NY Sports Dog: June 2008

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Wilie Randolph Fired

The wait is over, Willie Randolph has been fired. Also fired were pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto.

As firings go, this one was handled with little class, suspect timing, and poor communication. The obvious question being, why make those guys travel across the country to win a game and get fired right after?

Moreover the Mets have won 3 of 4, and played some of their best baseball of the year.

Ken Oberkfell, Dan Warthen and Luis Aguayo will join the team’s big-league staff.

Oberkfell had been the manager of the team’s Triple-A New Orleans affiliate, while Warthen had been the pitching coach, and Aguayo the team’s field coordinator.

According to an AP report, Minaya and Manuel will address the media before Tuesday’s game in Anaheim at 5 pm EDT.

Name Years managed Record
Willie Randolph 2004-08 302-253
Art Howe 2003-04 137-186
Bobby Valentine 1996-2002 536-467
Dallas Green 1993-96 229-283
Jeff Torborg 1992-93 85-115
Mike Cubbage 1991 3-4
Bud Harrelson 1990-91 145-129
Davey Johnson 1984-90 595-417
Frank Howard 1983 52-64
George Bamberger 1982-83 81-127
Joe Torre 1977-81 286-420
Joe Frazier 1976-77 101-106
Roy McMillan 1975 26-27
Yogi Berra 1972-75 292-296
Gil Hodges 1968-71 339-309
Salty Parker 1967 4-7
Wes Westrum 1965-67 142-237
Casey Stengel 1962-1965 175-404
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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Just Because I Can!

Here's something good to think about:

Jose Reyes has a legitimate chance to have 1,000 major league hits before his 26th birthday.

Batting Stats
Year
GABRHHRRBIBBSOSBCSOBPSLGAVG
2003
6927447845321336133 .334 .434 .307
2004
532203356214531192 .271 .373 .255
2005
1616969919075827786015 .300 .386 .273
2006
153647122194198153816417 .354 .487 .300
2007
160681119191125777787821 .354 .421 .280
2008
6226643768292737237 .348 .477 .286
Total
65827844637915327120234125765 .332 .431 .284

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Mets Misery

Another superb start wasted, but this time there would be no 13th inning heroics, only a crushing defeat and a team that, for all intents and purposes, is starting to look defeated.

David Wright, the poster boy for accountability and optimism, looks absolutely crushed right now in the dugout. The losses are taking a toll on the Mets young star.

The Mets faithful, who have supported this team to the tune of 3 million visitors per year, are angry--and they should be.

Change is a coming my friends, and it will be Willie--it has to be Willie.

Has he done anything egregiously wrong of late in his game management? Absolutely not, in fact I would say the opposite is true.

But as we've reported here for months, accountability starts with the leader, and Willie Randolph, as the Manager, is the leader of this bunch.

It's time for a change....maybe too late, but maybe soon enough to salvage 2008.

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Good Morning Mike Pelfrey (Mets) Fans!

Mike Pelfrey pitched the best game of his fledgling major league career last night, only to see victory snatched away with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the 9th inning when closer Billy Wagner allowed a home run to the DBacks Mark Reynolds.

Interestingly enough, Reynolds was clearly hit in the foot on the pitch prior to his blast, which would have loaded the bases but kept the game scoreless.

After throwing 8 scoreless innings, manager Willie Randolph allowed Pelfrey to come out for the 9th on a short leash due to pitch count.

He battled hard to the first batter he faced, but after giving up a single up the middle Pelfrey's night was done.

"It's disappointing that I didn't get it," Pelfrey said after blanking the Diamondbacks over eight innings before coming out after surrendering a single to lead off the ninth. "But Billy's been huge for us all year."

Pelfrey threw mostly fastballs on a beautiful night at shea; in fact, Pelfrey said he threw only one changeup all night.

He struck out 8 and worked calmly when the DBacks did manage to get runners on base. It was a significant step for Pelfrey, who has pitched very well in three consecutive starts.

Last Three Starts:
21 IP, 15 Hits, 4 ER, 6 BB, 15 Ks. 1.71 ERA

After the Wagner homerun you could hear a pin drop at Shea as the Mets faithful sat in stunned disbelief. Even during the bottom of the 9th, when the Mets put two runners on base, there was barely a noise even though the Mets were one hit away from a 9th inning walkoff.

The Mets other relievers did a great job, particularly Aaron Heilman, in keeping the game tied until the 13th. Heilman pitched two scoreless frames and struck out 3, while only allowing 1 walk and no hits.

And then came Beltran. Carlos hammered a 1-2 pitch from Edgar Gonzalez (1-3) to right-center for the fifth game-ending homer of his career and first since Aug. 22, 2006, off St. Louis reliever Jason Isringhausen.

Exhausted-looking Mets poured out of the dugout to celebrate at the plate, mobbing Beltran and bouncing in unison.

"Fastball up, in the middle of the plate. I just reacted to it," Beltran said. "I wasn't sure it would be gone because it was on a line."

Final 13th12345678910111213RHE
Arizona00000000300003102
N.Y. Mets «0003000000002590
W: C. Vargas (3-2) L: E. Gonzalez (1-3)
HR: ARI - M. Reynolds (15) NYM - C. Beltran (7)


It was gone, the Mets won, and life in Metville goes on.

Random Thoughts from NY Sports Dog:

  • The Mets aren't as bad as their record.
  • David Wright needs a day off.
  • Ryan Church out is huge for this team...who would've thunk it when the Milledge deal was made?
  • Brian Schneider is a phenomenal backstop.
  • Aaron Heilman is still our best bridge to Wagner option.
  • Why do the Mets not swing at the pitch when we steal bases? On Reyes last two caught stealings, and Castillo's caught stealing from last night, three strikes were called and we didn't swing at any of the pitches.

John Harper comments about the Mets bullpen. Two words: knee jerk.

Marlon Anderson tries to inspire his teammates.

Enjoy your coffee!

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Drastic Times in Mets Land

OK, let's fix this sinking ship.

1. Fire Willie Randolph. It really is time.

Start the youth movement.
2. Bring up Mike Carp...cut ties with Fernando Tatis.
3. Bring up Pascucci...cut ties with Damion Easley.
4. Hire Wally Backman...we need the energy and the passion.
5. Keep Chris Aguila here until Ryan Church gets back and leave him here if Alou is down (again) with this MRI thing.

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Monday, June 9, 2008

The Mets Are Not Really an Old Team

I've been having an interesting chat with a guy who has been convinced all year long that the Mets problems stem from the fact that they are an "old team".

I decided to take a look at all the teams, and here are the results. Yes, the Mets are the oldest team in baseball at 30.8 years of age on average, but considering that the Phillies are 30.6, the Red Sox 30.4, and the Cubs 30.3, I don't think the extra tenth or two of average makes a hill of beans difference.

The Mets are playing poorly, but not because they're old.

Major League Rosters
RNK Team RHB LHB SH RHP LHP HT WT Age Young Old
1 Arizona 7 5 2 9 3 6-2 205 27.6 20 44
2 Florida 8 5 2 15 4 6-2 207 27.6 21 40
3 Minnesota 8 4 3 11 3 6-1 210 27.7 22 37
4 Texas 6 5 3 14 4 6-2 217 27.8 23 37
5 Oakland 10 7 1 11 3 6-1 209 27.8 22 40
6 Tampa Bay 7 6 2 11 3 6-1 207 27.9 22 38
7 Colorado 9 6 1 11 4 6-2 207 27.9 22 38
8 Washington 10 4 4 12 3 6-1 221 28.1 23 36
9 Baltimore 6 4 2 14 6 6-2 208 28.3 22 37
10 LA Angels 9 2 5 10 2 6-1 205 28.3 23 37
11 Pittsburgh 9 4 1 5 7 6-0 205 28.4 24 36
12 Kansas City 7 5 1 12 3 6-1 200 28.5 24 37
13 Cleveland 8 4 2 9 5 6-1 207 28.6 22 37
14 San Francisco 9 3 4 9 6 6-1 204 28.6 22 41
15 Atlanta 6 5 4 12 6 6-1 207 28.7 22 42
16 Cincinnati 10 6 1 11 4 6-1 212 29.2 21 40
17 LA Dodgers 10 5 3 10 3 6-1 212 29.2 20 40
18 St. Louis 9 3 2 17 4 6-2 210 29.3 22 39
19 Detroit 11 3 3 9 6 6-1 201 29.4 23 43
20 NY Yankees 5 5 3 19 1 6-3 222 29.5 21 39
21 San Diego 8 4 3 14 4 6-1 206 29.5 25 42
22 Milwaukee 10 3 0 13 4 6-1 211 29.8 22 39
23 Seattle 10 3 1 8 4 6-1 213 29.8 22 38
24 Chicago Sox 10 2 1 8 4 6-2 225 29.9 23 37
25 Toronto 11 4 1 10 4 6-1 210 30.0 23 40
26 Chicago Cubs 9 4 0 12 3 6-1 208 30.3 22 38
27 Boston 6 6 2 11 3 6-2 208 30.4 23 42
28 Philadelphia 7 4 2 11 4 6-1 205 30.6 23 45
29 NY Mets 5 5 6 10 6 6-1 209 30.8 24 42
30 Houston 8 2 3 10 3 6-0 204 30.8 23 41
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Ryan Church to the Disabled List

The bad news, 3 weeks after he was concussed, the Mets have placed Ryan Church on the 15–day disabled list.

Moises Alou takes his place on the roster.

The good news? The transaction is retroactive to last Friday, so he can come back on June 20th.

Of course, that is supposing his symptoms go away.

BTW, NY Sports Dog sponsors Ryan Church on Baseball-Reference.com.

Get well soon!

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Sunday, June 8, 2008

Deja Vu All Over Again

What a brutal offensive stretch for the Mets--three straight losses to the San Diego Padres by 2-1 scores.

The real shame? The pitching has been brilliant.

The Mets now stand 6.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, and 5.5 games behind the Cards for the Wild Card, with four other teams sandwiched between.

Ever the eternal optimist when it comes to the Mets, I have begun to worry.

I'm worried that we'll never have the offensive consistency needed to win 90+ games.

I'm worried that Moises Alou won't have 90 more games of baseball left in his old body.

I'm worried that Ryan Church might have cobwebs for another month.

I'm worried that our weak hitting bench is going to be the team's downfall.

Speaking of the bench, I love those guys individually, but as a unit they have got to be among the worst in baseball. Tatis, Endy, Easley, Castro, Casanova, and Nunez?

My kingdom for Angel Pagan!

Hey Omar....we need some offense, and I believe it is time to make a move and part ways with one of the weak hitting guys that currently make up our roster. Tatis is the obvious candidate, but don't rule out Easley....he has just lost his ability to turn on a fastball and cover the plate on breaking pitches.

It's time for a move on the bench and a little shakeup.

Damion Easley Stats and Projections--what has he done to deserve 360 at bats this season?

2008 Season Stats
SPLITSGABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOSBCSAVGOBPSLGOPS
Season37967224011151300.229.262.302.564
Career1630526470913232812515865149691011456.251.328.404.732
Last 74101410031100.400.455.500.955
Projected1383582682150441194800.229.262.302.564

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Saturday, June 7, 2008

Johan Santana Injury Report

Is he injured, hurt, bruised, or all of the above? We'll really know today, but I vote for bruise and zero starts missed.

For those that watched the game, it didn't look too bad.

For those that like hype, like the media, it looked catastrophic. To whit:

There are two articles on MLB.com that are making this thing sound far worse than it is, and here are a few quotes and headlines:

"SAN DIEGO -- A decidedly left-handed man, Johan Santana extended his right hand into a small bag, removed lip gloss of some kind and applied it with his right hand. A few moments earlier Friday night, the Mets pitcher slid his arms into a shirt, clearly favoring his left arm. Underneath that shirt, on the front of his left shoulder, he wore a bandage, specially medicated to eliminate inflammation."

And here is the headline from another article:

"Santana hurt as Mets suffer tough loss!"

OK guys, let's bring this down a notch.

Yes, Santana was hit by a pitch in his left shoulder, and it was a solid hit.

He also stayed in the at-bat, and came out and pitched another inning.

Will it be bruised? Of course. But to jump around this morning inferring he has some type of major injury is irresponsible.

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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Has Major League Baseball Lost It's Mind?

The Mets have the strangest, most nonsensical and yes, stupid, schedule in June that I have ever seen.

ZERO division games and two West coast trips a few days apart.

This is just plain bad stuff...not good for the game, not good for anyone.

They can, and should, do better.

Zemanta Pixie

Carlos Beltran is Heating Up

Take a look at his recent numbers and how he projects for the year:

2008 Season Stats
SPLITSGABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOSBCSAVGOBPSLGOPS
Season582134157173637373771.268.373.460.833
Career1378532696014902956124291262898425735.280.355.494.850
Last 77245820286200.333.452.6671.118
Proj16259511515947817103103103203.268.373.460.833

And then look at his career numbers:

G AB R H 2B 3B HR GS RBI BB IBB SO SH SF HBP
AVG OBP SLG
1998 Royals 14 58 12 16 5 3 0 0 7 3 0 12 0 1 1
.276 .317 .466
1999 Royals 156 663 112 194 27 7 22 0 108 46 2 123 0 10 4
.293 .337 .454
2000 Royals 98 372 49 92 15 4 7 0 44 35 2 69 2 4 0
.247 .309 .366
2001 Royals 155 617 106 189 32 12 24 2 101 52 2 120 1 5 5
.306 .362 .514
2002 Royals 162 637 114 174 44 7 29 2 105 71 1 135 3 7 4
.273 .346 .501
2003 Royals 141 521 102 160 14 10 26 0 100 72 4 81 0 7 2
.307 .389 .522
2004 Royals 69 266 51 74 19 2 15 0 51 37 7 44 1 3 2
.278 .367 .534
2004 Astros 90 333 70 86 17 7 23 0 53 55 3 57 2 4 5
.258 .368 .559
2005 Mets 151 582 83 155 34 2 16 0 78 56 5 96 4 6 2
.266 .330 .414
2006 Mets 140 510 127 140 38 1 41 3 116 95 6 99 1 7 4
.275 .388 .594
2007 Mets 144 554 93 153 33 3 33 0 112 69 10 111 1 10 2
.276 .353 .525
G AB R H 2B 3B HR GS RBI BB IBB SO SH SF HBP
AVG OBP SLG
10 Years 1,320 5,113 919 1,433 278 58 236 7 875 591 42 947 15 64 31
.280 .354 .496

In the immortal words of a great 60s songwriter, "Something tells me we're into something good"...he is going to have a monster season when it's all said and done.

I expect 120+ RBIs.
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Good Morning Mets Fans!

Rolling, rolling, Rolling!

The Mets took the series finale yesterday in fine fashion behind another strong performance by John Maine and the hitting of our young superstar Jose Reyes.

Players of the Game

New York

J. Reyes
AB 4
R 2
H 3
HR 1
RBI 2

New York

J. Maine
IP 6.0
H 7
ER 1
BB 1
K 4

With the victory the Mets are now 2 games over .500 and absolutely brimming with confidence as they head to San Diego to complete the West coast trip.

Jose Reyes hit a leadoff double, then homered and singled to help John Maine and the Mets win the rubber game with the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Wednesday.

"For me, it's only been a matter of time," Randolph said. "I know we can play better than we have. We've shown more consistency and that's the team we're going to be over a long season. I hope we're on a nice little groove.

Mike Pelfrey gets the start tonight as he stays in the rotation based on some particularly strong outings of late.

The always outstanding Ben Shipgel from the NY Times talks about the day's events.

Here's a nice recap from NJ.Com on the Mets victory.

John Delcos reports that the Mets feel good.

Here's a piece on Reyes and Beltran and their huge contributions during the Mets resurgence.

The NY Post has a good article on Pedro and how he feels after his comeback win.

More on Pedro and the smile he is bringing to his ailing father's face.

Notes
  • The Mets placed C Raul Casanova on the bereavement list following the death of his father, Raul Casanova Sr., and selected the contract of C Robinson Cancel from Triple-A New Orleans.
  • Martinez reported no problems a day after making his second start of the year and first since leaving his April 1 outing with a hamstring injury.
  • Mets OF Moises Alou, on the DL since May 22 with a strained right calf, had hoped to be activated as soon as Friday for a weekend series at San Diego but he might have to wait until Tuesday.
  • It's a known fact that coffee tastes 57.87% better after a Mets win!
Final123456789RHE
N.Y. Mets «300200000581
San Francisco001001010390
W: J. Maine (6-4) L: M. Cain (2-4)
S: B. Wagner (13)
HR: NYM - J. Reyes (8) SF - None


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Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Pedro the Great made a magnificent return to the mound last night, throwing 6 innings to beat the San Francisco Giants on a blustery night.

He pitched well; he hit better; his energy and enthusiasm were on display for everyone, and his teammates responded.

What is it about Pedro that brings out the best in the Mets?

His teammates love him:

"Coming into this season, we were going to lean on Pedro," David Wright said yesterday afternoon, "so tonight, we get an opportunity to do that. It was good to see him work his butt off to get back here and I'm excited about it because Pedro is an integral part of our team. We need him because we need to solidify that No. 2 spot in the rotation."

"It was a big shock to all of us when he got hurt," Ryan Church said. "Now it's a big shot in the arm for us that he's back. Everything he does, he just makes it fun and keeps everybody loose."

"Just the day itself is big and it's something that we've been waiting for," Moises Alou said of Martinez's return. "We hope he throws a no-hitter. But just the fact that he's going out to pitch is huge. To get him back and to have Pedro pitch every five days is really a big positive for our team. We as players get as excited as the fans. It's a great feeling to have your horses rejoin the team. We're going to need every single one of our guys to fulfill out goal."

In a piece by Steve Popper, he tells how before the game Pedro was fully-dressed while teammates bustled about, already in uniform, Martinez watched quietly as the Yankees game played on the clubhouse televisions. Without a word he watched Joba Chamberlain struggle through an arduous first inning.

Finally, he called out to a few reporters and said, “When you want to ask me about velocity, look at him. He’s got all the velocity he needs.” What was left unsaid was that velocity wasn’t helping Chamberlain on this night as his location failed him and his pitch count rose.

Final123456789RHE
N.Y. Mets «1000800009102
San Francisco100020003693
W: P. Martinez (1-0) L: B. Zito (1-9)
S: B. Wagner (12)
HR: NYM - None SF - T. Denker (1)


Pedro had really good stuff last night, touching 93 on the radar gun with decent control and plenty of movement on his pitches. He threw 109 pitches in all, and gave up 7 hits and 3 walks (one intentional), while striking out 3.

"I felt real good, just like I expected to feel," Martinez said. "I got my feet wet a little bit today."

He also added, "It's not over until the season's over, but I would say I feel really good, really confident now," Martinez said. "(The weather) was really uncomfortable, especially for my changeup, my feel pitches. I threw more fastballs than normal and I got away with it."

Pedro helped his own cause at the plate, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored."I told the guys I was going to get a hit, and I've always got to give them the 'double guns' and a little shake when I do that," he said, smiling.

The Mets hit well last night and erupted for an 8 run inning that sealed the deal early. Damian Easley was the hitting star, going 3 for 4 with a walk and 3 RBIs.

All told the Mets got 10 hits and 5 walks with a balanced attack. In fact, they managed those 9 RBIs with Easley as the only batter to have more than one hit.

Read more about Pedro in the NY Daily News here.

Here's a piece about Pedro's quality start.

In other Mets news....

There's some speculation going on that Castro and Schneider are now part of a platoon. I'm not buying it. What I am buying is the fact that Castro is a backup who is going to get 40 starts a year. He was hurt for a while and has a hot bat against lefty's, so he has some catching up to do (love the pun!).

More on the alleged platoon by Adam Rubin.

Here's a piece on the struggles of Ollie Perez and his arm slot.

OK Mets fans, enjoy your coffee and remember to Vote for Pedro!

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