Willie Randolph announced during the Monday postgame interview that Lino Urdaneta was being sent back down to New Orleans, and Ambiorix Burgos would return to take his place on the roster.
Urdaneta made two appearances, totaling one full inning. He gave up two hits, including one homerun, and returns to AAA with a 9.00 ERA.
Burgos made three relief appearances for the Zephyrs. In 5 innings, he struck out 6, walked 3, gave up 5 hits, and had a 5.40 ERA.
The Cubs roll into Shea a much different team from last year’s 66-96 squad, with new faces from top to bottom. Perhaps the most significant change was in leadership, as the fiery Lou Piniella replaced the easygoing Dusty Baker. Piniella’s demanding expectations and hands-on style are a complete turnaround from the country club atmosphere during Baker’s tenure.
However, not many Cubs would know the difference, as there was a severe housecleaning in the offseason. Michael Barrett, Aramis Ramirez, Jacque Jones, and Derrek Lee are the only starters returning from last year, and the Cubs spent well-publicized hundreds of millions of dollars to import free-agents such as Alfonso Soriano, Jason Marquis, Ted Lilly, and Mark DeRosa. It’s taking some time for the new faces to mesh, as they sit today with a 17-18 record, 7 games behind the first-place Brewers. However, there is significant talent on this team, and my guess is that they’ll get better as the season wears on. It takes time for players to define their roles and a team to gel. Hopefully, they’ll be “gellin'” long after this four-game series in Flushing.
Game one: Tom Glavine vs. Jason Marquis
Tom Glavine goes for his 295th career win against Long Island native Jason Marquis. Marquis is the biggest pitching surprise in the NL, this side of John Maine, sporting a svelte 1.70 ERA and posting a 5-1 record. Apparently the Cubs were able to fix some issues that pitching guru Dave Duncan couldn’t, and as a result he’s on his way to a career year. Tommy will need to pitch his typical “vintage Glavine” game, as the Mets may struggle against the much-improved Marquis.
Game two: John Maine vs. Carlos Zambrano
A year ago, this game would look like a gimme for the Cubs — but what a difference a year makes. Maine and Zambrano are moving in opposite directions, as Chicago’s 2006 ace is struggling with an ERA soaring into the sixes. Our insider Al Yellon tells us Zambrano is having an arm angle issue, and we witnesses of Oliver Perez know what that’s all about. Let’s hope our Maine man can continue his rapid ascension and Zambrano keeps slipping.
Game three: Jorge Sosa vs. Rich Hill
Can Jorge Sosa continue his domating ways? My gut says no, but maybe he has one more rabbit left in his hat for the Cubs. Of course, if he pitches a third masterpiece, we may have to start taking him seriously.
The Mets batters may have their hands full with Hill, a big lefty with an equally big overhand curve. If you’ve noticed, the Mets don’t like curveballers — witness their issues with the otherwise ordinary Matt Morris, who threw nothing but deuces. If Hill got the same scouting report as Morris, and his curveball is biting, it could be a long day for the Mets hitters. On the other hand, if his Uncle Charley is on a noose, we may see some Mets fly balls find the fence.
Game Four: ? vs. ?
The Cubs have Angel Guzman scheduled, and it’s presumed that he’ll start in the Thursday afternoon finale. However, he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings against Philadelphia on Saturday, and there are whispers that Chicago may bring up Sean Marshall to take his spot. The Mets, on the other hand, have yet to make a move since demoting Mike Pelfrey, and likely won’t promote anyone until Wednesday. Since Jason Vargas was scratched from his Sunday start in Las Vegas, there’s reason to believe he’ll be added to the Mets’ pitching staff. However, that doesn’t necessarily rule out a spot start by veteran Aaron Sele, who has pitched only
Mets Bats
David Wright and Carlos Delgado are finally out of their slumps, but Shawn “Samson” Green has only one hit since shaving his locks. Additionally, Moises Alou might miss at least the first two games, but that’s not much of a loss considering his .208 average in May coupled with the emergence of Carlos Gomez. Gomez started with a bang on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a double, a steal, and two runs scored. If he can keep that kind of pace up, Alou might be Wally Pipped. Paul LoDuca is batting .308 in his last 7 games, and Jose Reyes is hitting a ho-hum .353 over the same span. Damion Easley is also wielding a hot bat, batting .400 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI in the last week.
Cubs Hitters
The Cubs may have the most dangerous lineup, top to bottom, that the Mets will face all year. Cesar Izturis is the only light hitter among the regular eight, but he’s 6-for-his-last-10. Matt Murton is also 6-for-10 over the last three games, hitting in the fifth spot of the order. Local boy Mark DeRosa (Passaic, NJ) has a career .364 average against the Mets, going back to his Braves days, though he’s been cold lately.
The real mashers in the Cubs lineup, of course, are Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. There’s no hiding or pitching around those three, as they’re among the first four bats in the lineup. The good news is, Lee might not play due to neck spasms, and Soriano is slowed — on the bases, at least — by a sore hamstring. Still, any of those three could change a game with one swing of the bat.
Sorry to say, we probably won’t see much of Cliff Floyd, as he is a backup in the Cubs’ crowded outfield. With Murton swinging a hot bat, and Soriano playing leftfield due to the hammy, Floyd is more or less relegated to pinch-hitting appearances.
Conclusion
This series could be tougher than you might think, as Lou Piniella is starting to get a handle on what he has here — and these Cubs are loaded with talent. The Mets made a statement by taking two of three from Milwaukee, but I’ll be happy with a split against the Cubs, especially considering that the starting rotation situation is still up in the air. It should be a fun and exciting prelude to the Yankees’ return to Shea at the end of the week.
Rumor has it that the Mets are trolling the market for a second baseman to fill in while Jose Valentin recovers from a torn ACL. Apparently the current setup of Damion Easley and Ruben Gotay is not perceived by management as a viable solution. Or perhaps Omar Minaya is using second base as an opening to negotiations, with the real goal of prying away a top-flight starting pitcher kept under the cuff until talks get heavy enough to start expanding the deal.
Despite the recent slugging and heroics of Damion Easley, he isn’t the ideal everyday second baseman. There’s a reason he hasn’t been a starter since 2001 — his fielding is less than adequate, and that slow, loopy homerun swing has signficant holes. Easley’s weaknesses will become more apparent and exposed the more often he plays. Don’t get me wrong — I like him a lot — but as a part-time player and pinch-hitter.
Easley’s caddy, Ruben Gotay, has better skills in the field and might be a better hitter, but chances are we won’t find out. Willie Randolph is hesitant to give Gotay regular work at the keystone, for two reasons: first, he feels obligated to make the veteran Easley play himself out of a job, and second, Randolph simply trusts “his veterans” over a youngster such as Gotay. Ruben Gotay will need to string together a few remarkable performances before getting a chance to start two days in a row. It’s too bad, because if given a week of starting, he could prove to be a viable replacement while Valentin mends. But that’s unlikely to happen unless Easley also goes down — and even then, Randolph might start mixing in David Newhan at the position.
If the above is true, then the only an outsider has a chance to start over Damion Easley.
Last week MetsToday thought Jose Castillo might be available, and now it appears that he is. the Pittsburgh Gazette reported that Castillo’s agent has requested a trade, citing his lack of playing time (the former starting infielder has only 32 at-bats this year). Is Castillo a better option than Easley/Gotay? Hard to say, as he’s pretty close to achieving what the current combination will likely produce, but he’s not a significant upgrade over either. In the field, Castillo is average to above-average, but tends to have John Maine-like lapses in concentration that affect his defensive play. Offensively, he’s capable of going on mad tears — such as a 3-week streak in May of last year that improved his batting average by 60 points. If he’s not hitting, however, Castillo is an overall average contributor. Plus, there is the consideration of his work ethic, which has been an issue in Pittsburgh. Would it be worth it to the Mets to bring in another question mark? Perhaps the only positive of such a deal is that it’s with Pittsburgh, who last handed us Oliver Perez. Is another fleecing in the offing?
More likely, I see Omar Minaya waiting out Todd Walker’s ten-day assignment and sign him to a contract. Walker was DFA’d by Oakland on Saturday, and might be worth a flyer. In many ways, he is the lefthanded-hitting version of Damion Easley: a seasoned veteran, former All-Star, great clubhouse presence, strong hitter, but average to below-average at second base. Though his range is limited, he’s sure-handed, and the man can still hit and get on base. He has the kind of short, line-drive swing that is impervious to slumps, and ideal for hit-and-run and situational hitting. Walker is a shell of his former self, but he’s been a hard-nosed, team-first, winning ballplayer wherever he’s been — one of “Willie’s guys”. All in all, he may be the ideal platoon partner (with Easley) to get the Mets through the next two months — and he’d also give the Mets another nice lefthanded bat off the bench. Perhaps best of all, the Mets won’t need to trade anything for him, he’s cheap, and he won’t require a commitment beyond this year.
The more I think about it, the more Walker would be an ideal fit — though only if the Mets can figure out a way to keep a late-innings defender such as Gotay or Anderson Hernandez on the roster. It might mean a demotion for David Newhan, though he doesn’t seem to give the Mets much else than a middle-innings pinch-hit option.
The real question is, how would Walker look with a shaved head?
The Chicago Cubs were baseball’s biggest player in the offseason, spending an enormous amount of money to retain Aramis Ramirez and fetch the services of manager Lou Piniella, outfielders Alfonso Soriano and Cliff Floyd, pitchers Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly, and infielder Mark DeRosa — among others. The “new look” Cubs are a much different team than the one that lost 96 games last year, and much better than their 17-18 record would indicate. Their deep starting rotation has been surprisingly solid, and should get more offensive support as the season goes on. With all the changes, it was expected that the Cubs would start off a bit rough, but when this team gells, the NL-Central leading Brewers will have a formidable opponent on their tail.
To give we Mets fans more of the “inside story” of these rising Chicago Cubs, Al Yellon of Bleed Cubbie Bluewas kind enough to answer a few questions.
How has Lou Piniella made an impact on the team thus far — in regard to attitude and performance? Is it clear that “there’s a new sheriff in town”? How are Cubs fans reacting to any changes he’s implemented?
I think Piniella is THE biggest reason for the change in attitude in this franchise this season. There have been some immensely frustrating losses via bullpen meltdowns, bad baserunning, etc.
And unlike Dusty Baker, who would have just said, “Geez, we had a tough day, dude”, Piniella immediately does something about it, whether trying different relief combinations, or lineup changes, or, well, just *something*.
Lou wasn’t my first choice for manager — Joe Girardi was. But so far, I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Sweet Lou. He’s not anything like his “throw a base as far as you can” reputation. He just wants to win. That’s refreshing.
What is Jason Marquis doing differently this year? A mechanicalchange? Mental change? Is he pitching over his head?
It’s both mechanical — Larry Rothschild worked with him intensively during the off-season — AND mental. It appears that the vaunted team of LaRussa and Duncan just didn’t like Marquis, and the feeling was mutual. Last year LaRussa left Marquis in games twice to take ten-run-plus poundings. Take those away and his season ERA in 2006 drops by a full run.
Marquis has attributed his success to good mechanics and throwing the same way every pitch. I’d agree. He’s getting his sinker to work and getting ground-ball outs, which is what he needs to continue to succeed. Will he have a 1.70 ERA all year? Of course not, but I’d settle for something in the low three’s. If he can do that, he can easily win 15 games.
We’re catching some buzz this way that Carlos Zambrano and Piniella are not getting along. Zambrano also seemed miffed about the contract extension that never happened. And his ERA is soaring toward six. What’s the real story, and will he be a Cub next year?
I haven’t heard anything about a Piniella/Zambrano rift. In fact, Saturday, Z threw a side session with Lou watching, and both pronounced themselves pleased with the result. Both management and we the fans have noticed a problem with Z’s arm angle; he seems to be telegraphing his pitches, at least early in the game. If that’s addressed, he should be just fine.
Will he be a Cub next year? Who knows, with the uncertainty of who’s going to be the club owner.
In a related question, how are fans reacting to the impending sale of the Cubs?
There was a big flurry of activity and discussion at first — but not much lately. There’s no “impending sale” at this time. What I mean by this is that the Tribune Co. sale is not finalized, and until that happens, Sam Zell can’t put the Cubs on the market. It is entirely possible, given that and the glacial pace at which MLB approves such sales (and FWIW, there is NO way they will EVER approve Mark Cuban as a MLB owner), that the current management team could still be in place on Opening Day 2008.
Rich Hill is taking some big strides so far … is this his “breakout” year?
Hill actually had his “breakout” year the second half of 2006, when he went 6-3 with an ERA in the 2’s, for a terrible team. He’s continued that performance so far this season; the difference appears to have been a change in attitude when he was sent down in May 2006. He was a totally different pitcher when he returned. He’s 27 — older than Mark Prior — but better late than never.
Here in NY we had a good look at the Brewers over the weekend. Strong pitching from start to finish, aggressive young hitters, fundamentally sound. What do the Cubs need to do to get past them?
You hit the nail on the head in your description of the Brewers. Consistent pitching and good fundamental play will go a long way toward making the NL Central a race again. Milwaukee’s good — but not THIS good. They will come back to the pack.
If the Cubs’ starting pitching can continue to be as good as it has so far, on a consistent basis, they will win a lot of games, because this lineup WILL hit.
Cliff Floyd was a fan favorite at Shea. How is he fitting in with the Wrigley fans so far?
Floyd’s not much more than a blip, to be honest with you. He doesn’t play enough — starting maybe three times a week — to have any impact with the fans. So far he hasn’t done anything really awful, but neither has he done anything spectacular. I saw him play in spring training games and he could barely run, letting many balls drop in front of him in the outfield. He seems better now; I’ve been surprised at how well he runs the bases.
Honestly, Jim Hendry should never have signed him — all his presence does is create a logjam in the outfield, where there is not enough playing time for everyone. Hendry recruited Floyd when he was coaching at Creighton, but Floyd opted to sign with the Expos instead. Hendry’s been after him for nearly 18 years. Unfortunately, he got him for the Cubs a couple of years too late — he’d have looked real good in left field in 2005.
Thanks again to Al — be sure to check out BleedCubbieBlue.com for more insights on the Chicago Cubs.
Mets 9 Brewers 1
As poorly as the Mets played on Saturday, they were the inverse on Sunday. Saturday’s poor pitching, weak hitting, and sloppy fielding was replaced by excellent pitching, strong hitting, and solid fielding in this 9-1 rubber game victory.
So … for everyone looking at this series as some kind of test for the Mets … it’s fair to say they passed (while the Brewers failed).
Oliver Perez was outstanding, taking a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning before allowing a solo homer to Billy Hall. The crazy thing is, the one hit given up in the previous eight innings was a fluke single to opposing starting pitcher Chris Capuano — to give you an idea of how close Ollie was to pitching the eternally elusive no-hitter.
The most difficult situation Perez faced all day was in the first inning, when he walked Rickie Weeks to start the game. After that, he retired the next 25 out of 29 batters before Hall’s homer — with two of the four baserunners reaching by error. Over 8 1/3, Perez threw an economical 109 pitches, struck out 6, walked 2, allowed 2 hits, and gave up one earned run. He’s now 2-0 in weekend afternoon starts at Shea.
Supporting Perez was the powerful bat of Damion Easley, who drove in three of the Mets’ first four runs, added a fourth ribbie in the eighth, and accounted for 6 of the Mets’ 9 runs. Easley’s two-run homer into — where else? — the leftfield bleachers in the first inning gave the Mets a lead they’d never relinquished as well as all the runs Perez would need on the day. Ramon Castro drove in David Wright later in the inning to make the score 3-zip, and Easley drove in rookie Carlos Gomez for the Mets’ fourth run in the second.
No more noise came from the home team until the 8th, when the Mets barraged reliever Elmer Dessens for 5 runs on 5 hits — all with two outs — including an RBI single by Oliver Perez, a triple by Jose Reyes, and a two-run homer by Carlos Beltran.
Notes
Perez had a chance to pitch a complete-game shutout before the Hall homer, and was removed immediately afterward. Aaron Heilman came on to get the final two outs on nine pitches.
Rookie Carlos Gomez had an exciting debut, going 2-for-4 with a double in his first at-bat, two runs scored, a stolen base, and an ESPN-web-gem-worthy diving catch in rightfield. He was visibly amped up for the game, exuding enthusiasm and aggressiveness. While it’s not fair to judge him based on one ballgame, from what he showed, he looks far more advanced all-around than Lastings Milledge at this point in time. While Milledge may have a quicker bat and a stronger arm, Gomez is faster, a smarter baserunner, and much more confident and skilled in the field. His aggressive nature at the plate is typical of a 21-year-old, but the rest of his game is much more polished than had been advertised. It’s easy to see why the Mets are so high on this 6’4″ speedster.
David Wright batted cleanup and swung the bat with more authority than he has all year. He looked extremely confident, taking good level swings and getting the sweet spot of the bat on the ball. He also stole three bases in the game for the first time in his career.
Ramon Castro went 2-for-4 in his weekly start, further advancing the legend of the Mets’ high-performance bench.
Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 as well, with a walk, 2 runs scored, and his 21st stolen base.
Who would have believed that at this point in time, Damion Easley would have one less homerun than the combined output of David Wright and Carlos Delgado?
Next Game
The Mets begin a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs at 7:10 PM on Monday night. Tom Glavine faces Long Island native Jason Marquis.
Check back here on Monday afternoon for a series preview, including insights from Al Yellon of BleedCubbieBlue.
For the second consecutive May, the Mets are rushing a 21-year-old, toolsy outfielder up to the big club.
Last year, it was Lastings Milledge, the raw talent whose performance received mixed reviews and split Mets fans into two camps: the “Free Lastings” movement and the “Milledge Ain’t Ready” group.
Today, Carlos Gomez suits up for the first time as Major Leaguer, though with much less fanfare and lower expectations.
Unlike Milledge’s situation last year, the Mets are not looking for Gomez to challenge for a starting position, nor make a significant impact on the team. The team is pretty much set with veterans Moises Alou and Shawn Green flanking Carlos Beltran, and Endy Chavez filling in as necessary. Whereas Milledge was promoted to push Xavier Nady and Cliff Floyd for playing time, and possibly finish 2006 as a starting corner outfielder, Gomez may be returning to New Orleans before the end of the week.
Carlos Gomez will provide an extra set of legs off the bench and some outfield depth while Moises Alou nurses a strained left quad (and sore shoulder, and swollen knee, and split lip, etc.). Alou did not go on the disabled list (yet), so Mike Pelfrey was sent down to make room on the roster for Gomez. If Alou’s myriad injuries do not put him on the DL, Gomez most likely will go back down to New Orleans to make room for a starting pitcher the next time Pelfrey’s turn comes up — which would be on Thursday afternoon.
In his first few weeks of AAA, Gomez tore up the PCL, but has since cooled down. He’s hitting .286 with 2 homers, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 13 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 36 games. In addition, he’s impressed scouts with his defense in centerfield, though he’ll be playing the corners with the Mets. If those 17 SBs seem to indicate speed, consider this: Jose Reyes says Gomez is faster than him. Despite the decent numbers, he most likely would not be in Shea Stadium this afternoon if not for injuries suffered by Ben Johnson and Lastings Milledge. With his raw, unpolished talent requiring seasoning, the Mets would much rather have Gomez playing every day in the PCL than riding the bench with the big club.
That said, Gomez is starting in rightfield today, so the Mets might give him a long look in his short stint at Shea (does that make any sense?). It’s doubtful he’s any more ready for MLB than Milledge was last year (or Pelfrey this year, for that matter), but now is as good a time as any to see how close he is to making the leap. Should he show maturity beyond his years, it may make it easier for the organization to subtract Milledge in a deadline deal for a pitcher or other playoff part.
In any case, it should be fun to watch one of Citi Field’s future thoroughbreds in this limited preview. And who knows, with a little luck, Carlos Gomez just might find himself on the 25-man roster longer than anyone expects.
Apparently, the Devil hasn’t paid attention to Major League Baseball in the last ten years, otherwise he wouldn’t have placed Joe Hardy on the Brewers. Hardy is supposed to be ripping up the Yankees, and Beelzebub probably thought Milwaukee was still in the American League. An honest mistake, when you think about it. Who ever would believe that a team could switch leagues? The only way that would ever happen is if the owner of the team was also the Commissioner of Baseball, and …
Anyway, I digress …
So J.J. Hardy is apparently getting the same B-12 shots that Miguel Tejada gave Brian Roberts in 2005 — except he’s on a pace to hit about 50 homeruns instead of 18 (hmm … maybe it was a mixup with one of Brady Anderson’s 1996 vitamins). Hardy had only one hit, but it was a grand slam off Joe Smith in the 8th that essentially ended the game — his second tater in as many games. Hardy is now leading the NL in RBI and is tied for the homerun lead with Barry Bonds, Adam Dunn, and Prince Fielder. Huh. Maybe Houston shortstop Adam Everett should have a chat with Hardy, since they were more or less the same player a year ago.
Before Hardy put the game out of reach, the Mets looked to have an outside chance of stealing the game away from the Brewers, who should have put the game away much earlier. It was a 4-3 game before the Brew Crew came to bat in the 8th, but things changed quickly as Pedro Feliciano gave up a leadoff single, Craig Counsell intentionally allowed the ball to hit him on a bunt attempt, and Gabe Gross was legitimately hit by the first pitch thrown by reliever Joe Smith. Then Tony Gwynn, Jr. worked the count full before swatting a bases-loaded single, and Hardy hit the first pitch he saw over the fence. Within five minutes, the game went from very tight to out of hand.
Looking back, the only reason the Mets made it as close as it was up to that point was due to Ben Sheets pulling an Oliver Perez. Sheets was throwing very well through the first four innings — borderline dominating — but lost his sh*t in the fifth after Billy Hall dove for a Shawn Green fly that turned into a triple. Why Sheets panicked with a four-run lead and Mike Pelfrey facing him is anyone’s guess, but the misplay clearly affected Big Ben’s game. After Green’s blast, Paul LoDuca worked a ten-pitch walk to further infuriate Sheets, and he uncorked a wild pitch to Ruben Gotay to score Green. Gotay grounded out, advancing LoDuca, but pinch-hitter David Newhan mashed the first pitch he saw over the rightfield fence to make the game 4-3. Unfortunately, that inning was the exent of the excitement for the hometown fans. The Mets collected only six hits the entire game, looking defensive and overmatched in their swings against Sheets and the Brewer bullpen.
Meantime, Mike Pelfrey did not pass muster in his fifth start. He allowed 4 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings, and looked much worse than that. Once again, he was a nervous nelly in the first inning, allowing one run but barely escaping before more damage was done. He got through a scoreless second against the bottom of the order, but allowed another run in the third and two in the fourth. His command was erratic, and his fielding was inadequate; at least three base hits were right back up the middle, and he was too slow in covering first base on a ground ball to the right side in the fourth.
With each start, Pelfrey looks less and less like a Big Leaguer. In fact, he’s shown nothing to suggest that he’s ready to pitch at this level, and does none of the little things to help himself. As a sinkerballer, he should field his position well, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t mix up his moves and takes too long to deliver the ball, so players run wild on the bases. He can’t hit whatsoever, and isn’t able to bunt, either. For a guy who is supposed to be pitching to contact, he walks too many batters. He cannot throw his change-up for strikes, and as a result relies on a flat slider too often for strikes. Add all these issues to an obvious lack of confidence, and there’s only one decision best for everyone: go down to the minors and get some seasoning.
Some day, Pelfrey might evolve into a solid Major League pitcher — maybe an excellent one. But first he needs to develop his secondary stuff, and he must improve his overall game. It’s not fair to him nor the Mets to have him try to figure everything out on the big stage. Even if El Duque misses his next few starts — which looks likely — I’d be surprised to see Pelfrey take another turn.
Notes
Not a whole lot of positives in this game. The Mets, as a team, played sloppy baseball. For example, in the fourth inning, with one out and down by four, David Wright smacked a line drive to the right field wall and was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double. He was out by about five feet, and had no business trying for an extra base in that situation — not when you have sluggers like the two Carloses coming up next. In a tight game, maybe, but down by four — no.
It wasn’t any better in the field, epitomized by a crazy play in the fourth. Pelfrey loaded the bases with one out and appeared to have gotten a big out by inducing Prince Fielder to pop up to shallow right. Ruben Gotay backpedaled to catch the ball, and Craig Counsell — the poor man’s version of David Eckstein — incredulously tagged up from third and ran home. With his momentum going backward and on his heels, Gotay had no chance to make a strong throw and Counsell scored easily. However, Tony Gwynn had also tagged up from second and J.J. Hardy from first, and Paul LoDuca had Hardy caught between first and second. LoDuca fired the ball to Reyes at second, who was not paying attention to the fact that Gwynn never slowed down and was rounding third. Hardy stayed in the rundown long enough to allow Gwynn to score before being tagged for the final out of the inning. In 34 years of watching baseball — at all levels — that was the first time I ever saw two runners score on an infield fly that resulted in an inning-ending double play. You don’t see comedy like this in little league!
Jose Reyes was an ugly 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Against Sheets’ curveball, Reyes appeared to regress to 2005, flailing away at breaking pitches in the dirt. A good deuce can do that to a hitter.
Carlos Delgado also had a bad day, also 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. He wasn’t getting any help from home plate umpre Phil Cuzzi, either, who was calling high and outside strikes on Delgado all day.
Moises Alou was hitless as well, but more importantly, left the game with a strained left quadriceps muscle. Expect “Everyday Endy” to be in the lineup for the next few days.
Next Game
The rubber match pits human slot machine Oliver Perez against ace lefty Chris Capuano for a 1:10 PM start. Oh, you thought Ben Sheets was the ace? Think again. Capuano is currently 5-0 with a 2.31 ERA and a stingy 1.13 WHIP. He threw eight shutout innings against the Nationals in his last start. Let’s hope Ollie can keep his underpants clean for this start and give the Mets one of those seven-inning masterpieces.
Early May is hardly the time to evaluate a Major League Baseball player. Only a month into the season, it can take some time for guys to get into the swing of things, find a rhythm, and make minor mechanical adjustments. Also, the weather is just starting to get comfortable, and many players simply don’t play well in the often chilly, unpredictable April weather.
So is it too early to say that today’s start against the Brewers is a “do or die” situation for young Mike Pelfrey?
Maybe.
In five starts so far this year, Pelfrey has zero wins and four losses. Those four losses represent one-third of the team’s total loss count. With the Braves back to their “win 3, lose 1” routine, and the Mets a half game behind in the standings, every win — and loss — counts.
Over those five starts, Pelfrey has a 6.39 ERA. In 25.1 innings, he has given up 28 hits and 14 walks. As a sinkerball pitcher, you don’t mind the hits so much, as he’s supposed to pitch to contact. The 14 walks, however, are alarming.
His best start came on May 1, when he pitched into the 7th inning (6 1/3 total) and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs. Not an outstanding game, but encouraging. His other four starts range from awful to poor to so-so. He’s been shaky at the start of games, looking uncomfortable and confused in the early innings. He’s also been inefficient, getting to his 100-pitch count before he can get into any kind of rhythm. In addition, he does not help himself with the little things, as he is below-average to poor when it comes to holding runners, fielding his position, hitting, and bunting.
All these signs suggest that MIke Pelfrey simply isn’t ready to pitch at the Major League level. How long will the Mets continue to allow him to learn on the job, while they fight the Braves for first place?
Part of the reason Pelfrey has made it this far is by default: there simply aren’t any better options in the organization. If El Duque didn’t go down, Jorge Sosa might have forced Pelfrey’s demotion. Other than Sosa, the Mets have little else in AAA. Chan Ho Park failed miserably in his one start, and both Philip Humber and Jason Vargas are at a similar stage in development to Pelfrey. Humber was just named the PCL pitcher of the week, but his 4.86 ERA isn’t exactly earth-shattering. Vargas is at 5.30, mixing in good starts with bad.
Things aren’t getting any easier for Pelfrey; today he faces the red-hot Brewers, who will be trotting ace Ben Sheets to the mound. If he loses again, he’ll be 0-5, and the Mets will have to start to consider how losing is going to affect the kid’s confidence and long-term development — not to mention the team’s chances to overtake the Braves. How far do you let him go? 0-7? 0-10? At what point does he —and the team — think a loss is the most probable outcome when he takes the mound? The Tigers let Jeremy Bonderman lose 19 games his rookie year, and didn’t blossom until three years later. Was it the right move? Who knows?
Chances are, Pelfrey will get at least one more start beyond today’s — really, it all depends on how much longer El Duque is out. With Sosa turning in back-to-back masterpieces, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out who goes down when El Duque returns.
On Pelfrey’s side is this: if he pitches well, and earns a win, it will be a tremendous boost of confidence, the kind that he can ride through his next few starts. Beating the team with MLB’s best record, against their ace pitcher, can do wonders for an impressionable young kid trying to find his way. He’s shown subtle development so far, but nothing to get overly excited about. Rather than a “good effort” in a losing cause, Pelfrey is ripe for a big win over a formidable opponent — something that he can build on going forward. Beating the Brewers could give him enough confidence to ride to a win in his next start, and make the decision of who to demote more difficult when El Duque leaves the DL.
Otherwise, he’ll likely find himself in New Orleans.