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.
There were lots of good signs in this game: continued success from both Perez and Wagner, Delgado's bat remaining hot, Jose Reyes getting on base three times including two doubles, and clutch hitting from Beltran. But the most intriguing possibility this game presented was Heilman's ability to stretch out his work to more than one inning. Right now the entire bullpen is in a bit of a rut. Duaner Sanchez seems to be in a dead-arm period, Pedro Feliciano has been inconsistent since the All-Star break, and Scott Schoenweis and Joe Smith have had their ups and downs as well. But Heilman's two innings yesterday, coming off his three innings on Saturday, might give Jerry Manuel the assurance that he can pitch the sixth and seventh, or seventh and eighth, in a tight game in front of Wagner. Now of couse, knowing Heilman, he could pitch terribly his next time out and struggle to get through even one inning. But if the starters can continue to go a little deeper into games, like they have been more frequently of late, and Manuel uses Heilman expediently, he could pick up his share of two-inning holds and be effective in that type of role.
Heilman used to be a starter, and it's been obvious over the last three or four years that he would prefer to start and is not completely happy in his middle relief role. In his last two outings the homer he allowed to Albert Pujols is the only blemish, and that came in his third inning of work. After the game he told MLB.com, "Once I get my arm going, it doesn't matter if I throw 30 or 130 pitches. My arm feels pretty much the same." Not only does this statement show that it might be a good idea to try and stretch Heilman out a little more in his relief appearances, but it also shows that he still views himself as a candidate to start. Sure, it's still a little early to speculate on next year's rotation, but if the Mets don't re-sign Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez they have two open spots in the rotation behind Santana, Maine and Mike Pelfrey. Why not give Heilman a shot? He's only made 25 career starts, which is clearly not enough time to judge a starting pitcher (see: Mike Pelfrey), and we all know he has great stuff. His fastball clocks in at 95 miles per hour with excellent downward and tailing movement, and his change-up is very deceptive with fanastic downward action. His only hurdle will be that he'll have to perfect a third pitch. The way his slider looked last night, he might be on that path, and could be effective as a starter in 2009.
On the trade front, the Mets still have not made a move, and seem to be backing off of Raul Ibanez because the Mariners are demanding Jon Niese and another prospect. Another relief pitcher who would be a good fit is Cincinnati's Jeremy Affeldt. He is a lefty, but can pitch to righties as well, and has the stamina to go multiple innings. It wouldn't make sense to trade a top prospect for him, but the Reds might be enticed by a package of two mid-level propects.
Around The League
The Angels traded for Mark Teixeira last night, dealing first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta. Teixeira's outstanding defense is a mild upgrade over Kotchman, but he adds a powerful bat to a lineup that desperately needs a home run threat to protect Vladimir Guerrerro. The only cause for concern is Teixeira's streakiness, but if he plays well for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, the Angels could contend for the American League pennant. Teixeira is a Scott Boras client, so he'll be looking for a mountain of cash in the off-season. If the Angels do not sign him, they could be wishing they still had Kotchman, who is relatively light-hitting for a first baseman, but does not cost much.
It seems that Braves GM Frank Wren jumped the gun a little bit in making this trade. Just hours after he put Teixeira on the block, he was dealt. Kotchman is a good fielder and a solid hitter, but Marek doesn't project as much of a major league pitcher. Had Atlanta waited to field more offers, it would appear they could have gotten more in return.
The Yankees just dealt Kyle Farnsworth to Detroit for Ivan Rodriguez. This is a good trade for both sides. From New York's perspective, although Farnsworth and the rest of the bullpen has been pitching well lately, the other shoe is about to drop, and sooner or later Farnsworth is going to revert back to his days of blowing leads left and right (and those days aren't even that far in the past). The Yankees have a couple of good relief pitching prospects on their way up from the minors to fill the void. Brian Cashman traded Farnsworth at the peak of his value, and obtained an offensive upgrade at catcher, and a wealth of post-season experience in return. Jose Molina, who leads the majors in throwing out would-be base-stealers, will still see his share of playing time, but Pudge's .295 batting average is a big improvement over Molina's .229 mark. Pudge has lost most of his power, but still handles a pitching staff well, throws out a good percentage of runners, and has a history of clutch hits in the post-season. If he can help the Yankees get there, he'll be a good addition.
From the Tigers' perspective, this trade upgrades their bullpen, which has been extremely beleaguered by injuries and poor pitching. Joel Zumaya is always banged up, Fernando Rodney has been awful this year, and Todd Jones is a blown save waiting to happen. Pudge is a significant loss, but Brandon Inge is a decent fielder who has been starved for playing time this year since Detroit acquired Miguel Cabrera to play third base. Jim Leyland will hope that the increased playing time will jumpstart Inge's bat. Overall, the offensive downgrade is worth the upgrade in the bullpen for the Tigers, who already have a very deep lineup.
*Statistical information derived from www.baseballreference.com and www.mlb.com.
Keywords: Aaron Heilman, Atlanta Braves, Billy Wagner, Brandon Inge, Brian Cashman, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Casey Kotchman, Cincinnati Reds, David Wright, Detroit Tigers, Duaner Sanchez, Fernando Rodney, Frank Wren, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeremy Affeldt, Jerry Manuel, Jim Leyland, Joe Smith, Joel Zumaya, Johan Santana, John Maine, Jon Niese, Jose Molina, Jose Reyes, Kyle Farnsworth, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oliver Perez, Pedro Feliciano, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia Phillies, Raul Ibanez, Scott Boras, Scott Schoenweis, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Stephen Marek, Todd Jones
