Mets Release Livan Hernandez
According to MetsBlog, the Mets have released Livan Hernandez and activated Billy Wagner from the DL.
Though Livan has struggled mightily in his last three starts, I’m mildly surprised if only because I don’t know who is going to take his spot in the rotation. Nelson Figueroa? Tim Redding? After seeing two three-inning starts by Bobby Parnell, and getting lucky to get 5 innings out of Ollie Perez, you’d think the Mets would reserve those two for long duty.
Hopefully this clears the way for the Mets to promote Lance Broadway or Tobi Stoner to get a look-see. Today happens to be Broadway’s 26th birthday, and though he’s been awful in AAA, you’d have to think he has a better shot at making the 2010 roster than Tim Redding.
Looking forward to seeing Billy Wagner in action … if he can crank it up to 95 MPH, the Mets will have a nice trading piece — or setup man for next year.
Mets Game 118: Loss to Giants
Giants 10 Mets 1
Just when you thought things couldn’t possibly get worse …
It wasn’t enough that David Wright was put on the DL with post-concussion syndrome– the last of the “core” to switch from the dugout to the infirmary. And it wasn’t enough that the team lost yet another player for the season — Alex Cora, who had surgery on BOTH of his thumbs. And it wasn’t enough that despite winning three out of their last four, the Mets were moving closer to the cellar-dwelling Nationals than the NL-East leading Phillies.
No, that couldn’t be the end of the gloominess. In addition to all the bad news, the Mets also were spanked by San Francisco, losing a laugher in front of the hometown crowd. It was another ugly outing by Livan Hernandez — one that makes you wonder who will be taking the ball five days from now. So not only are many Mets inactive, but some that were previously reliable are becoming increasingly incompetent. It’s suddenly clear that the last 44 games of this season will be a depressing, hopeless struggle we haven’t seen in Flushing since the Art Howe years — and it could be even worse.
Livan allowed 6 runs on 11 hits and a walk in 5 1/3. The line didn’t look that bad (though not good) until the sixth, when the Giants scored three runs to put the game away. They scored another trio in the eighth off Tim Redding to make it embarrassing, and added another off Nelson Figueroa in the ninth for good measure.
Notes
Dan Murphy had two hits and is 4-for-10 since MetsToday decided he didn’t hit enough to play 1B. No homeruns in that time, though.
Cory Sullivan also had two hits and a walk from the leadoff spot. People are getting really excited about his recent production, which says a lot about where the Mets stand right now. Not to take anything away from Sullivan — it’s great to see — but it also needs to be put in perspective. Let’s not forget how great Angel Pagan was looking over a longer period of time, before falling back to Earth. But right now, Sully is a bright spot on an otherwise dark time of the year.
I suppose Livan Hernandez will get another start. What else are the Mets to do? Give Nelson Figueroa another shot? As much as I’d like to see Figgy get a few starts in a row, how well would he have to do for the Mets consider the 35-year-old as part of their plans for 2010? No one in the minors is ready for an audition, and the Mets probably don’t want to start the arbitration clock nor burn an option on anyone who they may use in 2010/2011, such as Brad Holt or Tobi Stoner.
Next Mets Game
The Mets begin a three-game series against the Braves in Flushing at 7:10 PM on Tuesday night. In a fitting episode of “As the Knife Turns”, Oliver Perez faces Derek Lowe in a matchup of last winter’s top two free agents on the Mets’ shopping list.
Mets Game 113: Loss to Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks 6 Mets 2
So hard to come up with something clever now that the season has been phoned in.
Livan Hernandez chose a poor strategy of giving the D’backs an early lead, then giving back a run every time the Mets scored (not that it happened so often). With that, Livan left the game after only four frames, yielding to Tim Redding.
The offense collected eight hits off Arizona starter Max Scherzer, but that’s all they did — collected. Not much was actually DONE with those safeties.
Notes
This team is playing poorly enough to make me wonder if they’ll keep the Nationals in the cellar. Seriously.
Cory Sullivan led off the game with a double, and Luis Castillo — who was 4 for his last 9 — sacrificed him to third. Right there I knew the game was over … it didn’t matter that Sullivan was stranded.
Australian-born Trent Oeltjen went 4-for-4 for Arizona and was a homerun shy of the cycle. He’s hitting .500 in his first 5 big-league games, has hustled around the bases, and been spectacular in left field. Talk about a man at work! At what point is it just overkill?
With this season resembling a Rutt’s Hut Ripper, it takes some creativity to provide entertaining text. The best I could come up with: should Tim Redding’s nickname be “Mr. Rochester”? It would be for his hometown and also for the plain-faced character of Jane Eyre. The only thing is, I’m not sure he qualifies as a “Byronic Hero“.
Today’s Baseball Lesson
Ron Darling spoke about long tossing, and said that players 20-25 years old should throw around 200-225 feet, and little leaguers should stay around 60 feet — and that the key was to throw as far as you can “without your mechanics breaking down”.
This was fairly decent advice, but allow me to elaborate, as I don’t like limits and I refuse to use negative images (I’d replace “mechanics breaking down” with a positive image). First of all, no matter what your age, you can and should be throwing as far as you can without putting an arc on the throw, and just short of your max effort. Throw the ball on a straight line, or with a little bit of sink, as far as possible, without straining. Extend yourself a few feet every five throws until you get to the point where you can’t reach your partner without a bounce. Once you get there, shorten the distance 5-10 feet and throw nice and easy for another 10-15 throws. If you do this every day, you will build your distance and arm strength.
Next Mets Game
The final game of the series will be played at 3:40 PM on Wednesday afternoon. Oliver Perez faces Jon Garland.
Mets Game 108: Loss to Padres
Padres 8 Mets 3
Ho-hum. Good thing this one was happening on the Left Coast, so most Mets fans were asleep while it was occurring.
Except, even the Mets fans who stayed awake to witness this depressing contest were fighting to keep their eyes open beyond the third inning.
Livan Hernandez did not pitch well. One would expect that a San Diego lineup full of youngsters would be easy prey for the wily veteran. However, these kiddies were clearly equipped with a game plan: make Livan throw the ball in the strike zone. Their collective discipline was devastating to Livan’s roundabout strategy from frame one, as the Friars worked him over for two runs and then another four in the third. Remarkably, Jerry Manuel left Livan in the game through the madness, and he gave up one more in the fifth before finally leaving.
Tim Redding got back to his usual routine, allowing the eighth Padre run in the seventh inning.
Meantime, the offense could do nothing against rookie lefthander Clayton Richard, who mowed down the Mets with ease before running out of gas in the sixth. The Mets mounted a mildly inspiring rally to chase Richard from the game, but Danny Murphy stifled it with a double-play grounder.
Notes
Aside from that rally-killing grounder, Murphy had two hits in four at-bats, as did Fernando Tatis. Tatis drove in a run and had the Mets’ only extra-base hit of the evening.
After watching Hernandez allow four runs in the third inning, and seeing him return to pitch the fourth, the fate of the Mets’ season became crystal-clear. The season is over, done, finished. Livan was left out there to dry, to save the bullpen. In other words, the game had been conceded. From here on it’s an early version of spring training, as the Mets will be holding auditions for the 2010 season. But hang in there, folks, and buy tickets — the Carloses are returning any week now!
Speaking of 2010, San Diego has some intriguing youngsters to build on for the future. Clayton Richard reminds me a bit of Cole Hamels, and they have some potent bats in Chase Headley and Will Venable. Everth Cabrera looks like a young Jose Reyes with his speed and fielding ability — though I’d like to see him dive for more balls. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team compete again within 2-3 years.
Next Mets Game
The second game of the series will be played at 10:05 PM on Friday night. Oliver Perez hurls against his old team while Kevin Correia pitches for the Padres.
Mets Game 102: Loss to Diamondbacks
Rockies 3 Mets 2
At the start it was a skirmish between soft-tossers, but in the end, a battle of the bullpens.
Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis matched each other slow curve for slow curve through six innings and each exited the game with the score tied and no chance for a decision. The soft-tossers hurled nearly identical outings, with both going 6 innings and allowing 4 hits and 2 runs — with all runs scoring on solo homers.
But in the end, it was the Arizona bullpen that prevailed, as they held the Mets hitless over the final three frames while Sean Green imploded, allowing a runner inherited from Pedro Feliciano to score the winning run.
Notes
Ironically, the loss was tagged on Feliciano, even though it was Green who shat the bed. Sometimes there is no justice in baseball scoring. Note: Feliciano was charged with the loss on the MLB official boxscore posted 10 minutes after the game; it has since been amended.
The 8th inning was a prime example of why the Diamondbacks are in second-to-last place and going nowhere this year. After Sean Green hit Justin Upton, walked Mark Reynolds on four pitches to load the bases, and was clearly struggling to keep the ball within six feet of home plate (seriously, not an exaggeration), genius Miguel Montero swung at a 1-0 pitch to bounce into a tailor-made DP started by Dan Murphy. Minutes later Green bounced a ball to the backstop to allow a run anyway, but it could’ve been much worse. If I’m manager A.J. Hinch (meh), I have the take sign on until Green shows he can throw two balls near the plate. If it were Miguel Cabrera at the plate instead of Miguel Montero, I might think differently … though it would be tough. After Green bounced in the run, Ryan Roberts swung at the very next pitch and eventually grounded out to end the inning. Again, you see a pitcher struggling mightily, don’t help him! Green was darn lucky to get out of there with only one run — any decent-hitting team would have scored 3-4 runs at minimum.
And while we’re on the subject of fundamentals, Ron Darling mentioned during the ninth that a hitter in a sacrifice situation should start the bat at the top of the strike zone — this way, if the pitch is above the bat, you know to let it go. I personally do not like this approach, because when the bat is up high, it means you have to move it down for strikes — and when you move a bat down to the ball, the ball tends to go up. Obviously, bunts should go down, toward the ground, which is why I’ve always preferred to start the bat low, at the bottom of the strike zone, and move it UP to the ball — which tends to impart an overspin on the ball, and sends the ball downward. Simple physics.
Frankie Rodriguez has not been in a save situation since the All-Star break. Wow.
The first two runs of the game came on homeruns hit on hanging curveballs. Mark Reynolds blasted a Livan curve a good 430 feet over the centerfield fence, while Dan Murphy jumped on a Davis deuce and bounced it off the rightfield foul pole, exactly 330 feet from home plate.
The two teams COMBINED for nine hits in the game. Miraculously, the Mets walked seven times — and not one of those baserunners scored. Davis issued six of those walks, and nearly all of them were of the “unintentional intentional” variety — he clearly picks and chooses who he wants to pitch to.
Angel Berroa pinch-hit for Livan Hernandez with two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. Have to say, if Berroa is the best you can do in that situation, I prefer to take my chances with Livan.
For the record, Jerry Manuel — the guy who admittedly “doesn’t put much into stats” — explained the decision by stating “Berroa’s had some success in the past against Arizona”. Um … hmmm … not sure how that’s a factor — does Berroa respond to the uniform rather than an individual’s stuff? In his career, Berroa has a .218 average vs. Arizona. Yes, last year Berroa hit .308 vs. the D’Backs, and against Doug Davis he was hitting .500 — but it was 1-for-2. Again, I may take my chances with Livan right there.
Angel Pagan and Luis Castillo are a combined 1-for-15 in the last two games heading the top of the lineup.
So with the Giants leading in the Wild Card standings, we have to root for the Phillies this weekend. Awesome.
Next Mets Game
The Mets and Rockies do it again at 7:10 PM at Citi Field. Oliver Perez faces Max Scherzer in an intriguing contest of talented enigmas. Both pitchers have the stuff to throw a no-hitter on the right night, and either could also disappear from the game before the fourth inning. No matter what, the crowd surely will be refreshed by cool breezes from the swings and misses siphoned from both lineups by these fireballers.
Mets Fire Sale
It was only a week ago that Omar Minaya claimed the Mets to be “buyers” rather than “sellers” but that was as much hogwash then as it is now. The Mets have 11 more losses than the NL East-leading Phillies and are 7 1/2 games out of the Wild Card with 65 games to play. Mathmetically, yes, they have a chance to reach the postseason. Realistically, though, it’s not likely.
With four days before the trading deadline, it’s time to see where the Mets can cut their losses and bring in some talent for 2010. Unfortunately, the list of trade bait is pretty short.
Pedro Feliciano
“Pedro Lite” is one of the most sought-after lefthanded relievers right now, in a mix with Joe Beimel, George Sherrill, and John Grabow. But how much will a pennant-starved team give up for a LOOGY? Would it be more than an A-ball suspect or AA filler material? The Mets may be better off holding on to Feliciano, who is showing no signs of slowing down.
Sean Green
Teams need pitching, and are willing to part with talent in return for quality arms. The question is, do other teams consider Green a quality arm? His stock has fallen due to a terrible first half and the fact that his performace drops considerably with overuse. The White Sox recently gave up a slugging first base prospect to pry Tony Pena from the Diamondbacks, and Pena was in the midst of a similarly down season. But, Pena is 27 and has a better track record. Can the Mets obtain a decent player for the 30-year-old Green? It’s worth trying.
Luis Castillo
After a horrible 2008, Castillo is in line for Comeback Player of the Year, and currently sizzling at the plate. There are a few pennant-contending clubs who might be in the market for a second baseman, most notably the White Sox, Twins, and Cubs. The Rockies and Giants might also have room for Castillo’s .400 OBP. However, there is the issue of Castillo’s unbearable contract, which still has two years and $12M remaining after this season. The Mets would certainly have to eat all or most of that money to get anything of value in return — much like the Red Sox’ dumping of Julio Lugo for Chris Duncan.
If the Mets are willing to continue paying Castillo, they might be able to get a prospect or two. For example, the Giants have a switch-hitting second baseman in AA named Brock Bond who is an on-base machine like Castillo, but is already 24 and has no power and only average speed — though, Mets fans would get excited over his currently .350 batting average (he’s projected to be a Jeff Keppinger / Brendan Ryan utility type of guy). The White Sox have some intriguing pitchers at AA and a big young catcher named Tyler Flowers, who was caught with PEDs in 2007 but has done well without them — whether they’d give him up for Castillo, though, is another story. Most likely, the Mets can get a mix of A and AA borderline prospects — similar to what they gave up to get him back in 2007.
Livan Hernandez
In two weeks, Livan went from nearly getting booted from the rotation to emerging as their second-best starter. Everyone always needs pitching, but would anyone give up anything of value for Hernandez — particularly since he projects as a #5 on any contending club?
Angel Pagan
I know, I know — he’s one of the few exciting and dependable players the Mets have in the lineup right now. But he’s also most likely playing the best baseball he’ll ever play in his life — so it may be a good time to “sell high” (i.e., like when the Mets traded Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Desi Relaford). With Carlos Beltran presumably coming back for 2010 and 2011, Pagan’s value to the Mets is diminished. The Tigers and White Sox could be trolling for an outfielder with Pagan’s skillset, and if he can bring back something of value, it’s worth exploring. On the other hand, if you believe Beltran’s knee woes are only beginning, then it makes sense to hold on tight to Pagan, and pencil him into centerfield for next season — because there are no centerfield prospects in the Mets’ minor league system ready to step in.
Brian Schneider
I’m not seeing it. Schneider is a fairly solid defensive catcher with occasional pop, but what is a contending team going to give up for two-month rental who can’t beat out Omir Santos for a starting job? The Mets would get MAYBE an A-ball suspect, and then we’d have Robinson Cancel back in Flushing.
Gary Sheffield
He can’t go anywhere as long as he’s on the DL. If he passes through waivers in August, maybe the Mets can get a AAA guy who was once a prospect but now a suspect.
Conclusion
I keep looking at the Mets’ roster and seeing nothing of value to other teams — a frightening parallel to their minor league system. Veterans not mentioned, such as Fernando Tatis, Tim Redding, Alex Cora, Cory Sullivan, Brian Stokes, and Jeremy Reed are all key contributors on this fourth-place team, but to a contending club they are basically worthless — other organizations have similar talent stocked at AAA, so why trade for it?
More disconcerting, even if the Mets are able to pull off a few trades, will they get anything worthwhile in return?
Consider this: the last time the Mets held a fire sale was July 2003, when they unloaded Jeromy Burnitz, Roberto Alomar, Rey Sanchez, Graeme Lloyd, and Armando Benitez — you can argue that those players were as or more more valuable then, than what the Mets have to offer now. The total return on those trades? Jeremy Hill, Jason Anderson, Kenny Kelly, Royce Ring, Victor Diaz, Kole Strayhorn, Joselo Diaz, Edwin Almonte, Andrew Salvo, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa. Victor Diaz and Ring made minor contributions, and the rest never made it to Flushing.
Mets Game 97: Win Over Astros
Mets 8 Astros 3
Who needs Gary Sheffield’s “power bat”, anyway?
For the second time in as many games, the Mets proved that they do indeed have Major League Players on their roster, and enough of them to win Major League Games — handily.
The streaking Mets offense was out of this world against the Astros, pounding Houston pitching for 13 hits, including three triples. Meanwhile, Livan Hernandez shook off a rough first frame and solidified his spot in the rotation with his second consecutive seven-inning start, allowing only three runs on eight hits and striking out a season-high of seven.
Sean Green earned a most unusual save for his 1 1/3 innings of work.
If the Mets can continue to play like this, they’ll be in line for meaningful games in September.
Notes
Why are people so surprised to see Livan pitch well or pitch poorly? There isn’t much mystery involved — basically, Hernandez eats up overly aggressive hitters such as those on the Astros, and generally gets into trouble with more patient teams such as the Yankees. So if Livan has a few bad starts in a row, it’s probably because he’s facing lineups that have what’s called a “team approach”. This isn’t rocket science.
Luis Castillo went 2-for-4 with a triple, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. He’s now hitting .301, and sporting a .398 OBP.
Jeff Francoeur had only one hit but drove in two. He now has 14 RBI in 12 games as a Met. Say what you want about his over-aggressive approach, but so far he’s producing.
It’s great that the Mets are finally scoring runs and winning ballgames. Unfortunately, they have not gained any ground on the Phillies throughout this two-game winning streak, and remain 11 games behind the leaders (in the loss column). They can keep putting W’s in the left column, but unfortunately they can’t lose less.
Next Mets Game
The Mets return to Flushing to begin a four-game series against the rejuvenated Colorado Rockies. Oliver Perez throws the first pitch at 7:05 PM on Monday night, while Ubaldo Jimenez takes the hill for the Rockies.
Mets Game 92: Win Over Nationals
Mets 6 Nationals 2
The Comeback has begun.
On the shoulders of Livan Hernandez and behind the bat of Jeff Francoeur, the new new new Mets started their second-half assault on the rest of the NL East by beating the cellar-dwelling Nationals.
Hernandez threw seven stellar innings, allowing only two runs on five hits and two walks against the mighty Nats. Hernandez kept the DC sluggers guessing by mixing a variety of pitches, speeds, and angles in a performance that guaranteed his spot in the rotation for at least another five days.
Meantime, Jeff Francoeur showed the world why Omar Minaya was right and the rest of MLB wrong, blasting an RBI double in the second and a solo homer in the ninth, powering a Mets offense that pummeled Washington pitching for nine hits. Similarly, Dan Murphy rewarded the patience of Jerry Manuel and solidified his spot as the #3 hitter with a two-hit, two-RBI evening. Shame on all of you who wondered why the .238-hitting Murphy was penciled into the three-hole … he’s Daniel Murphy, and He Hits Third!
In addition to Livan’s high-quality start, the bullpen was stupendous, capped by Frankie Rodriguez’s 12-pitch, perfect ninth in a non-save situation.
Notes
Francoeur was 3-for-4 on the day and saw 18 pitches — more than any other Met. Now that he’s gotten over the emotional hump of returning to his hometown, there’s no stopping “Jeff the Juggernaut”.
Francoeur became the third Met to hit a homerun this month! The last time the Mets had three different players hit a four-bagger in a single month was May of 1906, when Roland Agni, Luke Gofannon, and John Baal each pulled the trick. Of course, back then the Mets played in parks three times the size of Citi Field and the ball was “dead”, so I imagine all three of those “quadruples” were inside-the-park jobs, the result of line drives sneaking between the outfielders and rolling a quarter-mile to the fence.
Angel Pagan continues to blister the ball, burn up the basepaths, and sweep up centerfield — he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI from the leadoff spot. I can’t decide whether he’s making me forget Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, or both.
Jeremy Reed went 0-for-4, sinking his average to a season-low .250, and I imagine the newly promoted Cory Sullivan will be given a shot to take away his half of the LF platoon. After all, Reed is no Danny Murphy.
Since the Phillies routed the Cubs 10-1, the Mets didn’t gain any ground in the standings. But that’s neither here nor there — the turning point we’ve been waiting for all season has finally occurred. I can taste it! (Or is that whiskey on my lips?)
Next Mets Game
The Mets demolish the Nationals on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. Oliver Perez hurls for the Metropolitans while John Lannan plays the role of sacrificial lamb for the Nationals. Be sure to tune in early or you may miss the game-winning hit.
Mets Game 84: Loss to Dodgers
Dodgers 11 Mets 2
So much for building on a big win over the best team in baseball.
The Dodgers shrugged off a 5-4 loss on Wednesday night to demolish the Mets, reminding them of their place in the world.
Orlando Hudson wrapped a three-run double in the first frame, putting the Dodgers up by four, and from there it was just a long, painful, dreary wait for the game to end. I’ve had two root canals, and the agony did not compare to what had to be endured through the final 8 1/2 innings of this dreadful contest.
By the time Livan Hernandez was mercifully removed, he had allowed 8 earned runs on 11 hits and 4 walks in 4 frames. Pat Misch and Brian Stokes were passable in relief, but Tim Redding was Livanlike in his two innings, allowing another 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk.
Notes
What is there to say? Livan Hernandez put the team in a hole, and this team — with or without “the cavalry” — does not have the gumption to come back from such a deficit. There’s no way you can convince me that Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Jose Reyes would’ve made a difference in this game.
On a positive note, David Wright was 2-for-3. Gary Sheffield showed a modicum of interest, showing enough emotion to get himself tossed from the game. I’m not saying it’s good to get thrown out, but, it’s nice to see that someone on this team gives a crap.
The score could’ve been worse when you consider that the Dodgers left 13 men on base. Thirteen. Wow.
Jerry Manuel finally came to his senses in penciling in Luis Castillo and his .380 OBP at the top of the lineup. Though, I can’t explain Nick Evans in the two-hole, the insistence of forcing Fernando Tatis into the lineup, nor the decision to sit Dan Murphy after a two-double day. Is the lefty-lefty thing really THAT big a deal? And how can that be, when Manuel openly admits that he doesn’t pay much attention to the numbers?
Speaking of the numbers, Fernando Tatis is now 3-for-31 lifetime vs. Randy Wolf.
Manny Ramirez was 5-for-11 with 3 runs scored and 6 RBI in this series. Good thing I sat him on my fantasy team. I left Randy Wolf on the bench, too. This is why I finish last every year.
Next Mets Game
The Mets navigate their way to the All-Star Break via a three-game weekend series hosting the Cincinnati Redlegs. Fernando Nieve faces Bronson Arroyo in the opener at 7:10 PM on Friday night in Flushing.
Mets Game 79: Loss to Phillies
Phillies 7 Mets 2
The Phillies racked up seven runs in the first three innings against Livan Hernandez, and never looked back.
Hernandez was mercifully excused from his duties with no outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, at which point he had allowed 7 earned runs on 10 hits and 4 walks through three. It could’ve been an even uglier line, but long man Pat Misch got two ground balls resulting in three outs and no runs scored to save Livan’s ERA.
The Mets bullpen shut down the Phillies bats over the last five innings of play (Misch threw three shutout innings). Maybe the home team was simply tired of swinging and running around the bases.
Notes
Interestingly, Livan wasn’t victimized much by the gopher ball — a solo blast by Jayson Werth was the only run scored via homerun. Instead, the Phils mostly singled him to death. The top three hitters in the lineup were 6-for-8 against him in the first four frames.
OK, so, to reiterate: the Mets were beaten in a game where RODRIGO LOPEZ and CHAN HO PARK combined for eight innings of two-run ball. What else is there to say?
Ryan “Hercules” Church went 3-for-4. He’s now 13 for his last 23 and his season batting average has surged to .300. It’s safe to say he has “stepped up”. But hey, Danny Murphy (.245) is still a better hitter, as far as me and Pops Manuel are concerned.
Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect inning in this game. He does really well when the game is out of reach.
Once again, GREAT work by Emmy Award-winning Bill “Wizard” Webb, particularly in the third inning on a double by Jimmy Rollins. On the play, Rollins should have had a single, but made it to second because no one was covering the bag. Webb’s cameras gave us great up-close shots of Ryan Church fielding the ball in center, Rollins running down the first base line, and Livan throwing his glove at the ball up the middle, but unfortunately was not able to give us an angle that actually captured the play as it developed. Where was Fernando Tatis or Alex Cora? No one sitting at home knows, because no cameras were on them. Even if they had, most likely we would have seen the acne on Cora’s face or Tatis picking his nose, rather than a broad view shot that gave us an inkling on the actual ACTION.
For those unaware, many Emmy Awards are doled out to people not because of performance or popularity, but simply because someone took the time to fill out the necessary forms. No joke.
Next Mets Game
The Mets and Phillies do it again on July 4th at 4:05 PM (yeah, a FOX game). Fernando Nieve faces Jamie Moyer.
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