Loopy Lefty, Offensive Explosion Stop Slide
There couldn’t have been a more fitting beginning to this one.
The Mets had lost four straight and had not scored a single run in 22 prior innings. Not to mention their opponent, the Dodgers, own the best record in baseball.
No need to worry though because southpaw Oliver Perez is back.
He had been on the DL since early May 2, but the loopy lefty showed the Citi Field Faithful that he didn’t miss a beat.
It took him only one batter and four pitches to issue a leadoff walk to Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal.
Just Ollie being Ollie.
For the sanity, or lack thereof, of the 40,027 in attendance at Citi Field, Perez walked a tight rope for five innings but avoided falling into the lion’s den.
The southpaw starter surrendered a maddening seven walks, but somehow managed to limit LA to two runs and lower his ERA to a Chien Ming Wang-like 8.78.
When the dust settled after the Mets offensive explosion (5 runs scored) and K-Rod’s near implosion, Perez found himself with his first victory since April 15.
It certainly wasn’t pretty, not much is around Flushing these days, but it counts.
Frankie’s No Fraud: Hopefully, Oliver Perez was listening closely as Francisco Rodriguez spoke to the media following his 22nd save of the season Wednesday night. Upon entering with a 5-3 lead, the Mets’ star closer surrendered a ninth inning leadoff home run to Manny Ramirez followed by a walk and a single sandwiched around a strikeout. That was when the madness finally came to a close and the Mets completed a 6-6-3 double play to lock up their first victory since last Thursday’s comeback in Pittsburgh.
A save is a save though, right?
No, not according to Frankie.
“I’m the kind of guy that likes to be perfect. Even though I got the save, I don’t feel like I did my job.”
Wow. Talk about music to the ears, especially during an era in which starters are content with five quality innings and closers make a ton of money by piling up three-run saves.
I’ll never forget Steve Trachsel’s postgame reaction to his less than stellar outing in Game 2 of the 2006 NLCS. After surrendering five walks, five hits, and five earned runs in 1+ innings of work, Trachsel had the audacity to say how he made some good pitches that guys like Scott Spezio just happened to rope down the line.
Thankfully, both Trachsel and Spezio are out of the majors (I don’t know which player I liked less).
Even better the Mets have a closer who is willing to hold some self accountability.
“I have to pitch better. That’s the bottom line. If you look at my last 10 outings, it’s not been where I need to be. I just need to bounce back and find a way to be as sharp as I was earlier in the season,” Rodriguez said as reported by a sidebar story in The Star Ledger.
Hopefully, Perez sees his 7-walk victory in a similar light.
Unful-philling First Two Games for Sloppy Mets
Entering the series batting at a .209 clip, leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins is once again bidding to become Mets Public Enemy No. 1. Rollins has four RBI in the series first two games, which have seen the most beleaguered of Phillies come to life.
Spot starting for the injured Bastardo, veteran castaway Rodrigo Lopez silenced the Mets’ best imitation of a major league lineup. Then, it was the aging Jamie Moyer on Saturday, pitching a gem hidden in what has been an awful season for the soft-tossing southpaw.
To add insult to injury, Brad Lidge came on for a 1-2-3 ninth inning during the Mets 4-1 defeat before a national TV audience ox Fox.
In just two short days, the Phillies have seemed to cure all of the ills we examined in our series preview.
Meanwhile, if there is one team in baseball that cannot afford to give away runs, the Mets are it, but these bumbling ball players can’t seem to help themselves.
With the ballgame still very winnable, the Mets gift-wrapped Philadelphia’s fourth run during the defensive debacle that was the bottom sixth.
First it was David Wright looking like Bob Huggins at a DUI stop when he let a popup drop in foul territory. Then, Omir Santos failed to squeeze the third out on an ensuing foul popup.
They were mistakes that professionals should not make and miscues the Mets can simply not afford.
Nieve Puts Mets in Prime Position
I would have signed up for this three days ago. The Mets have guaranteed themselves at least a split of a four-game series against the NL Central leading Cardinals with ace Johan Santana slated to pitch the series finale.
Speaking of aces, how about Fernando Nieve?
The diamond in the rough won his third consecutive start by shutting out St. Louis over 6.0 innings Wednesday night.
First, the Yankees (6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER), then the defending AL Champion Rays (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) and now the NL Central leader (6.0 IP, 3 H , 0 ER). Three up and three down for Nieve, and the longer it continues the less of a fluke it may be.
When will the glass slipper drop? Never? Maybe this guy has simply slipped through the cracks? His fast has above average velocity (92-93) and he has a decent off-speed repertoire.
Click Here for Nieve’s post-game recation (MLB.com)
Jolly for St. Nick: It’s been a tough, tumultuous couple of months for 23-year old outfielder Nick Evans, but hopefully his fourth inning at-bat made that all a distant memory for the fledgling hitter. After being the last man cut from the Opening Day 25-man roster, the right-handed hitting outfielder fell apart in Class AAA before a visit to a shrink and a demotion to AA helped put the youngster back on track. In his first start back with the big club, Evans belted a two-run home run over the left field wall to double the Mets’ lead, 4-0, in the fourth inning.
Evans’ HR (MLB.com)
Now, let me get this right. Evans, who had a decent debut with the Mets in 2008, struggled mightily in the minors this spring, but needed only one MLB start to pop one out of the ballpark. Meanwhile, the man Omar Minaya likes to call Mr. Power, Fernando Martinez, is slugging .246 and batting .174 through 69 at-bats.
I know he’s only 19, but something is suspicious here. If he truly were a can’t miss prospect wouldn’t he have had at least one by now? Andruw Jones was 18 years old when he did it in the World Series. Not to mention, remember David Wright and Jose Reyes. They came up at a very young age and wasted no time in flashing their promise. I’m hoping more than anyone that Martinez turns into the 30-HR hitter Minaya claims he is, but don’t be surprised if he is Alex Escobar Part Deux.
Miracle Mets Are Distant Memory These Days
Forty years ago this very season the Mets found a way.
They found a way to miraculously defeat the heavily-favored Baltimore Orioles and capture the franchise’s first-ever World Championship in what is arguably the greatest postseason upset in baseball history.
Four decades later, the modern, somewhat hokie, concept of Interleague Play brought the Mets back to Baltimore.
Once again, the Mets found a way – to lose.
As they have all season, the Mets found a way to lose two very winnable games and fall to 33-31 on the season.
Whereas improbable plays from the likes of Tommie Agee, Ron Swoboda, and Al Weiss catapulted the 1969 club to greatness, shoddy managing, base-running blunders, and unthinkable errors have put the 2009 Mets in a tough predicament.
I know pitching (Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Gary Gentry), as it always does, played a huge part in the Amazin’ Mets’ success of 1969 almost as injuries have so heavily contributed to the struggles of the 2009 club.
Remember though that the 1969 Mets didn’t do it on pitching alone. Without the Amazin’ plays and unlikely heroes, the club wouldn’t have even won the pennant.
A similar notion can be adopted here in 2009. The injuries have taken their toll, but even the battered Mets could be at least five games better in the standings had it not been for the inexcusable mental lapses on the part of both the players and their manager.
Wednesday night it was Jerry the Genius feeling the need to remove an effective pitcher (Bobby Parnell) in favor of a lefty-lefty matchup (bringing in Pedro Feliciano). Parnell easily retired the leadoff batter in the seventh inning, but with lefties Markakis and Huff due up Manuel would let Parnell go no further.
I’m glad Manuel went back to this matchup strategy considering it worked so well when left-handed hitting Raul Ibanez Ibanez met southpaw reliever Ken Takahashi in the 10th inning of the Mets’ 6-3 setback to NL East leader Philadelphia last Thursday.
I am aware of, and have previously highlighted, the remarkable work Pedro Feliciano has been doing this season. I like Feliciano so much so that I don’t want our manager to burn him out (he’s appeared in 37 of the club’s 64 games), or at the very least, not bring him into a game unnecessarily when the man he’s replacing is showing no signs of ineffectiveness.
What’s wrong with Parnell, a former starter, eating an extra inning? If he is to be our future closer, or even an eighth inning guy, he will need the ability to retire both right-handed and left-handed hitters.
Thursday night the base running was actually outstanding and the offense came through with a timely hit or two.
There were no dropped pop-ups or managerial miscues.
Still, the Mets found another way to lose as the Francisco Rodriguez legitimately blew a save.
You just can’t explain what’s happening to this team.
The way this season is going I’m beginning to think that the Black Cat is back 40 years later, but this time he’s haunting us.
K-Rod Puts Off-Base Bruney in Place
If you’re one for trash talk, then take a look at the war of words between Brian Bruney and Francisco Rodriguez.
Your initial reaction may pose the question, “Who the heck is Brian Bruney?” If so, then you and K-Rod have something in common.
Bruney, a rehabbing Yankees reliever, unleashed on K-Rod following the Mets’ ninth-inning meltdown Friday night.
Only he did so from a Class AA locker room while on a rehab assignment.
Instead of commenting on only the relevant, aka his own performance and injury status, Bruney decided to take a shot at the Mets star closer whose first blown save in 17 chances came when Luis Castillo failed to squeeze a routine, game-ending pop-up in Friday’s 9-8 setback.
Bruney was quoted as saying, “Couldn’t have happened to a better guy on the mound, either. He’s got a tired act. He gets what he deserves, man. I just don’t like watching the guy pitch. I think it’s embarrassing.”
Wow. This Bruney character is almost as unbelievable as the dropped pop-up itself.
Consider this. Bruney has 13 career saves since breaking into the majors with Arizona in 2004.
During that same time span, Rodriguez has saved 222 games, including an all-time MLB-record 62 last season alone.
But wait, K-Rod’s 16 saves this season are more than Bruney’s career number.
It gets even better.
Rodriguez actually has more saves (222) since 2004 than Bruney has innings pitched (191.1).
Mets Move On from Miscue
The hardest thing in baseball has to be the ability to never get too high or too low, while remembering that all 162 games are equally important.
I could never master that skill, which is one of numerous reasons why I’m a major league blogger rather than a Major League Baseball player.
In an ultimate display of a “new day, new opportunity” mentality, the Mets bounced back from Friday’s floundering finish to triple up the Yankees, 6-2, Saturday afternoon.
It was a huge victory for obvious reasons, and it also allowed the Mets to gain a game on the Phillies, who lost to Boston for a second straight night, in the NL East standings. New York sits 3.0 games back of their division rival with their ace set to pitch Sunday.
Mets second baseman Luis Castillo (you may have heard of him) went 2-for-5 on the Saturday afternoon, but the real star was substitute starter Fernando Nieve. Silencing the Yankees on the way to his first win since he went 3-3 for Houston in 2006, Nieve threw 6.2 innings of two-run ball.
Absolutely Baffled, But Can’t Crush Castillo
The Subway Series opener ended in absolutely excruciating fashion. In all that I’ve seen in my years as a Mets fan, I never witnessed something like that, and I never want to again.
Not even the greatest of mind-altering drugs could swing one’s emotion so drastically and quickly than that dropped pop-up did Friday night. From euphoria to devastation in 0.24 seconds.
If I felt awful, then I can imagine what Luis Castillo was feeling inside. If you saw the second baseman during his post-game locker room interview, then you got a pretty good idea.
Appearing completely distraught, Castillo made no excuses. He stated the obvious that the play was a routine one before solemnly repeating, “I feel bad … I feel bad.” Postgame Reaction Video (courtesy of SNY.tv)
I can’t crush Castillo here, and for those of you who know me well know that I never would.
I’ve always been a huge fan of this sparkplug of a second baseman, who was as important to Florida’s 2003 World Series run as Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera, or pick a Marlin.
I lobbied for the Mets to sign Castillo from that particular year’s free agent crop, and not an unproven Kaz Matsui.
Instead the Mets waited another four years to finally acquire Castillo, doing so via a deadline deal with the Twins in 2007.
Needless to say, Castillo has been a shade of the All-Star/Gold Glover he was for so many years in South Florida, but the Mets second base situation could be much worse.
Chase Utley types are exactly a dime-a-dozen, and Castillo can still contribute now that he has returned to playing shape. His poor play last year was not a reflection of his potential, but more likely the result of Hideki Irabu-like eating habits.
Call for Castillo’s head if it helps you sleep at night, but the last thing the Mets need is another fill-in at second base. Especially when their starting second baseman is batting .281 and has scored the third-most runs (34) on the team.
Remember That Debacle?: Even more baffling than Friday’s finish is the fact that Mets brass gave Matsui a three-year, $22 million contract the same year Castillo received a three-year, $18 million deal from Florida.
Apparently, a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner has less value to the Mets than a Japanese shortstop who had yet to play a single game at the major league level. Oh, and it gets even better for those of you who don’t remember back to that infamous period of Mets history back in 2003. The Mets signed Matsui at a premium price and proceeded to move budding star Jose Reyes from shortstop to second base to accommodate Matsui. Ahhhh … the good ol’ days.
CompareTheir Careers
Send Him Back
If Fernando Martinez is the Mets most major league-ready prospect, then their farm system must be in shambles.
His outfield play is a shade better than that of Glenallen Hill and I have yet to see this “great power” Minaya promised the rookie would show at the plate. He was bombing balls during a BP session in Pittsburgh, but even pitchers go deep in bathing practice.
Don’t get me wrong. This kid may hit 30 home runs someday, but so far he looks like the next Alex Escobar.
His young age of 20 requires even the most impatient of critics to give him a pass, but his age is hint that he may not be ready for The Show.
Why the green Martinez (batting .210), and not Ryan Church, was in the lineup against Jamie Moyer Thursday night is a question only Jerry Manuel can attempt to answer.
Not only was he embarrassed at the plate (0-for-3, 2K), but it took him a good four minutes to dig Chase Utley’s game-tying double, which tied the game, out of the corner.
Butch Huskey could have gotten to the ball faster.
This kid needs to learn and play everyday, but the Mets can’t afford beginner’s mistakes at this stage of the game.
The goal is to win a championship. If you want to see young players develop become a Pirates fan.
We all know the Mets are notorious for over-hyping their prospects, few of which ever wind up contributing on the major league level.
Remember Generation K aka the NYPD (New York Pitching Department)? Or how about Alex Ochoa?
Now, let’s go back to the Pirates for a second.
Pittsburgh has been so high on Andrew McCutchen for awhile so much so they traded Nate McClouth.
Does anyone find it funny that when the Pirates brought up McCutcheon he torched the Mets for two hits and blazed around the basepaths in his MLB debut?
Martinez received his first chance in the big leagues a few weeks earlier, and he responded by failing to run out a pop-up.
After that embarrassment, he has managed to play suspect defense, display mediocre speed, and slug .303. The Mets cannot afford this, not with the state their line-up is in.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on Martinez.
I’m all for giving him a chance to play – in Class AAA that is.
Hopes Rest on Redding in Rubber Match
The Mets have made a habit of winning series against the Phillies in recent years, and now it’s up to Tim Redding to pitch the Amazin’s to another series triumph Thursday night at Citi Field.
Redding (0-2, 6.97 ERA) will take the ball for the Mets while the Phillies are set to remove Jamie Moyer (4-5, 5.35 ERA) from his cryonic capsule for another start.
Before anyone gets riled up about how awful Redding has been, relax and read for a second.
Redding won 10 games on the worst team in baseball (Washington) last year and sports a 5-3 career record against the Phillies.
As putrid as the right-hander was at Fenway Park against the BoSox and again in his Citi Field debut against the Marlins, he has been equally as good in his other two Met outings. He held the Dodgers to two runs in six innings on the road before allowing only one run in Washington during his most-recent outing.
Then, there’s Moyer. The 46-year old struggling southpaw should be playing in a AARP-sponsored rec league as his best days are clearly behind him. He’s currently 0-1 against the Mets this season with a Chien-Ming Wang-like 13.50 ERA.
I certainly wouldn’t want Redding pitcher every rubber match, but it could be worse (Moyer is evidence of that).
Not a Night to Remember
I heard people use the word devastating to describe what went down at Citi Field Wednesday night. Now that may be a bit too much.
It was nowhere near the nightmare that was Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. It wasn’t even nearly as deflating as any September loss to the Marlins could be.
Still, there’s no getting around the fact that this one was bad.
Sixteen hits, yet only four runs. An error apiece from a pair Gold Glovers. And to cap it all off, an extra-inning game-winning home run by Chase Utley.
Yes, as the back page of Thursday’s New York Post reads, this loss was “Utley Ridiculous.”
The Mets had chatterbox Cole Hamels (baseball’s most-overrated “ace”) on the hook and were in prime position to guarantee themselves yet another series victory over the Phillies.
But then, the seventh inning happened.
Carlos Beltran and David Wright looked like anything but Gold Glovers during the defensive meltdown that helped sink the Mets.
The Mets entered the top of the seventh holding a 4-1 lead, but back-to-back singles off Mike Pelfrey to start the inning made things interesting.
With Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez on base, Jayson Werth blasted a ball to dead center where Carlos Beltran had it lined up a step in front of the wall. One out, right?
No, Beltran did a cute little hop and a subsequent drop to load the bases with Phillies.
Simply put, that ball needs to be caught, especially by a Gold Glove winner (regardless of what some hack official scorer thinks).
Next it was David Wright’s turn. The heartthrob third baseman tried to come home and throw out Howard on a soft grounder from Pedro Feliz. The only problem was, he tried to throw home before the ball was even in his glove. Even the official scorer knew how to call this one – E5.
It may be a bit unfair to pick on Beltran and Wright for their shortcomings Wednesday night, especially considering the Mets had about as many chances to win this game as the Phillies have all-time losses.
But these two posterchildren of Mets Baseball get no sympathy here. They failed to make the routine plays when their club needed it most.
Meanwhile, Jayson Werth was busy pulling rabbits out of his cap in right field.
After the Mets received a pair of two-out singles in the 10th inning, Wright scorched a ball into the opposite field gap only to watch Werth do his best Ron Swoboda impersonation.
Yes, Mets fans, the catch was that impressive and although it wasn’t one of the greatest in World Series history, it ultimately won the Phillies a big game against a division rival.
Phils Flail to No Avail Against Frankie: The Mets’ lone highlight from the fifth inning on was an appearance from Frankie Rodriguez (there’s a new sheriff in town Mariano). K-rod pitched a pair of scoreless innings* to lower his ERA down to a miniscule 0.61. Not even the oh-so-impressive Philadelphia lineup can figure out Frankie, who has saved all four victories the Mets have over the Phils this season. Is it really the celebratory antics that irk you Philly? Or is just the fact that he’s nearly unhittable?
*-Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth before being helped out tremendously by a sparkling play from Fernando Tatis in the 10th. With one on and no out, Jimmy Rollins absolutely smoked a liner to first base but there was Tatis. He robbed Rollins of an extra-base hit before stepping on first to double off Chris Coste. Click Here to see the play courtesy of mets.mlb.com.
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