Mets Need a Savoir

Hi All --

I'm a bit jammed today, but a fellow Mets Maniac who stepped up to the plate a few times in the past to write, MT, is back...here is the blogpost for today...

Okay, so here we are seven games into the 2009 season, and our beloved Mets are just plain pathetic.

Am I the only one who thinks John Maine should be our number two starter? Why are they giving Pelfrey so much credit?Defense aside, the Mets really need an offensive spark - a savior, if you will.

Per the following ESPN article - http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot/0-1-44/Mets--Sheffield-to-get-outfield-start.html - my prayers have been answered.

I am confident that if Gary Sheffield is afforded enough ABs, he can re-emerge as a deadly power hitter and help the Mets win some ball games.I am not liking what I've seen from the Mets so far, but maybe it's still a little too early to criticize them.

Thoughts?

Pelfrey - A Star (well, As conveyed by Text Messaging!)

First...glad the Mets held on to a shaky lead against the Pirates tonight. It was the start of a mini-melt, but something we were able to hold off. Thanks Jerry Manuel for being logical.

Now, on Saturday morning around 8 am, I got a text message from MAC who is an occasional contributor --but not that often this year -- AHEM, MAC, love your columns when you step in for me.

So, it turns out he is in Kentucky on biz and I am guessing its an hour behind us. Anyway, for someone to THINK about my blog THAT early on a Saturday, how could I shy away from his comment.

Turns out as you may know, last year and a little bit of this year, I said that Pelfrey sucks and the Mets should get rid of him. This leopard has changed his spots. Not only do I think he is a core member of the pitching staff, I actually believe, just by watching his motion and composure, he is a legit superstar for years to come. As cited earlier in a post (hey, I'm too lazy to find it now -- its close to midnight -- that when he ditched the mouth guard, Pelfrey was a pitcher).

What I feel foolish about was I didn't stick with him in my fantasy league after his last start. That will sure change.

So, MAC, while its late for me, I hope you are up awaiting this post and feel that I rectified my old position. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but MAC got me to change my opinion faster than a politician visiting two diverse audiences an hour apart.

Pelfrey for Prez!

Mets' Youth is Answer to Their Woes

All --
I'm taking a day off from writing today (can't stomach it after seeing the Mets pen give up 6 runs today to the lowly Pirates). I dispatched a long time business colleague and fellow Mets fan to utter some logic in this time of bullpen confusion.

by Mark Tordik

Okay, so the Mets didn't sweep the Marlins on Sunday. [Editors Note: Nor did they play up to the level of the Sisters of Charity "B" team against the Pirates on Monday in a make-up game].
We have to give Josh Johnson a lot of credit. He is a big time pitcher although he's still relatively inexperienced. It's a waste of time to analyze Pelfrey's performance since the Mets' bats did nothing to keep pace with the offensively-charged Marlins.

Going back to Game 2 of this series, Murphy and Evans were nothing short of awesome. It is always exciting to see our young talent get called up in August and September every season. Two years ago, Mike Jacobs hit 10 HRs in something like his first 100 ABs. He's a jerk anyway, especially with what he did to Brian Stokes who got his first major league hit in as many ABs -- Jacobs tossed the ball over the Mets dugout and into the stands. Delgado and Mets officials needed to act fast to get the ball back. This was no accident -- the Marlins team was angered by a stong start by the Mets in which they scored four runs in the first inning.

Anyway, back to the young Mets talent. Another minor leaguer who has been getting some blog buzz is Valentino Pascucci who has hit 25 HRs this season for the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA).

Val Pascucci should be starting in LF for the Mets. Evans should split time with Tatis in RF and Daniel Murphy should be starting every game for the Mets at second base (he played 3B in the minors and should be able to make the switch) while Castillo continues his rehab. I don't want to ever see Damion Easley start a game for the Mets. He should always be used for PH.

Here is what the Mets lineup needs to look like if they are to challenge the Phillies and take the NL East:

• 1B - Carlos Delgado/Nick Evans
• 2B - Daniel Murphy/Luis Castillo
• SS - Jose Reyes
• 3B - David Wright
• C - Ramon Castro (when healthy, of course)
• LF - Valentino Pascucci
• CF - Carlos Beltran
• RF - Fernando Tatis/Nick Evans (if Church comes back healthy, then I'd give him the nod to start against righties only)

Note: I left Argenis Reyes off the list since he hasn't shown enough power and hitting ability. Murphy should be getting the time there. After all, Murphy has a .500 batting average. As for Nick Evans, he started slow batting .179 on July 12, but has been on a hot streak and is now hitting at a healthy .263.

In terms of pitching, the Mets need to bring up southpaw pitcher Jonathan Niese NOW. His ERA at New Orleans is 2.37. (FYI -- Brian Stokes' ERA at AAA is 4.41). He needs to come up ASAP along with teammate Tony Armas who is sporting a 2.54 ERA.

The Mets' future is bright but only if they can embrace the future and give these young kids a shot.

Editors Note: Mark, I thank you and even though I should be neutral as a moderator, I'll compromise and be succinct... "Ya darn right!"

Looks Like the Mets Beat The Vatican Cardinals

A few weeks ago, Carlos Delgado was a Pariah in the House. An anemic .203 average (give or take- but let's be realistic and take - .201), bad fielding and just no production mixed in with Ks (forward AND backward ones). But, today is July 25 and Delgado had a hell of a month and could realistically be named Player of the Month. A solid HR - his 20th was amongst the highlights of the Mets W over the St. Louis Cardinals (Box Score). OH, but wait, there's more..

Mike Pelfrey, whom I was ready to give away for a bucket of practice balls and a fungo bat and maybe even a used batting glove (for reference, see most posts of 2007! :) ) has come into his own. The confidence is there and the batters are taking him seriously. 7 Solid innings and over his last few starts, his ERA is 2.57. That's what it USED to be after 1/3 inning!

The one area where I still get a little trepidation is that 8th inning...Duaner (HEY TAXI) Sanchez has a predisposition to put runners on. Heilman, is like, well, John Kerry. Flip-flop on whether the mound time will be good or bad.

Cardinals look beatable. In fact, Albert Pujols, arguably the best all-around player (Here's where I have to tout Jose Reyes with his triples) looked like he was an 80-year-old Cardinal from Vatican City. 0-for-5 with 3Ks. Time to light a candle. Santana goes on Sunday and my ass will be planted in the stadium. GO METS!

In the Who Gives a Rat's Ass Dept...So, the following article appears on MLB.Com "Hampton slated to make return Saturday" The sub-head says it all - He hasn't pitched in 3 years in the majors. What is so special about this guy? I thought he left the Mets for the Rockies because they had a better school system? What's he then doing in Atlanta? Why? Why? Why? A very good friend of mine who happens to reside in the same state where Hampton's employer is, summed it up. Take it away O.H. "Hampton is pitching tomorrow if he doesn't pull a muscle wiping his ass in the morning." Sadly, he's accurate. Hampton is as fragile as origami. He put many young pitcher's careers in the shredder waiting for his spot. My prediction? He will make Micah Owings recent outings look like Sandy Koufax in the early 60s.

Let's Sweep The Rockies

So, with Sunday's schedule filling up on our end, I am writing this post in advance. Looking forward to the win tonight and sweeping Colorado. Apologies to my dear friends at Atrato (inside joke).

To reflect my confidence, I picked up Mike Pelfrey as a starter in my fantasy league for today.

He's been throwing heat. Since he tossed that mouthguard, his concentration is in the strike zone and not juggling some piece of plastic with 32 teeth.

LETS GO METS.

The Tone Changes

So, I am a positive, upbeat person, but the way the Mets played early on this year, the only way to write about was to criticize, lament and try to prevent that tear from falling in your beer.

Today, the Mets took the Rockies again and extended their winning streak to 8. Hope is eternal. Delgado, whom I was willing to trade for a fungo bat and a few practice baseballs earlier in the year, has come around and is connecting. Fernando Tatis is the latest of Mets sensations which earlier in the year included Ryan Church and Angel Pagan. (side note, where IS Angel Pagan these days? Perhaps paling around with J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon? No one has mentioned him at all of late save for "he's on the DL.:

The asset the Mets have is that the underheralded players, a la Damon Easely and the aforementioned chaps in the preceding paragraph all have the capability to turn the game around. That is what makes baseball exciting.

We have to see what is up with Pedro after today's game. And, tomorrow, it is Pelfrey, under the lights on the night game. (wonder if CowBell Man is going to be at the game tomorrow?)

Pelfrey - I Like-Y

So, Mike Pelfrey has turned me from a crusty curmudgeon "atheist" in his ability to a believer. A friend of mine, who used to do an occasional guest blog here (MAC) said to me last year, Pelfrey is legit. Wait. I did for a bit, but got tired (Jerseyites give about 10 seconds, TOPS!).

In the last 5 starts, he brought it around. In a fantasy league I am in, I stupidly traded Tim Linceum early in the year making a bold prediction he would suffer a sophomore jinx. Some freakin sage I am, right? Well, I was going to pick up Pelfrey for a spot start tonight, but surmised it would be a loss against the Mighty Tim.

Pelfrey put up some good numbers, didn't issue a BB and had 7 shutout innings. Plus, the team knocked the ball around including Argenis Reyes (pictured) with his first hit. For those who saw the broadcast, the ball was rolled back to the dugout, grabbed by Fernando Tatis (Yes, an HR tonight!) and he faked a toss into the crowd with a dummy ball.

Giants don't have much of an offense, but their mound presence is strong. Should be a good series. Just 1 1/2 games out. Don't ever discount the Mets -- NOT EVER.

Box Score

A Sigh Of Relief

Short post tonight. Tired. Long work week.

But it was nice to see both Pelfrey and Perez, two guys I have been critical of (I don't dislike them) had very good games this week, as did Santana. Ironically, Perez pitched well and so did the bullpen.

There was some good hustle in the game. A routine grounder to the Texas 1B, Chris Shelton wound up as a batter reaching base rather than slogging down to first. My coaches always yelled "RUN IT OUT!!!!" and that makes sense. Box Score

Saw a crawl on the screen saying the Mets got Trot Nixon. He was a player showing tons of potential when he was a rookie. Perhaps he can be a good player and contribute. The transaction says it was for cash and a player to be named later. I will name that player I want out NOW... Aaron Heil _ _ _ (see if you can guess the missing letters, man).

Let's keep in mind, the Mets team needs to ALL play like starters, not fill-ins.

AND, on a sad note. A personal tribute to Tim Russert. As serious as he is on politics, he often called in on the NYC sports radio shows and showed a good, fun, passionate sports fan side. Tim, I'm gonna miss ya!

Palpitations -- But The Mets Won!

Watching Mike Pelfrey just does odd things to me. You never know what the kid is going to do. He has a great delivery, but gets flustered so easily.

The image of the left was a stress test that reflects my reaction to each of his pitches.

Glad the Mets came out of the game well today. They were able to hold off potential base runners and kept the speedy Juan Pierre off the base stealing efforts.

Tomorrow night, Sunday, I am heading to the ESPN game. First time I get to see Santana pitch. I never have luck seeing the top Mets pitchers hurl. In the early 90s, I always wound up with a Wally Whitehurst or Sid Fernandez. As of late, it has either been Pelfrey, Perez or Figueroa.

Here's the box score for posterity (translation, so Pelfrey's mom can read it). Interesting note I forgot to mention a few days ago...Duaner Sanchez, who won the other day, had a rare opportunity to bat. It amazed me how much hustle he had as he ran to first base