Daily Archives: April 29, 2008
The Mets (14–11) defeated the Pirates (10–16) by the score of 5 to 4 in 11 innings tonight.
For a recap and boxscore, go to SNY.
…well, that may have been the most anti-climatic walk off hit i have ever witnessed…either way David Wright drove in the winning run with a deep fly ball to right in the bottom of the 11th…
…frankly, the Mets shouldn’t haven’t been in that position, but just as the Mets were on the verge of winning in the ninth another error in a big spot by Jose Reyes allowed Billy Wagner to blow his first save opportunity of the season…
…the Mets missed a big inning opportunity in the bottom of fifth inning…reyes broke a 2-2 tie with a triple to deep right-center field and later scored on a botched inning-ending tailor-made double play off the bat of wright…however, the Mets again were unable to bust the game open with two runs inning and the bases loaded and one out…Ryan Church struck out on a 3-2 pitch, which SNY’s overhead camera clearly showed was 6-8 inches off the plate…church had every right to argue that one…come on, blue…the inning eventually concluded with a strikeout from Carlos Delgado…
…the offense not being able to make their opponents pay for mistakes in the field has been the achilles heal of this team…the just haven’t had the ability to step on the other team’s throat when the opportunity presents itself…
…speaking of the fifth, did Willie Randolph really put the squeeze play on…even though it was a failed attempt, i love the call…i honestly can’t remember the last time willie called for a squeeze…frankly, i think willie has made a mistake in the past not using the squeeze, especially with as many triples as reyes accumulates…
…i don’t know where the Mets would be this season without Ryan Church…give the guy a game ball for tying up the game in the fourth with two-run big fly to right…
…Johan Santana managed his way through 5.2 IP tonight…even though he only gave up two hits – both homeruns – the pirates made santana work though each inning, fouling off pitches and working the count…santana just didn’t seem comfortable tonight, be it the weather or still getting used to the shea mound…willie attempted to allow santana get through the sixth, but santana just ran out of gas, loading the bases on two walks and hitting a batter…
…willie did the right thing letting santana try and work himself out of the inning, but once he hit Xavier Nady, it was clear santana was done for the night…
…Pedro Feliciano saved the inning with an inning-ending infield pop fly…
…oh, Aaron Heilman, what are we going to do with you…i doubt we see him in a in big spot any time soon…perhaps we’ll see him get the ole Jorge Julio treatment…heilman was saved by a terrific play by Raul Casanova to recover a Scott Schoenewies wild pitch an throw the runner out home, who didn’t seem to tag the plate on a head first slide..
…Duaner Sanchez struggled for the first time this season, allowing a one run on two hit and two walks in the eighth…i’m not too overly concerned by this as sanchez is still working his way back and few struggles here and their are to be expected….
…it wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win…keep taking care of business and go out and complete the sweep tomorrow afternoon…
The Mets finish off their abbreviated two-games series against the Pirates at home tomorrow at 1:10 pm.
Tagged Mike Nichols |The Game:
The Mets (13-11) begin a rain-shorten two-game series versus the Pirates (10-15) this evening at Shea Stadium, game at 7:10 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Raul Casanova
- LF Endy Chavez
- P Johan Santana
The Pitchers:
LHP Johan Santana (3-2, 3.12 ERA) starts for the Mets. Santana earned a win in in his last on April 23 versus the Nationals, pitching seven strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking one. Opposing batters are 27-for-129 (.209) versus Santana this season. In two career games, one starts versus the Pirates, Santana is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA.
RHP Ian Snell (2-1, 4.45 ERA) takes the hill for the Pirates. In his last start on April 23 versus the Cardinals, Snell earned a no-decision, allowing four runs on eight hits while walking four and striking out one over six innings pitched. The Pirates are 4-1 when Snell starts this season. Snell is 0-1 with a 6.11 ERA in four appearances, three starts in his career versus the Mets.
The Notes:
Jason Bay is batting .343 (23-for-67) with 6 HR, 5 2B and 23 RBI in his last 17 games versus the Mets. He has 1-for-3 in his career versus Santana.
Carlos Delgado is batting .286 with 2 HR and 3 RBI during the Mets current homestand.
David Wright is 19-for-59 (.322) with 3 HR, 6 2B, 1 3B and 14 RBI in his last 16 games.
The Mets are 5-9 versus right-handed starting pitchers this season.
For more insight on the Pirates, check out this series’ Blogger Beat.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on
and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Moises Alou told reporters before today’s game that he does not have a fracture in his ankle.
He will work out with the team today, and hopes to be activated this weekend in Arizona.
…as the Mets kick off an abbreviated two-game series with the Pirates tonight, i did a quick Q & A with Charlie Wilmoth, who blogs about the Pirates for Bucs Dugout…
D.J. Short:
I’ll start off with something positive: Nate McLouth, who homered twice Sunday. Did you see this potential in him during the second half of last season?
Charlie Wilmoth:
Well, I obviously didn’t think he’d be THIS good. But I, and a number of other fans and bloggers, have been ranting on-and-off for years about McLouth’s playing time. He’s always had a skill set that’s unusual for a Pirate prospect (plate discipline, some power, genuine baserunning ability that goes beyond simply being fast), and he’s had to compete against players like Chris Duffy and Nyjer Morgan, who can’t hit. Morgan’s only virtue as a baseball player is that he’s exciting, mostly because he goes a little too crazy on
the bases and dives around a lot in the outfield after balls that would’ve been much easier to catch if he would’ve run in a straight line to get to them. One would think that serious talent evaluators would’ve been able to see right through that kind of excitement, but Dave Littlefield and his crack front office couldn’t. And so it’s taken years for McLouth to win a starting job.
D.J. Short:
With Moises Alou‘s rehab predictably delayed, many Mets fans have been asking about Xavier Nady again. Do you think he will be traded at some point this season?
Charlie Wilmoth:
Yes. He’s useful but not good enough to build around, and the Pirates have a crowded outfield.
D.J. Short:
Were you surprised to see the Pirates cut their losses on Matt Morris? In a weird way, does his release signify progress for the organization?
Charlie Wilmoth:
I wasn’t surprised, no. He was so bad on so many levels, it simply had to happen. In my view, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Pirates are making progress. For example, early in the tenure of the Pirates’ previous GM, Dave Littlefield, the Bucs dumped Derek “Operation Shutdown” Bell. It was easy for Littlefield to identify and admit his predecessor’s mistakes, but that didn’t prevent him from making plenty of his own. Time will tell whether history is repeating itself here with new GM Neal Huntington.
D.J. Short:
What happened to Tom Gorzelanny? Just a bad month, or cause for greater concern?
Charlie Wilmoth:
Cause for greater concern. Former manager Jim Tracy rode him hard down the stretch last year in a desperate attempt to save his job, and Gorzelanny got scratched from his first Spring Training start because of shoulder stiffness. So far this year, Gorzelanny’s
velocity has been off, and his numbers have been horrific. If a good starting pitcher racks up 22 walks in 22.1 innings, as Gorzelanny has so far this year, it’s probably not a fluke. Something’s wrong.
D.J. Short:
You’ve been running an excellent “Worst General Manager” poll on your site recently. Which results have surprised you the most?
Charlie Wilmoth:
Thanks. The most surprising development was that Reds GM Wayne Krivsky got fired just before he was supposed to square off against top seed Brian Sabean. I’m sure Sabean would have annihilated him, so I guess the Reds’ ownership spared him that indignity. I’m also shocked that Omar Minaya didn’t make it past the first round. Oh well, Mets fans – wait ’til next year!
…thanks, Charlie…by the way, if you are a fan of independent music or college radio, check out his work for Dusted Magazine, as well…
In a report for SI.com, Jon Heyman lists Mets GM Omar Minaya among seven general managers who could potentially 
lose their job this season.
According to Heyman, “There’s pressure on every Mets decision-maker after their epic implosion last year…In general, however, the Mets have improved during Minaya’s tenure, thanks to some big-ticket signings…Minaya also has an excellent relationship with the team-owning Wilpons, which can’t hurt.”
…from what i understand, as i have said a few times since the end of the last season, as have others, Willie Randolph is on far shakier ground than minaya…that said, it would be in every one’s best interest to win..
Tagged Omar Minaya |
Moises Alou will have an MRI today on his swollen ankle, which reports suggest could be fractured.
…according to eyewitnesses, who have been right before, alou was seen limping on his way in to the hospital today, which i am sure comes as no surprise to you…
…if this is true, and he ends up being diagnosed with a fractured ankle, he’ll likely end up out of action for quite a while – despite Omar Minaya suggesting alou could play with such an injury, while talking to reporters over the weekend…
…ummm, is he watching the same alou that you and i are…alou hurts himself when 100 percent healthy…how will he stay in line while playing with a fracture…
…at any rate, if it ends up being that alou will be out of action through the summer, it leaves a major void in the middle of the lineup – especially when considering the struggles of Carlos Delgado, and how that has impacted Carlos Beltran…
[Poll=81]
…by the way, here’s a question to chew on: if Orlando Hernandez pitched an endless batting practice to Moises Alou, who would get hurt first…and what would the injury be…
Tagged Moises Alou |
In the New York Post, George King writes, ‘There is talk the Mets might be interested in’ C Chad Moeller, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees last Friday.
…talk among whom, though…and, if they ‘might be,’ doesn’t that inherently suggest that they might not be…
…by the way, i’m done with this whole booing conversation…it is being perpetuated by the city’s talk-show hosts and elite columnists and i’m starting to think they are simply writing and talking at our expense to fill space, and i don’t understand why…
…look, the silver lining to this – and i would like to think the player’s know this deep down inside, though they may not – is that people boo, and cheer by the way, 
because we give a damn…seriously, no city cares more about winning like New York does…maybe Boston, but i still feel they’re second…i’m convinced of it…
…if other cities cared like New York, they would not tolerate 99 years without a ring – like Cubs fans, who still seem more interested in the idea of being a ‘long-suffering Cubs fan,’ than actually living and dying with the team…could you imagine how New York would sound if, like the Rays, one of the Mets or Yankees finished in last place during nine of the last 10 seasons…where are the endless stories from Tampa Bay about angry Rays fans…there are none…if the Mets and Yankees lost that much, it would sound like MSG, like with the Knicks, another team from New York with super-passionate fans…
…the people who are perpetuating the idea that all Mets are crazy all lost the ability to be a fan years ago…most all of these writers see the game as a story line, as they should, and, like it or not, you and i are now characters who have been cast as the villain…which is totally unfair, not to mention invalid…
Fact is, according to a poll on this site earlier today, despite being worried and frustrated, nearly 80 percent of this site’s readership still believe that the Mets will make the playoffs.
…in other words, we are not negative…we are not crazy…instead, we are passionate, some times to a fault…we want, believe and expect the Mets to win…and i welcome any host or reporter to tell me what is wrong with that…
To watch Part 2 of Matt and Ted’s Adventure in Philadelphia, during which Ted Berg and I take the Pat and Geno’s Cheesesteak Challenge, click here.
…also, in case you missed it, the following is a Part 1, during which ted and i spend time at Citizen’s Bank Park…
Tagged SNY, Ted Berg |In a post to his outstanding blog for the Journal News, beat writer Peter Abraham lists Mike Piazza among six possible 
replacements for Yankees C Jorge Posada, who was recently put on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
…this would bug me…sorry, but it would…i mean, i don’t want to stand in mike’s way, but i believe this would hurt his legacy among Mets fans, assuming he cares about that…and if he struggles in the bronx, he will end up burning his entire bridge to New York City - at least in the short term…
…practically speaking, since he has not played in nearly seven months, i would think he’d need at least a few weeks of extended spring training, and since the Yankees need a back-up solution now, i am not sure mike is their answer anyway…
Tagged Mike Piazza | ← Older posts
