Beltran Returns to the Mets

One of the Mets injured players is finally coming back, even though the Amazins are already out of playoff contention.

Carlos Beltran will play CF tonight and bat clean up. He has been out with a bone bruise in his knee since June 21, and the Mets struggled in his absence with a 27-42 record.

This is a positive for the Mets that he's back because that is one less question mark they will have next spring training. Beltran clearly made a strong push to return to the lineup, and it shows a lot of heart on his part to want to play despite the games being meaningless at this point. What looked like a weak lineup two weeks ago now looks a lot better with a middle of the lineup that includes Beltran, David Wright, and Jeff Francoeur. Hopefully Carlos is really ready to come back, and the Mets training staff does not make another blunder.

(AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Rocky Mountain High for Mets in Series Finale

The trend of winning the last game of the series continued for the Mets on their nine game road trip. The Mets took down the Rockies 8-3 on getaway day Thursday afternoon.. Pat Misch was finally rewarded with his first major league win, after receiving a no decision on Friday after a great outing.

The southpaw went seven strong innings and helped make the Mets 3/3 in avoiding sweeps on this trip. It was his first win in 13 starts after starting off his career 0-8. Misch has been impressive in two starts with the Amazins, and if he continues to do well, then that would help him possibly secure a long relief role with the Mets for next year or employment elsewhere.

All the position players that started had at least one hit. A four run 5th inning broke open the game, spurred on by David Wright's two-run double. Wright performed well on the field and looked better in doing it, since he ditched the melon like helmet. David was 3/4 with 3 RBI and 2 R, and was 4/8 in the series.

Josh Thole was promoted from AA Binghamton on Monday and made his MLB debut today. It only took him one AB to get his first career hit and then subsequently swiped second base for his first MLB steal. He also doubled off Beimel in the 9th to finish 2/5 on the day. With the Mets out of the race, hopefully Jerry continues to play Thole to see if he can play here on a consistent basis. There's no reason for Brian Schneider and his sub .200 average to be in the lineup, and Omir Santos is nothing more than a platoon player at best.

Angel Pagan continues to swing a hot bat. He had five multi hit games on the road trip, and he's batting .293 with 6 HR and 24 RBI in the second half. He also covers a ton of real estate in the outfield and has shown he can play all three positions out there. Pagan is definitely making a strong case to be the 4th outfielder next year. He just needs to improve his durability and baseball smarts.

Last night Brian Stokes got hit hard in the 8th inning for the second time on this road trip. It seems like the Mets have no luck with their 8th inning guys. Stokes the last two times out, Sean Green before him, Bobby Parnell in June, and then J.J. Putz struggled before getting shelved with an elbow injury in June.

Mike Pelfrey was so upset with himself for Tuesday's performance that he left the clubhouse after leaving the game to run laps outside the ballpark.

http://www.newsday.com/news/frustrated-pelfrey-blows-off-steam-mets-lose-1.1418186

I'm glad Pelfrey is being accountable for his inconsistency this season, but he needs to step it up and close out the season strong. He was someone the Mets thought would be their #2 starter, but he's taken a huge step back this year. He seems to get flustered when runners reach base and things go against him. Every time he gets the ball, he needs to give the Mets six solid innings of two or three run ball. There have been too many times where he is lasting less than five innings and taxing the Mets bullpen in the process.

The Mets also said they will not be moving in the fences in at Citi Field for next season. Citi Field Fences I think they should at least lower the wall in LF because it is way too high. While I know the Mets wanted to make it more of a pitchers park, Citi Field favors the pitchers way too much. Citi is pretty much like PETCO east with the dimensions. It will be tougher to attract FA hitters to play in a pitcher's park like Citi Field.

The Mets return home to face the Cubs tomorrow night at 7:10. Carlos Zambrano (7-6, 3.91 ERA) will get the ball for Chicago and Bobby Parnell (3-7, 5.81 ERA) will go for the Mets.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Mets Head Into September as Spoilers

For the first time since the 2004 season, the Mets will not be playing meaningful games in September. The Amazins first year at Citi Field has been marred by injuries to key players such as Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado, which has greatly hindered the offense. The pitching staff has also been devastated by injuries to John Maine, Oliver Perez, and now Johan Santana. With Livan Hernandez's release two weeks ago, Mike Pelfrey is the only starter left in the rotation from when the Mets broke spring training at the beginning of April.

What was suppose to be Santana/Pelfrey/Perez/Maine/Hernandez has now turned into Pelfrey/Redding/Parnell/Figueroa/Misch. I would say that's a pretty big turnover and downgrade from the first group.

The only players that are still playing that started in the opening day lineup are Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Brian Schneider, and David Wright, who will be back in the lineup at Colorado tomorrow night. Castillo and Murphy are the only ones that have not had a DL stint this year.

The bullpen has stayed intact for the most part, except for J.J. Putz's elbow injury in June that will sideline him for the rest of the season. His loss proved to be huge for the Mets, since Bobby Parnell struggled after a promotion into the setup role to Francisco Rodriguez. Putz's injury forced everyone in front of K-Rod to move up a spot, with only Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes being able to consistently flourish down in the pen.

The Mets will have $40 million come off their payroll with the expiring contracts of Delgado, Putz, and Bill Wagner among others. While the free agent class for this offseason is pretty thin, the Mets will use the final month to evaluate who could fill a role on the 2010 team. Here is what to watch.

1B Daniel Murphy: He struggled earlier in the season with his outfield defense and hit bat. He was not swinging at good pitches and struggled to get on base. The change to first base has made him much more comfortable in the field, which in effect has made him feel better at the plate. Murphy is hitting .277 the second half of the season, and he has been solid with runners in scoring position. While the HR and RBI totals are low for a first baseman (7 HR, 46 RBI), he is only 24 years old and will have time to develop as a hitter. His defense at first has been very good surprisingly. He moves very well around the bag, and he throws the ball down to second base effectively. I think the Mets will wind up keeping him because he has played well defensively and has swung a better bat in the second half.

C Brian Schneider and Omir Santos: Schneider is a lock to be gone this offseason. You cannot have a player in your lineup hitting below .200, enough said. Every time he is up, he hits a weak grounder to the right sidet. Santos got his chance when Schneider went on the DL in April, and he played so well that the Mets wound up trading Ramon Castro and keeping Santos to platoon with Schneider. Santos has hit decently well for his first MLB season (.267, 6 HR, 33 RBI) and has thrown out 32% of all base stealers. Santos should get a chance to compete for the starting job, but the Mets will probably bring in a proven vet to platoon with him while Josh Thole gets more seasoning in the minors.

Outfield positions: Carlos Beltran will be patrolling center next year, and Jeff Francoeur will be playing right after rejuvenating himself and recovering from a funk in Atlanta. Left field will be a position the Mets will have to address in the offseason. Fernando Martinez could be the prime candidate to fill that spot, but he still needs more seasoning in the minors after a brief stint with the Mets in June.

Angel Pagan is receiving the bulk of the playing time in center, and he has done a nice job getting on base and covers a lot of ground in the outfield. The Mets should definitely bring him back as a reserve. Gary Sheffield still leads the Mets in HR with 10, and I'm not counting Francoeur since he has not hit all his HR's with the Mets. Sheff wants to play again next year, but he might not be offered a contract because of his age and attitude towards management. Cory Sullivan has proven to be a hard working player and will use the last month playing for a job with the Mets or for a free agent contract.

Starting rotation: Bobby Parnell used to be a starter in the minors until converting into a reliever. He is now being asked to start after all the injuries to the rotation, and he has had one excellent start and four poor starts. In his six shutout innings against the Giants on August 14th, he through a ton of first pitch strikes by throwing that hard fast ball and mixing in his off speed pitches. In his bad outings, he has struggled to throw strikes and is giving up a lot of big hits. I think his best role is in the bullpen as the 8th inning guy because he can throw heat coming out of the pen, and I don't think his other pitches are developed enough to be a solid starter. The Mets also have Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, and Perez coming back barring a major move, and they need to add a number two starter behind Johan after watching the guys behind him struggle mightily this year.

There has also been a lot of speculation about whether manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will be back. I will touch on those issues after the season, but Jerry's job all depends on if Omar comes back or not. It all depends on what kind of effort the players put out there in September and the Mets final record.

(Photo Courtesy of NJ.com)

David Wright placed on the DL

You really can't make it up anymore. According to WFAN, David Wright has been placed on the disabled list with post concussion syndrome. There is no timetable for his return, as it would be smart for the Mets to play it safe with not much to play for over the last seven weeks of the season. Wright joins Delgado, Reyes, and Beltran on the DL, and New York is now missing all the forces in their lineup, with the exception of Jeff Francoeur pretty much. Fernando Tatis will fill in at 3rd while Wright is out since there is no one in Buffalo to come up and step in.

(AP Photo/Newsday, David Pokress)

Parnell mows down the Giants

Bobby Parnell (3-4) dominated the San Francisco Giants with his blazing fastball and wicked slider in his second career start and third win of the year for a 3-0 Mets victory. The win helped New York start off a season high 11 game home stand on the right foot.

Parnell was just awesome, striking out seven and not walking a batter. He pounded the strike zone all night by throwing 61 of his 86 pitches for strikes. He was much more consistent this time around than he was on Saturday, and if he can be efficient with his off speed stuff, he will strike out a lot of batters with his high 90's fastball.

After being benched for the last two games of the Arizona series, Angel Pagan got the start in center field and did not disappoint. He smacked a HR to lead off the bottom of the 1st inning, giving the Mets all the offense they would need in the victory. He also made a leaping catch in the 7th inning after misjudging a fly ball.

Jeff Francoeur drove in another run with an RBI double in the 4th. He has been a lot more patient at the plate, and he is hitting the ball hard when he makes contact. He is definitely one of the reasons David Wright is hitting better, since he is getting more pitches to hit. It also helps that Pagan and Luis Castillo have done a very good job getting on base the last few weeks.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning for his 26th save of the year, shutting down the middle of the Giants order in the process.

The Mets wore their old school New York Giants jerseys tonight to honor the 1905 Giants with big letters N Y going across the chest. They are also honoring the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Mets on August 22nd, so they have a 1969 flag drawn out in the grass in center field and Mets 1969 logos painted down the lines in foul territory. In addition, a video board was added down the RF line in foul territory, and in the promenade level food court.

The Mets have won their last five games against the Giants in New York, including a sweep last year at Shea. They have also won 7 of 8 against San Francisco.

A great pitching match up in tomorrow's game at 4:10 PM will go down between Matt Cain (12-4) 2.44 ERA and Johan Santana (13-8) 3.00 ERA. Santana will go for his 14th win of the year, which would tie him with Josh Beckett for the MLB lead.

(AP Photo, Ed Betz)

Mets Avoid Being Swept out of the Desert

After being outplayed in the first two games in Arizona, the Mets bounced back and avoided the sweep with a 6-4 win today. Oliver Perez danced around trouble once again in allowing one run, six hits and six walks in 5.1 innings. While he did a nice job keeping the Mets in the game, his command, especially on his fastball, was poor once again. He needs to be able to attack the strike zone earlier in counts and get hitters to make contact that will result in outs. It will be hard for the Mets to win his starts if he keeps throwing at least 20 pitches every inning.

Perez suffered a no-decision when Pedro Feliciano had a rare bad outing by giving up two hits with runners on base, enabling the D-Backs to tie the game at three. There could have been more damage if it wasn't for Omir Santos holding on to the ball after being run over at the plate by Mark Reynolds. It was an incredible play by Santos who did a great job blocking the plate and holding on to the ball. He also helped save a run in the first inning when Ryan Roberts was forced to slide over home since it was blocked, and then was called out despite the fact that he beat the throw to the plate. Those two runs wound up being the difference in the game.

The D-Backs played a very sloppy game, especially catcher Chris Snyder, who failed to block a few pitches that allowed Mets runners to advance a base or score. New York scored two of their runs on passed balls, and a few runners reached base after striking out because of wild pitches. Fernando Tatis drove in a run with an RBI single in the 6th. Arizona made a careless play because they had Tatis caught in a rundown between 1st and 2nd, and Jeff Francoeur, who was on 3rd, scored on the play without any D-Backs players looking him back towards third base. Overall, it was a very sloppy game by Arizona, and the Mets had just enough to squeak by and avoid a sweep in the desert.

The Mets finished off their west coast swing 2-5, winning both games in the finale of each series. New York starts up a season high 11 game home stand on Friday night against the San Francisco Giants. Bobby Parnell will make his second start in a row against Barry Zito, who is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA against the Mets as a Giant.

Tidbits

• Francoeur went hitless but hit the ball hard in every at-bat, including the 1st inning when he was robbed of an extra base hit by Arizona RF Trent Oeltjen.
• Speaking of Oeltjen, the 26 year old rookie was 6/11 with four extra base hits in the first two games, but went 0-5 today.
• Perez only threw a first pitch strike to 9 out of 28 batters.
• Francisco Rodriguez gave up a run with 2 outs in the 9th before closing it out for his 25th save.
• Carlos Delgado had a setback in his rehab because of a strained oblique muscle and has stopped participating in baseball activities
• The Mets announced that they will put photographs of top moments in franchise history around Citi Field.

(AP Photo Matt York)

Mets Avoid the Brooms in San Diego

The stopper. The 137.5 million dollar man. The ace. The medicine the Mets needed to avoid a sweep and snap an eight game slide at PETCO Park. Johan Santana pitched eight dominating innings of one run ball in a 5-1 Mets victory, improving to 13-8 on the year and now tied for the MLB lead in wins with Adam Wainwright and Josh Beckett. Santana was on cruise control in the Southern California sun, getting a lot of ground ball outs and throwing a lot of strikes.

It was great to see that the Mets could rely on someone to come out and throw a gem to end a losing streak. With all the inconsistencies in the rotation this year and the recent injury to Jonathon Niese, New York needed their ace to come through and carry them on his back. I know San Diego is in last place in the NL West, but the Mets have been dreadful at PETCO Park and being swept in a four game series there for the second straight year would have been a major blow.

Oh, and by the way, the same guy who dominated on the mound also made his presence known at the plate. Johan was 2-3 with two singles, a walk, and a RBI. He started the Mets three run 6th inning with a shot into the left-center field gap which Tony Gwynn Jr. appeared to catch, but he dropped the ball while diving to make the play. While Johan has struggled at the dish this year, he had a two run double on Tuesday against St. Louis, and he contributed with two more hits today. He used to be a short stop when he was coming up in the Astros organization, and he takes a lot of hard cuts at the plate.

Anderson Hernandez drove in the Mets first run in the second on an RBI single and finished with two hits on the afternoon. They also greatly benefitted from an Oscar Salazar error in the 6th which led to two more Mets runs. Daniel Murphy drove in the last of the five runs with a RBI single in the 9th to make it a non save situation for K-Rod. Murphy has really stepped up at the plate by hitting for more doubles, and he seems to be showing much better plate discipline. He also made an incredible over the shoulder catch way down the right field line to end the game. His defense at first base has been a huge plus for the Mets defense, and he has a great feel around the bag.

Let's face it, this win probably doesn't mean much. At 52-59 and ten games back of the division, the year is over as far as the playoffs are concerned. However, even with all the injuries and turmoil this team has gone through, it would be nice see someone like Santana get to 20 wins.

Tidbits

• The Mets improved to 6-15 at PETCO Park and went 2-6 vs San Diego this year
• Jeff Francoeur is 7 for his last 18
• Santana has pitched 8 innings in his last two starts, and has pitched into the 7th inning in 9 of his last 10 starts
• Luis Castillo returned to the lineup today and went 2/5
• K-Rod pitched a scoreless 9th, and his velocity was in the low 90's compared to the high 80's in his blown save on Friday night
• The game was delayed in the 5th inning after home plate umpire Randy Marsh was struck in the face with a foul ball. The impact of the ball was so great that his mask fell right off. He left the game and was replaced by second base umpire Marvin Hudson.
• The Mets continue their seven game road trip in Arizona tomorrow. Mike Pelfrey (8-7) will go for the Mets after missing the start on Saturday because of the birth of his son Chase on Thursday. Doug Davis (6-10) will toe the rubber for the D-Backs. The Mets lost 3 of 4 from Arizona last weekend at Citi Field.

(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

Mets Acquire Anderson Hernandez from Washington

Who Says You Can't Go Home? A famous song by Bon Jovi, but also the phrase that second baseman Anderson Hernandez must be thinking about right now. That's because he was traded back to the New York Mets for minor league infielder Greg Veloz. Last season Hernandez was dealt from the Mets to the Nats in August for Luis Ayala. Now he is back to provide a reinforcement at second base with the injury to Luis Castillo, which must signal that he might have to go on the DL. Hernandez is expected to join the Mets in San Diego in time for Friday's game.

Hernandez was frequently shuffled between the Mets and AAA, and while he has fantastic range at second base, he lacked the consistency at the plate to play every day. This season he's hitting .251 with 1 HR and 23 RBI in 73 games with Washington. He got an RBI single off John Smoltz when I was at the Red Sox/Nationals game on June 25, and he showed that his bat improved a little bit. The move is a nice low risk transaction, and the Mets feel more comfortable with him than Argenis Reyes at second.

In other moves, Elmer Dessens was called up from Buffalo, and Jonathon Niese was placed on the 60 day DL. He is out for the season after tearing his upper right hamstring while covering 1st base yesterday. He will have surgery in the next few days and should be ready for spring training.

(AP Photo/Darren Hauck)

Mets Win Matinee, Lose Niese

The New York Mets shutout the Cardinals 9-0, but in the process, lost top pitching prospect Jonathon Niese for the season. Niese was covering first base on a play in the second inning, and did a split trying to make a catch, and came up hurt. The 22 year-old southpaw then threw a practice pitch and collapsed while grimacing in pain. He had to be helped to the dugout, where it was found out that he tore his right hamstring and will be out until next spring.

Niese entered the Mets rotation two weeks ago after he had been pitching very well in AAA and Fernando Nieve went on the DL. Niese seemed to have really found his game recently while in Buffalo, and I was looking forward to him developing it through the remainder of the season in Flushing. Unfortunately, it looks like Niese will have to put that on hold until next season, which he will most likely start with the Bisons.

Mets Notes:
-Nelson Figueroa, coming off of a rocking on Monday, relieved Niese and provided the Amazings with 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball, while striking out 5. Figgy also added a 2 RBI triple and got the win.

-Bobby Parnell then took the ball from the Brooklyn native, striking out three in a scoreless three innings to get his first save.

-It is really up in the air on who will replace Niese in the rotation next go around. Figueroa and Tim Redding have had their ups and downs this year, but both seem to be more effective in long relief than starting. Parnell, a starter in the minor leagues before being converted into a relief pitcher last September, may be given a shot in the rotation. His velocity is higher as a reliever, and pitching coach Dan Warthen has stated that he envisions Parnell as a future closer and not starter, but the Mets do not have many options. There is really no one in Buffalo (a team I follow very much) who can start at the major league level at this point.

-Angel Pagan was the offensive star of the Mets victory. The center fielder went 3-4 with 4 RBIs and scored 2 runs. Pagan was a double away from hitting for the cycle.

-David Wright had a solid game, going 3-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs off of a 2-run homer.

-Gary Sheffield aggravated a hamstring injury running out a single in the 6th and came out of the game. He does not believe it is anything serious, and his being taken out was only a precautionary measure.

-Luis Castillo missed today's game due to his sprained ankle from yesterday's dugout steps trip.

-To put it simply- do not expect Jose Reyes back this year. Reyes is now showing scar tissue and inflammation behind his right knee, and is continuing physical therapy in New York.

Mets Collapse in Grand Fashion

The sliding Mets lost another one Tuesday night, this time 12 to 7. The Amazings blew a 7-4 lead and eventually lost in the 10th after a Mark DeRosa hit by pitch with the bases load followed by an Albert Pujols grand slam.

Game Notes:
-Pujols went 3-4 including his fifth slam of the season, tying him for 2nd place on the list for most grand slams in a season.
-Luis Castillo, surprisingly one of the 4 position players from the Mets opening day roster who has not seen DL time (along with Wright, Murphy, and Reed)- slipped trying to avoid a glove on the dugout steps after he grounded out in the 7th, and sprained his ankle. Thankfully for New York fans, X-rays were negative, otherwise they may have had to see Argenis Reyes at 2nd again.
-Johan Santana pitched a season-high 8 innings, but gave up 5 earned runs off of 9 hits.
-K-Rod blew his 4th save of the season, giving up 2 earned runs off of a Julio Lugo RBI double and a Skip Schumaker RBI single to tie the game at 7 in the 9th.
-Pedro Feliciano and Sean Green combined to give up 5 earned runs in 2/3 innings in the 10th.
-The only positive coming out of another Mets debacle is that the offense was on fire, scoring 7 runs off of 15 hits. Wright went 2-3, Sheffield went 2-4 with 2 RBIs, Murphy went 2-4 with an RBI, Cora went 2-5 with an RBI, Santos went 2-4, and Santana went 1-3 with 2 RBIs.
- The Mets have now lost 3 straight, and 5 of 6.

For a full boxscore of this game, click here.
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Mets Are Snake Bitten

The Mets got poisoned by the Diamondbacks in the first two innings and did not have enough in their arsenal to shake it off, falling 6-5 in losing three of four against the NL West's 4th place team. Here's the least you should know from tonight's game:

Game Notes

• Nelson Figueroa was absolutely shelled, giving up 6 ER and 10 hits in one and two thirds innings of work. He gave up three mammoth HR's, two to Mark Reynolds and one to Miguel Montero. Nelson was missing badly with all his pitches, and he left everything up in the zone.
• Tim Redding was outstanding in relief with three and a third innings of scoreless ball in relief of Figueroa. The Mets pen allowed three hits and no runs in 7 and a third innings of relief.
• The Mets started to make Haren really sweat in the 5th inning, but blew a golden opportunity when Angel Pagan failed to go first to third on a Luis Castillo two RBI single. Instead of 2nd and third with one out, it was first and second, and David Wright got a single that drove in a run. The issue was if the Mets took the extra base, then they would have stayed out of the double play with Gary Sheffield up. That was not the case, and Sheffield hit into a 5-4-3 double play to kill a Mets three run rally in the inning.
• Jim Wolf, brother of Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf, is usually a pretty reliable umpire behind the dish but was not giving the pitchers that strike call at the knees. Haren was growing visibly frustrated with Wolf as the game progressed.
• Jeff Francoeur gounrded out to third in the 8th with two outs and Sheffield on second and the chance to tie up the ball game. Frenchy was 0-4 on the day and the only Met starter without a hit. He did not have good plate discipline, only seeing six pitches in four at-bats. The Mets failed to get Sheff home with him on second with one out in the inning.
• Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds hit four homers in the series at Citi Field, which is the same amount David Wright has hit in his home yard this season.
• The Mets have lost four of five since a five game winning streak.
• They are back at it tomorrow as they open a quick two game set against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Johan Santana goes for the Amazins against Met dominator Joel Pineiro for the Redbirds.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Pagan Grand Slam Powers Mets over Arizona

It was deja vu all over again for the Mets. Tie game in the 8th, bases loaded. Fernando Tatis came up big on Monday in that spot. This time Angel Pagan smoked a grand slam to break a tie at five and give the Mets a 9-6 win. Jerry Manuel said in his post game press conference that Pagan lacked energy in his at bats earlier in the game. But there is no question he had enough juice in his bat later when it counted.

The hit was huge for the Mets because it would have been a big blow to lose a game where they led by two after five innings. They needed to make sure their two game losing streak did not get any worse since they have a lot of teams ahead of them in the wild card hunt. Pagan rightfully received a curtain call from the Citi Field faithful. He picked a great time to hit his first long ball as a Met and his first in over two years.

The offense was great once again as all the starters recorded a hit except for Luis Castillo. The Mets were 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and they are getting a lot more hits in bunches and big spots. This is not a team that will out slug you with all the injuries and playing in Citi Field. They need to be able to move runners over and play more small ball, which is what they are starting to figure out. It was great to see someone like Jeff Francoeur put the ball in play with David Wright on third and one out just to get him in. It was not fancy, but it got the job done and gave the Mets a two run lead at that juncture in the game.

Oliver Perez was very spotty as usual. While he only surrendered two earned runs in five innings of work, he walked five batters in five innings, and he now has 47 walks in 48.2 innings this season. He did strike out seven, and he was getting really good movement on his pitches out of the zone, but the walks are still extremely troubling. Manuel stated in his press conference that Ollie keeps him "on the top step of the dugout". Through all his control issues, Perez did a great job escaping a few jams in the 3rd and 5th innings, including a huge double play in the 3rd where Daniel Murphy made a great scoop on a throw. It was great to see Perez keep the Mets in the game despite walking a lot of guys and giving up six hits.

The Mets improved to 50-53 on the year, and they are right back at it tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 against the D-Backs. Mike Pelfrey will go for the Mets against Jon Garland for Arizona. Big Pelf has been great in his last two starts, while Garland has gone at least six innings or more in his last 11 outings.

(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

All's quiet in New York as trade deadline passes

At 4:01 p.m this afternoon, all was quiet in Flushing and the Bronx, except for a minor deal that brought utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. over from the Reds to the Yankees in exchange for minor league catcher Chase Weems. The blockbuster moves happened elsewhere. Jake Peavy finally decided he wants to win, as he lifted his no trade clause to accept a trade to the White Sox. Victor Martinez is now a Red Sox. The Detroit Tigers acquired LHP Jarrod Washburn in exchange for Luke French and a pitching prospect. So at 62-40 the team with the best record in the AL decided to stand pat, and at 49-52, the Mets decided now wasn't the time to trade what few prospects they have left.

I am not surprised, and am pleased as a Yankee fan that GM Brian Cashman decided not to pull off a major trade. This team is arguably the best team in baseball right now, having won 11 of 13 since the All-Star Break. So the Red Sox got Victor Martinez. I still think the Yankees have a better lineup and better pitching, and in my opinion are the favorites to represent the American League in the Fall Classic. There was no need to acquire someone like Roy Halladay, who would have cost the Yankees either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. Manager Joe Girardi also didn't feel the team needed to make a move, saying this just the other day before the deadline:

"I'm not sure we'll do anything. As of right now we're playing very well and...there's always ways that you're trying to better your club, but sometimes things don't work out and you sit tight. I don't think there's a sense of urgency."

Girardi is right on the money. There is no sense of urgency right now. Remember, teams can still make trades through August 31st, except those players must now clear waivers. The Yankees could still pick up someone like Reds starter Bronson Arroyo, should they feel the need. With this team rolling the way they are, the Yankees can win the World Series with the pieces they already have in place.

The Mets however, seemed more inclined to make a move than the Yankees, and they didn't pull the trigger on a deal. The Amazin's have won 6 of their last 7, catapulting them back into the playoff conversation. At 49-52, and sitting just 6.5 games back of the Rockies for the wildcard, the Mets had been linked to such names as Victor Martinez, Nick Johnson, and a slew of left handed relievers. Speaking to reporters at Citi Field today after the deadline, GM Omar Minaya had this to say:

“The cost would have probably been too high… You have to take in to account where you are in the standings, and you have to take in to account the prospects you have… One thing that has been good about this process has been that I got a good feel for a lot of the teams and how much they like our prospects. But, some of those prospects that some teams wanted were too high to give them, and we have some pretty good young prospects… Unless it is someone we were going to hold on to beyond one year, we’re gonna hold on to as many prospects as we can.”

Give Minaya credit for acquiring OF Jeff Francoeur a couple weeks ago, as he looks like a player, and a steal for what they gave up in OF Ryan Church. However, it has to be frustrating for a Mets fan to watch the deadline go by, and see Victor Martinez get traded to the Red Sox, and Nick Johnson get traded to the Marlins. Judging by the players given up for Martinez and Johnson, the Mets certaintly could have pulled off a move. In the quote above, Minaya talks about the Mets good young prospects. These players he is referring to, like 22 year-old RHP Brad Holt and 19 year-old Jenry Mejia, were probably the prospects other teams would have wanted.

The Mets have one of the weaker farm systems in baseball, so I can understand why Minaya would want to keep onto the few prospects he does have. However, if Minaya's job is in jeopardy, I would think that he would pull the trigger on a deal to acquire someone of Martinez's caliber, in an effort to sneak into the postseason as the wildcard. The Met's can still make a trade during the waiver period, but it remains to be seen just who is out there that can really give this team a lift down the stretch. More importantly for the Mets is that they get some of their injured players back, like Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.

Mets Take 3 of 4 from Colorado, split DH

The Mets have suddenly made the Rockies look like they did most of July: offensively inept. The Metropolitans beat the Rockies 7-0 in the first game of the doubleheader. Now New York is on a roll with five straight wins. Johan Santana (12-8) pitched seven shutout innings on the way to his 12th win of the season, and Colorado was shut out for the second straight game and held to only four hits. Santana did a fantastic job getting ahead of hitters with 18 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced. He also threw 73 of his 104 pitches for strikes and struck out eight batters. When you let Johan get ahead in the count, it is tough to hang in there because it is so hard to hit that devastating change up.

In addition to Santana being vintage Santana, the Mets offense put up a five spot in the second inning, with the big hit coming off a Angel Berroa two run double. The offense was so dominating, that New York even chased Rockies starter Jason Hammel after only an inning and a third. David Wright also chipped in with a double and two RBI's, and he seems to be hitting for a lot more power lately. The homers might not be there, but he is hitting a lot more doubles than he was a few weeks ago. Hopefully he can start to heat up, and Jeff Francoeur hitting behind him and being on a roll has to be helping Wright get more pitches to hit.

The Mets and Rockies did not have to wait long to get back out on the field. After the first game at 12:10, the teams took the field for game two at 7:10, a make up of Wednesday's rainout. Unfortunately, the Mets could not complete the sweep in the first ever doubleheader at Citi Field as they fell to the Rockies 4-2, ending their five game winning streak. The Mets got on the board first in the 4th with a Francoeur RBI sac fly, but could not hold the lead. Colorado tied it in the 6th, and then the wheels fell off in the 7th.

Jonathon Niese gave up a lead off double to the pitcher Jorge De La Rosa, which came back to haunt him and the Mets. Fernando Tatis then made a spectacular diving catch on a ball that was smoked by LF Seth Smith. But then Clint Barmes hit the ball so hard that no one could catch it except the fans in the stands. Barmes's two run shot put the Rockies ahead for good, and then Troy Tulowitzki hit a triple off the left field wall that brought Barmes home. Niese has definitely made huge strides in his short time in the majors. He has great stuff with a sharp 12 to 6 bite on his curveball, and he mixes in a high 80's to low 90's fastball. However, he walks guys to lead off innings, and you cannot let the pitcher get a double to lead off the 7th with the big bats coming up. That is totally inexcusable. De La Rosa was batting .089 before he smoked a double over Pagan's head, and why Niese gave him a fastball down the middle was beyond me.

Tidbits

• The Mets are 21-4 at home against the Rockies since 2003
• Omar Minaya apologized to Daily News writer Adam Rubin in New York on Wednesday. Rubin accepted his apology, saying Omar's "remorse was sincere"
• The Mets called up Robinson Cancel from AAA Buffalo and designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment
• Omir Santos caught both games of the doubleheader since Schneider's left knee was bothering him. Brian should be back in the lineup tonight against Arizona
• Luis Castillo's wife gave birth to his second child, a baby girl, Thursday morning. Castillo missed the first game, but played in the second one.
• The Mets are back at it tonight at Citi Field as the Arizona Diamondbacks make their first trip to the Mets new home. Livan Hernandez goes up against Doug Davis at 7:10.

(AP Photos/Frank Franklin II)

Mets Blank the Rockies for 4th Consecutive Win

The Mets silenced Colorado's bats for a 4-0 win to increase their winning streak to four games. Mike Pelfrey (8-6) was dominant on the mound tonight, mixing in a 96 mph fastball with great curveballs and sliders, to earn his 8th win of the year with 6.1 innings of shutout ball and five strikeouts. He improved to 3-1 in his career against the Rockies, and he's only allowed six earned runs in 23 innings against them.

Pelfrey's performance was enormous for the Mets tonight because they need someone to step up behind Johan Santana and become consistently reliable on the mound every fifth day. With two very good outings in a row, Big Pelf seems like he could find a groove the second half of the year if he can throw mid to high 90's and mix in his secondary pitches. In previous outings he has had trouble preventing that one bad inning. Tonight he found himself on the ropes in the fourth and the sixth, but got Clint Barmes out in both instances to escape from those situations.

Besides a stellar performance on the mound, the Metropolitans also had a strong offensive attack for the fifth straight game. New York put runs up in three consecutive innings, starting in the second with a Jeff Francoeur RBI single. Luis Castillo continued his hot hitting with an RBI single in the third, and a Brian Schneider sac fly in the fourth put the Mets up 3-0.


The Mets got an insurance run in the 8th, amid some controversy when Daniel Murphy singled to center. Colorado CF Dexter Fowler made an outstanding throw to home on one bounce, and catcher Chris Iannetta clearly tagged out Castillo before he touched home, but home plate umpire Larry Vanover called him safe. Rockies manager Jim Tracy came out to argue right away and was ejected from the game. While the Mets caught a huge break and the extra tally helped them out, since Francisco Rodriguez did not have to close the deal in the ninth, the call was definitely wrong. I have not seen umpires blow so many calls in all my years of watching baseball. I know everyone makes their mistakes, but these guys are out of position way too many times when making these calls. Vanover was standing behind the catcher on the first base side when he should have been more behind the plate.

Tidbits:

• The Mets improved to 48-51 on the season, and they are now 5.5 games behind the Rockies in the wild card hunt.
• New York improved to 20-2 since 2003 against the Rockies in Flushing and have swept them every year at home in that span except for 2005 and 2007.
• This is the first time in a while Pelfrey's velocity was over 95 mph, and he also had a really nice late drop on his curveball.
• Jeremy Reed was picked off the bases between 3rd and home when trying to execute a double steal after Angel Pagan took 2nd base with two outs in the 7th. Mets play-by-play broadcaster Gary Cohen rightfully criticized Reed for making a terrible base running decision.
• Jeff Francoeur was hit on the right hand in the 6th inning by Jason Marquis but stayed in the game. He had a huge bruise on his left hand, but luckily the ball did not hit his wrist.
• David Wright hit a ball to dead center field that hit off the wall right in front of the apple for a double. If he hit it three feet more in either direction, it would have been a homer. This is the second time in three games Wright was robbed of a home run by hitting the ball to center field, which also happened in Houston on Sunday because of the hill in center.
• The Mets go for five in a row tomorrow at 7:10 PM when Johan Santana opposes Jason Hammel. Santana did not pitch against the Rockies last season.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Mets fire Bernazard but pick fight with reporter, win third in a row

The Mets put out a fire storm by firing Tony Bernazard. But another one hit the Big Apple when Omar Minaya attacked beat writer Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News. Minaya accussed Rubin of lobbying to land a front office position with the Mets. Rubin felt that Omar meant that he tried to get Bernazard fired, but their is no evidence to support such a claim. Rubin also accurately reported the Bernazard story. There was absolutely no reason for Omar to make a claim like that in front of the media. First of all, again as far as I know, everything was reported with accuracy. Minaya created a public relations nightmare with this - talk radio went beserk after his press conference, and the papers tomorrow will rip him to shreds.

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The only good thing that came out of this press conference is that Minaya did what was necessary in firing Bernazard, who obviously had to go after his behavior in Binghamton, his remarks towards K-Rod, and the lack of class in which he represented the organization. The Mets had an opportunity to save face once they gave Bernazard the pink slip, yet they just made things worse. Now the target is on Omar's back, and if he stumbles again he could be the next one to leave Flushing.

It is tough enough when the team is underachieving, even though the Mets have been decimated by injuries this year. What makes this season worse is the off-field antics. In this case, Minaya acted unprofessional and created another distraction for the team with his actions towards Rubin. He could be upset that Rubin reported the story since he is very good friends with Bernazard, but that doesn't absolve Minaya. If anything, it helps him that Bernazard is gone because there were rumors that Tony had more power than Omar because of his strong relationship with the Wilpons.

I am thrilled that the Mets canned Bernazard, not only because he was a divisive force within the organization, but because of the way he treated the Binghamton Mets, and his poor reputation around the majors was a weak link for the Mets. With the Mets recent track record of not making the right choices in these spots, I thought they were going to keep him around until the end of the season and then make sweeping changes in the front office. New York handled the firing well until the Omar/Rubin confrontation, and the best part was that they didn't announce the move at 3 AM eastern time.

.The Game:

Despite all the controversy, the Mets still had a game to play and a winning streak to build on. They won 7-3 to increase their winning streak to three, and the hero was Fernando Tatis, who smacked a pinch hit grand slam in the 8th inning.

Oliver Perez still struggled by throwing too many pitches and lacking command. 103 pitches in 5 innings, and he has walked at least 4 batters in all his starts since returning from the DL.

Jeff Francoeur has been on a roll since the deal, hitting 3 homeruns and 15 RBI. He went deep again tonight. He has been finding pitches to hit and stroking the ball with authority.

Castillo, Murphy, and Wright continued their hot hitting. The Mets 2B had two more hits today and is doing a great job getting on base. Murphy had an RBI double and he has hit for more power in July with 8 doubles. Wright is starting to come around these last few games, and hopefully a hot Francoeur behind him will give him some pitches to hit.

(AP Photo Rick Silva), (AP Photo Kathy Willens)

Mets Take the Series in Houston

Where is this offense coming from? After trailing by three after the first inning, the Mets went on to pound the Astros again, and win 8-3. The key for the Mets in this one was surprisingly the offense, which racked up 12+ hits for the third straight game. New York broke through in the 3rd inning with a deep RBI triple to center by Luis Castillo and a David Wright RBI single. Jeff Francoeur tied the game at three later in the inning with a sac fly. Houston starter Brian Moehler started to have trouble commanding his pitches, and he was missing out over the plate when trying to throw inside.

The Mets tacked on two more in the 4th when Angel Pagan hit an RBI triple to deep center, which would have been a home run in most other parks. Castillo then tried a suicide squeeze to get Pagan home, and Moehler made a bad throw to Ivan Rodriguez, enabling Pagan to score to give the Mets a 5-3 lead. Moehler totally rushed the throw to Pudge because he had plenty of time to nab Pagan at home. The Mets got another run in the 8th inning courtesy of the Mets third triple of the game, this time from Jeremy Reed. In the 9th, Wright smoked a deep double up the hill in center field to drive in a run, and then Francoeur followed with an RBI single.

It was great to see the Mets bats come alive in this series, and really important going forward. Castillo was on fire, going 7/12 in the series. Wright seems to be hitting for a lot more power and driving in some runs. Pagan has been a huge force in the leadoff spot, and Francoeur has been on fire since the trade. It seems like all the hitters are looking more confident at the plate. It says a lot that the Mets came in and took this series against a Houston team that just swept the first place Cardinals.

Livan Hernandez pitched seven innings and gave up three runs in the win to improve to 7-5 on the year. He struggled in the first inning by allowing those three runs, but Pagan helped him out by making a great throw to gun down Geoff Blum at home. After that point, Hernandez settled down and allowed only four hits the rest of the way. He did a great job getting ahead of hitters, and the seven strikeouts was a nice surprise.

Tibits:

• The Astros are 12-5 in their last 17 home games, with two of those losses coming this weekend against the Mets
• Francouer has driven in 14 runs in 12 games with the Mets, including four multi-RBI games
• Livan Hernandez has two of the four Mets wins since the break, and has allowed 5 ER in 14 innings post All-Star break
• No home runs for the Mets today, but they did hit three triples. That was without Jose Reyes in the lineup, the triples king.
• If you think hitting in Citi Field is tough, try hitting a ball over 420 feet to dead center field and having to settle for a double, which happened to David Wright in the 9th inning.
• All nine Mets starters had at least one hit in this game.
  

(AP Photos/David J. Phillip)

Niese cools down Astros in Texas heat

Jonathon Niese did not need a ton of run support tonight because he just pitched that well in the Mets 10-3 win in Houston. But it did not hurt to have all that offense in his first major league outing since May. The lefty pitched seven strong innings and allowed one run while earning his first win of the year to improve to 1-0.

Niese did a fantastic job changing the eye levels of hitters with his fastball and mixed in a huge curveball to keep guys off balance. He looked a lot more confident on the mound than he did last year. It also helped that he got a lot of ground ball outs and some key double plays.


The Mets offense heated up in the hot Texas weather by torching Astros starter Russ Ortiz early. The Metropolitans scored three times in the first courtesy of a Daniel Murphy RBI double, Jeff Francoeur sac fly, and Cory Sullivan RBI single. They got three in the fifth with an absolute monster blast off the bat of Francoeur, and David Wright finally went deep in the 9th for a solo shot. Ortiz has historically struggled against the Mets, and they got to him early and often in this one before he was pulled in the fifth inning.

Murphy and Francoeur are really hitting the ball well lately, and hopefully their success will help Wright see some better pitches to hit. Francoueur especially looks very comfortable in his short time as a Met. New York has hit three homers in this series, and I am glad they will not go homer-less in their lone Minute Maid visit this season. Just a few weeks back, the Mets failed to hit a HR in a three game set at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, which is a hitter's band box.

Tidbits

• Jeff Francoeur is 15/45 with 2 HR and 12 RBI since coming over to the Mets
• David Wright hit his first HR since June 30 in Milwaukee
• Jonathan Niese earned his 2nd career win and was lights out in AAA Buffalo before his call up
• All of the Mets regulars had hits except for Alex Cora and Niese
• This is the second game in a row where the Mets had over 10+ hits

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Juice Shortage for Mets at Minute Maid Park

Once again the New York Mets fail to hit in the clutch. The Mets dropped their third game in a row with a 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros tonight. The offense pounded out 13 hits but couldn't get the big one when they needed to. The Mets left two runners on in four different innings, and Jeff Francoeur was thrown out at the plate in the 7th inning. New York had a great chance to tie the game in the 8th inning with two runners on, but Angel Pagan hit a sac fly and Luis Castillo lined out to left field. Every Mets starter had at least one hit except for Johan Santana. It was disappointing the Mets could not get to ex-Met Mike Hampton because they worked him hard and had a lot of base runners on.

Santana was whacked around in suffering the loss, and fell to 11-8 on the season. He gave up 12 hits, which is the most he has allowed this year. He was constantly leaving the ball up in the strike zone. While he was still able to pitch into the 7th despite not having his best stuff, he did not make the key pitches in big spots. He allowed a home run to Mike Hampton, and while you never want to let the pitcher homer off you, it is very easy to hit long balls in that band box. Hampton has smacked 16 home runs in his career, but never hit one when he was a Metropolitan. His blast in the 4th gave Houston a 3-1 lead. Then right after the Mets tied it up the next half inning, Chris Coste hit a two run double to give the Astros the lead for good.

Since the offense has struggled and four runs is actually a lot for the Mets these days , this was a game where Johan needed to come out and stop the bleeding. The Mets gave him a lead in the first, and even with his struggles, Santana gave the lead right back to the Astros in the 5th after the Mets tied the game at three. I know Johan has pitched very well this year despite a rough stretch in June. However, with the way the Mets have played, he needs to be near perfect for this team to win games and tread water. The losses mounting has to be tough for a club that has endured so much, but the Mets are just not making the plays that are necessary in the clutch.

Tidbits:

• The Mets have now lost 7 of their last 9 at Houston, including a three game sweep last year.
• This is the first time since July 5th at Philadelphia that Santana allowed a run in one of his starts.
• Omir Santos snapped out of a slump with a 3/4 performance, including a homerun.
  
• Luis Castillo was 3/3 from the right side, and 0/1 from the left side. He really looked good up at the plate, and he has a much better stroke batting righty since he does not slap the ball.
• John Maine's right shoulder was bothering him after pitching in a simulated game on Tuesday. He will seek a second opinion with Dr. James Andrews this week, which is never a good sign for a pitcher.

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Mets Hit Rock Bottom in D.C.

The Mets came into Washington with hopes of getting back on the right track by beating up on the worst team in baseball. They had just lost three out of four in Atlanta while scoring nine runs in four games, and facing a Nationals team that was just swept by the Cubs. After scoring one run in the last two games of the series, the Mets are at the lowest point they have been all season, and you can throw in the off-field antics as well.

Everyone thought this would be the Mets' time to get things going again. I was at Nationals Park for the games on Monday and Tuesday, and everything got off to a great start in the opener Monday night. The Mets took advantage of J.D. Martin making his MLB debut and scored five runs in the first two innings, which was also more than half the amount of runs New York scored in four games against the Braves. Livan Hernandez pitched seven strong innings and put to rest any rumors of losing his spot in the rotation in a 6-2 win.

I knew Tuesday's game was going to be tough for the Mets since Long Beach, NY native John Lannan had pitched very well over his last few starts. With the Mets inability to score runs coupled with the chance that Oliver Perez could self destruct at any time, New York needed to have a good plan of attack against Lannan. Perez did not pitch poorly, but walked two in the 4th which led to two Nats runs, and he also hit a batter and walked one in the 5th that led to two more Washington tallies. While he was not hit hard, it is unacceptable to walk six batters in a start, and Perez cannot afford to be giving out free passes to hitters like Austin Kearns. He had pretty good command of his fastball, but his slider and other off speed pitches were all over the place.

Lannan was excellent in the 4-0 Nats victory. He threw 80 strikes out of 106 pitches and did not walk a batter in a complete game shut out. There is no doubt he pitched a great game, but the Mets hitters do not foul off enough pitches and have trouble making pitchers work. With all the injuries, a lot of the Mets are very easy outs right now like Brian Schneider, Fernando Tatis, Alex Cora, and Omir Santos. Even David Wright has a poor approach at the plate because he always takes the first pitch, and then he gets in a hole and has to swing at a pitcher's pitch.

The Metropolitans ran into another hot pitcher in Craig Stammen on Wednesday night. The righty stifled the Mets bats over seven and a third innings of work by only allowing one run. Mike Pelfrey bounced back from a rough start to pitch very well (7 innings, 3 ER), but it was not enough since the Mets offense was dead once again in the 3-1 loss. Only four hits for the Mets, including a Pagan triple that led to the lone run because of a throwing error by Christian Guzman. Luis Castillo was tossed in the second inning for arguing about whether he had full control of a ball on a throw from Wright, which he indeed did bobble. When you have as many runs as ejections, something is wrong.

The Mets scored five runs in the first two innings of the series, but they then went on to muster only one run in the next 25 innings. Pitiful. This was their chance to make a statement that they were still alive in the NL East and Wild Card races. They failed to get the big hits and rattle some young pitchers, and struggled to make big pitches in key moments.

Now the Mets enter an eight game stretch where they play in Houston for four games, a place where they never play well. Then they face the Rockies for four at Citi Field. Both of those teams have been very hot, and New York will be lucky to win one game in each series. Their pitching is just not good enough right now to carry them because of their anemic offense. The Mets have hit one home run in six games since the break. No one on the staff is consistently sharp, except for Johan Santana.

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You never want to close the door on the season near the end of July, but the Mets look done. By the time everyone returns from injuries, it will probably be too late to make a run, especially with the Phillies playing so well. I know the Mets blew a seven game lead with 17 to play in 2007, so we know anything is possible. The unfortunate thing is I just have not seen the fight, urgency, and any clutch play out of this team at all. They go through the motions night in and night out, and they continue to play a losing brand of baseball.

(Photos Courtesy of myself, David Suntup)