Mets Game 63: Loss to Diamondbacks

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Joe Janish

Diamondbacks 9 Mets 5

What started out so promising ended horribly.

John Maine was shaky in the first frame, allowing a run, but the Mets came right back in the bottom of the inning to jump ahead 3-1. They tacked on two more in the second inning to extend the lead to 5-1, and things were really looking up for the first time in about a week.

But, that fifth run was the last one they’d score, and the pitching couldn’t hold the fort.

After that difficult initial inning, Maine settled down and kept the D’Backs scoreless until the fifth, when his inefficient execution caught up to him and rendered him exhausted. Orlando Hudson re-directed Maine’s 97th pitch off the scoreboard to make the score 5-3. Maine finished the inning but was replaced by Claudio Vargas in the sixth.

It was all downhill from there.

The previously struggling Diamondbacks scored two more in the sixth to tie the game five-all, went ahead 6-5 in the eighth when Chris Snyder took Joe Smith deep, and then added three insurance runs in the ninth off Duaner Sanchez. The Mets offense was predictably inept against the dominating D-Backs bullpen, and that was that.

Notes

Someone was wearing Carlos Delgado’s uniform today — either that or the Mets have been denying him meals, because a hustling, hungry player was running around wearing #21 in this game. Delgado had only one hit, but it was a ground-ball single stretched into a double when Chris Young bobbled the ball in centerfield. A few minutes later, Delgado scored all the way from second on a base hit, running full speed (for him) all the way. And I swear I saw him hustling on a routine grounder to second base — busting out of the box and running completely through first base. I really wonder if perhaps Willie Randolph had a chat with Delgado … perhaps after reading about Del’s comparison to a rattlesnake.

Interestingly, since that scathing post by yours truly, Delgado is hitting .411. Coincidence?

Moises Alou returned to the lineup and swatted a two-run single on the first pitch he saw. However, he did not return after the rain delay due to tightness in his calf (don’t laugh). Marlon Anderson also appeared as a pinch-hitter and flied out. Ryan Church was finally placed on the DL and Raul Casanova was demoted. Thus the pressure is on Ramon Castro to wake up on time.

John Maine’s command is affected by a minor mechanical flaw in his delivery. He drops his glove and opens up his front side a bit too early, which causes his right arm to drag a little behind and also causes the ball to fly up and to the right (up and in to a righthanded hitter). He’s had this issue for as long as he’s been a Met, but usually finds a way to correct himself. If he doesn’t fix the problem, he’ll not only continue to miss up and in, but will also begin to strain his shoulder. An easy fix is to keep the glove up as he begins the stride, and push it forward toward the catcher instead of down past his hip. This little tweak should also help hide the ball for an extra moment. I’m surprised Ron Darling hasn’t pointed out this issue.

Duaner Sanchez was terrible. His pitches were up and flat, and looked like they didn’t have much velocity. An off day, but what can you do — no one is perfect.

Joe Smith actually pitched quite well, other than the gopher ball. Shame he had to take the loss.

Aaron Heilman cleaned up Duaner’s mess, throwing two pitches and getting an inning-ending popup from Justin Upton.

The game was delayed for about an hour due to rain. Before the rain came down, the grounds crew struggled to get the tarp down in swirling winds. However, they received a helping hand from Billy Wagner and Scott Schoeneweis, who jogged out and helped pull the tarp into place. It was like something out of a minor league or college game, and it was beautiful. And it made the rest of the Mets sitting in the dugout look like bums. Too bad … it may have been nothing, but it could have been something. How great would it have been if the entire team followed Billy’s and Scho’s lead and 25 Mets were out there positioning the tarp? It would have been a good highlight, but a better symbol of unity and teamwork that this team sorely needs.

Next Game

Mike Pelfrey takes the mound against (gulp) Brandon Webb. My expectations are very low, and I will be attending the game (so don’t expect to see a post until early in the AM). I suggest you also lower your expectations, and be pleasantly surprised if Big Pelf can outduel the best pitcher in MLB.

Posted in Mets 2008 Games | 9 Comments

Mets First Rounders

Posted on June 9, 2008 by Joe Janish

A few days ago, Ted Berg suggested that the Mets have done a poor job in the annual amateur draft held each June, and have built their team through free agency. I agree with the latter, but that was an intended strategy. Back in 2004, the Wilpons directed newly hired GM Omar Minaya to “win now”, and all monies and actions flowed toward that goal.

As for the former — stating the Mets didn’t draft well due to budgetary concerns — I have to disagree.

Specifically:

Let’s ignore the fact the Mets have decimated their system via big trades. In recent years, they’ve also been drafting to the so-called slot, which — if it continues — is equally damning for their future. I discuss the slotting system in the video embedded below with MILB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, but briefly: Major League Baseball suggests that, when a highly regarded but likely expensive free agent falls in the draft due to signability issues, no one take him. Of course, only the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers break the rules, so they’re the only ones that reap the benefits.

Hmm … not sure that the Mets have lost out on anything spectacular by keeping to the slot, as Berg suggests. I don’t mean to pick on Ted, as seemingly everyone in the media has jumped on “the slot” as a buzzword this week.

Let’s take a look at their first-round picks over the past few years, to see if this slot thing holds water.


2004 – Philip Humber
Humber was considered one of the top college pitchers in the draft, and the Mets took him third overall. In fact, it was a tossup among himself, Rice teammates Wade Townsend and Jeff Niemann, Justin Verlander, and Jered Weaver as to who was closest to MLB ready. The Mets passed on Humber’s teammates because both already had arm injuries, Verlander was taken with the choice prior (#2 overall), and there was some concern about Weaver’s California attitude.

The Mets passed up on Philip Hughes and Homer Bailey because they were high schoolers, and the Mets were looking for an arm who could move quickly through the system and help the big league club sooner rather than later. They also passed on Huston Street (40th overall), but at the time no one would have taken Street with the third overall pick. Hindsight being 20/20, the strategy backfired when Humber blew out his elbow. Maybe the Mets should have looked at the overuse of his Rice teammates and expected Humber to break down. Maybe they should have ignored the “win-now” mentality and drafted one of the high schoolers. Maybe they should have gone after one of the better position players, such as third baseman Josh Fields or shortstop Stephen Drew — though both would have been blocked by David Wright and Jose Reyes. Maybe they should have drafted catcher Neil Walker, who has yet to reach MLB. Looking back, Humber was a good choice, and not one based on budget.

2005 – Mike Pelfrey
Pelfrey was considered the most polished college pitcher in the draft, and also the one with the most upside. His 6’7″ frame and 97-MPH fastball were enough to get the scouts foaming at the mouth. There were also multiple scouting reports claiming Pelfrey had a “plus” changeup and curveball that “needed work”, though we’ve yet to see them. Pelf actually “slipped” to the ninth pick overall because of signability concerns. I’ll cite MLB.com:

That he remained available until the ninth selection delighted the Mets, who understood Pelfrey’s availability was tied to the identity — and reputation — of his agent, Scott Boras.

So, while other teams were scared away by Boras, the Mets took a chance and then went deep into their pocket to sign him.

At the time, it was a gutsy move by the Mets, and no one criticized the pick — except those who thought Pelfrey wouldn’t sign, and felt the Mets wasted the pick on someone who would never pitch for the team. Many felt the Mets would take St. John’s closer Craig Hansen, who many thought was MLB-ready. We’re still waiting for him, too.

As it turned out, the Mets passed on Cameron Maybin, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Garza, and Clay Buchholz, among others. Before you get into a snit over Buchholz, understand he was chosen 42nd overall, from relatively unknown Angelina College — few other teams saw in him what the Red Sox did (or they just got lucky).

2006 – Billy Wagner
The Mets signed Wagner the previous winter, and thus gave up their #1 pick to the Phillies (they chose Kyle Drabek). By the time they chose Kevin Mulvey with the 62nd overall pick, Andrew Miller, Ian Kennedy, Evan Longoria, Max Scherzer, Joba Chamberlain, Tim Lincecum, and many others were long gone. Mulvey was a pretty smart pick — both at the time and looking back now.

My pal Ted Berg wonders why the Mets didn’t take Jeff Samardzija — a first-round talent who was considered unsignable because most believed he’d be playing football for Notre Dame. As it was, Samardzija slipped to the fifth round and the Cubs gave him a huge sum of money to forgo football. That would have been an interesting, out of the box move, but how do we know Samardzija would have signed with the Mets? I think the Mets were aware that they desperately needed to re-stock their farm system — if they weren’t, there were plenty of critics letting them know — and as a result focused on signability.

Oh, and 2006 was also the year the Mets picked Joe Smith. So far, no one chosen after Smith in that draft has made it to MLB. My opinion? The Mets made the most of a bad situation, which might have been slightly better had they picked Samardzija and paid a king’s ransom. But I have a hard time spelling Samardzija so it’s not a huge loss for me.

2007 -Moises Alou, Eddie Kunz, Nathan Vineyard
Because of their fabulous 2006 record, the Mets wouldn’t have chosen until the 29th pick — but they gave that up when they signed Alou. So, they don’t choose until the 42nd pick, and take a guy they think will be on a Joe Smith-like fast track. It was a good plan, except Kunz took all summer to sign and pitched only 12 innings of pro ball. Vineyard was an intriguing choice, a 6’3″ lefty high schooler who hits 91 MPH on the gun.

Two picks after Kunz, the Rangers took a high schooler named Neil Ramirez and handed an “above-slot” bonus. Maybe the Mets could have taken Ramirez and given him the dough. But again, the Mets didn’t have a true first-round choice, and were perceived to have a very poor minor league system — so it behooved them to take players they knew they could sign with their high picks. I don’t have access to signing bonuses beyond that first round, so don’t know if the Mets missed out on anyone else. What I do know is that Ramirez was the only player available to the Mets who signed “above-slot”.

2008 – Ike Davis, Reese Havens, Bradley Holt
After two years without a true first-round choice, the Mets get two plus a supplemental choice. We won’t know if they keep to slot until the players are actually signed, so it’s moot to include this year’s draft at this time. However, I did want to mention that Davis appears to be a logical choice, as he is an Adam Dunn-like talent who could very well become the Mets’ top first base prospect the day he signs. I don’t know enough about Havens to have an opinion, and Holt looks like another Pelfrey — a tall college pitcher who throws a 96-MPH fastball but has no secondary pitch.

Now that we’ve looked at the first rounders of the past few years, the question is, have the Mets hurt themselves by staying to the slot? I’m not sure, because I don’t have access to signing bonuses on players taken in later rounds — and this is supposedly where the “rich teams” (i.e., Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs) have had an advantage. If the Mets have done as many claim and stayed within the slotting system, maybe they’ve done so because it makes good sense. Generally speaking, these “over slot” bonuses go to high school kids who are thought to have first-round talent, but are also thought to be “unsignable”. Local boy Rick Porcello was an excellent example from 2007 — he was a high schooler who would have been one of the first five picks but slipped to the end of the first round because Scott Boras was his agent. Had the Tigers not taken Porcello, and the Mets had a shot at him by the time they drafted, maybe they would have drafted him and signed him “over slot” — we’ll never know.

We do know that in 2007, the Yankees doled out million-dollar bonuses to high school infielders and later-round picks Bradley Suttle and Carmen Angelini, while the Mets “stuck to the slot”. It’s too early to tell whether those youngsters will replace A-Rod and Jeter, but few scouts saw either as first-round talents. In any case, we can’t compare the Yankees’ actions to the Mets — they may both be in New York, but the Yankees have much deeper pockets. What we can do, however, is consider that while the Mets may be sticking to the “slot” in the June draft, they are also investing heavily in Latin American free agents. Huge signing bonuses were given to Fernando Martinez, Francisco Pena, Wilmer Flores, and others. So what they’re not spending on the draft, they’re spending on free agents — and perhaps they have only one budget for amateur players.

Let’s give the organization another year or two to see how the talent pans out. I’m not convinced the state of the Mets’ farm system is due to staying in the slot.

Posted in News Notes Rumors | 2 Comments

Mets Game 62: Loss to Padres

Posted on June 8, 2008 by Joe Janish

Padres 8 Mets 6

This is the way it should have happened: Tony Clark looks at strike three to end the eighth inning, stranding two runners. Billy Wagner finishes off a four-out save by setting down the Padres in order in the ninth.

However, home plate umpire Laz Diaz called the pitch ball three instead of strike three, giving Clark a second life. Wagner came in with a pretty damn good pitch — a 96-MPH fastball at the knees — and Clark put the bat head on it. Next thing you know, the ball is flying over the centerfield fence, and the Padres had a two-run lead.

After losing three straight games 2-1 to the last-place Padres, it looked as though the Mets would finally pull out a win in San Diego. They led 3-0, then 4-3, then 5-4, then 6-4 — in other words, they controlled the game from the beginning to that fateful eighth.

Pedro Martinez was less than stellar, allowing 10 hits and 4 runs in 5 innings, but the Mets bullpen did a decent job of holding the fort for the next three innings. On offense, Carlos Delgado led the way, nearly hitting for the cycle. He had his second consecutive three-hit game, with a single, double, and triple, and drove in two runs. Damion Easley and Endy Chavez each had two hits and an RBI, and Luis Castillo drove in two runs with a single and a sac fly.

Notes

A little surprising to see Wagner attempt a four-out save, but the Mets were desperate after losing three straight to the lowly Friars.

Despite the fact that Delgado had six hits in two days, I still think he’s a dog and a poison. Case in point: in the seventh, while on third base and two out, Endy Chavez dragged a bunt to first, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez had no chance at getting Chavez, but saw Delgado taking a slow jog from third and had a shot to throw him out at home. Gonzalez, however, bobbled the ball, and Delgado started running a little harder when he realized what Gonzalez was thinking. Oh, and how fitting that Delgado made the last out of the game in typical fashion: swinging at the first offering from Trevor Hoffman and popping up weakly to third base.

The last time the Padres swept the Mets in a four-game series was before Jose Reyes and David Wright were born: 1980. The Mets really stunk back then — but they had two excuses: 1) they were unskilled; and 2) half the team was on drugs. What is the excuse of the 2008 squad?

Shortsighted fans can piss and moan about Wagner blowing the game, but the real problem lies in the first three games. Wagner struck out Clark on the previous pitch, and Clark blasted the next one, which happened to be a good pitch in a good location. Things like that happen on occasion. However, flukes like that are easier to swallow when you’re winning games you’re supposed to win. On the other hand, when you’re rendered impotent by a last place club for three straight days, fluke losses are more glaring.

Next Game

The Mets have a day off on Monday (thank goodness), then travel home to host the Arizona Diamondbacks. The FIRST-PLACE D’Backs, by the way. If the Mets can’t beat the last-place Padres, how can they beat the Diamondbacks? My theory is that the Mets play to the level of their competition, which means they’ll have a decent shot of winning against Arizona. We’ll see. John Maine goes against Micah Owings in a 7:10 pm start at Shea.

Posted in Mets 2008 Games | 4 Comments

Mets Game 61: Loss to Padres

Posted on June 8, 2008 by Joe Janish

Padres 2 Mets 1

This is what’s called “playing down to your competition”.

I know about this first-hand, having played on a college team that would play “up” and to nationally ranked Seton Hall — who had Mo Vaughn, Craig Biggio, and John Valentin in the lineup (we lost 6-5) — but then play “down” to a D-3 school such as Bloomfield College (we lost 4-3).

Not sure about you, but this game “felt” like a losing cause from the third inning — I sincerely felt like I was waiting for the Mets to lose. Watching the body language of the dead Mets, it seemed only a matter of time before they lost the game. The only question was when would the frail-hitting Padres be able to plate a runner.

After a glorious homestand of intelligent at-bats, putting the bat on the ball, and overall excellent offensive execution, the Mets mirror the punchless Padres, scoring all of three runs in three games. What makes this most frustrating is that the Padres have sent neither Jake Peavy nor Chris Young to the mound — both aces are on the DL. Instead, the Mets have been handcuffed by remarkably mediocre no-names such as Josh Banks, Justin Hampson, Randy Wolf, Cha Seung Baek, Brian Corey, and Mike Adams. Meantime, the NL East-leading Phillies light up the scoreboard against everyone — the well-knowns, the unknowns, and everyone in between. But I digress …

Oliver Perez had an acceptable outing, pitching five and a third and allowing one run on four hits and two walks, striking out five. I was surprised that Willie Randolph let him hit in the top of the sixth with two outs and runners on first and second — to me, it was time for a pinch-hitter, with the best hitters on the Padres due up and getting their third look of the day on Ollie. However, Perez hit for himself, grounded out, and then put two runners on before yielding to Joe Smith, who did an outstanding job of shutting down San Diego.

Ollie made only one mistake, which turned into a homerun by Michael Barrett. The Mets’ only score came on a sac fly by Endy Chavez in the second. That second inning was especially sickening, as the Mets had the bases loaded, no outs, and a 3-0 count on Endy — and in the end, were able to score only one run. Why? Because the Padres were bright enough to intentionally walk Brian Schneider with one out, to get the easy out on Perez and then face Reyes with two dead. That right there was the turning point of the ballgame.

Notes

How bad is Carlos Delgado? In a game where he already collected three hits, the opposing team didn’t think twice about pitching to him with the winning run on second in the 10th inning and the pitcher’s spot on deck. Really wonderful of Carlos to get those three hits, but a huge red flag seeing the Padres have no fear of him doing damage in a key spot.

Yes, the Mets’ offensive ineptness is in part due to the absences of Moises Alou and Ryan Church. But, who expected a) Alou to play in more than 90 games and b) Church to be as good as he was in April and May? What baffles me to no end is that those two big bats are unavailable, yet you fill out the roster with the likes of Robinson Cancel, Raul Casanova, and Abraham Nunez. Are you kidding me????? Get Val Pascucci, Chris Aguila, or Mike Carp up here, let’s see what they can do. Bring back Jose Valentin. Sign Scott Hatteberg. Trade for Kevin Millar. Ask Mike Piazza to come out of retirement. ANYTHING other than filling out the roster with guys swinging bats made of balsa wood.


Next Game

I really hope my prophecy doesn’t hold true — the one where I suggested the Mets would get swept — but at this point, who really cares? The Mets certainly don’t, and the way the fire-and-brimstone Phillies are playing lately, it’s clear who WANTS to win the NL East. But I suppose our favorite team will try to do something interesting in their 4:05 pm EST contest. Pedro Martinez goes against another no-name, Wilfredo Ledezma.

May I remind everyone that the Mets are playing the LAST-PLACE Padres?

A desperate, major change to this team is absolutely essential at this point in time, if the Wilpons are interested in filling Citi Field next year. Please don’t bother messing with Willie — the problem is in the personnel. Make a move, Omar, if you want to be here for the ribbon-cutting ceremonies next April.

Posted in Mets 2008 Games | 7 Comments

Cecil Fielder Ringtone Available

Posted on June 7, 2008 by Joe Janish

cecil_weeble.jpgBefore there was Prince, there was Cecil — a mountain of a man with thunderous power to all fields and gravity-defying deftness in the field and on the basepaths.

Think about what it might cost to get Prince Fielder’s voice on your phone … ten dollars? twenty dollars? fifty? a hundred? More?

Stop thinking, because the bottom line is, you can’t get Prince on your phone. However, you can get a ringtone of the original Weeble of baseball — for free.

Act now and you can be the first kid on your block to get Cecil Fielder screaming on your cellphone — now that’s original. Who knows — ringtones made from celebrities screaming at a Starbuck’s could become the next “in” thing with the hipsters, and YOU can be one of the trendsetters.

Of course, you may feel a little uncomfortable with the self-proclaimed “Dr. Livingood” talking out of your phone. But follow the link anyway, to see a preview of Playing for Peanuts Episode Three: “The Good Life City” — which will be premiering this Sunday at 6 pm on SNY.

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Mets Game 60: Loss to Padres

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Joe Janish

Padres 2 Mets 1

So much for last week. The Mets are back to … well, I try not to use expletives, as this is a family-friendly blog.

The Mets blew another one, making Randy Wolf look like Sandy Koufax. Wolf is not that good — the Mets’ hitters “approach” is godawful. Witness: second inning, when Carlos Beltran swung at the first pitch of the inning and hit a lazy fly ball to right for the first out, and Fernando Tatis swung at the first pitch of his at-bat to ground out weakly to short for the third out. In between the usually aggressive Damion Easley was smart enough to take a few pitches, and had a ten-pitch at-bat. All for naught, though, since Wolf still got out of the inning expending only a dozen pitches. Example two, fifth inning: the Mets are retired on four pitches. FOUR PITCHES! You can’t let a schlep like Wolf off the hook like that — make him work!

That’s exactly what the Padres did to the usually efficient Johan Santana, who unfortunately is NOT Sandy Koufax and therefore mortal. The Friars worked Santana for 100 pitches in six innings — by contrast, Wolf was only on pitch 89 with one out in the seventh. Remarkably, the Mets got nothing resembling a rally against Wolf until they FINALLY started taking some pitches in the sixth and seventh. Huh.

Unfortunately, in the big leagues, you can’t wait until the sixth inning to start using an intelligent plan of attack. Because by then your ace pitcher has been knocked out and you are down by a run.

Notes

Luis Castillo sat back on his heels and lollygagged a routine grounder in the first inning, and hustling Scott Hairston beat out the throw to earn an infield hit. It was an atrocious, sickening, inexcusable non-effort by Castillo. Luckily, it didn’t turn into a run, but it caused Johan Santana to work just a little bit harder to get out of first inning. After the inning, Santana sat right next to Castillo, gave him a glare and a few chosen words. Good for Santana, and shame on Castillo, who was extending the Carlos Delgado poison we talked about yesterday. Once again: WINNING IS NOT A SOMETIME THING, IT IS AN ALL-TIME THING. YOU DON’T DO THINGS RIGHT ONCE IN A WHILE, YOU DO THEM RIGHT ALL THE TIME. Thank you Vince Lombardi.

Toward the same point, interesting to see manager Charlie Manuel bench MVP Jimmy Rollins for jogging on a routine fly ball. Delgado and others have gotten away with such garbage all year, and all last year, without so much as a second look. Why can the reigning MVP be benched but not an overaged, underperforming hasbeen?

In this particular ballgame, did anyone wearing orange and blue play nearly as hard as Scott Hairston? Yeah, didn’t think so. Some guys really want to win, others go through the motions and expect to win.

Scary moment in the game came in the sixth when Johan Santana attempted a bunt and was hit in the left shoulder. To add insult to injury, because he offered at the pitch, it was called a strike.

Another scary moment came in the bottom of the eighth, when a fly ball nearly dropped on Fernando Tatis’ foot. Had that ball landed just a few inches closer, he would have had a fractured toe for sure. OK, I don’t mean to get on Tatis, as he’s one of the few Mets busting his butt all over the field. Shame, though, that he has to be playing out of position. Why is it so hard for the Mets to find legitimate outfielders?

In the seventh inning, with men on first and second and down 2-1, the best the Mets could send to the plate as a pinch-hitter was Robinson Cancel, who was making his first MLB at-bat. Do I need to repeat that last sentence? Nothing against Cancel, who worked hard in spring training and seems like a nice guy, but this is the best you can put up there in that situation? Where is Ramon Castro? Why are both Cancel and Abraham Nunez on the 25-man roster? These are the best bench bats available?

Speaking of taking pitches, I HATE when Luis Castillo shows bunt on pitches he’s taking all the way. Totally bush league … little league, in fact.

Aaron Heilman needs a sabbatical … and this coming from his biggest fan on the planet. When you come into a game and walk the .214-hitting Michael Barrett on five pitches, it’s time to take a break from the game. Send him to AAA and make him a starter already. He’s so screwed up, physically and mentally, that the only way he can be valuable is through reinvention.

And reinventing Heilman, by the way, is not turning him into Joe Smith. Whoever suggested he start purposely throwing from that crazy low arm slot should be shot.

In the ninth inning, Gary Cohen commented that “if the Mets come up short, they’ll look to the missed opportunities in the sixth and seventh innings, when they had the bases loaded.” Au contraire, mon frere … if they had any intelligence at all, the Mets would look to innings one through five, when all they did was swing recklessly early in the count, in making Randy Wolf look like a world-beater. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Final tally: Mets made the Padres throw 121 pitches. That’s what — a typical five and a third innings of Mike Pelfrey?

Funny how the last-place Padres win thanks mainly to outstanding, hustling, diving defensive plays, and aggressive defensive plays that were perfectly executed. This remains the difference between the Mets and their opponents — the levels of energy and effort and aggressiveness.


Next Game

The Mets will attempt to not lose this series by sending former Padre Oliver Perez to the mound on Saturday against Cha Seung Baek. I hate to be pessimistic, but I’m not feeling good about Ollie, and feeling even worse about the Mets facing a guy they’ve never seen before — especially with their currently lousy lack of a game plan on offense. There’s a very real chance that the Mets get swept in San Diego this weekend — and they have only themselves to blame. You can’t “turn on” and “turn off” your effort — this is the big leagues, and 100% effort, focus, and intelligence is necessary 162 times per year. It’s getting very near time for a housecleaning — players and management included.

Posted in Mets 2008 Games | 1 Comment

Armed and Ready

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Joe Janish

tony_armas_jr.jpgIf Oliver Perez doesn’t get things together quickly, there is an able and willing arm waiting down in triple-A: Tony Armas, Jr.

Armas is only 3-5, but the record is deceiving. He has made seven consecutive “quality” starts, and has not allowed more than three runs in any of his 12 starts this season. In those dozen games, he has averaged over six innings per outing, and posted a svelte 2.29 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. These numbers are even more impressive when you consider he is tallying them in the PCL, a notorious “hitter’s league”.

“I’ve been working on a lot of the mental stuff,” Armas said. “Throwing inside, pitch selection, throwing different pitches in different locations. It’s building up a lot of confidence.”

In 74 IP, Armas has walked 15, allowed 59 hits, and struck out 59. I keep looking at the stats trying to find a reason not to promote him, and not finding it.

Armas is nowhere near the raw-skilled talent he was six years ago, when he hummed in the mid-90s and overpowered Major League hitters. However, he may have finally learned how to pitch. Combine his newfound guile with his competitiveness (which was never an issue), and perhaps the Mets have a valid comeback guy in the mold of Darren Oliver or (a healthy) Orlando Hernandez.

Posted in Pitching Staff | 3 Comments

Playing for Peanuts: #3

Posted on June 6, 2008 by Joe Janish

A new episode of “Playing for Peanuts” will be showing on SNY this weekend — on Sunday night at 6 pm.


peanuts.jpgEpisode #3: “The Good Life City”

Synopsis: The Peanuts return home to Albany, GA (aka “The Good Life City”) after winning six games in a row to start the season. Steve Butler takes us on a tour of the player’s disgustingly dirty house. Back at the stadium, the Peanuts are visited by former MLB slugger Cecil Fielder and manager Wally Backman chews his team out after a sloppy performance.

Check out the open thread for the episode, where you can find some “inside” info from producer John Fitzgerald and also post your comments. Oh, and if you follow that link, you can also get a ringtone of Cecil Fielder as “Dr. Livinggood”.

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