Mets Game 37: Win Over Rockies

Carlos Beltran 6 Mets 9 Rockies 5

If Carlos Beltran hits three homers and no one is there to see them, do they count?

Carlos Beltran strapped the Mets to his back and carried them to victory over the Colorado Rockies, blasting 3 two-run homers.

Ike Davis? David Wright? Who needs ’em?

Mets Game Notes

Jon Niese pitched a bit better than his stat line suggests (5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in 6 1/3), if you consider that he allowed only two runs through six and Michael O’Connor allowed both inherited runners to score after Niese exited with one out in the seventh. You might argue that Niese should have been removed after six, but his pitch count was very low; he threw only 88 pitches total. Maybe the delayed start time for the game somehow was a factor — perhaps more mentally than physically.

Meantime, what has happened to Ubaldo Jimenez? This was a guy who many were picking to be a Cy Young winner before the season started, and he was terrible — which seems to have been the rule rather than the exception thus far this year. Jimenez walked six and couldn’t get through the fourth inning. It’s as if he’s turned into Oliver Perez. If I’m a Rockies fan, I’m extremely concerned.

Willie Harris made Terry Collins look like a genius by reaching base four times from the #2 spot.

Francisco Rodriguez had yet another 1-2-3 inning to close things out, though it wasn’t a save situation. He did, however, pick up his 13th “finish”. Only 42 more for the pot of gold.

Next Mets Game

The Mets move on to Houston to play the Astros at 8:05 PM on Friday night. Dillon Gee takes his perfect record to the mound against Bud Norris.

And that was pretty much the whole story.

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. Mic May 12, 2011 at 10:25 pm
    1. Niese is right now a 6 inning pitcher. I want to know if his arm angle drooped in the 7th.

    2. As for cb extend him….

    • Joe May 12, 2011 at 10:30 pm
      1. There has been a few games where pushing a pitcher, no matter what his pitch count was, an extra inning has been a problem.

      2. What are we talking about here? years/money

  2. Manchester Met May 13, 2011 at 7:12 am
    A wise man once said you only ever change things for the better. Seriously, who out there could we get better than Carlos at the moment? We’d trade him for next to nothing, I figure, maybe a couple of small pieces for rebuilding the farm if we’re lucky. That’s not better. That’s getting rid for getting rid’s sake. I’d offer him another couple of years, with decent, but not Omar standard, money, allow him to be the calm presence and wise old head whilst we rebuild. Only jettison what you can replace with better. By then, F Mart, Captain Kirk or Duda will either be ready to step up, or we move to Plan B having lost nothing. And while I think on it, losing Reyes would be little short of catastrophic in terms of ambition – is there a better all round short stop out there who we could replace him with? Not in our organisation….so again, jettison him to gain nothing. Not good sense.
    • Joe May 13, 2011 at 8:31 am
      The below notes he “is” the team. It’s mid-May. The pitcher for the Rockies yesterday was great in the first half last year. Then, he wasn’t. So, let’s calm down. As to “unselfish,” he was not physically able to range in center and was playing for next year’s contract. He had a self-interested concern here, even if he handled it nicely.

      What sort of money are we talking about? I need a bit more detail here. If you get a few parts PLUS have more money to pay for some more and we remember that he had great years before he signed new contract and then came down to earth in the past, the matter becomes more complicated.

      I’m all for keeping Reyes. You need to make up for the cost somehow though, especially if you ALSO want to pay Beltran a bit of money. How do we go about it? We are likely going to have to give up SOMEONE good here.

  3. mic May 13, 2011 at 8:23 am
    Time to write about CB?

    Signed to a 7 yr contract worth $117M I think CB has MORE than done OK. Given ANY 7 yr period which player over 25 does not have issues? But CB has done SEVERAL unheard of things as a MET.

    1. He made CF a haven. After Keith Miller, Juan Samuel, Jeff Duncan, Gary Matthews pt1, Jay Payton, the 55 million dollar man, Benny agbayani even the mercurial et al did little at the position. CB made it look easy. He ranks if not THE best, close to it as the best Centerfielder EVER to be a Met. (Mays not included).

    2. THIS season he is the Mets. DW is still not DW and Ike has been his best support.

    3. Given his seamless unselfish move to right, the fact Fmart, Kirk, Jordanny Den dekker are on the horizon, i think CB IS a mentor (quietly). A guy who is never in the papers, or clubs, whose charity work is renown and consistency is notorious.

    4. He is over his (costly) injuries and he gets alot cheaper now. I mean a 2-3 yr extension costs what? Jeter money?

    • Joe Janish May 13, 2011 at 10:28 pm
      #1 – the Mets can’t afford “Jeter money”. They can barely afford “Ronny Paulino money”.

      #2 – why would the Mets extend a player in his mid-30s when they need to rebuild? Further, why would Beltran re-sign with a team that is going nowhere? He’s already made his money, now he’s going to sign for love (i.e., postseason opp).

      #3 – Mets need to trade Beltran while his stock is high so they can get moving with the rebuilding project. If he stays this hot for a while, they may be able to get a few legit prospects.

  4. mrtasan May 13, 2011 at 7:22 pm
    so this piece of crap beltran waits until the last year of his contract to show up…

    …he’s always been about the money…now lets just have his value go up and trade his stupid monkey ass

  5. mic May 14, 2011 at 10:21 am
    1. if not carlos expect gerald williams in cf again. afterall there will be veterans on every rebuilt ballclub.

    2. if traded i expect royce ring and chris carter in return.

  6. mic May 14, 2011 at 10:25 am
    sorry to be blunt but which player do you remember in the last 10-15yrs has made ANY impact after being acquired in a salary dump….
    • Joe May 14, 2011 at 12:24 pm
      “the Mariners traded Johnson to the Houston Astros for three minor-leaguers (Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, and John Halama).”

      Other examples can be found where a higher paying team got some benefit from the expensive vet and the salary dumping team got “impact” from cheaper players, sometimes prospects that worked out, they received in return. It happens repeatedly.

  7. mic May 14, 2011 at 12:49 pm
    i mean acquired by the Mets Joe!

    1. alomar, bonilla, Wagner, benitez, wheeler, Saberhagen, …..who worked out for us? ….heck even the david cone trade was a disaster. Jeff Kent the latter of the players in that trade became an MVP but with the Mets he was Danny Murphy, a bat without a position reputed to be suspect defensively.

    • Joe May 14, 2011 at 2:11 pm
      Thanks for the clarification. The Mets made bad decisions all over the place. So, that doesn’t tell me much.

      I actually don’t remember many pure salary dumps by the Mets in the last ten or so years involving players that, if they did a good job of it, would get much in return.

      They let Wagner go at the end of his contract. The most you would get there would be a pick or low impact player to save a few bucks. Roberto Alomar was let go when he was a loser. Benitez was let go when he had problems; the team he was sent to didn’t keep him for that long. Wheeler is a middle reliever who you’d not get much on the market for.

      The team has more valuable players to let go now than I remember them having over recent years. Many of the most expensive players the Mets had actually were overpaid, at times ridiculously so.