Mets Game 20: Win Over Dodgers
Mets 4 Dodgers 0
Johan Santana threw six scoreless innings, Jason Bay hit his first homerun in the orange and blue, and Luis Castillo drove in two runs as the Mets cruised to an easy victory in the front end of a twi-night doubleheader.
Can’t say much beyond that, because I didn’t see the game … there’s this other thing I do during the day that allows me to pay the bills. So please if you have any comments to share, please do so below. Thank you!
About the Author
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.
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In my opinion it was another one of those shaky but effective starts by mets pitching. The only two pitches I saw from Zohan that were 90+ were to Kuroda in that bases loaded situation. Clearly still not working with his best stuff, JS seems reluctant to throw the cheese over the plate. I like Louie, happy to see him hit. And I like Ike!
ps- Why are Mets pitchers throwing so many pitches? Is it just me or has it been an inordinate number? Pelf was ~55 after 2 innings last night– thats crazy! Not as bad but still with Zohan today
great homestand..send ollie and maine to buffalo, bring up dickey and gee, cut catalonotto, bring up chris carter and away we go
wohjr – i’m also wondering about the high pitch counts, and thinking about writing a post about it. It seems that all Mets pitchers are pitching for swings and misses, instead of to contact. Plus at least half of the staff has horrendous mechanics that preclude them from consistent command. There could be an issue with their regular throwing regimen as well, but I don’t know enough about what they do on off days and in bullpens to be certain.
BTW is Johan EVER going to pitch with his “best stuff”?
wohjr: what, no David Wright bashing? I guess it’s kinda hard when he goes 4 for 8 with 4 RBI in the twin-dip.
gary: I’m all for shedding Ollie and Maine from the roster…but calling up RA Dickey is no improvement. Let’s not get carried away.
Also, this homestand is showing how the team can take advantage of Citi’s dimensions. They are proving you don’t have to hit 3 home runs a game to win. Speed + Defense + Solid Pitching = Success.
Perez is not going anywhere (other than perhaps the bullpen) given that he has another year and 3/4 remaining on a 3 yr/$36 million deal. Unlike the Yankees, the Wilpons have never shown a willingness to cut guys who are making serious coin.
I believe Maine is making about $3 million this year. I think the Mets should, and may very well, banish him to AAA or the bullpen, and barring improvement, consider releasing him. The only question is who should be his replacement. Definitely not R.A. Dickey, but perhaps Gee or Mejia (if the Mets can stretch Mejia out. Btw, what is Manuel doing with Mejia? He should be pitching much more whether or not he may slide into the rotation if Maine and Perez continue to falter. Last night was the perfect opportunity to give Mejia more work when the Mets were leading by something like 10-4, and he throws only the 8th innning but not the 9th. Why didn’t Manuel run him out there for the 9th as well, and save Valdes for another day? One of my biggest criticisms of Manuel is his terrible handling of pitchers).
Joe, I have been meaning to congratulate you for some time on your addition to the SweetSpot Network. I am a die-hard Mets fan, and I only read your blog, MetsBlog by Matt Cerrone (and other contributors), and MetsMinorLeagueBlog by Toby Hyde (and others). I find your commentary to be very insightful and almost always exactly what I am thinking (not necessarily right, but I find it encouraging that you, an expert in my book, view many developments similarly to the way that I see them).*
* – On this last point, I note that we were both pessimistic going into this year. So far, the Mets are causing us to “eat crow”. However, Manuel’s excessive use of the bullpen (see, among others: Nieve, Fernando) makes me think that this current run is unsustainable. Additionally, the play of the Cubs, Braves, and Dodgers during this streak has been atrocious. Granted, the Mets are capitalizing on the mistakes, but I’m interested to see how the Mets respond when they have to play teams that are playing well rather than bumbling through games.