Daily Archives: May 20, 2008
….with a long, and hopefully fruitful day of baseball ahead with the division-rival Braves, I did a quick Q & A with Martin Gandy, who blogs about the Braves for Talking Chop…
D.J. Short:
How concerned are you about John Smoltz at this point?
Martin Gandy:
Pretty concerned. His age, plus his history of arm problems, plus the constant setbacks he’s suffered this year; it all concerns me. But, at some point the Braves are going to have to move on without John Smoltz on the pitching staff. Most of us were hoping that time wouldn’t come this year or even next year, but perhaps Smoltz’ body has something else in store. As a fan, I’d like to see him pitch again, because I know if he’s healthy he still has some of the filthiest stuff in the game.
D.J. Short:
Do you think Mark Teixeira is feeling the pressure of a contract year or will we see a different player when the weather heats up?
Martin Gandy:
Tex has historically been a slow starter, though I did think he would have somewhat broken out of it by now, but still I don’t think it’s contract pressure. He’s been injured lately, so that accounts for some of his struggles, but it seems like his swing is somehow not right. He’s rolling over too many pitches and not getting under them like his swing is designed to do. Hey, at least we don’t have Andruw Jones in that spot this year… gosh, he’s continued his struggles. And as bad as Tex is looking right now, he’s been at least as good or better than Delgado or Beltran this year. Tex is a second half player, so at least Braves fans can hope that the best is yet to come.
D.J. Short:
Where do you think Chipper Jones ranks among the all-time best switch hitters? I mean, coming into today’s game, he is a perfectly-balanced .309 career hitter from both the right and left side.
Martin Gandy:
He’s closing in on 400 homeruns (odds are he’ll get them in the next few days verses his favorite team to hit against) and his career batting average is certainly hall of fame caliber. He’s got a ways to go to reach Murray and Mantle at the top of the switch hitting homerun leaders, and he probably won’t get there, but he’s earned his spot in Cooperstown as probably one of the top-five switch hitters of all time — I don’t think that’s too ambitious.
D.J. Short:
The Braves front office hasn’t been shy to look elsewhere for bullpen help the last few seasons. Do you think they will show restraint this time and hope the internal options get healthy and/or come together?
Martin Gandy:
We may get Mike Gonzalez back in a few months which will be like a trade in itself. And Soriano should come back soon. If Smoltz returns he could hold down a top stop in the pen. If all those things come together then I think we’re much more likely to see the Braves try to get a starting pitcher at or near the deadline (or well before the deadline, depending on the need of the team). This is the “lay it all on the line to win this year” year, so I’m guessing more trades are in the cards. It will be interesting to see if and how the Mets react to any big move the Braves make.
D.J. Short:
The Braves are dangerous at home (15-5), but have struggled mightily on the road (6-16). Long-term concern for you?
Martin Gandy:
It was just the opposite at times last year, so I really can’t explain it. I think when it’s this pronounced it does become a cause for concern, and you have to hope the players aren’t thinking about it when they take the diamond.
…good stuff, Martin…thanks again…
Binghamton’s 23-year old 3B/1B Dan Murphy is profiled over at SNY.tv. Murphy has scorched AA Eastern League pitching for a .329 average this season as part of a hard hitting middle of the order. They spoke to B-Met manager Mako Oliveras, who had this to say about his second leading hitter:
“He has improved his fielding and I think he’s going to hit well… He’s a very talented young player. He knows how to play the game and has a lot of energy. Whoever taught him how to play the game did a good job.”
New Orleans (AAA): 12-3 loss to Oklahoma
RHP Ruddy Lugo was hit hard, allowing seven runs on eight hits (including two HR) and four walks in just three innings pitched. RHP Joselo Diaz did not fare much better, letting up five runs on four hits and two walks in two innings.
DH Raul Casanova finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run, while 2B Argenis Reyes went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
Binghamton (AA): 9-0 win over Connecticut
LHP Sal Aguilar was great in his second spot start, firing 6 2/3 shutout innings. He allowed just three hits, walked one, and struck out seven.
1B Mike Carp made a triumphant return to the B-Met lineup, going 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and one driven in. 3B Danny Murphy went 4-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI. OF Caleb Stewart was 3-for-5 with a double and a run. LF Nick Evans finished 0-for-4 with a walk and a run.
St. Lucie (A+): 15-2 loss to Dunedin
RHP Nick Carr was absolutely lit up, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks in just 2 2/3 innings. RHP Elvys Quezada was then rocked for five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk in just one inning pitched. 2B J.R. Voyles moved to the mound in the blowout, allowing three runs on three hits, including a three run homer.
DH Salvador Paniagua went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, while OF BJ Hubbert went 2-for-3 as well.
Savannah (A-): 7-5 loss to Greenville
Tagged Minors |RHP Elvin Ramirez had his first rough outing in a while, surrendering four runs on six hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. RHP Brant Rustich allowed a run on two hits in his inning of work.
1B Jose Jimenez was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. C Francisco Pena went 1-for-4 with a run, and DH Jordan Abruzzo finished 2-for-5 with a double and a run.
According to the Daily News, Pedro Martinez is contemplating retirement, ‘as he battles back from another injury with thoughts of his ailing father weighing on his mind.’
By the way, In 606 innings pitched after the All-Star Game, Johan Santana has a 2.79 ERA.
…in other words, i am excited about the prospect of getting a healthy and effective martinez coupled to a second-half santana for the final few months of the season…
As noted last night, Martinez tossed 4.1 innings against St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers in an extended spring training game in St. Lucie yesterday.
Martinez will throw a simulated game under the watchful eye of Rick Peterson in Atlanta on Wednesday.
According to Ted Berg, at SNY.tv, Martinez threw 77 pitches, 54 of them strikes, while striking out five batters and topping out at 90 on the radar gun.
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
To watch me and SNY’s Ted Berg talk about the state of the Mets, as the team heads to Atlanta and Colorado after taking two of two from the Yankees, click play below:
Speaking of Berg, check out his latest column for SNY, in which he asks us to see the Mets not as the 2007 or 2006 team, but as their own unique 2008 team.
Tom Glavine will face the Mets today, for the first time since leaving for Atlanta via free agency last winter.
He is 1–1 with a 4.41 ERA this season for the Braves.
…glavine will be pitching against John Maine, who was essentially a student of glavine’s last season…hopefully, pitching against his former mentor will not mess with johnny’s head…
For more on Glavine, read the New York Post.
…glavine was terrible against the Braves after joining the Mets…it would be nice if he could return the favor by being terrible against the Mets after re-joining the Braves…
Speaking of Braves pitchers, if John Smoltz is ever able to return from the disabled list, he’ll likely pitch from the bullpen and not the starting rotation, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Tagged Tom Glavine |
The Mets took two of two from the Yankees this past weekend, and will travel to Atlanta to play four games against the Braves starting this afternoon.
Ryan Church, talking to reporters on Sunday, on beating the Yankees and whether it provides momentum heading in to Atlanta, said:
“There’s some momentum, this is where we should start making a run…(The double-header on Tuesday) is gonna be huge, gonna be tough. Hopefully we come out ready to play.”
Carlos Delgado, on the same topic, said on Sunday:
“It’s a big lift. We came in (to the Bronx), we played some good baseball…Hopefully it’s a nice building block…We’ve just got to continue to do what we’re doing…We need to go down to Atlanta and have the same approach.”
Willie Randolph, on the same subject, and the team meeting’s impact from Friday, said:
“It’s only two games…We just need to build off of this. We have a big series coming up with Atlanta. Hopefully this is where we start to take off. There a lot of teams around the league that have sputtered up and down and we’re no different, hopefully we’re ready to hit our stride. We’ll see…
“I will say this, talking to them in [Yankee Stadium], I found myself getting very emotional, thinking about Thurman, Catfish, Reggie, Lou and all the others and all the winning we did here. We won because we played smart. We played the game right. We hustled. We were accountable to each other and, yeah, we even fought sometimes.”
David Wright, on going to Atlanta after the hype of playing the Yankees, as quoted by the New York Post:
“We can’t have a letdown series. The Subway Series can be physically and mentally draining, so it’s going to be a challenge for us to bring the same intensity to Atlanta that we had [at Yankee Stadium].”
For more quotes and commentary regarding the Mets trip to Atlanta, check out the Post, Newsday, the Journal News, the Daily News, the Bergen Record, and the Star-Ledger.
In a report for the Bergen Record, Ian O’Conner talks with Willie Randolph about the manager’s image among fans.
During the discussion, Randolph wondered if race could be why people view him differently than Joe Torre, who embodies many of the same managerial tactics.
O’Conner than asked Randolph if race is a factor, and if black managers are held to a different standard than their white counterparts, to which he responded:
“I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but I think there’s something there. Herman Edwards did pretty well here and he won a couple of playoff [games], and they were pretty hard on Herm. Isiah [Thomas] didn’t do a great job, but they beat up Isiah pretty good…I don’t know if people are used to a certain figurehead. There’s something weird about it. I think it’s very important…that I handle myself in a way that the [African-American managers] coming behind me will get the opportunities, too.”
…unfortunately, i have been listening to WFAN all morning, and this seems to be a mild topic of conversation…
…people are calling in to the radio station suggesting randolph ‘played the race card,’ which i do not think is accurate…
…he wondered if race could be involved, and was then asked a direct question and he answered it honestly…
…it’s not like he was asked why people dislike him, and responded with race…instead, he was asked if race is a reason, and he answered the question…
…there is a big difference between the two…
…that said, i would never assume to know what it’s like to be a black manager in baseball, so who am i to judge these remarks…if willie honestly thinks ‘there is something there,’ at some level, i’ll trust his judgment and do my best to be empathetic…
…those of you who want to jump to conclusions, and pretend to know what he is talking about, even though i suspect you do not, have fun without me…
…Update…9:45 am…
…as people have pointed out to me on e-mail, yes, willie is more guilty of not shutting up than he is of anything else…they’re right…given all the criticism he is getting of late, it probably would have made more sense for him to just zip his lips – regardless of whether he is right, wrong, or just waxing philosophical…
Tagged Willie Randolph |
Is Tom Glavine taking a page out of Face Off, wonders Metstradamus.
In a post to Mets Walk-Offs and Other Minutiae, read about random things he learned while trying to kill time in his hotel room, such as, “If we’re gonna talk Mets killers, let’s not just talk Jeter and Chipper. Let’s talk Dave Kingman.”
According to Josh Curtis in the New York Observer, the Yankees and Mets do not get what they pay for.
Lastly, though he ‘hates to admit it,’ Bill Chuck at Dugout Central thinks it is time for instant replay in baseball.
…the one argument i can’t stand is the traditionalists one…the difference between 40 years ago and today is that back then, had a play like Sunday’s foul-ball home run occurred, only one camera with one angle would have captured it…it would have come and gone…today, 20 cameras from 20 angles in 20 countries will likely see it, and every one will have an opinion, which will embarrass the umpires and prolong the controversial discussion leading to all sorts of rulings and appeals and so on…they are two different eras, which, like it or not, require two different ways of looking at things…
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