Daily Archives: April 15, 2008
The Mets (6–6) defeated the Nationals (4–10) by the score of 6 to 0 in Shea Stadium tonight.
For a recap and boxscore, go to SNY.tv.
…give a game ball to Mike Pelfrey, who looked very good tonight – albeit against the Nationals…but, i’ll take it…regardless, his fastball had a ton of life and a lot of late zip, which he utilized in tough spots to get out of trouble…such as in the third, when he struck out Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson with the bases loaded…all in all, a much-needed, nice-step start for the young pelfrey…
…welcome back, Jose Reyes, who hit a single, a triple and two doubles in his return to the lineup – after having missed a few days with a hamstring injury…what’s more, he was smiling a lot, and looked like he was having fun…which this team needs…no doubt about it…
…speaking of returns, Duaner Sanchez pitched the ninth inning, allowing one hit while striking out one…
…with Jackie Robinson Night, the Mets, like other teams, all wore No. 42 and removed their names from the jerseys…which got me thinking, back in 2000, the Mets did not put their names on their jerseys, and i forgot how much i liked that…it’s cleaner, and speaks to team unity…i’d like to see them go back to that…
…in the fifth inning, Angel Pagan popped out with the bases loaded to end the inning, which started with Jose Reyes on third and no outs…i know Luis Castillo has struggled of late, but i prefer him in the second slot behind reyes, because, even if he is not actually getting hits, castillo still puts the ball in play, which, with jose’s speed, is always productive…
…of course, later in the game, also with reyes on third, this time with one out, David Wright ripped a double through the zimmerman’s glove to score reyes…tack on the runs, guys…
…early in the game, Gary Cohen talked about how the Mets are essentially in a power drought…then David Wright immediately hit a home run…oh, gary, you’re such a jinx…on, wait…sorry…
…Lastings Milledge was greeted in his first at bat with a loud, and i mean loud BOOO…i mean, folks, he didn’t trade himself…
…speaking of boos, in the bottom of the third, Carlos Beltran hit in to a double play with a runner at third to end the inning…there slight boos…with his team up 2–0…which is just stupid…
…speaking of beltran, with two strikes and a runner on second in the seventh, he hit a single to score a big insurance run, which was great to see…
…nice recipe: strong pitching from the starters and relievers, clutch hitting, aggressive base running and solid defense…
Tomorrow, the Mets continue their series against the Nationals, with John Maine facing Matt Chico, starting at 7:10 pm.
Prior to tonight’s game, Omar Minaya told reporters that Ramon Castro is still working out in extended rehab in St. Lucie, noting that there is still no timetable on his return.
…honestly, i totally forgot about castro…how 
sad is that…
Minaya once again stated that Moises Alou could play in a rehab game during this weekend.
Pedro Martinez is also rehabbing in St. Lucie, according to Minaya, as is Orlando Hernandez, who continues to wear a boot on his foot.
Tagged Moises Alou, Orlando Hernandez, Pedro Martinez, Ramon Castro |Paul Lo Duca, who is not in tonight’s starting lineup, speaking about Shea Stadium, prior to tonight’s game:
“It’s fun to be back here, see a lot of people, a lot of your friends and guys I played with over there, some of the security guards and the fans. So, it’s fun to see those people…
“I know there will be people who boo me, and people who’ll cheer me. The fans here in New York were great to me…I owe a lot to the fans here and whatever their reaction is their reaction is, but it’ll be interesting.”
To watch Lo Duca speak about the fans, comments about wishing the Mets will lose, and wanting to make the post-season, among other things, click here: SNY.tv
Also, to check out Willie Randolph’s pre-game comments, during which he talks about the return of Duaner Sanchez and Jose Reyes, as well as Jackie Robinson Day, click here: SNY.tv
Tagged SNY |
The Game:
The Mets (5-6) continue their homestand with a three-game series against the Nationals (4-9) this evening at Shea Stadium, starting at 7:10 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- RF Ryan Church
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- LF Angel Pagan
- C Brian Schneider
- 2B Luis Castillo
- P Mike Pelfrey
…wow, luis to the eight hole…perhaps this is Willie Randolph sending an early season message to castillo…however, i would rather see pagan batting second than church…
The Pitchers:
RHP Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 3.60 ERA) makes his second start of the season for the Mets. In his season debut for the Mets, Pelfrey earned a win against the Phillies, allowing two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out three. In four career starts against the Nationals, Pelfey is 1-1 with a 5.64 ERA.
LHP Odalis Perez (0-2, 4.91 ERA) takes the hill for the Nationals. Perez earned a loss in his last start against the Marlins on ?, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts. In 16 career appearances, nine starts, against the Mets, Perez is 4-5 with a 4.02 ERA.
…big pelf was sensational in his season debut…he seemed more aggressive with both his fastball and slider, with some credit going Brian Schneider‘s way, as he has been calling games aggressively this season…we have seen glimpses of pelfrey’s ability in the past and it all comes down to confidence with him, which his last start should provide him more of…let’s go big pelf…
The Notes:
The Nationals are batting .193 (29-for-150) in their last five games.
Luis Castillo is batting .409 (9-for-22) with a homerun and a triple against Perez in his career.
The Mets are batting .330 versus left-handed pitching this season.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on
and heard locally on WFAN.
Talk About the Game:
For a live chat, click here:
…the Mets welcome back two fan favorites today in Paul Lo Duca and Lastings Milledge…i’d imagine both will receive a warm welcome from the shea faithful, as they should…paulie, in many cases, is a fans-player…he’s fiery, plays hard and speaks his mind…and lastings, well, his time was limited with the Mets, but with the outrage of him being traded this off-season, i’d imagine fans will show lmillz the love, if for nothing more than to get under the Mets executives skin…
…as for the Mets, the need to get back on the right track after being derailed by the Brewers over the weekend…the team seemed to lack focus over the weekend after showing signs of getting through an early season slump in the three games prior…
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |Jose Reyes will hit leadoff tonight, while Ryan Church will bat second and Luis Castillo will bat eighth.
…Update…5:16 pm…
Tonight’s lineup will be Reyes, Church, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Angel Pagan, Brian Schneider, Castillo and Mike Pelfrey.
The Mets have promoted Duaner Sanchez, and sent Carlos Muniz back to Triple-A New Oreleans.
…it’s been a long 21 months, duaner…good luck, buddy…
According to Joshua Robinson, in the New York Times, “No employee in the Mets organization is safe anymore,” because, “The frustrated fans at Shea 
Stadium are prepared to boo.”
Meanwhile, in a column for SNY.tv, Ted Berg says that it is OK to be, but it’s not OK to boo in April, adding:
“I think the real problem starts in the media. Local columnists love a good bugaboo, and this year, they’re treated to the supposed hangover from the Great Collapse of 2007… Fans read and hear about the carryover effect of 2007 and boo when they think they see it playing out in front of their eyes. It’s their prerogative and as an avowed booer myself, I’m hardly one to judge. But it seems senseless to boo a team so early in the season, with so little evidence to back it up.”
…yesterday, i asked readers to send me info on why they boo the Mets while at home, and i was sent nearly 300 e-mails…oddly, though, according to the poll from the same post, only 20 percent of you boo the Mets at home…so, according to this site’s readership, a small but vocal minority is painting the rest of us as a loud and angry mob…which is not accurate…of course, you would not know that by listening to talk radio and reading mainstream reports, which must be salivating at the idea of a million Mets fans wanting jump from a bridge…
Scott Schoeneweis, as quoted by Robinson…
“I don’t really want to care about the fans anymore. If they want to boo, let them boo. I’m not going to take them out to dinner.”
Billy Wagner, as quoted by Robinson…
“If they’re booing for ridiculous reasons, you just let them look like idiots and go about your business…Their expectations are high, just like ours. It’s been 11 games and we’ve got a lot of baseball left. But they’re booing now because they must have expected us to go undefeated this year.”
David Wright, as quoted by Robinson…
“The fans expect us to go out there and win…This year, they’re impatient with what happened last year and they want to see results right away. When that doesn’t happen, they express their concern.”
…the sense i am getting, from the e-mails sent to me, is that the booing may be coming from a group of people who believe this team was never held accountable for their failure from last season…but, i’m still researching this and intend to talk about it more during my on-air, pre-game segment tomorrow night…
Note: Single A St. Lucie had the night off.
New Orleans (AAA): 7-6 loss to Round Rock
RHP Tony Armas surrendered three runs on five hits and two walks in six innings. RHP Ivan Maldonado had his third straight rough night, coming in for the ninth and putting two men on base before RHP Nate Field finished the blown save by allowing a walkoff three run shot.
SS Anderson Hernandez and 2B Argenis Reyes each went 1-for-5, while 1B Michel Abreu was 1-for-4. 3B Fernando Tatis had a 2-for-4 night, with a two run homer.
Binghamton (AA): 6-3 win over Akron
LHP Jon Niese ran into some tough luck. Two B-Met errors led to him allowing three unearned runs before exiting with two outs in the fifth. Niese allowed five hits and walked two while striking out four, actually lowering his ERA to 0.57.
OF Fernando Martinez took his turn having a big night, going 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. 1B Mike Carp was 2-for-4 to raise his average to .476. Nick Evans went 1-for-4, with the one being his third homerun of the season, a three run blast. 3B Danny Murphy was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI.
Savannah (A-): 7-4 loss to Columbus
Tagged Minors |RHP Michael Antonini tossed a solid five innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks, striking out four. LHP Julio Polanco was shelled in relief, taking the loss by giving up five runs on six hits and a walk in 2.2 innings.
3B Richie Lucas hit his first homer of the season in a 1-for-4 night while OF Daniel Stegall had his second big night in a row, going 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. DH Jordan Abruzzo had another big night, going 3-for-4 with a run scored.
…some familiar faces make their return to Shea Stadium tonight as the Mets take on the Nationals in the first of three…with that in mind, I did a quick Q & A with Chris Needham, who blogs about the Nationals for Capitol Punishment…
D.J. Short:
First things first, have you had a chance to visit the new Nationals Park? If so, how do you like it?
Chris Needham:
I’ve been to three games so far, and it’s a pretty big upgrade on RFK. There are some really nice seats in the place and some really overpriced ones, too. It’s not a bad place to see a game, but it’s missing that one “WOW!” factor, whether it’s the view of the skyline in Pittsburgh or the Bay in San Fran. Solidly average isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The biggest adjustment, though, has been watching games where balls actually travel over the fence; batters really prefer these power alleys to RFK’s.
D.J. Short:
What are your thoughts on Lastings Milledge thus far? Is he saying all the right things? Any new rap songs I should know about?
Chris Needham:
I really like his approach to the game. In the small number of games I’ve seen, he’s the kind of player that’s really fun to watch: a little bit of speed, a little bit of power, and just enough flash to keep you entertained. His first game or two, it looked like he was trying to do too much, but he’s settled in nicely, and I’d still make that trade 100 times out of 100.
As far as saying all the right things, what’s been telling is how it’s the other guys around him. Dmitri Young really welcomed him, pointing out that criticism of the high five incident was done mostly by people with sticks firmly lodged up their backsides. (Seriously, it was off Armando Benitez! What Mets fan wasn’t doing that happy dance after that one?)
Milledge, in a blowout earlier this week, dogged it in the middle of the game, and stood up, on his own, and apologized to the team, even though he was far from the only one to mail it in. He’s definitely making the most of his fresh start.
D.J. Short:
The Nats organization seems adept at acquiring and stockpiling major league position players, but pitching remains a major question mark. Is there young pitching on the way, possibly this season?
Chris Needham:
The team certainly claims they’ve got a lot stashed in the minors. I’m a bit more skeptical. Columbus’ rotation is all prospects, even if they’re not high upside guys. John Lannan, who you’ll see this week, already graduated. Collin Balester, Tyler Clippard, Garrett Mock and Mike O’Connor round out the staff — and that’s about the order of chance of success I’d give them.
A bit further down is Ross Detwiler, last year’s first-round pick. He had a cup of coffee last season, and there was some talk of him starting with the Nats in the bullpen, but they’re giving him more time. There’s really nobody blocking his way, so if he pitches really well, he can shoot right up and into the majors.
D.J. Short:
I noticed Jesus Flores was sent down the other day. Does it frustrate you to see veteran players like Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada in front of him on the depth chart, or do you think Flores needs more development in the minors?
Chris Needham:
Grumble, grumble. The team’s plan all along was to send Flores down to work on defense and to refine his hitting. In some ways it makes sense, in that I’d rather have a year of Flores in his prime than one of him developing now. But when your alternative is Pauly Walnuts and Estrada — whose arm is about as good as Carlos Delgado‘s — it’s harder to convince your heart of the facts. It hasn’t been helped by LoDuca’s cold start with the bat and the glove. I understand what they’re doing, but I’m not completely sold on it.
D.J. Short:
The Nationals played the Mets very tough in the role of spoiler last September. Was it as exciting to watch for “you” as it was painful to watch for “us”? Do you think the team grew from that experience, or is there no crossover at all?
Chris Needham:
The fans certainly get a bit of a rise out of it. The Nats message boards have been looking forward to this series to continue to what “we” started last season. Lost in all that jubilation, though, is the part where we rolled over and played dead for the Phils, but you won’t hold that against us, will you?
As a fan, yes, it certainly was exciting to play in games that matter, and it was a nice test for the team, to see if their second-half improvement was for real. As far as carryover, the only thing I think it did was convince some of the players in Manny Acta’s steady approach. He preached patience after last year’s disastrous 8-25 start, and it paid dividends down the stretch.
…thanks as always, Chris…
The final piece of steel is in place at Citi Field, and has been signed by Jeff Wilpon and others who played a role in the stadium’s development, according to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt.
To watch Burkhardt’s video from his day at Citi Field, click here.
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