Daily Archives: May 24, 2006
The Mets defeated the the Phillies by a score of 5 to 4 at Shea Stadium tonight…
For a full recap, check out the steady Associated Press…
…a few thoughts…
…though Alay Soler was clearly nervous in the first inning, he settled in nicely and looks like a major-league pitcher…had Chris Woodward come up with that grounder in the first, he may have only allowed two runs in the opening frame, as opposed to three…either way, he had a quality start in his first outing, which is impressive…also, he looks like a guy who is younger than 30–years-old, which is rare for these ‘youngsters,’ that come over from cuba…he also can swing the bat, which is nice to see…my one concern is that the phillies were getting some pretty solid swings off of soler, and with a few inches here and there it could have been a different game…however, anyone who can strike out Pat Burrell looking, and make him foolish in doing so, is okay in my book…lastly, when he was told he was coming out of the game, he didn’t look satisfied, giving a shrug to his coaches, which is great to see…i think i have high hopes for the kid…
…you know, i am starting to wonder if Jose Valentin should be starting at second base…though Kaz Matsui has looked pretty solid in the field, i will give him that…it’s amazing, too, in that so many fans were boo’ing valentin just a few weeks ago…but he’s not only getting good rips on the ball, but he’s controlling his at-bats well and is doing the job asked of him in each at-bat…
…when mr. met is sitting in a sit in the stands, i hope the guy behind him at least gets a free soda…
…i know these guys can come back when they are trailing in a ball game, but i just can’t shake out the Art Howes…down 3–0, i know this team will come back, but i am worried they won’t…when the phils tied it at 4, though i know they will come back, i am worried again…and it isn’t until they regain the lead that i start to remember this is willie’s team, not howe’s…it’s mid-may, they are 11 games above .500 and five games in first…it’s just so hard to comprehend sometimes…
…well done, gentlemen…keep it going…your fans are smiling…
…sorry, no pre-game notes tonight…the trade of Jorge Julio for Orlando Hernandez got in the way…
…at any rate…
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…
…see you after the game…
The Mets have recalled RHP Heath Bell from Norfolk, again, to take the place of RHP Jorge Julio on the team’s 25–man roster…
Julio was traded this afternoon for D’Backs RHP Orlando Hernandez…
Since Hernandez is not scheduled to join the team until its trip to Miami on Friday, Bell will temporarily occupy the vacant spot in the team’s bullpen…
…the stretch of I-95 between virginia and new york should now be changed to Heath Bell Boulevard, i believe…
…can’t they just give this kid a job warming up the outfielders between innings, this way when they need him he can disregard packing a suitcase…
…the buzz around shea is that the mets are working to conclude another trade, this time in an effort to bolster the bullpen…the deal is expect to be completed as early as tonight, but no later than friday, before they get to miami to take on the marlins…the only name i have heard mentioned was LHP Jeremy Affeldt, whose name was mentioned this morning in Newsday by Jon Heyman…
…however, other names we have seen in print connected to the mets this week have also been Twins RHP Kyle Lohse, Reds RHP Dave Williams, Nationals RHP Livan Hernandez and O’s LHP Bruce Chen and Dodgers LHP Odalis Perez…
…for what it’s worth, it sounds like the plan is to acquire two established arms that can either start or be used in the bullpen…Orlando Hernandez meets that requirement, and so would a guy like affeldt…as i heard it, this would allow the team to use a wide variety of combinations at the back of their rotation, with pitchers such as Brian Bannister, Aaron Heilman, hernandez, affeldt, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Alay Soler, who is making his major-league debut for the Mets tonight…
…versatility is good…
The Mets have traded RHP Jorge Julio to the D’Backs for RHP Orlando Hernandez…
…there was buzz on this earlier today, but it just didn’t make any sense to me from the d’backs position, so i never bothered to post it, mostly because hernandez has been complaining of back injuries all week…oh well, teaches me to judge, instead of just writing…
In nine starts this season, Hernandez is 2–4 with a 6.11 ERA, posting 52 strike outs to 20 walks in 45 innings pitched. He has allowed six runs or more in four of his nine starts, while allowing three runs or less in the other five…
On May 16, he left his start against the Padres in the third inning due to a strained back. His following start against the Pirates, on May 22, he allowed one run on six hits over seven innings…
He told the Arizona Republic following the start that he is feeling well and would be ready for his next start…
According to the Republic…
“His velocity was good, his fastball sitting in the 89-91 mph range, topping at 92 mph. And his array of off-speed pitches was effective – all except for one.”…
…odd trade, but good…
…julio has looked good since the first week of the season, allowing just four runs in his last 17.2 innings since april 16…however, he was barely being used…and it makes sense to trade him now, while they can…
…according to the d’backs rotation schedule, hernandez is next set up to pitch in the middle of next week, which lines up well for the day after either Steve Trachsel pitches, or the day after that, which, subsequently, is against the d’backs at shea…
…lastly, it’s very bizarre that orlando is coming in on the same day that Alay Soler, a fellow cuban defector, is making his major-league debut for the mets…
Appearing on WFAN during his weekly radio interview with Mike and the Mad Dog, Willie Randolph had the following to say regarding…
…whether he’ll start Pedro Martinez tomorrow, should he need to use Jeremi Gonzalez in relief of Alay Soler tonight…
“Yes.”…
“I’m looking for him to break out a little bit. With Kaz, he’s been in some situations where he’s been in some big RBI situations and hadn’t come though. I’m not nervous about it yet. I mean, he needs to pick it up, there’s no doubt about that…He’s played great defense for us…But, yeah, Kaz needs to pick it up.”…
…why Martinez is not throwing against the Phillies, instead going in Miami against the Marlins…
“We mulled it around a bit…but he’s still a little bit dinged up. He’s not complaining, it’s not a big, big deal, but he’s still a little bruised up. And if we can give him the extra day, that’s really how were going about it…
“I know it’s a big game, I know it’s the Phillies…listen, I really would prefer to have my horses go against the big guys…but, you know, we’re doing well, and I think the main thing for him is that when he goes to the game he feels as 100 percent physical as he can be.”…
…whether he should’ve taken Billy Wagner out of Saturday’s game against the Yankees sooner than he did…
“(On Saturday) I’m thinking he’s gonna find his arm slot, and get back into his rhythm. I mean, he was reeling there, he was on the ropes for a long time there, but I’d never seen that before with him. This is my first time really seeing him everyday…obviously you don’t wanna take your closer in a situation like that, because you feel he can dominate and get back in the groove…
“I just felt in my mind that Billy was gonna get back on track, because the night before he was lights out – but, it got to the point where it just started to snowball for him…
…whether he was glad that Wagner came to his office on Sunday and said he would pitch again, no matter the situation…
“Well, actually, I had called him into my office…I wanted to get things straight.”…
…whether he felt Wagner second-guessed him in the Sunday papers for bringing the pitcher in to a game with a 4–0 lead…
“Well, yeah, more or less, I mean, listen, he said he stunk up the place. If that’s the case, that’s all you have to say, you know. In that situation, to me, there’s no way in the world I’m gonna let the Yankees get off the mat there. You know, I’m not concerned about save situations…
“There will be times where you’re gonna get your saves, and I’m not gonna bring him in 6–0, 7–0, but when you get a team like the Yankees…I felt like in that spot, with the moment and the crowd and the fact that you’re going after a great ball club you gotta shut the door there…
“So, I was a little surprised that he said he let down a bit mentally. We talked about that, because I felt like you can’t let that happen. And he learned a lesson from it. He said, “Skip, it won’t happen again. That’s all. Listen, I wanna get back out there.” I said, listen, you’re gonna be back out there, if you get a chance, and that was that.”…
Three years after defecting from Cuba, RHP Alay Soler will make his first major-league start tonight against the Phillies at Shea Stadium…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin explains how Soler, while pitching alongside Jose Contreras, went 24-9 with a 2.55 ERA and 22 saves over five seasons in the Cuban league…
At the blog I, Rob, Rob recaps Soler’s journey, which took a pause for nearly two years due to problems with his citizenship…
At MLB.com, Jesse Sanchez does a nice job of capturing Soler’s personality, as well as his long-time dream of pitching in America…
…it sounds like soler is a finesse, thinking man’s pitcher, who has the ability to reach back and pull a mid-90’s fastball from his pocket when he needs it…my guess is that Rick Peterson and he will work well together, because i’ve heard he is also an information junkie…
…i am finding that i am very intrigued by his story, and excited to see him pitch tonight…mostly because this is the type of move that would work for other teams but fail the mets…this season has had a different feel to it, though…so let’s hope it continues with soler…
By the way, a reader from MetsBlog, Glenn Zipper, sent in the following e-mail…
“After going sixteen innings last night it would seem Paul Lo Duca will be on the bench tonight…
“Why am I pointing out the obvious? Because this means that Soler, the Cuban defector, will be making his MLB debut pitching to Ramon CASTRO…
…very clever, glenn…
According to Baseball America’s List of the Top 100 Draft Prospects, RHP Pedro Beato could the 11th best available pitcher in this year’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft…
Last year, the Mets drafted Beato in the 17th round as a draft-and-follow, which for reasons that are quote complicated, allows a team to draft a player while maintaining exclusive signing rights for a week before the following draft…
This year’s draft is June 6, which means the Mets have until midnight on Tuesday, May 31, to ink Beato to a deal or they will lose him…
At 20–years-old, Beato features a mid-90s fastball with good movement, a tight delivery and a good array of pitches, while checking in at 6’ 5” and 210 pounds…
In his most recent chat at Baseball America, Alan Matthews responded to a question on this subject by writing…
“More than one scout has said Beato is the best prospect in the state of Florida, and Florida’s crop of prospects is the best of any state in the country. He should command at least $1 million, and the Mets are expected to meet his requests.”…
…it would seem to me, since the mets do not have a first round pick, due to the signing of Billy Wagner from last off-season, they should pay the extra price to retain him…
By the way, Beato was born in Queens, NY, on the same day the Mets won the World Series in 1986…
…which is just too good to be true…talk about your destiny…damn…i’d sign him just for this…i mean, are you kidding me…
I recently received an e-mail from the producers of ESPN 2’s Quite Frankly with Steve A. Smith letting me know that Willie Randolph will be a guest on next Tuesday’s show…
The producer writes…
“If you or any of your members are interested in attending the show, please call me at 646-708-7150 or email AudienceServices@espn.com…
Please provide your first and last name, telephone number with area code and spell your email address. Someone from Audience Services will contact you if your reservation has been accepted.”…
The show is located in New York City, across the street from Madison Square Garden, and will tape on Tuesday, May 30th, at 12:00 pm with a 10:30 am check-in…
…good luck…
In Newsday, Jon Heyman writes that the Mets were recently offered O’s LHP Bruce Chen and Royals LHP Jeremy Affeldt…
…the buzz from shea is that because of the thin trade market, you may see the team go to Mike Pelfrey, should they be left with no more in-house options by the end of next week…however, if pelfrey has still yet to rebound from his current slide, a trade may be pursued…note, the buzz from florida is that Brian Bannister is many weeks away from returning, and no time table has been pegged to John Maine, who continues to crawl back from a swollen finger…
In eight starts and one relief appearance for Baltimore this season, Chen, 29, is 0–5 with 8.08 ERA, sporting 16 walks to 26 strike outs in 39 innings. The league is batting .358 against him. Over the last two seasons, however, also with the O’s, Chen was 15–11 spanning 39 starts with 3.67 ERA. Chen pitched for the Mets in 2001 and 2002…
Affeldt, 26, is 2–4 with 6.51 ERA in eight starts for Kansas City this season. In three starts against the Tigers, Yankees and White Sox at home Affeldt allowed 20 runs in 16 innings for an ERA of 17.00. In his five other starts against the Indians, Twins and White Sox on the road he allowed just seven runs over 27.1 innings for an ERA of 3.00…
…from what i understand, by acquiring a guy like affeldt, they could either a) start him, or b) put him in the pen to face lefties, who are hitting .226 against him, while returning Aaron Heilman to the starting rotation…the idea all along has been that the team will consider starting heilman, only if it can be confident they can replace him in the pen…
…lastly, if you recall, the mets and royals were rumored to be in talks during the off-season for affeldt’s services, as well…
