Mets Game 133: Loss to Rockies

Rockies 5 Mets 2

Tim Redding gave the Mets a stellar 6 2/3 innings, allowing just two runs on seven scattered hits and one walk. However, he was up against a buzzsaw in Ubaldo Jimenez, who handcuffed the Mets through eight innings and also allowed only 2 runs, on five hits.

The tie was broken in the bottom of the eighth, when Brian Stokes opened the inning by loading the bases, then gave up back-to-back RBI singles to pinch-hitter Jason Giambi and former almost-Met Yorvit Torrealba. By the time K-Rod came on to rescue him, Stokes had allowed three runs on three hits and three walks in one-third of an inning.

Jimenez won his 13th game, and Franklin Morales pitched the ninth en route to his first career save.

Notes

Interesting that Redding is pitching well now — now that he’s pitching for a contract. Smart to perform well at the end of the season. It is similar to a restaurant’s strategy of serving a great dessert or a tasty sweet beverage — because people will remember you fondly if they leave with a good taste in their mouth.

One of the Mets’ five hits was Jeff Francoeur’s 12th homer of the year, a solo shot. Francoeur nearly threw out Jimenez at first base on a line-drive single to right field. That was about all the excitement of the game from the Mets’ POV.

Ubaldo Jimenez was hitting 99 MPH on the gun in the seventh inning, as he approached 100 pitches.

Next Mets Game

The final game of the series begins at 3:10 PM EST on Thursday afternoon. Pat Misch faces Jason Marquis. Josh Thole is scheduled to squat behind the plate for the Mets.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. murph September 3, 2009 at 2:45 am
    Wright, Beltran & Maine coming back? We’re still in it, baby. The cavalry is coming! (yeah, right).

    Nice job by Mr. Redding. But don’t take the bait, Omar. It’s a trick. (The same trick everybody fell for last year thinking Murphy/Tatis were going to be our left fielders based on their 2008 performance). Is Mr. Pagan playing the same trick on us too?

    Regarding Josh Thole: Joe, do you think it is harder for a rookie to hit major league pitching, or to catch major league pitching (I’m not sure if he’ll be calling the game or not).

  2. sincekindergarten September 3, 2009 at 5:40 am
    Murph, I think that Pagan hasn’t been playing one on us. I think that he’s definitely a fourth OF, and maybe even good enough to be one of the starters for next year. Something tells me that Carlos Beltran’s month of September is going to be an “audition” for a team wanting a CF, and willing to part with a bunch of top- (or pretty close to top) flight prospects.

    At least I hope so. I really like Beltran; but the Mets absolutely need to refurbish their farm system.

  3. sincekindergarten September 3, 2009 at 5:44 am
    One more thing. I think Jerry’s “cavalry” is more analogous to the cavalry squadrons of Marcus Reno and Frederick Benteen riding up on where the wiped-out squadron of George Custer lay dead at the Little Bighorn.
  4. murph September 3, 2009 at 6:09 am
    When I think of the Mets’ cavalry, I think of F-Troop.
  5. Walnutz15 September 3, 2009 at 9:08 am
    I don’t know about anyone else, but I found “The Cavalry” talk hilarious — right from the get-go.

    The Mets are absolute morons when it comes to addressing personnel issues…this year went the utmost extra mile in proving that.

    If Tim Redding is on this team again next season, then I’ll be nowhere near Citi Field…bet ‘yer arse.

  6. Mike September 3, 2009 at 10:10 am
    Redding is not the problem. If Redding is the long man or 7th or 8th starter then he is fine. The problem is Omar putting too many eggs into one basket. DEPTH is the key to winning; both with veterans (something the Mets as a big market team can afford) and youngsters (something the Mets as a big market team need to focus more on).

    I for one am against trading Beltran unless the Mets get in return a number two starter in his or nearing his prime, a power hitting LFer under contract for at most two years and in his prime, and a prospect OFer with power potential. It is unreasonable because trading Beltran doesn’t make sense unless it fixes our problems. If you take away Beltran for prospects you have just opened up a gaping whole in CF that Angel Pagan can’t fill. No team will give you their top prospects for him either. Not with that salary and age/injury problems. Best you will do is one prospect of good potential (not of the superstar ilk) and a hard thrower in AA or below.

  7. Walnutz15 September 3, 2009 at 10:41 am
    Redding actually IS a problem; when it comes to the Mets’ philosophy of targeting players around the league that NO other organization wants/is willing to give a guaranteed Major League contract to.

    Once again, we rose above every other squad in The Bigs this winter — and guaranteed an obviously out of shape/overweight and hobbled (surgery on his foot) Redding $2.25MM.

    The only other offer out there was from Colorado; who didn’t want to guarantee any money (Minor League deal).

    Who was shocked when Redding was rocked around the yard by The University of Michigan in March….who else expected much more of him when he made his way back to the Met rotation later in the year?

    The problem is: I think the Mets expected much more of him; when almost everyone else in the baseball world knew otherwise.

    And that’s the true problem. Targeting damaged goods is good for no one.

  8. joejanish September 3, 2009 at 1:04 pm
    All good points!

    Funny … General Custer did in fact lead a cavalry. So all that cavalry talk wasn’t necessarily positive.

    Murph – re: catching or hitting MLB pitching. Though hitting MLB pitching isn’t easy, it has to be harder than catching MLB pitching — otherwise more people would be willing to go behind the dish!

    I’ve always felt that it is much more difficult to catch a pitcher you’ve never caught before, than to hit against one. Mainly because, as a hitter, you only need a 30% success rate to be, um, a success. In contrast, as a catcher you need to be 95-100% successful in your task of receiving the ball to be successful.

    The pitcher’s velocity, the break of his pitches, and his command are the three most influential elements in the challenge. Someone like Ollie Perez is extremely difficult to catch, because he has no idea where the ball is going, and it’s moving pretty darn fast. Someone like Tom Glavine would be easier to catch as far as receiving the ball; you’d also let a successful veteran like him to call his own game.

    Assuming Thole caught Misch in bullpen sessions, he should be OK. Misch’s command is OK, and when he’s off, he’s only throwing in the mid-80s so Thole will have time to adjust to pitches thrown off course.

    I would guess that Thole would have the most problems with K-Rod, Bobby Parnell, Ollie, Stokes, and Green — though he likely has caught most of them in the bullpen.