Daily Archives: May 20, 2009
Yesterday, during a conference call with reporters, 
Omar Minaya said he is confident in his team’s doctors who say Carlos Delgado can return to the lineup in 10 weeks, though that will obviously all depend on how his rehab goes.
According to Minaya, though he is always open to making a trade, Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis will be able to handle the position in Delgado’s absence.
…i asked the following question a few days ago, but i wonder if people may have changed their mind since getting actual news about carlos…
[poll id="255"]
Tagged Omar Minaya, Poll |The following is my latest MetsBlog Video Mailbag, presented by Verizon, during which I answer questions about why Daniel Murphy is not playing first base yet; the difference between Jose Reyes and Ryan Church; and whether the Mets are a better team without Carlos Delgado:
In New York last week, Jerry Manuel told reporters he would likely use Daniel Murphy at first base on this road trip.
He said the same thing to reporters a few days ago, as did Omar Minaya yesterday in a conference call.
Yet, despite what he keeps saying, Manuel repeatedly starts Jeremy Reed at first base instead.
Murphy is batting just .190 in his last 42 at bats, but he is also striking 
out less and walking more during that time. In other words, he’s making contact, he’s just not getting hits.
Regardless, Murphy may or may not be a better defensive first baseman than Reed. Who knows? What I do know is that Reed is significantly better than Murphy on defense in left field. So, by putting Reed at first and Murphy in left, Manuel is weakening his defense in two spots. Whereas Murphy at first, and either Reed or Angel Pagan in left, he’s only weakening his defense in one spot, while keeping Murphy’s bat and attitude in the lineup.
In other words, Manuel has to start playing Murphy at first base, especially this weekend in Boston. He cannot be challenged to learn the Green Monster, all while Reed has played 10 games in Fenway Park during his six-year career.
The other thing is, Manuel must also create a new sense of stability, which I believe will help quiet the mental mistakes and general confusion that has infected the defense and lineup.
Seriously, Manuel’s actions and words of one day seem to have no connection to his actions and words the next day. This can have an affect on the team’s trust in him, but also can negatively impact how each player prepares for the next game, and reviews his mistakes from the past.
Please, let Murphy play the next 40 or so games at first base, during which the Mets play nine games in the American League where Manuel can also use the DH.
In July, the Mets will have a better read on where Carlos Delgado is in his rehab – it will also coincidence with the trade market heating up, allowing Minaya to make an educated and honest decision on whether to trade for a player like Jermaine Dye or Magglio Ordonez for left field, or a Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff for first, or to keep his prospects altogether, or use them to acquire a pitcher instead.
The Mets have not hit a home run in their last 60 innings.
However, Mets manager Jerry Manuel told reporters the team must be more like the club that is leading the league with a .289 batting average and .370 on-base percentage, saying:
“I would think that we would have to continue to be that type of club, and let the home runs come when they can. You can’t expect people that are not accustomed to hitting home runs to ask them to hit home runs. But it would be nice to have one here or there.”
Added to by Matthew Cerrone:
…people who are not accustomed to hitting home runs, jerry… or, people who are not accustomed to hitting… period…
…i like jerry, but i think he’s being a bit idealistic… at some point, his General Manager needs to realize he is not going to get any sort of consistent production from players like Ramon Martinez… and then manuel bats him sixth… unreal… in the ninth inning last night, in desperate need of two runs, the Mets sent martinez, Jeremy Reed, and Omir Santos to the plate, with Angel Pagan on deck… think about that for a second… when did it become 2005 again…
…i wonder how Michael Tucker and Jose Offerman are doing these days…
Tagged News |John Maine, who had another up-and-down start, was hanging on to a 3-2 lead in the 6th inning with Casey Blake at the plate and two men on base.
Maine, speaking to reporters after the game, said one bad pitch did him in:
“It’s always one pitch. I hung it, and it was a bad pitch. The worst-case scenario is a home run, and that’s what happened. It’s just the way it seems to always go and it’s frustrating. I just have to do a better job of concentrating.”
Added to by Matthew Cerrone:
…naturally, maine is being hard on himself… he actually looked pretty good, against the best offense in the National League… he made two mistake-pitches, hanging two sliders, and both were clobbered and he paid for it… he needs to stop walking batters, especialy in advance of his errors… but, in terms of stuff, he is shwoing progress, though he is still not the pitcher he was in 2007, mentally or physically…
Tagged News |
The Mets lost to the Dodgers, 5–3, in Los Angeles tonight.
For a full recap and boxscore, go here.
The Least You Should Know:
John Maine started rough, as usual, rebounded, as usual, then let up a monster three-run home run to Casey Blake in the sixth inning for what was essentially the difference maker.
The Mets had a few chances to score off of Chad Billingsley, but should be thankful for the three runs they did score.
Observations, Questions and Concerns:
- Chad Billingsley has a serious slider, with a ton of late break on it.
- Daniel Murphy had a rough first inning. He got picked off of first, when, for some reason, he broke for second before Billingsley ever began his motion to the plate. Then, on defense, a few moments later, he misplayed a line drive right at him that deflected off his glove – you know the play, you’ve seen it before. The runner later scored on a single up the middle.
- Speaking of first base, I can’t believe it’s May and Ramon Martinez and Jeremy Reed are holding down the right-side of the infield.
- Speaking of Murphy, he still hits, draws walks and works the count so well. Why is he still in left field? Look, it’s nothing against Jeremy Reed, but he’s seemingly most valuable as a defensive outfielder and a pinch hitter. If Manuel must get Reed’s bat in the starting lineup, play him in left field where he will look like a Gold Glove defender. In this current scenario, you’re weak on defense in two spots.
- Thanks to Dodger Stadium, I will be singing, ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, let me hear you say way-oh, way-oh,’ and, despite what Johnny Cocca thought at the time, that is a bad thing.
- Ryan Church plays the game hard, and, though he keeps swing at junk out of the strike zone, I still want him in right field… everyday.
- Maine escaped a bases loaded jam in the third. However, in the fourth, he hung a slider that Billingsley ripped to the side of Beltran in center field to drive in a run. He hung the same pitch to Casey Blake the following inning, which was absolutely crushed to deep left-field for a three-run home run. Maine looked good, but he paid dearly for two mistakes.
- I was not giving Alex Cora enough credit.
- Not that it mattered, but why did Jerry Manuel bring Ken Takahashi in to face the left-handed hitting Juan Pierre, when lefties were hitting .429 against him? Pierre ripped a single.
- Sean Green is pitching better, I am slowly re-gaining faith in him, though I would still like to see his supposed ground-ball machine the Mets spoke of.
- Cory Wade was throwing slop with no outs and two men on in the eighth inning, yet Ryan Church looked lucky to pop out, and Ramon Martinez could only muster a weak ground ball for an inning-ending double play.
- By the way, is Ramon Martinez really the best option to represent the tying run in eighth inning? Actually, don’t answer that.
- Similarly, in the ninth inning, down two runs, the Mets sent Jeremy Reed, Omir Santos and Angel Pagan to the plate.
- After winning 12 of 15, the Mets have now lost three in a row, and are just three games over .500 staring down the barrel of a three-game set in Boston against Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield.
- I miss San Francisco.
The Mets conclude their three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles tomorrow night at 10:10 pm.
