Daily Archives: May 5, 2006
…this is very awkward, i am being filmed by connecticut’s WTNH News Channel 8 right now for a local news story about me and metsblog.com…they want me to just sit here and pretend i am working so they can get some footage, and i have no idea what to write…
…so, this is the best i can come up with…
Since allowing four runs in his first 4.1 innings pitched, Jorge Julio has a 1.76 ERA in 10.2 innings, and the two runs he allowed in that span both came on a Jeff Francoeur home run in Atlanta…
He has struck out 27 of the 62 batters he has faced, while walking just six…
…that’s pretty good, folks…and i’ll be the first to say i didn’t think this kid stood a chance this season…now, look, it’s only may…i’m not ready to give him the closer’s job, by any means, but credit needs to be given to what he’s been able to accomplish at this point in the season…
The question is whether or not Julio can remain consistent, which, as Michael displays at MetsGeek, has always been the pitcher’s biggest problem…
In Newsday, Jon Heyman writes that the Mets are the best team in New York…
…nice…way to stoke the fire, jon…
According to Heyman, the Mets have the more versatile offense, a better clubhouse atmosphere, the better bullpen, the better over-40 pitcher in Tom Glavine and the better all-around pitching, and the best new high-powered acquisition in Carlos Delgado…
…well, until the team gets extra points for these attributes, and can use them in defeating the braves and winning the national league east, i’m afraid i can’t get too giddy about what heyman’s trying to say…but it’s nice to read…my only concern is that when the bandwagon yankee fan gets bored, and starts wearing orange-n-blue in late-july, will i still be able to find a parking spot at shea…
The Mets are 19–9, and 10 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2000 season…
Entering last night’s game, David Wright had just one hit in his previous 19 at-bats. During last night’s win over the Pirates, however, he was 4-for-5 with an RBI, a double and a run scored…
In the Star-Ledger, Bridget Wentworth reports on a conversation between Wright and the team’s batting coach, Rick Down, that may have turned the tide for the young third baseman…
Wright, as quoted by Wentworth, regarding Down…
“He mentioned something to me and it just clicked…I can’t say I’m out of my rut, but it’s a small step…
“Hitting is way more mental than mechanical. If you let it get inside your head, it can hurt you. Trusting my hands is the biggest thing.”…
…i love when i read or hear a fan say that a team’s batting coach should be fired, when a player, or even multiple players are struggling…truth is, most of us, if not all of us, have absolutely no idea what goes on between a batting coach and a player, so how can we make such accusations…now, here’s a situation where a player is actually giving credit to the hitting coach, which we rarely see…so, good for you rick down…keep up the great work, i guess…though we’ll probably never really know if you’re doing your job or not…
…of course, there’s the hitting coach theory, and then the following, which comes from a reader who e-mailed me this morning…
Brian from Chappaqua writes…
“Have you noticed that Wright’s slump coincided with him switching from traditional all black cleats to the white…He went back to all black last night and look at what happened…
“I swear that he went back to all black for the Braves game last weekend where he hit two HR…
“This may sound ridiculous, but look at what happened to Kevin Mench once he changed his shoes.”…
As Adam Rubin points out in the Daily News, Jose Lima was pulled from his start in Norfolk last night after throwing just 26 pitches, leaving many to speculate that he could be a potential starter for Sunday’s game against Atlanta at Shea Stadium…
Meanwhile, according to J.P. Pelzman in the Bergen Record, prior to last night’s game, Willie Randolph told reporters that John Maine will start against Atlanta on Sunday. Rubin makes a similar assertion, but writes that Randolph “expects” Maine to start, and that Lima may simply be a “fallback” position…
Lastly, Rubin cites ‘team insiders’ as saying that a finger issue may have led to Maine’s difficulties in commanding his pitches during his last outing…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s win over the Pirates, the team’s manager, Willie Randolph, had the following to say regarding…
…Tom Glavine, who tossed seven scoreless innings…
“He did okay, man. He was outstanding, again. Just doing his thing, using both sides of the plate, making quality pitches…you can throw a lot of superlatives at him but he’s just being the type of number two, number one, stopper guy you want. It’s just nice to have him and Pedro [Martinez] on our staff, along with the other guys, but he’s just been superb.”…
…David Wright, who went 4–for-5, and appears to busting out of his slump…
“It’s good that he had a big night, but consistency is always what it’s all about. Players don’t always look at one game as getting them out of…well, I call it a little funk – I don’t think a slump is fair to say…
“David stays in the middle well, he did some things tonight that are conducive to what he is as a hitter and sometimes he gets away from that. If tonight is any indication of what he’s gonna be doing, and he stays out that way, he’s gonna get a lot of hits for sure – it’s a positive thing for him.”…
…Xavier Nady, whose home run in the seventh put the game out of reach…
“Good at-bats, I mean, good at-bats. He needs to be like that all the time, and try to be as patient as much as he can. He got a good ball to hit in the zone and he crushed it. Any time you get the ball out to center field in this ball park you got on it pretty good. So, he’s been solid all year, especially with his power, he’s had some big home runs for us, and you make a mistake on him he’s gonna make you pay for it and he knocked the crap out of that.”…
…Jose Valentin, who drove in his first run of the season while pinch-hitting in the seventh…
“Well, you know, he’s been getting his at-bats and getting better swings…he’s been swinging the bat a lot better, even during practice. Pinch hitting is tough. It’s not always easy to go up there and go cold turkey, but he’s swinging the bat better and I have confidence in him and he had a nice hit tonight.”…
…Jorge Julio, who was boo’d by the fans, despite having allowed just two runs over his last 10.2 innings, and whether Willie is confident enough to use him in a big spot…
“I’ve always had confidence in him. There will be times this year where I have to use him in tighter spots. Like I said earlier, we have guys this year who are pretty much slated for those spots, and when I get an opportunity to use him there is no doubt in mind that I’ll go to him…
“Unlike what you might hear, or how people react, it has no bearing on how I use my people. I have a lot of confidence in him. But, we have a long way to go so there will be times in the season, probably soon, when he’ll do a good job for us in a tight spot.”…
…after the game, Ron Darling made a comment about julio’s confidence that i found interesting…he basically said that it can be very significant for a struggling pitcher to finish a game and be on the mound in a successful way so he can get high-fives, smiles, congratulations and feel as though he is finally part of the team and helping them to win…i don’t see how protecting a six-run lead does this, but the point is well taken…either way, let’s hope ron is right…
Tom Glavine tossed seven scoreless innings in the team’s 6–0 win over the Pirates last night…
In seven starts this season, Glavine is 4–2 with a 1.94 ERA, tops in the National League, while sporting 41 strike outs to 14 walks in 46.1 innings pitched…
Appearing on SNY, while addressing the media following last night’s victory, Glavine had the following to say regarding…
…the team finally scoring some runs while he was on the mound…
“Well, you take ‘em when you can get ‘em. I was just happy I was able to pitch well, keep us in it, give us a chance and, you know…that’s the thing about our offense, you just kind of get the sense that every game that the more at-bats those guys get, the more chances they’ll have to score some runs. We came up with a big inning in the seventh and it was nice.”
…whether it was a sense of relief on his face when he was smiling during the seventh, after the team put up five runs…
“Well, it was a little bit of relief, and a little joking around with Carlos [Delgado.] You know, he called [Xavier Nady’s] home run, so he was pretty happy about that. Yeah, it’s always nice, I mean…you don’t wanna have to go through another 1–0 nothing game like that, and leave your bullpen in a position where they have to be perfect – so, you know, it was nice for us to get that cushion and give Duaner [Sanchez] and [Jorge] Julio a little bit of room to play with.”…
…whether he would like to have at least thrown to one batter with a five-run lead, since he was removed prior to the team’s offensive explosion…
… “(laugh) I don’t know if I would’ve known what to do with it, No. I probably would’ve gone out there and messed up (laugh) – nah, I mean,I still felt good, so I probably could’ve gone out there and thrown more, but there’s no point this early in the year. To me, that’s a good thing. I threw 107, and physically felt good so that’s a good sign for me.”…
