Shades of St. Louis 2006

Posted on September 19, 2007 by Joe Janish

On September 20th, 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals were 80-70, a full 7 games ahead in the NL Central.

The Cardinals went 3-8 the rest of the way, just barely hanging on to the NL Central title by outlasting the Houston Astros and surprising Cincinnati Reds. Everything came down to the last three-game series of the season — the Cardinals won two of three from Milwaukee and the Astros lost two of three to the Braves, finishing 1 1/2 games out of first place.

You know the rest of the story — the Cardinals rode that last week of mayhem into a momentum that made them the World Champions.

Buckle up, Mets fans … anything can happen in these last dozen games, and it could be a very fun ride.

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Mets Game 150: Loss to Nationals

Posted on September 18, 2007 by Joe Janish

Nationals 9 Mets 8

The players had a team meeting. Willie Randolph had a closed-door meeting. The team was facing one of the worst teams in the National League. They were motivated to get rolling. All signs pointed to “go”.

And the Mets lost.

Gosh … where do we start? What was the worst part of this game? The fact that John Maine gave up eight runs in four innings? That Willie Randolph remains only slightly more animated than a corpse? That Jose Reyes had another oh-fer? The news that El Duque will be out at least another week to ten days? The injury to Moises Alou? The fact that we as Mets fans not only have to deal with a colossal collapse but simultaneously have to tolerate the glib and goading Yankee fans that have re-emerged out of the woodwork to point out the opposite directions the two New York teams are taking lately?

Let’s just glaze over all the negatives and focus on the positives. For example, the Mets did not make an error. That’s right, they went error-free for a full nine innings. Shawn Green went 3-for-4 with another homerun. Endy Chavez and Jeff Conine were a combined 5-for-5 with 3 RBI. Moises Alou had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 22 games. Paul LoDuca went 2-for-4 with a double. David Wright hit two doubles. Guillermo Mota pitched a PERFECT one-third of an inning.

All for naught.

The Mets blew a first-inning, four-nothing lead. They blew a 7-3 lead. They blew, period.

I can’t revamp here the summary without getting sick (again). Go to Yahoo to read the recap.

Notes

Usually when a team holds “team meetings”, it’s either the beginning of the end or a collective grasping at straws. In other words, losers hold team meetings. When was the last time you heard of a team rallying around each other and prevailing over their opponents after a supercharged team meeting?


Next Game

The Mets have already lost the series to the lowly Nats and the Phillies are a game and a half behind. And Mike Pelfrey (instead of Tom Glavine) will be facing Matt Chico in the finale in another 7:05 PM start. So yeah, we’re counting on the 2-7 Pelfrey to pull the Mets out of the deepest ditch of the year. Good luck with that.

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Postseason Gear

Posted on September 18, 2007 by Joe Janish

The chilly weather of this past weekend was a reminder of how cold it can get in the New York City area in the fall. Since we’re assuming our beloved Mets will be competing come October, it’s time to start choosing cold-weather gear to wear to Shea during the playoffs.

Even if you don’t have postseason tickets, no doubt you’ll be heading out to bars and friends’ places in the brisk autumn weather — and you certainly don’t want to be mistaken for a Yankee fan!

So check out the MetsToday Store for the recently added “Cold-weather Gear” section, where I hand-picked Mets jackets, knit hats, gloves, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, mock turtlenecks, blankets, coffee thermoses, and every other item I could find to keep warm during the postseason. There are about ten pages to browse through, with items at all different price points, so you’re likely to find something worth ordering. Be sure to order today so you can get your gear in time for the NLDS.

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Head Scratchers

Posted on September 18, 2007 by Joe Janish

Starting Pitcher: Brian Lawrence

This game was doomed 24 hours before it began, when Lawrence was summoned to be the “emergency starter”. Did we miss something? I didn’t see an ambulance, nor hear sirens.

The gist of it is this: Pedro Martinez needs a full five days’ rest between starts. OK, fine. So throw John Maine on his regular four days’ rest (he last pitched on the 12th), then go with Mike Pelfrey (who last pitched in relief on 9/11) for game two, and Tom Glavine (9/14) for game three. The problem then is who pitches the opener in Florida — but worry about it then, after you’ve likely swept the Nationals and it doesn’t matter as much. You can throw Jason Vargas against the Marlins (who last pitched on 9/14), or Philip Humber, who has pitched all of three innings this month. In fact, why didn’t Humber get the “emergency start” in the opener in DC? Did the Mets really believe that he would do worse than the nail-biting four-inning disasters Lawrence has provided in every one of his previous five starts?


The Double Switch

Poor Willie Randolph has had a hard time wrapping his head around the whole “double switch thing” ever since entering the National League. It’s not really his fault; after all, he spent most of his life in the American League, where they play a modified version of baseball.

Finally, after almost three years, Willie figured out how to execute the complicated maneuver. It was a nice try — and you have to commend him for trying — but it didn’t quite make sense. Willie replaced the pitcher’s spot with Mike DiFelice, and brought in Jorge Sosa to hit in Paul LoDuca’s position in the order. This was an ill-advised decision on several fronts. First, Sosa is actually a better hitter than DiFelice (Sosa was originally signed as a power-hitting outfielder). Secondly, of all the players in the lineup to replace, it can’t be LoDuca — one of the few guys on the field currently with a pulse. According to Randolph, he wanted to pitch Sosa for multiple innings without his turn coming to the plate. If that’s true, why? Despite his recent troubles, Sosa has been one of the guys Willie’s leaned on when the Mets are ahead in the game. If he pitched more than an inning on Monday, he would not be available on Tuesday. That means if the Mets need pitchers for the 6th and 7th the options will include Pedro Feliciano and … Guillermo Mota. This was a bad idea from the beginning, never mind the fact that it was exacerbated by Willie’s decision to pinch-hit DiFelice with Ruben Gotay — thereby eliminating the purpose of the double-switch.

Paulie’s Tirade

Paul LoDuca’s postgame quote:

“There’s no excuses,” said Paul Lo Duca, who appeared to seethe at being removed on a double-switch in the sixth. “We get paid a lot of money and we’re not playing the game the right way. We’re lackadaisical on defense. We swung the bats a little better tonight, but it just seems like we’re not really playing to win. We’re being very passive and leaning back on things and just not playing well. It needs to turn around quickly or we’re going to be going home.”

Not sure why Paulie’s so excited … this has been the Mets’ modus operandi all year. And the strategy has worked quite well — cruise along, put in just enough effort not to lose more than you win, and wait for the Braves and Phillies to lose more often. That strategy looked like it would work fine last night, when the Cardinals nearly came back from an eleven-run deficit to beat the Phils.

The “Big” Games

Throughout the first half of the season, Willie Randolph continually downplayed the Mets’ struggles and justified his giving away weekday afternoon games with the illogical view that the most important games of the year are played in September. (Of course, at the same time, he’s been quoted as saying “every game is important”.)

Willie’s stone-aged philosophy that the games at the end of the year are somehow more important than those in the beginning or middle is now coming back to bite him in the ass. For example, we’re now looking at “throwaway” games — such as the Dave Williams start right before the All-Star break — with new perspective. We’re wondering why Damion Easley and Jose Valentin were given so many chances over the hot-hitting Ruben Gotay in the first half, and no longer buying the “it’s not all about the numbers” explanation handed by Randolph. But perhaps more relevant is the fact that Willie made September games appear so much more important than those played from April to August, that the team is choking. Sound defensive teams such as the Mets do not make ten errors in two days. Only two things cause that kind of lapse: fatigue and/or nerves. It wouldn’t be surprising if exhaustion was at least partly to blame for some of the errors in the field. After all, two of the culprits are the two most-worn players, David Wright and Jose Reyes. Keith Hernandez can say all he wants about youngsters not taking a breather, but the fact is, these two guys are dog-tired — and it’s too late now to do anything about it. Much was made of the day off finally given to Reyes a couple weeks ago, but unfortunately, 48 hours doesn’t necessarily rejuvenate a guy who needed a rest since mid-May.

Back in Keith’s day, players had access to greenies, and almost no one stole 75 bases a year. The biological fact is, bodies eventually break down, and a guy like Reyes — who exerts more than anyone else in MLB — needs more rest than the MLBPA-sanctioned every-other Monday off. Consider this: the year Rickey Henderson stole 130 bases, he played in 149 games — and his position was the outfield, which mentally and physically is less demanding than shortstop. Further, anyone who watched Rickey will tell you that there were plenty of moments he “took it easy” (less-nice people called him “a dog”). However, Reyes doesn’t cruise, or dog — ever. He’s putting out 100% from the first pitch to the last, and Randolph should have realized early on that he would need frequent breaks during the season to stay fresh. With two weeks left in the season, there’s obviously no time for that for either of the Mets’ young stars.

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Fundamentals: a Refresh

Posted on September 18, 2007 by Joe Janish

Rawlings Major League BaseballOK, no time to panic here. All the Mets need right now is a refresh on the fundamentals of baseball. Perhaps playing in those big stadiums with the frenetic crowds and TV cameras and flashbulbs popping has caused you Mets to lose sight of the fact that, whether it’s played in a sandlot, on a little league field, or in a $500M retractable dome stadium, it’s still baseball. And to win at this boys’ game, you must follow fundamentals. For example:

1. Know the number of outs and the score at all times.

2. When in the field, and before the next pitch is thrown, think about what you will do with the ball if it’s hit to you.

3. When you are behind in the score and leading off an inning, take a strike.

4. A walk is often as good as a hit.

5. Leadoff walks nearly always score — so get them on offense and prevent them on defense.

6. Never, ever make the first out nor the third out at third base (particularly when your MVP is at the plate).

7. In the field, listen to your catcher’s instructions regarding where to throw the ball. He’s the only one on the field who has the play in front of him.

8. On ground balls, keep the glove down. It’s easier to move the glove up on bad hops than to jab it down.

9. In the field, always try to get in front of the ball and use two hands if possible.

10. For pitchers, the most important pitch is strike one.

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Mets Game 149: Loss to Nationals

Posted on September 17, 2007 by Joe Janish

Depressed Mr. Met by Sal Iovine

Nationals 12 Mets 4

So it wasn’t necessarily the Phillies that were the problem — it’s the Mets, who are finding new ways to beat themselves every day.

It was earmarked as a throwaway game when — unbelievably — Brian Lawrence was rushed up from New Orleans to serve as the “emergency starter”. What the heck was the emergency? Because El Duque couldn’t pitch? Don’t the Mets already have Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber on the roster, in uniform, ready to show what they can do toward a 2008 job?

Coming into the game, Lawrence had a 1-2 record with a 6.83 ERA and 1.93 WHIP. In his last start, at Philadelphia, he was knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 10 hits, 2 HRs, and 5 runs. In his previous four starts he BARELY completed five innings — though anyone who saw those games knows very well that he was lucky beyond belief to get that far. So it’s not like it was any surprise when he could go only 3 1/3 in this contest — the surprise, in fact, was that he remained on the 40-man roster. Some may disagree, but I would have been more confident to see Jason Vargas on the mound before Brian Lawrence. Just what in the world was Omar, Willie, and the rest of the organization thinking with this decision?

As it was, Lawrence “pitched” (if that’s what you call it) 3 1/3 frames, and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk. Like Oliver Perez a day earlier, though, he left with the game tied — at which point the Mets brought in another “sure thing” in Aaron Sele. For anyone who has watched the Mets this year, you know Sele is indeed sure to give up at least one run — regardless of the number of innings he pitches. Though Sele worked out of a jam in the fourth (thanks in large part to Paul LoDuca picking Rob Fick off third base), but predictably gave up the go-ahead run in the fifth. He was replaced by LOOGY Scott Schoeneweis, who struck out pinch-hitter Tony Batista to end the inning.

And here’s where Willie Randolph has problems. Willie, if you’re reading, “LOOGY” is shorthand for Lefthanded One Out GuY. That’s what “The Show” is — a guy you use for ONE OUT. However, the cement-head that Randolph is, chose instead to push his luck and use Schoeneweis for another inning. Bad choice — and that’s not coming from the Monday morning quarterback, it’s what was screamed at the television when the bottom of the sixth began.

Hmm … sound familiar? Perhaps you remembered Sunday afternoon’s contest, when the sixth inning “happened”. Well apparently the same copywriter was hired to write Monday night’s story, because again it was the sixth that the Mets had a collective brain fart and gave the game away. First, David Wright allowed a DP ball to skip under his glove. Then, Schoeneweis threw away a bunt. Then, Jorge Sosa forgot to throw out Nook Logan scoring from third on an easy bouncer back to the box. Before it was all over, it was Nationals 9 Mets 4.

The bottom of the seventh wasn’t much better, as the Nats added another three and a pound of salt to the Mets’ wounds. Not much more to say.

Notes

Kudos to Carlos Beltran for swinging at the first pitch he saw in the eighth and popping up to the catcher, down eight runs. No need to be smart or fundamentally sound at that point — just get the game over with as quickly as possible.

The Mets wasted a two-run homer by Beltran and a solo shot by Shawn Green. Green was 2-for-3 on the evening.

Willie found a way to use all four of his catchers in the game, wasting Mike DiFelice in a double-switch — only to pinch-hit for him later — and giving Ramon Castro a pinch-hit at-bat in the eighth.

The Washington Nationals came into the game as the worst-hitting, lowest-scoring team in all of Major League Baseball. They amassed 12 runs on 13 hits.

The Phillies bludgeoned the Cardinals and are now 2 1/2 games behind with 13 games to play.


Next Game

John Maine goes against Joel Hanrahan in another 7:05 PM start. Who knows what might happen?

Note: The image accompanying this article was drawn by Staten Island artist Sal Iovine. Be sure to view his websites IOBLOG and www.saliovine.com to view all of his great illustrations and artwork.

Posted in Mets 2007 Games | 6 Comments

Series Preview: Mets vs. Nationals

Posted on September 17, 2007 by Joe Janish

Washington Nationals baseball logoThe Nationals are one game out of last place, and at 66-83 have no hope of finishing .500 for the season. The Mets are sitting atop the NL East, with a 77-57 record against teams not from Philadelphia. The last time the Mets lost a series to the Phils, they went on a rampage, winning five straight and 9 out of 10. It would be nice to see a similar rebound with 14 games left to play.

However, there are some strange goings-on. For example, Brian Lawrence is starting the opener for reasons unknown. Guillermo Mota is still being called into crucial situations, such as to hold onto tie ballgames. Shawn Green is the regular first baseman, batting .324 for the month, and suddenly a stolen base threat. Aaron Sele is still hogging a roster spot. And there’s a little lefty on the team who can’t seem to get his name spelled correctly on his uniform back.

Let’s take it game by game.

Game 1: Brian Lawrence vs. Tim Redding

This is a battle for the ages, the winner of which shall be crowned king of mediocrity. Redding, of course, as the edge, partly because he held the Mets to only one run on five hits in six innings the last time he faced them, and mostly because the New York hitters routinely fail against the worst starting pitchers in the National League. And then there’s Redding’s crazy beard, which reportedly hides nail files and petroleum jelly.

Lawrence again goes to the mound to prove that he is indeed a four-inning pitcher, capable of allowing three baserunners per inning but somehow squeaking out of it by allowing only one run. The reason Lawrence is starting is not because El Duque is injured so much as the Mets are giving Pedro Martinez a full five days off between starts — and apparently the other starters were jealous of this arrangement. Also, Willie Randolph has not been informed that the kid wearing #49 is a pretty bright prospect — one, in fact, that might vie for a starting rotation spot in 2008. Why give Phil Humber a few starts in meaningless September games when you know you can get four and a third nail-biting innings from Brian Lawrence?

Game 2: John Maine vs. Joel Hanrahan

At this point, John Maine is pitching for a spot in the postseason starting rotation, and could go one up on Oliver Perez after witnessing his teammate’s debacle on Sunday. The Nats send Joel Hanrahan to the hill, he of the near-six ERA and WHIP a shade under two. However, the reason those numbers aren’t over 6 and 2 is due to his first MLB start against the Mets — a six-inning, four-hit, seven-strikeout performance. Hanrahan had pedestrian stuff in that July 28th game, and has an ERA of just about TEN in his last four starts. That said, we may see the Mets no-hit for the first time this year.


Game 3: Mike Pelfrey vs. Matt Chico

Pelfrey is the scheduled starter, as the Mets cannot allow 40-year-old Tom Glavine to throw on only four days’ rest. There has been some talk of using Pelfrey out of the bullpen — perhaps because the Mets are desperately in search of anyone who can get outs from innings six through eight — but if Pelfrey is a candidate that will have to wait another week. Hey, there’s plenty of time before the playoffs to find out if Pelf’s sinker-slider combo will be viable in 7th-inning situations.

Despite a 5-8 record, Chico won’t get discouraged, as the Mets, they ain’t so hard to understand. And if he tries now, the Nationals are convinced that Chico can lend a helping hand … because there’s good in everyone, and a new day has begun — you can see the morning sun if you try. Oh, sorry … every time I see Matt Chico’s name I can’t help but think of Freddie Prinze Sr. and Jack Albertson. Lookin’ good!

Matt Chico is a battler, if nothing else, and can beat you if you let him. Or you can wait for him to beat himself. He’s a little lefty with a Napoleon complex who relies heavily on pinpoint control and changing speeds. Unfortunately for him, he rarely exhibits pinpoint control. If he were on the Mets, he’d be in New Orleans with the name “Vargas” stitched on his back. But who knows, if given the chance, the 24-year-old might one day turn out to be something. After all, Jamie Moyer flat-out stunk until age 33.

Bottom Line

The Mets will tell you they are not worried about the Phillies, they need to take care of their business, blah blah blah … but the fact is, they’re a scant 3 1/2 ahead with 14 games to play. In other words, anything can happen. Personally, I don’t believe the Mets are going to blow first place any more than the Phillies are going to go 10-3 the rest of the way. But, these next 14 games are the ones that the Mets are supposed to, and must, win. If the offense continues their non-Phillies dominance of the past few weeks, and the pitchers can refrain from walking a dozen batters a game, the NL East should be nearly wrapped up by this time next week.

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Get Yer Mota Running

Posted on September 17, 2007 by Joe Janish

Mets pitcher Guillermo Mota reacts after yet another poor pitching performanceAnd head him out to the highway, please.

I can completely understand why Willie Randolph has been testing Guillermo Mota the last few weeks — after all, the guy has the best stuff (other than Wagner) in the bullpen. Very few pitchers can throw a moving 95-MPH fastball, command a nasty changeup, and also have a decent slider in their back pocket. Unfortunately, Mota is a head case, a pitcher with major confidence issues. In many ways, he’s not unlike Oliver Perez — if things are going well, Mota can be dominating. Hit with a few bad breaks, a bit of adversity, and focus goes out the window, pitches are left up over the plate, and balls are flying over fences.

In fact, I also understand why Willie put Mota out there with a tie game against the Phillies — it was a move of desperation. Willie gambled that Mota would magically find his mojo against the Phillies, and be able to ride that high through the end of the season. But in the end the move did more harm than good.

With Mota’s stuff and potential to dominate, Willie had to keep pushing Mota out there and hope he could string together a few good outings to get his confidence back up. Unfortunately, Mota has failed miserably time and time again, and the spots Randolph chose to test him were questionable. There’s the “tough guy” school of thought which says a man must prove his mettle by overcoming the most difficult challenges. However, everyone is built differently, and not every reliever is going to respond to such handling. Mota has been struggling since the day he returned from his 60-game suspension, and has been known to be emotionally fragile. No doubt the steroid cloud around him has affected him mentally in one way or another — for example, he may feel like he needs to juice to be effective; or, he may feel like he has to prove to people that he doesn’t need to cheat. Even without the steroid issue, Mota has had confidence issues based on his poor performance. Further, the hometown fans boo him unmercifully before he throws a pitch. He’s a professional, so you can say that shouldn’t affect him, but the fact is, it does. Observing at his body language and the scared look on his face, it’s clear that Mota is upset with the booing and is devoid of confidence. This time last year, Mota looked mean and full of energy; now, he looks terrified and waiting for a way out.

Again, you can say what you want — i.e., he’s getting paid $2M, he’s a pro, etc. — but that’s not what we’re arguing here. The point is, Mota is the Mets property whether you like it or not, and he’s a high-maintenance, highly skilled pitcher with the emotional fragility of an egg. He doesn’t respond to being thrown to the wolves, and most of us saw that way back in July. In September, Willie Randolph could have — and should have — eased him back into a groove. Treat him with kid gloves, give him ONE inning here and there in non-pressure situations. Let him slowly realize that he can get big-league batters out. Instead, Willie injects him into the middle of an inning with the bases loaded, or throws him into a tie ballgame, or pushes him a second inning after pitching a successful one. Some personality types — Billy Wagner, for one — might respond well to such handling. Not everyone does. If Mota did have that kind of personality, he’d be closing for someone else right now (another bright red flag for anyone who’s followed Mota’s career — he has the stuff of a closer, but never could handle the role). The definition of “managing” is to make the most of what you’re dealt with — you can’t play a five of clubs like it’s an ace of spades. For the most part, Willie does this well — with position players. But with the pitching staff, and specifically with Guillermo Mota, he has failed miserably.

At this point, trying to build Mota back up and making the best use of his god-given, superior skills is a lost cause. New York fans can be brutal, and he’s feeling the full brunt of their nastiness (much to the happiness of Scott Schoeneweis). With Mota’s checkered past with performance-enhancing drugs, there will be no feel-good standing ovation of support such as was given Carlos Delgado. Randolph can try to wean him back while on the road, but there’s really no time at this point in the season for Mota to get his confidence back. There are 14 games left, mostly against the Marlins and Nationals. Mota has pitched poorly in 11 of his last 18 appearances, and has an ERA around six. Striking out Nook Logan or Todd Linden in meaningless games against last-place teams won’t be enough to get Guillermo confident he can perform in the postseason.

So now the Mets are in a quandary. Outside of Aaron Heilman — who himself is not without questions — there is no one to count on to bridge the gap to Billy Wagner. Jorge Sosa looked like the answer for a short while, but his hocus-pocus act as a reliever faded more quickly than his startling success as a starter. Let’s face it, Sosa is the righthanded version of Sparky Lyle — a 95% slider pitcher — but his slider isn’t as good as Sparky’s was. If his slider isn’t biting hard, and/or batters aren’t chasing it, it’s only a matter of time before a ball finds the fence. We’d really like to believe Pedro Feliciano is dependable, but he’s been up and down. I won’t even allow The Show or Aaron Sele into the equation.

There are two weeks left in the regular season to find at least one, hopefully two, relievers for the postseason. Joe Smith needs to be tested. Philip Humber needs to be tested. Mike Pelfrey needs to be tested — though that’s going to be difficult if the Mets insist on a six-man rotation here on out. Maybe you promote another arm or two from the minors to see what you have. Maybe John Maine tries out the bullpen for a week. But the Guillermo Mota exam period has ended. It’s time to move on, and find a new solution, before time runs out.

Posted in Pitching Staff | 5 Comments