Wednesday, May 29, 2007
Armando Meltdown At Shea
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| Jose! Jose! Jose ! |
With the Giants up by one run, Reyes walked to start the inning. Reyes danced off first base, forcing Benitez to flinch. After a Endy Chavez sacrifice bunt moved him to third, Benitez again stuttered with his foot on the rubber -- another no-no, producing a blown save for the former New York closer.
"I lost the game," said Benitez, who has blown two saves in 11 opportunities.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Mike Jackson in 1998 was the only other pitcher in MLB history to balk twice in one inning in the ninth inning or later.
Omar Vizquel has begun writing his new book and devoted a chapter to Armando Benitez.
Delgado Rocks
Carlos Delgado tied Darrell Evans for 40th place on the career homer list. It was Delgado's 42nd lifetime multihomer game and his fifth game-ending home run. His home run on Tuesday was his third walk-off RBI this season. Delgado has five home runs and 19 RBI in his last 17 games (.429 batting average, four home runs, nine RBI in his last three games)
Mets put Green on 15-day DL
Mets outfielder
Shawn Green went on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of a broken right foot, the first time he's been on the DL in his major league career.
New York recalled outfielder Ben Johnson from Triple-A New Orleans before Tuesday night's game against San Francisco. Johnson was hitting .282 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 21 games at New Orleans.
Green fouled a ball off his foot on Friday, and the move was made retroactive to Saturday. The Mets expect Green will be able to begin running in about 10 days. The 34-year-old Green started his big league career in 1993. He is hitting .314 with five home runs and 22 RBIs this season.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Mets GM: Martinez could be back by August
New York Mets fans, mark your calendars:
Pedro Martinez could be back on the mound by August.
"Things with Pedro are moving forward very nicely," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Tuesday. "We are hoping for his return in August, but the most important thing is that he recovers from his injury."
Martinez, in the third year of a four-year contract with the Mets, has sat out the season recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Last year, he went 9-8 with a 4.48 ERA.
Minaya and Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon were the Dominican Republic to break ground on a new $7.5 million team academy east of Santo Domingo.
The complex, which will house 60 young players from around Latin America, will replace a facility rented by the Mets on the other side of the Dominican capital.
"This season started with 98 Dominican players on major league rosters and with this academy we are going to try and capitalize on those resources," Wilpon said.
The team also said it's considering playing three exhibition games in the Caribbean country next spring.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Mets Lose To Rookie Again In MLB Debut
You guys suck! You can stand on the throat of the New York Yankees and kill them off for once. Instead the Mets almost blow Saturday's game and Jose Reyes showed why he never be a great clutch player, popped out with the bases loaded in the second inning and struck out in the seventh with runners on second and third. Both times he choked with a pitcher on the ropes.
Acme-faced Tyler Clippard made his major league debut by striking out Jose Reyes on three pitches and delivered the poised performance the banged-up Yankees needed, leading them past the New York Mets 6-2 Sunday night. With Mets fans playfully chasing Yankees' rooters with brooms around Shea Stadium, Tyler Clippard helped the Yankees avoid a Subway Series sweep and stop a three-game losing streak.
A sellout crowd of 56,438 let the Mets set an attendance record for a three-game series at 168,912. The Mets fell to 84-84 overall in interleague play. The Yankees are 33-24 against the Mets in interleague action. The teams play three times at Yankee Stadium on June 15-17.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Oh Lino!
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| Lino Urdaneta |
Urdaneta was suspended for 50 games Wednesday, eight days after pitcher Jorge Reyes was suspended for 100 games. Both players were penalized for testing positive for performance-enhancing substances under baseball's minor league program. Reyes drew a longer ban because it was his second offense.
Mets Place OF Alou On Disabled List
Moises Alou's left quadriceps has not healed very quickly. The New York Mets placed the veteran outfielder on the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs. The move is retroactive to Sunday.
In a corresponding move, the Mets recalled lefthander Jason Vargas from Class AAA New Orleans to start against the Cubs.
Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Alou is hitting .318 with two homers and 13 RBI in 30 games. However, the 40-year-old left fielder left the seventh inning of Sunday's 12-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers with the leg injury, which has been slow to heal. It is the 15th trip to the disabled list in the 18-year career for Alou.
Vargas will be making his first appearance with the Mets after being acquired in a trade that sent Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Florida Marlins in November. Last season, the lefthander went 1-2 with a 7.33 ERA in 12 games, including five starts. In seven starts with New Orleans this season, Vargas was 2-3 with a 5.30 ERA.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Milledge Idiot
Lastings Milledge, the Mets' 22-year-old phenom playing at Triple-A New Orleans who ticked off Met teammates last season with his on and off-the-field antics, has taken poor judgment to a new level, performing on a rap song that would make Don Imus.
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Aramis Ramirez hit a long grand slam and Carlos Zambrano pitched eight sharp innings, sending the Cubs to a 10-1 rout of the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Zambrano started a six-run rally with a one-out single in the sixth. With two outs, Ramirez connected off Scott Schoeneweis for his seventh career slam.
Ramirez hit a drive deep into the second deck of stands down the left-field line to make it 7-1 in the sixth, Chicago's first grand slam since Derrek Lee connected on Sept. 6 against Pittsburgh. The Cubs had been 0-for-17 with the bases loaded dating to April 30.
While still in the game, Willie Randolph again left a pitcher in who did not have and didn't go for righty-righty matchup, leaving Scott Schoeneweis in to face with Aramis Ramirez with the bases loaded and Mets trailing 3-1. I guess Joe Smith, Aaron Sele and Ambiorix Burgos were unavailable to face Ramirez. Maybe Willie and Jerry Manuel were confused again.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Moises Alou Could Be Headed To The DL
Moises Alou suggested on Monday that he could benefit from an extended break to heal his strained left quadriceps muscle, the NY Newsday reports.
A decision on Alou's status probably won't be made until Thursday, which is when the Mets need a starting pitcher. With both Endy Chavez and Carlos Gomez available to play left field, the best course of action would be to put Alou on the DL to allow his quad and sore shoulder to fully heal.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mets Option RHP Pelfrey To Class AAA
The top pitching prospect in the New York Mets organization is heading back to the minor leagues.
The Mets on Sunday optioned
Mike Pelfrey to Class AAA New Orleans, perhaps in anticipation of starter
Orlando Hernandez's return from the disabled list later in the week.
The 23-year-old righthander struggled with the Mets, compiling an 0-5 record with a 6.53 ERA in six starts this season. His most recent loss came Saturday as he allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 12-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. The ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, Pelfrey went 2-1 with a 5.48 ERA in four starts for the Mets last season.
Here Comes Gomez
The Mets recalled outfielder
Carlos Gomez to fill Mike Pelfrey's roster spot. The 21-year-old is batting .286 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 17 stolen bases for New Orleans. He went 2-for-9 in 10 spring training games with the Mets this year.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Armando Blowing Ballgames
Former Met closer
Armando Benitez served up a bases-loaded, two-run double in the ninth to
David Wright and the Mets completed their trip with a 5-3 win over the Giants. New York rallied to win its second straight series, loading the bases in the ninth against Benitez (0-1), who has converted all seven of his save opportunities but needed work even in a non-save situation.
Carlos Delgado also had two RBI in the victory, as the two slowest-starting Mets spared
John Maine his first loss. The Mets, who went 5-2 in Arizona and San Francisco, have an off-day today before a home stand that features visits from the Brewers, Cubs and Yankees.
Rickey Being Rickey
or all his accomplishments, you'd think snagging a foul ball in the stands would be small stuff for Rickey Henderson. Hardly the case.
Henderson, who caught a foul ball Monday at AT&T Park, where he was watching the Mets play the Giants, kept the ball instead of handing it to a young fan.
"Everybody was asking me for the ball," Henderson said Tuesday, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. "I said, 'You're not getting this ball. I always wanted to get a foul ball. This one's going on a shelf at home.' "
The young fan didn't go home empty-handed, though, as Henderson signed another ball the kid already had. Henderson, 48, joked that his catch in the stands shows he's still got the skills to play the game. "Showing 'em I've still got good hands. The ball found me I was so quick."
Shea Skinheads
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As in Carlos Beltran cutting hair for some good ol' fashioned team bonding. "I don't think it was any one guy's idea," third baseman David Wright said, showing off his new extra-short 'do. "Just as a team, we thought about it, got clippers and started doing it. We're trying to get everyone to do it."
And almost everybody did, save for shortstop Jose Reyes, relievers Aaron Heilman and Aaron Sele, and pitching coach Rick Peterson. Manager Willie Randolph closely monitored the entire operation, his hair already trimmed close to the head.
"Let me see, shave it! Let's go, come on!" one player yelled at a teammate in the bathroom area, where a long line formed as players watched one another and waited their turns for Beltran to do his thing. Julio Franco had the job of shaving Beltran's head.
Reyes received a little razzing for his decision to keep his twisty curls intact, too.
"I'm like you, baby, that's a hard decision," Rickey Henderson, a Mets special instructor, hollered to Reyes, then later added: "Some guys don't have the head for it. They have lumps."
You didn't see Henderson getting his head shaved, either.
Tom Glavine got a special reprieve simply because he was pitching, though the left-hander said he was in no way against doing something silly in order to bring players closer."It's not part of my pregame ritual," he said.
Even team spokesman Jay Horwitz took part.A freshly shorn Shawn Green, the Mets' right fielder, walked out for batting practice sporting a stunned look -- his dark curly locks completely gone.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Rare Fat Drunken Fan Injuries Woman
The New York Mets fan whose back was broken by an apparently drunken 300-pound man who fell on her at Shea Stadium during the team's home opener has filed a lawsuit because of her injuries.
Ellen Massey, 58, says in court papers that on April 9 she was in the second row of the right field upper deck near a "visibly intoxicated" man who was "acting in a rowdy, boisterous and dangerous manner for a long period of time."
Pelfrey Loses In Desert As Streak Ends
Mike Pelfrey (0-4) allowed three runs and three hits in 5 1-3 innings for New York. He walked four, hit two batters with pitches and struck out one. Diamondbacks beat the Mets 3-1 Sunday to end a 13-game home losing streak to New York. Pelfrey was victim from lack of supports.
Lino Urdaneta pitched to 3 batters yesterday, retiring 2 of them and saw his career ERA drop from infinitum to 81.00. Congratulations Lino!
Friday, May 5, 2007
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| Julio Franco |
Julio Franco has 173 career homers and is the oldest player to go deep in major league history. His first drive this season was a memorable one.
Franco and Paul Lo Duca homered against Randy Johnson to lead the New York Mets to a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. It was Franco's first career homer against The Big Unit and Lo Duca's second. "It's not easy to hit home runs against that guy," said the 48-year-old Franco, a career .243 hitter against Johnson.
Franco's homer extended his record of being the oldest to homer in the majors, at 48 years, 8 months and 12 days.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Perez Apolgizes To Fantasy Geeks For Performance
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| Oliver Perez |
"I am sorry some of fantasy baseball guys usually don't take me when I pitch lately. I didn't seem to struggle at all today, the umpire was giving me some bad calls. I threw it to the spots where they usually hit it," an apologetic Perez said.
Oliver Perez (3-2) allowed three runs -- one earned -- and three hits in 5 2-3 innings. He walked three in his 17th career double-digit strikeout game, and second with the Mets. The other one also came against Florida on Sept. 12, when he whiffed 11.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
John Maine named NL Pitcher of the Month
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| John Maine |
Acquired from Baltimore in the Kris Benson deal prior to last season, Maine held opponents to a .159 batting average and recorded 30 strikeouts for the Mets, who have won each of his starts. Anna Benson asked husband Kris Benson for a swap of lady friends with the John Maine.
Jose Reyes named NL Player of the Month
New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes on Wednesday was named the National League Player of the Month for April. The 23-year-old Reyes batted .356, scored 26 runs and stole 17 bases for the Mets, who went 15-9 in April. The 2006 All-Star legged out a major-league best five triples last month to go along with nine doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI.
Doc Celebrates For Winners
It wa the first time that two Met players won both awards since Dwight Gooden and Gary Carter in September 1985. Dwight Gooden celebrated in a Florida prison by snorting a bottle of baby powder. Meanwhile Gary Carter is still looking for a camera to smile into.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Mets Wonderboy Finally Hits A Home Run
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| David Wright |
Everyone had been talking to him. Mets coach Howard Johnson. Hitting coach Rick Down. Johnson suggested he borrow one of old bats from his Met days and Down gave him the some guy named Kirk Radomski who would hook him up. Finally the right person appeared.
Willie Randolph pulled him aside last night to tell him he would move up to the No. 2 spot — behind Jose Reyes and in front of Carlos Beltran — which Randolph called "the best spot in the lineup." For the season, Wright is hitting .266 with one homer and seven RBI with three steals.
Aaron Heilman Looks Like He Wants Out
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| Aaron Heilman |
"It's frustrating," Heilman said. "We were in that game. Thought we had a really good shot of winning that game, and I kind of took us out of that."
Heilman can't understand why he has struggled to escape certain relief situations, other than the fact that he may be trying to do too much.
"It's one of those things that are unfortunate, because I didn't make the pitch that I needed too," Heilman said. "It's a matter of executing that pitch, and making a better pitch."
Mets Fan Banned From Ballpark For 3 Years
 Fan banned from Shea, he looks strangely familiar. |
Martinez cannot watch the Mets in person at a home game until 2010. "In a game in which the ball can travel upward of 110 mph, the defendant's actions were dangerous to both spectators and players," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.
Authorities say that Martinez, seated behind home plate, turned the beam on Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and shortstop Edgar Renteria. The Braves were leading 7-0 at the time.
Renteria complained to umpire Paul Emmel, who called time out and alerted security. The security officers removed Martinez and found the flashlight in his backpack, authorities
Mayor Development Plan For Junkyards
Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan Tuesday to turn 60 acres of junkyards and auto-parts shops next to the construction site of the New York Mets' new ballpark into a neighborhood of homes, shops, offices and entertainment.
 Downtown Willets Point. |
The master plan for the area known as Willets Point, or the Iron Triangle, includes a school, a 700-room hotel and a 400,000-square-foot convention center. Over the next decade the plan would replace 225 auto shops and 25 industrial and manufacturing businesses with 5,500 housing units, 1.7 million square feet of retail and entertainment and 500,000 square feet of office space.
The new ballpark, Citi Field, is to open in 2009, adjacent to Shea Stadium.
The redevelopment site is polluted from years of petroleum spills and will have to be cleaned up. Garbage and broken-down chassis are piled high, and there are no sewers. Many of the auto shops are low-rent chop shops in cinderblock sheds.
The city has promised to help the existing businesses relocate and will offer job training and other assistance to the estimated 1,300 workers who make their living there. Daniel Sambucci, who owns an auto salvage business at the site, was skeptical that the city could find him a new home.