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The Mets will face the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla, at 1 pm today.
SS Jose Reyes will bat leadoff, followed in order by OF Endy Chavez, 3B David Wright, OF Carlos Beltran, 1B Carlos Delgado, OF Ryan Church, C Ramon Castro, 2B Damion Easley and Mike Pelfrey.
Pelfrey will start for the Mets, while Matt Wise, Pedro Feliciano and Jorge Sosa will follow in relief.
Wise and Feliciano have each pitched five scoreless innings this spring, while Sosa hasn’t allowed a run through seven innings.
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For all the bashing he gets, I am really excited to have Church on the Mets. His defense is excellent, he is young, and i think he is going to hit a lot more than people are giving him credit for.
I am equally as excited for Schnieder. he wont be hitting .300, but i am willing to be he gets it done when its needed.
anyone going to be doing the play by play for today?
I’m with you on both of those guys .. Schneider has a great attitude, and Church has looked very composed in right field — something we haven’t seen in a while! I think it’ll take them both a little while to settle in, as they try too hard to impress, but I look forward to both playing a big part in this season.
I may be able to pull off a little play by play today…not having video makes it tougher.
I agree also. Schneider is a solid defensive catcher while church is a reliable outfielder with some pop. I think it was a smart move to trade milledge for them. Also they are relativily young as well and will be able to contribute for a while.
Pretty much the opening day line-up. With the exception of Chavez and Easley. I’m looking forward to seeing Church perfrom as well as Schnieder. I’m also a believer that they will do well.
Well considering Alou won’t be around for opening day, the only player absent is Castillo, who I guess will get playing time during the next home game
Ur forgetting Schneider.
speaking of schneider, whats his deal? he plays one game, gets 4 games off, plays one game, gets 4 games off?
where’s he been? is his hammy acting up again?
On WFAN today Schneider said he tweaked his hammy again, but if it were a regular game he could play….
Anyone know the Cards line-up?
I’m hearing Braden Looper is pitching and batting 8th. interesting.
prediction:
Delgado goes 3-3 – Metsblog readers predict an MVP season
OR
Delgado goes 0-3 with 2 Ks – Metsblog explodes
hahaha i’m sitting in a starbucks on 6th ave waiting to go to my next appointment and i totally just laughed out loud at that comment. people are staring…
if delgado once again strikes out in every at bat matt may have to turn off the comment section.
Pedro Cerrano is going to come through today. I have a good feeling about this.
And if he strikes out 3 times, this site just might explode.
Not even Joe Boo can help Cerr-gado
Delgado- Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit inside straight ball. Over plate I hit it very much. Inside, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.
If you no help me this time, I say F*** you Jobu, I do it myself.
It is very bad to drink JoBo’s rum.
It’s Very bad.
maybe he needs hats for bats.
No…What he needs is a live chicken.
He has no maaaa-bles
While we should worry if Delgado struggles we cannot worry yet. I mean he only has 5 at bats in the past few weeks so obviously he is rusty and behind schedule. Let him struggle all he wants now I dont care, I just want him playing now and shaking the rust off. If he strikes out his first 5 at bats of the season then we can worry, but until then we have to give him the chance to work things out.
that’s 6 of the opening day starting 8 eh?
My goodness, an actual, legitimate major league line up. As long as Alue is out, only Easley spotting Castillo isn’t standard (assuming Castro vs. a lefty).
Helluva lineup for an away game. I guess the team still wants to crush the Cards… and I’m all for that :)
I’ll be at the game so I’ll try to give updates from my phone
OT from Rubin’s blog:
Lefthander Jason Vargas expects to miss three months with a labrum tear in his left hip that will require surgery. He’s headed to a doctor in Vail, Colo
Hopefully Niese and others can step it up this year as the depth behind Pelfrey is thin.
Thats one thing that worries me. There really is no depth behind Pelfrey. As we’ve seen in recent years its very easy to go through 9,10 different starters throughout the year. We have 6 experienced ones right now. Any word on whatever happened to Tony Armas, wasn’t he supposed to help provide some depth? I know he had visa problems, but anything since.
I dont think they want to rush Niese.
Well, it’s a good sign that Niese has looked very impressive in camp this year. They may need to call on him at some point during the season.
In Rubin’s blog, he mentions that Armas is still a no-show because of Visa problems.
Niese and Parnell may end up being the best options later in the season. Both should start in AA, hopefully they get off good starts, get a few starts in a AAA and are considered for call up.
AAA rotation: Pelfrey (for now), Bostick, Jose Sanchez, Sal Aguilar, and maybe Garry Bakker.
AA rotation: Niese, Parnell, Devaney?, Eric Brown, Dylan Owen or Dillon Gee.
by August those rotations may be flip flopped with Peflrey in NY.
Still visa problems. It’s getting late now so even if he gets his visa today, he won’t be ready until late April.
After our starting 5, I guess we’d go to Pelfrey first, then Sosa then Figueroa, as things currently stand. After that we might not have any choice but to rush Niese, undesirable as that may be.
So his visa problem limits that amount of pitching he can do else where? That’s tough man.
Not as such… but he can’t participate in ST without the visa.
I guess at least he did play winter ball, so maybe end of April’s a little pessimistic. Nonetheless, he’s not gonna jump of the plane ready to pitch.
Somethings definitely wrong with how the mets are doing there workouts, either the trainer’s at fault or they just are’nt warming up correctly. Why if I run around all day and make jumping jacks, I won’t pull a hami or a muscle?
probably because you dont lift all year long heavily and do running drills everyday. You would think after that, their muscles would be strong, and they are, but sometimes thats alot of strain on the muscle. You can have a healthy muscle, all it takes is one weird step or jump or landing.
I don’t understand though. You don’t see injuries like this in any other sport. Football players get smashed for an hour play after play and even in practice. Hockey players are on skates smashing eachother and changing directions. Basketball players are up and down the floor, on the bench, back up and down the floor. Why are baseball players, and especially those on the mets, so fragile? I will never understand this?
The difference with baseball and football is that baseball is much more of a precision sport…there are so many moving parts when it comes to hitting and pitching, and everything must be just right, whereas in football, aside from the QB, and maybe WR, its more brute strength…Kevin Mawae was able to play with a broken had a few seasons ago…you’ll never see that in baseball.
As for basketball, the motions are completely different. Pitching is such an unnatural motion, and does terrible things to a persons shoulder/elbow (especially when compensating for other injuries) , that you just don’t see in basektball
I agree with most of what you said, but running is running. I mean running backs, basketball players run at full speed too right? How come they don’t pull hammies?
The cycle of football allows players to sustain minor injuries without missing games. They can work out during the week without using the sore muscle / tendon. Then they can load up on painkillers and perform at or close to 100% for 3 hours. Then another week’s rest.
Also, football injuries are not of the “repetitive stress” type, and are usually not caused by the necessary motions of the game. And even a QB with a shoulder strain can limit the distance and/or number of passes he throws, while a pitcher with the same injury is sunk. There’s just no way for a batter with hip or back problems to favor his hip or back while swinging a bat. He can load up on painkillers for one game, but every day? Bad idea.
Baseball requires an unpredictable variety of sudden starting and stopping motions in every game, every day. There’s no way to stay in the lineup or rotation without aggravating the condition.
maybe because football players and basketball players don’t play 162 games over 6 months? With so many games there is much more opportunity to get hurt.
if we don’t make any trades, wagner, heilman, sanchez, feliciano, wise, sosa, schoeinwiess could be a strong or atlest very solid bullpen…it’s rare to have a pen where everyone can see action in the 8th inning throughout the course of the season and i think we might have that here.
I love the bullpen but if a starter or two goes down we wont have anyone (after pelfrey) who can get us to the bullpen.
I think Sosa may be our best option for the #5 spot even before Pelfrey. Sosa has looked good this year and did ok last season.
problem there is that Sosa is not on a starters program in ST, so look for him to make zero starts this year unless something changes with his throwing plan.
Exactly.
Ok, hypothetical
what will the lineup look like against a LH with Alou out? Will we go with all of the LH in a row?
Delgado, Church, Schnieder, Pagan. Even if you move Pagan up he does not hit LH well.
Castro would almost have to be in there hitting 6th against lefty starters.
Esp. w/o Alou, expect to have Castro in there most of the time vs. LHP’s, and Castro has the power to bat 6th. That gives:
4. Beltran (R)
5. Delgado (L)
6. Castro (R)
7. Church (L)
8. Pagan (R)
Also look for Easly to get a lot of time against LHP’s in RF, LF (w/o Alou) and even 1B.
reyes
castill0
DW
Beltran
Delgado
Castro
Church
Pagan
Without Alou, Castro will be even more needed against a lefty.
This lineup, never 2 lefties in a row.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You just outlined (and very realistically) the most critical issue with this team that surfaced the moment Milledge was shipped out.
Seriously, did anyone here NOT see this coming?
Don’t get me wrong, I have learned to like this trade a bit more for Schneid’s defense and Church’s upside. I can also somewhat understand the logic in getting rid of Mill’s attitude (which I think was still blown out of proportion and used by Willie as a scapegoat. But I digress…).
But that trade clearly left a gapping hole in the right side of the plate that we all knew would get wider the second Moises started with his monthly cramping. It’s ridiculous that mgmt seemed to not have an answer for this obvious issue.
Against lefties early in the season, Pagan, being a switch-hitter, would probably play left if he keeps up his performance and is not traded. Easley is also a right-handed option in left, but Castro would most likely start behind the plate. Perhaps:
Reyes (S), Castillo (S), Wright (R), Beltran(S), Delgado(L), Castro (R), Church (L), Pagan (S), Pitcher.
Willie also has the option of resting Castillo in favor of a right-handed bat like Easley at 2nd base. Option 2:
Reyes (S), Pagan (S), Wright (R), Beltran(S), Delgado(L), Castro (R), Church (L), Easley (R), Pitcher.
In each case, there won’t have to be back-to-back lefty bats in the lineup.
Whether or not Pagan shows he can be enough of a situational, on-base guy to bat second, or if Easley can be serviceable in left field still remains to be seen.
Cardinals (5-9-1):
Schumaker, RF
Duncan, LF
Pujols, 1B
Ankiel, CF
Glaus, 3B
Kennedy, 2B
Molina, C
Looper, P
Izturis, SS
Jason Isringhausen, Kelvin Jimenez, Chris Perez, Jason Motte, and Hugo Castellanos to follow
Why isn’t anyone addressing the fact that it seems likely Beltran will bat clean up this year? He’s batted 4th in a number of games so far. I, for one, do not want to see him in the 4 spot. I think Wright should bat clean up and Beltran should set him up in the 3 hole. Beltran does better in the 3 spot anyway. And after last season, Wright should be set up for a great, great year.
There’s a guy on the Cardinals named Pujols who hits in the 3-hole. Don’t think Cards mind getting him as many ABs as possible.
It’s not a matter of AB’s, obviously. It’s a matter of how the hitter performs in that role. Beltran will do much better as a 3-hole hitter than he will 4-hole. And vice versa for Wright.
Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Wright, Delgado, Alou, Church, Schnieder
I don’t see where you get that conclusion from. It seems to me that Beltran struggled in the 3 spot, and more to the point, the team did. I want someone who can work a count, hit for average and drives the ball to all fields in the three hole. My reasoning being I want someone in that spot who can work a quality at bat with either reyes or castillo in scoring position. With their speed and base running ability a well struck single may even score them from first. Beltran is not the same type of hitter as Wright. He is a guess hitter, with great bat action but limited approach. A lot of power but not great average. In my estimation, Beltran is the much more solid clean up hitter.
thats funny you say that bc the exact opposite happened last year and proves your point incredibly wrong. the best hitter on every team always bats third thats the way it works. wrights our best hitter and will be in the 3 spot until he physically cant do it anymore.
Besides, they tried it that way last year and it didnt work. Both started hitting when Wright batted third and Beltran batted fourth. They did great and I for one wouldnt want to fool with it.
I seem to recall the two of them hitting well with a lineup of Reyes, Castillo, Wright, and Beltran. I would go with that unless Delgado reverts to pre 2007 form in which case Wright could hit 5th. to split up the lefties while Alou is out.
meh..even if Delgado reverts, then you’ll have Wright/Beltran/Delgado/Alou
Wright is the prototypical 3 hitter–best hitter on the team, hits for high average, with great obp, and can slug…Beltran is a bigger HR threat than Wright, and his .275 avg fits better in the 4 spot.
yea n/m what I said above, if Delgado returns to form then he is going to be ok against lefties and wont need to be split up.
Wright is the best hitter on the team and should hit 3rd until he gets old…
But my statement was predicated on Alou being on the DL. With Alou hitting 6th there is no lefty problems.
Did you watch the games last year? Beltran had his best part of the season at the #4 spot and Wright was best at the #3. That is exactly where they need to stay. Wright hits for a better average but less HR.
2005-2007, Beltran’s splits:
Batting 3rd: OPS – .850
Batting 4th OPS – .998
Gee, maybe Willie does know how to read stats after all!
Are you out of your mind? Did you not watch last season? When they moved Wright to 4th and dropped Beltran to 4th they both exploded. David Wright is the best hitter on the team, and Beltran is the best power hitter on the team, he just happens to have speed. Wright should have been batting 3rd since 2005.
Its probably better for wright to hit 3, cause that means the pitchers will be afraid to walk him in front of Beltran and he will be getting better pitcher and hopefully resulting in more hits. Hopefully we can say the same for Delgado protecting Beltran but that doesn’t look that good just about now.
The way I see it, Wright gets on base more then Beltran does. So if Wright is getting on base infront of Beltran, then Beltran should get some good pitches to hit, and wont be counted on to hit 300 like he would be if he was batting 3rd. Beltran should see lots of fastballs this year. Imagine if Reyes progresses like we expected him to last year and Beltran backs up his talk with a career year? We will run away with the east. Who is Jimmy Rollins kidding.
I guess I’m just joining the choir, but the Mets lineup for the entire second half of last year had Wright (best hitter on team) batting 3rd, and Beltran (2nd best hitter, most power) 4th, which is how it should be. If we get a healthy and productive hitter batting 5, that would be good.
top of the first– looper pitching:
reyes – line drive base hit to center on a 2-1 count, after a foul bunt
sounds like the announcers get plenty of free beer.
chavez – swinging K on 3 pitches
wright – broken bat line drive to left, reyes to third, I think he was running.
beltran – got jammed, flyball basehit to center
1-0 mets!
delgado – double play! He didn’t strike out! .. oh wait.
Hahaha, they do sound a bit drunk.
The STL announcers are horrible. I want to follow the game, but they make me want to stab icepicks in my ears!!!!!!!!
delgado put a ball in play? cerrone mustve just let out a sigh of relief knowing that his computer wont explode.
I take it ALL back….I love Carlos Delgado. 0-6, 5 K’s 1 DP…
The. Man.
Beltran just drove in Reyes, 1-0…. Runners on first (Beltran) and second (Wright) one out for Delgado.
1st:
reyes singles to center. Endy strikes out ugly on three pitches. Wright singles to left, reyes makes it to third. Beltran bloops to center, reyes scores. Delgado grounds into 3-5-3 double play.
mets up 1-0.
word..you got it
Wright to 3rd*
Delgado grounds into DP, hey, at least he made contact.
You realize how much better this offense would be if we just sent Delgado up to the plate without a bat?
What are the chances we can trade Delgado for Billy Crystal?
Too late. Isiah likes his athletecism and versatility and brought him in to run the point for the rest of the season.
that is the post of the day.
just phenomenal.
lmao good one lol
hahahaha…
Lol, I’m watching the Yankees game as well, just for the fact he is playing.
thanks for the headsup, that was cool to see.
Hmm…the Skanks doing the ridiculous circus side-show acts while the Mets are the serious NY baseball club.
I like it.
Haha, Billy Crystal is about to bat. If he gets a hit, we should sign him. He did wear a Mets hat in City Slickers.
Watch him get drilled in the knee and then another brawl starts.
if you’re delgado, what do you do if billy crystal puts up a better line than you?
you off yourself
CB Buckner behind the plate.
is it just me or does it seem like he has been umping every Mets game this spring?
he was at 2B the other day, and had been behind the plate at least two others times already.
He’s number 60, go figure.
…a couple of nice cutters K Billy Crystal
He worked the count to 3-1 but struck out on consecutive fastballs inside.
at least he’s only responsible for one out per at bat.
i’m lookin’ at you delgado.
That was 3-6-3 sorry.
bottom first:
schumaker singles past reyes. Duncan hit and run sacrifices skip to second. Pujols walks on full count. Ankiel flys out to endy, good running catch. Glaus walks, bases loaded. Kennedy flies out deep to beltran.
after one mets up 1-0
walking on thin ice, but nice getting out of the jam.
pelfrey’s livin on the edge a lot still. I can’t believe we drafted this guy thinking we got an ace…
any word on how Beltran looks in center? i mean when he is healthy he appears to dog it, even though he doesnt, but anything that may give the impression that his knees are good to go ?
not a word remotely like something observant from these guys
um….what?
heh that was a twisted way to say “no , these guys are stupid and aren’t telling us anything.”
These announcers sound drunk alright.
Pelfrey struggling with his command, going deep into the count with everyone. Runners on 1st and 2nd, 1 out, he goes 2-0 to Ankiel, who lets him off the hook with a foul pop to Chavez in LF.
Pelf falls behind 3rd consecutive hitter 2-0, then 3-1 (though Cards annnouncers thought 2-1 pitch was a strike) and loses him.
Adam Kennedy up with bases juiced, he lofts an easy flyball, and Pelf escapes without damage.
As a New Yorker living in southern PA does anyone know if there is a service where I would be able to get SNY? I know I can watch the games on the comp (mlb.com), but why have a new tv and use a comp to watch the most exciting player in the sport (Reyes).
probably not…….you best bet for tv is the extra innings package
go for extra innings. i order it last night (i live in baltimore) right now its 160 (4 payments) for the full season its going to go up to 200 so if you want it get on it now. i had mlbtv.com last year but the quality isnt that great and who really wants to sit at their computer for 3 hours.
lol I sit at the computer like 6 hours a day
;)
so do i at work, exactly the reason i dont want to do it at home. guess i shouldve mentioned that.
gotcha .. I like the internet version so then I don’t have to fight with my wife over the TV .. I put the game on, she gets to watch whatever..plus I can travel with it, and watch day games at work. Really dig the archive too..
in which case doesnt offer HD ive heard
If you have a dish service (direct tv or dish network) you might be able to get a sports pack. I live in South Dakota and get SNY along with about 20 other sports channels for about 12 bucks. Add in my extra innings package on Direct TV and I basically do nothing but watch Met games from March thru September…hopefully October this year.
Hot dogsssssss and crackaaa jackkkksssss, poppppppcornnn. Who says that? These guys are drunk
church picked off
by molina that is .. I’m glad I can’t see his face.
All the starters have a hit now, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, and Church, so far….
did you intentionally forget delgado?
its jut assumed that he wont have a hit
I seriously doubt he’ll make the team.
no, I just forgot about him
I guess you don’t count the other Carlos
I have a feeling Delgado is going deep today.
deep into what??
deep into a count before he strikes out??
deep into the ground after looking stupid on a pitch??
deep into the dugout after another 0-3 day??
into the deep end of the pool to try and drown himself when he finds out billy crystal had more hits than he did??
please be specific
as in digging himself in a deeper hole?
this sounds like two old sharing a flask on a park bench, and talking about the old days.
Shilling was put on the 60 day DL….
happy happy joy joy….
Thank GOD this game is on the radio….so nice to listen to the game while “working”….
Top 2:
Church hits dribbler up 3 rd base line but out runs play. Church thrown out by catcher trying to get back to first. Casanova flies out to third. Easley strikes out looking.
middle second mets up 1-0
Molina’s got that snap throw on lock.
Mike shannon calling the game on STL radio… He’s an old school drunk in the booth announcer…
Looper is batting 8th.
I miss Looper… (sarcasm)
oh charlie, you and your pot belly stove. good times, good times.
If Mets are playing real good since spring training began. What radio station is the game on?
St. Louis radio…I am listening on mlb.com
I thought it was on 660, I grabbed my radio. MLB.com cost money, correct?
Yeah but GameDay audio is like $15 bucks for the entire season…
It’s worth it.
It’s broadcasted on the Cardinals station, I think most of us are listening to it on GameDayAudio on mlb.com.
the Cardinals station is not streaming it online, but if you can get AM 550 to come in then you can listen.
does it cost to listen during spring training or only during the season?
You guys all paid for gameday audio? I wish it was online for free dammit! It’s spring training!
still rolling on last years’ 1 year mlb.tv subscription .. includes radio too.
Game day audio for work, XM radio for the road trips, WFAN for everything else.
pelfrey with a basehit!
Pelfrey, lead of single, go figure.
reyes has the two hardest hit balls of the day.. another single
Reyes single, 2 on 0 out.
a little out of order, but…
Bot 2:
Yadier Molina flies out to Endy
Braden Looper grounds to Easley
Cesar Izturis grounds to Easley
End 2 , 1-0 Mets
Chavez extra base-hit, Both runners score, chazez to second
endy 2 run double, reyes scored from first standing when pujol cut off the ball
kennedy is “bird dogging” endy..
Chavez*
Another RBI opportunity for Beltran. Runner on 3rd, 1 out
Another RBI opportunity for Beltran. Runner on 3rd, 1 out
Sorry about the double post, my computer is bugging out.
every computer does that. I just wrote a whole post and when I submitted it, it started going crazy and i lost the information.
Another game the mets will crush. I almost dont want them to win, don’t want them to waste the wins now when they don’t count……save them….
beltran walked (to get to delgado?)
awwww man here we go
cerrano at the plate….
hahah delgado does sort of look like the future president palmer, especially with the goatee
HEY!!!!….he only made one out but a run scored!!!….
NOW were gettin somewhere!!!…
Thats it Karlos, just keep running till you hit that white square to your right. You remember where it is, right?
kennedy slips, making the double play not happen .. delgado gets an rbi and a fielder’s choice
ugh
Is it possible for a player to have a negative batting average?
IT WAS DRYER THAN PROHIBITION.
also, the live chicken may have worked.
hopefully jobu is with him for this AB
Delgado beat out a double play, chavez scores, 4-0 Mets’
I should gotten the username “metsdominate”
I thought Taylor got him a bucket of KFC instead of the live chicken…the kfc at least got him the fielders choice
Back to the minors (part 3) is one of the worst movies of all time
back to the minors wasnt nearly as good as the first two………..but there were def some moments in that movie
definitely not on my desert island movie list
Church seems to be seeing the ball well.
Just about everyone does against Looper, not taking anything away from Church, who I believe will have a nice year this season.
he had 4 walks in 23 plate appearances before today .. that’s 5 in 25 now, not bad.
Did Delgado run to first with his bat still in hand?
hahahah that made me chuckle
give the guy a break, im happy enough that he remembered which direction to run in.
The use of a CGI baseball was awful enough
The guy from quantum leap as the coach and ”
downtown” being as big as Eckstein
terrible
was there a reason casanova was at bat? was castro impeached because of bubblegate?
Damn. I had posted that I hoped he wouldn’t get impeached for bubblegate. From now on will Castro be known as Client 9?
so in case they haven’t mentioned it once or twice. there’s a lot of people in roger dean stadium. standing room only.
does that make luis castillo ashley youman?
chavez just nailed duncan at the plate on a fly ball out tag up play
i love endy chavez and his arm.
7-2 double play. Chavez outfield assist gets Duncan trying to tag.
Nice play by Wright ends the inning.
Top 3: still Looper
Mike Pelfrey singles
Jose Reyes rips a single to center, Pelfrey to 2nd
Endy Chavez shoots one up the gap, Pelfrey and Reyes score
David Wright grounds to short, Chavez sneaks over to 3rd
Carlos Beltran walks on 5 pitches
Carlos Delgado hits a DP ball but Kennedy wiped out while fielding it and only got the force at 2nd, Endy scores
Ryan Church walks, Delgado to 2nd
Raul Casanova grounds into a force, 4-6
End 2.5
4-0 Mets
Bot 3: still Pelfrey
Skip Schumaker (long AB) goes the other way again and grounds a single to left
Chris Duncan hits a tailor-made 1-6-3 DP but Pelfrey’s throw pulls Reyes way off the bag
Albert Pujols hits a single down the LF line, Schumaker scores, Duncan to 3rd (DW argued the call with the umpire – thought it was foul)
Rick Ankiel flies into a DP, 7-2, Endy guns down Duncan at the plate, Pujols wisely takes 2nd
Troy Glaus grounds out to D-Wright
End 3
4-1 Mets
I think that this is what is the best case scenario this year for Pelfrey. he is so sloppy and inconsistent on the bump, you never know what to expect. hopefully he has more moments like the one last year in ATL, but be prepared for a fair share of clunkers and equal parts blah.
can he be a .500 pitcher with an era in the mid 4s? the Mets would take that from him for 30 starts, but he wont be the steamroller they thought they drafted
Have patience, most good pitchers had a hard time when they first came up.
that is why I said this year, but his overall expectations have been diminished since being drafted
most pitchers have a hard time when they first come up??
first of all thats pure BS
secondly……..he isnt “first coming up” hes been up and made starts in each of the last two seasons
stop making excuses for him just because he isnt what some thoguht he would be
Didn’t Johan struggle when he first started? That’s why he was a Rule 5 Draft pick-up for the Twins.
he didnt make his debut until he was with minnesota in 2000
minor leaguers get ruled 5ed all the time…….it isnt because he struggled at the major league level
because the truth is……..he never pitched at the major league level until he was traded to minnesota
he was picked up in the rule 5 by florida then traded to minnesota
PLease don’t ever compare Johan and Pelfry again…
not only does he compare johan and the mouthpiece…….but he doesnt even know what hes talking about
Yes, it’s unfair to compare Pelfrey with Santana who is the best pitcher in baseball now.
But if you look at Santana’s first 90 innings or so in the big leagues, they were WORSE than what Pelfrey put up in his first 90 innings. So have patience. Pelfrey may never amount to anything, or he may end up to be a solid #3 or #2.
you are comparing apples and oranges because santana started out of the pen
he only made 5 starts during his first year……but still threw 86 innings
My point wasn’t that Pelfrey will be Johan. If I knew that then I’d make a killing scouting players.
What I’m saying is that it’s ridiculous to say Pelf hasn’t done well so we should stop defending him.
We don’t know what Pelf will be until he has more time to play. Look at Maine and Perez. No one thought they’d be any good and look at how they’ve done.
So just give him a chance.
bigNJ, … Santana’s ERA would even be worse if you took out his relief appearances that year.
His ERA as a starter in 2000 was 9.52 — much worse than Pelfrey’s. It’s a good thing they never gave up on Santana.
wrong again
we saw early that perez had the talent he just couldnt be consistant……..which hes been able to be more consistant since coming over
maine was somebody that nobody really knew anything about……..and much less was expected from him since he wasnt a top pick
again…….you are comparing apples and oranges
just face the facts that the mouthpiece will never be anything other than maybe a .500 pitcher with an era of 5
ive accepted that already………which is why if he shows me more than that im happy……..but im not upset when he throws 100 picthes through 4 giving up 7 runs and 2 long balls because thats what i expect from him
why do i expect it? thats the kind of pitcher he is
Frankly at this point, i am not concerned with what he will eventually become, but rather interested in whether or not he can be a servicable #5 this year and eat 150 innings swapping with Duque and subbing for others over the course of the season. that would be a huge benefit for the Mets to get off that merrygoround of washed up pitchers filling in
And you know what Santana’s ERA was his second year in 2001 as a starter? Barely better at 6.86.
So there’s no doubt. Santana’s early career as a starter was much worse than Pelfrey’s.
look at johans first 90 innings as a starter then get back to me
if you want to still compare the two at that point let me know
Doesn’t matter. Santana’s first 40-50 innings or so as a starter were worse. His first 90 innings were worse. I’m sure most twinkie fans at that point were yelling for the Twins to dump that guy. It’s a good thing they didn’t.
The point is you need patience even with the best of them.
his first 90 innings as a starter were not wrose than mikes were
His first 90 innings as a ML pitcher were worse. And his first 2 years as a starter were worse.
And again, you can bet almost every single twinkie fan was calling Santana a loser at that point.
his first 90 innings as a starter were not worse
but dont let the fact gets in the way of a good perlfrey slurping session
just face the facts…….the kid isnt very good
not every top pick is going to be a star
hes the pitching version of gregg jefferies
actually twins fans werent calling him a loser because nothing was expected of him
he came to them in a trade from his 2rd pro team in 5 years and hadnt pitched in the pros when he came to minnesota
he was basically their version of john maine
an unproven commodity with little to no expectations
he wasnt the twins top pick
had he been……….maybe they would have been saying that he sucked
but again dont let facts get in the way
Just one point to make, BigNJ, since you seem to think you are infinitely correct, you are very wrong about Maine. He was a BIG TIME prospect for the Orioles until THEY gave up on him….so….yea
Gregg Jeffries isn’t a star? Damn, I was saving his Topps Top Prospect card just in case.
he wasnt their top pick………pelfrey was ours………again expectations come with the territory
Again … this is a undeniable fact:
Santana’s first 90 innings as a ML pitcher were worse than Pelfrey’s. And his first 2 years as a starter were worse.
And, yes, fans call pitchers losers even if they don’t expect much out of them. Why do you think Mets fans called Lima and Park losers?
And expectations or not, fans want their teams to get rid of pitchers who perform as poorly as Santana did his first two years in the majors.
dont do a comparison thats favorable to you……dont compare apples to oranges
compare their first 90 innings as STARTING PITCHERS……….then get back to me
Sorry, you don’t get to choose the parameters any more than I do. Fact is, Santana’s first two years as a ML pitcher were worse than Pelfrey’s.
It is not apples and oranges. Santana is lucky he was allowed to relieve his first two years or his ERA in that time period would have even been worse.
yes i do because if you dont compare apples to aples its purely mental masturbation
No you don’t. Because if you don’t compare year by year (vs. IPs) then it’s not apples to apples but just mental masturbation as well.
Pitchers improve incrementally by year. Not necessarily by IPs.
And Santana’s first two years in the majors, which included a lot of starts, were considerably worse than Pelfrey’s.
9 starts in 2 years is hardly “a lot”
I think it’s a lot. And if he hadn’t pitched so poorly as a starter, they might not have banished him so readily to the bullpen.
he pitched his first game of the year from the pen
so technically he wasnt really “banished” was he??
and if you think 9 starts in 2 years is “a lot” then i dont even need to keep discussing this with you……..as you obviously have no clue anyway
Teams often don’t need a 5th starter till later in April. And Santana’s second appearance was as a starter. So I think it’s clear that’s where he would have stayed if he hadn’t been so bad. Because if he had been groomed as a reliever, he wouldn’t have been in shape to start so early in the year and go 5.
He was far worse as a starter that first year than Pelfrey has ever been.
“dont need a 5th starter till late april”
so april 7th is “late april”
thats when santana made his first start of the year
again……..nice try but please at least have a clue what you are talking about before you say anything
thanks for playin………but im done with you
if i continue this discussion with you anymore i fear that i may become dumber in the process
9 starts is enough to get an idea that Santana was pure crap as a starter his first two years in the bigs — worse than Pelfrey.
Whether you want to call it “a lot” or “a little” it doesn’t matter. The fact is he was groomed to be a starter when he made his ML debut but was so crappy he was banished to the pen.
And the point still stands. It pays to have patience with pitchers if you believe in them because even the best start our poorly sometimes.
If you want to disagree with me fine. We will agree to disagree. And you can continue to bash Pelfrey all you want. But I think he’ll get his chances this year and he will do better than last year.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think he will ever be as good as Santana. But I think he can be a solid #2 or #3 eventually.
Can you even read, bigNJ? Apparently not. I didn’t say “late” April. I said “later” in April. Just like with the Mets the last few years, the Twins didn’t need a 5th starter right away.
The Twins needed a 5th starter when Santana made his 2nd appearance in the majors.
again do some homework
“didnt need a 5th starter right away”
santana started the 5th game of the year for them
if that isnt “needing a 5th starter right away” im not sure what is
a 5th starter starting the 5th game of the year…….means you NEEDED a 5th starter right away
you have no idea what the hell you are talking about
Ok, well then there you go. I was just speculating as to why his first appearance was in relief. . So the fact is he was the 5th starter right out of the gate. The fact that he pitched 1 inning of relief 5 days before was inconsequential. And the fact remains, he didn’t cut it as a starter and was thus banished to the pen.
When you give up 7 ERs in 3.2 IP in your second ML start and your third official start is just as bad, then that’ll do it for you don’t you think?
Also, this is what I said:
The Twins needed a 5th starter when Santana made his 2nd appearance in the majors.
That still holds true. Whether they skipped a 5th starter initially or not.
he’s a f*%$^ing steamroller!
Shannon must be passing in and out of consciousness. Other guy goes long stretches of play-by-play with little from ol’ Mike.
man, we’re so spoiled with Cohen, Hernandez, Darling. Easy to take it for granted sometimes, until you listen to someone else try to call a game
Doesn’t it seem like the only RBI Delgado can get is through a double play? Funny, if Delgado does have a good year, everyone will deny what they wrote. (I don’t think that will happen though).
at least we don’t have to read comments about the struggles of delgado connected to playing with his new-born during spring training
Is Delgado really that big of piece to the Mets’ puzzle? He had a bad year (by his standards) and the team only missed the playoffs because our pitchers’ arms basically fell off. If Glavine doesn’t go out and lay an egg then it isn’t that big of a deal. Same goes for Jose’s struggles.
I guess the addage “Winning solves all” really is true.
but there were many times he failed to produce which cost us games………which would have meant that despite jose and the lack of pitching late……..it may not have mattered had delsucko come through a couple more times
not really. when your pitching is giving up more than 5 runs a game to the likes of the nats and marlins you have no business winning any games.
while that may be true……..my point is that those pitching meltdowns may not have mattered had delsucko come through a couple of times
I am pretty sure that you can point out all of our regulars struggling in clutch situations. I am not trying to defend Degado, but I think that there are alot of people out there that are piling too much of last season’s blame on him.
Just like they did when Beltran struck out.
There will always be the feeling that we need to find out the one thing that caused the failure. As a matter of fact, it jsut turned out to be a perfect storm of errors..pun intended.
any 4th inning updates?
these guys are killing me .. almost fell asleep ;) endy just got picked off first, that’s all I know
beltran K (I think)
delgado groundout to short
5 Ks then 3 groundouts, that’s progress, no?
Especially if it’s a ground to the left of 2nd base… was short playing conventional or in the overshift?
his bat is now traveling into the immediate vicinity of the ball. crucial prerequisite to driving in runs. it’s def progress!
shannon paid props to pelf for his “very effective” sinker that has been “painting the outside corner” vs. lefties. of course, he called him mike belfry, so not sure how much that is worth.
Tomorrow he might get one out of the infield.
seriously, sac fly from delKado would be a tremendous improvement.
surprised he didn’t get a take sign 2-0. the bat might be better used as a decoy.
score update??
4-2
inning?
Top 4: still Looper
Damion Easley grounds to second
Mike Pelfrey grounds to short
Jose Reyes pops out to Izturis near the line
End 3.5
4-1 Mets
How awesome is it that Nate W. has absolutely nothing going on in his life to give us a play by play. Thanks Bro!
lol, its been a slow week, all my work was done by noon today.
And there is no interesting college ball on right now.
Besides, I’m just copy and pasting from somewhere else for the most part.
I was kidding of course. It really is a lot better than refreshing the the live box score. Much appreciated!
Bot 4: still Pelfrey
Anderson Hernandez replaces Jose Reyes at short
Adam Kennedy grounds to Easley
Yadier Molina doubles to right
DeAngelo Jimenez PHs for Looper and doubles into the LF corner, Molina scores
Cesar Izturis fouls out to Endy in left
Skip Schumaker (long AB again) called out on strikes
End 4
4-2 Mets
Top 5: Kelvin Jimenez now pitching
Endy Chavez lines a single to center
- Endy gets picked off and caught stealing
David Wright walks on a full count
Carlos Beltran strikes out swinging
Carlos Delgado grounds out to Izturis
End 4.5
4-2 Mets
Bot 5: still Pelfrey
Angel Pagan replaces Carlos Beltran in CF
Olmedo Saenz replaces David Wright at 3B
Robinson Cancel replaces Carlos Delgado at 1B
Chris Duncan flies to Pagan
Albert Pujols grounds to Hernandez
Rick Ankiel grounds a single to right
Willie comes out to make a double switch
Pelfrey must have reach his pitch count, strong 4 2/3 out of him today.
look at Willie practicine the double switch in ST! :D
Saenz and Cancel at the corners… like offensive tackles if the IF was an O line…
please tell me Willie performed a flawless double-switch.
Now that would be progress!
not sure the point of a DS in a ST game, but it looks like he got it right…
hey man its ST you gotta work on things
Matt Wise is the new pitcher
(someone) replaces Endy Chavez in LF
Ankiel on first, 2 outs
Troy Glaus strikes out swinging
End 5
4-2 Mets
Isn’t Cancel a Catcher? Don’t they have other 1B backups?
Cancel played plenty of 1B at AAA last year. and even some LF… yes really!
Not sure where he would play 1B with Abreu, Evans and Carp in the system, but he is an ok backup.
Taking a vote on a new Delgado name. 1)DelSucko 2)DelCrapo or 3) DelKado. Place your votes.
delcrapo
yeah, I like that one too
My first contribution to ‘Mets lore’….yay….
Im so pleased. Matt can gave his precious blog sponsored by SNY…pfft….Ill take credit for the ‘08 nickname of our dud 1st baseman….
you were the one that called him DelSucko
how about delKrapo it mixes crap with a K. thats the perfect name if you ask me.
or should I say DelKKKKKKado?
DelGarbage
DelYOUSUCK
Mike Pelfrey has more hits than Delgado…
he should hit cleanup and DelKKKKado should try pitching, it certainly can’t be any worse than his hitting.
Delgadago
It should be Del-K-do.
NO NO NO…
DelCrapo or DearGODo…
So descriptive me thinks…
It was Brady Clark who entered as part of the double-switch
Top 6: still Jimenez
Ryan Church breaks his bat and grounds to 2nd
Raul Casanova breaks his bat and grounds to Pujols, 3-1
Damion Easley (painfully long AB) draws a walk
Brady Clark (painfully long AB) singles to left
now Tony La Russa comes out to make a double switch
(cant be outmanaged by Willie in a ST game, no no no)
2 on, 2 out, 4-2 Mets
Don’t go away!
I still blame Tony for losing the allstar game (not that it would’ve mattered in the end), his ego, oh my gosh…
Hey, Delcrapo, Scott S., Sosa and Angel Pegan for Albert Pujols.
WTF are you SMOKING?!?!?!
waiting for that reaction
Continuing with runners on the corners, 2 out…
The new pitcher is Jason Isringhausen.
(idontknow) enters in RF
Skip Schumaker moves to CF
Rick Ankiel comes out of the game
Anderson Hernandez grounds out to 2nd
End 5.5
4-2 Mets
Pujols is a jack-knife. I hate that dumb sm!rk too!
Late entry – Delgotnomo in the tank… or Del’mholdingfirstbasetillI’mreplacedwithsomeonebettero…
the second try was horrendous…
I wish i had a car crash sound effect…
the first one was worth a chuckle
1)DelSucko 2)DelCrapo 3)DelKKKado 4)Delgotnomo…the list is growing. Do you think a faithful Delgado fan will come up with a possitive name?!
Del-Krapo (ideally spelled with a backwards K to add effect)
I wanted to, but dont know how.
I could not be any happier that my lil’ nickname for him last year has caught on like wildfire. I want to hear it at Shea and Ill be pleased(unless hes performs, in which case Ill cheer just as much as anyone else….)
My other one(again) is DearGODo….
I like it, but DelKrapo is better. Nice addition of the K. Maybe we can hang something from the UD this year.. Like an inverse ‘K’ board for pitchers.
btw Mike Mussina threw 5 no hit innings today, so prepare yourself for the ‘yankee rotation is better than the Mets’ commentary.
and Byung-Hyun Kim is apparently on the Pirates. why do teams continue to employ him? He hasnt been any good since 2003…
It was Joe Mather who entered in RF…
Bot 6: still Wise
Adam Kennedy singles to right
Yadier Molina hits a high pop and Saenz has all sorts of issues with it and it drops fair, Kennedy to 2nd
Joe Mather singles, bags juiced
Cesar Izturis GIDP, 4-6-3, Kennedy scores
Skip Schumaker grounds to AH
End 6
4-3 Mets
nice 1 1/3 from Wise, dancing bears on he IF excluded…
Hmm… MLB scoreboard scores Molina’s pop as a hit (and therefore the run as earned)… presumably that’s just further evidence of their incompetence?
Hey, DelHalo-aint got nothing in him.
sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3291524
New York Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Thursday he has been informed that commissioner Bud Selig soon will announce the Mets will host an All-Star Game in the near future.
“I’m assured by the commissioner that he will make an announcement shortly on a year when we will get an All-Star Game,” Wilpon said in an interview with 1050 ESPN New York. “It will be out a few years but I think it will be something that everyone can look forward to.”
A baseball official familiar with the discussions told 1050 ESPN New York that the All-Star Game will “likely” be in 2013.
when was the last time the mets hosted the all star game?
1964
I believe in was in the 60’s…maybe ‘64 or ‘65..just after Shea opened.
1)Delcrapo 2)DelKKKado 3)DelSucko 4) DelHalo 5) DelGotNoMo 6) DelGarbage…….Do we have a winner? I want to here someone calling up steve Summers tonight and call him by one of these names, its his kind of humor, like LA Fakers…
And a Good Afternoon and HOW YOU BEEEE…
he’s the funniest…
In the last of the 6th, Fernando had entered for Church in RF…
Top 7: still Izzy
Ryan Ludwick enters in LF for Duncan
Shawn Wooten PHs for Wise and grounds out to short
Olmedo Saenz grounds to Glaus
Angel Pagan lines out to Kennedy
End 6.5
Stretch time. (yawn)
4-3 Mets
…who knew Shawn Wooten was in Mets camp?
obviously Willie
Do we have a valenteer to call up tonight?
am I being re-assigned to minor league camp?
Delcrapo or DelKKKado should be the finalists. His rate of striking out in ST is just not a good sign of things to come. His bat speed is just atrocious. I hope that 1b does not become a huge issue.
LL
C’mon….I need feedback on DearGODo…..yay, nay?
Crapload Deargodno?
Winna!….
LOL…try saying that to yourself without laughing….
What’s a “valenteer”?
It should be Karlos DelGarbage
F*** it, we might as well start calling him Mo Vaughn II
good compromise
thanks a lot teacher. What, are we having a spelling bee?
cancel just dropped an easy popup for the tying run after calling off easley. The cardinals announcer almost spilled his beer.
way to go cancel…stick to catching buddy!
…dancing bears
pagan made 2 catches out there on balls this announcer almost crapped himself over… hard to say if it was anything more than routine though
with Shawn Wooten, Saenz and Cancel the Mets have by far the heaviest IF ever assembled. Even with Anderson Hernandez playing SS…
Bot 7: Pedro Feliciano pitching
Ryan Ludwick strikes out looking
Albert Pujols doubles to left, Saenz couldn’t get to it
Brian Barton PHs for Izzy and drives it to pretty deep center but Pagan runs it down
Troy Glaus pops it up to Cancel, he drops it, Pujols scores
Adam Kennedy lines a single to left, Glaus to second
Yadier Molina cranks it to deep center but Pagan runs it down
End 7
4-4
it just wouldnt be a Mets ST game if it wasnt tied in the late innings.
Isnt that the second one he dropped.. Jesus, he makes Piazza look like Keith H. out there…
Saenz dropped the first one in the previous inning, ended up as an earned run for Wise.
I cant imagine how Cancel played LF last year…
Hey, that’s not fair. I think Piazza was a pretty good fielder. His only issue was his throwing arm.
I think he means when he was playing first.
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks.
Top 8: Chris Perez pitching
Brian Barton stays in at RF
Rico Washington now playing 3B
Brendan Ryan now playing SS
Robinson Cancel called out on strikes
Fernando lines a single to right center
Raul Casanova grounds to short, Fernando to 2nd
Damion Easley strikes out swinging
End 7.5
4-4
I sense another tie
thanks for the updates, you’re keepin me very entertained. You’re better than fran healy at calling a game, even with your short descriptions, that’s for sure :)
thanks. I’m just copy and pasting.
who knows, maybe none of it is even true… ;)
That is not really saying much. Healy is/was horrible. I actually cringe when I hear him on the classics now.
I’m happy he dropped the ball, now the game will actually be interesting.
Pelfrey’s final line 22 batters faced, 4 2/3 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 6 ground outs 7 fly outs.
Wise: 6 batters, 1 1/3 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.
the run should be unearned because Saenz couldnt handle the popup.
Feliciano: 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 unearned run, 0 BB, 1 K. blown save on the unearned run.
Bot 8: Jorge Sosa now pitching
Salomon Manriquez now catching
Joe Mather grounds out to Hernandez (great diving stop and throw)
Aaron Miles (now playing 2B) walks
Skip Schumaker grounds into a force, 6-4
Ryan Ludwick grounds into a force, 5-4
End 8
4-4
Mets take lead, Pagan NOT involved in rally!
Top 9: Jason Motte now pitching
Colby Rasmus is playing CF
Skip Schumaker makes his way over to LF
- Jason Motte slips on the mound while pitching to Clark, trainer comes out
Brady Clark walks
Anderson Hernandez sacrifices, Clark to 2nd
Salomon Manriquez flies to right
Olmedo Saenz doubles up the alley in left center, Clark scores
Angel Pagan flies out to Barton in right
End 8.5
5-4 Mets
Hate to be the kill joy here but according to Rotoworld Schneider tweaked his hammy again…
before the game or during, cause I know he strained himself before.
He wasn’t scheduled to play, so I guess it was at camp.
The rotoworld widget describes it as a ’setback’ in his recovery from the original strain.
not surprised. Mets player + breathing = broken bones.
How’s that for killjoy?
You’re my hero…
sarcasm? Cause if not…YES!!
lol…
heading to the 10th inning ..
Bot 9: still Sosa
Rico Washington grounds to second
Brian Barton singles to right
Brendan Ryan called out on strikes
Colby Rasmus singles to center, Barton to 3rd
- wild 0-2 pitch, Barton scores, Rasmus to 2nd
Yadier Molina strikes out swinging
End 9
5-5
We’ll play the 10th…
the 10th? Im assuming somone blew the save?
Not sure if the Mets brought any other pitchers on the trip, but Sosa hasnt pitched in a ST the last four days so he should be well rested. Maybe he’ll end up on a starters plan by accident…
“barton can NOT throw” exclaims drunky mcannouncer
Ah man these commentators have GOT to have a few Emmy’s between them…
first and third one out for easley, after two singles (martinez and ??)
double play, centerfield to home, willie’s arguing
I HATE THESE ANNOUNCERS
now we get to hear how great yadier molina is oh joy
Top 10: still Motte
Robinson Cancel grounds to third, nice play by Washington
Fernando hammers a double down the RF line
- Cardinals announcer – “Barton cannot throw…we found that out”
Argenis Reyes bats for Sosa and singles to left, Fernando stops at 3rd
Damion Easley (who has played the entire game) flies into a DP, Rasmus guns down Fernando at the plate
- Willie Randolph comes out to argue with CB Bucknor
End 9.5
5-5 and Sosa has been PH for.
The Mets have Joselo Diaz, Nate Field, Tim McNab, and Nick Abel in the bullpen, but this will probably be the last inning.
cards have first and third two outs after a walk and then a single
groundball through the hole scores the run
thank god I don’t have to listen to these morons anymore. You’d have thought the cardinals just won the world series.
Bot 10: Joselo Diaz pitching
Joe Mather bounces back to the mound
Aaron Miles flies out to Fernando in right
Skip Schumaker walks
Jason LaRue lines a single, Schu to 3rd
Rico Washington singles to left, Schumaker scores
“…and that’s a Red Bird Winner!”
FINAL
Cardinals 6
Mets 5
John Maine goes tomorrow at the Marlins
Pedro goes Sat and Johan does Sun, both on SNY.
Doesn’t Pedro go Sun and Johan Sat?
yes, whoops
ok, just making sure cause I am going to sunday’s game.