Monthly Archives: May 2006
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following the game, Billy Wagner had the following to say regarding the D’Backs…
“The Diamondbacks have a great team, man. I mean, that’s a playoff team right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not a team we don’t match up against in the playoffs.”…
…hey, hey, hey…look at billy referencing october…settle down, country time…i’m with you, but it’s too early for that type of talk…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s 1–0, 13 inning win over the D’Backs, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say 
regarding…
…the win…
“How about that, huh? What a team effort? Just an unbelievable job by everybody. You know, I’ve said this before, about how proud I am of this team, and I think I’m gonna say it a lot more as the year goes on…
Billy Wagner did a great job stepping up, giving us two innings – he wanted the ball. Bullpen was five innings or scoreless ball, outstanding. And Endy Chavez keeps coming up for us, and Jose Valentin. Just a great team effort…real proud of the guys. Great job.”…
…Pedro Martinez, who suffered yet another no decision…
“You know what, he was there, the first guy in the clubhouse there rooting everybody on, giving high fives and he kept us in the game, as usual, and he did a tremendous job…
“I have a lot of respect for the man. He’s a team player.”…
…what he saw in Jose Valentin, to trust that the player would turn it around as he has, following such a rough start to the season…
“Well, because I’m the manager of the team and I know my players better than other people do…
“I know it’s easy for everyone to go by stats and start to bury guys when they don’t produce right away, that’s just the nature of things. But, I know better. Guys like Valentin, and Chavez, and Aaron Heilman last year, you know, you just have to believe in your people and know what they’re all about. That’s why I never over-react and panic when things don’t go the right way. You gotta know your people, and I know my team as well as anyone.”…
…what he told Lastings Milledge, after the youngster misplayed a routine line-drive during the first inning…
“He just muffed it, he just missed it, that’s all. I think it’s a good thing for him to get his first few boo’s. I guess now he’s officially a New Yorker, I guess. He just closed it too quick, it happens. Get it out of his system, it’s good for him. It keeps him humble, you know, keeps him humble.”…
…Milledge’s throw later in the game…
“Great throw. He came in, charged the ball well and made an outstanding throw. The kid competes…it was a big, big play there at the right time.”…
…his team’s record at the start of June…
“It’s nice. That’s nice. But, you know, the fact that we are where we are is because we play each day. We don’t get caught up in where we are in the standings and stuff. It’s nice, but we’ve gotta keep playing. We’ve got a lot of games to go, a lot of baseball.”…
Mets OF Carlos Beltran fouled a pitch off the inside of his right knee during the 11th inning of last night’s game. Though he continued the at-bat, he was replaced in the field during the following inning…
…as of now, the buzz from the locker room is that beltran’s knee is pretty swollen and bruised…after icing it down, followed by a good night’s sleep, the team will re-evaluate it tomorrow…with an off day tomorrow, it sounds like he’ll be ready to rock on friday…
…i don’t know about you, but all i could think about was Jermaine Dye…ouch…for the bad memory, click here…
Once again, though his team won the ball game, Pedro Martinez did not get a win, despite throwing eight scoreless innings while striking out eight and allowing just five hits. With a 2.14 ERA during the month of May he was 0–1 with five no decisions, during which the team went 2–4…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following the game, Martinez had the following to say regarding…
…whether it is easier to get a no decision when the team wins…
“Believe me, that’s all that matters. Just the fact that I had them in that position to actually win it, at any moment, was actually my win for today … I know I’m gonna win a lot more games than I’m gonna lose or than i’m gonna have no decisions.”…
…how he felt physically later in the game, around the seventh and eighth innings…
“I felt pretty good. I could go still one more. My pitch count was right there, and I had everything going at that time.”…
…it should be noted that he was pinch-hit for, thus removed from the game, with one out in the bottom of eighth in a scoreless game…
…what he told Lastings Milledge after the youngster misplayed an easy line-drive in the outfield during the first inning…
“Well, he’s a young kid and he’s gonna make mistakes. I just wanted to show him support and tell him I would try to pick him up any time and not to worry about it. That’s just things that happen in the game. It wasn’t anything he did wrong, he just dropped the ball. That’s all. We’re all humans and we make mistakes, and he made one. That’s all.”…
…Milledge’s throw to peg a runner going from first to third…
“It was great. It’s exactly what he needed, especially after making the error. To come back and make a perfect throw, it doesn’t get any better than that for a young player who is trying to make an impression.”…
…whether it is a character builder for a team when they win games in this fashion…
“I think so…we’re sticking together and every time we see ourselves in that position we believe we can win it. I believe the tighter it gets, and the later it gets, the more and more we believe that we’re gonna win it.”…
…the tremendous job of the bullpen once again, which allowed no runs in five innings…
“Not only tonight, but all season. They;ve been great. There’s another sign of how capable we are and how tough to beat we’re gonna be down the road.”…
The Mets defeated the D’Backs by a score of 1 to 0 in 13 innings at Shea Stadium tonight…
For a full recap, check out the sleepless Associated Press…
…a few thoughts…
…as a baseball fan, i love the tension that builds during a good game of dueling goose-eggs…also, i like that Carlos Delgado was swinging with a 3–0 count in a scoreless game in the seventh against Brandon Webb, who is as good as advertised…he gets an un-godly amount of sink on nearly all of his pitches…it’s scary…
…give a game ball to a) Jose Valentin, for showing why a veteran player can be a great asset, being heads up enough to go for third on Ramon Castro’s ground-out even though it was to the left-side of the infield, and b) to Endy Chavez, for jumping on a spinner down the plate…
…are the mets secretly trying to break a record for walk-off wins, and further more, by doing so using every single player on the team…
…Pedro Martinez, who tossed eight scoreless innings, and has now allowed just two runs in his last 22 innings, yet has nothing to show for it, looked amazing, as usual…he can’t be too mad, since his offense was going against webb…but, damn, he’s got to be frustrated…
…sure, he goofed early on by not using two-hands, thus dropping an easy catch, but Lastings Milledge can play the field…wow…he made a catch later in the game, chasing down a ball, hit deep over his head, and made a great catch look easy…later, he makes an unbelievable throw from right to peg Craig Counsell going from first to third…the ball never touched the ground…it was a strike, if ever there was one…
…speaking of making a running catch, each outfielder made one tonight, featuring the always adventurous routes of Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd…
…speaking of floyd, i know he will never win a gold glove, but he really has been playing stellar defense since the start of last season…he should be proud…
…Eric Byrnes is crazy…he’s good…but crazy…
…Orlando Hudson is an outstanding defensive second baseman…and i didn’t even need a stat to tell me that…i mean, he’s a pleasure to watch…i’m starting to wish the mets were willing to trade for him from toronto this off-season, who gave him up to arizona along with Miguel Batista in exchange for Troy Glaus and Sergio Santos…it almost seems like he is exactly what they are looking for right now…
…speaking of batista, he looks a lot like Bernie Williams…he, bernie and the singer Babyface could all be brothers, actually…for an example, click here, here and here…
…speaking of similarities, Jose Valentin’s nickname should be The General, due to the similarities between his mustache and the one on Manuel Ojeda, the actor who played The General in the film Romancing the Stone…i cannot take full credit for this revelation, though i did come to it on my own…this connection appeared on another mets blog, as well, i just can’t remember which one…
…listen, i love the in-game interviews being done by SNY…i do…i find i learn a lot, as i did during tonight’s chat with Guy Conti…however, should they really be talking to this guy if he’s supposed to be charting pitches, as he said he was doing when they asked…guys, he’s doing his job…let him be…what’s next, run a camera on the mound to talk to pedro between pitches…
…speaking of milledge, mark my words, he’s going to annoy his share of veteran pitchers with that aggressive swing…it borders on showing them up, in an odd way, coming from a rookie…don’t get me wrong, i hope he never changes…that’s his style and he should do what he wants…however, when a ball goes sailing over his head, nobody should be surprised…
…great win…i mean, these type of wins are starting to no longer be impressive…it’s like, when the game gets to this point, i just assume this club will pull it out in the end…i hope they do not feel the same way…complacency is a bad thing…either way, success, so far, is good…i can certainly get used to this…now bring on bonds…
The Game…
The Mets (31–20) takes on the D’Backs in the ‘rubber game’ of a three-game set at Shea Stadium tonight at 7 pm EDT…
The Pitchers…
RHP Pedro Martinez (5–1, 2.79 ERA) starts for the Mets … He leads the majors in opponents batting average against with .167, and is tied for the major-league lead in strike outs with 80 … The Mets are just 6–4 in games that Martinez has started … In two starts against the D’Backs last season, Martinez allowed one run over 14 innings while striking out 15 … Arizona’s leadoff hitter, Eric Byrnes, is batting .385 in 13 at-bats against Martinez …
RHP Brandon Webb (8–0, 2.18 ERA) starts for Arizona … With a tremendous sinker, Webb leads the lead in ground balls induced with 151 … He averaged four ground balls to every pop-up … Webb lead the league in walks in 2004, last season he cut that total in half and this season he leads the majors with the fewest walks allowed per nine innings for any starter … In 10 at-bats against Webb, Jose Reyes, the Mets leadoff hitter, has four hits, including a solo home run…
The Notes…
Carlos Beltran has driven in 14 runs in his last 12 games, and has 25 RBI in his last 23 games. He is hitting .397 over his last 24 games…
Carlos Delgado is homerless in his last nine games and is 1–for-9 in this series…
Cliff Floyd is batting .347 over his last 49 at-bats spanning 15 games…
Paul Lo Duca has a hit in 13 of his last 14 games…
Aaron Heilman has inherited three base runners and allowed them all to score…
Billy Wagner has 29 strike outs in his last 17 innings and has saved three consecutive attempts…
The Bleachers…
To chat during the game, go to HotFoot’s Bleachers … or, to access the chat room through IRC, go to server name irc.echo34.com and channel #metsblog…
…enjoy…
Willie Randolph recently talked with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog in his weekly radio appearance…
Among other topics, Randolph once again commented on how fast Lasting Milledge’s bat speed is, also adding that, “he’s very astute for a young player. He’s all ears and likes to talk the game.” Asked about the kid’s first at-bat, Randolph noted, “he almost knocked the shortstop over.”…
Lastly on Milledge, Randolph did tell him to take off the gigantic necklace, saying, “It’s okay to express your religion…but it’s just not part of the uniform. I was afraid he was gonna knock himself out if it hit him in the head.”…
…willie sounds excited about having the youngster on his team, which is nice to hear…it also sounds like, although he has every intention of starting milledge over the next few games, if the kid doesn’t play well he may be inclined to start Endy Chavez, or others, instead…
Regarding Alay Soler, who made his second start for the Mets, he believes the pitcher’s control is off early in games, and he still seems a bit “jittery,” though he was glad to see him settle him, again. Asked if he’d get another start, Randolph said, “Yeah, we’ll give him another shot, right now we will, anyway – we can always adjust.” He did suggest that Darren Oliver would be next on the team’s short list of starters should Soler come up lame again…
…in other words, soler will get another crack and if it’s not going well, it’s back to the drawing board, again…
On Carlos Delgado’s slump, he feels the first baseman is off “mechanically,” but trusts that he’ll find his way back on his own…
Randolph was shocked, actually, to see how “keyed up” Orlando Hernandez was in his first start for the Mets last weekend, pointing out that it was El Duque’s first start in Miami, in front of so many family members…
Asked about Jose Valentin, Randolph laughed when the show’s two hosts commented on the second baseman’s turn around. “See,” he responded, “the media likes to think I am defending my players all the time, but I’m not – I just know them a little better.”. Randolph described Valentin as a smart hitter, and complimented his ability to take advantage of an opening at second base…
…i love when willie pulls out the ‘you don’t know me’ defensive card..it cracks me up…it’s very jerry springer…
Lastly on Valentin, Randolph admits that it is hard for him to give the job entirely to Valentin, however, because his defense is rather shaky, noting, “Ideally, if we can get Kaz Matsui going again, and have our bench strong with Jose, that’s what I want, but right now Jose is doing well so he’s gonna play.”…
…this makes me think the team must be thinking ahead of a more permanent solution at second, seeking a player with strong defense and adequate offense, much like its goals during the spring…
In this weeks New York Magazine, The New York Mets are featured in an article entitled “The Boys Of Spring”
The 2006 Mets aren’t just good, they’re highly entertaining. But
they’re playing a dangerous game. Of the Mets’ first 28 wins, twelve
were come-from-behind victories, eight came in the Mets’ final at-bat,
and six were walk-off stunners. This is the most talented Mets team in
two decades, but it’s not a dominant team.
The
other reason for the torture is that these are the Mets. This franchise
never does things the easy way, which is part of its charm. Now,
though, the Mets have picked the perfect time in New York sportsworld
to get good: The Yankees are impersonal, the Knicks are a joke, and
while the Nets, Giants, and Jets aren’t bad, they’re in Jersey.
…The article highlights how good the chemistry this group of players seem to have developed, despite having several new faces. The youthful exhuberance of Wright, the shy religious Beltran, the wide eyed playfulness of Reyes, the zen-like sage demeanor of Delgado, and the electric personality of Pedro all make for a balanced, well tuned clubhouse…
team’s core personality trait, its exuberance. If the Mets don’t have
the happiest clubhouse in the bigs, doctors need to start testing other
teams for something besides steroids. The morning after a painful loss,
the Mets’ locker room echoes with the shouts from the resumption of a
raucous, season-long dominoes tournament—a scene and a mood you’ll
never see in the oppressively serious Yankees’ locker room, win or
lose. “We don’t know each other 100 percent yet,” Martinez says. “But
there’s great harmony.”
The article is very much a character piece, delving into the various personalities on the Mets, especially on Wright and Delgado, and is a real treat to read. Definitely check it out to get an insiders look at what makes this years Mets tick.
Ricardo Gonzalez of MetsGeek breaks down an article by Patrick Teale, “The A,B,C’s of Carlos Gomez“, which compares the Mets outfield prospect to Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran, and Miguel Cabrera.
The comparison Teale makes is not intended to necessarily say that Gomez will go on to have a career similar to one of those All Stars but has numbers comparable early in his career similar to those players.
The Geek disputes the comparison, countering that using AVG, runs scored, RBI, SBs, and ABs as a means of sizing up players is to be avoided in favor of rate stats. Rate stats allow one to take into account the number of opportunities a prospect has had to hit a double or steal a base, namely OBP and SLG.
The Geek goes on to say, “Nowadays, park factors , age-level relation, power and control or plate discipline ratios are every bit as important as on-base percentage and slugging percentage. But you guys read MetsGeek, so you knew that already.”
To get a look at the statistical breakdown the Geeks have done on Gomez and how Gonzalez feels he really matches up to Beltran, Gomez, and Abreu, check out the article at the always analytically eye opening Metsgeek.com
Tagged Minors |The voting for starting catcher in the All Star Game for the NL is heating up, with Paul Lo Duca with a slight edge over perennial All Star Mike Piazza. Lo Duca has 273,059 votes compared to Piazza’s total numbers of 264,787.
The Mets have only one player leading at any position, however several are in the top five. Carlos Beltran (OF), David Wright (3B), and Carlos Delgado (1B) are second while Jose Reyes (SS) is third.
In Chris Girandola’s article on MLB.com, Lo Duca feels great about being recognized, “It’s an honor to be liked and appreciated by the fans,” said Lo Duca, who is batting .312 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. “We play this game for the fans and each other on the team so to have them support us like that is really neat.”
Lo Duca has been a member of the All Star team for the last three years and just ended a 13 game hit streak, the longest for any Met this year. He is 21-61 (.350) in that period dating back to May 9th, with 10 runs, 6 doubles, a homer and 6 RBIs. In his last 22 games, he has 21 hits, 9 doubles, 3 homers and 10 RBIs.
Piazza has the record for most starts for catchers (12) and was MVP in 1996 going 2-3 with a double, home run, and 2 RBI in his hometown of Philadelphia. Piazza this year is batting .258 with 7 homers and 18 RBIs with the San Diego Padres. His popularity despite his lack of production is a testament to how devoted fans are to the future Hall of Famer.
