K-Rod Arrives, Heilman Departs!

Seems Omar Minaya has been a busy boy there in Las Vegas. Amazingly, he has actually done some good things.  Obviously the most important of the Mets transactions was the free agent signing of Francisco Rodriquez.  This is a great signing for the Mets as they essentially paid half price for the hottest free agent closer on the market. It was thought initially that K-Rod would end up signing a contract that would equal about 75 million dollars-but as time wore on there was a realization that there were no other big market teams other than the Mets who were looking for a closer.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think the Mets would sign K-Rod!  Obviously, this is a big deal for the Mets-hopefully, we will finally see a end to the circus that had become the ninth inning.

Rodriquez is a three time all star setting the single season record for saves when he recorded 62 saves for the Angels last season; his violent throwing motion that has been a source of speculation as some fear that he will injure himself at some point.  K-Rod has youth on his side as he will turn 27 in January.  Although Rodriquez has had a slight drop in his velocity he has developed a devastating change up to go along with his other pitches.

So, not only did the Mets sign K-Rod but they finally sent Aaron Heilman a packin’! So long, farewell Au revoir, Auf Weidersehen (ok, so when was the last time you read a Sound of Music reference in a sports blog? ) Sincerely, I hope Aaron Heilman is very happy in Seattle, actually, I don’t really care if he is happy I’m just glad he is gone-and couldn’t they have sent him any further away from New York?  The sad thing about this transaction is that with the departure of Heilman also comes the departure of Joe Smith-I liked Joe and was looking forward to seeing what he would do with the Mets this year.  However, in my book Joe Smith is a small price to pay to be rid of Heilman-I wonder if Scott Schoeneweis would fit in his suitcase? So, the Mets send off Heilman, Joe Smith, and Endy Chavez and a various other minor leaguers and return home with J.J. Putz reliever Sean Green and outfielder Jeremey Reed.

Putz who is a closer at heart has agreed to be the set up man-I just hope the Mets don’t end up in a situation where we have someone whining because they want to be a closer-but I guess we’ll visit that issue when it arises.

With the addition of K-Rod and Putz the Mets have basically said that they are out of the race for Derrick Lowe-who I guess will end up a Yankee along with pretty much the rest of the free agent pitching market. The Mets still have interest in trying to resign Oliver Perez, which I would be on board with.  The Mets have also stated that they might have interest in the return of Pedro Martinez, to which I respond-ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

On a side note, this is just kind of one of those things that makes you shake your head-do the Nationals actually believe that Mark Teixeira would sign there?  I mean, they would probably have to double their offer to get him to even consider going there–

Mets Blog

Post info: By Bernalda on December 11th, 2008
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End of Season Wrap Up

Well, it’s been awhile. I guess I’ve calmed down enough from Schoeneweis to finally write an ending to the season. My first thought is how could they possibly have done this again? Are you kidding me?  And of course, this was only worsened by the fact that the Phillies won the world series.  My Sports Illustrated arrived in the mail with them on the cover and I felt that sense of dread-can you imagine what it will be like when the Mets play the Phillies next season?  You would think that would be enough alone for the Mets to want to rise to the occasion next season, but then again, isn’t that what we said after the 2007 season?   

How is it that the 2008 season ended just like the 2007 season?  The Marlins spit in their eye two years in a row and laughed about it. The Mets?  Instead of fighting, instead of taking a cue from Johan Santana (who it turns out was pitching on a bum knee)-the Mets laid down and died.  This Mets’ team has no guts. How is it that nobody stood up and punched Hanley Ramirez in the mouth (figuratively speaking of course)? As much as I hate to say it, and I REALLY hate to say it, Shane Victorino (doesn’t he sound like a grade “B” gangster, Vic Torino, polyester suit and all) would not take this BS from anybody. And that’s basically what’s wrong with the Mets.

After Santana went out there on Saturday and pitched his guts out on one leg the Mets did almost nothing on Sunday. That’s why your leader can’t be a pitcher; he’s only out there every five days. The Mets need a fiery everyday player. The Mets need Keith Hernandez again. In the ’86 playoff against the Astros the Mets HAD to win game 6. There was no way they were winning a game 7 that year against Mike Scott. He was in their heads. So when the Mets had the lead in the ninth and Orosco on the mound, the story goes Keith went to Orosco on the mound and told him” If you throw any fastballs, anything but a slider, I’m going to kick your ass right here on the mound”. Is this true? Who knows? No one would admit it now. Not pc enough for the Pollyanna’s in the game today (of which Keith makes mention of almost every game…”It’s become such a gentlemen’s game” said with much disdain.) But this is exactly what they need, a kick ass, ask for names later leader.  Where to get one? I don’t know. And it’s hard to admit that. I don’t know who they need or what they need to give up to get this mystery leader.  

I can tell you that Scott Schoeneweis..GONE. Aaron Heilman…GONE, he can go pout about being a starter somewhere else. Can’t you just hear him? (whiney voice..”But I want to be a starter…”)  Luis Castillo…Gone Baby Gone!  Duaner Sanchez-Gone, go get arroz con pollo at 2am with someone else.  Moises Alou…can still hit, older than Ty Cobb…Gone. Marlon Anderson…gone pleeeese. Pedro Martinez..thanks for the memories (of Takin’ the money, not for big wins. By the way Pedro’s 32 wins as a Mets cost $1,611,424.00 each. Nice work if you can get it. ).  Ollie…probably gone with Boras as his agent.  We all know that we won’t see Billy Wagner as a Met again.

I waited to deal with the so-called “Core” players: Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. There is a lot of talk here in NY of breaking up them up. I don’t think Reyes, Wright or Beltran are goin’ anywhere.  Carlos Delgado is a different story.  The Mets picked up his $12 million option. It would have cost $4 million to buy him out, so an outlay of $8 million.  There has been rumblings that they would move him if they could create a package with Delgado and assorted other pieces. Remember he didn’t want to come here anyway. He signed with the Marlins. 

Now the others:

Joe Smith-can be useful. Stays.  Pedro Feliciano…gotta get a couple a’ righty’s out once in awhile there Pedro. Stays.  Luis Ayala…looked good at times. Don’t think he can be full time closer but valuable. Stays  Ramon Castro…useful back-up-then again, he has to stay health-the past two years he’s missed significant playing time, he stays.  Nick Evans…young OF. Stays-Omar has said they think he can hit for power-I guess we’ll have to wait and see.  Ryan Church… him before concussions. Stays.  Brian Schneider…ok, can we upgrade?  Stays- But, rumor has been that Pudge is an idea for the upgrade-NO THANKS!  Daniel Murphy, you can hit, can you play second? Stays.  Argenis Reyes…like him. Hit .283 in AAA, how about here? Stays.  Fernando Tatis…came back to MLB to build church in hometown. Now that it’s built, will God still be smiling on him?  Stays.  Endy Chavez…was he still on the team after Manuel took over? Stays.  Damion Easley…like him, wants to be a gamer, hurt too much, old.  Probably stays if healthy.  Mike Pelfry…Duh!  Johan Santana …Like there is a question about this.  John Maine…Serious John though, can you put a guy away after getting two strikes and not let him foul off 30 pitches? Stays.  

So, where does that leave the Mets?  The Mets are in need of a left fielder, a second baseman, a starter and a closer. I think Derek Lowe is a gamer and Orlando Hudson would be a welcome addition at second. Can Evans and Murphy split left?  Did you see some of those fielding adventures they had out there?  Can you say Arizona Instructional League?  Will the Mets try to make Maine the closer?  He has the stuff. Can he pitch multiple days in a week?  He seems to get frustrated easily; can he handle the mental aspects of closing?  Uh…I guess there are a few questions the Mets need to answer right now. 

Here is my best guess:

Starting Rotation: Santana, Pelfry, Lowe, Maine and Niese.  Relievers: Smith, Feliciano, Kunz, Stokes, Ayala, and…your guess is as good as mine.  Infield: C Schneider and Castro, 1B Delgado, 2B Hudson, SS Reyes, 3B Wright Outfield: LF Evans /Murphy, CF Beltran, RF Church 

Mets Blog

Post info: By Bernalda on November 8th, 2008
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Mets outlast cub “B” team 7-6

Our Mets were able to muster a win last night against the Chicago “scrubs”. Did you recognize any of those guys? Ok, Edmonds…what’s he? A thousand years old now. I remember him with the angels when I was a kid and I’m old now. One name the Mets know for sure is Micah Hoffpauir. WHO? He only went 5 for 5 with 5 RBI. Wanna guess what his lucky number is?

Pedro Martinez started and as is his habit gave up a couple in the first. Some met fans here in NY want Pedro to close. How clueless can you be? Pedro has trouble getting loose and routinely gives up runs in his first inning. JUST what you need from your closer. Good call, losers.

Mets fell behind 6-3 and give them credit they scratched out runs in the 7th, 8th and 9th to win it. They got RBI singles from Robinson Cancel and Ramon Martinez (I still don’t know who this guy is) in the eighth and a very creative slide from Ryan Church. The ball beat him to the plate but he was able to avoid the tag by slipping around the catcher, running past the plate and diving back. He showed better moves than a contortionist.

The Mets began the ninth with a Jose Reyes single.  Daniel Murphy struck out trying to bunt him over. How come nobody in the major leagues can bunt? Also, the bunt sign was taken off after two strikes and Murphy tried again anyway. Listen, kid, don’t think too much, you may hurt yourself. Wright struck out in a big spot for the second straight night and for the umpteenth time in September. Reyes stole second so the Cubs walked Carlos Delgado to pitch to Carlos Beltran. Carlos came through with an RBI single to win it.

The Phillies were off so the Mets pick up a half game and are 1 game back with three to play. As for the Brewers, did you think the Pirates would really win? C’mon, be serious. The Brewers used 37 pitchers (not really only seemed like it) to hold Pitt to a single run. Milwaukee won it on a grand slam in the 10th. They remain tied with the Mets as the cubs go Milwaukee for the final three games.

The Mets welcome the fish to Shea tonight. Stay tuned.

Mets Blog

Post info: By Bernalda on September 26th, 2008
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Mets Bullpen Blows 27th Save of the Season, Braves win 7-4

 

The Mets bullpen just imploded blowing their 27th save of the season-that’s right their 27th save of the season.  Luis Ayala blew his second save in nine tries.  He gave up three runs with out even ever retiring a batter.  Not to be out done, Pedro Feliciano allowed two more runs for good measure.  The Braves scored a total of five runs in the top of the ninth and won the game 7-4. 
 
I really can’t even think of what else to say about this “pigpen” (The bullpens nickname here in the NY papers).  I can write about the pigpen until my finger tips are bloody and in fact last week when I gave them a thumbs up, I said we knew we were a meltdown waiting to happen.  I guess it just took getting the Braves to town to bring that meltdown about. 
 
What are you going to do when not one guy in your bullpen can step it up and do their job?  Night after night we watch starters go deep into games because the thought of turning the game over to the bullpen strikes fear in the heart of anyone involved with the Mets.  It is outrageous that the Mets bullpen has been as putrid as they have been this year.  There isn’t anyone in the bullpen you can trust.  The Mets have blown 27 saves this season and you can “shouldda, couldda, wouldda” all you want, but if the Mets win even half those game-we wouldn’t even be worried about what the Phillies are doing.
 
David Wright hit two homers in the game and had four hits total.  His 31 homeruns is the most that he has ever hit in a season.  However, the Mets offense isn’t blameless in this loss, they still aren’t tacking on runs, they didn’t always get the big hit.  Again today they failed to get runners home, and were hitless in 11 at bats with runners in scoring position.  They left a ton of guys on base.   And although they are scoring early in the game their bats are dead in the later innings.  They have to figure out how to add on runs.  They kill everybody early in the game and score all their runs the, but can’t seem to get anything going with the bats in later innings.  If the Mets are going to overcome the pigpen troubles, then maybe one way to do that is to get some big hits in the later innings.   
 
The Mets had a two run lead and needed only to get three outs and their bullpen couldn’t even get that done.  The fact is this is the team we have.  The roster has been expanded.  We now know the truth about what has been going on with Billy Wagner and know we can’t count on him to come back.  You would think that someone would be able to step it up.  They are professionals after all.  I am really unhappy about the Mets bullpen, but you just have to shake your head.  
 
I must say that one bullpen guy did do his job today.  Joe Smith pitched a big inning for the Mets.  There again he was in to clean up someone else’s mess.  But that is what you do when you are a member of a team-you pick the other guy up. 
 
Also, wow-what a great job by the Brewers to play their best ball against the Phillies.  The Mets hold a slim lead in the NL East and the Phillies are tied for the wild card.  Which means that as the Phillies and the Mets continue to duke it out, instead of the wildcard coming out of the central, maybe it comes out of the NL East. 
 
The Mets travel to Washington and will have Pedro Martinez on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 15th, 2008
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Mets Avoid Sweep, Win Nightcap 6-3, Remain in 1st With a Two Game Lead

The Mets escaped a sweep by the Phillies winning the second game of the day night double header 6-3 on Sunday night.  After getting blanked by Meyers in the first game of the series, Mets fans were hoping to see some fight out of the Amazin’s but Pedro Martinez got off to a bad start and the Mets offense was unable to get anything going against Jamie Moyer in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.  The Mets would lose the first game 6-2, and given how nonexistant their offense was in the first two games of the series, looked in danger of being swept by the Phillies. 
Prior to the final game of the series, the Mets saw their division lead dwindle to just one game, and were in danger of being swept.  The Mets bats had been silenced for something like 16 innings before they were able to score two runs in the bottom of the eighthin the first game on Sunday. 
 
I think there is some legitimate concern regarding the Mets offense as they play out the last three weeks of the season.  Like, will David Wright ever get a big hit?  In the nightcap, he struck out in the bottom of the second with the bases loaded-I know he is second in the NL in RBI, but has been atrocious when the bases are loaded.  Jose Reyes too is mired in a slump and I don’t think he even had a hit in the series, Reyes has said that his goal is to finish the season hitting over .300 and to not let his offense go missing at the end of the season like it did last year.  Well he was MIA in this series, and it nearly cost the Mets.  Hopefully this won’t be a prolonged slump and after a day off he can get back to business and get back to helping the Mets win some games. 
 
If Pedro wasn’t bad enough, the Mets also had some defensive miscues that certainly didn’t help the situation much.  We knew that having guys play out of position was something that might eventually come back to bit us in the rear-and that was the case yesterday when Fernando Tatis misplayed two balls and then again when there was some confusion between Nick Evans and Jose Reyes when a ball dropped between them for a base hit.  Of course though, there is no rule that says that Pedro Martinez can’t get anyone out either (although he can’t really and that is a problem).  
 
Martinez yesterday through just 74 pitches but he allowed six runs on seven hits, he walked one and struck out win.  He gave up two runs in the second and then just fell apart in the fourth.  Yeah, Pedro finally had more velocity on his pitches yesterday, but something that Tom Seaver says all the time, it isn’t about velocity it is about location-and that was the truth yesterday.  You could see that just by watching Moyer-the hardest he throws is like 79 but yet the Mets couldn’t touch him.  It is always sad to see legends fall like this. 
 
So, Johan Santana started the nightcap for the Mets, and if ever they needed a pitcher to step up and throw like an ace, it was last night.  Santana was spectacular.  He had a shaky first inning, but was able to pitch out of trouble allowing just one run.  Santana started the eighth inning facing two batters but only retiring one of them.  In his 7.1 innings of work, Santana allowed just two runs on five hits; he walked three and struck out six.  He really stepped up and pitched the game the Mets needed him to pitch.  Jerry Manual said it best when asked about Santana pitching this game, he said-that is why you have an ace. 
 
Carlos Delgado is a man reborn.  He hit two more homeruns last night, one of which I don’t think has landed yet.  They were monster shots and really gave the Mets what they needed.  Delgado had four RBI on the night, and has had 65 RBI in his last 65 games.  Last night’s RBI put him over 100 for the season.  It was his RBI single in the bottom of the first that put the Mets on top for good.  It isn’t just that Delgado has had a resurgence with his bat, but he has warmed up to the crowd, accepting the curtain call after the second homerun; he also has taken on a leadership role that we have not seen out of him before.  Last night, ESPN cameras caught a very animated conversation between Delgado and Reyes and it looked as if Delgado was really telling him something important (I hope Jose listened).  I was one of many who thought Delgado was finished-Wow am I glad that he proved me wrong! 
 
Any hopes of seeing Billy Wagner are now over, yesterday after throwing just 10 pitches in simulated game, Wagner had to stop because he was still experiencing tightness in his arm.  I don’t know what this means.  The Mets have been able to win with out Wager but can it go on.  Ayala has “filled” the closer role, but had a shaky outing last night-although the run that scored was actually unearned.  The problem is you just don’t know what you’ll get from the bullpen.  There is a lot of ball left to play, and along the way the Mets have gotten help from the most unlikely of candidates, so I guess all we can hope is that someone in the bullpen steps up. 
 
The Mets have an off day today before starting a three game series with the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  Oliver Perez will be on the mound for the Mets and the Nats will counter with John Lannan.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.  If you are like me you will all be scoreboard watching, the Phillies start a three game series with the Marlins before playing four with the Brewers.  Go Marlins! 

Post info: By Bernalda on September 8th, 2008
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Mets Phillies Canceled Saturday

Saturday’s game was canceled ldue to inclimate weather as rains from tropical storm Hanna and her expect arrival to the north east. The game was cancled long before the rain came to New York, and rightly so, it is was much better than making people travel out to Shea only to find out that the game would not be played.
 
The Mets and Phillies will play a day night doubleheader on Sunday.  The rotation will remain the same with Pedro and Jamie Moyer pitching game one which is scheudled for 2:15 p.m.  The Mets will play on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball with Johan Santana pitching against Cole Hammels, game time is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 6th, 2008
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Mets Shut Out by Phillies in Opener 3-0

It’s hard not to feel disappointed with the way the game went last night, but it is amazing that I am not feeling panic mode, because the Mets have shown us that they can bounce back.  The Mets really only need to win one of the three games to maintain a two game lead.  They are 10-6 against the Phillies this season and while I think they have last year hanging over their head the realize last year they beat themselves by not playing well.  However, given that this is the last time the Mets will see the Phillies this season; this series is a good way to show the Phillies that they don’t sweat them.
 
Brett Meyers was fantastic.  Since his screaming matching with Phillies manager Charlie Manual, he has been virtually unhittable.  However, the Mets out hit the Phillies 5-4 and squandered their opportunities.  They left runners in scoring position in the first, second and sixth innings.  The Mets had two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth and couldn’t get a runner home.  It was really frustrating to watch David Wright pop up in the sixth inning, Carlos Beltran didn’t have a good at bat against Brad Lidge in the bottom of the ninth.  Look, there will be games like this, what is important is what the offense does next.  They are scheduled to see Jamie Moyer today and Cole Hammels in the final game of the series.  The Phillies know how important these games are as they adjusted their rotations so that Hammels would pitch against Santana on Sunday.
 
The Mets were able to bounce back against the Phillies in games after a loss.  When they were in Philly just over a week ago, after they blew their 7 run lead, they were able to come back the next night and beat the Phillies.  So, here we are-sitting in New York and it is supposed to rain all day Saturday, meaning that the Mets and the Phillies will probably have to play a double header on Sunday-which could actually play into the Mets favor, given that it is very difficult to sweep both games of a double header. 
 
Mike Pelfrey was great last night.  He made one mistake on an inside fast ball to Greg Dobbs who took it over teh fence in right field to put the Phillies on top 3-0.  Replays show that Ryan Church nearly caught that ball, he went up over the fence but the ball hit just of the tip of his glove.  In his seven inning of work Pelfrey allowed three runs, only two earned, on four hits.  He struck out four and walked two.  The bullpen pitched two innings without any drama. 
 
Good job by Mike Schmidt looking to fire up his old team.  Too bad the old codger has to live vicariously through his old team.  I’m glad that he has a such insight into the minds of the Mets to just put it out there that the Mets know that the Phillies are better than them.  Although, given that the Mets have beat the Phillies 10-6 so far this season, that bit of news might have been lost on the Mets.  And, I guess since the Mets were able to catch the Phillies who looked like they could run away with the division when the Mets were stinking up the joint in the earlier part of the season-they probably didn’t realize then that the Phillies were better than they are.  So, while I do think the collapse of 2007 weighs on the Mets-the focus on the Phillies is that they are their only competition in the division. 
 
Mets and Phillies are scheduled to meet at 3:55 this after noon with Jamie Moyer on the hill for the Phillies and the Mets will counter with Pedro Martinez. 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 6th, 2008
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Mets Sweep Brewers With 9-2 Win, Return Home to Face 2nd Place Phillies

The Mets scored six times in the first inning to complete the sweep of the Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.  The big hit of the inning was a grand slam off the bat of Ryan Church who was back in the line up today after sitting out last nights game.  Church seems to still be trying to get himself back in game shape and it is good to have him back.  I was so happy for him when the ball left the yard, you know he has been itching to get back into the thick of things.  After Church hit the grand slam, Brian Schneider followed with a solo homer two batters latter.  The Mets did not score again until Nick Evans hit a two RBI pinch hit single in the eighth inning.  

The offense handed Oliver Perez a six run lead, but he really didn’t pitch all that well.  He allowed two runs on five hits, he stuck out five, but he also walked five.  Seriously Oliver-we don’t need a heart attack right now, with John Maine out and Pedro Martinez questionable (although the Mets aren’t saying that just yet) the Mets need the starters they have to go out there and give them some wins.  The bullpen again did their job today.  As of late, the bullpen has pitched well-but you know they are a meltdown waiting to happen. 
 
Jose Reyes is on fire.  He leads the National League in hits with 180, he is currently the only every day player in the Mets lineup hitting over .300 ( at end of play today his average is .306)  He tied the franchise record for stolen bases  when he swiped his 281st bag in the fourth inning.  Reyes also now has a new career high in triples, hitting his league leading 18th triple of the season in the second inning of the game.  Of course, they Mets stranded him at third, but that is a story for another day…  Reyes has said that he is determined to not fall off late in the season like he did last year in September.  Many Mets fans blame the abysmal output of Reyes as one of the key factors in the Mets collapse at the end of 2007. 
 
The Mets are on a role.  They return to Shea Stadium atop the NL East with a 2.5 game lead on the Phillies (as of the writing of the blog the Nationals and Phillies had yet to start their game-GO NATS!”  Right now,  I am a Mets fan, and a fan of any team playing the Phillies!  Anyway, to get back to what I was saying, the Mets have won 20 of their last 27 games are are a season high 18 games over .500.  The Mets right now have 79 wins with 22 games left to play.  If I had told you in May that the Mets could conceivably win 90 games this season-you would have told me I was crazy-now it is a distinct possibility that the Mets will win 90 games.
 
Ok, so the Phillies now come to town for three games.  This is the last the Mets will see of the Phillies n the regular season.  Wow-who was in charge of planning that?  Shouldn’t the Mets and the Phillies be playing each other at the end of September.  I hate it when the schedule plays out like that-MLB better think about that next year when they plan the season. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 4th, 2008
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Mets Best Brewers, Win 6-5 in 10

The Mets were able to overcome a shaky first outing by rookie Jonathan Niese to beat the Brewers 6-5 in 10 innings.  Endy Chavez hit a sac fly in the top of the 10th to score the go ahead run and to put the Mets in position to sweep the series against the Brew Crew.  

The Mets got a great performance out of their bullpen as Niese failed to even get out of the fifth inning.  Knowing how well the Mets bullpen has pitched this season, I was figuring that we’d be in a for a long night.   But, for a second straight night, the bullpen did not allow a run and kept the Mets in the game.  Obviously, the Mets have the added benefit of the expanded roster which allows Jerry Manual to basically work match ups, but also I think it adds a little competitive nature to the bullpen-competition is a good thing especially for a bullpen that has been awful! 
 
Carlos Beltran who suffered a bruised knee when he slid into the home plate umpire on Monday night did play last night, he hit a three run homer and as of late is swinging a hot bat.  I know that there was some discussion as to whether he would even be in the line up yesterday and it seems that Manual basically said to him that unless he had a broken leg he would be in the line up.  And, when you are in a pennant race, that is how it has to be.  Nobody is healthy, but  you’ve got to play through it.  Not only did Beltran have a great night with the bat, he also had a great defensive play, throwing a runner out at home to keep the game tied at five. 
 
While Niese’s outing last night didn’t go as well as Mets fans might have hopped, the rookies are making a statement on this team.  Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans continue to play well.  And while I sometimes cringe when I see those guys go back on a ball, they have really played well for guys who are natural infielders.  Murphy has been great with the bat, he knows how to prolong at bats by working the count.  Not only that, Murphy also seems to run the bases well, and in fact the reason the Mets won the game was because of smart base running by Murphy.  I know Minaya said that the organization expects that Evans will actually hit for power as he matures, Evan’s hasn’t quite shown that just yet, but he did hit his first homerun in the bigs over the weekend. 
 
So the Mets will wrap up their though road trip with a 2:05 start in Milwaukee this afternoon.  Thus far, with only one left to play the Mets are 5-2 on the road trip.  This was a big test for the Mets as they played games not only against their division rivals, the Phillies, but against the Marlins-who aren’t totally out of it, and the Brewers who are trying to hold on the the wild card.  The Mets will return home and after an off day will play three with the Phillies-this marks the last series of the regular season between the Mets and the Phills. 
 
Also, Pedro Martinez has returned to New York to work out with a personal trainer.  The Mets have been careful not to say too much, but it seems that Pedro is having trouble getting lose both prior and during his starts.  The issue of him loosening his shoulder is something that Gary, Keith and Ron have talked about especially in response to the trouble Martinez seems to have in the first inning.  Clearly with the off days in the next two weeks, the Mets can get by with a four man rotation, but a three man rotation isn’t going to work.  I would be surprised if Niese get another start, and given how  Nelson Figueroa and Brian Stokes have kind of etched out places for them in the bullpen, does it makes sense to have one of them start? 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 3rd, 2008
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Mets Pound Astros 9-1

 
 
 
Mike Pelfrey and Carlos Delgado combined to have a great night for the Mets last night.  Pelfrey pitched his second consecutive complete game.  He allowed only one run (which came in the ninth inning) off six hits, he walked none and stuck out six.  He got the Astros to hit into three double plays.  Not only did Pelfrey pitch well but he scored from first on a triple by Jose Reyes in the bottom of the eighth.  Reyes had a good night at the plate going 3-2 with a walk, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base.   
 
Delgado, was 2-4 with six RBI, he belted two three run homers for the Mets and made an outstanding play on a grounder by Ty Wiggington in the ninth inning.  Carlos even came out for a curtain call after he hit the second homer.  Ryan Church who drew big applause from the crowd was 2-4.  I think when Chruch comes up to bat-you know how all players have their “song”-well I think they should play “Living On a Prayer” just because it would be funny! 
 
John Maine will return to the DL because of discomfort in his shoulder caused by bone spurs.  The Mets will not have to fill the rotation spot until next week Tuesday when they are in Milwaukee.  No news yet as to who will be starting but some of the names thrown around are Jon Neise, Nelson Figueroa, and Brian Stokes.  When something like this happens you can’t help by worry-the Mets are really in the thick of it, and while Perez, Pelfrey and Santana have been great, there is concern about the fourth and fifth starters-Pedro pitched better in his last outing, but has really struggled, and you can only guess what you will get from the guy who will take Maine’s spot in the rotation-especially considering that we’re still not sure if the bullpen can be trusted-clearly Pedro Feliciano didn’t have his good stuff on Sunday. 
 
So, the Mets open a two game short series with the Phillies down in Philly.  Tonight, the Mets will face Jamie Moyer-and we know how well that always goes.  Pedro is on the mound for the Mets, but after seeing the homeruns he’s given up recently, one can only imagine what can happen in that bandbox the Phillies play in.  At worst the Mets can split the series and not lose any ground, but they really can’t drop both games.  The Mets have played well against the Phillies this season, but we’ve all seen how tough the Phillies can play.  Hopefully the positive win against the Astros last night can give the Mets some momentum. 
 
Also, on a side note-last night was my birthday and I’m lucky enough to share it with my nephew Danny who just happens to be an Astors fan-so you guessed it, we spent the evening at Shea Stadium.  The win was bittersweet for me, because I really wanted Danny to have a great birthday.  But, after the second Delgado three run homer-Dan kind of new that it wasn’t the Astros night and did his best to handle his disappointment.  I have to give that kid credit because he proudly wore his Bagwell jersey to the game and cheered loudly for his Astros.  Dan turned 10 yesterday, and I have to tell you, conducted himself much better than a few Mets fan did.  Between the subway ride and the walk out of Shea Stadium more than one grown male had some snide remark for the kid-seriously guys?  Where do these jerks get off razzing a 10 year old kid?  I was really disappointed that there are so many JERKS that call themselves Mets fans.
 
Game time tonight is set for 7:10 p.m.  The crowd is going to be tough down there in Phillie.  Lets Go Mets! 
Post info: By Bernalda on August 26th, 2008
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