Daily Archives: May 27, 2008
In his blog for ESPN.com, Peter Gammons examines what we know and what we don’t know about the current Mets organization.
According to Gammons, despite yesterday’s vote of confidence in Willie Randolph, the Mets are just 77-83 since last May, however:
“We don’t know why Carlos Beltran sometimes plays as if he’s lost, or why Jose Reyes pressures himself out of focus, or if the Mets do the things they do because of overrated talent or underappreciation of the expectations that any big East Coast market presents. We don’t know the extent of misunderstandings on different levels of Shea Stadium. We know only that the Wilpons and GM Omar Minaya do not want to blame everything on a man who has represented dignity and championships before this managing job, one who endured a 2007 collapse that has left him scarred by a public asterisk.”
As some of the solutions to Minaya’s problems, Gammons suggests that the Mets ‘blow something up,’ such as trading Carlos Beltran, cash and ‘pieces’ for a package with Alex Rios and A.J. Burnett, or acquire a player like Scott Hatteberg, Kevin Millar or Ryan Freel, who ‘would change the mix.’
…i am so tired of this…what is wrong, what can be done, how do we fix this, who needs to be fired…in my experience winning fixes everything…enough said…
…added to by Matthew Cerrone…
…yes, but winning doesn’t happen with the simple flip of a switch, or from just hoping it will happen or believing that it can…a) you need to be consistently better than the opposition, which i am not sure the Mets currently are, and so b) to improve the team, and better on a consistent basis, roster changes may need to occur…like it or not…
Einstein put it best when he essentially said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
…fact is, this roster, this group of talent, with this group of leadership, is just a .500 team during the last 160 or so games…and so, it’s hard to trust they’ll magically be better if no additions or subtractions are made…
Tagged MetsBlog |
Yankees GM Brian Cashman is a free agent at the end of this season.
In a post to Was Watching, Steve Lombradi wonders if Cashman could be of interest to the Mets, in the event Omar Minaya is fired between now and next season.
…i do not think omar will be fired…but, it is interesting, in that he has really received very little criticism, which is odd, since most people are putting a ton of blame on the players…and since he acquired most of these players, it stands to reason that he should get some of the criticism…
Last Friday, in a post to his blog for Daily News, Adam Rubin explained why Minaya deserves a lot of blame, adding that it’s too easy to just scapegoat Willie Randolph.
…i like when rubin gets critical…he writes with a clear-cut, insightful passion that i enjoy…it may be time to make him a columnist, though he does a great job on the beat…
Tagged Omar Minaya |
In a minor-league rehab assignment, Jose Valentin had five hits, including three doubles, in 11 at bats while playing for Single-A St. Lucie this past weekend.
Valentin will next be promoted to Triple-A New Orleans, where he’ll play first base and left field.
…honestly, the sooner this guy gets back to Shea Stadium the better…
…according SNY’s Gary Cohen, among others, valentin played an integral role in motivating Jose Reyes and the team’s locker room…from what i can gather, he has a breezy, professional, inspirational way about him, and things have not been the same since he left in 2007…
Valentin has not played for the Mets in the regular season since July 20 of last season.
Prior to his injury, the Mets played eight games over .500, while playing just two games over .500 after the injury.
Similarly, Reyes hit .304 with Valentin by his side, but hit just .248 after his injury.
The Mets are 1–19 when trailing after the sixth inning.
In 2007, on this date, the Mets were 5–15 when trailing after the sixth inning, and were 4–12 in 2006 in the same situation.
Following yesterday’s loss, Willie Randolph said:
“We came out and swung the bats well (on Monday)…I thought the energy was good, we got after it pretty good, but they shut us down after that. We’ve got to do a better job of sustaining it through the course of the game…I don’t think any one has given up or anything, you just got to finish up strong – you gotta play nine.”
To watch all of Randolph’s post-game comments from yesterday, courtesy of 
, click here.
…it’s like, every game is last September…and i think that has us all pretty exhausted, in May, fan and players alike…
…the bench has been terrible this season, which is a big part of late-game comebacks, especially with all the pinch hitting that happens because the bullpen is used so much…
On this date last season, Damion Easley was hitting .273 with seven home runs, one of which was a walk off, while Endy Chavez was batting .342.
This season, Easley is batting .211, while Chavez is batting just .191. Marlon Anderson, who hit .267 last April before going on the disabled list, is batting .167 in 54 at bats this season, and is again on the disabled list.
…marlon, endy and easley are willie’s three favorite bats off the bench, and they’ve been useless this season…they are a big part of the ‘nine innings,’ which willie is speaking of…and they have yet to pull their weight, like so many other players on this team…
By the way, Fernando Tatis is hitting .364 in 11 at bats, Ramon Castro is batting .333 in just 12 at bats, and Raul Casanova is batting .271 in 48 at bats.
Also, 25 games for Triple-A New Orleans, the 30–year-old Val Pascucci is batting .303 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI, while playing both first base and left field.
Yesterday, Ryan Church explained to reporters that, while he can swing the bat and hit, he has a hard time running and playing the field because he can easily become dizzy ever since suffering a concussion in a collision at second base last week.
“It’s not the headaches,” he explained, “It’s the dizziness.”
Church will be examined by a neurologist today in New York.
He is batting .309 with nine HR and 32 RBI for the Mets.
…i hate to think of this guy going on the disabled list, especially right now…but, maybe that is what needs to happen…
…in turn, the Mets can get Endy Chavez some playing time, in hopes that he can get his act together, because endy has been totally lost at the plate this year…
Tagged Ryan Church |
Over the weekend, the Mets told reporters that Pedro Martinez will pitch for Single-A St. Lucie tomorrow, after which he is expected to start for the Mets in San Francisco against the Giants.
…you know what, enough already…i’m sick of being teased by pedro and Moises Alou…get back, stay healthy and start earning your money, guys…
…yes, pedro did a lot to help bring credibility to this organization…now it’s time to bring wins…
Tagged Pedro Martinez |
During yesterday’s loss to the Marlins, Jose Reyes hit a home run in his first at bat, he hit a home run in his second at bat, he then walked, popped out and grounded out to go 2 for 4 on the day.
Reyes also made a fielding error in the first, on a ground ball that could have ended the inning, allowing Jorge Cantu to reach base, who eventually scored on a double by Mike Jacobs.
Following the game, Reyes told reporters:
“It’s nice to have two home runs in the game, but we need a win and we didn’t get it.”
Reyes has reached base in 26 straight games, during which the Mets 11–15.
He has an 11–game hitting streak, during which he has raised his batting average 20 points, but has walked just twice in 48 at bats.
Asked if he believes his team can turn the page, from the last few days, and rebound to have a good season, Reyes said:
“There’s no doubt about it. There’s a lot of baseball left. This team just has to keep fighting. We are a very good team. We’re gonna turn it around. We believe in this talent, and we’re gonna be fine.”
…hmmm, where have i heard that before…sounds familiar…
To watch Reyes’s comments, courtesy of , click here.
Last night in a loss to the Marlins, Mike Pelfrey allowed six runs on six hits and 95 pitches while striking out three and walking three in four innings against 22 batters.
Following last night’s game, Pelfrey told reporters:
“I was terrible…The guys battled back, and gave me three runs and I went back out and gave them all away. I almost felt like I beat myself, more than anything. I didn’t execute pitches. The balls that were hit weren’t hit great, but I put myself in those situations and paid for it…I think it boils down to the balls and strikes. Any time you throw 50 strikes in a game, and 40 something balls, it’s not gonna be good.”
To watch Pelfrey’s comments, courtesy of , click here.
…well, i wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘terrible,’ mike…i mean, we’ve seen terrible this season, and you were not terrible…
…that said, while the defense behind him didn’t help him, specifically Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, but mike is just not getting ahead of batters and so he’s putting himself in position to get burned…it’s been happening for a while now, actually…
Pelfrey is 2–6 with a 5.33 ERA in nine starts this season.
The Mets are 0–7 in his last seven starts, and 2–7 on the season.
…the thing is, he’s young…he’s still learning how to pitch, and i tend to forget that in the heat of the moment…i want him to be a top starter now, forgetting that he has just 140 innings pitched in his career, which is a lot, but still too few for him or us to know what he’s all about…the clock is ticking, though…
Tagged Mike Pelfrey |
To watch SNY.tv’s exclusive Post Game Extra, hosted by Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, including highlights and quotes from yesterday’s loss to the Marlins, click play below:
