Why is this Mets team so hard to root for? Maybe it’s that Atlanta is already about 7 or so ahead of them for the wildcard. Maybe it’s just that Pelfrey’s pitching. Maybe I can’t believe that Daniel friggin’ Murphy had been batting cleanup. And Duda’s playing first base. I know I like some of those other guys, Turner and Tejada and Thole and all those new pitchers who’ve been doing so well.
But when is Reyes coming back?
I’m watching the Mets-Dodgers game, of course, the one that starts at 9 PM Eastern, and it could be worse as they are 3000 miles away. But I do get to watch the Yankees and the Mets this way. So life is good, unless you begin to think that maybe you’re just a little tired of this whole Mets situation…all the uncertainty.
It’s not as if you can even be happy when they win. They’re a .500 team basically. And that’s with Reyes and Beltran and K-Rod. What happens when they hit the dusty trail? What happens if just one of them leaves? I guess that’s what I’m witnessing now, the Mets playing Tejada at short, in a lineup that doesn’t terrify anybody even with Reyes.
And thank God they’re playing the Dodgers tonight, a team that’s not likely to overwhelm anyone, and a team that has its own ownership problems. Ethier’s been pretty quiet but they do have Loney and Kemp, especially Kemp. Their pitching is a little suspect, and overall as a team they’re not scaring anybody, or exciting anybody either, just like the Mets.
When you watch the Yankees, it’s a whole different deal. Usually that consistent winning just aggravates me when it’s the big-spending Bombers from the Bronx. But they just keep winning all the time. If they need somebody to pitch or somebody to hit, they go and get them. Some of them are even easy to root for, players like Granderson and, um, Swisher.
Tonight the Mets heroes have been Beltran and Bay. I guess you could credit Pelfrey too as the Dodgers are still scoreless. But he did pout when Collins took him out of the game. He remimds me more and more of John Maine and what’s he doing now?
This game is finally heating up a little as Beltran and Paulino just managed a couple of singles, there are no outs and I love watching Bay lately when runners are on base. And, whoa!! Bay hits the three-run homer, his second of the day! And he’s not going anywhere. WooHoo!!
Now it’s the rather healthy looking Isringhausen trying to keep this thing rolling along. Izzy hasn’t been super lately but he has had his moments. And Tejada just made a diving stab of a Uribe hard grounder to his left and calmly got the force at second. But Izzy won’t make it easy as he walks some Dodger nobody. But he gets another weak-hitting Dodger, Ellis to fly out to center. And, wadda ya know? Here’s still another weak hitter at the plate. Izzy might get through this day.
And he does. Izzy gets a weak ground ball to end the 8th. The 6-zip lead would seem to be insurmountable. And the Dodgers have no closer either. It seems as if Donnie Baseball has his work cut out for him in La-La land.
Duda just muffed a hard grounder from the Dodgers’ venerable shortstop, Rafael Furcal. But, lo and behold, he then grabs a short-hopper to get the force. All is not lost. Maybe he really can play first. Mets reliever Carrasco now has two outs in the ninth….and now three. The Mets win the game, 6-0. Not too shabby.
So that ends the sports day at 1 o’clock in the morning. Of course, there will be the Mets post-game show but they’ll kill it with commercials. The YES network will be showing a re-play of the Yankees-Indians but, even with Granderson and Cano on my fantasy team, I can’t really see myself doing that.
But the commercials finally end and the show features Jason Bay. Deservedly so. And he’s all humble pie and graciousness. Maybe he’s over his troubles. Maybe he just had a severe case of the first-year with a new club syndrome. Maybe he’ll make this club a little more fun to watch, maybe even a lot more fun.
Maybe I’m just getting carried away. The World Series Champion Giants are next on the schedule as we approach the All-Star break. The Mets will see some better pitching for sure, names like Vogelsong and Lincecum and Cain. Those fellows could definitely screw up your chances for getting wins.
The Mets are 44-42 now and have 2 more with the Dodgers before they even get to the city by the bay. They’ll have to face the Dodgers Kuroda and Kershaw too so, all in all, things don’t look too rosy for our heroes before the break. If they can split the remaining two with the Dodgers and take just one of three from those tough Giants starters, they’ll be 46-45, creditable but not very much in real contention for anything.
What will the Mets do? Re-sign Reyes? Keep Beltran and K-Rod for the rest of the year? I’d love to see it. If the big guys all stay, maybe these upstarts can even make a run for a wildcard. After all, Atlanta isn’t so formidable either, especially if Bay can really keep producing.
Niese, Gee, Dickey, Capuano, Pelfrey. Can these guys keep going out there and giving the Mets a chance to win? I think they can. The relievers haven’t been too shabby either. Maybe they won’t be too hard to watch after all!
Keep the big guns, Sandy. To hell with the prospects. You’ll give Mets fans something to shout about, maybe even a wildcard spot. You have to believe, right? As long as we have Jose and Carlos playing for new contracts, that’s a nice place to be.
Showing posts with label Jason Bay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Bay. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
One Mothful of an If
Lately I’ve been asking myself, “can a team be really serious about winning a pennant, or these days, just making the playoffs, if it has only one lefty relief pitcher? That, of course, is secondary to the other big question, namely “Why should I care”?
I mean, really, the Mets are now just the Buffalo minor league team with a few ringers named Beltran and Reyes and Bay. But they’re one hell of a minor league team! They proved that again last night when first baseman (using the term loosely) Duda muffed the grounder that gave the hated(by me anyway) Braves the win.
So, once again, the Mets fell below .500. And it’s not the end of the world. As Collins said after the game, they beat two of their best pitchers and finished the road trip 6-4. But, to me, it would have been great if all of Chipper’s heroics went for naught and if K-Rod could have come through with another save in that spot.
But he couldn’t. He parked a pitch around belt high and over the plate and some Braves nobody belted a 2-run homer for the tie in the ninth, setting the stage for Duda’s frolics at first base, or more accurately, about 10 yards out from that bag. Geez, Tejada could’ve had it too.
And that sequence of events is a lot like a lot of other events of the same nature that have happened to these ridiculous Mets. But it’s ok. They’ve also had those days when the pitching was great and the hits just kept coming. And I’ll take triples over home runs just any old day.
One wonders how long these guys can keep it up. The most prominent of “ these guys” would have to be Justin Turner. I mean, really, you can stick him in at second or third, and he just hits with men on base nearly all the time. He surely has more ribbies per at-bat than anyone else on the planet.
To me, the second “guy” is Reuben Tejada. I liked him even last year when he couldn’t hit to save his life. But, this year, he’s killing the ball, especially for him based on last year’s performance. He’s a natural at second base and plays shortstop in a pinch, that pinch one that may be experienced quite quickly, either this year or next.
Then there’s crazy Daniel Murphy who, it seems, will either win one for you or lose one for you in either the most unlikely or embarrassing way. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from Murphy, and, while that may not be a good thing, it surely is interesting to watch.
The catcher, Josh Thole, would probably be right up there with Murphy. Besides holding down the most difficult position on the field, he also seems to hit in the clutch. And he’s lucky, because most of the big hits I recall are just little Texas-leaguers down the line. You can’t over-estimate the value of luck.
And then there’s Duda. He’s not one of the “guys”yet. But he could become one really easy. He’s big and could be dangerous at the plate, if a home run is what you need. The problem with Duda Is that he never seems to really come through. A check on his BA reveals a paltry .139 average. But for him at least, it’s still early. He’s had 36 at-bats.
To me, Pagan isn’t really far removed from the rest of the bunch. He can be pretty exasperating for a veteran player. He surely won’t be on any of my favorites lists until he stops making mistakes on the bases. That drives me crazy. He’s supposed to be an asset on the bases.
Of course, there are the pitching “guys” too. They’re all coming through. Niese, Dickey, Gee, even Parnell, they’ve all been pleasant surprises. And thank the baseball gods for that! Without the excellent pitching in the last couple of weeks, that right around .500 clip could have been a lot worse.
The upcoming schedule is really ridiculous. Interleague play will be bringing us the Angels and the Oakland A’s. I don’t even know what to say about that! The only good thing about it is that we’ll play without a designated hitter, as always in National League baseball, while those teams will have to figure out a way of fielding nine and still maintaining a viable lineup.
But then it’ll be at Texas and at Detroit. That seems like bad luck to me. They’re both pretty much at the top of the heap in the American League. But, at the very least, we should enjoy seeing how Daniel Murphy will react to being a designated hitter. The man without a position will finally have his spot.
The only sure thing is that this team will probably be broken up. Beltran, K-Rod, and maybe Reyes will be gone. That’s the only move that makes sense, especially for a franchise having its financial troubles. But, as each player move will just be a rental for the receiving team, the Mets can’t even expect much in return that will help the team this year.
As that’s the case, life after the All-Star break for Mets fans could be pretty bleak. Tejada can move to shortstop and probably lead off as well. That’ll free up second base for Turner. And all that’ll be lost will be all those hits, all those triples, and all that excitement.
I’d hate to think Duda is the only answer to spell Beltran in right field. Jason Pridie, still another one of the lesser “guys”, is hitting just .234 as this is written, and, while he can provide some pop, he’s no Carlos Beltran. (Not that many others are).
If Jason Bay starts providing some pop, the absence of Beltran might not be so conspicuous, especially after Wright and Ike Davis return to the lineup. But that’s one mouthful of an if.
I mean, really, the Mets are now just the Buffalo minor league team with a few ringers named Beltran and Reyes and Bay. But they’re one hell of a minor league team! They proved that again last night when first baseman (using the term loosely) Duda muffed the grounder that gave the hated(by me anyway) Braves the win.
So, once again, the Mets fell below .500. And it’s not the end of the world. As Collins said after the game, they beat two of their best pitchers and finished the road trip 6-4. But, to me, it would have been great if all of Chipper’s heroics went for naught and if K-Rod could have come through with another save in that spot.
But he couldn’t. He parked a pitch around belt high and over the plate and some Braves nobody belted a 2-run homer for the tie in the ninth, setting the stage for Duda’s frolics at first base, or more accurately, about 10 yards out from that bag. Geez, Tejada could’ve had it too.
And that sequence of events is a lot like a lot of other events of the same nature that have happened to these ridiculous Mets. But it’s ok. They’ve also had those days when the pitching was great and the hits just kept coming. And I’ll take triples over home runs just any old day.
One wonders how long these guys can keep it up. The most prominent of “ these guys” would have to be Justin Turner. I mean, really, you can stick him in at second or third, and he just hits with men on base nearly all the time. He surely has more ribbies per at-bat than anyone else on the planet.
To me, the second “guy” is Reuben Tejada. I liked him even last year when he couldn’t hit to save his life. But, this year, he’s killing the ball, especially for him based on last year’s performance. He’s a natural at second base and plays shortstop in a pinch, that pinch one that may be experienced quite quickly, either this year or next.
Then there’s crazy Daniel Murphy who, it seems, will either win one for you or lose one for you in either the most unlikely or embarrassing way. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from Murphy, and, while that may not be a good thing, it surely is interesting to watch.
The catcher, Josh Thole, would probably be right up there with Murphy. Besides holding down the most difficult position on the field, he also seems to hit in the clutch. And he’s lucky, because most of the big hits I recall are just little Texas-leaguers down the line. You can’t over-estimate the value of luck.
And then there’s Duda. He’s not one of the “guys”yet. But he could become one really easy. He’s big and could be dangerous at the plate, if a home run is what you need. The problem with Duda Is that he never seems to really come through. A check on his BA reveals a paltry .139 average. But for him at least, it’s still early. He’s had 36 at-bats.
To me, Pagan isn’t really far removed from the rest of the bunch. He can be pretty exasperating for a veteran player. He surely won’t be on any of my favorites lists until he stops making mistakes on the bases. That drives me crazy. He’s supposed to be an asset on the bases.
Of course, there are the pitching “guys” too. They’re all coming through. Niese, Dickey, Gee, even Parnell, they’ve all been pleasant surprises. And thank the baseball gods for that! Without the excellent pitching in the last couple of weeks, that right around .500 clip could have been a lot worse.
The upcoming schedule is really ridiculous. Interleague play will be bringing us the Angels and the Oakland A’s. I don’t even know what to say about that! The only good thing about it is that we’ll play without a designated hitter, as always in National League baseball, while those teams will have to figure out a way of fielding nine and still maintaining a viable lineup.
But then it’ll be at Texas and at Detroit. That seems like bad luck to me. They’re both pretty much at the top of the heap in the American League. But, at the very least, we should enjoy seeing how Daniel Murphy will react to being a designated hitter. The man without a position will finally have his spot.
The only sure thing is that this team will probably be broken up. Beltran, K-Rod, and maybe Reyes will be gone. That’s the only move that makes sense, especially for a franchise having its financial troubles. But, as each player move will just be a rental for the receiving team, the Mets can’t even expect much in return that will help the team this year.
As that’s the case, life after the All-Star break for Mets fans could be pretty bleak. Tejada can move to shortstop and probably lead off as well. That’ll free up second base for Turner. And all that’ll be lost will be all those hits, all those triples, and all that excitement.
I’d hate to think Duda is the only answer to spell Beltran in right field. Jason Pridie, still another one of the lesser “guys”, is hitting just .234 as this is written, and, while he can provide some pop, he’s no Carlos Beltran. (Not that many others are).
If Jason Bay starts providing some pop, the absence of Beltran might not be so conspicuous, especially after Wright and Ike Davis return to the lineup. But that’s one mouthful of an if.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Hope for the Future
Okay, so I tried something new, using a pen and paper instead of a PC. What I wound up with was 1000 words or so on paper. Then I went to sleep. Now it’s two days later and, even if I wanted to transcribe it, if I could read it, it’s old news now, or, even worse, commentary on old news.
So let’s try again. The Mets still win a couple, lose a couple. LeBron James is still damned if he does and if he doesn’t, the Yanks are still second best, well, maybe third best now, and some nag will undoubtedly win the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.
That Mets game last night was really fun to watch. It had everything, some good pitching, some good hitting and lots and lots of highs and lows.
Mike Pelfrey is cursed. Either he’ll lose the game all by himself or he’ll get help. Last night he got help. The usual suspects provided the help, Reyes and Beltran, Pagan and Paulino to name a few. But, after taking a nice lead, their relievers lost it for them anyway.
I don’t like the way Collins handles pitchers. He either inserts a new pitcher before the one on the mound gets in trouble or he stays with a pitcher clearly in trouble much too long. He thinks it’s character building. I think it’s just stupid.
Last night Pelfrey pitched a gem for six innings. That’s all the opportunity he got. Collins decided it was time for some of the worst relievers in the game to finish it for him. And oh, they finished it all right. The first reliever called upon, the lefty “specialist” Byrdak promptly walked the first batter, Prince Fielder, and got yanked.
Then Parnell managed to pitch his way through the seventh without too much incident, setting the stage for the Mets big inning in the eighth. But, rather than let Parnell continue, Collins brought in Pedro Beato, who had pitched the day before. And it showed. He had nothing, no fastball, no slider, no fight. He just quit. He figuratively said, “You don’t pitch me two days in a row”.
Beato promptly walked the forty-year old Counsell. Right at that point I would have pulled his butt. But not Collins, he wanted to see Beato build character. Beato did manage to get a ground ball out of Rickie Weeks though, a ball that could have been a double-play with a better infield. That minor gaffe was enough to rattle Beato, who then gave up a single to Morgan and a double to Braun, scoring two. Only then did Collins go to Isringhausen, who wasted no time at all in letting Prince Fielder tie the game with a humongous home run to straight-away center.
I chalk last night’s loss up to Collins. Instead of going with the hot hand, he goes with the cold one. And it’s not the first time. Instead of pulling closer to that magic .500 mark, the Mets lost one that should have been in the bag.
Everybody thinks the Mets relative success this year is solely due to Collins. What a joke! Whatever success they’ve had is due to some good players, players who were unproven but good nevertheless. Turner, Pridie, Thole, Tejada, these young players are tough. And the starting pitching has been good too.
While it could be that Collins is one of the reasons they’re playing so well, that’s not really a lock. And I’m willing to give Collins the benefit of the doubt in that regard but he’s bad with pitchers. He needs to get better.
The Mets need some power and some help in the relief corps, starting with a lefty who knows how to pitch. Every time I see Byrdak, I think “here we go”. As the Mets won’t be spending any money in the near future, the Mets have to use their existing assets to get better in the long run.
But they can get a power hitter and a reliever or two without getting rid of Reyes. Reyes is a large piece of the Mets very identity. Although his value is undoubtedly the highest it will ever be right now, the Mets should not make a deal until it’s proven they can’t re-sign him and that the return for him is significant, meaning multiple high-quality prospects.
Wilpon’s unfortunate comments certainly point to the Mets not re-signing him. But just as the Yankees overpaid by nearly double Jeter’s actual worth to re-sign him, so the Mets should regard Jose Reyes. He’s the straw that stirs the drink, not Wright or Santana or Beltran. The team should be willing to pay some premium to keep him in a Mets uniform.
Only if re-signing him is virtually impossible should the Mets deal him. If they must deal him, they must get value. Beltran and K-Rod should also draw some suitors this year from any number of contending teams. They can fully expect to get some power and relief pitching in return.
All of which means there is hope for a better Mets team in the future, one probably featuring pitching and defense rather than power, although some power would be nice. It certainly appears at this juncture that power will not be forthcoming from either Jason Bay or David Wright.
Jason Bay is holding the bat too tightly. He’s got to loosen up that grip and just whip that bat around. His stance is actually better than it was last year when he led with his elbows. He’s just got to relax. He has to swing at the first hittable pitch too rather than taking a strike. Until he shakes this slump, he should forget about having “good” at-bats. He’s got to break out, and not necessarily with home runs.
Meanwhile, NBA fans will see the real LeBron tonight. Baskets? …..he’ll make them. Rebounds?....he’ll get them. Assists?....maybe not so many but some timely ones to his partners named Wade and Chris Bosh.
So let’s try again. The Mets still win a couple, lose a couple. LeBron James is still damned if he does and if he doesn’t, the Yanks are still second best, well, maybe third best now, and some nag will undoubtedly win the Belmont Stakes this Saturday.
That Mets game last night was really fun to watch. It had everything, some good pitching, some good hitting and lots and lots of highs and lows.
Mike Pelfrey is cursed. Either he’ll lose the game all by himself or he’ll get help. Last night he got help. The usual suspects provided the help, Reyes and Beltran, Pagan and Paulino to name a few. But, after taking a nice lead, their relievers lost it for them anyway.
I don’t like the way Collins handles pitchers. He either inserts a new pitcher before the one on the mound gets in trouble or he stays with a pitcher clearly in trouble much too long. He thinks it’s character building. I think it’s just stupid.
Last night Pelfrey pitched a gem for six innings. That’s all the opportunity he got. Collins decided it was time for some of the worst relievers in the game to finish it for him. And oh, they finished it all right. The first reliever called upon, the lefty “specialist” Byrdak promptly walked the first batter, Prince Fielder, and got yanked.
Then Parnell managed to pitch his way through the seventh without too much incident, setting the stage for the Mets big inning in the eighth. But, rather than let Parnell continue, Collins brought in Pedro Beato, who had pitched the day before. And it showed. He had nothing, no fastball, no slider, no fight. He just quit. He figuratively said, “You don’t pitch me two days in a row”.
Beato promptly walked the forty-year old Counsell. Right at that point I would have pulled his butt. But not Collins, he wanted to see Beato build character. Beato did manage to get a ground ball out of Rickie Weeks though, a ball that could have been a double-play with a better infield. That minor gaffe was enough to rattle Beato, who then gave up a single to Morgan and a double to Braun, scoring two. Only then did Collins go to Isringhausen, who wasted no time at all in letting Prince Fielder tie the game with a humongous home run to straight-away center.
I chalk last night’s loss up to Collins. Instead of going with the hot hand, he goes with the cold one. And it’s not the first time. Instead of pulling closer to that magic .500 mark, the Mets lost one that should have been in the bag.
Everybody thinks the Mets relative success this year is solely due to Collins. What a joke! Whatever success they’ve had is due to some good players, players who were unproven but good nevertheless. Turner, Pridie, Thole, Tejada, these young players are tough. And the starting pitching has been good too.
While it could be that Collins is one of the reasons they’re playing so well, that’s not really a lock. And I’m willing to give Collins the benefit of the doubt in that regard but he’s bad with pitchers. He needs to get better.
The Mets need some power and some help in the relief corps, starting with a lefty who knows how to pitch. Every time I see Byrdak, I think “here we go”. As the Mets won’t be spending any money in the near future, the Mets have to use their existing assets to get better in the long run.
But they can get a power hitter and a reliever or two without getting rid of Reyes. Reyes is a large piece of the Mets very identity. Although his value is undoubtedly the highest it will ever be right now, the Mets should not make a deal until it’s proven they can’t re-sign him and that the return for him is significant, meaning multiple high-quality prospects.
Wilpon’s unfortunate comments certainly point to the Mets not re-signing him. But just as the Yankees overpaid by nearly double Jeter’s actual worth to re-sign him, so the Mets should regard Jose Reyes. He’s the straw that stirs the drink, not Wright or Santana or Beltran. The team should be willing to pay some premium to keep him in a Mets uniform.
Only if re-signing him is virtually impossible should the Mets deal him. If they must deal him, they must get value. Beltran and K-Rod should also draw some suitors this year from any number of contending teams. They can fully expect to get some power and relief pitching in return.
All of which means there is hope for a better Mets team in the future, one probably featuring pitching and defense rather than power, although some power would be nice. It certainly appears at this juncture that power will not be forthcoming from either Jason Bay or David Wright.
Jason Bay is holding the bat too tightly. He’s got to loosen up that grip and just whip that bat around. His stance is actually better than it was last year when he led with his elbows. He’s just got to relax. He has to swing at the first hittable pitch too rather than taking a strike. Until he shakes this slump, he should forget about having “good” at-bats. He’s got to break out, and not necessarily with home runs.
Meanwhile, NBA fans will see the real LeBron tonight. Baskets? …..he’ll make them. Rebounds?....he’ll get them. Assists?....maybe not so many but some timely ones to his partners named Wade and Chris Bosh.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
What A Difference A Bay Makes
Do you believe in coincidences? Do you think the Mets having won two in a row has nothing whatever to do with the return of Jason Bay to the Mets lineup? Well, I believe in coincidences myself but this 2-game streak is not one of them.
Are two games won a streak? For the Mets it is. The Mets are what, 7-13? Some things looked a lot better in spring training, especially the Mets bats. But once the regular season started, all the bats went cold right about the time the pitchers started using every pitch in their repertoire. Some guys just hit fastballs.
But they haven’t gotten one break. Or so it has seemed. But since they were making stupid plays each and every game, it was kind of hard to figure what was bad luck and what was bad baseball.
Watching Scott Hairston play left field was torture, worse almost than when Daniel Murphy was out there. Of course, watching his plate appearances was almost as bad. Willie Harris looked better at the plate and the field but Willie is one of those guys who have the ability to bunt but just won’t. He’d rather foul off a couple of tries and then swing away, only to strike out.
There are a lot of Willie Harris’s. Scott Hairston’s grow on trees. There are only several Jason Bay’s . With the weaknesses already built in at second base and sometimes at catcher, having still another spot filled by a minor leaguer was just too much to overcome.
But there were problems with the established players too. Angel Pagan had been awful in general, at the plate and in the field. Beltran was only mediocre in his new right field position. The second basemen, every one of them, were awful at the plate. Such are the fortunes of players with their heads down.
This column has been very critical of Jason Bay, especially since his latest stint on the DL. But Bay’s return fueled a reason for optimism. Bay has been an established hitter. And he looks like the Jason Bay of old thus far. The elbows are out of the way. He’s holding his hands higher, naturally pulling those elbows out of the way.
David Wright had been shooting for the right field porch every time up, regardless of the game situation. That stopped upon Bay’s return and it was so nice to see Wright pull a couple of pitches into the hole between left and center, especially the homer to the seats in left-center.
It didn’t help that the pitchers that looked so good last year came out flat too. The best performances came from the pickups, from Chris Young and Capuano. Mike Pelfrey was especially dreadful, but that stopped last night too.
So things are looking up….way up. Even Jason Pridie from the minors, filling in for Angel Pagan, looked as if he could perform at least as well as Pagan. As this is written, he just got his first hit, and it wasn’t a fastball that he smacked to right.
It’s even beginning to look as if Daniel Murphy, who can hit a little bit in the majors, can play second base. He looks much better there than he ever did in the outfield. And his comfort in the field is maybe making him relax more at the plate. He’s a contact hitter too, and the second spot in the lineup seems perfect for him, at least until Pagan remembers how to hit again.
Dillon Gee provided a nice lift too and is pitching well today. Last night Pelfrey pitched with confidence for the first time this year. It seemed as if there were first times for a lot of things once Bay returned. Hitters hit. Pitchers pitched. Fielders…well, you know.
It can’t be totally a coincidence. Bay solidifies the outfield. Bay protects Beltran or Wright in the lineup. Bay provides still one more scary guy appearance in the lineup, which eventually wears on an opposing pitcher. As pitchers bat in the National League, there is already one built-in hole in the lineup. The Mets had holes all over the place.
And Jason Bay just homered to right center. He only hit 6 all of last year. He single-handedly gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in this Arizona game and, lo and behold, Ike Davis just killed a hanging slider way out to right field for a 4-1 lead. Now Thole creams another pitch to right. No, it can’t be a coincidence.
Of course no player’s return can account for all ills. Murphy just pulled an ole on a grounder he should have had and Ike Davis just dropped a tough over-the-shoulder popup he ordinarily makes and it’s now 4-2 in the 4th inning. It remains to be seen how Gee will handle these bad breaks.
Uh-oh, after getting the second out, Gee just allowed another hit and it’s now 4-3. Growing pains are in the offing. Soon we’ll be learning more about the relief corps. What we’ve learned so far about the bullpen hasn’t been encouraging. In fact, as of a couple days ago, the Mets had the worst ERA in the National League.
Well, Gee got out of the inning with the lead but only after Pridie in center had to run back to about the 400 foot mark to make the catch. One wonders what Collins will decide for the fifth inning. It looks as if Gee could use a breather.
Whatever happens in this game, the future certainly looks rosier than the past has been. The team is healthy again, at least the players who had been playing well. Pagan is the only player still hurt and, as I mentioned, he had been dreadful.
Some things never change, I guess. Wright just hit into a double play with two men on base. At least he didn’t look as if he was swinging for that rightfield porch.
Even Jason Bay can’t change everything.
Are two games won a streak? For the Mets it is. The Mets are what, 7-13? Some things looked a lot better in spring training, especially the Mets bats. But once the regular season started, all the bats went cold right about the time the pitchers started using every pitch in their repertoire. Some guys just hit fastballs.
But they haven’t gotten one break. Or so it has seemed. But since they were making stupid plays each and every game, it was kind of hard to figure what was bad luck and what was bad baseball.
Watching Scott Hairston play left field was torture, worse almost than when Daniel Murphy was out there. Of course, watching his plate appearances was almost as bad. Willie Harris looked better at the plate and the field but Willie is one of those guys who have the ability to bunt but just won’t. He’d rather foul off a couple of tries and then swing away, only to strike out.
There are a lot of Willie Harris’s. Scott Hairston’s grow on trees. There are only several Jason Bay’s . With the weaknesses already built in at second base and sometimes at catcher, having still another spot filled by a minor leaguer was just too much to overcome.
But there were problems with the established players too. Angel Pagan had been awful in general, at the plate and in the field. Beltran was only mediocre in his new right field position. The second basemen, every one of them, were awful at the plate. Such are the fortunes of players with their heads down.
This column has been very critical of Jason Bay, especially since his latest stint on the DL. But Bay’s return fueled a reason for optimism. Bay has been an established hitter. And he looks like the Jason Bay of old thus far. The elbows are out of the way. He’s holding his hands higher, naturally pulling those elbows out of the way.
David Wright had been shooting for the right field porch every time up, regardless of the game situation. That stopped upon Bay’s return and it was so nice to see Wright pull a couple of pitches into the hole between left and center, especially the homer to the seats in left-center.
It didn’t help that the pitchers that looked so good last year came out flat too. The best performances came from the pickups, from Chris Young and Capuano. Mike Pelfrey was especially dreadful, but that stopped last night too.
So things are looking up….way up. Even Jason Pridie from the minors, filling in for Angel Pagan, looked as if he could perform at least as well as Pagan. As this is written, he just got his first hit, and it wasn’t a fastball that he smacked to right.
It’s even beginning to look as if Daniel Murphy, who can hit a little bit in the majors, can play second base. He looks much better there than he ever did in the outfield. And his comfort in the field is maybe making him relax more at the plate. He’s a contact hitter too, and the second spot in the lineup seems perfect for him, at least until Pagan remembers how to hit again.
Dillon Gee provided a nice lift too and is pitching well today. Last night Pelfrey pitched with confidence for the first time this year. It seemed as if there were first times for a lot of things once Bay returned. Hitters hit. Pitchers pitched. Fielders…well, you know.
It can’t be totally a coincidence. Bay solidifies the outfield. Bay protects Beltran or Wright in the lineup. Bay provides still one more scary guy appearance in the lineup, which eventually wears on an opposing pitcher. As pitchers bat in the National League, there is already one built-in hole in the lineup. The Mets had holes all over the place.
And Jason Bay just homered to right center. He only hit 6 all of last year. He single-handedly gave the Mets a 3-1 lead in this Arizona game and, lo and behold, Ike Davis just killed a hanging slider way out to right field for a 4-1 lead. Now Thole creams another pitch to right. No, it can’t be a coincidence.
Of course no player’s return can account for all ills. Murphy just pulled an ole on a grounder he should have had and Ike Davis just dropped a tough over-the-shoulder popup he ordinarily makes and it’s now 4-2 in the 4th inning. It remains to be seen how Gee will handle these bad breaks.
Uh-oh, after getting the second out, Gee just allowed another hit and it’s now 4-3. Growing pains are in the offing. Soon we’ll be learning more about the relief corps. What we’ve learned so far about the bullpen hasn’t been encouraging. In fact, as of a couple days ago, the Mets had the worst ERA in the National League.
Well, Gee got out of the inning with the lead but only after Pridie in center had to run back to about the 400 foot mark to make the catch. One wonders what Collins will decide for the fifth inning. It looks as if Gee could use a breather.
Whatever happens in this game, the future certainly looks rosier than the past has been. The team is healthy again, at least the players who had been playing well. Pagan is the only player still hurt and, as I mentioned, he had been dreadful.
Some things never change, I guess. Wright just hit into a double play with two men on base. At least he didn’t look as if he was swinging for that rightfield porch.
Even Jason Bay can’t change everything.
Monday, August 2, 2010
An Ankle and an Ankiel?
t was Jonathan Niese’s turn to stink up the joint and he took full advantage of his opportunity. I didn’t get to watch today’s game, busily translating old 8 mm films to DVD’s (which is a whole story in itself) but I did turn on the old transistor radio on my kitchen shelf to get little snippets and updates and they were the most depressing little clips imaginable, putting just another aura of gloom on an already dim day.
First snippet…Niese has been pitching well but there’re men on first and second and up steps Adam LaRoche…and it’s a home run, a 3-run homer for Adam LaRoche….second snippet….and up to the plate steps Adam LaRoche, Adam smacked a 3-run homer in his first at-bat, and the pitch…and it’s another 3-run homer for Adam LaRoche, Diamondbacks lead 6 to nothing.
And it was back to the old birthday parties, Communions and Confirmations featuring old people suddenly young again, smiling and dancing and all shielding their eyes from the glare of the lights, those incredible lights that could put halogen to shame.
There’s nothing bright about the Mets right now. Win a game, lose a game, not even a Jason Bay to be mad at, just another day at CitiField, except this time they got totally blown out so there would be no big comebacks on this day. And all the tomorrows for this team will depend upon the farm and whatever this sometimes tired-looking bunch can muster.
Not the Yankees though. With no salary cap to speak of, the Yanks went merrily on their way picking up one aging star, one big bopper and a once-terrific pitcher who now appears third on their depth chart in the latest Yankees roster report, right after Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain.
So now an avowed Yankee-hater such as myself can just hope against hope that percentages don’t carry the day for those guys in pinstripes, that Austin Kearns won’t hit dinger after dinger into that right field porch, that Lance Berkman won’t come through some night with a big hit in a crucial spot, and that Kerry Wood won’t become re-invigorated in front of big crowds at Yankee Stadium.
But what am I complaining about? The Mets got new players too. That they haven’t contributed as much as these Yankee pickups doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t add an un-definable something, maybe a hard-hit ball from the redoubtable Mike Hessman or a nice catch from Jesus Feliciano, maybe some Chris Carter or Josh Thole odd contributions along the line.
The good pitching had to end sometime. I was beginning to think Dickey and Niese were going to keep on rolling, but only Dickey kept it going for one more game. Niese didn’t come through today but, then again, Takahashi did his part yesterday so things haven’t been all bad. Even Pelfrey pitched a little credibly before that and Santana, well, he got rocked but how often can that happen?
We’ll all find out tomorrow when Johan faces the Braves Tim Hudson in Atlanta. A win in that first game could surely pick up my hopes. If all those young guys could just pretend they’re really still in the friendly confines of the Citi, who knows what could happen?
Lowered expectations of this young team could help them play more loosely, to just go out and have some fun. I know I’ll be happy if they can just be competitive more days than not. And really, that’s something they’ve been able to do. Not today, of course, today they got blown out but, for the most part, they’re almost always in games to their last dying breath.
And the transition pains are over. Beltran’s been back some time now as has been Castillo. Jason Bay’s been out for a few games now too and stands to miss several more now that he’s been put on the DL. So, although there are some new faces, those faces are at least all in the same organization. That alone should promote some esprit de corps among the troops, some spirit that won’t show in the box score necessarily but could translate into W’s rather than L’s down the stretch.
Interestingly enough, the Mets are still just 6 ½ games behind the Braves but are 7 ½ behind in the wildcard standings, the Giants, Phils and Reds all seemingly getting tougher in the last ten games or so. But all those teams seem beatable, despite their own recent acquisitions. Those additions might help but some won’t. Percentages tell me so.
The Braves for example picked up Kyle Farnsworth for their pen and Rick Ankiel, that former Cardinal quasi-star, somebody who could just as easily be bad as good. The Phils big splash was getting Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros but he managed to get shelled by the lowly Nationals in his Phils debut the other day. And Ryan Howard just sprained his ankle.
So, while I’m no longer expecting some kind of post-season activity, unless it’s just the announcement of a new management team, I am expecting some inspired play from these guys. Just hearing Dickey talk about how happy he was to be part of this Mets team picked up my spirits. Conversations with Ike Davis seem to have the same effect. There seems to be a genuinely good feeling for one another in that Mets clubhouse.
If I’m disappointed about anything, it’s those relievers. The likes of Valdez and Acosta are not the answer to anything, except maybe “name two Mets pitchers who have no stuff.” Elmer Dessens and crazy Ollie don’t exactly inspire confidence either. I think even the most understanding of Mets fans could have expected a little help in the pen, even if it were to bring back a Mejia of Igarashi.
But they don’t call this time we’re in the “dog days of August” for nothing. A bunch of guys trying to make their bones might weather such times better than would veterans.
First snippet…Niese has been pitching well but there’re men on first and second and up steps Adam LaRoche…and it’s a home run, a 3-run homer for Adam LaRoche….second snippet….and up to the plate steps Adam LaRoche, Adam smacked a 3-run homer in his first at-bat, and the pitch…and it’s another 3-run homer for Adam LaRoche, Diamondbacks lead 6 to nothing.
And it was back to the old birthday parties, Communions and Confirmations featuring old people suddenly young again, smiling and dancing and all shielding their eyes from the glare of the lights, those incredible lights that could put halogen to shame.
There’s nothing bright about the Mets right now. Win a game, lose a game, not even a Jason Bay to be mad at, just another day at CitiField, except this time they got totally blown out so there would be no big comebacks on this day. And all the tomorrows for this team will depend upon the farm and whatever this sometimes tired-looking bunch can muster.
Not the Yankees though. With no salary cap to speak of, the Yanks went merrily on their way picking up one aging star, one big bopper and a once-terrific pitcher who now appears third on their depth chart in the latest Yankees roster report, right after Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain.
So now an avowed Yankee-hater such as myself can just hope against hope that percentages don’t carry the day for those guys in pinstripes, that Austin Kearns won’t hit dinger after dinger into that right field porch, that Lance Berkman won’t come through some night with a big hit in a crucial spot, and that Kerry Wood won’t become re-invigorated in front of big crowds at Yankee Stadium.
But what am I complaining about? The Mets got new players too. That they haven’t contributed as much as these Yankee pickups doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t add an un-definable something, maybe a hard-hit ball from the redoubtable Mike Hessman or a nice catch from Jesus Feliciano, maybe some Chris Carter or Josh Thole odd contributions along the line.
The good pitching had to end sometime. I was beginning to think Dickey and Niese were going to keep on rolling, but only Dickey kept it going for one more game. Niese didn’t come through today but, then again, Takahashi did his part yesterday so things haven’t been all bad. Even Pelfrey pitched a little credibly before that and Santana, well, he got rocked but how often can that happen?
We’ll all find out tomorrow when Johan faces the Braves Tim Hudson in Atlanta. A win in that first game could surely pick up my hopes. If all those young guys could just pretend they’re really still in the friendly confines of the Citi, who knows what could happen?
Lowered expectations of this young team could help them play more loosely, to just go out and have some fun. I know I’ll be happy if they can just be competitive more days than not. And really, that’s something they’ve been able to do. Not today, of course, today they got blown out but, for the most part, they’re almost always in games to their last dying breath.
And the transition pains are over. Beltran’s been back some time now as has been Castillo. Jason Bay’s been out for a few games now too and stands to miss several more now that he’s been put on the DL. So, although there are some new faces, those faces are at least all in the same organization. That alone should promote some esprit de corps among the troops, some spirit that won’t show in the box score necessarily but could translate into W’s rather than L’s down the stretch.
Interestingly enough, the Mets are still just 6 ½ games behind the Braves but are 7 ½ behind in the wildcard standings, the Giants, Phils and Reds all seemingly getting tougher in the last ten games or so. But all those teams seem beatable, despite their own recent acquisitions. Those additions might help but some won’t. Percentages tell me so.
The Braves for example picked up Kyle Farnsworth for their pen and Rick Ankiel, that former Cardinal quasi-star, somebody who could just as easily be bad as good. The Phils big splash was getting Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros but he managed to get shelled by the lowly Nationals in his Phils debut the other day. And Ryan Howard just sprained his ankle.
So, while I’m no longer expecting some kind of post-season activity, unless it’s just the announcement of a new management team, I am expecting some inspired play from these guys. Just hearing Dickey talk about how happy he was to be part of this Mets team picked up my spirits. Conversations with Ike Davis seem to have the same effect. There seems to be a genuinely good feeling for one another in that Mets clubhouse.
If I’m disappointed about anything, it’s those relievers. The likes of Valdez and Acosta are not the answer to anything, except maybe “name two Mets pitchers who have no stuff.” Elmer Dessens and crazy Ollie don’t exactly inspire confidence either. I think even the most understanding of Mets fans could have expected a little help in the pen, even if it were to bring back a Mejia of Igarashi.
But they don’t call this time we’re in the “dog days of August” for nothing. A bunch of guys trying to make their bones might weather such times better than would veterans.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Fredi Finishes the Fish!
What a deal! It helps if your opponent’s manager is a grandstanding fool and Florida’s Fredi Gonzalez filled that role admirably yesterday. He conceded the winning run to our Metsies in the bottom of the 8th by not playing his infield in with the winning run on third base. Florida then got the double play but the winning run came trotting in. Thanks very much, Fredi!
Now I know his thinking was that he had the heart of his batting order coming up in the 9th and the Mets Ike Davis was likely to hit the ball hard, but c’mon Fredi, that heart of your batting order would be facing one of the top closers in the National League in the person of K-Rod.
And that 8th inning masterpiece of thinking was actually the second totally inane move Fredi made on the day. Fredi took out his best pitcher, Ricky Nolasco, in the 6th inning and replaced him with virtual nobody Tim Wood, who promptly gave up the hit the Mets needed to score two of those runners.
Nolasco was understandably beside himself. He had given up nothing but cheap singles and a bunt. If anybody on that field was capable of getting the Fish out of that inning, it was that guy standing on the mound, Ricky Nolasco.
But Fredi hadn’t seen enough of Wood in the 6th. So he sent Wood out in the 7th as well. Fredi still hadn’t seen enough of Wood after he walked Davis and gave Barajas a double. So Jeff Francoeur was only too happy to bang one over the fence for a 3-run homer.
Although Wood was only charged with the 3 runs he allowed in the 7th, to me he was responsible for the damage done in the 6th too. Of course it wasn’t all his fault. Fredi bears the responsibility for all of them.
This is the same Fredi Gonzalez who made such a big deal out of Hanley Ramirez’s failure to run hard after a Texas Leaguer popup he missed and then accidentally kicked, this after hurting himself in the previous inning. I know I watched the whole sequence of events and, given the circumstances, Hanley Ramirez deserved a break there. Only a grandstanding manager would have elected to take him out of the game.
Ordinarily, I would never excuse a player who didn’t hustle. But Ramirez had just finished hurting himself, then not only couldn’t catch up with the Texas Leaguer but kicked it as well. You could have made the argument that the whole muffed play was as a result of Ramirez hurting his foot in the inning before.
The brilliant Gonzalez then made Ramirez apologize to the team, thus furthering his embarrassment and deepening his bitterness over the whole affair. Mr. Ramirez doesn’t seem to play hard anymore and I don’t blame him. He’s close to free agency and it’s about 99-1 in my mind that he’ll re-sign with the Marlins. And, for those of you who may not be aware, Hanley Ramirez is one of the five best players in the game today.
Fredi seems to quite enjoy embarrassing his best players. What a management ploy! It’s a good thing Fredi is insulated by the relatively quiet media in the Florida market. If Jerry Manuel or even Girardi had done what Fredi did yesterday, there’d be all kinds of hell to pay.
Gonzalez is a grandstanding manager, much as Joe West was a grandstanding umpire before his official chastisement from the league. If I were a Marlins fan, I’d be screaming for his firing. Instead, he gets kudos for pulling a player who didn’t hustle, no matter the killer circumstances.
Now, maybe the Mets would have won in extra innings anyway, especially the way they’re playing. But Fredi Gonzalez gave them the game. It almost takes all the fun out of the win. Any other manager in the game would have won that game for the Marlins, first by leaving his best pitcher in the game, and second, by playing his infield in.
I congratulate the fine Mets broadcast team, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen, for pointing out the absurdity of both errors. They continue to call them the way they see them.
In my last column, I had pointed out that the “core” Mets were not performing well and provided some revealing statistics to accentuate my point. I was of course referring to Jason Bay, David Wright and Jose Reyes. After Sunday afternoon though, you have to wonder whether this Mets team really has anything you could call a core.
And that could be a good thing. I’d much prefer an even, strong performance from the whole team, which is closer to what we are actually seeing from this Mets team. It’s very often other combinations of players doing it for the Mets these days, either Barajas and Francoeur, or Pagan and Ike Davis, or even Castillo or Cora.
It helps them too, not having a fool for a manager. Although I’ve slammed Manuel for seeing things “far off” while not accepting the obvious, I surely appreciated his presence Sunday afternoon. His call for a “hit and run” with Bay at the plate and Pagan on first base was a master stroke.
Bay sometimes totally mis-manages his at-bats, but when forced to swing at a ball, there’s no better risk to at least make contact with the ball than Jason Bay. Bay did make contact, of course, and stroked a six-hopper through the left side of the infield, moving Pagan, who was running with the pitch, all the way over to third base.
Pagan scored the winning run, of course, on Davis’s double play after Fredi’s decision to play his infielders deep and let the winning run score without a challenge, with just one inning to play and facing arguably the best reliever in the game today.
K-Rod finished the Marlins, of course, but Fredi had actually lost it for them a little earlier.
Now I know his thinking was that he had the heart of his batting order coming up in the 9th and the Mets Ike Davis was likely to hit the ball hard, but c’mon Fredi, that heart of your batting order would be facing one of the top closers in the National League in the person of K-Rod.
And that 8th inning masterpiece of thinking was actually the second totally inane move Fredi made on the day. Fredi took out his best pitcher, Ricky Nolasco, in the 6th inning and replaced him with virtual nobody Tim Wood, who promptly gave up the hit the Mets needed to score two of those runners.
Nolasco was understandably beside himself. He had given up nothing but cheap singles and a bunt. If anybody on that field was capable of getting the Fish out of that inning, it was that guy standing on the mound, Ricky Nolasco.
But Fredi hadn’t seen enough of Wood in the 6th. So he sent Wood out in the 7th as well. Fredi still hadn’t seen enough of Wood after he walked Davis and gave Barajas a double. So Jeff Francoeur was only too happy to bang one over the fence for a 3-run homer.
Although Wood was only charged with the 3 runs he allowed in the 7th, to me he was responsible for the damage done in the 6th too. Of course it wasn’t all his fault. Fredi bears the responsibility for all of them.
This is the same Fredi Gonzalez who made such a big deal out of Hanley Ramirez’s failure to run hard after a Texas Leaguer popup he missed and then accidentally kicked, this after hurting himself in the previous inning. I know I watched the whole sequence of events and, given the circumstances, Hanley Ramirez deserved a break there. Only a grandstanding manager would have elected to take him out of the game.
Ordinarily, I would never excuse a player who didn’t hustle. But Ramirez had just finished hurting himself, then not only couldn’t catch up with the Texas Leaguer but kicked it as well. You could have made the argument that the whole muffed play was as a result of Ramirez hurting his foot in the inning before.
The brilliant Gonzalez then made Ramirez apologize to the team, thus furthering his embarrassment and deepening his bitterness over the whole affair. Mr. Ramirez doesn’t seem to play hard anymore and I don’t blame him. He’s close to free agency and it’s about 99-1 in my mind that he’ll re-sign with the Marlins. And, for those of you who may not be aware, Hanley Ramirez is one of the five best players in the game today.
Fredi seems to quite enjoy embarrassing his best players. What a management ploy! It’s a good thing Fredi is insulated by the relatively quiet media in the Florida market. If Jerry Manuel or even Girardi had done what Fredi did yesterday, there’d be all kinds of hell to pay.
Gonzalez is a grandstanding manager, much as Joe West was a grandstanding umpire before his official chastisement from the league. If I were a Marlins fan, I’d be screaming for his firing. Instead, he gets kudos for pulling a player who didn’t hustle, no matter the killer circumstances.
Now, maybe the Mets would have won in extra innings anyway, especially the way they’re playing. But Fredi Gonzalez gave them the game. It almost takes all the fun out of the win. Any other manager in the game would have won that game for the Marlins, first by leaving his best pitcher in the game, and second, by playing his infield in.
I congratulate the fine Mets broadcast team, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen, for pointing out the absurdity of both errors. They continue to call them the way they see them.
In my last column, I had pointed out that the “core” Mets were not performing well and provided some revealing statistics to accentuate my point. I was of course referring to Jason Bay, David Wright and Jose Reyes. After Sunday afternoon though, you have to wonder whether this Mets team really has anything you could call a core.
And that could be a good thing. I’d much prefer an even, strong performance from the whole team, which is closer to what we are actually seeing from this Mets team. It’s very often other combinations of players doing it for the Mets these days, either Barajas and Francoeur, or Pagan and Ike Davis, or even Castillo or Cora.
It helps them too, not having a fool for a manager. Although I’ve slammed Manuel for seeing things “far off” while not accepting the obvious, I surely appreciated his presence Sunday afternoon. His call for a “hit and run” with Bay at the plate and Pagan on first base was a master stroke.
Bay sometimes totally mis-manages his at-bats, but when forced to swing at a ball, there’s no better risk to at least make contact with the ball than Jason Bay. Bay did make contact, of course, and stroked a six-hopper through the left side of the infield, moving Pagan, who was running with the pitch, all the way over to third base.
Pagan scored the winning run, of course, on Davis’s double play after Fredi’s decision to play his infielders deep and let the winning run score without a challenge, with just one inning to play and facing arguably the best reliever in the game today.
K-Rod finished the Marlins, of course, but Fredi had actually lost it for them a little earlier.
Friday, June 4, 2010
It's the Core, Stupid!
A day of rest, that’s just what the Mets needed, and that goes for their fans too. I know I surely needed one. That last loss to the Padres was excruciating. One strike away from the win they were, and just little David Eckstine at the plate. Oh well.
I won’t be picking on anybody today, not even Ollie Perez. I’ll try to stay away from Gary Matthews too. The fact is that they’re just a .500 team, one among many it seems in a league that’s showing a lot of parity this year. Once you accept that simple truism, the team is a really interesting one to watch, even when Keith (Hernandez, the 3rd guy in the booth) takes still another day off.
I mean….what other team has every player on it being almost psychotically streaky . Name me one everyday player who shows any consistency. Bay? Certainly not. Reyes? Oh please. Wright? I don’t think so. When Barajas, the catcher, leads the team in rbi’s, that’s pathetic, I’m sorry, even if the total number is pretty high.
Yeah, I guess Castillo and Ike Davis have been consistent, but even as good as they’ve been, their total potential impact just isn’t that great (although Ike has won a few games for them, come to think of it).
Right now, for example, Reyes is hot. Francoeur is hot too but those two are five spots apart in the batting order. Even Reyes doesn’t steal home that often. He may have stolen 2nd and 3rd and induced a balk to get home once or twice, but it’s a 162-game season. They just, as a team, don’t score that many runs(17th), especially when Santana’s on the mound.
A typical batting sequence might have Reyes getting on, Castillo moving him over, Bay striking out and Wright popping up. They just don’t put things together that often. And they don’t get big hits. But when the pitching is good, as very often it has been, the whole team plays a lot better, not at the plate certainly but in every other aspect.
Their core players are just not getting it done, or, I should say, haven’t got it done so far this year.
Bay, for example, is hitting a respectable .295 right now and leads the team in runs scored but his OPS is just .829 while his average career OPS is .892. He’s the type of hitter that hits a lot of long balls that get caught. When they’re not caught, it’ll be a double. He just hasn’t been able to get that ball over the wall this year. I hate to say he’s got “warning track power” but that’s been his story this year.
David Wright is hitting .267. He’s got a marginally better OPS than Bay, and 9 home runs, which is probably better than many fans expected, but he just hasn’t produced as often as you’d expect. If he were better in big spots, the low batting average wouldn’t make as much of a difference, but alas, he’s been the guy who strikes out, the guy who pops up, the guy who makes that final out.
Reyes’s numbers are very revealing. He’s batting a paltry .248. And, even with 30 runs scored, that’s just not enough from a player such as Reyes has been. It surprised me to discover that Reyes’s career average OPS is .764, pretty impressive for a shortstop, but his current OPS is a ridiculously poor .638. That’s 150 points off his average.
That’s the real story of the Mets season thus far. That’s not what you’ll read in the news stories though. You’ll hear about Perez refusing to get sent down and Francoeur fixing his swing, even though he’s always fixing his swing. You’ll see stories about Pelfrey, who has been a great revelation this year, or Takahashi, who has generally been good wherever they’ve put him in the rotation. You’ll see stories about the need for another starter, arguably the biggest Mets story of the year.
But it’s all baloney. The Mets are currently 12th in ERA in both leagues, just two spots down from the Yankees, who can boast of possessing Sabathia and Burnett and Pettitte and Hughes. And that nice ERA number has been achieved despite the woes of John Maine and Oliver Perez, both who have been predictably horrible.
The pitching staff deserves kudos for their resiliency, at the very least. A big reason for that is the fact that the Japanese duo of Takahashi and Igarashi have been great, although Igarashi obviously returned to active duty too soon after his injury. Recently R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer from the minors, has been great. Niese, before he got hurt, had been a pleasant surprise.
The Mets now have a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Takahashi and Dickey. That’s not too shabby. On the relief side there are K-Rod and Feliciano, and Igarashi, who should return to form soon. Then take your pick of Nieve or Mejia or even Dessens. Valdez has been a disappointment, but, in the grand scheme , it’s been a small thing.
Another huge distraction has been Carlos Beltran’s continued absence from the lineup. But Angel Pagan has done a great job in centerfield. He’s also been pretty damned good at the plate, presently sporting a .784 OPS. I consider him a mini-5-tool-guy. The guy does everything pretty darned well.
So I don’t pay too much attention to the stories. The real problem has been the core, or what’s left of it, after the loss of Beltran and Delgado. I’ll ignore the melodrama surrounding the return of Niese and who’ll get dropped from the roster as a result. It just isn’t that significant. Gee, maybe they’ll drop Matthews, who’s deserved a much worse fate than he has thus far experienced.
Reyes has to keep his recent hot streak going. Bay has to start hitting the ball with authority. Wright has to hit the ball more often.
It’s the core, stupid!
I won’t be picking on anybody today, not even Ollie Perez. I’ll try to stay away from Gary Matthews too. The fact is that they’re just a .500 team, one among many it seems in a league that’s showing a lot of parity this year. Once you accept that simple truism, the team is a really interesting one to watch, even when Keith (Hernandez, the 3rd guy in the booth) takes still another day off.
I mean….what other team has every player on it being almost psychotically streaky . Name me one everyday player who shows any consistency. Bay? Certainly not. Reyes? Oh please. Wright? I don’t think so. When Barajas, the catcher, leads the team in rbi’s, that’s pathetic, I’m sorry, even if the total number is pretty high.
Yeah, I guess Castillo and Ike Davis have been consistent, but even as good as they’ve been, their total potential impact just isn’t that great (although Ike has won a few games for them, come to think of it).
Right now, for example, Reyes is hot. Francoeur is hot too but those two are five spots apart in the batting order. Even Reyes doesn’t steal home that often. He may have stolen 2nd and 3rd and induced a balk to get home once or twice, but it’s a 162-game season. They just, as a team, don’t score that many runs(17th), especially when Santana’s on the mound.
A typical batting sequence might have Reyes getting on, Castillo moving him over, Bay striking out and Wright popping up. They just don’t put things together that often. And they don’t get big hits. But when the pitching is good, as very often it has been, the whole team plays a lot better, not at the plate certainly but in every other aspect.
Their core players are just not getting it done, or, I should say, haven’t got it done so far this year.
Bay, for example, is hitting a respectable .295 right now and leads the team in runs scored but his OPS is just .829 while his average career OPS is .892. He’s the type of hitter that hits a lot of long balls that get caught. When they’re not caught, it’ll be a double. He just hasn’t been able to get that ball over the wall this year. I hate to say he’s got “warning track power” but that’s been his story this year.
David Wright is hitting .267. He’s got a marginally better OPS than Bay, and 9 home runs, which is probably better than many fans expected, but he just hasn’t produced as often as you’d expect. If he were better in big spots, the low batting average wouldn’t make as much of a difference, but alas, he’s been the guy who strikes out, the guy who pops up, the guy who makes that final out.
Reyes’s numbers are very revealing. He’s batting a paltry .248. And, even with 30 runs scored, that’s just not enough from a player such as Reyes has been. It surprised me to discover that Reyes’s career average OPS is .764, pretty impressive for a shortstop, but his current OPS is a ridiculously poor .638. That’s 150 points off his average.
That’s the real story of the Mets season thus far. That’s not what you’ll read in the news stories though. You’ll hear about Perez refusing to get sent down and Francoeur fixing his swing, even though he’s always fixing his swing. You’ll see stories about Pelfrey, who has been a great revelation this year, or Takahashi, who has generally been good wherever they’ve put him in the rotation. You’ll see stories about the need for another starter, arguably the biggest Mets story of the year.
But it’s all baloney. The Mets are currently 12th in ERA in both leagues, just two spots down from the Yankees, who can boast of possessing Sabathia and Burnett and Pettitte and Hughes. And that nice ERA number has been achieved despite the woes of John Maine and Oliver Perez, both who have been predictably horrible.
The pitching staff deserves kudos for their resiliency, at the very least. A big reason for that is the fact that the Japanese duo of Takahashi and Igarashi have been great, although Igarashi obviously returned to active duty too soon after his injury. Recently R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer from the minors, has been great. Niese, before he got hurt, had been a pleasant surprise.
The Mets now have a rotation of Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Takahashi and Dickey. That’s not too shabby. On the relief side there are K-Rod and Feliciano, and Igarashi, who should return to form soon. Then take your pick of Nieve or Mejia or even Dessens. Valdez has been a disappointment, but, in the grand scheme , it’s been a small thing.
Another huge distraction has been Carlos Beltran’s continued absence from the lineup. But Angel Pagan has done a great job in centerfield. He’s also been pretty damned good at the plate, presently sporting a .784 OPS. I consider him a mini-5-tool-guy. The guy does everything pretty darned well.
So I don’t pay too much attention to the stories. The real problem has been the core, or what’s left of it, after the loss of Beltran and Delgado. I’ll ignore the melodrama surrounding the return of Niese and who’ll get dropped from the roster as a result. It just isn’t that significant. Gee, maybe they’ll drop Matthews, who’s deserved a much worse fate than he has thus far experienced.
Reyes has to keep his recent hot streak going. Bay has to start hitting the ball with authority. Wright has to hit the ball more often.
It’s the core, stupid!
Friday, May 21, 2010
No Maine In Sight
I hate to pile on but nobody deserves it more than John Maine.
What can a guy expect when he walks the world to open his last game and then gets taken out when he opens a game with another walk? Manuel was absolutely right to take Maine out in that spot. If John Maine had any sense of judgment at all, his priority last night should have been to throw strikes, especially to that first batter of the game.
Manuel shouldn’t have to justify taking Maine out with allusions to the 85 mph speed of his fastball (for lack of a more genteel word), or express what might have been a legitimate concern for Maine’s health.
Manuel’s team needed a win. They’d been swept in Florida and floundered in Washington. Maine had been horrible in his last start and Manuel kept him in that game longer than he needed to, much to his regret, I’m sure. Manuel expected and needed strikes. He didn’t get them.
He also got a pitcher acting as if he were hurt, bent over, looking defeated. So what’s a manager to do?
Maine’s temper tantrum reflects his sense of entitlement, a curiously undeserved feeling for a guy who hasn’t been worth much for quite a while. Maine’s expectations far exceed his talent. Why should his treatment differ from that of Oliver Perez, who just got axed from the rotation? And he was removed partly for not finding the plate.
Maine desperately needed a sense of urgency last night. The most urgent need was to throw a strike. He didn’t. Case closed.
That the Mets later won didn’t matter to Maine. He continued to pout. All those Mets runs could’ve been his to work with. Bummer! That this guy has been a Met for so long might partially explain what has been wrong with the team, lo these many years.
Maine’s removal energized the whole team. How often have the Mets had 3-run innings, and then a 5-run inning? It was as if they said, “okay, everybody hits” and that was just what they did. Everybody hit, and the core guys, Wright and Bay and Reyes, seemed to lead the charge.
The Mets also got a terrific pitching performance from Raul Valdes, who went a full five innings and struck out six Washington batters while spacing 7 hits and just one measly walk. He came out after allowing his first base on balls. Are you awake yet, Mr. Maine? There are other pitchers out there. Some of them show the intensity required to pitch in the major leagues. Most of them can throw strikes.
I’ve felt all along that the success of the Mets season would depend not on the success of Maine and Perez but on how quickly the Mets would respond and manage their situations and their failures. The Mets had been patient with both and even coaxed a few decent performances from them. But now, as it seems both have reverted to recent form, the Mets need to clear the decks.
It’s not as if there are no decent alternatives. Takahashi has been great in long relief. There’s no reason to think he can’t be effective as a starter. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has already tossed in one nice start. He might be just the change of pace the Mets rotation needs to baffle opposing bats from day to day. Igarashi will be returning to the fold soon to bolster the pitching in general. And just who wouldn’t inspire more hope than John Maine?
Even the refusal of Perez to pitch at Buffalo for a while may turn to the Mets favor. Perez has already appeared in a relief role, and, although he did walk a batter, he did get the one out the Mets needed.
So, without Maine, it’d be Santana, Pelfrey, Niese (hopefully soon), Takahashi and Dickey. Without Niese, then some more resourcefulness is needed. Rookie Mejia, who has been effective in relief, may ultimately be the nice answer. In the short run, Pat Misch and last year’s bust Parnell could be this year’s boom. And, even if they can just turn in mediocre performances in the bigs, they will have been better than John Maine.
After this terrible road trip, 2-6, one has to wonder how competitive this Mets team can be over the long haul. Before the trip I thought it would be a good measure of how competitive they could be in their division. But if that were true, the Mets will be in bad shape this year.
The hitting has been so bad though lately. It’s hard to believe the bats can’t get a lot better than they’ve been. If the bats pick up and the pitching can hold together, the Mets can easily pick up. I know I’m looking forward to three days of Takahashi, Pelfrey and Santana. It’s only after that that expectations descend somewhat.
Can Dickey repeat a nice job? Who’ll it be after that? I guess that’s why they play the game.
Merde! The actual Yankee-Mets game has intervened. Takahashi was great. The Mets couldn’t hit the Yankees Javier Vasquez or Joba after that. They did manage to get a couple of hits from Bay and Davis off Mariano but it was too little, too late and the Mets lost 2-1.
But they looked damned good in every other way, the pitching, the fielding, the managing…..even given Cora’s big throwing error and the inauspicious debut of Elmer Dessens, that anybody but the far-seeing Manuel could have foreseen.
Vasquez got all the Mets out except Alex Cora for one of those mysterious reasons that only occur in baseball. But he got all the “big” guys out. Joba Chamberlain was like the old Joba, except he looks 20 pounds heavier to me. Maybe it’s just my imagination. When Girardi doesn’t totally kill his spirit, Joba rules.
So now it’s just Pelfrey and Santana to face Hughes and Sabathia. And no Maine appearance in sight for 15 days.
What can a guy expect when he walks the world to open his last game and then gets taken out when he opens a game with another walk? Manuel was absolutely right to take Maine out in that spot. If John Maine had any sense of judgment at all, his priority last night should have been to throw strikes, especially to that first batter of the game.
Manuel shouldn’t have to justify taking Maine out with allusions to the 85 mph speed of his fastball (for lack of a more genteel word), or express what might have been a legitimate concern for Maine’s health.
Manuel’s team needed a win. They’d been swept in Florida and floundered in Washington. Maine had been horrible in his last start and Manuel kept him in that game longer than he needed to, much to his regret, I’m sure. Manuel expected and needed strikes. He didn’t get them.
He also got a pitcher acting as if he were hurt, bent over, looking defeated. So what’s a manager to do?
Maine’s temper tantrum reflects his sense of entitlement, a curiously undeserved feeling for a guy who hasn’t been worth much for quite a while. Maine’s expectations far exceed his talent. Why should his treatment differ from that of Oliver Perez, who just got axed from the rotation? And he was removed partly for not finding the plate.
Maine desperately needed a sense of urgency last night. The most urgent need was to throw a strike. He didn’t. Case closed.
That the Mets later won didn’t matter to Maine. He continued to pout. All those Mets runs could’ve been his to work with. Bummer! That this guy has been a Met for so long might partially explain what has been wrong with the team, lo these many years.
Maine’s removal energized the whole team. How often have the Mets had 3-run innings, and then a 5-run inning? It was as if they said, “okay, everybody hits” and that was just what they did. Everybody hit, and the core guys, Wright and Bay and Reyes, seemed to lead the charge.
The Mets also got a terrific pitching performance from Raul Valdes, who went a full five innings and struck out six Washington batters while spacing 7 hits and just one measly walk. He came out after allowing his first base on balls. Are you awake yet, Mr. Maine? There are other pitchers out there. Some of them show the intensity required to pitch in the major leagues. Most of them can throw strikes.
I’ve felt all along that the success of the Mets season would depend not on the success of Maine and Perez but on how quickly the Mets would respond and manage their situations and their failures. The Mets had been patient with both and even coaxed a few decent performances from them. But now, as it seems both have reverted to recent form, the Mets need to clear the decks.
It’s not as if there are no decent alternatives. Takahashi has been great in long relief. There’s no reason to think he can’t be effective as a starter. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has already tossed in one nice start. He might be just the change of pace the Mets rotation needs to baffle opposing bats from day to day. Igarashi will be returning to the fold soon to bolster the pitching in general. And just who wouldn’t inspire more hope than John Maine?
Even the refusal of Perez to pitch at Buffalo for a while may turn to the Mets favor. Perez has already appeared in a relief role, and, although he did walk a batter, he did get the one out the Mets needed.
So, without Maine, it’d be Santana, Pelfrey, Niese (hopefully soon), Takahashi and Dickey. Without Niese, then some more resourcefulness is needed. Rookie Mejia, who has been effective in relief, may ultimately be the nice answer. In the short run, Pat Misch and last year’s bust Parnell could be this year’s boom. And, even if they can just turn in mediocre performances in the bigs, they will have been better than John Maine.
After this terrible road trip, 2-6, one has to wonder how competitive this Mets team can be over the long haul. Before the trip I thought it would be a good measure of how competitive they could be in their division. But if that were true, the Mets will be in bad shape this year.
The hitting has been so bad though lately. It’s hard to believe the bats can’t get a lot better than they’ve been. If the bats pick up and the pitching can hold together, the Mets can easily pick up. I know I’m looking forward to three days of Takahashi, Pelfrey and Santana. It’s only after that that expectations descend somewhat.
Can Dickey repeat a nice job? Who’ll it be after that? I guess that’s why they play the game.
Merde! The actual Yankee-Mets game has intervened. Takahashi was great. The Mets couldn’t hit the Yankees Javier Vasquez or Joba after that. They did manage to get a couple of hits from Bay and Davis off Mariano but it was too little, too late and the Mets lost 2-1.
But they looked damned good in every other way, the pitching, the fielding, the managing…..even given Cora’s big throwing error and the inauspicious debut of Elmer Dessens, that anybody but the far-seeing Manuel could have foreseen.
Vasquez got all the Mets out except Alex Cora for one of those mysterious reasons that only occur in baseball. But he got all the “big” guys out. Joba Chamberlain was like the old Joba, except he looks 20 pounds heavier to me. Maybe it’s just my imagination. When Girardi doesn’t totally kill his spirit, Joba rules.
So now it’s just Pelfrey and Santana to face Hughes and Sabathia. And no Maine appearance in sight for 15 days.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mets Forget Good At-Bats and Win!
Jerry Manuel recently said something to the effect that his principal instruction to his hitters is to have a good at-bat. Such is the world of the thinker. He figures, “take a lot of pitches, get that starter out of the game.”
NEWS FLASH – Gary Matthews just got a BASE HIT!!!!
This, by the way, is my second attempt at writing something intelligent about the Mets. Something worthwhile. My 500 words of yesterday were filled with hateful invective; my principal target was Jason Bay, but David Wright, Jose Reyes and Jerry Manuel also figured largely in my mind and on the paper too, not that anybody uses paper anymore.
Back to having good at-bats though, that really shouldn’t be the prime directive. The prime directive should be to go up there and get a hit. It should be assumed that major league hitters would be able to figure out the rest, i.e. don’t swing at anything you can’t hit; get four of those and you’ll walk. But that’s secondary. You should be up there to get a hit.
It’s pretty hard for most people to hit a baseball at all. You’re considered a very good hitter if your batting average is .300, meaning that you not only hit the ball, but you hit it to a spot that no opponent could reach. Walks are not included in that figure, but on-base average does, further reflecting the batter’s efficiency. A further indication of productivity is slugging percentage, a figure that measures total bases divided by at-bats.
As every player watches his numbers, they all do the best they can at the plate, given their own proclivities and limitations. Some batters are free swingers and are very good at hitting that way. Most batters wait for a pitch they can hit and drive it. But it’s a pretty simple process to understand. Swing if the ball is over the plate.
Not in Mets-Land. In the Mets world of over-think, the prime directive is to have a good at-bat. That implies taking pitches, making that opposing pitcher throw as many pitches as possible. What this means is that a batter will now take a first strike for sure and further try to “work” the at-bat as it progresses, meaning to take further pitches out of the strike zone if at all possible before either getting a hit or not.
Some hitters are adept at batting that way. They have become so sophisticated as hitters that their natural inclination is to have a good at-bat. These batters can foul off pitch after pitch in the strike zone, waiting for not only a strike, but a strike that they can drive, and, if they drive it far enough, it’ll result in a home run, a wonderful event that not only helps the team but also does wonders for your numbers, thus eventually increasing your salary.
Most hitters can’t do that. Their bat control, their eye at the plate, their judgment, all those things aren’t refined enough to enable a good at-bat all the time. Many hitters will take a first strike if just to get a feel for the speed of the pitch. Some batters just feel better getting their three opportunities to hit the ball. Taking a strike restricts opportunities to two.
Given no further instruction, each batter would be able to maximize his potential at the plate, but, especially when opposed by a really good pitcher, at-bats could be either short or even very short, and if repeated inning after inning, this good pitcher could stay in the game for nine innings, or until that magic 100-pitch number rears its ugly head.
But most games would proceed naturally, meaning sometimes the team would get hits, and, stringing them together, get lots of runs too, as each hitter is given his three chances to hit the ball. A team like the Mets could succeed very well in that manner, happily swinging the bat and maximizing their potential.
You see, the Mets don’t really have any of those really accomplished hitters that can work counts, that can foul off all but the very best pitches ( Bobby Abreu comes to mind, Nick Johnson also comes to mind but in a much lesser way). The Mets have some good hitters too. It’s just that they’re not Bobby Abreu types. They are three-strikes guys.
Jason Bay, David Wright, Jose Reyes, maybe Ike Davis, they’re better off if they’re given their opportunities, every one of them. Shackle them with the “good at-bat” directive though, and you get a bad hitter, one who takes good pitches for strikes, swings at bad pitches, and, worst of all, takes a pitch that is only questionably a strike.
The Mets have been in that worst possible of worlds. Their core guys have looked bad at the plate, embarrassingly bad at times, resulting in many losses that could have and should have been wins, as the Mets pitching has been surprisingly good.
As I have watched tonight’s game though, it’s quite apparent that either the prime directive has changed, or the players are ignoring the prime directive en masse. They’re currently losing to the Nats 6-3 but the tying run is at the plate. Mets batters are swinging at anything that moves. They’re being aggressive. Bay, Wright, Davis….they’re all hitting the ball.
They might lose this game too, but it sure has been exciting to watch, and I’d bet anything it’s been more fun for the players as well. They won’t lose tonight because they were looking for a walk. They’ll be the aggressive hitters they’ve been all their lives.
Last year, Jerry Manuel’s thrust was hitting to the opposite field, which killed David Wright’s numbers, especially his power numbers. Last year was a lost year anyway though, with all the injuries. This year, the thrust has been good at-bats; it’s been killing this team, and I can only hope they’ll just forget about it. You can’t change hitters overnight.
(The Mets win, 8-6, scoring at will and aggressive as hell ).
NEWS FLASH – Gary Matthews just got a BASE HIT!!!!
This, by the way, is my second attempt at writing something intelligent about the Mets. Something worthwhile. My 500 words of yesterday were filled with hateful invective; my principal target was Jason Bay, but David Wright, Jose Reyes and Jerry Manuel also figured largely in my mind and on the paper too, not that anybody uses paper anymore.
Back to having good at-bats though, that really shouldn’t be the prime directive. The prime directive should be to go up there and get a hit. It should be assumed that major league hitters would be able to figure out the rest, i.e. don’t swing at anything you can’t hit; get four of those and you’ll walk. But that’s secondary. You should be up there to get a hit.
It’s pretty hard for most people to hit a baseball at all. You’re considered a very good hitter if your batting average is .300, meaning that you not only hit the ball, but you hit it to a spot that no opponent could reach. Walks are not included in that figure, but on-base average does, further reflecting the batter’s efficiency. A further indication of productivity is slugging percentage, a figure that measures total bases divided by at-bats.
As every player watches his numbers, they all do the best they can at the plate, given their own proclivities and limitations. Some batters are free swingers and are very good at hitting that way. Most batters wait for a pitch they can hit and drive it. But it’s a pretty simple process to understand. Swing if the ball is over the plate.
Not in Mets-Land. In the Mets world of over-think, the prime directive is to have a good at-bat. That implies taking pitches, making that opposing pitcher throw as many pitches as possible. What this means is that a batter will now take a first strike for sure and further try to “work” the at-bat as it progresses, meaning to take further pitches out of the strike zone if at all possible before either getting a hit or not.
Some hitters are adept at batting that way. They have become so sophisticated as hitters that their natural inclination is to have a good at-bat. These batters can foul off pitch after pitch in the strike zone, waiting for not only a strike, but a strike that they can drive, and, if they drive it far enough, it’ll result in a home run, a wonderful event that not only helps the team but also does wonders for your numbers, thus eventually increasing your salary.
Most hitters can’t do that. Their bat control, their eye at the plate, their judgment, all those things aren’t refined enough to enable a good at-bat all the time. Many hitters will take a first strike if just to get a feel for the speed of the pitch. Some batters just feel better getting their three opportunities to hit the ball. Taking a strike restricts opportunities to two.
Given no further instruction, each batter would be able to maximize his potential at the plate, but, especially when opposed by a really good pitcher, at-bats could be either short or even very short, and if repeated inning after inning, this good pitcher could stay in the game for nine innings, or until that magic 100-pitch number rears its ugly head.
But most games would proceed naturally, meaning sometimes the team would get hits, and, stringing them together, get lots of runs too, as each hitter is given his three chances to hit the ball. A team like the Mets could succeed very well in that manner, happily swinging the bat and maximizing their potential.
You see, the Mets don’t really have any of those really accomplished hitters that can work counts, that can foul off all but the very best pitches ( Bobby Abreu comes to mind, Nick Johnson also comes to mind but in a much lesser way). The Mets have some good hitters too. It’s just that they’re not Bobby Abreu types. They are three-strikes guys.
Jason Bay, David Wright, Jose Reyes, maybe Ike Davis, they’re better off if they’re given their opportunities, every one of them. Shackle them with the “good at-bat” directive though, and you get a bad hitter, one who takes good pitches for strikes, swings at bad pitches, and, worst of all, takes a pitch that is only questionably a strike.
The Mets have been in that worst possible of worlds. Their core guys have looked bad at the plate, embarrassingly bad at times, resulting in many losses that could have and should have been wins, as the Mets pitching has been surprisingly good.
As I have watched tonight’s game though, it’s quite apparent that either the prime directive has changed, or the players are ignoring the prime directive en masse. They’re currently losing to the Nats 6-3 but the tying run is at the plate. Mets batters are swinging at anything that moves. They’re being aggressive. Bay, Wright, Davis….they’re all hitting the ball.
They might lose this game too, but it sure has been exciting to watch, and I’d bet anything it’s been more fun for the players as well. They won’t lose tonight because they were looking for a walk. They’ll be the aggressive hitters they’ve been all their lives.
Last year, Jerry Manuel’s thrust was hitting to the opposite field, which killed David Wright’s numbers, especially his power numbers. Last year was a lost year anyway though, with all the injuries. This year, the thrust has been good at-bats; it’s been killing this team, and I can only hope they’ll just forget about it. You can’t change hitters overnight.
(The Mets win, 8-6, scoring at will and aggressive as hell ).
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