Daily Archives: May 8, 2009
Tonight’s Game:
The Mets (14-13, 8-6 Home) begin a weekend series versus the Pirates (12-16, 5-9 Road) tonight at Citi Field, starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
On the Mound:
- LHP Jon Niese (0-0, — ERA) will start for the Mets. In his last start on May 1 for Triple-A Buffalo, a no-decision, Niese allowed one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out eight over 6.0 IP. Niese, who was 1-1 with a 7.07 ERA in three starts for the Mets last season, is making his season debut and his first career start versus the Pirates.
- RHP Jeff Karstens (1-1, 5.85 ERA) will pitch for the Pirates. Karstens took the loss in his last start on May 3 versus the Reds, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits and four walks, while striking out one over 5.0 IP. He is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in one career start versus the Mets.
At the Plate:
- Jose Reyes, SS
- Luis Castillo, 2B
- Carlos Beltran, CF
- Carlos Delgado, 1B
- David Wright, 3B
- Daniel Murphy, LF
- Omir Santos, C
- Ryan Church, RF
- Jon Niese, P
Tonight’s Broadcast:
- Tonight’s game will be broadcast locally on SNY and heard on WFAN.
Enjoy, and as always, Let’s Go Mets!
Ryan Church will start in right field, but will bat eighth in the batting order.
Jose Reyes will bat leadoff, followed in order by Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Omir Santos, Church and Jon Niese
Church is hitless in his last last 10 at bats, and is batting .128 since April 17.
Tagged Ryan Church |In the last seven days, David Wright is batting .417 with five extra base hits, seven RBI, six walks and two stolen bases.
“I think David is turning the corner,” Jerry Manuel told reporters following yesterday’s game, during which Wright was 3 for 3, including a home run to center field. “To hit a ball out of center field in this park, means you’re doing a lot of things right.”
Wright is batting .316 this season with runners on base, .263 with runners in scoring position, and 
just .190 with runners in scoring position with two outs.
Meanwhile, Jose Reyes is batting just .103 in the last seven days, during which he has scored just three runs.
“Jose hasn’t been quite right for a week or so, David has been in and out and Carlos Delgado has been hurt,” Manuel said. “At some point they’ll heat up and that’ll be the time I feel like we’re getting ready to turn the corner.”
Manuel talks often about if the team is getting consistent production from two of Wright, Reyes, Delgado and Carlos Beltran then the offense will be in good shape.
At eBay, you can snag a copy of the Daily News from 1986, which depicts the Mets’ World Series victory.
The Disgruntled Mets Fan is giving away signed baseballs from Jesse Orosco and Ron Darling.
The site Philly Burbs describes what Jamie Moyer does after an upsetting start.
…from home it looks like he’s pitching batting practice, but finally the Mets treated him like it was…
The Mets Police revisit an excellent Mother’s Day story regarding Pedro Martinez, and Mr. Met.
Along with Matt, you can now follow me at Twitter as well.
…finally caved, but i just won’t do facebook…for my purposes, both seem rather silly to me…
Jon Niese will make his first start of the season tonight, in place of Oliver Perez, who was recently put on the disabled list.
The 23–year-old Niese was 0–2 in five starts in Triple-A this season, with a 6.55 ERA.
However, he allowed one run and three hits in six innings, while striking out eight, during his last start against Triple-A Louisville.
“I had a rough start,” Niese is told the Daily News. “You can’t go around that. But I figured things out working on my bullpens, trying to pound the ball in the zone, and I tried to incorporate into my last outing and was successful.”
In three starts last season for the Mets, Niese was 1–1 with a 7.07 ERA in 14 innings, during which opponents hit .333.
In today’s New York Baseball Today, SNY.tv’s Ted Berg and Tom Boorstein discuss Batting Average on Balls in Play, and how it relates to tonight’s Mets and Yankees starters: Jonathan Niese and CC Sabathia.
To watch today’s NYBT, click play below:
Tagged SNY |
SNY’s Ask the Booth inbox gets a wide variety of e-mails, from reasonable baseball questions for Ron Darling to unmentionable personal questions for Keith Hernandez.
Sorting through them is a chore, but one that pays off big time when you come across something like the following picture, sent in by Daniel Murphy‘s former classmate Kara.
Why does it say ‘Insurance Person’ under the photo? Because that’s what he said he wanted to be when he grew up.
Here is a brief Q&A I conducted with Murphy, who gave MetsBlog permission to use the photograph:
Ted Berg: You wanted to be an insurance person?
Daniel Murphy: That’s all I could think of. You know, I was 11.
Ted Berg: Do you find it ironic at all, that — when every fifth grader in the world wants to be a baseball player when they grow up – you said, “Insurance Person?”
Daniel Murphy: I’m more of a realist.
Ted Berg: But here you are.
Daniel Murphy: Here I am.
Ted Berg: So what happened?
Howard Megdal: Was this your fallback?
Daniel Murphy: I think it was the next year I decided I wanted to be a baseball player.
Ted Berg: There’s a sense about you among Mets fans about your businesslike approach to the game – it’s almost a cliche at this point. So when I saw that picture I thought, man, this is perfect. This guy meant business in the fifth grade. Do you think there’s something about you that makes people think that way, and is it the same thing that made you say you wanted to be an insurance person?
Daniel Murphy: That was just the first thing I slopped out. They snuck it up on us for the yearbook, I think. My mom worked in business – she worked in insurance, so that’s where that came from. The business approach? I don’t know. Do you take your job seriously?
Ted Berg: Vaguely. Probably not like you do.
Daniel Murphy: I’d say you do, just more people watch me. I mean, I have fun. You know, Delgado makes that play [Wednesday] and everybody’s cheering him, I’m laughing out in left field because I know what it’s like. I’m working hard and I feel like I’m getting a lot more comfortable, and I take the game seriously because it’s my form of work, but I’m going to have fun. Fans aren’t able to hang out with me outside the stadium…
Ted Berg: No, no – it’s a very reverential thing.
Daniel Murphy: Well, it’s easy on this team. You fall in line.
Ted Berg: What about the safety patrol badge? How’d you get that?
Daniel Murphy: I’m smart, brother. Only about twenty kids in the grade get that.
Tagged Ted Berg |
Hanley Ramirez belted two solo home runs, but that was all the scoring Jair Jurrjens would allow as the Braves beat the Marlins once again on Thursday, 4-2.
Jurrjens tossed 7 strong innings while allowing just 3 hits and striking out 4. Casey Kotchman collected 3 hits, including a home run, and drove in 2 to lead the Atlanta offense.
…Do you think the Tigers are regretting the trade that sent Jurrjens to the Braves for Edgar Renteria?
Next up for Atlanta is a 3 game series in Philadelphia. Florida heads west to begin play in Colorado.
After giving up 6 first inning runs, the Washington Nationals stormed back to score 11 times over the final four frames en route to a 11-9 victory over the Manny-less LA Dodgers.
Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 25 games, Anderson Hernandez had 3 hits, and Adam Dunn knocked in 3 to help the Nats put an end to the Dodgers record setting home winning streak.
On Friday, the Nationals continue their road trip against the Diamondbacks. It will be the first game for Arizona under new manager A.J. Hinch.
In other news…Atlanta will get a boost just in time for their series with the Phillies. Catcher Brian McCann will rejoin the Braves and be available to play this weekend in Philadelphia.
…McCann will be sporting his sleek new glasses for the first time with the big club!
And finally…the Nationals continue to try to patch their bullpen together. On Thursday, Washington designated Mike Hinckley for assignment and purchased the contract of Ron Villone from Triple-A Syracuse.
For more news, notes, analysis and statistics from around Major League Baseball, be sure to visit Baseball Daily Digest.
Tagged MetsBlog, News |The Mets are above .500 for the first time since April 18.
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite, because I am so easily swayed in sports.
The thing is, I watch sports to have fun – and, when it isn’t fun, like the first weeks of the season, I panic. I can’t help it. Then, when the team starts winning, I perk up and get totally wrapped up in the winning.
Sports is about emotion, I am more and more convinced of this every day. And so, if things are going badly with the team, I feel angry and annoyed; and when things are going well, I’m happy and pumped up. It’s not complicated.
I guess this isn’t hypocritical, it’s just human nature.
“It’s why it’s not wise to make judgments early,” Francisco Rodriguez told reporters, when asked about the team’s recent 
play. “We’re playing good now. Last week… you know.”
I just hope the Mets ‘keep their foot on the gas,’ as WFAN’s Craig Carton put it this morning on air.
“We’ve always been confident,” David Wright told reporters following yesterday’s win. “Now the big test is in these next games, now that the hype of the Philly series is over, to keep it going.”
Agreed, because it’s moments like this - winning five of six, sweeping the Phillies and Braves, looking strong, getting my hopes up, and moving to within striking distance of first place - when the Mets slip on a banana peel, lose two of three to the Pirates, and stir up panic among fans again.
Last night, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo did a nice job of chasing down Shane Victorino in a pickle between first and second.
However, on the pass from Reyes to Delgado, before the tag, Victorino intentionally elbowed Reyes, and shoved him out of the way, but it was Reyes who got called for interference and so Victorino was ruled safe at second.
To watch the video of this run down, and Victorino throwing elbows, click here, and go to the 20–second mark.
Jerry Manuel went wild, argued yet another call, his third of the night, and was then tossed from the game.
According to the ump, who talked with reporters after the game, Manuel brushed his hat with the bill of his own cap while screaming at him.
…i know the Mets won the game, and they’re 3–1 against the Phillies this season… but, how long are the Mets going to let victorino make fools of them… he taunts them on the field, he consistently clips infielders when sliding in to second, last year he actually stood flat foot and tall on home plate after scoring a run and did the double point in to their dugout, and then last night he shoves reyes out of the way like George Costanza during a fire… not to mention, Clay Condrey nearly took David Wright’s head off with a fastball behind his batting helmet…
…i realize the Mets are winning, and that if they do not care, why should i… but i do… it’s just so infuriating…
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