Mets Today

mebeliReds 7 Mets 1

It was a close game — a one-run game, in fact — until the eighth inning.

Mike Pelfrey struggled in the first and the fourth, but kept the Mets in the game through six full innings, holding the Reds to just two runs. However, the Mets couldn’t do anything against Bronson Arroyo (the Mets’ last baserunner came in the fourth inning). and the Reds reached for another two runs against Duaner Sanchez — then turned the game ugly with the help of two Mets errors in the ninth.

Notes

Loving Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen with the lollipops during pregame.

Duaner’s fastball did not have the usual velocity — it was only in the mid-80s, topping out at 87. What was worse, Duaner knew it and you could see on his face and in his body language that he didn’t have his best stuff — he looked concerned and borderline scared.

In the bottom of the third, Carlos Beltran chased David Wright around the bases with an extra-base hit, but Wright was out by about three feet on a good relay throw and good block of the plate by catcher Paul Bako. However, twenty years ago, a player like Wright would have plowed over Bako in an attempt to knock the ball loose. As Keith Hernandez noted, “they don’t do that today.”. Strange, isn’t it? In the old days, when ballplayers made less than a hundred grand, and were subject to team-renewable one-year contracts, and couldn’t afford to suffer major injuries, runners crashed into catchers all the time. Nowadays, with guaranteed contracts in the tens of millions of dollars, players are very careful about physical contact — presumably for fear of injury. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to see D-Wright getting injured in a collision. But at the same time, if that was Ray Knight stampeding home, Bako’s clock is cleaned. A different game indeed.

Aaron Heilman pitched twice in the day, and in his second appearance had a very a low arm angle — which even a Little League coach would recognize as a red flag sign of fatigue. Heilman did pitch a 1-2-3 seventh, but am I the only person on the planet who notices when he’s fatigued and shouldn’t be pitching? And just why, exactly, is Willie putting ANYONE on the mound twice in the same day? (Jorge Sosa pitched twice as well.)

Oh, and since Duaner gave up a few runs and Aaron didn’t, do all the shortsighted numnuts now think the two pitchers should swap roles again? Speaking of, what’s with the morons at Shea booing Sanchez during his outing? I wish all these arse-hole “fans” would return to the Bronx and boo the Yankees.

By the way if you are a Heilman hater maybe his postcard to his mom will warm your heart a bit.

While we’re on the subject of the bullpen, Billy Wagner finally gave up some runs, but they were unearned. However, he did not pitch all that well. A bit of a head-scratcher as to why Wags was in the game at all — and why he remained in after his 20th pitch?

Gold Glover David Wright committed his eighth error of the season. He’s on pace to make 28 miscues in 162 games. Yikes.

Jeff Keppinger five-for-five in the game. That guy’s name is REALLY familiar … where have I heard it before? Oh, that’s right, he was the guy who the Mets had no use for two years ago, when they were in dire need of a second baseman (or was he trying to date Willie Randolph’s daughter?) Funny how he had the best game of his life against his old team, eh?

FYI the SNY TV team will be broadcasting from the upper deck behind home plate for that contest. It was the brainchild of Gary Cohen, who used to watch games from up in the nosebleeds as a kid growing up going to Shea. Tickets up there were once $1.30 (general admission). Did I mention it’s a different game?

Speaking of the SNY broadcasters, Keith Hernandez mentioned that he logs on to MetsBlog “every morning” to “get the scoop”. He also said “that is an excellent blog I must say”. Is it any coincidence that the SNY crew began effusively pronouncing their love for Matt Cerrone and MetsBlog immediately after I started providing commentary there? (OK, maybe it’s a coincidence.)

Next Game

The Mets and Reds play the rubber match at Shea at 1:10 pm. Oliver Perez faces Johnny Cueto. The game will be on CW11.

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Mets 12 Reds 6

Ace starter Johan Santana allowed 11 baserunners in six innings, but hung tough and allowed only three runs in leading the Mets to a 12-6 victory.

That’s right — the Mets scored another dozen runs. The offense is suddenly on a rampage, scoring like … um … it’s their job. Brian Schneider hit his first homer of the year, and the man who has been wearing Carlos Delgado’s uniform for the last week also knocked one out, as well as stroking a double. Does anyone know that masked man?

David Wright, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran were a combined 7-for-10 with 7 RBI and 6 runs scored.

After Johan left the game, the Mets bullpen “held” the Reds to “only” three runs in the last three innings. Jorge Sosa pitched a scoreless ninth to hold his job for at least another day.

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The long-awaited documentary series “Playing for Peanuts” debuts this weekend on SNY. Tune in on Sunday evening, May 11th, at 6pm, to see the first episode, “Meet the Peanuts”.

In case you hadn’t read any of the hype yet, this series is an inside look on a minor league baseball team, which happened to be managed by former Met fan favorite Wally Backman. By the end of the summer, I guarantee you will have a completely different image of Backman, and wonder why the heck he doesn’t have an MLB managing job.

However, it’s not just about Backman, but also gets a true inside perspective of what it’s like to be a struggling minor leaguer — on and off the field. I was lucky enough to preview the first episode and will tell you that this it’s worth watching, and something to program on your DVR.

Full broadcast details below, for those outside the NY area. You can also learn more about the series at the Playing for Peanuts website, and by reading producer John Fitzgerald’s blog.

CSN Chicago (DISH: 429, DIRECT: 640)- May 11 @ 7pm.

SportsNet NY (SNY) (DISH: 438, DIRECT: 625)- May 11 @ 6pm.

Sportsnet Philadelphia - May 11 @ 7pm.

Sportsnet New England (DISH:435, DIRECT: 620) - May 11 @ 7pm

Sportsnet Bay Area (DISH: 419, DIRECT: 654)- May 11 @ 8pm

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Mets 12 Dodgers1

Wow … where was all that offense in the first two games?

The Mets went ape on Dodger ace Brad Penny, slapping him around for ten runs on ten hits and three walks in four frames, then assaulted Scott Proctor for another two in his one and one-third inning of work.

Meantime, John Maine was Just Magnificent, plowing through eight and and a third before giving up a run. His final line: 8 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 ER. His near-shutout performance came just hours after the sports talk radio jockeys and other pundits pointed out that the Mets had no starting pitcher go more than seven innings in the season.

When a dozen runs are scored, it’s hard to highlight one or two players. Ryan “Lastings Who?” Church was the brightest star of the day, going 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored from the six spot. Luis Castillo, back in the two-spot, went 2-for-4 with two two-out RBI. Raul Casanova also went 2-for-4, with 2 RBI and 2 runs.

Notes

The Mets drove home six runs with two outs — and John Maine was responsible for two of them.

A bright green flag (usually we talk about “red flags”) from today’s game was the Mets’ patience at the plate. For the third straight game, the Mets batters were exhibiting good plate discipline, working deep counts, letting the ball get deep, and hitting to the opposite field. Is it any coincidence that Jose Reyes, at the top of the lineup, has become more selective lately? Is it possible that the rest of the order is following his lead? Keep it up, Jose.

Interestingly, the Mets had this offensive explosion with regulars Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou, and Brian Schneider riding the pine. Marlon Anderson, Angel Pagan, and Casanova were all productive in their places.

Pagan, by the way, made a spectacular play in the first inning, catching a fly ball at the wall in foul territory and then doing a somersault over the wall and going headfirst into the seats. He stayed in the game but eventually left due to shoulder tightness. Pagan is scheduled for an MRI and is day-to-day.

Two things great to see from Johnny Maine: getting ahead of the batters (which is easy with a big lead) and pounding the ball inside. On several occasions he made a batter “dodge” his inside fastball, and in fact went so far in on Jeff Kent that he elicited a response from Pig-boy Penny and a warning from the umpires. Despite the warning, Johnny continued to make batters move their feet here and there — I like seeing that nasty side of Mr. Maine.

Carlos Beltran seemed completely over the “flu-like symptoms” that kept him out of Tuesday night’s contest, zipping around the bases and stinging the ball all over the place (he scorched the ball, but right at people). After reading about Darryl Strawberry’s hangovers being reported as “flu-like symptoms” in Bad Guys Won, I’ve been extremely skeptical of players who sit for one day and return the picture of health the next. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not trying to start any rumors — just taking the reason for Beltran’s day off with a grain of salt. Carlos may not have been partying the night before, but Willie Randolph could very well be covering up something else. For example, perhaps one or both of his recently repaired knees is still acting up, and rather than allow the knee to become a media issue, it makes more sense to give an excuse that evokes no questions.

I love listening to Ron Darling, but he’s driving me nutty by identifying two-seam fastballs as four-seamers. For the fifth time in the last three games, he called a particular pitch a “four-seam fastball” as the slo-mo replay magnifying the pitcher’s hand at release clearly exhibited a two-seam fastball (this is when the index and middle fingers are on, or parallel to, the red stitching on the ball). Get yer eyes checked, Ron … maybe you need glasses.

Next Game

The Mets have a day off to travel on Thursday, then return home on Friday to host the Cincinnati Reds for a weekend series. Game one begins at 7:10 PM and will have Mike Pelfrey on the mound against Matt Belisle.

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During a lull in the third inning of the game last night, SNY plugged MetsBlog.com, with Gary Cohen stating “be sure to check out MetsBlog.com, where you get all the analysis, opinion, and everything else from Matt Cerrone and his buddies …. ”

Ron Darling added, “nice kid, Matt Cerrone … met him a couple times.”

Cohen closed with, “he’s a fan who’s been handed the keys to the kingdom …”

Kind of cool, especially since I’m now one of “Matt’s buddies”.

And yes, I promise to get a photo of those keys the next time I see Matt, and post them here (the ones to the right are not to the kingdom).

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With pundits and fans everywhere arguing their position on Willie Randolph, that old Clash song “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” is frighteningly relevant these days.

For the youngins’ , here are part of the lyrics:

Always tease tease tease
You’re happy when I’m on my knees
One day is fine, next day is black
So if you want me off your back
Well come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Though, I think some of the lines above would be sung by we fans, as the Mets seem to be “teasing” us lately, with one game fine but the next one “black”.

And then, there’s a part where the song alternates with lyrics in Spanish — and I can almost hear Carlos Delgado (another man many are undecided about) doing those parts:

This indecision’s bugging me
Esta indecision me molesta
If you don’t want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame ….
Should I stay or should I go?

As you know, I’m not blaming Willie for the Mets’ current record — nor am I congratulating him for it, either. I’m not convinced there’s a manager out there who would be a better fit and/or lead this team to more victories. There are more problems with the Mets beyond Willie’s control — many which were not addressed during the offseason and were pointed out here all winter (i.e., starting pitching depth, a RH bat, the downward spiral of Carlos Delgado, etc.).

On the one hand,

Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball agrees that Wilie should stay,

Sure, it’d be nice if Randolph was a more adept technician, especially when it comes to the pitching staff. Isn’t his pitching coach supposed to be the best in all of baseball? Oh, and in case that’s read as a call for Rick Peterson’s head, I’m simply stating a fact that there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Yes, Randolph has chinks in his armor, but so does his team.

On the other hand, John Peterson makes some good points stating why Willie should go:

The play is lackadaisical. Willie says chill-ax. The Mets act like they don’t care if they win or lose, because they still get paid in the end. And even the most crushing failure?missing the playoffs last year?results in no punishment for anyone, not even the manager, who heaps the blame on the players and takes a pat on the back from the front office.

Right, that was last year. But what has changed from one year to the next? Are the Mets destroying their opponents left and right? Are they playing with a fire not seen since the Valentine years of the late 90?s? Is there an evident determination in their hearts? Is there a sense of destiny, a rightful taking of what is theirs? There is not.

Should Willie stay or should he go? The fact the question is out there only 30 games into the season is troublesome, because unless / until the Mets go on a crazy hot streak and start running away with the NL East title, the question will linger like a black cloud above Willie’s head for the next 130 games. That will make for one weary summer — for all of us.

Esta indecision me molesta.

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Dodgers 5 Mets 4

Before this contest, Hiroki Kuroda had established himself as a pitcher who dominated opposing batters during the first time through the lineup, but struggled the second time around. However, the Mets jumped all over Kuroda in their first look, and continued the onslaught until chasing him from the game in the fourth frame.

Unfortunately, the Mets’ offense was handcuffed by Sandy Koufax in relief … oh wait, that wasn’t Koufax, but Kuo, as in, Hong-Chih. You know, the same Hong-Chih Kuo(fax) who has a 7+ ERA against the rest of the NL but somehow is to the Mets as kryptonite is to Superman. Kuofax struck out eight batters in three and two-thirds innings. Yes — of the eleven outs, eight were by the big K.

The Mets had a great chance to blow the game completely open in the third, as they scored one run and then loaded the bases with none out. However, they managed to plate only one runner before Ryan Church grounded into a double play. Kuroda then struck out David Wright to extinguish the threat and end the inning.

Meantime, Nelson Figueroa did a fine job of making me look like an absolute fool. Just hours after I anointed him the Mets’ #3 starter, Figgy had the gall to fall back to Earth and give away a three-run lead. His final line was 5 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 5 ER. Thanks, Figs. On a more pessimistic note, the Mets’ starting rotation is now officially a disaster.

Notes

Aaron Heilman pitched two innings of scoreless relief, and Pedro Feliciano and Joe Smith shut out the Dodgers in the eighth.

Ryan Church had a double and a homerun in the game, but his rally-killing DP in the third negated both, as it was the turning point of the game.

Brian Schneider had two hits and a walk and is now hitting .308 with an OBP right around .400. I’m ecstatic he’s hitting that well, but it’s the lightest .308 I’ve seen in a long time.

Strangely, this Mets team not only defied their recent history by beating up on a pitcher they never saw before, but also took pitches and ran deep counts. Kudos to Howard Johnson for finally getting through to these cement-heads. Now if they can only figure out Kuofax …

By the fifth inning, the Mets had ten at-bats with men in scoring position — but managed a hit only twice.

LOVED seeing 41-year-old (and soon to be 42) Moises Alou taking an extra base on Andruw Jones in the third inning on a single by Carlos Delgado. Jones didn’t charge the ball, and Moises picked up on the nonchalance while rounding second and took off for third. A few minutes later, Alou STOLE HOME on the front end of a double steal — Angel Pagan stole second and Moises charged home when Dodger catcher Russell Martin fired the ball down to second. Remember Moises is not only over forty, but also coming off a double hernia and what we thought was a broken ankle. Talk about a “gamer” or an example of an “old school” ballplayer who plays hard — Alou is the man.

Oh by the way, it was Alou’s first steal of home since 2006.

Also by the way, Alou continues to sting the ball all over the place — though this was the first evening his hard-hit balls were finally finding holes. Watching a healthy Alou, it’s easy to understand why the Mets invested another $7.5M in him, despite his fragility — there are few players with a similar combination of skill and effort. Now if he can only stay healthy for, say, 100 games …

Feeble-hitting Nelson Figueroa walked twice. Joe Torre no doubt was drinking his chamomile tea in response.

David Wright made two more spectacular plays at 3B, including a diving stab of a Jeff Kent liner (D-Wright robbed him in game one as well) that reminded me of Yankee third sacker Graig Nettles thieving the Dodgers in the 1978 World Series. I’ll be the first one to say Wright was a questionable choice for the Gold Glove in 2007, but so far this year he has brandished the leather at an elite level. Unfortunately, his throwing remains an issue, as he committed yet another throwing error in the sixth.

Before anyone gets on Willie Randolph for his complacency or lack of fire, take a long hard look at the manager in the LA dugout. Joe Torre might as well be napping during games, yet his team has won ten of its last eleven.

Next Game

The Dodgers look to complete the sweep behind the arm of Brad Penny. The Mets counter with John Maine in a 3:10 PM start. I can’t freaking believe I stayed up until the wee hours to watch the Mets give away two ballgames. Next West Coast trip I’m watching the games on DVR the following morning.

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Oh no, Willie … say it ain’t so …

At some point yesterday, the “collapse” of 2007 was again broached, and though Willie Randolph has heard this question at least a thousand times since last October, he suddenly added a sour-tasting lemon twist to his standard answer:

“In our mind, we moved on,” Randolph said of last season’s historic meltdown. “Obviously, the fans are having a tough time moving past that.” (NY Post)

Hoo boy … way to open up a can of worms there, Willie!

I wasn’t in the lockerroom, and thus didn’t hear the questions being fired at Randolph, so I’m willing to cut him some slack. But, the fact that the fans have been invoked will not help Willie’s already fragile image, nor quiet the Shea boo birds.

From The New York Times:

“My players are out there trying to win ballgames,” Randolph said. “They’re busting their butt trying to do that. I don’t think anyone should react to the fan reaction. When we start to play well, then you’ll start to see a change in all that. As far as my players, we don’t talk about it. We don’t concern ourselves with it.”

That does not mean he has not noticed the fans’ concern.

“In spring training we were past that,” Randolph said. “Obviously the fans are having a tough time moving past that. So we just hope that they eventually get behind this team, because we’re going to make them real proud before the year is over.”

Yeah, Willie, I can taste the Champagne now ….

Here’s my take: you can’t say you don’t concern yourself with something, but readily admit to it and also have a solution for it. Willie’s attempt at Jedi mind tricks will not convince me that the players are ignoring the boos at Shea Stadium — it’s obviously been discussed among his “tight knit group”.

As loyal reader Walnutz stated:

This is not a majority of the fans at Shea (believe me, they’d know if it was) ? and anyone on the roster who feels it’s a “problem” for them, should be relieved of their aggravation immediately.

Agreed — as annoying and embarrassing the booing at Shea has become, it’s a small minority of fans. The Mets players think they’re getting booed? Apparently they weren’t paying attention when Braden Looper appeared in the 2006 NLCS.

And while I admire Willie for not ducking a question about the New York fans, Walnutz also has another good point:

Someone in the media asks you a question like this, when you know nothing good can come from it? *give a chuckle — and don’t answer*

By answering the question, Willie may have driven the wedge between the team and its fans. Or as Isuzude says:

The problem I’m picking up on is that there is a rampant mentality of “us” vs. “them.” It’s the fans against the team. And that’s not helping anybody.

I agree with ‘dude — there is an “us vs. them” taking shape at Shea — it’s a small snowball, but Willie’s words have started it rolling down the hill. And like ‘dude, I further agree that Willie is right — many fans haven’t gotten over “the collapse”. But at the same time I’m not certain ALL the Mets have fully recovered.

There’s a genuine possibility that many Mets simply don’t enjoy playing in New York City — during down times, anyway. They may be professionals and their performance may not be drastically affected, but it could be affected just enough to mean the difference between winning and losing a few ballgames. Playing at the MLB level, it doesn’t take much to give the other team an advantage on a given night.

Last year’s 41-40 record at Shea is an indication that the Mets simply didn’t feel comfortable playing at home. Some may point to the cool early season weather of NYC as a problem for the many Mets who hail from warm-weather climates. However, that argument doesn’t play well when you consider that the 2007 Mets began their season 15-9 in April and 19-9 in May (14-10 at home during that span).

Interestingly, the Mets have started out 9-5 at home this season — so if the fans are affecting certain players, it’s not (yet) enough to change the outcome of games. But what if this wedge continues to be driven? What if the boo-birds begin to wear on some of the players?

Bottom line: this can of worms should not have been opened — it should have remained a non-issue. Hopefully the Mets will go on a hot streak, and the Shea boo-birds will find their way back to the Bronx, and we can all have a happy summer in the city.

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Dodgers 5 Mets 1

The Mets couldn’t figure out Chad Billingsley, so it didn’t matter how Oliver Perez pitched. As it turned out, Perez looked better than his most recent starts, though the stat line didn’t bear it out.

Perez allowed five runs on six hits and two walks in six innings, but if you take away two pitches right down Broadway in the fifth, he pitched fairly well. Ollie cut down his normally wild, violent momentum toward the plate, pitching with more balanced mechanics and a controlled follow-through. The result was more strikes than we’ve seen from him in a while — though I didn’t see too many of those nasty, down-in-the-dirt sliders. In addition, OPea looked more focused, though I wouldn’t say confident. If anything, he looked angry, pitching like he had a chip on his shoulder and didn’t care whether his pitches were hit — which to me is a good way for him to be. For much of the game, Ollie looked like he was firing the ball in and saying to the hitters, “here it is, I dare you to hit it”. He needs to do more of that cocky, thoughtless execution, because his problems begin the minute he starts thinking — which leads to self-doubt, lack of confidence, and rallies for the opposing team.

Meanwhile, the Mets did nothing with the bats, managing just five hits — all against Billingsley. Bottom line? This game was not worth staying up until 1am to watch.

Notes

Carlos Beltran probably could have had an inside-the-park homer in the sixth, but with a five-run deficit, it wasn’t worth the risk. He stayed on third and was singled home by Moises Alou a few minutes later.

Carlos Delgado had the only other extra-base hit for the Mets, a booming double in the second that chased Beltran to third. Both runners were left on base as Brian Schneider struck out and Luis Castillo grounded out.

Billingsley didn’t exactly dominate the Mets — he allowed nine baserunners in his six frames — but he was able to get key outs when he needed them.

Next Game

Another late start — 10:10 PM — as Nelson Figueroa goes to the hill against Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda. Historically, the Mets struggle against pitchers they see for the first time, so I’m not liking this matchup.

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Supposedly, the Mets are internally considering Derrick Turnbow (hat tip to MetsBlog). As mentioned last week, the Mets have no room for him on their 25-man roster, and considering there are a number of teams in need of arms, it would be surprising to see Turnbow pass through waivers without a claim.

However, if he does clear waivers, and is amenable to spending time in AAA, the Mets would be crazy NOT to consider signing Turnbow. For one, you can never have enough arms — particularly ones that can propel a baseball 95+ and has a 39-save season on his resume. Secondly, if the Mets don’t sign him, there’s a good chance someone else in the NL East does, and we don’t want to see Turnbow turn it around to help the Braves or Phillies — two teams that would look a lot better if they received some bullpen help. Then again, if Turnbow is in fact finished, it might be a good thing for him to be pouring gasoline on fires for those clubs.

Personally, I’d like to see Turnbow signed by the Mets and sent to New Orleans because if he can make a comeback, it gives the team another reason to convert Aaron Heilman back to starting.

Speaking of starting pitching, at some point this evening — and hopefully after midnight — we’ll find out if Oliver Perez is going to be OK this year or if he’s in a dangerous downward spiral. To use a Yogi Berraism, we all know that at least half of Ollie’s issues are 90% mental, and what he needs right now is a strong outing to boost his confidence. Another poor performance could put him into a long-term funk that the Mets can’t afford at the present time.

After a stellar start to begin the 2008 season, Perez has walked 20 batters in his last 23 innings of work, and admitted to not having his best stuff, as well as not knowing what he was doing wrong. Maybe it’s time for Rick Peterson to sketch it out for him.

And while we’re still on the subject of the starters, it has been announced that Mike Pelfrey would not be skipped this week, despite a day off and Pelf’s 1.90 WHIP. Perhaps I’m not seeing what the Mets brass is seeing, or maybe I’m just impatient — you see I have this crazy notion that minor league pitchers should develop their skills in the minors rather than the Majors. The management seems to be clinging to the idea that Pelf’s April 15th, 7-inning performance against the lowly Nationals (second-to-last in the NL in hitting, and 14th in runs scored) is the rule and his other four starts the exception, rather than vice-versa. Though, I can sort of understand the reasoning behind keeping Pelf up for at least another start — it will be against the struggling Reds, who are hitting .250 as a team and are 13th in the NL in runs. That said, Pelfrey should match up OK against them, and a good performance could jack up his confidence a notch.

In related news, Tony Armas, Jr. has a 2.78 ERA for the New Orleans Zephyrs in 6 games and 35 innings, and got through the seventh inning in each of his last two starts. Just throwing it out there.

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