Ryan Church

Jose Reyes-SS

2. Daniel Murphy-LF

3. Carlos Beltran-CF

4. David Wright-3B

5. Ryan Church-RF

6. Ramon Martinez-2B

7. Jeremy Reed-1B

8. Omir Santos-C

Notice the three highlighted players: Church, Martinez, and Reed. If you don't already know, Church got himself picked off of first base in the previous night's game, and then proceeded to miss third base after Angel Pagan's clutch shot to the right-center gap. 

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

fair share of idiotic mistakes, both mentally and physically, including a real head-scratcher from Ryan Church last night. 

In Los Angeles, with the game tied 2-2 in the top of the 11th, Church ripped a single to left field with two outs. Up the plate strolled Angel Pagan, a player who has been out of sight for quite some time, after suffering a season-ending injury early in the '08 campaign. Pagan was the subject of much malign just a day earlier, when manager Jerry Manuel pinch hit with him in a critical bases loaded situation, and Angel proceeded to ground into a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play. 

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

g down after being traded to the Dodgers last season. 

And yet, the Mets appear content with Ryan Church in right field -- who was re-signed this past week -- and a lefty/righty platoon of Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis. Where's the pop? We're going to leave all the pressure on the shoulders of Carlos Beltran and David Wright? It wouldn't be logical to expect Carlos Delgado to hit 38 homers and be a contender in the MVP race this upcoming year. Plain and simply, he's old, and the holes in his swing are undeniable. He's still incredibly strong, just not as mechanically sound as he once was, and understandably so.

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e Paul LoDuca, Darren Oliver, Jose Valentin, Duaner Sanchez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Endy Chavez, Ryan Church, Damion Easley and Fernando Tatis.

           But it hasn’t been all peaches and cream for Minaya, who also took chances on Luis Castillo, Moises Alou, Orlando Hernandez, Shawn Green, Scott Schoenweis, Jorge Sosa, Aaron Sele and Matt Wise—none of whom were very impressive as Mets, and many of whom had massive difficulties staying healthy.

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

ock, sadness, disbelief--none of those feelings really describe the exact emotion that hit you when Ryan Church's fly ball sank into the centerfielder's glove, much like Mike Piazza's fly ball that ended the 2000 World Series.  It was like saving up for months to buy a brand new pair of shoes, but finding out the model you wanted has been discontinued.  Or like planning a trip to the beach weeks ahead of time, and then waking up on the day you’re supposed to go, and it’s pouring outside.  Or like waking up in the middle of the night thinking you can go back to sleep for a few more hours, but then looking at the clock and realizing it’s only five minutes before your alarm is set to go off.  It was a feeling of having the air sucked out of your lungs for a second.  That’s what the Mets did to their fans on that fateful Sunday afternoon, for the second year in a row.

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse"

ltran 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"

.  But now rookies Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans are in a lefty-righty platoon.  And while Ryan Church was unable to play right field, Fernando Tatis impressed Jerry Manuel so much that he has been moved into a platoon now that Church has returned; Tatis got the start on Sunday against the lefty Randy Wolf.

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n right.  The outfield will only get deeper going forward, as Manuel said before the game that Ryan Church is on schedule to return to the big leagues this weekend.

    The news wasn't quite as promising for Billy Wagner, whose agent said it will be at least three weeks until he can return to the mound.  As a possible insurance policy, the Mets signed reliever Al Reyes on Wednesday, and have sent him to toil in the minors until rosters expand on September 1.  Tampa Bay released Reyes earlier this year, but he saved 26 games for the Rays last year and has a 3.82 career ERA.  Like Luis Ayala, if the Mets can catch lightning in a bottle with the addition of Reyes, he will be a valuable contributor down the stretch, especially if Wagner cannot return.

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September 1, and it probably would not take much to pry him away from Chicago.

    Ryan Church played right field and went 1-3 with an RBI and a walk in a rehab game last night.  There is still no timetable for his return, but it is certainly a good sign that he is back on a baseball diamond.  He played five innings a few days ago, and is working his way back to full games.  Luis Castillo has almost completed his 20-day rehab assignment, and could rejoin the Mets as soon as tomorrow, although Damion Easley and Argenis Reyes are putting Castillo's roster spot in serious jeopardy for the time being.

Continue reading "Delgado, Easley Spark Comeback Against Braves"

an go the other way with authority, driving an RBI double to left center on Tuesday night.  In Ryan Church's absence for the time being, Murphy has stepped up and looks like a good complement to Fernando Tatis as a fellow super-back-up who is currently playing in the Mets' starting lineup.

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en designated for assignment by Minnesota, so depending on the severity of the inuries to Maine and Ryan Church, the Mets may consider either player as an option.  As I've said all along, I think Brian Giles is the best fit for the team despite his left-handedness, so I hope he becomes available.

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nd did not splurge on an outfielder could be an indication that Mets’ brass is confident that Ryan Church will be capable of returning to action soon and playing regularly.  But although Church’s return will bolster the Mets’ suddenly stagnant offense, there are no guarantees when dealing with post-concussion syndrome, and the team would certainly be better served with a competent back-up plan.

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

eadline 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.

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unately.  Hopefully this will trigger Omar Minaya to make a deal for an outfield bat with both Ryan Church and Alou on the disabled list again.  The Mets' reserves are tearing it up right now, but who knows how long that will last?  Tatis' resurgence has been a heartwarming story, and most importantly he has been coming through in the clutch, but sooner or later he is going to realize that it's not 1999, and Mets fans will realize that he is just a back-up at this point in his career.  Damion Easley and Endy Chavez are both on fire recently but Easley is more of a role player whose value lies in his professionalism more than in his bat, and Chavez is merely a fourth outfielder with an outstanding glove and excellent speed.  Don't get me wrong--I like both Easley and Chavez and think they are both very valuable to the team, but when they are no longer hitting a combined .412, like they are since June 28, the Mets will need a proven slugger to pick up the slack.

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

out of his recent funk.

    However, it's not all good news in Flushing today, as Ryan Church has landed back on the disabled list with post-concussion syndrome.  While it's been delightful riding the unexpected contributions from the likes of Tatis, Easley and Chavez, it's only a matter of time before they all come back to Earth.  And once that happens, the Mets will need a legitimate run producer in one of the corner outfield spots, assuming Church and Moises Alou have trouble staying on the field.

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

; (However, even he can't keep the bullpen from imploding.)  But the star of the deal has been Ryan Church.  Church has unquestionably been the Mets' MVP of April.  As the only Met who has consistently hit throughout this young season, he has to stand out as the Mets' most important acquisition.  Not the best acquisition (Johan Santana is obviously a better pitcher than Church is a hitter), but he's a clear upgrade over Shawn Green and may be the piece that puts the Mets over the top.  After all, while Milledge might end up being a stud someday, Schneider and Church are two guys who can help the Mets win now.  That's all that matters.

Continue reading "Mets FAQ - April 2008"

I do. He's hit wherever Willy puts him in the lineup, he's playing solid defense in right field (remember Shawn Green?) hell he's even hitting lefties. If Castllo continues to struggle I have no problem keeping him in the 2 spot to generate big innings at the beginning of games. Plus, I do believe the 40 doubles he hit last year will translate into 20-25 homeruns (especially with Wright and Beltran behind him). If nothing else, watching Milledge (for whom the Mets aquired Church in a deal that Mets fans hated at the time) play for the Nats against the Mets I don't see him becoming an All-Star any time soon. Meanwhie church has been the most consistent guy on the team.

Continue reading "I Like Ryan Church"