course, the way Alou and Green have been killing the ball, it would be nice to keep these vets healthy as long as possible.

By the way, has Beltran been on fire recently or what? .319/8 HRs/29 RBIs/24 R. Once Delgado heats up, look out.

Pelfrey

Pelfrey sent down to AAA. Mets had little choice given his record, ERA, and BB:K ratio. That said, the replacement options they are throwing around (Sele, Vargas) are not exactly getting me fired up with excitement.

On the upside, what a gem for Perez today! Nearly a complete game shutout, almost no-hitter. Great stuff.

What's up with Jose's glove?

As well as Reyes has been hitting, his fielding has been really touch-and-go for the past two weeks. Today, on back to back plays, he booted a routine grounder, and on the play before, he dropped an easy fly ball (but luckily managed to re-catch it on the bobble). 3 times in the past two weeks I've watch him drop throws from the 2B-man when attempting to turn the DP. Twice it lead directly to runs scored when the inning would have otherwise been over. Luckily for Jose, it doesn't affect his fielding %: no error since the FC is completed, even thought the DP could have been completed.

I don't believe it's a problem of technique. Could it be that, now that he's finally focusing for most pitches of most AB's, he's making up for it by day-dreaming at short?

brew this

Well, today's loss is my fault. Whereas in the past when I've bad-mouthed perez and easley they've stepped up, i pulled the opposite today and was on the phone with my dad talking about how good feliciano and joe smith are. Specifically mentioning that joe smith's pitches have crazy movement and i don't see anyone hitting him for a while. surprised that both of them had their first bad days in the same game, but that's how it goes sometimes.

i think pelfrey's heading back to AAA. i agree with an earlier comment by fredo that at this point AAA will not help pelfrey; he needs to find his confidence and rhythm at MLB level. That said, mets can't afford to have trachsel back in the rotation - that is, every outing is the same 5 or 6 innings with 3 or 4 ER yielded. No more, but no less.

Sosa

Another strong start for him, this time against one of the better NL lineups through the early part of the season. I didn't realize his velocity was so good, nor that his slider was so sharp.

Can't get too crazy after two starts: there's a reason why this guy had no value a few months ago. But still, you've got to like what you've seen so far.

He got bit by his old bugaboo, the long ball, hanging a backdoor change that came back over the middle. The second HR against was just a great piece of hitting, where the hitter golfed it from below his knees a la Reyes.

If nothing else, Sosa's tightening the noose on Pelfrey's ML stay.

Burgos demoted

Seems I missed this story.

Apparently they want Burgos to get more "polished" at AAA since he was rushed up to the majors by the Royals. Hold runners on better, field his position better, etc.

Something tells me that if that 96 mph fastball was going by hitters and not getting turned around his poor fielding would be quickly forgotten.

Still, he's the kind of kid that at 23 years old still has a long career in front of him. If they straighten him out in a year or two, he could still be closer material for a long time.

Brew crew

Brewers heading into town this weekend... As Post points out (copied below), pitching matchup wouldn't seem to be the best. Hopefully Sosa and Perez keep stepping up..

Tonight the Brewers will throw righty Jeff Suppan, who was last season's NLCS MVP with the Cardinals. Suppan is 5-2 with a 2.63 ERA, and he goes against Mets righty Jorge Sosa, who had an eye-opening first start with the Mets on Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

Tomorrow, Brewers ace righty Ben Sheets is on the hill against Mike Pelfrey, who's 0-4 with a 6.39 ERA and may be in trouble in the rotation when Orlando Hernandez returns from the disabled list. On Sunday, Oliver Perez goes against lefty Chris Capuano, who's 5-0 with a 2.31 ERA.

Good ol' Armando

Great haiku from Metsgeek.com:

Hello Armando
Just as we remembered you!
Choking when it counts

Crisp summary of last night's game.

Definitely missing Valentin's D at 2nd base, with errant Gotay throw preventing DP.

Tough L

Tough loss to take last night.. Easley certainly delayed any criticism of himself with a few game winning theatrics early on, but unfortunately I think the longer Valentin is out, the more you're going to miss his defense. He and Reyes really make a very smooth, sure middle infield.

Perez only picked up 2 ER, but how do you give up two HRs to Bengie Molina in the same inning (even if one of them was bogus)? That's just like letting So Taguchi or Jeff Weaver beat you...

Jorge, Jorge, Jorge

Sosa basically pitched 6 1/3 scoreless last night had not the fielding let him down. Joe Smith induced the tailor-made DP grounder, but Reyes dropped the ball on the transfer leaving 2 on and 2 out instead of ending the inning. Next hitter doubled off the wall driving 2 in, both charged to Sosa (earned runs b/c they got the FC on the 4-6 play, even though it should have been a 4-6-3). But by all rights Sosa should have ended the day with no runs charged while pitching into 7th.

I don't want to get carried away, b/c there were points in the game where Sosa could have gotten hurt. The D Backs are terrible and didn't cash in on his mistakes. Tony Clark flied out to center on a middle middle hung slider that should have been T ball. Drew missed a 3 run homer by 2 feet in the first inning because he got in front of a slider. And Sosa had erratic command. Some innings he was hitting the target, and some he wasn't even close.

All that said, Sosa is worth taking a hard look at. His fastball repeatedly hit 94 on the gun and I saw him hit 96 on a couple of occasions. And his main pitch, that slider, is nasty. It has sharp and late down-and-away breaking action to righty hitters, especially when he stays on top of it. And it comes in at 6-10 MPH slower than the fastball, which really keeps the hitters off balance. Apparently Sosa also has a splitter and a change, but I can't see I saw either of them displayed last night.

A very positive start for a guy who's a young 30 (only became a pitcher 7 years ago apparently, so his arm probably has the wear and tear of typical 25 year old who came up as a pitcher). We'll see where he goes from here.

BTW: who kidnapped Shawn Green and gave us this imposter? Attaboys to whoever pulled it off.

Ahhh...

Nothing like a little relaxing down time once you drop the kids off at Shea.. Although, I guess at least he wasn't in the bullpen, right David Cone??

On another note, that left field wall in Arizona must be tough - made both Byrnes and Endy look awkward last night trying to rob HRs. I'm surprised Endy didn't come away with it, since it was in his glove. Tough to pull off though, which makes his catch in last game of NLCS last year even more impressive - definitely the best catch I've ever seen, especially considering the game situation.

Next

Chan Ho Park just got "Alay Soler-ed" and is likely to be buried so deep in the organzation that it will be Lima time before we see CHP again. Couldn't have helped his cause that Minaya was in the booth during his meltdown. Looks like Sosa will get the next start. You have to go with the streak, and Sosa has certainly been overwhelmingly dominant in AAA this year. Hopefully he keeps it up and doesn't return to his prior MLB form. I also hope Mets do not bring Humber up this year - that would be a big mistake. Give him at least one more year to develop without being pressured in majors.

SP

Mets need to trade for a starting pitcher. Period. The only guaranteed 6+ innings guy right now is Maine. Glavine looks like he'll be very dependable for 5 innings, but usually starts to fall apart in 6th. More importantly, we can't bank on him and El Duque to be healthy all season. Perez + Pelfrey are of course also huge question marks.

We all knew heading into the season that CHP is garbage, and he couldn't have reinforced that point more strongly than with last night's crapola. I don't for a second believe Jorge Sosa is a reinvented pitcher. Humber - while extremely exciting and likely to be one of our horses for years to come - is still too young to pull.

Bottom line - with Delgado and Wright ice cold, and Green/Alou/Reyes/Beltran having to cool off at some point, we are really going to need more dependable starting pitching.

Sounds like this kid gets it

Humber has one, maybe two years left on the farm before the Mets will be counting on him, and it sounds like he's really focusing on the right things:

"I hate to keep repeating it, but it's consistency..."

"The guys that are up there now, like [Tom] Glavine and John Maine, they
command their fastball, they're not worried about how hard they're throwing,"
Humber said. "I mean, I think I throw hard enough. Glavine throws hard enough.
It's more about your command. Once you have command, you can stop being a
thrower and start being a pitcher."

El duque

Potentially bad news about El Duque. He needs to undergo shoulder tests, and may have problems. Given how well and consistently he's pitched this year it would be an understatement to say we can't afford to lose him from our rotation. That said, did anyone honestly believe given his age and freak injuries both at the end of last year and in spring training this year that he would make it through the whole season? I certainly hope the Mets weren't planning on getting full, uninterrupted seasons from both Glavine and El Duque - that's really expecting a lot at their ages.

Roster updates

From NYPost:

Tests revealed that Lastings Milledge sprained a ligament in his right foot, and he'll be placed on the minor-league disabled list, the Mets announced yesterday.

It's unclear how long the former first-round pick will be out, although the minor-league DL runs for a seven-day period.

.............

On Wednesday, the Mets talked about keeping Pelfrey as their fifth starter, despite his three-inning, six-run effort. If they don't, they will likely turn to someone on the Triple A roster for a replacement.

Jorge Sosa is 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in four starts for the Zephyrs. Philip Humber, who was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts, is the more promising long-term solution. The 2004 first-rounder is pitching in Triple A for the first time, however.

Jose

Congrats to Jose.. While not an official "award", he was recognized as the best leadoff man in all of baseball by ESPN. Well deserved, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who will match his combination of speed, power, vastly improved plate discipline, and bats exceptionally well from both sides of the plate..

Pelfrey

I would think if Pelfrey has another 2-3 bad outings in a row, they need to think about putting him back into AAA to have more time to develop. Keeping in him in majors if he's not yet ready will only lead to losses for Mets, and potentially damage his psyche. Not that we have a lot of good options if we stay within the organization: Chan Ho might be up.

A-rod

Hmmm, A-rod to mets after this season? The rumor had been floating before the season, and perhaps some recent comments by A-rod might support that:

"I want to stay in New York, no matter what," Rodriguez said in the Yankees' third-base dugout before Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay.

"I love New York. It's the greatest place for me to play."

Interesting that he only referred to "New York", never to the Yankees. My conspiracy theory says that was intentional, leaving himself open to possibility of a little cross-town move.

En-dy Cha-vez

Nice job Endy!

Luckily I was on the phone with Fredo the other day tearing Easley a new one, explaining why he's a waste of a roster spot, literally just minutes before he drilled his first HR. And of course we have last night. I should be a motivational coach!