Time for Some Pedro Feliciano Love

Where would we be without this guy?

After starting the year off with a bad game, his ERA is dropping like a stone.

Read and enjoy:

Date	ERA	IP	Earned Runs
8-Apr	27.00	0.2	2
9-Apr	13.50	0.2	0
10-Apr	13.50	0.2	1
11-Apr	11.57	0.1	0
13-Apr	9.00	0.2	0
16-Apr	6.75	1.0	0
17-Apr	6.23	0.1	0
19-Apr	5.79	0.1	0
21-Apr	4.76	1.0	0
24-Apr	4.50	0.1	0
26-Apr	3.86	1.0	0
28-Apr	3.68	0.1	0
1-May	4.00	1.2	1
2-May	4.50	1.0	1
6-May	4.09	1.0	0
7-May	3.75	1.0	0
10-May	3.46	1.0	0
11-May	3.46	0.0	0
13-May	3.07	1.2	0
15-May	2.87	1.0	0
18-May	2.81	0.1	0
23-May	2.65	1.0	0
24-May	2.50	1.0	0
25-May	2.45	0.1	0
27-May	2.41	0.1	0
29-May	2.37	0.1	0
31-May	2.25	1.0	0

Numbers Say Bad Trade, I Say Good Trade

The Mets traded backup catcher, and fan favorite, Ramon Castro to the White Sox for Lance Broadway.

Omir Santos, the current fan favorite, has hit well since coming up to the big leagues, though he has really terrible minor league numbers.

How bad? Let's just say his minor league statistical history tells us he will come back to Earth in the hitting department, but hopefully he keeps the ride going a while longer.

In parts of 9 minor league seasons he has a .258 BA, .303 OBP, .348 Slg and .650 OPS. That, my friends, is bottom of the barrel bad.

That said, Omir has hit and played well with the Mets. After going 2-for-5 Friday, he is hitting .276 in 27 games, with three homers and 17 RBI.

The hard part of this trade to swallow is that the Mets traded power. Ramon Castro hit .253 in 26 games, with three homers and 13 RBI, and has had some big homeruns for the Mets. He was always a solid late game pinch-hitting option if the Mets needed a big hit, though for some reason Jerry Manuel rarely used him in that situation, opting for just about anyone else. He only pinch-hit 4 times this year.

He has also had a lot of injuries, and at age 33, that situation is likely to get worse, not better. One of the running jokes amongst Mets writers and fans were "when will Ramon go to the DL" polls.

But the key to the trade isn't Omir, or Santos or Broadway--it's Brian Schneider.

Schneider has not hit this year (.143 BA), and he hit poorly in the first half of last year.

But take heart Mets fans, he had a very good second half of 2008, and if he returns to that form, the Mets will be in very good shape behind the plate.

Schneider played his best ball of the year in August and September, hitting .274 with 7 homeruns and 18 RBIs in 106 at-bats. That is terrific production from a catcher.

So a little hope from me:

I believe Omir Santos will continue to make contact (lord knows he won't walk) and play solid defense while calling a good game. Brian Schneider comes back healthy, rested, and capable of contributing to the offense, and the Mets have a solid, injury free duo from here on out.

I like Ramon, always have, and the numbers may say bad trade, but I like it.

Emil Brown has a Gun

Well, a pellet gun anyway.

On July 30, 2007, Brown shot Kansas City reporter Karen Kornacki in the eye with a BB gun. This happened with Kornacki was talking to his Royals teammate Tony Pena, Jr..

The Royals called it "an accident".

Sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Bad Jerry Manuel Decision #72

Murph gets 5 RBIs on Wednesday.

Jerry sits Murph the next game.

Brilliant.

Yeah, Sean West is a lefty, so let's see...

Murph happens to be hitting .313 against lefty's this year and .346 against lefty's in his brief big league career (26 ABs total against lefty's).

Fernando Tatis is hitting .241 against lefty's this year.

Tonight's lineup:

Pagan, rf
Castillo, 2b
Beltran, cf
Sheffield, lf
Wright, 3b
Tatis, 1b
Santos, c
R. Martinez, ss
Pelfrey, rhp

Brett Myers Needs Surgery: Possible Season Ending

News: The Philadelphia Daily News reports that Phillies starter Brett Myers is likely to require surgery that would sideline him for three to four months. The Phillies are awaiting a prognosis from hip specialist Bryan Kelly, but the expectation is that he will need to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum.

From ESPN:

"I don't know what I am going to do," Myers said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. "First I am going to get a second opinion. ... I am going to explore every option I need to keep pitching, but if he tells me, 'It's over, you need to have [surgery] now or you could cause damage,' I will have it. I have to. It's a no-brainer.

"If he tells me rehab and anti-inflammatory medicine will take care of it, I'll pitch through it."

Myers (4-3) left in the sixth inning of Philadelphia's 6-2 loss to the Florida Marlins on Wednesday after giving up five runs. He had allowed just six runs in 21 innings in three previous starts.

Myers said pitching through pain is nothing new for him.

"This has been bothering me as long I can remember," he said, according to the Inquirer. "I never knew what it was. It just became unpitchable this season."

While Myers doesn't want to have the surgery now, he knows it's inevitable.

"I have to do it regardless. Surgery is required regardless of when I get it," Myers said, according to MLB.com. "But if that doctor tells me I have to have surgery now, then I'm going to do it. There's no point in even trying to [mess] with it and mess it up to where I can't walk when I'm 30."

I fully expect the Phils to make the push for Jake Peavy and/or Brad Penny over the next week.

Career: Pitching
SEASON	TEAM	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	ERA
2002	Phi	12	12	1	0	72.0	73	38	34	11	29	34	4	5	0	0	--	4.25
2003	Phi	32	32	1	1	193.0	205	99	95	20	76	143	14	9	0	0	--	4.43
2004	Phi	32	31	1	1	176.0	196	113	108	31	62	116	11	11	0	0	--	5.52
2005	Phi	34	34	2	0	215.1	193	94	89	31	68	208	13	8	0	0	--	3.72
2006	Phi	31	31	1	0	198.0	194	93	86	29	63	189	12	7	0	0	--	3.91
2007	Phi	51	3	0	0	68.2	61	33	33	9	27	83	5	7	21	3	3	4.33
2008	Phi	30	30	2	1	190.0	197	103	96	29	65	163	10	13	0	0	--	4.55
2009	Phi	10	10	0	0	63.2	66	33	33	17	20	46	4	3	0	0	--	4.67
Total	--	232	183	8	3	1176.2	1185	606	574	177	410	982	73	63	21	3	3	4.39

How Good is the Citi Field Fan Experience?

Taking the family up to Citi Field tomorrow for our first "Citi Field Experience".

Can't wait to see the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

Excited to sample all the food.

Looking forward to the extra-width of the seats and the legroom.

It's also nice that there is a stellar pitching matchup.

So how has the Citi Field experience been for you?

What are the must do's?

The Curse of Citi Field: Opponents Style

I am really starting to like Citi Field.

We get crazy bounces, a serious homefield advantage, and the opponents seem cursed, as evidenced by the Sheffield and Murphy homerun umpire replays--both of which went in the Mets favor.

As I write this the Mets are 14-8 at home and leading 5-3 in the bottom of the 6th.

With the great home fans we have, coupled with the new good luck park, we just may have found our 10th man!

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Livan wears his war wounds like a crown....

The old master was on display last night. His pitches darted, floated, seemed to be over the plate to hit, and then were gone in a flash or hit weakly for outs and double plays.

He threw a lot of them--127 to be exact--and went the distance in one of those games that will be forgotten before too long, but could be a difference maker come late September.

His effort gave the bullpen a rest, and it kept the Mets hot despite a slew of injuries that could have crippled a lesser team.

The Mets have won 4 out of their last 5 games and remain a scant half game back of the Phillies for first place in the NL East.

Livan was proud of his effort, as well he should be.

"This is the Livan everybody knew before," Hernandez said. "The last two years have been a difficult time, but now I've come back and been the same as before."

"I threw good sinkers, and people hit into double plays," said Hernandez. "Today was a day everything happened perfect: a lot of double plays and the sinker working real good."

He is now 4-1 on the year with a respectable 4.28 ERA. In the month of May he is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA and 4 high quality starts in 5 outings.

It was also a night of young and old.

20-year old Fernando Martinez had an RBI in his major league debut.

"That was unbelievable for me," Martinez said. "I waited all my life for that moment. That's great. It's like, 'That's my life,' right now."

His whole life, huh? I'm wearing a 23-year old Mets t-shirt as I write this, but still, you have to admire the kids enthusiasm.

40-year old Gary Sheffield hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, the 504th of his illustrious career, to break it open.

The homerun tied him with Eddie Murray for 24th place on the all-time homerun list.

Sheffield is hitting .340 in May with a 1.036 OPS. Right now, he is the sole true long ball threat in the lineup, and he is absolutely hammering the ball.

"I have to just keep doing my job," Sheffield said.

The rest of the team helped too.

David Wright had two hits, Luis Castillo scored twice, and the defense was terrific.

Another tip of the cap to Angel Pagan. He had two hits and a walk in the leadoff spot and also gunned out a runner out the plate. Pagan is not a great player, but he is a solid 4th outfielder who can make things happen when he plays.

All in all a fun night of baseball at Citi Field.

Johan Santana is on the hill today (weather permitting) as the Mets look for the sweep.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Washington (13-32)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	9	0
N.Y. Mets (25-20) «	0	1	2	0	0	0	3	0	x	6	10	0

Players of the Game

New York L. Hernandez IP 9.0 H 9 ER 1 BB 1 K 6

New York G. Sheffield AB 3 R 1 H 2 HR 1 RBI 3

Fernando Mania!

Here he comes to save the day!

OK, maybe he officially won't save the day, but how exciting is it for us to have the future here now?

The 20-year old is having an excellent season at AAA:

2009 Stats		G	Bavg	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB	R	2B
BUF (nym)	AAA	41	.294	.341	.544	7	26	2	21	15

Now, with Church on the DL and Beltran hurting, the time for Fernando is really here.

Let the kid play, let's get excited and win a few games, and let's look at the future now.

Who knows, he could kick ass and just stay here a while.

Memorial Day Remembrance: A Baseball Connection

As some of you may know, I served in the Air Force for 21 years, retiring in August 2007 from the Pentagon.

As part of the military retirement checklist, there are numerous medical and dental appointments--this is your last chance to get stuff fixed on active duty before you enter the retiree or VA medical system, so they are very thorough.

During my dental exam in the Pentagon Dental Clinic, the technician asked if I had any teeth issues--I admitted that one tooth had bothered me for years, but I didn't say anything because it could take me off deployment status, and we were at war.

A quick deep probe (painful!) and x-ray revealed the tooth was actually cracked in half at the root...ugh.

The problem was that I had only 2 weeks until my official retirement date of August 11th, and once that date passed, they weren't supposed to see me anymore.

"Go see Dr Maxwell," they told me.

I went to see Doc Maxwell...tall, handsome guy with an imposing presence. I am 6'2" and a career military man, and he scared the crap out of me.

His office was adorned with pictures of him standing with several Presidents and dignitaries, and they were all personally inscribed. He told me he was a retired Navy Captain and formerly the official military dentist to President Bush the Elder and President Clinton.

I explained my circumstances--the cracked tooth, the two weeks left before retirement, etc, and he told me not to worry. Said he would remove the tooth that day, put in a holder for an implant, and build a crown while it all healed, which would take a few weeks.

The tooth was pulled that day, I went back 3 days later for the holder, and they sent off the mold to make my crown. Told me to come back on Sep 11th.

Now no one wants to be in the Pentagon on Sep 11th...I had spent six Sep 11th's in the Pentagon..1999-2001, and 2004-2006...I didn't want a seventh.

A week before my appointment, Doc Maxwell called me and said to come in on Sep 12th...the crown wouldn't quite be ready in time, so he pushed me back a day (much to my relief).

On Sep 12th, 2007 I went in for my crown...at this point I was no longer in the military, but a civilian retiree...we were breaking the rules. I had been instructed to check in under my active duty rank.

As I waited in Doc Maxwell's dental chair, already numb, people kept coming by to congratulate the good doctor and pat him on the back.

I looked up and slurred, "what's the big occassion?"

He looked down at me, dental tools in hand, assistant at the ready, my mouth already numb from the shots, and said:

"My son hit a Grand Slam for the Nats last night."

In my best Sylvester Stallone droopy mouth from the shots voice I blurted, "your son is Justin Maxwell!?!?"

"Yes, he is, now open wide so we can get this crown in before I get in trouble."

Thanks Doctor Maxwell...you broke the Pentagon rules to help me--you worked on two President's teeth-- your son is a major league ballplayer--and you still work at the Pentagon helping the troops when you could be in private practice making a million a year.

I hope the Doc had a great Memorial Day, I know I did.

Let It Rain?

Normally I'm the type of fan that hates rainouts....loathe them with a passion.

But with rain in the forecast for the next few days, and a plethora of injuries that are swinging precariously between DL or "a few more days of rest", I say Let It Rain!

Carlos Beltran is going for an MRI today...best case is they find nothing structurally and a few days off (thanks to our friend the rain), gets him back to 100%...Let It Rain.

Jose Reyes' balky calf is still sore, and he could either be back by Friday, or head to the DL...my guess is he comes back Friday, so for now...Let It Rain.

Ryan Church's MRI came back negative, and he is getting treatment for his sore hamstring...a few more days should have him back at 100%...Let It Rain.

Frankie Rodriguez came back from his back spasms to record his 13th save last night, but he admitted to a little soreness...it sure would be nice to give him a 3 day rest...Let It Rain.

Gary Sheffield is playing every day now, and at his age he should be more of a play 2 days, sit a day or two, kind of player...we need to keep him fresh for later in the season...Let It Rain.

A few more days off also gets us nearer to being a more complete club...Cora, Schneider, Ollie, Delgado...whether you love or hate any or all of these guys, we're better with a full deck of cards to deal with.

So yes, I hate a rainout, but sometimes, only sometimes, they can work to a team's advantage.

Let It Rain.

Beltran to Undergo MRI

Beltran to undergo MRI per SNY crawler.

When Razor Shines sent him home from second (to get thrown out), I was livid...you were livid...hopefully this is not going to reveal anything more than some tenderness.

More to follow.

Finger's crossed.

Time to Get Healthy

The Mets injury woes continue, and the next day or two will provide answers to what the next month will look like.

Yesterday we heard Jose Reyes declare himself out for today. We also don't know the state of Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church.

If Church has a torn hamstring, it's like that Fernando Martinez gets called up. While we all love the kid, it's preferable to leave him in the minors to let him play every day.

Do you play FMart over one of the more experienced outfielders? He's hitting well in AAA, and he could certainly help the team right now, but odds are he'll struggle like every other 20 year old making the transition to the big leagues.

Jose Reyes is the most troubling absence this side of Carlos Delgado. That Reyes declared himself out of today's game yesterday sent shock waves through Mets nation.

If he has to go to the DL for any length of time, the team's defensive struggles become even more exacerbated.

It really is time to add DeRosa...we need the depth.

The list below isn't complete....that tells you just how banged up this club is right now.

Mets		Updated	Status	Due Back	Injury	Notes
	Church, Ryan (RF)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Strained right hamstring	Missed 2nd straight game on May 24.
	Cora, Alex (2B)	05/18	15-day DL	Early June	Torn ligament in right thumb	Unable to throw in infield practice on May 18.
	Delgado, Carlos (1B)	05/19	15-day DL	Possibly mid-July	Torn labrum in hip	Underwent surgery May 19.
	Perez, Oliver (P)	05/22	15-day DL	Possibly late May	Right knee patellar tendinitis	Threw extended Spring Training game May 21.
	Reyes, Jose (SS)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Calf tendinitis	Took grounders before May 23 game.
	Rodriguez, Francisco (P)	05/24	Day-to-day	Possibly May 25	Back spasms	Played catch prior to May 24 game.
	Schneider, Brian (C)	05/13	15-day DL	Possibly late May	Strained back, sore calf	Slowed by lingering calf discomfort.
	Wagner, Billy (P)	05/20	15-day DL	Possibly late '09	Torn elbow ligament	Working out at Mets' Spring Training complex.

Jerry Manuel Continues to Ignore Stats

Today's lineup is the same as yesterday's, with the exception of a catching change (day game after a night game):

Murphy, 1b
Pagan, rf
Beltran, dh
Sheffield, lf
Wright, 3b
Reed, cf
Castro, c
Martinez, ss
Castillo, 2b

This is not the correct lineup. Luis Castillo should bat leadoff today.

Luis is 9 for 20 lifetime against Wakefield, easily the most success of any Met against the knuckleballer.

Year  PA  AB  H  2B 3B HR RBI  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   OPS
+----+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+
1997   3   3   1  0  0  0   1   0   1  .333  .333  .333  .666    
2000   1   1   1  0  0  0   0   0   0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000    
2001   4   4   2  0  0  0   1   0   1  .500  .500  .500 1.000   
2003   4   4   1  0  0  0   0   0   1  .250  .250  .250  .500    
2006   6   5   4  0  0  0   1   1   0  .800  .833  .800 1.633    
2007   3   3   0  0  0  0   0   0   0  .000  .000  .000  .000   
+----+---+---+---+--+--+--+---+---+---+-----+-----+-----+-----+
 TOT  21  20   9  0  0  0   3   1   3  .450  .476  .450  .926

Tim Wakefield vs Tim Redding

Looking through the stats on Tim Wakefield this morning and found a shocker.

Luis Castillo is 9 for 20, with a .476 OBP, against the knuckleballer.

Carlos Beltran has also had great success. He's 7 for 23 with a HR.

Sheff has taken Wakefield deep twice, but both of those were in 2005. Last year Sheffield was oh for 6 against him.

Ramon Martinez has faced him 4 times, with 2 hits, and Fernando Tatis is 2 for 2.

Could be a very good day for the Mets offense.

Here are the complete stats of active Mets vs Tim Wakefield.

On the flip side, the current Red Sox lineup has absolutely mashed Tim Redding.

JD Drew is 4 for 10 with 2 homeruns.

Jason Bay is 4 for 13.

All told the current Red Sox hit .340 against Redding.

Here are the complete stats of active Red Sox vs Tim Redding.

A 10-8 game in the making?

Mets probable pitcher

Tim Redding

• #44 RHP
• (0-0) 3.00 ERA 4 SO

• Bio |
• Stats |
• Game |
• Splits

Making his season debut after missing six weeks with a strained right rotator cuff, Redding gave the Mets a fine outing last Monday in Los Angeles: six innings, two hits and two runs. And with no challenger to his rotation spot on the horizon, Redding could endear himself to the Mets with something similar on Sunday. What's tougher than facing the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium? How about the Red Sox at Fenway Park, where Redding has never won. In two career starts in Boston, he is 0-2 with a 12.72 ERA.

Red Sox probable pitcher

Tim Wakefield

• #49 RHP
• (5-2) 3.59 ERA 30 SO

• Bio |
• Stats |
• Game |
• Splits

Boston's most dependable starter made quick work of the vaunted Blue Jays last Tuesday, limiting one of the league's top offenses to one run over eight masterful innings. The knuckleballer has been a model of consistency in 2009, logging six innings or more in six of his eight starts this season. Wakefield is 2-3 lifetime against the Mets, with a 2.43 ERA in seven career appearances spanning 40 2/3 innings.

Papelbon's Whiny Reaction: Video Snapshot

For those that watched the game on SNY or NESN, you'll recall that the cameras caught Papelbon's reaction to the great play David Wright and Luis Castillo pulled off to get the out at second in the bottom of the 9th.

This is classic, especially as it wasn't even that close of a play:

Frankie Rodriguez Collapses, Cries, Shielded from Reporters

Thanks very much to Bart Hubbach from the NY Post.

He reports the following live from the scene:

K-Rod just collapsed from the spasms outside the clubhouse and is requiring medical attention.

A stretcher has just been called for K-Rod outside the clubhouse.

K-Rod is now crying from the spasms as the EMTs arrive.

Team officials have now shielded K-Rod from reporters, so no more live updates, unfortunately.

Think positive thoughts everyone.

Omir Santos Takes Papelbon Deep--Mets Win!

Mets win 3-2 with JJ Putz on the hill to close it out and some great defense.

What a phenomenal win.

If the Mets can sweep the series tomorrow, they return to Shea with a ton of momentum to face the Nationals and Marlins.

Papelbon is still crying in the dugout.

NY Mets AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Murphy, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .248 Pagan, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 .316 Beltran, DH 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 .364 Sheffield, LF 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 .260 Wright, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 .353 Reed, CF 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .317 Santos, O, C 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 .270 Martinez, R, SS 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 .100 Castillo, 2B 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 .274 Totals 33 3 6 3 2 7 9 BATTING HR: Santos, O (2, 9th inning off Papelbon, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Beltran; Sheffield; Reed; Santos, O 5; Martinez, R. RBI: Sheffield (10), Santos, O 2 (15). 2-out RBI: Sheffield; Santos, O 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Murphy; Castillo. Team RISP: 1-for-4. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Martinez, R (1, 2nd base off Beckett/Varitek). FIELDING DP: (Castillo-Martinez, R-Murphy).		Boston AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG Ellsbury, CF 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .298 Pedroia, 2B 4 1 2 0 0 1 0 .327 Ortiz, DH 3 0 0 0 1 2 4 .201 Youkilis, 1B 3 0 1 2 1 0 1 .388 Bay, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .287 Drew, RF 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .250 Lowell, 3B 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 .281 Varitek, C 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 .248 Green, N, SS 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .303 Totals 32 2 6 2 2 7 12 BATTING TB: Ellsbury; Pedroia 2; Youkilis; Varitek; Green, N. RBI: Youkilis 2 (23). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Ortiz. GIDP: Green, N. Team RISP: 1-for-3. Team LOB: 5. BASERUNNING SB: Pedroia (5, 2nd base off Pelfrey/Santos, O), Ellsbury (18, 3rd base off Pelfrey/Santos, O). FIELDING E: Beckett (1, pickoff).
NY Mets IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Pelfrey 7.0 6 2 2 1 6 0 4.31 Feliciano, P (W, 1-1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.65 Putz (S, 2) 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3.75		Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA Beckett 8.0 5 1 0 1 5 0 5.01 Papelbon (BS, 1)(L, 0-1) 1.0 1 2 2 1 2 1 1.80
Pitches-strikes: Pelfrey 111-70, Feliciano, P 13-8, Putz 15-9, Beckett 117-78, Papelbon 15-9. Groundouts-flyouts: Pelfrey 12-3, Feliciano, P 1-1, Putz 2-1, Beckett 8-11, Papelbon 0-1. Batters faced: Pelfrey 27, Feliciano, P 3, Putz 4, Beckett 30, Papelbon 5. Umpires: HP: Joe West. 1B: Ed Rapuano. 2B: Chad Fairchild. 3B: Paul Nauert. Weather: 55 degrees, clear. Wind: 8 mph, R to L. T: 2:49. Att: 37,871. May 23, 2009

Mea Culpa on Malo

Sorry guys, had it wrong.

Apparently there was a conflicting report, and I was 100% on the wrong side of it.

Again, my bad.

David Wright--Is He Setting a Record?

What a difference a few weeks make.

David Wright came into the season with some issues with his batting stance. I documented them here, and again here, and finally here.

In April DW had 27 Ks and 12 Walks.
In May he's had 14 Ks and 16 walks.

But it gets better....much better.

In David Wright's last 8 games he's walked 11 times and struck out 3 times.

That's correct, 11 walks in his last 8 games.

He's also driven in 11 runs during those 8 games and had an astounding 15 hits in 25 at bats.

I don't have access to every record, but it occurred to me that this just might be the greatest 8 game stretch of getting on base in major league history.

Think about it:

15 hits in 25 at-bats with 11 walks?

For the month of May DW is hitting .457 with an OBP of .557 and an OPS of 1.271.

OK stat heads--hop to it...I really want to know if this 8 game OBP streak has ever been bested.

On base 26 times in 36 plate appearances...has to be a record or close to it.

DATE

OPP

RESULT

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

CS

OBP

SLG

OPS

AVG

May 14	@SF	W 7-4	3	1	3	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	0	.417	.508	.925	.331
May 15	@SF	W 8-6	5	1	3	1	0	0	4	0	2	1	0	.423	.519	.942	.341
May 16	@SF	W 9-6	5	1	3	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	.429	.529	.958	.350
May 17	@SF	L 2-0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	1	.436	.528	.964	.352
May 18	@LAD	L 3-2	3	1	2	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	.447	.545	.992	.359
May 19	@LAD	L 5-3	2	1	1	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	.454	.544	.998	.361
May 20	@LAD	L 2-1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	.461	.544	1.005	.362
May 22	@BOS	W 5-3	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	.462	.539	1.001	.362

Frankie Rodriguez: 503 ERA+

Of all the strange twists and turns the early season has taken, one thing is for certain--Frankie Rodriguez is one hell of a reliever.

His current ERA+ is 503...that is a stunning statistic, especially as we're now more than 25% of the way through the season.

Last year the setup men and closing staff were a weakness, this year the closer is a strength...a huge strength.

Bottom line for this Mets team is that they are still right there to take the NL East and perhaps more. The injury bug has hit, but it may be a blessing in disguise that it hit early, and remember that the team is 22-19 and just 1.5 games back.

Regardless, watching Frankie come in and pitch the 9th is a pure joy. You did good here Omar.

I may even learn to love the celebrations....maybe.

2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	HLD	BLSV	WHIP	ERA
Season	20	0	0	20.2	11	4	2	1	9	20	1	0	12	0	0	0.97	0.87
Career	428	0	0	472.1	316	134	120	35	207	607	24	17	220	34	33	1.11	2.29
Last 7 days	2	0	0	2.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.00	0.00
Projected	77	0	0	77	42	15	8	4	35	77	4	0	46	0	0	0.97	0.87

Bobby Parnell Hits 100 mph

Wow, what an 8th. Bobby Parnell blew everyone away and hit 100 mph on the NESN gun during his strikeout of JD Drew

High cheddar indeed!