Results tagged ‘ K-Rod ’
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.
‘Penning the Story of Citi Field
A pleasant sight it was. They were. JJ Putz and Frankie Rodriguez slamming the door on the Red Sox Friday night at Citi Field albeit an exhibition game.
It’s hard to get too excited over one that doesn’t count, but it’s impossible not to jumping through the roof with excitement about these two.
How many blown saves was it last year? 29?
Although their lack of lefties in the pen is a bit unsettling, a one-two punch featuring two of the games top closers has to make fans breathe easy.
It wasn’t until Saturday when I saw Citi Field for the first time. I almost didn’t know there was a game going on. I watched Perez face two batters from my seats and that was about all any good man could handle on this day.
It was time to see what this place had to offer. Shake Shack in the left field corner was packed. The lines looked massive and frustrating.
I snuck into this rather small international food court in the right field corner. It must have been today’s best kept secret. There were four different food vendors to choose from and only six, maybe seven, patrons in the joint. I stepped right up to the counter at Mamas of Corona’s and was moments away from enjoying a turkey, fresh mozzarella, and roasted peppers hero.
Then it was back toward the seats where I ventured into the enclosed, climate-controlled Caesar’s Club. A huge social lounge located behind the press boxes in back of home plate, this space contains a number of flat screen TVs, a huge bar, couches, chairs, high-top tables, and concessions built into the back walls.
One part of the club, as my friend termed it, resembled that of a waiting area at an airport gate. Couches and benches were positioned alongside windows that looked out to what once was Shea Stadium.
There were only a few piles of rubble remaining and a few idle bulldozers which will remove the remnants in a few days.
It’s official. Goodbye Big Shea. Hello Citi Field.
If anyone ever needed a new beginning, it was the Mets and it was now considering their disenchanting demise the past two Septembers.
And what better way than to have Putz and K-Rod helping to ‘pen the story of Citi Field’s inaugural season.
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