New York Mets 2010

[sonny10305]

Jon Niese held the Twins scoreless through six innings yesterday. He struck out five, walked three, and most impressive were those 12 groundouts. Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano and Bobby Parnell each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. By shutting out the Twins, the Mets finish the season with a 13-5 record in interleague play and won their 11th shutout of the season which leads the NL.

Our bats came alive as well with David Wright, Jeff Francoeur, and Ike Davis who each hit a homer and together they combined for 5 RBI and 4 runs scored. Dwright hit his 154th career home run yesterday putting him fourth place on the club's all-time list.


I am sorry to tell you all that Angel Pagan has suffered a setback and won't start tonight as expected. He experienced discomfort while taking batting practice from the left side but says he is fine while batting right handed. So since the tonight’s Marlins pitcher is a right hander Angel will sit it out, but Tuesdays Marlins pitcher is a lefty and unless Angel suffers some kind of setback he will play then.

Meanwhile in AA Jenrry Mejia was removed from his start yesterday with right shoulder stiffness, Dono what that means yet so stray tuned.


Looks like unless something changes today Josh Thole will be making the trip to Puerto Rico with the team, Because the Mets starters have been going deep and the pen has had it easier the Mets have decided to balance the roster with one less man in relief and keep one more position player on the bench which would be a third catcher. Hope that doesn’t change, I know Josh is happy about that.

The Mets begin a three-game series against the Marlins tomorrow night Puerto Rico, with RA Dickey taking on Ricky Nolasco This has to be a lot of fun for the Latino players in the club, goin home seeing family and friends and taking the other boys and showing them around. Good fun for all.

Every now and then Keith Hernandez says something innocently funny as well as many deliberately funny things I just have to share with you what he said last night which was
"Hitters today are more spread open with their legs." Oh Keith
Gary Cohen also made a bo bo when he said last nights game would be the last time for us to see the Al at Citi. Um Gary....how abut the World Series??? He later corrected the remark by saying it was the last chance to see inter league play this year at Citi. Better Gary

 

[syam24]

Sorry to see interleague play over, the Mets carried the day against the AL teams they played. The Mets opened up the HR box yesterday with 3 from Wright, Frenchie, and Ike, and another superb effort from Jon Niese. On to PR for a series against the San Juan Marlins. Would love to see pics of the boys in their short USA soccer shorts and tops from the usual rookie hazing stunt. Newspaper stories hinted at some fun stuff. Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

Would love to see pics of the boys in their short USA soccer shorts and tops from the usual rookie hazing stunt. Newspaper stories hinted at some fun stuff. Let's go Mets!!

I have the pictures but sadly they are not all that fun, the shirts are pretty tight but that's about it. In past years the boys had to wear some really wacked out clothes. The Mets' rookies were required to wear USA soccer jerseys and shorts for their trip to Puerto Rico. This included Niese, Ike Davis, Chris Carter, Jesus Feliciano, Hisanori Takahashi and Ryota Igarashi, they even got Takahashi's and Igarashi's interpreters
I have posted the pictures fom past years in previous posts and it was fun. But this year not much imagination went into the hazing
I am supposed to get more pictures from Puerto Rico tonight if I get any good ones I will post them

 

[Sausy]

I have the pictures but sadly they are not all that fun, the shirts are pretty tight but that's about it. In past years the boys had to wear some really wacked out clothes. The Mets' rookies were required to wear USA soccer jerseys and shorts for their trip to Puerto Rico. This included Niese, Ike Davis, Chris Carter, Jesus Feliciano, Hisanori Takahashi and Ryota Igarashi, they even got Takahashi's and Igarashi's interpreters
I have posted the pictures fom past years in previous posts and it was fun. But this year not much imagination went into the hazing
I am supposed to get more pictures from Puerto Rico tonight if I get any good ones I will post them

I'm sure if they're any good you will,sonny.

Not a great night tonight from Puerto Rico,as R.A. Dickey's wonderful 6-0 express got a bit derailed tonight....hit for five runs in five innings and Mets lose 7-3 in the opener of the three game series with the Florida Marlins in Puerto Rico.Jason Bay found his power stroke tonight connecting for two homers,driving in all three runs for the Mets.That's the one thing he hasn't done consistently this season....been a solid outfielder and a really aggressive,underrated baserunner with five triples and 10 steals,hitting for decent average...now do what Jason Bay is paid to do and drive those runners in!
But games like this always frustrate,though the good thing about the Mets this year is they can rebound quickly from a flat,ugly performance.Just hoping we continue to keep these bad notes to a minimum.

David Wright I read was hitting .244 and we remember all too well him having all kinds of miseries at the plate at the end of May and here we are nearing the end of June and he now has 14 homers,61 RBI and 22 doubles while being around .300....the strikeouts are still a sore point but as long as his strikeouts are eased by torrid stretches like this past month,production is what matters.He looks much more comfortable now and obviously the pride he has in his performance,wanting so bad to help erase the bad memories of the past three years...David will never slack off working his tail off to get his swing back on track.Seeing him going with authority the other way,not getting too anxious or pull happy but letting the flow of the game come to him it is so good to see him having fun and doing damage again.


Jonathan Niese is just continuing to show with his mastery of several pitches he is a rising top of the rotation stud...six innings last night pretty much having his way with a solid Minnesota lineup as the Mets rebounded Sunday 6-0 from Johann Santana's dismal performance against of all people Carl Pavano Saturday.The disappearance of Johann's fastball,complicated by his less effective changeup,is baffling....one real important reason the Mets have to add another top of the line pitcher to their rotation by the JUly 31 trade deadline.It appears Jennry Mejia's arm ailment isn't too serious but at his young age it is somewhat a concern they have to shut him down for a bit....not a rotator cuff thing but it's scary especially with such a promising young pitcher.

Like I've been saying though,and sonny strongly agrees....we shouldn't give up anything like an Ike Davis(did you guys see his home run Sunday....right center bomb that went approximately 450 ft?!)He's gonna be a 40 home run threat some day soon and his opposite field drives show ridiculous power as well!And twinged muscle or not,no Angel Pagan either in a trade even for Cliff Lee,where would the Mets be without his consistent clutch play especially teaming up with Jose Reyes...what an explosive 1-2 combo!You get Lee he isn't going to agree to a contract before he gets a chance to be a free agent(Scott Boras being his agent just DOES NOT do favors for anyone)so you can't give up the top jewels for a real risk at only a two month rental.Even for Roy Oswalt,it would be TOO much.I heard with Cliff Lee we might have to give up Josh Thole as Seattle wants a catcher,I wouldn't be happy giving up an improving young defensive catcher who has a sold contact bat who can hit potentially .280-.300 with some power as he matures.I guess I'm getting real stingy with prospects

 

[sonny10305]

Terrific thoughts Saucy, God I love your posts. Let me add a couple of things

Beginning with Dickey, I have heard for weeks from so many guys that the second or third time seeing him the other teams would soon figure him out and start to hit against him. I already received a couple of calls telling me “I told ya so” But I am not so sure, first of all Dickey himself will tell you that he doesn’t even understand some of his pitches much less anyone else, secondly I am just not convinced that familiarity was the cause of last nights outing as much as his lack of command. I watched some of his pitches over again and compared the way he threw the ball to other outings (yup I keep and study that stuff), his release point looked inconsistent pitch to pitch and not the same as in other games. You can see last night he was dragging his arm somewhat which probably moved his release point a few inches higher and sooner. It also seemed to me to be going more to the right. For sure his knuckleball was moving in and up toward the batters. What concerned me, and probably Dan and Jerry, is that he was throwin his hard knuckler, which we have seen many times for strikes. but last night he could not get ahead as he often has, and the downside of that is he then couldn’t set up his slower pitch
(the one that floats), that’s the pitch that can be so unpredictable and usually gets em. He is a very smart pitcher, he will look at the video and see what went wrong and make the adjustment, watch and see. I was thinking, last night when Jerry pulled him, and that he should have let him pitch more and work out his problems which I think he would have done. One thing for sure, Dickey would have done better in later innings then our relief guys did.

You know the Marlins are being managed by a rookie when they executed that sacrifice bunt in the first inning with a man on second base and no outs. HUH??

We saw another great outing from an opposing pitcher with Ricky Nolasco who pretty much shut us down, and then he came with that monster double to the centerfield wall. I never knew him to be much of a hitter so that just added salt to the wound.

I had always though playing on that hard turf was tough and Reyes showed that to be true last night. It seemed especially bad at that ball park. No excuses, I’ m just sayin

In the, oh no not him again department Ollie Perez will soon begin a minor league rehab assignment. My concern would be what happens after the 30 days he’s allowed to spend on his assignment?
Be afraid...be very afraid

Carlos Beltran had one hit last night while playing nine innings in center field at St. Lucie. Everyone is wondering how he will feel today after playing nine innings yesterday. If he feels good today he will play another nine (DH) and if that goes well I am thinking we will hear more and more talk about a possible return date If he is sore today kiss any return before the all Star break bye bye

One last note, what a party atmosphere at that game last night.Those fans were having a great time appreciating the game and the home grown talent on the field it just felt so good seeing and hearing that.

 

[sonny10305]

Last nights performance by Takahashi should convince anyone who has any doubts that we have got to go out and get a starting pitcher, come on…how much longer can we wait, Takahashi ain’t gonna cut it, he needs to go back to the pen pronto, his secondary stuff is not good enough. He actually started out looking good last tonight, until he cold no longer find the strike zone in the third inning. If we are not going to make a move on someone like Lee or it is going to take a while to get someone lets at least promote Pat Misch or Dillon Gee for a while. Dillon Gee got his seventh win of the season in a 6-1 win last night in Buffalo he threw a beauty going seven innings giving up three hits, allowing one run and striking out six. and we all know what Misch can do. I know Josh Thole would love to have Pat up here with him. they work so well together.
Come on guys… do something with the pitching please

Any of you who read my stuff know I am all about the new kids, so seeing Chris Carter hit a pinch-hit double to set up Josh Thole’s pinch-hit RBI single to tie the game got me very excited. I know we did not win anyways but those two guys had to have felt really good about themselves. I am sooo proud. Hey Jerry..how bout playing both of those guys tonight? Give a couple of the regulars a night off…lets have some fun

Get ready to roll your eyes, Brian Schneider and Wilson Valdez each hit a three-run homer last night for the Phillies. .

Jenrry Mejia has been put on the seven-day minor-league disabled list with a posterior cuff strain.

Carlos Beltran had one hit in five at bats yesterday, while playing DH. Beltran said after the game that he woke up feeling good this morning, which is encouraging since he played a full nine innings in the field yesterday afternoon for the first time this season. Carlos said they are approaching this day-to-day; there is no set timetable,

Keith Hernandez did it again with one of his WTF did he just say remark
"That's Elmer Dessens. That's just his lower half. Trust me, it's Elmer”
Oh Keith

 

[syam24]

Hopefully, Pelfrey can control the Fishies tonite, never can tell with a ground ball pitcer on turf. Sometimes the balls get thru that would normally be caught. Was a nice late rally last nite, but alas, the Marlins came up with a pair of two out hits to win it. I think we definitely will need an additional starter before too long. Don't know where he will come from, but we'll need some help for the late summer stretch. I think Cliff Lee will be beyond our reach, and he'll be a Yankee next year, damn it!!

 

[sonny10305]

Hopefully, Pelfrey can control the Fishies tonite, never can tell with a ground ball pitcer on turf. Sometimes the balls get thru that would normally be caught. Was a nice late rally last nite, but alas, the Marlins came up with a pair of two out hits to win it. I think we definitely will need an additional starter before too long. Don't know where he will come from, but we'll need some help for the late summer stretch. I think Cliff Lee will be beyond our reach, and he'll be a Yankee next year, damn it!!

We are togther on the pitching saym, I have big doubts we will get Lee. So far the only player the Mets have said they would be wiling to give up is Flores and that won't do it. If the Yankees get him, so be it, as long as it's not NL East team
Oh, and don't forget, Perez starts his rehab today so maybe he wil save us

Freakin shame they could not win last night but the fighting back in late innings was good and that means something.

I have not forgotten about the Hazing photos, it, just that the kid that took them has not given me the ok to post them yet. He is in Puerto Rico so maybe I will speak with him when the Mets go toWashington. The second batch he sent me are better than the first with Davis and Carter in tight shirts and little shorts.They are cute but nothing as wacky as last years stuff.

 

[syam24]

Well, certainly not a pretty game at all. Pelfrey struggled throughout, but an effective job by the bullpen allowed the Mets to escape with a victory. Another great pinch hit by Josh Thole to drive home the lead run, and Bay knockes one in for insurance. Glad we're done with that field in San Juan, hate the turf fields. Now we await word on just how serious Reyes' injury is. Hopefully just a minor tweak of a muscle, with a couple of days of rest getting it better. It's on to DC for games vs the Nats, they've been on a slide, hopefully they'll stay asleep against our MEts. Let's go METS!!

 

[sonny10305]

So we avoid a Marlins sweep taking last nights game 6-5
Mike Pelfrey allowed 12 hits, a walk, three strike outs and 4 runs in 4 2/3. The pen did better than it has lately with Dessens Igarashi, Parnell, and Frankie Rodriguez combined to allow one run over four innings
One of the better outings for our offense and it was good to see that a lot of guys contributed. DWright continues to hit with two doubles last night and Jesus Feliciano doubled as well.

Today is the deadline for All Star voting, lets hope David goes to the All Star game, his comeback theses last few weeks has been impressive both defensibly and offensively and deserves to play.

My boy Josh Thole drove in a run with a pinch-hit single for the second time in the series. He was 3-3 as a DH in the series. Very nice, but I wonder how much longer Josh will be with the team, the reason he is in now is cause we are carrying three catchers and that is because the Mets thought they could afford to have one less reliever and keep a third catcher. But the pen has been very up and own lately and we could probably use another righty in there so maybe Josh will soon find himself back in Buffalo soon. It all depends on how deep the starters go in Washington and how much work the pen gets. Think about the last two days when K-Rod had to be brought in the 8th inning Wednesday and again last night to get a 4 out save. In addition, Parnell pitched two innings and did well in the first inning he pitched but when brought back did not do so well.

Yup syam Jose Reyes was scratched cause during batting practice his back stiffened up, but is expected to be back in the lineup tonight in Washington.

The boys are gonna be a little tired tonight; their plane did not leave till after almost 2 this morning putting them in Washington around 6 am. Hope they got to sleep as much as they need. I was surprised Santana stayed and left with the rest of the team, he should have flown on ahead to get proper rest for his start tonight. You ain’t getting any younger Johan you need beauty sleep

I know the Mets had a great time in Puerto Rico in particular the Latino players I am sure the Mets will agree with syam about that ball park and that very hard playing field which is basically some turf on top of cement. It may have contributed to Jose’s injury, not an easy field to pay on especially when you are not used to it.

I am also glad to get away form that slo poke home plate umpire McClelland who was so S- L- O- W making the calls, I think he is still deciding that call tom Jason bay in the ninth… just ridicules.

But ya gotta love those Puerto Rican fans man on man do they ever get into the game. It was a party atmosphere all three nights with horns of every size and sound blowin all night, along with whistles, Bells, dancing in the aisles, dudes on stilts and beer waves, and a noise level to wake the dead. A good time was had by all. Bless em.

Carlos Beltran went 2-4 with two singles and an RBI last night, while playing nine innings in centerfield. He said he feels better and better everyday and that he has not held back and is playing hard. He even made a diving catch with no hesitation and felt no pain,

Oliver Perez played his first rehab start yesterday and gave up four runs including a pair of homers and five hits in six innings; he only walked one and produced seven strikeouts. Of the 86 pitches he threw 59 were strikes.

Congrats to Pat Misch who will pitch in the interleague AAA All-Star Game. Pat has a 7-3 record with the Bisons and 3.46 era he has struck out 53 batters.
The Pacific league will have Josh Stinson, Nick Evans, Luis Hernandez and Kirk Nieuwenhuis playing in that game which will be held on July 14 at Leigh Valley.

 

[syam24]

What a disappointing loss last nite to LIvan. Should have been expected, I guess, Johan pitches, the Mets don't hit, same old crap! Besides Santana's pitching, with some fastballs at or above 90 mph, not much to get excited about. We better wake up tonight, cause tomorrow it's the Strasburg machine, I'm sure we won't touch him. Need a good game from Jon Niese and some hitting! Let's go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

I usually try and put a positive spin on a Mets loss but not last nights. We should have won that game it was an inexcusable loss. Once again Santana got little to no support; we got some hits but were not able to bring em home. Johan had a nice bounce back start one of his best in a while, striking out seven and allowing just a run on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck em out swinging which is what he had nor been doing. He was also able to finish the job when the count got to two strikes. The last few starts opposing hitters had been able to fight him off and eventually get hits.
With 97 pitches why the hell did Manual Santana out of the game? He absolutely should not have done that and should have let Johan go deeper. Johan wanted to stay in the game but Manual said it would be best not to put a strain on him after he had pitched so well. What the Hell did that mean.
Santana was in a great mood joking laughing and enjoying his successful outing which had to be a relief to him to be able to do. But then Jerry fucked it up and changed Johan’s mood in a flash, Johan went to the showers a not so happy camper. He had just held the Nats down to one run in seven innings and was pulled out of the game on 97 pitches, total BS. Even Johan’s velocity Was up there last night many tome hitting 90-91, which was up from his usual 88-89.
His command was better than its been, and his efficiency was very good. Johan’s MO is swings and misses and throwing fastballs for strikes and that was what he did last night….very encouraging.
The last time Johan had the same surgery he just had to remove bone chips in 2004 he had the same start as the one he is having now, then in the second half he went 18-2 and won the Cy Young that year. Could we se the same thing this year?

The Mets offense could not give him much support to win the game as usual

Do I sound hostile today? Well maybe just a little, sorry I know I wrote a lot on Santana today but I am extremely excited to se him on track again.

If Pagan was fit to hit from the left side last night, why didn’t he just start last night? Angel said he felt good and expects to be in the lineup tonight.
Hear that Manual HE FEELS GOOD AND WANTS TO BE IN THE LINEUP TONIGHT!

 

[syam24]

ANother outstanding game from Jon Niese, he's really in a groove! 8 strikeouts, in total command throughout. Bobby Parnell gave us a good inning, then had to sweat out Dessens and K-Rod. What a great pickoff at second to end the game, and it appears the play was initiated by Tejada at shortstop. Great call for a young player! A perfect throw from KRod, Tejada blocks the bag with his foot and applies the tag, GAME OVER! D Wright had another 3 hits, and Alex Cora bangs a bases loaded triple after it appeared the Mets would blow the bases loaded, no out situation (as usual). Good team effort, a win we needed since we're up against Strasburgh today. The Mets signed Brian Bruney to a contract and he's going to go Buffalo. I'm not big on Bruney, was over rated with the Yankees, and did nothing with the Nationals earler this year.

 

[sonny10305]

Yup syam a better game last night and once again Jon Neise was terrific in seven innings with 6-hits and one run. He struck out 8 and walked none. Soooo are ya convinced yet that he is a stud?
Jon improved to 5-0 and what a thrill for the kid getting his first career extra-base hit and RBI, as well as making a career-high eight strikeouts. Not to shabby a slide into second either
This time, unlike Thursday with Johan, I was happy to see Jerry pull Jon out. He had started to fall behind batters and his pitch count had hit 117.
Of course the pen gave us drama but thanks to Tejada we got the final out.
Syam wroye about Tejada's call for a pickoff throw from K-Rod. Yup it was Rubin who called it and then blocked the base with his foot and applied a tag on Bernadina. Later K-Rod said the pickoff was the last thing he was thinking about, until he saw Tejada break for the bag and flash his glove. It was pure instincts,
not bad for a 20 year-old kid to make that call and have the thought to pull it off in the first place, showed me plenty about his defense skills.
Which brings up a interesting question, what happens to him when Luis Castillo is activated from the disabled list, probably immediately after the All-Star break, there likely won’t be room for Tejada in the majors, but how can a player who contributes so much as Tejada has be sent back to AAA?

As a Mets fan you have to be excited abut the talent we have this year, last year with all our injury problems we were done in by our shortage of relief guys. But look at what we have this year with guys like Tejada, Carter, Pagan and Dickey, it’s really pretty awesome.

Today is going to be fun, the Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg (ya mighta heard about him) on the mound and we have R A Dickey pitching, like I said sooo much fun. I am not playing today I pitch tomorrow so I will get to se the game live and I am so pumped. I was doubly pumped to hear Josh Thole is probably going to catch, and that’s no easy job for him, catching that knuckleballer is a challenge but I guess Manual has enough faith in Josh to let him catch and that is very cool. What a vote of confidence from Manual to Josh, catching Dickey will be a big step in his career I am so excited for him. I sure hope there is no change and Josh gets to do the catching today, I will be watching the game with a couple of good friends of Thole’s, actually there will be 8 of us watching the game and cheering Josh on. Go get em dude. One of my boys is also a close friend of Ike Davis and reminded me that Ike has faced Strasburg before in the Arizona Fall League last year;
he went 0-for-2. Ike has been helping the Mets prepare for Strasburg who according to Ike Has got awesome stuff and throws really hard. He’s got three or four pitches, throws them for strikes, and is intense about coming after you.
R.A. Dickey, meanwhile should not get lost in all the Strasburg hype, lets not forget that Dickey has a 6-1 record with a 2.98 ERA.

 

[Sausy]

I come home from a nightmare day at work at the supermarket,a weekend at holiday hell is the most positive description I can musterand I just can't help but being put in a good mood by one of sonny's fun,informative posts...Dickey did real good,David Wright is back to the top of his game(okay,too many strikeouts still but he is on one oif his great tears right now,over .400 since June 1 and playing like a man on a mission)Josh Thole who sonny loves as his last post demonstrates,two hits and two clutch RBI which must have made the guys and sonny jumping with excitement showing his ability to make contact and slap hits all over the place.Good things all,and lots of other positive stuff happening around too.

But then,there's the business of a certain alleged closer named Francisco Rodriguez....somehow referred to as K-Rod but has been anything but a lights out closer with the Mets.He almost blew a save last night,RUen Tejada should have gotten the save credit for thinking of making the successful pick off attempt that kept the Mets night from ending in disaster.The Mets face Steve Strasburg to start the game,he is pretty shaky though he does have his moments...but the Mets got to him enough he was pulled only giving up two runs in five innings.We weren't intimidated by him and we got three more runs after he was removed.


RA Dickey pitched seven strong innings and yet it went to waste as once again Francisco Rodriguez was called to do his job and simply get the last three outs and this time makes sure no doubt,he's gonna blow this one big time.From Armando Benitez to Braden Looper to Billy Wagner to Francisco (K-Rod)Rodriguez,we can never seem to get a few good lights out lock em down years from our closers....mostly agita.I'm tired of agita....I don't care your not comfortable with how you're getting worked Frankie...go out and do your job...and here's a little advice.Use the All Star break to get your head out of your ass and back in the game....you get paid a ton,could you just focus and do your job?

Rant over,I'm good now!Sonny,have a great start on Sunday....at least I know you're gonna do all you can to get the job done!

 

[sonny10305]

Oh Sausy words can not describe the emotions I went through over yesterday’s loss.
K-Rod is becoming a liability now we can no longer depend on him to close the games, in fact we need to change his title from closer to blower Instead of getting three outs he gave up three hits three walks and three runs. He ruined what was a very positive dream game into a nightmare.
Some guys I spoke to have said that there is something physically wrong with him possibly something with his ankle, watching him pitch he seems to be off balance at the release point, look how he falls off toward first base. I wrote about that a while back, it’s just odd to see momentum going sideways, and that’s before he releases the ball basically falling over as he’s releasing the ball, now to me that just seems to make command pretty much impossible.
Then there is the weight issue, he has put on too many lbs and that ain’t good for an athlete and the stain on the joints. Another thing to remember he is asked to throw a lot of innings; we are weak in the pen with crossover relievers that can get out both lefties and righties. That has to change.
In spite of all the drama and blown saves (4 so far) he still has a strikeout rate is at its highest since 2007 and his walk rate is the lowest of his career. But his fastball velocity is down nearly four miles-per-hour from where it was in 2006. I think his fastball is around 91 mph now. I also have to mention all those walk off wins we have given up this year I gotta believe we hold the world’s record and those are all thanks to K-Rod.
I want to take issue with what Manual said after the game, when asked about the loss Jerry said we did not take advantage of a few opportunities to score runs, and only after he was asked about K-Rod basically stood by him and made no negative remarks. Now while I appreciate the idea
that he did not want to talk bad about K-Rod I do not appreciate him having no problem saying the offense should have scored more runs. How many Jerry? How big a lead does thy have to give K-Rod to keep him from blowin it, 5, 10? No dude even though more runs might have saved the game we did not lose the game because the boys did not score enough runs, we lost it because of K-Rod…period.

But enough about those two poor saps lets move on to the positives and there were plenty of em.
Hey Strasberg…..who’s your daddy?? RA Dickey that’s who.
Strasburg did not impress yesterday, his command was not there. In spite of a high 90s fastball and a sharp curveball and changeup (or was that a sinker), he just could not make them work. The Mets must have scared him cause he looked terrified on the mound not an ounce of confidence on that boys face, NONE. He seemed nervous as he threw a season low five innings and Striking out five. I was confused by the decision to go with the 90-92MPH sinker when he was ahead of hitters, what happened to his four seam 100 mph heater? Just seemed weird to me cause when a pitcher like him throws as hard as he normally does, I should think he should be getting it up in the zone more on those two-strike counts that way getting more swings and misses.
Ya know what I mean?? The Mets wore him put in the first inning forcing him to throw around 37 pitches to complete the inning, now since he was on a 100 pitch max he was already in trouble. We did what we needed to do, sit on his fastball, and that’s because what we have seen is that it explodes through the zone, plus we have also seen him hang his breaking pitches. But the main thing was to be patient, the boys had to remember especially Ike and Frenchy that a 100-mph fastball outside the zone is still a ball.

Dickey however was sharp and was the better pitcher in the matchup Dickey gave up two runs (both unearned) in seven strong innings of work, striking out four and walking two.The two runs he allowed to the Nationals yesterday were unearned.

Then there was our boy Josh Thole and what a great job he did catching RA I had been reminded yesterday that Josh caught for Dickey in Buffalo which helped him a lot yesterday.What a day for him at the plate as well going with 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI. Josh was grinding out tough at bats all day. I especially liked that 11 pitch at bat that ended up in a walk helping to add to Strasburg’s pitch count and early bye bye. Plus if you think about it by doing that Josh gave the boys watching from the bench a good look at what Strasberg was throwing a nice sneak peek at what he had and that’s a big help to the batters coming up. We tried to get Josh on the phone after the game but it went to voicemail, he did call back but it was after I had left so I did not get a chance to speak with him. My buddy called me to tell me that Josh was upbeat in spite of the loss and that he had himself a blast yesterday and had no bad words at all for K-Rod. RA Dickey called Josh “A special talent”

Thanks saucy for the good wishes on my start today, I am looking forward to it we are playing a tem we have not lost to as yet and I intended to keep that going. Should be fun with mid afternoon game followed by lots of food and fireworks later on.

 

[syam24]

Can't say a whole lot more than what you guys have already written about yesterday's sorry ending to the game. I was sure he would blow the game before he came in, he'd pitched at least the two previous games, I don't trust him. Day games following a nite game are tougher to rebound for when you've worked consecutive days. Where had Nieve been? Haven't seen his name used recently, and Parnell worked for second consecutive day. I think Jerry did a bit better job earlier in the year getting guys proper rest between appearances. Lets see what Takahashi can do today. Lets go METS!!!

 

[sonny10305]

That’s more like it, The Mets did what they always do when they have a tough loss like Saturdays, and they came back strong.
Hisanori Takahashi pitched five innings, which is pretty much his limit and why he needs to be in the pen and not start. He threw 85 pitches allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. What is important to notice here is that he can’t go thru the opposing teams lineups more than twice cause they jump all over him. Like I said he is a relief pitcher and could be very good for us in that role.

I loved seeing Jason Bay coming to life going 2-for-5 with 4 RBI and a triple, he basically hit the ball hard every time he came to bat. Maybe just maybe he is finally on some sort of streak. If he could just stay hot.

David Wright shows no signs of letting up with 2 hits and 2 runs scored.

Angel Pagan back in leadoff had 3 hits a of which were doubles, with 2 RBIs

I was concerned to see that it took five relievers to get through the last four innings. We still do not have roles for those guys it’s just Manual throwin darts at a board and saying ”your up” We gotta fix that it’s bad for the guys not knowing when they will pitch or what there role is, I know it, Manual knows it, just about everyone knows it, so come on now fix it.

Did you see play the Ike man made on a ground ball in the hole, to keep at least one run from scoring, to end the game? Come on now how sweet was that? Oh and Ike hit his 10th home run of the season.

Baring another setback it looks like Jose Reyes will finally be back in the line up tonight.Reyes said last night he’s feeling better, he’s moving around well, he also said he did not expect the oblique to keep him from playing in the All Star game.
I am sure you have heard that David Wright and Jose Reyes have been selected to the National League All-Star team. What you may not know is that Wright’s string of five consecutive All-Star Games is tied for the third-longest streak in franchise history with Mike Piazza.This will be Reyes’s third All-Star appearance. His three All-Star appearances are the most in team history by a shortstop.
I am a bit peeved that Pelfrey was not selected; he has been sensational this season and deserves to play. I don’t wish anything bad for Yovani Gallardo but he injured his left side and in fact had to leave the game against St. Louis yesterday and I have to think Pelfrey would be the guy to replace him if the injury lingers.

It will be Pelfrey on the mound tonight against the Red who yesterday won their game with 14 runs, 7 of them homers; Pelf will have his work cut for him tonight against that first place team. We finish the first half against two first place teams with the Reds tonight and the Braves this weekend. I am thinking and hoping we could be in first place before the break. Lets Go Mets !.

I have written a few times when Keith Hernandez makes a WTF did he just say remark. I love Keith.
But yesterday it was Angel Pagan in an interview he did wit Kevin Burkhardt after that four hour game yesterday. Kevin said to Angel “That was a long game and you look totally refreshed, I’m Impressed.” Angel smiled and said to Kevin “You would not want to be inside me right now, you would really feel it”
Yeah, I know he of course did not mean it to sound the way my twisted mind heard it,
but I could not just let that go, come on…that was hot.

 

[syam24]

Nice ending to your entry today, Sonny! Good win for the Mets to close out a dicey road trip. We need a good effort, again, from Pelf tonite, to give the bullpen a rest. THey've been overworked, to say the least. A blowout by the offense, which they threatened yesterday, combined with at least 7 or 8 from Pelfrey tonigt would be awesome. Glad to see D Wright get the All Star start at 3B, he's had a great resurgence after a balky start to the season. It's been written that Charlie Manual may have misinterpreted the new rule about guys starting on Sunday before the All STar game, being ineligible to pitch in the All STar game. That is the rule, however, if they were chosen and pitch that Sunday they would still attend the game and get all the other accolades afforded the player. Possibly he read it as not being eligible period. Pelfrey is slated to start on Sunday. You'd thing MLB would have an advisor working with the managers to ensure what is going on. Tough break for Pelfrey, he deserves it, as do a number of Padres, where no pitchers were selected even though they have the best ERA. Strange...... Lets Go Mets!!

 

[sonny10305]

Nice ending to your entry today, Sonny! Good win for the Mets to close out a dicey road trip. We need a good effort, again, from Pelf tonite, to give the bullpen a rest. THey've been overworked, to say the least. A blowout by the offense, which they threatened yesterday, combined with at least 7 or 8 from Pelfrey tonigt would be awesome. Glad to see D Wright get the All Star start at 3B, he's had a great resurgence after a balky start to the season. It's been written that Charlie Manual may have misinterpreted the new rule about guys starting on Sunday before the All STar game, being ineligible to pitch in the All STar game. That is the rule, however, if they were chosen and pitch that Sunday they would still attend the game and get all the other accolades afforded the player. Possibly he read it as not being eligible period. Pelfrey is slated to start on Sunday. You'd thing MLB would have an advisor working with the managers to ensure what is going on. Tough break for Pelfrey, he deserves it, as do a number of Padres, where no pitchers were selected even though they have the best ERA. Strange...... Lets Go Mets!!

The Mets have an off day on Thursday so maybe some changes could be made to give Pelf Sunday off, I read Manual had said something along those lines.
But there are rules and I am sure cranky ole man Manuals would object to that as well.
Glad you liked the Pagan story, I am going to see Kevin B. on Thursday but I am afraid if I told him what I was thinking about that interview he would just roll his baby blues at me