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July 27, 2011 Mets 2011 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 104: Win Over Reds

Mets 8 Reds

Who needs Carlos Beltran? I mean, other than the Giants?

Mets Game Notes

Mike Pelfrey gave one of his best performances of the year only hours after news of the Carlos Beltran trade was leaked out. Coincidence? Hmm ….

Hey speaking of Beltran’s exit, if the Mets run off a 10-game winning streak, does that mean there really WAS something about Beltran’s presence that was holding the Mets back? Well, let’s see if the Mets can actually go on a winning streak before we put Beltran’s file next to Bobby Abreu‘s.

For those who lack sense of humor, yes, I’m kidding. Though, one thing did really jump out at me — in an interview on SNY, David Wright referred to the trade as “…getting rid of Beltran”. Whether it was a subconscious slip of the tongue or not, it was a mildly alarming expression to hear.

Oh but hey enough about the trade that has ended the Mets’ slim hopes of making the postseason; they beat the crap out of the Reds and have a chance to sweep in Cincinnati!

The Mets beat Bronson Arroyo for the first time since July 12, 2007. Bronson’s pregame guitar solo was pretty good, though.

Dan Murphy enjoyed the first four-hit game of his career. He is a man on fire and showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Now, just think, what if Ike Davis was healthy? Would Murphy be playing? If so, where? Something to think about.

Speaking of hot hitters, David Wright went 2-for-4 with a walk, a homer, two runs scored, and 4 RBI. He is on a rampage since coming off the DL.

Jose Reyes had another multi-hit game, and lashed a double. Ho-hum.

With Beltran gone, Lucas Duda got the start in RF and made the most of it, sending a seed into the right field stands for a solo homer, his second of the season. I am excited to see what Duda will do with the opportunity to get regular at-bats. If he develops confidence, we may have a James Loney type of hitter in the making — which isn’t bad.

Next Mets Game

The Mets go for the sweep in Cincinnati on Thursday, game time is a camp-friendly 12:35 PM. Chris Capuano goes to the hill against Homer Bailey. Considering how the Reds (other than Joey Votto) slept-walked their way through the final innings of Wednesday night’s contest, I’m expecting Cincinnati to lay down and let the Mets finish them off.

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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.
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  1. gary s. July 27, 2011 at 11:41 pm
    As previous posters noted, d wright is closer to the plate and cut down on his stride.Great to see him hitting to right center with power.I guess the test will be when he returns to citicavern and hits some 400 foot outs to right center.Will he stay patient and not swing for bombs?
  2. Sebastian July 28, 2011 at 12:45 am
    You were joking with the Loney comment right? Duda has way more pop
    • Joe Janish July 28, 2011 at 8:20 am
      Way more pop? I hope so, but not counting on it. Loney’s dropped off quite a bit in the last year and a half but I’m remembering the Loney of 06- July of ’10, which is a pretty fair hitter with some decent pop (.420-430 SLG).

      What are you expecting? Adam Dunn numbers? Carlos Beltran? Not being cute, just curious what you think Duda will do and why you feel that way.

      • Sebastian July 28, 2011 at 1:10 pm
        I just feel like Duda looks to pull the ball more than Loney does. I don’t think 20 homers is out of the question over the course of a full season. Duda almost has more XBH than Loney does this year (17-15)
  3. Midwestern Met July 28, 2011 at 12:49 am
    Man, all things considered, this was the best game the Mets played all season. And I was there for it! Even sat behind Murphy’s family! Such a great experience.

    Here’s some pics and my story from the ballpark:
    http://midwesternmet.blogspot.com/2011/07/mms-day-at-ballpark-mets-vs-reds-72711.html

  4. Tommy2cat July 28, 2011 at 6:10 am
    In these days of good will and good-byes, I’ll say it, Joe:

    “Good-bye, Sour puss!!!” Alderson’s Omar purge continues.

    I held my breath until news reports revealed the precise terms of the Beltran trade, which hopefully will become known as “Sandy’s Wheeler Deal”. Carlos…please, PLEASE don’t injure yourself…

    Not a Beltran hater. He showed an enormous amount of heart and class this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught fire for the Giants – he’s an excellent fit for their franchise at this time. However, I cannot ignore the years of inconsistency due to acclimation, his health, his recovery, etc…

    Let’s just say that its a really good thing that Beltran left the Mets on a high note, which I really, really appreciate.

    I would’ve been thrilled to have received Gary Brown, the Giant’s interesting outfield prospect. Its clear that Sandy is stockpiling arms, which is a great premise upon which to rebuild a franchise depleted by his free spending predecessor Minaya, the “man without a plan”.

    Let’s mark the day, July 27, 2011 and compare the combined stats of Nick Evans & Lucas Duda platoon to those of Beltran by the end of the season. And THEN add Wheeler to the equation. I love this deal.

    • Mike B July 28, 2011 at 7:16 am
      HA your kidding right, you think Duda and Nick Evans will put up Beltran Numbers? I think you meant to compare them to Jayson Bay Numbers.

      Lets Mark the day and see what Beltran out of the line up does to Duda, Murph, Turner with Carlos out of the lineup.

      I am Happy they got a top prospect for Beltran but i dont think any one realizes the impact Carlos has on our lineup.

      • Jason Bay July 28, 2011 at 8:03 am
        It’s Jason.
        • Mike B July 28, 2011 at 10:04 am
          Hey “jason” worry more about your hitting then spelling.
      • Joe July 28, 2011 at 8:17 am
        Say hi to David and the crew for me!

        I think many people realize what Beltran does to “your” line-up, but many of us didn’t even think he would start the season with the team. Heck could have been a few weeks right there. David was out for two months. If Duda gives you something, Wright continues to shine for at least some of the time left etc., the team can survive.

        Clearly, it won’t be as good as if Beltran staid, but who knows? He was due for a slump. Bay might even show some life for a couple weeks at some point. And, who didn’t expect the team to have a dry spell at some point, anyway? I think the “we” can survive ok.

  5. John July 28, 2011 at 7:29 am
    As Joni Mitchell said sometimes you don’t know what you got till its gone. Beltran was a very good player who made it look way too easy. But he is not the same player that he was three years ago and does anyone think that this teams is good enough even with Beltran to beat the Phillies this year?
    And as Dylan said them not busy being born is a busy dying. I have liked what I have seen from Duda so far. But I think it is fair to say that when we look at Beltran compared to Duda/Evans, Beltran will probably be the clear favorite. But this isn’t about this year. The Mets need to see what they have in Duda who is a guy who could supply some of that missing pop. I don’t see Citifield as being to big for him. But confidence has always been his problem and if he is ever going to get it, it will be now. And since they still are sort of in the wild card race, at least for a while the conditions will be right to make an evaluation.
    And this is one more power arm in the mix. Even if the Mets ever intended to resign Beltran to finish out his career here, which they didn’t, Mejia, Harvey, Familia, etc were not going to be ready for prime time yet. And with pitchers there are no sure things. So adding another big time arm clearly increases your odds.
  6. gary s. July 28, 2011 at 8:35 am
    Nice to see Duda picking it up with the bat a little lately, but i think he is simillar to Murphy in the sense that they both can hit at the major league level, but have Single A gloves and instincts.Even if Duda hits, i don’t see him as a long term answer in right field.And Evans is Jason Bay lite.Kudos to the players for battling all year against big odds.Now if Alderson can get us a couple of top of the rotation starters and Santana comes back and shows some life, next year could be very interesting
  7. Stan July 28, 2011 at 10:44 am
    I don’t think David was particularly close to Carlos. Even when they congratulated each other after one of them scores or hits a homer it was just a simple high 5. No big emotions or smiles. Just something I noticed over the years. It looks like they have a professional relationship and nothing is wrong with that. Seems like David was closer to Delgado, Floyd and Reyes more than Beltran.
  8. MikeT July 28, 2011 at 10:58 am
    With Wright back and producing the answer to the question “what will this lineup look like without Beltran” is exactly the same as two weeks ago when they were without Wright. Wright replaces Beltran so long as he produces. Which he clearly has been.

    This team will finish around 84 wins and this will be a huge success of a season all things considered.