Daily Archives: August 12, 2008
Following tonight’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that Carlos Muniz will be optioned back to Triple-A New Orleans, when John Maine is activated from the disabled list.
To watch 
‘s exclusive Post Game Extra, hosted by Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez, including highlights and quotes from last night’s win against the Nationals, click below:
The Mets (63–56) defeated the Nationals (44–76) by the score of 4 to 3 in Washington, D.C., tonight.
For a recap, boxscore, stats, etc., go to SNY.tv.
Go ahead, you can exhale now.
The Mets took a one-run lead in the top of the eighth, at which point, I swear, I could hear the wheels in Jerry Manuel’s head actually turning. But, Jose Smith retired three straight batters, after having let the first hitter of the inning reach base, and Pedro Feliciano set Washington down in order for the save, all while Manuel and Dan Warthen watched on with focused eyes, and Eddie Kunz warmed up in the bullpen. Well done, gentlemen. Way to ‘step up,’ as they say.
In the eighth, with the game tied, and the bases loaded, Damion Easley was grazed on the top of his helmet by a pitch, which brought home David Wright as the deciding run. It hit him, but, even if it hadn’t, Wright would have scored on what would have certainly been a wild pitch to the back stop.
Johan Santana did not look sharp, yet brilliantly managed to navigate through most of the game giving up just three runs in seven innings, despite letting 10 runners reach base.
Carlos Beltran was 3 for 4 with a run scored, and is looking much better, and smaller, at the plate.
L’Millz be the President.
Initially, I was a bit confused when I saw Dan Murphy out of the starting lineup, but, to his credit, Nick Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk, and he would have had a double had Willie Harris not made a sensational catch in left field.
The Mets continue their three-game series against the Nationals tomorrow night in DC, with John Maine (9-7, 4.13 ERA) taking on Jason Bergmann (2-8, 4.13 ERA).
The Game:
The Mets (62-56) begin a three game series against the Nationals (44-75) tonight at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., starting at 7:05 pm.
The Lineup:
- SS Jose Reyes
- LF Nick Evans
- 3B David Wright
- CF Carlos Beltran
- 1B Carlos Delgado
- RF Fernando Tatis
- 2B Damion Easley
- C Ramon Castro
- P Johan Santana
The Pitchers:
LHP Johan Santana (9-7, 2.85 ERA) starts for the Mets. In three career starts versus the Nationals, Santana is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA. He is 4-4 with a 3.30 ERA on the road this season.
LHP Odalis Perez (5-8, 4.10 ERA) starts for the Nationals. Perez is 5-6 with a 4.08 ERA in 18 career games, 11 starts, versus the Mets. In 10 home starts this season, he is 1-4 with a 2.26 ERA.
The Notes:
Jose Reyes was 7-for-30 (.200) with three runs, a double, triple and three stolen bases during the Mets homestand. He has five hits in seven career at-bats versus Perez.
The Mets are 23-20 versus the National League East this season, including 5-4 versus the Nationals.
Joe Smith has retired the first batter he faces in appearance 79% (46-for-58) of the time this season, which leads the Mets bullpen.
Lastings Milledge is batting .388 (19-for-49) with 5 HR and 10 RBI during his current 12 game hitting streak.
The Nationals are 11-51 this season when their opponent scores first.
How To Catch It:
Tonight’s game can be seen locally on SNY and heard 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 |Prior to tonight’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters he may consider moving John Maine, Oliver Perez or Mike Pelfrey in to the bullpen – even after Billy Wagner returns from the disabled list next Monday.
In a post to his blog for the New York Post, Bart Hubbuch writes, “Maine, Perez and Pelfrey all told reporters today they would be OK with a move to the bullpen.”
According to Manuel, the team’s biggest problem right now is finding a pitcher to ‘finish the game.’
…he’s right, in effect, because, by finding a ‘closer,’ it would allow pitchers like Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis, to return to going match-up by match-up, which is what they do best…
Manuel also told reporters that Eddie Kunz will likely serve as the team’s closer tonight, as Aaron Heilman is unavailable.
In a recent update on WFAN, Ed Coleman speculated that Jon Niese could be promoted from Triple-A New Orleans to replace whomever is taken from the rotation and put in the bullpen.
…i wonder how serious jerry is about all of this – or, is he’s simply trying to light a fire beneath the entire pitching staff by making maine, pelfrey and perez freak out a bit so that they put pressure – between teammates - on the bullpen…or, maybe he’s serious…
…either way, he’s thinking outside of the box, as opposed to simply ‘going with his guys,’ as some one used to say…
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According to ESPN.com, ‘a major league source’ is reporting that the Tigers have placed Gary Sheffield on waivers.
Teams have until Thursday afternoon to claim Sheffield, or if he clears waivers, he can be traded to any of the other 29 teams.
Sheffield, who is batting .219 with 10 HR and 33 RBI in 76 games, has one year remaining on his contract at $14 million.
…i know sheffield is not the middle relief help the Mets need right now but he is definitely the right-handed outfield bat we need in the lineup…if there is a time to pick up sheffield, it is when he has something to prove and i say take a shot…although the following year price tag worries me…
I wrote a column today on SNY.tv discussing potential bullpen solutions with Billy Wagner out, but I found a couple of interesting stats in the process.
- Since Wagner last pitched on Aug. 2, Aaron Heilman has allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings over five appearances and Joe Smith has allowed four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings over five appearances.
- Meanwhile, Duaner Sanchez, Scott Schoeneweis and Pedro Feliciano have combined to throw 10 1/3 innings while allowing only two earned runs on eight hits, two walks, and one hit batsman over the same span.
Of course, these stats can be taken in any number of ways:
- Proof that stats can be misleading, because anyone with eyes knows the whole bullpen is at fault.
- Proof that Jerry Manuel must be misusing his bullpen by trotting out his least successful relievers so frequently.
- Proof of nothing but a very small sample size.
Another potentially interesting stat – Smith is 0-2 with a 11.74 ERA with seven walks in 7 2/3 innings spaced out over 14 appearances since the All-Star Break, and has options remaining on his contract.
For my take on the bullpen situation, check out my column here.
I recently talked with Heath Bell about bullpen roles, which you can watch here:
For Part 1 of my talk with Bell, during which we discuss his favorite moments at Shea Stadium, click here.
Tagged Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Heath Bell, Joe Smith, Scott Schoeneweis, Ted Berg |In a post to Baseball Prospectus, David Laurila spent five minutes with 21–year-old Brooklyn 1B Ike Davis.
Davis, on playing in New York, not Atlanta, whose compensatory pick the Mets used to draft him, as quoted by Laurila:
“It would be a lot different. I don’t know where their minor league system is, but I wouldn’t be up here in New England right now, and I don’t know their rules. But it would have been cool either way. I’m really excited that the Mets drafted me. It’s a big organization and they like to win; they try to do everything they can to win.”
Among other things, Laurila asks Davis about who he best compares to, what is his approach at the plate, hitting lefties compared to righties, and advice from his father, who was a former major-league pitcher.
In a post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes:
“The Mets had no interest in Adam Dunn, who was traded Monday from Cincinnati to Arizona…The Mets, internally, had the same feeling about Dunn that many organizations have: That he has some overt skills, namely power and the ability to draw a walk, but that he is a poor defender, strikes out a ton, and they wonder about his passion to play and drive to be a championship player.”
…it remains to be seen yet who the D’Backs actually gave up to get dunn, so it’s hard to assess whether the Mets could even have afforded him…that said, it’s a moot point whether the Mets liked him or not, since the option to claim a player from waivers starts at the bottom of the NL Standings, so the Mets never had the opportunity…
Also on his blog, Sherman writes about a quick conversation that recently took place between Eddie Kunz and VP of Player Development Tony Bernazard, which suggests that the rookie reliever will soon see some significant innings for the Mets.
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Tigers have signed free-agent RHP Freddy 
Garcia.
…from what i can gather, garcia had dropped from the Mets radar early this week, though i am not sure how serious they ever were in signing him to begin with…which is a good thing, because another old, on-the-rebound starting pitcher is the last thing the Mets need…
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