Daily Archives: June 5, 2009
SNY’s Ted Berg and I will be traveling to Buffalo on Saturday night to see the Triple-A Bisons, and then on to Binghamton for Sunday to see the Double-A Mets.
…yes, i know the joke, i have heard it a dozen times already, which goes: or, Matt, you guys can just stay home at watch the minor league team play the Nationals this weekend in DC…
Nevertheless, we will be working on a video for SNY.TV that will run at some point in the future, however I will be live blogging random observations from the trip through Twitter.
The updates, of course, will also appear here in a post on MetsBlog.com, so be sure to check it out through the weekend.
As the Mets kickoff a three-game series in Washington, D.C. versus the Natioanls tonight, I did a quick Q&A with Willy Yoder from The Nats Blog:
Mike Nichols: In a recent post to your blog, you stated the lack of success of recently fired pitching coach Randy St. Claire had more to do with the front office’s selection of pitching talent than St. Claire’s coaching. Do you believe new pitching coach Steve McCatty will have the same difficulties or will his philosophy be better suited for the Nationals turn towards their younger pitching staff?
Willy from The Nats Blog: From what I have read there is a pretty big difference in the two’s pitching philosophies. Randy St. Claire was famous for his use of video analysis, breaking down a pitchers every move on the field to try and perfect their actions on the mound. He wanted pitchers to think about everything they did, every motion they made. McCatty on the other hand cares less about mechanics and more about a pitchers mental approach. He has said that he believes if you are talented enough to be in the big leagues then all that matters is your mental approach and your ability to ‘attack the zone.’
Unfortunately, I feel that with a younger pitching staff like the one the Nationals have, an approach like St. Claire’s might be more beneficial. The four rookie starters for the Nats have the talent to be successful, but they also need to learn to pitch. I sure like McCatty’s character and think he was a great pitcher in the 80’s. But he didn’t get the job done as a pitching coach in Detroit in 2002, and I don’t know if he’ll get the job done here.
Tagged Mike Nichols, Nationals |
At Baseball Like It Oughta Be, Butchuskey live blogged his experience at yesterday’s Pirates game, writing, “11:15: As I pay for my food, the cashier notices my Mets garb and says, “Beautiful stadium, isn’t it?” I nod my head in agreement. She takes a deep breath, and says, “Hopefully they’ll get a team soon.”
The guys at Mets Merized Online not that it will only get tougher from here on out based on the Mets’ schedule, and in another post, they track Jose Reyes‘ injury progression.
With Reyes out, Brooklyn Met Fan says this may mean “certain disaster” for the Mets.
…reyes is just another of the fallen that is making this usually optimistic blogger wonder if the season will still be salvageable come the all-star break…
Lastly, Mets Walkoffs notes that Wade Blasingame, not Will Ferrell’s SNL character but the Astro, is a dubious part of Mets history.
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |Well, this should be interesting…
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Josh Johnson allowed just 2 runs over 7 2/3 innings and added a 3-run home run to help his own cause as the Marlins held off the Brewers, 4-3.
Johnson was a one man wrecking crew, running his record to 5-1 on the season for Florida.
Prince Fielder singled, tripled, homered and drove in 3 runs but couldn’t prevent the Marlins from winning 3 out of the 4 games from Milwaukee.
Florida welcomes in San Francisco next for a 3-game weekend series.
Randy Johnson allowed just one unearned run on 2 hits in 6 innings, and the San Francisco bullpen closed the door for the Big Unit as the Giants cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Nationals in the first game of a Thursday doubleheader.
The win was career #300 for Johnson who had to wait an extra day for his opportunity after being rained out on Wednesday.
In the nightcap, the Washington offense continued to struggle, mustering only one run on 5 hits in a rain shortened 5 1/2 inning game. The Giants hit Nationals rookie Ross Detwiler hard and completed the sweep with a 4-1 win.
San Francisco’s Matt Cain picked up his 7th win against just one defeat.
Washington will try to reverse its fortunes this weekend against the Mets.
…We obviously hope otherwise!
Cole Hamels pitched a complete game, 5-hit shutout, and Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz were on base 3 times apiece to lead the Phillies to a 3-0 win in game one of their 4-game series against the Dodgers.
Hamels needed just 97 pitches to dispose of Los Angeles and give Philadelphia its 7th straight victory.
The Braves and Cubs were rained out.
In other news…According to MLB.com, the Major League debut of Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson will be pushed back from Saturday until Sunday due to Thursday’s rainout. Atlanta hosts Milwaukee this weekend.
And finally, The Miami Herald is reporting that Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez was placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder discomfort. Ricky Nolasco will most likely return to the majors and make the next start in place of Sanchez.
For more news, notes, analysis and statistics from around Major League Baseball, be sure to visit Baseball Daily Digest.
Tagged MetsBlog, News |
In case you missed it, from last night…
Jose Reyes has a slight tear in the tendon between his knee and the hamstring, he will rest for two days and then be reevaluated.
From what I can gather, people connected to the Mets believe he is likely to be out of action through at least the All Star break.
However, people close to Reyes believe he could be back sooner, because it’s the tendon not the actual hamstring that has been comprised.
Nevertheless, the question now is: Who will play shortstop?
Jerry Manuel has said he does not see Alex Cora as an every-day player, because he is so valuable in other spots.
That said, Wilson Valdez is not the answer, either.
Mark Grudzielanek is also still a free agent.
The A’s may look to trade SS Bobby Crosby, though he’s batting just .207 with two HR and 21 strike outs in 42 games, and it has been years since he ended a season hitting over .230, though he has played every position on the infield this season.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette believes the Pirates will look to trade SS Jack Wilson, who is hitting .264 with just 11 extra base hits.
The Red Sox and Royals have both been linked in rumor to Wilson.
From what I can gather, Wilson will be much easier to acquire if the new team is willing to pick up all of the $13 million left on his contract between now and the end of next season.
There have been slight rumblings in baseball that the Blue Jays could look to trade SS John McDonald, while the Indians might field offers for Johnny Peralta, who hit roughly .275 with 20 HR each of the last two years.
Last week, there was a lot of talk about the Mets having interest in Indians infielder Mark DeRosa, but I believe the team views him more of a solution for the bench, first base and third.
For what it’s worth, I have not yet found a person in baseball who believes DeRosa is capable of playing strong defense at short, where he has played just eight times in the last three seasons.
In the minor leagues for the Mets, Triple-A SS Jonathan Malo is hitting .242 in his last 10 games; however, 19–year-old Double-AA Jose Ruben Tejada is batting .281 with 13 extra base hits and a .381 OBP.
Omar Minaya once told me an interview that he had interest in signing SS David Eckstein prior to last season.
Eckstein is hitting 242 in 53 games for the Padres, where he has been starting at second base, though there have been no published reports suggesting he is yet available in a trade.
Regardless, the way I see it, whomever the Mets lean on to play shortstop must be on the field every day, since it is important to have a consistent person at such a key defensive position.
Ryan Church played six pain-free innings during an extended spring training game yesterday in St. Lucie.
Church is likely to be activated on Sunday, when he is first eligible to return from the disabled list.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Jerry Manuel said the decision to send Fernando Martinez back to Triple-A will be based on how he performs 
over the next few games.
Martinez had two hits yesterday, including an RBI, and is batting .333 in his last 18 at bats, despite starting his career 0 for 9.
…you know the drill: if the Mets feel martinez can play every day in the major leagues, and there is a spot for him, he’ll be on the Mets… if he isn’t going to play in the big leagues, he’ll be demoted to a place where he can… because he must get regular at bats, he cannot afford to ride the bench at his age…
…i hope the Mets replace Emil Brown with church, and leave martinez on the roster… let the kid play in left field, and juggle him, Ryan Church and Gary Sheffield in the corner outfield positions, because sheffield must get rest…
Tagged Ryan Church |
In case you missed it, from yesterday afternoon…
J.J. Putz told reporters he will fly to New York later today to have his elbow examined by doctors.
Putz told reporters he is experiencing severe pain when he throws his coveted two-seam fastball, i.e., his splitter, which, asking him to pitch without it, as he explained, would be like asking Johan Santana to pitch without his change-up.
Yesterday, Mike Pelfrey allowed nine hits and nine runs while walking four before being pulled from the game in the fourth inning.
Pelfrey told reporters, following the game:
“That’s the worst outing I’ve ever had… We fight back and we score three runs and I gave it away. The second four runs kind of takes the wind out of everybody. I take full responsibility for today. I wouldn’t look at anybody else. It’s my fault. I pitched absolutely terrible. I need to be better next time out… All day I just wasn’t executing pitches. Just a terrible, terrible outing.”
…he needs to learn to pitch without his best stuff… same goes for Oliver Perez… actually, John Maine has made big strides in this department this season… but, pelfrey still isn’t quite there… i recall hearing Tom Seaver once say in an interview that he enjoyed and was more fulfilled by the games he did well in and didn’t have his best stuff, as opposed to games when he felt great and dominated, because the former meant he needed to rise to the challenge, be more creative and use his brain as much as his arm…
…i was told by a former pitcher that this has as much to do with maturity and command of your body as anything else, and pelfrey is still young with just 59 starts in his career… but, he’s getting to that point in his career where these sorts of things need to start clicking…
“Today, for some reason, he just didn’t have it,” Jerry Manuel explained to reporters, following the game.
“I was a little discouraged at Mike being where he was today after getting a day off, and kind of knowing what we needed and just not having it.”
Tagged Mike Pelfrey | Newer posts →
