Daily Archives: May 3, 2006
If you’ve yet to do so, be sure and vote in this week’s MetsBlog Fan Confidence Rating by using the poll to the left…
…thanks…
In the New York Post, Mark Hale writes that Rick Peterson and the Mets are once again doing their best to give RHP Pedro Martinez the maximum amount of rest between starts…
Peterson, on resting Martinez, as quoted by Hale…
“He’ll be protected as equally as he was protected last year…
“We’re taking care of Pedro, believe me, because he takes care of us.”…
…how sweet…
Martinez will pitch tonight against the Pirates…
In Newsday, Jon Heyman takes a look at the impact of each off-season move made by GM Omar Minaya…
“Their $100-million payroll is about $5 million less than last year’s,” Heyman points out, “and $100 million less than the Yankees”…
…of course, non-new york markets continue to say the that mets spent their way out of the basement…we all know that this is semi-true…it would be nice if they also recognized how frugal minaya was in spending that money…
…this is a good column, but it is a bit too early to truly dissect minaya’s moves…a lot can still happen, on both sides of the equation…
According to multiple reports, Mets 2B Anderson Hernandez has started fielding ground balls and hitting off a tee while rehabbing a bulging disc in Port St. Lucie…
Though 2B Kaz Matsui is hitting .273 in 44 at-bats since taking over for Hernandez, he is just two for his last 15 with three strike outs…
…to his credit, matsui struck out 21 percent of the time in 2004, 16 percent of the time in 2005, and has struck out just 12 percent of the time this season…
Following a tremendous performance in St. Lucie last week, RHP Alay Soler was promoted to Double-A Binghamton yesterday…
Soler was 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in five starts in Single-A. He is slated to start for Binghamton on Saturday…
In Baseball America’s most recent Daily Dish column, Aaron Fitt writes, “Soler seems to have the makeup to handle the pressure of New York, and his stuff (91-94 mph fastball and low-80s slider with exceptional depth) could put him on the fast track to pitch in the majors later this summer.”…
Mets GM Omar Minaya, on whether his team will call up RHP Mike Pelfrey to start on Sunday against the Braves, as quoted by the Journal News…
“He’s one of the guys we’ll consider this year, but he’s got to get to that level. We don’t feel he’s ready to come up here and pitch right now.”…
…i can accept that…not sure i totally agree, but i can digest this response…
…much like with OF Lastings Milledge, teams like to see a young guy hit a slump, and then rebound, before asking him to battle at the major-league level…
…i think we, as fans, do not realize just how big of a jump it is from double-a to the majors, especially while playing on a stage like new york…that being said, i am very, very excited to watch milledge and pelfrey alongside beltran, bannister, wright and reyes…
Meanwhile, according to the Philly Inquirer, it appears tomorrow is close to being today in Philadelphia, who continue to debate whether to promote Triple-A RHP Cole Hamels, the team’s first-round pick in 2002…
Hamels threw a shutout for Philadelphia’s Triple-A affiliate, and is is 2-0 in two starts since being promoted from Double-A. In 16 innings, he has allowed no runs, just five hits and one walk while striking out 26.
Mets 3B David Wright is 7-for-54 since April 17, and 0–for-14 since Sunday’s loss to Atlanta…
Wright, on his struggles, as quoted by the New York Post…
“I’ve been pulling the ball a lot lately. My front shoulder’s flying off; that creates a lot of swing. I’m in one of those little ruts…
“I haven’t felt too comfortable for a while. Atlanta came to us that first time, and I felt my front shoulder start flying. You’ve got to fight your way out of it.”…
…this wouldn’t be so bad if Carlos Delgado did not have just four hits in his last 26 at-bats, if Carlos Beltran was not 2–for-10 since returning to action, and if Cliff Floyd was batting higher than .200…
…oh well, slumps happen…good news is that through it all, the team is 17–9…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s loss to the Nationals, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say regarding…
LHP Mike O’Conner, who tossed seven innings and allowed one run on two hits while striking out six…
“He threw his slider pretty well, and his change-up when he had to. Any time you pitch a good ball game like that you’ve gotta mix it up and he did. It’s the first time we’ve seen him so I don’t know a whole lot about him but he pitched a helluva ball game…
“Listen, I think you just got to give the pitcher credit, man. He threw the ball well…and when the pitcher has the upper hand, and you haven’t seen him, and he was a little bit funky with his delivery, and it might take a little while to get used to his motion. I thought he had a little bit of an unorthodox delivery, and players sometimes have a tough time adjusting to that. I just like to give guys credit for throwing the ball well, and that’s pretty much it.”…
RHP John Maine…
“He struggled a little at times, but, again, it’s his first start this year in the big leagues. There’s always a little anxiety, a little nervousness, so I think he was battling a little of that early. You know, he got out of some jams and made pitches when he had to. His stuff was pretty good, I thought. He had a sneaky fastball and threw about the low-90s. I don’t think he used his curve ball too much, or maybe he didn’t have a feel for it, or what it might have been. But, overall he threw the ball well. He came up and kept us relatively in the game and gave us five decent innings.”…
Whether Maine we’ll get another start…
“We’ll see.”…
Arguing with the umpire, and being tossed from the game…
“Oh, you know, listen, I mean, you know, getting tossed from the game is no big deal for me, it’s just protecting your players. I thought the ball was low and you say your little peace and the umpire doesn’t want to hear it so he throws you out of the game…
“He didn’t like me voicing my opinion and said, “you’re gone.””…
The recent struggles of 3B David Wright…
“He’s one of my big boys. You go through the ups-and-downs of the season. You can’t stay hot all of the time, and David will be fine. He has a nice approach every day. Sometimes you go through those little low streaks and hopefully it’s a quick thing. He has a great approach, so I don’t think he’s gonna stay in it long – 0–for-14 is not a big deal when you play every day. It happens every once in a while.”…
In a loss to the Nationals, making his first start for the Mets, RHP John Maine gave up four runs on six hits in 5.1 innings pitched…
Maine allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in five of his six innings…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following the game, Maine had the following to say regarding…
His performance…
“I felt good. You know, first time here you don’t know what to expect, but I felt good…
Whether or not he expects to get another start…
“I don’t think that I pitched nearly as well as I could’ve. That decision is up to them, so who knows what’s gonna happen.”…
During last night’s loss to the Nationals, Mets 3B David Wright was called out looking on a questionable third strike. Wright argued from the dugout, as did Willie Randolph, who was then tossed from the game…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following the game, Wright had the following to say regarding the incident…
“Well, I think a lot of people didn’t think that was a strike. You know, they’re going out there, they’re trying their best. We’re going out there, we’re trying our best. You know, that’s all you can ask, that the umpire goes out there and gives 100 percent and calls what he sees. And if a guy’s consistent and he does his best up there then there’s no complaints…
“That’s one thing I really appreciate, that Willie had my back…that’s the type of guy Willie is, he has his player’s backs and that’s why people love playing for him.”…
…so, basically, wright is saying that umpire wasn’t giving his best…nice…
