Daily Archives: May 19, 2006
According to WFAN, the Mets have designated RHP Jose Lima for assignment. A roster move, most likely the call-up of a reliever, is expected before tomorrow’s game…
“Now it’s the seventh, eighth guys in our depth chart,” the Associated Press quoted Mets GM Omar Minaya. “I’m not afraid to pick up a guy from Double-A…”
…let the speculation begin…
…the buzz from the trainer’s room is that Brian Bannister may have a torn hamstring, which if accurate could keep him out as much as a month…i’m not 100 percent confident in this info, though, and i am sure the team will make an announcement soon, anyway, so stay tuned…
The Game…
The Mets (24–16) take on the Yankees (23–16) at Shea Stadium tonight starting at 7:10 pm EDT…
The Pitchers…
RHP Jeremi Gonzalez (0–0, 5.40 ERA) starts for the Mets … In his first start of the season, he allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out four in five innings against the Brewers … Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are a combined 2–for-20 against Gonzalez…
LHP Randy Johnson (5–4, 5.13 ERA) starts for the Yankees … Left-handed batters are hitting .281 against Johnson this season … Removing his starts against the Blue Jays, Johnson is 4–3 with a 3.47 ERA this season …Carlos Beltran is 5–for-11 against Johnson, while Paul Lo Duca is batting .269 against him in 52 at-bats …
The Notes…
The Mets are 7–0 in the first game of a home series…
The Bleachers…
To chat during the game, go to MetsBlog’s Bleachers … or, to access the chat room through IRC, go to server name irc.echo34.com and channel #metsblog…
…enjoy…
The sky is gray and the tarp is on the field at Shea Stadium…
Mets manager Willie Randolph recently concluded his weekly interview on WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog…
Randolph had the following to say regarding…
…his biggest gripe with interleague-play…
“Well, I just think it’s kind of unfair the way the scheduling goes that certain years you get certain teams and certain teams don’t have to play certain teams because of the schedule. And I just think the biggest thing, more than anything, is just dealing with all the hype about it…
“I mean, players kind of get in their routines and we know there are big series that come in and go once in a while, but for the most part, guys, it’s a lot of extra hoopla over nothing – I think that’s the way the players look at it, you just wanna get through it and hopefully win the games, obviously, and move on to the regular schedule.”…
…whether to use Aaron Heilman as a starter, or keep him in the bullpen…
“It’s tempting to think about switching him back, but I still think our bullpen needs to stay solid. We need these guys to step up. At this point in the season I don’t think there’s any reason to overreact to this and panic. We’re just gonna see what these others guy do in the back-end of our rotation.”…
Mets GM Omar Minaya recently concluded an interview with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog in advance of tonight’s game against the Yankees…
Most notably, Minaya had the following to say regarding…
…the state of the Mets, after going to 3–6 on its recent road trip…
“State of the Mets, right now, coming off a road trip…our pitching has been hurt…we lost about four guys that we had planned on, between Brian Bannister, John Maine, Yusaku Iriki and Victor Zambrano…so we’ve had to go to Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez to fill in those spots. We have to look at the starting pitching…if these guys are not getting it done we have to find a way to address it.”…
…the impact of Bannister’s recent set-back…
“Right now, what I’m doing…I’m looking at our minor league guys. Now, you know we have Mike Pelfrey and Alay Soler down in Double-A, who are throwing the ball pretty good. But I’m also talking to other clubs to see if there is a solution that can…find a solution outside the organization…
“So, we do have some options there, but at the same time I do have to look outside in the market place, but it has to better than what we have right now…
“When the opportunity comes, if we can improve we’re gonna improve it.”…
…whether they’ll promote Pelfrey right now…
“I’d rather not. If we have to do it, we’ll do it. I think he’s close to being able to pitch in the major-leagues. It’s not about his stuff. His stuff is very close. But, I’m a little more of a traditionalists sometimes – I’d rather give the guys a chance to develop in the minor leagues. That being said, if we’re getting to the point where he’s getting more innings in the minor leagues, and I always say if a pitcher struggles in the minor leagues it’s good sometimes because he’s able to adjust for the next time he starts. So, he’s developing well.”…
…has the leash run out on Lima…
“No, the leash has not run out. But, to be honest with you, to be fair, we are going to sit down and evaluate where are we as far as a review of Lima’s starts.”…
…whether Jorge Julio could excel to the point that the team would consider shifting Aaron Heilman to the starting rotation…
“That is a possibility. That is another thing we are reviewing as we go forward…
…whether he would trade a top prospect if a huge pitcher was available on the trade market…
“Probably not, and I say this because I really believe that. What we’re trying to do is build a core group of guys, and I wanna build our organization they were building it is were a young player is coming up who are fans can identify…that our fans can follow through the minor leagues…
“Now, that being said, I do believe you have to be open to anything, because it all depends on what kind of player you’re talking about…
“That’s the style of baseball we want to preset to our fans…and I think our fan base wants us to build it this was, also…
…the trade market…
“This is the situation in baseball right now: Teams were trading guys because they were dumping salary. Teams are making money right now…attendance is up. There’s in influx of dollars on the free agent market…the revenue sharing thing. Where a couple of years ago clubs were in need of dumping salary, there not doing that right now. They want to maintain and keep their fan base…So teams are not being forced to move players because of dollars.”…
Mets 1B Carlos Delgado recently concluded an interview with WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog, while promoting his charity, ExtraBases.org…
Most notably, Delgado had the following to say regarding…
…whether he is happy so far with his performance this season…
“I wouldn’t say I’m very happy, because I feel like I can be a little more patient at the plate and I can be a little more calm and relaxed. I feel like I’m a little jumpy right now at the plate. I’ve been fortunate enough to find some holes, but I know that I can still have better at-bats and be a little bit more consistent at the plate.”
…hitting at Shea Stadium…
“It’s not that bad, actually. I thought it was gonna be tougher. Everybody talked about Shea…and I just go out and approach it like any other ball park. Hopefully it gets warmer soon and that makes it a little bit easier.”…
…his successful transition into playing in New York…
“I think you put pressure on yourself. Yeah, there’s more media, there’s more attention, there’s more camera, there’s more fans. But, at the end of the day, we’re playing the game that we’ve been playing since we were five years old. I come to New York to play baseball. When the game is over, I’m gonna deal with everything else. Once I walk in at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I’m focused on baseball. Whatever other stuff happens it happens and the main priority here is to play baseball.”…
…the Subway Series…
“I think this is a great show for the fans. As the players we’re gonna go out and play the game…
“I’m really looking forward to the experience, don’t get me wrong – I think it’s gonna be a great show. I’ve got the best seat in the house for the three-game series.”…
I am not a fan of Interleague Play, mostly because it tilts the playing field. I don’t care if the Mets get swept by the Yankees or sweep the Yankees, I will always be uncomfortable because the teams who are competing against one another for a post-season spot should all be playing the same teams. In years past, while the Mets were dilly-dallying in the Bronx for six games, the Marlins were mopping the floor against the Devil Rays. Further more, they all should be playing one another as much as possible to guarentee that the truest cream rises to the top… As I was quoted as saying in Newsday, “The focus really is on the Phillies and Braves for the first time in a lot of years. Interleague play, and all that, might be a bit of a distraction. Unlike in years past, the best remedy for staving off Yankees fans is winning the National League East, not just taking two of three from the Yankees.”… Satisfying our collective inner-city egos should not come at the expense of winning the division… This circus takes our eye off the prize… Sure, it’s interesting, but it’s no longer special enough to make missing an opportunity to beat the Braves worthwhile… Admittedly, I had a different opinion back when the Mets were struggling to make the post-season. The Subway Circus was fun back then, because it was the closest I could get to experiencing a playoff buzz… Now, however, my favorite team has far bigger fish to fry than playing for bragging rights against a team that is an afterthought in September… I will watch these games not because it’s Mets-Yankees, but because it’s the Mets, whose games I always watch. It’s as simple as that. I just wish they were against a team who the Mets could simultaneously shove further down in the standings by beating them, not a team whose loss will only serve to inflate a fanbase’s ego… Fact is, you do not get points for pride, and mocking your interleague rival will not get you playoff tickets… I hate to say this, but, I think miss Chipper Jones…
Jay Glazer from Manhattan asks…
“What’s up with info on Philip Humber?
“Do you know how he is progressing? I would love to see a snipit on him and Alay Soler because everyone is on about Mike Pelfrey, as they should be, but these guys are prospects too.”…
From what I can gather, Humber is recovering well from Tommy John surgery and has thrown a number of intra-squad games at the team’s extended spring training facility in Port St. Lucie…
In all likelihood, Humber will being pitching for Double-A Binghamton towards the end of the month, or mid-June at the latest…
…the buzz around baseball is that before the mets acquire a starting pitcher via trade, they will exhaust all internal options first, including RHP Alay Soler and possibly RHP Mike Pelfrey…
…this sounds to me like one of those theories that are only as good as the offer on the table…i mean, if Omar Minaya was presented with the opportunity to make a deal that made sense, i suspect that he’d do it…plain and simple…
…also, this would suggest that both pelfrey and soler will need to see a start or two at shea before the end of july…otherwise, how would the team know a trade is necessary…
…from what i can gather, regarding pelfrey, the team will take its queue from the player, and not from their needs at the major-league level…if he’s ready, he’s ready, and they’ll use him…if he isn’t, they will not touch him…
