Caught Lookin'

Caught Lookin' Announcement: Heading To Metszilla.com

2010-09-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

After a few coversations about the future of Caught Lookin' and the decision to close down due to difficulties managing the blog by myself, Caught Lookin' has decided to join Metszilla.com and add to their team.

I'll be starting over there relatively soon, and should be back to blogging shortly. The guys over at Metszilla have been providing some quality content for some time, and both sides felt that this was a great match. I'm very excited to start over at Metszilla, and look forward to continuing their tradition of quality Mets content.

Thank you for reading Caught Lookin' and I hope those of you that haven't seen Metszilla will come on over and continue to check out my stuff, along with the excellent content the guys at Metszilla already has. For those of you who already are regular readers of Metszilla, you can look forward to the same Caught Lookin' but with a new Metszilla home.

Thank you for your support, and I'll see you on the 'Zilla side.

Sad Day: Caught Lookin' Closing Up Shop

2010-09-15T16:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who has been reading Caught Lookin' during this season long experiment. However, due to the time commitment needed to run this blog on my own, I've decided to close up shop.

While I won't have the time to run this blog anymore, I will, however, do my best to keep writing about the Mets and baseball. That being said, I hope to have an announcement about where I will continue writing within the next few days.

Stay tuned for more information.

Before I go, I would like to say a few quick things. I have learned a lot working on this blog, and have definitely had some fun doing it. I loved reading comments (even if they did tell me to go F-myself), and enjoyed sharing my Mets opinions and baseball thoughts with you. I hope that the people that did read, and enjoyed, this blog will follow me on to my next "writing space", where I promise to continually blame Luis Castillo for everything that has happened since 2006.

Thanks again.

-Caught Lookin'

Mets Lose Game, Santana for the Season

2010-09-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

Well after the press conference to announce the Mets have lost Johan Santana to his second consecutive season-ending shoulder surgery, the Mets went out at lost to the Phillies 8-4 (box score).

Jenrry Mejia has been less than awesome so far as a starting pitcher for the Mets, granted last night he faced a hot Phillies team with a powerful left-handed line up. BUT, that shouldn't matter because if Mejia wants to be a major league starter he's going to have to beat teams like the Phils. And if the Mets want a real rotation next year they're going to need Johan Santana back in top-form.

In conclusion, yesterday was awful.

Kyle Kendrick and Mike Pelfrey face off this afternoon at 4:10.

Evans Comes Through With Game Winning Hit, Mets Win 3-2

2010-09-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

This afternoon the Mets won took the game 3-2 (wrap/box), and the series from the Nationals today, on the strength of a Nick Evans RBI double.

Another nice performance from Dickey who went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and getting his tenth win of the season. Dickey has been great for the Mets this season, and they should reward him for that, as long as it's reasonable. R.A. Dickey deserves to be rewarded for the way he has pitched this season. Now, if the Mets can get that same type of consistent performance from Mejia, I think their rotation would be pretty set for next season.

Speaking of Mejia, he starts Friday against Halladay and the Phils Friday at 7:10. Should be fun to see the kid get a challenge like Halladay, and see if he steps up to the challenge.

Dillon Gee Pitches Well, Wins Debut 4-1

2010-09-07T22:17:00.000-04:00

Let's not put Dillon Gee in the hall of fame, or even the conversation for the rotation for next year just yet...BUT...Gee pitched well tonight in the Mets 4-1 (box score) victory tonight.

Ike Davis provided the offense tonight, along with Gee himself. Davis went 2-3 with a three-run homer, and that was more than enough for Gee who allowed no hits until the sixth, and only gave up one run on a solo homer from Met-Killer Willie Harris...Man, I hate that guy...

Oh, and the Mets won tonight's game without Reyes and Wright tonight. Not that it's a big deal, but it's worth mentioning.

The Mets look for the series win tomorrow afternoon when they send R.A. Dickey to the hill against Livan Hernandez at 10:30.

Mets Go 1-3 Over The Weekend, Fire Everyone...

2010-09-06T19:27:00.000-04:00

After today's 13-3 lashing at the hands of the Nationals (box score), I think it's finally about time we fire everyone...

There's no reason to wait, because there's nothing to gain by waiting. Fire Jerry and Fire Omar already (HoJo can go too-as much as that hurts to say)...The team is done this season, at least give them a few extra games to get acclimated to their new manager, whoever the team feels it should be next season. If you're going to fire Omar, then do that first, bring in your new GM and then let him get his manager in here. Either way, something needs to be done.

The only real things left to look forward to this season is watching the young kids get a taste, and see what they're made of...

Speaking of young kids, Dillon Gee gets the start tomorrow against the Nats. That should be fun to see...

Mets Lose Again, Are Borderline Un-Watchable

2010-09-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets lost AGAIN to the Braves 4-1 (box score). At this point the team is borderline unwatchable and to be honest trying to write this blog everyday is becoming less fun and more work because of that.

Let's just dump Jerry and move on here. Unless the plan is to let Jerry finish the year in the hopes that things get REALLY terrible and they can increase their draft position. Personally, I'd rather see progress towards next year. By the way, if they lose again tonight, there is ABSOLUTELY no justification or excuse I'll accept to keep Jerry.

Let's just get this over with already. The future is bright, so let it get some experience on ALL fronts.

A Whole Buncha Staff: Another Loss, Frenchy Traded, Duda and Mejia Come Up and Multi-Year for Dickey

2010-09-01T10:29:00.000-04:00

How things have changed in 48 hours...

After the Mets were man-handled for a second consecutive day by the Braves 9-2 (box score) and Philly beat the Dodgers 8-4, the Mets seem to be done. Any lingering hope that the Mets would make a run and make this season interesting has died over these past two days as the Braves continue to show the Mets what a good team looks like. It's not worth lingering on this game because more important things have since happened...

First off, Jeff Francoeur was traded to Texas for Jaoquin Arias. Arias is a utility infielder and probably was worth it in as much as the Mets got SOMETHING back for Frenchy. And for the record, I still really like Frenchy, and would love nothing more than to see him win a ring with the Rangers. Most because if the Rangers win that means the Yankees, Phillies and Braves won't win. Regardless, I hope Frenchy can turn it around down there, he seems like a hard worker and a guy who really wants to win. I'm just upset he couldn't win, and produce, here in New York.

As I first discovered on rotoworld, the Mets have promoted by Jenrry Mejia and Lucas Duda. I like it, keep the kids coming and let Duda play. I think the next move is getting rid of Jerry and let the building towards next season begin...

And finally, according to Andy Martino of the Daily News, here, the Mets are willing to talk about an extension with Dickey in the off-season. This is dangerous to me. While I am down for the Mets bringing back Dickey, as he's been awesome this season, I'm afraid. The Mets have saddled themselves with some bad contracts in the past few years, so while I want Dickey back, I don't want him back if it's going to hold the team back in the future. The Mets should make a deal with Dickey, but it sure as hell better be reasonable, and most importantly, tradeable should they need to move him...

I just look at what happened with Perez and Castillo and see that potentially happening with Dickey. At the same time, he's been awesome and deserves to get a new contract and a good one. If the Mets re-up him, I think the rotation for next year is probably set with Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey and Mejia.

The Braves Are a Better Team, Beat Mets 9-3: Confidence = Production = Winning.

2010-08-31T10:53:00.000-04:00

After watching last night's 9-3 loss to the Braves (box score) one thing became PAINFULLY clear...The Braves are a VERY VERY GOOD team, and are MUCH BETTER than the Mets.

Here's the thing about the Braves that I think the Mets should consider...

Everyone always says the Mets need better play out of their star players, but where are the Braves stars? I would say that Heyward, McCann and Chipper Jones (out for the season) are their only real stars. Yes, Hudson and Hanson are awesome, but not stars. The big difference between the Mets are Braves is this...

EVERYONE on the Braves can and will hit. Infante, Prado, Lee, Gonzalez and even Melky Cabrera and Matt Diaz can hit. Every single person on that team is a serviceable MLB player and at the least a decent hitter. In the meantime, the Mets have struggled with Barajas, Castillo, Tejada and Francoeur in the line up in some capacity all year. (Although I give Tejada a pass because of his defense, it would be stupid to ignore his lack of hitting thus far.)

So, what's the answer...

Keep developing the young talent. Because Davis, Thole, Pagan and even Carter are just examples of good young players the Mets can build off of, in a similar way that the Braves have built off Heyward, Prado and McCann. Add a good pick up (ie Omar Infante), and a guy who knows how to win (ie. Eric Hinske) and the Mets can become next year's Braves. But first, They need to become more of a team, and letting the young guys play together really builds confidence within the organization. Maybe the Mets will be as good next year as the Braves are this year, but in order to make that happen they need to rely on the young guys to produce.

The bottom line...

Confidence = Production = Winning.

That crappy song says, I believe the children are our future...

If you're the Mets, you best be taking that advice...That means you too Jerry...

Mets, Dickey, Win Game and Series; Get Back to .500

2010-08-29T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, if we've learned anything this year it's R.A. Dickey is a damn good baseball player. Not only can the guy pitch, but he's probably been the Mets best hitting pitcher this season as well. BOTH of his talents were on display this afternoon in the Mets 5-1 victory over the Astros (box score).

Dickey went 7 innings plus, giving up only one run on 6 hits. But Dickey wasn't just dealing today, like I said before, he had a good day at the plate as well going 2-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and a run scored. Pagan and Thole also had multi-hit games for the Mets, which included Thole's second homer of the year.

It was nice to see a LITTLE power out of Thole, but I get concerned about guys who don't hit homers after they hit a homer. Thole chokes up and is all about bat control...that being said...I hope he remembers that even though he's gone deep, especially considering the way he homered today. Thole first homer was truly an accident and wasn't all that impressive, but today's was a REAL homer and hopefully that doesn't go to Thole's head.

The Mets start a very interesting 4 game series with the Bravos tomorrow in Hotlanta. As much as I don't want to help out the Phillies, and as much as I don't want to get thinking that a series win in Atlanta might push the Mets back into contention...I want the Mets to throttle the Braves this week. I hate them....

Pat Misch against Jair Jurjens in game 1.

Time for the Mets to win back to back games and make things a little hotter down in Atlanta...

Mets Win 2-1, If Only They Won That Last Series...

2010-08-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

Oh, what a difference am at-bat would have made....

Last night the Mets defeated the Astros 2-1 on the strength of a solid pitching performance by Mike Pelfrey (box score). But, I still woke up this morning thinking the Mets have missed an opportunity,,,

But imagine where the Mets would be today if Jose Reyes got a hit on Wednesday with the bases loaded...Or take it a step further and see what would have happened if they hadn't failed to sweep the Pirates...

Considering who was in first place and the way things broke over those two days...had the Mets won those two games, they'd be 5 out, with the Giants starting to flounder a bit and the Phillies in a tough series in San Diego against the Padres.

I'm not saying the Mets look like a postseason team, BUT, this whole season has been a big ALMOST for this team. They are almost good, almost win a bunch of games and are almost making this season interesting again just by hanging around.

So, I have a suggestion, why don't the Mets "grow a pair" take advantage of the way teams are playing in front of them and make a push. That's what L.A. and Florida have done, and all of a sudden you can't dismiss either of those teams anymore.

Tonight it's Myers against Santana at 7:10...

Mets' Comeback Falls Short, Miss Opportunity to Gain Ground

2010-08-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not saying the Mets have a good, or even decent shot at the playoffs. In fact, I would say their chances are slim...BUT...for me to even believe they still have a shot though, they need to capitalize when they have a chance to gain ground. Last night was a great example of how the Mets had a chance to gain ground on the NL wild card leading Phils. If the Mets had won last night they'd be looking at a sweep tonight, only 6 games back, looking at the Astros coming in tomorrow night. Instead the Mets comeback fell short as they lost to the Marlins 5-4 (box score).

After going down 5-1 in the seventh the Mets put together a two-run 7th on a triple from Ike Davis and an RBI single from Frenchy. In the ninth D. Wright led off the inning with a homer to center off of Leo Nunez. Then the Mets were able to get the bases loaded and Jose Reyes to the plate with two outs, but unfortunately Jose grounded out to first to end the game.

Although they lost, the last two nights have shown a lot to me in terms of the team not giving up yet. They could have easily gone into the toiilet the last two nights but instead fought and made a game of it. Fortunately there is still some season left and a big run could make the end of this season fun again. At this point, that's all I'm rooting for...

Tonight it's Anibal Sanchez against Jon Niese at 7:10 in the "Citi"...

Mets Send Misch to the Hill Looking for the "W": Line Up

2010-08-25T18:05:00.003-04:00

Tonight the Mets are sending Pat Misch to the hill against the Marlins. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:
Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Thole-C
Tejada-2B
Misch-P
By the way, I know people are still down on Frenchy, and I totally get it. But I think if the team has any run left in the tank this season, it's going to rely on Frenchy because from what I saw of F-Mart on his last go-around, he's not ready yet. Either way...
Let's go Mets. Give the fans one last run for the hell of it...

Mets Win in Walk-Off Fashion, Castillo Couldn't Care Less

2010-08-25T12:04:00.000-04:00

In what became a crazy back and forth game last night the Mets pulled out a 6-5 victory over the Marlins (box score) courtesy of a walk-off single by Luis Castillo.

After Dickey gave up a 3-run homer in the seventh to Gaby Sanchez, and the lead, the Mets found a way to fight back and tie the game in the eighth on an RBI single by Carlos Beltran. Then in the ninth with two outs and runners on first and second Luis Castillo flared a ball into right to bring home Ike Davis with the game-wining run.

The most interesting part about all this, to me, was the reaction of Luis Castillo. He looked more pissed than anything else. I mean, I get that the guy is upset about losing his starting gig and everything...BUT COME ON. He just got a huge hit to win a game that excited everyone else in CitiField, except him, and had no problem showing that. He looked like he wasn't having any fun with it AT ALL, and instead got the hit more to stick it up the organization's butt that he wants more playing time, than because it helped the team. At least that was what I took out of NOT seeing him smile at all after getting the game winning hit...

Anyway, the Mets look for a second consecutive series win tonight at 7:10 when they send Pat Misch to the hill against Alex Sanabia. By the way, the Mets are now 7 games back of the wild card. I'm not willing to consider anything unless they are 4-5 games out after this weekend...then we can talk.

Mets Have Opportunity Tonight to Be Behind Only 5 (or 4) Teams in the NL Wild Card Race: Line Up

2010-08-24T14:57:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Mets take on the Marlins at 7:10 a the "Citi". The Mets will send R.A. Dickey to the hill to take on Josh Johnson of the Marlins. This will not be an easy task for a Mets offense that outside of two games in Pittsburgh has had a tough time providing run support for Dickey (and Santana). BUT...

Should the Mets be able to pull of the win tonight, they will leapfrog at least one team in the Wild Card standings, because the Marlins are currently a half-game ahead of the Mets in the WC standings. And, if things break their way, the Mets may actually be able to jump two teams in the WC standings tonight, as they are only a half game behind the Dodgers as well, who are starting a 3 game series in Milwaukee tonight.

Here's tonight's Mets Line-Up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Thole-C
Tejada-2B
Dickey-P

Interesting that we're seeing Frenchy in tonight against Johnson instead of Carter, who Manuel mentioned a few days ago would be getting more starts and is a lefty...

Mets Win Game, Get Rid of Barajas and Go for Sweep Today: Line Up

2010-08-22T12:13:00.000-04:00

After last night's rain-shortened win, 5-1 (box score), the Mets are looking for the sweep today against a pretty awful Pirates team. I, for one, couldn't be happier with the timing of this series for the Mets. They needed to get their confidence going and start hitting. So far this series, 12 runs in 1 and a half games is pretty good, as is securing the first NL road series win of the season for the team. Yes, I know the Pirates stink...but a win is a win.

Speaking of wins...

The Dodgers have claimed Rod Barajas off waivers, according to Adam Rubin at ESPN New York. And that closes the book on Rod's Mets career, which was short lived. Remember when Rod was crushing the ball earlier in the season and everyone, myself included, who was skeptical of Minaya signing Barajas had to eat their words. Well today, I think we have come full circle and realized that perhaps a full season, not a hot streak, is a true indicator of what a player is capable of. Although, I must say, I was on the Bengie Molina bandwagon and he hasn't been much better. By the way Jesus Feliciano has been called up to replace Barajas on the roster...

Either way, this has been a transitional year with the team. Ike, Tejada and Thole have taken over, with Parnell coming back from the dead and Carter proving his worth. I think if the team can clear some clutter this off season (Perez, Castillo, Frenchy-that hurt to type), they can really continue to build this team into a contender. I just wish it didn't take this long to do it.

But in the immediate future the Mets send Santana to the hill against Zach Duke with a chance to sweep the Bucs. A less-lefty-line up for today's game is courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Francoeur-RF
Davis-1B
Blanco-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

Get a sweep Mets, then we'll talk about next week...

Mets Score a Bunch and Win...Wild Idea

2010-08-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

It's unbelievable what happens when you score runs, especially when your pitching has been awesome. Tonight the Mets got another good outing from their starter, tonight it was Pelfrey, except they scored runs and were able to beat the Pirates easily 7-2 (box).

The only starters in the line up without hits tonight were Tejada and Pelfrey. Carter, Reyes, Wright, Thole and Davis ALL had good nights at the plate. That is a nice thing to see, especially when Carter delivers with a homer and two RBI hitting out of the clean up spot tonight.

Oh, and Pelfrey gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in eight innings of work...

It's amazing how much better this team is when they hit...and play the Pirates.

The Mets go for their first road series win against an NL opponent since freakin' forever, tomorrow when they send Niese to the hill against McDonald. Come on, let's get that monkey off our back here...

Misch Against Bud Norris Tonight at 8:05: Line Up

2010-08-19T17:31:00.000-04:00

Here's tonight's line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Castillo-2B
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Carter-LF
Barajas-C
Misch-P

No Beltran, No Tejada, No Thole...

That means Castillo, Barajas and Carter. I guess the only one of those I'm ok with is Carter. In case you missed it, I can't stand Castillo or Barajas.

Either way, the Mets need to win tonight, if for no other reason that to show they are better than the 'Stros...

Barajas is Back and On Waivers, F-Mart Expected To Be Sent Down

2010-08-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, here, with today's expected return of Rod Barajas will probably come the demotion of Fernando Martinez. Martino is also reporting that the Mets have placed Barajas on waivers.

Although it doesn't make much sense to carry three catchers, it does make sense to demote Martinez who really isn't playing as much as he should be in order to justify leaving him up with the big club. Also, with whatever is going on with D. Wright healthwise (nausea and light-headedness), it just doesn't make sense for the Mets to demote Hessman right now.

As far as Barajas being put on waivers, this had to be expected. Thole is playing most of the time and the Mets don't need three catchers on the roster, let alone two tutors for Thole. Hopefully the team can trade Barajas and get SOMETHING out of him, as he hasn't done anything in the line up for months. Either way, it was pretty much expected that Barajas wouldn't be back next year anyway, so what's the difference if the Mets make it official and deal or drop him soon...

Mets (Eventually) Defeat Astros 3-2 in 14 Innings

2010-08-19T08:18:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets had a lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but they couldn't win the game until the 14th on a sacrifice fly from Ike Davis. They went on to win the game 3-2 (box score).

Dickey was great again last night, but he MAY have been left in the game a little longer than he should have been. I have no issue with giving Dickey the ball in the eighth, but after he gave up a run he probably should NOT have gone back out for the ninth. I guess without K-Rod taking Dickey out of the game was a tougher decision to make, BUT, if I were Jerry I would have made a decision to go with my closer BEFORE it was too late.

At the plate, the Mets put together a two-run seventh with back-to-back doubles from Ruben Tejada and R.A. Dickey followed by an eventual RBI groundout by Pagan. Then the Mets missed a bunch of opportunities with runners in scoring position, until the 14th inning where they would eventually capitalize. After a walk of Reyes, a sacrifice bunt and a steal of third, Chacin issued two consecutive walks to load the bases. Then Ike Davis stepped to the plate and delivered the game winning sac fly.

Tonight the Mets go for the series win at 8:05, sending Pat Misch to the hill against Bud Norris...

Mets Lose My Interest, Game 4-3

2010-08-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Mets lost 4-3 to the Astros (box score).

This is the type of game that completely gets me down. The team has a beneficial pitching match up, against a bad team and finds a way to lose. I have nothing else to say.

Tonight was depressing...

Mets Send K-Rod to DQ, Gets All the Ice Cream He Wants As Long As He's Paying...

2010-08-17T20:59:00.000-04:00

According to Metsblog, here, K-Rod has been placed on the disqualified list and will not be paid until he is able to play again nor will he pick up any service time (this one I picked up from SNY's news scroll during the game - probably will affect contract options). This is coming after a successful surgery on K-Rod's thumb, which was messed up during his altercation with his kids' grandfather.

Not a bad move...

To me, this looks like the Mets are testing the waters here. I think this makes more sense, and seems more reasonable to pass, than if they tried to void his contract altogether. Although I bet the Union is still pissed and will definitely do something to try to get K-Rod paid, at least the Mets are trying to do SOMETHING about this ridiculous situation.

I still think this whole situation is retarded...by the way...

Game 2 Against Astros Tonight at 8:05, History Repeating?

2010-08-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to get too ahead of myself only one game into this road trip, but I have a feeling this current road trip has happened before. The next 6 games the Mets have on the road are against the Astros and Pirates on the road. Both teams are bad, and both series are completely winnable, if not sweepable, for the Mets. So, here it comes...

Remember when the Mets went to Cleveland and Baltimore back in June? Remember what that trip was for the Mets? I'm trying not to jinx the team here, but I'm thinking this current trip can be the NL version of what the Mets did to the AL bottom dwellers earlier this season. But, even if that is the case, I wouldn't get too excited...

Anyway, the Mets need to win tonight for that to happen, and the pitching match up is looking pretty favorable as the Mets send Santana to the hill against Nelso Figueroa. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Martinez-LF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Thole-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

Pagan gets a night off, keeping Frenchy in right, and moving F-Mart into left field. It would be nice to see an offensive explosion tonight from the team...We haven't REALLY seen one of those in a bit now...

By the way the last lop-sided game the Mets won, and only one since the All-Star break, was on July 27th against the Cardinals 8-2. Just sayin'...

Mets May Lose K-Rod For the Season, Win Game 3-1

2010-08-16T23:08:00.000-04:00

According to Metsblog, here, K-Rod is likely gone for the season as he will have surgery on a torn ligament in his thumb which he sustained during the circus last week. Way to go, K-Rod. This MAY be the dumbest thing I've heard in some time. Also according to Metsblog, the team is looking into their options with K-Rod, presumably looking to void his contract due to a non-baseball related injury. There is something funny about that phrase "non-baseball related injury"...BUT none of this will matter as Cerrone points out the Baseball Players Union is a tough opponent to take down...

As for things that happen on the field...

Tonight the Mets got a great start from Jon Niese and fought hard to take the first of four from the Astros in Houston, 3-1 (box score). The new Mets closer, Takahashi, came in and went 1-2-3 in the ninth to secure his first major league save. Will he be the closer for the rest of the season? Who knows? But for now, it looks like he's the guy in the ninth.

The Mets got back to .500 on the season behind a homer from Carlos Beltran and a triple from Frenchy. Also, Jon Niese was awesome going 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 5. Unfortunately for Niese, the Mets had only scored one run for him and waited until the ninth to take the lead for good. Niese deserved the win...but I guess beggars can't be choosers...

Tomorrow the Mets look to move back above .500 as they send Johan to the hill to face old friend Nelson Figueroa.

Mets Take on Phillies Tonight: Line Up

2010-08-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

Tonight it's Dickey against Hamels. As far as the Mets line up tonight...Lefties need not apply.

Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Hessman-1B
Francoeur-RF
Blanco-C
Tejada-2B
Dickey-P

Outside of the guys who can switch hit, but won't tonight, Jerry is throwing out a completely right-handed line up against Cole Hamels. Metsblog points out why here: Hamels' left-handed opponents batting average is .182 this year. Makes sense to me. Sorry Ike and Thole...

Mets Win Game, Series Behind Santana

2010-08-12T16:23:00.001-04:00

Today in the "Citi" the Mets defeated the Rockies 4-0 (box score) and took the series from Colorado. Santana was awesome as the Mets shut out the Rox for the second time in three games to get back to .500 on the season.

Santana went the distance for the Mets today, striking out 10, and allowing only 4 hits. He was great, and had to be, considering the way the bullpen blew up in last night's game and K-Rod's temporary detainment. Johan must have seen everything that's happened with the 'pen in the last 18 hours and decided he would rather just do the job himself.

At the plate, Reyes went 2-4 with 2 stolen bases and a RBI, while Beltran went 3-3 with an RBI as well. Martinez and Pagan drove in the other two runs for the Mets. Hopefully the good day from Beltran is the start of something and not just a good day from a player who isn't what he used to be.

Either way, winning the series was important, as the Mets head into a three game set with the Phillies this weekend. Tomorrow night's match up features R.A. Dickey and Cole Hamels. Let's see if the Mets can get hot one more time before the season ends.

K-Rod Being Detained, Game at 12:10: Line Up

2010-08-12T10:47:00.000-04:00

K-Rod is being held in the CitiField detainment center according to Metsblog, here. Well, this is pretty ridiculous. Way to go Francisco! I wonder how big the "detainment center" is, and if some moron will get arrested on purpose in an effort to be K-Rod's cell-mate. I'm sure they wouldn't put anyone else near him, but it'd be a funny story if they did...

Regardless of K-Rod's legal issues, the Mets will look for the series win today at 12:10. They're sending Santana to the mound, but will try to win without David Wright, who'd getting the day off. Honestly, he needs it and the team MAY be better off without him today. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Martinez-RF
Pagan-LF
Davis-1B
Beltran-CF
Hessman-3B
Thole-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

I love how Hessman has taken over the role on the team previously occupied by Fernando Tatis. I'm just irritated that it took the organization this long to realize that they overpaid for "role guys" that they could have easily, and more cheaply, replaced with kids from within their minor league system.

Postgame...Poor Niese

2010-08-11T22:55:00.006-04:00

Mets lose 6-2 tonight at Citi Field...

Recap/Reaction:Just when it looks like a ray of hope is desperately trying to peak through Citi Field, the Mets find a way to squash it. Tonight Jon Niese pitched a gem, allowing one run through 7 solid innings. When Niese left the game, it looked as if the Mets would win back to back games, for the first time in 40 games. That was not the case.

The wheels fell off in the 8th as Takahashi allowed two runners to reach base, and an intentional walk brought up Melvin Mora. Acosta had Mora 2-2 before hanging a slider that the former Met destroyed.

Acosta had been solid leading up to this outing, same with Takahshi in the 8th inning roll but it just looks like Jerry has such little stability in the pen.

Another negative is the offense which was MIA. David Wright is lost. Carlos Beltran looks old. Mets had 3 hits all night, one of which was a 2-run shot by Pagan in the 1st that supplied the Mets only runs.

Bottom line was tonight the Mets had a chance to take a series and set themselves up tomorrow to sweep with their ace on the mound. Yet, the Mets keeping digging a bigger hole, now 9.5 GB of Hotlanta.

Mets Look for Series Win Tonight: Line Up

2010-08-11T18:04:00.000-04:00

A series win over a team in front of you in the wild card standings is never a bad thing...not that I have any hopes for the playoffs...I'm just sayin'.

Line up courtesy of Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Hessman-1B
Francoeur-RF
Blanco-C
Castillo-2B
Niese-P

Davis and Tejada get the night off, while Thole and F-Mart sit against the lefty. Tonight would be a nice night for some offense, Niese deserves the support...

The Off-Season Move I Would Have Made That I'm Happy the Mets Did Not Make...

2010-08-11T00:03:00.000-04:00

Signing Chien-Ming Wang.

I know that was a risk/upside signing, but he hasn't even made a rehab start for the Nats yet.

Just something I was thinking about tonight...

Mets Beat Rockies, Jimenez 1-0 Behind The Real Pelf

2010-08-10T23:57:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Mike Pelfrey was in early 2010 form going 7 innings and giving up only 4 hits as the Mets defeated the Rockies, and Ubaldo Jimenez, tonight 1-0 (box score).

The Mets didn't do much at the plate, but when you're pitching is that good, you only need one run to win. I do think it's interesting to note that the only Mets to get hits tonight were Fernando Martinez, Chris Carter, Josh Thole and Mike Pelfrey...BUT...Reyes drove in the only run of the night with a sac fly. Also interesting to see how the line up looked without BOTH Beltran and Francoeur in it.

Nice win to get back to .500. If the Mets continue to play these young guys, and they should/will, games like tonight's will help build character and give the young guys confidence in close games going forward.

Nice win, fellas.

Young Mets Show Life, But Fall Short in Comeback Effort Against Phils

2010-08-08T18:12:00.000-04:00

The Mets got off to an early lead today, then Dickey got shelled, then the Mets fought back to within one, only to lose 6-5 (box score) in today's finale.

Although Dickey had his worst outing of the year for the Mets, and the team lost yet another road series, somehow I was encouraged today. I think it's because I have officially given up hope of having any shot at a playoff run, barring some miraculous hot streak. But, I'm not pissed...

Today the young kids looked pretty good. Tejada is continuing to show that he is a better glove than Castillo, although his hitting is leaving something to be desired. F-Mart looked pretty decent, nothing to get crazy over, but solid. And Thole and Carter had some big hits in the Mets comeback. Overall, it's nice to watch a home grown team leave it ALL on the field. Had Beltran and Wright not struggled the way they did today things may have turned out better for the Mets today.

The point...

The young kids look like they have pride. Where some players in the past would have given up once they got down 6-2, this youthful Mets team didn't give up. Ultimately that will make this team more fun to watch, even if they are only playing for pride. This is a new thing for Mets fans, seeing a dedication to giving the young kids a shot.

In fact...

According to Howie Rose, while I was listening to "The Fan" in my car, the Mets had the most home grown players in today's starting line up (7), than they have since 1990.

Just found that interesting...

Kids Will Play, Line Up for Santana vs. Hamels Tonight at 7:05

2010-08-07T17:44:00.000-04:00

Well, Castillo may not be off the team, but he's officially lost his starting job according to Metsblog. In that post for Metsblog, Barron reports that Jerry will platoon Francoeur and Martinez in right while letting Tejada start and pushing Luis Castillo to the bench.

My reaction to all this is simple. ABOUT TIME. Although I would be happier if the team found a way to move Castillo, at least we won't have to watch him everyday anymore. As for the platoon in right, while I still have a soft spot for Frenchy, he probably shouldn't be out there at all. But, if the platoon is strictly righty-lefty then it's not terrible just based on there being more righties than lefties. Regardless of the details I'm happy the organization is making a commitment to the future here. Let's just hope they stay committed to this and don't flip-flop...

Anyway, tonight the Mets take on the Phillies again. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Hessman-1B
Francoeur-RF
Blanco-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

Ike gets the day off, and Ruben assumes his role as the everyday second baseman. Maybe this will shake a few things loose.

Let's Go Mets.

Corresponding Moves Made: Mets Release Cora and Demote Feliciano

2010-08-07T13:28:00.000-04:00

As updated on Metsblog, the team made their corresponding moves to the calling up of Tejada and Martinez. The Mets have released Alex Cora and demoted Jesus Feliciano.

I get the Cora move, it makes sense, especially to avoid the contract option. And I don't think Feliciano is ever really going to be a useful piece for this team, except organizational depth. BUT...I was really hoping that the team would be making bigger, more meaningful changes, in an effort to send a message to the players and the fans.

Mets Lose Big Game, Call Up the Kids

2010-08-07T11:20:00.000-04:00

Bad news, the Mets lost a very important game last night to the Phillies 7-5 after an abysmal 8th inning from the bullpen, specifically Bobby Parnell (box score). Good news, the team is shaking things up by bringing up F-Mart and Ruben Tejada, according to Metsblog.

Here's all I'm saying about last night, it was awful. The Mets are lucky to only be 8 back after last night, but I think at this point it's fair to say any excitement we'll get from the Mets for the rest of the season will be from the dismantling of this team, and the kids being given a chance to play.

That being said...

According to the Metsblog link above, which by the way is a very interesting thread to read if for nothing but seeing the way the story developed, both Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez are coming up to the club. As Barron says in the post, you have to figure they are coming up to play. It'll be interesting to see the corresponding moves from the team, but to me, it's got to be designating Castillo and Francoeur for assignment, or some trades. There really is no reason to bring these kids up to ride the pine, or to bring them up at the expense of guys like Carter. It's just not worth it.

What I hope Omar is saying here is, we tried it with these guys and they didn't get the job done, so let's see what the kids can do.

It can't be any worse than what the team is currently doing out there...

Yet Another Must Win Game: Line Up

2010-08-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

There will come a point in the season where the Mets HAVE to either bite it or rise to the occassion, because honestly, I'm tired of every other game being HUGE. Tonight is one of the last games I will call huge UNLESS they spit going into Sunday, or go on a big run...

Tonight they are in Philly with Niese on the mound against Blanton. Oh, yeah, and the Phillies don't have Ryan Howard. The Mets NEED to win this series, and tonight would be a great start because they'll have to face Hamels and Halladay, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Here's tonight's line-up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Thole-C
Francoeur-RF
Castillo-2B
Niese-P

Come on fellas...

Mets Make 4 Errors...Need I Say More

2010-08-04T23:28:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Mets made 4 errors, and didn't deserve to win the game...So...the Braves defeated the Mets 8-3 tonight (box), taking a very important game and series from the Mets.

No one was good tonight, especially Pelfrey, who hasn't been the same pitcher for some time now. This was a tough game to watch...

As excited as I was after yesterday's game, I think I am equally as dissappointed tonight. The Mets really lost focus, as you can tell from the 4 errors, and that was the most dissappointing part. Maybe they were pressing and made those errors as a result of that, but when your leaders make errors like Reyes, Wright and Davis all did tonight, you're probably in bad shape.

This was a tough loss tonight, and it puts the Mets 7.5 back of the Braves heading into another big series with the Phillies starting Friday. This SERIES is a must-win for the Mets to keep any sort of dream of the playoffs alive. PERIOD.

Let's go...

Huge Hit for Frenchy, Bigger Win For the Mets

2010-08-03T23:14:00.000-04:00

To say Jeff Francoeur has been struggling lately is probably an understatement, but for tonight he's riding high. Frenchy hit a HUGE ninth inning homer off of Billy Wagner tonight to give the Mets a 3-2 victory (box/wrap) in what was a MUST-WIN tonight in Atlanta.

Dickey pitched well tonight, and was able to fight through some jams earlier in the game. Manny Acosta did the same later in the game coming in with one out and runners on the corner and getting pinch-hitter Troy Glaus to hit into a double play. And K-Rod shut the door in a perfect ninth to keep the Mets afloat in the playoff hunt. But...

Did I mention Frenchy hit a game-winning homer in the ninth?

I think Gary said it best after Frenchy's homer, when he said it looked like the Mets hadn't been more excited after a homer all year than they were tonight after Frenchy's. Probably because this was a HUGE game, and that was a HUGE hit. But I think there is something to be said about Frenchy's attitude and the idea that maybe the team WANTS Frenchy to succeed almost as badly as the fans do. The bottomline here is that Frenchy has clearly struggled with the Mets, but there is something about him that still makes the team, and certain fans (myself included), like the guy. While I agree that there is a certain point that no matter how much people like the guy he still needs to perform...BUT...I think a hit like this one, from a player as respected in the clubhouse as Francoeur seems to be, could really provide a lift for this team...

A team, by the way, that has an opportunity to be 5.5 games back after tomorrow night. Not to state the obvious here but from now on every game is a huge one for the Mets. Every night should be treated like it's the playoffs, because the truth is that another poor stretch of games will ultimately end their season. So, with that in mind tomorrow the Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the hill against Kris Medlen in another big game against the Braves...

So there's only one thing left to say...

Let's go Mets.

Mets Must Win Tonight: Line Up

2010-08-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight is a must-win. Period. Here's the Line up, courtesy of the Mets twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Thole-C
Francoeur-RF
Castillo-2B
Dickey- P

Let's go...

Mets Lose, Fall to Fourth in NL East, Could Be Done By This Weekend

2010-08-02T23:10:00.000-04:00

Tonight it looked like the Mets were not ready to start their biggest stretch of games yet this year, that could make or break their season. They walked into Atlanta lifeless and went back to their hotel with 4-1 loss to the Braves (box score) and holding fourth place in the NL East.

The only real bright spot on the night was Santana's 11 strike outs, but those were overshadowed by Johan allowing a three-run first inning. HOWEVER...the first inning was not completely Johan's fault, as Luis Castillo lost the handle on a ball while trying to turn a double-play which would have ended the first inning before any runs could score. Now, I know you can never assume a double play...BUT...sometimes they should be expected and this was one of those times. Man, I really hope they find a way to lose Luis...

Overall, it was shocking to see the team look dead out there tonight. They just started their most important 6-game stretch to date, which honestly could play them right back into this race or basically make the next month plus of baseball unwatchable, AND they came out dead. I know this seems like a stretch, or reaching for an excuse here, BUT...

I really think this team played with more energy when Castillo, Perez and even Beltran were not in the clubhouse. I don't know what it is, but they've looked like a different team with a very different energy since these players returned...

Tomorrow, the Mets NEED to turn things around with Dickey on the hill against Lowe. Tomorrow could be a huge win in going towards making this a successful six games, but if they lose tomorrow, I think this may be the beginning of the end of 2010...

Mets Win, Stand Pat and Play in 20 Minutes

2010-08-01T13:01:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets delivered a much needed win behind solid efforts from D.Wright and Takahashi, when Beltran drove a sac-fly in the ninth to win the game 5-4 (box), and put the Mets 6.5 games back in both the wild card and divisional races. Nice win, now do it again today...

Speaking of today, the Mets finish their series with the D'backs in what amounts to a very important chance to pick up another game before heading to Atlanta and Philly. Niese starts for the Mets against the recently aquired Daniel Hudson. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Feliciano-LF
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Thole-C
Cora-2B
Niese-P

I like this line up, for the obvious reason (no Castillo), although I wish Beltran didn't need the day off but the reality is that this might actually make the team's outfield defense better. Also, Beltran clearly needs the day off because of his knee...

As for the Mets not dealing at the deadline...

I wasn't expecting any major moves. I would have liked a starter, but I think I was most dissappointed by the team not being able to move a bad contract or two. Of course, I am talking about Castillo and Perez. I realize that would have taken some creative doings by Omar...but I would have been very excited if that happened. I'm still holding out hope they'll pass through waivers and can still be traded later this season...I really don't like them.

Deadline Rumors

2010-07-31T12:42:00.003-04:00

According to MLBTR The Cubs rejected an offer of Luis Castillo and Ollie Perez for Carlos Zambrano. Not really suprising. Castillo was a deal breaker here, but if we can at least get Perez off this team, I'd be fine with keeping Luis and who knows maybe Big Z can turn things around in New York.

Also some notes from SI's Jon Heyman:

- Mets shot down the Pirates offer of Octavio Dotel for minor league pitcher Robert Carson. Omar is really holding his prospects tight..

- Houston offered Brett Myers for Josh Thole and Bobby Parnell. I wouldn't make that trade, I still like Parnell's stuff and Thole has shown that he's going to be a solid hitter at the major league level. Hopefully as the hours fade, Houston will lower the price on Myers.

Mets vs. D'backs at 7:10: Line Up

2010-07-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the mound to take on the Diamondbacks and Ian Kennedy at 7:10 in the Citi. Here is tonight's line up, courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Castillo-2B
Pagan-LF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Blanco-C
Pelfrey-P

Interesting that Blanco is catching even though Thole is a lefty and Kennedy is a righty. My guess would be that Jerry is trying to recapture that magic that Hank and Pelf had earlier in the season. I guess my only real beef here is Castillo hitting second...but I think it's less where he is in the line up and more that HE IS in the line up that's bothering me...

Aren't the Cardinals looking for middle infield help? Just sayin'...

Either way, Let's Go Mets.

My Opinion on Francoeur for Guillen Rumor

2010-07-30T10:09:00.001-04:00

According to Jon Heyman on twitter, the Mets don't want to mess with the clubhouse chemistry by trading Francoeur to the Royals for Jose Guillen.

Would I pull the trigger on this deal?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. This should have been dismissed the moment it was brought up. The numbers aren't staggering for either player and Francoeur is much more valuable in the clubhouse. The only way I would consider taking on Guillen if I were the Mets, is if the Royals were willing to take Castillo or Perez in the deal...but I sincerely doubt that would happen.

So for now, I say to Omar, sit on your hands...this one is not worth it.

Mets Pick Up W, Series Win, Game on Braves; Phillies Pick Up Oswalt

2010-07-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

So, on a day that the Mets were able to pick up a series win by defeating the Cardinals 4-0 (box/wrap) and pick up a game in the standings on the Braves...The Phillies picked up Roy Oswalt, according to Ken Rosenthal on twitter.

Today R.A. Dickey was awesome, going 8 and 1/3 innings giving up only 4 hits and two walks. One of those hits and walks, however, were issued in the ninth forcing Manuel to bring in K-Rod to close it for his 22nd save. Usually I kill Jerry for basically anything he does, but this move was completely necessary. He gave Dickey a chance to get the complete game, but once he got into ANY trouble, he needed to go to K-Rod, because the Mets NEEDED the win more than they needed the complete game shut out.

On the offensive side, the big story was Ike's big three-run homer, which ended up being all the Mets needed. Also driving in a run for the Mets was Beltran.

This was a HUGE series for the Mets to take, but now they CANNOT allow a let down and they need to take 2 of 3 from the D'backs, IF NOT A SWEEP. Today is July 29th, and tomorrow now becomes a big day/game for the Mets. I'm not saying if they win tomorrow they will/should make a move, but there could be a little extra motivation if they do and the Braves lose. In general, the Mets need to look for ways to make their team better for this season and the future, so while I would want to bring in a starter, I don't want to do it by risking the future. It's the trade deadline, and being SMART should be the move...also, if they can dump Ollie or Cashstealo that wouldn't hurt...

As for the playoff hunt...

The Braves are a very good team, and obviously, the Phillies just got better. Plus, the Mets are trailing a bunch of teams in the wild card race including the Giants and that stellar pitching staff. But if the Mets get hot right NOW and win the next three series...that would go a long way towards them making a run this season, especially considering two of their next three series are against the Braves and Phillies...

Tomorrow the Mets look to build on this series win by starting off a three game set against the D'Backs with Pelfrey on the hill. He's set to face Ian Kennedy at 7:10 tomorrow night.

Let's Go Mets

Mets Find Stroke Against Wainwright, Beat Cards 8-2

2010-07-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets bats woke up, against an unexpected foe, as the Mets picked up a game on the Braves and beat the Cardinals 8-2 in the Citi (wrap/boxscore).

After a road trip where the Mets couldn't hit or drive in runs, they came home to face one of the NL's best pitchers in Adam Wainwright and predictably...pounded him? What? I really have no idea where this offense outpouring came from but I am very happy it came. Especially after hearing yesterday that the Mets may not be buyers this trade deadline, this was well timed. This team NEEDS to be in on the division race, and cannot give up yet, this year. A nice win streak might convince ownership to re-visit some deals that could give the team an edge, because there is still plenty of time, and Mets fans WANT something to root for...

At the dish the Mets got homers from Reyes and Francoeur (playing because of Bay's concussion), along with RBI for Wright, Beltran and Davis to help the team beat up on Cy Young candidate Adam Wainwright. Unreal...

And on the bump...Niese went 6 innings giving up only one earned run on 7 hits. Acosta, Valdez and K-Rod finished up the game, which was basically decided by the time these guys came in.

Bottomline, the Mets had a good night, but need to follow it up tonight with another good performance. They face Jaime Garcia tonight at 7:10, when they sent Santana to the hill.

Let's Go Mets

Literally the Deadline

2010-07-26T18:54:00.003-04:00

Quick Rant:

The next few games should in my opinion dictate the direction Omar decides to steer the sinking ship come Saturday's trade deadline. Say the Mets drop the 1st two games to St. Louis, and are roughly 9.5 games our of first place....We should NOT be buyers. One piece won't help this team. One new manager won't help this team.

This could be a prime opportunity for the Mets to rebuild and put a decent ballclub out on the field in the seasons to come(With Bobby V back lets pray)

The Mets need new arms. No more Ollie, Maine, Japanese, or tired Relievers.

So, Im proposing we sell high on the new fan favorite Angel Pagan. Yes, he's maybe our most consistant player but the injury prone 29 year old could potentially bring back a decent return, hopefully the kind of pitchers who can compete for a rotation spot next year.

Pretty much anyone other than Reyes, Wright, Ike, Niese and Pelfrey i wouldn't mind parting with if it allows us to rebuild because the Post-Collapse Mets are more disgusting to watch than the 07-08 editions.

At this point I'm all for selling, this team has no life and much like 2004, we need to sink the whole ship if we ever want to see it sail (respectfully) again.

Mets Finish Road Trip 2-9, Talk With Royals About Deals

2010-07-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the same old story lately for the Mets, their starter pitched well enough to win, but the team couldn't score as they lost 1-0 to the Dodgers in L.A. (box/wrap).

This was a terrible road trip, and the Mets SOMEHOW managed to stay within reach of the Braves, although the Phillies are making a move. Hopefully some home-cooking will make a difference this week, even though these aren't easy games against the Cardinals (Garcia, Wainwright and Suppan) before getting the D'backs again (we know how well that went last time). All this before heading to Atlanta and Philly in consecutive series.

This will be a telling stretch for the Mets, especially considering the trade deadline just happens to fall into that time period. Speaking of trade deadline...

Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Mets are talking with the Royals about swapping some bad contracts. Rosenthal mentions Farnsworth, Meche and Guillen as players in a potential deal, along with Cashstealo, Perez and Frenchy. Although Rosenthal does mention that these probably won't be a straight three-for-three or even that a deal is imminent, he does acknowledge that things are being talked about.

As much as I love Frenchy, and hate Jose Guillen, if you are the Mets and this deal (or some iteration of it) is possible, you HAVE to pull the trigger. Farnsworth is having a very good year, and Meche if he's healthy can definitely help bolster your pitching staff. But to me this biggest thing here is to get rid of the headaches you have in Perez and Castillo. If Omar has a chance to move them, he really should jump on it as long as they're not going to cost any big time prospects.

Anyway, the Mets get tonight off before starting their series with the Cardinals tomorrow. I hope coming back home will change their fortune, and the way they play ball, because this past weekend was NOTHING fun to watch...

Santana and Bay Lead the Way in Mets 6-1 Win

2010-07-24T12:41:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets took down the Dodgers 6-1 in L.A. (box/wrap) and Santana played a big part in the win.

Johan Santana was great last night giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, while striking out 4. Bobby Parnell and K-Rod also did their part in pitching a perfect 8th and 9th to help secure a victory for the Mets.

At the plate the big blow was off the bat of Jason Bay who put the game away with a 3-run double in the eighth. Bay wasn't alone as Ike went deep, and Henry Blanco had two hits as well. It was nice to see the offense return last night...Maybe they can do it again today?

Mike Pelfrey heads to the mound today against Carlos Monasterios at 4:10 on FOX. It's be a great time for a rebound outing from Pelfrey, who could really use it for his confidence.

Let's Go Mets.

Mets Drop Nieve, Gonna Call Up Acosta

2010-07-23T10:23:00.000-04:00

According to Adam Rubin on ESPN.com, the Mets are trying to make their bullpen better by subtracting bad arms. After last night's loss the Mets designated Fernando Nieve for assignment...And all I can say about that, is about time.

Although Nieve started the season pitching well, and being an integral part of the Mets bullpen, he's since been awful and with Ollie Perez around I guess the Mets decided they only need one mop-up guy. Nieve was 2-4 with an ERA of 6.00 in 40 appearances. That is awful...

Rubin reports that Nieve's spot in the 'pen will go to Manny Acosta, who should be up today.

Mets Blanked Again, Having More Trouble Scoring Than a Fat Kid in High School

2010-07-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets were blanked for the third time on this road trip, and lost to the Dodgers 2-0 despite a good effort from Hisanori Takahashi (box score/wrap).

When will enough be enough already? This road trip has been miserable. The team is losing, and looking terrible doing it. On this current road trip the Mets have been shut out three times, not ONCE scoring more than 4 runs in a game. They've scored 15 runs in their last 8 games...I'm no math major here, but that's less than 2 runs/game. That isn't going to win anything, anytime, anywhere...

On a night where the line up was without Beltran, Bay and Barajas (which I don't think was a bad thing), the team only managed 5 hits with two of them coming from the often benched Jeff Francoeur. I don't blame Jerry for shaking things up, in fact, Carter and Frenchy provided the only real offense spark last night. At one point they put a runner on third base...that was fun.

I guess the bright side, if there has to be one, is that Takahashi didn't get lit again. That was good. He went 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. I just hope this doesn't convince management that their rotation is in good shape, because they still need another starter.

Not to get on this train again, BUT, the Mets are 0-4 since Castillo returned...Can you say black cloud?

The Mets try to turn things around tonight in L.A. sending Santana to the hill against Vincente Padilla...

Come on, Mets.

Frenchy May Be On His Way Out

2010-07-22T10:57:00.000-04:00

In this article Mike Puma of the New York Post says that the Mets may be sending Jeff Francoeur somewhere else "by the time the Mets finish their series with Los Angeles this weekend."

Well that stinks.

I like Frenchy. I like his personality. I love his arm. I'm not crazy about his plate discipline. But I still want to see him succeed, and see him succeed in NY, with the Mets. BUT...

I get it. Pagan, Beltran and Bay. There just isn't room for Frenchy...

He's not going to play everyday here, and he should have that opportunity. Also, he's probably one of the more valuable trade pieces the Mets have right now, in that he's not essential to the team winning and he's young enough, and talented enough, that he has SOME value to a team willing to take a chance on him. Most likely, we're not talking about a big deal here. It'll probably be something to help the bullpen, or he'll be part (not necessarily a key one) of a deal that could potentially net a starting pitcher.

Either way, I'm a bit dissapointed. But I think most people saw this coming at some point. I know he was only in New York for what amounts to a year, BUT, this feels like I am breaking up with a girlfriend. I just hope we can still be friends...

Mets Lose in Extras, Get Swept in the Desert

2010-07-22T10:42:00.000-04:00

Despite Angel Pagan's best efforts the Mets fell to the D'backs again last night 4-3 (box score/wrap). The Mets were swept in Arizona after losing 3 of 4 to the Giants. For those of you keeping track that puts them at 1-6 so far on this road trip, and only by the mercy of the baseball gods, have they managed to stay ONLY 6.5 games behind the Braves.

It has been a bad week so far, and a horrendous second half of the season. The only potential bright spot is that the Mets are now heading to L.A. to take on a Dodgers team that has also gone 1-6 in the second half of the season so far. But playing bad teams haven't helped the Mets recently, since they were just swept by one of the worst teams in the league...

The four game set the Mets have with the Dodgers starts tonight at 10:10. The Mets are sending Takahashi to the hill against Hiroki Kuroda. It's time for a turn-around...

Mets Making Moves: Perez Up, Sign Cordero

2010-07-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

According to Metsblog.com, the Mets have brought back Oliver Perez, and sent down Justin Turner to Triple-A.

Turner was sent down instead of Josh Thole, which is probably the best move the Mets have made in some time. The bottomline here is that Thole is the only catcher on the roster who is hitting. So play him. With the offense struggling the way it's been there is NO REASON to sit a hot bat, especially when it's really the only hot bat going right now. Cerrone states in the posting above, that Manuel will likely increase Thole's playing time. Good move Jerry...

Unfortunately, Oliver Perez is back, and will be a complete waste of a roster spot. He'll probably be on mop up duty for awhile. Hopefully, we won't see him for the rest of the road trip, because the Mets cannot afford another laugher like they had on Monday Night.

Also of note, Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Mets have signed Chad Cordero to help in the bullpen. My assumption is that this is an attempt to work around the not-so-great trade market for relievers this deadline. Hopefully, he'll work out. Clearly Omar has a bit of a crush on him, as he's been trying to get him back for a while. His numbers in triple-A earlier this season weren't bad, so hopefully he'll be able to bring a little something to the 'pen should he get up to the big club.

Mets Lose Again in Desert, In Danger of Getting Swept By One of the Worst Teams in Baseball

2010-07-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

Last night, despite the best efforts of Dickey, Thole and Pagan the Mets lost their second straight to the D'Backs 3-2 (box score/wrap). The worst part of this whole mess is that now they could potentially get swept by one of the worst teams in baseball, and in order to avoid it, they'll have to beat Dan Haren. Needless to say, Haren is a much better pitcher than Barry Enright, and he held the Mets to one run in 8 innings of work. This is starting to get ugly quick...

The only real offense to speak of last night came off solo shots from Josh Thole and Angel Pagan, respectively. Barry Enright? Really? The Mets offense looks awful right now, even with the "shot in the arm" it was supposed to have gotten from Beltran and Castillo.

Dickey continued his string of pitching well enough to win, and then not winning. He went 7 innings giving up 3 runs. Unfortunately for Dickey, the D'backs decided to test Beltran's range and speed last night by hitting balls into the gap, which CLEARLY still isn't where it was because of the injury. He's just not getting to the balls in the gap, and behind him, the way he used to and it makes it tough to watch, especially when you think about who's playing right field for the Mets...

Tonight the Mets look to avoid the sweep by sending Jon Niese to the hill against Dan Haren. The offense better wake up, because even if Niese tosses up zeroes all game, it won't be crap until they start scoring...

Phillies Working on Big Deal?

2010-07-20T22:53:00.002-04:00

Jayson Stark on twitter, here, tweeted that "Indications Phillies are working on major deal for starting pitcher & would move Jayson Werth in a companion trade."

This report is supported by Buster Olney on twitter, who then took it a step further and tweeted, " Jayson Stark and I hearing a whole lot about the Phillies working hard on a deal for a frontline pitcher. Don't know for sure, but Oswalt fits in a lot of ways. They could make the dollars work by moving Jayson Werth's contract -- and they'd have Oswalt for 2011."

Wow, wow, and please GOD NO!

I mean isn't it bad enough the Mets are playing like crap right now, and the Braves are having a great season...Now the Phillies need to go out and get ANOTHER frontline pitcher. The ONLY positive about this potential story is that Werth could end up somewhere else, which is great because I can't stand that guy. BUT, a series against the Phillies where you would have to face Halladay and Oswalt does not make me feel good as a Mets fan...

If this happens, it sure as hell better kick Omar in the ass and get him to make SOMETHING happen. BUT, he needs to be smart about it. Either way, this isn't looking good...

You can read more in an article by Stark on ESPN.com, here.

Mets Try To Rebound From Last Night's Thrashing at 9:40: Line Up

2010-07-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

Last night was awful. Pelfrey got rocked early and the team had no chance to win that game. When your starter doesn't even keep it remotely close, there is NO shot of recovery. The Mets will need to have a short memory, as they really need to right the ship tonight with R.A. Dickey on the mound against the D'Backs. Here is tonight's line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-RF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Thole-C
Cashstealo-2B
Dickey-P

They need to hit tonight, need to pitch, and need to produce a win because they cannot afford to lose this series in Arizona. They'll be facing Barry Enright tonight...yeah, I know...who?

Mets Avoid Sweep, Welcome Back Cashstealo, Potentially Unwelcome Back Perez

2010-07-19T11:47:00.000-04:00

After a blown save, and a blown call, the Mets were able to avoid the sweep in San Fran by beating the Giants 4-3 in extra innings (box score/wrap).

So, Santana was great and deserved the win, but he's cursed on this team. Santana gave up one run in 8 innings yesterday and was in line for the win until K-Rod blew the save, only to then vulture the win for himself. Ugh...Johan deserves better, and K-Rod is really starting to bother me. Everything is a freakin' nail biter with this guy. I can't stand this crap anymore. Do your job and shut the opposition down in the ninth without throwing 50 pitches and making it too close for comfort...

Anyway, on a positive note, Ike Davis is starting to hit again after going 3-5 yesterday with the game winning RBI. He really carried the Mets offense over the the last two games of the Giants series, along with Wright who hit a bomb yesterday.

Lucky to even escape San Fran with a win after that horrible call at home, the Mets next stop is in Arizona tonight, where they FINALLY send Pelfrey to the mound to take on Ian Kennedy. The game starts at 9:40.

In other news, it looks like Luis Cashstealo will be back with the team tonight and Oliver Perez will be rejoining the team in Arizona, as reported by Adam Rubin, here, for ESPN New York...ehhh. Clearly, I'm not happy about any of this. I don't like Cashstealo, and I don't like Perez. But, I hope that the Mets can show that Perez is healthy enough that they can find SOME team to take a gamble with him...although I severely doubt it.

As far as Luis, I just don't think he fits with the team anymore. Despite Tejada's struggles at the plate, I really enjoyed watching the kid play. It made me feel good as a Mets fan that this team, and the organization, has some nice upcoming talent. Now, that young talent is put back on the back burner for some older, more broken down, talent. I'm not happy, but this day had to come eventually...

Regardless, I hope Cashstealo finds himself in the 8 spot tonight, because breaking up Reyes and Pagan at the top of the line up would be a huge mistake. On the same token, I wouldn't be surprised either if Barajas is hitting eighth tonight and Pagan finds himself hitting 6-7, and Cashstealo weasels his way back into the two-hole. Although I really hope not.

I guess we'll just wait and see...

Mets Score Runs But Not Enough, Try To Avoid Sweep at 4:05: Line Up

2010-07-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets weren't shut out, but they still took an 8-4 loss to the Giants (box score/wrap).

To me the thing to take from last night's game is that Takahashi just isn't cutting it anymore as a starter. He has been a big piece of the puzzle for the Mets this year, and they probably wouldn't be where they are without him...BUT...he's getting hit now. He needs to be moved back to the bullpen where he can continue to help the team, but the team cannot rely on him to start every fifth day. They cannot continue on with him in the rotation and expect to keep winning at the rate they'll need to in order to keep up with the Braves and Phillies.

That being said, they need to avoid the sweep today, because they've been VERY lucky this weekend to only lose one game in standings and I don't know how much more help the Brewers and Cubs can provide the Mets this weekend.

The good news is that Johan Santana's last few starts have been amazing, and he's starting today for the Mets against Jonathon Sanchez. Beltran will get the day off as expected, and Turner will get the start at 2B, with Tejada at short. Here's the rest of the line up for today's game courtesy of Andy McCullough of the Newark Star Ledger twitter account:

Pagan CF
Turner 2B
Wright 3B
Bay LF
Davis 1B
Francoeur RF
Hank White C
Tejada SS
Santana P

Let's Go Mets.

Mets Look to Score a Run, Win a Game, in San Fran Tonight at 9:05

2010-07-17T18:22:00.000-04:00

Barry Zito was awesome last night, as was Jon Niese, but the Mets still cannot seem to muster any offense against this great Giants staff. Tonight will be another test when they send Takahashi to the hill against Matt Cain. The game will start at 9:05 and will be on SNY. Since Reyes is still out, and the Mets are facing a righty, here is tonight's line up as reported by the Mets on twitter:

Pagan-RF
Cora-2B
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Barajas-C
Tejada-SS
Takahashi-P

On the Night Beltran Returns, Pitching Is the Story as Mets Fall 2-0

2010-07-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

Last night in San Francisco pitching was front and center in the Giants 2-0 win over the Mets (box score/wrap).

Last night R.A. Dickey went 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, but that just wasn't good enough to win as Tim Lincecum threw a complete game shut out. The only run Dickey gave up was on a rocket of a double by Pablo Sandoval, which would probably have been a homer anywhere else. But outside of that Dickey was fantastic, unfortunately, so was Lincecum.

The only thing about last night's game I truly found infuriating was when, with 1 out and runners on first and third in the fifth, Manuel had Dickey sacrifice bunt to get two runners into scoring position. This left runners on second and third with two outs, and Pagan at the plate. Now, I know Pagan has been arguably the best Mets hitters with runners in scoring position, but COME ON...A GREAT major league hitter hits .300, that's 3 hits every 10 at bats. Wouldn't you rather have two shots at driving in at least one run (mind you it was 1-0 at the time) rather than putting all your eggs in one basket and leaving it up to Pagan with two outs? Yes, I understand that Dickey was up, and the double play would have killed the inning...but Dickey's been a pretty decent hitter so far this year, and more importantly, WHAT IF HE DIDN'T? It would have tied the game.

Jerry was frustrating last night, but on a lighter note, it was good to see Beltran back. Tonight, the Mets look to even the series with Niese going up against Zito. It will be interesting to see who starts in right for the team tonight, since Zito is a lefty. Just something to think about.

Injuries: Tatis Likely Out for the Year, Cashstealo Back in L.A.

2010-07-15T22:42:00.000-04:00

2009 was filled with tough injuries for the Mets, but 2010, has been full of fortunate ones...

During the Mets/Giants telecast this evening Gary Cohen stated that Fernando Tatis underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and was moved to the 60-day DL in order to activate Carlos Beltran. Beyond that, Cohen said that Tatis will likely be done for the season.

Not to rag on some of these hurt players, BUT...

Did anyone even remember Tatis was on this team until he got hurt? When the Mets were having a big run in June, Tatis was nowhere to be seen. On the same note, neither were Ollie Perez, Luis Castillo , John Maine nor Sean Green. Maybe there was a little addition by subtraction going on there...

On a much more depressing note, according to Adam Rubin for ESPN New York, it looks like Luis Cashstealo is aiming to return to the Mets at some point next weekend against the Dodgers. Anyone who knows me, knows I am dreading this. I just don't like the way he plays, and I don't like the influence he seems to have on Reyes. All-in-all I would prefer he stay injured...

Second Half Starts Tonight at 10:15: Line Up

2010-07-15T17:05:00.002-04:00

UPDATE:

Reyes was pulled from the line up with oblique pain. The new line up is as follows:

Pagan-RF
Cora-2B
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Thole-C
Tejada-SS
Dickey-P

---------------------------

Tonight the Mets start their second half in San Fran against Tim Lincecum and the Giants. R.A. Dickey will take the mound for the Mets, and a long lost friend returns to the line up. Here's tonight's starting line up, courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-RF
Wright-3B
Beltran-CF
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Thole-C
Cora-2B
Dickey-P

First off, seeing Beltran in the clean up spot is making me very very happy. Hopefully he's 100 percent. Also, I really like seeing Thole in the line up. It makes me feel good about the present and the future. Cora, being a lefty, gets the start at second...

Let's Go Mets.

All-Star Wrap: NL Wins, D. Wright and CitiField

2010-07-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

Last night the NL broke a 13-year losing streak in All-Star games and secured home field advantage in the World Series for the League. The NL won 3-1 on a bases clearing double from Braves catcher Brian McCann in the seventh inning. The winning pitcher for the NL was Matt Capps, with the save going to Jonathon Broxton and the loss to Phil Hughes of the Yankees. You can check out the box score here.

Although I am happy the NL won, I still think the whole "game counting" thing is a bunch of BS. I know it's been said a million times but why can't they just go back to the best record getting home field. Does pride not exist anymore?

Speaking of pride, D. Wright went 2-2 and swiped a bag last night in the game. Now, that's pride. He plays hard all the time...I love the guy, and since D. Lee (David Lee) was recently sent out of town, I feel D. Wright needs to accept the "D-last name" nickname. I like it. Think it's bad-ass.

And finally, in this post to Metsblog, Michael Barron talks about how Bud Selig feels that CitiField deserves an All-Star game. In the post Barron mentions 2013, as the potential year. Good idea...Great idea...Do it.

Olney Ranks Contending Teams Schedules, Mets at 13

2010-07-12T11:10:00.000-04:00

In an article for ESPN.com insider, here, Buster Olney ranks the difficulty of the remaining schedules for the 17 teams currently above .500 in MLB.

Good news, the Mets schedule is 13th hardest out of the 17 teams currently over .500. Bad news, the Braves have the 14th hardest schedule...Although the Mets have only 36 games remaining against teams over .500 while the Braves have 37. Meanwhile, the Phillies have the 10th ranked schedule according to Olney with 39 games against teams with plus records.

To be honest, this is interesting, but none of this really matters. The games are played on the field, not on paper. So, the Mets will need to take care of business one way or the other. However, I do like that Olney thinks Strasburg will most likely be shut down for the year by the team the Mets finish the season against the Nats. That could be helpful...

Mets Wrap Up First Half With W, 48-40 Record

2010-07-11T23:03:00.000-04:00

Today, Johan Santana stepped up and delivered his second consecutive dominant performance, and helped lead the Mets to a 3-0 victory (box score/wrap).

Santana threw 7 innings giving up only 5 hits and walking 3, while striking out 5. Bobby Parnell came in after Johan and continued his quality performances since returning to the bigs with a perfect eighth inning before K-Rod came in and threw a perfect inning of his own. Mets pitching was the story today, and that was what brought the team back to within 4 games of the Braves.

For the Mets at the plate, Ike Davis went VERY deep, Josh Thole got a pinch hit RBI and Alex Cora drove in a run as well.

The Mets head into the All-Star Break 4 games back of the Braves and 8 games over .500, and they'll be getting, arguably their best player, Carlos Beltran back right after the break. In order to make the room for Beltran, Jesus Feliciano was sent back down, and Angel Pagan will be sliding over to right field. Although I want to see more playing time for Frenchy, there is no denying that Angel Pagan makes this team better than Francoeur does. I hate to say this, but Frenchy will have to be a part-time player for the rest of the season, unless he is traded or something...

Either way, this team is a LOT better than people thought they would be at this point in the season and that alone is VERY EXCITING. The second half will hopefully be full of more good baseball and more Met victories...

Let's Go NL.

Jeurys Familia in the Future Stars Game

2010-07-11T21:02:00.000-04:00

Mets farmhand Jeurys Familia just stepped onto the hill with two outs in the eighth, of the Future Stars Game, and immediately gave up 3 consecutive doubles and two runs to the U.S. team. Yikes...

Although Familia looks huge on the hill and was definitely hitting 96, he was consistently falling behind hitters. I don't care what level you are on you DO NOT want to fall behind hitters because any player worth his salt CAN hit a fastball. If you're in the future stars game, chances are you can hit a fastball. And if you're falling behind in the count, chances are you're going to throw a fastball. I think you get my point...

Despite him getting knocked around it was nice to see him throw, if for nothing but being able to put a player to the stats/name. He's young, and I'm sure he'll end up being a good reliever at some point, but I'm just saying was not pretty watching his fastballs end up in the gap, while he struggled to get one out...

Dickey, Mets, Done in by Back-to-Back Homers in 4-2 Loss to Bravos

2010-07-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

Tonight, R.A. Dickey turned in a good performance, but back-to-back homers in the 7th put the Braves out in front to stay, in a 4-2 win tonight at the "Citi" (wrap/box score).

R.A Dickey was pitching, and hitting, well tonight. Then in the 7th with two outs, Melky Cabrera got behind one and sent it out to right. The next batter Omar Infante followed suit and did the same, giving the Braves a lead they would be able to hold.

The only real offense tonight came from R.A. Dickey, as he reached base on two hits and scored twice as well. He scored on a sac fly from David Wright, and a mis-played line drive by Eric Hinske that was recorded as an RBI double for Jose Reyes.

As far as I'm concerned tonight was not a good game. It's usually a tough night when the most you can find to talk about was the starting pitcher, on both offensive and defensive side (save for the other night with Santana's shut out and homer).

This is not a good way to start the series, as the Mets really need to get in gear to win this series and go into the All-Star break down ONLY two games to the Braves. Any more losses this series and the Mets may find themselves in third place 5 or 6 games out. That would not be a good way to go into the break...

Tomorrow night the Mets try to turn it around by sending Pelfrey to the mound against Tim Hudson. This will not be an easy task for the Mets, but if they want to make the post-season or make a run at the post-season they need to start winning some tough games, and some divisional games...

We want a Lefty not named Lee

2010-07-09T20:56:00.004-04:00

The Mets chances of getting Cliff Lee were probably equivalent to King James gracing the Nets with his talents in 2010. So the Tri-State area now needs to shift the focus from getting a star, to a piece that will help a playoff push. Since the Mets supposedly don’t have enough God-like prospects to trade with almighty Seattle (Neither do the Yankees I guess?), the most logical move would be to trade for Ted Lilly. Adding a crafty left-hander to the back of the rotation isn’t too exciting but Lilly would provide depth and allow Takahashi to revive a depleted bullpen.

Let’s get into the numbers for Ted Lilly:
In his last 4 years with Chicago in the National League, Lilly has posted a 3.71 ERA and is 15 games over .500 with the Cubies. Lilly is a fly ball pitcher which explains his rather high, 1.3 HR/9 average. This would work to Lilly’s advantage at Citi Field. I’m sure many balls that sail out at Wrigley Field will barely make the warning track in Flushing. Lilly also doesn’t walk too many batters (2.1 BB/9 in 2010) and gets his share of strikeouts considering his velocities sinking below 90. In 2010 Ted has gone 3-7 but has an ERA that’s better than any one of Ollie Perez, John Maine and Hisanori Takahashi.

Besides the numbers, Ted Lilly would benefit the Mets in a number of ways.

• He is a solid back end of the rotation pitcher.
• Chicago wants to dump salary, they would most likely take a package of average joe minor leaguers in return. This would leave the Mets room to acquire another reliever.
• He is a free agent at the end of the season…
• Best of all, (Drum Roll please) according to MLBTR, Lilly projects as a Type A Free Agent. That means the Mets would receive two supplemental draft picks in return for an aging veteran.

If the price is right, It was be a no-brainer to trade for Ted Lilly than let him walk, take the draft picks and maybe this time next year Seattle will respect at least one New York farm system.

Stats courtesy of baseballreference.com

Dickey Against Hanson in Game 1 of Series: Line Up

2010-07-09T18:10:00.000-04:00

First off, the Mets sent down Igarashi and brought up Nick Evans earlier today, as reported by Metsblog. Reyes will slip into the two-hole tonight, which is some interesting stuff. Here is the rest of the line up for tonight's game for the Mets, courtesy of Adam Rubin on twitter:

Pagan CF
Reyes SS
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Thole C
Francoeur RF
Tejada SS
Dickey P

More playing time for Thole, and Tejada. And I have absolutely no problem with that...

Big game to start a big series...

Let's Go Mets!

Did I say Yankees? I Meant Rangers Get Lee

2010-07-09T18:00:00.000-04:00

Well, in between leaving work and running 8 miles, Cliff Lee ended up NOT going to the Yankees and instead was dealt to the Rangers, according to Joel Sherman on twitter, as forwarded by Metsblog.

According to Jon Paul Morosi on twitter the deal is Lee and Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak, Blake Beaven, Josh Lueke and Matt Lawson. Morosi is also reporting that the Mariners are not paying ALL of Lee's salary, as others are reporting.

First off, I'm happy it wasn't the Yankees...

Secondly, the thing that jumps out to me is that Seattle isn't paying ALL of Lee's salary, which I think is more shocking to me that they're paying ANY. I mean, I get that Texas has financial issues. But they are getting Lee, Lowe and at least SOME of Lee's salary being paid for? Does that strike anyone besides me as being a very good deal for Texas, even in spite of giving up Smoak? Oh and on top of Lee, whose numbers are ridiculous (2.34 ERA, 86 Ks and 6 BBs), the Rangers also got Mark Lowe who's not too shabby either putting up a 3.48 ERA.

Here's more on what Texas is giving up, to get Lee...

Smoak was hitting .209 with 8 homers and 34 RBI with the Rangers this season. Beavan had a 2.78 ERA with 68 Ks to 12 BBs, while Josh Lueke's ERA was 3.86 as a reliever in Double-A and Matt Lawson was hitting .277 with 7 homers and 34 RBI.

While I think Smoak was a nice get for the Mariners, the Rangers also have Chris Davis who is just as capable as Smoak, and probably has more power potential at the plate. I would imagine Davis will be brought up to replace Smoak sooner rather than later. But overall, this is a great deal for the Rangers, and although Seattle got a good return, I just don't know if this was as big a ransom as they had originally hoped for...

Either way, it's time for the Mets to start sniffing a little harder around Ted Lilly, or Fausto Carmona...

Yankees Close To Lee, I'm Close To Pissed

2010-07-09T14:59:00.000-04:00

According to Matt Cerrone of Metsblog, here, it looks like the Yankees will be landing Cliff Lee. Cerrone basically cites any and all of the usual suspects in his report (Sherman, Rosenthal, Olney, Price, Davidoff, etc.). The most recent update lays out the three prospects the Yankees would be giving up, Jesus Montero, David Adams and Zach McCallister. And I'm pissed...

First off, I hate that the Yankees are getting him. It's just an embarassment of riches at this point, and honestly, DO THEY EVEN NEED HIM? The Yankee rotation, should this deal be finalized would be Sabathia, Lee, Hughes, Vazquez, Burnett and Pettite. That is remarkable. This would most likely have to involve another move, as I don't think even the Yankees need 6 starters of that caliber. I mean, this is ridiculous...

As far as the Yankees offer, outside of Montero I know very little about the players involved. Although Baseball America has Montero as the number 4 rated prospect in baseball, he's having a tough year at the plater hitting only .253 in Triple-A, but does have six homers. In regards to the other pieces: McCallister has a mid-4 ERA in Triple-A, while David Adams is currently hitting .309 with 3 homers in Double-A.

I guess, at the end of the day the Mariners wanted to fill their need, and get the best player available. No one the Mets could have offered, short of Niese or Davis, would have had as high an upside as Montero does, and no one would fill Seattle's need for a catcher in the same way. So, at the end of the day it looks like Seattle will get the catcher they want, but I wonder if they really got enough other pieces for this trade to really have worked out in their favor.

Anyway, I think I am on the Ted Lilly bandwagon now. Unless the price for Oswalt drops, I would say Lilly would probably be the best option for the Mets not named Oswalt, who can probably be had at a decent price. Either way, I hope Omar makes his move soon because as good as Dickey and Takahashi have been this year, it's starting to look like some magic is starting to wear off on that front, especially with Takahashi.

Cliff Lee Watch: Reds and Rangers Into It

2010-07-08T11:12:00.000-04:00

In an article published late last night for MLB.com, here, T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers and Mariners are having discussions centered around Cliff Lee. In the article Sullivan throws around names like Justin Smoak, Chris Davis, Derrek Holland, Blake Beavan and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as potential trade pieces that the Rangers could use to get Lee.

Smoak and Chris Davis are two major league ready bats, with Davis having the bigger power potential but being the more inconsistent of the two, which is why he's not with the big club. (Side note: I do a home run pool every year and the last two I've taken Chris Davis, in the prospect category, only to see him not stick around in the majors long enough to provide me much help). Saltalamacchia is another guy who just doesn't seem to be what people thought he would be, but maybe it's been the injuries or moving in between organizations that have retarded his progress. As for Holland and Beaven although they aren't the top pitchers in the Rangers system, they still have nice upside. So, any deal to me, involving Beaven or Holland, along with Davis and Saltalamacchia would have to be considered by Seattle. But...

I wonder whether a deal from the Rangers involving Salty, Holland and Davis is a better deal for the Mariners than something like Mejia, Thole and Pagan/Nieuwenhuis/Havens/etc from the Mets. But it's always difficult to trade within the division, right? And, Isn't Safeco where power hitters go to die? I would argue that Thole/Pagan would make more sense in Seattle than a Davis or Salty because of Thole's hitting style, Pagan's speed, and the "small ball" mentality that the Mariners seem to have with Ichiro, Jack Wilson and Figgins. But the Mariners did recently re-acquire Russell Branyan, so maybe it's not so "small ball" after all...

As for the Reds, rumors have them swapping names with the Mariners about Lee as well. According to FOXSports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, here, some names that might be considered are Juan Francisco, Yonder Alonso along with Matt Maloney and Travis Wood.

More top prospects being discussed here, and that's what it's going to take to get Lee because he immediately transforms a team into a contender, and if they were one to begin with, it makes them a serious contender. Especially considering how he's been pitching lately...

So while I think the Mets need to be in on Lee, I wouldn't be miserable if they acquired someone like Ted Lilly instead. There are many options out there, and I hope Omar does whatever he needs to do to improve the team, without giving up the entire farm.

Niese Pitches Well But Arroyo Has Mets Number as Reds Win 3-1

2010-07-07T22:54:00.000-04:00

Tonight Niese made only a few mistakes, but infortunately two of them were against Brandon Phillips who made Niese pay by driving in two runs and leading the Reds to a 3-1 win tonight (box score/wrap), and a series win.

Bronson Arroyo killed the Mets yet again tonight, going 8 innings, scattering 7 hits and giving up only a solo homer to Angel Pagan. The Mets had chances tonight, but just couldn't get things done, especially in the 8th and 9th innings, when they had opportunities with the tying run (at least) at the plate.

Pagan and Thole both had two hit nights for the Mets but it just wasn't enough. The offense just didn't get it done tonight and as well as Niese pitched, it just wasn't enough. Niese went 7 and 2/3 innings giving up 3 runs while striking out eight. Niese continues to look good this year, and has proven that he can be a valuable and successful piece to this pitching staff throughout the season. But as well as Niese threw tonight, and has been all year, tonight he was just out-done by Arroyo. It happens...

The Mets have a day off tomorrow before starting a big three game set with the Braves this weekend. After this series the Mets can be tied with the Braves for first, 6 games back, or anywhere in between. This is an important series for confidence considering how early in the season it is, and the way it's timed against the All-Star break.

Mets Go For Series Win Behind Niese at 7:10, Line Up

2010-07-07T17:29:00.000-04:00

Niese takes the hill against Bronson Arroyo at 7:10. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Thole-C
Feliciano-RF
Cora-2B
Niese-P

Jerry's been looking for ways to get Thole in there and facing a righty starter tonight is a great opportunity. I'm not wild about sitting Frenchy for Feliciano, but I guess he needs the night off despite the day off tomorrow and the up-coming All-Star break. I really hope that's not the logic there. It's more likely that it's a righty/lefty thing for Jerry, he loves that stuff. Also getting the night off is Tejada, once again a victim of righty/lefty match ups.

Let's see a good one out of Niese tonight, this would be a nice win heading into the weekend against the Braves...

Johan and Con Ed Provide Fireworks in Queens Last Night

2010-07-07T09:15:00.000-04:00

Last night the Mets defeated the Reds 3-0 (box score/wrap) on what I was told was a fantastic performance from Johan Santana. The reason I heard he pitched well and didn't see it? Well, Johan wasn't the only one providing fireworks last night with his first career home run, as my block in Queens had a giant explosion and the "transformer blew". So outside of not having power on the hottest day in the last 30 years, not sleeping much, missing a great pitching performance and Santana hitting a bomb, I would say I had a pretty great night...ugh.

I'm not even going to pretend like I can talk about this game any more than from what I saw in the highlights. So let's just leave it as Johan had a great night all-around, and the Mets need to build on that tonight to take the rubber game of this series with the Reds...

Tonight it's Niese against Arroyo at 7:10...

Let's go Mets.

Mets vs. Reds at 7:10, Line Up

2010-07-06T15:06:00.000-04:00

Here' is tonight's line up courtesy of the New York Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Francoeur-RF
Barajas-C
Tejada-2B
Santana-P

Reyes is back, and I'm thinking a winning streak will soon follow...

Let's Go Mets.

Crazy Fifth Inning, Joey Votto Lead Reds to 8-6 Victory

2010-07-05T22:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Mets had a tough time with Joey Votto and the fifth inning as the Reds won the opener of this three game series tonight, 8-6 (box score).

Before we get into the craziness that was the fifth inning of tonight's game, the REAL story was the way Joey Votto played tonight. Votto killed the Mets tonight, going 3-4 hitting 2 homers, and scoring 3 times. The Mets could not keep Votto in the park tonight, and that made a huge difference in this game, especially the solo shot he hit in the 6th off Nieve. The homer Votto hit in the sixth was a huge response to the bottom half of the fifth inning the Mets put up...

So, now, let's talk the fifth inning...

In the fifth inning with the bases loaded and no outs Mike Pelfrey threw a 2-2 pitch to Scott Rolen that came in a bit tight on him. Rolen tried to hold back on a check swing, but couldn't and Barajas caught the pitch. Rolen immediately took off down the first baseline acting as if he were hit, but the home plate ump, said the ball hit the bat and was caught for strike three. Dusty Baker came out and after some discussion the umpires overturned the ruling as gave Rolen first base, and the lead 2-1, on a hit-batsman. Pelfrey then retired the next two batters, only to give up consecutive run scoring hits to the 7, 8 and 9 (a triple to the pitcher) hitters. So, as much as the replays were questionable as to whether or not Rolen was hit, the bigger issue was how hard Pelfrey worked to get the next two outs and coming close to limiting the damage. BUT...after a bad call on a pitch on the outside part of the plate to the number 7 hitter, Drew Stubbs, Pelfrey seemed to lose his cool and left pitches up in the zone. The Reds scored 6 runs in the fifth...

But the Mets did not just roll over, and came out in the bottom of the fifth and score 5 runs themselves, leaving them down only one after the crazy frame. Unfortunately it only stayed that way until one out in the sixth (one batter later) when Joey Votto blasted his second homer of the game, making the score 8-6.

Overall, Pelfrey wasn't goog tonight. The Mets did their best to come back but they couldn't manage clawing themselves all the way out of the 6 run hole. At least the Braves lost too...

Tomorrow the Mets will send Johan Santana to the mound against a pitcher yet to be determined after tonight's scratch of Aaron Harang. The game will start at 7:10.

Harang Scratched Replaced with Wood, Thole to The Bench Tonight

2010-07-05T18:57:00.001-04:00

Aaron Harang has been scratched with lower back issues, according to the SNY Pregame. Mike Wood, a lefty, will make the start instead for the Reds.

To counter that move Josh Thole is no longer in the starting line up, instead Rod Barajas will get the start against the lefty.

Also Tejada and Cora has swapped spots in the order. Tejada is now in the two-hole, with Cora hits eighth. Another lefty adjustment...

Game time is just minutes away.

Let's go Mets.

Mets vs. Red at 7:10, Line Up

2010-07-05T18:27:00.000-04:00

No Reyes again tonight, but according to Metsblog he will be in there tomorrow. Josh Thole gets another start, nice to see what the kid can do. Although I can't help but think this might have something to do with Cliff Lee, just saying. Here's the line up courtesy of Michael Barron at Metsblog:

Angel Pagan CF
Alex Cora 2B
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Josh Thole C
Jeff Francoeur RF
Ruben Tejada SS
Mike Pelfrey P

The Reds are tough, and they are led by Scott Rolen who's been unreal this season. This will not be an easy series, but I like the pitching match up here tonight in favor of the Mets, as long as Pelfrey keeps the ball down...

Let's Go Mets.

Mets Bats Secure Split With Nats, Come Home To Face Reds

2010-07-05T10:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the Mets bats came to life in a 9-5 victory over the Nationals yesterday (wrap/box score).

Jason Bay had a huge day with 4 RBI, and Davis hit a homer while driving in two himself. Pagan and Francoeur also added RBI for the Mets, with 2 and 1 respectively. On the hill, Takahashi started out well for the first few innings and then started to get hit again. Fortunately for the Mets they had enough of a lead at that point that the Nats spend most of the day trying to make it close, instead of realistically having a shot to tie and win the game.

Tonight the Mets face the Reds in the "Citi" as Aaron Harang heads to the hill for the Reds against Mike Pelfrey...

Let's go Mets.

After Yesterday's Blow Up, Mets Look For Redemption at 1:35

2010-07-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to waste any time talking about how annoying K-Rod is to watch, or how he is bound to blow saves pitching the way he does....

Instead, I'll be happy that the Mets weren't dominated by Strasburg because that means maybe the future won't be so bleak in the NL East afterwards. Yeah Strasburg's probably going to be very good, BUT, sometimes teams can just have your number. Maybe the Mets can be that team for Strasburg...

Redemption time today. Here's today's line up courtesy of Adam Rubin:

Pagan CF
Cora 2B
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Francoeur RF
Barajas C
Tejada SS
Takahahsi P

No Reyes again, as he's still sore. But it's time for the team to split the series...

Let's Go Mets!

Late Postgame Friday

2010-07-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

Last night in Washington, the Mets held off the Nats as Jon Niese went seven strong and gave up only one run. Niese has been the savior of this team, really stepping up when the Mets need a victory. This was definetly a big win, coming off of a loss thursday and the debacle in San Juan. Niese threw a career high 117 pitchers and stuck out eight.

One again we saw another dicey K-Rod outing as he let up two runs on two hits before picking off Bernadina at second to end the game.

David Wright stayed hot, smacking 3 hits and Alex Cora came up huge with a three run triple.

Mets split the first two games of this series and it would be a huge confidence booster to win today vs. God (Strasburg) going up against a guy who's completely opposite stuff (Dickey). Knuckler vs. the Ultimate Flamerthrower, Mets get their first taste of the chosen one this year. Game is 4:30 on Fox.

Lets Go Mets

Mets/Nats Tonight at 7:05

2010-07-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

Tonight in Washington the pitching match up is Luis Atilano against Jon Niese. Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Pagan-8
Tejada-6
Wright-5
Davis-3
Bay-7
Barajas-2
Francoeur-9
Cora-4
Niese-1

Pagan is back in the line up, as is Jason Bay, which should help spark the Mets offense. Unfortunately the team's true spark plug Reyes is out again, but SHOULD be back tomorrow. The bottomline is the Mets need to take control of games, as they've had the the games taken to them so far on this road trip. A nice big top of the first, followed by a goose egg from Niese would be the perfect medicine for that...

Let's Go Mets.

Beltran Might Be Back Monday, Or July 15

2010-07-02T12:09:00.000-04:00

So, it looks like the countdown to Carlos is getting real. According to Adam Rubin of ESPN NewYork, here, the two dates the Mets are targeting for Beltran's return are July 5th and July 15th. In his article Rubin goes on to explain that if Carlos will not be available for Monday against the Reds, then it wouldn't be worth activating Carlos for the last series before the all-star break. The reasoning being that once Carlos gets going, they wouldn't want him to have days off for the break, and might rather have him play through the break and then activate him on the 15th instead.

I can't deny the logic there. It makes sense to keep Carlos playing and active. Although I would love to have him up by Monday, if he needs a little more time then July 15th sounds great to me. It would be a nice boost for the team to have Carlos back before the break, and it will certainly create an interesting outfield scenario for the Mets as the trade deadline approaches. It'll be interesting to see what happens to Angel Pagan and Jeff Francoeur's playing time once Beltran returns.

But having too many good outfielders is a nice problem to have, especially when one of them is a healthy Carlos Beltran...

Johan Pitches Well, But Nats Are Walk Off Winners Over Mets 2-1

2010-07-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

And so it goes for Johan Santana in New York...

Johan was awesome last night, but the Mets line up was unable to muster more than 1 run off of Livan Hernandez and the Nats defeated the Mets 2-1 in walk-off fashion (box score/wrap).

It is really unbelievable how jinxed Johan is in New York. The guy cannot buy a win, even when he pitches 7 innings giving up only 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 7. It's gotten to a point for me where if Johan pitches well, I am actually MORE concerned about the team's ability to win that game. When Johan gets hit, the team usually finds a way to fight back and make things interesting, but not when he pitches well. Then the team finds a way to make errors, or not hit, and leave Johan hanging there. It's very frustrating to watch, and I'm sure even more frustrating if you're Johan...

Although the team had 8 hits on the night, they were unable to push in more than one run, which Ike drove in with a first inning RBI single. They did have a sort of make-shift line up last night, and hopefully Reyes, Pagan and Bay will all return to the line up tonight and that will kick-start the offense. But there is one thing that needs to be asked...

HOW THE HELL DOES LIVAN HERNANDEZ HAVE AN ERA UNDER 3.00?

But I digress...

Despite the Mets success on their previous road trip they are currently 1-3 on this one, and their overall road troubles don't seem to have gone away. The more concerning thing about this road trip is that they're facing the Marlins and Nationals, two divisional rivals, who the Mets have NOT been able to handle this season. Put those two together and you have some serious reason for concern...

But the Mets send Jon Niese tonight to try to even up this current four game set with the Nats. Luis Atilano will throw for Washington tonight at 7:05. The game will air on SNY...

Let's Go Mets!

Santana Against Livan Tonight, Line Up

2010-07-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Here is tonight's line up courtesy of David Lennon on twitter:

Feliciano-8
Tejada-6
Wright-5
Davis-3
Francoeur-9
Carter-7
Blanco-2
Cora-4
Santana-1

I guess Jose needs another night off. Hopefully tonight will be the last of that. Also, it looks like Jerry really wants to keep trying to find ways to get Carter at bats, which I'm fine with, but Bay didn't start on Tuesday either. Does he really need another night off? I'm not sure tonight is the best time to sit him. Also looks like Pagan is getting a little more time to rest, and Barajas has been pretty bad lately, so I like Blanco in there.

Overall...this isn't the normal line up...

But either way...

Let's Go Mets.

Recap: A Win, An Injury, A Rumor, A Rehab

2010-07-01T11:16:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of things I want to recap and give my input on. Normally I would have done them WHILE they were happening but sometimes things get busy...

Last night the Mets defeated the Marlins 6-5 (box score/wrap), despite a poor outing from Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey got pounded to the tune of 12 hits and 4 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings of work. NOT A GOOD NIGHT. Fortunately for the Mets, the offense and bullpen were able to pick Pelfrey up and get the team a win, which helped them avoid the sweep in Puerto Rico. K-Rod came in in the eighth after Parnell put the Mets in some trouble, but K-Rod was able to get Wes Helms to fly out. Then K-Rod made it interesting, again, in the ninth but was able to save the game for the Mets.

The Mets got some nice all-around effort on the offensive end, highlighted by David Wright's 2-5 game with 2 RBI and another pinch-hit RBI from Josh Thole (his second in two night). And not to be the guy who rains on our parade, because I DO think this team is better overall with Barajas behind the plate, BUT...he's now down to .244 and the staff has been getting ripped lately. All I really mean to say by that is, I'm happy the Mets decided to wait before considering extending Rod...

Also of note from yesterday's game was Jose Reyes' last minute removal from the line up due to a his side hurting, which you can read more about on Metsblog, here. In the post, Michael Barron quotes Jerry as saying it had something to do with the turf at Hiram Bithorn Stadium. That wouldn't surprise me much considering the way Gary and Keith talked about the field basically being built on top of a parking lot, and the cement being the base underneath the field. Either way, I hope to see Jose back in the line up tonight, BUT, I also wouldn't be surprised if he needed another night off. Any more missed time than that and I may start getting concerned...

ON TO OLLIE...

I know he's doing rehab starts and all that, but is it really necessary? He has no trade value anyway. The best thing the Mets can hope for is that he "suffers a set back" the same way John Maine did and the team can continue on without him. As for Beltran's rehab seemingly going well, I'm cautiously excited. I know it's cliche and people have been saying this for quite some time, but Beltran REALLY is the best player the Mets can add at the trade deadline....Well....offensive.

Speaking of Cliff Lee, Metsblog notes some rumors here and here regarding how much the Mets would need to give up to get Lee. Here's what I would and wouldn't do...

The following I think can be traded in any combination in order to get Lee, of course with the caveat that they cannot take more than 4 from this list: Josh Thole, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jordany Valdespin, Reese Havens, Bobby Parnell, Brad Holt, Ruben Tejada, Sean Ratliff or Juerys Familia.

NOW, if the Mariners needed one of F-Mart, Wilmer Flores, Angel Pagan or Jenrry Mejia to get the deal done I would NOT want to give up more than one of them combined with NO MORE than two of the guys from the previous list.

Interestingly enough, I think the guy who is closest to untouchable to me is Wilmer Flores. But, I don't think anyone should be off limits right now. The farm system seems to have enough in it that you can make this deal without losing all your top prospects. So Omar, make a deal to make this team a winner. Just be smart about it, and don't give up too much...

Down on the Farm Part 2

2010-06-30T20:16:00.001-04:00

In Buffalo, New York, the Bisons are 41-39 sitting 4.5 games out of 1st place. The Mets Triple-A club has been treading water in the International League due in part to the lack of top notch prospects and mediocre pitching. As a team Buffalo is batting .273, third highest in the league, which is impressive considering the lack of talent. Pitching wise, the Bisons are near the bottom of the league in most of the major categories.

One of only a few bright spots on this staff has been journeyman Pat Misch. The 29 year old left-hander started 7 games for the Mets last year in a spot start role and has spent all of this season pitching in Buffalo, going 7-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 15 starts. Pat was the only Bison selected to appear in the Triple-A all-star game.

Prior to the season, Dillon Gee received a good amount of hype and it was earned taking into account that he pitched very well since he made his pro debut. So far this year, Gee is 7-5 with a ballooning 5.00 ERA. He had a solid start to the season and many people wanted Dillon to see innings on the big league club. Judging from this last month, it seems as if Dillion caught Ollie Perez-itis, he either gives up one run and looks dominant or get wacked for six plus and hits an early shower.

The Buffalo staff is loaded with low ceiling type pitchers, journeymen and prospects that can’t really figure Triple-A out. Take a guy like Dylan Owen, who has all the potential and has been dominant at every minor league destination but he’s struggled since being promoted. Owen is definitely the guy on Buffalo with the highest ceiling, hopefully he’ll mature into a solid back-end of the rotation talent.

Offensively, let’s keep it short and sweet, since there are only a few guys worth mentioning at the moment. One of my favorite minor leaguers is the big 6’5”, sweet swinging lefty, Lucas Duda. In 2010 Lucas is batting .291 between 45 games in Binghamton and 14 in Buffalo. Duda has raw power, he’s a contact type hitter with a good OBP, but he is horrible against lefties and has a high strikeout rate.

The biggest name in Buffalo is the always injured Fernando Martinez. He has plenty of talent but we never get to see it. He’s struggled this year, but has only played in 40 games. I’m not a fan of Martinez and I thought he should have been traded many, many, many, many rumors ago.

Tough Outing From Takahashi As Mets Fall 7-6

2010-06-30T10:46:00.001-04:00

Last night, the Marlins put up a 6 spot in the third inning on Takahashi, but the Mets fought back to tie it in the ninth, only to give the game back on a walk-off hit and lose 7-6 (box score/wrap).

It was nice to see the team fight back late, especially the big game-tying hit from Josh Thole in the ninth. But, it's games like those where you really should win. The team made a heck of an effort to tie it up, but that game needs to get finished off.

Takahashi was roughed up, giving up 6 runs and 9 hits in 5 2/3 innings. After Takahashi was removed the bullpen held things down, until the ninth when Pedro Feliciano gave up the game winning hit to Dan Uggla. If nothing else, we've learned that Takahashi has done a great job for the Mets, BUT that teams look to be catching up to him. He probably shouldn't be a starter for much longer, and with all these Cliff Lee rumors floating around, he may not need to be...

Tonight the Mets try to avoid the sweep in Puerto Rico before heading to Washington for a four game set, which is no easy task considering the success both the Marlins and Nationals have had over the Mets this season. The Mets will send Mike Pelfrey to the mound against Chris Volstad to try to get it done.

Let's Go Mets.

Marlins Lay the Lumber to the Mets in 10-3 Win

2010-06-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

Well, some nights things just don't go your way. Tonight was one of those nights for the Mets and R.A. Dickey, as the Marlins pounded out 10 runs on 9 hits on their way to a 10-3 victory of the Mets in Puerto Rico (box score/wrap).

R.A. Dickey gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, most of them in a big third and just didn't look good tonight. The Marlins were pounding Dickey around, including Ricky Nolasco who had a big double off Dickey early in that big third inning. Tough outings happen, and considering the way Dickey's been pitching this year he was bound to have one less than awesome start, unfortunately, it came tonight. Also, I think the humidity was making it tough for Dickey to control that knuckler, as Gary and Keith noted he had to change his undershirt, probably because he sweat right through it. In any case, Dickey wasn't alone in his struggles tonight as Nieve and Igarashi gave up 5 combined runs in the final four innings to cement the game for the fish.

The highlights of the game for the Mets were provided by Jason Bay who went deep twice in the game. The Mets had 6 hits tonight, two of them homers from Bay, two of them off the bat of Wright, a lead off single from Reyes and a pitch hit from Thole. There was no real help from the rest of the line up. And although Reyes' hit was a lead off one, he was immediately picked off, which was no help to the team, and Thole's hit came when the Mets were already down 7-3 in the eighth. So, as far as important hits go, they were few and far between tonight for the Mets...unless your name happens to be Jason Bay.

But these types of loses happen to even the best teams, so no reason to get worried. The Mets have a chance for redemption tomorrow night at 7:10 when Takahashi takes the mound against Nate Robertson.

Let's Go Mets.

Mets Down 4-1 to the Marlins in the 3rd on SNY, Late Line Up

2010-06-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

Dickey is having a rough third inning against the Marlins, and besides Bay's homer, the Mets look a little tired. Here's the line up courtesy of Metsblog:

Jose Reyes SS
Jesus Feliciano CF
David Wright 3B
Ike Davis 1B
Jason Bay LF
Jeff Francoeur RF
Henry Blanco C
Ruben Tejada 2B
R.A. Dickey P

It's games like this you wish the Mets didn't have 3 catchers...

Down on the Farm

2010-06-28T11:38:00.002-04:00

I’ll be doing a team by team update of the Mets farm system focusing on some of the big name prospects, starting with Binghamton because Kingsport and Brooklyn only started their seasons this week and the FSL team hasn’t gotten all of the draft picks yet.

Shall we say ‘up’ on the farm in Binghamton, New York, the B-Mets are 39-36 and 6.5 games out of first place. They have recently won 9 of their last 11 games.
The pitching for Binghamton has been ordinary at best. Josh Stinson is the only B-Met in the Eastern Leagues top ten ERA’s. He’s been solid of late, not allowing more than 2 earned runs in his last 5 starts. Josh has never really been a highly touted prospect but he’s putting together a solid campaign in 2010.

One of the more well known names on the team is former 1st round pick Eddie Kunz, who has struggled ever since he got his first taste of the big leagues. After finishing 2009 with an ERA of 5.02, the Mets decided to switch Kunz from a reliever to a starter even though he’s always been a closer in college and in his first few minor league seasons. On May 25th Kunz pitched 7 2/3 innings, the longest outing of his career, giving up only 4 hits and not allowing an earned run. Since that game Kunz has been used in a relief role and has allowed 9 earned runs in his last 15 2/3 innings pitched. Eddie still hasn’t really figured the professional ranks out, but that mid 90’s fastball is enough to still have some hope for this once dominating college closer. If Kunz can make it back to the show, he’ll be a middle reliever, probably more of an innings eater than a dominant back of the bullpen arm.

On the offensive side, Kirk Nieuwenhuis has continued to be an excellent surprise from the small Azusa Pacific College. In his three professional seasons, Kirk has been a solid run producer and racked up 145 hits between Single A and Double A in 2009. In the 2010 season for Binghamton, Nieuwenhuis has truly broke out; he is amongst the league leaders in hits, RBI’s and batting average. I see Kirk as a potential Carlos Beltran replacement in the years to come, a guy who can be productive off the bench in key situations, has decent speed (Stole 17 bases in 2009) and has a solid glove. At this point, the only thing holding Kirk back from being a top tier prospect is his high strikeout rate (127 K’s in 2009). Look for Nieuwenhuis to be one of those spring training invitees that makes a huge impact on the coaching staff next spring, much like Angel Pagan did a few years back.

Two other big names in Binghamton are former 1st round pick Reese Havens, and former 5th rounder Zach Lutz, both of whom are currently on the 15-day DL. This has been a huge blow to this team since these guys were playing well before going down. Lutz has done nothing but hit since making his professional debut with Brooklyn, however he lost most of 2008 to a leg injury and hasn’t played for the B-Mets since May 20th. Zach has some raw power; he launched 11 homers in 385 at-bats in 2009 and had 8 homers in his first 126 at-bats in 2010.

Havens’ journey on the farm has hit far more obstacles, however. He had a rough first two minor league seasons; he batted .247 in both 2008 and 2009. The positive of his 2009 campaign was his 14 homeruns, showing the promise the Mets had seen when he was drafted out of South Carolina. Injuries also plagued Havens in his first two minor league seasons and again this year when after a hot start to the season (.338 through 18 games) Havens strained his oblique muscle and has been out since June 11th. According to Toby Hyde of Metsminorleagueblog.com, Reese has only participated in 47% of his teams games. If Havens wants to join his former 1st round draft buddy and Brooklyn teammate Ike Davis, then he’s going to need to stay on the field. All the tools are there, if he can stay healthy he has a great shot at being the Mets future second basemen, considering he continues to progress like he has the last year and a half.
Stats courtesy of milb.com, b-mets.com

Mets Go Deep, Beat Twins 6-0 To Take the Series

2010-06-27T21:20:00.000-04:00

David Wright, Jeff Francoeur and Ike Davis powered the Mets to a 6-0 victory behind some great pitching from Niese and the bullpen (wrap/box score).

Today was a total team effort, great pitching and some good hitting as well. Francoeur, Feliciano and Wright all had three hits for the Mets. Ike Davis also brought it today, going 2-4 with the homer and 2 runs scored.

On the hill, Niese was great going 6 innings and giving up only 4 hits and 3 walks. The bullpen also got the job done tossing 3 scoreless innings after Niese left the game.

Today was a great day on the field for the Mets, but not a great day off it. Both Jenrry Mejia and Angel Pagan are injured, as Mejia went down today with shoulder stiffness, as relayed here. Meanwhile, Angel Pagan continues to be out with some muscle issues on his side. Originally expected to be back tomorrow, Metsblog is reporting it'll probably be another few days.

Tomorrow the Mets head to Puerto Rico to take on the Marlins. Game one features R.A. Dickey against Ricky Nolasco at 7:10. The team just needs to keep winning series, and what a better way to start than taking the first of three tomorrow night...

Let's Go Mets.

Mets/Twins Today at 1:10, Line Up Time

2010-06-27T11:28:00.000-04:00

Here's the line up for today's game as Niese and the Mets take on the Twins and Scott Baker. Today's line up is courtesy of the New York Mets on twitter:

Reyes-6
Feliciano-8
Wright-5
Davis-3
Bay-7
Barajas-2
Francoeur-9
Tejada-4
Niese-1

According to Metsblog, here, it looks like Pagan needs another day off, but should be ready to go in Puerto Rico tomorrow against the Marlins.

The Mets could really use a big performance from Niese (as could my fantasy team) today to get the team the series win.

Let's Go Mets.

Pavano Awesome as Twins Silence Mets 6-0

2010-06-27T09:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the Mets lost their first game of the season with me in attendance 6-0 to the Twins (box score).

The story of the game is simple. Pavano was great, and Santana was not. Johan got lit up for 4 runs in the first, while Pavano only allowed three hits all game. Two of those hits were surrendered to Francoeur who reach on a bunt single and a single to right.

It was a tough game to watch as a Mets fan because Pavano looked like Cy Young out there today, throwing nothing but strikes, and erasing any baserunners that reached with double plays almost immediately.

The Mets look to take the rubber-game of the series today at 1:10 when Niese heads to the mound to face Scott Baker...

Let's Go Mets.

Santana vs. Pavano Today at 1:10, Line Up

2010-06-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

I'm putting my perfect record on the line when I head to the "Citi" today to watch the Mets take on the Twins. Can I stay undefeated?

Here's the line up charged with keeping the Mets undefeated at games I attend (courtesy of Adam Rubin on twitter):

Reyes - 6
Feliciano - 8
Wright - 5
Davis - 3
Bay - 7
Barajas - 2
Francoeur - 9
Cora - 4
Santana - 1

Looks like Barajas feels good enough to return, and that Alex Cora is getting his weekly start today. It sounds like Pagan will need at least another day off, so Feliciano is still in there.

Anyway, I'll see you in the "Citi"...

Let's Go Mets.

Great Team Performance as Mets Win 5-2

2010-06-25T22:27:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a great example of how the Mets have become a complete team, in their 5-2 win tonight over the Twins (box score).

Pelfrey pitched great today after giving up a lead off bomb to Denard Span. I was a little concerned after the homer that we were looking at another tough outing for Big Pelf, but he rebounded well and went 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. After perfect innings in the 7th (Parnell) and the 8th (Feliciano), K-Rod made things very interesting before he shut the door. Tonight was yet another example of why K-Rod should keep his opinions about his own team, specifically the bullpen, to himself. Tonight they preserved the lead for him, no problem. He then immediately went out and put the tying run at the plate before retiring the final two batters to save the game. I like K-Rod, but I like him better when he's not talking...

At the plate, the Mets did the good job, again. Led by Wright going 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Bay, Davis and Reyes also drove in runs, while Ruben Tejada extended his hit streak to 9 games, just narrowly missing his first career homer. Tejada is hitting .264 on the year, and made a great play in the field today. Did I mention that this was a great idea, to play this kid and eliminate Cashstealo? Man, last year injuries killed the Mets but this year, "injuries" have forced management to make the RIGHT moves...

Tomorrow the Mets look for their second consecutive series win, when they send Santana to the hill against Carl Pavano. I'll be at the game, should be fun.

Let's go Mets.

Mets vs. Twins Just Minutes Away, Line Up Time

2010-06-25T18:57:00.000-04:00

He's tonight's line up and pregamer courtesy of Metsblog.com:

Reyes SS
Feliciano CF
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Thole C
Francoeur RF
Tejada 2B
Pelfrey P

Should be fun to see Thole starting tonight, giving Blanco a day off who's been filling in for Barajas, who's been out with back spasms the last couple games. Also, looks like Pagan needed another day off. Hopefully, he'll be back tomorrow...interesting that Feliciano is hitting second again. Oh, wait...nevermind it's not interesting, it's JERRY.

Anyway, looks like a nice night for a rebound.

Let's go Mets.

Comeback Falls Short as Mets Lose to Tigers 6-5

2010-06-25T10:41:00.000-04:00

The Mets got down early but made a nice effort trying to come back, but just couldn't do it and ended up falling to the Tigers 6-5 (box score/wrap).

The only thing I'm going to say about last night's game is that David Wright had the bases loaded with one out in the 7th, against a lefty and struck out. It was a huge at bat and it really sealed the game for the Tigers when Wright and Davis went down in order to end the inning...

But the Mets did win the series and that's the goal, right? It's just hard to see a game slip away especially when it would have put the team in first place...

Tonight Mike Pelfrey and the Mets welcome Kevin Slowey and the Twins to town. Should be fun...

Let's go Mets.