Daily Archives: June 26, 2009
John Maine told reporters today that he is still feeling pain in his shoulder, and will not start tomorrow for Brooklyn.
Instead, he received a cortisone shot, and will be shut down for a few days, meaning he may not return until after the All-Star break.
…from what i can gather, maine was telling people yesterday in the clubhouse that he still feels the same pinch he had prior to his last start… the buzz from citi field is that he may have a pinched nerve… the thing is, this has been bugging him for weeks… how do they not yet know what the problem is…
…in other words, thank you, Fernando Nieve…
The Mets (37–34) begin a three-game series with the Yankees (40–32) tonight in Citi Field.
Ryan Church will start in center field today, with Gary Sheffield returning to the lineup as well.
Luis Castillo will bat leadoff, followed in order by Alex Cora at second, David Wright, Sheffield in left, Fernando Tatis in right field, Church, Nick Evans at first base and Omir Santos behind the plate.
Mike Pelfrey (5–2, 4.74 ERA) will start for the Mets. Last season, Pelfrey pitched five innings against the Yankees and allowed eight hits and four runs. Opponents are batting just .193 against Pelfrey when he throws a first-pitch strike, but .387 when he falls behind.
CC Sabathia (6–4, 3.71 ERA) will start for the Yankees. He left his last start, against the Marlins, in the second inning with with a sore left bicep. He is 5–1 in his last nine starts.
The Mets are a major-league best 17–7 in the first game of a series this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Update, 4:17 pm:
“Mets infielders and pitchers out early for fielding drills,” writes the Star-Ledger’s Brian Costa, in a post to Twitter. “Just like spring training.”
Update, 4:20 pm:
Alex Cora and David Wright were guests today of Mike Francesa on WFAN, which you can listen to here.
Update, 3:16 pm:
We have a winner. Thanks for your responses!
Tagged Raffle |Last month, SNY.TV’s Ted Berg and I took a trip up to Buffalo to check out the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
To view Episode 2 of our trip, during which Ted talks to Brandon Knight and the team’s mascot and I speak with the K-Guy, after which we go to Anchor Bar for the original Buffalo wings, click play below:
To view Episode 1, click here.
…updated by Ted Berg at 4:00 pm…
I thought some parts of the conversation with Knight that got left on the cutting-room floor were interesting, so I posted a transcription here.
In his last four starts in Triple-A, Mets LHP 
Jon Niese is 3–1 with a 1.03 ERA, with 25 strike outs in 26 innings.
The Mets are 8–22 in games when the opposition scores first.
However, they’ve outscored opponents 36–12 in the first inning during games at Citi Field, where the Mets are 22–14 this season.
The Mets have 51 RBI from their catchers this season, the most in the major leagues, according to Elias.
Francisco Rodriguez has allowed 11 of the 35 first-batters he has faced in an inning to reach base this season.
Jerry Manuel has used 50 different batting orders in 71 games.
To vote for this week’s Fan Confidence Rating, click here.
Lastly, I started a Facebook account for me and MetsBlog, here.
Derek Lowe was roughed up for eight runs on eleven hits in just three innings on Thursday as the Braves fell to the Yankees, 11-7. Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez each had four RBI, and Derek Jeter picked up four hits and scored four times for New York.
Jordan Zimmermann tossed seven strong innings, and Willie Harris and Josh Bard each had three hits to upset the Red Sox, 9-3. John Smoltz took the loss for Boston in his 2009 debut.
In Florida, the Marlins completed the sweep of the Orioles on Thursday with an 11-3 victory. Hanley Ramirez hit a grand slam and Jorge Cantu collected three hits to lead Florida’s 17 hit attack. Starter Sean West pitched six scoreless innings to pick up his third victory on the season.
…For what it’s worth, I agree with those of you who don’t believe the Marlins are any threat to the Mets.
Finally, in Tampa Bay, the Rays took the rubber game of their series against the Phillies, 10-4. Willy Aybar and Ben Zobrist each homered off rookie Antonio Bastardo to send Philadelphia to their eighth loss in their last ten games.
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 hadn’t noticed, the Marlins have won nine of their last 15 games and lead the NL East in wins; they are just three losses behind the Phillies for first place.
Their pitching will always make me worry…
Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco starts tonight, and is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA in his last four starts since returning from a demotion to Triple-A.
Josh Johnson has thrown seven straight Quality Starts, pitching in to the seventh inning six straight games.
Yesterday, Johan Santana pitches seven innings and allowed two runs, after which Pedro Feliciano and Francisco Rodriguez pitched two scoreless innings to lock down the win.
…i am becoming quite fascinated with watching johan pitch… he is a master at making adjustments, much like Pedro Martinez was… i feel like it’s less game plan for him, like it was for pedro, or more about touch and feel and finding a rhythm… yesterday, he told reporters he hit the computer in the tunnel by the clubhouse after the first inning, to see what he was doing, then made the necessary adjustments, and got in a groove… he’ll struggle with one pitch, know to overemphasis something else, then switch back, change to this, etc… and, as a fan and spectator, it’s interesting to watch him work… because, for the most part, he makes it all work for him, even when he’s not at his best…
Santana, who is 9–5 with a 3.08 ERA, is on pace to win 20 games for only the second time in his major-league career.
He is eighth in the NL in ERA, fourth in strike outs, tied for first in wins, and 11th in innings pitched.
…it’s really amazing what one, really, really bad start can do to a pitcher’s totals… incredible… damn, Yankees…
According to Elias Sports Bureau, courtesy of ESPN.com, yesterday was the seventh time this season that Santana and Rodriguez teamed up for a win and a save, which ties them with San Francisco’s Randy Johnson and Brian Wilson for highest win-save combination total in the majors this season.
Mets 1B-OF Nick Evans is 3–for-7 with two extra base hits, four RBI and two runs scored in the three games since being promoted from Double-A.
Jerry Manuel, regarding Evans, said:
“He has that type of bat, that type of life when he’s right… You know, he was very close to making the team out of spring training… I have to play him every day, if he keeps hitting he keeps playing.”
…the Mets need all of the offense they can get… and i feel like, since he played the outfield well in the minor leagues, evans should be starting in left field, with Jeremy Reed in center field, and Ryan Church in right field… and, if manuel has to play Fernando Tatis, put him in a corner and use church in center field, which he talked about doing during spring training when giving Carlos Beltran a day off… Daniel Murphy is finally getting his swing back, and he’s quick and getting better at first base… and so, i’d go with:
Alex Cora batting leadoff, followed in order by Murphy, David Wright, Church, Evans, Omir Santos, Reed and Luis Castillo.
Speaking of Evans, Jeff Roberts of the Bergen Record explains how some lockers in the team’s clubhouse still do not have names over them, like Evans, given the constantly changing roster, due to injuries.
…i was thinking about this the other day…
if i were the equipment manager, given the state of the roster, and the team-first, team-wins mentality, i think i’d rip all last names from the team’s jerseys, and go old school, no names, like in 1999…
…i always liked that look… and, i think it has a relevant meaning for this club…
Tagged Nick Evans |
Sam Page of Amazin Avenue explains how the Mets outfield combines to form Rosie, from the Jetsons.
John from Metstradamus gives an idea of what fans are like in the Mo’s Zone in right field.
The Brooklyn Met Fan gives Ralph Kiner credit for yesterday’s win against the Cardinals.
Mets Walkoffs looks back on Neil Allen.
For more on Kiner, check out Mets Merized Online.
Today is the last day to enter to win free tickets from Metsopolis to see the Mets and Dodgers in Citi Field.
In a post to NY Sports Dog, Dave Singer looks at the road ahead.
Lastly, to vote for this week’s Fan Confidence Rating, click here.
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