Mets Game 138: Loss to Nationals

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Joe Janish

Nationals 13 Mets 3

Apparently, the Mets left their bats in Chicago.

A day after being on the laughing end of a laugher vs. the Cubs, the Mets found themselves on the frowning side in Washington, DC, as they were trounced by the last-place Nationals.

Game Notes

Mike Pelfrey was bad. Really bad. Like, July bad.

Pelfrey allowed 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 3 2/3 innings, slogging through 83 pitches.

As mentioned in the last game recap that Pelfrey started, Big Pelf is using different mechanics for each pitch, which means he is very likely tipping off his pitches. Additionally, he is opening up his front side prematurely on his fastball, which is significantly affecting his command of the pitch. If you can’t command your fastball, you can’t pitch in the big leagues (unless you throw a knuckleball). The combination of being unable to hit spots and giving away the velocity of the pitch (i.e., batter knowing whether it’s a fastball or an offspeed pitch) results in outings like this.

In addition to his mechanical problems, Pelfrey’s confidence was nonexistent in this contest. His body language gave away his lack of confidence — and at times he had a look of fearful confusion on his face.

Pelfrey threw about 36 pitches in the fourth inning before being taken out of the ballgame. There was not one visit by pitching coach Dan Warthen during that time.

The most effective Mets pitcher of the afternoon was Pat Misch, who threw one pitch and got one out.

Oliver Perez made an appearance, throwing two innings to finish the game. He gave up an obligatory run on three hits, but he did strike out three. Another positive were his mechanics, which were driving momentum more toward home plate than third base. He had pretty good balance on all pitches and a fairly consistent delivery — to me, his mechanics were similar to what we saw from him in 2007-2008. Unfortunately, his velocity still is nowhere near it needs to be for him to be successful; he topped out at 89 MPH.

It was “Danny Espinosa Day” in the nation’s capital, as the rookie shortstop went 4-for-5 with 6 RBI, including a grand slam off Ryota Igarashi. That makes like, 78 grand slams off the Mets this year, while the Mets have hit none.

The Mets collected a trio of hits in this game. 3. THREE.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Nats do it again on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. It will be a matchup of rookies making their first Major League starts, with Dillon Gee going for the Mets and Yunesky Maya pitching for the Nationals.

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Mets Game 137: Win Over Cubs

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 18 Cubs 5

Where was all this offense for the past fifty or so games?

The Mets exploded for double-digit runs for the first time since June 22nd in Detroit as they rolled over the Cubs in Chicago to avoid a sweep.

Game Notes

Jonathon Niese wasn’t spectacular, but he didn’t need to be with all the offensive support he received. Niese allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings, striking out 4 and allowing 2 homers in a 106-pitch effort. His command was inconsistent on all pitches, and his slider and curveball seemed to be confused with each other. Several times when he threw a breaking pitch, I wasn’t sure which one he was attempting to throw, because the ball kind of hung and moved sideways, with a velocity between 82-85. I guess you’d call it a “slurve”, but that couldn’t have been his intent.

Ike Davis had a big day, going 4-for-6 with 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, a double, and his 17th homerun.

Jon Niese helped himself with two hits and two RBI.

Ruben Tejada’s hot streak continued, as he drove in 5 runs (count ’em!) and blasted his first Major League homer. OK, he didn’t exactly “blast it” — it was a long fly ball to left-center that got caught in the jet stream and bounced off the yellow line at the top of the wall. But it counts all the same.

Carlos Beltran went 2-for-4 with 3 walks, 2 runs, an RBI, a stolen base, and saw 37 pitches on the day.

Every single position player in the Mets lineup scored at least one run, as did all three of their pinch-hitters.

Fantasy Alert: Cubs’ second baseman Jeff Baker went 3-for-3 in the game, and is now 8 for his last 12. Pick him up while he’s hot.

I listened to part of the game on XM Radio, which meant I had to hear the Cubs’ announcers Pat Hughes and Ron Santo. Hughes kept pronouncing Lucas Duda’s last name as “Doo – DAH” — you know, like the Camptown Races song? Kind of annoying, but funny as well.

Next Mets Game

The Mets travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Nationals on Monday. Game one begins at 1:05 PM, and features a matchup of Mike Pelfrey vs. Jordan Zimmerman. Zimmerman will be making only his third start of 2010 after missing a little over a year with an elbow injury — he had Tommy John surgery last August.

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Omar Minaya Flies Coach, Gets Heckled

Posted on September 4, 2010 by loge mezzanine

Well, it’s come to this… Omar Minaya was spotted on a JetBlue flight to Chicago. And, of course, he was heckled (via DeadSpin):

So I’m settling into my seat on a VERY inexpensive Jetblue flight to Chicago to see the Mets in Wrigley when I notice the flight attendant having a hard time closing the overhead compartment because of someone’s bag. After she sheepishly looks around for the culprit—he identifies himself. Since everyone was already seated and ready to fly, the apparently inconsiderate passenger was on stage for all to see. It was none other than Omar Minaya himself. What I didn’t say before is that this flight is CRAWLING with Mets fans making the pligramage to Wrigely. At once the plane is abuzz. One young man in 18A shouts out “I woulda traded frenchy three months ago” another says “Better live it up, this is probably your last flight to chicago as GM”. Delighted by the impromptu celebrity roast I chimed in with “I bet they flew Mike Jacobs in business class, at least”. We all laughed in unison—he sat down and put his headphones on, a defeated man.

I can’t wait until news leaks that the Mets are staying in a La Quinta at the airport.

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Mets Game 136: Loss to Cubs

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Joe Janish

Cubs 5 Mets 3

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Chicago, but not so beautiful a debut for Jenrry Mejia.

Game Notes

The much-anticipated first MLB start by Jenrry Mejia was something of a letdown. Mejia allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings, striking out 2 and expending 96 pitches. Perhaps more concerning than the stats was the fact his fastball generally hung around the 92-93 range — a far cry from the upper 90s that he displayed in the spring. He also was regularly shaking / shrugging his shoulder in between pitches — not sure if that is simply a habit or if something is bothering him. You may know he was shut down in late June for a few weeks with a rotator cuff strain, so perhaps this habit and the drop in velocity are related to that issue.

Mejia’s other pitches weren’t particularly noteworthy, either. On occasion, he threw a nasty curve with good 12-6 rotation — so there is some potential — but he didn’t have much command of it and he hung it several times. His change-up was more or less a throwaway pitch, as he rarely put it in the strike zone.

You may think that my analysis is “too critical” since Jenrry is only 20 years old. Well, that’s your right, but I’m looking at him as a Major League Pitcher — not as a random 20-year-old. If I saw him pitch this way in A or AA, I’d say, “hey, this kid has some potential — in a couple years the Mets may have something”. But he is NOT in the minors currently — he is in “The Show”, and by all accounts the Mets are penciling him in for a rotation spot (or at least, to compete for one) next spring. So his age is not nearly as important as his stage of development — and if he is in a Major League game, he has to be evaluated as a Major Leaguer. What I’m seeing is raw talent, but talent that needs to be further developed before pitching every five days against MLB hitters.

Something noticeable to me — and glad Bobby Ojeda pointed out in the postgame — was that when Mejia threw a pitch that went past Nickeas with a man on third, Mejia did not cover the plate. Another glaring indication of a pitcher who needs more minor league seasoning.

Mike Nickeas made his MLB debut catching for Mejia, which some people may have found mysterious since Nickeas is not a prospect. However, Mejia has pitched well in the minors with Nickeas as his backstop for the Binghamton Mets and Nickeas followed Mejia up to AAA Buffalo and caught his gem there. So it made sense to keep the tandem together for Mejia’s first MLB start — there certainly is a comfort level between the two. You might compare Nickeas to Crash Davis, without the homerun power.

Carlos Zambrano limited the Mets to 4 hits in 7 innings. What happened to the guy that had no control of emotions nor his fastball, was getting into fights with nice guys like Derrek Lee, and was looking like the Cubs’ version of Oliver Perez?

Speaking of Perez, why not just start using him in games like this? The Mets have no chance at a playoff spot at this point, and you’re paying the guy, so may as well use him.

Carlos Beltran went 3-for-4 and Ike Davis had two hits, including a wind-blown homer.

Ruben Tejada is red-hot — he collected another single, and has now hit in 4 of his last 6 games. He’s 5 for his last 15, rocketing his batting average to .181. If he can keep this up a little longer, he will threaten to reach the Mendoza Line. Additionally, Tejada’s fielding resembles that of Mario Mendoza, one of the legendary “good-hit, no-field” shortstops. He made one excellent play in the hole that demonstrated his superior arm strength. If only he could play both the shortstop and second base positions simultaneously, the Mets would really have something.

Next Mets Game

The final game of the series occurs on Sunday at 2:20 PM EST. Jonathon Niese faces Ryan Dempster.

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Mets Game 135: Loss to Cubs

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Joe Janish

Cubs 7 Mets 6

Win one, lose one, win one, lose one … oh wait, we used that last week.

With the wind blowing out at Wrigley Field, Jerry Manuel stuck to small ball, perhaps as an element of surprise. It didn’t work.

Meanwhile, the Cubs played big ball, and in the end outlasted the Mets.

Game Notes

Although the wind was blowing hard, it didn’t help R.A. Dickey‘s knuckleball, which was swatted unmercifully by the Cubs batters. Dickey allowed 7 runs on 8 hits, including two three-run homers.

I’d theorize that because Dickey throws an unusually hard knuckleball, and some of his success is due to an ability to change speeds on the knuckler, the wind in his face was slowing down his hard knuckler and making it easier to hit as a result. That’s only a guess. Maybe, because of the wind blowing toward him, Dickey was in response over-throwing the knuckler, leading to more spin on the ball. Knuckleballs move more with less spin, so perhaps his had too much spin on this afternoon and stayed straight. Again, only a guess.

On a positive note, David Wright was a one-man wrecking crew, going 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 3 RBI, including a double and his 23rd homer. Angel Pagan also had a 3-for-5 day from the leadoff spot.

You know the wind is affecting the ballgame when Luis Hernandez hits a dinger. I believe it was the first time the Mets hit more than one homerun in a game since July.

Take away Wright and Pagan, and the Mets collected 4 hits on the day. They also left 10 runners on base.

Another bright spot: Lucas Duda rapped his first MLB hit, a double.

Only one team in MLB has lost more one-run games than the Mets … the Cubs.

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Cubs do it again at Wrigley at 1:05 PM EST on Saturday afternoon. Jenrry Mejia makes his first Major League start against Casey Coleman.

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Wally Backman Watch: Jeff Wilpon Meets With Backman in Brooklyn

Posted on September 3, 2010 by loge mezzanine

The Brooklyn Paper is reporting that Jeff Wilpon met with Wally Backman last night at MCU Park.

Meanwhile, SNY’s Ted Berg recently sat down to interview Backman on his success in Brooklyn – the Cyclones just clinched the division for the first time since 2007 – and his managing style:

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Friday Mets Links

Posted on September 3, 2010 by loge mezzanine

MetsReport – Gabe Aguilar looks at the lack of accountability in the Mets organization.

MetsGazette – Matthe Blaszka wants to give Jerry another year as Mets manager. That’s a joke, right?

The Daily Stache – Taking a cue from Joe’s post on the topic, Ed Vazquez looks at what went wrong and who to blame for yet another failed season.

The Mets Police – Shannon Shark wants Wally Backman to be the next Mets manager. Do you?

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Mets Game 134: Win Over Braves

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Joe Janish

Mets 4 Braves 2

At least they didn’t get swept.

Game Notes

Johan Santana allowed just one run on three hits before leaving the game after only five innings with a pectoral strain. No word on when or whether he’ll be back.

David Wright had two hits and a walk in four trips to the plate, including his 22nd homer. Carlos Beltran ripped his second triple of the season, driving in one and scoring once.

Lucas Duda had another sparkling catch in left field, robbing Alex Gonzalez of a dinger. However, his first MLB hit continued to escape him, as he hit in the unusual spot of #2 in the order.

Next Mets Game

The Mets rush out of Atlanta and move on to Chicago to begin a weekend series with the Cubs. First pitch is at 2:20 PM in the afternoon. R.A. Dickey faces Randy Wells.

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