Results tagged ‘ Tim Redding ’
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).
Redding Rocked
It wasn’t hard to see why Washington was willing to part ways with Tim Redding, who is, if nothing else, a relatively cheap starting pitching option.
The Redding Express completely derailed during the fifth inning of what was a second straight less-than stellar start for the Mets right-hander.
Redding gave way to reliever Sean Green after facing three batters, retiring none, in the frame. After a single from Hanley Ramirez, a two-bagger off the bat of Jorge Cantu, and Jeremy Hermida’s ensuing three-run bomb, Redding’s line (4+ IP, 8 H, 7 ER) was complete.
Three starts into his Mets career, Redding is 0-2 and carries a 9.20 ERA. He has surrendered 15 runs on 18 hits in 14.2 innings.
Two bad starts are not enough to give up on a guy, especially a pitcher who won 10 games on a 59-win ball club in 2008.
Still, it’s a pretty safe bet that Redding won’t be part of a postseason rotation should the Mets be fortunate enough to need one this year, but that’s OK. The Mets don’t need him for that.
The club only needs Redding to be a reliable fifth starter. One who can get through five, maybe six, innings and leave his team with a chance to win the ballgame.
He has failed to do that in either of his pats two starts. He left the Mets in a 7-1 hole Saturday afternoon, effectively killing the buzz for an enthused weekend crowd on a day made for baseball.
Redding Express Can Keep Mets Rollin’
The Mets have received two superb performances form their starting pitchers and have taken the first two in Boston as a result.
Now, it’s up to the Redding Express to roll through Fenway for the sweep.
Tim Redding may prove to be a decent addition to the Mets starting staff. At $2 million and one year of commitment he’s a relatively low risk.
Not to mention, he did win 10 games, just as many as Oliver Perez did a year ago, and did so on one of the worst teams in baseball.
Whether it’s Redding, Santana, Pelfrey, the Mets need their starting staff to step up now more than ever with the ballclub suffering injuries galore.
Food for Thought: Why has management insisted on playing a man short all week long instead of shelving Jose Reyes?
Had the Mets put him on the DL last Monday, they could have had an extra man on their bench for both the Dodgers series and Beantown.
What’s the harm in letting Reyes reach 100 percent before returning? It’s a long season. Let’s not allow this injury to worsen and turn into the hamstring saga he had earlier in his career.
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