Daily Archives: August 23, 2007
…due to flights, weather, level of competition, scheduling, etc, all signs point to Pedro Martinez pitching on Sunday with Double-A Binghamton in Trenton, NJ…
…there is a good shot that this is his last rehab start, which means his first start back 
could be against the Braves in Atlanta the following saturday, which would be wild…as i have pointed out, more realistically his first start will line up at home against the Astros in the first week of September, meaning he’d get only four full major-league starts before October…frankly, to me, if he pitches for bingo on sunday, he’s next step has to be new york…
Mets C Paul Lo Duca is scheduled to a play minor-league rehab game for the Single-A Cyclones tonight and Friday in Brooklyn.
…very cool…since paulie was born in brooklyn…
Lo Duca, regarding his rehab from a hamstring injury, while talking to WFAN on Tuesday.
“I’ve come to the conclusion now that, you know, it was frustrating at first, but now I’m just trying to get healthy and get ready for the playoff run and work hard so I can help the team when it comes to Setember and October.”
…he went on the disabled list with a hamstring, but, frankly, the guy gets totally beaten up behind the plate…the team is 7–2 in his absense…so, i’m glad he had a chance to put his feet up and get some rest…a rested lo duca through the final month of the season will be nice to have…
By the way, Friday is Fireworks Night at Keyspan Park in Brooklyn. To buy tickets, go here.
Just a reminder that you can still vote for the five starting pitchers you want for MetsBlog’s All-Time Mets 25-Man Roster. You can vote here.
The polls will remain open until 11:59pm on Sunday, August 26.
All of us at MetsBlog thank you in advance for participating.
Tagged Mike Nichols |In an effort to re-think the final results from Rawlings All-Time Gold Glove Awards, in which Keith Hernandez finished third at first base, ESPN.com is asking fans to essentially clarify their 
votes, while also considering players from the pre-Gold Glove era.
The third question reads as follows…
“Who was the biggest snub from the All-Time Rawlings Gold Glove team?”
As of now, after 75,000 votes, Ivan Rodriguez leads Hernandez by 0.1 percent, while Don Mattingly isn’t even on the ballot.
…thanks to zach for the link…
If the Mets go 18–19 over their remaining 37 games, the Phillies must go 24–13 and the Braves must go 24–11 to push the Mets in to at least second place.
As such, at the Atlanta beat writer’s blog for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carroll Rogers asks Braves fans, “Is it time to focus on wild card?”
… i am starting to believe that the Mets will expand this lead, see it shrink next week when they play in Atlanta and Philadelphia, expand it again, see it shrink a bit again, then expand it over the final two weeks, when playing only the Nationals and Marlins, to win the division by about five or six games, which is the same number they lead by now…
…in other words, as a fan, i expect to feel good, freak out, feel good, i’ll panic, and then i’ll celebrate…and i can handle that…now lets’ hope it comes true…
…there is a lot of hostility among fans towards Carlos Delgado today…i have actually been sent a few e-mails that blame delgado for last night’s loss, which is taking a bit far if you ask me…i’m hearing a lot of talk about dropping him to sixth in the order, which i agree 
with, but, let’s be honest, this team’s problem right now is not offense…it’s the bullpen, and starting pitching to a lesser extent…i mean, the Mets have scored five runs in 10 straight games, and won seven of them…so, delgado has been the least of their concerns…
…you know my position on batting orders, in that they are painfully overrated, so i will not get bogged down with whether delgado should bat fifth or sixth…it’s one slot, and i don’t think it ultimately matters much…i mean, if he bats fifth, he’s wedged between Moises Alou and beltran, and probably gets better pitches to hit…then again, if he hits sixth, he’ll be trying to drive alou around the bases, which is not a pretty picture…
…as i have said before, at this point, delgado is what he is, which, if healthy, is a .260, .250 hitter, who’ll hit 20 to 30 HR in bunches, and drive in 80 to 100 runs in a slow-burn kind of way…but he’s not going to carry a ball club…instead, he’s a supporting hitter, you know, fifth or sixth in the order, like he is right now, who adds protection for younger, more consistently powerful run producers, like Carlos Beltran and David Wright…and that’s what he’s doing…
…he’s not going to be benched…that’s just crazy…
Prior to hyper-extending his knee on August 15, Delgado hit .288 in his previous 100 at-bats, while driving in 18 RBI with a .400 OBP.
…since, he’s faced the two best pitchers in the National League, and the all-time saves leader twice…it’s not a total excuse, but, come on, i mean, sometimes the pitcher actually wins…in fact, last i checked, the pitcher wins more times than not even against the game’s best hitters…
…my point is that if delgado can get healthy and return to what he was doing in those previous 100 at-bats, i’m fine with that from a guy batting between beltran and alou…or, i should say, i do not think Jeff Conine or Shawn Green will do better on an every day basis…
…in other words, delgado is this team’s first baseman…
Prior to yesterday’s game, Paul Lo Duca told reporters that he feels good, and he’s ready to play.
He is eligible to return from the disabled on Monday.
…however, the buzz from shea seems to be that lo duca will get at least one minor-league rehab start to test out the hamstring before returning to the big-league club…
Lo Duca, as quoted by the Bergen Record…
“You’re beating a dead horse. I have no clue what’s going on. I have no idea where I’m going. No one’s talked to me. I’m still waiting…
“I told them I agreed to go to a rehab center. That’s fine. If they want me to go catch I’ll go catch. I’m fine to play right now. I really feel that way. I know I’ve still got four or five more days. If they want me to go rehab I’ll go rehab. If they don’t want me to rehab and just stay here with the team and get as many reps as I can in the cage, I’ll do that too.”
Jose Reyes stole three bases last night, his 65th, 66th and 67th of the season, breaking the team’s all-time single season stole base record set by Roger Cedeno in 1999.
Willie Randolph, on the record, while talking to reporters after last night’s game…
“It’s really nice. I always thought it was a matter of time before he broke the record. He’ a terror on the base paths, and hopefully one day he’ll get up there with Rickey with 100 stolen bases.”
Reyes is on pace to steal 88 bases this season.
Prior to Luis Castillo joining the Mets, Reyes averaged one stolen base every two games.
However, since Castillo joined the team, Reyes has stolen roughly one base per game.
…so, with 37 games left, i suppose it is actually possible that reyes could swipe 100 this season…
Reyes, as quoted by Newsday…
“It’s great…Anytime you break a record it’s great, but I’m not here to break any records. Just trying to get as many stolen bases I can and try to put myself in scoring position all the time.”
Last night, with the Mets down two, Gullermo Mota retired the first five batters to face him, then allowed a single, a walk, a wild pitch, another single, two runs scored, a stolen base, a double and another run scored.
Mota has allowed 10 runs in his last five innings of work.
He has allowed a run to score in 36 percent of his appearances this season.
Willie Randolph, regarding Mota, while talking to reporters after last night’s loss…
“It’s about making pitches, man. He threw the ball well. I mean, 0–2 count on the guy and he made a bad pitch. We talked about this the other day, he needs to find a way to get it done. That’s the bottom line. I mean, the stuff is there, obviously…but in a situation like that, those are three big runs, it would have been nice to stop the bleeding right there…
“I don’t usually lose confidence in any of my players, for any reason. I mean, if you can’t get it done you can’t get it done, but I’m confident he can do that. So, at this point in time, where we need him to step up like every one else on our staff, I’ll keep giving him the ball until he gets it right. I have supreme confidence in all of my players, sometimes they get the job done and some of the times you don’t. But, you wanna keep that to a minimum when you don’t come through and execute like your supposed to. But, we’re gonna have to find, (pause), he’s gonna have to find a way to get the job done, that’s the bottom line. Very rarely do you see me talk about losing confidence in my players. I believe in my guys.”
…i know some fans will read this and overreact…however, willie has to say this…he has to give a public impression that he believes in mota and the other 24 guys on the roster…i mean, if he says he has no faith in one guy, then that may mean he doesn’t have faith in you…if he gets mad and says he has no faith in mota, what happens tomorrow night, when it’s the same bullpen and the team has no choice but to give the ball to mota again, you know what i mean…so, willie doesn’t work through the media…instead, he’ll sidle up to player in the locker room, or speak to him privately before the game, etc…but for the sake of the other 24 players he will not blast one specific guy with a microphone…
…nevertheless, i sense that he truly has lost a little faith…it’s that third-to-last line, in which he says, ‘we’ need to find a away to ‘get it done,’ then he paused, and corrected himself by saying mota must find a way…i think he had it right the first time…he has to know mota isn’t working…i know willie is loyal…i like that, actually…i think it pays off for him more than it hurts, with guys like Endy Chavez and Marlon Anderson, etc…but, in this case, last night had to have broken the willie’s back…it’s the fifth time in two weeks he has gone to mota, and in every case the guy failed him…willie may be loyal, but that loyalty must be returned by hard work and performance…
Mota, as quoted in the New York Post…
“I know I need to help the team win. All my pitches are there, I’m throwing hard. I just need to finish that third out. That’s very important. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.
“When they get me in there I have to do my job. That’s what I’m here for, to do my job. I have to get in there and perform. I have to get it going.”
Phillip Humber was two outs away from throwing a no-hitter for the New Orleans Zephyrs last night against the Iowa Cubs.
Humber’s final line was 8.1 innings, one hit, one run, one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Humber is 10-9 for the Zephyrs this season, with a 4.66 ERA.
…Brian Lawrence has been a decent stop gap, but why not give humber a shot at the fifth spot in the rotation…
…the mets gave pelfrey plenty of opportunities, i think humber deserves one as well…
