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The offense fails again and the Phillies begin to pull away
2008-06-07 06:26:00
As the Phillies beat their rival Braves on the last play of the game, the Mets lost their second straight game by the score of 2-1. The offense has gone back to playing uninspired, poorly executed and unable to preform in the clutch ball......The Padres have been near the bottom of the standings for the entire season and have been one of the worse scoring teams in the league but they somehow found enough offense to beat us two games in a row. It wasn't their pitchers either Banks and Wolf can hardly be considered top level pitchers, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana should get wins against the Pads when they hold them to two runs. It wasn't that they didn't have opportunities tonight, two innings in a row they had bases loaded with one out and came away with only one run. Sure you could point to David Wright's long fly ball in which he was robbed of an extra base hit, scoring multiple runners but a tremendous play by center fielder recorded an out and turned it into a sac fly but t...
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The bench is poorly constructed
2008-06-06 21:48:00
It might make sense for Abraham Nunez to be recalled if the team is concerned about getting Wright and Reyes time off. I can understand how Willie wouldn't have faith in using Tatis or Easely at either spot, Easley tried to fill in at short and showed very little range. Both are on the team for veteran leadership and their bats. Nunez is an excellent infielder and has at least hit .240, Ahern is younger and just as good defensively but can't hit a lick."We've been talking about that, but he says he feels great," Randolph said. "We'll try to find a spot here and there. If I really feel like he's struggling, then I'll give him a day off." source NY PostBut even if you can justify Nunez that still doesn't mean the bench has been assembled properly. There is absolutely no reason for the Mets to be carrying three catchers, I understand the concept , it allows the team to use one catcher as a pinch hitter but Willie has never shown any interest in the idea. There have been several ...
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Sickel's - Mets got a sleeper
2008-06-06 18:19:00
Minor league guru John Sickel's at Minor League Ball says that the Mets may have gotten a sleeper in the draft. While most are looking at Davis and Havens ( for good reason), Sickel's likes the Mets fifth round pick of Lefthanded hitting catcher Dock Doyle. If the kid is a decent catcher maybe Havens will be left at 2B, since he didn't sound to keen about the idea of catching......Mets fifth round pick Dock Doyle, a catcher from Coastal Carolina, looks like a sleeper to me and was one of my favorite Shadow Draft candidates. I'm less impressed with Mets fourth round pick Sean Ratliff, out of Stanford. He's got great power but the extremely high strikeout rate worries me. source Minor league Ball
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Slow hook on Show and no offense
2008-06-06 07:13:00
The best thing that can be said about Mike Pelfrey was that he limited the damage, yes; Pelfrey allowed only one run over six innings but tells only half the story. Pelfrey was constantly in trouble and against a week hitting, last place team he was able to get lucky. Pelfrey had absolutely no control of his slider and once he had runners on base he wouldn't throw the change-up. Pelfrey allowed eight hits, three walks and only struck out one. The relievers continued the struggles; Feliciano, Smith and Sanchez all pitched with multiple runners on and were also lucky enough to get out of jams. With a tie score Schoenewies came in, in the bottom of the ninth and clearly didn't have it again. For whatever reason Willie stuck with him in which he loaded the bases on two walks, a single and allowed the winning run by hitting the batter. After the walk I would have gone to Wagner and hoped he could get two innings and take my lumps if my closer couldn't. But Willie had his typical slow ...
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They Recalled who.....Nunez ?
2008-06-06 02:25:00
The Mets sent down Nick Evans today, the move doesn't come as a surprise as Evans looked clearly over matched at this early stage in his career. Like I said before I'm sure the experience will serve as incentive to not only Evans but all the young players in AA who hear the stories about "The Show". What is more of a surprise is who he was replaced by, they chose to re-called recently signed Abraham Nunez. The slick fielding infielder has been struggling at the plate in AAA, the Brewers released him after he hit only .210 in Nashville and so far with the Zeph's he was hitting .133. The Mets must be comfortable with Tatis as a left fielder with Endy being the defensive replacement. That leaves Easley as the bench infielder and they wanted a defensive replacement. If your looking for an all glove no bat, Ahern has never come close to Nunez's lifetime .247 BA so it makes sense from that aspect. I still don't understand why one of Feliciano, Aguila or Pascucci weren't recalled. I ...
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Ollie on a short leash... Is Texas interested....
2008-06-04 17:13:00
John Delcos has a great piece on Oliver Perez and his struggles to find his control. After his one out start Willie Randolph really appear exasperated with the inconsistent pitcher, in case you missed his comments check them out at Metsblog. In Delcos' column he quotes Willie responding to a question, in regard to pulling Perez from the rotation. While he denies the idea, it does sound like Ollie is on a shorter leash as Willie ends his response with the ominous "yet".He also said his patience has limits. So far, pulling Perez from the rotation is not an option."We haven't gotten to that point, yet," Randolph said. source Lo Hud JournalLater in the same article Guy Conti discusses Ollie's arm angle and delivery..."That's why his velocity is off," bullpen coach Guy Conti said. "He has to repeat his delivery, and he's not."In addition to Perez's varying arm slots, Conti said the pitcher is also moving his head. Conti noted Pedro Martinez as an example. "You could place a cup of ...
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Pedro was great last night
2008-06-04 15:59:00
It was great to have Pedro Martinez back on the mound last night, I said going into the game that if he could go five innings, in which he allowed three runs I'd take it. Martinez struggled early but then settled down into a nice groove, after a long top of the fourth inning, he came back out and it was clear that the cold San Francisco night had him a bit rusty. After giving up two runs he got out of the inning and could have left the game with the team leading by six runs. But Pedro took the mound in the sixth and quickly put two on, his best pitching of the night came in the sixth when his pitch count was around 100 and he found something extra good to finish off the inning. In the sixth Pedro showed that swagger, that he wasn't going to be denied finishing the inning on a successful note. Despite being a pitcher Pedro adds element to this team, an electricity and swagger, its a mix of playful glee and a competitive gun slinger. Hopefully, Pedro can stay healthy because he real...
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Why must you tease us...Alou
2008-06-04 15:31:00
It's seems like Moises Alou shows up for a few weeks, beats the ball to a pulp and then disappears. Alou looks so good when he's here that Omar seems reluctant to bring in another outfielder and keeps us fans hoping for a speedy return. But the all or nothing, forty something Alou is brittle, to say the least and is very slow to recover. His roster spot has been held by AA player Nick Evans who aside from his first game is completely over matched. The saving grace for Evans has been that he wasn't going to be here long, if Alou wasn't returning on time then a true outfielder with a quality bat should be filling the spot. So Alou joined the team on the road trip and is eligible to return on thur., all indications were that he would be playing Friday. But wait, not so fast; Alou over did it on Sunday and either suffered a set back or just didn't realize he wasn't ready yet. Now he's 50/50 to return at all during this road trip........Moises Alou said yesterday that a return dur...

Why do they insist on carrying three catchers
2008-06-04 15:09:00
Raul Casanova was placed on Bereavement leave and before saying anything about baseball, my condolences to him and his family. While Casanova is away from the team he will be replaced by Robinson Cancel. The Mets appear to be fixated on carrying three catchers even though it's an unnecessary roster spot. As I've said before Willie insist using his catchers regularly as pinch hitters and when they are there a liability on the base path due to their lack of speed. Granted Cancel played some 1B and LF but other then an emergency situation I wouldn't be comfortable putting him out there. The Mets have the three outfielders in New Orleans and any of them would have made more sense to call up.The Mets announced after Tuesday night's 9-6 win over the Giants here that Robinson Cancel is being recalled to replace Raul Casanova for the next three days source NY Post
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Ollie is consistent.....Bad that is.....
2008-06-04 03:06:00
The statement that Oliver Perez is inconsistent and you never know what your going to get from start to start is no longer true. That may have been the case last year but this year a good performance is an aberration. I'm personally tired of hearing that he has great stuff and it's just a matter of getting him consistent. Ollie is a tease and those spectacular moments are fleeting. The problem isn't in his arm or delivery it's in his head, I don't think he has the make-up to be a long term successful major league pitcher. Looking strictly at the numbers it's hard to argue that he's been anything but bad......If the gold standard is six innings of three runs or less ( which I think is one run too many and an inning short... 7/2) then in 12 appearances Ollie has produced three quality starts ( 4/2, 5/11, 5/18). In those three games only one of them was past the sixth when he went 7.2 innings against the Yanks. In only two other games did he complete the sixth inning and in both...
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Peterson on the hot seat
2008-06-03 17:33:00
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that pitching coach Rick Peterson is on the hot seat. Rosenthal believes it would be a foolish idea to let the Jacket go and sites his success as the reason to keep him. Maybe I'm just looking for a scapegoat or with familiarity comes complacency but I'm not as high as I once was. To match his successes, there seem to be alot of pitchers who have struggled for a long time under Peterson. I'm not advocating either way I'm just saying for me that he was the Guru and now he's just the Jacket.When we played the Brewers, the announcer reporting on Mota said he was crediting his success to using a slider, a pitch he had in Florida. He threw the Mets under the bus by saying something to the effect that everyone used a change-up and three quarter arm slot here. In 21 gms this year Mota has had two multi run games ( both 3 runs) resulting in an ERA of 3.04, that's not the Mota we had. Peterson does have an ace in his pocket, Sandy Koufax is very high on the c...
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Zeph's win big, thanks to Armas & Bats
2008-06-03 08:06:00
Tony Armas Jr., put in another solid start for the Zeph's, if Pelfrey struggles I could see Armas joining the rotation. He pitched six innings in which he allowed two runs, on seven hits and one walk, his ERA is 2.29.The outfield, I discussed early tonight provided most of the offense. Aguila, Pascucci and Feliciano combined for eigh hits and three RBIs, three of the hits were doubles and one was a homerun.Robinson Cancel went 2-5 with a two run triple and three RBIs.
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Don't expect Pagan anytime soon
2008-06-03 07:52:00
The Mets could really use Angel Pagan as a caddy to Alou. Pagan hurt himself diving into the stands to make a great catch on a foul ball. Adam Rubin reports that Pagan is still experiencing soreness when he swings from the right side.....Angel Pagan, on the DL with a bruised left shoulder, is having no difficulty throwing or batting from the left side. However, he is unable to comfortably bat from the right side, signaling a return isn’t close. source Daily News
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Some things work themselves out: Vargas & Muniz
2008-06-03 07:34:00
Thanks to Oliver Perez's bombing, the Mets had a chance to see Claudio Vargas as a long man and had to be happy with the results. Vargas pitched 4.2 effective and scoreless innings, just as a longman is suppose to do he kept the team from scoring anymore and gave his team a chance to come.If Omar was having a tough time deciding who to send down, Carlos Muniz answered that question for him. Muniz took over for Vargas and gave up four runs in two innings. It was a shame to see the game get out of hand because Vargas did such a good job and it felt like the Mets were close to coming back. After the game Willie made it official by saying that Muniz would be the one to go down........Mike Pelfrey will remain in the rotation......
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Ollie awful Again
2008-06-03 06:59:00
It's strange how things work out, Omar attempted to sign Oliver Perez to a multi-year deal prior to the season but his agent Scott Boras opted for free agency after the season. Well Ollie will be lucky to keep his spot in the rotation, let alone find someone to pay him big money.Perez's Achilles heel has always been consistency, at times showing flashes of brilliance and then suddenly being unable to find the strike zone. The Mets have always hoped that as Ollie matured he would be able to harness his raw talent and become a quality starting pitcher. Ollie is becoming more consistent this year, unfortunately it's in the opposite direction then we had hoped, Perez is making ugly innings a more regular occurrence. Tonight he pitched 1/3 of the first inning in which he gave up six runs on two walks and five hits, two of which were home runs. Perez had the shortest outing since Glavine's implosion on the last day of the season. His ERA has ballooned to 5.70 and he has only pitched t...
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Heilman has options but they wont be used....
2008-06-03 05:46:00
There has been a lot of debate as to whether Aaron Heilman has options or not. The thought being that if he does, send the struggling reliever down and see if he can find his rhythm without the pressure of being in the majors. Heilman is clearly struggling, the once dominant set-up man has an ERA of 6.67 with a record of 0-2. I think it's time for the team to use him in a deal, there's just too much history between the starter thing, game seven home run and now his struggles. But if they want to keep him and he has options, it would make sense to send him down. During the game tonight at his blog for Lo Hud Journal I asked John Delcos if he had any clarification on Heilman's option status and he said the following:edfever: Heilman does have options remaining. I spoke to Omar about that recently and he said the team has no plans on sending him out. If he's going to turn it around, it will be up here.-JDThen I asked if he had any insight into why they would keep a struggling guy w...
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Why is Casanova on the roster
2008-06-03 02:07:00
I have nothing against Raul Casanova , but it's a waste of a roster spot to have a guy who is strictly a pinch hitter. There is no need for three catchers, none of them play a second position and all are very slow on the base path. Willie isn't using Castro as an early game pinch hitter and late in games if either Casanova or Castro get in scoring position a pinch runner is used. Casanova is a third catcher who should be in New Orleans waiting for a call-up when one of the full time catchers go on the DL. Both Tatis and Easley have practiced catching and are considered the emergency catchers which would get you by until the next day when Casanova could catch-up to the club.....The Mets need to fill the spot with an outfielder, Tatis and Easley can get plenty of playing time between Castillo knees and Delgado's bat. The only true back-up outfielder is Endy Chavez, Nick Evans has speed but is another infielder trying to play out of position and his bat isn't ready for this level ye...
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Ozzie wants change; Konerko or Thome
2008-06-02 21:55:00
It's funny the White Sox are in the exact same position the Mets were in last year. Their in first place but they don't feel that way, Willie and Omar used the mantra that drove us fans crazy last year "at least were still in first place". Well Ozzie Guillen isn't known for his calm and patient demeanor and is demanding change to his sluggish offense. The result has been the alienation of his players and GM, the same guy who extended him until 2012. There has to be a happy medium between the two styles....If Ozzie gets his way there will be changes in the roster, otherwise he may plan to bench starters and completely shuffle the batting order which may lose him the team. 1B has been a black hole for bats, I don't expect either player to continue struggling but does Guillen have the patient to wait them out. Konerko who doesn't sound happy based on his quotes is playing through a hand injury, the 32 y/o right handed 1B is hitting only .205 and might need to go on the DL but the ...
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Lane & Ensberg could be looking for work
2008-06-02 20:48:00
The Yankees signed Jason Lane to minor league contract during the off-season and gave the veteran player an out clause, if Lane isn't on the major league roster by today he can become a free agent. The 31 y/o righty batting outfielder spent his first five season with the Astros before moving to the Padres last year. After being converted from a pitcher to a fielder his original position was first base but with Jeff Bagwell on the team Lane was moved to center field. He has a lifetime BA of .241 and is hitting .248 with 11 HRs in AAA.I must admit every time I hear his name I think of the 2005 All-Star third basemen who hit .283 with 35 HRs. But in the last three seasons Morgan Ensberg has been unable to come anywhere near those numbers. Ensberg hasn't hit higher then .235 and his power numbers have dropped off. The Yankees were using him as a 1B/3B utility player but hitting just .203 resulted in the team designating him for assignment. I don't see any usefulness in Ensberg for th...
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Is this what would have happened if the collapse was earlier
2008-06-02 19:58:00
There's an old baseball adage that says a team isn't as good as it looks during a winning streak or as bad as it looks during a slump. But as a fan we're on the roller coaster with "our" team and can't sit on the side to watch the ride. Less then two weeks ago the Mets looked like a last place team, Willie Randolph's job was on the line and there was plenty of speculation about what was wrong with the team. Getting mowed down by the Braves and Rockies was strikingly familiar to what is now called "the collapse of 07". The offense struggled, the defense made costly errors and the pitchers gave up critical runs. Suddenly all-star caliber players were playing like guys who belonged in the minors and no one appeared able to motivate this team to win. The Mets have contended that all teams slump and that if the collapse had happened earlier in the year they would have had time to rebound. Well if the current winning streak is any indication of their resilience then maybe they are ri...
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Second times a charm.....Griffey
2008-06-02 04:09:00
The Mets completed a deal for Ken Griffey Jr. in December of 1999 when Omar was an assistant GM under Steve Phillips, everything was complete except for the hall of fame sluggers stamp of approval. In what is usually resolved with cash compensation, Griffey decided to veto the trade and remain with the Seattle. It wasn't that the Mets were a bad team, in fact they were coming off a wild card playoff birth but Griffey stated that he would only accept a trade to his home town Reds or would remain with the Mariners. Griffey chose to stay in a small market, out of the scrutiny of the NY media. The Mets would make it to the World Series in 2000 and you have to believe that with Griffey the over achieving no-names might have had a chance to actually beat the evil empire. As far as the Reds, they have averaged 75 wins per season since then and never made the playoffs.Even after Ken Griffey Jr. vetoed a potential trade that would have brought him to the Mets, at least two players and anoth...
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It will Probably be Muniz but it should be Heilman
2008-06-01 05:49:00
Mike Peflrey pitched well enough to earn himself another start, meaning that it's more then likely that Claudio Vargas will become the long-man when Pedro is activated. The two relievers with options are Joe Smith and Carlos Muniz, both are pitching very well. Smith has seniority, which makes Muniz the odd man out. Prior to Sosa being waived, there was some discussion that Smith would be sent down because he still had options but the team came to their senses and waived Sosa who was clearly the inferior reliever. Aaron Heilman is currently the most unreliable relief pitcher and should be the one to go. There's no way the team is going to DFA Heilman and if he still had options he would already be in New Orleans. Muniz has shown that he could be a very good reliever for this pen and shouldn't be sent down just because he has options. Hopefully, Omar finds a new home for Heilman and Muniz, if he goes down is back quickly........

Cancel back in action
2008-06-01 05:26:00
The competition for the third catchers position went right down to the wire between Raul Casanova and Robinson Cancel in spring training. With Ramon Castro on the DL whoever won the competition would be staying with the big league team.Despite Casanova having quite a bit of major league experience, I thought Cancel had a leg up for the position based on his versatility. In addition to being a catcher he played a decent 1B and an adequate left field. But in the last went of camp an injury to his knee was discovered which landed him on the DL.Tonight I noticed in the New Orleans box score that Cancel played, catching the entire game in which he went 1-3 with a homer and a walk.
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Tatis has intangibles this team desperately needs
2008-06-01 04:23:00
For the second time in less than a week Fernando Tatis has scored the winning run for the Mets. The 33 y/o right handed third baseman last played as a regular for a major league team (Expos) in 2003, his ill fated comeback with Baltimore in 2006 only lasted 28 gms with a BA of .250. In addition to his timely hitting Tatis has a BA of .281, but more important to this team is the intangibles he brings to the table. Five years removed from your dream will really change your priorities. Tatis plays every game as if it was his last, with heart and desire that brings energy to the clubhouse. His hustle and enthusiasm for the game seems infectious and it's not a mistake that the team is playing so much better with players like Tatis in the line-up. He has learned almost every position in the field and while he might not be the best at any of them, what he lacks in skills he makes up for with intangibles. Hopefully, he can keep it up when everybody gets healthy it would be nice to have a p...
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Valentin would help Castillo & Delgado.....
2008-05-31 05:50:00
I will admit I'm a fan of Luis Castillo , I have been since the first week he was with the team and after a loss he sat in the grass next to the dugout stewing after everyone else left the field. While his range has diminished but he still a solid defender that turns a tremendous double play. Once he gets his bat going it's like having two lead-off hitters at the top of the order. But even I can see that he's going to need help to make it through the season....second baseman Luis Castillo (pictured) left in the top of the seventh inning in what became a 9-5 loss to the Dodgers tonight with what the New York Mets listed as a strained left hip flexor. Castillo, who disagreed with the club by insisting it was a strained quadriceps, said he wants to see how he feels Saturday before giving a timetable for his return. source NY Post Just as Jose Valentin approached a return he had a slight set back with tendinitis in his elbow from practicing throws in the outfield. The Mets desperately...
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Willie there's no excuse for leaving Heilman in
2008-05-31 04:05:00
Well the Mets started out with the same fire they had in the last three games but it all fell apart for the Mets. John Maine once again didn't have his best stuff but limited the damage to four runs, the Mets would battle back three times to finally take the lead 5-4 in the seventh. The way this bullpen has been pitching and as bad as the Dodgers are hitting I thought this game was over. Leading off the eighth Pedro Feliciano was robbed of an out on a bad call at first and Willie opted to go with the righty Aaron Heilman.I have no problem bringing in Heilman especially after his last two outings but Heilman clearly didn't have it tonight. I am sick of Heilman's inconsistency and hope he's part of a trade by the deadline, his bad out weighs the good at this point. I believe he'll go on to be an above average pitcher but I think he has a bit of Kenny Rodgers/ Carl Pavano inability to play in NY syndrome going.But it was Willie who killed any chance of the Mets winning tonight, Wi...
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Omar working the Phones
2008-05-31 02:53:00
Two different sources are reporting that Omar Minaya is searching to improve his team, it doesn't appear that he's looking for a tweak but more of a significant piece. As I've said before if we do acquire a front line player you can say goodbye to the last true pitching prospect in Jon Neise. If Omar is looking at guys like Nady and Bay it would appear that he's not expecting much from Alou. Millar would be more of a one year veteran leader but I think that role is going to be filled by Valentin. Both Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News and Dan Graziano of the Star Ledger are reporting on Omar's activity......."If there's a player out there that we feel can make a difference, we will pursue it," GM Omar Minaya said in the post-meeting news conference. "If there is a chance to improve this team, whether that be by a trade or whatever, we're going to do it." source Star Ledger Mets general manager Omar Minaya reportedly is making inquiries about available first basemen, l...
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Magic man Padilla working way back, joins Zephs
2008-05-31 01:59:00
Juan Padilla was a key component of the 2005 Mets bullpen but since then his career has been on hold due to injuries. Padilla was in camp this year as he began the road to recovery and after a brief stay with the big league club he jumped over to minor league camp. He has been in Florida since rehabbing his arm and now the Zephyrs are reporting that he has joined their bullpen. The former Yankee Brandon Knight has also joined New Orleans....Right-handed pitchers Juan Padilla and Brandon Knight have joined the New Orleans Zephyrs, it was announced Thursday.The 31-year-old last pitched in 2005, when he went 3-2 with two saves and a 1.42 ERA in 37 games for Class AAA Norfolk before being promoted to the New YorkMets. He went 3-1 with a 1.49 ERA in 24 games in the majors, but underwent Tommy John surgery during Spring Training the following year and has not pitched since. source MiLB
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What about J. Feliciano
2008-05-30 05:04:00
I know that Nick Evans coming up and hitting three doubles in his first game was a great story but since then he has shown that offensively he is simply out of his league. The Mets wanted a right handed bat and apparently Val Pascucci, despite having a great bat is a defensive liability. 1B Mike Carp had a very good spring in 2007 at major league camp but is left handed. Another candidate was 3B/1B Murphy who is also left handed and I don't believe has outfield experience.With it appearing that Marlon Anderson will be out longer then initially thought when it was believed his hamstring was only strained, the team might be willing to bring up a lefty. Easley has shown he can play firstbase and with Church still feeling dizzy an outfielder would make sense. Not including Evans they currently have Casanova (switch), Tatis, Easley and Castro on the bench from the right side with Chavez as the only true lefty.The Mets have a lefthanded 29 y/o outfielder by the name of Jesus Feliciano wh...

Foot on Heyman
2008-05-30 02:38:00
Peter Wade of Hootfoot reports on John Heyman's analysis of Aaron Heilman and his struggles while appearing on the WFAN today. Heyman does an excellent job explaining why the Mets don't consider him a starter, I've never heard the elbow explanation before.....He’s a two pitch pitcher plus with his mechanics, he has what they call a “high back elbow”. source Hootfoot
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