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This season, Aaron Heilman has allowed 13 runs and four home runs in 13 innings pitched.
Meanwhile, he leads the major leagues in appearances.
In an article for SNY, Ted Berg wonders if the Mets would better served giving Heilman a break, using Pedro Feliciano more, or sending Jorge Sosa packing, adding, “I only know that what they’re doing now isn’t working.”
Heilman, talking to reporters after last night’s game:
“I left a change-up up, the ball that Zimmerman hit was over the middle, you know, I’ve just got to figure out a way to make better pitches…Unfortunately, it just feels like I have been making more of those mistakes lately…One outing – one way
or the other – isn’t going to make or break you…This is not something that I haven’t gone through in the past, I mean, not to this degree, but you’ve just got to keep going out there and battling and being aggressive and be confident that things are going to turn around.”
…i will say this, and i’m learning this more and more, though i don’t know whether to admire it or loathe it, but these guys have amazing resolve – and i suppose you have to in a game where people fail more than they succeed…
…that said, heilman is a mess…in so many words, he seems to agree…so, now what…as i said earlier, the answer is probably to get him off the mound, so he can work on his pitches and clear his mind, but that can only happen if the starting pitchers go deep in to the game, allowing less relievers to be used in the first place…
…i like heilman…i think he has a great stuff…but he looks like he gets down on himself out there…i could be imagining that, but it is what it looks like…i don’t know, maybe some fans are right when they say he is dejected and still wants to be a starter…personally, i don’t buy that…or, at least don’t buy it to the extent that it alters his performance on the mound…
…he’s an odd case…he really is…the Mets will argue that he lacks the necessary repertoire of pitches to be a starter…on the other hand, i am starting to think he lacks the necessary mindset to be a relief pitcher…maybe his temperament is such that he must be a starter, meaning he needs another pitch…it’s possible that the Mets are right, and so are the fans…either way, the Ebb and Flow of Heilman continues…
“the Mets will argue that he lacks the necessary repertoire of pitches to be a starter…on the other hand, i am starting to think he lacks the necessary mindset to be a relief pitcher.”
A good observation. I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’ve never been a fan of his, and clearly he’s not cut out for the role he’s in now. Maybe he’s destined to be a Darren Oliver, i.e., long relief/spot-starter guy. I have a feeling he’ll respond better when the pressure’s off. For now, he’s a walking trainwreck. And if I hear one more “Aaron’s my guy” from Willie, I’m going to lose what little sanity I have left…
anyone else remember how nasty he looked the first game of the season.
also wagner made that comment of the mets “future closer”
where did that heilman go??
His repertoire is fine for starting; he throws two fastballs (sinker and 4-seamer), two change-ups (straight and forkball), and a slider. How many more pitches does he need?
Or should he go on the Mike Pelfrey diet and throw just two?
I’ll second (or third?) the motion on his mental psyche. Let’s send him down to AAA and stretch him out for a starting role ASAP.
I second the call to send Heilman down to AAA for a while and get his head straightened out. He’d obviously have to agree to it, but given where things are for him right now I imagine he would go for it. Good chance to clear his head and work on his mechanics. The Mets did that a few years ago with Steve Trachsel and it seemed to work…. Trach came back and pitched much better for the rest of the season. Call up Muniz to take Heilman’s spot and let Sanchez take over the eighth inning role.
Thing is to go down, even if he agrees with it, doesnt he have to clear waivers? I mean if thats the case, he’s not clearing them. Some team out there would claim him in a second, Atlanta and their bullpen of tragedy comes to my mind. If he doesnt have to go thru waivers then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let him get some rest and work things out down there.
He has an option year left.
I think it would be prudent to talk to him about getting things straightened out in a less pressurized environment rather than just calling him into the office and giving him a plane ticket and a kick upside the head…
you are incorrect, he throws a fast changeup and a slow changeup, thast it
Since Dirty Sanchez got back, Heilman has put a ton of pressure on himself to perform. That’s what’s affected his game, imo. He realizes that Sanchez is back to reclaim 8th inning and is trying extra hard to do good. He really does need to get his head back to baseball and being relaxed instead of worrying about his “job security”. He’s a fine pitcher and can own innings when his sinking fastball is pounding the bottom of the strikezone. It’s gonna be a very long season if this guy doesn’t perform well…
Thats a great observation.
He needs a LONNNNNNNNNNNGGG break….
It’s time to use Pedro and Duaner more now, seriously before this mess gets really out of hand……
Hey, shouldn’t you be walking around your house naked, and harassing your live-in staff?
They cant use duaner more now. Yes he looks great on the mound but remember he had surgery not to long ago and hasnt pitched in the majors for close to 2 years. They gotta take it easy. However i do think they should put him in the 8th or use him in a more serious situation to see where he is at.
Now as far as pedro
Righties batting .417 against him
Lefties batting .200 against him
Willie needs someone who can effectivly pitch to both R and L.
Do you think Joe Smith is a suitable alternative to a set-up? Felicano?
Willie needs someone who can effectivly pitch to both R and L.
Matt Wise? (fingers crossed)
How about Chad Bradford?
Oops.
I think the school systems were better in Baltimore.
Yeah, cause of Chad’s dominance against the righties. I mean, they cant touch him. Career .312/.402/.452 line for LH hitters against Bradford. Nice try though.
lefties*
In all fairness, Chad did pitch great for the Mets.
I like heilman as well. I think if he can restore his confidance, he can still be useful. That said i dont know if its fatigue so early in the season or loss of confidance but he’s not the heilman that we need. I believe he should be sent down to work on mechanics and to get a breather. We need a better longman than sosa period. I dont think he has the pitches to be an effective starter but perhaps another team may feel differently. W/e the case the kid is overworked and just doesnt look confortable out there. Recall muniz from the minors for a fill-in thats my opinion
I don’t think he recoverd from Game Seven of the 06 NLCS. Whether he agree’s with it or not…Game Seven definitely affected him psychologically. The Mets had the opportunity to trade him, since 06, while he had some value. His value has to be at an all time low.
Good point Giuseppe. If it ruined Lidge…why wouldn’t Heilman be affected the same way?
i know it affected me psychologically…i think i have blocked it from my memory just like the 2000 series…
Sorry to hear that Reyesing Shea! That moment affected many of us Mets fans! And…as you all know…we have been through a lot as Met fans!
I’ve said that for a long time. I really do thinkg the tranvestite Molina got in his head.
I have always liked Heilman as the 7th/8th inning guy. He has been very successful the past two years. He has had some bad stretches before, but he has bounced back. I am hoping this is just a bad stretch for him and that he will turn it around. He will never be a successful starting pitcher. Been there, done that. He has succeeded in his role now, however, he must find himself and turn it around. It doesn’t help that he pitchers EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. He needs a few games off, but then he has to get back out there and start over. I always like Heilman’s attitude when I hear his interviews. Right now though, I don’t like his results.
Amen. Heilman seems to be very comfortable talking about bad outings. Some may argue he’s had a lot of practice. I would attribute it to a positive attitude.
He has been successful in the past. I think he just needs to find it and trust his stuff…similar to Pelfrey. Don’t be afraid to come at hitters.
Not true … Heilman does NOT pitch every night. Only on nights the Mets are either ahead, behind, or tied.
I’m pretty sure Willie doesn’t make him warm up on off days.
How do you know? We don’t see what goes on when they have days off. Willie probably has Heilman in a cage somewhere constantly throwing while he looks on with an evil smile.
I used a good chunk of cyberspace defending heilman yesterday, and this is how he repays me. thanks for the back, aaron!
But if someone needs to go, it’s sosa. As I wrote in another thread, we’ve wrung every last drop of value we’re gonna get out of him.
Agreed. This guy is sooooo bad it is mind boggling. He is as bad now as he was in his first start for us versus Milwaukee last year.
Everytime he comes up and you or I defend him, he has a bad outing.
He’ll be fine by July. He’s got a pattern of slow starts. I just hope he doesn’t need a Sanchez injury to get kick-started again.
heilman as a pitcher is supposed to succeed a lot more than he fails.
but right now yes he is failing more than he’s succeeding.
The Mets need to trade him in the offseason, hopefully to a team that will use him as a starter. He’s never gotten the chance to start with the Mets since he revamped his delivery & this has been eating away at him for years.
For his sake and the Mets, they need to part ways this coming winter. Because Heilman is not likely to revert to the pitcher he was in the last half of 2005 and 2006. The incentive and motivation is just not there. It’s to everyone’s benefit to give him a fresh start somewhere else. Then the Mets can use some of that money they have coming off the books to sign a decent middle reliever (not a crappy one like Show or Mota).
Well said VCarver. They need to part ways hopefully this winter. He wants to start…the mets want him in the pen. It may be taking a toll on him, too.
It’s up to an organization to put players in positions where they will thrive. They did not do that with Aaron He is not cut out to be a reliever of any sort. Long or short or closer. He could only go through the motions for so long. It’s catching up to him.
When there is a player who feels his role should be different, often the best thing is to trade that player. That’s what they should have done with Aaron this past winter.
You can only push a person so far and force someone to do something they don’t want to do for so long. There is a breaking point. The Mets seem to not understand this. They’d rather impose their will on him then do whats right for the team. If they don’t see him as a starter they should have traded him a long time ago, so he can start and so the Mets could have gotten something of value in return.
Hence the name….Free Aaron Heilman.
Thinking about changing mine to Ollie Ollie Oxen Free PASS
LOL … too funny.
Nice name. :0)
VC I said pretty much the same thing on an earlier post. I took it further though, they should have already traded him. The Mets screwed up royally with this whole situation.
Hi mikey … It’s VC here. I just took on another ID to take up Aaron’s cause. We agree on this. I think Heilman has put up with it, staying quiet, and easing his frustrations with heart-to-heart talks with teammates like Glavine. But Glavine is no longer there and that lunkhead Wagner erroneously thinks Heilman can be a closer and tries to promote him as such. But he couldn’t be more wrong.
If you are a bad closer in the majors you can make maybe a million bucks a year. If you are a bad starter in the majors you can make at least 3-4 million a year. And Aaron believes as do I that he can be better than a bad starter. I’m sure this is part of his frustration, and it would be with me if I were in his shoes. Watching the likes of Park, Lima and Lawrence stink it up the last few years must have been another downer for him.
It’s at a point where it’s counterproductive to try to put the square peg in the round hole.
Oh look at that, an alias! haha good stuff.
You’re absolutely right, I couldn’t have said it better myself. He’s taken one for the team, plenty. These people are not robots, psychology has a big part in it. It’s just a no win situation, I don’t know why the Mets can’t see this.
“If you are a bad closer in the majors you can make maybe a million bucks a year. If you are a bad starter in the majors you can make at least 3-4 million a year. ”
A sad comment if there ever was one.
Which brings me back to a point I brought up a while ago. This is not taking a shot at Pelfrey at all … because I think he can be good But, isn’t Pelfrey the same 2 pitch guy that they said Heilman is … and isn’t that the reason that they don’t see Heilman as a starter?
This is not to say that one would be better than the other … but its a really bad contradiction on the Mets part. How do you think Heilman feels about that? I’m sure I’m not the only one that noticed.
A caller on FAN brought up a really intriguing trade: Heilman for Shelly Duncan. I don’t know if the Yankees would go for it, especially with how bad Heilman is right now (despite his basically good track record over the years), but I think it would make perfect sense for both teams. We would get an everyday first-baseman who can hit, and they would get a guy that would make the transition of Joba from the bullpen to the rotation much easier.
What do you guys think?
On a different note – I’ve never, ever been a Willie basher. But last night really put me over the edge. I cannot believe that after what they did last year, this team is off to this current start. It’s like they have no backbone. I think they might need, right now, a manager who will go crazy – throw a buffet table, break a chair, I dunno, ANYTHING. I know this – and I think everyone will agree: if this team is still .500 or below by the end of May, Willie must go. Who replaces him? I have no idea. I’d love to see Keith Hernandez or Gary Carter manage this team.
What about Lou Brown?
hahahahahaha. I like it. And in the words of Lou Brown, “This team has completely lost its focus.”
“Forget about the curve-ball Ricky…Give him the heater!” LOL
“Casanova? Clark? Figueroa? Muniz?
Who are these fkn guys?
(to Pagan): “You may run like Reyes, but you hit like sh*t.”
Batter one…DOYLE “Ball Four”
Batter Two…DOYLE “Ball Eight”
Batter Three…DOYLE “Ball 12″
Heilman has loaded the bases on 12 straight pitches!! lol… Now you know what happens after that right? LOL
F-THAT!
SHELLEY DUNCAN IS HORRIBLE!
ENOUGH SAID!
You really think Shelly Duncan would be worse than what we’re getting at first base right now?!?!?!?!?!
yes… he is horrible and a punk.
For Heilman we can get a hell of a lot more than that piece of bovine excrement.
I sent an e-mail to Matt earlier today about going after Mike Sweeney from the A’s. For marginal prospects he will be a cheap short term hitter. He may have his health and fielding issues, but he can definitely hit. Worse comes to worse he does nothing and we call up somebody from the minors. He might be cut soon because the A’s have 3 DH’s and the Big Squirt makes $100K less.
Shelley Duncan = Sloth
duncan sucks. and that doesn’t really solve any problems.
i would be more interested in trading him to a team like Tampa for a guy like Dan Wheeler.
What makes you guys think that turning over a table and some yelling would affect a veteran ballplayer? They’re not some young ballplayers looking to move up the ladder, afraid for their careers. They’ll more than likely just say, wow the skipper’s gone a little crazy. That kind of stuff is not going to motivate them. Embarass them on the field or in the papers? That will just alienate them and give them motivation to not want to give it their all for the manager.
Thing is you think bringing in another manager is going to make a difference and it quite possibly won’t. The new manager might just bat Castillo second, keep Delgado in the lineup, bring Heilman into pitch, remove pitchers who show clear signs of losing it, etc. The only improvement a new manager might bring is a better feel for in-game strategy and that may only help in a half dozen games. Bring in a new manager if it will make you feel better, just dont believe that much else is going to change.
A half dozen games would have gotten us home field advantage in the playoffs last year!
And what has that got to do with this year? Another guy who’s going to say in the last 100 some odd games we’ve only played .500 ball. Well in the last 20 years we’ve played .378 ball (not a real stat), what has all that got to do with this year? Last year is in the past and was a different team. Six games this year might mean where not in last place or we end up in first by 16 instead of 10. Thing is, it’s not going to change the way they play. It all comes down to who is in the field and producing, not who makes out the lineup card. Gary Carter is not going to make Delgado hit better or magically come up with a replacement. Lee Mazzilli is not going to make Heiman pitch better and more effectively. Same as its not Willie that’s made Church look so good and Reyes look not so good this year. All I’m saying is that changing the manager is not going to solve all this teams woes. Not to the extreme people are looking for.
IT’S NOT HEILMAN!
This all stems from Willie’s inability to use a bullpen to his advantage. He comes from the Joe Torre School of Bullpen Usage. Give the guy a break, he might come back with two days rest with excellent stuff and we can all forget about it. It also doesn’t help his confidence when he is brought in during the 6th.
Aaron Heilman = Joe Torre’s Scott Proctor
It’ll be funny when Aaron Heilman literally throws is arm out of his socket to Schneider’s glove.
I used to defend Willie, but I can’t do it anymore. WILLIE RANDOLPH WILL BE FIRED AT THE END OF THIS YEAR!
I”ve been saying the same thing all year to my friends…Yankee fans who tell me how bad Heilman is. I keep telling them that he is treated like Scott Proctor. There is no rhyme or reason for when he pitches.
It does seem like every night though.
Heilman is horribly mis used and Willie should have been fired last September.
Well I haven’t been saying that all along. But the purpose of a set up man is to get you to the closer.
If the set up man constantly has to work 2 innings, that will limit his effectiveness. This isn’t a video game where you can turn fatigue on and off.
No, it’s not all Willie’s fault. Part of the problem is that Heilman is in a role that’s far from optimal for him. He’s not happy and won’t be until he at least gets his chance to start.
They need to trade Heilman.
he has a better chance of winning manager of the year.
Sosa stinks; I’ve seen enough of this bum, so the sooner he’s gone the better.
Heilman needs some kind of break, or he needs to be used very sparingly (in non-tense situations) till he can gradually get back to the tough spots. I don’t trust Joe Smith yet. Very hard to have a great and consistent pen for most teams, but Mets formula isn’t working. I want to see Muniz back in mix. Figgy could replace Sosa in June, no?
These last two years, ive had enough!! Honestly I know heilman has great stuff. We see it all the time.. However, the fact of the matter is he is very very inconsistant.. Unfortunetly it has come to the point where mets fans are scarred s%^t when we see him warming up.. armando benitez anyone?? The answer is very simple with duaner back – TRADE HIM NOW
I agree with heilman being traded…however, I think his value is way low!
Which is why the Mets messed up bad. They should have traded him 2 years ago when they could have gotten a lot for him. No, they’d rather force him to be trapped in a role for 5 years (They control him til 2010 I believe) that he doesn’t want to be in. Now they have a psychology case on their hands. They created this. They handled it horribly.
“I will say this, and i’m learning this more and more, though i don’t know whether to admire it or loathe it, but these guys have amazing resolve – and i suppose you have to in a game where people fail more than they succeed…”
I agree…but resolve is different than resiliency and this team lacks resiliency. They do not bounce back during a game or the following day. This trait, or lack thereof, has allowed the Phillies to remain competitive.
I do not if it is a reflection of the leadership in the clubhouse or the manager. Either way you can not count out the Phils in any situation and seemingly if the Mets get down they have no chance to rebound.
Any thoughts?
I have to agree, with great sadness. I long for the days of 2006, when no matter how much the Mets were down by, I always thought, hell sometimes I expected, that they would come back – because that’s what they were – a great comeback team. And they did that in the first two months of last year too. But ever since that long losing streak in June of last year, they just haven’t been the same team. I no longer have confidence that they will fight it out and get rallies going and come back – like the Phillies seem to do EVERY NIGHT.
It’s sad, very sad, and I hope this team turns it around. I believe they can, but I don’t know if they will.
Exactly…I too believe that they have the ability to come back. Hell, they have essentially the same group of guys who did all that damage in 2006.
I hate to reference a bad baseball movie, however, I will. Just like Major League II…Pedro Cerrano (aka Carlos Delgado) didn’t have muaves (sp?) …this team doesn’t have muaves…
Heilman’s performances have been very bad of late but every single one of the players on this team neds to step up rigt now… Starting pitching, the anemic offense, the bench, the bullpen… Evreyone…
The worst thing that could have happened for this team now is coming home to a very angry fanbase… If they are as upset about the home crowd booing as they seem to be, they need to step it up at home… Otherwise, the entire home schedule is going to turn into a players versus fan war and I for one do not want that…
Heilman cant be traded right now, his value is at an all time low (which means he is worse now that he was when he was a terrible starter….yes everyone he had one fantastic start! So did Jose Jimenez, Billy Traber and Bud Smith!!!)
I think we’ll see a fake injury with him hitting the 15 day DL as soon as Matt Wise is back.
He never got a chance to start on a regular basis after he refined his mechanics.
I doubt he’d be a terrible starter in the majors. And if he is, he’ll make more money being a terrible starter than a mediocre reliever.
maybe it’s just me but, since when do we move guys from the bullpen to the rotation if they are failing in the bullpen?
i thought it was supposed to be the other way around — failing starters become relievers or at the very least successful relievers become starters.
to the people who want heilman to start, what besides one game against the florida marlins 3 years ago suggests that the trouble he is having right now as a reliever (i.e. giving up a ton of homeruns, leaving pitches up that are being hammered, etc.) would suddenly disappear if he was pitching more innings?
fine, if he really mentally is so adamantly opposed to relieving that his mind is just not right out there then maybe that’s cause for removing him from the pen.
but i don’t think it should be cause to suddenly hand him the ball every fifth day and expect him to be a completely different pitcher.
i still think heilman can be an effective reliever in some capacity.
but if the mets decide otherwise, then the only other move is to trade him.
I have two words for you: Braden Looper
Sure Looper is having a rough start. And he’s no better than a back-of-the-rotation starter. But Looper is 33 and Heilman is younger.So he’ll likely be better than Looper and that means more happiness and more millions in his wallet.
although looper was older when he made the switch, he was also a much better reliever than heilman is.
I’m not too sure about that. The last 3 years, Heilman’s ERA is 3.01. The last 3 years that Looper relieved, he had ERAs of 3.56, 3.94, and 2.70. Seems Heilman has Looper beat there.
Also, Heilman has far more experience as a closer on the professional level than Looper ever did before they converted him.
Meant to say “…more experience as a starter on the professional level…”
Guys, I think 2 things are quite obvious…
1) The Mets need Brian Schneider calling the game. In the last 4 games Cassanova has called, the Mets have given up and average of 7-8 runs per. Many of which by way of the late inning long-ball.
2) And the main point of this rant…..the league has the book on our set-up guys. It’s a no brainer.
Sosa: Hell…The Mets had the book on this guy back when he pitched for ATL. Regardless, he’s ineffective anyway. You hang in there long enough at the plate and Sosa will groove a fastball or hang a slider. He does not have the ability to throw 3 effective pitches in a row. And this is our set-up man?
Heilman: He’s a 2 pitch pony. Matt brought up a great point earlier…he’s abandoned his slider for whatever reason. If I am up at the plate, I have a better than a 50/50 chance of seeing a changeup. And if I guess right, that equates to a batting practice meatball.
Feliciano: He’s just wild at times. Still very effective, though. Feliciano, when under control, is the best we have. But teams know to sit fastball away if he is missing wide on his curveball.
On the flip side…
Wagner: Perfect case of changing your book. That windup has completely thrown off the opposition. He also came up with a new pitch. This ability to slightly modify without changing your core trait (power/fastball) AND improve is the model of a career relief pitcher. And this is why he is great at what he does.
The case of other teams having the book on our middle relief is proven more so not b/c of the HR’s hit of late….but BY WHO is hitting them. For the most part, it’s not Chipper, Fielder, or Howard killing us late in the ballgames. Its 3 APRIL grand slams surrendered to the likes of Ronnie Cedeno, Felipe Lopez, and Kelly Johnson. Don’t tell me that is a coincidence. Add late inning round trippers by Pedro Feliz, Gregg Dobbs, and Felix Pie. Something is up, folks. I mean, aren’t pitchers supposed to be AHEAD of hitters in April? How is this going to get better?
I state a problem, so here’s my attempt at a solution. Drop Sosa. Tell Heilman that we are playing AT Atlanta this weekend…that way we won’t see him for a few days. Call up the young arms in the minors. I know it’s cliché to want to bring up the prospects (al la Carp), but Niese and Kunz have LIVE ARMS. No one knows them, and if they can control their stuff, they can be very effective. I understand that is a big if. Regardless….the Mets will likely need to do this eventually anyway b/c, at this pace; the bullpen will be running on fumes by the end of summer. Or assassinated.
Did you CC Omar and Willie on this?
Great point about Schneider. They should let him call the game from the dugout. You know how with some teams the pitching coach signals all the pitches to the catcher. Let Schneider do that with Molina.
I say Molina because after Casanova who has never done anything at the big league level admired his single off the wall yesterday I don’t need to see him again.
He will have a helluva time communicating that from the dugout with an infected thumb that has him hospitalized. Although, it would be funny to watch. It would be like a game of “telephone”.
By the time it got to the catcher, the signal would be all muffled. Heilman would think the signal was for a gopher ball, when in fact it was for a high fastball. Although, one could argue that they are the same pitch :-)
not to nit-pick, but Casanova did not reach second due to admiration of his smack off the wall, but because he missed 1st base and had to go back.
good points.
I really don’t think Heilman’s problem is his lack of another pitch. He’s been dominant for long stretches before with his fastball/change up combo, and he doesn’t throw a straight change, so its not exactly a BP fastball. Now obviously, Heilman has problems, but its not his lack of an extra pitch. Alot of relievers become relievers because they don’t have that extra pitch, that most starters do. So its not something new, either way, Heilman has gotten by just fine with his combo in the past. Now, maybe its pitch selection, but his pitches aren’t as good anymore, or more l likely, its his pitch location and some mental problems he’s got going on.
Please God….if you do exist. Please let me still be at work when the Pre-Game comments and lineup card comes out. And please…make Delgado bat cleanup and Beltran lead off. Throw Reyes in the 3 hole and Castillo in the traditional power spot.
Those will be some good comments.
The above pretty much sums up being a Mets fan.
I think it is misleading for Heilman to say he made a bad pitch to Zimmerman. Lastings took him yard in a big way but was out in front of the ball and it hooked foul. The Heilman bounced one in the dirt to put Milledge on.
any news on Schneider?
Well, I look at it like this:
No news is good news on the injury front, since news has been of the season ending or career threatening variety over the past 2 years. :-)
Ron Darling said something about Heilman during the broadcast last night that’s worth throwing out there. Ronnie said he was concerned about the swings hitters were getting on the changeup — he said it looked like the hitters knew what was coming — and speculated that Heilman might be tipping his pitches in some way.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this already, but no Delgado tonight. It’s about time Willie
o/t .. lineup:
Reyes, SS
Castillo, 2B
Wright, 3B
Beltran, CF
Church, RF
Pagan, LF
Anderson, 1B
Casanova, C
Pelfrey, P
Delgado is getting a day off. There’s nothing physically wrong with him, according to Willie. Willie said he did not want to sit him tomorrow because Delgado hits Tim Hudson pretty well (I don’t have the numbers in front of me, so we’ll have to take his word for it for now).
“Maybe he just needs a break, that’s all. We’ve had a weird couple of days. The Sunday night game, in and out of cities. Maybe a mental break,” said the Mets manager.
When asked if Delgado was feeling okay, Willie said: “Yeah, he’s fine.”
all from rubin’s blog
good, Anderson can go 0-4 just as well as Delgado can.
actually many of us have been called for a start for Marlon to see if it helps his pinch hitting get on track.
Stop bringing Heilman in so often with men on base.
Stop bringing Heilman in to face tough lefties every night. The Mets pay too much attention to his batting average against, which is a decent split between righties and lefties. He gets hit much harder when he does get hit by the lefties. Most of his homers are against lefties.
Stop bringing Heilman into every game. I know Willie wants to get him into a rhythm, and I generally like Willie much more than everyone else, but enough is enough.
Aaron’s been a huge part of our bullpen for three years. He can continue to do just that. Just needs to get a bit of a breather.
Also, he’s unhappy. He’s done a great, thankless job for us in the past, he wants to start, and he gets booed at home. Ouch.
Really, Willie just needs to stop pulling an Art Howe and using Heilman in situations where he’s probably going to fail.