Mets Game 86: Win Over Reds

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Joe Janish

Mets 4 Reds 0

The Jeff Francoeur Era has begun — and it’s begun with a bang.

Sparked by Francoeur’s spectacular defense, ICBM-like warmup throws between innings, and clutch hitting, the Mets ravaged the Reds 4-0.

Francoeur wasted no time in establishing himself as the team’s new star and face of the franchise, making a nearly impossible play look routine on the first play of the game. A few minutes later, he blasted a two-run single to give the Mets a lead they’d never relinquish.

Also contributing to the victory was Johan Santana, who spun seven innings of shutout ball. Santana allowed only 5 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 5 en route to his 10th win of the season.

Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez pitched impeccably in the final two frames to secure the game for the Mets.

Notes

The Mets are now 1-0 with Jeff Francoeur. That’s a 1.000 winning percentage, for those keeping score at home. Say all you want about Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, etc., etc., but NONE of those players have a perfect record.

Angel Pagan went 2-for-4 with a triple, 2 runs scored, and two stolen bases, an effort that will super-glue Jeremy Reed’s butt to the bench until Pagan’s next injury. Though, Reed did wrap a single in his only at-bat in the bottom of the eighth.

Omir Santos had three hits and an RBI.

Who says Jeff Francoeur swings at everything? Frenchy saw 17 pitches in four plate appearances — that was three more than Luis Castillo, who sees more pitches per at-bat than just about anybody.

Francoeur’s presence in right field had an immediate impact, as not one Reds runner attempted to take an extra base on a ball hit to him.

Ryan Church was 0-for-4 in his debut with the Braves in Colorado. This deal is already panning out in the Mets’ favor.

In other NL East news, the Phillies scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Pirates 8-7, so the Mets did not gain any ground. The Phillies are sooo lucky.

Next Mets Game

The rubber match occurs at 1:10 PM on Sunday afternoon. Jeff Francoeur will play right field for the Mets and Mike Pelfrey will pitch. Aaron Harang tosses for Cincinnati in the final game before the All-Star break.

Posted in Mets 2009 Games | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Mets Talking Points: Saturday, July 10

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Joe Janish

New category here: Mets talking points. In this section we will review the assumed talking points as directed by David Howard to the SNY and WFAN announcers.

Not surprisingly, Saturday’s talking points will focus, for the most part, on newly acquired Jeff Francoeur.

“Jeff Francoeur plays every day, he’s a solid, durable player”

“Jeff Francoeur’s presence makes at least one spot in the lineup easy for Jerry Manuel — he can pencil him in every day. | Francoeur’s presence should add more consistency and stability to the lineup”

“Jeff Francouer has a lot of upside”

“Jeff Francoeur is a pull hitter, and that’s the type of hitter who can hit homeruns in Citi Field”

“Jeff Francouer is a Gold Glove fielder with an outstanding arm”

“Jeff Francoueur is a remarkable talent, a fantastic athlete who was a multi-sport star in high school”

“Jeff Francoeur’s best friend is Brian McCann. The two knew each other growing up in Atlanta and then grew up together in the Braves’ organization”

“Jeff Francoeur’s one weakness is that he’s over-aggressive at the plate. Howard Johnson will work with him on that”

“The arrival of Francoeur turns the Mets from a ‘lefty-heavy’ to ‘righty-heavy’ lineup, and it will be interesting to see how Jerry Manuel juggles Fernando Tatis and Gary Sheffield into the lineup”

“Jeff Francoeur’s presence and powerful bat takes some of the pressure off David Wright”

“The Mets want to finish strong going into the All-Star break, so they have something to build on when they return next week”

“Though, Jerry Manuel is not a strong believer in the idea of momentum”

“No one’s spot in the starting rotation is safe right now, except of course Johan Santana. Especially with the recent success of Jonathan Niese”

Be sure to comment if/when you hear any of the above uttered during the Mets’ TV and/or radio broadcast.

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Brave Opinions of Jeff Francoeur

Posted on July 11, 2009 by Joe Janish

Likely you’ve read all you can find from the New York press and blogosphere in regard to the Ryan Church – Jeff Francoeur trade.

Here are a few of the opinion of Francoeur from the Braves’ perspective:

The Francoeur trade: A Sad But Necessary Ending

Excerpt:

“This is how much the Braves wanted rid of Jeff Francoeur: They traded him to a team they’ll play 19 times a year, which means they’d rather put themselves in the repeated position of losing to him than have kept him around here. That’s how far the Golden Child had fallen, and how fast.”

He’s Frenchy, as in Benchy, and he could soon be gone
Excerpt:

“It takes Cox a lot longer to lose faith than it does, say, Lou Piniella. Cox believes until he’s given reason to stop believing, but when he stops … well, that’s about all she wrote. … Francoeur was extended an even longer grace period — we’re now going on a second calendar year of his laboriously documented flailings — but has simply ceased being a competent big-league hitter.”

Excerpt from the Braves blog Talking Chop:

“Church doesn’t represent a real upgrade in the power department, though he certainly uses more of his ability than Francoeur does, but he is an equal defender and is better at getting on base. … On first blush I like this trade. We get a better hitter, even if we did have to give up the once-face of the franchise (but that ship sailed a while ago). The risk here is that Francoeur figures something out and comes back to bite us time and again, but the odds of that happening are pretty slim if you’ve watched Francoeur over the last couple of years.”

From Rowland’s Office:

“He ain’t Roberto Clemente, but Ryan Church is a better player than Pan, period. It would appear the home team got the better end of this one. … I’m surprised we got this much for Pan. … The deal is getting a surprisingly, to me, good reception at Metsblog.com, a high-profile, yeah, Mets blog. Those fellows are choosing to view Pan as a young player with upside. Good luck, gents.”

From David Lee at Braves Buzz:

“Thank the Lord. Hallelujah. I’m standing and cheering. Jeff Francoeur has been traded to the Mets for Ryan Church.

My first reaction: the Mets? Wow. The Mets. Probably the last place Francoeur wanted to go and try to work things out. I already know Mets fans don’t want the guy, just imagine how it’ll be when Jeff grounds into double play after double play. A negative atmosphere is not something he’s used to. I wonder how he’ll handle it.

My second reaction: the Braves absolutely robbed the Mets of Church. For the Braves to get anything at all for Francoeur is shocking in itself, but to get a capable lefty hitter who can be plugged into right field immediately is amazing to me. I mean, it’s not even my place to evaluate Church and his flaws because of the fact that the Braves got him for Francoeur.”

From Chop-N-Change:

“MLBTR says that we may have traded Jeff Francoeur. To the Mets. For Ryan Church. Straight up.

I don’t believe it either, but I couldn’t resist putting a smile on your face for the few minutes till it gets denied…”

No need to panic, Mets fans. Maybe all those people who have watched Jeff Francoeur on a daily basis (as noted by Omar Minaya, he does play every day) are a little off on their assessment of Atlanta’s former golden boy. You know, like Mets fans who unreasonably evaluated the performance of Scott Schoeneweis. Yeah.

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Mets Game 85: Loss to Reds

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Joe Janish

Reds 3 Mets 0

There was a game? Who knew? I thought the important Mets activity this Friday night was the trade of Ryan Church to Atlanta for Jeff Francoeur. And then when I saw Jeremy Reed in the #5 spot, I figured it was either a joke or the Mets were simply canceling the game.

Not that I don’t like Jeremy Reed — in fact, I very much like Jeremy Reed and am ticked off that he is unlikely to be playing much anymore. But he shouldn’t be batting fifth any more than Luis Castillo should be batting 8th … or Nick Evans second … or … anyway, I digress …

As it turned out, the Mets did play a game on Friday night, even though Francoeur will not be arriving into New York until Saturday. There are hot dogs and Shake Shack burgers and Hoegaarden beers and Blue Smoke pulled pork sandwiches to sell at the world’s largest bar with live entertainment, after all.

Bronson Arroyo — the righthanded Randy Wolf, i.e., the Mets’ kryptonite (according to Coop) — pitched a nine-inning, four-hit shutout for his ninth victory of the season.

Joey Votto hit a solo homer in the fourth to give Arroyo all the runs he needed. Brandon Phillips stole home and Laynce Nix hit another solo shot to give the Reds unneeded insurance runs.

The loss wasted a nice performance by Fernando Nieve, who allowed three earned runs on eight hits in six innings. You can’t ask much more from a fill-in fifth starter.

Notes

The Mets put six balls into the outfield. No Mets baserunner made it beyond first base.

For the seventh consecutive contest, the Mets had neither a stolen base nor a homerun. Hmm … no small ball, no big ball … what exactly IS the Mets’ offensive strategy?

It was Bronson Arroyo’s second career shutout — the other one came in 2006.

Dan Murphy had half of the Mets’ hits, and the others were collected by, of all people, Argenis Reyes and Fernando Nieve.

I find it hard to believe that the Mets’ perceived “lack of talent” was the reason they couldn’t hit Bronson Arroyo, when Reyes and Nieve both stroked hits. This has little to do with skillset, and everything to do with mental preparation, approach, and focus.

Cry all you want about the Mets’ “depleted” lineup. But I’m looking at the Reds’ lineup — with three guys sporting sub-.300 OBPs, their third baseman hitting worse than most pitchers, and some guy named Ryan Hanigan behind the plate — and not seeing anything resembling “The Big Red Machine”. This Mets team is due for a labotomy.

Next Mets Game

The Jeff Francoeur Era begins on Saturday at 7:10 PM. Johan Santana goes to the mound against Johnny Cueto. Jeff Francoeur plays right field. It’s anyone’s guess who hits cleanup, but my money’s on “Frenchy” — assuming Jerry Manuel determines that he’s had “a good BP session”.

Posted in Mets 2009 Games | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Mets Trade Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Joe Janish

The Mets have traded Ryan Church to the Atlanta Braves for Jeff Francoeur, according to GM Omar Minaya.

My initial, gut reaction is, I’m going to miss Church, who never really got a true opportunity to play every day under Jerry Manuel, but in Francoeur, the Mets get a younger, more physically talented outfielder, who plays the game the right way — much like Church does. My next gut reaction is, “whoa, why were the Braves so eager to rid themselves of a young, highly talented, local boy like Francoeur? What do they know that they’re not telling us?”

From all accounts, though Francoeur was the golden boy in Atlanta as recently as a year and a half ago, something changed when GM Frank Wren gained full control of the club’s personnel. Some kind of rift between the two occurred that was never healed, and Wren has been looking to move Francoeur for months (most recently he offered him to the Marlins for Cody Ross).

Similarly, something occurred in Jerry Manuel’s head that caused him to hate Ryan Church. We don’t know what, we don’t know why, and the two can deny it until their deathbeds, but the writing was on the wall: Manuel didn’t like Church, and the organization as a whole never saw Church as an everyday player. Going to Atlanta and Bobby Cox will be an outstanding change for Church. I believe very strongly that Church, under Cox and playing “the Braves Way”, can and will blossom into a good, not great, complementary everyday rightfielder.

Meantime, Francoeur’s change in scenery could prove equally fruitious (damn I hope so!). Clearly, he strikes out way too much, and doesn’t take pitches, and that will drive us nuts. But he also has the raw talent to be a star. Whether he realizes that potential is anyone’s guess — and part of his problem is he’s as stubborn as a mule when it comes to changing his approach. If he doesn’t ever “get” the idea of plate discipline, he’ll be the offensive version of Oliver Perez — an eternal, frustrating enigma.

What I do like about Francoeur is he appears to have a strong personality, and maybe he can be the guy who turns the tide in the clubhouse. He plays hard, and if he’s performing well, he could be an influencer / leader. We’ll see.

Interesting to note that Minaya mentioned — about 18 times — that Francoeur is “an everyday player”. I wonder if the front office is sending the message to Jerry Manuel that Francoeur WILL BE penciled into the lineup every single day, and enough with the inane mixing and matching.

Minaya also pointed out that Francoeur is “better suited to Citi Field” because, “…although Ryan Church was a very good fielder, players around the league will tell you that Jeff Francoeur covers a lot of ground …” and, “…he has a very strong arm.” Wait, Omar … didn’t you just describe Ryan Church? Doesn’t Church cover a lot of ground, and have a very strong arm? Meh.

So much for Jeremy Reed’s chance to get some playing time — with Francoeur coming in and Angel Pagan off the DL, Reed goes back to being Gary Sheffield’s late-inning caddy.

Also strange, during the press conference, was Minaya’s comment that “guys who pull the ball are able to take advantage of that left field wall” in Citi Field, and Francoeur fits that definition of pull hitter. Really? Where’s the evidence? Because two or three opponents jerked hanging curveballs into the left field seats? Because Sheffield planted one or two out there? Until the “Soot Monster” is lowered by 30 feet and brought in another 30, righties are going to have a tough time sending one over the fence (or otherwise “using it to their advantage”).

I hope this deal works out well for Francoeur and the Mets; I know it’s going to work out for Church and the Braves. Occasional MetsToday contributor John Fitzgerald suggests that “Frenchy” is the next Mike Marshall (the bigfooted first baseman, not the wacko pitcher). It’s an intriguing comparison.

Thoughts?

Posted in Trades | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Quick Preview: Mets vs. Reds

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Joe Janish

reds-logoThe last time the Mets and Reds faced each other was the first three games of the year. The Mets came out of it 2-1, brimming with confidence, and seemingly on their way to making a serious run at the NL East crown.

How times have changed.

Since then, the Mets have suffered injuries, curled into the fetal position, and are waiting to be put out of their misery. Meanwhile, the Reds have played a fairly even season, and if it weren’t for a bizarre string of four straight losses to the Royals and Nationals in June, they’d be right in the thick of things at the top of the NL Central. Though they’re sitting in fifth place, they’re far from out of it, only 4.5 games out of first and maybe one player or hot streak away from making a serious run.

Interestingly, the Mets are in a similar position in the NL East — fourth place and 5.5 games out — but they’ve all but thrown in the towel. It’s all about perspective, I guess.

With both teams in similar places, this last series before the break holds significant importance. One of the teams will head in with at least two losses, and, depending on what happens with their division leaders, those two losses could be the first nails in the coffin.

Game 1: Fernando Nieve (3-2,2.73 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (8-8, 5.85 ERA)

Fernando fell back to earth in his last two starts, but I have to say I still like what he brings to the table — when he can bring it, that is. If Nieve can throw that hard sinker for strikes, and complement it by getting one of his other off-speed pitches over the plate the majority of the time, he can win. Unfortunately, his lack of command has been his undoing. Arroyo is having a tough year, but is the righthanded Randy Wolf when it comes to the Mets — and seems to turn it up a notch when pitching in the New York spotlight.

Game 2: Johan Santana (9-7, 3.29 ERA) vs. Johnny Cueto (8-5, 3.45 ERA)

After a Bob Gibson circa 1968 start, Santana has been rather pedestrian over the last month and a half, to the point where one must wonder what the heck is going on. Cueto has the stuff to match Santana pitch for pitch on a good day, and it would be just Johan’s luck for that to occur — though, there’ll surely be someone else to blame in the event of another loss.

Game 3: Mike Pelfrey (6-4, 4.52 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (5-8, 3.89 ERA)

Funny how Big Pelf often draws a similarly tall opponent. The 6’7″ Harang is having an off year, but he’s always a threat to dominate. Yet, for whatever reason, he’s always had trouble against the Mets (8.56 ERA over the last three years against them). As mentioned in our last series preview, Pelfrey can go either way — he can be outstanding or awful, and there’s no logic to predict which. This one’s a tossup.

Final Thoughts

In April, I predicted that Joey Votto would be the NL MVP. Though the rest of those predictions are looking pretty awful (i.e. the Diamondbacks would win the NL West!), so far Votto is making me look somewhat intelligent. He’s hitting .354 with 10 homers and 41 RBI in 54 games, and if not for a stint on the DL due to stress and dizziness, he might be vying for the Triple Crown.

Outside of Votto and Brandon Phillips, the Reds don’t have much firepower (OK, Jay Bruce has 18 jacks, but he’s hitting only .208). In many ways, they resemble the Mets — a team that was originally built depending on the homerun, but unfortunately the strategy of waiting for the long ball has often left them dry. Unlike the Mets, however, the Reds don’t steal many bases (only 47), and their team batting average is a paltry .248. That said, it’s no surprise that they’re 14th out of 16 NL teams in runs scored. Beside the disappointment of Bruce, Ramon Hernandez has lost the starting catcher’s job, Laynce Nix has won a job in left field, Edwin Encarnacion has fallen off the planet, Jerry Hairston is the best they can do at shortstop, and they’re trying to find ways to fit Jonny Gomes’ bat into the lineup.

Despite all that, their lineup still looks more dangerous than what the Mets can muster — though, that’s only on paper. In the reality of Citi Field, many of the Reds’ fly balls should be outs on the warning track, and their lack of speed is a major detriment on both sides of the ball in spacious Citi. If the Mets can keep their chin up, there’s no reason they can’t compete with Cincinnati in these three games — even without the Fantastic Four.

Posted in Series Previews | 4 Comments

Window Shopping: Nationals

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Joe Janish

In our latest edition of Window Shopping, we look at the Washington Nationals. Since they’re on a pace to threaten the ’62 Mets record for losing — and win the Bryce Harper sweepstakes — they should be sellers. Problem is, you have to actually offer something of value in order to make a sale. And not unexpectedly, the Nats strongly resemble a dollar store. Continue reading →

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Mets Game 84: Loss to Dodgers

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Joe Janish

Dodgers 11 Mets 2

So much for building on a big win over the best team in baseball.

The Dodgers shrugged off a 5-4 loss on Wednesday night to demolish the Mets, reminding them of their place in the world.

Orlando Hudson wrapped a three-run double in the first frame, putting the Dodgers up by four, and from there it was just a long, painful, dreary wait for the game to end. I’ve had two root canals, and the agony did not compare to what had to be endured through the final 8 1/2 innings of this dreadful contest.

By the time Livan Hernandez was mercifully removed, he had allowed 8 earned runs on 11 hits and 4 walks in 4 frames. Pat Misch and Brian Stokes were passable in relief, but Tim Redding was Livanlike in his two innings, allowing another 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk.

Notes

What is there to say? Livan Hernandez put the team in a hole, and this team — with or without “the cavalry” — does not have the gumption to come back from such a deficit. There’s no way you can convince me that Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Reyes would’ve made a difference in this game.

On a positive note, David Wright was 2-for-3. Gary Sheffield showed a modicum of interest, showing enough emotion to get himself tossed from the game. I’m not saying it’s good to get thrown out, but, it’s nice to see that someone on this team gives a crap.

The score could’ve been worse when you consider that the Dodgers left 13 men on base. Thirteen. Wow.

Jerry Manuel finally came to his senses in penciling in Luis Castillo and his .380 OBP at the top of the lineup. Though, I can’t explain Nick Evans in the two-hole, the insistence of forcing Fernando Tatis into the lineup, nor the decision to sit Dan Murphy after a two-double day. Is the lefty-lefty thing really THAT big a deal? And how can that be, when Manuel openly admits that he doesn’t pay much attention to the numbers?

Speaking of the numbers, Fernando Tatis is now 3-for-31 lifetime vs. Randy Wolf.

Manny Ramirez was 5-for-11 with 3 runs scored and 6 RBI in this series. Good thing I sat him on my fantasy team. I left Randy Wolf on the bench, too. This is why I finish last every year.

Next Mets Game

The Mets navigate their way to the All-Star Break via a three-game weekend series hosting the Cincinnati Redlegs. Fernando Nieve faces Bronson Arroyo in the opener at 7:10 PM on Friday night in Flushing.

Posted in Mets 2009 Games | Tagged , , | 4 Comments