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.
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maine. Show all posts
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Question of Balance
Global warming, a giant oil slick and nobody seems to care while we pick on the banks for a while. Meanwhile, the seas go to hell. But set against all that is the Mets winning 7 in a row, and John Maine striking out nine Dodgers while going into the seventh inning. The Mets are in first place after stinking it up for the first dozen games.
The combined runs total for and against during the win stretch is 35-13. Averaged over 7 games, the Mets won each game by a score of 5-2. Not too shabby.
But it’s all very curious. Their luck went from horrible to undeniably terrific, or indescribably delicious. The Cubs, Braves and Dodgers looked awful. Or was that just the Mets making those teams look so bad?
All I know is that, all things considered, things have turned out remarkably well. The promotion of Ike Davis, batting Reyes third, keeping crazy Ollie and Maine in the rotation, the pickup of Jason Bay and Barajas, and the pickup of Jeff Francoeur before that, all those things have worked out. And that’s not to mention the relievers.
You may have read here that, from spring training on, the relievers looked much better than Manuel was making them out to be. Down in Florida, I thought they all looked pretty good. Yeah, it was the spring, but I was still very hopeful. If anything, I was very concerned at that time about the starters.
But the targets of my biggest concern, Maine especially but Oliver Perez too, have managed to just hang in, like that poster with the little kitten hangin’ on for dear life. And Jonathon Niese, for whom I had been optimistic, has been even better than I’d expected, as has Mike Pelfrey. Santana is still Santana, if perhaps just a kinder, gentler Santana.
I had been concerned about the lineup too, of course, what with the likes of Mike Jacobs batting cleanup. I didn’t have much hope for Gary Matthews (and still don’t) and Rod Barajas. It was a lineup even I could pitch around…arguably. But the call-up of Ike Davis meant we wouldn’t be seeing Mike Jacobs around any longer. It meant, too, we’d see less of Fernando Tatis. Both these players seemed to suck energy from the lineup, and for that matter, from the entire team.
It’s amazing what a little tweaking can do. Ike Davis infused the team with as much energy as had formerly been drained by Jacobs and Tatis. Reyes looks as if he enjoys playing in the 3-hole. Bay looks as if he likes batting just behind him. One could say exactly the same for Wright following Bay and Davis following Wright. Francoeur may be a little farther down than I or he would like but he’s not a complainer. He’s been as instrumental as anyone in their team success, even when he hasn’t been hitting. As for Barajas, he either hits it into the seats or flies out, it seems, but at least he’s doing it from the 8-hole.
But it’s mostly been about pitching, and who’s to say Barajas and Blanco, who spells Barajas, haven’t been keys to the pitching success. I don’t see many shake-offs and, more importantly, I don’t see many stupid calls. Opposing runners respect both catchers’ arms too, as Barajas reminded me just yesterday by throwing behind the runner at first to keep him closer to the bag.
As bad as things looked a couple of weeks ago, that’s as good as things seem now. Even Citi Field, which seemed to just add to Mets woes then, now seems to embrace those frequent line drives hit by Bay, Wright and Francoeur. And, as exciting as those dingers can be, there’s nothing quite like a triple in the gap, especially with runners on, and Citi Field has nothing but gaps, and huge ones too.
Going to Philly just at this time, though, wouldn’t be my choice. Homers come easy in Philly, and the Phils have just the guys to hit them. Howard, Utley, Werth, Rollins, Ibanez, on and on, the Phils just scare the hell out of me. All those fly balls a pitcher such as Maine induces at Citi Field become homers in that bandbox that is Citizens Bank Park.
But it’ll be Niese against Kyle Kendrick in the opener Friday night, which, all things considered, should be an edge for Niese, who, besides being a lefty, has good control and keeps the ball down in the zone. Pelfrey goes next against Halladay, and it would be impossible to wax poetic about that matchup. Santana will close it out though, and, against anyone, I like Santana.
Those pitching matchups make the opener of the Series a pivotal one as far as winning another series is concerned. I’m hoping Niese can go deep into the game too, as I’m a little concerned about the number of innings some of these relievers have pitched. Especially with Igarashi’s hamstring putting him out for the next couple of weeks, it seems as if Nieve, Feliciano and Takahachi could get more work than could be considered optimal.
Balance is now what the Mets exhibit now though, and balance is hard to beat in baseball over the long run. The Mets are getting output from the entire lineup, and both starters and relievers are pitching well. That combination will be hard to beat on any field, in any venue, and, theoretically, against any team, even the Phillies.
The only starter performing well for the Phils is Halladay. Hamels, Kendrick and Moyer have been decidedly mediocre. Former Met Nelson Figueroa, listed as their fifth starter, has a better ERA at this point than any of the other starters, excepting Halladay of course.
Their closer is Madsen while Lidge is out, making them thinner in relief overall. Rollins is out, Juan Castro is in. All in all, the Mets on paper are better than this Phillies team, at least right now.
The combined runs total for and against during the win stretch is 35-13. Averaged over 7 games, the Mets won each game by a score of 5-2. Not too shabby.
But it’s all very curious. Their luck went from horrible to undeniably terrific, or indescribably delicious. The Cubs, Braves and Dodgers looked awful. Or was that just the Mets making those teams look so bad?
All I know is that, all things considered, things have turned out remarkably well. The promotion of Ike Davis, batting Reyes third, keeping crazy Ollie and Maine in the rotation, the pickup of Jason Bay and Barajas, and the pickup of Jeff Francoeur before that, all those things have worked out. And that’s not to mention the relievers.
You may have read here that, from spring training on, the relievers looked much better than Manuel was making them out to be. Down in Florida, I thought they all looked pretty good. Yeah, it was the spring, but I was still very hopeful. If anything, I was very concerned at that time about the starters.
But the targets of my biggest concern, Maine especially but Oliver Perez too, have managed to just hang in, like that poster with the little kitten hangin’ on for dear life. And Jonathon Niese, for whom I had been optimistic, has been even better than I’d expected, as has Mike Pelfrey. Santana is still Santana, if perhaps just a kinder, gentler Santana.
I had been concerned about the lineup too, of course, what with the likes of Mike Jacobs batting cleanup. I didn’t have much hope for Gary Matthews (and still don’t) and Rod Barajas. It was a lineup even I could pitch around…arguably. But the call-up of Ike Davis meant we wouldn’t be seeing Mike Jacobs around any longer. It meant, too, we’d see less of Fernando Tatis. Both these players seemed to suck energy from the lineup, and for that matter, from the entire team.
It’s amazing what a little tweaking can do. Ike Davis infused the team with as much energy as had formerly been drained by Jacobs and Tatis. Reyes looks as if he enjoys playing in the 3-hole. Bay looks as if he likes batting just behind him. One could say exactly the same for Wright following Bay and Davis following Wright. Francoeur may be a little farther down than I or he would like but he’s not a complainer. He’s been as instrumental as anyone in their team success, even when he hasn’t been hitting. As for Barajas, he either hits it into the seats or flies out, it seems, but at least he’s doing it from the 8-hole.
But it’s mostly been about pitching, and who’s to say Barajas and Blanco, who spells Barajas, haven’t been keys to the pitching success. I don’t see many shake-offs and, more importantly, I don’t see many stupid calls. Opposing runners respect both catchers’ arms too, as Barajas reminded me just yesterday by throwing behind the runner at first to keep him closer to the bag.
As bad as things looked a couple of weeks ago, that’s as good as things seem now. Even Citi Field, which seemed to just add to Mets woes then, now seems to embrace those frequent line drives hit by Bay, Wright and Francoeur. And, as exciting as those dingers can be, there’s nothing quite like a triple in the gap, especially with runners on, and Citi Field has nothing but gaps, and huge ones too.
Going to Philly just at this time, though, wouldn’t be my choice. Homers come easy in Philly, and the Phils have just the guys to hit them. Howard, Utley, Werth, Rollins, Ibanez, on and on, the Phils just scare the hell out of me. All those fly balls a pitcher such as Maine induces at Citi Field become homers in that bandbox that is Citizens Bank Park.
But it’ll be Niese against Kyle Kendrick in the opener Friday night, which, all things considered, should be an edge for Niese, who, besides being a lefty, has good control and keeps the ball down in the zone. Pelfrey goes next against Halladay, and it would be impossible to wax poetic about that matchup. Santana will close it out though, and, against anyone, I like Santana.
Those pitching matchups make the opener of the Series a pivotal one as far as winning another series is concerned. I’m hoping Niese can go deep into the game too, as I’m a little concerned about the number of innings some of these relievers have pitched. Especially with Igarashi’s hamstring putting him out for the next couple of weeks, it seems as if Nieve, Feliciano and Takahachi could get more work than could be considered optimal.
Balance is now what the Mets exhibit now though, and balance is hard to beat in baseball over the long run. The Mets are getting output from the entire lineup, and both starters and relievers are pitching well. That combination will be hard to beat on any field, in any venue, and, theoretically, against any team, even the Phillies.
The only starter performing well for the Phils is Halladay. Hamels, Kendrick and Moyer have been decidedly mediocre. Former Met Nelson Figueroa, listed as their fifth starter, has a better ERA at this point than any of the other starters, excepting Halladay of course.
Their closer is Madsen while Lidge is out, making them thinner in relief overall. Rollins is out, Juan Castro is in. All in all, the Mets on paper are better than this Phillies team, at least right now.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Are Maine and Manuel Strangling the Mets?
It’s a quarter to three, yada yada yada yada dee dee dedee dee. It’s a perfect time to write sumthin’, the Yanks are outclassing the Rangers (again), the Mets are coming off a ridiculous win, and I even have the Cubs game going, from WGN. The Cubs are hosting the pitiful Houston Astros but I’m not really sure the Cubs won’t be just as bad. They often are.
The Mets play tonight, of course. And, after using up their entire pitching staff, they’re handing the ball to John Maine, with instructions to go deep into the game. It is with deep trepidation that I visualize this upcoming contest, the totally pissed-off Cardinals against John Maine on a Sunday night.
Of course, I’ve read that Maine is angry, angry at a number of things…himself, his manager, and the cruel world, I’m sure. Imagine the nerve of Mets management to question his role in the starting rotation! Sure! He had a bad spring and a couple of horrible starts thereafter but, gee whiz, three years ago, he won 15 games.
Has John Maine awakened? That’d be really nice to see. Now, please understand, I’ve mutilated John Maine in this column for quite a while now but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish him well. Nobody’d be happier than I’d be if he goes out tonight, throws bullets and violent sinkers the whole night and shuts out those dangerous Redbirds, Pujols and Holliday and Ludwick.
But it’s hard to imagine. The fatal difference between Maine and Perez is that Perez has talent. Maine just has that slow fastball, the dinky breaking stuff and well, that’s it. Perez finally showed what he could do the other night. He pitched into the seventh inning, allowing just one run over that span. He didn’t have his perpetual bad inning. He was just great.
When was the last time John Maine had a good outing? I’m looking it up right now. Omigosh! He pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball as late as October 2nd of 2009! But before that start, he pitched only sparingly and, from the beginning of June to the mid-September, he didn’t pitch at all, a victim of shoulder problems related to off-season surgery he had in 2008.
I’ve watched him pretty closely since then and haven’t seen that pitcher, the one who baffled Houston batters back in October. And, while I have some compassion for a player with a medical problem, I also understand that this is the major leagues. You need some luck and grit to withstand the rigors of a professional career.
If a player doesn’t have either, there are a lot of jobs a guy with a bum shoulder can do….insurance, beer sales and the like. I don’t need to see that guy take the mound every fifth day for the team I’m rooting for to win. If it takes anger to get this young man out of his doldrums, so be it. If even that doesn’t work, I’m sorry but see ya later. Maine’s already made a fortune. He’s listed on the roster as making 3.3 million this year. A lot of folks could live on that.
So….welcome to a sense of urgency, John Maine. Let’s see what you can do, armed with that anger and not much else to date.
Meanwhile, that 20-inning affair was pretty scary, from the standpoint of future prospects for the Mets. Their hitting was just awful, as bad as their pitching was good. Too many batters take the beautiful meatball pitches for strikes, then flail away at balls thrown in the dirt. I’m talking about Jason Bay, David Wright and Jose Reyes, but the same could be said for many other Mets, all of them really with the exception of Jeff Francoeur.
If it’s Jerry Manuel and Howard Johnson, the hitting coach, who are responsible for this “take” direction, it’s totally misguided for this particular team. These are more free-swingers. Turning free swingers into disciplined batters isn’t that easy. Somebody as smart as Manuel should realize that.
I’ve been against the tide, it seems, with respect to Jerry Manuel. Most Mets fans have had it with him, just based on his record supposedly, but I suspect they really just can’t stand his intellectual bent. And, while I still favor keeping him as manager, I am beginning to have my own doubts about his team’s demeanor in general.
If Manuel is forcing a bunch of free-swingers to show a whole lot of discipline in every at-bat, it is he who must shoulder the blame when that team doesn’t score any runs. When your most valuable acquisition strikes out four times, as Jason Bay did last night, then that is also a reflection of that batter’s direction.
Last year,from the beginning of spring training, Manuel’s thrust was towards his team hitting to the opposite field. David Wright had his poorest season ever, particularly with respect to his power numbers. Wright had just ten homers in 2009, after successive years of having had 27, 26, 30 and 33 homers.
I don’t think it was Citi Field, and I don’t think it was just an accident. I think it was an obsessive direction towards hitting to the opposite field. This year’s obsession seems to have turned towards “good” at-bats, taking pitches, as many as two strikes in certain situations. While the other teams batters get three swings each, our Mets only get one. I’m pretty sure that would affect not just their stats at the plate. That general strangulation could carry over into the field and into the clubhouse.
There are signs of a team malaise, at least at the plate. The Mets are making every opposing pitcher look like Christy Mathewson. It’s not only because they’re not good hitters. It’s getting obvious that even the good hitters are turning bad.
So get off it, Jerry, or Howard, or whoever else may be responsible for this strangling approach to hitting. Too often that first pitch is hittable.
The Mets play tonight, of course. And, after using up their entire pitching staff, they’re handing the ball to John Maine, with instructions to go deep into the game. It is with deep trepidation that I visualize this upcoming contest, the totally pissed-off Cardinals against John Maine on a Sunday night.
Of course, I’ve read that Maine is angry, angry at a number of things…himself, his manager, and the cruel world, I’m sure. Imagine the nerve of Mets management to question his role in the starting rotation! Sure! He had a bad spring and a couple of horrible starts thereafter but, gee whiz, three years ago, he won 15 games.
Has John Maine awakened? That’d be really nice to see. Now, please understand, I’ve mutilated John Maine in this column for quite a while now but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish him well. Nobody’d be happier than I’d be if he goes out tonight, throws bullets and violent sinkers the whole night and shuts out those dangerous Redbirds, Pujols and Holliday and Ludwick.
But it’s hard to imagine. The fatal difference between Maine and Perez is that Perez has talent. Maine just has that slow fastball, the dinky breaking stuff and well, that’s it. Perez finally showed what he could do the other night. He pitched into the seventh inning, allowing just one run over that span. He didn’t have his perpetual bad inning. He was just great.
When was the last time John Maine had a good outing? I’m looking it up right now. Omigosh! He pitched 7 innings of 1-run ball as late as October 2nd of 2009! But before that start, he pitched only sparingly and, from the beginning of June to the mid-September, he didn’t pitch at all, a victim of shoulder problems related to off-season surgery he had in 2008.
I’ve watched him pretty closely since then and haven’t seen that pitcher, the one who baffled Houston batters back in October. And, while I have some compassion for a player with a medical problem, I also understand that this is the major leagues. You need some luck and grit to withstand the rigors of a professional career.
If a player doesn’t have either, there are a lot of jobs a guy with a bum shoulder can do….insurance, beer sales and the like. I don’t need to see that guy take the mound every fifth day for the team I’m rooting for to win. If it takes anger to get this young man out of his doldrums, so be it. If even that doesn’t work, I’m sorry but see ya later. Maine’s already made a fortune. He’s listed on the roster as making 3.3 million this year. A lot of folks could live on that.
So….welcome to a sense of urgency, John Maine. Let’s see what you can do, armed with that anger and not much else to date.
Meanwhile, that 20-inning affair was pretty scary, from the standpoint of future prospects for the Mets. Their hitting was just awful, as bad as their pitching was good. Too many batters take the beautiful meatball pitches for strikes, then flail away at balls thrown in the dirt. I’m talking about Jason Bay, David Wright and Jose Reyes, but the same could be said for many other Mets, all of them really with the exception of Jeff Francoeur.
If it’s Jerry Manuel and Howard Johnson, the hitting coach, who are responsible for this “take” direction, it’s totally misguided for this particular team. These are more free-swingers. Turning free swingers into disciplined batters isn’t that easy. Somebody as smart as Manuel should realize that.
I’ve been against the tide, it seems, with respect to Jerry Manuel. Most Mets fans have had it with him, just based on his record supposedly, but I suspect they really just can’t stand his intellectual bent. And, while I still favor keeping him as manager, I am beginning to have my own doubts about his team’s demeanor in general.
If Manuel is forcing a bunch of free-swingers to show a whole lot of discipline in every at-bat, it is he who must shoulder the blame when that team doesn’t score any runs. When your most valuable acquisition strikes out four times, as Jason Bay did last night, then that is also a reflection of that batter’s direction.
Last year,from the beginning of spring training, Manuel’s thrust was towards his team hitting to the opposite field. David Wright had his poorest season ever, particularly with respect to his power numbers. Wright had just ten homers in 2009, after successive years of having had 27, 26, 30 and 33 homers.
I don’t think it was Citi Field, and I don’t think it was just an accident. I think it was an obsessive direction towards hitting to the opposite field. This year’s obsession seems to have turned towards “good” at-bats, taking pitches, as many as two strikes in certain situations. While the other teams batters get three swings each, our Mets only get one. I’m pretty sure that would affect not just their stats at the plate. That general strangulation could carry over into the field and into the clubhouse.
There are signs of a team malaise, at least at the plate. The Mets are making every opposing pitcher look like Christy Mathewson. It’s not only because they’re not good hitters. It’s getting obvious that even the good hitters are turning bad.
So get off it, Jerry, or Howard, or whoever else may be responsible for this strangling approach to hitting. Too often that first pitch is hittable.
Monday, April 5, 2010
A Beautiful Day, a Mets Day
It’s 11 PM and there’re 11 minutes left in the Duke-Butler game. Switching to baseball, the Angels are leading the Twins and Tim Lincecum and the Giants just finished beating a mostly hapless Houston team. This afternoon, I watched our Metsies thrash the Marlins for still another Opening Day win.
I’m getting worn out, even if I am rather happy about it.
Leaving this Duke game for a while, let me just reflect on the Mets opener, a 7-1 easy win, a Santana gem for 6 innings, a coming out party for David Wright and Jason Bay, a reaffirmation that this Mets team can be awfully good after all. When Wright in his first at-bat knocked one right over the wall in right, I thought I’d just die.
We got some first looks at Rod Barajas as a Met, we saw Alex Cora leading off, and we saw Mike Jacobs batting cleanup. We saw Gary Matthews in centerfield and getting lots of chances on the day. And we saw what was probably the most beautiful day to ever break on an April 5th in New York/New Jersey, made all the better, of course, by the Mets win, and not just the fact that they won, but the manner in which they did it.
I had been a little concerned that Santana would have some trouble in his first start after the surgery. He showed me early on that any concern was needless. The fastball was fast, the changeup was still there, and, lo and behold, there was a nice little slider to befuddle those big Marlin bats.
By the top of the second inning, the game was over, for all intents and purposes. Of course, we didn’t know it at the time. But that Mets bottom of the first showed those Fish that the Mets were taking this opener very seriously indeed. And, as much as I was happy for Wright, I was even happier for Luis Castillo, who legged out what could very easily have been a double play. So, instead of Wright batting with two outs and none on, there was Luis on first with just one out. And Wright made it pay off.
(There’re now 49 seconds left in the basketball final and Duke is still hanging on with a one-point lead and the ball). Now they miss the shot and the ball bounces off Zoubek’s foot. Butler has now taken the clock down to 14 seconds and taken a timeout. Still another nail-biter for the NCAA. They’re back now and the cameras are all focused on Hayward. Oh well, Duke wins, I lose another bracket).
Now back to the Angels-Twins game and good ol’ former Yankee Hideki Matsui drives in the go-ahead run for the Angels with a single to right. It looks like Godzilla is still open for business. I find myself wondering what Johnny Damon did today. Upon checking, he went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 ribbies. He was pretty much the brightest light for the Tigers in their win over the Royals.
As good as Granderson looked in the Yankees loss to the Red Sox last night, it’s hard to believe that he and that big lug Nick Johnson will make up for the loss of clutch hitters like Damon and Matsui. I couldn’t be happier about it either.
But back to the Mets, I hadn’t mentioned Jeff Francoeur earlier. He looked good too, knocking in 2 rbi’s on the day. Come to think of it, I can’t think of any Mets that looked bad. Even the relief corps looked good, Fernando Nieve turning in two scoreless innings and K-Rod finishing up the same way as he always does; that is to say he was friggin’ great.
But there will be 161 more games, the first of which for our heroes begins Wednesday against these Marlins again, with John Maine going up against Ricky Nolasco. Manuel has Maine going as his Number Two if only because Mike Pelfrey gets banged around regularly against the Marlins. I wish I could say something nice here. I have absolutely no faith in John Maine. I’ve seen enough.
Just as this Mets team seems to feed off the intensity of a guy such as Santana, they also seem to absorb the flightiness of Maine. Maine will strike out a couple of guys and then just throw four straight balls, let the guy steal second, and just totally lose focus. I expect no better on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, his opponent Ricky Nolasco has all the intensity of Johan Santana with about ½ the talent, which, against John Maine, should be more than enough.
I hope I’m wrong. I’ll be so happy if he makes me eat my harsh words over and over again for the entire season.
While Manuel worries about the bullpen, I’m more concerned with the inconsistency of these Mets starters. A bigger bunch of flakes is not to be found on this planet. (And probably the other planets as well but I have no way of checking).
Maine, Pelfrey, Perez….every series looks to be an adventure. Nobody could predict what they’ll do. Thankfully, all their performances aren’t bad, just most of them. And, more often than not, if they do manage to escape the first few innings unscathed, they will have thrown enough pitches to get taken out by the sixth inning anyway, putting that much additional burden on the relievers.
Aargh, but why get upset now? It’s been a beautiful day, following a beautiful night of the Yankees losing to their chief rivals. It was so nice to see Jorge lose one for them. As good a hitter as he is, he more than makes up for it with his pitch selection and ridiculous fielding. I’m so happy he’s a Yankee. I just wish poor Joba, the only Yankee I like, has to pitch to him.
I’ll start worrying Wednesday morning. Until then, I’ll watch replays of Mark Buehrle’s play.
I’m getting worn out, even if I am rather happy about it.
Leaving this Duke game for a while, let me just reflect on the Mets opener, a 7-1 easy win, a Santana gem for 6 innings, a coming out party for David Wright and Jason Bay, a reaffirmation that this Mets team can be awfully good after all. When Wright in his first at-bat knocked one right over the wall in right, I thought I’d just die.
We got some first looks at Rod Barajas as a Met, we saw Alex Cora leading off, and we saw Mike Jacobs batting cleanup. We saw Gary Matthews in centerfield and getting lots of chances on the day. And we saw what was probably the most beautiful day to ever break on an April 5th in New York/New Jersey, made all the better, of course, by the Mets win, and not just the fact that they won, but the manner in which they did it.
I had been a little concerned that Santana would have some trouble in his first start after the surgery. He showed me early on that any concern was needless. The fastball was fast, the changeup was still there, and, lo and behold, there was a nice little slider to befuddle those big Marlin bats.
By the top of the second inning, the game was over, for all intents and purposes. Of course, we didn’t know it at the time. But that Mets bottom of the first showed those Fish that the Mets were taking this opener very seriously indeed. And, as much as I was happy for Wright, I was even happier for Luis Castillo, who legged out what could very easily have been a double play. So, instead of Wright batting with two outs and none on, there was Luis on first with just one out. And Wright made it pay off.
(There’re now 49 seconds left in the basketball final and Duke is still hanging on with a one-point lead and the ball). Now they miss the shot and the ball bounces off Zoubek’s foot. Butler has now taken the clock down to 14 seconds and taken a timeout. Still another nail-biter for the NCAA. They’re back now and the cameras are all focused on Hayward. Oh well, Duke wins, I lose another bracket).
Now back to the Angels-Twins game and good ol’ former Yankee Hideki Matsui drives in the go-ahead run for the Angels with a single to right. It looks like Godzilla is still open for business. I find myself wondering what Johnny Damon did today. Upon checking, he went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 ribbies. He was pretty much the brightest light for the Tigers in their win over the Royals.
As good as Granderson looked in the Yankees loss to the Red Sox last night, it’s hard to believe that he and that big lug Nick Johnson will make up for the loss of clutch hitters like Damon and Matsui. I couldn’t be happier about it either.
But back to the Mets, I hadn’t mentioned Jeff Francoeur earlier. He looked good too, knocking in 2 rbi’s on the day. Come to think of it, I can’t think of any Mets that looked bad. Even the relief corps looked good, Fernando Nieve turning in two scoreless innings and K-Rod finishing up the same way as he always does; that is to say he was friggin’ great.
But there will be 161 more games, the first of which for our heroes begins Wednesday against these Marlins again, with John Maine going up against Ricky Nolasco. Manuel has Maine going as his Number Two if only because Mike Pelfrey gets banged around regularly against the Marlins. I wish I could say something nice here. I have absolutely no faith in John Maine. I’ve seen enough.
Just as this Mets team seems to feed off the intensity of a guy such as Santana, they also seem to absorb the flightiness of Maine. Maine will strike out a couple of guys and then just throw four straight balls, let the guy steal second, and just totally lose focus. I expect no better on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, his opponent Ricky Nolasco has all the intensity of Johan Santana with about ½ the talent, which, against John Maine, should be more than enough.
I hope I’m wrong. I’ll be so happy if he makes me eat my harsh words over and over again for the entire season.
While Manuel worries about the bullpen, I’m more concerned with the inconsistency of these Mets starters. A bigger bunch of flakes is not to be found on this planet. (And probably the other planets as well but I have no way of checking).
Maine, Pelfrey, Perez….every series looks to be an adventure. Nobody could predict what they’ll do. Thankfully, all their performances aren’t bad, just most of them. And, more often than not, if they do manage to escape the first few innings unscathed, they will have thrown enough pitches to get taken out by the sixth inning anyway, putting that much additional burden on the relievers.
Aargh, but why get upset now? It’s been a beautiful day, following a beautiful night of the Yankees losing to their chief rivals. It was so nice to see Jorge lose one for them. As good a hitter as he is, he more than makes up for it with his pitch selection and ridiculous fielding. I’m so happy he’s a Yankee. I just wish poor Joba, the only Yankee I like, has to pitch to him.
I’ll start worrying Wednesday morning. Until then, I’ll watch replays of Mark Buehrle’s play.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Spring Means Nothing
I certainly hope it’s true that the spring means nothing. I know it means rain for me. And I probably haven’t nearly seen the end of it. Thank God for sump pumps and hoses and drains that still take more water than you’d think was possible. It’s meant rain for the Mets too unfortunately, and it just doesn’t look that promising right now. A Mets fan has to hope the sun is just around the corner.
Maybe it’s just that they’re always playing the Cardinals and the Marlins, who share the stadium down in nearby Jupiter, Roger Dean stadium. In case you’re wondering, Roger Dean is a local car dealer. I had been hoping he was a pirate or something, but alas, no. Both those teams are good though, if the games I’ve seen are any indicator. I have to think that. The alternative is too depressing.
Who knows, maybe today will be the start of a turnaround. Stranger things have happened. Murphy just made a horrible baserunning blunder and got hurt in the process. Maybe that will get Mike Jacobs on the team. At least he can hit the ball out of the park on a regular basis. I mean, if you’re going to hit for a low average, you may as well have some power. Dave Kingman would look good to me now.
Things could turn around too. Sean Green, who had been so bad as to be almost scary, just pitched two very solid innings. Of course they’re down by five so that really isn’t such a tremendous deal either. And here comes Kiko Calero into the game after watching Fernando Tatis have another totally inconsequential at-bat.
I don’t even know who started. The broadcast team is keeping it to themselves. It was probably Ollie though, judging by the score. Hmm, looks like Calero has a nice slider anyway, and he did do a nice job last year for the Marlins. (Somebody should tell these ladies in the stands behind home plate that they really should make an attempt to keep their knees together).
The guessing continues as to the composition of the bullpen. (Matt Holliday just hit his second homer of the day off Calero, about 420 feet to dead center, what a shot). The broadcast team seems to think it’ll be Francisco Rodriguez for sure and Pedro Feliciano for sure and everything else is up in the air. Fernando Nieve is out of options, I understand. I like Igarashi and Calero. Kelvim Escobar may return to form too. Then there is the kid with all the talent they’ll hold down, God knows why. (Yeah, I know why but I don’t agree).
Hope springs eternal for Jose Reyes, though, and I love his quote about feeling that he was Japanese, with all the pens and cameras following him around. Newly acquired Jason Bay just hit one out of the stadium. Wright still looks like Wright. Beltran is still out and probably won’t be returning for a little while yet. I refuse to speculate on him anymore. Angel Pagan is actually starting to look like not such a bad alternative to Beltran, not to mention Fernando Martinez, another young talent who won’t get called up until it’s too late to matter.
Mike Jacobs is up now and I’m hoping he hits another long one, just to make GM Omar Minaya a little crazier. Minaya’s supposed to make a decision by Friday on his final roster. It should be interesting. As a Mets fan, you have to hope the mid-season roster will look quite different from the one we are witnessing right now, barring a complete turnaround in their play once the season gets under way.
The Mets seem to be playing their cards for the future, no matter that their present may very well dictate the futures of the GM and manager Jerry Manuel. I just heard catcher Omir Santos will be starting the season in Buffalo, a fact that makes me sick. I just can’t get excited about Rod Barajas. In fact, I can’t make heads or tails on why they picked him up in the first place. He must think Barajas and Henry Blanco are an upgrade but you couldn’t convince most Mets fans of that.
I’ve defended Minaya for ages now, but I’m beginning to think I’ve been wrong about him. Not only is the present not too rosy, but the future doesn’t look that good either. Where are the pitching prospects other teams seem to have coming out their ears? Yeah, we have a first baseman in Ike Davis, a centerfielder in Fernando Martinez, and a pitcher in this Mejia(sp) who are supposed to be great (but not great enough to call up), but what about the pitching?
The starters inspire no confidence whatsoever, not even from this eternal optimist when it comes to the Mets. It’s as if God handed all the concentration and focus to Johan Santana, but withheld it totally from all the rest. Pelfrey, Maine, Perez…..what a mess! There has to be a short leash on these guys if they don’t turn it around pretty soon, especially for Perez and Maine. It’s beginning to look like the classic “addition by subtraction” situation.
K-Rod’s on the mound now, thank God. Only Sean Green’s done anything on the mound today. K-Rod just threw the nicest curve I’ve ever seen to record another strikeout. It looks as if the ninth inning will be secure, but it’s anybody’s guess how many times the Mets will arrive in that ninth inning with a lead.
Baseball’s a funny game though. Sometimes those teams appearing quite dead in March turn it immediately around once April rolls around. A Mets fan has to hope for that eventuality. I’m hoping Minaya will start showing some concern for his own immediate future. I’m hoping he gets a little less patient with players who have given him nothing in return.
Meanwhile, spring means nothing, spring means nothing…..
Maybe it’s just that they’re always playing the Cardinals and the Marlins, who share the stadium down in nearby Jupiter, Roger Dean stadium. In case you’re wondering, Roger Dean is a local car dealer. I had been hoping he was a pirate or something, but alas, no. Both those teams are good though, if the games I’ve seen are any indicator. I have to think that. The alternative is too depressing.
Who knows, maybe today will be the start of a turnaround. Stranger things have happened. Murphy just made a horrible baserunning blunder and got hurt in the process. Maybe that will get Mike Jacobs on the team. At least he can hit the ball out of the park on a regular basis. I mean, if you’re going to hit for a low average, you may as well have some power. Dave Kingman would look good to me now.
Things could turn around too. Sean Green, who had been so bad as to be almost scary, just pitched two very solid innings. Of course they’re down by five so that really isn’t such a tremendous deal either. And here comes Kiko Calero into the game after watching Fernando Tatis have another totally inconsequential at-bat.
I don’t even know who started. The broadcast team is keeping it to themselves. It was probably Ollie though, judging by the score. Hmm, looks like Calero has a nice slider anyway, and he did do a nice job last year for the Marlins. (Somebody should tell these ladies in the stands behind home plate that they really should make an attempt to keep their knees together).
The guessing continues as to the composition of the bullpen. (Matt Holliday just hit his second homer of the day off Calero, about 420 feet to dead center, what a shot). The broadcast team seems to think it’ll be Francisco Rodriguez for sure and Pedro Feliciano for sure and everything else is up in the air. Fernando Nieve is out of options, I understand. I like Igarashi and Calero. Kelvim Escobar may return to form too. Then there is the kid with all the talent they’ll hold down, God knows why. (Yeah, I know why but I don’t agree).
Hope springs eternal for Jose Reyes, though, and I love his quote about feeling that he was Japanese, with all the pens and cameras following him around. Newly acquired Jason Bay just hit one out of the stadium. Wright still looks like Wright. Beltran is still out and probably won’t be returning for a little while yet. I refuse to speculate on him anymore. Angel Pagan is actually starting to look like not such a bad alternative to Beltran, not to mention Fernando Martinez, another young talent who won’t get called up until it’s too late to matter.
Mike Jacobs is up now and I’m hoping he hits another long one, just to make GM Omar Minaya a little crazier. Minaya’s supposed to make a decision by Friday on his final roster. It should be interesting. As a Mets fan, you have to hope the mid-season roster will look quite different from the one we are witnessing right now, barring a complete turnaround in their play once the season gets under way.
The Mets seem to be playing their cards for the future, no matter that their present may very well dictate the futures of the GM and manager Jerry Manuel. I just heard catcher Omir Santos will be starting the season in Buffalo, a fact that makes me sick. I just can’t get excited about Rod Barajas. In fact, I can’t make heads or tails on why they picked him up in the first place. He must think Barajas and Henry Blanco are an upgrade but you couldn’t convince most Mets fans of that.
I’ve defended Minaya for ages now, but I’m beginning to think I’ve been wrong about him. Not only is the present not too rosy, but the future doesn’t look that good either. Where are the pitching prospects other teams seem to have coming out their ears? Yeah, we have a first baseman in Ike Davis, a centerfielder in Fernando Martinez, and a pitcher in this Mejia(sp) who are supposed to be great (but not great enough to call up), but what about the pitching?
The starters inspire no confidence whatsoever, not even from this eternal optimist when it comes to the Mets. It’s as if God handed all the concentration and focus to Johan Santana, but withheld it totally from all the rest. Pelfrey, Maine, Perez…..what a mess! There has to be a short leash on these guys if they don’t turn it around pretty soon, especially for Perez and Maine. It’s beginning to look like the classic “addition by subtraction” situation.
K-Rod’s on the mound now, thank God. Only Sean Green’s done anything on the mound today. K-Rod just threw the nicest curve I’ve ever seen to record another strikeout. It looks as if the ninth inning will be secure, but it’s anybody’s guess how many times the Mets will arrive in that ninth inning with a lead.
Baseball’s a funny game though. Sometimes those teams appearing quite dead in March turn it immediately around once April rolls around. A Mets fan has to hope for that eventuality. I’m hoping Minaya will start showing some concern for his own immediate future. I’m hoping he gets a little less patient with players who have given him nothing in return.
Meanwhile, spring means nothing, spring means nothing…..
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