Monthly Archives: April 2004
The News
- The Mets were swept this past weekend by the Pittsburgh Pirates, dropping below .500, to 5-7. “This was the last thing in the world we wanted to do,” Todd Zeile told the Star-Ledger. Mike Piazza followed with, “This is a good character test for us…We’ll see if we’re able to get back on our feet. It’s good to get it out of the way early and see what we’re made of.”
- The Mets’ 3-4-5 hitters over the last seven days, without Cliff Floyd in the lineup…
Player
AB
OBP
TB
BB
Mike Piazza
19
0.250
4
1
Mike Cameron
20
0.272
6
2
Jason Phillips
19
0.200
4
1 - The Mets’ 3-4-5 hitters over the first seven days, with Cliff Floyd in the lineup…
Player
AB
OBP
TB
BB
Mike Piazza
26
0.333
18
6
Mike Cameron
20
0.384
7
6
Jason Phillips
22
0.426
13
4 - GM Jim Duquette informed to the NY Post that he was not sure when Cliff Floyd would return from the DL. Floyd, who hit off a tee yesterday, strained his right quadricep, and is eligible to come off the DL April 27. Jim Duquette told the Star-Ledger there was “a chance” that Jose Reyes could be back by the middle or end of next week.
- The Mets re-signed reliever Ricky Bottalico and was sent to Triple-A Norfolk.
- Todd Zeile, who started in place of Ty Wigginton last night, has reached base safely in seven of his last nine at-bats and is hitting .389.
- After discussing the Met fans addiction to booing last week, Metsblog is proud to see the following reported by the AP: Left fielder Shane Spencer received a standing ovation yesterday after robbing Randall Simon of an extra-base hit in the fourth inning with a backhanded catch at the warning track. “It’s great to hear it from the fans,” Spencer told the AP. “I was pretty happy about the catch, too.”
Things To Know For Tonight’s Game
- Tyler Yates starts for the Mets this evening against the Expos. Yates struck out five, allowed five hits and no walks over six scoreless innings in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Expos last week.
- Montreal has the worst batting average (.194), on-base percentage (.249) and slugging percentage (.287) in the major leagues, and are currently on a seven game losing streak.
Metsblog.com’s Take
On Yates…
Yates’ first start against Montreal this season was impressive, he then struggled against Atlanta. It will be interesting to see how he fares this evening. When a pitcher faces the same team within a few starts of one another, the batters will undoubtedly make adjustments. The question is: Will Yates’ tuff be strong enough to overpower the Expos’ adjustments, and will he be smart enough to mentally shift around their alterations as well.
On Seo…
Jae Seo allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings) against the Pirates on Sunday. Again, he limited himself to being a two-pitch pitcher and struggled to move the ball across the plate. Until he “gets with the program” he will continue to have poor outings.
On Zeile…
Zeile looks good. His .389 batting average over the last week warrants attention, particularly in an offense struggling as the Mets are. What is most impressive about Zeile this time around is the patience he has shown at the plate, often working opposing pitchers to a full count. Batting in the two-hole, this allows the heart of the order to get a better look at the pitcher before their at-bat.
On Floyd and the Mets Offense…
As we noted in our 2004 NY Mets “if” List Series, “On August 13 of last season, Mike Piazza returned from a long stint on the disabled list. The following seven days would be the only time during the entire season that he, Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes all appeared in the lineup at the same time. During that week, Piazza hit .300, Reyes hit .407, Floyd hit .631 and the Mets went 5-0 while scoring roughly eight runs per game.”
The same appears to be true this season.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News
- Al Leiter threw five shutout innings against Montreal in his first start, followed by six more last night against Atlanta as the Mets defeated the Braves by a score of 4-0. Leiter has not allowed a run in his last 24 1/3 innings. Braden Looper looked dominating in relief, throwing 7 of 9 pitches for strikes.
- “It’s a different feel with this team,” reliever David Weathers told the Star-Ledger. “It’s a little more energy. I don’t know if you (reporters) can feel it, but we can. It feels good. The last couple years, it’s been tough out here…I think you see a different team…We’ve got base stealers, guys taking the extra base — we’re not going to just play station-to-station anymore.”
- Mike Cameron started the game on the bench due to muscle soreness on the inside of his right thigh. Cameron pinch-hit in the eighth, however, and grounded out.
- In 31 at-bats this season, Kaz Matsui is batting .364 with a .475 OBP. While he has struk out eight times, he has walked ten times as well. In situations with runners on base, Kaz is hitting .417. In situations with nobody on base, however, such as when he leads off a game, Kaz is batting only .154.
- Orber Moreno has retired 12 of the 13 batters he has faced this season.
- For what it’s worth, Don Imus is now a fan of Al Leiter.
Things To Know For Tonight’s Game
- The Pirates were 1-2 at Shea Stadium last year and 2-4 overall against the Mets. They’ve won five of their previous nine games in New York.
- Kip Wells starts for the Pirates against the Mets tonight. Wells is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA lifetime against the Mets.
- Raul Mondesi is a .286 hitter with 14 strikeouts in 56 at-bats against Tom Glavine.
Mets Minor League Stats
| Player | Pos | Level | AVG | AB | H | HR | RBI | SO | BB | SB |
| Victor Diaz | OF | AAA | 0.200 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Craig Brazell | 1B-OF | AAA | 0.151 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| David Wright | 3B | AA | 0.480 | 25 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Justin Huber | C | A | 0.148 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Davidson | OF | A | 0.464 | 28 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Ian Bladergroen | IF | A | 0.500 | 24 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Aaron Balderis | 1B-3B | A | 0.333 | 27 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Player | Level | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | BB | |||
| James Baldwin | AAA | 0 | 1 | 7.20 | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Aaron Heilman | AAA | 0 | 0 | 1.59 | 5.2 | 9 | 2 | |||
| Joselo Diaz | AA | 1 | 0 | 1.04 | 8.2 | 11 | 6 | |||
| Matt Peterson | AA | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 10.0 | 13 | 1 |
Metsblog.com’s Take
Taking two of three from the Braves at home, with timely hitting, perfect defense and strong pitching, so to remain above .500 on the season was a huge step for the Mets. Team’s lose baseball games. If, however, they play .500 on the road, and win, or at least split, every series played at home, the team will finish with roughly 90 wins on the season.
Hello David Wright!
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News
- Tyler Yates allowed six runs on six hits, walked two and hit a batter in the Mets 6-1 loss to the Braves last night. “I have no excuses,” said Yates to MLB.com, “I just couldn’t put batters away. I paid the price for the mistakes I made. I got away from my game plan when they started getting hits. I started aiming the ball instead of trusting my stuff.”
- Mets GM Jim Duquette told the NY Post that he is optimistic about Jose Reyes‘s hamstring. Duquette said Reyes will play three or four minor-league games as part of his rehabilitation before returning to the club, at the earliest, during their April 23 road trip.
- Before last night’s game, Art Howe told the media that Mike Piazza was starting at first base before he told Piazza. Howe and Piazza denied there was a problem with the situation. “They can tell me five minutes before the game; I am a professional,” Piazza told the Daily News. “That is not a problem at all. It is nothing.”
- Jae Seo allowed one hit over 2-2/3 innings of scoreless relief. The recently demoted, then promoted, Seo credited pitching coach Rick Petersen for alter his delivery and follow-through to gain more movement on his pitches. Art How says Seo will start start Sunday.
- Grant Roberts pitched a full scoreless inning in relief last night, lowering his ERA to 30.80. Roberts didn’t crack 86 mph on the radar gun, continuing the speculation that he may have a shoulder injury.
- Newsday writes the following regarding the Met fans at last night’s game against the Braves: Yates was not the only player targeted by fans whose mood was not helped by waiting out an hour-long rain delay. One screamed for Shane Spencer to go back to the Yankees. Others howled at just about every Mets player who made an out.
- From Peter Gammons’ most recent Diamond Notes column: With Tom Glavine and Al Leiter in the rotation, the Mets focus on the left side of the infield, which is why Ricky Gutierrez will play a lot of third base behind the veteran lefties when Jose Reyes is back at second base.
Things To Know For Tonight’s Game vs. The Braves:
- Horacio Ramirez will starts for the Braves against the Mets tonight. In 4 starts against the Mets in 2003, Ramirez was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA, including a complete game at Shea last July.
- Julio Franco and Chipper Jones are hitting a combined .369 against Al Leiter. Andruw Jones, however, is batting only .190 against Leiter.
- Marcus Giles has now hit safely in all eight games of his 2004 campaign.
Metsblog.com’s Take
The 2004 Mets Season will be a long – at times exciting and at times disappointing – rocky campaign. As Bobby Valentine liked to say: a team is never as good as it is when things are going great, and never as bad as it is when things are going bad…it’s some place in between.
He is correct.
It appears this will be a year when things will look great one night, and then awful the next. Fans need to keep perspective and understand that when the Mets are back in the World Series, players like Glavine, Leiter and Piazza will not be the cornerstone’s of the team. It will be Reyes, Wright and possibly Kazmir. Though the plan is in place, the horizon is still far away. Remember, Duquette isn’t just trying to play “meaningful games” in September of this season, he is trying to build a ‘new’ organization that can field a contender every year for a decade.
Keep the boos in check. If the boos occur every other at-bat, they lose impact. Save them for when the team really disappoints, in a big spot – not for a sloppy, rainy, loss in the eighth game of the season with a rookie on the mound who has six Major League innings under his belt.
Stay Focused.
Ya Gotta Believe.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News
- According to the Chicago Tribune, White Sox outfielder Magglio Ordonez is seeking a five-year, $70 million deal. The Tribune claims the White Sox are only interested in offering Ordonez a four-year contract. “Both sides are trying hard, they’re trying to get something done…If they give me something fair and the years I want, it’ll be fine,” Ordonez told the paper. “If not, I guess I’ll have to go to free agency.” White Sox general manager Ken Williams claims Ordonez has said he wants to remain in Chicago for the rest of his career and Williams, of course, would love to keep him there.
- Throughout the spring, the Mets have realized an upgrade in right field was inevitable, but recent injuries could expedite the process. The New York Post lists Jermaine Dye, Matt Lawton, Terrence Long, Bobby Higginson, Eric Byrnes or Jeff DaVanon as possible acquisition targets for right field.
Metsblog.com’s Take
It is looking more and more likely that neither Ordonez nor Carlos Beltran will be an option for the Mets. Be it because Ordonez will re-sign with Chicago, or because Beltran is a safe bet to end up in Yankee Pinstripes at some point in the next year, it appears the Mets will be forced to, once again, ‘settle’ on a second tier player.
Of the group listed by the NY Post, only T-Long and Higginson are players Metsblog would avoid with fervor, as their upside is minimally better than that of a Garcia/Spencer platoon.
Dye and Lawton are the definition of a risk/reward player. Each over 30-years-old with long histories of injury, they are inevitable ‘bust’ players for the Mets.
DaVanon and Byrnes are the most intriguing. DaVanon and Byrnes are actually 31-years-old and 29-years-old respectfully – most fans feel both are up-and-coming youngsters. Byrnes is exceptional defensively, while DaVanon is decent at best. Both hit for above-average power, have solid speed and have been groomed to take a pitch when need be. Most scouts feel DaVanon is more of a bench player because of his lack of contact against left-handed pitching, while Byrnes’s gutsy-heart-filled style of play makes him better suited as a starter. Both players are home to crowded outfields, and could likely be had for a average prospects.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News
- Both Mike Piazza and Karim Garcia are expected to play tonight against the Braves.
- The Mets rank 20th on ESPN’s Misery Index, a rating which tracks the anguish of a team’s fans – Kenny Roger’s 11th inning walk to Andruw Jones in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS ranks as the Mets most torturous moment.
- The MetFans Confidence Rating clocks in at 5.80, rocketing to within 5 percent of its all-time high
- Garret Anderson can be scratched off the 2005 right field free agent list. Anderson agreed Tuesday to a $48 million, four-year contract extension through 2008. The deal includes a team option for 2009 with a $3 million buyout.
Five Things To Know For Tonight’s Game
- Braves second baseman Marcus Giles has 10 hits in 17 at-bats against the Mets this year and has hit safely in all seven games that the Braves have played this year. Mets GM Jim Duquette has issued a personal challenge to pitching coach Rick Peterson to stifle the second baseman’s torrid hitting, per his interview on WFAN Monday.
- John Thomson is 3-2, with a 4.12 ERA against the Mets.
- Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron, the new M&M Boys, are a combined .392 against Thomson.
- Over the past four games, the Mets starter pitchers have an 0.38 ERA. Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Al Leiter and Tyler Yates are a combined 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA this season. Hi Rick Peterson!
- Kaz Matsui has reached base in 18-of-34 plate appearances this season.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News…
- The Braves rallied for 11 runs in the fourth inning off of pitchers Steve Trachsel, Grant Roberts and Dan Wheeler setting the scene for an 18-10 loss to the Braves – a game which the Mets led 6-0. In addition to hitting two mammoth home runs, Mike Piazza swapped his catchers mitt for a firstbase mitt in the sixth inning.
- Art Howe told the Daily News that Jose Reyes is “very iffy” for Monday’s return to Shea. Howe further added to the Bergen Record that, “If we’re going to bring him to New York, he’s going to have to be at 100 percent.”
- A conversation reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Chipper Jones asked who was pitching for the Mets.
Scott Erickson, someone replied.
“Erickson?” Jones said. “He’s with the Mets?”
Mike Hampton deadpanned, “No, he’s just pitching for ‘em today.”
Jones continued, “Since when did Scott Erickson play for the Mets?”
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News…
- The Daily News reports that the Mets and Steve Trachsel have agreed to a “complicated contract extension” with incentives, that can ultimately have Trachsel pitch for the Mets in 2005 and 2006.
- The Boston Herald reports that the stalled contract talks between the Red Sox and Pedro Martinez are “growing eerily similar to the ones that preceded Clemens’ departure from Boston in 1996.”
Metsblog.com’s Take…
On Trachsel…
As vanilla as Steve Trachsel may seem to some Met fans, he is a pillar for a pitching staff. Every staff needs a guy who can take the ball, shift the momentum and have poise and control – the Mets, however, like all teams, not only need that, but need a guy who can do it in New York, which Trachsel has shown he can do. Since his demotion to AAA in 2001, Trachsel is 37-28 with a 3.70 ERA.
On Tonight…
Tom Glavine starts for the Mets tonight as they take on the Atlanta Braves in the first official game of the 2004 season – a.k.a The Quest For Meaningful Games in September. Last season, Glavine was 0-4 in his four starts against Atlanta. Over 20 innings against his former club, Glavine allowed 25 earned runs, 11 walks, 8 homers, 33 hits and only struck out 3. That’s three more than you struck out, and you didn’t even pitch.
Let’s hope things go better for Glavine tonight, at 7:35 PM at Turner Field in Atlanta.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News…
In his 2004 Predictions column, ESPN’s Peter Gammons points out the ten most notable free agent pitchers set to hit the market at the conclusion of this season, they are:
Pedro Martinez
Derek Lowe
Matt Clement
Matt Morris
Russ Ortiz
Brad Radke
Kris Benson
Carl Pavano
Eric Milton
Freddy Garcia
Metsblog.com’s Take…
Of the bunch, Metsblog believes Matt Morris is the pitcher the NY Mets should target. Assuming this team reaches the post-season at some point over the next few years, it can only go so far in the playoffs with finesse pitchers.
The Mets have relied on acquiring finesse pitchers, not because of a pro-active strategic reason, but because power pitchers usually get more money than the Mets are willing to spend. To advance deep into the post-season on a team’s own will, it must command the game, particular in the late rounds of the playoffs. For every Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, a team needs a John Smoltz, for every Mike Mussina, it needs a Roger Clemens, for every Bobby Ojeda and Ron Darling, there has to be a Doc Gooden.
During the post-season, when every out is of the essence, a ball will eventually drop in for a hit. Having a great defense, which the Mets are on their way to having, should be an added bonus, not a prerequisite for winning baseball games.
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The News…
- The Cleveland Indians traded Milton Bradley to the Dodgers over the weekend for two highly touted minor leaguers. Last night on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, Peter Gammons reported that the Indians originally had asked the Mets for 3B prospect David Wright, but GM Jim Duquette was unwilling to part with his future star.
- Adam Rubin, of the Daily News, writes: Al Leiter had slightly blurred vision in his right eye a day after being struck above the temple by a liner from Florida’s Alex Gonzalez. But Leiter, who will be pushed back from Thursday’s start in Atlanta to Saturday against the Expos in San Juan, continued to flash a sense of humor after avoiding serious injury, playfully advising rookie Tyler Yates: “Stay away from line drives.”
- Jae Seo, who had the second best ERA of any starter on the Mets last season, and who was demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday of this past weekend, still appears to be upset over the surprising shift. “What I was told was very inconsistent. If I don’t pitch well for two or three games in Norfolk, will they send me down to Binghamton?” told Adam Rubin, of the Daily News, through an interpreter.
- Roger Cedeno was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday in exchange for C Chris Widger and IF Wilson Delgado, both of whom will start the season in the minor leagues. The Mets will reportedly pay $9 million of the remaining $10 million on Cedeno’s contract. Ex-Phillies youngster, OF Eric Valent will replace Cedeno on the Mets 25-man roster.
MetsBlog.com’s Take…
Two journalists who attended the Mets spring training recently told me that Seo’s demotion came down to two factors: 1 – When Seo threw his breaking ball, it would irritate the spot on his finger where his infamous blister occurs, and 2 – Seo’s inability to adjust to this barrier.
Art Howe and Rick Peterson apparently had many discussions with Seo, but the former-fourth starter would not make the necessary in-game adjustments.
In the end, this means Seo will either pitch well, but be hurt and hindered by the blister on his finger, or be a two-pitch pitcher – both are unacceptable. Hopefully the move to the minors will help correct this situation, as Seo is a poised, talented young pitcher who belongs in the big leagues.
Lastly, how many of you believe former Mets GM Steve Phillips would have traded David Wright for Milton Bradley…Metsblog does. Great job Duquette – stick to your plan.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
The News…
- According to the NY Times, Mets GM Jim Duquette said the club is interested in acquiring Milton Bradley – the Cleveland OF has been barred from Indians training camp, a day after he was pulled from a game for not running out a pop fly that fell in for a hit. Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro claims to have spoken with as many as eight teams regarding a possible destination for Bradley. The Mets, however, are not one of them. On the heels of a 2003 campaign in which Bradley had personal run-ins, and declared vendettas against, Paul LoDuca and Jason Giambi, in February, he was sentenced to three days in jail for driving away from the police after he was stopped for speeding. Cleveland would likely want young pitching in a deal Bradley. The Rangers and Dodgers are reportedly interested in acquiring Bradley as well.
- Art Howe indicated to the NY Times that Kaz Matsui is in jeopardy of being bumped from the leadoff spot. Matsui is hitting just .167 this spring, and still has more strikeouts than hits – not a typical trait of a leadoff hitter.
- The Star-Ledger reports that the Wilpons are getting restless with the poor play of their team towards the end of spring training. The two have met with several members of the coaching staff, and asked that they too meet with their players in an effort to set everyone straight. One player joked with the Star-Ledger that there have been so many meetings recently that the team should change it’s name to the “New York Meets.”
- The Mets 25-man roster needs to be set by midnight tomorrow.
MetsBlog.com’s Take…
As the saying goes, “90 percent on a clubhouse’s problem is because of 10 percent of the players.” Clubhouse cancers, as they are often known, can be dangerous, especially on a team in New York – see Vince Coleman and his fircrackers, Bobby Bonilla and his moping around and Rickey Henderson and his, his, well, whatever it is that Rickey makes Rickey do.
Bradley’s most recent shouting match with his manager over not running out a pop-up, occurred on two different occasions during the 2003 season as well. With one year remaining until he becomes eligible for free agency, however, Bradley could be worth the risk.
Due $1.73 million and coming off a season in which he hit .321, drove in 56 RBI in 377 at-bats, with 17 stolen bases and a 421 OBP, should Bradley create trouble in the Shea locker room, and the team flounders, the team could trade him just as Cleveland is trying to do.
Bradley is a switch-hitting, line-drive, contact hitter who adjusts well between left-handed and right-handed pitching. In the field, he covers center field as well as anyone, though his instincts are obviously not nearly as good as Mike Cameron‘s. Bradley’s arm is his greatest asset in the outfield, and would be a plus in right field.
On a day when Art Howe has hinted that Kaz could be losing his grip on the leadoff spot, it should be noted that Bradley batted .375 in 85 at-bats from the leadoff spot for Cleveland in 2003.
Lastly, more than Bradley’s attitude, his health appears to be just as questionable. He has never played in more than 101 games during a season.
The risk could cost a pitcher such as Aaron Heilman. The upside to the deal would be acquiring a legitimate, young bat for right field.
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After reading today’s post, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most confident, how confident are you that the Mets will play “meaningful games” in September of 2004?
