Daily Archives: May 2, 2008
The Mets (15–12) defeated the D’Backs (20–9) by the score of 7 to 2 in Arizona.
For a recap and boxscore, go to SNY.
…well, any time Jose Reyes leads of a game with a triple – on the first pitch – you know it’s going to be a good night…
…the Mets had a bounce in their step last night…i don’t know if it’s getting away from you and me and shea, or if it’s the beautiful weather in arizona, or that they see the ball well against the back drop there, or maybe it was Billy Wagner’s public statements from Friday about team unity and picking each other up, but whatever it was it was real, because they looked alive and happy and comfortable for the first time in weeks…
…give a game ball to John Maine, who did exactly what wagner criticized Oliver Perez of needed to do, which is competing and battling through rough spots…maine tossed 30 pitches in the second inning, and looked beyond frustrated…maine got out of the inning, but was angry with himself, and looked totally distracted…he slammed his glove against the bench, plopped down and sulked, but Willie Randolph sidled next to him and seemed to give him a quick pep talk…maine straightened himself out, and worked to get through six innings…great effort, johnny…
…outstanding catch by David Wright, making an over-the-shoulder, full-extension, diving grab on a pop up in four ground with two runners on and two outs to end the inning…
…lastly, welcome back, Moises Alou, who hit a one-hopper through the legs of Orlando Hudson to drive a run in during the first inning…the lineup feel so much better with alou batting fifth, and Ryan Church hitting second…in fact, the reyes-church combination can no longer be ignored…
…nice way start to May, guys…enjoy the sunshine…
The Mets play the D’Backs on Saturday at 3:45 EDT, with Mike Pelfrey pitching against Brandon Webb.
The Game:
The Mets (14-12) begin a three-games series versus the Diamondbacks (20-8) tonight at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ, game at 9:40 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- RF Ryan Church
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- LF Moises Alou
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Raul Casanova
- 2B Luis Castillo
- P Oliver Perez
…this should be the Mets regular lineup going forth, but with Brian Schneider, of course…
The Pitchers:
RHP John Maine (2-2, 3.58 ERA) starts for the Mets. Maine earned a win in his last start on April 26 versus the Braves allowing two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out seven over 5.0 IP. Opponents are 0-for-11 off Maine when down 0-2 in the count. In two career starts versus the Diamondbacks, Maine is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA.
RHP Micah Owings (4-0, 3.48 ERA) toes the rubber for the Diamondbacks. In his last start on April 25 versus the Padres, Ownings earned a no-decision, allowing five runs on five hits whiles striking out five and walking three through 5.0 IP. Owings earned a no-decision in his only start against the Mets on May 3, pitching five innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out five.
The Notes:
Micah Owings is batting .354 (28-for-79) with 5 HR and 18 RBI in his career.
The Diamondbacks lead the National League with a 3.25 ERA and are second with 165 runs scored.
Ryan Church is batting .381 (8-for-21) with 1 HR, 2 RBI with nine runs scored when batting second in the lineup. The Mets are 5-0 in those games.
The Mets are 7-1 in their last eight games at Chase Field.
For more insight on the Diamondbacks, check out 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.
…i’ve been anticipating this series for awhile now…i’m interested to see how the Mets stack up against what is the team with the nl’s best record…also interested to see if this team can rebound from their terrible loss against the Pirates on wednesday and if Billy Wagner‘s recent criticism galvanizes this team going forward…
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |Jose Reyes will bat leadoff tonight, followed by Ryan Church, then David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Moises Alou, Carlos Delgado, Raul Casanova, Luis Castillo and John Maine.
…welcome back, moises…
During a live chat today at ESPN.com, baseball writer Jerry Crasnick was asked the following question regarding the Mets:
“Jerry, what is wrong with Oliver Perez and the Mets? It seems like they have been in
turmoil for some time now (since the epic collapse last season). Jose Reyes can’t shake his slump and everyone knows the offense is sparked by his ability to create runs with his legs. It seems like the team doesn’t want it badly enough right now. Thoughts?”
Crasnick’s response:
“Well, that’s the rap — that the Mets have too many low-key guys and Willie Randolph can’t seem to “light a fire” under them. Oliver Perez was a perpetual tease in Pittsburgh, so maybe he’s just come back to earth and he is what he is. He’s also a free agent this winter, so maybe that’s in his head.”
…perez’s contract situation going into the season was a heavily discussed topic between me and my friend pappy…we both feared his pending free agency would get into his head…i am not saying it is or isn’t the reason for his roller coaster performances but the Mets need this guy to settle down asap and become a rock in the middle of the rotation…
…as far as a fire, hopefully the mets ignite one in the desert this weekend…Let’s Go Mets…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin wonders if, should the Mets decide to fire some one, could Rick Peterson be the first to go.
According to Rubin, “There was high-level disenchantment with Peterson at the end of 2007, enough so that his job status was briefly murkier than Randolph’s.”
…well, what goes up, must go down…
…by the way, High-Level Disenchantment may be my favorite of the Smashing Pumpkins albums…
Tagged Rick Peterson |Earlier today, Brian Schneider told 
WFAN that he will not start tonight in Arizona, but he is available as a back-up catcher if needed.
…in other words, expect the Mets to eventually activate Moises Alou and demote Gustavo Molina…
Yesterday, the Brooklyn Met Fan 
officially announced, “The time is upon us, Willie’s gotta go.”
Today, in the New York Sun, Tim Marchman jumps on board and writes, “It’s time to fire Willie Randolph,” adding, “Randolph has failed in concrete ways, and shows no prospect of or capacity for improvement.”
…i think more or less every ounce of criticism leveled at willie is fair, but it is just too early and border-line unfair to fire him on May 1…again, all the criticism and fear is warranted, but, like it or not, and whether you think it will continue, fact is that he’s above .500, in first place and has won far more games than he has lost during his time at the helm…until that narrative changes, i just don’t see this club cutting bait…
In BMF’s opinion, the Mets should hire Wally Backman.
…i have no idea if backman would work or not…i know nothing about him as a manager…i only know him as a player…and i do not know that one has much to do with the other…
…what i do know is that, in a game and society that has no problem forgiving people if it will make money, backman is managing an Independent League team and not one of the hundreds of professional organizations, from single-a to the majors…and i suspect that is not a coincidence…this is not to say he should be ignored, because i’d like to think his fiery personality could help a team, especially in New York, it’s just, it is a sizeable red flag he is carrying around and that should be properly vetted…
Tagged Willie Randolph |
New Orleans (AAA): 3-2 loss to Tacoma
RHP Tony Armas took the hard luck loss, allowing just three runs on four hits and a walk in seven strong innings. The veteran right hander struck out four. RHP Joselo Diaz threw a scoreless eighth inning, working around two walks.
2B Argenis Reyes was 1-for-4, and OF Jesus Feliciano finished 2-for-4 with a run scored on the night. The rest of the Zephyr lineup was held hitless, three walks accounting for the rest of the offense.
Binghamton (AA): 7-4 loss to New Britain
RHP Jose Sanchez took the loss in allowing four runs on six hits and three walks in just 4.1 innings. RHP Eddie Kunz tossed a perfect ninth inning.
1B Nick Evans went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk and three runs scored. DH Mike Carp was also 2-for-3 with a walk. OF Fernando Martinez finished 0-for-5, while 3B Danny Murphy had an 0-for-4 night.
St. Lucie (A+): 7-3 win over Daytona
RHP Dylan Owen allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings, striking out six as he earned the victory. Tim Stronach held the fort with three scoreless innings of relief work out of the bullpen.
Rehabbing C Ramon Castro caught seven innings and was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and a run driven in. OF Ezequiel Carrera was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. DH Lucas Duda finished 1-for-4 with a double, walk, run scored and an RBI, while SS Ruben Tejada, dropped from second seventh in the order, was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
Savannah (A-): 6-5 loss to Hickory
Tagged Minors |RHP Maikel Cleto, pitching on his 19th birthday, followed two strong outing with his first rough start of the year. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings, though it was RHP Josh Stinson who took the loss despite giving up just one run in three frames.
2B Greg Veloz was 2-for-4 with a double and a run, and 23-year old catcher Jordan Abruzzo broke a cold spell by finishing 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run and three RBI. 2007 draftee 3B Richie Lucas, dropped from second to seventh in the order, saw his average fall to .193 after an 0-for-3 night.
…as the Mets take on the surging Diamondbacks in Arizona this weekend, I did a quick Q & A with Jim McLennan, who blogs about the D’Backs for AZ SnakePit…
D.J. Short:
How exciting is it to see all these young players develop at the same time? How long before GM Josh Byrnes gets the national recognition he deserves?
Jim McLennan:
It’s great to see players come up, when you’ve followed them since they were picked in the draft. The 2001 World Series winners were almost all free-agents, and that’s fine, but there’s a much greater sense of involvement if you watch your roster develop, and see prospects become rookies, then blossom into potential superstars. We have had occasional home-grown players before – Brandon Webb is the most obvious example – but three-quarters of our regular starting lineup and three-fifths of our current rotation made their debuts with Arizona. Seeing that, and knowing the core of this team will be here for a long time to come, is a very exciting prospect. Down the line, there will be some difficult decisions to be made with regard to contracts, but the next few years promise to be good ones for Arizona.
Josh Byrnes has done a masterful job of turning a 111-game loser into division champions in only three years, especially in a small budget market such as Arizona. I think it was a wise move of the organization to lock him down, signing Byrnes to an eight-year contract extension, which takes him through 2015. He has made some excellent trades, notably the one which brought Chris Young to the desert, though there have been occasional mis-steps, such as letting All-Star second-baseman Dan Uggla get snapped up by the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft. I think Byrnes is likely seen by already insiders as among the most savvy managers, but more casual observers probably won’t really pay attention to the Diamondbacks until they reach the World Series. How does this October sound?
D.J. Short:
What has impressed you the most about Dan Haren thus far?
Jim McLennan:
His splitter. That is just a nasty, nasty pitch, especially with two strikes – when he gets ahead of hitters, he’ll bury it in the dirt and get hitters to swing over it, either squibbing off a weak grounder, or missing it entirely. Moving to a hitter-friendly park at Chase, there was some concern that Haren might be a bit liable to the long-ball, but thus far he’s done a good job of keeping it in the park, with only three homers in 37.1 innings. The splitter likely plays a part in that, and while I can’t be sure, I imagine he is probably using it more than he did when he was in Oakland.
D.J. Short:
Do you think Stephen Drew will finally figure it out this season?
Jim McLennan:
So far, so good – an .810 OPS is a big improvement on last year’s figure of .683. That statistic from 2007 is probably a bit misleading: he hit a lot of balls hard, but straight at opposing fielders, which led to a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) that was significantly below the National League average; Drew was at .267, compared to .301. So he was, to a certain extent, unlucky, and he is simply concentrating at trying to put together quality at-bats; the BABIP is still lower than most, but the hits will eventually start to drop in.
D.J. Short:
Barring injury, do you expect Brandon Lyon to last the entire season as closer?
Jim McLennan:
This was the subject of some debate early on, as he struggled mightily in his first couple of starts. However, since then he has been lights-out, converting his last eight save chances, and not allowing a run in that time, a span of eleven innings. There have been some concerns about his stamina, and so far he has not been called upon to work three days in a row. It’s certainly possible that, if such a situation arises, Melvin may turn to alternatives like Tony Pena or the very-impressive Chad Qualls [obtained from Houston in the Jose Valverde trade, and who has a zero ERA after 15.2 innings], simply to give Lyon a break.
However, at the moment, it seems he has now adapted nicely to the change of roles, moving from the eighth to the ninth inning. He is a much less flamboyant and demonstrative figure than Valverde, and doesn’t have the same raw ‘stuff’ – when Valverde visited Phoenix earlier in the week, he was clocked as high as 99 mph. However, he does have a broad variety of pitches, and mixes them up well: he can drop a hammer-like curve on batters for a strike, then freeze them with a fastball on the outside corner. Thus far, Lyon feels like a less stomach-churning closer, but that may in part be the result of our improved offense.
D.J. Short:
With the emergence of Micah Owings and now the much-hyped Max Scherzer, is it possible that Randy Johnson is the fifth best starting pitcher on this team now?
Jim McLennan:
Hard to say. Scherzer’s debut retiring all 13 batters he faced, was certainly eye-popping, but you need only look at the Reds’ Johnny Cueto to see that a great debut is no guarantee of future success. I’m restraining predictions of Cy Young-ness until opposing hitters come to the plate armed with a proper scouting report on Mr. Scherzer; until then, I will remain cautiously quiet. You don’t have to worry about him this weekend though: just Webb, Haren and Micah Owings.
The last-named is probably unique in recent baseball: a starting pitcher who is also one hell of a hitter, to the extent that some consideration was given to letting him play 1B between his starts. A fear of injury put that one in the freezer, though he may well be used as the DH in interleague play. As a pitcher, he worked on his change-up in the off-season, with Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter (Sutter’s son was Owings’ pitching coach at Tulane), giving him a third pitch to help get through the opposing rotation an extra time. If that becomes a reliable weapon in his arsenal, Owings will be a solid middle-rotation starter, even discounting his offensive prowess.
Randy Johnson is…Randy Johnson. The first couple of starts, he was clearly still short of full strength and velocity, but it took him a couple of outings in 2007 before he rounded into shape. He had a great outing against San Diego at Petco last weekend [six innings, three hits, no walks, seven K's], but was smacked around by the Astros on Tuesday, to the tune of six earned runs in only four innings. That does worry me somewhat, simply because there isn’t much else we can do with Johnson except use him in the rotation – his back probably stops him from being used as a regular reliever, a suggestion that has been made a couple of times. When he’s on form, however, he’s still easily capable of confounding major-league batters with his slider; I just don’t know how much we can expect to see that. I’d happily settle for 25 starts and an ERA around four.
…thanks, Jim…
According to Page Six’s Richard Johnson in the New York Post, Carlos Beltran celebrated his 31st birthday at Sofrito the other night with Jose 
Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Oliver Perez, David Wright, Sandy Alomar Jr., Johan Santana and Endy Chavez, as well as Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez.
In the report, Johnson writes:
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any wilder, Jennifer Lopez grabbed the birthday boy and shook her world-renowned booty. Then, the crowd improvised a song with the lyric, “We’re going to win the World Series.”
…take note, as this may be the first and last time the term world-renowned booty appears on MetsBlog…
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