Watch Carlos Beltran on Twitter
Just a quick note… According to MetsBlog, Carlos Beltran will be playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Thursday night (9/3). The Cyclones are taking on the Hudson Valley Renegades at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY.
For those of you interested in seeing Beltran play, you can watch it live on Twitter. Just follow @hvrenegades and there will be a link when the broadcast starts. You will be able to see the game starting at 7pm.
While you’re at it, follow @metstoday and @smallballusa too. Thanks.
Tonight’s Interleague Lineup: Sheffield as DH and the “Small Ball DH Theory”
Here is tonight’s lineup. Predictably, the Mets will use Gary Sheffield as their designated hitter:
Daniel Murphy 1B
Ryan Church RF
Carlos Beltran CF
Gary Sheffield DH
David Wright 3B
Jeremy Reed LF
Omir Santos C
Ramon Martinez SS
Luis Castillo 2B
On a related note, Joe and I have been working on a theory that National League teams might be better off letting pitchers hit in certain games at AL ballparks. For lack of a catchier title, we are calling it the “Small Ball DH Theory” – named after a new minor league website we are working on.
Now, before you call me crazy, consider this:
- Jeremy Reed might be more useful as a LH pinch hitter and/or defensive replacement than as a #6 hitter
- If Santana can go seven solid innings and leave with a lead or a close game, he will likely only hit 3 times. If he can lay down two good sacrifice bunts, we are only talking about “giving up” one at-bat.
- Most NL teams lack an extra competent bat and therefore they have a hard time winning on the road in interleague play. Since 1997, only two NL teams have winning road records.
- Since 2004, the number of NL teams with winning yearly road records since 2004 is 15 out of a possible 80 (16 teams x 5 years = 80 teams). This suggests to me that NL teams do themselves no favors by asking a part-time bat to step into a regular role. Jeremy Reed is a solid ballplayer, but he’s no David Ortiz.
- By contrast, the number of AL teams with winning yearly road records since 2004 is 40 out of a possible 70 (14 teams x 5 years = 70 teams). This suggests to me that the AL is able to adapt to NL rules easier because they wind up with an everyday bat coming off the bench in later innings.
- American League rules dictate that a team’s bench players will be used sparingly. However, NL teams typically have a deeper bench which allows a manager to play matchups in the late innings. This advantage is squandered by using the DH.
This theory would probably only work when there is an above average pitcher going for the NL team, because you want to be able to use sac bunts, double switches and late inning pinch-hitters in a close game. For instance, if Santana leaves tonight with a 2-1 lead, Jerry Manuel will have a distinct advantage because he will have his entire bench (including Reed) at his disposal as he mixes and matches his pitchers and his pinch-hitters.
In contrast, if Livan Hernandez was starting, you might expect him to go five innings and leave the game trailing 5-2 (or worse). In that case, it’s probably better to get Reed into the lineup from the get-go, just to keep the team in the game.
As I said, this is just a theory we have been working on. We may be wrong, but it’s something to think about during tonight’s game. We will be posting more about this when our research is completed.
Mets Link Roundup: Uncle Vin, Antsy Jose, ESPN and Wally F’ing Backman
David Lennon reports that Vin Scully hilariously compared last night’s loss to the 1962 Mets.
The Mets Police has a nicely worded rant against ESPN’s Sunday night baseball. Rather than focus entirely on the Beltran/Phillips debate (remember these guys?), Mets Police basically lays out a case that ESPN is to baseball what ESPN is to sports in general (a disaster).
According to the NY Post, Jose Reyes is getting antsy while Mets management is claiming to be confused by his slow progress… Does anyone else remember Reyes’ history of leg problems? Does anyone else remember how the Mets mishandled Ryan Church’s concussion? Too soon? Too scary?
And finally, a few words from former Mets 2B Wally Backman. This is unedited audio from a locker room speech that Backman gave to his minor league team in 2007, following the team’s first loss of the season. Backman is able to use profanity to rip his team in one sentence and then use it to build his players back up with the next sentence. He’s an artist working in the medium of F-bombs… Enjoy:
(Caution: Explicit Language):
Link Roundup: Monday Morning Coming Down
As the Mets get ready to take on the Braves, here are your Monday morning Mets links:
- PhilliesNation tells us that Ryan Madson has some interesting things to say about the Mets. Unfortunately, he’s probably right.
- Jason Vargas resurfaced last night, getting the win in Seattle’s 15-inning victory (TheRopolitans)
- MetsFever has a nice summation of the team’s newest acquisition – Oliver Perez’s mysterious knee injury. Good find, Omar!
- TheMetsPolice aren’t impressed with the Mets/Braves rivalry… at least not as impressed as Forbes magazine is.
- CenterfieldMaz has a nice lil’ writeup on Today in Mets History, which was written yesterday… Making it Yesterday in Mets History, but whatever. Click here to read about Ron Swoboda leading the Mets to a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs.
- Ron Kaplan discusses the new books by Darryl Strawberry and Ron Darling – he also points out that you can read the first chapter of each. Click here for Strawberry’s book and click here for Darling’s book.
- SportsFanVent has John Franco in the crosshairs in a very entertaining rant. Bonus - be sure to click on the link about Jeter and ARod refusing to get dirty in a brawl back in 1999.
- Mets Prospect Hub has a rundown on the Mets minor league teams
And there you go. Have a great morning and don’t drink too much coffee. And if you do, be sure to visit the comments section and type really fast.
Friday Funny: Anakin Werth & Slap Chop
Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game, you can now watch Jayson Werth’s at-bats and think about how he kinda looks like that guy Vince from the Slap Chop commercials.
Added Bonus: Try to watch a Werth at-bat without getting this song stuck in your head:
UPDATE: He also kinda looks like Anakin Skywalker. 
Is the NL East the Weakest Division in Baseball?
Standings from ESPN.com
It’s WAY too early to know where any division falls in terms of strength or depth, but here are some random facts that I’ve noticed about the NL East so far:
- The NL East is 10-15 against the Central and 4-5 against the West
- Only one team in the East has a .500 record against another division – the Phillies are 3-3 against the West
- The East’s third place team (Braves) have already had a stretch where they lost 7 out of 8 games, yet they are only 3.5 games out of first
- The East’s first place team (Marlins) have already had a 7 game losing streak
- The Marlins have 14 wins, including 13 wins against teams in the East. Six of those wins have come against the Nationals.
- The Nationals have the worst record in baseball (5-16). All but one of those games have been played against teams in the East (the only other game was a 9-4 loss to the Cardinals)
- 34% of the combined wins of the Mets, Phillies, Braves and Marlins have come against the Nationals.
- The Nationals have announced their new closer will most likely be Joe Beimel. Beimel – who is normally a setup guy – won the closer’s job while on the DL
- The Phillies lead the majors in fielding percentage, but the rest of the division is ranked much lower: Marlins (16th) Braves (18th), Mets (25th) and Nationals (30th)
- The Phillies have a team ERA of 5.63, good for 26th place in the major leagues
What does it all mean? It’s too soon to tell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this trend plays out over the course of the season, more or less…
If that happens, the divisional race is going to be chaotic. If the entire division is getting beat up by the Central and West, ANYTHING could happen.
The wildcard would most likely be out of reach, but the division would be up for grabs. Again, IF this happens, you really can’t count out the Mets (or any other NL East team, except for the Nationals who are just flat-out awful) until well into September.
So I guess what I’m saying here is, the division could come down to the final week of the season once again – but this year, the Mets and Phillies could have company.
Prediction: Dan Warthen Will Be the First to Go
The Mets are 8-10. They’re in fourth place, but only 3 games behind the struggling first-place Marlins.
This week, the Mets take on the Marlins and the Phillies. A strong showing can put them back into first place. But if they struggle, the Mets could end the week 5 or 6 games back. If that happens, heads could start rolling.
The Unusual Suspects
Who gets fired? Let’s first look at who will NOT be fired:
- Jeff Wilpon will not be fired. He’s the boss’s kid, after all.
- Omar Minaya will not be fired. Jeff Wilpon has too much invested in Omar to cut him loose.
- Jerry Manuel will not be fired this early. At worst, Jerry will get the Willie Randolph treatment – he’ll dangle for a few more weeks while ownership insists he is their guy. Then they’ll cut him loose, but only if the Mets continue to scuffle at or below the .500 mark.
- Howard Johnson is a likely candidate for firing. The Mets have been miserable with RISP. However, the team batting average is .283 and they have five regulars hitting over .300. Besides, the Mets may be reluctant to fire a coach with such strong ties to the team’s past – especially with recent fan reactions to the Wilpon’s lack of respect for the organization’s history.
Dan’s the Man
That leaves pitching coach Dan Warthen. Warthen replaced Rick Petersen last season and his old-school approach to pitching has been praised by ownership, fans and the media. Keep in mind, though, that Petersen was generally considered to be a pitching guru by ownership, fans and the media – until he was fired. The point is, Dan Warthen is not untouchable.
Pitching is the Problem
We’re all well aware of the Mets pitching problems. Johan Santana has been dominant, but the other four starters have been inconsistent at best and downright awful at times. Santana is 3-1 with a 0.70 ERA, while Pelfrey, Perez, Maine, Hernandez and Nelson Figueroa are 3-5 with a 7.32 ERA.
What are the Options?
When a team is struggling, the easiest move is to do nothing. The second easiest move is to fire a pitching or a hitting coach – the GM and manager save their jobs and no players are traded. At best, the move could shake things up enough to ignite a team. At worst, nothing really changes. It’s a fairly clean process and there is only one victim. Just ask Bob Apodaca or Rick Down.
Target: Warthen
So how does an organization go about firing a pitching coach? If you’re the Mets, you lay the seeds early. From today’s NY Times Blog:
“The Mets are high on Buffalo’s pitching coach, Ricky Bones. Should they decide to demote Perez, it would be interesting to see whether Bones could correct Perez’s flaws while also easing his psyche. No one enjoys being sent to the minors, especially those who have had success at the major-league level. Myers was humbled by the demotion. The Mets hope Perez would be, too. But that happens — the Mets’ worst-case scenario — Perez will get one more start to prove he belongs in the big leagues.”
Geez, Ricky Bones may be a great pitching coach, but this reeks of a leak from somewhere within the Mets front office.
To recap, here’s what the Mets have done:
- Announce an isolated problem (Perez)
- Create a worst-cast scenario (Perez gets sent to the minors)
- Create a potential savior (Ricky Bones)
The Worst Case Scenario
If Perez gets sent down, you can assume the Mets will still be struggling. Fans will be calling WFAN and demanding that SOMETHING be done.
Let’s say Perez has a few dazzling starts in AAA. It’s not hard to imagine that Perez could fan 15 batters in AAA – he really only has to stay in the strike zone and he should dominate down there. When that happens, word will start to circulate that Perez is back on track. Ricky Bones’ name will be mentioned in the papers, on SNY and on WFAN.
The Endgame
Oliver Perez will return from AAA with Ricky Bones. Dan Warthen will be out. And ownership can say they gave the fans what they asked for.
Of course, Warthen’s job is safe if the Mets go on a winning streak. But it’s nice to know the front office is ready to make him a scapegoat, just in case.
Mets Sign Lamb, Re-sign Figueroa
Mike Lamb
Adam Rubin at The Daily News is reporting that the Mets have signed Mike Lamb to a minor league contract.
Lamb, 33, spent spring training with the Brewers. He hit a combined .235 with one homer and 32 RBI in 272 at-bats with Minnesota and Milwaukee last season. He’s played 446 career major-league games at third base and 255 at first base.
On a somewhat related note, the Mets have also re-signed Nelson Figueroa.
Presumably, both will be sent to AAA Buffalo.
Mets Game 15: Loss to the Cardinals
Cardinals 12 Mets 8
The Cardinals completed a three-game sweep of the Mets, by a score of 12-8. It wasn’t even that close.
Mets starter Livan Hernandez went 4.1 innings, allowing 7 ER on 9 hits and one walk. Reliever Sean Green allowed 5 ER in just two innings of work.
After six innings, the Mets trailed 11-3, but they were able to mount something of a comeback, scoring two in the seventh and three in the eigth on home runs from Ryan Church and Carlos Beltran.
Mets Game Notes
Wow … where to begin? If there’s a silver lining, it is that the Mets didn’t roll over and play dead. Despite being down 11-2, they continued to chip away, scoring five runs in the 7th and 8th frames. But it was too little, too late.
Carlos Beltran is as hot as he can be, and putting him in the #3 spot now is absolutely the right move — he is, hands-down, the Mets’ best hitter right now. If only he could stay this hot for more than a two- or three-week period (fingers crossed).
I made fun of Jerry Manuel’s decision to bat Alex Cora second in the order. Naturally, Cora gets two hits and reaches base four out of five times, so it’s my turn to eat crow. That Jerry Manuel is some kind of genius, eh? (Though, I vaguely remember Argenis Reyes pulling a similar feat out of his butt last year, never to repeat it, yet finding himself entrenched in the two spot.)
Beltran is currently the Mets’ best hitter, but Ryan Church is not far behind as second-best.
I keep looking at the averages of Jose Reyes and David Wright — both of whom are over .310 — and shake my head in wonderment. Must be the new math, because it feels like they’re both closer to .250.
I’m purposely not discussing the specific details of the game … how about we just turn the page?
Next Mets Game
The Mets return to Citi Field to host the Nationals in a weekend series beginning on Friday night at 7:10 PM. Johan Santana takes the hill against Scott Olsen. If the Mets don’t win this “gimme” then it’s time to panic.
NY Post: Dopey Mets Want to Erase Dwight’s Citi Autograph
Memo to the Mets: ERASE THIS!
The NY Post’s George Willis is reporting that the Mets are up to their old tricks:
WHEN Dwight “Doc” Gooden attended the Mets’ Opening Day ceremonies at Citi Field last week, he stopped by the Ebbets Club along the first-base line and mingled with fans who cheered him during his Mets career. He shook hands, took pictures and signed autographs.
Someone thought it would be a nice idea if one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history signed a blank gray wall next to the bar. Gooden obliged, taking a black Sharpie and writing in script “Doc Gooden 84 R.O.Y., 85 Cy Young, 86 W.S. Champs.”
Gooden took a picture next to the signature, and so did countless fans lucky enough to afford the price of a ticket that allows them access to the club.
But now the Mets – who have been criticized for not showcasing enough of their history in their new ballpark – plan to erase Gooden’s signature from the wall, treating it as if it were unwanted graffiti.
Read the whole article here. Granted, it’s a little strange that Gooden autographed a wall, but it’s not like he could have posed for pictures in front of a photograph of himself or the ‘86 Mets – from what I’ve heard, those photographs are nowhere to be found at the new ballpark.
When you think about it, it’s amazing that Gooden is still alive, much less visiting the new ballpark and interacting with fans. Leave it to Mets management to step in and screw it up.
The fact is, Gooden DID autograph the wall and now that it is there, it should be left alone. It should be allowed to become part of the stadium and part of the team’s history. The minutiae and folklore of this team – like skydivers, black cats and Bill Buckner – are created and shared by players and fans. Ownership can build the ballpark, assemble a roster and sell the tickets, but they can’t control the memories. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they are trying to do.
Mets Gifts
MetsBlog FeedMore Sponsors
fix bad credit
repairmycreditnow.com - repairmycreditnow has a v phase process that will successfully fix bad credit legally
