Daily Archives: April 8, 2008
According to Adam Rubin’s blog for the Daily News, Pedro Feliciano did not arrive to today’s game until the seventh inning as he was excused for personal reasons by the team.
Rubin also writes about Luis Castillo’s knee and Willie Randolph’s thoughts on Oliver Perez.
Tagged Pedro Feliciano |Orlando Hernandez returned to New York 
for an MRI today, after experiencing pain, again, in the same foot that bothered him early in spring training and which initially forced him to the disabled list.
…i’m speechless…
…yes, i’m without speech…
The Mets (2–4) lost to the Phillies (4–4) by the score of 5 to 2 in the final opening day at Shea Stadium this afternoon.
For a boxscore, check out the new-and-improved SNY.tv.
For a recap, read my live-blogging notes, here.
…by the way, as of now, there are 804 comments in this thread, which is unbelievable…i’ve never seen anything like that…i don’t know if i am impressed, or scared for Willie Randolph…
…wow…good lord, man…
…4:21 pm…
Jimmy Rollins is out with a sprained ankle.
…4:17 pm…
…Carlos Beltran hit a one-out double, following by a pinch-hit walk from Brady Clark…but, Ryan Church grounded out weakly to second base, against a lefty…
Mets 2
Phillies 5
end of eighth
…4:15 pm…
…in the middle of the inning, Keith Hernandez let out a nice, loud yawn, which i think says it all…
…4:06 pm…
…Jimmy Rollins has been taken out of the game in favor of Eric Bruntlett, so i can only assume that something is up with rollins, who jogged home slowly in the previous inning…
…forgive me if i’m not crying…
…4:03 pm…
…well, hat’s off to Shea Stadium, which just finished playing Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, which finished first place in the team’s eighth0–inning sing-a-long content, due to heavy lobbying from Fark.com and Digg.com…this will not end up being the new song, though…for more, click here…
…4:00 pm…
…i hate to say it, but this feels EXACTLY like a game from last September…in every way, shape and form…
…thankfully, it’s only April…
Mets 2
Phillies 5
middle of eighth
…3:56 pm…
Carlos Muniz is warming up in the bullpen.
…Pedro Feliciano is still no place to be found…
…i can only assume there is something wrong with feliciano, who has not pitched since April 2…
…meanwhile, Chase Utley ripped a double on a meatball from Aaron Heilman, over the head of Ryan Church, to drive in Jimmy Rollins to put the Phillies up by three…
…3:50 pm…
…in a one-run game, Aaron Heilman walks the eighth hitter to lead off the inning…unreal…So Taguchi advanced him to second…Jimmy Rollins then ripped a ground ball under the glove of Carlos Delgado to drive in the run…
…delgado never had a chance, though not many first baseman would have…it was scorched…
…in the following at-bat, Brian Schneider allowed another pass ball, his second of the day – both of which he should have caught…sloppy play, letting yet another run to be in scoring position…
…this, as much as any thing, including any such managerial decision, is what loses games…mistakes…ugh…
…3:44 pm…
…Damion Easley popped out to the warning track in right to end the inning…i thought it was gone…damn…
Mets 2
Phillies 3
end of seventh
…3:41 pm…
…well, shows what i know…endy swings, hits a ball directly at Jimmy Rollins, who cleared the bases with a double play…
…Jose Reyes then ripped a single up the middle…i bet they throw over to first at least seven times during Damion Easley’s at bat…
…3:40 pm…
…for what it’s worth, i would not bunt Endy Chavez in this situation, with the tying run on first, no outs and a thin bench…
…3:33 pm…
…Jorge Sosa is in for Scott Schoeneweis to face Pat Burrell, while Endy Chavez is in for Angel Pagan…
…sosa got burrell to pop up, deep to left, but Jayson Werth hit a ball the other way, through the infield, with two strikes, to put the Phillies ahead…
…i hate that this is feeling like a game from last year, with all the usual suspects at play…
Mets 2
Phillies 3
middle of seventh
…3:27 pm…
…Ryan Howard hit a potential double-play ball, as was scripted, nice job Scott Schoeneweis, but Carlos Delgado made a poor 
throw in to the back of Chase Utley, who stood tall for as long as he could while sliding in to second…the ball bounced off utley’s back, rolled in to the outfield, two runs scored and the game is tied…
…Jose Reyes is a bit at fault, as well, since he set up for the catch right in line with utley…
…naturally, schoeneweis was booed while walking from the field…the thing is, while he allowed the two guys to get on, he did what he had to do by getting the ground ball…if any one should be booed, assuming you have to boo, you should boo delgado, not the pitcher…
…3:22 pm…
…Scott Schoeneweis let up a hit, then hit Chase Utley, who has been hit three times today, which is understable since his totally crowds the plate…
…ground ball, scott…ground…ball…do it…come on…
…3:18 pm…
…yes, i’m concerned that Scott Schoenweiss is pitching this entire inning, including to righties…and, of course, he’s struggling, while Jorge Sosa warms up…ugh…
…when do we issue missing person’s report for Pedro Feliciano…
…yes, i’m concerned that Scott Schoeneweis is pitching this entire inning, including to righties…and, of course, he’s struggling, while Jorge Sosa warms up…ugh…
…when do we issue missing person’s report for Pedro Feliciano?…
…3:10 pm…
Joe Smith warmed up on the mound. However, the Phillies pinch hit for Jaime Moyer, and so the Mets pulled Smith for Scott Schoeneweis, before Smith could even throw a pitch.
…3:07 pm…
…the Phillies played the shift on Ryan Church, who hit a grounder to short, which was fielded by the third baseman for an out…
Mets 2
Phillies 0
end of sixth
…3:00 pm…
Joe Smith entered in place of Perez, with the tying runs at the plate, to face the right-handed Pedro Feliz, and he walked Feliz.
However, he got Carlos Ruiz to ground out to end the inning.
…smith never hit schneider’s target the entire time, and threw an absolute spinning meatball to ruiz which he thankfully took for a strike…close call…
Mets 2
Phillies 0
middle of sixth
…2:57 pm…
…Shea Stadium is using the organ, which played a bit of Crazy Train by Ozzy Obsourne…
…i love when rock and pop songs are covered on organ…
…i prefer silence, or organ..that’s it…
…2:55 pm…
…Oliver Perez looked great, getting the first two batters…then, in natural perez fashion, the wheels started to come off and came off quick…he had Pat Burrel down in the count, lost him, walked him, he then balked, walked another batter along with a pass ball to give first and third…and that was all, which i agree with…i love oliver, but when he goes off the tracks, he’s not coming back…
…as such, Joe Smith is in the game…
…2:43 pm…
…David Wright hit two balls really, really hard against Jamie Moyer earlier in the game, but both were tracked down by Shane Victorino…so, in the fifth, he ripped a ball in to the right-field corner as far from shane as possible for his first hit of the day…unfortunately, the same can not be said for Carlos Beltran, who had a potential RBI double run down by, you guessed it, victorino, to end the inning…
Mets 2
Phillies 0
end of fifth
…2:34 pm…
…with one out and a runner on first, Oliver Perez walked the pitcher, who had been trying to bunt the runner over, bringing Jimmy Rollins to the plate who started with a 2–0 count, at which point Brian Schneider wisely walked out to the mound…
…he got it together, though, getting rollins on a fielder’s choice and Shane Victorino to pop out…
…nice…NICE rebound, ollie…and nice work, schneider as well…
Mets 2
Phillies 0
middle of fifth
…2:31 pm…
Luis Castillo has left the game with right knee soreness.
…how exactly does that differ from every other day of the week…
He came up a bit lame while running down a pop up in foul territory in the previous inning.
…2:25 pm…
Luis Castillo has been replaced by Damion Easley.
…let the Ruben Gotay comments begin…
…2:23 pm…
…bases loaded, Ryan Church up against a lefty, one out, and he hit a weak grounder to second, but it scored a run…good enough…unfortunately, they then walked Brian Schneider to bring up Oliver Perez with two outs, who first tried to bunt, while dropping his bat on home plate, and then eventually struck out…
…Carlos Delgado hit a one-handed single to the opposite field…and it’s about time…go with it, los…go with it…
…by the way, Angel Pagan uses the theme to Indiana Jones as his entrance music, which is music to my ears…Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite movie of all time…
…pagan legged out a ground ball deep in the hole at second, helped out by a double-clutch from Chase Utley…
Mets 2
Phillies 0
end of fourth
…2:13 pm…
…in case you’re wondering, ‘Everybody clap your hands’ is back…
…2:12 pm…
…by the way, according to few a e-mails, MLB GameCast has referred to all of Jaime Moyer’s pitches, be it a fastball or not, as breaking ball…hilarious…
…2:10 pm…
Shave Victorino and Jayson Werth just knocked in to one another chasing down a fly ball hit in to the left-center gap.
…both players appear fine, and play has resumed with both still at their respective positions…
…it’s a funny replay, i’m sorry to say, because werth essentially tackles him…they run in to one another, werth wraps his arms around him and brings him down the ground as though he was trying to force a fumble…weird…
…2:02 pm…
…again, Oliver Perez hit Chase Utley with a inside fastball…well, they say it hit him…if it did, it hit a loose thread on his jersey…nevertheless, record it as a second hit-by-pitch…i dig the game plan, which is clearly to pound him in…
…otherwise, opie is in command…
Mets 1
Phillies 0
middle of fourth
…1:50 pm…
…a nice 1–2–3 inning for Oliver Perez, who fell behind 3–0 to Jimmy Rollins, shook his head looking a bit dejected, but then got a strike and induced a ground ball out…
Mets 1
Phillies 0
middle of third
…1:45 pm…
…Carlos Delgado crushed a home run to left field off a 78–mph fastball*, which was received by a curtain call…
Mets 1
Phillies 0
end of second
…1:37 pm…
…heads up play by Carlos Delgado, who scooped up a one-hopper, then tagged first base and then tagged the runner leading off, confused on whether he should run to second, for the unassisted double play…
…Oliver Perez is in his groove…a nice little rhythm…
Mets 0
Phillies 0
middle of second
…1:32 pm…
…here’s a thought, like they did in 2006, when wearing the 1986 uniforms, the Mets should wear a modern version of each style at some point this season, to honor each era…
…1:30 pm…
…i know Jaime Moyer is a decent pitcher, and i certainly respect his track record, but he is the furthest-looking thing i have ever seen to a professional athlete…he looks like he is in pain…
…of course, he allowed a walk to Luis Castillo, but that’s it…
…David Wright hit a bomb to center, which clearly got knocked down by the wind, and was run down by Shave Victorino, putting to rest that this will become a hitter’s park this season…
…*like SNY.tv’s Ted Berg just said to me, should moyer’s fastball really be called a fastball if it’s only 76 mph…
Mets 0
Phillies 0
end of first
…1:22 pm…
…Oliver Perez looked a little pumped up, over-throwing a bit…
…on the plus side, thanks to Brian Schneider, he threw inside a lot…so much so, he hit Chase Utley with a slider…but, thankfully, got Ryan Howard to pop out, and Pat Burrell to strike out looking with a outside slider to strand two runners…
…interestingly, Ron Darling mentioned that the winds are swirling around the stadium more than he ever remembers, which is probably a result of Citi Field creating a wind tunnel…
Mets 0
Phillies 0
middle of first
…1:00 pm…
Michael Almanti is singing the National Anthem.
…this guy should put Official National Anthem Singer on his business card…i feel like it is all he does…every time i turn around, either he’s signing or Ronan Tynan is singing…
…i am actually convinced that tynan sleeps on a cot in Yankee Stadium, and is only allowed up for sunlight when they need him…
…12:55 pm…
…for what it’s worth, Willie Randolph got a strong ovation from the crowd, mixed with a few boos…however, Howard Johnson got the biggest cheer of any coach…
Howie Rose said, “Welcome to New York, No. 57 Johan Santana,” which was followed by a long and loud cheer.
…by the way, Scott Schoenweiss got booed…unreal…
Naturally, David Wright got the biggest cheer of any positional player in the starting lineup.
…12:50 pm…
…they are playing the theme to Superman while introducing the 2008 new York Mets…
…12:46 pm…
Howie Rose: No. 11, Jimmy Rollins.
Shea Stadium: BOOOOOOOOOOOO.
…i love it…of the starting lineup, rollins clearly got the biggest boos, though Pat Burrell came fairly close…
…12:35 pm…
The entire Shea family has taken the field, as a tribute to William A. Shea plays on the Diamondvision.
…there appears to be only a few thousand fans in the stands…
…12:17 pm…
According to Strawberry, his greatest moment at Shea Stadium was when his team won the NL East in 1986.
…12:10 pm…
…Darryl Strawberry is in the house…he will occasionally work with SNY this season as a Mets analyst, which i am very happy about…he’ll be an on-air guest in a few minutes…
…12:07 pm…
Mets 3B David Wright, when asked by SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, about what he thinks of when he thinks of Opening Day:
“The fans, first and foremost. I mean, they come out in full force. 55,000 crazy, screaming New Yorkers.”
Wright, on whether he’ll miss Shea Stadium:
“I have a lot of memories on the field, probably even more in the clubhouse with the guys…But, I think, it makes the transition a little easier when you look nextdoor and you see what’s going up. But, I will be sad, there’s a lot of history in this park and a lot of memories for me personally.”
…11:55 am…
…i miss skipping school to watch Opening Day…
…11:50 am…
…i’m impressed…the pockets of fans who are actually inside the stadium do not seem all that hostile towards Jimmy Rollins, who is on the field taking batting practice…some how, i doubt the same will happen when he steps to the plate to lead off the game…
…i hope he has ear plugs…
…11:35 am…
…the stadium is rocking with sporadic Lets Go Mets chants…
…11:27 am…
…in typical Shea fashion, i’m hearing that is is a nightmare driving in and finding parking…what a shock…had i been driving in from Connecticut, i bet i would still be on the bridge, getting ready to do a tour of Corona Park, before settling on a spot in the Tennis Center…oh well…by the way, it appears The Hill is no longer available, and, as reported in the off-season, the old Subway Station and Stairwell is no place to be found…it has been wiped from the earth…what a crime…
Tagged Shea Stadium |Matt Wise has been put on the 15–day disabled list, “with a contusion of the right forearm.”
Carlos Muniz is now on the 25–man roster, and will wear No. 32.
The Game:
Weather-permitting, the Mets (13-11) will take on Pirates (10-15) this evening at Shea Stadium, starting at 7:10 pm.
The Lineup:
The Pitchers:
LHP Oliver Perez (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
LHP Jaime Moyer (0-0, 7.36 ERA)
The Notes:
The Bleachers:
For live in-game chat, head over to the Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, let’s go mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |In his Three Up section from his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman points out that 92 different players have stolen a base in the major 
leagues this season – none of whom are Jose Reyes, who has reached base just seven times in 24 plate appearances this season while hitting .238.
…i keep telling myself to not worry about reyes…a) because i believe he will bounce back from last season’s poor finish, and b), to me, pitching is what’s most important, not offense…that said, i am a bit worried…
…i have been saying that the Mets offense is essentially a house of cards built upon reyes…i still believe that…if Luis Castillo is doing what he does best, being Slappy McSingleton, then they Mets can survive a slump from reyes…the thing is, castillo isn’t hitting either, which is why the pain and worry is a bit deeper…
…they’ll get it together…i know they will…i just hope it happens soon, because, as we have all been saying for a while now, the last thing this team needs is a slow start…and that includes a slow start from reyes, who has a lot to prove this season…
By the way, Reyes did not reach base on Sunday against the Braves. It was the first time he did not reach base at least once against the Braves since September 6, 2005 – 37 consecutive games ago.
In the 2005 game, John Smoltz was also the starting pitcher.
What’s more, the Braves won the game 3-1 at Turner Field, just like Sunday.
…thanks to John Strubel for the statistical research, which has me a bit concerned and i do not even know why…this stat is all just coincidental and meaningless, but it feels full-circlish to me – and that inherently makes me uncomfortable…
..to kick off Blogger Beat for the 2008 season, I did a quick Q & A with Jason Weitzel, who writes about the Phillies at Beerleaguer…
D.J. Short…
Carlos Beltran made some uncharacteristic remarks about the Mets being the “team to beat” this Spring. Do Phils fans get wrapped up in that kind of thing or do you feel this is more of a media creation?
Jason Weitzel…
Some fans get caught up in it, certainly. The media feeds it by talking up the series, detailing the budding rivalry and recounting the important building blocks (Wagner, Burrell, ‘Team to Beat’), and certain players like Beltran and Rollins fuel the fire, which rages until the first pitch, when it becomes just a normal baseball game. I’m all for it, though. It adds excitement and anticipation.
D.J. Short…
With the first week of the season in the books, tell me the biggest concern that you have noticed with the Phils.
Jason Weitzel…
Their defense. They’ve committed 11 errors so far, including botched plays from players who were supposed to be silky smooth (Pedro Feliz, So Taguchi). Rollins threw to first instead of home the other day, and the winning run scored uncontested. I don’t know that there would have been a play, but you have to try. Runner up to poor defense has been Brett Myers, who had a very good spring but hasn’t lasted more than five innings yet. On Sunday, he wasn’t making smart pitches and was missing high with his fastball. Pitching is always the main concern, but with the addition of Rudy Seanez, and Brad Lidge’s return, the bullpen looks a little deeper.
D.J. Short…
Will the Phillies ever have a winning April?
Jason Weitzel…
I used to think firing off the line was the key to everything, a view adopted in 1993 when the Phils stormed through April and never looked back. It’s a different game now. Ten teams will be in the hunt until September, and the Phils and Mets will be among them. If you make it through April with a .500 mark or your head just above water, you’re in good shape. For years, that’s what Atlanta seemed to do: just hover around in the beginning and turn on the jets in July. Right now, the Phils are 3-4, which doesn’t bother me.
D.J. Short…
Do you feel the club will miss the departed Aaron Rowand?
Jason Weitzel…
They will, because everyone connected to the team and clubhouse says they will. That’s not a popular notion in the striped-down world Beerleaguer, where intangibles are immediately shot down, but there’s something to be said about Rowand’s lost leadership when everyone connected to the team talks about it. They say Rowand taught them to be winners and kept the team going. For once in ’07, they didn’t fold in the end. Now, it’s up to someone else to provide the spark.
D.J. Short…
Lastly, do you feel that the Mets have put themselves in position to reclaim the division? What do you feel are their weaknesses?
Jason Weitzel…
Absolutely. You don’t add someone like Johan Santana to finish second in your division. As for their weaknesses, you’d know better than I would, but I suppose health would be the main concern. There’s a lot of quality sitting on your sidelines only a week into the season – Pedro, El Duque. Wise is day-to-day. Head-to-head, I’d still say the Mets have the edge in the rotation thanks to Maine and Perez.
…thanks, Jason…by the way, i also asked the over/under on brawls between the clubs this season, but he wouldn’t take the bait…oh well…
In the News Journal, while discussing the ‘war of words’ between his team and the Mets, Scott Lauber quotes Phillies manager Charlie Manuel as saying:
“As long as we whip ‘em, we don’t have to make a big deal about it. They’ll talk. We’ll hit.”
…lost in the emotion and nostalgia of today’s events at Shea Stadium, is the fact that the Mets are playing the Phillies…which, in the grand scheme of the season, may actually be more significant than some blue bricks…
In the New York Post, Kevin Kernan takes it a step further, and leads by writing, “You can call today an opener, the last Shea Stadium Opening Day, but before the Mets can truly open their season, they have to close the books on 2007. This day is a closer, not an opener.”
…kernan is a bit hyperbolic, but there is some truth to what he says…if the Mets lose today, you know every headline and article tomorrow will be about The Collapse and the Phillies and last season and so on…a win will reward the total opposite…ugh…
Thankfully, the players are focused on the Phillies, not nostalgia, according to Jeremy Cothran in the Star-Ledger.
…from what i can gather, the Mets will evaluate Matt Wise before today’s game to determine whether he should be put on the 15–day disabled list with stiffness in his right forearm…
…initially i figured Brian Stokes would get the call to replace wise…however, stokes appeared as a starter for Triple-A New Orleans yesterday, which would suggest RHP Carlos Muniz could get promoted instead, since he’s a right-handed reliever who is already on the 40–man roster…
For what it’s worth, though both are also on the 40–man roster, Willie Collazo is a lefty, and Adam Bostick is now being used as a starting pitcher.
…by the way, i plan to Live Blog today’s events, as well as the entire game, starting around noon, when SNY’s Pre-Game Coverage begins live from Shea Stadium…so, stay tuned…
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