Daily Archives: May 29, 2009
In a post to his blog for 1050 ESPN Radio, Andrew Marchand provides audio from his interview with Jerry Manuel, during which he discusses, injuries, hustle and what his team needs to do to win the NL East.
Also, Manuel tells Marchand that the team must continue to get good pitching, because they are not 100 percent with so many position players out with injuries.
Lastly, Manuel said, if he felt Fernando Martinez was the type of player who would not hustle ‘he’d be out,’ however, Manuel says, knowing of him, and what he’s done in the past, Martinez learned his lesson and it will never happen again.
To listen to the full interview, click here.
Regis Courtemanche: 
Despite the team being hampered by injuries, the Mets continue to find ways to win and have only lost one game in their last six. I asked the MetsBlog crew what they most attribute this to.
Michael Baron: Despite a lot of sloppy defense, the team is doing a lot of little things right. They steal a ton of bases, which puts them in position to score, and they have been executing bunts and general situational hitting to move runners from second to third, and it doesn’t take a superstar to do those things. Of course Wright and Beltran hitting atleast .350 helps too. It also helps when they get good starting pitching, which is the foundation of any team’s success. Pelfrey and Maine have rebounded nicely, and Livan has also been great lately. I think it’s amazing that when Santana is not at his best, he is still better than most in that he has an ability to fight and grit it out. He is really amazing to watch.
Mike Nichols: Right, the pitching has been a huge factor in the Mets weathering their injuries of late. Since Carlos Delgado was put on the disabled list on May 11, the Mets have a team ERA of 3.65 and have allowed three earned runs or less in 10 of their last 16 games. By the way, the Mets are 20-7 when their starter goes six plus innings, and 6-13 when they do not. As Michael mentioned, Wright and Beltran have put this team on their back offensively, but it would be a slight if we did not mention Gary Sheffield‘s reemergence. Sheffield has stepped up and become the middle-of-the-order presence the Mets needed him to be once Delgado went on the shelf. In his last 17 games, Sheffield is batting .400 with four HR, 15 RBI and 18 runs scored, while raising his average from .191 to .295.
Matthew Cerrone: Well, it could also be that the best thing going for the Mets right now is their schedule. I mean, the Nationals are terrible. So, any team playing them will look good. That said, it’s always the same recipe when this team is winning: Strong starting pitching, quality pitches from the bullpen, solid defense and timely hitting. It’s not 
rocket science, and this is the case for most teams. The Mets have talent, we know that, so they win when they do their jobs.
Regis Courtemanche: I agree Matt, the recent schedule certainly helps, and the Mets are treating the sub-.500 teams like sub-.500 teams, instead of letting up for them, which was a huge knock on them last year. Sheffield has been a big surprise to me, and the starting pitching is keeping them in games before handing it off to the bullpen, which has been tremendous. Having the bench players start every day sometimes freshens things up a bit, and probably motivates the regular starters. The bottom line is that I have been pleasantly surprised, but I wonder how long they can keep it up with the B-squad starting every day.
Tagged MetsBlog, Regis Courtemanche |The MetsBlog.com Comment Section is open, and will remain open.
However, much like Deadspin.com, Gawker, and other highly trafficked blogs, I am switching MetsBlog to an audition-based system.
In other words, whether you are new or old to the blog, all of your comments – from this point 
forward – will go in to a staging area, where MetsBlog’s staff will determine if you meet the following criteria:
- We are looking for commenters who are thoughtful, unique, and insightful, and people who add more information, be it positive or negative, about the topic at hand.
- Like Gawker says, “If your comments are excessively self-promotional, obnoxious, or even worse, boring,” you will not be allowed to post comments to the blog.
Once you have been approved, which could take anywhere from one day to a week, your comments will begin appearing on MetsBlog.com.
In other words, once you are accepted in to the community, following a short audition, your comments will immediately appear on MetsBlog every time you make a post – and with no filter.
However, if you violate the site’s policy on posting comments, your comment and account will be removed, at which point you will have the option to start the entire audition process over again.
The reality is, MetsBlog.com has grown to a level that I can no longer spend time creating content, while also keeping up with the administrative demands of an open, free-wheeling forum, be it because it is impossible to police language that will result in the site being blocked by firewalls or offend parents or sensitive readers, or because of SPAM, or the countless other reasons that forced me to spend multiple hours per day tweaking technologies and chasing down comments.
So, in the end, much like other highly trafficked blogs, I am turning to a necessary method that will allow for a more stable environment in which more people will feel safe to interact, while freeing up time to create better content for the overall blog.
To read MetsBlog.com’s policy on posting comments, click here.
To read what makes a good commenter, according to Lifehacker, click here.
Lastly, good luck, feel free to begin posting, and auditioning, and thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition.
Mark Reynolds doubled twice and drove in 2 runs, and Dan Haren pitched 8 strong innings as the Diamondbacks sent the Braves to their 4th straight loss, 5-2.
Haren scattered 7 hits while allowing just 2 runs and striking out 8 to give Arizona another quality start.
Justin Upton had 3 hits, and Eric Byrnes added 2 hits, an RBI, and 2 runs scored for the Diamondbacks as well.
Atlanta’s Derek Lowe took the loss after giving up 5 runs on 10 hits over 7 innings.
In game 2 of the series Friday night, Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens faces Arizona’s Jon Garland.
The rest of the National League East was off on Thursday.
The Nationals travel to Philadelphia on Friday to open a series with the Phillies. It will be Ross Detwiler for the Nats and J.A. Happ for the Phils. And of course, the Marlins visit Citi Field to begin a weekend series with the Mets.
In other news…The injury to the right hip of Brett Myers doesn’t look good, and it might require surgery.
Making his first start since being optioned to AAA, Florida’s Ricky Nolasco pitched 8 solid innings for the Zephyrs, allowing 3 runs and striking out 7.
And it looks like Tom Glavine is ready to return to the Braves rotation while Yunel Escobar continues to have problems with his strained right hip flexor.
This Saturday at BDD, we’ll be running a day long live blog with special guests from around the baseball world. Join Brian Joseph and the BDD staff as they talk baseball from the first pitch of the Mets – Marlins game at 1:10 ET through to the conclusion of Giants – Cardinals contest out west game on the MLB Network!
For more news, notes, analysis and statistics from around Major League Baseball, be sure to visit Baseball Daily Digest.
Tagged MetsBlog, News |Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports lists the Mets as 
the fifth-best team in the National League in his weekly Power Rankings, behind the Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies and Brewers.
Last Saturday, Francisco Rodriguez collapsed in the lockerroom from back pain, and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
He has since returned to pitch two innings, during which he allowed one run and two hits and recorded one save.
However, in his report, Brown writes, “K-Rod, making clumsy effort to fit in with new teammates, collapses in May, a good four months early.”
…well played, tim… sad, but funny… nice work…
David Lennon of Newsday posts an interesting report on how a player will deal with being on the disabled list, specifically Jose Reyes and Ryan Church, who talk to Lennon about the experience.
“You feel like you’re an outcast,” Church told Lennon. “You can only do so much. I know you still have to be out there, cheering guys on. But it hurts inside that you can’t go out and play.”
…i missed most of my junior year in high school after having ACL surgery on my right knee, back then it was an 18–month rehab… even that experience made me feel like an outcast, yet i can only imagine how much more intense it is for guys like church and reyes, who make their living playing baseball, and take pride in being teammates…
Tagged Ryan Church |In a fascinating post on Amazin Avenue, Eric Simon 
posts a series of quotes from Manny Acta and Jerry Manuel, without revealing who said what, in an effort to show how Acta utilizes statistical analysis, while Manuel does not.
…the thing is, acta is managing what may be the worst baseball team i have ever seen in person, so we’ll never know how his brain and actions could work on a team with talent… i like jerry, and i like that the Mets are in first place, but i will not lie, i’d be curious to know how a guy like acta would influence a team like the Mets, who thought enough of him to make him a coach years ago… or, even better, a young team with the resources of the Mets…
Omar Minaya talked with WFAN this morning, and said he hopes to see Carlos Beltran back in the lineup either tonight or this weekend.
To listen to the full interview, go to WFAN.com.
Minaya also said Jose Reyes will remain with the team this weekend, he will then go to Florida to play in a few minor-league rehab games.
Late next week, Minaya hopes to get Reyes and Alex Cora back, ‘which will help stabilize things a bit.’
The team will continue to be ‘conservative with Reyes, Minaya explained, because the team will need him if it plans to win a Championship.
According to Minaya, he and Jerry Manuel like Ryan Church very much, but Manuel’s way of motivating him, and pushing him, may be perceived by fans and media as harsh.
Lastly, he said, ‘Billy Wagner is coming along good,’ and Minaya believes there is a good chance Wagner pitches for the Mets in September, meaning the team could have Wagner, J.J. Putz, Bobby Parnell and Francisco Rodriguez in the bullpen during the stretch run.
To listen to the full 25–minute interview, during which Minaya also talks about how he acquired Gary Sheffield, Oliver Perez’s rehab, and the development and hustle of Fernando Martinez, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Omar Minaya |
Last night in Greenwich, at the Mets in the Community event, Carlos Delgado told reporters he is doing well, and still expects to return this season, though he would not guarantee when.
“Some people are talking about 10 weeks,” Delgado said. “The plan is just get healthy first and once I’m good to play for the duration, I’m going back… The only thing I can guarantee is that I’m going to die, and I’m not looking forward to that just yet.”
…by the way, delgado shaved his goatee… he looks 10 years younger… hopefully the surgery will have the same impact…
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