Daily Archives: June 25, 2009
Yesterday, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Mets and Cardinals are among teams who have called the Indians about Mark DeRosa.
…i know very little about derosa, so i sent a few questions to Ryan Richards, Indians fan and writer of Let’s Go Tribe, to try and learn more about a player i’ve spent a lot of time reading about it…
Matthew Cerrone: Do you think the Indians will trade DeRosa? If so, what type of talent are they typically looking for?
Ryan Richards: At this point, I think it’s a given that the Indians will move DeRosa; they’re now 10 games out of first, and have the worst record in the AL. As for return, I would imagine a high-level (at Double-A or above) pitching prospect would be something they’d love to get given their pitching problems.
Matthew Cerrone: How is his defense?
Ryan Richards: At third base, his best position, he’s an above-average defender, and he’s adequate in the outfield. He can play second base, though he hasn’t appeared there this season.
Matthew Cerrone: Without looking at stats, from your gut, do you feel like he hits well in the clutch, with runners in scoring position, key spots, etc.?
Ryan Richards: From what I recall, he’s done well with runners in scoring position this season. I would imagine his ‘clutch’ splits mirror his overall line pretty closely.
Matthew Cerrone: What’s the best and worst part of his game?
Ryan Richards: DeRosa’s best attribute is his versatility. He can play three to four positions and not be a defensive liability at any of them. He can hit anywhere in the order. He’s a good base runner, and won’t need to be pinch-run for late in games. I can’t really think of any glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s an extremely useful player, and probably even more so for a National League team.
… by the way, to learn more about O’s 1B-OF Aubrey Huff, click here to check out a similar Q&A from last week, with Matt Sadler of Right Off Russell…
The Mets defeated the Cardinals, 3-2, in Citi Field today, for their first series win since beating the Nationals on June 7.
For a full recap and boxscore, go here.
The Least You Should Know:
- The Mets scored three runs on five hits, including a two-out, two-RBI double from Nick Evans,
- The Cardinals could score only two runs in seven innings against Johan Santana, who did not have his best stuff, after which Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Misc., Etc., and Other Thoughts:
- Santana did not look comfortable, but he muscled through, like he is so capable of doing. Like Ron Darling mentioned on SNY, it looked like Santana was again late with his release, which is what he supposedly had been working on with Dan Warthen, and corrected, before his last start. Nevertheless, he’s creative, keeps working, and minimizes damage.
- Seriously, someone tell Dennys Reyes to exhale.
- Evans looks confident and focused at the plate. He’s an interesting story. I’d like to see Jeremy Reed in center field, Ryan Church in right, Evans in left, and Daniel Murphy at first.
- Fernando Martinez is batting .167, but he made a nice, two-handed, forward-diving catch to end the seventh inning with a runner on base.
- Ralph Kiner was wearing aviator sunglasses during his entire time in the SNY booth, which is named after Kiner.
- Luis Castillo got cleated on the heel by Khalil Green during a play at first base. Castillo did not snap in half, which is good to see.
- K-Rod now has 20 saves in 22 opportunities. Rodriguez didn’t throw a fastball until his fifth pitch of the game. He lost control of his fastball, after an oops-walk to Pujols, but rebounded to get Yadier Molina to end the game with a deep fly ball to left field. I actually think he wanted nothing to do with Pujols or Ludwick, and made Molina his mark.
Key Moments:
- In the second inning, with two outs, Santana walked Skip Schumaker, bringing Pujols to the plate. However, Santana jammed Pujols with a fastball, that he popped up to end the inning, and strand two runners.
- In the fourth inning, Chris Carpenter interfered with a ground ball from David Wright, hit up the middle, which could have been a bases-clearing double play, but ended up dying for an infield base hit. Fernando Tatis later drove in a run with an opposite-field single, which was followed by an RBI-double from Nick Evans.
Game Ball:
- Today’s game ball gets split in two; with one half going to Santana; and the other half going to Evans, who has three hits and four RBI in seven at bats since returning to the Mets.
The Mets begin a three-game, weekend series with the Yankees tomorrow in Citi Field, with Mike Pelfrey taking on CC Sabathia.
Tonight, at 9 pm, SNY will premiere Miracle in New York: The Story of the 1969 Mets.
According to SNY, “The documentary recounts one of the greatest sports stories of all time - the unlikely and magical championship season of the 1969 Mets. Narrated by Tim Robbins, the documentary weaves the action on the field with the other remarkable events of 1969, like the Woodstock Festival and astronaut Neil Armstrong’s moon walk. The hour long film features Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Jimmy Breslin, Mets announcer Gary Cohen, and many others.”
To watch a clip of the film, click here.
To read Michael Baron’s review of the documentary, click below:
Tagged SNY |Here is my segment from today’s Mets pre game show on SNY, during which I discuss why Adam Dunn is a perfect fit for the Mets, and how rooting for the Mets has become easier, because of the injuries:
Last night, Nick Evans returned to the starting lineup, hit a home run and drove in two runs and scored two runs.
…this will be interesting to watch, in that Daniel Murphy had been looking better at the plate, as well… evans had been playing the outfield in Double-A, so perhaps he ends up in a corner if Gary Sheffield ends up missing 
more time… or, perhaps evans leapfrogs Fernando Tatis in the pecking order, since tatis cannot stop hitting in to double plays… jeeez, man… or, maybe murphy is out of luck… or, maybe it’s time to send down Fernando Martinez…
Martinez is hitting .174 in 69 at bats this season, but just .095 in his last seven games.
…martinez can hit a fastball… no doubt… however, he’s clearly over-matched when facing other, devastating pitches, like the split-finger fastball, the 12–6 curve ball, a power change-up, etc., pitches he 
most likely never ever saw in Triple-A, let alone Double-A…
Yesterday, WFAN’s Mike Francesa said the Mets may soon need to consider sending Martinez back to the minor leagues if his batting average dips below .150, for fear his confidence could be totally shattered.
Francesa said he would be worried that, for a 19–year-old kid, Martinez could psych himself out and begin believing he is incapable of playing in the major leagues, creating a huge set back for the young prospect, which could take years to recover from.
…i don’t know about all of that, though it’s a interesting point…
Tagged Nick Evans |In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Peter Gammons says the Mets are among several teams who have interest in Rockies OF Ryan Spilborghs.
Gammons writes, “The Rockies have been hesitant to trade Spilborghs 
because of his talent and his clubhouse value, but now that Carlos Gonzalez has essentially taken Spilborghs out of the Rockies’ outfield mix perhaps it’s time to trade Spilborghs, who has four at-bats since June 18.”
The 29–year-old Spilborghs hit .305 with 48 extra base hits and 86 RBI in 186 games for the Rockies during 2007 and 2008, however he’s batting just .268 this season, during which he’s played left field, center, and right field.
He’s batting .274 in 453 career at bats away from Coors Field.
Speaking of trade rumors…
The Phillies asked the Indians about RHP Cliff Lee, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, ‘but balked at the price.’
Meanwhile, the Phillies have also discussed acquiring M’s LHP Erik Bedard and Pirates pitchers Zach Duke and Pat Maholm, reports CBS Sports.
Update, 11:34 am:
Both John Maine and Oliver Perez are scheduled to start for the Cyclones this weekend, with Maine pitching in Aberdeen on Saturday and Perez pitching in Brooklyn on Sunday.
Original Post:
Alex Cora will be leading off once again this afternoon, followed by Luis Castillo, David Wright, Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis will be in left field, followed by Fernando Martinez in center field, Nick Evans at first base, Omir Santos and Johan Santana.
Santana (8-5, 3.22 ERA) will start today for the Mets. Despite the loss in his last outing against Tampa Bay, Santana rebounded well off of his outing against the Yankees in which he gave up 9 earned runs in 3 innings – the most earned runs he has ever given up. He did not face the Cardinals when the Mets were in St. Louis at the end of April.
Chris Carpenter (5-1, 1.53 ERA) will start today for the Cardinals. Carpenter is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in seven starts since returning from the disabled list. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his starts this season and has pitched atleast six innings in all but two of his starts.
Ricky Nolasco allowed just two unearned runs over seven innings, and Cody Ross led the offense with three hits and two RBI as the Marlins downed the Orioles on Wednesday, 5-2.
Tampa Bay bounced back from its 10-1 shelling on Tuesday to knock off the Phillies on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park, 7-1. Matt Garza gave up just 3 hits over 8 strong innings, and Pat Burrell drove in 3 runs against his former club.
David Ortiz hit a three-run home run, and Jon Lester held the Washington offense in check as the Red Sox defeated the Nationals, 6-4. The crowd at Nationals Park was the largest to date in the stadium’s short history.
Lastly, in Atlanta, Francisco Cervelli and Nick Swisher each hit home runs to rally the Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Braves.
In other news…
Tagged MetsBlog, News |
David Wright hit third last night, with Ryan Church batting clean up, from where the two combined for seven hits and were involved in seven of the team’s 11 runs.
Wright leads the National League with a .356 batting average, and, though he’s on pace to hit just 10 home runs and strike out more than 150 times, he is on pace to steal 40 bases and drive in 100 runs with a .444 OBP.
“The home runs are nice,” Wright said after the game. “But that’s not what makes me successful as a hitter.”
Meanwhile, Church raised his average to .283.
…yesterday, on SNY.TV’s New York Baseball Today, which you can watch here, i said church is the one player the Mets need most to step up, and last night is exactly why… he’s the proven hitter… he’s not a rookie learning his way, he’s not a career back-up trying to regain his stroke, he’s a full-time, regular major leaguer who has had success… and so, he is the one who needs to protect wright, join in on the rallies and drive in runs… to do this, he must play every day, and i’m glad Jerry Manuel continues to send him out there…
Since returning from the disabled list with a hamstring injury, Church is batting .309 with eight extra base hits and 10 RBI in 15 games.
…i worried that church would be traded… initially, i bought in to the hype and rhetoric that he and manuel were having issues, and that church might have played himself out of town when he missed third base earlier in the season… i was wrong, and i think lots of other people were wrong… manuel kept saying he was being tough on church… it could be jerry was right, it could just be that church is healthy and swinging the bat well… i don’t know, and i don’t care… i just care that church is producing, he looks to be having fun, i’m happy for him and i like it…
Tagged Ryan Church |
The 26–year-old Fernando Nieve pitched six scoreless innings last night in a win against the Cardinals, during which he struck out five batters.
Nieve is 3–0 with a 1.31 ERA in three starts, during which opponents are batting 152 against him.
…i’d be skeptical, but he’s 26… and so, it’s certainly possible, after hundreds of appearances between the majors and minors, he’s starting to figure it out, and that the Mets caught lightening in a bottle…
Nieve signed with the Astros in 1999 as a nondrafted free agent.
The Mets claimed Nieve on waivers in March for $414,000.
…so far, he’s had serious command of all of his pitches, specifically his secondary stuff, which sets up that 95–mph fastball, which, if you notice, hitters always seem to be late on… he’s also pitching smart, pitching around dangerous hitters, and, as he said after the game, he’s not over-thinking things… eventually, advanced scouts will inform other teams what to do, but, for now, he’s been phenomenal… the key will be, once that happens, how will he adjust…
…for now, though, he has got to stay in the rotation, regardless of how close John Maine and Oliver Perez may be to coming back…
“It’s not my decision,” Nieve told reporters, when asked if he should stay in the rotation. “I just try to do my job… I am 3–0, I feel great on the mound, but it’s not my decision.”
Manuel acknowledged after that game that he must keep Nieve in the rotation, so long as he’s pitching well and ‘giving the team a chance to win.’
…no worries, fernando… i bet it’s Oliver Perez or Tim Redding who hit the pen…
…so long as nieve is throwing bagels, he goes no place…
David Wright, on Nieve, said after the game:
“He has tremendous stuff. When he first got called up I didn’t know too much about him, but he catches your attention… I like his demeanor, the confidence he has, and hopefully he keeps going.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, courtesy of ESPN.com, Nieve is the sixth pitcher to win his first three starts for the Mets and the third to do so while posting an ERA under 2.00. The others were Bob Ojeda in 1986 and Pedro Astacio in 2002.
For more on Nieve, read Ben Shpigel’s blog for the New York Times, in which he asks, ‘Is Nieve the next Jorge Sosa?’
