Global Mets Blog

Free Agent Signing Predictions!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Just recently I found that Phil Rodgers of the Chicago Tribune had delivered his list of predicting where the upper crust of Free Agents will sign.(From the look of some of his guesses there are certain cacti growing in Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood) Well...it is time for mine as well.

Matt Holliday- Mets

Not a player I am 100% enthralled with, but certainly the premier talent in the 2010 FA Pool. I think the Mets actually do break down and go out and get Mr. Holliday, who signs for a Massive contract.

Jason Bay- Boston

Mr. Bay, despite turning down a rather nice extension, is headed back to Boston. After some quick looks at Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon, the Sox break down and pay the piper to the tune of 5 years 85 Million.

John Lackey- Texas Rangers

There is some talk that the Rangers' ownership problems will keep Lackey out of Arlington, I on the other hand think its a no brainer guarantee that the only team willing to take a massive pay gamble on a older declining pitcher like Lackey has to have stars in their eyes, and when you compete with the Cowboys for attention...that's all a lot of folks in the big D see.

Johnny Damon- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Despite desperately wanting to stay with the Yankees, Damon turns to the only solid offer he gets this off-season, despite still being very productive, and it is off to Disneyland for Mr. Damon. The Angels, desperate to fill the void of Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey, get their name and a pretty productive outfielder.

Aroldis Chapman- New York Yankees

Do overpriced, overrated, under seasoned, overseas free agents go anywhere but Boston or the Yanks? El Duque Jr. Cashes the big check, pin stripe fans get 2 years of an underdeveloped Phil Hughes clone, before shipping him off and watching him prosper elsewhere.

Miguel Tejada- San Francisco Giants

It's off to the Bay Area for Mr. Tejada, He'll be productive and fit right into the free swinging, walk averse Baby Giants.

Chone Figgins- St Louis Cardinals

A team that has been looking for a true lead-off man and a second baseman since their small dose of a productive Tony Womack, finally gets some killer speed, and a real second baseman, in their lineup.

Rich Harden- Washington Nationals

Every once in a while a baseball team comes along and does something stupid in free agency, Pittsburgh with Derek Bell, Colorado with Hampton and Neagle, Texas and Chan Ho Park, and most recently Seattle and Carlos Silva. This is the Nationals chance to vastly overpay. The Nats, despite their horrid on field product, actually have a good chunk of money to spend, they'll look to claim that they are players in the market again this season (after last years attempt at Teixiera and their signing of Adam Dunn) they'll throw massive amount of cash to try and get some talent on their staff.

Mark DeRosa-Philadelphia Phillies

With the Pedro Feliz project over and done, the Phillies will actually make a smart move this offseason and grab a Pennsylvania favorite to man their hot corner

Hideki Matsui- Chicago White Sox

The Sox need a DH and Matsui is probably still one of the best available. He'll get a few years, the Sox somehow know how to keep elderly power hitters productive and moderately healthy.

Jermaine Dye- Minnesota Twins

First stealing JJ Hardy from the Brewers, now signing one of their biggest rivals team leaders? What an off season for the Twins. Jermaine Dye provides some extra pop from the DH spot that, lets face it, Jason Kubel can't keep doing forever (Kubel just cannot hit LHP to save his life...sooner or later that is going to end him)

Vladimir Guerrero- Oakland A's

Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, finally Vlad completes the Oakland A's position of Designated Washed up All-Star... i mean Hitter...yeah designated Hitter...

Jim Thome- Atlanta Braves

This sounds ridiculous, heck in many ways it probably is, but with the Rachel Zoe thin 1b representation in this year's class, and LaRoche hopefully leaving to head to New York, Atlanta needs to plug this hole. They give Thome a shot at a bargain price.

Well, that's my round up to match Mr. Rodgers feel free to post your own in the comment section

The Case for Adam LaRoche

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Monaco) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:52:00 +0000

In this off season, the NY Mets face a challenge that they haven't had to deal with for 4 long years, this challenge? Finding an everyday first baseman. The answer is plain and simple Adam LaRoche.

Problem 1. First Base Defense: Last year, despite the myth propagated by some even on this blog, Daniel Murphy was a horrendous fielding first baseman. Daniel Murphy had the lowest fielding % of any first baseman (with 70+ GP) in all of Major League Baseball last season. Murphy's error total of 10, places him in a 5 way tie for 4th most errors of any first baseman in all of baseball...except Murphy had at about at least 20 less starts than any other double digit error first bagger.
Whats the best cure for bad defense? a solid above average defender, Adam LaRoche fits that bill perfectly. Last Season Adam LaRoche committed only 2 errors in 148 games, tying him for 2nd best in all of MLB.
Problem 2. Power Hitting: In 2009, the New York Mets experienced one of the worst power outages in MLB slugging only .394, tied for fourth worst in the MLB. While some of our power issues can be blamed on injuries, and even less of them on a larger stadium (Citi Field sure had a lot of HR's hit out of it last season...just not by the Metropolitians). Both of those issues can be addressed by Adam LaRoche.
Adam Laroche is a career .491 slugger, and one who showed an ability to hit for power very well in his visits to Citi Field last season as shown by his hitting .315 with 2 home runs and a .538 slugging % in 9 games at Citi Field. On the injury front, LaRoche has played less than 140 games only twice in his career, once his rookie season, and once in 2008 where he finished with 136. LaRoche is extremely durable, is not considered an injury risk and he will only be 30 years old for the 2010 season.
Problem 3. Late Season Collapses: As we as Met fans all know in 2007 and 2008 the Mets experienced problems winning games in late August and September, this problem cannot be fixed entirely by Adam LaRoche, but the number I am about to post surely will show how he can help out.
.933

That my fellow Met fans is Adam LaRoche's career August and September OPS. When it comes to post All-Star break numbers, you hear lots of talk about the Manny Ramirez's of the league, but Adam LaRoche has a career slugging % of .546, he's well known for tearing apart offenses in the second half and he may well be just the spark plug the Mets need in September to get over their late season hangups.

The Left Field Conundrum

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica DeMattia) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as
space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call The Left Field Conundrum."

Sorry to totally rip off the opening of "The Twilight Zone," but it's true; the Mets left field is a gaping black hole, almost like a corner that we use to send players that have performed badly to. I can see it now......."Ollie, you suck! Go play left field!"

Since the departure of Cliff Floyd after the 2006 campaign, left field has been a huge question mark on the Mets lineup. We signed 40-year-old Moises Alou in the 2006 off-season; he ultimately got hurt standing in the outfield while playing for AA Binghamton and it ended his career. Since then, we've seen Damion Easley, Endy Chavez, Daniel Murphy, Fernando Tatis, Nick Evans, and maybe even Mr. Met play the left field position.

This off-season, if I had to sign ONE position player, I would make it an everyday outfielder. The 2010 free agent class is filled with left fielders. I've heard Matt Holliday's name come up, but given his performance in the NLDS, that was probably taken off the table very quickly. Holliday, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez were all classified as Type-A free agents, however, Manny still has a $20 million option with the Dodgers.....and Scott Boras has taken enough money from the Mets.

I've heard that we should sign a first baseman and move Daniel Murphy back to left. Umm....Murph was actually one of the BETTER defensive first basemen in the National League. Nick Evans might work too, but I really don't see him as an every day player. As much as I like Angel Pagan and his bat and his speed, I also don't see him as the every day starter.

I wish I could be a fly on the wall on Omar Minaya's office as he tries to solve ALL of the Mets' problems. While a power hitter at first base would be nice, I want this Left Field Conundrum solved once and for all.

Opinion: Haven't we suffered enough?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Kaufman) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:17:00 +0000

My apologies for not being able to write this Mets article sooner, but I finally found a few moments that I could write my thoughts down.

As we head into the offseason, it was another disappointing season for our beloved New York Metropolitans. It wasn't an infamous choke down the stretch (2007) or a “choke” (2008), but better yet it was injury after injury after injury. The injuries were so unique and plentiful that even the backups got injured (see Ramon Martinez and Alex Cora).

Besides the wonderful injuries that the Metsies encountered, there was plenty of off the field issues as well such as Tony Bernazard's challenge to fight the double a team and Omar Minaya saying that Daily News writer Adam Rubin wanted a job with the Mets. Plenty of entertainment to go around, making the Mets season more like a long episode of The Jerry Springer Show.

Now as October begins, not only are the Mets not in the playoffs again, but our new hated rivals the Phillies and crosstown rivals the Yankees BOTH made it. It would be complete doomsday if these two play each other in the World Series. While some of you may be thinking “But Matt, its New York vs Philly, still!”, and I do agree with that, I would be making many of my relatives turn in their graves if I ever rooted for what was deemed the “Evil Empire”.

As Mets fans, you have to ask yourselves, haven't we suffered enough? Collapses, soap operas, injuries and then surgeries, dropped popups to basic fundamental mistakes. And if someone were to ask me, I would agree, even though we probably don't have much to compare to versus say Cubs fans who have 100 years of futility or even Indians fans where there city of Cleveland hasn't won a major sports championship since 1964.

As a Mets fan who received another “wonderful” apology from Wilpon Omar and company the day after the season ended, I really ask myself how much longer can this unit go on? The unit I refer to is management from the top down. As Jerry Manuel mentioned on WFAN the other day, he knows that 2010 will need to get off to a good start, or chances are him and Omar will be joining the unemployment line. While management is only part of the Mets problems, I think thats the basic foundation and we will find out quickly in 2010 if that foundation will build up or fall down.

I really don't know what to think, because while injuries are certainly not anyones fault, the wonderful record the Mets had down the stretch losing the majority of their games, playing lifeless baseball has to fall on someone, but it obviously wasn't enough to change hands.

It appears to me that the Wilpons are giving Omar Jerry and company one more shot, and we could be in for suffering one more time. All we can ask for is that players stay healthy and perform to the best of their abilities.

September by the Numbers.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:34:00 +0000

Record: 8-20
Wins: Misch (2), Feliciano, Pelfrey, Parnell, Redding, Maine, Stokes
Losses: Figueroa (5), Pelfrey (3), Misch (3), Rodriguez (2), Redding (2), Maine (2) Stokes, Parnell, Green
Saves: Rodriguez (6)
Longest Winning Streak: 2 (Sept 3-4 & 19-20)
Longest Losing Streak: 6 (Sept 13-18)
Series Record: 3-6 (swept 4 times though)
Runs Scored: 119
Runs Allowed: 126
Home Runs: 17. Murphy (4), Francoeur (3), Sullivan (2), Wright (2), Beltran (2), Hernandez (2), Santos, Tatis
Home Runs Allowed: 34

Murphy's Law: The trials and turbulations of Daniel Murphy

metfan722@aol.com (Andrew Lavan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:11:00 +0000

If there is one person who can represent how this season has gone for the Mets it has been Daniel Murphy. He started the season in left but has been playing first base since around midseason. However, we tend to forget that he's been one of the players that we've been relying on to contribute due to all the injuries that have occurred throughout this season. We also fail to realize that he is in his first full year in the major leagues.

Last year in his 2 month stint in the major leagues Murphy had a batting average of .313, a slugging percentage of .473, and an on base percentage of .397. This season up to this point he has had an average of .262, a slugging percentage of .412 and an on base percentage of .311. Now this is a pretty big drop in just one season. But people don't seem to realize that he's only in his first full year in the major leagues. Something like this is to be expected but not necessarily to this extent. Murphy also now leads the team with 11 home runs this at this point in the season. If that doesn't say lost season then I don't know what does.

Why are we so quick to judge on someone who deserves his time to grow? I certainly believe that he can contribute to this team when we are back at full strength. Now just recently on WFAN Mike Francessa has said that he can see him going along the path of a Don Mattingly or a Mark Grace. I actually agree with this. From what I've been told Murphy has a very similar player to Mattingly early on in his career at the plate. A hitter who mostly hits the ball the opposite way. But Francesca also said that he can see him become the next Matt Franco. For those who don't recall Matt Franco, he was a bench player who did nothing flashy his entire career. Unfortunately I can see this coming true also.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Mr. Murphy. I hope that he is successful in his tenure for this team, and that he will contribute for us for a long time to come.

Braves-Mets Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:26:00 +0000

After finally winning a series over the weekend (albeit to the Washington Nationals) and clinching 4th place in the NL East, the Mets look to build off this rare momentum against the Atlanta Braves in this three game set. The Mets have not had a winning streak of longer than 2 games since winning 5 in a row July 25-30th. Meanwhile, winners of 8 of their last 10 games, the Braves are still holding out some hope in the playoff chase. They are 5.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies for the Wild Card. They have a 2.8% chance of making the postseason as their tragic number to elimination stands at 8. The Braves lead the season series 10-5 and hold a 4-2 mark at Citi Field.

Just for Fun Tracker: The Mets currently stand to get the #6 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. The Magic Number to clinch a top-10 spot stands at 8.

Pitching Matchups for this series:

Tonight: Derek Lowe (14-9 4.53 ERA) vs. Pat Misch (1-3 4.21 ERA)
Lowe's last start (ND 6-5 vs. NYM): 2IP, 3R (2ER), 5H, 2BB, 2K
Career vs. NYM: 2-3 7.96 ERA, 1.99 WHIP, .364 BAA in 12 games (6 starts)
Road this season: 8-6 5.07 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, .310 BAA in 15 games (all starts)
Misch's last start (L 0-6 @ ATL): 5IP, 4ER, 8H, BB
Career vs. ATL: 0-1 4.91 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, .366 BAA in 5 games (1 start)
Home this season: 0-2 5.49 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, .243 BAA in 11 games (1 start)

Tuesday: Jair Jurrjens (12-10 2.75 ERA) vs. Nelson Figueroa (2-6 5.21 ERA)
Jurrjens' last start (W 7-3 vs. NYM): 7IP, 2R (ER), 6H, 2BB, 5K
Career vs. NYM: 5-1 2.62 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .220 BAA in 7 games (all starts)
Road this season: 6-4 2.86 ERA, 1.28 ERA, .262 BAA in 15 games (all starts)
Figueroa's last start (L 3-7 @ ATL): 5IP, 6ER, 9H, BB, 4K
Career vs. ATL: 2-1 5.11 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, .283 BAA in 11 games (4 starts)
Home this season: 1-3 6.66 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, .362 BAA in 8 games (3 starts)

Wednesday: Tim Hudson (1-1 3.70 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey (10-11 5.10 ERA)
Hudson's last start (L 4-9 vs. PHI): 7IP, 3ER, 6H, BB, 3K
Career vs. NYM: 9-5 3.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .260 BAA in 15 games (all starts)
Road this season: 1-0 5.23 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, .356 BAA in 2 games (both starts)
Pelfrey's last start (L 5-6 vs. WAS): 7IP, 5R (4ER), 8H, 4K
Career vs. ATL: 2-4 6.29 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .277 BAA in 9 games (8 starts)
Home this season: 6-4 3.67 ERA, 1.31 ERA, .267 BAA in 16 games (all starts)

Do the Mets have what it takes to spoil the Braves' faint playoff hopes, or will the Braves use the Mets as a springboard once again? Stay tuned.

Nationals-Mets Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Losers of 5 straight and 9 of their last 10 games...the Mets return home from an atrocious road trip to take on a team that they might actually be able to hang with- the Washington Nationals. The Mets are 8-4 this year against them; which includes a 5-1 record at Citi Field. Unfortunately, the Mets won't get to see their old teammate Livan Hernandez in this series but they will have to face their nemesis John Lannan- who accounts for two of the four Nats' victories over the Mets this season. The Nationals prior to being swept out of Philadelphia had actually looked semi-competent; going 4-3 in the 7 games before that series. Each team has a mere four wins this month.

If you're keeping track at home by the way, the Mets' tragic number to elimination from the race to the #1 overall pick in the 2010 draft is now 4. A series victory this weekend will do the trick. Meanwhile, the Nationals' magic number to clinching their 2nd straight #1 overall pick is 12.

Pitching Matchups for this series:

Tonight: JD Martin (4-4 4.29 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey (10-10 5.09 ERA)
Martin's last start (W 5-3 @ FLA): 5IP, 2ER, 2H, 4BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 0-1 11.25 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .444 BAA in a gane (start)
Road this season: 3-2 3.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .224 BAA in 5 games (all starts)
Pelfrey's last start (ND 10-9 @ PHI): 6IP, 8ER, 10H, BB, 3K
Career vs. WAS: 3-4 3.79 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .275 BAA in 10 games (all starts)
Home this season: 6-3 3.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .264 BAA in 15 games (all starts)

Saturday: John Lannan (9-11 4.08 ERA) vs. Tim Redding (2-6 5.52 ERA)
Lannan's last start (W 7-2 @ FLA): 5IP, ER, 6H, BB, 3K
Career vs. NYM: 3-3 3.73 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .271 BAA in 8 games (all starts)
Road this season: 4-9 5.55 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, .286 BAA in 15 games (all starts)
Redding's last start (L 0-1 @ PHI): 6IP, ER, 3H, 2BB, 3K
Career vs. WAS: 2-0 2.37 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .224 BAA in 4 games (3 starts)
Home this season: 1-3 6.42 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .261 BAA in 14 games (6 starts)

Sunday: Garrett Mock (3-8 5.89 ERA) vs. John Maine (5-5 4.45 ERA)
Mock's last start (L 0-5 @ PHI): 6IP, 5ER, 7H, 2BB, 2K
Career vs. NYM: 0-0 1.80 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .222 BAA in 6 games (all in relief)
Road this season: 2-2 4.82 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, .300 BAA in 12 games (6 starts)
Maine's last start (L 4-5 @ PHI): 3IP, ER, 2H, BB, 2K
Career vs. WAS: 7-3 4.52 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .204 BAA in 12 games (all starts)
Home this season: 4-1 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, .176 BAA in 5 games (all starts)

Will the Mets make fans happy for 3 games? Will Mets fans even show up? Can the Mets score? Will Lannan's recent mastery of the Mets continue? Stay tuned.

Mets-Braves Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Sigh. With the Mets now officially mathematically eliminated from playoff contention at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, the rest of this season is meaningless to our fans in regards to postseason aspirations. But for the few of us left that will care, this is the time to see how these professionals respond to their earliest elimination since 2005. Will they continue to play hard as they did in Philadelphia; where even though they lost 3 of 4 three of the games were decided by 1 run and the other by 2...or will they roll over? Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves continue to hang in there. Winners of their last four including an extremely impressive three game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on the road, the Braves find themselves 7.5 back of the Phillies in the NL East and 6 back of the Rockies in the Wild Card. Their playoff chances right now stand at 3.5%.

Pitching Matchups for this Series:

Tonight: Pat Misch (1-2 3.86 ERA) vs. Tommy Hanson (9-3 2.83 ERA)
Misch's last start (L 3-6 vs. FLA): 6IP, 5ER, 6H, 2BB
Career vs. ATL: 0-0 3.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, .333 BAA in 4 relief appearances
Road this season: 1-0 2.42 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, .265 BAA in 11 appearances (2 starts)
Hanson's last start (ND 1-2 @ HOU): 8IP, 5H, 7K
Has never faced the Mets.
Home this season: 6-1 3.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .242 BAA in 8 appearances (all starts)

Wednesday: Bobby Parnell (3-8 5.49 ERA) vs. Derek Lowe (14-9 4.47 ERA)
Parnell's last start (L 4-13 vs. FLA): 5IP, 6R (5ER), 7H, 5BB, 6K
Career vs. ATL: 0-1 10.57 ERA, 2.61 WHIP, .400 BAA in 8 appearances (1 start)
Road this season: 1-2 5.81 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, .327 BAA in 27 appearances (2 starts)
Lowe's last start (W 9-7 @ HOU): 5.2IP, 5ER, 8H, 2BB, 5K
Career vs. NYM: 2-3 7.89 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, .352 BAA in 11 appearances (5 starts)
Home this season: 6-3 3.90 ERA 1.46 WHIP .284 BAA in 15 appearances (all starts)

Thursday: Nelson Figueroa (2-5 4.57 ERA) vs. Jair Jurrjens (11-10 2.81 ERA)
Figueroa's last start (L 2-4 @ PHI): 5.1IP, 2ER, 9H, 5BB, 3K
Career vs. ATL: 2-0 4.22 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, .264 BAA in 10 appearances (3 starts)
Road this season: 1-2 1.89 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, .276 BAA in 4 appearances (3 starts)
Jurrjens' last start (W 1-0 @ STL): 8IP, 6H, 2BB, 7K
Career vs. NYM: 4-1 2.87 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .219 BAA in 6 appearances (all starts)
Home this season: 5-6 2.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .224 BAA in 15 appearances (all starts)

The Mets have a mere 2 victories from their starters this month out of their 4. Can the Mets translate narrow defeats into victories? Can Parnell get it together? Will the Mets score for Figueroa? Which Misch will we see, the one that allowed 5ER in the first against the Marlins or the one that shut them down in his next 5IP? Stay tuned.

Mets-Phillies Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:50:00 +0000

After being swept by the Florida Marlins at home for the first time since 2004, the Mets look to at least look competent this weekend as they take on the Philadelphia Phillies for the final four times this season. Last night's 13-4 loss (which I had the unenviable privilege to go to) was a microcosm of the entire season- walks, fielding blunders, poor base running, you name it it was there. While the Mets fade into oblivion, the Phillies look to protect and expand upon their 5 game lead in NL East..in which quite honestly they should be able to do with ease. Oh, and one more thing. If the Phillies win at least three out of four, they can officially eliminate the Mets from playoff contention. The Mets' tragic number stands at 6.

Pitching match-ups for the series:

Tonight: Nelson Figueroa (2-4 4.74 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-9 4.32 ERA)
Figueroa's last start (L 3-5 vs. CHC): 6IP, 4ER, 7H, 2BB, 8K
Career vs. PHI: 0-0 2.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .240 BAA in 4 relief appearances
Road this season: 1-1 1.32 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .231 BAA in 3 appearances (2 starts)
Hamels' last start (L 3-4 @ HOU): 6IP, 4ER, 8H, 2BB, 6K
Career vs. NYM: 1-4 4.50 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, .318 BAA in 8 appearances (all starts)
Home this season: 5-3 3.67 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, .235 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)

Saturday: Mike Pelfrey (10-10 4.83 ERA) vs. Jamie Moyer (12-9 4.98 ERA)
Pelfrey's last start (W 4-2 vs. CHC): 8IP, ER, 5H, BB, 5K
Career vs. PHI: 4-2 3.88 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .273 BAA in 8 appearances (all starts)
Road this season: 4-7 6.55 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, .307 BAA in 12 appearances (all starts)
Moyer's last start (ND 3-4 @ HOU): 6IP, 2ER, 3H, BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 8-5 3.55 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .261 BAA in 21 appearances (all starts)
Home this season: 6-7 6.07 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, .303 BAA in 14 appearances (12 starts)

Sunday's 1pm Game: John Maine (5-4 4.52 ERA) vs. Pedro Martinez (4-0 3.64 ERA)
Maine's last start (L 1-7 @ WAS): 4IP, 7ER, 6H, 2BB, K
Career vs. PHI: 5-0 2.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .211 BAA in 9 appearances (all starts)
Road this season: 1-3 6.34 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, .265 BAA in 6 appearances (all starts)
Martinez' last start (W 5-3 @ WAS): 6.2IP, 3ER, 7H, BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 11-3 2.37 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .206 BAA in 19 appearances (14 starts)
Home this season: 1-0 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .186 BAA in 3 appearances (all starts)

Sunday's 805pm Game: Tim Redding (2-5 5.78 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (13-11 3.13 ERA)
Redding's last start (L 2-4 vs. FLA): 5IP, 4ER, 5H, 4BB, 4K
Career vs. PHI: 5-3 3.13 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .207 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)
Road this season: 1-2 5.13 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, .299 BAA in 12 appearances (7 starts)
Lee's last start (W 6-5 @ WAS): 7IP, 5R (4ER), 10H, 0BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 1-0 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, .240 BAA in 1 appearance (start)
Home this season (CLE & PHI): 5-7 3.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, .276 BAA in 14 appearances (all starts)

Will the Mets play spoiler or be a welcome mat once again? How will John Maine do in his first start since coming off the DL? When Tobi Stoner spells him, how will he fare? Will Pedro Martinez continue to torment the Mets? Can Angel Pagan learn the fundamentals of base running? Will the Mets hit into another triple play? Stay tuned.

Marlins-Mets Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Looking to build off their first series win since late July, the Mets look to continue to cause some havoc in the postseason race when they take on the Florida Marlins. The Marlins find themselves 5.5 back of the Colorado Rockies in the Wild Card and 6 back of the slumping Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Marlins lead the season series 7-5, including 3-3 at Citi Field. Six of the twelve games played against these two have been decided by 1 run; the Mets being 2-4 in those games. Tonight, the Mets get a huge boost to their lineup as Carlos Beltran makes his long awaited (albeit way too late) return. My guess is that this will move Angel Pagan to left field and Cory Sullivan back to the bench.

Pitching Matchups for this series:

Tonight: Rick Vandenhurk (2-2 4.91 ERA) vs. Tim Redding (2-4 5.70 ERA)
Vandenhurk's last start (ND 8-7 vs. ATL): 5IP, 3R (2ER), 6H, 3BB, 3K
Career vs. NYM: 0-1 11.25 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, .314 BAA in 3 appearances (all starts)
Road this season: 1-1 4.80 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, .288 BAA in 3 appearances (all starts)
Redding's last start (ND 2-5 @ COL): 6.2IP, 2ER, 7H, 1BB, 6K
Career vs. FLA: 5-5 5.54 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .271 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)
Home this season: 1-2 6.33 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .260 BAA in 13 appearances (5 starts)

Wednesday: Ricky Nolasco (10-8 5.27 ERA) vs. Pat Misch (1-1 3.25 ERA)
Nolasco's last start (W 8-3 vs. ATL): 6IP, 3ER, 7H, 1BB, 7K
Career vs. NYM: 2-6 6.44 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, .344 BAA in 13 appearances (11 starts)
Road this season: 5-4 5.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .261 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)
Misch's last start (W 8-3 @ COL): 7IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 3K
Career vs. FLA: 0-1 13.50 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, .333 BAA in 2 appearances (1 start)
Home this season: 0-1 4.61 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .240 BAA in 10 relief appearances

Thursday: Sean West (6-5 4.61 ERA) vs. Bobby Parnell (3-7 5.25 ERA)
West's last start (ND 9-6 @ WAS): 3IP, 5ER, 7H, 1BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 1-0 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .204 BAA in 2 appearances (2 starts)
Road this season: 1-3 6.55 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, .295 BAA in 7 appearances (all starts)
Parnell's last start (ND 6-2 vs. CHC): 7IP, 0ER, 5H, 3BB, 7K
Career vs. FLA: 0-0 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .368 BAA in 7 relief appearances
Home this season: 2-5 4.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .260 BAA in 33 appearances (4 starts)

Don't let the records of the two teams deceive you. This will be a more evenly matched series than people anticipate; plus avoiding Met killer and Cy Young candidate Josh Johnson is HUGE. I'm torn on this. While I would love nothing more than to aid the Marlins and help them catch Philly; after the way they've knocked us out of the playoffs the past couple of seasons (and the celebrations to boot)...I wouldn't have any sympathy for them either. How will the young Marlins handle the pressure of being in the playoff chase? Can Redding, Misch and Parnell build off of their quality starts? How much of an impact will Beltran's return have on our starting lineup? Stay tuned.

For those tracking at home by the way, the Tragic Number to official elimination is 10 in the Wild Card; 11 in the Division. The Magic Number to avoid last place in the NL East is 11 as well.

Random "Why should I care" Fact: I'm going to Citi Field on Thursday for the 4th time. I am 2-1 this season; seeing 2 of Oliver Perez' 3 victories ha. Lifetime in games I've gone to however, I am 1-5 vs. the NL East (1-3 vs. PHI; 0-1 vs. ATL; 0-1 vs. FLA).

Minor League Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (MIke Costanzo) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:48:00 +0000

Despite the injury-riddled season the big club has had this year, there is a silver lining for 2009. It's hard to imagine the farm system having a better season than it did this year. Many prospects took a huge step forward. Despite what media members might write, the mets farm is looking up at the end of 2009.

The bad news for Fernando Martinez was it turned out to be another injury-riddled season for him. The good news for the outfielder is that before this happened he dismantled AAA pitching in 2009. A 20 year old with an OPS of .877 in AAA is almost unheard of (even if it was in a little below 200 at bats). His brief stay at the majors was largely unsuccessful but not surprising. He does have more work to do, and staying healthy is priority number one going into 2010.

Ike Davis took as big a leap forward as one could take in a single season. After a sluggish start to his pro career in 2008, Ike was one of the best hitters in both leagues he played at in 2009. As of now, his only 2 real weaknesses are strikeouts (112 in 429 at bats in his 2 stops) and left handed pitching (though he hit lefties at a much better clip in AA to end his season). The first baseman showed good power, good patience and a good glove all year and firmly put his name in the discussion of Mets first baseman of the future (perhaps as soon as 2010).

Kirk Nieuwenhuis, the Mets 3rd round pick in 2008, showed impressive extra base hit power at St. Lucie in his first full professional season. He led the Florida State League in OPS (.824), doubles (35) and Slugging % (.467) and for good measure was 3rd in homers. All of this in a league notorious for being tough on hitters. The newly turned 22 year old centerfielder is interesting due to his above average power and speed potential, not to mention his very impressive (but albeit very small sample) showing in Binghamton after his late season promotion.

One of the Mets three first round picks in 2008 (thank you Atlanta), Reese Havens, has quickly become one of the better hitting prospects in the system. The shortstop (though a lot of indications have him moving to 2nd base sooner rather than later), finished among the league leaders in the Florida State League in OPS, homers, Slugging Percentage and walks. According to most scouts, his defense has a long way to go to reach major league calibur. If it doesn't get there, the Mets do have a nice trading chip on their hands. But if he can get it to be at least league average then the organization might have an answer to their 2nd base future. It's not like the team needs to replace gold glove defense, as Luis Castillo has been one of the worst defenders at his position in the sport (no offense to his hitting, which has been fantastic all year).

One of the Mets international free agent signings, Jeurys Familia, enjoyed a fantastic breakout season into the prospect landscape. The 19 year old right-hander finished in the top four in the South Atlantic League in ERA and WHIP, and it should be noted that the pitchers ahead of him were all at least two years older than Jeurys.

Another of the Mets highly touted international free agents, Jenrry Mejia, moved all the way up to double A Binghamton at the tender age of 19. He earned it by simply dominating St. Lucie in his short 50 inning stint, with an ERA under two and a 44:16 strikeout to walk ratio. All while also being one of the youngest pitchers in the Florida State League as well. Mejia is a ground ball pitcher with a heavy mid-90's fastball. In 2009 he threw 2 and half grounders to every fly ball (a ratio which grew to nearly 3:1 during his stint at Binghamton to end the year).

Other prospects worth mentioning:

Brad Holt-dominated St. Lucie, struggled in his promotion to Binghamton, but has as much upside as any pitcher in the system.

Kyle Allen-only 19, enjoyed a very strong season at Savannah as one of its youngest pitchers and boasts one of the best arsenals in the entire system, including a plus change up.

Eric Beaulac-the right-hander had one of the best strikeout ratios in the South Atlantic League, stuff might be better suited for bullpen as time goes on.

Zach Lutz-all he's done since being drafted in 2007 is hit whenever he's played, which wasn't often until this year due to injuries. Finished among league leaders at St. Lucie in OPS, Slugging, homers, OBP and walks.

Wilmer Flores-As one of the youngest players in all of the minors, Flores struggled in his first full season, with an OPS of .637. Talent is certainly there and he usually puts the bat on the ball, a good sign for the future. He will not end up at shortstop defensively. All indications are it will most likely be a corner on the field.

Lets hope 2010 brings us as many good performances as this past season did. The farm certainly needed it after a couple of very down years.

Cubs-Mets Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:38:00 +0000

Both the Cubs and Mets are looking for consistency. The Cubs can't seem to find a rhythm; they'll win a couple in a row but then lose a couple in a row. Meanwhile, the Mets cannot win a series; they are now 0-8-2 in their last 10 series and have a notorious habit of winning the getaway game of a series after dropping the first two. While of course the Mets are long gone from the race; the Cubs are still hanging on by a thread. According to the ESPN Playoff Percentage; the Cubs have approximately a 2% chance since they are 6 back of the Wild Card. This weekend also marks the homecoming of two players. One who will certainly be roundly cheered (David Wright) and the other certainly roundly booed (Aaron Heilman).

Pitching Matchups for the Series:

Friday- Carlos Zambrano (7-6 3.91 ERA) vs. Bobby Parnell (3-7 5.81 ERA)
-Zambrano's last start (L 1-4 to NYM): 3.1 IP, 4R (3ER), 11H, 0BB, 3K
Career vs. NYM: 4-2 with 4.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and .250BAA in 9 appearances (8 starts)
Road this season: 5-2 with 3.17 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and .246BAA in 11 appearances (all starts
-Parnell's last start (L 4-11 to CHC): 4.2 IP, 8ER, 9H, 2BB, 2K
Career vs. CHC: 0-1 with 10.57 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and .344BAA in 3 appearances (1 start)
Home this season: 2-5 with 5.80 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and .271BAA in 32 appearances (3 starts)

Saturday- Rich Harden (8-8 4.19 ERA) vs. Nelson Figueroa (2-3 4.50 ERA)
-Harden's last start (L 3-5 to HOU): 5IP, 5ER, 5H, 6BB, 9K
Career vs. NYM: 0-0 with 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .091BAA in 2 appearances (1 start)
Road this season: 5-2 with 2.02 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .201 BAA in 10 appearances (all starts)
-Figueroa's last start (W 4-1 to CHC): 7IP, 1ER, 6H, 2BB, 10K
Career vs. CHC: 1-4 with 3.79 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and .259BAA in 10 appearances (5 starts)
Home this season: 1-2 with 6.87 ERA, 2.02 WHIP and .383BAA in 7 appearances (2 starts)

Sunday- Randy Wells (10-7 2.90 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey (9-10 5.03 ERA)
-Wells' last start (W 4-1 to HOU): 6.2IP, 1R (0ER), 7H, 2BB, 4K
Has never faced the Mets in his career.
Road this season: 4-3 with 2.67 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and .244BAA in 10 appearances (all starts)
-Pelfrey's last start (L 3-8 to COL): 4IP, 7R (6ER), 6H, 5BB, 4K
Has never faced the Cubs in his career.
Home this season: 5-3 with 3.80 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and .272BAA in 14 appearances (all starts)

Can Parnell hold on to his role as starter after three consecutive disasters? Can Pelfrey respond to the challege Manuel has set forth for him and step it up? Can Figueroa continue his hot streak? Can the Mets play role of spoiler and effectively end any hope of the Cubs making the playoffs? Stay tuned.

Taking September to a New Level

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie Moskey) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:13:00 +0000

A few chosen minor leaguers will begin (or have begun in the past day) their trek of finishing off the 2009 season on a high note at a higher level. The 3 main players to note are catcher, Josh Thole, centerfielder, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and third baseman, Zach Lutz.

-Josh Thole was added to the New York Mets active roster today on the final leg of the road trip in Colorado. Thole is not in the starting line-up tonight (due to Rockies' southpaw, De La Rosa) but will get playing time against opposing right handed pitchers. The Mets have been very high on Thole especially since Thole flew under the wings of Brian Schneider this Spring Training. Jerry Manuel is very pleased, yet not surprised by Thole's offensive success at the plate saying, "I always thought he'd hit because of his approach." When the Mets return home to Citi Field this weekend to take on the Cubs, it will not be Thole's first time playing in the new stadium, however, I'm sure being in the starting line-up at home during the regular season will taste a whole lot sweeter than a 3 inning appearance in the Mets, Red Sox pre-season game earlier this April.
-Kirk Nieuwenhuis was added to the Binghamton Met roster August 31. The B-Mets are hoping that Nieuwenhuis can give them enough offense to keep from suffering their worst record in Binghamton history. This task is right down Kirk's alley seeing that he crushed 16 homeruns and drove in 71 RBIs with the St. Lucie Mets over the course of this season as well as went 3-5 in his B-Met debut last night.
-Zack Lutz will get a shot at the AA level this September being added to the Binghamton roster along with Nieuwenhuis. Lutz had a nice year with the St. Lucie Mets hitting .284 with 11 homeruns and 62 RBIs. Zack Lutz did go 0-5 last night in his B-Met debut but will look to bounce back tonight against Bowie.

A couple players in the Mets minor league system will not be called up to the big leagues just yet, but will instead represent their countries in the 2009 IBAF World Cup. Ike Davis will join the USA team while Davis's B-Met teammates, Shawn Bowman and Jonathan Malo, join the Canadian national team. The first round of the World Cup begins September 9th.

Mets-Rockies Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Ahh September. The month that has given every Met fan nightmares over the past two seasons. However, this year don't fret. For the first time since 2005, the Mets don't find themselves in first place in the beginning of September. Ironically enough, the Mets were also in 4th place in 2005...but with a 69-64 record and only 6.5 back of the Atlanta Braves. The roles have changed and now it will be the Mets who look to do some spoiling. 19 games this month will be against teams in playoff contention (Colorado- 3, Atlanta and Florida- 6 each, Philadelphia- 4) and those games will certainly decide the fate of not only the NL East, but of the Wild Card.

In the meantime however, the first task at hand is the Colorado Rockies. Historically the Mets do not fair well at Coors Field. Although they are 15-3 vs. the Rockies at home since 2005...on the road they are a mere 4-8 including 1-5 in the past couple of seasons. In this injury ravaged season there is some good news however. The beloved David Wright will make his triumphant return tonight. He's expected to get the night off Wednesday before playing again on Thursday. Also, Carlos Beltran ran the bases in Port St. Lucie and is expected to have a rehab assignment for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday. This series will also feature on Thursday the anticipated debut of Josh Thole, a 22 year old catcher that had been playing the majority of the season over in Binghamton. The young fella will wear #30...last worn by the immortal Raul Casanova last season.

Pitching Matchups for the Series:

Tonight- Mike Pelfrey (9-9 4.80 ERA) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (12-9 4.76 ERA). The Big Pelf looks to rebound from a poor outing in Florida last week in which he surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 5.2IP in a 5-3 loss. Career-wise versus the Rockies he has odd statistics. Although he is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four career appearances (all starts), his WHIP is 1.43 and the Rockies have managed to hit .282. On the road this season, Pelfrey has been dreadful as he is 4-6 with a 6.11 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and .304 BAA in 11 starts. Meanwhile, De La Rosa has been hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 3-2 to the LA Dodgers where he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits in 7IP, he is 7-2 in his last 10 starts. De La Rosa careerwise versus the Mets is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .189 BAA in 7 appearances (1 start). At home this season, De La Rosa has been aided by run support as he is 7-6 with a 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .265 BAA in 15 games (14 starts).

Wednesday- Tim Redding (2-4 5.94 ERA) vs. Ubaldio Jimenez (12-10 3.33 ERA). Since his return to the rotation, Redding has been solid, allowing 3 ER (all in his last start, a 10-3 win) in 11.2IP to the Phillies and Marlins. In seven career appearances (5 starts) versus the Rockies the Red Dog is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and .246 BAA. The road hasn't been kind to Redding either as he is 1-2 with a 5.77 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .304 BAA in eleven appearances (6 starts). Meanwhile, Jimenez is another Rockie who has been red hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 2-0 in San Francisco where he allowed 2 ER and 7 hits in 7IP, he is 6-2 in his last 10 starts- all of which have been quality starts. Jimenez career-wise versus the Mets is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .211 BAA in three starts. In 12 home starts this season Jimenez is 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .234 BAA.

Thursday- Pat Misch (0-1 3.40 ERA) vs. Jason Marquis (14-9 3.60 ERA). Misch looks to build off the best outing of his career versus the Cubs- where he went 7IP and allowed just 1 ER on 6 hits. He was in line for his first career MLB victory but Brian Stokes fell apart in the 8th inning of a 5-2 Mets loss. In 5 career appearances (2 starts) versus the Rockies, Misch is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and .321 BAA. He has no decisions in his 10 road appearances (1 start) with a 2.35 ERA but 1.76 WHIP and .310 BAA. He will once again oppose an NL-All Star, this time in Marquis; who if he were to win this start would tie a career high in wins for a season. The Giants were able to get to him in his last start where he took the loss, allowing 5ER and 9 hits in 6IP in a 5-3 loss. In 22 career appearances (15 starts) versus the Mets, Marquis sports a 6-6 record with a 4.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and .283 BAA. In 12 home starts this season Marquis is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .256 BAA.

This September as Mets fans, we're not expecting a miracle playoff run. All we ask for is for the players to give it their all, steal a few games and give teams a taste of their own medicine from the past couple of seasons. Just to get to .500 the Mets would have to go 22-9 down the stretch which is too much to ask, especially considering our weak August...but a good September/early October for once would give some optimism for next season.

August by the Numbers.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Record: 10-19
Wins: Figueroa (2), Feliciano (2), Pelfrey, Santana, Parnell, Rodriguez, Perez, Redding
Losses: Parnell (4), Pelfrey (3), Hernandez (3), Figueroa (2), Rodriguez (2), Feliciano, Stokes, Misch, Santana, Perez
Saves: Rodriguez (5), Parnell
Longest Winning Streak: 2 (Aug 12 & 14)
Longest Losing Streak: 5 (Aug 22-26)
Series Record: 0-7-2
Runs Scored: 117
Runs Allowed: 151
Errors Committed: 17.
Home Runs: 14. Pagan (6), Francoeur (3), Castillo, Cora, Tatis, Murphy, Wright
Home Runs Allowed: 28
Games Lost in the NL East: 7 (from 10.5 GB to 17.5 GB)
Games Lost in the Wild Card: 6.5 (from 6.5 GB to 13 GB)
Tragic Number: 19

The Wilpons: The enemy you know, better than the unknown

metfan722@aol.com (Andrew Lavan) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:04:00 +0000

A lot of people in the Global Facebook Group (including myself) have been clammering for the Wilpons to sell the team for years. And those people may soon get their wish. According to a person who works for Fox Business (not the most reliable source), the Wilpons may be forced to sell the team as early as next year due to the money lost in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme.

Now if indeed that happens there will be people jumping up and down for days to come. While listening to WFAN on my way home from an appointment, I heard Evan Roberts bring up an excellent point. We don't know what the new ownership will be like. They might treat the team as if it is strictly a business operation and forget that there is a product on the field as well. If this is true, the person I would want to run the team would be Mark Cuban, because he does know how to successfully operate a sports franchise on both ends.

We can all speculate if this is true but we all must be careful what we wish for because it might just come true, but not in the way people may have hoped. For all we know they may want to cut payroll, thus getting rid of big payroll people such as Beltran Ollie, Santana, and K-Rod. Possibly even Wright, and Reyes.

People do forget that when the Wilpons first bought the team that it wasn't just them. There was another owner, Nelson Doubleday who also bought controlling interest in 1980. The two of them owned it together up until 2002 when Doubleday was bought out. So this team has won a championship under their ownership.

If indeed this happens fans certainly won't be happy. It might even make the Wilpons look like the Steinbrenners. So all I ask is that if there is a new ownership do some reasearch before hand.

Mets-Cubs Series Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Before the season started; these two teams with the highest payrolls in the NL were pegged as playoff locks on Sports Illustrated. Clearly however, both have failed miserably to live up to the hype. At least the Mets can blame it on a parade of injuries that have left the team totally decimated (yesterday's lineup currently makes a combined $11 million). The Cubs on the other hand have been a colossial bust with a relatively healthy lineup.

This is the first meeting of the season between these two oddly enough and these teams will see each other in six of the Mets' next nine games. Over the past 3 seasons, this has been a relatively even series...with the Mets leading 10-9. Last year, the Cubs took 4 of 6 overall from the Mets including a disappointing 4 game series split in late September when the Cubs were playing for the most part with backups.

Pitching matchup-wise...one would think that the Cubs have the decided edge (and experience-wise they do for sure). However, their suddenly anemic offense (they have only scored ten more runs this season than the Mets have) may come and betray them. Plus, they have a tendency to lose games and series they have no business at all losing. Combine that with the fact they're facing three pitchers this series they have little to no familiarity with and things are more even than it seems.

Friday: Pat Misch (0-1 4.09 ERA) vs. Ted Lilly (9-8 3.40 ERA). Misch is looking for his first career win in 53 appearances (11 starts). For his career versus the Cubs, he sports an 0-1 record with a 7.36 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in three appearances (all in relief). This is Misch's first start since May 31st of last season when he was a member of the San Francisco Giants. Meanwhile, Lilly the lone All-Star representative for the Cubs sports a 2-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 5 career appearances (4 starts) against the Mets. At home this season, Lilly has been dominant with a 6-1 record and a 1.86 ERA and 0.90 WHIP; yielding a mere 13 earned runs in 9 starts.

Saturday: Bobby Parnell (3-6 5.08 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (7-7 4.07 ERA). Parnell is looking to rebound after two consecutive poor starts at home to the Braves and Phillies respectively...allowing 14 ER in 8 IP in his last 2 losses which have seen his ERA jump from 3.50 to its current position. In 2 career relief appearances he is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (three innings). This will be his 2nd career start on the road. Meanwhile, Dempster is looking to build from his strong outing last game at Los Angeles where he pitched 7 strong innings of 3 hit ball; yielding an unearned run in a 3-1 victory. He has seen the Mets 23 times (12 starts) in which although he is 8-4...he sports an ERA of 5.54 and WHIP of 1.83. At home this season Dempster is 4-2 with a 5.01 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 9 starts.

Sunday: Nelson Figueroa (1-3 5.40 ERA) vs. Carlos Zambrano (7-5 3.80 ERA). Figueroa was the hard luck loser in his last start, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Florida Marlins in which he went 5IP allowing 2 unlucky earned runs (one run scored on a fielder's choice after Castillo momentarily bobbled the ball; which prevented a double play...and another scored off of a ball that bounced off Anderson Hernandez' glove and was just out of reach). Figueroa has had no success against the Cubs in nine career appearances (4 starts) in which he is 0-4 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. Meanwhile, Zambrano got rocked in his return from the DL allowing 8 ER in 4.1 IP (3 of those runs scored after Aaron Heilman allowed a grand slam to Elijah Dukes) in a 15-6 beatdown at the hands of the Washington Nationals. Zambrano in 8 career games versus the Mets (7 starts) is 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. At home this season Zambrano is 2-3 with a 4.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in ten starts.

So there you have it. Three converted starters versus arguably the Cubs' three top pitchers. Advantage- Cubs. Or so it appears. That's why they play the games on the field. Hopefully the Mets can build off of yesterday's impressive victory and continue to bring misery to the Cubs' season. In the meantime, our tragic number stands at 21.

Highlighting Mets AAA and AA Players

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie Moskey) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:15:00 +0000

With September just around the corner, hot minor leaguers look to get the call from Flushing. According to Metsblog.com, Adam Rubin had said that C Josh Thole, P Eddie Kunz, and IN/OF Nick Evans will get the call. Nick Evans has recently joined the Mets in the series against Florida and there has been serious talk about Josh Thole getting a good amount of playing time come September 1st. Of course the Mets will be looking to make, hopefully, big moves in the offseason, but this September is a time for current Mets to win jobs. Both Buffalo and Binghamton are in last place but there are a few players to note from each team who have had good seasons, and, or good second halves.

AAA BISONS:

-IF Argenis Reyes has had a hot August at the plate with Buffalo. In August, he's hit .336 with a .355 OBP. Of course in 9 games with the Mets this season, he only hit .118. He offers a nice defense and 2nd and SS.

-C Robinson Cancel also has lit up in August hitting .400 with a .450 OBP. Cancel was up with the Mets for a game earlier in the year.

-RHP Kyle Snyder has had a nice year in Buffalo with a .390 ERA in 32 games. Snyder's best stat is probably his walk to strike out ratio, 30:70 in 99.1 IP.

-LHP John Switzer holds a 3.91 ERA in 38 games with Buffalo. He also has a nice walk to strikeout ratio of 19:47 in 48.0 IP. Switzer had a 3.1 IP stint with the Mets this year.

-LHP Adam Bostick has split this year between 11 games in Binghamton and 24 games in Buffalo. Since joining Buffalo he has had just a 2.12 ERA (2.28 over the whole season). In Buffalo he has worked out a 1.21 WHIP.

AA B-METS:

-C Josh Thole has had an excellent season with a .324 BA with 32 extra base hits. Thole limits his swings and misses and has worked out more walks than strikeouts this season with 42 walks and 34 strikeouts. Thole's defense is continually progressing and will get playing time this September.

-1B Ike Davis began the year in the FSL league, joining Binghamton 51 games ago. Davis has hit .307 with 11 HRs since joining the B-Mets to lead the team in homeruns.

-SS Ruben Tejada's bat and glove has increased vastly this season. Tejada is hitting .283, .293 since the All-Star break. He is third on the team with 39 RBIs. The question was whether Tejada could mature enough in the field being only 19. His defense is a day and night difference since the beginning of the year. He has been playing the better hop, starting and turning double plays, and making better throws. He has really put Jose Coronado's defense to shame.

-3B Shawn Bowman has had in injury interrupted season again but has hit .340 since coming off the DL on the 14th of August. Bowman is second on the team with 44 RBIs. He has homerun power but has a high number of stikeouts (97). His defense is much more spectacular than his contact, though, being called the best defensive third baseman in the league.

-IN/OF Jonathan Malo has not been an offensive threat at all this season and therefore was demoted to AA after starting the year in AAA. The defense that Malo plays, though, is hard to look past. Malo covers all 3 outfield positions as well and 2B, 3B, and SS. He plays good defense and would be a good bench player/spot starter in a defensive replacement situation.

-LHP Mike Antonini began the season in AAA but has been with Binghamton for 23 appearances now. Since joining the B-Mets, Antonini has had a 4.84 ERA with a good walk to strikeout ratio of 29:78. In 102.1 IP he's only given up 8 long balls.

-RHP Jenrry Mejia served some time on the DL this season but is back to pitching stronger than ever. He has a season total 3.07 ERA this season between the FSL and the EL. Mejia's off speed and breaking pitches are his weapons. He is fearless in throwing them no matter what the count. He willing throws a secondary pitch on a hitters count making hitters look truly foolish

The Cynic.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:31:00 +0000

With the Mets in all intents and purposes done for in the playoff race...I have taken time out to check on other teams who are in the hunt. If the season ended today you'd have the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers and Rockies (wild card) in the playoffs and the matchups would be Dodgers vs. Cardinals and Phillies vs. Rockies. You can't count out the Giants, Marlins or Braves from the race either. However, for me it's not just about the race to see who makes it...I also want to see if and how teams "choke" if you will. I had gotten tired of people talking about the past 2 Septembers in regards to us and now it's time for someone else to take the fall.

The past couple of days we have seen some pretty epic meltdowns, both of which I took great humor in. Monday night, the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies had a game that went into extra innings. The Giants were seemingly in control in the top of the 14th after scoring 3 runs. 4-1. Game over right? Not so fast...they walk the RELIEF PITCHER (Adam Eaton) and then give up a walk off Grand Slam to Ryan Spillbroughs to lose the game 6-4. Man, that's a way the Mets would lose a game but since it wasn't us...I took sick satisfaction in that loss, especially considering I had lost some respect for SF over the past week or 2.

Last night, our arch-nemesis Philadelphia Phillies went across the state to take on the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates and weren't having an easy time with them. The did score two runs in the top of the 9th to take a 4-3 lead and you're thinking...ahh great another night in which they praise the "Fightin Phils" on another comeback victory. However, Brad Lidge (whom I affectionally call L.O.L in honor of his so-called moniker lights out Lidge) comes in and in 6 pitches, not only blows his NINTH save of the season, but allows a walk-off HR to Andrew McChutchen. 6-4 Pirates win. Now, the Phillies may be in control of the NL East with a 7 game lead with 38 or so games left...but hey, maybe they can choke down the stretch? Plus, no matter how bad the Mets are, watching Lidge fail is a victory in my book. Lidge could have TEN blown saves but we won't go there.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost again last night to those same Colorado Rockies. Their division lead is now down to 2 games. Wasn't it at one point in the double digits? Yet, all Baseball Tonight can do is discuss how resilient and on fire the Rockies are...rather than discuss how the Dodgers are on the verge of a meltdown.

Oh, and Aaron Heilman last night gave up a Grand Slam to Elijah Dukes of the Washington Nationals. Although he was only charged with one run, watching the man implode in an opposing team's uniform satisfies me. Should be interesting seeing the Cubs 6 times over the next 9 games by the way.

Mets-Marlins Series Preview.

noreply@blogger.com (Jayson A.) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:49:00 +0000

The roles have certainly changed. The past two seasons, it has been the Marlins attempting to play the role of the spoiler. However with the injury ravaged Mets coming into town, these same Marlins look to take full advantage and keep pace in the NL East and Wild Card races. Meanwhile, our Mets are simply looking to keep respectability and avoid the cellar I suppose.

With Johan Santana now declared out for the rest of the 2009 season, it would not surprise me Vegas-wise if the Mets are underdogs in every game for the rest of the season (they have been in every non-Santana pitched game since after the All Star Break). Not only that, but now our rotation has been reduced to Mike Pelfrey (as our ace), Oliver Perez, Bobby Parnell, Nelson Figueroa and Tim Redding. You have got to be kidding me. Our offense has also been dealt a blow with Jeff Francoeur tearing a ligament in his left thumb making a great diving stab on Sunday (ironically the next at-bat was that ridiculous triple-play). He says he's willing to play through the injury which is admirable...but in my opinion he just needs to sit down and avoid making the situation worse.

Of course, this series can go a way in playing role of spoiler. The Mets sort of did that by splitting the series vs. the San Francisco Giants before losing series to the contending Braves and Phillies. While the Mets didn't necessarily play bad during the 4-7 homestand (only getting taken to the shed twice), losses still sting the psyche of fans. I don't care how adamant you are saying you don't care...we still clearly do. And as I will always say- hearing other teams fans and the media letting us know of this time in and time out.

Pitching matchup-wise; the edge is clearly in favor of the Marlins in all three games.

Tonight: Nelson Figueroa (1-2 6.70 ERA) vs. Sean West (4-5 4.70 ERA). Figueroa in 6 career appearances vs. the Fish (2 starts) is 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He will be facing the majority of the Marlins' lineup for the first times. Meanwhile, West pitched well in his only start against the Mets going 7IP and allowing 1ER on May 29th...a game in which the Mets would go on to record a very rare walk-off victory 2-1 in 11 innings.

Wednesday: Mike Pelfrey (9-8 4.67 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson (12-3 2.99 ERA). Pelfrey has been shaky in the second half of the season, but got an important win his last time out vs. the Phillies and Cole Hamels. His last start vs. FLA was the aforementioned May 29th game where he pitched 7.2IP and allowed 1ER. However, the Fish have not been kind to him in 9 career starts. The Big Pelf is 1-5 with a 5.36 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. Meanwhile, Johnson has been the exact opposite in his career vs. the Mets, going 6-0 in 8 starts with a 2.05 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. His last start against the Mets on May 30th was a 7-3 victory in which he allowed 2 runs in 7IP.

Thursday: Tim Redding (1-4 6.10 ERA) vs. Anibel Sanchez (2-4 4.97 ERA). Redding has had nightmares against the Marlins in his career. In 12 career starts he sports a 4-5 record with a 5.70 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. He was rocked in his last start opposing Josh Johnson on May 30th allowing 7 ER in 4IP. Meanwhile, Sanchez in 5 career starts vs. the Mets is 2-2 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He was also rocked in his last start vs. the Mets on April 27th, allowing 6ER in 6IP in a 7-1 victory for us.

Taking 2/3 and making the Fish's life miserable would be a miracle on paper...but that's why they play the games on the field, right?

Moskey's MiLB Report

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie Moskey) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:44:00 +0000

Well more bad news for the Mets today; Santana to have an MRI on his elbow and Francoeur a torn ligament in his hand. The more injuries the Mets suffer, the more important the minor leagues become...

The Bisons defeated the Yankees 7-2.
Players to note:
Josh Peterson went 2-4 with a run scored.
Argenis Reyes, Nick Evans and Mike Lamb all went 2-5. Reyes had an RBI and 2 runs scored, Evans had an RBI, Lamb had 2 RBIs.

The B-Mets dropped their last game with the Defenders 9-6.
Players to note:
Shawn Bowman went 2-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and a walk.
Caleb Stewart went 2-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
DJ Wabick and Jose Coronado went 2-5.

The St. Lucie Mets powered over Fort Myers 12-2.
Players to note:
Kirk Nieuwenhuis went 4-5 with a HR, 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored and a walk.
Stefan Welch went 1-2 with 4 RBIs, 1 run scored, a triple, and 3 walks.

The Gnats fell to the Braves 5-3.
Players to note:
Jefry Marte went 2-4 with a run scored.
Raul Reyes went 2-4 with with a run scored, an RBI, and a triple.

Brooklyn fell to the Vermont Lake Monsters 7-6.
Players to note:
Richard Lucas went 2-4 with an RBI, a double, and a triple.
Luis Rivera went 2-4 with a run scored.

The Kingsport Mets were defeated by the Bristol Sox 4-3.
Players to note:
Pedro Zapata went 2-4 with a run scored.

Moskey's MiLB Report

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie Moskey) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:55:00 +0000

The Bisons fell to the Scranton Yankees 2-1 this afternoon.
Players to note:
Nick Evans and Chip Ambres went 2-4. Evans had a solo homerun.
Luis Rivera went 2-3.

The B-Mets lost in walk-off fashion for the second day in a row to the Defenders 7-6.
Players to note:
Mark Kiger and Salvador Paniagua both went 3-4. Kiger drove in 2 and stole a base, Paniagua drove in 3.
Caleb Stewart and Jonathan Malo went 2-4.

The St. Lucie Mets defeated the Sarasota Reds 9-4.
Players to note:
Carlos Guzman went 3-4 with 2 RBIs.
Hector Pellot went 3-5 with 2 RBIs.
Seth Williams went 3-5 with a homerun.
Reese Havens went 2-4 with a homerun and 4 RBIs.

The Gnats took the middle game of their series with the Rome Braves 5-4.
Players to note:
Jefry Marte went 3-5 with 2 runs scored.
Nicholas Giarraputo went 2-4 with an RBI

The Cyclones shutout the Aberdeen IronBirds 5-0 in the first no-hitter of Cyclones' history.
Players to note:
Justin Garber went 3-4 with 2 runs scored.
Alex Gregory went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Brandon Moore pitched 7.0 shutout, hitless innings striking out 6 and walking 3.
-This was the first no hitter in Cyclones history. Moore said his fastball command was not it's best but his changeup was very effective.

Kingsport defeated the Bristol Sox 2-1.
Players to note:
Cesar Puello went 1-2 with a homerun and 2 runs scored.
Pedro Zapata went 1-3 with an RBI.

Moskey's MiLB Report

noreply@blogger.com (Kellie Moskey) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:34:00 +0000

I couldn't give a report last night because I was at Citi for Santana's start...also Billy Wagner's return, and the crowd was pumped. Today I checked out the B-Mets in their game against the first place Connecticut Defenders. I got to talk to some of the players who were full of information which I will share under the recap of the game.

The Bisons split their double header with the Chiefs. Game 1 went to Buffalo 7-2 and game 2 to the Chiefs 2-1. Both games lasted 7 innings.
Players to note - game 1:
Jesus Feliciano went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Chip Ambres and Mike Lamb each went 2-3. Ambres drove in 3 and had a HR, Lamb drove in 1.
Players to note - game 2:
Rene Rivera went 2-3 with a run scored.
Jesus Feliciano and Argenis Reyes both went 2-4.
Eddie Kunz pitched 2.0 scoreless innings in relief striking out 4.

The B-Mets defeated the first place Defenders 3-2.
Players to note:
Josh Thole went 3-5.
Ruben Tejada went 2-5 with 2 RBIs.
Mark Kiger went 2-3 with 2 runs scored and a walk.
--I talked to third baseman Shawn Bowman who was recently taken off the DL. He was on the DL due to injury dealing with his back. This has been plaguing him for much of his career, but earlier this season Mets Weekly reported that Bowman's back problems were supposedly taken care of. Just before the All-Star break Bowman felt his back again and returned to the DL. He told me that since coming off the DL on the 14th of this month, his back has felt fine. Bowman is said to be the best defensive third basemen since David Wright and is #29 on Toby Hyde's top prospect list. Now that he is playing pain free, this could figure prominently in September callups.
--According to B-Mets' pitcher, Julio De La Cruz, the B-Mets will have to make a roster change as De La Cruz has been reinstated from the DL and there is no room for him on the roster. De La Cruz was the closer for the B-Mets before suffering elbow pain in the first half of the season. Look for, perhaps, Mark Kiger's roster spot to be taken.

The St. Lucie Mets were topped by the Sarasota Reds 8-5.
Players to note:
Brahiam Maldonado and Carlos Guzman each went 2-4 with a run scored. Maldonado had a HR and 2 RBIs.

The Sand Gnats piled on the runs against the Green Jackets to win 16-5.
Players to note:
Joshua Satin went 3-3 with 3 walks and 4 runs scored.
Joseph August went 3-5 with 4 RBIs and a run scored.
Eric Campbell, Nicholas Giarraputo, and Evan LeBlanc all had 3 RBIs.

The Cyclones got shut out by the Spikes 8-0.
Players to note:
Luis River went 2-2.
Justin Garber went 3-4.

The Kingsport Mets fell to the Orioles 5-2.
Players to note:
Darrell Ceciliani went 3-5.
Joseph Bonfe went 3-4.
Cesar Puello and Gered Mochizuki went 2-4. Mochizuki scored 2 runs.

The 2009 Mets: Your disaster has come

metfan722@aol.com (Andrew Lavan) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:48:00 +0000

Well this must come as a big shocker to all Met fans. We suck this season. But through no fault of anyone. Sure we all wish there was someone to blame for this horrendous season, but I can not for the life of me find anyone to blame it on.

This season has been a disaster but not because of horrible play or bad management. It is simply due to all the injuries we have sustained over this season. I would like to see any team go through this many injuries especially to their star players. It would be simply impossible for a team to contend. This team is relying on players that were either on the bench or in the minor leagues to start this season. The only players who were in the opening day lineup at the start of the season are a pitcher, a catcher who is hitting .182 this season, and a second baseman. To me that speaks volumes about this team.

I am lead to believe that any other team with this many injuries would also be in our current situation. Tell me that the Yankees would be in first place without Texiera, Jeter, Posada, A-Rod, Joba, Damon, and Hughes. I think not. So why are people so upset that the Mets suck right now? The media (especially ESPN), as Jayson Albert pointed out, seems to be utterly baffled by the "demise" of the Mets. Yet every opportunity that they have to make fun of the Mets they take it and run with it.

People may want to blame Jerry Manuel but why? What role does he have in creating this team? Is it his fault he has no players to work with? Others may want to blame Omar Minaya for creating this mess or at least not trying to fix it. But again I ask why? Did we know that 2/5 of the teams starting rotation, all four of our main hitters, our setup man, and half of our reserves were to go on the DL? The answer simply is no.

Now people may ask "Couldn't we have done something in the offseason to prevent this?" And the answer that question is no, but not for the reason many people would think. It was reported that the Wilpons lost some money due to the Madoff scheme, but they managed to keep their funds out of the Mets. But as reports are now saying they lost 3/4 of a BILLION dollars. It is hard to say that is not having an effect on this team also. When you lose that amount of money it is hard not to believe that some of it came from the Mets pockets.

My remedy for this mess, wait it out. When this season finally comes to an end, I believe that we must make a splash. It it unfortunately means the end of the Omar-Jerry era so be it. But if you do that and come up empty prepare for the backlash that will soon follow. A better option would be to make a splash in free agency with the signing of either Matt Holiday or Victor Martinez (if his option is not picked up) Signing either one of them will help regenerate the buzz that has been lacking for most of this season. And hopefully we will not be picked by SI to win the World Series again.