New York Mets 2009

[sonny10305]

Anderson Hernandez started the year off good, but has settled into his usual lack of hitting posture with the Nats. Can't expect much here, but I think it's an upgrade over Berroa, who can't hit or field. Possibly Wilpon is out there in case there is a trade possibility brewin' that might require $$$ flowing somewhere. I don't know. Pavano was traded to the Twins today, so there is still stuff going on, and the Padres are desparate to get rid of just about everybody. Maybe they're scouting Adrian Gonzalez!! I can dream, can't I?! I'll be gone for about a week, off to the beach in Delaware. Let's go METS!!

I still see no need for Hernandez but I dono if he is even an upgrade from Berroa.
Reyes will not be back, Castillo should be ok this weekend, so with Cora and Castillo we should be in good shape in the infield. I just get so frustrated when the Mets bring in a guy like Hernandez to help with the bleeding, he is basically useless. What is the point.

As for Wilpon maybe he will fire Omar while he is there, that would be a positive.

I wanted to say that I did not mean to dump on Parnell in my earlier thread.. No one would be happier than me to see the kid do well, I always root for any guys in his position. I do root for him but truth be told I just don't thonk he is ready. Please let me be wrong.

Have a great time at the beach syam, I shall miss your posts

 

[Absolut]

sonny, I was going to quote what you said during our series...

But it doesn't warrant that. You said everything I already thought.

I love reading what you say. That'll never change.

Thank you!

 

[sonny10305]

sonny, I was going to quote what you said during our series...

But it doesn't warrant that. You said everything I already thought.

I love reading what you say. That'll never change.

Thank you!

Well babe I love watching good baseball and the Cards always provide that.
Just to be able to Watch Pulois alone is baseball at it's best.
The team has a lot goin on and it is a kick having you here at JUB to talk about them the way you do.

As to "doesn't warrant that" I assume you are referring to Brad Thompson.
The latest news, in case you have not heard, is that Thompson has been suspended for three games and fined for throwing that pitch at David Wright's head.
David said he was satisfied with MLB's prompt response, he also said "That doesn't take back what he did."

 

[Sausy]

When Ollie pitches his best game of the year....and K Rod implodes and gives up five runs,topped off by the grand slam by the young shortstop....you know this is NOT your year.I'm back,though VERY few seemed to miss me the past week and a half,or care to notice...but the Mets seem farther from a possible wild card contender than ever at this point,now after losing two in San Diego 51-58.

I'm happy to see at least David Wright is surging.But we know he'd rather see the team doing better,but with the injuries(The hamstring tear on Jonathan Niese,who was just starting to show he is a really viable option for next year,and has some serious talent....damn,I really feel for him and wish him a full recovery by next spring training) and the incosistency,it's just not happening this year.The best we can hope for is that our guys play with heart and passion and end this truly disappointing season opening up CitiField on a hopeful note going into next year.It is essential though that Omar Minaya plan on making sure this offseason that we become deeper throughout the organization,one of his biggest failures to address for this season.Good top to bottom organizations can find ways to not suffer dramatic consequences regarding injuries to key personnel.

 

[sonny10305]

Seriously saucy, last night was a true you gotta be kiddin me moment
Oliver Perez finally tosses a one run gem only to end up with a no decision thanks to K-Rod.
I was so excited to see Ollie pitching so well, imagine our Ollie only giving up two walks with 58 of 93 pitches for strikes and going all the way to the 6th. Of course we all know he has pitched well one day and crashed and burned the next so we will see how he does against Arizona next week. Keep it going Ollie, we need you more than ever now.

K-Rod has now blown back-to-back saves, and has given up 16 runs in his last18 innings pitched. Remember last week I wrote about my concern for the fastball/change up velocity differential ? Well Frankie is having the same problem only much worse. Hey Billy Wagner….want your old job back?

I would love to blame our loss on that lame call by the umpire in the 9th. A most important call that was clearly blown by the home plate umpire. But I have always said that umpire calls kinda even out cause in some games we get um even though ewe should not have and some times, like in that call last night we don’t. So I put the blame on Frankie and our lack of offense.

Big night for Bobby Parnell tonight, make us proud bobby go get em.

 

[Sausy]

Seriously saucy, last night was a true you gotta be kiddin me moment
Oliver Perez finally tosses a one run gem only to end up with a no decision thanks to K-Rod.
I was so excited to see Ollie pitching so well, imagine our Ollie only giving up two walks with 58 of 93 pitches for strikes and going all the way to the 6th. Of course we all know he has pitched well one day and crashed and burned the next so we will see how he does against Arizona next week. Keep it going Ollie, we need you more than ever now.

K-Rod has now blown back-to-back saves, and has given up 16 runs in his last18 innings pitched. Remember last week I wrote about my concern for the fastball/change up velocity differential ? Well Frankie is having the same problem only much worse. Hey Billy Wagner….want your old job back?

I would love to blame our loss on that lame call by the umpire in the 9th. A most important call that was clearly blown by the home plate umpire. But I have always said that umpire calls kinda even out cause in some games we get um even though ewe should not have and some times, like in that call last night we don’t. So I put the blame on Frankie and our lack of offense.

Big night for Bobby Parnell tonight, make us proud bobby go get em.

I hate to say I didn't see your comment on K-Rod's velocity differentialbut clearly he is not anywhere he needs to be right now,and it's killing us.

Definitely terrific job by Bobby Parnell on Wednesday against the Cards,closing the last three innings and getting his first save.They were stretching him out with the possibility of adding him to the rotation,and the horrible injury with Niese sped up the process.Hoping as well that Bobby,who was exclusively a starter in the Mets system til they put him in the pen with his electric stuff last season after his promotion,has a great effort tonight.Sonny as we all know loves those great young arms,and so does Sausy!

 

[Scrub]

SAUSY
















*Runs quickly out of the Mets thread*

 

[sonny10305]

I hate to say I didn't see your comment on K-Rod's velocity differentialbut clearly he is not anywhere he needs to be right now,and it's killing us.

See thst, ya gotta read everyday. This is what I wrote:
This is the first time Santana has ever pitched against the Rockies. My only concern is Johan’s fastball which has been very inconsistent. We have seen him throw 88-90 MPH one day and then 93-94 the next which is puzzling to me. The other problem with that is that variation in his fastball speed effects greatly his change up speed, His strike outs have also diminished. Really looking forward to watching him today. I wanna see a more consistent fast ball and relative change up speed today, then I will feel better. Even if he does not yet strike out a lot of guys if he gets that speed under control I will be satisfied. .


Sonny as we all know loves those great young arms,and so does Sausy!

But.....why do I think it's for two different reasons.

 

[Sausy]

SAUSY
















*Runs quickly out of the Mets thread*

Aww,Scrub....one Philllies fan who can post and hang here anytime!

But.....why do I think it's for two different reasons.

Thanks for putting back up your comments about Rodriguez,sonny...you always seem to notice something and have it down spot on.Didn't spend any time on JUB on my little break but definitely will keep up with your posts!

Well,not for two different reasons,but I'll gladly plead guilty to two reasons!!!

 

[sonny10305]

Aww,Scrub....one Philllies fan who can post and hang here anytime!

Absolutely!

Scrub is always welcome, and she doesn't even have to play nice.
I mean look at some of the abuse we Mets fans have to take from Abs.

 

[sonny10305]

Yeah, like I been sayin Parnell ain’t ready

I really wanted to be wrong on that one, it would have been a thrill to see him dominate and win last night. I was concerned over his pitch repertoire and hoped he would have worked on his secondary pitches before last night’s game. I was also surprised to se him have such control issues. He ended up throwin almost 70 pitches and allowed four hits, three walks, and only one strike out. He even hit a batter.
I have seen his fastball and it is a good one and has been in the upper 90s. Last night was no exception but as I warned yesterday the Padre would quickly get him figured out and beat him up. You may have noticed proof of that in the first inning with the first batter Tony Gwynn who he walked on seven pitches — all of them fastballs. In fact my first oh, oh moment came when he walked Gwynn, he threw 7 or 8 pitches and ALL of them were fastballs. Not Good. In fact surprisingly bad. The only other pitch I saw him throw was a slider, no really effective third pitch like maybe a change up. He really, really needs that.
Figueroa was no better, seriously, a bases loaded walk?

As of today Bobby is still in the rotation.
By the way, Where the Hell is Maine, we have heard nothing in quite a while.

Mets offense has gone back into a coma, not even DWright had anything going last night. Did you know that Brian Schneider is now hitting .197.

Looks like the beards the boys were growing are not working to help em get back to .500. In fact it seems to have made it worse. I get the solidarity but it was a goofy idea anyways. I liked the shaved heads of last year that was kinda cool. But the beard thing was just silly. Francoeur has already shaved (his wife begged him) D Wright has trimmed his and I think Daniel (the Irish hammer) trimmed his las well. He looked awful.

Hey, I gotta write about something, sure ain’t much to say about how the boys are playing theses days.
I a not here to beat up on my guys, I do of course from time to time when they deserve it but this now would just be like kicking a dog when it’s down. I just ain’t gona do it.

Recently I wrote about his ridiculous some of the calls being made by the umps this year. I also mentioned how I figured it all balanced out with the Mets getting some they shouldn’t have, and not getting some they should. Well we lost a call at the plate on I think it was Friday and then sure enough we got even with a call in the fifth with Cabrera we should not have gotten . Cabrera was soooo safe.
Even the fans started booing the umps with almost every call after that fiasco. Talk about the ump being blind, Jezz. But we got the call so, Naa na na na naa na na na

Ray of hope Santana pitches today, but with no Met offense to support him he better keep those Padres in check. I’m pitching today so I will miss the game. Hope I have something to look forward to watching the replay.

 

[sonny10305]

I believe it is time to remind everyone that Johan Santana is a GOD.

With the Win yesterday he now has 13 and is tied for first place in NL wins.
Last year he finished with 16 wins but that should have been a lot more had it not been for our drop dead miserable ’08 bull pen, (or as saucy called it "poison pen") and all those blown saves.
It was also great to se K-Rod bounce back, throwin heat again. That fastball was smoking.
Guess maybe Frankie heard about how well Billy Wagner has been pitching. Billy pitched a scoreless inning Saturday for Single-A St. Lucie, using 15 pitches and allowing just one single. He has not allowed a run in four innings while pitching in four minor-league rehab games.
Don’t worry Frankie, Billy doesn’t want his old job back……or does he.
Actually the rumor mill has been working overtime regarding a possible trade for Wagner.

Great to see Castillo back in good form, did you know Luis has the best on base percentage in the NL?

D Wright is now third in Hitting in the NL just a bit ahead of Pulois. Ok so it’s jus one point.

I was happy with Anderson Hernandez first appearance; it showed me maybe he could turn out ok. The first thing I saw in him that made me smile was in his first at bat with 2 strikes he hit a single and an RBI. See that is what you are supposed to do on 0-2, ya put the ball in play. Good man!

Some good news from the minors, one of my favorite up and coming pitchers, Jenrry Mejia, who had been on the DL, is back and had a great outing in a simulated game on Saturday. Mejia, one of the top pitching prospects in the Mets organization, took another step forward in his recovery from the strained right finger that has kept him from pitching since June 23 and on the disabled list since July 4.Mejia said he felt ready to return to the B-Mets' rotation.
Mejia pitched two innings in the simulated game, and the pitching couch said Jenrry was outstanding. Most important of all he felt no discomfort in his finger and his command was better than expected.
Before getting hurt Mejia' was 0-3 with a 3.74 ERA in four Double-A starts. In 21 innings with the B-Mets, he struck out about 25 batters I think.Mejia was ranked as the seventh best prospect in the Mets organization by Baseball America before the season started. But it was his awesome start at A St. Lucie, where he went 4-1 which made a lot of people in the organization take even more notice. Remember his name. I am so excited for this kid.

My other boy and the one closest to my heart is Brad Holt, You may remember I told you guys about an outstanding talk I had with him last year at a Cyclones game in Brooklyn.
Brad is now with the B-Mets and the St. Luice pitching coach is singing Brads praises. He has dominated the big boys in a pitching about 35 innings and only allowing six runs, of which only 5 were earned. He also struck out I believe it was 45 batters and walked only about 5. That’s an ERA of 1.19 over seven starts.

Two names to remember Meija and Holt, who along with Niese are the Santana’s of the future

Big Pelf is back fro his new daddy chores to face the Diamondbacks tonight, he goes up against Doug Davis.

 

[Absolut]

I mean look at some of the abuse we Mets fans have to take from Abs.

I don't know what you are referring to.
































.

 

[Sausy]

^Wait til next year,Abs!

Hmm,sounding like a Cubs fan.....not good!



Well,sonny....it looks like the Mets rotation may be comprised of God and the Four Mortals as Mike Pelfrey looked rusty and very shaky after an eight day layoff.Santana was wonderful,giving us eight powerful innings last night but we can never sustain it,that apparently flukish five game winning streak nonwithstanding.Mike's still got a world of potential but he's got to start performing to it.

And the Mets offense always seeems to resume its pattern of grinding to a halt....or when they actually threaten to make it interesting instead of a meek surrender,something happens like Fernando Tatis lining out.At least the Mets won't tear out the hearts of the Mets fans with yet another late season collapse....they've just not really gotten it on with the injuries and inconsistent,lackluster play.

Great article in tthe Sunday Post from Joel Sherman detailing ways the Mets can affordably get back into serious contention next year...obviously it would help to have Carlos Beltran,Jose Reyes,JJ Putz,and maybe Carlos Delgado(re-signing him for one year is still in the realm of possibility)back at full strength.Joel suggests the Mets sign possible Type B free agents(which would allow them to keep their first round draft pick,unlike having to lose that pick if they signed a Type A free agent)Chone Figgins of the Angels and Mark de Rosa of the Cards,versatile,solid players who would provide first class depth in the case of first string injuries.And they would provide real firepower off the bench.Figgins in particular who's a pretty patient,solid hitter for average with good speed and aggressiveness and defensive skills would be ideal in this situation.

Well,nothing much has changed....they make a late run in the ninth with RBI hits by Daniel Murphy and Angel Pagan,and Luis Castillo,who is mentioned as striking out frequently as of late,with David Wright on deck struck out.lAfter starting to get to closer Jack Squalls,lose 7-4.We better get everything back big time next year....Mets fans are owed that by this club we all love still with a passion but have too often toyed with and broken our hearts.

 

[Sausy]

Oops....meant to say Anderson Hernandez and Angel Pagan had RBI hits in the Mets ninth inning too little,too late 2 run rally.Daniel Murphy scored on Hernandez' RBI double.

 

[sonny10305]

I don't know what you are referring to.

Oh I know thats cause you are aleays so suttle
Love ya dude

I have to agree with that article, Right now it's all about next year.
Fortunatly we are rid of Tont B. and perhaps the farm system can be devoled by someone more capable. Our lack of prospects other than the formentioned pitchers is a very real problem.
Our team has been ravashed by injuries, at one point we had 12 guys on the injury list, TWELVE!
At this point there really is no realistic reasom to even bring Reyes or Beltran back, let em fully recover and return in '10. Only Delgado has a purpose in returning cause he has a job to fight for. He needs to show his worth before next season to get re signed. We are what we are, and that ain't so good.



Embarasing game last night, rather pitiful, sluggish baseball. Bush league stuff like throwing to the wrong bases and committing mental and physical errors at just about every level. Total lapse of fundamentals

Pelfrey was lost out there again, I get it, he just had the baby, prolly very tired and probably did not get much rest, new babies can be a drain on you. Sounds like an excuse I know but I am giving Mike a pass here. What made things worse was a surprisingly bad game by Omir Santos. Santos and Pelf were not in sync at all. How many times did we see Mike throw a pitch to no target with Santos not set up? How can he throw strikes like that? Seriously I am putting the bad pitching performance almost as much on Santos as I am Pelfrey.

Then there were all the defensive mistakes, OMG what a bunch of little leaguers out there, Pagan is beginning to scare me and Murphy and Hernandez did what??? Where the Hell was Murph in that play and why the Hell did Anderson assume Daniel was covering and throw the ball away to an empty first base. Can I get another OMG!
The error went to Hernandez but Murph took full blame for the fuck up he motioned to Anderson and pointed to his chest mouthing “my fault”

Tonight David Wright will get a much needed day off, he plays every day and needs to take a break he has not had a day off since May 30

There is nothing left to say, our boys are really falling apart. A game like last nights was very hard to watch.

Maybe what the boys need is for all of them to go out get themselves laid. (Joking of course)

Tonight it’s Livan Hernandez and Max Scherzer

 

[sonny10305]

Just about everyday my mail box and cell phone is full of could be, maybe, and rumors in general. I don’t put a whole lot into that stuff at first. But this story is growing and I thought maybe it was time to share for those who have not heard about.
I am a big get rid of Minaya supporter, I have no use for the guy, more than ever after the whole Tony B thing. I had predicted Omar would be gone at seasons end. What is circulating around now is that maybe, just maybe, we will be rid of Omar sooner rather than later.
What is being said is that assistant GM John Ricco will soon replace Minaya. Possibly teaming him up with Gerry Hunsicker who I have a lot of respect for and believe he should be in charge of player development. That man would get the job done.
At the moment Omar (you know, I don’t know what the HELL I’m doin) Minaya has given that job to Adam Wogan, but it is supposedly temporary. In order for the Mets to painlessly get Omar out of the GM spot the Mets could reassign him, (they owe him to much money to just dump the fool) keep him around somewhere he could be as little trouble as possible while Ricco runs things.
If you think we as fans are fed up with the way things are going with the Mets, imagine how the front office and owners feel. They gotta do this…..NOW!

I get so excited when I hear about how well Billy Wagner is doing coming back from surgery. I wrote a bout his progress and now he pitched another great game yesterday. Billy threw 14 pitches in a scoreless inning yesterday for Single-A St. Lucie.
He has not allowed a run in five rehab appearances, and reported are saying that he hit 92 mph on the radar gun, had good command, while mixing in some off-speed pitches as well…
At this accelerated rate, expect Billy to be activated by the Mets as soon as Sunday,
Now I dono where exactly Wagner would fit in perhaps in the 7 spot or even the 8 spot for Putz till he returns. Billy could also be traded. He does have an option for next year with the Mets, although he has a no-trade clause in his contract, Billy has said that he would waive it to pitch for a contending team.


What I got out of last nights game is that Livan Hernandez spot in the rotation is beginning to crack. He has now given up 34 earned runs in his last 36 innings. He ain’t foolin anyone on the opposing teams, they have his number and have no problem hitting him. Plus is he ever ahead in the count
As to the Mets offense, why are all the boys suddenly swinging at every pitch, sooo many strikes that should have been balls.

Glad D Wright was able to pinch hit, he has been suffering with a stomach virus. But man he looks beat. In fact a lot of the boys look out of it.

So today we will see if Ollie can continue with his better than usual last start or have another meltdown. Jon Garland will be on the mound for D-Backs.

FIRE OMAR!!!

 

[Sausy]

Omar could become involved in the scouting side of the front office.....he has baseball talent and is well liked.The GM position however may not be for him.Omar was once really well regarded,perhaps being involved in scouting would be more his thing.I hate to be too nasty,but as instrumental as he was in getting the club back into serious contention you can't dismiss the positive aspects especially from 2005 up through most of 2007,before the great collapse.His inability to build up the minor league system,the often chaotic,disorganized front office performances and his penchant for going with aged players past their prime and inability to foster a winning,confident clubhouse/organizational culture has just proven too much to keep overlooking.This club needs a major overhaul in the front office and the team culture that I ,while not expecting these rumors to reach such a serious fever pitch so soon think it just may happen as well,sonny.


Though I would,in the name of fairness and civility and generosity of spirit,think the fan's cry should be

Re-assign Omar!!!

 

[Sausy]

Looks like Billy Wagner should indeed be ready for activation on Sunday.In all likelihood,if he performs well and shows good velocity and decent command,he will be traded to a contender by the August 31 waiver deadline for eligibility during the postseason.Hopefully we can get a decent prospect for him.

Not great news on the Carlos Delgado front,suffering a setback in his rehab from hip surgery and returning to New York for tests that have revealed a pulled oblique muscle,not related to his surgery but still a disappointing setback.These types of injuries can take a while to fully heal,so likely we won't be seeing Carlos returning this year.

And we thought Mike Pelfrey's yips were embarassing earlier this season...Arizona pitching through passed balls and wild pitches gift wrapped the Mets three of their six runs today.David Wright was healthy again after not starting yesterday due to a stomach virus and looked much better getting three hits and scoring two runs...Fernando Tatis also had three hits,driving in David Wright and getting himself into a rundown that allowed Jeff Francouer to score an additional run.Cory Sullivan got his second triple of the game driving in another(he has played very well,especially defensively since the Mets brought him up),and Luis Castillo pinch hit an RBI single in the Mets 6-3 victory over Arizona.At least they kept themselves from a three game sweep by Arizona.

I tell you though,Ollie Perez never seems to stop courting disaster allowing six walks and throwing over 100 piches in just over six innings.Ollie isn't going to change....though at least he bends but doesn't break his outings almost inevitably tax the bullpen because with the exception of his previous start he is fortunate to get six innings because his high pitch count is going to include lots of balls compared to strikes.Efficiency just never seems to be something he strives to become better at.It's a shame because he has great stuff,but he can't or won't control it...and he always will leave you risking a meltdown.Not the kind of pitcher you can count on in the tough games and he may never come to adjust and adapt and really become a master at pitching.

Speaking of pitching masters,Philly blew out the Cubs(that should tickle Abs pink)and the starter and winner for the Phils was Pedro Martinez.He wasn't really sharp but didn't need to be with the run support tonight(he went five,gave up seven hits and three runs,five strikeouts).I'm glad to see him back in the majorsand showing he can still show considerable ability,even if it's with those dastardly Phillies!I wish him the best,except against the Mets.Still a matter of pride!

 

[sonny10305]

Great post as always saucy.

Let me just make a few comments
First of all I hear what you are saying about Omar, but like they say, what have you done for me lately, and in his case not much. My main problem is I no longer trust him, his handling of the Tony B situation and the Adam Rubin fiasco turned me off on him. I started to think about the mess the Mets are in and injuries aside how much he is a part of that. He never should have allowed Tony B to run the farm system into the toilet. Of course he is a lot to blame for that as well. I do agree about the re-assign idea, in fact I wrote about that in yesterdays post.
I already wrote about Wagner yesterday, as you said if all goes well he should be back Sunday.I want to see him pitch before I make up my mind on whether or not I want to keep him or trade him. A lot will depend on how well Putz comes back. Of course if need be he will fly through wavers with that 10 million he’s got comin.

You mentioned Delgado and I am beginning to think that along with Reyes and Beltran we have seen the last of him for this year. Problem for Carlos is he need to prove his worth; he has no contact for ’10. Funny if not scary thing about the Mets injuries, once they go on the DL or injury list……we never hear from them again.

The Mets played a good game yesterday, you mentioned that Tatis play and lemme tell you that was exciting to see. I was on my feet as Tatis sacrificed himself for that rundown. That second baseman forgot all about Francour on third who scored. That was fun!
Then there was Santos and his absolutely fabulous plays at the plate. Totally awesome!
Of course I have to mention Cory Sullivan and that take out slide which broke up that double play. That is how you do it! Cory has been terrific; he took that lead off position and ran with it. Taking full advantage of the opportunity. I love that kid!

D Wright was back in form looking and feeling much better. Of course I expected him to get better pitches to hit with Sheffield up next protecting him, and he did. David made me a little nervous when he seemed to limping a bit moving over to second base. David said he is fine just a little temporary soreness behind his knee. David did not want to be checked out by the doctor although Manual had asked him to. He appeared to be fine later in the locker room, so big WHEW!

As to Perez, well he pitched five and had a way to high pitch count. Amazing how with all the trouble he got into the D-Backs did not score more runs. Ollie was able to pitch himself out trouble way to many times, he got in trouble in just about every inning. Good he got out of it but bad that he got himself in that predicament in the first place. Basically he did not pitch well and yet he got away with it. But that’s our Ollie. His bowing motion before each pitch is supposed to help him center himself. I keep waiting for a Japanese gong to go off every time he does that. Anyways, yesterday when he should have finished his delivery in a straight forward motion he was off to the right a bit, He made no adjustment and wondered if Worthen talked to him about that.

I mentioned K-Rods velocity had returned the other day, but yesterday it slowed down again. What’s up tht Frankie??

Day off today, a couple of the guys plan on relaxing with a game of golf, one or two others have said they plan on sleepingall day. What ever they do come back Friday ready for to fight, 49 games to go.

Friday we see Bobby Parnell again, this time against the Giants with Zito on the mound for SF. Well at least we won’t see Lincecum in this series.