Daily Archives: August 20, 2008
On his blog for ESPN 1050, SportsClicker, citing the player’s agent, Bean Stringfellow, Andrew Marchand writes:
“The best case scenario for Billy Wagner even considering returning to the Mets is
three weeks.”
According to Marchand, citing a ‘source,’ if the Mets turn to Triple-A for a call up, ‘their first choice could be Bobby Parnell.’
…first off, any time i get to write ‘Bean Stringfellow,’ it’s a good day…
…lastly, three weeks…this is pretty much what i deduced this morning, just using a bit of logic…but, damn, to see it in print from wagner’s agent makes it hurt a little bit more…
In a few moments, I will be leaving for Shea Stadium to attend tonight’s game with John 
Keegan, who is a very good friend and the man behind PressHarbor.
Before the game, thanks to SNY, I am hoping to spend a few minutes talking with a starting pitcher, for a Q&A that should eventually appear on MetsBlog.
So, expect random, off-beat, misspelled blog posts about Shea Stadium, sent from my Blackberry, as I wait around.
My goal is to talk with some one about the pressures of pitching in NYC during a pennant race, as well as player, media and fan expectations. So, if you have any questions that you feel fit in with this line of thinking, let me know in the comments section.
Tagged Shea Stadium |The following video is of Omar Minaya, during his appearance yesterday on Daily News Live:
So far today, I have been sent 13 e-mails saying SI.com is reporting that the Mets are trying to trade for Mariners RHP Carlos Silva.
In reality, SI.com is simply linking to a report about Silva, which speculates that the Mariners would love to unload his salary.
According to the referenced report in the Pioneer Press, citing ‘the word in baseball circles,’ ‘Silva has been lost without pal Johan Santana,’ leading the reporter to write:
“Don’t think the Mariners wouldn’t love to unload the right-hander, who has a $48 million, four-year guaranteed contract, on the Mets so he could rejoin Santana.”
What’s worse, SI.com titled their blog post, “Potential Mariners-Mets deal,” and so I can understand why some people would deduce that, well, there is a potential deal with the Mets.
The thing is, there is nothing in the Pioneer Press that would suggest any such deal is likely to happen, or is even being talked about. The writer is simply speculating that the M’s would ‘love to’ dump Silva’s salary, and that the Mets would be a good fit because Santana and Silva were once friends – as if that is how the Mets determine who is and isn’t a good fit for their staff.
Oh, by the way, Silva is on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Jerry Manuel essentially told reporters that he will not use one of his starting pitchers as a replacement for Billy Wagner as the team’s closer, adding:
“John Maine was really a guy I was thinking about, but I think he needs more rest. He needs those days off more than he needs to be a bullpen guy right now. I thought I’d see it a little differently when he came back, but the days off do him a lot of good.”
Meanwhile, according to Manuel, Oliver Perez has been pitching too well to remove him from the rotation, and he does not feel Mike Pelfrey has enough experience to handle the adjustment in the middle of a pennant race.
Nevertheless, in the New York Post, Joel Sherman explains why Pelfrey would be the ideal candidate, writing, “He has the best combination of skills to re-enact for the Mets what Chamberlain did for the Yankees last year: essentially flip from the rotation to address an area eating at both the Mets’ confidence and success.”
By the way, the Mets are 12–3 in Pelfrey’s last 15 starts.
Tagged Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez |In a report for the Star-Ledger, Dan Graziano explains why the Mets bullpen is not built for October, saying, “It’s one thing to get Omar Infante out in the ninth inning. It’s quite another when it’s Manny Ramirez or Prince Fielder or Alfonso Soriano or…well, you get the idea.”
…well, Scott Schoeneweis did get Chipper Jones out in the ninth 
last night, not just infante, and, fortunately, not every hitter in every lineup is Manny Ramirez, though dan still makes a good point…
That said, I am getting a lot of e-mail from people demanding that the Mets acquire a relief pitcher, or, ‘Go get a closer,’ as if it is this simple. I mean, there are two or three elite closers in the game, and every team is always looking to acquire one – yet, some how, people want Omar Minaya to steal one during a pennant race.
From what I can gather, the Mets are not confident in their ability to acquire any sort of relief pitcher before September 1, let alone another team’s established closer.
This has less to do with the Mets, who are willing to make a deal, and most everything to to do with a) the market, and b) the fact that the Phillies or Marlins will likely block any such impactful acquisition from getting to Minaya.
Minaya, on making a trade, speaking to reporters, said:
“The reality is true, proven guys are not going to get through…I believe we’ve got guys in (the locker room) who are going to step up. The best answer’s in that room.”
In my opinion, the Mets should probably look to sign free-agent RHP Al Reyes, who was released outright by the Rays, after he refused to accept an assignment to the minor leagues.
In 26 relief appearances for the Rays, Reyes had a 4.37 ERA while striking out 19 batters and walking 10 in 22 innings.
Nevertheless, according to Joel Sherman in the New York Post, 
“Most relievers who have passed through waivers (think Milwaukee’s Eric Gagne and David Riske, and Baltimore’s Jamie Walker) do not entice the Mets.”
However, Sherman adds, “Cincinnati’s David Weathers intrigues the Mets,” but will probably cost Minaya ‘a player like Nick Evans.’
In 56 appearances for the Reds this season, Weathers is 2–5 with a 3.33 ERA, during which opponents are batting .277 against him.
He has not ended a season with an ERA over 4.00 since 2004.
[poll id="162"]
Tagged Omar Minaya |
The inflammation in Billy Wagner’s left elbow has gotten worse, according to a team announcement yesterday, meaning he will need more rest before he can throw again.
Wagner told reporters prior to yesterday’s game that doctors have said he could possibly have a tear in the tendon in his elbow.
Wagner, on his elbow, and situation, said:
“I want to compete. There’s only so much time in a career, and I want to get out there and help my teammates. We’re in a great situation, leading our division. We’ve got a great chance to go to the playoffs; you want to be part of that. I’m very frustrated. There’s not much to do.”
The problem, from what I can gather, is that the team and Wagner have no true idea of what the problem is, because they are able to get a true read of the elbow due to the swelling.
In other words, every one is on stand-by until the swelling goes down, and nobody knows how long that will take.
That said, it would seem to me, let’s say it takes another week to get Wagner back in an MRI, and, let’s say, everything looks great, everything is fine, he’ll still need to rehab again, get back in to a program, pitch in a rehab game, etc., meaning, at best, I’m guessing he’ll be out through at least the next couple weeks.
Last night, starting in left field against a left-
handed pitcher, Nick Evans had two hits in three at bats while walking once.
In 47 at bats against left-handed pitching, the 22–year-old Evans is batting .362 with seven doubles in 22 games for the Mets.
Meanwhile, Daniel Murphy is batting .400 in 40 at bats against right-handed pitchers.
Jerry Manuel, regarding Evans, while speaking to reporters following last night’s win against the Braves:
“Nick Evans and Dan Murphy have really provided us a tremendous spark in left field.
“Out of the two guys, Nick probably has the most power, which we’ve yet to see. He’s going to be a very good right-handed hitter. It’s tough to bring along good, young, right-handed hitters, but he has a chance to be a real good right-handed hitter with power. I don’t have any problem with him playing left field against lefties. I wish I could find him more at bats against right-handed pitchers, but he’s been very good for us in the role that he’s played. Tremendous.”
Together, Murphy and Evans have combined to hit .313 in 99 at bats while starting in left field.
In the bottom of the eighth, with one out, and the Mets down one 
run, having had just one hit in the previous six innings, the Mets sent 13 hitters to the plate and scored five runs on three walks, two singles and two doubles.
Jerry Manuel, on scoring late, while speaking to reporters after the win, said:
“That was huge for us. We have not, as a whole, been able to execute in bases-loaded situations. So, for them to come through and get two hits in those situations was hueg for us – especially at that time in the game.”
Of course, the Mets were able to score these runs in the eighth inning because now they care – they have passion – they have heart. As opposed to in the beginning of the season, when they couldn’t score late, and they obviously didn’t ‘have heart.’
Or, is it that they had no passion last night in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but then miraculously found it in the eighth, allowing them to score five runs?
Yes, I’m being sarcastic.
The Point is, while passion is important, it is not the end-all, be-all argument for when a team is not playing well – meaning, at the same time, it cannot be the end-all, be-all argument for when a team is playing well.
Last night, in a win against the Braves, Oliver Perez let up three runs – all in one inning – while giving up seven hits, striking out three and walking five through 6.1 innings.
The Mets are 10–3 in his last 13 starts, during which he is 5–3 with a 1.94 ERA.
Perez, speaking to reporters following last night’s game, said:
“Today was one of those days I wasn’t making pitches, but that’s the day you have to just go out and compete and win the game…I was trying to throw the ball down the middle. I don’t like to walk people, but I was just trying to make pitches and throw it there because the walks are the bad part for the pitcher.”
For me, what is most encouraging, is that, unlike earlier in the season, he is keeping the game together and getting through the occasional jam – as opposed to coming totally unglued as he had been infamous for doing.
Tagged Oliver Perez | ← Older postsNewer posts →
