Daily Archives: August 19, 2009
“The Mets placed Billy Wagner on trade waivers,” reports Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
According to Stark, “That means those waivers would expire at 1 p.m. EDT Friday, hours before Wagner is scheduled to be activated and make his long-awaited return from Tommy John Surgery.”
…this is pretty savvy… bascially, since he is due a nearly $3 million still this season, no team is likely to claim him… so, once he clears, the Mets then have the freedom to trade wagner to any team they’d like…
However, as Stark explains, if Wagner is claimed, the Mets will have until next Tuesday to work out a trade with the team who claims him.
Update, 10:29 pm:
…from what i can gather, when a team does this, it likely means they already have a team in mind, or a deal in waiting, for the player in question…
Tagged News |The Mets lost to the Braves by the score of 15 to 2 in Citi Field.
For a full recap and boxscore, click here.
The Least You Should Know:
The Braves sent 11 batters to the plate against Bobby Parnell in the second inning, got seven hits and scored eight runs.
Misc., Etc. and Other Stuff:
Yikes, Bobby. Rough night, man. Sorry. You’re young, you’re learning. You seemed rattled, and out of control at points. These things happen. This will not be the last time you get knocked around, I’m sure. Use the experience, learn from it, get back at it tomorrow, and keep hustling. You’ll be fine.
In the second, with the score just 3–0, and two outs, and runners on the corners, Anderson Hernandez picked up a ground ball, looked to flip to second for an inning-ending force out, by Luis Castillo was standing flat footed, in the hole between first and second, no place near the bag, positioned for the pull-hitting Garret Anderson – so, Hernandez double clutched, threw to first, but it was too late, the runner was safe, a run scored and the inning continued… and continued… and continued…
In Case You Missed It:
To watch SNY.TV’s Post Game Extra, featuring clips from the game; quotes from Jerry Manuel, and analysis from Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen, keep an eye on the video player in the sidebar of MetsBlog.com throughout the night.
The Next Series:
The Mets conclude their three-game series against the Braves tomorrow night, with Johan Santana (13-8, 3.10 ERA) taking on Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.13 ERA).
Tagged News |
The Mets (56-63) continue their three-game series with the Braves (62-57) tonight at 7:10 pm in 
Citi Field, with Bobby Parnell (3–4, 3.50 ERA) taking on Jair Jurrjens (9-8, 2.99 ERA).
Angel Pagan will hit leadoff tonight, followed by Luis Castillo, Gary Sheffield, Daniel Murphy at first base, Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis at third, Omir Santos and Anderson Hernandez.
Jurrjens is 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in five starts against the Mets.
Parnell threw a career-high 86 pitches in his last outing, and could throw as many as 100 pitches tonight. He is 1–1 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts since joining the starting rotation.
Update, 5:40 pm:
Before the game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that he expects Oliver Perez to make his next start.
Perez told reporters the same.
Manuel said Perez has been pitching with the issue in his knee most all of the season, though it has not had an impact on his ‘stuff.’
Regarding David Wright, Manuel said he will continue to rest, after which he will be re-examined and ‘they’ll go from there.’
J.J. Putz will throw a simulated game on Saturday, and is ‘close to returning.’
John Maine is long tossing, is scheduled to pitch from a mound next week, but is not likely to return to action until after September 1.
Update, 5:55 pm:
SNY will interview Joan Hodges, Gil’s wife, during tonight’s game, in advance of Saturday’s celebration of the 1969 World Championship.
…be on alert… the interview is live, and, from what i understand, she is not too happy with the Mets these days…
Tagged News |
Last night, Johan Santana told SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt that he is happy to be on the Mets, and he has never asked to be traded.
In the days prior to the July 31 trade deadline, there was a a bogus Associated Press report going around the Internet suggesting Santana requested a trade from the Mets.
…if you watched this, it was quite clear johan was working hard to make it clear he wants to be on the Mets, and has never requested a trade, because he mentioned it a handful of times, including at the end of the discussion…
Tagged News |
According to MLB.com, David Wright, Luis Castillo and Angel Pagan have been nominated for the 2009 Hank Aaron Award, baseball’s most prestigious honor for offensive prowess.
…dear lord… umm, ok, before you start thinking what i was initially thinking, read the following:
“The Hank Aaron Award, presented by Sharp, is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in each league, with each club having three nominees.”
…ahh, ok, each team must have three representatives…
…that said, pagan… really… pagan… angel pagan… he has three HR and 21 RBI… Carlos Beltran played in more games, had more HR, RBI and was hitting .336 before going on the disabled list… and what about Gary Sheffield… crazy…
…this doesn’t really matter, so much as it is evidence and a true indictment of what we already know, which is, wow, this has been a bizarre and painful season, especially at the plate… so much so that pagan and castillo are up for baseball’s most prestigious honor for offensive prowess…
Tagged News |Bobby Parnell will make his third start of the season tonight, 
when he takes on the Braves in Citi Field.
…this is a big one… i am very, very interested in watching him pitch tonight… in his first start, which was essentially a relief appearance, he tossed around 60 pitches and relied on his fastball… in his next start, he used around 80 pitches and looked much better, mixing his pitches well, but throwing against the Giants, who have a pretty weak offense… tonight, he’ll be allowed roughly 100 pitches, and he gets the Braves, who are a better offensive team, and who have seen him seven teams in the last two seasons…
Parnell is 1–1 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts since joining the starting rotation.
…i hope to see more of his slider tonight, which, when teams up with his two fastballs, can make parnell an interesting candidate for next season’s rotation…
To read more about what Parnell says he must do to be successful, plus watch him speak with the MLB Network about tonight’s start, check out MLB.com.
Tagged News |Adam Rubin checks in with a Farm Report on his blog for the Daily News, where he talks about Stephen Matz, Jason Dubois, Ike Davis, 
and other minor leaguers.
David Lennon of Newsday wonders if Jerry Being Jerry will eventually wear thin upstairs.
Speaking of which, in a post to Awesome.ly, J.T. Perian has some choice words for Jerry Manuel.
Also, in Newsday, Ken Davidoff takes a look at how the word Valuable has evolved in the MVP debate.
In a post to Always Amazin, Matthew Artus takes a look recent charges of the Mets spending on draft picks – Alex Nelson does the same on Mets Geek.
Tagged News |
Pedro Martinez will start for the Phillies on Sunday against the Mets in Citi Field.
…awkward… it is… i still like pedro… i also like that he’s not on the Mets, because i believe the team needed to move on… but, the Phillies… ugh… i mean, did it have to be the Phillies… i wonder how many Mets fans will wear their old Martinez 45 Mets jersey on Sunday…
By the way, in post to his blog for the News Journal, Phillies reporter Scott Lauber talks with Martinez about his brother, Jesus, who, unlike Pedro and other brother Ramon, never made it to the major leagues.
Tagged News |
Jeff Wilpon and Asst GM John Ricco continued their minor-league tour yesterday, stopping in Double-A Binghamton, according to Michael Sharp of the Press & Sun Bulletin.
This is a must-read article for those interested in the farm system, during which Ricco talks to Sharp about the impact injuries in Flushing have had on Binghamton.
Wilpon and Ricco will next travel to the team’s academy in the Dominican Republic.
…keep taking stock, gentlemen… you’ve got a busy off season ahead of you…
Tagged News |
…last night, here, i downplayed and dismissed the back-and-forth comments between Jerry Manuel and Ryan Church… i likened it to Soap Opera sports coverage…
…like i said, maybe i’m just worn down from a long season of this type of stuff… or, maybe i’ve grown callous to the sideshow, wishing for Meaningful Games in September again… i mean, there have been so many of these sorts of stories this season i’ve actually lost count… and so, in this final case, i just couldn’t muster the energy to think this really matters…
That said, in a post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman wisely explains why it does matter, pointing out:
“What Manuel should recognize is that players talk to players. And while Church is not a widely influential player, his problems with the Mets’ manager will be circulated… They are the kind of tactics that would make any organization wonder if they have the right man in the manager’s office.”
…excellent point, joel… thank you… i may not like your newspaper, but you always give me something to think about… it also makes me wonder if September will be spent reading article after article about the job status of jerry and Omar Minaya…
Sherman also blogs about betting on baseball, the Mets poor lineup, and they’re unlikely outburst last night.
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