Thursday, May 27, 2009
Amazin' Mess Sweep Nats, Thanks To Bad Umpires
Daniel Murphy’s tiebreaking homer, a call overturned by umpires in yet another review benefiting New York, led an uncharacteristically wild Johan Santana to a 7-4 win over the Washington Nationals.
Daniel Murphy came up with a runner on in the sixth and hit a drive to right that appeared to scrape off a yellow advertisement on the facade of the second deck, which hangs 8 feet over the field.
The ball landed on the warning track and was initially ruled in play, so Adam Dunn started a relay that cut down Sheffield at the plate. Thinking it was a homer, he wasn’t running hard most of the way.
“I didn’t think that there was any way possible that the ball could have been a homer,” Dunn said.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel came out to argue and the umpires huddled before three disappeared under the third-base stands to watch replays. After a delay of about 4 minutes, they returned and signaled home run, giving New York a 5-3 lead.
With 1,652 RBIs, Gary Sheffield tied Hall of Famer Tony Perez for 25th place on the career list. Sheffield is hitting .419 with four homers, three doubles and 14 RBIs since May 13.
New York catcher Omir Santos was scratched from the lineup with a bruised left shin. He is day to day. David Wright struck out four times for the first time in his career.
The Mets scored 12 runs in Johan Santana’s first six starts. They have 21 in his last three outings. Santana (7-2) struck out 11 and walked six, one shy of his career high. He labored through six innings, throwing a season-high 120 pitches while allowing three runs and three hits.
Top prospect Fernando Martinez, playing his second big league game, failed to run out an infield popup that was dropped. The 20-year-old was booed his next time up.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Hurtin' Mess
The Mets placed shortstop Jose Reyes and right fielder Ryan Church on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, calling up star prospect Fernando Martinez in the process.
Reyes, who has missed eight of the team's past 11 games, is still struggling with tendinitis in his right calf. The move is retroactive to last Thursday, when he took himself out of a game in Los Angeles in the third inning.
Church was placed on the disabled list in part because of the uncertain status of center fielder Carlos Beltran, who will not start against the Nationals on Tuesday. Beltran had an MRI earlier Tuesday and was diagnosed with a bone bruise and inflammation of his right tibia. He will likely sit out the next two games with the intention of returning Friday when the Mets open a three-game series with the Marlins.
Livan Hernandez kept working out of trouble, throwing the New York Mets’ first complete game of the season while shutting down Ryan Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals 6-1 Tuesday night. Hernandez threw 127 pitches—83 for strikes—were the most for the Mets since his half brother, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, threw 130 in 2007 at Pittsburgh.
Since Carlos Delgado was assigned to the disabled list May 16, Gary Sheffield has batted .407 with eight runs scored, three home runs, 10 RBIs and seven walks. His on-base percentage in that sequence is .529.
Fernando Martinez, 20, became the youngest player to debut in a Mets uniform since Jose Reyes, who was 19 years, 11 months and 30 days on June 10, 2003.
Oliver Perez made the first start of his Minor League rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Buffalo, allowing a run on three hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five and threw 88 pitches only 48 for strikes.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Jerry was Willie's inner ear
Jerry Manuel is a dope.Here comes the Mets meltdown thanks to Jerry Manuel over managing. Remember he was Willie Randolph's bench coach in 2007 and 2008.
Bobby Parnell was given pointers by Ron Darling on how to pitch before the game.
When are the Mets going to place Jose Reyes on the disabled list already? Isn't it important to have him healthy in the second half of the season? He is useless sitting on the bench taking up a roster spot.
Look at those empty seats on the field level at Citi Field. Where are all those die hard Met fans.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Dodgers cap 3-game sweep of Mets
Orlando Hudson singled with one out against J.J. Putz (1-3), who walked Andre Ethier before Russel Martin lined the right-hander’s 1-0 pitch to left field for his 16th RBI of the season. The hit helped the defending NL West champions improve their major league-best record to 29-13 and extend their division lead over San Francisco to 8 1/2 games.
The Mets, 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position and 3 for 27 overall in the series, squandered an opportunity to take the lead in the top of the eighth after putting runners at second and third with one out.
Mets shortstop Jose Reyes was replaced by Ramon Martinez in the bottom of the third inning after aggravating a troublesome right calf that forced him to miss five games. The Mets’ all-time stolen base leader tried to leg out a grounder deep in the hole on the right side of the infield, but was thrown out by second baseman Hudson, who made a one-hop throw from the outfield grass.
Daniel Murphy, who had played in left field the first 1 1/2 months this season, started at first base for the first time in his big league career—using Carlos Delgado’s glove. Delgado is expected to be sidelined until at least late July after undergoing hip surgery on Tuesday.
The Mets have gone seven games, 69 2-3 innings and 265 official at-bats since their last home run—a solo shot by Gary Sheffield on May 13.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Mets go back into a coma
Casey Blake hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off John Maine in the sixth inning and the Dodgers scored earlier with the help of another New York Mets error in a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.
Maine (3-3) gave up five runs—four earned—and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander, who was 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA in his previous four starts, took a 3-1 lead into the sixth. But James Loney and Matt Kemp hit one-out singles, and Blake homered into the left-field pavilion—two pitches after pitching coach Dan Warthen went out for a chat with Maine.
Jose Reyes returned to the lineup after missing five starts with stiffness in his right calf.
The Mets, who committed five errors in Monday night’s 11-inning loss, were at it again in the first when a liner to left field by leadoff man Juan Pierre glanced off the glove of a charging Daniel Murphy. Juan Pierre scored on Orlando Hudson’s single— the 20th unearned run given up by Mets pitchers in 39 games.
The Mets have committed 32 errors, the third-highest total in the majors behind Washington (41) and Seattle (34)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Comedy of errors
Errors by Gold Glove center fielder Carlos Beltran and fill-in first baseman Jeremy Reed in the 11th inning cost the Mets, who had the go-ahead run taken away on an appeal play after Ryan Church missed third base in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 3-2 victory.
The Mets committed five errors and blew a chance to take the lead in the 11th on a play that was right out of their 1962 playbook. Church singled with two outs against winner Ramon Troncoso (1-0) and came all the way around on Angel Pagan’s drive to the fence in right-center.
But Church missed third base with his right foot and the Dodgers retired him on an appeal play. So instead of an RBI triple, Pagan had to settle for a single, his fourth hit of the game.
Jose Reyes missed his fifth straight start because of stiffness in his right calf.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Delgado will undergo surgery on right hip
New York Mets slugger Carlos Delgado will have arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his right hip, and there’s no immediate word on when he might return to the lineup.
The Mets, who entered Monday leading the NL East by a half-game over Philadelphia, said Delgado has a bone spur and a torn labrum in his hip. Team spokesman Jay Horwitz said no timetable for Delgado’s return will be decided until after the operation.
New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez had surgery in early March for a torn labrum—cartilage that lines the hip socket to stabilize and cushion the joint. He missed exactly two months.
Delgado hit .423 (11 for 26) with three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs in the seven games before he left the lineup, all won by the Mets.
In other news, reserve infielder Alex Cora was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn ligament in his right thumb. Ramon Martinez was called up from Triple-A Buffalo to play shortstop in place of Jose Reyes, who missed his fifth straight start with stiffness in his right calf.
Balk, balk, balk
Mike Pelfrey kicked the mound in frustration after his third balk and nearly fell. That’s the way his difficult day went.
“I almost tripped when I did that,” the Mets starter said with a chuckle. Yes, he took it all good naturedly.
While Pelfrey struggled with his delivery, San Francisco’s Matt Cain stymied the Mets and singled in a run, and the Giants ended an eight-game losing streak to New York with a 2-0 victory Sunday night.
The third balk by Pelfrey (4-1), in the sixth, drew pitching coach Dan Warthen out for a visit.
The last pitcher to have three balks in a game was Al Leiter for Toronto against Minnesota on April 23, 1994. The only other Mets player to do it was Don Rowe on April 27, 1963, at Philadelphia.
Bob Shaw holds the NL record with five balks for the Milwaukee Braves against the Cubs on May 4, 1963—and he had three in one inning.
The Mets have sent some fans a survey, according to metspolice.com, asking whether the team should keep black uniform jerseys, whether they should wear white and pinstripes more often at home, whether fans would like white jerseys with an interlocking “NY” or blue jerseys with an interlocking “NY,” among other questions. Fans also were asked for their opinions on caps and what the bridge at Citi Field should be named.
SS Reyes still out for Mets
The Mets are being cautious with Jose Reyes.
New York’s shortstop was held out of the lineup for a fourth straight game for Sunday’s series finale at San Francisco because of stiffness in his right calf. Manager Jerry Manuel hopes he’ll be ready to return for Monday’s game with Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium.
Reyes said he needs one more day, “It’s healing slow.”
Manuel said the Mets weren’t considering the disabled list for Reyes, who is batting .286 with 15 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. His calf began bothering him after the cross country flight to the West Coast.
“We just have to be careful with him,” Manuel said. “Hopefully tomorrow he’ll be ready to go.”
Friday, May 15, 2009
Phillies honored at White House
President Barack Obama holds up a team jersey presented to him by Philadelphia Phillies baseball shortstop Jimmy Rollins, second left, as manager Charlie Manuel, left, looks on as Obama honored the 2008 World Series champions Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, May 15, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. First base coach Davey Lopes is at right.The original date of the trip was postponed last month due to the death of Harry Kalas.
Bonnie Clark, vice president of communications for the Phillies, says the 2008 World Series winning team was excited to meet President Obama:
"There will be a special gift presented to the president on behalf of the organization. We are asking Jimmy Rollins, who is representing the organization, to present a special gift."
That gift turned out to be a Phillies' jersey with Obama's name on it and number "44" -- signifying the 44th president of the United States.
Obama said he was delighted to receive it but joked that he would have preferred a World Series ring.
During his brief remarks the president, who spent his early years in Hawaii, made special note of Phillies' centerfielder Shane Victorino's Hawaiian heritage, and also noted the team's perseverance toward its World Series victory despite the death of Charlie Manuel's mother during the National League championship series.
Obama also noted the passing of beloved broadcaster Harry Kalas earlier this season.
Jose should take notice, Mets run crazy
The New York Mets set a franchise record with seven steals in their 7-4 win over the San Francisco Giants. David Wright matched the team record with four steals. New York became the fourth team to record as many steals against the Giants since they moved to San Francisco in 1958.
Reyes was held out of Thursday’s lineup with a tight right calf. Reyes said the injury flared up before he played Wednesday. Jerry Manuel maintained Reyes was capable of pinch-hitting, but he didn’t call on the shortstop in Thursday’s win.
The Mets scored three runs in the ninth inning against Giants closer Brian Wilson to open a 10-game road trip with a win. John Maine tossed 118 pitches and departed with a 4-2 lead in the seventh, but Bobby Parnell surrendered two runs while filling in for J.J. Putz in the eighth-inning role.
J.J. Putz received an MRI and had an injection of anti-inflammatory medication to attempt to alleviate inflammation in the back of his right elbow. He may be unavailable through Saturday as the shot takes time to take effect. The inflammation is caused by a bone spur, which also contributed to sending Putz to the disabled list last summer with Seattle. He may need offseason surgery to remove it.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Run Forrest Run!
Atlanta won the rubber game of series, as Martin Prado homered off Ken Takahashi in the 12th. The Mets stranded Jose Reyes at third base in the bottom of the 12th when Carlos Beltran and Gary Sheffield struck out consecutively.
David Wright made another key error. Jose Reyes ran the Mets out of one late scoring opportunity, and possibly two, for the second straight game. Another mental error on the bases by Reyes, getting thrown out at third on Luis Castillo's grounder to short for the second out in the seventh, turned out to be just as damaging.
Reyes believed he also homered in the bottom half, but he jogged into second with a double as the ball hit the left-field wall. Reyes defiantly replied "nope" twice when asked if he thought he could've made third if he'd been running hard out of the box.
Jon Niese lasted two turns in the rotation as the replacement for Oliver Perez. After allowing five runs on seven his and two walks in 4 2/3 innings Wednesday afternoon against the Braves, the rookie left-hander was optioned to Class AAA Buffalo.
The Mets promoted Nelson Figueroa. The right-hander should immediately serve as bullpen insurance after Wednesday’s 12-inning game taxed the relief corps.
Niese’s demotion means the Mets will need a starter Monday in Los Angeles while Perez remains on the disabled list.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Streaker charged with disrupting Braves-Mets game
A streaker who disrupted a New York Mets game by jumping onto Citi Field naked except for a stuffed monkey tied around his waist pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Craig Coakley was arraigned in state Supreme Court in Queens on a charge of interfering with a professional sporting event and criminal trespassing. He posted $1,000 bail and will return to court June 11, according to his lawyer, Peter Tommaso. Coakley faces up to a year in jail and a fine of $5,000 if convicted. He was barred from the ballpark pending the outcome of the case.
The 38-year-old plumber was sitting in field-level seats around 8 p.m. Tuesday night when a security guard saw him take off his clothes, put the stuffed monkey around his waist and jump onto the field, prosecutors said. He had “Lets Go Mets” painted on his bare back.
According to prosecutors, Coakley told police after his arrest that it was a bet, and his boss said he’d pay a week’s salary if he did it.
The Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Tuesday night in 10 innings.
The City Council passed the law barring people from interfering with sporting events in 2003 after fashion designer Calvin Klein stepped out onto the court at Madison Square Garden during a New York Knicks game to speak with player Latrell Sprewell.
The first person to be charged under the law was John McCarthy, 38, of Clifton, N.J., according to the Queens district attorney’s office. He pleaded guilty to running onto the baseball field during a Mets game at Shea Stadium in 2004 carrying a sign that read: “Howard Stern: Here’s Johnny.” He was sentenced to eight weekends in jail, fined $2,000 and ordered to serve three years of probation, during which he was barred from Shea.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Amazin' Mess does it to Johan again
Jose Reyes doing his best Kaz Matsui impression at Citi Field last night.The two-time Cy Young Award winner was pulled after 108 pitches with the score tied at 1. He lowered his NL-best ERA to 0.78 through seven starts—but somehow New York has lost three of them.
He exited in the seventh inning in a 1-1 tie, after giving up a one-out single to Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson.
Santana bit his tongue in the clubhouse following the loss, but it was clear he didn't agree with Jerry Manuel's decision to take him out rather than allow him to try to pitch his way out of the inning.
Two infield singles and a two-out throwing error by third baseman David Wright gave Atlanta a run in the first inning.
Santana was charged with two unearned runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. He dropped to 0-4 with a 2.31 ERA in six career starts against Atlanta.
The Mets have scored 15 runs in Santana’s seven starts this year, 11 while he was on the mound. They have 139 runs in their other 24 games, an average of 5.79.
The crowd of 40,497 surpassed 40,000 for the fourth time in 18 games at Citi Field.
Carlos Delgado acknowledged that he may be forced to the disabled list later this week if his right hip inflammation doesn’t calm down quickly.
Delgado, who was replaced at first base Monday against the Braves by Fernando Tatis, missed five starts two weeks ago when hip impingement-related discomfort surfaced. He had received an injection of anti-inflammatory medication at that time, but that didn’t prevent the symptoms from returning.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mets don't miss Oliver
Since Oliver Perez was knocked out in third inning on May 2 in Philadelphia and the Mets lost to fall three games under .500, they have rattled off seven straight wins.
There is no secret why: The Mets finally are receiving solid starting pitching. During the seven-game stretch, Mets starting pitchers are 6-0 with a 2.44 ERA (12 earned runs in 44 1/3 innings).
Carlos Beltran’s homer off Pittsburgh’s Paul Maholm on Saturday was the 123rd longball in Beltran’s five seasons as a Met. The homer moved Beltran past Kevin McReynolds for seventh place on the franchise’s all-time list. Todd Hundley is sixth with 124 homers.
Rookie RHP Bobby Parnell earned his first big-league win Friday when he tossed a scoreless eighth inning against the Pirates.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wow! A winning streak!
The Phillies Championship being honored at Citi Field last night.Pedro Feliciano has surrendered 24 homers in his career, and 11 have come against the Phillies. Philadelphia’s Jayson Werth took Feliciano deep in the eighth inning Thursday.
Jose Reyes had six consecutive hitless games against the Phillies, during which he was 0-for-26, before snapping that drought with a second-inning homer Thursday against Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer. The slumping Reyes entered the game with a .248 season average, 37 points below his career average.
Manager Jerry Manuel was ejected Thursday for the first time this season. Manuel was objecting to obstruction called on SS Jose Reyes during a rundown involving Shane Victorino in the eighth inning.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Johan needs some support
If the Mets blew this Santana game again, he might be looking to get out of Queens.Santana was seen texting his agent in between innings to get him out of Queens. Santana asked to be traded to a contender that will score runs for him.
Santana has six 1-0 wins in his career. Sounds like a lot, but the Washington Senators Walter Johnson had 35 of them in his career.
Santana’s 0.91 ERA is the third lowest in franchise history through the first six starts of the season. David Cone had a 0.76 ERA in 1988, and Nolan Ryan had a 0.77 ERA in 1971.
Santana was selected the NL Pitcher of the Month for April after going 3-1 with a league-best 1.10 ERA. Santana could have been 5-0, but a dropped flyball by LF Daniel Murphy led to two unearned runs in a 2-1 loss to the Marlins during the season’s first week, and RHP J.J. Putz couldn’t protect a lead for Santana in a second matchup with the Marlins.
Oliver Perez was placed on the disabled list after Wednesday’s game. Two days earlier, GM Omar Minaya had announced that Perez was headed to the bullpen after being yanked from the rotation with a 9.97 ERA. Perez underwent an MRI on Wednesday, and Minaya announced the southpaw had right knee tendinitis. Placing Perez on the DL creates a roster spot for the Mets to promote rookie LHP Jon Niese for Friday’s start against Pittsburgh. The original plan was to use LHP Ken Takahashi, who can now remain in the bullpen.
Carlos Beltran’s career-high 16-game hitting streak ended Wednesday with an 0-for-4 performance. Beltran also failed to reach base for the first time this season.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Scary night in house of horrors
Carlos Delgado drops a routine pop up in the 9th inning nearly cost the game.The Mets led 4-1 with two out and nobody on in the ninth, before the Braves put a couple runners on against closer Francisco Rodriguez. Then Delgado lost hold of Omar Infante’s routine popup and it led to two unearned runs.
Delgado’s error allowed Kelly Johnson to score from second. Yunel Escobar, who had three hits, followed with a run-scoring single to cut the lead to 4-3.
That brought up Chipper Jones, who has 40 career homers against the Mets. But he flied out to right field to end the game and give K-Rod his seventh save.
The Mets should of been winning 6-0, at least in the 5th inning.
Jose Reyes looks like he's on drugs. Reyes was hitting .319 on April 24. Two weeks later he's hitting a sizzling .257, going 6-41 over the last 10 games.
Ryan Church needs to be smacked upside the head and wake up. Ramon Castro is still running...
Dudley D-Wright strikes out again with runners in scoring position. He's on pace to be fanned over 190 times this season.
Johan Santana was selected the NL Pitcher of the Month for April after going 3-1 with a league-best 1.10 ERA. Santana could have been 5-0, but a dropped flyball by LF Daniel Murphy led to two unearned runs in a 2-1 loss to the Marlins during the season’s first week, and RHP J.J. Putz couldn’t protect a lead for Santana in a second matchup with the Marlins.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Beltran’s 2-run homers lift Mets
Carlos Beltran hit a pair of two-run homers and the New York Mets recovered from an early deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 6-4. Beltran, hitting .400, was 2 for 3 with a walk and four RBIs in New York’s first visit to Atlanta this year. The two homers gave him four this season.
John Maine was doing his best Oliver Perez impression. Four walks in the first two innings. Maine earned his second consecutive win, giving up only three hits and three runs in six innings. He set a season high with seven strikeouts.
Perez was tied for the National League lead with 21 walks when he was sent to the bullpen on Monday. Maine is not far off the lead with 18 walks, including four in the first two innings.
The struggling Perez was sent to the bullpen Monday by general manager Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel after failing to complete the third inning Saturday in Philadelphia as his ERA soared to 9.97.
Wow! David Wright finally hit the ball to the opposite field. Wright added a two-run shot as the Mets, who went 1-8 in Atlanta last season, improved to 30-63 at Turner Field since the start of the 1998 season.
Jose Reyes has only five stolen bases. What are the Mets doing? Carl Crawford had six steals on Monday night alone. Reyes is a weapon and should be used as one. Reyes stole two bags against the Braves.
On Oprah Winfrey today, Dr. Phil will do a clinical evaluation of the New York Mets. This will a three week series, check your local listings for schedule.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Mess in a word or two
Check out and make your own expressions on www.wordle.netWordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
The Oliver Perez wordle.Mets say Perez could land in bullpen or on DL
Oliver PerezBefore the team flew to Atlanta on Sunday, manager Jerry Manuel still was uncertain, though he, pitching coaches Dan Warthen and Randy Neimann and assistant general manager Tony Bernazard had discussed the possibilities. As was the case Saturday, Perez's retaining a place in the rotation never was mentioned as an option. Moreover, Manuel noted starting Perez comes with potential costs beyond the likelihood of a poor performance — "stress on the bullpen and on the mentality of the team," he said.
Manuel did say Perez could be used in relief this week. But he neither discounted an assignment to the Minor Leagues — Perez would have to approve that — nor re-assignment to the bullpen, according to the report.
What made the situation more unclear Sunday were two new factors — Perez developed an injury, a sore right knee, and he became non-committal about accepting a Minor League assignment, if asked. Perez had said Saturday, following a performance he characterized as horrible, "If I need it, I'll have to go." But after meeting with club officials in the trainer's room Sunday, he hedged.
"I was so frustrated [Saturday], I [could have said] anything," Perez said.
This time, bull's-eye is on Omar Minaya
Last year, Willie Randolph took the hit when things went sour on the New York Mets. This time the man with the target on his back is general manager Omar Minaya, the man who told ownership major changes were not needed, according to the New York Daily News.
In the past few days, Oliver Perez looked more like a $36 pitcher than a $36 million one and Minaya said his team didn't have an edge — a comment he said was taken out of context.
The Daily News wrote: Not that his (Minaya's) job would automatically be in danger the way Randolph's was last season. Ownership, after all, gave Minaya a three-year contract extension, on top of the year he had remaining, even after the ballclub collapsed in September for a second straight season, and all indications are that Fred and Jeff Wilpon have faith in him. Still, there can be no disputing that the events of the abbreviated weekend made him look bad.
LHP Ken Takahashi became the third player since World War II to make his major-league debut after his 40th birthday, when he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday against the Phillies. Takahashi, 40, spent the majority of his career in Japan with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. The other two players to debut in the majors after turning 40: Satchel Paige in 1948 and Diomedes Olivo in 1960.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
What's going on with Oliver?
Oliver Perez won 25 games for the Mets over the last two seasons, but the lefty has been awful this season. Here's the good news. Perez will be fresh next week at Citi Field for his next start. 6 walks in 2.1 innings. That is crazy. Omar Minaya signed Perez for 12 million a year! What was Omar thinking? Jonathan Niese couldn't have done any worse.
Where's Rick Peterson?
Here another New York Mets bullpen meltdown. Just like 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, etc. Sean Green is the second coming of Aaron Heilman. Green replaced Heilman in the Mets bullpen. He changed his number from 48 to 50.
True to form, Heilman aka Green walks the backup catcher Chris Coste who is hitting his weight. Green retired the first batter he faced before Pedro Feliz reached on an infield single, bringing up three straight pinch-hitters. Green hit Matt Stairs with a pitch, but retired Greg Dobbs on a fly ball. Shane Victorino's bases-loaded walk off Green with two outs in the 10th inning lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-5 victory.
The Mets momentum after leading 5-4 and are choking again. That home run by Raul Ibanez off Pedro Feliciano was a punch in the nose and they are in fetal position in the corner. Feliciano is a left-handed specialist? Two home runs by two left handed batters in two games. Mets don't have the killer instinct to ever win. They couldn't step on the throats of the Phillies, who are still breathing.
Carlos Beltran should have the music from Mr. Softy ice cream trucks play on the stadiums PA system when he comes to bat.
Here's Professor Jose Reyes Ordonez. Reyes continues to prove why is so overrated. He may need to be dropped in the lineup or traded.
Jose Reyes is hitting .263 and is plunging in the fantasy leagues. The bigger fantasy is that he is good.
Omir Santos should have taken out Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz out at the plate. The Mets are heartless blunders.
Ramon Castro is still running to first base.
Jerry Manuel hitting exercise of going the other way has done wonders for this Met offense. Not!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Fire Willie again!Has anyone ever hit .388 for a month and still frustrated his team's fans as much as Carlos Beltran? The Mets go to Philadelphia this weekend in real danger of having their season fall apart early, and don't have Johan Santana on the mound for any of the three games there.
Citi Field, with its spacious gaps, has proven to be a paradise for triples. The Mets have a big-league-high 11 triples after SS Jose Reyes and OF Jeremy Reed produced three-baggers Wednesday.
The Erratic Mets look the same under Jerry Manuel as they did under Willie Randolph writes N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica.
The Struggling Mets hope to kick-start season against world champion Phillies writes N.Y. Daily News columnist Peter Botte.
Jerry Manuel, a smooth operator, is rigging media writes the N.Y. Daily News columnist Bob Raissman.
Unlike Mets, Phillies Excel When Trailing. Jack Curry of the New York Times writes. Guess Which Team Wears a Ring?
Two late-season collapses spearheaded by a bullpen that made you wince every time the outfield fence swung open has stripped Mets fans of any patience they had left reports Justin Terranova of the N.Y. Post.
THERE is not as much a talent gap between the Mets and Phillies as there is as a confidence gap writes Joel Sherman of the N.Y. Post.
Though David Wright fully expects the Mets to play well here this weekend, he also thinks that's part of their problem, Bart Hubbuch of the N.Y. Post reports.