Daily Archives: September 3, 2009
The Mets defeated the Rockies by the score of 8 to 3 in Coors Field today.
For a full recap and boxscore, click here:
The Least You Should Know:
Pat Misch allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three, in seven innings, for earn his first major league win. He had a shutout going before Chris Iannetta and Ian Stewart hit consecutive home runs in his final inning.
David Wright drove in three runs, while wearing his smaller, less-safe, more-traditional batting helmet.
Pedro Feliciano pitched the final two innings in relief.
Misc., Etc., and Other Stuff:
Good for Misch, who finally got his first major-league win in his 55th appearance, including 13 starts. He’s looked the last two times out. I actually think he’s better suited for being a starting pitcher, because he seems to work better with his full repertoire and when pitching from the wind up. He’s 28 years old, so I suppose it’s possible he could finally be figuring things out for himself, while getting a chance to pitch consistently in a rotation. He reminds me a little of Tom Glavine, or a left-handed Rick Reed at times, moving the ball around the zone, not a lot of velocity, but quick, setting up his fastball with his slider, good command, good control and pitching to contact. I’m not saying he’s a lock for the rotation in 2010, or that he’ll even be as good in his next start, but, he has my attention.
I liked Thole the first time I saw him in spring training, when I saw him choking up so high on the bat. He can hit, no doubt about it. I like that he fights in each at bat. He’s got a lot of poise at the plate, as well. He looked comfortable and confident, and he looks like he belongs. He let a pass ball go by to start the game, but, overall, he looked fine behind the plate. He’ll grow in to the position, as people can saying, and I am glad he’ll have the next month to work with Sandy Alomar Jr. I don’t think he should play tomorrow, against Carlos Zambrano, and with the young Bobby Parnell on the mound. Instead, I hope he gets the day to reflect, enjoy what he did today, and get comfortable with New York, Citi Field, etc. Then, return to action on Saturday to catch Nelson Figueroa.
What’s Next for the Mets:
The Mets return to action in Citi Field tomorrow night at 7:10 pm, where they’ll begin a three-game series with the Cubs.
Tagged News |
In a report for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark talks with Mets GM Omar Minaya, who says he must be very creative and very open-minded about how he puts his team together for next season.
Stark talked with an NL scout, an AL and NL executive, and other experts, about how to rebuild the Mets.
In short, the group of experts seem to believe a) the Mets should ‘bite the bullet and rebuild,’ because they are not a free agent or two away from winning; b) if they do not restaff in the front office, they should certainly find a new pitching coach; and, lastly, c) they should trade one or two of their big-name players, either Carlos Beltran or Jose Reyes, and build a team of ‘grinders,’ not stars.
In the end, Stark sums up Minaya’s difficult off season as:
“The guys they could trade, they can’t bring themselves to trade. The guys they’d be happy to trade are guys nobody wants. And there aren’t nearly enough dollars in the old Wilpon checking account to solve this conundrum with money alone.”
…the Mets need a three-year, re-building plan… the thing is, though i believe Mets fans are willing to see them through it, assuming the team is clear about what they’re doing, i don’t think ownership is willing because of SNY and Citi Field…
…the good news, though, is they have enough core talent, like David Wright, reyes, beltran, Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez, etc., that by making subtle moves, changes, all under an over-arching philosophy, i believe they’ll be able to rebuild and compete at the same time…
…forgive me if you’ve heard me say this before, but, before that happens, they need a plan, they need an idea of what type of team they want to be, what is this organization, they need to know what they want to be, what they’re about, and from that brand, from that idea, all future decisions are made…
For more, check out Ted Berg’s recent column for SNY.TV, where he says the Mets should stop trading young players in droves before they reach maturity.
Tagged News |
The Mets conclude their series with the Rockies today at 3:10 p.m., with Pat Misch taking on Jason Marquis.
22–year-old C Josh Thole will make his major-league debut today for the Mets, starting at catcher.
Angel Pagan will hit leadoff today, followed in order Anderson Hernandez at second base, David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur, Cory Sullivan in left field, Thole, Wilson Valdez and shortstop and Misch on the mound.
Misch (0-1, 3.41 ERA) gave up one run and six hits in seven innings against the Cubs last Friday, in his first start of the season. Misch has made 12 starts in his major-league career, during which his team is 0–12. Ouch.
Marquis (14-9, 3.60 ERA) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings against the Mets at Citi Field in late July.
The Mets have lost 11 of their last 14 games.
Tagged News |
Eric Simon of Amazin Avenue uses a collection of stats to evaluate Angel Pagan, and how he factors in to 2010.
…there is no denying pagan is a hitter… i mean, he’s been a good-enough, stable hitter through much of his 239–game career…
…the thing is, i don’t think there is a stat that can track mental mistakes, like base running blunders and bad throws, which are the biggest factors in whether pagan has a role next season…
…that said, he did make a fantastic play last night, tracking down a hit in the gap, playing it perfectly, positioning himself perfectly, and making a nice, unbalanced throw to the correct infielder, who gunned down a runner heading home…
Pagan is batting .310 in 52 games when hitting leadoff, with a .351 OBP, six HR, 12 doubles and nine stolen bases.
He has a .385 OBP when leading off the game.
Tagged News |
In a post to Mets Fever, Ed Ryan looks at 20 signs the Mets may be in an economic crisis.
Zachary Schulman of the Daily Stache lists the five best moments of the 2009 season.
In a video for On the Black, Kerel Cooper explains why Mike Pelfrey has been the biggest disappointment in the Mets starting rotation for 2009.
If you’re interested, the Real Dirty Mets Blog is looking for a new writer.
Dave from Mets Lifer looks at several current Mets and how they compare to failed players from the past, such as Daniel Murphy is Ty Wiggington.
Lastly, the outstanding Mets by the Numbers looks at No. 30, which will be worn by today’s starting catcher, Josh Thole.
Tagged News |
“The Mets don’t intend to adjust the dimensions or wall heights at Citi Field for the 2010 season,” Adam Rubin explains in a report for the Daily News.
…this is good news to me, because i like the pitcher’s park advantage, so long as the team builds around the building’s strengths…
“We’re going to try to build a team with speed and defense and pitching,” Jerry Manuel told Rubin, who also speaks Wright, as well as with Greg Rybarczyk of Hit Tracker Online, about how the ballpark has influenced the team’s power.
…i think saying, ‘We’re going to build a team with speed and defense and pitching,’ i think that is still too general… i mean, every team says that, to a certain extent… seriously, when does a team ever come out and say, ‘Yes, we’re building a team that plays crap defense, has bad pitching, and only hits singles,’ nobody ever says that… it just sort of happens, despite the GM’s best intentions…
…come to think of it, isn’t the pitching-speed-defense team exactly Omar Minaya said he wanted to build when he was hired five years ago, in Shea Stadium…
…instead, the Mets should be more specific… i’d like to see them put together a two– or three-year plan to develop, sign and trade for the best infield defense on the planet, have pitchers who get ground-balls on command, and an offense modeled after Whitey Herzog’s Cardinals…
Tagged News |
According to David Lennon, in a bizarre, must-read story for Newsday, Mike Pelfrey decided to run laps in the Coors Field parking lot in the middle of Tuesday night’s game, after he was pulled in the fourth inning.
Pelfrey left the mound, Lennon explains, and:
“He stormed into the clubhouse, where he switched his uniform for running gear, and then left the stadium… Once he found himself standing in the middle of the parking lot, Pelfrey began running laps, each about 13 blocks long, as his teammates struggled through the late innings of an 8-3 loss to Colorado.”
…i’m glad to read he is as frustrated with his development as we all are… but, seriously, what in the world is going on with this guy… he just had a kid, recently married, he was pitching so well to start the season, and now he seems like more of a project than Oliver Perez…
Lennon provides quotes from Pelfrey, and Jerry Manuel, regarding the situation, as well as from Dan Warthen, who says, “I think he’s tense.”
…gee, dan, ya think… tense is one way to put it, i suppose…
“The tension of this year has really beat him up,” Warthen added.
…join the club… seriously, man, it’s been a long, long year…
Pelfrey had been 4–1 with a 3.88 ERA through his first nine starts of the season, during which the team was 7–2.
However, he is now 1–4 with 6.08 ERA in his last six starts, and has allowed 12 runs and 17 hits, including four homers, during his last two games.
Tagged News |
Carlos Beltran had one hit and a walk as the DH during a minor-league rehab game with Single-A Brooklyn last night.
Following the game, he told reporters, though he is not yet ‘100 percent,’ he ‘feels good,’ and plans to play five innings in the field tonight.
Beltran, on why he is working to return from the disabled list, said:
“If I got home without playing this season, my mind is going to kill me thinking I got hurt during the season and I couldn’t get back. You don’t want that in your head… People keep asking me, ‘Why don’t you sit back for the rest of the season?’ I don’t want to sit back. I’m a ballplayer. I play every day. When you’re a ballplayer, your job is being able to rehab yourself, and if that’s the last game of the season, then play the last game of the season. That’s what we’re here for, that’s what we get paid for… So I’m doing my best, and hopefully nothing happens and everything goes right and I can be with them.”
…you know, David Wright made a similar statement before returning to action the other night for the Mets… it’s interesting, because lots of fans, myself included, beat writers and talk-radio types, all seem to be questioning betran’s desire to be back, or wright’s desire, or John Maine, or any one else in the team’s plans next season, who could easily just kick back and rest and be 100 percent for spring training… yet, wright and beltran make these statements… which would suggest, despite us all having an opinion, we may not all know as much about playing baseball as we’d like to think we do…
…on one hand, i worry he might hurt himself trying to get back… on the other hand, i love his attitude…
The Mets said Tuesday that the bone bruise in Beltran’s knee has improved significantly, though it is still present.
…from what i can tell, beltran could rejoin the Mets next week, either when at home against the Marlins, or for when they travel to Philadelphia…
For more on Beltran’s effort to return from the disabled list, check out Peter Botte’s report for the Daily News.
Tagged News |
