Daily Archives: June 2, 2008
The Game:
The Mets (28-27) begin a three-games series versus the Giants (24-33) tonight at AT&T Park in San Francisco, starting at 10:15 pm EST.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- 2B Luis Castillo
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- RF Ryan Church
- LF Fernando Tatis
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- C Ramon Castro
- P Oliver Perez
The Pitchers:
LHP Oliver Perez (4-3, 4.83 ERA) starts for the Mets. Perez earned his second straight no-decision in last start on May 28 versis the Marlins allowing five runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over 6.0 IP. Perez leads the National League in walks with 41. He is 0-4 with a 5.83 ERA in eight career starts versus the Giants.
LHP Jonathan Sanchez (3-3, 4.26 ERA) takes the hill for the Giants. In his last start on May 28 versus the Diamondbacks, Sanchez earned his third win of the season allowing two runs on six hits and three walks through 6.0 IP while striking out six. The Giants are 8-3 in his 11 starts this season. This is his first career start versus the Mets.
The Notes:
Jose Reyes has reached base safely in 32 consecutive games, which is one shy of the single season record set by Darryl Strawberry in 1987. Reyes also has a current 17-game hitting streak in which is batting .338 (25-for-74).
Scott Schoeneweis has only allowed one run in his last 18.1 IP (0.49 ERA).
The Mets are 13-6 versus left-handed starters this season.
Aaron Rowand is batting .441 (15-for-34) with 1 2B, 3 HR and 13 RBI during his current nine-game hitting streak. He is 4-for-13 (.308) in his career versus Perez.
The Giants are 10-22 versus clubs outside the National League West.
How To Catch It:
Today’s game can be seen locally on
and heard locally on WFAN.
The Bleachers:
For a live chat, head over to The Hot Foot Bleachers.
…enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets…
Tagged Mike Nichols |
In an article for ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch describes how the Mets have a good chance to restock their depleted farm system with young talent during Thursday’s MLB draft.
The Mets hold the 18th, 22nd, and 33rd selections.
On deciding whether to pursue pitchers or position players, Omar Minaya said:
“We’re going after the best available players. That’s going to come first.”
…the Mets have done pretty well with their first round selections in recent years, but have had a tougher time letting those players grow within their system…i just hope that their philosophy is now geared more towards nurturing home-grown talent rather than buying older players…
According to the Associated Press, OF Raul Gonzalez agreed to a minor league contract.
The 34-year-old Gonzalez, who played for the Mets in 2002 and 2003, will go to extended spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., then report to Triple-A New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League.
…oh boy, every one pre-order your jersey…
Over at the baseball blog for the New York Times, Charlie Nobles catches up with the rehabbing Jose Valentin.
According to Nobles, Valentin, who had been rehabbing a knee injury, but is now nursing a sore elbow, has been frustrated watching the Mets from the sidelines and believes he can help the team reach their potential.
…while i admire valentin’s work ethic and dedication, and by all accounts he is a great veteran presence in the Mets clubhouse, i have no interest in seeing valentin be apart of the Mets 25-man roster…this team needs to get younger, not older…and, adding a 38-year old coming off knee surgery looking to reclaim what he did two years ago is not the way to get younger…
…i’d rather see the Mets give a guy like Val Pascucci – or one of their higher ceiling minor leaguers – a chance, than give another opportunity to a aging retread….
Tagged Mike Nichols |Using PECOTA projections, the most recent post-season odds from Baseball Prospectus state the Mets have a 51% chance of winning the National League East and a 65% percent of making the playoffs.
Only the Cubs have a higher chance of making the playoffs (85%).
In addition, the projections, which change on a daily basis, list the Mets finishing the season with a 91-70 record.
If the Mets are to finish the season 91-70, they will need to win 63 of their remaining 107 games.
Tagged Mike Nichols |
Val Pascucci is hitting .288 with a 1.065 OPS since signing with the Mets and joining Triple-A New Orleans.
Pascucci has more home runs in 32 games with the Zephyrs than the total produced by Mets left fielders and first basemen in 2008.
Ted Berg: You’ve been hitting pretty well down there lately.
Val Pascucci: Yeah, it’s been going alright. I’ve had a few home runs lately and a couple came off my Albuquerque team from last year, so it was kind of fun to get back at those guys.
Ted Berg: Your numbers have really picked up since you’ve joined New Orleans. Did the change of scenery help?
Val Pascucci: Maybe the change of scenery was good. I felt like I was hitting the ball hard over there with the Phillies, but sometimes baseball goes like that. You’re hitting well, you’re doing well, but the team was losing; it was a tough place to play. It was cold at the beginning of the season, but I always try to do the same thing — drive the ball hard up the middle and have good at-bats. I’ve been doing the same since I’ve been down here (in New Orleans) and just had some more luck.
Ted Berg: When you join an organization, do you look at its needs? Do you look up and down the roster?
Val Pascucci: A little bit. You try to figure out where to go, where you could maybe help a team win. Every offseason you try to find where you’re going to fit in the best, and the Mets seemed to have a need. I had a relationship before with Omar Minaya and some of those guys from the Expos. Hopefully they give me a call sometime to help them out, if they make that decision.
Ted Berg: You’ve had exceptional stats in Triple-A for several years now. Does it ever get frustrating that you’ve seen so little Major League action?
Val Pascucci: I don’t know if the word is frustrated. You can’t really control it; the GMs and managers and everybody else make those decisions. The only thing you can control is what you do on the field, so you just try to do your best and try to put up numbers, and hope someone takes notice. I mean, obviously every player wants to get to the big leagues. Me, I left after the ’04 season and played in Japan for two years. Coming back, obviously my goal is to get back to the big leagues and have some success there.
Ted Berg: Is the game any different over there?
Val Pascucci: A little bit. You’ve got to get used to the way guys play. There’s a lot of bunting over there. They pitch a little different — all their pitchers have offspeed pitches they throw for strikes, any count, any time they’ll throw you that stuff. The fans are pretty involved over there, they’re into every game and every player has a chant or song with your name in it for when you come to the plate.
Ted Berg: Did you have one?
Val Pascucci: Yeah, I did…It was a chant, they’d say like, ‘Val! Val Pascucci!,’ and it went on.
…to watch the chant on YouTube, click play below…
Ted Berg: I’m trying to start a movement here. What do you think might endear you to the New York fans.Val Pascucci: Different people have always talked about my name…It’s a big-league name. But hopefully, I could gain fan support if they see me play. Try to win them over.
Ted Berg: Any nicknames?
Val Pascucci: Scooch has always been in there, from Pascucci. And the Boss has come around a few times – I guess everyone talks about my Italian side and ties it into all that.
Ted Berg: Did anyone tell you that you got mentioned on the pre-game show on Wednesday?
Val Pascucci: No, I hadn’t heard that.
Ted Berg: I’ve been making such a stink around the office about how you’d be a good fit for the team, that my colleague Matt Cerrone mentioned your name in a list of potential solutions. So hopefully it starts to catch on.
Val Pascucci: I hope so! I appreciate the support.
…added to by Matthew Cerrone…
…awesome job, ted…to me, he’s hot right now…he’s obviously seeing the ball well, and so if the Mets need a bat with power off the bench, which they do, it would make sense to capitalize on pascucci’s hot hand…i mean, Raul Casanova is basically on the bench as a bat, not a back-up catcher, with the way Willie Randolph has used him, and i have to think ‘scooch’ would be a better option in that role…
To read more on Pascucci, check out Berg’s column at SNY.tv, in which he further profiles the 29–year-old outfielder.
Tagged Ted Berg, Val Pascucci, Valentino Pascucci |
According to Ken Rosenthal, in his latest video report for FoxSports.com, the Braves recently contacted the A’s about Joe Blanton, “but do not come close to meeting Oakland’s price.”
Rosenthal reports that it will take ‘a knock-out offer’ to get Blanton or Rich Harden.
In his latest Rumblings & Grumblings for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark wrote that the Braves are open to bringing back Greg Maddux, who is currently on the Padres.
…so, the Braves are apparently looking for a starting pitcher…because i love the drama, there is something quite intriguing about having the opportunity to beat down maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz…
According to Stark, Nate Robertson, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn could all be available as the July 31 trade deadline moves closer.
On WFAN’s mid-day show, hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts suggested the Mets trade Aaron Heilman to the Yankees for 1B-OF Shelly Duncan.
This is a terrible, terrible suggestion.
Heilman has been shaky, but he can still be sent to the minors without having to clear waivers, and so trading him for a 28–
year-old loose cannon who is hitting .161 with a one home run makes very little sense to me.
If the Mets need an outfield bat with power, who can also play first base, and would not cost them a young pitcher like Heilman, they should promote Val Pascucci or Chris Aguila from Triple-A New Orleans.
The 29–year-old Pascucci is hitting .288 with 11 home runs and 25 RBI in 32 games since joining the Zephyrs, during which he has drawn 22 walks, while striking out 29 times, in 111 at bats.
The 29–year-old Aguila, who spent time with the Marlins the last few years, is hitting .293 in 54 games for New Orleans with 14 home runs and 27 RBI.
Against left-handed pitching, Aguila is batting .333, while Pascucci is batting .364.
I would much rather see the Mets demote Nick Evans, who is clearly overmatched, while promoting Pascucci or Aguila.
Neither player is on the 40–man roster - but, according to MLB.com, the Mets have two slots available to be used.
By the way, later today on MetsBlog.com, SNY’s Ted Berg will post a Q&A he recently did with Pascucci for an article he wrote for SNY.tv, which you can read by clicking here.
Tagged Val Pascucci, Valentino Pascucci |Jose Reyes has hit safely in 17 straight 
games, during which he is batting .338 with five home runs, 11 RBI and a .383 OBP in 82 plate appearances while raising his overall average from .258 to .284 on the year.
He is now on pace to finish the season batting roughly .285 with 20 or so home runs, around 80 RBI and 55 stolen bases.
…like the rest of the team, it looks like reyes is relaxed, believing in himself and having fun…
In an article for the New York Post, Mike Vaccaro talks with Willie Randolph about Reyes’s turn around.
The Mets were forced to move yesterday’s game from 1 pm to 8 pm to accommodate ESPN.
After last night’s game, the Mets then had 
to pack up and fly to California around midnight EDT to play a game in San Francisco tonight at 10 pm EDT, which is not right.
The Mets are currently in the middle of 21 straight games without an off day, which will end next Monday following a four-game series with the Padres.
During the 21 days, the Mets will have traveled to Atlanta from New York, from Atlanta to Colorado, from Colorado to New York, from New York to California and back to New York.
Following the game, Willie Randolph told reporters:
“I’ve always been an advocate of more off-days and shortening the season, if possible. It’s a grind, man, and that’s why you see a lot of injuries and why you see subpar performances at times. They need to look at that, really look at the way TV is taking over, when you play at certain times, changing time zones rapidly. You’d get better baseball and a healthier product and probably a better game.”
…travel is part of the game, and every team has to do it…so, it probably all comes out fair…however, the last-minute ESPN and FOX edicts are a bit much…in the case of the Mets today, it’s a bit unfair to force them to adjust their schedule given the cross-country flight that was awaiting them…in these cases, the team’s should have the right to refuse, especially when it forces the team to cancel the Mets DynaDash, as it did…
For more on the team’s travel schedule, and the role it may be playing in their performance, check out reporters for MLB.com, the Journal News, Bergen Record and the Daily News.
← Older posts
