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The Game:
Weather permitting, the Mets (23-26) continue their three-game series versus the first place Marlins (30-20) tonight at Shea Stadium, starting at 7:10 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 1B Damion Easley
- RF Fernando Tatis
- C Ramon Castro
- LF Nick Evans
- P Johan Santana
The Pitchers:
LHP Johan Satana (5-3, 3.36 ERA) toes the rubber for the Mets. Santana allowed a career high 12 hits in his last start in a loss on May 22 versus the Braves. In three career starts versus the Marlins, Santana is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA.
LHP Andrew Miller (4-3, 5.33 ERA) starts for the Marlins. In his last start on May 22 versus the Diamondbacks, Miller earned a win throwing seven shutout innings lallowing five hits with a walk and nine strikeouts. Miller is 1-1 with a 8.38 ERA in two career starts versus the Mets.
The Notes:
Jose Reyes has reached base safely in 26 straight games and currently has an 11 game hitting streak, in which he is batting .333 (16-for-48) with 2 2B, 4 HR, 6 runs and 9 RBI.
The Mets are 11-5 versus left-handed starters this season.
Scott Schoeneweis has allowed only one run in his last 14.1 IP.Luis Castillo is batting .325 with 8 runs and 6 RBI in his last 40 at-bats.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on SNY 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…
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weather permitting?…
On another note, i think a trade that will benefit both teams is beltran and castillo to the dbacks for byrnes and hudson.
Right now, byrnes and hudson need to do alot in that lineup so they have a lot of pressure on them.
Beltran will most likely flourish in that environment and castillo needs to go with him bec. were losing out on a lot of talent.
As for the mets, byrnes will be a fan favorite. He wont have to be the man like he was in arizona. Hes not that type of player. Hes more of a complement player.
Beltran has about 4 years and 75 mil left
Castiollow about 4 years and 24mil.
Byrnes 4 years 40 mil
Hudson in his last year of his contract.
i hope the rain doesn’t ruin a delgado-free evening.
rain shouldn’t be as bad as the golden shower Delgado has brought upon the Mets
well consider tonight the rainbow.
thats creppy
why is that creppy? or creepy? we win without delgado in the lineup. ever seen a raisin in the sun, or is that too creppy as well?
The storm seems to be going by quickly here in Western Central Jersey. It’s a weird combination of cloudy, rainy and sunny.
rainout? boom or bust?
You’d think maybe Willie would take a shot mixing up the lineup. Maybe let Beltran hit 2nd or maybe Wright hit 4th? I don’t know. At least try something.
wouldny this qualify as mixing up the lineup?
A little, I guess when they have the regular roster in there it might be nice to see something different. I’ll take anything I can get at this point.
not really, mixing up the lineup would be batting Evans 5th, or even Tatis who’s hammered lefties in AAA this year.
batting Easley 5th is same ole Willie… imo
fat bald guy with chin/neck – boom or bust?
I’ll take him over the overly enthusiastic asexual guy with glasses and Mr Potato head eyebrows
I hope they play this game.
No Delgado and they can actually hit lefties.
The 2002 team would be the favorite against this lineup.
WHY EASLEY FIFTH? NICK EVANS HIT A BALL 409 FEET LAST NIGHT….HE IS SOMEWHAT HITTING HTE BALL WELL…PUT HIM THERE…MAYBE WRIGHT FOURTH WITH BELTRAN THIRD….MIX IT UP WILLIE COME ON
because Easley is one of Willie’s guys. And Willie knows his guys better than we do… ad nausium.
Yay! No Delgado tonight!
Look at this lineup! Please rain!
have you seen the lineup for the last few nights? we might actually win with this
Really- the only improvement is Church in Easly out but since Church can’t play this is what we have. From the players available who would you prefer?
I’d switch the order though…
yeh..nd they scored 3 runs yesterday….now look at this lineup
I don’t know why everyone is flipping out. Yes we look horrible right now. But its May, I’m much happier this is happening now rather than in September like last year. Reyes, Beltran, Wright will all be fine. Church, Delgado, Castillo and Alou (pending health) will do their job. Schneider and the pitching staff will be fine. The only thing that has to stop is whether Willie stays or goes. Its got to be definite one way or the other. Come on guys ya gotta believe!!! LETS GO METS
if Willie stays you can consider this team dead this year. firing Willie will at least be putting them on life support. It’ll be up to the new manager to bring them back to life. But keeping Willie is akin to not even trying to revive.
I think Omar signed a do not revive request
Here’s my question. Why in the world is Easley playing first and not Evans? Easley is not a 1st baseman while Evans natural position is FIRST????
you beat me to it
Ok. Put Evans at first. Who’s playing left?
i think easley played there a number of times last year.
Why have 2 players out of position (evans and easley) when you can make it just one by putting easley in left.
I mean, is that the big Willie blunder of the night? Aren’t we just nitpicking a bit?
titties
Endy Chavez…???
I think that they want Evans to get comfortable there because Alou is actually out while Delgado is still like it or not on the team.
Thank you. You just saved Willie’s job . . . for the evening (I think).
The best spot to hit in the mets lineup is in the spot in front of wright.
Now, tell me why castillo is hitting second. I know he has speed and hes patient, but if a pitcher makes a mistake while pitching to him, the farthest the ball might get is just passed the infield.
I think our #2 hitter should be Church full time when he comes back and bat castillo 9th.
I’d stick Beltran in the 2-hole and let Church hit cleanup.
heck, Castillo leadoff and Reyes second would be more ‘numbers apropriate’ right now. maybe Reyes can hit 30 homers hitting in front of Wright… not what you really want out of Reyes, but its better than .250 with a few steals.
The protection debate is so overrated. Would you not want someone on base for Wright? Who drives Wright and Beltran in? Church needs to hit 4th or 5th. He is our best RBI man.
yes we would but if ur an opposing pitcher with wright on deck, you want to make sure you dont walk the guy before him. Which means, if its a 3-1 count, the pitcher will have to groove one for him. With castillo hitting second, when the pitcher grooves one, the ball will barely reach the grass in the outfield.
Then why does Castillo still have a ton of walks?
alot of them probably came from the 8 spot so that they can pitch to the pitcher afterwards.
Nope, he has a better batting average and a higher OBP when hitting 2nd.
wow..miller is 1-1 with an 8.38 era against the mets.
i wonder how he got that 1 win
was it while he was in detroit?
he game up 5 ER in 4 1/3 to the Mets earlier this year, so he could have been just barely decent and gotten a win.
in fact it was 4 ER in 5 1/3 on June 10th against Tom Glavine. Go figure, Mets lost 15-7
sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270610106
Why does it seem like it rains by santana’s starts?
posted earlier. But wanted to get it on the game thread…
I’ve been a Willie basher not because of the many things he does (honestly…not much of a sample there anyway), but more so because of the many things he DOESN’T do. His level of inactivity and the perception of him living in denial with the state of this team is what is so intolerable to me. The image of him as the captain going down with the ship has stuck for months. And he did little to change that in all his cliche-saturated press conferences and calm on-field demeanor.
But things like this benching Delgado decision makes me want to stand up and appalud WIllie. And applaud LOUD. Hell…bench Beltran and Castillo as well. Make Reyes and Wonderboy Wright run laps after the game or do midnight batting practice. Tell Schneider to call a better game. Call out the underperformers in the press conferences and really tell us how it is after each game. Tell Peterson to turn off his IPOd blaring Peter Paul and Mary, stop with the KumbahYa karma crap, and tell these pitchers that they are going 120 pitches minimum and need to tough it out. Stop thinking and phuking pitch. The more often Willie does these things, the more he is going to find that this fan base will quickly get behind him. Because it will become evident that 1) he is trying. and 2) the issue is the players, and that something stinks in that clubhouse Omar constructed.
Willie has dug his grave with the WIlpons and Omar, and now he is operating in survival mode. And when you operate in survival mode….you do what it takes to win. You don’t care who you piss off. And if that is the page he has turned (AND I SERIOUSLY HOPE IT IS), than I am certainly willing to get back on board with Willie and root him on the rest of this season. Because that page turn is exactly what I have been begging for over 162 games already!
And if Willie still fails, well, at least he earned back some respect from us fans and shed light on the real issue with this team.
Beltran is hitting .311 in May and Castillo is hitting .325 in his last 8 games. Those really seem to be the ones we need to bench.
why do you always focus on one tree when there is a forest in front of you?
What next…your going to take my Peterson comment literally and argue that he is actually a CCR fan instead? My general idea is about WIllie’s approach. Who he benches is not the point, his eliminating the bad eggs is the general idea.
And you have yet to respnd to my point earlier on Castillo. How about you give that one a whirl first?
Same reason you post your post twice? So you can get an audience?
loving the dancing, since86. Your excellent at it.
Are you going to address the point or not?
What point on Castillo are you refering to? I can’t find any point at all.
I’m not going to cut and paste our entire conversation into this post.
go to the Gammons thread as well as the Castillo thread from earlier today if you want to continue the discussion.
Like I have time to go back to a different thread to look to see what YOU posted. Get a life Danny.
oh please. If you felt I was wrong you’d be going out of your way right now by stating so.
But instead you get personal. Real pathetic. Real mature.
Something tells me if we sit you in a room with Einstein, Plato, and Gates…you’d still think you’re the smartest MoFo in the room.
I think I would be, they are all dead. They might be a challenge for you.
I honestly do not know what question on Castillo you are refering to. If I did I would not dodge it at all. Even still I would not go back into a previous post just to see what your question or point was.
Well not Gates but I have ADD and did not get all the way to his name.
So let me get this straight.
You don’t have the time to to go back to an earlier conversation we had in effort to grab the context and make it easier to continue the dialogue here…..but you do have the time to sit on this blog for most of your day and night, and constantly belittle and challenge people on thier views and opinions?
And I need to get a life? Ok. thanks for making that one clear, chief.
You are quite welcome.
How do you even have the time to scroll up to the top of this page? You must be exhausted!!
Or your probably arguing with someone else up here. Yep…that’s probably it.
i like it.
pedro will be back on june 3rd.
im tired of criticizing willie, but tonights game is a must win. a loss with our ace would be psychologically devastating and would put us 7.5 out of first place. you need to put delgado in the lineup tonight. our offense is just not strong enough right now with alou and church out. and honestly, delgado hasnt been that bad lately. he has 3 homers in the last 5 games
How do we know that this is not a discipline move?
This team is 3 games under .500 but theyve only have 5 palyers who have played up to standard or above average.
wagner, church, maine, smith and schoenweis.
the mets still havent seen the best of santana, beltran, reyes and wright.
alou and pedro have barely played. Anything we get from them is a bonus.
beltran, reyes and wright can carry the team for a week on one of their hot streaks.
santana has been good but we havent seen the best of him and the best of him is usually in the second half.
I really believe this team will turn it around.
Look, the braves and phillies are where they are while having hamels, utley, c.jones, hudson on top of their game.
the mets top players havent showed up yet.
Boy, i hope you are right, but hope is fading fast. Faith left last September.
not to mention the Mets schedule in the second half is more favorable with more games against lesser teams and no travel farther west than Houston (i think) after the Mets go out west next week and again in a few weeks.
of course the Mets have a habit of struggling against the likes of the Pirates, and at home, so it could still be a complete disaster. ;)
Well, the four thousand or so at shea ought to be the perfect response to the Wilpon’s non-message of yesterday’s pointless meeting.
2/143
??? Where did I mention Willie there? Didyou miss my commnets earler today about Wilpon’s paying too much attention to honoring Dodgers and Giants at Citi? Or my agreeing with you on some of your Castillo stuff or on Church4prez? Or about Church?
C’mon, if you’re gonna keep count, keep it accurate.
My bad I took a break.
11/156 does that sound better?
Closer…closer.
I think you are 3/196 on non-Castillo defending posts.
Hey come on, throw Beltran in there and you might be close.
Good start for santana.
the key for hiim is to keep his pitch count low.
Hes ahd trouble this year finishing off hitters. they keep fouling balls off.
things i want to see tonight:
good at bats
the ‘ace’ that Johan is supposed to be
good fielding
a win
1st and 3rd nobody out. We cant let this young pitcher get out of this inning easy. We have to pound him.
bunty is next
thats a dumb play by Miller
i think miller has been watching the mets too much
can’t bunt here carlos
So, does Beltran bunt here?
;-)
he should have bunted
I feel a double play by easley
Nice crowd tonight.. Almost at the capacity
Beltran, what the hell were you doing, that pitcher couldn’t buy a strike, so what do you do, swing at ball 3. C’mon bud, take a strike.
Miller looks like he can be very very tough. He’s going to be good.
he also looks 12
I’ll take it, Delgado would have struck out
Call this an unfair generalization if you must, but old people are no good at everything
You are a Simpson’s addict!
I am, I’ll stop
No, don’t. I love it! I now live in Portland, OR. Three blocks from Flanders St., three blocks from Lovejoy St., seven blocks from Quimby St., two blocks from Kearney St., across the river from Van Houten St., and across town from Terwilliger Blvd.
Ha. I guess Willie should have sat Jose tonight too, huh Miker?
im shocked at how empty the stands are…. the wilpons better take note- we want change!
tatis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Willie = Genius!!!
Can tatis play first base?
yes!
then i think tatis should start every game at 1st when the mets play a lefty, bec. tatis can hit.
Oh my GOD! More than one run after bases loaded with no out? It’s a miracle!
Tatis has been great thus far
when do we start the official Fernando Tatis fan club, but give Willie credit, put righties in the lineup
why isn’t Tatis getting more AB’s?
cuz willie is still managing
Because hes not one of Willies guys
Guuuuumba!!!!!!!!
two out hitting, going to the opposite field, haven’t seen this since 2006
Christmas miracles… 2 out rbis
well Evans isn’t a 5 tool player, somebody get that piano off his back
philly keeps up the hot hitting. 4 runs in the first inning- 39 runs in the last 18 innings
they’ll cool off, I wouldn’t even follow the Braves or Phils at this point, too much of a headache
2 out rbi’s, going with the pitch. These are the things we haven’t been doing consistently. We’ll have the occational big inning, and then we won’t score the rest of the game cause for some reason we throw that same hitting approach that was successful out the window.
Two observations so far. 1. Santana mixing in some more first pitch sliders and changeups. I thought last game thats why the braves were so successful, atacking his fastball early in the count.
2. Love the hustle by tatis going first to third.
1st to 3rd baseball. hitting behind the runners. good to see tonight.
johan dont do this to me here
you’ve got to be kidding me
When are we officially allowed to be concerned over the hittability of Johan?
2012?
you’re not “mildly” concerned yet?
THROW STRIKES
he can’t get the change up over
thats the Reyes I know
“he’s got and Edge baby!”
I’ll take it, he needs to get the change up over, and this Marlin team has no fear
andrew miller with a luis castillo-esque swing
This lead is not safe. Santana has lost life on his fastball, thus making his changeup that much easier to track.
First ever post when winning? Congrats Straw. Better get back to the booth now.
He needs to use his slider more. Way too reliant on the changeup.
Santana at 100 million plus for the young talent mets gave up will prove to undermine the franchise for years to come.
who knew??
Lets wait until the talent actually becomes uh actual talent before we make that statement.
Why?
the 100 million plus ios a huge problem when you just bought an average pitcher.
the talent Mets gave up?
Gomez is having better year than Santana ( for the money)
Ok Evans is having a better year than Alou, Beltran, Delgado, Wright,…. for the money.
And I would think that Santana is much better than an “Average” pitcher.
i hope you are sooooooo wrong.
I hope he’s wrong but I’m starting to have serious doubts.
And supposedly league “sources” & “scouts” think Johan is really declining and we’re going to end up seriously regret giving him that 7 year contract.
Can you provide any article that implies that?
I’m looking for it right now. It was an article by the same guy who claimed he was declining back near the end of last year. I can’t remember his name though so it’s making it hard to search for it.
I have seen a couple of articles back during the offseason. Mostly ones justifying the Yankee’s not getting him. But for every one of those articles you can find 5 that still say he is one of the best in the game.
He’s one of the best in the game right now, but will he be one of the best in 2-3 years, let alone at the end of the contract? It’s starting to become less and less likely we’ll be in the play-offs this year, let alone the world series. If he’s declining now where will he be when we’re finally ready to contend again.
As good as Glavine our ace was last season?
I have the link but I have no idea how to post links in these boxes. Any suggestions?
just do it without the www part. I can figure it out. Either way if it’s the same one from the offseason I have already read it.
startribune.com/blogs/christensen/2008/05/24/is-johan-santana-already-in-decline/
Can we let this guy throw a full season before we pass judgement? The league is making adjustments, so he has to now. But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt…he’s won 2 Cy Youngs and he’s still 29.
santana at 100 million
meche = 40 or 50 million.
santana is 10 times the pitcher meche so the contract is not so bad.
then you look at zito and santanas contract is a bargain.
Or think about what Silva is getting paid.
two things from me…
1) when did Hanley Ramirez learn to play shortstop?
2) the Marlins 8th hitter has a 2 out rbi. Thats the pitcher on deck Johan… they bat in the NL… they’re easy outs… beuler?
the bases were loaded with 1 out. what is johan supposed to do?
my bad. I thought it was 1st and 3rd with the 8 hitter up.
reyes needs to stay balanced at the plate.
Thank you Keith for the Gregg Jefferies story !!!
he was pulling punches.
we all know it was ‘not fine’
Jeffries was a selfish snot nosed punk.
For some reason he is my favorite Met ever ….
He was the final nail in the 80s Mets coffin
i loved the kid when he came up. But it became common knowledge that he was a cancer and had the personality of a fungo.
and now the offense will go to sleep
Dag gone Castillo, how dare you get on with Dwright behind you.
castillo is 3rd on the team with walks. say what you want about his hitting, or lack thereof, but the guy can still bunt and has a decent on base percentage (.361)
he should bat leadoff
he should bat leadoff for a day or two
reyes will get more chances to drive the ball batting ahead of right.
also, if castillo is on 1st. that will open up a whole for reyes to hit it through the hole
how about a little hit and run here
How about a little SB here? Especially with 2 strikes.
mets offense is going to take a nap, do not disturb
Dwright needs to settle down at the plate
Mets can’t fall asleep here, need to keep the pressure on, have to stay aggresive on the base paths, not a lot of power in this line up tonight
I think they will, lots of non-regulars in the lineup.
Miller is going to be one hell of a pitcher. Santana better get in a groove because this Marlins team can score runs. I wouldn’t be suprised if our offense does the usual, scores early and then shuts down completely while the Marlins chip away at the lead.
Not much of a lead to chip away at.
well Miller doesnt give up much the second and third time through the order. That .407 first time through is the only reason he isnt alot better.
I think at this point if you are Willie you have to be more aggressive. Let Castillo try to steal there. No luck then Wright leads off the inning. Get luck then you are in scoring position. You have to force the issue in these games.
wow 7-0 phillies bottom of 2nd
42 runs in 20 innings
They sound like the real thing.
Uh why do we currently care again?
Johan, you gotta throw strikes
johan just doesnt have it today. were going to need runs
i love keith hernandez behind the plate
Big K right there. Santana doesn’t seem to have real good control tonight. We need more runs.
Has Castro caught Santana before?
As long as Santana keeps getting out of it, I don’t care how many hits he gives up. Nice job.
That was a great out pitch by Johan.
nice play Jose, I love Keith giving his comments from that vantage point
That helps. Sigh of relief.
anyone else here stuck with these idiot marlin announcers?
wheres keith?
batzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I’m glad they scored three early because Miller seems to be settling down. This kid has REALLY good stuff.
This lineup is in REM sleep now, I hope Santana has his best stuff now
hopefully he does not have his meltdown, like we have seen a few times.
COME ON SANTANA!!!!!
Is there anyway the Mets can get the NY Lottery Take 5 Little Bit of Luck Guy? They need him.
i think they need a new hitting coach
Duh. Hojo has to go. Down should not have been fired last season. It was a Yankee panic move.
wow, easley does not look good at first
Not a very good 1B. He has not played many games there.
I think Easley should be in right, and Tatis at first
Miller has pitched well his last 4 starts, he’s 3-1 and has given up 4 runs, thats pretty darn good
note to mets offense: the game is 9 innings long, not 3. it is within the rules of the game to get hits and score runs during innings 4-9. you will not be penalized or fined or tasered for doing so.
love the smile on santanas face… reyes, take a few pitches and let santana catch his breath on 2nd
This Miller is good and in a groove, and Olsen pitches tomorrow, thats a tough 1-2 with lefties, how about Santana, 4 doubles, c’mon Reyes
Now 1st pitch for Reyes?
I wonder if they say ok we got 3 runs we can stop scoring now. Its amazing. This team is so boring!
even though he grounded out, i love how reyes hustled down to first
Flipped over to the Yankee game to hope that they are losing. Damon double with 2 outs and nobody on. Jeters singles him home. Santana doubles with 2 outs and nobody on. Reyes grounds out. We’ll a;ways be second best.
I know they are only 1 game below .500 instead of 3 but didn’t we just sweep them in NY and are they not in last place?
Now the fifth inning and the third time through the lineup for Santana. I hope he settles in.
popcorn night?
They’ve gone from handing out real 32-inch blue painted baseball bats and pullover jerseys sponsored by Thorn Apple Valley to handing you a phuking bag of popcorn?
They can’t be serious.
Even slumping lefties own Santana. Sickening.
Your constant negative post, just sickening. Come on Straw at least be positive when things are going good. They don’t happen for long.
the mets must just try to get the game over with since they score one inning and just wait for the 9th inning win or lose speed up the game by just not fighting after they score
anyone else love it now when Keith just openly abuses Gary Carter on-air?
does anyone in the game of baseball like Gary Carter, it seems like he has burned bridges
Wow that had to be off the end of the bat or something, thought that was gone.
are you serious? this guy covers SOOOO much ground
wow, that was some catch
it’s almost as if Beltran was moving while the pitch was on it’s way to the plate.
That’s why you can’t trade Beltran.
vectors? yeah, darling went to yale
Ok fellow Mets-fans, this is the part of the game that the Mets see if the Marlins want to win the game, so they swing early and often and go down with making a threat… Because If the other team wants to win then the mets know they might have to keep playin…so they go into a holding pattern until then so they dont waste any extra effort or passion…..
He is something in center. I wish he could carry it to the plate.
Hitting over .300 in May. He is starting to come around.
I was being sarcastic when i said they can go take a nap, didn’t think they would take it seriously. ugh glad i didn’t go to the game tonight, I would have been punching people left and right
the mets stats is like a minor team vs all the other ml teams player stats
Wow, Ronnie just started talking about Vectors and math. Think Skip Carey would bring that up?
COme on Santa. Walking a lefty to get to Uggla? Ug!
Santana, not wanting to turn this thing over to the arson pen, hits a double to try and show the mets…YES boyz we still have to play, other teams dont die as easily as us when they are behind
dont even throw Uggla a strike. just phuk with him on this 0-2 count.
now that was being a ACE
Its like the mets play well for that one inning, however they can’t carry it over. Like i mentioned before. They had a great approach in the first inning. Going the other way, then it all goes away. Guys start doing things they shouldn’t be doing.
Good example. David Wright’s last AB. his three swings and misses he was trying to pull the ball everytime, trying to hit a HR with castillo on 1st and 2 outs. I think what this team fails to realize is that you can start a 2 out rally without hitting the ball out of the stadium. All they need to do is look back on the braves series a week ago.
By the way, the reports that santana’s velocity was down. Uggla just got schooled, 93 and 94 mph. I don’t think the problem is santana’s arm. I think right now he just doesn’t have a great feel for his fastball, so he’s sacrificing some velocity for location.
but it was Buster Onley that broke that story, and he’s a Yankee boy, so he’s looking for something
hey guys
we can still get a checking account this year
lol, thats funny Ronny, Beltran going across the middle as a WR….BIG TIME alligator arms there
That is really going to hurt Castillo’s stellar OBP.
Nice catch by Beltran, but c’mon many center fielders make that catch. He has also made two outs at the plate tonight swinging at balls out of the strike zone on 2-0 counts. Once with the bases loaded and no outs.
you know, all the media is talking about that Reyes hasnt been the same since Willie sat him in houston for jaking it…. but doesnt that also fit the timeframe that HoJO came on and Ricky (Reyes mentor) was tossed??
Ricky Down I am guessing?
castillo has to be the slowest fast guy in the bigs
but his OBP is AMAZING!!!
it really isn’t, it’s just so much better than the rest of his nonexistent game
Would you rather his OBP be lower? Can’t stand the fact that numbers prove he is average?
adjOPS+ of 84 according to baseball reference, so yeah, decidedly below average.
Of course he can’t slug. We knew that coming in.
No. I’d rather have his OBP actually mean something in terms of production. Worship the number all you want, I consider the results.
Last I checked, runs win games. Not OBP. Castillo has scored just as many runs in the 2 hole this year as Ryan Church, and he’s had twice the # of plate appearances there than Ryan. Castillo doesn’t drive the ball, forces the Mets to play station-to-station baseball as opposed to stretching the diamond and playing a more aggressive 1st-to-3rd baseball. He makes the field smaller and easier for the defense, which makes a less opportunistic setting for the offense. His hits are weak bunts or infield singles, and rarely advance a runner more than 1 base.
He’s more of a run preventer than and run producer.
kinda okay OBP + incredibly awful SLG = below average
Dykstraw…apparently this is rocket science to others who cannot grasp this concept.
So getting on base prevents runs. Nice logic.
Again, look at Castillo’s stats as a #2 hitter.
Could it be that if, big if Reyes would get on and steal 2nd like he is supposed to do then Castillo could do his job as a ROLE player?
Isn’t the fact that Castillo has not scored when he got on more indicative of the guys following him not being able to drive him in? Again Castillo is a role player whose job is to get on base for the RBI guys. He has done that at an average rate. Nothing to constantly complain about.
than why does Church score more in the 2 hole than Castillo? Twice as many, in fact.
Please answer that question Senor James.
Can you not read? That is much more indicative of the guys behind him.
I have no idea why I even bother.
So Wright and Beltran are prejudice against Castillo? They don’t want him to score? Is that it? Kinda like when Beltran only hit HRs on Pedro starts?
So this has nothing to do with the fact that perhaps Church is standing on second base to begin with? You know…as his SLUG indicates. Thus he is already in scoring position. Thus ABLE TO SCORE?!!?
I would much rather have 2 hitter who can drive the ball and extend the field than one who shortens the field and creates less opportunities for those on base. I want a doubles hitter, not a slappy singles hitter who forces a station-to-station offense. I also don’t want one who has a very high ground into DP rate. And that is what Castillo is. Let him bat 8th.
Again it’s not just about who is better batting #2. It’s about gettting the most out of the lineup.
Church is our best run producer thus he should be in a spot he can make the most impact. Church is a waste in the 2 spot, especially with Reyes not getting on base.
I loved the Money Pit.
That is my answer to that statement.
Ooooo is someone a little testy that someone challenged them and now they have to go around making a fool of themselves? Let it go.
Castillo is average and is fine for #2 on this team.
I missed it, did SLappy CAstillo run that hard fromt he start??
he was batting from the right side, so he didnt have that extra step
Robbed again, if teams had one fielder out there during games we’d somehow find him. This is getting ridiculous game to game.
miller has fallen behind 2-0 on so many hitters tonight, but the mets arent capitalizing at all.
I can’t wait for them to show Craig Stadler getting escorted out of the stadium by the ushers.
they need to start tossing these fans that reach into the field…just do it and be done with that entitlement CRAP
whoa…you mean they DON’T do that? Every stadium I’ve been to tosses fans for that crap. Shea doesn’t?
awww, i wish I could listen to them instaed of these Marlin announcers..
i love the analysis of the mound. rob, ron, and gary are just too good
come on boys!!
thanks Eli, I wasnt sure and it didnt deserve a replay on my DVR…
Easley lengthen your last two hits by about 15 feet.
man , give Castillo a break, it was a nice a bat, worked the count, and the Hanley just made a great play
I said I wasnt sure…….
hey why is Easley and Tatis in the outfield…Tatis was a 3rd baseman…..shouldnt it be the otherway around??
A tack on run!!!
Ok, can he play against lefties everytime
Apparently the backup players haven’t heard about the mets inability to hit with RISP.
he didn’t get the memo
Plus if ou make Tatis play first and he gets hot DelGAD-NO can sit
platton tatis with delgado!!!!!
NO the difference they are playing for something… more at-bats
Tatis just sits dead red…Swings from his a$$ everytime. I love it…
might be time to get endy in for Evans
Yup and because he got a 2 out hit and run….he will be hazed in the clubhouse… for making the others look bad….
It’s 301 Ron.
If Tatis was playing first and doing this DelGAD-NO clue would start to feel some heat….
Right because I am sure that Delgado has no clue that Tatis plays 1B.
in scrubs we trust
I love it, aggresive baseball, the Mets have speed, use it
The Easter Island statue narrowly escapes.
yup Hit and I will admit this sounds like a second guess as I wasnt against the trade hopin it would put them over…..but we had a young 1st baseman that played the same way…hard and swinging hard each time……we had to trade him for the old man
come on kid, hit a homer. Biggest day of your life
Fernando Tatis is my favorite Met! So sad!
Ronnie just said a lil’ BelTRON Miller style…nooo….
Loaded up for Nick (again)…LGM and LGN!
hmm hows this for focus?? double steal is just the whipp cream on any of those nice deserts u can get in the city. This isnt permenent but i kinda like this facing lefty lineup. No permenent platoon so dont get ahead of urself but something to go to once in a while.
Not saying he doesnt know it, but he hasnt played it while being called up…has been used as a 5th outfielder
LETS GO EVANS LETS GO!!!
one time Kid
damn PLAY TATIS EVERYDAY!! CUT DELDAGO
I looked at the stats, Evans is the 3rd best (but as they said yesterday a righty) of 3 players down in Binghamton, Carp, Murphy being the other two…and BTW Murphy is a big young !st baseman
They all play 1B and have been learning LF.
I believe Murphy is really a 3B…
Yeah 179 starts at 3B, 2 and 1B.
I wish they would turn him into a 2B and fast!
(If only it were so easy.)
Murphy is a 3rd baseman, 1st baseman, outfielder, might make a nice ulitity player a la Ty Wigginton
ahha ill take a run in the middle innings from this team
like I said, it was time for Endy, he looked over matched there, and we need to get some D in that outfield
bad swing kid, you will get him next time
danny1986, i cant tell if youre being sarcastic, but luis castillo does have a respectable obp (40th best in the NL). is he chase utley? of course not, but hes not as bad at the plate as the people on this blog contend.
and you gotta feel bad for evans…. hes 0 for his last 8 or 9
No he is trying to get back at me because I think Castillo is average. He has no life.
i agree. castillo is average. if hes average now, i cant imagine what hes going to be in 2011
Either on the bench, traded or released. Contract was too long but for this season who cares?
I admit. I am obsessed with therealsince86. I just can’t get enough of this guy. Crack Cocaine.
Eli…yes I was being sarcastic. Castillo is a useless high OBP guy. I get into this a few posts above.
It’s the one where thereal acts like the usual know it all antagonistic pr*ck we’ve grown to love.
It’s not rocket science, you are right. Rocket science has stats to back up your claim. Instead you want us to believe that Castillo’s OBP does not count.
yeah i did this already
You used OPS for a #2 hitter. That is just not a great stat to use there.
and no…I don’t feel bad for Evans.
He’s having the time of his life playing in his first week of major league baseball….and I’m sitting in front of the TV with a laptop arguing with an some handjob about Luis Castillo’s OBP.
I feel no remorse for Nick Evans.
see what I mean?
OOOOO again resulting to name calling. I am really under your skin with my actual facts and stats huh. You my friend are a real go getter.
it’s called humor. give it a try.
but if saying that you are under my skin puts a smile on your face, go right ahead and keep smiling. You’ve had a full and successful day.
No again, I may argue a point on and on no matter how bad the other guy debating me is. However, with only a couple of exceptions I try and be respectful.
Calling somone a “handjob” is not humor it’s called running out of facts.
The real question is why on earth would you want to argue the fact that Castillo is just a plain average role player. What do you have against him that you can not even admit the obvious?
he just looks pumped up and wants to swing
Why cant someone give Ramon Castro a first baseman’s mitt??? Now that we have three catchers on the bench, I say give him a start at first and see how he does. If he stays healthy he can put up some good offensive numbers, and cant be much worse then Del-BumO is defensively. What do you think!?
playing 1st base is not that easy, and Castro isn’t that moble
yeah castillo gets on base but everyother time its a double play,thats the problem
Its not like evans swing is too long but he does have some power behind it. He’ll bolk up and become a pretty good hitter i think. Should be scouted alot like milledge as a hitter…just a more disiplin hitter. I had no idea he was a real prospect.
At this point Im for platooning all the old men……. say that we are keeping them fresh and injury free…..that we dont want anymore Alou like injuries (everytime he is asked to move)….
BTW looks like the Outfield was actually play normal maybe even shallow for Gonzales this time….who says they cant adjust….lol
I agree, Randolph needs to treat Alou like a old man, thats why he’s always getting hurt, he should play 3-4 times a week
santana should not give up a home run with 2 strikes
what else is new
what goes up, must come down IE— santana starts , he gives up a HR
we need more runs guys,
I think he was just throwing it down the middle trying to save pitches so he doesnt have to turn it over to the pen.
Cause that pitch was right down the midlle of the plate that Ross CRUSHED
Cody Ross has more homeruns that beltran
I would normally say too late Don, but with the subs in, they may keep playing…. the regulars only hit in one cycle around the order and that was in the first.
On Alou, I like what someone said last night….put him in a wheelchair and let him hit from there
I thought there was nothing wrong with Beltran’s bunt, its Fatso and the Mad Dog, who have never played the game in their life
Beltran is fine, hes not what the Mets paid for but hes a good player who does not want to be the leader or the person to have ti hit in the clutch…and that was before the steriod crackdown and also he got that contract based on 1 good year and 1 outstanding playoff series
i don’t understand why people don’t think Beltran isn’t a “leader”. In the sense that he isn’t rah rah, in your face, find, that’s true. But he’s also the guy who talked to Reyes, and he was the first guy talking to Nick Evans in the dugout about playing in the outfield the other day, he’s also the guy pretty much every young player we have talks about how they talked to him about hitting. Beltran is not rah rah, he’s reserved, yes, its all true, but he’s a team player and does little things behind the scenes to help his teamates.
Because he does not gritt his teeth or look like he needs a bath.
This is a key inning, we need Santana to be money here
better hope they dont get 1 more run this inning guys, looks like our offense has already clocked out for the night.
Here’s that “little bit of luck” commercial.
You read Mushnick ragging on that all the time.
please rain out!
I agree with the current overall notion that over the past few years, Hanley Ramirez has been under-appreciated while Jose Reyes may have been SLIGHTLY overrated. However, that has all changed, some people even saying that Hanley is the most well rounded player in all of the majors. In the midst of this pendulum that has swung in Hanley’s favor, I think Hanley might be slightly overrated and Reyes is now the under-appreciated one.
HR: Reyes 6 Ramirez 9
3B: Reyes 5 Ramirez 2
2B: Reyes 10 Ramirez 7
Avg: Reyes .276 Ramirez .295
OBP: Reyes .335 Ramirez .392
OPS: Reyes .801 Ramirez .879
SB: Reyes 15/20 Ramirez 13/18
Yeah, Ramirez is having the better season but with the way people (in the media) are talking about the two, you would think there was a greater disparity. I know this isn’t the best thread to post this but I figure the only people that would have the same appreciation of this subject are here on metsblog.
good stuff man. nice perspective.
As trades go, that has to be one of the best. Would the RedSox do it again? They won the WS with Beckett, but Ramirez is a great long term value. Will their fans be groaning in 3 years when Ramirez is the NL MVP and Beckett is starting to wear down?
WHAT A PLAY
yup that will work, its raining so to protect Keith and his electronics give him a big metal umbrella….lol
Nice diving catch by Castillo…
the Mets are flashing some leather tonight
Jose is flashing some Jose tonight. Where oh where have you gone, Jose?
GREAT PLAY!!
bullpen is active, time to change the channel
i have never seen so many wild pitches in a season
reyes does it again……
oh dear
here we go
Willie was talking toda about the need for his pitchers to be able to close out innings…lets see how Johan does
THEY CAN -NOT- BLOW THIS GAME!
Its as if Hanley Ramirez has stolen Jose Reyes’ gold glove defense… :-\
well put
let’s rent cheif knockahoma to do a rain dance
Just keep throwing the junk to Jacobs.
reyes 12 game hit streak, 3 game error streak
worse yet Jose does know how that happened he looks puzzled….lol…. Mets have always lived and died on defense
This game is going to get away. You can just tell.
For what it’s worth, and please think before you slam, would it be worthwhile to inquire of the Red Sox if they would be interested in Santana for Lester or Bucholz, Ellsbury and Masterson?
This team cannot win anything as constructed and I am no so sure Santana is the guy we saw over the last few years.
Way to go Jose.
i seriously cannot wait until the 2nd half when Santana starts putting up zeros in like 8 straight games and everyone around here is all in love with him.
I hope so. I won’t bash the trade. I just wonder if it is time to get young and cheap. Old and expensive isn’t working
Some still won’t be. The are constantly negative.
I got no problem with Santana or the trade we had no choice
why would they trade those guys for santana now when they didn’t this winter?
chavez has gotta come in here for defense
DONT THOW HIM a fastball or a down and in pitch!!!!
WHEW!!!
The best play I’ve seen all year by the Mets from Castillo. Followed by a “I want to look good E6″. This is dangerous ground here and the Mets cannot afford to blow this one. Should have scored more early!
Evans looks so nervous out there. Its actually strangely refreshing.
No it may be an old joke but he won his gold glove and this year hes using it in the field
Please, GET SOME RUNS!
That was a HUGE K!
AND HIS NAME IS STILL DAN UGGLA! Eat it, fool.
thats HOw YOU CLOSE an INNNING
its pathetic that the marlins were able to scratch out a run that innings. insurance anyone?
schowenweis to face gonzo followed by smith to treanor and ross?
see, one of many differences between Maine/ Pelfrey and Santana, an error doesn’t faze him, pick up your team mate, that was great pitching, but please get Chavez in the outfield
Need at least a solo shot to give some breathing room.
I bet Santana doesn’t get the win
you need to stop
I love Wright, but on a 3-1 pitch, thats what we get, a weak pop up
Time for a Carlos Solo
Oh well. That was a really special swing.
Show and Smith and another heartbreaking loss. Santana will be begging to go back to Minnesota if this keeps up
this is pathetic
God forbid, we can keep the pressure on, and get some more runs
Come on Tatis BABY!
Can Tatis do it again?
time for tatis to put the game away
c’mon Castro
no WAY!
glad to see the mets get something going with 2 outs. fernando tatis plays the game right
is it 2006 again? thats what we used to do, great hitting
ramon baby!!!!!
cue the darth vader music
Forget reyes, wright and beltran, castro and tatis are the real stars of this team! lol
Is that 4 of 5 RBI’s with 2 outs?
Tatis faked the HBP–that is awesome. This little Tatis/Castro duo is a bit tank-ish in size but seems to get the job done!
come on kid, make up for last time
i think it’s worth noting that this is all happening after a pretty drastic lineup change.
Absolutely. These guys may be old but they know they have to fight for playing time. They should be rewarded so those they are replacing know they have to fight also.
“EASILY turns 3rd quickly and he’ll score…..EASLY!!!” anybody else catch that what gary said? hehe so funny
Amazing how it is never Beltran or Delgado, but instead it is Tatis, Castro, Evans.
Duaner Time
dirty time
Two outs, nobody on, and we scratch out an insurance run.
That’s the kind of things good teams do, and we haven’t done all year.
1st to 3rd baseball. hitting behind the runners. Excellent.
Poll Question: Does that 5th run score with Carlos Delgado batting towards the end of this lineup?
Do we get to 4 runs with Delgado in the lineup in the 1st place?
of course not
and that is why WIllie should get high praise for his decision to bench Delgado tonight and trying something different.
We’ve been screaming for him to do something all year. And he did and it was successful. Good for him.
Uh… I am going to try this but….
I agree.
Evans is looking very over matched, and Endy should be in the game for defense
Do you think Endy should be in for defense?
Endy can’t really hit any better than Evans, unfortunately.
ahhh its alright kid, cant give you many more passes though
Yeah, looks like he’s swinging at pretty much everything. He’ll be lucky if he sees many strikes once teams get a scouting report on him.
these guys have to play more…i want castro to get more starts…keep running tatis out there until he stops hitting…leave delgado on the bench…let evans and easley take turns at 1B.
platton tatis with delgado and platton castro with schnider
hey though scho might come in to get gonzo out, but lets see if dirty can get the side in order
scho should have started the inning.
COME ON DIRTY!!!!!!
Well we should see more Tatis with Church still scrambled (cracks me up that Willie was pinch hitting a guy that is dizzy) after that collision
Castro might be our clutchest hitter. He produces everytime he is in the lineup. He should be in there at leastt 2 times maybe 3 times a week
again, I agree, it should be a two headed position
someone said he should play a little first. couldnt agree more- i also wish he was used more as a pinch hitter
why wasn’t a lefty in to start
Gonzales, short outfield again but in a good spot…Im telling you…no need to play this guy deep anymore. it wouldnt have changed the double as it was so well placed but would of the last two hits he got
I think schoingwise should be given more of an opportunity
the “run out the clock” comment by gary cohen was truly brilliant. thats the way i feel about these mets
look what I found
way to keep him off third, david.
if anyone is watching the marlin broadcast as i am forced to, they keep talking about wrights gold glove
they probably think cabrera should’ve gotten it last year.
are they laughing about it?
more like praising the award
Okay. Get the Sandman up.
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. time for wagner redemption since Colorado
did you see that pitch who says complaing to the umps doesnt do anything that WAS sTRIKE 3…whew
Peterson is a strange guy, I don’t want to know about that guy’s personal life
yeah…i’d keep the catcher between me and him so he couldn’t get his paw on me.
He kinda reminds me of Tom Skerritt’s character from Cheech and Chong Up In Smoke. Very obscure reference, if you get it that’s major bonus points. He just seems like he’s one relapse away from a major acid flashback.
stacy keach?
Nope, he was the undercover police dude. It’s Chong’s cousin that’s a Nam vet who has a Nam flashback. But he’s got the crazed look in his eye.
that was great, nice job Duaner, and Peterson too, whatever he said worked
ok Billy its all yours now…bring us home
nice strikeout, Jacket!
Real positive sign, sanchez is consistantly in the 89-90 mph range with his fastball. Once touched 91. He was doing this when he first came up, just not consistantly. One can think as he comes back even more he might gain a couple more mph back on that fastball. Looks like he’s gaining more confidence in it. Still if he can sit in the 90 range with it, as we just saw there, he can be dominant. Love the fist pump at the end!
I loved him running back to the dugout.
The guys seem invigorated today. I know–they always look better when they are scoring–but Tatis, Castro, Easley in his last at bat, Dirty–they look like they are enjoying themselves today. Castillo with that diving catch, too.
Maybe they got the message from the Delgado “head clearing”? Time for some to step up and fight and others to protect. (And then there’s Jose.)
1 more run will do, not agree just would make life a little easier
Notice theyve cut out the Giuseppe Franco commercial today. Maybe he was bad karma since he charged people 450$ for something they can get for 20 bucks
cant watch the game on sny, have they not shown him yet in tonights entire broadcast?
that’s always confused me…why should we listen to someone who so blatantly rips off his customers.
good call. I did notice that.
perhaps his contract ran through memorial day.
HUH? There have been like 6 Giuseppe ads today/
another hit……by a sub….
no delgado = better team.
no delgado=better team chemistry
i dont buy it
You don’t have to. Willie’s giving it out for free!
Come on, lets bring all these home. LGM.
P.S. That was not an error.
thats actually a smart play by chavez
we have speed here, lets use it, a la 80’s Cards
That was a GREAT Jose impression by Endy!–sheesh!
im sorry we are up by 2 and as i said before i am not greedy but if we do not score one run here, i will be upset
speed puts pressure on the defense, I.E
thats awful,
all im asking for is one run with the 3/4 hitters up
Why did Castillo let a 2-0 outside pitch go by for a strike, which is in his wheelhouse?
I hate seeing this guy let hitable pitches go by numerous times per game. And in a hitters count!!!!
After throwing a wild pitch? That was far from right down the middle. It was a questionable strike at that.
you’re still here? Figured you’d be on your way to Shea ready to give Castillo his post game rub down.
Real mature there buddy, too busy thinking about that handjob you were giving me?
Again, you are the one that has a problem. I am defending that a guy is an average role player and you can’t seem to accept that. That’s just silly.
can someone go kidnap delgado, then release him when the season is over? this is the only way willie would not play him
tonight is a very strange time for that comment.
i hope we see either tatis or evans at 1B tomorrow…
Admitedly Castillo has to do more there. At least get on.
C’mon Davis…bust this whole hangup vs righties right here!!!
*David
2 words
LOS METS
1 word
Trash.
go figure.
WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THE RUN ON CONTACT AT THIRD PLAY!!!! COMON WILLY WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!!!
You think Willie called that? What would be the purpose in that? That was all on instinct by Endy.
Willie did call it when it happened to Beltran–doubtful here, since Willie’s explanation last time was basically that Delgado will ground out there, but its not like it is completely unprecedented.
Endy almost got picked off 5 minutes ago and now got doubled off there. Overanxious and not smart play at all.
Wow, this is getting ridiculous. I a quarter of the season i don’t think i’ve ever seen this many hard hit balls that seem to somehow find a fielder. This better all even out later on in the year.
Why on earth is Chavez running on contact there?
Yes bad luck but come on, why even have a lead there?
Because that’s the new Mets move. He learned it by watching Beltran!
I’ve never seen that happen to a team as much as I’ve seen it happen to the Mets
I am worried about David–not about baseball but about his mental health. Guy really takes it hard, which is nice to see, but man that open sports psych position can use a taker.
And the winner for most line drives caught leading to double plays is….The New York Mets. Congrats boys you won something. Its the story of May for this team. Unreal, its a damn replay
LETS GO BILLY CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
LETS GO BILLY CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
LETS GO BILLY CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
2 and 3rd with nobody out and no runs score: 2008 Mets…watch billy blow his second in a row
Way to root your team on.
it’s like they want it to happen, and they won’t even really be happy when Billy DOES get through this inning, it’ll be, well, he’s supposed to do that.
not tonight buddy
f you
even if endy didn’t get doubled off, does anybody think that beltran would have drove that run home?
Sure, why not? It’s not like this has been the typical night.
Seriously dude, its called baseball. So Endy should stand on third with no lead and no jump in case someone hits a bullet to the left side of the infield? Come on, there are plenty of other reasons to complain about Willie
You know for all the negativity toward reyes and the praise hanley gets his numbers really aren’t that far behind Hanley. Reyes is hitting 20 points less in average. same number of RBI’s. 3 less HR’s. 20 less strikeouts, and 2 more steals.
And Reyes hasn’t even hit any type of hot streak. Although he’s been playing alot better lately. The fielding thing is mental right now, i’m not worried. He’ll get over it.
i was thinking the same thing and reyes hit s lead off
woooooo!!!!!!
5.5 games back and 2 games under .500
we are almost there. Good win 2night
LETS GO METS!!!!!!!!!
this camera angle sny is putting for every pitch behind homeplate is cool once in a while but every pitch come on.
I know , it was getting annoying
nice bounce back wags. i will take it.
suh-weet.
lord have mercy, that was great, team effort
If nothing else we’ve got a winning record against the 1st place team in our division.
Nice Win!
Now tommarow is important. In the words of Lou Brown (manager in major league 1 and 2) “we win tommarow thats called a winning streak”
keith is the man
Who needs Del-God-No??
Excellent win. Tomorrow is even more important.
Maybe this is the turnin……….nevermind.
great game.. I think Delgado’s days are numbered. I have a feeling they are going to take a good look at how this team can play without him. Once church is back and Alou.. This team could roll again. He just might of been the problem all along..
it wasnt pretty (reyes error, santana wild pitches, wright DP), but i enjoyed watching the mets get ahead and continue to tack on runs. good effort, boys. tatis needs to see more playing time
Anyone else hate the SNY camera work tonight? Used that behind the plate camera WAY too much. Also what the hell did they do at the end there? They showed Cantu’s head but not the pitch.
eh cut them a break, they were heavy on the camera because keith was down there, which i thought was an interesting take on the broadcast
alright. good win. need another tomorrow.
Timely hitting
Energy
Solid defense (props to Castillo)
a shutdown bullpen night
I feel like we watched a different team.
olson is pitching tomorrow so willie needs to put the same line- up
castro needs to play against lefties and the same goes for tatis
good job, WIllie
willie on johan: “he battled” UGHHHHHHHHHHHH
One final thought for Danny1986.
First let me start out by saying that Church is a much better player than Castillo. He will be sucessful no matter where he hits in the lineup.
However, one of Danny’s great points is that because of Church’s much higher OPS that he is in scoring position much more than Castillo. That is why he has scored as many runs. It’s not the scoring position it’s the HR and the guys behind him.
Look at this
Church has only been in scoring position immediately after a hit 9 times.
Castillo has been on 2nd base after a hit at least 13 times counting his SB.
Again, what does that show? 3 things
1) obviously Church is a better overall hitter than Castillo duh.
2) Church is a much better run producer than Castillo
3) Castillo is a table setter and gets in scoring position as well as anyone else on the team.
castillo is also more likely to hit into double plays because he pounds balls into the ground and doesn’t run well enough any more. and those double plays are devastating.
castillo’s OBP is best suited to neither 2nd nor 8th but 9th or 1st. he should be on base for the higher slugging reyes.
I have many great points. Many bad ones as well.
1) agreed
2) agreed
3) might be true. But he ain’t phuking scoring buddy.
If they gave rings to teams with the highest OBP, The A’s would be competing for a championship many times over the past 10 years. But teams that score runs win championships.
Having a slap hitting station-to-station #2 hitter IS NOT HELPING this team score runs. Whether it is driectly or indirectly Luis Castillo’s fault is not the point. It is what it is…and it has been this way ever since he came on board.
Having a #2 hitter who drives the ball, is able to get Reyes from 1st to 3rd, extends the field, and can drive in a run on a hitter’s count is what will help this team score runs and win ball games. We witnessed this when Church was hitting between Reyes and Wright. And despite whatever convnetional wisdom you want to throw around by paraphrasing Bill James, this is what we see and know.
I’m not arguing this anymore.
Again, do you honestly think that Church can make more of an impact following Castillo, Pitcher, Reyes.
Or
Castillo, Wright, Beltran.
To me that’s an easy one.
You want to point out what he can do when Reyes is on. Reyes should be on 3rd if he gets on and Castillo is up either way.
What happens the other 70% of the time when Reyes is not on base? Church’s hit is wasted.
It’s about making the lineup stronger top to bottom.
The reason you are not arguing this point anymore is because you have yet to start. You just throw a bunch of insults around and look for a handjob or two. You must be about 17 years old.
How many stats have you used to prove your point? 1 that Church has scored a lot of runs, well duh. He’s a better hitter. That does nothing to show if it makes the entire lineup better.
He has more RBI’s from the #5 spot in less Ab’s. Don’t you want him to drive in runs? After all runs win championships?
My answer is yes.
How?
Look, Church is a great hitter but its still about getting the best out of the lineup you have top to bottom. You want to use Castillo in the 8 spot, he has been terrible there this year.
.189 and .302 BA and OBP.
From the 2 spot he is
.280 and .374.
Church’s numbers fromt the 5 and 2 spot are almost identical. He is just a really good hitter no matter where you put him. He scores and produces runs in both spots.
Castillo does not.
Thus the lineup is stronger with Castillo in the 2 spot.
because of what I see with Castillo in the 2 spot, and contrasting that with what I see without him in the 2 spot. It’s on my TV. Not on baseballreference.com.
Again, it’s common sense that Church is a better hitter than Castillo no matter where they hit.
Fact is that Church produces the same out of the 2 and 5 spots while Castillo is much more effective out of the 2 spot.
the lineup is stronger without Castillo in it PERIOD. And it certainly hasn’t proven to be stronger over the past 100 games with him batting 2nd as you suggest.
I would much rather see a second basemen who is not 1-dimensional at the plate in this lineup. And if that means playing Easily and batting him 8th, where he may hit a gap or drive one over the fence every once in a while, excellent. I
If Castillo is just a role player that is no big deal (as you say), than don’t put him in an important role between Reyes and Wright.
SINCE……EASY QUESTION. WHAT WINS MORE BALL GAMES FOR THIS TEAM…. BATTING CASTILLO 2ND OR CHURCH (or someone who can drive the ball) 2ND?
STOP THEORIZING AND STATE WHAT YOU KNOW!!!!!
If you’ve read my posts on this all day from our earlier conversation, you would understand that my point isn’t about Church batting 2nd…its about putting someone there who can promote a 1st-to-3rd style of baseball. b/c that is a style that Castillo does not provide. But if it needs to be Church, so be it. Because that has proven to be more successful than Castillo has in his tenure here. Blame whoever the phuk you want for that…but the fact is this team plays a better offensive game without Castillo batting 2nd.
But you chose to be stubburn and refuse to go back to our previous discussion on another thread. So now I have to lay it all out for you again and deal with you ridiculous argument tactics. It’s tiring and I simply don’t care anymore.
So congrats, you win the war of attrition.
omg get a room you two
Remember that Castro’s original problem last year was arthritis in the back, whatever that means.