What are the Mets doing?  I realized that they were 18-8 in July, but if it doesn’t carry over into August, then July isn’t going to matter much.  I know, I know not exactly time to panic just yet.  Even though the Mets lost, the Phillies and Marlins did too; the Mets remain one game out of first with the Marlins trailing close behind. 

Pedro Martinez was making his first start in nearly three weeks.  He threw 87 pitches in five innings, giving up three runs (all of which were homers) on five hits, he walked two and stuck out five.  Knowing that Pedro would not be in it for the long haul tonight, the bullpen had to know that the team would be counting on them to keep them in the game. 

The trade deadline has passed so we pretty much know that this team is our team and this is the bullpen we are going to have to count on.  There might be some additions, but it will be of guys who made us better by subtraction-think Luis Castillo.  But the Mets bullpen right now has been atrocious.  I have heard talk this week from guys on SNY and on WFAN trying to tell us that the Mets bullpen isn’t that bad.  These guys then must not watch them night after night like the fans do, because I can tell you, and I’m sure you know it-this pen is horrible right now. 

“Right now” are the key words.  These are the same guys we’ve seen be really good.  And in fairness, the guys who have said that the Mets pen isn’t that bad, preface it by saying that if the pen actually pitched the way it is capable of, then they are actually pretty good.  But, they haven’t pitched like they are capable of anything, and in order to be in the thick of it, the Met have to have all parts working.  Again, the problem is that it isn’t just one guy who is struggling.  From night to night you don’t know who will blow it.  Last night it just happend to be Aaron Heilman.  He gave up a grand slam to Mark Loretta in the bottom of the eighth that really put the game out of reach for the Mets, but why was Heilman ptiching a second inning?  Can no one else pitch in relief and get an out?  Joe Smith finally got someone out, he pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Pedro Felicano, who came into the game after the Astros had blown it wide open retired both batters that he faced. 

Clearly part of the problem last night was that Pedro Marinez only pitched five innings and the Mets bullpen was going to have to pick up the slack.  But, isn’t that their job?  Seriously, Damion Easley, Endy Chavez, and Fernando Tatis have (for the most part) done their jobs and continue to go out and do them night after night.  Tatis is probably one of the biggest reasons that the Mets played so well in July.  The point is, the bench guys picked up the slack when other guys went down, it is a little concept known as “team.”  And, no, I do believe that the bull pen is stinking up the joint because they want to, but it just seems more often than not they are the problem rather than the solution. 

Pitching wasn’t the Mets only problem.  They had plenty of scoring chances against Brandon Backe on Friday night and didn’t make the most of them.  They left seven guys on base and with no one out in the top of the seventh the Mets loaded the bases but failed to score-Endy Chavez struck out, David Wright grounded into a force play, and Carlos Delgado hit a fly ball to left.  I realize that the Mets have no other option, but Endy Chavez is not a good two hitter.  He struck out in a bad spot last night, and was 0-3.  I know the they are thinking that when Ryan Church comes back that he will hit in the five spot with Carlos Beltran will hit in the two hole.  And really, I am not bagging on Chavez because I believe that he has done a good job stepping in and when he is in the game the Mets have two of the best defensive outfielders in the game.  He isn’t the worst thing out there, he is hitting .268 and has had some big games, but I think that the Mets need a little more consistency, espeically at the top of the lineup. 

John Maine will not start on Sunday instead we will see Oliver Perez.  The Mets a hoping that the rest will work for Maine, he is scheduled to pitch at home on August 8th against the Marlins.  Meanwhile, in his first Triple-A start Jon Niese allowed just one run on three hits in seven innings of work on Wednesday.  Niese could make his major league debut with the Mets on August 11th in a rainout make up game against the Pirates, he will make one more start at Tripple-A before possibly pitching for the Mets.  Daniel Murphy’s promotion lasted just one day in Triple-A as newspapers here in New York are reporting that he will join the Mets tonight against the Astros.  He was hitting .308 with 13 homers and 67 RBI at Double-A-Binghamton and just one day ago was promoted to Triple-A.  I’m not sure what moves the Mets are making to place Murphy on the active roster, the transaction pages have yet to be updated. 

Tonight’s starters: Johan Santana is coming off his first complete game as a Met.  He is 9-8 with a 2.93 era.  Roy Oswalt is 8-8 with a 4.67 era.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Mets Blog    

What if I had said to you in May that by the end of July Carlos Delgadowould have hit more homeruns than ARod?  You would have told me I was crazy, right?  Well guess what?  As of the end of play on Tuesday, Carlos Delgado has hit 23 homeruns, Alex Rodriguez has 21.  And while that isn’t a huge difference, it puts into perspective just what Delgado has done to turn things around after a dreadful start. 

The Mets opened the game with three straight doubles, however, Jose Reyes was thrown out at third for trying to stretch his double into a triple.  Nick Evans then doubled to left and would score on a double by David Wright.  The amazing thing was that all three of those doubles were virtually in the same spot, hitting off the scoreboard in left field. The Mets took an early 1-0 lead, but Perez gave it back in the bottom of the inning.  In the sixth inning, Nick Evans singled and would come around to score on a single by Carlos Beltran.  Carlos Delgado added two insurance runs in the top of the eighth when he hit his 23 homerun of the season, the Mets would win 4-1.  

Oliver Perez earned his first victory since the end of June.  He worked six innings, allowing just one run on five hits, he walked three and struck out five.  Ollie has really come around since he started working with Dan Warthen.  Last night he was probably not as good as we’ve seen him recently, but instead of completely falling apart, he kept it together and ended up pitching pretty well. 

Aaron Heilman came in and worked two scoreless innings in relief.  It looked a little scary at first when he walked two batters in the seventh, but Heilman hung in there and pitched two innings, allowing just one hit, and no runs.  Once he got past the walks he made some great pitches striking out four.  It would be great if we could get the “setup” Heilman back, he was so good in the role last year and the Mets could really use a go-to eighth inning guy.  Billy Wagner retired the side in order to close out the game and earned his 27th save of the season.  After the meltdown by the pen on Monday night, the bullpen needed to come out and shut the Marlins down.  Clearly, the Mets really need to get their pen woes in order.  The race for the NL East appears as if it is going to go down to the wire, and the Mets really need to get everyone playing their best baseball because three teams are battling for the top spot. 

John Maine got the resutls of his MRI, the Mets are saying that he has a mild strain of the right rotator cuff.  He is likely to miss at least one start, but because of the off day, the Mets will not have to call up a spot starter.  Pedro Martinez will pitch on Friday.  Obviously it will be an emotional start for Pedro with everything that he has been through recently.  Ryan Church took batting practice for a second straight day and said that he felt good afteward, based on how he is in the next few days the Mets will sent a time frame for his return to the lineup, I know Jerry Manual has said he’d like Chruch to have a few rehab starts before returning to the lineup. 

Starters for Wednesday  Mike Pelfrey 9-6 with a 3.67 era and Josh Johnson with a 3.71 era .  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 

Mets Blog

That was a pathetic performance by the Mets bullpen last night in the 7-3 loss to the Marlins.  The Mets lead is now just a half game over the Phillies and the Marlins are now just one game out. Listen, I know you can’t win them all but after what they did last week against the Phillies and after what we saw last night, we should be worried.  Yes, Maine had to leave the game early, so we had to figure that it wasn’t going to be easy, but the bull pen was dreadful.  Can you imagine how much pressure the performance of the bullpen puts on the starters?  First off if you want a win you have to pitch a complete game, and if you have to leave early, you will be fearful that the other guys can’t do their job.   

Obviously the Mets are in trouble in the bullpen department.  In his last five outings, Joe Smith is pitching to a 13.50 era.  It appears that Pedro Felicano will only face one guy (the lefty), and I’m sick of Scott Schoeneweis too, he has really been a disappointment since joining the Mets, yeah he has had some spots where he was doing a good job, but by and large he has been a disaster.  Who knows what will happen with Duaner Sanchez, I bet he never rides in a cab again.  He certainly hasn’t been his old self and who knows if he ever will be.  But, if the Mets are going to stay in the thick of it, they have to be able to trust their relievers.  Is there anyone in the pen that you can say you trust right now?   

For the most part, the offense was dead last night.  Jose Reyes was 0-5 and popped up at least twice, I hate when he has hit a few homeruns, it messes with his game, because instead of putting the ball in play, he tries to hit it out of the park.  The lone bright spot in the lineup last night was Fernando Tatis, on the day when Jerry Manual anointed him the starting left fielder he went 2-4 with a triple and two RBI.  

The unsettling thing about John Maine leaving the game with shoulder stiffness is that he may not be able to make his next start.  Because the Mets have two off days in the next two weeks they may not have to move guys in and out of the rotation; however, we have to be worried if it turns out that he needs more than just a little rest.  The coaching staff was aware of the stiffness, and when pitching coach Dan Warthen said he saw a hitch in Maine’s delievery they decided to pull him.  Clearly Maine did not want to leave the game and you could see him arguing with Jerry Manual when Manual came to the mound.  After the game, Maine said he understood the decision to pull him; he also talked about his shoulder and described the pain as like nothing he has felt before.  Warthen said he didn’t think that Maine’s problem was serious because the pain isn’t exactly coming from the shoulder, but rather in the back area, under the shoulder, stating that that it is not usually a “red-flag area.”  But, this is also the club who screwed up the Ryan Church thing, so I’m not putting a lot of faith into what we are hearing right now.  On a side note, I actually like Maine a lot, but I’m getting a little tired of him.  I know he is having a rough year, but the sulkiness gets old after a while.  And also, for the second consecutive game, his bunt attempt was awful-you have to be able to do a better job than that.  Why don’t these guys know how to bunt?   

David Wright made a spectacular catch in the fifth inning on a pop up in the seats on the third base line-he totally knocked two guys over-it was great.  So, later in the game, I think it was in the seventh inning when Wright went into the same area to see if he could make a play on a ball, if you saw replay in slow motion there was a big doofy guy in the red shirt, you could read his lips, he said to Wright, ”Hey , dat was a good play before!”  (think really thick NY accent-you know the guy!)  I don’t know why, but it stuck me as seriously funny!   

Ryan Church is supposed to take batting practice with the team on Tuesday.  I was wondering if they had him go on the road trip to see how he does with the flying.  It seems that most of his problems have all come after he has been on an airplane.  The soonest he’ll rejoin the team is August 5^th.  Pedro Martinez will make the start for the Mets on Friday, and it is possible that he could work an inning of relief in Tuesday night’s game.   

Tuesday’s Starters: Oliver Perez 6-6 4.15 era and Scott Olsen 6-5 4.07 era.  Game time 7:10 p.m. 

Mets Blog 

The Mets lost 10-8 in the bottom in 14 innings on Saturday night.  The game was five hours and nine minutes long, there was a total of 37 hits, 18 runs, and over 400 pitches thrown.  With this loss, the Mets lead was cut to one, you can only imagine how many days that that number is going to change. 

You know there will be games like this, and hope that there is no carry over.  The Mets bounced back against the Phillies, so you know that they do have it in them to take the rubber game of this series.  I guess that is what you have to do, just focus on one game, one series at a time.   

On Monday the Mets will start three with the Marlins while the Phillies play the Cardinals.  So, the Mets have a chance to continue to help themselves.  As David Wright said yesterday if they go out and do what they have to do, then the rest will take care of itself.  However, I think today I am still hoping that the Cubs and Braves win.  As a Mets fan did you ever think to yourself that you would want the Braves to win any games-ever?  I just find it hard to believe that Mike Hampton actually made a start for the Braves.  I figured that he and Carl Pavano were hanging out somewhere laughing that they were getting paid crazy money and not having to work for it, while concocting new schemes to keep them away from the team.  You can just hear the conversation, “Ok, Mike here is what you do now, just make a face when you’re playing long toss and everyone will come running over to you to see what is wrong!”  and then Hampton says something like, “Can’t Carl, did that last week.  Maybe I should tell them that my shoulder feels tight, that got Wagner a day off last week.”  I guess Moises Alou should be joining them any day now…    

The Mets are in a bad sport, or specifically Johan Santana is in a bad spot, because the bullpen was depleted in Saturday’s game, everyone is expecting that Santana is going to pitch a complete game Sunday, especially because Wagner will be unavailable.  Personally, I thought all that griping about Santana not going the distance in his outing was crap.  He pitched a great game and the bullpen let him down.  Actually, considering how some of the guys in the pen are throwing right now, Santana might decided that it is in his best interest to keep matters into his own hands if he wants to finally get anther win.  

I can’t help but feel like it is hard to get excited, and don’t get me wrong because I am excited, but I still don’t completely feel like I am ready to trust that the Mets can hold their own in this race.  It doesn’t appear that there are any moves the Mets are going to make before the trade deadline; the guys that would fit well have ended up with other teams.  Ryan Church is due back just after the deadline so maybe the Mets feel that they’ve got what they needed.  But with out a bench to really speak of, this is something that might be a problem for them down the stretch. 

RECAP

The Mets over came deficits on more than one occasion, and they actually had the lead at one time, but because they were 1-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 16 guys on bases, and letting opportunities fall by as they had runners in scoring position in the 10^th, 11^th, and they left the bases loaded in the 12^th.  Carlos Delgado was 2-5 with two homers and 3 RBI, Jose Reyes was 4 for 8 with two runs scored and 1 RBI, he had two doubles, and homer and a single, David Wright was 2-6 with one run scored, one RBI and two walks, Fernando Tatis hit a homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game and extent it to extra innings, he was 3-5 with two RBI.  Carols Beltran has been just 2 for his last 17 but said after Saturday’s game that he was feeling better at the plate, he was 1-4 with three walks in the game, hopefully the fact that he was walking rather than striking out is an indication he is seeing pitches better and might be ready to bounce back and start getting some hits.  Could Carlos Delgado in a better zone right now?  It just seems like he is getting all of the hits right now that he should have been getting earlier in the year.  I hope that they carry over into August.    

Brandon Knight made the start for Pedro who remains with his family in the Domican.  Clearly Knight’s nerves got the best of him as he gave up four runs in the first inning.  However, he settled in to pitch five innings allowing only those four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out four.  The Mets used every guy in their bullpen.  In fact, when Heilman gave up the two run homer to Pujols, Oliver Perez was warming up in the bullpen.  Carlos Muniz came in for Knight in the sixth inning and was terrible, he pitched only a third of an inning, allowing three runs on three hits (those runs would score with Joe Smith on the mound), Joe Smith worked an inning and a third, he allowed one run on three hits, Pedro Felicano faced just one hitter, getting him to strike out, Duaner Sanchez and Scott Schoeneweis each worked scoreless innings, Billy Wagner worked two scoreless innings, not allowing any runs.  Aaron Heilman pitched in his fourth game in five days and worked three innings, the first time he pitched more than two innings since May of 2006.  He allowed two runs on six hits, stuck out four and walked none.  Unfortunately for the Mets and for Heilman, those two runs came off a homer to Pujols, and those two runs won the game for the Cardinals.  

Sunday’s starters: Johan Santana 8-7 with a 3.05 era and Kyle Lohse 12-2 with a 3.35 era.  Game time: 1:10 p.m. 

Mets Blog

The Mets had me on the edge of my seat this afternoon.  I was at my desk and listened to it on the radio (more on that later).  My coworkers think I’m crazy, because I mutter things at the commentary from the radio.   

What a great performance by the pitchers today.  Jamie Moyer was his usual self against the Mets, he lasted seven innings, struck out six and allowed one run on two hits.  Oliver Perez hung right with him and did an amazing job.  In seven and two-thirds innings, Perez gave up just one run on six hits, striking out twelve; his only walk of the game was an intentional pass to Pat Burrell in the top of the eighth.  Perez was great, he threw just one bad pitch to Jayson Werth who hit a homer to tie the game in the top of the seventh,   Perez OWNS Ryan Howard.  Perez stuck out Howard three times on Thursday, and now has now stuck out something like 13 times in 18 at bats against Perez. 

The Mets got just enough offense today, they scored their first run of the game when Jose Reyes got aboard with a walk, with two out in the bottom of the third, he stole a base and scored on a single by David Wright.  The Mets added two runs on a double by Carlos Delgado in the bottom of the eighth inning, winning the game 3-1.   

Aaron Heilman got an important out for the Mets, after Perez hit Ryan Howard to load the bases in the top of the eighth, Heilman came into the game and got Jayson Werth to flyout to end the inning.  Billy Wagner entered the game in the top of the ninth; he allowed on hit, but no runs and earned his 26th save of the season.

I forgot to mention in yesterday’s recap, that Delgado has been moved into the four slot with Carlos Beltran hitting behind him.  Manual said he felt that he just wanted to protect Delgado a little more just because he had been swinging a good bat. 

I don’t know if anyone caught it, but Jerry Manual does a weekly radio spot on the local radio station, WFAN 660 NY, and it comes on as I am driving home from work.  I happened to catch most of it yesterday, and all I can say is he seems so laid back.  I always thought that Willie came across uptight, and he really did not take criticism well, and if you know Mike and the Mad Dog, they piss all over everybody and Willie couldn’t really take it.  Anyway, Manual is a good interview.  He was funny, and laughed and just seemed totally laid back, and I also thought honest.  He talked about Chavez being out at the plate twice and how he felt about Aguayo’s decision there-but not harsh.  He clearly has a very different style than Randolph had.  I’m not totally on the Manual Express just yet, but he is growing on me.   

It was great for the Mets to take two of three here.  They are now 9-4 against the Phillies this season, and they are sitting all alone in first place for the first time since April 19^th.  I’m sure that lead is going to change hands a few times over the next few weeks, but for today, I am going to enjoy seeing the Mets in first place.  I really didn’t know if they would be able to bounce back after the way the lost the game on Tuesday, but they did, and to their credit they hung in there. 

I don’t know who made the decision to hire Wayne Hagen, but he is just awful.  I could listen to Howie Rose all day, and why they would pair Howie up with such a drip, I don’t know.  He’s is so bad, I thought that my ears were going to bleed.  Maybe I am spolied because the Gary, Keith and Ron are so good on TV, but I have to say, I hate the fact that can hardly stomach listening to the Mets on the radio.  I cringe when I know that they are playing a day game, this guys is awful. 

The Mets now take on the Cardinals, they will be in town for the weekend.  Mike Pelfrey will pitch the opening game on Friday and the Cardinals will have Mitchell Boggs on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.   

Just wanted to pass along my condolences to Pedro Martinez and his family on the passing of his father. 

Mets Blog 

The Mets were able to bounce back from their terrible ninth inning on Tuesday night, to beat the Phillies 6-3 on Wednesday night. 

The Mets got some help from Brett “I hate the Mets” Meyers, as he walked four in the first inning.  The Mets scored two runs in the first with out even getting a hit.  What was most frustrating though, was the Mets couldn’t seem to put the nail in Meyer’s coffin, as they left the bases loaded in the first inning, the third inning, and again in the seventh (by the seventh, Meyers was out of the game).   

Not to be undone, John Maine wasn’t able to hold the lead.  In the second inning he gave up back to back jacks, one to Shane Victorino, and the other to Geoff Jenkins, Jenkins is in the midst of a 9-71 (well, now 10-72), I guess he was over due, huh?  Maine was better; he made it through seven last night because he was able to keep his pitch count down.  In seven innings of work he allowed three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out five.  On a side note, he did a terrible job in the sixth inning, with guys on first and second he was up there to sacrifice and was awful.  Granted the Phillies has the wheel on-whatever, but these guys need to help himself out.  Seriously, how do these guys not know how to bunt?  He is lucky that it come back to bite him, because Jose Reyes came up and hit a three run homer, to give the Mets a 6-3 lead.   

Also, Angel Hernandez is jerk.  The Mets have had their issues with him in the past.  He is a piece of work.  Last night in the first inning, Carlos Delgado asked for time and he wouldn’t grant it, there was really no reason for it.  His strike zone was awful.  And, I had to laugh because Keith said something that I’ve heard in my very own living room which is, that Angel Hernandez must think that the crowd is there to see him.  What a jerk! 

I’m in a ranting mood!  Will everyone please lay off Johan Santana!  He threw 105 pitches; he pitched exactly like the Mets needed him to.  He pitched eight complete, and was amazing.  There was NO reason to believe that the bullpen would not be able to record three outs with a three run lead.  I have no problem with him not pitching the ninth, what I have a problem is the Duaner Sanchez and Pedro Feliciano stunk, and didn’t do their jobs!   

Speaking of doing their jobs, is anyone else sick of seeing Marlon Anderson?  I know he has had some big pinich hits, but he has nothing these days.  And I just cringe when a ball is hit to him in the outfield. 

Also, Billy Wagner pitched the 9th last night.  He retired the side in order and said that if he feels that he can compete he will be out there. The Mets are in a postion where until there is any distance (one way or the other) between them, the Phillies or the Marlins, they need all their guys. 

And another thing is any Mets pitcher going to hit anyone?  Three guys have been hit so far in this three game series, and nothing.  I mean, really?  Enough!  I would love to see that little Shrimpy Victorino hit right on the 8!   

The Mets have Oliver Perez on the mound today.  The Phillies will counter with Jamie Moyer. 

Mets Blog

The Mets 10 game win streak came to an end last night with a 5-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.  The Mets looked more like the team of old rather than the team that has been so good in the prior 10 games.   

We all knew the Mets were going to lose eventually, but I guess we were hoping it would happen on a night when the Phillies lost too.  Instead, the Phillies beat the Marlins 4-2, and the Mets find themselves back in second place.   

John Maine was horrible last night.  He has really not been good all year.  In his last four starts he is 0-2 with a 6.63 era.  He has not won a game since the 20^th of June.  Look, last night he didn’t exactly get anyhelp.  With two on, Jeff Keppinger hit a ball to third that David Wright could not make the play on; it was ruled an infield hit, but it was an error.  The game changed there, if Wright makes that play, Maine gets out of the inning.  Instead, Maine fell apart, he walked Ken Griffey Jr. with the bases loade, gave up a single to Brandon Phillips that scored two; he intentionally walked Adam Dunn but then hit Edwin Encarnacion with a pitch to walk in another run.  Jerry Manual finally took him out of the game at that point.  Scott Schoeneweis entered the game and got Joey Votto to ground out finally ending the inning.   

Bronson Arroyo shut the Mets offense down; he allowed just two runs on four hits.  The Mets did put up a two spot in the fourth inning but couldn’t do anything there after.  It looked like maybe they would have a scoring chance in the top of the 7^th.  Carlos Beltran hit a triple to lead of the inning, Damion Easley struck out swinging, Carlos Delgado was hit by a pitch, and with runners on the corners, Fernando Tatis grounded into a double play to end the inning.  Beltran had a good game last night offensively, but for the most part the bats were dead.  Jose Reyes has an 0-fer going, having yet to record a hit since the all star break, it was so frustrating watching him pop the ball up all last night.  Again too, it was a terrible job to have a runner on third with no outs and not get him home.    

Ok, am I being a little critical?  Maybe so.  I knew they were going to lose a game eventually, but I hate when they play like they played last night.  It is just sloppy and uninspired.  I guess too I worry because you wonder if they will slip back into the mode.  We’ve seen so much of that this season, and in the past 10 games it was gone, I don’t want them to become complacent.  They need to keep playing with the same firing and driving force they had prior to the all star break.   

If you get a chance, make sure you watch the month’s “Costas Now” on HBO.  The show is a town hall setting with MLB players from different eras.  It appears that it was taped the day after the all star game. Really great stuff.  

The Mets will have Oliver Perez on the mound; he will be opposed by Josh Fogg.  Game time is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. 

Mets Blog

 If you watched the All Star game, you realized that Billy Wagner hasn’t just let the Mets down this year, but he has now let the whole National League down, as he blew a save opportunity to close out the game for the National League.  This performance got me to thinking, and with a suggestion from a reader, I have decided to write my own midseason report card for the Mets.   

Position Players: 

First Base: Carlos Delgado-Delgado’s performance is really the tale of two halves in its own right, the early part of the season (April-Mid June) and the late part of the first half (late June-break).  Early on, I’d have given Delgado an F, not just because he wasn’t hitting, but because he didn’t hustle on the field, he wasn’t helping the Mets out with his fielding.  But, since late June and right on through the All Star break Delgado has almost looked like a different player.  He has raised his average to .248 with 17 homeruns and 52 RBI.  But it isn’t just his hitting that has been better.  He has started to do the little things, like making an effort to field the ball, and taking the extra base when he can.  It is an all around hustle that this team has not had and it is good to see it out of a veteran guy.  So over all I think Delgado deserves a B-/C+.   

Second Base: Luis Castillo-Oh, where do I begin?  I think this guy stinks.  I do not like his body language or his attitude.  I think this signing was a huge waste of money and time.  And, let me tell you this, It does not bother me a bit that he will not have his starting job waiting for him.  He is a terrible fielder, and maybe that has to do with the fact that he can hardly walk, I think he is a nightmare at the plate, that slap crap hitting annoys me.  Also, I just don’t think that he is a good guy.  There was a lot of chatter about his relationship with Jose Reyes last year claming that he really isn’t a great influence on him-especially when you consider the mentoring relationship that Reyes had with Jose Valentin.  I think this guy is a problem in the club house and an all around lazy guy.  Someone also said that part of the reason Castillo is a Met this year is because he and Santana a great friends from their time together in Minnesota, but if that is true, I would say to Santana-you need new friends.  Overall grade-F 

Third Base: David Wright- David is a hard guy to grade.  We all know that this has not been his best season at the plate, yet he leads the team in almost every offensive category hitting .282 with 17 homeruns, 70 RBI and 11 stolen bases.  David has struggled this year, and he has not been himself at the plate.  He has shown glimpses of coming out of it but has been unable to sustain that for any extended period of time.  His fielding has been pretty good, he does have 12 errors, the majority being throwing errors, but they have also been costly errors, especially early on when the Mets were struggling to win games.  David is such a likeable guy, even when he is not performing up to the standards he set for himself by what he has done in past years.  He says the right thing, does the right thing, answers questions the right way, and an all around good guy.  I would take a team full of David Wrights any day.  That being said, he is a huge part of this team, and if the Mets are really going to make a run at this, he is going to have to continue to do his part, and work on getting runners home from third with less than two out and work on his strikeouts.  Overall grade B+ 

Short Stop: Jose Reyes-Reyes went into a slump last September and didn’t come out of it until the end of May.  But, the good news is he did eventually come out of the slump.  He has gotten his average up to .302 with 43 RBI.  He has fourth most hits in major league baseball with 119, having hit 10 homeruns, 10 triples, and 23 doubles.  He is tied for fifth in the majors with 32 stolen bases.  His offensive production is probably one of the factors why the Mets are sitting where they are now.  However, Reyes has  uncharacteristically struggled with his defense at times.  He has already made 12 errors-as a measuring point, he made only 12 errors all last season.  He does also still make some mental mistakes but I do think that it is all a process, and when he came up with the Mets we knew he was going to be good, and every year he continues to get better.  I think Jose will continue to swing a hot bat and will have a better second half defensively.  Over allgrade-B+/A- 

Left Field: Obviously this is one position you can’t give a grade to.  If you were going to say Endy Chavez, then he scores off the charts solely because of his defense, however, as a whole the position gets an INCOMPLETE because they really are in trouble out there, and what’s to come remains to be seen.   

Center Field: Carlos Beltran-Beltran has quietly had a good season.  He is hitting .268 with 15 homeruns and 66 RBI, he has suddenly become more aggressive on the base paths and has 15 stolen bases.  He started the season out slowly, and I think it had a lot to do with some trepidation coming back after having knee surgery in the off season.  His fielding is probably superior to most of the outfielders in the game.  While I do think a lot of balls fall in front of him because he plays too deep, rarely do they go over his head, and more often then not he tracks down balls in the gap that almost nobody gets to.  Early in the season, I really felt that he and the other Carlos were not doing what they should, and I also thought they were causing a division in the clubhouse.  With the departure of Willie Randolph, I think we’ve seen a new Beltran.  I loved the fact that he go thrown out of the game against Seattle, I know that he is not typically a demonstrative guy, but it was great to see him stand up for himself and Jerry Manual.  Overall grade: B+ 

Right Field: Again, if Ryan Church were playing out there, he would get an A+, his defense has been superb and his offensive production is something, until just recently, the Mets lineup was really missing.  I can’t believe how the Mets front offices screwed this situation up, but I do know they remain optimistic that he may be able to rejoin the team after the all star break.  If the Mets can get Church back, and he is able to pick up where he left off, then they might be in good shape out in right field.  Overall grade: INCOMPLETE 

Catchers: Ramon Castro/Brian Schneider the grade here actually goes to Jerry Manual.  I like the way he has played Castro and Schneider.  I don’t know if it is the rest that Schneider is getting or the reps that Castro is getting but this quasi platoon seems to be working in the Mets favor.  Overall grade B+

Starting Pitching:

Johan Santana he is 8-7 with a 2.84 era, with 114 strikeouts, and has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched.  The only concern is that he does give up the long ball, and has given up 14 so far this season.   However, Santana has shown that he has the guts to pitch out of trouble, and to pitch in big spots.  If Santana actually got some run support, or a good job by the bull pen, Santana could easily be 11-4.  However, things haven’t quite worked out that way for Santana.  Some fans get on him, suggesting that he isn’t any good, and as I’ve said before I believe that is because they have unreasonable expectations about his performance.  For me, has he been as good and I “thought” he was going to be, no-but he has been good.  And if you can believe what people say, that he is a second half pitcher, then we have a lot to look forward to.  Overall Grade B+/A-  

Pedro Martinez-Having Pedro back on the bench is a big plus.  I think he brings something to the clubhouse that no other player on the Mets does.  That being said, he has been unimpressive since his return.  Can Pedro be affective?  Can he stay healthy?  In his last start he pitched only four innings because of a sore groin and a stiff shoulder.  Overall Grade D 

Mike Pelfrey- Pelfrey is 8-6 with a 3.64 era.  Again, if you were just grading him on his last three starts then the guys deserves an A, but early on he was less than stellar, and was a big contributing factor to the Mets early season woes.  However, he never shied away or played the blame game, he kept going out there and working, he has had three good starts and has shown that he can in fact pitch with the big boys.  Overall Grade C 

John Maine-after hearing about how Maine was dominating spring training, I thought for sure he was in for a big season.  Maine is 8-6 with a 3.99 era.  He has failed to go deep into the game because he continuously has terribly high pitch counts.  We’ve seen more players foul pitches off with Maine on the mound, then I think I’ve ever seen before.  He seems to be lacking a real put away pitch and has yet to find that.  I think that all of us, Maine included, are disappointed in his season thus far.  Overall Grade C- 

Oliver Perez-With the addition of new pitching coach Dan Warthen, Oliver has had a chance to reinvent himself.  Oliver has an overall record of 6-5 with a 4.44 era, but in the two games he pitched in July he has allowed just one earned run.  He has pitched much better in his last three or four starts and seems to have tinkered with his windup and delivery.  If Perez keeps this up, he might just get the money he was looking for next year.  Perez seems to be either “Good Ollie” and or the “Bad Ollie”, there really isn’t any in between with this guy.  Clearly, he too, is a big reason why the Mets’ found themselves in such a hole early on.  But, as of late he has been in the middle of the Mets’ resurgence.  In the beginning of the season, I would have given him an F, and in his last four starts he deserves an A-.  Overall Grade: C+/B- 

Bull Pen:

The bullpen has had its fair share of issues so far this season.  Since Manual has taken over, I think we’ve seem a mostly better job out of the bullpen.   

Scott Schoeneweis- 2-1 with a 2.65 era.  In the month of June, this guy was terrible he had a 7.20 era in his 14 appearances and it didn’t seem like he could get anyone out.  However, early in the season, he was practically lights out, and he has rebounded stellarly in July, he has allowed no runs in his five appearances. Individual Grade C  

Pedro Feliciano- 2-2 with a 2.86 era.  Pedro too has struggled; he has given up 34 hits in his 34 2/3 innings of work.  Lefties are hitting just 1.72 against Feliciano, but righties are hitting a whopping 3.79 against him.  After getting off to a great start, he has really had a rough go of it.   Individual Grade C

Duaner Sanchez-I think everyone was happy to have Sanchez back, but he has yet to show that he has returned to his pre-injury self.  He is 3-1 with a 3.57 era.  He has really struggled, he was pitching to a 6.00 era in May, but was somewhat better in June appearing 13 games and pitching to a 3.60 era.  However, in July he has pitched in 7 games, and has only allowed only 1 run. Individual Grade  C 

Joe Smith-has a 2.97 era.  He has had 44 relief appearances so far this season, and has allowed 14 runs on 29 hits in 39 innings of work.  He struggled in the early part of the season, and again in June when pretty much the whole bull pen stunk.  Again, pretty much like everyone else, he has been much better as of late.  Individual Grade B-/C+ 

I saved my two favorite bull pen guys for last! 

Aaron Heilman-Heilman is a head case; I think that every time he goes out to pitch, he keeps thinking to himself, “I’m a starter!”  And, maybe he is inside, but not with the Mets.  Anyway, he has appeared in 48 games this season and has allowed 29 runs in 50 innings of work. He has a 4.50 era and a 0-3 record.  Early on he was getting killed with the long ball, and it seemed like he couldn’t get anyone out.  However, when everyone else struggled in June, he was great.  I just looked at his numbers and realized that although I think he has been better recently-like since the winning streak, he is still pitching to a 3.52 era in July.  From what I understand he has added a third pitch, a slider, that seems to help make his fastball and change up more affective, he has been able to keep the ball down in the zone which has kept the ball in the park.  He is a big part of that bullpen whether he realizes it or not.  The Mets need for him to get his head on straight if they are going to over take the Phillies.  Individual Grade C-

 Billy Wagner-has 22 saves in 28 opportunities, his era is 2.31.  He has allowed 15 runs (only 10 earned) in 39 innings.  What I think about Billy is he is the guy who passes all of his quizzes and then bombs the midterm.  What I mean to say is, that Billy got some saves for the Mets when they were easy to get.  But, put Billy in a big spot, and he is going to blow it.  That has become his reputation, and he has done little to dispel that.  I think Mets fans thought he was going to finally get the job done, after  years of watching Franco, Benitez, and Looper blow games, Wagner was the missing key.  Turns out he took over where the other guys left off.  I don’t trust Wagner in a big spot, can’t imagine anyone else does either.  Individual Grade F 

Bullpen Overall Grade: C 

Bench: I am not going to break it down player by player, but I do think the Mets have gotten more out of Endy Chavez, Fernando Tatis, and Damion Easley than anyone thought they might.  It is great that they’ve stepped in to be productive. 

So, overall I think the Mets get a C, there is no question that they have underperformed.  But I do think they have to get some credit for where they are today.  The Mets have lucked out and got hot at the right time to pull within a ½ game of the Phillies.  I hesitate to get too excited, while the Mets have won 9 in a row, I also know they are capable of playing as terrible as they did in the early first half.  I do have more hope for the Mets going into the second half because they have shown that the can and want to win.

Mets Blog

Pedro Martinez and the Mets bullpen combined to throw a one hit shut out against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday afternoon and won the game 3-0.  Eight in a row!  Wow, this is exactly what the Mets needed, a good streak heading into the all star break.  What a great win on Saturday.  Their win streak of eight is the Mets longest since June of 2006 and it is currently the longest streak in MLB.  Since June 13^th, the Mets have reduced the Phillies lead of 7 games to just half a game going into play today.   

The Amazin’s seem to be coming together as a team and it looks like they have found what was missing.  Do you realize if the Mets can continue their winning ways, and if they get a little luck and a little help from Arizona, the Mets could conceivably be in first place at the all star break?   

The Mets are finally getting the pitching they expected.  Pedro Martinez started the game Saturday.  He left after just four innings of work because of shoulder stiffness and I have also heard that he is nursing a sore groin.  Pedro has been examined and has been cleared to make his next start after the all star break.  He worked four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out three.  

The bullpen continues to perform in dominant fashion.  Carlos Muniz came into the game for Pedro in the top of the fifth, he worked two innings, walking one and striking out two, and got credit for the win.  Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis pitched an inning each and both struck out one batter, walked none, and allowed no hits.  And Billy Wagner, with out any drama or undue stress earned his 22^nd save of the season by retiring the side in order.    

The Mets had been scoring a lot of runs, but they have only managed to score five runs in the first two games of this series.  Saturday’s win was good old fashioned baseball.  The Mets manufactured runs, they stole bases, they ran hard on the base paths and they got a homerun.  The Mets stole four bases yesterday and now lead the National League with 91 steals, just nine behind the Tampa Bay Rays who lead the majors with 100. 

In the fourth inning, Carlos Beltran doubled to right, stole third and would score on a single by Fernando Tatis to score the first run of the game.  Jose Reyes hit his 10^th homerun of the season in the bottom of the fifth to make the game 2-0.  In the bottom of the sixth, Carlos Delgado singled to start the inning; he advanced to second on a sac bunt by Endy Chaves and would come around to score on a double by Brian Schneider.   

The Mets look good right now.  If you’d asked me just a few weeks ago, I would not have been able to say that.  But, they are finally getting the pitching they thought they would have.  Both Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez have really taken their games to a new level.  And while Pedro has been cleared to make his next start after the all star break, you will always worry about his health.  This winning streak is nice, and it has put the Mets in a good position, but they are going to have to continue to work and play the kind of baseball they have been playing since the beginning of July.  No one, including myself imagined that the Mets would have started out as poorly as they did this season, and after everything they have been through and after watching them play just awful baseball, I would have never thought that they would be sitting in this spot at the all star break.  

If the Mets can take advantage of their good play and their ability to beat sub par teams, the schedule plays in their favor when play resumes after the all star break.  The Phillies and Marlins will be playing each other at the same time the Mets play an under achieving Cincinnati Red’s team.  It is all starting to really heat up and get exciting.  

The Mets are on Sunday Night Baseball tonight.  (Oh joy, three hours of Jon Miller and Joe “I just keep on talking even if I say nothing of value” Morgan.  Mike Pelfrey will pitch for the Mets and the Rockies will have Mark Redman on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. 

 Mets Blog

On the day that David Wright was name as an all star, the Mets took the opening game of the series against the Rockies with a 2-1 win.  New York now has a seven game win streak.  The last time the Mets were able to win seven in a row was August of 2006.   

Oliver Perez wasn’t exactly the “good” Ollie; he was more like walk a lot and then try and pitch out of trouble Ollie.  Perez did start the seventh inning but after the first two hitters got on base he was pulled from the game.  He walked six in six innings and struck out seven.  The only run Perez gave up was a homer to Brad Hawpe.  As a staff the Mets pitchers walked a total of 9 Rockies.  Luckily for the Mets, the Rockies left the bases loaded in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. 

Pedro Feliciano got the win and Billy Wagner got the save.  But the credit really goes to Aaron Heilman.  Heilman entered the game in the sixth inning with no out, Jeff Baker was on second and Brad Hawpe was on first, Jayson Nix advanced the runner with a sac bunt, and then Heilman walked pinch hitter Seth Smith before getting Willie Taveras and Clint Barmes to strike out and end the Rockies threat.  Heilman has really come around and has been very successful in his recent outings; it seems that he has added a third pitch, a slider, which has made his change up more effective.  He has been able to keep the ball down and by doing that it has kept the ball in play.   

Damion Easley was Friday night’s hero, with two outs and the game tied at one in the bottom of the eighth, Easley hit a homerun to make the score 2-1, and the Mets would win by that score.  It was pretty funny though, if you were watching the Mets telecast here in NY right before Easley hit the homerun Gary Cohen was talking about how Easley has hit some big homeruns in big spots, and right after that Easley homered.  Cohen said, “I called it!”  When Taylor Buchholz entered the game, they also said, “Buchholz has only allowed two homers this season…”  This time it worked in the Mets favor, but I always hate it when the commentators give a stat like that because it seems that on the very next pitch the guy gives up a homer.  

The Mets remain 1.5 games out of first as the Phillies seem to be hot again winning three straight.  The Marlins have also continued their winning ways and are tied for second with the Mets.    

Pedro Martinez will start on Saturday afternoon and  he will be opposed by Rockies’  starter Ubaldo Jimenez.  Jimenez was the same pitcher that out dueled Martinez when the Mets visited Coors field in late June.  Actually, it wasn’t much of a contest that was the game where Pedro was cruising along and then just imploded giving up six runs in a inning.  Anyway, lets hope that isn’t the case on Saturday afternoon.  Game time is scheduled for 3:55 p.m.  Lets Go Mets!   

 Mets Blog