Daily Archives: June 29, 2009
In three games against the Yankees, all losses, the Mets scored just three runs on nine hits in 27 innings.
Prior to yesterday’s game, Jerry Manuel 
was asked if his team will need to acquire offense if they slip below .500, to which he said:
“If we get below that mark, and we continue to struggle offensively as we are, I think that it’s a no-brainer. I think we have to visit that. I think that has to be visited or talked about at some point. It would be dishonest if I said no… You’re going to write the headlines tomorrow: ‘Jerry said we need a bat! We need it now!’ (laughing) That’s all good, though.”
Manuel explained that adding a player can boost morale, much like Gary Sheffield did at the start of the season.
…that’s fine, jerry, i think we all agree… but, do you want to give up your 24–year-old, 96–mph throwing set-up man to get him… that’s the question facing Omar Minaya, who is working the phones, just like most GMs… i don’t envy omar… tough spot… how dismantled is this major league team, to the extent that one bat or two will even matter, at the risk of trading more young talent… if the team is so dismantled that it’s not going to make the post season anyway, do you still trade prospects just to sell tickets and TV ads… or, do you keep them, let the season play out and deal with the consequences, such as potentially losing your job… like i said, tough spot…
In the end, Manuel said, “I have to deal with what I have here.”
…funny, i think a lot of Mets fans are saying the same thing today…
The Legend of Cecilio Guante writes about his time in Mets rehab.
Adam, the Brooklyn Met Fan, explains why this most recent Subway Series was an ‘unmitigated disaster;’ a series, by the way, that Jason from faith and Fear in Flushing compares to Friends, so to speak.
To listen Ron Darling talk about his new book, The Complete Game, check out Seven Train to Shea.
“The Mets have now walked the opposing pitcher 13 times this season,” according to Mets Walkoffs, who provides other information about walking the opposing pitcher.
Caryn Rose from Mets Grrl writes of her night in Brooklyn watching Oliver Perez’s rehab outing.
Keith Olbermann, the Baseball Nerd, believes some Mets are afraid of ghosts.
…by the way, i asked obermann before saturday’s game whether he’s a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, because there seemed to be some confusion on lists of famous fans for each team… he told me he grew up a Yankees fan, but when they stunk in the late 60s, and the Mets turned it on, he started rooting for the Mets, and from that point forward basically rooted equally for both teams - and he still does…
Lastly, for more on last night’s loss, read Amazin Avenue and Mets Today.
The Yankees defeated the Mets, 4-2, tonight at Citi Field.
For a complete recap, box score and stats, click here.
The Least You Should Know:
- Livan Hernandez allowed three runs in a first inning Yankee rally and was wild throughout, but managed to keep the Bombers off the board for the next six frames.
- The Mets didn’t hit the ball very hard off Chien-Ming Wang or the Yankee bullpen. Fernando Martinez had the team’s only extra-base hit, an RBI double off the left-field wall in the fourth.
- Francisco Rodriguez walked Mariano Rivera with the bases loaded to give the Yankees an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Yes, you read that correctly.
Other Observations and Notes:
- Hernandez threw 116 pitches and only 56 strikes, but produced a solid start yet again.
- The walk came in Rivera’s third career plate appearance, but gave him a .333 lifetime on-base percentage, which is better than the season marks of four members of the Mets’ starting lineup tonight.
- Citi Field felt like Yankee Stadium by the end.
The Game Ball:
- Goes to Fernando Martinez, who provided nearly all the highlights for the Mets. Martinez made a beautiful diving catch in the second and hit the opposite-field double mentioned above, plus had a nice at-bat against Wang before grounding out in the second. He also struck out twice.
