Mets Game 52: Loss to Pirates

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Joe Janish

Pirates 11 Mets 6

Ouch. Not sure where to begin.

On the bright side, the Mets’ supposedly feeble offense scored six times, which is usually enough to win a big league game. Indeed, they knocked Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf out of the game by the fifth frame. Unfortunately, Mets starter Mike Pelfrey allowed 9 Pirates to cross the plate in the first four, and the Mets never had a chance to catch up.

It didn’t help that J.J. Putz, in his debut as mop-up man, allowed another two runs to put the game completely out of reach in the seventh.

Among the big men on offense for the McLouthless Buccos were Jason Jaramillo (2 hits, 4 RBI), Ramon Vazquez (4-for-4), and McLouth’s replacement, rookie Andrew McCutchen, who went 2-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs scored, and an RBI from the leadoff spot.

Notes

The Pirates hit zero home runs in this contest.

In the second inning, Danny Murphy was thrown out three times within three minutes, but not called out until the third time. He was picked off first by Ross Ohlendorf (but called safe), thrown out attempting to go first to third on a Fernando Martinez single (again called safe), and finally put out attempting to score on a grounder by Omir Santos. Gotta love the kid’s exuberance, and if he was just a little luckier, the Mets would’ve had another run.

A few minutes later, Ohlendorf picked off Luis Castillo at first base (he didn’t slide), but again the ump called him safe. If I were Ohlendorf, I’d be hating on the umps, as he would’ve been out of that difficult second inning with no runs scored.

Though, Castillo beat out a grounder in the first frame, and was called out instead of safe. So the umps were bad all around. Not that it mattered.

Sean Green proved he can be an outstanding pitcher, so long as he has been given at least one full day of rest and is brought into a pressure-free situation. Green threw two stellar, shutout innings before yielding to the Putz.

Can you define this as a sweep? I’m going to say no, and wait to see what happens when these two clubs meet again for the makeup game on July 3.

Next Game

The Mets can’t get out of Pittsburgh fast enough, and head into Washington, DC to face the always-tough Nationals on Friday night. Tim Redding tries to pitch into the fifth inning against rookie Shairon Martis, who is gunning for his sixth win against one loss. Game time is 7:05 PM.

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Available Players to Consider

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Joe Janish

Do the ailing and injured New York Mets need to bring in outside reinforcements? If so, a few have become available. One by one:

Vicente Padilla

The righthanded pitcher was waived by the Rangers after a miserable 3-inning, 7-ER start against the Yankees. He’s 3-3 with a 5.97 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP through 9 games and 53 innings.

He must be really bad, if the Rangers are willing to eat his $12M contract to get him off the roster; few teams will be willing to take on the $8M he’s owed between now and the end of the season.

But, he has shown signs of effectiveness — for example the three starts prior to the Yankees massacre, in which he pitched 23 innings and gave up only 12 hits and 4 earned runs. Think about that — in his last four starts, he’s pitched eight innings twice and seven innings once.

Though he hasn’t allowed a ton of homeruns — 4 total, and none in his last 5 starts — he does give up a large number of fly balls, something unusual for a sinker-slider pitcher such as himself. In his 8-inning win over the Angels two weeks ago, he allowed 21 airballs. Strangely enough, he’s had one game in which he induced 14 ground balls (also an 8-inning victory).

A move to the NL and a spacious ballpark could be a good thing for Padilla. But, he’s an eternal enigma, often beating himself and crumbling in the face of adversity (see: Oliver Perez). Additionally, he’s been fighting a shoulder issue for the past month. Is he worth the headache? Tim Redding’s next start may provide the answer, though I might prefer seeing Nelson Figueroa on the roster.

Wilson Betemit

Oh how quickly and how far mighty talents can fall. It wasn’t so long ago that Betemit was a phenom in the Atlanta organization, a sure-handed, switch-hitting shortstop with corner-infield power. A few years and four organizations later, he finds himself DFA’d by the White Sox, dragging with him a .200 average in 50 at-bats.

Is he worth picking up? If this were two weeks ago, when Jose Reyes first went on the DL? Probably. One week ago, when the Mets were scrambling to find someone better than Ramon Martinez to play SS? Definitely. Now, with Alex Cora back, Wilson Valdez playing well, and Martinez on the DL? Absolutely.

Here’s why: Betemit is a natural shortstop who can play all four infield positions and both outfield corners. He hits from both sides of the plate, and shown a bit of power in the past. He’s 27 years old. Need I go on?

The negative is that he swings and misses — a lot. Last year he struck out 56 times and took only 6 walks in 204 plate appearances. So you can compare him to Billy Hall — a super utilityman with a little pop and a lot of whiffs. I still like him better than some of the other 25th-man options that we’ve seen thus far.

Tom Glavine

We discussed this yesterday. On paper, he might be worth a try, and the Wilpons love him. I don’t think the fans can stomach his return, however.

Jorge Julio

15 walks and a 7.79 ERA through 17 innings was too much for Milwaukee to handle. Rick Peterson’s tight leash made him almost valuable as a one-inning guy, but I don’t think he’d flourish in the Dan Warthen era. He still throws in the upper 90s, so someone will take a chance. No thanks.

Pat Misch

Who is Pat Misch, you ask? He’s a crafty lefthanded reliever most recently employed by the San Francisco Giants. He’s not particularly good — a career 5.20 ERA through 97 MLB IP (and double that this year) — but he’s slightly more effective vs. LH hitters than righties. As long as Ken Takahashi continues to struggle against lefthanded hitters, the Mets need to at least take a glance at any and every southpaw on the market. Maybe he’s worth giving a look-see in AAA.

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Pirates Trade Nate McLouth to Braves

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Joe Janish

Now we know why the Braves dumped Tom Glavine — to clear payroll.

In the second surprising move of the day involving Atlanta, the Braves acquired centerfielder Nate McLouth from the Pirates in exchange for Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jeff Locke.

Morton and Locke were among the Braves’ better pitching prospects, and Hernandez a top outfield prospect. Hernandez compares in skills to former Met Carlos Gomez.

Though McLouth has been mired in a season-long slump, he was showing signs of breaking out recently, and he no doubt will benefit from being surrounded in the lineup by the Braves’ legit MLB hitters. With the Pirates, opposing pitchers had the option to pitch around McLouth and instead deal with the LaRoche brothers — who are nice hitters but hardly middle-of-the-order talents right now.

Have to say I’m stunned by this move, from the Pirates’ perspective. You would think a 27-year-old centerfielder with McLouth’s skillset, and about to enter his prime, is the type of player you use as a building block. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff would seem to be a year or two away from maturing, so why cut bait on McLouth now? Basically what the Bucs are saying is, “we don’t plan to compete this year, next year, nor the year after”. Wow, and I thought it was tough to be a Mets fan!

What makes this deal more mind-boggling is that the Pirates bought out McLouth’s arbitration years only a few months ago, signing him to a 3-year, $15.75M extension in February — which is pretty cheap for an All-Star centerfielder. Apparently the Pirates a) believe last year was a fluke for McLouth and trading him while he still as value; b) are broke; and/or c) are focused on always being a AAA team in the midst of “rebuilding”, and not really interested in fielding an MLB-caliber ballclub.

The Braves, on the other hand, get a solid centerfielder entering his prime and under control for the next four years to replace Jordan Schaefer, who has shown a great glove but has been overmatched at the plate. They dealt from surplus, and likely won’t miss any of the three youngsters they’ve sent to Pittsburgh.

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Tom Glavine Released

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Joe Janish

Tom Glavine has been released by the Atlanta Braves, just as he was on the brink of returning from shoulder and elbow surgeries.

Glavine had just enjoyed a 6-inning, 64-pitch outing in a final tuneup for Rome, an A-level minor league club. He did not allow any runs and 44 of those tosses were for strikes.
tom-glavine-2

It is assumed that the Braves are not in a position to add Glavine to the 25-man roster, and in fact are in the market for hitting, and decided to dump Glavine for budgetary reasons. Glavine was to earn a $1M bonus if the Braves added him to the active roster, another $1.25 after 30 days of being with the Braves and then $1.25 million more after 90 days.

Without having to pay Glavine the bonus money, the Braves can use those dollars instead in an effort to add a veteran bat.

Are the Mets in the market for a starter, or are they going to continue to send Tim Redding to the mound in hopes he’ll come around? If they ARE in the market, is Glavine a consideration? Would he be cheaper than Pedro Martinez? Healthier than Ben Sheets? Better than Tim Redding?

If so, did the final game of 2008 erase the fans’ memory of the last game of 2007?

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Murphy vs. Martinez

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Joe Janish

murphy-fmart

While the Mets are hurting now, parts of the cavalry are making their way back. Carlos Beltran should be feeling better soon, and Ryan Church can come off the DL about a week from now, which means Fernando Martinez will likely be sent back to AAA Buffalo.

Or will he?

Because Carlos Delgado is out until at least July — maybe longer — there has been some chatter regarding the acquisition of a big bopper to take his place in the middle of the lineup. Unless Mike Piazza comes out of retirement, it’s obvious that the import would be a first baseman and/or outfielder.

If indeed the Mets bring in, say, a Matt Holliday or Jermaine Dye, then Dan Murphy has a chance to stay at first base. But, if they acquire a first baseman — Nick Johnson, for example — that puts Murphy back in the outfield, possibly in a platoon situation.

There’s a problem with that second scenario, though, which is that the Mets have decided that Murphy is not an outfielder. The other issue is that the outfield is already crowded, once Ryan Church and Angel Pagan return.

And then there’s Fernando Martinez, who is not being overmatched at the plate.

Whether F-Mart can keep it up is anyone’s guess, but if he does, that changes the situation — it puts the focus on getting a first baseman, displacing Murphy. Add in another factor: Ryan Church is the Mets’ most eligible everyday player to be dealt. He’s only 30, under contractual control for another year, inexpensive, and undervalued by Mets management. The Mets have no “MLB-ready” prospects in their minor-league system, which means they almost certainly would have to provide at least one starting player from the 25-man roster in a blockbuster deal. Church fits the mold — as does Murphy.

If Martinez continues to show he belongs in the bigs, the Mets might consider giving him the right field job and moving Church to obtain a first baseman (Garrett Atkins? Chad Tracy?) — particularly if Murphy continues to struggle at the plate. Though not yet the complete package, Martinez right now has better raw tools than Murphy in the areas of speed and defense, and he might have the edge in power. Hitting under .250, Murphy brings little value to the starting lineup — his defense is a detriment in the outfield, only adequate at first base, he has below-average power for a corner infielder, and is below-average to average as a baserunner. In other words, if Murphy’s not hitting .300+, there isn’t much point in playing him.

Martinez, on the other hand, can at least give you solid defense and baserunning, and he might smack a few extra-base hits. Of course, his batting average needs to improve by at least 75 points — but if it does, it may be enough for him to stick.

The next two weeks could turn out to be a competition of survival between Fernando Martinez and Danny Murphy. Which one will remain standing?

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Mets Game 51: Loss to Pirates

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Joe Janish

Pirates 3 Mets 1

For the second time in three days, the Mets engaged in a pitchers’ duel, but unlike Sunday’s win over the Marlins, were on the short end of the sword.

Johan Santana pitched poorly for Santana, but good for a mere mortal, and unfortunately not good enough for a win. He scattered seven hits through six innings, allowing three runs. I believe that qualifies as a “quality start”. Quality starts, though, don’t guarantee wins.

Pittsburgh pitcher Zach Duke was just a little better, holding the Mets to one run on eight hits and a walk. The only run allowed came on a sacrifice fly by Luis Castillo that scored Ramon Martinez.

Buccos catcher Jason Jaramillo blasted his first MLB homerun off Santana in the fifth, a “no doubter” deep into the left field stands. The Pirates’ went ahead in the sixth inning, when Freddy Sanchez led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Nate McLouth double. Moments later Adam LaRoche hit another double to score McLouth with the insurance run.

The Mets staged a two-out rally in the top of the seventh but Duke extinguished it without damage.

Notes

Martinez dislocated his pinky while scoring the Mets’ only run. He beat the throw easily but seemed to be caught between sliding and staying up. For those who have never played baseball before, he should have received direction from the on-deck hitter (Fernando Martinez) as to whether he needed to slide or run in standing up.This is a basic fundamental which is taught to American and Japanese children during little league. It is absolutely implausible and embarrassing that the Mets, an organization competing at the highest level of the game in the world, did not instill such a basic fundamental during F-Mart’s 3+ years in their system. I learned it as a 10-year-old in a league that played a 15-game season. *** EDITED — see isuzudude’s correction in comments *** Shame on the Mets, who by the day become exposed as a Mickey Mouse operation. (I won’t edit the final comment, because the Mets do belong in Disneyworld, for a hundred other reasons.)

While we’re on the subject of plays at the plate, Jeremy Reed was thrown out by several feet in the third inning after a Castillo single. Watching the replay, third-base coach Razor Shines was giving Reed the green light by circling his left arm as Reed approached third base. However, as Reed was rounding third (with his head down, something you do as a runner to make sure you touch the bag), Shines put up a stop sign with that same left arm, which Reed ran right through. Keith Hernandez commented that Reed “had plenty of time to stop”. I disagree.

A third base coach has to decide whether or not to send the runner BEFORE the runner hits the 3B bag. If he’s going to wait longer, then the coach has to position himself further down the third-base line, toward home plate, at an angle where both he can see the ball being handled by the outfielder and the runner can see him clearly as he rounds the bag. If Shines were in the proper position, then he can put up the stop sign “late”. But, Shines was at the edge of the 3B coaching box, and not in a good position to put up a late stop sign. What compounded the issue was that he used his same left hand to give the “stop” sign, which could have been construed as a continuance of the “go” sign. When as a coach you want the runner to put the brakes on, you put BOTH hands up, high over your head, using forceful, obvious body language. Again, fundamentals.

Brandon Moss reminds me of Ryan Klesko. Zach Duke reminds me of Tom Glavine. But the Pirates do not remind me of the Braves of the 1990s.

Losing to the Pirates twice in a row doesn’t concern me, since half the team is on the disabled list or in the infirmary with flu symptoms. The shame is that the Mets aren’t able to take advantage of playing a poor team by beating up on them.

Danny Murphy had a pinch-hit single in the seventh off Duke, a lefthander. Murphy is now hitting .423 in his career as a pinch-hitter, and I truly believe he may be able to carve a career serving in such a role — particularly since he is unfazed by the lefty-lefty matchup. Kind of like Gates Brown, Manny Mota, or Lenny Harris. Obviously there’s something about his approach that makes him so effective as a pinch-hitter, and a man can make a long and financially fruitful career exploiting such a talent.

Keith Hernandez suggested that Santana might be tipping pitches, as evidenced by the Bucs looking very comfortable swinging the bat in that fateful sixth frame. There may be something to that theory.

Santana was removed after 85 pitches. Probably a good thing, since he threw 120 in his last start (and 118 in the start before) and the Mets offense wasn’t doing anything anyway.

Why was Ramon Martinez starting at shortstop after Wilson Valdez hit like Barry Larkin on Sunday afternoon? The explanation was that Jerry Manuel wanted to get a look at Martinez before making a personnel decision. Are you kidding me? Believe me, I’m not on the bandwagon for Valdez, but it’s plain as day that he is head and shoulders above Martinez in every aspect of the game (which isn’t necessarily saying much). He has a stronger arm, better range, better speed, and a slightly stronger bat. He had me at hello. To give a guy a start as a tryout is unacceptable at this point in the season — the games are too important, and the lineup is already devoid of legit MLB talent.

Next Mets Game

The Mets attempt to avert a series loss on Wednesday evening by sending Mike Pelfrey to the mound against former Yankee Ross Ohlendorf. Game time is 7:05 PM.

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What’s Wrong with JJ Putz

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Joe Janish

j-j-putz

What is wrong with J.J. Putz? Unfortunately, it isn’t a simple answer. Let’s review some of the issues, one by one.

Elbow

We know that J.J. Putz had an elbow injury last year, and we know that he has developed a bone spur on his elbow. We know he was given a cortisone shot to alleviate the inflammation caused by the spur, but we have no idea how / whether the bone spur is affecting Putz’s performance.

Typically, an elbow injury will cause pain, but not necessarily affect velocity. Often, elbow pain will result in control issues, as the pitcher will slightly alter his throwing mechanics, pitch grips, and/or release — note that these alterations could be intentional or unintentional.

For example, it’s possible Putz is using a different type of finger pressure at the point of release, due to the pain (again, intentionally or unintentionally). Or maybe he’s moved his thumb a little more beneath the ball on his fastball and/or splitfinger. Maybe he’s pronating his hand and wrist a little more than usual through the release. Point is, there are any of a number of possibilities regarding arm angle, grip, and release that, if changed in the slightest, will cause a noticeable effect on the flight of the baseball. Hence, the ball goes to locations other than what the pitcher intends.

Adrenaline

Putz has publicly stated that he does not have the same excitement pitching in the setup role:

“I’m still trying to get used to pitching in this eighth inning and trying to find some adrenaline because it’s not like pitching in the ninth, I’ll tell you that,” Putz said. “You just really don’t have that heart-pounding sensation. I was talking with a couple of the guys. I think that’s where those two or three miles an hour are, that adrenaline.”

There’s at least some credence to such a claim, though you don’t want to hear it from a professional athlete collecting $5M in salary.

Tipping Pitches

Putz engaged in a special bullpen session around 3pm on Monday afternoon to adjust his pitching mechanics. There has not been any official report (yet) as to what he was working on, but I’m guessing it had something to do with Putz tipping pitches (doing something that allowed opposing hitters to know what pitch was coming). I had noticed something a few weeks ago but chose not to report it — maybe I have a big head but who knows who might be reading this blog, and I’m not going to be responsible for letting all of MLB know of such an issue.

If indeed Putz was tipping pitches, it would explain why he was having problems getting outs over the past few weeks.

Tipping Pitches – Part Two

Whatever it was he was working on, the point is that Putz has made a conscious change to his motion, and he did apply it in the game last night, which means he’s thinking about it. When an athlete thinks about his movements in performing a task, he cannot move as naturally and quickly. It’s not unlike any other motor skill, such as typing. If you are thinking about where your fingers are, you can’t type as quickly as when you’re not. This is why batters on a hot streak are often termed “in a zone” — they are not thinking about anything, everything is just flowing naturally. Pitchers may focus on checkpoints in their motion and still have a fluid motion, because they are the same checkpoints all the time, to the point they barely think about it (i.e., keep the front shoulder closed, stay on top of the ball, snap the wrist, etc.). It appears to me that Putz has added something to think about that he hasn’t thought about before (his hands). It will take some time before he can process that thought as naturally as any other, to the point where his mechanics are again fluid. But while he’s thinking, he’s slowing down his body, which affects …

Velocity

Putz’s velocity is down this season, in comparison to 2008 and previous years. It could be due to the elbow problem, the lack of adrenaline, the new adjustment to his mechanics, overuse, age, or a combination of these issues. In any case, Putz’s peak speed is around 94 MPH, and working velocity around 92-93 or slower. He used to top out at 97-98 MPH, and work at around 95-96. That’s a MAJOR difference in speed, particularly at the MLB level, where most pitchers are working around 90-93. Putz is not a guy who paints the corners of the plate, he’s someone who rears back and throws, aiming somewhere around the middle of the plate. His sheer velocity and natural movement on his fastball is enough to blow away hitters when he’s in the mid- to upper-90s, but it’s pedestrian at lower speeds. The pitches he left in the middle of the plate on Monday night might have either zipped by the Bucs hitters, and/or had more movement down and in on their hands if the ball had 4-5 more MPH of velocity.

Bottom Line

Putz may pitch well in his next appearance, but it won’t mean he’ll pitch well for the rest of the season. At the same time, he may not pitch well in his next game, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a lost cause. Depending on which of the above are the true issues, it will take some time for him to “get back” to being the guy the Mets traded for last December. Above all, he must be used more sparingly — his frequency of use should be more similar to that of a closer, as he is used to and shown effectiveness under that kind of workload.

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Mets Game 50: Loss to Pirates

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Joe Janish

Pirates 8 Mets 5

Early on, it looked like it was going to be a laugher, as the Mets put up five quick runs in the first three innings off starter Ian Snell, who was getting no relief from the Pittsburgh bullpen at that point of the ballgame. But, in the end, it was the Pirates laughing last.

Snell settled down to pitch three scoreless innings, and the Bucs scored three times in the fourth to begin their crawl back, then plated another five in the eighth against Pedro Feliciano and J.J. Putz to take the lead.

Four members of the Bucco bullpen shut out the Mets over the final three innings.

Livan Hernandez pitched five and two-thirds innings before running out of gas, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out five.

Offensively, the bottom of the lineup did the bulk of the damage for the Mets, led by Jeremy Reed and Wilson Valdez in the #6 and #7 spots, who combined for four extra-base hits, three runs, and three RBI.

Notes

The Pirates sent 10 batters to the plate in that fateful eighth. Feliciano was charged with one, Putz the other four. Putz did not retire a batter in his 12-pitch performance.

Putz had a special bullpen session around 3pm prior to the game, supposedly to work on a glitch in his delivery that caused him to tip his pitches.

Prior to the game, Angel Pagan was put on the 15-day disabled list with a strained groin. No word on who would replace him, though Alex Cora is scheduled to come off the DL on Tuesday.

Carlos Beltran was a late scratch due to a stomach virus.

Gary Sheffield is definitely suffering from some kind of leg injury, because he’s running about one-quarter speed on the bases.

I realize the Mets are shorthanded and playing a makeshift lineup, but it’s hard to use that as an excuse in this contest. The Mets were cruising early, and the 100% healthy bullpen blew the game.

Bobby Parnell came in during the bottom of the sixth and struck out slugger Ramon Vazquez with the bases loaded to end the inning and preserve the Mets’ two-run lead. At the time it was a huge out. Oh well.

Two of the Pirates’ hits were deflected off the gloves of Mets pitchers.

I noticed that Wilson Valdez wears a Wilson glove. Coincidence?

Valdez failed to run on a chopper off the plate in the 8th, presumably because he thought the ball was foul. As it was, the ball was fair, and he was thrown out by 88 feet. But hey, he didn’t know where it was, and that’s a fine enough excuse for Omar Minaya’s dog pound known as the New York Mets. (Note to youngsters: run immediately, and keep running until the umpire makes a call.)

Nate McLouth, who is arguably the best young centerfielder in the National League, looked terrible, striking out three times.

PNC Park was looking empty; I would guess there were less than 10,000 people at the game — it was reminiscent of a 21st-century Montreal Expos game. And it should be noted that ticket prices are the same regardless of what team the Pirates are hosting (what a novel concept!).

Next Mets Game

The Mets and Pirates play again on Tuesday evening at 7:05 PM in Pittsburgh. Johan Santana faces Zach Duke.

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