New York Mets

If the Mets head into next season with Bobby Parnell in their plans for the starting rotation, I'm becoming either a Phillies or Yankees fan. I can't take it anymore...I just can't. Parnell is garbage!

Continue reading "Bobby Parnell is NOT a starting pitcher."

When the 2009 MLB season comes to a close, the Chicago Cubs have announced that they will shop starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano in hopes of swinging a trade and dumping much of his monstrous contract. The question is, should the Mets be interested in the massive right-hander?

Continue reading "Cubs Say They Will Shop Zambrano"

As if the 2009 season couldn't get any worse for the Metropolitans, Pedro Martinez had to go and embarrass them on national television last night. While Tim Redding (who I can't stand) pitched his ass off for the Mets, their anemic offense couldn't help him out. The Phillies' famously potent lineup was held to just one run...

Continue reading "Pedro sticks it to his old mates"

I don't intend to go on for too long in this particular post, but I'm just wondering, why did Jeff Wilpon say Jerry Manuel is "his guy," and why is Manuel's managerial job so secure? I understand that injuries have decimated the Mets' roster in 2009, but does that mean it should be impossible for the team to perform well? Does that mean Manuel automatically gets a pass for his personal performance?

Continue reading "What has Jerry Manuel done to keep his job?"

The 2009 Major League Baseball season has been a disaster for the New York Mets, and we all know it, so there's little need to beat a dead horse. Let's move on to 2010. Offensively, the necessities appear to be left field and catcher, but the focus of this post will be starting pitching. "Pitching and defense wins championships" they say, so let's see if the Mets will have what it takes...

Continue reading "2010 Mets' Rotation"

Yes, the Mets have been decimated by injuries. They have lost more of their core players then any team I can think of in recent history. They have a built-in excuse for losing. Trying to compete every

Continue reading "The Bad News Mets"

This isn't the way Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya drew things up in the offseason.

The Mets put yet another star on the disabled list, this time center fielder Carlos Beltran. He joins Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes on the DL, and that's just in the lineup.

Continue reading "The 2009 New York Mets are Finally the Underdogs"

(Note: I posted this a couple of days ago on my other blog at FanNation.)

When it comes to the Mets' starting rotation, I think all of their replacement-level options are better than Tim Redding. Redding's stuff is disgraceful, and his general approach to the craft of pitching is laughable. He's been embarrassed in his last two starts -- recently against the Marlins, and the Red Sox before that -- and there is little-to-no indication of potential improvement. I don't think there is any doubt at this point...

Continue reading "I've Had Enough of Tim Redding."

Mets GM Omar Minaya finally woke up and DL'ed ailing starters Jose Reyes and Ryan Church. As a result, the team called up their prized prospect Fernando Martinez and debuted him tonight against the Wa

Continue reading "The F-Mart Era Begins!"

(Note: I've also published this post on FanNation, under the username JFro.)

About a month ago, I published a similar post complaining about Jerry Manuel's mind-numbingly awful managing. It actually generated some interest, as it appeared on a Mets blog and in various discussion threads.

Continue reading "Jerry Manuel Must Be Fired. Now!!!"

All right, so I've jumped the gun a little (the Mets are 21-17, giving them 38 games played, which means they're shy of the 1/4 season mark), but I haven't been too active on this blog and I'd like to get up to speed.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: A Quarter Season in Review"

We are just about two months into the 2009 season and the Mets have proven so far to be just as maddingly inconsistent as they've been since Carlos Beltran left the bat on his shoulder in '06. I must say I was proud of the team (and understandbly shocked) by the moxie they showed in winning the first three games of their series against the Giants, including some late night heroics against that guy from the Beach Boys. Of course I remain convinced that they won because I only watched about 15 minutes of the games all weekend. But Sunday's game just goes to show why the Mets make me insane. To look at Mike Pelfrey's stat line one would think he had an impressive outing. And in many ways he did but ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Only the Mets have a guy get such a bad case of the "yips" that he commits THREE balks in one game and gets taken out after only 79 pitches. Oh yeah and then there was the offense. What does this team have against hitting with the bases loaded? I want to know what the record is for double plays grounded into with the sacks juiced. I swear other than the grand-slams from Omir Santos and Fernando Tatis it seems like the Mets never get more than a run from these situations. Can I see a bases clearing double please? I miss the days of Robin Ventura hitting a grand salami in each game of a double header.

Continue reading "Team Inconsistency"

(Note: originally posted on February 25.)

Each year, prior to the start of the MLB season, I use a unique mathematical system (one that I will not get into, because it's boring) to project the performance of every player and team. This season, in lieu of their significant offseason additions, I expected the Yankees to come out on top. Surprisingly, my expectations were wrong...

Continue reading "MLB Preseason Predictions: Regular ..."

Mahay is a lefty specialist who doesn't have to specialize -- he can get righties out as well.

4-New York Mets: Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, Brian Stokes, J.J. Putz, and Francisco Rodriguez

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Bullpens"

ist, I must say when I posted this on FanNation, readers were complaining about the omission of the New York Mets' star-studded infield.

The funny thing is, I'm a Mets fan. And yet I ranked both the Braves and Phillies' infields ahead of the Metropolitans. Talk about reserving one's biases...

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Infields"

This offseason has not been kind to the Wilpons. First was the Madoff scandal, which cost the Wilpons personally. Now news broke earlier today that Citigroup might have to pull out of their naming rights for the Mets new stadium.

Continue reading "A cloud of uncertainty with Citi Field"

Oliver Perez will stay with the New York Mets after signing a 3 year deal worth $36 million. The deal is a pretty fair one considering Perez was looking for 5 years and $70 million last offseason.

Continue reading "Mets Agree To Deal With Oliver Perez"

Aaron Heilman, who was traded by the Mets to the Seattle Mariners as part of the J.J. Putz deal, was flipped to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson. Many suspected that Heilman was going to be the closer for the Mariners since Brandon Morrow was going to move to the rotation. The trade is great for Heilman because his competition for the fifth spot with the Cubs are Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and Chad Gaudin. Only Samardzija really has a higher ceiling than Heilman, but he has yet to play a full season.

Continue reading "Aaron Heilman Finally Has a Shot ..."

With a little over a month left before Spring Training, the Mets still have a few holes to fill.

Left Field: The plan for 2009 is to have Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis platoon the position. Murphy hit .313 in 131 ABs, while Tatis hit .297 in 273 ABs. Tatis was out of baseball for two years before 2008. While Murphy has a lot of promise, and  Tatis might continue to be a competent bat, there are just too many question marks to not even explore other options.

Continue reading "Mets "Not Interested" in Ramirez; ..."

Honestly, I can't figure this front office out. I still can't decide if Omar Minaya is a crafty, savvy baseball mind, or a complete and utter idiot. I just can't tell. The decisions being made by this franchise are all over the map. This offseason is driving me insane -- not because it's neither good nor bad, but because I cannot comprehend our financial difficulties or the intended direction of the club.

Continue reading "Does anyone know what the Mets are thinking?"

Omar Minaya is the Jekyll and Hyde of Major League general managers. It's incredible how he can look like an Einstein-esque genius with some moves, and an executive that knows very little about baseball with others.

Continue reading "Major Mets Blunder: Lowe Signs with Braves"

Sure, Omar Minaya may have cleaned up the pigsty in the Mets' pen with the acquisitions of Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, but that doesn't mean that this team is going to leapfrog the Phillies at the top of the National League East. There are still a number of rather deep holes to fill, and they need to be filled with quality players, not stopgaps.

Continue reading "The New York Mets: Plenty of Question Marks Remain"

Dear readers:

I'd like to begin my blogging on this account by thanking each and every one of you who have taken the time to read my content in the past, and those of you who will do the same in the near future. A special, personal thanks goes out to the readers who have provided me with direct feedback.

Continue reading "Welcome to JFro Sports Journalism"

The Mets went from zero to sixty in a flash, signing top free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez and trading for another, J.J. Putz of the Mariners. And just like that Omar Minaya, who many accused of sleepwalking through the winter dramatically addressed the team's most glaring weakness. How K-Rod and Putz will co-exist in the Mets' bullpen remains to be seen, but all of a sudden sports pundits across America, including John "I still get a paycheck from the Phillies" Kruk are touting the duo as devastating and game changing. Many talking heads also called Omar one of the biggest winners at the Winter Meetings, considering that he was able to completely re-build his bullpen without giving up any blue chip prospects or key big league contributers (plus the losses of Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis have to be addition by subtraction).

Continue reading "Off Season Check In/Most Epic Post Ever"

The offseason is in full swing, so what better time to join the world of blogging than right before things start to get good. 

I’m Mike and I’ve been a Mets fan since I was 2 (courtesy of my dad and the 1986 World Series). On top of having a diehard fan relationship with the Mets, I have a history of being extremely objective and analytical. I have hosted my own sports radio talk show in the past, during which time I’ve had perfect weeks of picking games in the NFL, projected multiple trades in multiple sports months before they’ve actually occurred, and correctly picked every series in the 2007 MLB playoffs. The point is, you’re not reading a typical fan blog. What you read here about the Mets (and often times other teams as well) is well-thought out, intelligent, and often times scarily accurate. 

Continue reading "Critical Offseason for New York Mets"

nbsp;        Has Omar Minaya been a good general manager of the New York Mets?  Well, for one, he didn’t trade Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.  No, when he traded the Mets’ top prospects, he got a much better return—Johan Santana anyone?

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

With the regular and postseason over, and the hot stove not quite on fire just yet, it’s a perfect time to pick my regular season award winners for the 2008 season.  Here are my MVP picks.

Continue reading "MVP Award Picks"

Congrats to the New York Mets' Fernando Tatis on being named The Sporting News' Comeback Player of the Year for the National League.

Davd Wright also was named the Third Baseman on TSN's A

Continue reading "Honors for Fernando Tatis"

Part Three:  The Skipper

           On June 16 the Mets defeated the Angels to pull within one game of .500, at 34-35, but more importantly they made a managerial change that would alter the scope of their season.

Continue reading "In the Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

Part Two:  The Core

     After the Mets collapsed in 2007 Omar Minaya made several changes to the roster, the most notable of which was, of course, acquiring Johan Santana.  The Mets came one win shy of a post-season berth in 2007, and the obvious presumption was that Santana would have increased the Mets’ win total by, at the very least, one win.  So after going 88-74 in ’07, the Mets went 89-73 in ’08, and once again coughed up a division lead late in the season and finished one win shy of the promised land.

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

    First of all, sorry again to those of you who were reading my blog regularly and missed it (if there are any of you out there).  I'm actually working on another project right now as well.  For those of you who are into fantasy sports, check out www.FantasyPhenoms.com.  I've been writing weekly fantasy football columns previewing and recapping each NFL game from a fantasy perspective, and I may be writing other various articles for both fantasy football and fantasy baseball.  Fantasy Phenoms is a really great resource for fantasy advice and insights, especially for baseball, where we have provide some really in-depth sabermetric analysis.  A lot of the articles are free to access but some require a membership.  If you're interesting in a membership (very cheap), shoot me an email (mdeutschman@gmail.com) and I'll give you my promo code.

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse"

With the MLB playoffs set to begin, there is a subtle difference in the air compared to start of any other postseason. In the NHL, fans can potentially look forward to a great Canadians/Bruins series that is not only exciting, but has a historical kick to it. Likewise basketball fans always have the chance to see if the Suns can finally get past the Spurs and football fans love seeing the rivalry of the Eagles Vs the City of Philadelphia when the Eagles so much as get tackled for a loss.

Continue reading "The Ups and Downs of the MLB Playoffs"

    Flash back to five days ago:

    The Mets just swept a two-game series from the Nationals, scoring 23 runs in the two games, and stand 3.5 games atop the National League East.  The Phillies, who just dropped back to back games against the Marlins, are four games behind New York in the loss column.  The Brewers, who are in the midst of a rough stretch, themselves, are still four games up on the Astros and Phillies in the Wild Card race, but who cares about the Wild Card?  The Mets don't need to worry about the pity playoff spot when they're poised to win the division, right?

Continue reading "Mets In First Place...For The Wild Card?"

    The Mets have lost two in a row and three out of four, and have watched their lead in the NL East shrink to just a half game over the Phillies.  New York's 13 remaining games include three with the Nationals, three with the Braves, four with the Cubs and three with the Marlins.  You can't put an exact number on how many games the Mets will need to win the rest of the way in order to make the playoffs--one more than the Phillies will suffice.  Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and Oliver Perez, the Mets' three most dependable starters, will likely combine for eight starts down the stretch, with Pedro Martinez, Jon Niese and anyone's guess filling out the remaining five.  New York will need strong, deep outings from their big three, and lots of offense in the other five games in order to avoid leaving their playoff hopes in the hands of the bullpen.  Of course, a little help from Philadelphia's opponents couldn't hurt, but the Mets need to be able to take care of their own business.  If they can't win enough games on their own to hold their divisional lead, then they don't deserve to play baseball in October anyway.

Continue reading "Mets Cling To First Place With Lucky 13 Games Left"

I apologize to those of you who have missed reading my blog over the last couple of weeks.  But I'm back with a vengeance, and I'll be writing through October and into the hot stove off-season.

Continue reading "Ayala Joins The Blown Save Party"

    With two outs in the top of the eighth inning it looked like the Mets would leave Philadelphia last night with their collective tail between their legs.  Brad Lidge, who still hasn't blown a save all season, was warming up in the Phillies' pen, and the New York offense had only mustered two runs and 12 hits in the previous 16.2 innings, going back to the fifth inning of Tuesday's game.  But Carlos Delgado, who had homered in the sixth to cut Philly's lead to 3-2, sliced a liner over the left field fence to tie the game at three and spark the Mets's offense.  Carlos Beltran followed with an infield hit, and stole second.  With first base open, Brad Lidge walked Ryan Church intentionally, but Daniel Murphy made him pay, doubling down the right field line to bring home Beltran with the go-ahead run.  The hit parade continued with Brian Schneider's flare to left, which put the icing on the cake.  New York's four-run eighth inning clinched a two-game split in Philadelphia, and catapulted the Mets back into first place by a half game.

Continue reading "Delgado's Two Bombs Save The Day"

hillies will depend on Joe Blanton.  The offense will need to gain more consistency as well.

New York Mets (73-60), 2nd place in NL East, 2nd place in NL Wild Card:  IN  The solid starting rotation will need to keep going deep into games to hide the inconsistent bullpen.  Although the Wild Card may become out of reach the Mets will be in the fight for the division for the duration.

Continue reading "Seven Runs: Too Little, Too Early"

    Mike Pelfrey has displayed the utmost kindness to Mets fans over his last two starts, sparing us the privilege of seeing the bullpen crumble.  The last time a Mets starter went the distance in back-to-back starts was 2001, when Rick Reed (one of my personal favorites) did so in his first two starts of the season, both against the Braves.  But, he lost the second game 2-0 to Greg Maddux, who allowed just one hit over seven innings.  John Rocker recorded the save.  For the last time a Mets starter won consecutive complete games we have to go back to June of 1995, when Bret Saberhagen beat Atlanta 4-2 and Florida 5-2, before the Mets dealt him to the Rockies at the trade deadline, for Juan Acevedo and, of course, Arnold Gooch.

Continue reading "Eighteen Innings And Counting..."

    The Mets blew leads of 3-0 and 4-3 on Sunday, and Pedro Feliciano gave up two solo bombs in the 10th inning to give New York their second straight loss against the Astros.  Oliver Perez had just one rocky inning, allowing a sacrifice fly to Mark Loretta and a two-run homer to Hunter Pence in the fourth, but Aaron Heilman couldn't hold the one-run lead in the seventh.  He allowed hits to both batters he faced, but was credited with recording an out when Fernando Tatis gunned Geoff Blum out at the plate in the seventh.  The homers Feliciano allowed in the 10th came from two players who had combined for a total of three taters all season until their extra-inning blasts.  You know you don't have your best stuff on a particular day when you give up a go-ahead home run to a defensive replacement (Brad Ausmus).

Continue reading "Feliciano Blows Up In 10th"

I know it has only been 4 innings into his Met career, but Luis Ayala has already solidified himself as the best guy coming out of the unspeakably bad Met’s bullpen.  Think about it, run down the roster: who else would you rather see late in a game: Heilman?  Sanchez?  Both have blown it in big spots consistently this year.  Before, to a left hander at least it was Pedro Feliciano but after yesterday's performance I am not so sure.  Joe Smith has the epitome of average; Schoeneweis has been okay but never pitches in the big spots; Brian Stokes is a mop-up guy at best leaving only Luis Ayala to take the top spot.  In fact, if I to rate the Mets, 1-5 in guys I would like to see coming out of the pen it would read like this:1. Ayala- Simply because he hasn't done enough for me to hate him yet.  Give Omar some credit for what, so far at least, appears to be a solid pick-up.2. Scott Schoeneweis - His era is under 3, he's a veteran, he has a World Series ring....... pretty solid.  3. Joe Smith if it's a right-hander, Feliciano if it's a left hander- Either one of these guys are not terrible, although certainly not good enough to have any sort of confidence in them.4. Duaner Sanchez- Has disappointed this year, but hey, he has balls and goes after the guys.5. Brain Stokes- Got cut from Tampa Bay last year, enough said. 

Continue reading "Luis Ayala: hero?"

    The mystery of how Jerry Manuel will manage the bullpen was put on hold for a day, as Mike Pelfrey pitched his first career complete game Wednesday.  Pelfrey didn't even seem to have his best stuff, but he worked economically throughout the game and kept his pitch count down.  He only struck out three batters, mainly relying on aggressive Braves hitters putting the ball in play early in the count.  The only blemish was the sixth inning, which still could have been much worse.  Atlanta loaded the bases on a bunt single and two walks, but Pelfrey induced a double play grounder from Brian McCann, and he had a chance to escape with only one run allowed.  But he bounced a wild pitch to the next batter and Yunel Escobar scored from third, before Mark Kotsay lined out to left to end the inning.  Pelfrey settled down thereafter and cruised through the next three innings, retiring all nine batters on just 25 pitches.

Continue reading "Pelfrey Goes The Distance"

    The Mets' woes with the bases loaded finally ended Tuesday night when Carlos Delgado doubled off the wall in left to score two and put New York ahead 4-3 in the eighth.  Prior to Delgado's two-bagger, the Mets had just three hits in their last 42 at-bats with the bases loaded.  Then, after an intentional walk to Fernando Tatis, Damion Easley came up with a bases-loaded hit of his own, singling into left center to score two more runs.  Ramon Castro topped the five-run inning off with an RBI double down the line in left, and the Mets completed the comeback from a 3-2 eighth inning deficit.

Continue reading "Delgado, Easley Spark Comeback Against Braves"

2005-2008, currently has a 1.14 ERA in 23.2 innings for Staten Island.  In a game against the New York Mets' Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones on June 19, switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez strode to the plate to face Venditte with a runner on first and two outs in the ninth inning.  Henriquez stepped into the right-handed batters' box, and Venditte set up to pitch right-handed.  Henriquez then crossed into the left-handed batters' box to adjust the match-up, but Venditte then switched his glove to his right hand and set up to pitch lefty.  Henriquez crossed again to bat righty, but not to be outdone, Venditte switched back to pitch right-handed.  This cat-and-mouse game caused a seven-minute break in the action as all four umpires convened to determine a ruling and both managers sought clarification, before Henriquez finally just agreed to bat right-handed.  With Venditte pitching righty, Henriquez struck out to end the game, and slammed his bat down in frustration.  The official ruling states that the pitcher must declare which arm he will use to throw, before the at-bat, but apparently the umpires were not used to dealing with controversies of this sort.

Continue reading "Mets Finish Off Sweep in D.C."

    No, it wasn't the first perfect game ever thrown by a Mets pitcher, but it was a game that went exactly according to plan.  John Maine came off the DL in style last night, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.  Although Maine was on a short leash with regard to pitch count, Brian Stokes made sure the bullpen got its rest, throwing four shutout innings of his own.  Stokes provided the time type of long relief outing New York's bullpen has sorely missed since the departure of Darren Oliver after the 2006 season.  The offense scored 12 runs to complement the stellar pitching, and Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis each homered to lead the onslaught.  Jose and Argenis Reyes had two hits apiece, and Carlos Beltran drove in two, as New York scored eight runs in the third inning to put it away early.  Things are looking pretty good for the time being, but the real test will come the next time the Mets have a slim lead late in a game.

Continue reading "Perfect Game Moves Mets Back Into First"

    Well, it's become quite obvious that the Mets desperately need to find someone else to close in Billy Wagner's absence.  When Wagner had to miss a game against the Phillies three weeks ago with forearm stiffness, Duaner Sanchez dropped the ball.  Since Wagner was placed on the DL last week, Heilman has been awful in two of his four ninth inning chances.  In order to put an end to the bullpen's pattern of implosion, Jerry Manuel offered two other options after yesterday's game:  Eddie Kunz and John Maine.

Continue reading "Mets' Season May Depend on Kunz"

    Since when is a four-run, seventh inning lead against a team 17.5 games out of first place not safe?  Since the Mets' bullpen hit rock bottom.

    The Mets' plan for Monday afternoon's makeup game against the Pirates was to get on top early and send Pittsburgh packing quickly.  When David Wright knocked a three-run home run to right center in the first, and Pedro Martinez allowed only one run through six innings, the game seemed to be following how it was scripted.  But then on came the New York bullpen.

Continue reading "Heilman Heads Up Another Bullpen Meltdown"

    When Pedro Martinez allowed a home run to Jody Gerut on the first pitch of the game, it already didn't look good.  Then, when he allowed another one just two batters later, it looked like it was definitely going to be a long day for Pedro and the Mets.  But Pedro settled down beautifully and allowed just two hits the rest of the way in his 6.1 innings pitched Wednesday night.  His curveball and change-up were both working well, forcing San Diego hitters to hit ground balls or pop up, as they were regularly off balance.

Continue reading "Wright's Lapses Contribute to Mets' ..."

    Just when you think Fernando Tatis might be coming down to Earth and snapping his unbelievably hot hitting, he proves you dead wrong.  Tatis' two home runs last night powered the Mets toward their 6-5 triumph over the Padres, and his knack for coming through in the clutch continued.  His first homer tied the game at one, and his second put the Mets ahead 4-2.  Six of Tatis' nine home runs this year have either tied the game or given the Mets the lead.

Continue reading "Heilman Nearly Wastes Efforts of Pelfrey and Tatis"

    The Mets limped home from a disappointing 1-5 road trip with a slew of injuries.  Marlon Anderson and John Maine were put on the DL over the weekend and Billy Wagner joined them today with a strained left forearm.  Ramon Castro is still shaken up from the bizzare home plate collision on Saturday, and is listed as day-to-day with a sore ankle.  Rather than make any external moves, the Mets have turned to their farm system for help.  Although for the time being Jerry Manuel says he will use a bullpen by committee in the ninth inning, Eddie Kunz, the heir apparent to Billy Wagner, is on the major league squad and may get some looks in the closer role over the next two weeks while Wagner is out.  Daniel Murphy, who was a third baseman in the minors but requested some work at second base and the outfield--a smart move, considering David Wright isn't going anywhere anytime soon--is getting the start in left field tonight agains the Padres.  The Mets really love the way he hits, so he could be a fixture at the major league level for the remainder of the season and perhaps into the future.  And rumor has it that the Mets are considering calling up Jon Niese to make a few starts in Maine's stead.

Continue reading "Mets Look to Bounce Back at Home"

    Sure enough, just after I wrote about how I’d like to see Jerry Manuel try to stretch Aaron Heilman for some more two-inning relief appearances, Heilman blew a tie game in his second inning of work on Friday night.  After getting through the seventh inning cleanly, Heilman loaded the bases in the eighth and gave up a game-winning grand slam to pinch hitter Mark Loretta.  To add insult to injury (literally, considering the ailing arms of John Maine and Billy Wagner), Heilman was tagged with the loss again on Saturday in another collapse of sorts from the Mets’ bullpen.  This one was a group effort though, with Scott Schoenweis and Billy Wagner contributing to the blown 4-1 lead.  After yet another solid, but insufficiently long, outing from Johan Santana, Schoenweis allowed a solo home run to Kaz Matsui, who has killed the Mets, hitting .438 against his former team over the last three years.  Wagner then gave up a bizzare two-run single to Geoff Blum with the bases loaded in the ninth to blow the save, as both runners crashed into one another and Ramon Castro all at once at the plate.  Then, in the tenth, Heilman put the first two runners on base before handing the ball over to Pedro Feliciano.  Feliciano actually did not pitch poorly, striking out the first batter he faced and then allowing the game-ending sacrifice fly on a weakly hit liner by Darin Erstad.  Fernando Tatis made an excellent catch on Erstad’s sinking flare, but was unable to throw Lance Berkman out at the plate.

Continue reading "Shaky Pen Gets Mets Swept By 'Stros"

    For the third time in a week, the Mets showed some moxie last night in winning convincingly the day after a disconcerting loss.  First, it was John Maine's solid performance against the Phillies the day after the bullpen blew Johan Santana's eight-inning gem.  Then, it was Santana going the distance to conserve the worn out bullpen the day after the five-hour, 14-inning loss to St. Louis.  And last night Oliver Perez fought through six innings, allowing just the one first-inning run, after the bullpen blew an eighth-inning lead on Monday.  David Wright gave the Mets an early lead with an RBI double in the first and Carlos Beltran put New York ahead with a rare two-out RBI single in the sixth.  Carlos Delgado jacked a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance, and Heilman pitched two scoreless innings for the hold, before Billy Wagner tossed a perfect ninth for his 27th save.

Continue reading "Heilman Holds Perez's Lead, Delgado Puts it Away"

    The trade deadline is approaching and the Mets still have some needs to fill.  It's still unknown whether Ryan Church will be able to come back and play everyday, so a corner outfielder is certainly a priority.  On Monday Jerry Manuel named Fernando Tatis the everyday left fielder, but his red-hot month may not, and probably will not, last.  Even if Tatis remains decent as a starter, the uncertainty surrounding Church's health calls for a stronger bench.  Endy Chavez is an excellent defensive replacement outfielder, but when he plays everyday he eventually gets exposed offensively, so he is really more suited to a role as a fourth outfielder.  Casey Blake would have been a good fit because he can play both corner outfield positions as well as first base, but he has already been traded to the Dodgers.

Continue reading "Trade Market: Will The Mets Be Involved?"

    Monday night in Miami was an all-around bad experience for the Mets.  John Maine cruised into the fifth inning with a 2-0 lead, and looked just fine to the naked eye.  But after Maine missed with a 1-0 fastball to John Baker, Jerry Manuel, Dan Warthen and Ray Ramirez, the trainer, jogged out to the mound to consult with Maine.  He appeared to say he was fine, and stayed in the game for the time being.  But after his next pitch to Baker left the yard for a solo home run, and his 1-2 pitch to Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco chased Endy Chavez to the warning track to make the catch, Manuel and Warthen decided they had seen enough, and pulled Maine in favor of Carlos Muniz.  Maine is listed as day-to-day with shoulder stiffness, and Warthen said he was most concerned that Maine might develop further injuries if he tried to compensate in his delivery to protect his shoulder.  In all likelihood Maine will miss a start in order to rest his shoulder, and hopefully pitch again next week.  After the game Manuel was adamant that Maine will not pitch through any pain.

Continue reading "Mets Fried By Fish, Maine Leaves Early"

As has been well documented, the New York Mets have made a huge turnaround in their season since manager Jerry Manuel took over for Willie Randolph just over a month ago. One of the big reasons for the resurgence has been Fernando Tatis. Tatis replaced Ryan Church in right field about two months ago. Church, himself a good acquisition by the Mets in the off-season, had been playing well statistically but is currently sidelined with post-concussion syndrome after a few incidents.

Continue reading "The re-birth of Fernando Tatis"

    When the bullpen blew the game after Santana's eight stellar innings on Tuesday, fans and media types alike griped that the ace should have finished the game.  Saturday night's 14-inning marathon necessitated a long outing from Santana, and he answered the call, this time by pitching a complete game six-hitter, to put the exclamation point on the Mets' 9-1 win in the rubber game of the series against St. Louis.  The lone blemish on his masterful performance was Albert Pujols' seventh inning solo home run, but as Aaron Heilman learned early Sunday morning, you sometimes just tip your cap when that man hits one out.

Continue reading "Santana Goes the Distance, Mets Stay Hot"

    Neither the good nor the bad version of Oliver Perez showed up on Thursday at Shea--the spectacular version came to play against the Phillies.  Perez struck out 12 batters over 7.2 innings, including six whiffs of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, as he out-dueled Jamie Moyer, who pitched a gem of his own.  Carlos Delgado came through with the big hit, a two-run double off the previously unhittable J.C. Romero, in the eighth, and Billy Wagner nailed down the win in the ninth with his 26th save.  Fittingly, Jimmy Rollins, who did not start because he arrived an hour late to the ballpark, made the final out of the game.  After Tuesday night's ninth inning meltdown, the bullpen tossed 4.1 scoreless innings, including back-to-back saves by Wagner, and the Mets took two of three from Philadelphia, despite losing the first game of the series.  New York is now 9-4 against the Phillies this season.

Continue reading "Mets Continue to Roll Behind Delgado, ..."

    A day after the Mets' bullpen acted out a microcosm of the final 17 games of 2007, Billy Wagner was back on the mound with a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Wednesday, and Mets fans could not be happier.  Wagner's save in the 6-3 victory not only sealed the win and moved the Mets back into a first place tie with the Phillies, but it also put the minds of many a Mets fan at ease, knowing that the true closer is once again available to pitch.  After the game Wagner said he looked better than he felt, but hopefully he continues to feel well enough to pitch 1-2-3 ninth innings.

Continue reading "Billy Wagner Never Looked So Good"

    When the Mets traded for and signed Johan Santana in January, tonight's game was exactly what they had in mind.  The ace will take the mound tonight at Shea to face the Phillies, who are tied with the Mets atop the National League East.  Tonight would be a perfect situation for the type of start Mets fans are itching for out of Santana.  Overall, despite his 3.10 ERA, Santana's season has been a disappointment to this point.  His 8-7 record is mediocre, his strikeout rate is down, his batting average against is up, and his solid ERA is also misleading in that it does not reflect the grand slam he allowed to pitcher Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.  Santana has only pitched into the eighth inning once this season, and Duaner Sanchez ultimately blew that game in the ninth.  Tonight is an opportunity for Santana to turn his sub-par season around, and show Mets fans that he is worth his exhorbitant contract

Continue reading "Johan Santana Takes the Hill With ..."

   After splitting the four-game series in Cincinnati, the Mets are back in a first-place tie with the Phillies for the lead in the NL East.  Lately it hasn't only been Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran leading the offense; Carlos Delgado has been on fire recently and came through with the clutch, game-tying hit in the seventh inning on Sunday, and the Mets' bench players have been carrying the torch as well.  The "irregulars," (as Mets television broadcaster Gary Cohen puts it) such as Fernando Tatis, Endy Chavez, Damion Easley and Ramon Castro, have been igniting the Mets' offense for the past three weeks.  But two new players with anything but household names were just as instrumental to the Mets' success in Cincy as anyone getting paid upwards of $12 million per year:  Argenis Reyes and Robinson Cancel.

Continue reading "Makeshift Mets Back In First, But ..."

    Aside from Billy Wagner, who picked up his 23rd save with a perfect ninth, the Mets' pitching was bad all around last night in Cincinnati.  Johan Santana's velocity was alarmingly low, and he was battered around, pitching through bases loaded trouble in the second inning before giving up five runs in the fourth, his final inning of the night.  Aaron Heilman lost his command after getting two outs in the seventh, and Scott Schoenweis allowed the big blow, a bases clearing double by Javier Valentin.  But the offense continued to roll, as Carlos Delgado, Fernando Tatis and David Wright each hit two-run homers, and the Mets pounded out 10 runs, including four in the ninth off closer Francisco Cordero.  Wright's bomb tied the game with one out, and Delgado followed three batters later with the go-ahead RBI single.  The victory moves the Mets into a first place tie with the Phillies at 52-44.

Continue reading "David Wright Bails Out Poor Pitching, ..."

    The Mets are riding their longest winning streak since 2000 heading into the second half tonight in Cincinnati, and they will have their ace on the hill to try to extend it.  Johan Santana is a disappointing 8-7 so far this season but still boasts a fantastic 2.84 ERA, good enough for fourth in the National League.  Despite a relatively lousy second half last year (5-7, 4.04 ERA), Santana has excellent career numbers after the All-Star break.  He is 50-17 in 108 starts, with a 2.79 ERA and 642 strikeouts in 606.1 innings.  The Mets hope that their improved play of late will only help Santana reach those lofty second half expectations, and lead the team through a pennant race.  Santana gets the start tonight against the Reds and rookie starter Johnny Cueto.

Continue reading "Johan Looks to Start Second Half Strong Tonight"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

    Mike Pelfrey pitched another gem Sunday night, throwing eight shutout innings in the Mets' 7-0 victory over the Rockies, and won his sixth straight start.  New York cruised through their six-game homestand, outscoring the Giants and Rockies 31-4 with four shutouts to boot.  They now stand just a half game behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East.

Continue reading "Big Pelf and the Mets Take Nine Into ..."

    This time last week the Mets were 4.5 games behind Philadelphia entering their pivotal four-game series with the division leaders.  After Johan Santana gave up a 2-0 lead and Duaner Sanchez allowed the winning run in the ninth, the horizon looked bleak for the orange and blue.  However, since that devastating defeat, New York has racked up six straight wins and the Mets now find themselves just 1.5 games back of the Phillies in the NL East.  During the winning streak the Mets have scored an average of seven runs per game while yielding only three per contest, including back-to-back shutouts of the Giants on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Continue reading "Mets Go For Seven Straight Tonight at Shea"

    Another day brought another win for the Mets this afternoon, as they ran their season-high winning streak to six straight.  Fernando Tatis snapped a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with his fourth home run of the year, and his second go-ahead shot in the last five days.  The bullpen was lights out for the third straight day and hasn't allowed a run since almost giving back a 10-1 lead on Monday in Philadelphia.  The sweep of the Giants was the Mets' first such feat since they took three straight from Washington from April 15-17, unless you count the three-game series at Yankee Stadium that was started in May and finished in June.  The Phillies rebounded from a 2-0 loss in St. Louis on Tuesday to beat the Cardinals in two straight, so the Mets are currently 1.5 games out of first place heading into a three-game series against Colorado this weekend.

Continue reading "Dust Off Your Brooms, Tatis Comes Through Again"

    Well, my biggest gripe yesterday was that the Mets never win or lose a game that isn't in question until the final out.  I guess they realized I'm almost out of Pepto and gave me the break I was looking for.  Carlos Beltran belted a three-run home run off Giants ace Tim Lincecum in the first inning and Carlos Delagado and Fernando Tatis each homered later in the game to lead the Mets to their fourth straight win.

Continue reading "Pelfrey and the Mets Finally Make It Easy"

"It's not a game, it's an arms race" - Kanye West and Fallout Boy belt this hook over and over again on a recent hit with that same title. In that context, Kanye and the Fallout Boy guys are referring to the battle of musical artists not only surviving in a competitive worldwide market, but one with hindrances around every music sharing online ripping program. While that's an issue for another day and another blogsite, it's relevance is crucial when talking about the current state of Major League baseball and the National Basketball Association.

Continue reading "From the NBA to MLB, the Arms Race Has Begun"

    This season Mets fans have come to realize that win or lose, life is excruciating.  For this team there is no such thing as a laugher--in either direction.  It seems that every Mets loss includes a blown lead, and every Mets win includes an attempt at the same.

Continue reading "Despite best efforts, Wagner and ..."

My attention is divided today, between the two coasts, and between moves major and minor.

Beginning in the East and the earlier time zone is appropriate to the biggest story: the firing of Willie Randolph. Say what you will about Willie, he’s been a classy guy in both New York teams (he earlier served as a Yankees’ bench coach) and deserved better. That Minaya reportedly declined to fire him on Father’s Day, only to axe Randolph in the middle of the night on Monday, replaces a reprehensible act with a cowardly one.

Continue reading "Two Brief Bits"

We all knew that Willie's job was in jeopardy a few weeks ago when he had to meet with Omar, but who would have thought that Minaya would have canned Willie after the Mets won 2 straight and actually won a series?!

Continue reading "Randolph....WTF?"

After a string of wins following the closed door meetings.Willie Randolph's future as the Manager of the Mets appears to be in danger once again.From a long time fans perspective they appear to be lif

Continue reading "Willie Randolph's Future"

Time: 8:07. I'm sitting, Joba Chamberlain has left the game in the third inning. This pleases me. A slight relief from reality comes over me.

Reality: Pedro is pitching. In what has turned into the most disappointed Mets season of my young lifetime, Sheadom turns to Pedro Martinez, the visage of a former titan of baseball, the premier Latin American ambassador for this game, and unable to complete a full Major League season in years.

Continue reading "Pedro Lives!"

The Mets are just one month into their 2008 campaign... but it feels like last season never ended.

We've seen a lot from the Metropolitans so far in this young season.  Quite honestly, it's been the wackiest month I can remember... and that includes last September.  We've had enough ups and downs to last an entire season, yet the Mets have played roughly fifteen percent of their schedule.  Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories of April, if only to see how insignificant most of them truly were.

Continue reading "Mets FAQ - April 2008"

 Who do Mets fans want up with the game on the line more than David Wright?  It was the bottom of the 11th and after a lead off walk to Jose Reyes and letting two other runners on base by

Continue reading "David Wright does it right in bottom ..."

emy Hermida and Mike Jacobs who are capable of potentially hitting 25 home runs each this season.

New York Mets

What will the Mets get from Pedro Martinez this year?

While Johan Santana gives them the legitimate number one starter they lacked last year and should easily be the most dominant starter in the Majors this season, he can still only take the ball once every 5 games. Pedro Martinez, however, will be the key to the pitching staff. He has shown in the past that he can still be very effective even though he no longer throws 97 thanks to his command and assortment of pitches. Now, though, he will probably have to live in the low to mid 80's and rely even more on guile than he ever has. Pedro remained effective in his brief stint last season and should put up good numbers if he can stay healthy.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: National League East"

st year when the hitting went bad, it stayed bad, for a very long time.  And, they are not the New York Mets.  After aquiring Johan Santana, they have become World Series contenders and I do not see the Cubs marching pass them in the playoffs.  After their historic collapse from grace, the Mets are out for blood.

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

sion was far superior even with the lack of hitting Diamondbacks had.  All I got to say is the New York Mets are out for blood after their historic fall from grace with their new top gun Johan Santana.  No way is any team going to march pass them.

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."

The first steps toward the '08 Major League Baseball season bring with them a renewed sense of optimism and a number of lingering questions.

Personally I just can't stop smiling about the Mets new ace. So far so good for Mr. Santana as he's said all the right things publicly and seems extra confident about his new team. Thanks to his move to the NL East Johan has the potential to put up a MONSTER season. 30 Games a year against the Nats and Marlins could mean 20 wins and a mid 2 ERA with 250 strikeouts and a  shiny Cy Young for his trouble.  But as a Mets fan I remain skeptical that facing the pitcher three times a game is really a guarantee that Santana will be Koufaxian. But that's just me. I will be more than happy if Santana goes 18-7 with a 3.2 ERA and two or three complete games. That's a lot more than Tom Glavine is gonna give the Braves this season. I do buy the argument that Santana will pitch more innings than any Mets starter has over the past few seasons and by doing so give the team's often beleagured bullpen a much needed rest. That's critical if it's a close race in September.  

Continue reading "Spring! Part I: The Starting Rotation"

With the addition of Johan Santana, the Mets have certainly leaped to frontrunner status.  While some questions still remain about the bullpen and their corner OF positions because of the oft inj

Continue reading "Are the Mets favorites in the NL East?"

There aren't many phrases as sweet as Pitchers and Catchers, and they report to Port St Lucie in just 12 days.  I cannot wait for the season to start with Johan Santana in the fold 2008 is shaping up to be a memorable season.  I said the same thing last year at this time and 2007 turned memorable for all the wrong reasons.  But that was last year and we can forget about it.

Continue reading "Pitchers and Catchers"