Well, that was boring. I wonder how many Mets fans actually watched last night’s Mets-Yanks game. The Mets matched up nowhere, not in the starting pitching, not in the batting order certainly, and not even in relief. Pitiful is the only word for it. But ya know what? It only counts once.
You have to have a sense of humor, Mets fans, this year more than ever. The only thing we can say for sure after the last two days is this: the Mets can’t hit CC Sabathia and they can’t hit AJ Burnett either. But you can also say we’re still just 1 ½ games behind the Phillies in the NL East. And still one game over .500
WooHoo! Can you stand this much success? Have you just about had it with inter-league play? Subway Series, my butt. I admit it, right now, the Yanks are better. Of course, tomorrow though, it’ll be crafty old Livan Hernandez against Chien Mien Wang, who’s just beginning to look like a pitcher again, so the Mets could salvage that last game.
One of the players that talk-radio has been espousing is gone, so add to insult and injury a little bit of opportunity loss. I speak, of course, of the trade that sent Cleveland’s Mark DeRosa to the crafty Cards for a very mediocre relief pitcher named Chris Perez. Geez, maybe they would’ve taken our Parnell if anybody offered him up. DeRosa would have immediately become the second best hitter on the Mets team. Oh well, we’ve still got Parnell. Heh-heh.
Did I mention that DeRosa also plays a bunch of different positions? Geez, that would’ve been nice for Jerry Manuel, being able to plug in a very good hitter at three or four different positions. Oh well, we’ve still got Brian Stokes.
The thinking must be that, if the Mets are going to stay in it at all, they will do it with pitching, a theory to which I don’t even disagree. But every opportunity has to be studied for its overall effect on the team, and, well, I just think the Mets missed the boat on DeRosa.
Things don’t get that much easier either. After hopefully smacking Wang around tomorrow, there’s Milwaukee and their Murderers Row of a lineup with Fielder and Braun, Hart and Hardy ad infinitum. Strangely enough though, there is hope in that they’re all fastball hitters who may have trouble versus the Mets junk throwers. Of course, Santana and Pelfrey can’t really be considered junk guys. Oh well, we’ll get by somehow, some way.
After the Brewers, there’s the Pirates for a game, then those division-leading Phillies and then the Dodgers but why worry about them now? Let’s just beat Wang tomorrow and then maybe it’ll be Nieve’s turn again soon after that. He does seem to have become our second best starter. That says a lot for the quality of the pickups, but unfortunately, it also says a lot about the quality of the regulars.
The latest on Jose Reyes is that he’s not quite ready, which is to say almost nothing. If he can’t really run, he won’t be the Jose we had all come to know and love, at least when he wasn’t being a bonehead. Being realistic, of the three big hurts, Reyes and Delgado and Beltran, Reyes’s absence has been the easiest to overcome. Cora has performed pretty admirably. Things only got hairy when Cora was hurt too.
Delgado is supposed to be coming around too but I won’t be holding my breath. Carlos Beltran may turn out to be the most seriously injured of the three with that bone bruise that may not be just a bone bruise. So things are not looking rosy, Mets fans, and now we can’t even fantasize about DeRosa anymore. Oh well, we’ve still got Feliciano.
Anyway you look at it, letting DeRosa escape to the Cards was a big mistake, a very huge missed opportunity, especially for a team that should have been exploring all of its options. And, if I’m recalling this correctly, it was the Cardinals that beat the Mets on their last and best chance to get to the World Series. I can still wince just thinking about that Wainwright curve ball totally locking up Beltran for a called strike three.
Oh well, we’ve still got Sean Green.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A Day for the Downtrodden
It was a day for the downtrodden. It started in the morning when a tough young woman named Gisela Dulko took the measure of Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon. Then in the afternoon, the incredible U.S.A. soccer team beat the best soccer team in the world in the Confederations Cup. It continued into the evening when the under-manned Mets just trounced the Cardinals and the Yanks won with the help of an unlikely home run from catcher Francisco Cervelli.
It’s hard to not just enjoy the heck out of seeing great performances in very unlikely places. It gives us all hope. If these yahoos on TV can do it, then we can do it too, whatever our particular “it” may be. Or, if you’re one of those superstars who really doesn’t need any more hope, well, Mazeltof.
Anyhow, the Mets were great tonight. After seeing them do absolutely NOTHING the night before, how great was it to watch a very unlikely Fernando Nieve pitch the Mets to within a game and a half of the Phillies, this despite playing without Carlos Beltran, after having already lost Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, J.J. Putz, John Maine, Oliver Perez and some others too.
Just winning by 11-0 is nice. And winning with three Fernando’s has got to be pretty special too. If there was anything I didn’t like, at first anyway, it was Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, who I’ve just killed in this column every time I’ve had the chance, who did the most damage at the plate, just socking the ball all over the place.
It makes you think maybe the Mets really can withstand all these hurts and ow-ies. Just replace Delgado with Murphy, Tatis and now Evans. Just spell Jose Reyes with Alex Cora. Just put Reed in center to try to replace Carlos. Put Nieve on the mound for Maine (or Perez, take your pick). Try a few relievers out to see who wants Putz’s set-up job.
If Church and Schneider can continue playing well, something they’ve never been able to sustain over any period of time before, and if so many others chip in in a little, players like Omir Santos and yes, even Gary Sheffield. And tonight it was Nick Evans, bringing back that hot 2008 duo of Murphy and Evans. Evans was great tonight, and maybe his return will give Murphy a little shot in the arm, not that he’s needed one lately.
It really does take a total team effort when you’ve lost so many players. And, incredibly enough, the Mets are getting it, over and over. Even when they’ve lost, they’ve played pretty well; they just haven’t hit. Another thing that made tonight’s win so good was that they managed to hit a sinkerball pitcher after having been totally shut down the night before by a sinkerballer…..in the most boring exhibition of baseball I’d seen in a long time.
So Mets fans can be happy for another day or two. It really doesn’t make much sense to look too far ahead. Just trot out the uninjured and see what happens. And, so far, it’s working nice and easy, a tribute really to the composition of the original team. The backups almost everywhere are pretty good, it would seem. They can play baseball, all of them.
And let’s say this about Joba. He was great tonight. Well, maybe not great, but pretty good for sure. He didn’t face many batters, started the game well and actually got better as he went along, striking out 4 batters in the 4th and 5th innings, and he pitched well into the 7th inning.
That the catcher was Cervelli was especially sweet, after having to witness the embarrassing Posada singlehandedly destroy Joba’s confidence last time out. His insistence on controlling the game seems to be tiring out a lot of Yankee pitchers. After seeing that throw he made from his knees to second base the other night, I’d just sit him down for a long while.
Oh, and Arod came through with a hit in a big situation. That’s been missing, and while I can’t really root for him, maybe it’ll quiet the detractors for a while. The team really hasn’t been hitting though, and they’re now 5 games out, tied with the Blue Jays for 2nd. Boston keeps rolling so the Yanks will have to roll a little too. Maybe they can do that if Arod chips in, if not as the Arod of old, just as a major-league third baseman, somebody who can produce home runs and rbi’s.
Maybe the most heartening victory of the day was the incredible U.S. victory over Spain in the semifinal round of the Confederations Cup. The U.S. goalie, Tim Howard, stopped shot after shot and Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey scored to keep the heat on a team that had won 35 matches in a row. But everybody dressed in white today looked pretty good to me, and to Spain too. Not too shabby! It’s comparable to the U.S.A. hockey team victory over the Russians so many years ago. It was great to see Landon Donovan have a good day too, not to mention the coach Bob Bradley.
On the beautiful lush green that is Wimbledon, everybody expected Maria Sharapova to beat Gisela Dulko, especially after she came back in the second set to win about 5 or 6 games in a row. It certainly appeared that Ms. Dulko was quitting, but then she came back and it was the much taller Sharapova who was wilting a bit at the end.
Of course, Sharapova has been having her share of hard luck with injuries lately too, so it was good to just see her on the court again. If she can stay healthy for a stretch, I think we’ll be hearing from Sharapova again before the 2009 tennis year runs out.
So in baseball, soccer and tennis, it was truly a day for the downtrodden. We should have more of those.
It’s hard to not just enjoy the heck out of seeing great performances in very unlikely places. It gives us all hope. If these yahoos on TV can do it, then we can do it too, whatever our particular “it” may be. Or, if you’re one of those superstars who really doesn’t need any more hope, well, Mazeltof.
Anyhow, the Mets were great tonight. After seeing them do absolutely NOTHING the night before, how great was it to watch a very unlikely Fernando Nieve pitch the Mets to within a game and a half of the Phillies, this despite playing without Carlos Beltran, after having already lost Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, J.J. Putz, John Maine, Oliver Perez and some others too.
Just winning by 11-0 is nice. And winning with three Fernando’s has got to be pretty special too. If there was anything I didn’t like, at first anyway, it was Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, who I’ve just killed in this column every time I’ve had the chance, who did the most damage at the plate, just socking the ball all over the place.
It makes you think maybe the Mets really can withstand all these hurts and ow-ies. Just replace Delgado with Murphy, Tatis and now Evans. Just spell Jose Reyes with Alex Cora. Just put Reed in center to try to replace Carlos. Put Nieve on the mound for Maine (or Perez, take your pick). Try a few relievers out to see who wants Putz’s set-up job.
If Church and Schneider can continue playing well, something they’ve never been able to sustain over any period of time before, and if so many others chip in in a little, players like Omir Santos and yes, even Gary Sheffield. And tonight it was Nick Evans, bringing back that hot 2008 duo of Murphy and Evans. Evans was great tonight, and maybe his return will give Murphy a little shot in the arm, not that he’s needed one lately.
It really does take a total team effort when you’ve lost so many players. And, incredibly enough, the Mets are getting it, over and over. Even when they’ve lost, they’ve played pretty well; they just haven’t hit. Another thing that made tonight’s win so good was that they managed to hit a sinkerball pitcher after having been totally shut down the night before by a sinkerballer…..in the most boring exhibition of baseball I’d seen in a long time.
So Mets fans can be happy for another day or two. It really doesn’t make much sense to look too far ahead. Just trot out the uninjured and see what happens. And, so far, it’s working nice and easy, a tribute really to the composition of the original team. The backups almost everywhere are pretty good, it would seem. They can play baseball, all of them.
And let’s say this about Joba. He was great tonight. Well, maybe not great, but pretty good for sure. He didn’t face many batters, started the game well and actually got better as he went along, striking out 4 batters in the 4th and 5th innings, and he pitched well into the 7th inning.
That the catcher was Cervelli was especially sweet, after having to witness the embarrassing Posada singlehandedly destroy Joba’s confidence last time out. His insistence on controlling the game seems to be tiring out a lot of Yankee pitchers. After seeing that throw he made from his knees to second base the other night, I’d just sit him down for a long while.
Oh, and Arod came through with a hit in a big situation. That’s been missing, and while I can’t really root for him, maybe it’ll quiet the detractors for a while. The team really hasn’t been hitting though, and they’re now 5 games out, tied with the Blue Jays for 2nd. Boston keeps rolling so the Yanks will have to roll a little too. Maybe they can do that if Arod chips in, if not as the Arod of old, just as a major-league third baseman, somebody who can produce home runs and rbi’s.
Maybe the most heartening victory of the day was the incredible U.S. victory over Spain in the semifinal round of the Confederations Cup. The U.S. goalie, Tim Howard, stopped shot after shot and Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey scored to keep the heat on a team that had won 35 matches in a row. But everybody dressed in white today looked pretty good to me, and to Spain too. Not too shabby! It’s comparable to the U.S.A. hockey team victory over the Russians so many years ago. It was great to see Landon Donovan have a good day too, not to mention the coach Bob Bradley.
On the beautiful lush green that is Wimbledon, everybody expected Maria Sharapova to beat Gisela Dulko, especially after she came back in the second set to win about 5 or 6 games in a row. It certainly appeared that Ms. Dulko was quitting, but then she came back and it was the much taller Sharapova who was wilting a bit at the end.
Of course, Sharapova has been having her share of hard luck with injuries lately too, so it was good to just see her on the court again. If she can stay healthy for a stretch, I think we’ll be hearing from Sharapova again before the 2009 tennis year runs out.
So in baseball, soccer and tennis, it was truly a day for the downtrodden. We should have more of those.
Monday, June 22, 2009
June Snooze
There’s nothing to get excited about, I guess, but Mickelson just lost out on an Open win and now Sharapova has gotten by the first round at Wimbledon. The Penguins beat the Red Wings and the U.S. soccer team very unexpectedly got into the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. In just about everything except Major League Baseball, there’s excitement galore.
In baseball, nobody seems to want it, not unless you’re talking about the Colorado Rockies. They’ve won 8 straight and 16 of their last 17 games, an incredible streak for this fickle sport. But it is reminiscent of their World Series year when they preactically ran the table at the end of the regular season.
The incredible Denver contingent has swept St Louis and Milwaukee, taken two of three from the Rays and then swept the Pirates. If they can somehow get by the tough Angels and take the measure of the Oakland A’s, it’ll set up a real barn-burner against the Dodgers, presently the toughest team in both leagues by a large margin.
Of course, there are teams who want it, but the fates seem to be intervening on the side of the devils. In the case of our beloved Mets, they’re just totally snake-bit. Now Beltran is having an MRI, and if it shows something that indicates that playing will make his knee worse, Carlos will join all the others on the DL. Depending upon the length of his disability, that could really end things this year for our Metsies.
The Yanks have never been my favorite but they’re in the throes of a bad stretch too. They just have no relief pitching whatsoever. The starters look shaky lately, and come to think of it, the whole team really hasn’t been anything to write home about. Teixeira has been quite a find though.
Now Boston wants it, I’m sure of that. And it’s looking as if they’ll get it. Except for the conspicuous failures of Dice-K, the pitching looks as if it’s holding up and in the batting order, Big Papi is even starting to come around with 5 homers in June. They have some great relief pitchers in Papelbon, Saito, Ramirez, and Okajima, and it’s amazing that they’re not in front by even more than they are.
They talk about the dog days of August but right now, it sure seems to be occurring in June, much as this non-stop June rain reminds me of April. If Philadelphia were doing a little better, I’d just forget about the whole season right now. But it’s now official, Beltran will be out for a while and here come some pretty tough teams, St Louis, the Yanks and the Brewers to close out the month.
Maybe I should just pay attention to the tennis for a while and break my focus only for the NBA Draft. Thursday night should be interesting for both the Knicks and Nets, as there are some excellent players available at their respective draft positions.
The Knicks need a point guard and if they manage to get Curry from Davidson, they will have done very well for themselves. The Nets may go with a guard too, but I’m hoping they go a little bigger and get some really athletic guy who can shoot the ball, somebody like Vince Carter without the arm socks, or maybe a tough guy like Dejuan Blair.
Whatever else June might bring, let’s hope the baseball picks up a little. I just heard Tatis will be batting cleanup for the Metsies, God help us.
In baseball, nobody seems to want it, not unless you’re talking about the Colorado Rockies. They’ve won 8 straight and 16 of their last 17 games, an incredible streak for this fickle sport. But it is reminiscent of their World Series year when they preactically ran the table at the end of the regular season.
The incredible Denver contingent has swept St Louis and Milwaukee, taken two of three from the Rays and then swept the Pirates. If they can somehow get by the tough Angels and take the measure of the Oakland A’s, it’ll set up a real barn-burner against the Dodgers, presently the toughest team in both leagues by a large margin.
Of course, there are teams who want it, but the fates seem to be intervening on the side of the devils. In the case of our beloved Mets, they’re just totally snake-bit. Now Beltran is having an MRI, and if it shows something that indicates that playing will make his knee worse, Carlos will join all the others on the DL. Depending upon the length of his disability, that could really end things this year for our Metsies.
The Yanks have never been my favorite but they’re in the throes of a bad stretch too. They just have no relief pitching whatsoever. The starters look shaky lately, and come to think of it, the whole team really hasn’t been anything to write home about. Teixeira has been quite a find though.
Now Boston wants it, I’m sure of that. And it’s looking as if they’ll get it. Except for the conspicuous failures of Dice-K, the pitching looks as if it’s holding up and in the batting order, Big Papi is even starting to come around with 5 homers in June. They have some great relief pitchers in Papelbon, Saito, Ramirez, and Okajima, and it’s amazing that they’re not in front by even more than they are.
They talk about the dog days of August but right now, it sure seems to be occurring in June, much as this non-stop June rain reminds me of April. If Philadelphia were doing a little better, I’d just forget about the whole season right now. But it’s now official, Beltran will be out for a while and here come some pretty tough teams, St Louis, the Yanks and the Brewers to close out the month.
Maybe I should just pay attention to the tennis for a while and break my focus only for the NBA Draft. Thursday night should be interesting for both the Knicks and Nets, as there are some excellent players available at their respective draft positions.
The Knicks need a point guard and if they manage to get Curry from Davidson, they will have done very well for themselves. The Nets may go with a guard too, but I’m hoping they go a little bigger and get some really athletic guy who can shoot the ball, somebody like Vince Carter without the arm socks, or maybe a tough guy like Dejuan Blair.
Whatever else June might bring, let’s hope the baseball picks up a little. I just heard Tatis will be batting cleanup for the Metsies, God help us.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Wonderful Day
Camden Yards! What a ballpark! Lots of history, even more atmosphere, and a tremendous ball game in the offing. At press time, it’s 4-2 Mets against the Orioles and Pelfrey’s just starting to get into trouble in the sixth, this after striking out Brian Roberts with the bases loaded to end the fifth. But Pelfrey induces the easy double play, Castillo to Cora to Murphy. Not exactly Tinker to Evers to Chance.
It’s a little difficult to get into this inter-league play, especially when it produces matchups like this one. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Orioles, but the names in the lineup don’t exactly roll off your tongue. (And here comes Manuel to get Pelfrey outta there).
Up north a hundred miles or so at the new Yankee Stadium, inter-league play gives us the scary-bad Washington Nationals versus the Yanks. Incredibly enough, halfway through the game, the Nats have a 3-2 lead off an Anderson Hernandez home run of the three-run variety. Mets fans will recall the light-hitting Hernandez and continue to wonder at the ease of stroking the dingers at the Yanks new digs.
So it’s a good night. The temperature’s around 60, but it feels like warmer than that, perfect baseball weather for a night game. It’s now 8:58 PM and it seems as if the sun just went down, slowly closing the shutters on what has been a beautiful day, especially for a guy who’s not in love with hot weather.
Back to the Mets game and the Birds are taking their starter out too. So rather than watch still another ad, I see it’s the 7th and C.C. is still mowing them down. Big man, Sabathia, especially on the close-ups. Big glove, big body, big stretch, and a big heart too judging from his performances over the years.
But as I can’t bring myself to watch the rest of the 7th-inning ceremonies, it’s back to the Metsies, who have now chased the horrible O’s reliever, the lefty who faced two lefties and put both of them on-base. So things look good in Mudville. It’s bases-loaded for Beltran against new reliever Danys Baez. But Beltran grounds into a force at home. Uh-oh, maybe another wasted opportunity in the offing. Maybe Wright can save the day…maybe not. Wright has now fouled a few into the dirt before popping one up.
But the Mets catch a Luis Castillo moment that works against the other side as the Orioles muff the pop-up. So it’s now 6-2 and that’ll probably be the end of things with Church up, and sure as the sun will shine tomorrow, Church grounds out to third.
Manuel is fielding my worst nightmare of a lineup tonight, with Church and Schneider both in the game at the expense of Tatis and Santos. What a bad trade-off that is, even if Church did manage an RBI earlier. Even Church can get a hit once in a while.
Back to the Yankees, they’re now up by a run and Robinson Cano, who’s 4-4 tonight, just drove in Teixeira with the go-ahead run. What a find Teixeira has been! Everybody talks about the return of Arod and with good reason. Teixeira’s been on fire ever since, and he now leads the American League in homers.
Back to the Mets and my other doghouse guy is up there, Schneider. Omigosh! He strokes a double to go with a single and a walk. Holy cow, I might have to revise my opinion a little. Santos can’t play every day, I guess.
It’s the 8th now at the Yankees bandbox of a field and Sabathia’s now outta there. Kaye has just asked whether the bullpen can save the game, and it wasn’t a rhetorical question, not in this context. The Yanks bullpen has really been awful, it’s too nice of a night to say they’ve stunk, so I’ll anxiously await the result. Hopefully, they’ll throw Bruney in there and, wonder of wonders, they do.
Whew! A 96 mph fastball gets by Zimmerman for strike two. But another fireball gets fouled into the seats, Zimmerman’s catching up. Then one out of the strikezone and then a ground ball that Cano races down in the hole. I must say Cano has been excellent tonight too. I haven’t really been in his corner all year but he’s making me sorry.
If there’s a theme to the night, it may be that I’ve been wrong about all these guys, Church, Schneider, Cano…..I hope it’s true. If so, the Mets can maybe climb back in the race, if not for the NL East crown, maybe the wildcard, as the SF Giants now lead four or five teams in the hunt for that fourth playoff spot.
As for Cano, the Yanks look strong enough to get some playoff spot, with or without Cano. My favorite Yankee’s up at the plate now, but he just took strike two on a pitch that was well outside the strike zone. So things don’t look good for the Swish.
Swisher just advanced Gardner to third. Maybe Melky will have some luck and get C.C. that insurance run. Of course, going into the 9th now, Mariano Rivera may not need it.
Back to the Mets again and, lo and behold, it’s Church up yet again with runners on first and third. But he fends off a tough outside pitch by flying out weakly to left. Hmm, maybe I’m not that wrong about him. He’s really been pitiful all year at the plate and shows very little real sign of coming out of it.
Bobby Parnell’s in there now for the Mets in the ninth. And Mora’s up, one of the more recognizable Birds. He strokes one to right that Church lets bounce in front of him. Now another base hit makes it two on with nobody out. Here comes K-Rod in what nas now become a save situation.
Put both games in the books. K-Rod comes through. It is a wonderful day.
It’s a little difficult to get into this inter-league play, especially when it produces matchups like this one. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Orioles, but the names in the lineup don’t exactly roll off your tongue. (And here comes Manuel to get Pelfrey outta there).
Up north a hundred miles or so at the new Yankee Stadium, inter-league play gives us the scary-bad Washington Nationals versus the Yanks. Incredibly enough, halfway through the game, the Nats have a 3-2 lead off an Anderson Hernandez home run of the three-run variety. Mets fans will recall the light-hitting Hernandez and continue to wonder at the ease of stroking the dingers at the Yanks new digs.
So it’s a good night. The temperature’s around 60, but it feels like warmer than that, perfect baseball weather for a night game. It’s now 8:58 PM and it seems as if the sun just went down, slowly closing the shutters on what has been a beautiful day, especially for a guy who’s not in love with hot weather.
Back to the Mets game and the Birds are taking their starter out too. So rather than watch still another ad, I see it’s the 7th and C.C. is still mowing them down. Big man, Sabathia, especially on the close-ups. Big glove, big body, big stretch, and a big heart too judging from his performances over the years.
But as I can’t bring myself to watch the rest of the 7th-inning ceremonies, it’s back to the Metsies, who have now chased the horrible O’s reliever, the lefty who faced two lefties and put both of them on-base. So things look good in Mudville. It’s bases-loaded for Beltran against new reliever Danys Baez. But Beltran grounds into a force at home. Uh-oh, maybe another wasted opportunity in the offing. Maybe Wright can save the day…maybe not. Wright has now fouled a few into the dirt before popping one up.
But the Mets catch a Luis Castillo moment that works against the other side as the Orioles muff the pop-up. So it’s now 6-2 and that’ll probably be the end of things with Church up, and sure as the sun will shine tomorrow, Church grounds out to third.
Manuel is fielding my worst nightmare of a lineup tonight, with Church and Schneider both in the game at the expense of Tatis and Santos. What a bad trade-off that is, even if Church did manage an RBI earlier. Even Church can get a hit once in a while.
Back to the Yankees, they’re now up by a run and Robinson Cano, who’s 4-4 tonight, just drove in Teixeira with the go-ahead run. What a find Teixeira has been! Everybody talks about the return of Arod and with good reason. Teixeira’s been on fire ever since, and he now leads the American League in homers.
Back to the Mets and my other doghouse guy is up there, Schneider. Omigosh! He strokes a double to go with a single and a walk. Holy cow, I might have to revise my opinion a little. Santos can’t play every day, I guess.
It’s the 8th now at the Yankees bandbox of a field and Sabathia’s now outta there. Kaye has just asked whether the bullpen can save the game, and it wasn’t a rhetorical question, not in this context. The Yanks bullpen has really been awful, it’s too nice of a night to say they’ve stunk, so I’ll anxiously await the result. Hopefully, they’ll throw Bruney in there and, wonder of wonders, they do.
Whew! A 96 mph fastball gets by Zimmerman for strike two. But another fireball gets fouled into the seats, Zimmerman’s catching up. Then one out of the strikezone and then a ground ball that Cano races down in the hole. I must say Cano has been excellent tonight too. I haven’t really been in his corner all year but he’s making me sorry.
If there’s a theme to the night, it may be that I’ve been wrong about all these guys, Church, Schneider, Cano…..I hope it’s true. If so, the Mets can maybe climb back in the race, if not for the NL East crown, maybe the wildcard, as the SF Giants now lead four or five teams in the hunt for that fourth playoff spot.
As for Cano, the Yanks look strong enough to get some playoff spot, with or without Cano. My favorite Yankee’s up at the plate now, but he just took strike two on a pitch that was well outside the strike zone. So things don’t look good for the Swish.
Swisher just advanced Gardner to third. Maybe Melky will have some luck and get C.C. that insurance run. Of course, going into the 9th now, Mariano Rivera may not need it.
Back to the Mets again and, lo and behold, it’s Church up yet again with runners on first and third. But he fends off a tough outside pitch by flying out weakly to left. Hmm, maybe I’m not that wrong about him. He’s really been pitiful all year at the plate and shows very little real sign of coming out of it.
Bobby Parnell’s in there now for the Mets in the ninth. And Mora’s up, one of the more recognizable Birds. He strokes one to right that Church lets bounce in front of him. Now another base hit makes it two on with nobody out. Here comes K-Rod in what nas now become a save situation.
Put both games in the books. K-Rod comes through. It is a wonderful day.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
It's Just a Game
Well, here we are on Sunday afternoon, the Mets game just starting, and we’ve got Johan Santana going against the hated Yankees. Again. The Yanks have A.J. Burnet going so it should be a game more reminiscent of the opener, the one Luis Castillo lost.
Let’s not forget that in our rush to forgive him. I know he said some things after the game that made everybody happy, and he performed pretty well in Game 2. But his gaffe was a classic choke. He was overwhelmed by the moment. That doesn’t bode well for the future.
It should have been a great Friday night. (Luis just caught a popup to derisive applause). Instead, what we got was misery. It should have been a story of Joba and the equally as stiff-necked Jorge Posada fighting for four innings, it should have been about Joe Girardi totally blowing the game by inserting Mariano Rivera into the game in the eighth, a move that totally backfired when David Wright ripped a double to right center. It should have been the tale of K-Rod vs. A-Rod, a bout clearly won by K-Rod as he induced the easy popup to second base.
But no, what we got was a stumblin’ bumblin’ Luis Castillo. You knew he was going to miss it from the start. His legs weren’t working right, you could see he was flustered, and for a second it looked as if he wouldn’t even get under the ball. But instead, he just opened his mitt as far as he could spread it, like a frying pan, and his hands proved as hard as one, as the ball bounced a foot in the air as Luis fell to the ground.
Let’s not forget how pitiful it was, that’s all. Yeah, he apologized. It doesn’t make me feel any better. I had been one of his advocates, willing to accept his shortcomings for his veteran presence. But not after Friday night. Luis can get together with his friend Ryan Church, go down to the bus station, and buy a ticket anywhere they want.
Yes, Ryan Church hit a big homer the other day. That’s just great. It was his first homer in eons. It’ll likely be his last homer for a while. Did I say homer? It’ll probably be one of the few hits he gets this month. Francesa keeps saying Manuel is picking on him. I say “Good”!
Church’s best point is that he’s usually ineffectual. The rest of the time, he loses games.
We’ve got Fernando Martinez now. Send Church packing. Send Castillo packing. They’re wonderful people but they either don’t touch third base on the way home or they don’t catch fly balls with the game on the line.
Understanding? Sorry, my plate is full. I can’t take any more. Of course I realize the Mets can’t really just drop the two of them, especially in their depleted state, but let’s not expect too much from them. Bat for Church in big spots and spell Castillo with defensive replacements for the rest of his contract. They both deserve the disdain.
We’ve all faced situations like Castillo’s. We all choke up a bit in critical situations, usually if we’re really not prepared. The job interviewer opens with “tell me about yourself” and if you really hadn’t thought about it, you might have a lot of trouble. Practice and experience make those moments go away. Ordinarily.
Two games that should have been in the book as wins were lost. Two big wins became two big losses. As I said, my plate is full. When your veterans can’t perform under pressure, you may as well pack it in.
As this is written, Santana is getting banged around and Martinez missed the cutoff man. While yesterday was the day of Fernando, Martinez and Nieve, today will not be a repeat.
It’s now 4-zip. It’s probably over, or may as well be. Maybe I’ll switch to the parade. Bernie’s playing guitar there and with no less than another Feliciano, the one who wants you to light his fire. Well, Wright got still another hit, but who should come up but ol’ rally-killin’ Church. He thus far today has grounded out on the first pitch he was offered. Typical day for Church. And he just struck out, what a surprise.
The news isn’t all bad for the Mets though. Omir Santos has been a pleasant surprise. I like Alex Cora. Sheffield looks bad quite a lot but then does pop one over the wall once in a while. He looks for the base on balls much too often and sometimes looks silly doing it.
The pitching’s been pretty good too. It’ll certainly help them stay in the race, but this club is not a winner. It’s a shame too. They have some excellent individuals, Wright, Beltran, Santana, Reyes and Delgado when they play, but they seem to never put it together as a team, not as the Phillies do.
So I’m just narrowing my expectations. They’ll probably be able to play .500 ball until the return of Reyes and then maybe they’ll play little better than that. But they just don’t have enough players who play as if they care. Why should I get my hopes up?
In the meantime, I’ll watch. I’ll watch as if I were watching one of Joan Payson’s comic teams of yesteryear. A combination of hard luck and bad play has pretty much done them in for 2009. You can’t get good luck as they did Friday night and then throw it away, or better put, bumble it all away. If it takes the heart out of a fan, I’m sure it does much the same to the team.
But it’s just a game. Maybe Castillo should remember that. If he comes away with anything after this singular experience of his, it should be that. You’re supposed to be having fun, relishing the opportunity to show 50,000 fans just how good you are.
Let’s not forget that in our rush to forgive him. I know he said some things after the game that made everybody happy, and he performed pretty well in Game 2. But his gaffe was a classic choke. He was overwhelmed by the moment. That doesn’t bode well for the future.
It should have been a great Friday night. (Luis just caught a popup to derisive applause). Instead, what we got was misery. It should have been a story of Joba and the equally as stiff-necked Jorge Posada fighting for four innings, it should have been about Joe Girardi totally blowing the game by inserting Mariano Rivera into the game in the eighth, a move that totally backfired when David Wright ripped a double to right center. It should have been the tale of K-Rod vs. A-Rod, a bout clearly won by K-Rod as he induced the easy popup to second base.
But no, what we got was a stumblin’ bumblin’ Luis Castillo. You knew he was going to miss it from the start. His legs weren’t working right, you could see he was flustered, and for a second it looked as if he wouldn’t even get under the ball. But instead, he just opened his mitt as far as he could spread it, like a frying pan, and his hands proved as hard as one, as the ball bounced a foot in the air as Luis fell to the ground.
Let’s not forget how pitiful it was, that’s all. Yeah, he apologized. It doesn’t make me feel any better. I had been one of his advocates, willing to accept his shortcomings for his veteran presence. But not after Friday night. Luis can get together with his friend Ryan Church, go down to the bus station, and buy a ticket anywhere they want.
Yes, Ryan Church hit a big homer the other day. That’s just great. It was his first homer in eons. It’ll likely be his last homer for a while. Did I say homer? It’ll probably be one of the few hits he gets this month. Francesa keeps saying Manuel is picking on him. I say “Good”!
Church’s best point is that he’s usually ineffectual. The rest of the time, he loses games.
We’ve got Fernando Martinez now. Send Church packing. Send Castillo packing. They’re wonderful people but they either don’t touch third base on the way home or they don’t catch fly balls with the game on the line.
Understanding? Sorry, my plate is full. I can’t take any more. Of course I realize the Mets can’t really just drop the two of them, especially in their depleted state, but let’s not expect too much from them. Bat for Church in big spots and spell Castillo with defensive replacements for the rest of his contract. They both deserve the disdain.
We’ve all faced situations like Castillo’s. We all choke up a bit in critical situations, usually if we’re really not prepared. The job interviewer opens with “tell me about yourself” and if you really hadn’t thought about it, you might have a lot of trouble. Practice and experience make those moments go away. Ordinarily.
Two games that should have been in the book as wins were lost. Two big wins became two big losses. As I said, my plate is full. When your veterans can’t perform under pressure, you may as well pack it in.
As this is written, Santana is getting banged around and Martinez missed the cutoff man. While yesterday was the day of Fernando, Martinez and Nieve, today will not be a repeat.
It’s now 4-zip. It’s probably over, or may as well be. Maybe I’ll switch to the parade. Bernie’s playing guitar there and with no less than another Feliciano, the one who wants you to light his fire. Well, Wright got still another hit, but who should come up but ol’ rally-killin’ Church. He thus far today has grounded out on the first pitch he was offered. Typical day for Church. And he just struck out, what a surprise.
The news isn’t all bad for the Mets though. Omir Santos has been a pleasant surprise. I like Alex Cora. Sheffield looks bad quite a lot but then does pop one over the wall once in a while. He looks for the base on balls much too often and sometimes looks silly doing it.
The pitching’s been pretty good too. It’ll certainly help them stay in the race, but this club is not a winner. It’s a shame too. They have some excellent individuals, Wright, Beltran, Santana, Reyes and Delgado when they play, but they seem to never put it together as a team, not as the Phillies do.
So I’m just narrowing my expectations. They’ll probably be able to play .500 ball until the return of Reyes and then maybe they’ll play little better than that. But they just don’t have enough players who play as if they care. Why should I get my hopes up?
In the meantime, I’ll watch. I’ll watch as if I were watching one of Joan Payson’s comic teams of yesteryear. A combination of hard luck and bad play has pretty much done them in for 2009. You can’t get good luck as they did Friday night and then throw it away, or better put, bumble it all away. If it takes the heart out of a fan, I’m sure it does much the same to the team.
But it’s just a game. Maybe Castillo should remember that. If he comes away with anything after this singular experience of his, it should be that. You’re supposed to be having fun, relishing the opportunity to show 50,000 fans just how good you are.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Just Shoot Me, Peg
Being a Mets fan can be horrible. How many innings can feature Tatis, Church and Santos? Oh God!! I know it was just one game but the Phillies don’t have these problems. Everybody they send up to the plate has at least some percentage chance of getting a hit. Watching Sheffield try desperately to draw a walk was pitiful. Then there’s the return of Brian Schneider. Somebody kill me.
Of course, if you are the type who cannot obsess too much about the actual results, you’re in good shape. These two Mets-Phils contests have been baseball at its finest. And the two Red Sox-Yanks games haven’t been too shabby either. I wish I could make out what the fans in Boston were yelling at A-Rod. I couldn’t make it out but it was funny anyway. Real mean-spirited stuff. God, I love baseball.
A_Rod wound up walking in that at-bat late in the Yankee game. I thought it showed incredible poise and courage. (Damn , there I go sayin’ sumthin’ nice about a Yankee, and, horror of horrors, friggin’ A-Rod).
I have to say I’m having trouble focusing, just getting these various images of Beltran just missing that long drive to center, or Swisher diving to his right to snare somebody’s drive to the gap. Just saying “drive to the gap” makes me glad to be alive. Then, a little later, the Phils Jayson Werth made much the same catch in much the same fashion in much the same place on the field. (I was going to say “on the diamond” but the outfield is well outside the diamond, isn’t it)?
But Swisher’s a lefty and Werth’s a righty so the catch was actually quite different, but I digress.
I have to say the Mets are hangin’ in there. Pelfrey was mostly great tonight, and that was following Santana’s gutsy performance the night before. Wright was out of his mind at the plate, but geez, I wish he would’ve made the play on that bouncer and helped stop that 3-run outburst in the 7th, I think it was. And why was Pelfrey still in there, I wondered?
Then I found out. Aah! I really shouldn’t blame Parnell, I guess, but it’s difficult. The Mets reliever I had hoped would fill Putz’s shoes hasn’t quite done it yet. But then it was Chase Utley up there, right? And if it wasn’t him, it would’ve been Howard or Werth or Victorino or Rollins. Geez.
Technology is great as it applies to a baseball fan, though. I watched the complete Mets-Phils first game this afternoon as I was caulking the cracks between my house and the little side patio. (Caulking isn’t really that interesting, y’know)?
Why does the question mark follow the right paren’ anyway? It sure doesn’t exactly flow from the keyboard. But let me get back to technology. So I can just touch the “last” button on my remote and watch Jeter do his inside-out thing, then flip to watch Jimmy Rollins take out Alex Cora at 2nd base to foil the double play. It was a play that kept the Phillies alive, but K-Rod would have none of it.
The Mets games are done on the tube by Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling and Gary Cohen, and if there’s ever been a better triumvirate doing any kind of game, somebody let me know because I want to watch it. Darling is a great straight man for Cohen and Hernandez, who are a riot together, and they both are very knowledgable about the game, sharing their interesting insights on the way the game is played, or a bit of history, or what they had for lunch. And it’s all pretty funny.
Then there’s the basketball. It’s been tough to ignore this Lakers-Magic final, even if you’re down on basketball, which I have been for many a month of Sundays. If the officials don’t control the game, and if the NBA doesn’t control the officials, it really becomes a very great game, basketball.
There’re always big guys in the middle of course. And a man with the unlikely name of Pau Gasol is trying to play with the modestly-named Superman in the center of things, and so far anyway, he’s not been bad. The there’s Bynum and a couple of other bodies Phil Jackson could dream up to put against him, the big man, Howard.
Kobe Bryant’s been playing like Kobe Bryant can play, and that’s pretty darned good. That’ll eventually be the reason the Lakers will take this final, or these Finals, Kobe just taking things over when he needs to. So that’s not all bad. Let’s see if anybody can stop him.
I spent last week with a lot of people who hated sports, or just thought it was so very stupid. And who could disagree with them? They’re usually people who never had the occasion to play a game of any kind, so I can understand them not being interested. What I can’t figure out is why they seem so obsessed with stamping out anybody else’s interest. It’s really a puzzler to me.
I can’t dance. (That became obvious at this wedding I attended in the midst of our vacation). But I don’t hate dances, or hate anybody who participates, or who watches the participants with some level of enthusiasm.
These are the same people who could watch an opera or a ballet and appreciate the extraordinary talent displayed for them. So why can’t I do the same for baseball or basketball? And what business is it of theirs anyway? Maybe they’re just put off by the money it eventually costs each of us, even if the local politicos would have you believe differently.
There’s the New Yorker’s Smokers Quit Line, for example. How much are those gruesome commercials costing us? I smoke on occasion and just hit that same button on the remote within a couple of seconds. God, I do love technology.
Of course, if you are the type who cannot obsess too much about the actual results, you’re in good shape. These two Mets-Phils contests have been baseball at its finest. And the two Red Sox-Yanks games haven’t been too shabby either. I wish I could make out what the fans in Boston were yelling at A-Rod. I couldn’t make it out but it was funny anyway. Real mean-spirited stuff. God, I love baseball.
A_Rod wound up walking in that at-bat late in the Yankee game. I thought it showed incredible poise and courage. (Damn , there I go sayin’ sumthin’ nice about a Yankee, and, horror of horrors, friggin’ A-Rod).
I have to say I’m having trouble focusing, just getting these various images of Beltran just missing that long drive to center, or Swisher diving to his right to snare somebody’s drive to the gap. Just saying “drive to the gap” makes me glad to be alive. Then, a little later, the Phils Jayson Werth made much the same catch in much the same fashion in much the same place on the field. (I was going to say “on the diamond” but the outfield is well outside the diamond, isn’t it)?
But Swisher’s a lefty and Werth’s a righty so the catch was actually quite different, but I digress.
I have to say the Mets are hangin’ in there. Pelfrey was mostly great tonight, and that was following Santana’s gutsy performance the night before. Wright was out of his mind at the plate, but geez, I wish he would’ve made the play on that bouncer and helped stop that 3-run outburst in the 7th, I think it was. And why was Pelfrey still in there, I wondered?
Then I found out. Aah! I really shouldn’t blame Parnell, I guess, but it’s difficult. The Mets reliever I had hoped would fill Putz’s shoes hasn’t quite done it yet. But then it was Chase Utley up there, right? And if it wasn’t him, it would’ve been Howard or Werth or Victorino or Rollins. Geez.
Technology is great as it applies to a baseball fan, though. I watched the complete Mets-Phils first game this afternoon as I was caulking the cracks between my house and the little side patio. (Caulking isn’t really that interesting, y’know)?
Why does the question mark follow the right paren’ anyway? It sure doesn’t exactly flow from the keyboard. But let me get back to technology. So I can just touch the “last” button on my remote and watch Jeter do his inside-out thing, then flip to watch Jimmy Rollins take out Alex Cora at 2nd base to foil the double play. It was a play that kept the Phillies alive, but K-Rod would have none of it.
The Mets games are done on the tube by Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling and Gary Cohen, and if there’s ever been a better triumvirate doing any kind of game, somebody let me know because I want to watch it. Darling is a great straight man for Cohen and Hernandez, who are a riot together, and they both are very knowledgable about the game, sharing their interesting insights on the way the game is played, or a bit of history, or what they had for lunch. And it’s all pretty funny.
Then there’s the basketball. It’s been tough to ignore this Lakers-Magic final, even if you’re down on basketball, which I have been for many a month of Sundays. If the officials don’t control the game, and if the NBA doesn’t control the officials, it really becomes a very great game, basketball.
There’re always big guys in the middle of course. And a man with the unlikely name of Pau Gasol is trying to play with the modestly-named Superman in the center of things, and so far anyway, he’s not been bad. The there’s Bynum and a couple of other bodies Phil Jackson could dream up to put against him, the big man, Howard.
Kobe Bryant’s been playing like Kobe Bryant can play, and that’s pretty darned good. That’ll eventually be the reason the Lakers will take this final, or these Finals, Kobe just taking things over when he needs to. So that’s not all bad. Let’s see if anybody can stop him.
I spent last week with a lot of people who hated sports, or just thought it was so very stupid. And who could disagree with them? They’re usually people who never had the occasion to play a game of any kind, so I can understand them not being interested. What I can’t figure out is why they seem so obsessed with stamping out anybody else’s interest. It’s really a puzzler to me.
I can’t dance. (That became obvious at this wedding I attended in the midst of our vacation). But I don’t hate dances, or hate anybody who participates, or who watches the participants with some level of enthusiasm.
These are the same people who could watch an opera or a ballet and appreciate the extraordinary talent displayed for them. So why can’t I do the same for baseball or basketball? And what business is it of theirs anyway? Maybe they’re just put off by the money it eventually costs each of us, even if the local politicos would have you believe differently.
There’s the New Yorker’s Smokers Quit Line, for example. How much are those gruesome commercials costing us? I smoke on occasion and just hit that same button on the remote within a couple of seconds. God, I do love technology.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Little Moves for a Long Stretch Run
Vacations are great but mine was interrupted by news from home, bad news mostly, especially from Pittsburgh, as the strange people manning the lineup for the Mets slogged their way through the schedule. Swimming’s nice, for sure, or just catching the rays (no, not those Rays), but as long as there’s access to a cable TV, you just can’t get away from how mediocre this sorry collection of a Mets team has become.
Today’s lineup doescn’t seem so bad though, not with Church back (even though he has a long way to go to regain my good graces) and manning right field, and Cora’s return to the lineup. And omigosh! There’s Brian Schneider catching. How’d they convince HIM to finally play? And holy cow! There’s the phee-nom, the guy too good to run out a fly ball, none other than Fernando Martinez.
Our heroes had a hell of a first inning though today, highlighted for me by doubles from two guys in my doghouse, Church and Martinez. Beltran has cooled off considerably though, and is now back to batting .340 after reaching the heights of the batting average leaders list. But at least the lineup looks like a major league lineup. That hasn’t been the case for some time now.
Of course the Phillies kept winning and winning, except when Lidge got involved. Lidge, the Phils non-closer, is keeping the Mets “in it”, although that term must be used advisedly, given all the injuries and the way they’ve been running the bases. That might be the saddest thing. Just when the team has needed to play smart, it’s been coming up dumb.
Still though, they are three games behind the Phils. That’s not too bad, and speaks to some strength throughout the organization. The only position that couldn’t be adequately manned lately was shortstop and that situation has just been ridiculous, something that couldn’t be dreamed up. Wilson Valdez has so far been almost adequate at filling in. But really, he’s been the fourth alternative, after Reyes, Cora and the other Martinez, Ramon.
All in all, we’ve seen a lot of outfielders, Sheffield and Reed and Tatis, and a lot of infielders and catchers. And nobody has really flopped, even Emil Brown, recently acquired and probably on his way out the door. Murphy has looked pretty good at first base after his adventures in left field, and, who knows, this team may even be ready to face the Phillies and Yanks in their next two series.
The pitching will match up pretty well, that’s for sure. Santana opens up against Happ, and the third game features Redding against old man Moyer. Game Two doesn’t look promising though, with Pelfrey going against Phils ace Cole Hamels. But, on paper anyway, the Mets should be able to pitch with the Phils and maybe take two out of three.
Then there’s the Yankees series and, well, who knows what could happen to our heroes between now and then. The biggest hurt for the blue team is the loss of J.J. Putz for a long, long time. But even with the loss of Putz, the Mets should be able to withstand it if Purcell, who has shown some ability, can handle the setup role. The Yanks aren’t loaded with relief themselves.
So lighten up, Mets fans. Sure, the Bombers have more power. They have some pretty fair starting pitching too, but if you can get into that relief corps, there’s a lot of room for cutting into a lead, or even extending a lead, if it could ever come to that. Just remember the rest of the division isn’t that great either, and the Phils can’t stay hot forever. Joe’s Dodgers have aleady provided a bit of the ice.
If the Mets can break even in these next two series, and there’s really no reason to think that they can’t, they’ll have survived and treaded water, if you will, while getting just killed with injuries. That’s not too shabby. Before you know it, Reyes will be back, and maybe he’ll really add some spark this time.
With Reyes back at short, with Castillo and Cora handling second, with a Murphy starting to look comfortable at first, and the hot-hitting David at third base, the Mets will once again be solid in the infield.
Church’s return, especially if he can start hitting, will help an outfield situation that really hasn’t looked too bad in the first place. Reed has looked good, and Tatis and Sheffield have been pretty much as expected. But the starting outfield should probably be Beltran, Church and Sheffield or Tatis and that’s not too problematic in my book. I think Sheffield hits better when he plays the field; it’s the DH position that he apparently can’t really handle.
It seems every Mets fan I turn to is looking for another bat. But surely with Beltran, Wright and Sheffield, the team should be able to score some runs. I’d much rather see a relief pitcher to replace Putz if there are any that become available. Delgado will be back before you know it (August).
The list of teams with big bats that go nowhere is a long one, much longer than the list of unsuccessful teams with good starters and an even stronger relief corps. Especially playing in CitiField, isn’t it built for pitching? Wouldn’t the Mets have less risk if they replaced the big arm they lost?
A move more typical of Omar was the one that moved reserve catcher Juan Castro to the White Sox for a pitcher, Lance Broadway. Hopefully, Mr. Broadway will soon live up to his name up in AAA Buffalo.
More than ever maybe, this pennant race is proving to be a long one, not unlike yesterday’s Belmont. The winner got the better trip while the stronger horse faltered in the stretch after showing some rankness after about 6 furlongs.
Maybe all this early misfortune will make this Mets horse a little stronger in the stretch.
Today’s lineup doescn’t seem so bad though, not with Church back (even though he has a long way to go to regain my good graces) and manning right field, and Cora’s return to the lineup. And omigosh! There’s Brian Schneider catching. How’d they convince HIM to finally play? And holy cow! There’s the phee-nom, the guy too good to run out a fly ball, none other than Fernando Martinez.
Our heroes had a hell of a first inning though today, highlighted for me by doubles from two guys in my doghouse, Church and Martinez. Beltran has cooled off considerably though, and is now back to batting .340 after reaching the heights of the batting average leaders list. But at least the lineup looks like a major league lineup. That hasn’t been the case for some time now.
Of course the Phillies kept winning and winning, except when Lidge got involved. Lidge, the Phils non-closer, is keeping the Mets “in it”, although that term must be used advisedly, given all the injuries and the way they’ve been running the bases. That might be the saddest thing. Just when the team has needed to play smart, it’s been coming up dumb.
Still though, they are three games behind the Phils. That’s not too bad, and speaks to some strength throughout the organization. The only position that couldn’t be adequately manned lately was shortstop and that situation has just been ridiculous, something that couldn’t be dreamed up. Wilson Valdez has so far been almost adequate at filling in. But really, he’s been the fourth alternative, after Reyes, Cora and the other Martinez, Ramon.
All in all, we’ve seen a lot of outfielders, Sheffield and Reed and Tatis, and a lot of infielders and catchers. And nobody has really flopped, even Emil Brown, recently acquired and probably on his way out the door. Murphy has looked pretty good at first base after his adventures in left field, and, who knows, this team may even be ready to face the Phillies and Yanks in their next two series.
The pitching will match up pretty well, that’s for sure. Santana opens up against Happ, and the third game features Redding against old man Moyer. Game Two doesn’t look promising though, with Pelfrey going against Phils ace Cole Hamels. But, on paper anyway, the Mets should be able to pitch with the Phils and maybe take two out of three.
Then there’s the Yankees series and, well, who knows what could happen to our heroes between now and then. The biggest hurt for the blue team is the loss of J.J. Putz for a long, long time. But even with the loss of Putz, the Mets should be able to withstand it if Purcell, who has shown some ability, can handle the setup role. The Yanks aren’t loaded with relief themselves.
So lighten up, Mets fans. Sure, the Bombers have more power. They have some pretty fair starting pitching too, but if you can get into that relief corps, there’s a lot of room for cutting into a lead, or even extending a lead, if it could ever come to that. Just remember the rest of the division isn’t that great either, and the Phils can’t stay hot forever. Joe’s Dodgers have aleady provided a bit of the ice.
If the Mets can break even in these next two series, and there’s really no reason to think that they can’t, they’ll have survived and treaded water, if you will, while getting just killed with injuries. That’s not too shabby. Before you know it, Reyes will be back, and maybe he’ll really add some spark this time.
With Reyes back at short, with Castillo and Cora handling second, with a Murphy starting to look comfortable at first, and the hot-hitting David at third base, the Mets will once again be solid in the infield.
Church’s return, especially if he can start hitting, will help an outfield situation that really hasn’t looked too bad in the first place. Reed has looked good, and Tatis and Sheffield have been pretty much as expected. But the starting outfield should probably be Beltran, Church and Sheffield or Tatis and that’s not too problematic in my book. I think Sheffield hits better when he plays the field; it’s the DH position that he apparently can’t really handle.
It seems every Mets fan I turn to is looking for another bat. But surely with Beltran, Wright and Sheffield, the team should be able to score some runs. I’d much rather see a relief pitcher to replace Putz if there are any that become available. Delgado will be back before you know it (August).
The list of teams with big bats that go nowhere is a long one, much longer than the list of unsuccessful teams with good starters and an even stronger relief corps. Especially playing in CitiField, isn’t it built for pitching? Wouldn’t the Mets have less risk if they replaced the big arm they lost?
A move more typical of Omar was the one that moved reserve catcher Juan Castro to the White Sox for a pitcher, Lance Broadway. Hopefully, Mr. Broadway will soon live up to his name up in AAA Buffalo.
More than ever maybe, this pennant race is proving to be a long one, not unlike yesterday’s Belmont. The winner got the better trip while the stronger horse faltered in the stretch after showing some rankness after about 6 furlongs.
Maybe all this early misfortune will make this Mets horse a little stronger in the stretch.
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