Minors Stuff

B-Mets:

Monday, June 29 at Akron 7:05 pm RHP Dylan Owen (0-5, 6.83) vs. RHP Jeanmar Gomez (6-2, 3.06)

Tuesday, June 30 New Hampshire 7:05 pm RHP Eric Niesen (0-3, 7.20) vs. RHP Brandon Magee (4-5, 5.06)

Wednesday, July 1 New Hampshire 7:05 pm RHP TBA vs. LHP Luis Perez (4-6, 3.41)

Thursday, July 2 New Hampshire 7:05 pm RHP Brad Holt (0-1, 9.45) vs. RHP Rey Gonzalez (3-5, 3.18)

Clones:

The Brooklyn Cyclones (7-2) stayed undefeated at home thanks to a 13-3 victory over the division rival Hudson Valley Renegades (4-5) on Sunday in front of a crowd of 8,760. LHP Oliver Perez made a rehab appearance for the Cyclones, and pitched brilliantly. Perez struck out six batters and allowed just two hits as he dominated the Renegades through 5.0 shutout innings to earn the win. Perez has been on the Disabled List since May 6th for the New York Mets, with patellar tendinitis in his right knee. With the Cyclones already up 4-0, and the bases loaded in the fourth inning, CF John Servidio and 3B Matt Bouchard hit back-to-back home runs to left field. Servidio’s grand slam and Bouchard’s solo shot gave the Cyclones a commanding 9-0 lead, which would prove to be more than enough offense for the Cyclones' fourth win at home this season. Servidio notched five RBI in the game. Nick Giarraputo and Luis Rivera chipped in two RBI each, and Bouchard, Ralph Henriquez and Luis Nieves added one RBI apiece, as Brooklyn totaled 13 runs and 10 hits.RHP Erik Turgeon relieved Perez and allowed three unearned runs in his only inning of work. RHP Wes Wrenn earned his first save with a scoreless seventh, eighth, and ninth inning of work. Wrenn allowed no hits and struck out two in a scoreless effort. The Cyclones continue their series at Hudson Valley tomorrow and then return to Brooklyn to conclude this series with the Renegades on Tuesday, June 30th. That night, Reggy (the purple party dude) will appear at KeySpan Park, and the first 2,500 fans will receive a T-shirt, courtesy of the City University of New York (CUNY).
Click here to get your tickets, or call 718-507-TIXX



Buffalo Bisons to Dedicate Coca-Cola Field Plaza
as “James D. Griffin Plaza” – TOMORROW (4:30pm)

WHAT: The Buffalo Bisons will be joined by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and members of Jimmy Griffin’s Family in dedicating “James D. Griffin Plaza” at Coca-Cola Field in honor of the late Mayor of the City of Buffalo.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 30: The announcement will be made at 4:30 p.m.
Ceremony is prior to Bisons game vs. Charlotte Knights (7:05 p.m.).
The game’s promotion is Irish Festival Night, with post game pyrotechnics.

WHO: Mayor Byron Brown, City of Buffalo
Members of the Griffin Family
Mike Buczkowski, Vice President/General Manager, Buffalo Bisons

WHERE: The ceremony will take place just to the right of the Swan St. Gate to the ballpark.

PROGRAM: The dedication will begin at 4:30 p.m. Mayor Byron Brown will unveil a plaque honoring the long-time supporter of the Buffalo Bisons. Details of a memorial fund will also be announced to raise money to commission a statue of Mayor Griffin to be placed on the plaza just outside of Coca-Cola Field next season.



International:

http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/2009/06/cubs-ink-another-signing-ping-chieh.html reports that the Cubs have signed Ping-Chieh Chen to a contract. The Cubs seem to be quite active in Asia and Chen is just another of a series of signings. He received a $300,000 signing bonus.
One of their recent signings, Hung-Wen Chen has 14 starts for the Tennesse Smokies and is struggling with an ERA of 6.18. Opponents are hitting him at a .311 clip, so perhaps AA is a bit of a challenge for Chen. Lefthanders are especially successful, ripping him at a .381 pace. Seems to me he needs to learn a pitch that effectively gets lefthanders out.

http://twitter.com/jorgearangure/status/2348687441 reports that one of the prime prospects in the Caribbean League 16 year old Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo signed for $3.1 million with the St. Louis Cardinals. The San Francisco Giants were also in the running for Mateo. Jorge Arangure reports for ESPN.com.

The contracts for the Caribbean players can not be finalized and become official until July 2, so expect a number of Caribbean foreign signings at that point.

http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?m=200906


Prospects :

John Russell pitched a two-hit gem, and Brad Garrone hit a two-run home run to power Apollo to a win over Quality Construction.Russell took a no-hitter into the fifth before former New York Mets prospect Doug McNulty broke up his bid with a leadoff single. Russell struck out six and walked one.Despite recording just four hits, Apollo mustered enough offense to dispose of the hosts.Apollo went ahead 1-0 in the first and increased the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the second. Garrone made it 5-0 with his homer in the third.Quality Construction avoided the shutout when McNulty scored in the fifth.

http://online.indianagazette.com/articles/2009/06/29/sports/10018492.txt


Mets Alumni:

Neal Huntington received an interesting trade proposal in the last few days.

The Washington Nationals offered Lastings Milledge to the Pirates for Nyjer Morgan is a straight-up swap of outfielders. Huntington, the Pirates’ general manager, apparently wants Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo to add a second player before he would consider making the trade.

However a Morgan-for-Milledge deal is interesting to ponder as a one-on-one proposition.
Morgan offers great speed and defense. Milledge offers potentially outstanding power, something the Pirates has in short supply both the major leagues and minors, and good speed.
Morgan turns 29 on Thursday. Though he has improved greatly since first coming to the major leagues late in the 2007 season, he is almost assuredly at his peak now.

Milledge, meanwhile, is 24 and seemingly has quite a bit of upside despite spending part of the last four seasons in the major leagues.

Taking all that into account and knowing the Pirates have more of an eye on the future than the present, it would seem logical for Huntington to make the trade.

http://www.piratesreport.com/page/blogs.detail/display/147/Morgan-for-Milledge--Go-for-it.html


Remember how the 1981 Jays had the worst batting average of any team in the last 37 years? Well, the 1972 Mets were the team from 37 years ago with an even worse batting average: .225. Here’s their lineup on Bill Stoneman’s big day:

Name Avg
Barnes, 2B 0.236
Fregosi, 3B 0.232
Milner, LF 0.238
Kranepool, 1B 0.269
Sudakis, C 0.143
Schneck, CF 0.187
Hahn, RF 0.162
Martinez, T, SS 0.224
McAndrew, P 0.047

What dreck.
Please note that not only does Ed Kranepool possess the above lineup’s best batting average, but he has a lead of over 30 points on anyone else. That should never happen. I don’t care if Kranepool is the Mets’ franchise all-time leader in career games played, at-bats, plate appearances, doubles, hits, singles, and total bases, there’s still no excuse for having a lineup where no one’s within 30 points of him.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/tht_jaffe25

Let the Vets Play for a While

Like you, I love the Mets--live and die with them.

I own every yearbook they'e ever had, including the 1962. I don't sleep well when they lose, and it frustrates me to no end when they play poorly.

There's the manager--the guy that likes to throw away outs with bunts. The Mets are second in baseball in sacrifice bunts.

I have no idea where they stand in unsuccessful sacrifices, but after watching Argenis Reyes fail to move the runner over last night, I have a pretty good idea that they're at or near the bottom.

It was especially frustrating watching Jerry give up an out by pulling Livan to have Argenis bunt. Jorge Posada has thrown out 17% of baserunners on the year, and Phil Hughes, who was on the mound, is slow to home plate.

Steal a base there and have Argenis bunt him to third...play that agressively, not passively.

The sac bunt there was passive baseball, and Jerry is a passive manager.

And while we're on the subject, why does Argenis Reyes come up and suddenly become an integral part of the team's offense?

I'm also a bit tired about hearing about all the injuries. You can expect a CC Sabathia to shut a team down, and I've written previously that AJ Burnett is a tough matchup for the Mets based on how the roster has done against him previously.

But Wang too?

Aren't these guys supposed to be major league hitters? Do they all have to slump at the same time? 9 hits in three games, at home, with 3 runs scored?

Can Fernando Tatis hit any worse? Does David Wright need to vacillate between hottest hitter in baseball and strikout king and back? Does Daniel Murpy belong on a big league club?

Murphy used to display a great eye at the plate--used to--he hasn't drawn a walk in his last 13 games. He is hitting .239 in June with an abysmal .291 OBP and .310 Slg %.

The thing is that Murphy hit .176 in May--a full two months of suck, so he's overdue for a trip to the Bing or Buffalo to straighten himself out.

I've previously written that the club can weather this storm with the vets, and that still holds true.

Play the vet lineup every day and they will gut out a .500 record.

Castillo-2B
Cora-SS
DW-3B
Sheff-LF (with spot rest)
Church-RF
Tatis-1B
Reed-CF
Schneider/Santos-C (depending on the starter)
Pitcher

Save the season with this lineup--don't tell me "the kids need to play"...right now we need to push to the All-Star break with veteran leadership. The kids can spot start/pinch hit/late inning replacement, when things happen--like Ryan Church with the flu, or for defense (Sheff), or if there's a double switch.

It's time to save the season, and Argenis Reyes won't be the guy to do it.

Good Job Ollie!

Final line: Perez,O 5.0 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 6 SO

He only needed 72 pitches, and his control was good.

Let's hope he can have another great start and come back to the Mets healthy and confident.

HUDSON VALLEY at BROOKLYN
Top 9th	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R
HUDSON VALLEY	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	6
BROOKLYN	2	2	0	5	0	4	0	0		13
Pitching: Hudson Valley - Glenn Gibson (0-1) Brooklyn - Oliver Perez (NR) HOME RUNS: Brk - John Servidio (1) Off Glenn Gibson In The 4th Matthew Bouchard (1) Off Glenn Gibson In The 4th

Death of Billy Mays Could Rally the Mets

Billy Mays, one of the great pitchmen of all time, has been lost to all of us.

The Mets have decided to honor Billy for the rest of the season by playing fundementally sound baseball.

"Billy was a perfectionist, so the least we can do is honor his memory by playing mistake free ball from here on out," said Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, owner of the full line of Oxi-Clean products.

Mets third baseman David Wright agrees. "I've molded a glove out of Mighty Putty, and I plan on using it for the season, beginning tonight. Nothing gets through the Mighty Putty webbing."

Skipper Jerry Manuel, usually reserved and smiling in his post-game press conferences, plans to "scream to my heart's content." He is also dyeing the gray flecks out of his beard.

The Mets ground crew have added the Awesome Auger to their tool bags.

Carlos Delgado refused comment, only saying, "not now my friends, not now" prior to wiping away tears through a Sham-Wow and pledging a new allegiance to Vince.

Mark DeRosa is Not Worth Bobby Parnell

and that's exactly what it would have cost the Mets (plus another prospect).

Is a player like DeRosa a need? Of course.

That said, you don't rent him for 3 months for a 24-year old who can hit 100 mph and relieve now with the potential to be a starter.

The Indians received former 1st round draft pick Chris Perez and a player to be named later.

It's a very good deal for the Indians, who want to get younger and position themselves for a run in the next year or two.

Perez has electric stuff, is young (23), and has an ERA+ of 114 in 70 major league games, while averaging over a K per inning. Perez dominated in the minors as well.

I grade Perez higher than Parnell at this point, and the Indians probably did as well. Truth be told, I'm shocked the Cards made this trade.

Don't bemoan this as a "missed trade"--it wasn't going to happen.

Chris Perez is 6th in all of baseball in K/9 for pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings in 2009.

Sortable Pitching
RK	PLAYER	TEAM	ERA	K/BB	K/9	PIT	P/PA	P/IP	W%	AGS	GB	FB	G/F	RS	WHIP
1	Jonathan Broxton	LAD	2.27	4.38	14.38	580	4.20	16.3	1.000	0.0	39	28	1.39	0.00	0.81
2	Rafael Soriano	ATL	1.30	3.62	12.20	553	4.01	16.0	.500	0.0	29	47	0.62	0.00	0.95
3	Mike Gonzalez	ATL	2.06	3.36	12.09	615	4.13	17.6	1.000	0.0	34	49	0.69	0.00	1.17
4	Mitch Stetter	MIL	2.52	3.00	11.88	439	4.30	17.6	1.000	0.0	23	33	0.70	0.00	0.96
5	David Aardsma	SEA	1.53	2.05	11.46	625	4.31	17.7	.500	0.0	19	58	0.33	0.00	1.19
6	Chris Perez	STL	4.18	2.00	11.41	422	3.98	17.8	.500	0.0	22	35	0.63	0.00	1.35
7	Mariano Rivera	NYY	3.07	12.33	11.35	485	4.11	16.5	.333	0.0	36	41	0.88	0.00	1.02
8	Octavio Dotel	CHW	2.97	1.81	11.27	572	4.24	18.9	.333	0.0	24	52	0.46	0.00	1.52
9	Matt Thornton	CHW	2.43	3.36	11.22	480	3.97	16.2	.667	0.0	39	33	1.18	0.00	1.15
10	Kiko Calero	FLA	2.01	2.29	11.20	525	4.10	16.8	1.000	0.0	24	47	0.51	0.00	1.15

Argenis Reyes is Batting Second?

I Miss Jose Reyes

Our Mets season has been a fun ride of ups and downs, but there is a void of immense proportion.

Yeah, I'll admit it...I miss Jose Reyes...a lot.

When I say this, it's not all about only wins and losses. I wish Delgado was here, he is a great guy and helps us win, but I don't have the same feelings for him that I do for Reyes.

It's much more with Jose--I miss Reyes for the sheer baseball joy he brings us fans.

1. He's exciting to watch at the plate.

You just never know what Jose might do. Rip one up the middle, beat out an infield hit, drag a bunt, turn on one for a HR, hit a gapper that sends thoughts of triple racing through your mind as soon as the ball leaves the bat, or turn a single into a double.

2. He's exciting to watch in the field.

Ranges far to his left and right, the cannon arm, the amazing footwork turning the double play, the little winks and nods with David Wright.

3. He's exciting to watch on the basepaths.

See Jose dancing off first--watch the nervous pitcher change his whole routine knowing Jose could take off for second at any instant. Watch Jose motor all the way around the bases to score from first on a single. See Jose flying into third headfirst for another triple.

4. He's animated, and it pisses off the other team.

Jose gets criticized for this, but I love it. Get under the skin of the opposition, then beat them. Other players are jealous because Jose is better.

5. He's emotional.

He brings joy to everyone around him. He plays the game with a passion and a smile. He lights up the dugout. He is always encouraging his teammates and rooting hard for them. He's even fun to watch in pre-game warmups.

Yeah, I miss Jose Reyes...our homegrown star that we've watched since he was 16.

The team is not the same without him. The fans are not the same without him. The season is not the same without him.

Jose, Jose-Jose-Jose....Joooo-se....Jooo-se.

Career: Batting | Fielding
SEASON	TEAM	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2003	NYM	69	274	47	84	12	4	5	32	13	36	13	3	.307	.334	.434	.768
2004	NYM	53	220	33	56	16	2	2	14	5	31	19	2	.255	.271	.373	.644
2005	NYM	161	696	99	190	24	17	7	58	27	78	60	15	.273	.300	.386	.686
2006	NYM	153	647	122	194	30	17	19	81	53	81	64	17	.300	.354	.487	.841
2007	NYM	160	681	119	191	36	12	12	57	77	78	78	21	.280	.354	.421	.775
2008	NYM	159	688	113	204	37	19	16	68	66	82	56	15	.297	.358	.475	.833
2009	NYM	36	147	18	41	7	2	2	15	18	19	11	2	.279	.355	.395	.750
Total	--	791	3353	551	960	162	73	63	325	259	405	301	75	.286	.337	.435	.772

And don't forget the hips.

Bad Jerry Manuel Decision #78

Two words: Argenis Reyes.

Argenis is batting .225 against lefties in AAA this year.

In 24 big league at-bats against lefties, Argenis has a .167 BA and a .167 OBP to go along with that...yup, no walks and 6 Ks.

Jerry used him to pinch-hit, against lefthanded CC Sabathia with two men on base in the Mets lone rally of the night.

He struck out.

Dare I mention that Jeremy Reed is 4 for 4 against lefties this year?

Do I even mention the fact that Daniel Murphy is hitting .276 against lefties this year--8 for 29 with a HR?

Nah, I'll just shut the hell up and pretend I'm speechless.

Besides, the outstanding blogger Joe Janish of Mets Today does a heck of a lot better explaining Jerry's "positive spin" on the loss than I ever could.

Argenis Reyes....wow.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Time for some positive vibes (and isn't that nice?)!

Half game out of first--who would have thunk it.

The Mets are exactly halfway through a 20 game stretch with no days off against the top teams in baseball--and they are 5-5 in those games.

Now it's time for the Yanks, Brewers and Philly, then one day off, and then the Dodgers and Reds.

And then the All-Star break.

The team keeps finding ways to win and hanging around knowing that keeping pace until the stars get healthy is all they need to do.

The Mets have become the little engine that could.

Kind of cool that the entire NL East plays the entire AL East this weekend.

• Mets play the Yanks
• Phils play Toronto
• Marlins play Tampa Bay
• Braves play the Red Sox
• Nationals play Baltimore

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
Philadelphia	37	33	.529	-	13-22	24-11	19-12	5-3	9-7	2-8	L 2
N.Y. Mets	37	34	.521	½	22-14	15-20	18-12	10-9	4-6	5-5	W 2
Florida	38	36	.514	1	20-20	18-16	16-10	6-13	6-8	7-3	W 5
Atlanta	34	38	.472	4	17-19	17-19	12-10	11-14	5-8	4-6	L 2
Washington	21	49	.300	16	13-25	8-24	6-27	4-7	5-6	5-5	W 1

Johan Santana once again proved that he has an incredible baseball IQ....he seems like he has a very high real IQ as well.

As Ron Blum reported in Lohud, Santana went to the video tape after the first inning and figured it out.

"My fastball," he said, "was moving all over the place."

Santana went back to the clubhouse and reviewed video following the first inning. He re-examined his mechanics. And he emerged victorious over Chris Carpenter in a sparkling matchup of Cy Young Award winners.

"I know I was going against a great pitcher," Santana said. "It was going to take one pitch or one mistake to change the whole ballgame."

Santana may have started off shaky as he kept going to three balls on batter after batter, but he finished in fine fashion.

His line on the day was 7 innings, 7 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 3 K, but what he did was so much more than that.

He willed himself onward and led the team to a victory against a very good Cardinals club with their Ace on the mound.

It was an Ace outing by the man that's now tied for the NL lead in wins.

Since we're on the verge of the Mets v. Yanks series, how about a little love for Luis Castillo?

Did you know he went 6 for 12 with 3 walks against the Cards?

Do you think the Mets win 3 of 4 without that effort, especially considering only one of those hits came in the blowout win?

How about the kids!

Nervous Nick Evans continues to rake. Great job going opposite field yesterday to plate two big runs.

Nick Evans 2009 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	3	7	2	3	1	0	1	4	0	2	0	0	.429	.429	1.000	1.429
Career	52	113	20	30	10	0	3	11	7	25	0	0	.265	.309	.434	.743
Last 7 days	2	4	2	2	0	0	1	2	0	1	0	0	.500	.500	1.250	1.750
Projected	94	219	63	94	31	0	31	125	0	63	0	0	.429	.429	1.000	1.429

Fernando Martinez may not be getting many (any) hits, but he has certainly flashed the leather.

Sabathia is a tough matchup for him, but I have a sneaking suspicion that FMart hits two homeruns this weekend.

Who knows what the weekend will bring, but the Mets, at home, are a very tough team--even depleted.

If they can take 2 of 3 it will be one more huge shot in the arm for a club that continues to stay near the top against all odds.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
St. Louis (40-34)	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	8	0
N.Y. Mets (37-34) «	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	x	3	5	1

Player of the Game

New York
J. Santana	7.0
	7
	1
	3
	3

Two Mets Named to Futures Team

2009 US Team | 2009 World Team

PITCHERS

Name	ORG	Level	B	T	HT	WT	Birthdate	Birthplace
Manny Banuelos	NYY	A	L	L	5-10	155	3/13/1991	Durango, MEX	Stats
Jhoulys Chacin	COL	AA	R	R	6-3	200	1/7/1988	Maracaibo, VEN	Stats
Yohan Flande	PHI	A+	L	L	6-2	170	1/27/1986	El Seibo, DR	Stats
Neftali Feliz	TEX	AAA	R	R	6-3	190	5/2/1988	Azua, DR	Stats
Chia-Jen Lo	HOU	AA	R	R	5-11	181	4/7/1986	Pingtung Co. , TAI	Stats
Jenrry Mejia	NYM	AA	R	R	6-0	162	10/11/1989	Azua, DR	Stats
Luis Perez	TOR	AA	L	L	6-0	205	1/20/1985	Guayubin, DR	Stats
Leyson Septimo	ARI	A+	L	L	6-0	150	7/7/1985	Santo Domingo, DR	Stats
J.C. Sulbaran	CIN	A	R	R	6-2	198	11/9/1989	Willemstad, CUR	Stats
Junichi Tazawa	BOS	AA	R	R	5-11	180	6/6/1986	Yokohama, JPN	Stats

CATCHERS

Name	ORG	Level	B	T	HT	WT	Birthdate	Birthplace
Carlos Santana	CLE	AA	S	R	5-11	190	4/8/1986	Santo Domingo, DR	Stats
Jesus Montero	NYY	AA	R	R	6-4	225	11/28/1989	Guacara, VEN	Stats

INFIELDERS

Name	ORG	Level	B	T	HT	WT	Birthdate	Birthplace
Pedro Baez	LAD	A+	R	R	6-2	195	3/11/1988	Bani, DR	Stats
Starlin Castro	CHC	A+	R	R	6-1	160	3/24/1990	Monte Cristi, DR	Stats
Alcides Escobar	MIL	AAA	R	R	6-1	180	12/16/1986	La Sabana, VEN	Stats
Wilmer Flores	NYM	A	R	R	6-3	175	8/6/1991	Valencia, VEN	Stats
Brett Lawrie	MIL	A	R	R	5-11	200	1/18/1990	Langley, CAN	Stats
Alex Liddi	SEA	A	R	R	6-4	186	8/14/1988	San Remo, ITA	Stats
Brett Lawrie	MIL	A	R	R	5-11	200	1/18/1990	Langley, CAN	Stats
Dayan Viciedo	CWS	AA	R	R	5-11	240	3/10/1989	Remedios, CUB	Stats
Angel Villalona	SF	A+	R	R	6-3	200	8/13/1990	La Romana, DR	Stats

OUTFIELDERS

Name	ORG	Level	B	T	HT	WT	Birthdate	Birthplace
Luis Durango	SD	AA	S	R	5-9	160	4/23/1986	Panama City, PAN	Stats
Tyson Gillies	SEA	A+	L	R	6-2	190	10/31/1988	Vancouver, CAN	Stats
Kyeong Kang	TB	A	L	L	6-2	200	2/6/1988	Busan, KOR	Stats
Rene Tosoni	MIN	AA	L	R	6-0	194	7/2/1986	Toronto, CAN	Stats
Nick Weglarz	CLE	AA	L	L	6-3	245	12/16/1987	Stevensville, CAN	Stats

Official: Send Some Mojo to Tatis

Yes--yes we can.

Caption Contest--Win a Mystery Prize

From one of my favorite sites, "Yankees Fans Suck"...their caption is at the bottom...funniest caption from a NY Sports Dog reader wins a mystery prize (and unlike this guy, the prize does not suck).

Talent and good looks run in the family. While older brother Francis Ford Coppola directed the Godfather, his younger brother film pornographer and life life long Yankees fan Arnie Ford Coppola brought us such classics as Yankee Panky, Mr. Cock-tober and his latest masterpiece Wang Takes The Mound.

102 mph for Mejia?

Though it seems at time that the Mets minors is devoid of stars, there are a few guys that get the juices flowing.

My friend Mack of Mack's Mets, does a great job covering these guys, and his blog is the first I open each morning.

Another guy I enjoy reading is Brian Moritz.

Moritz, who does a fantastic job covering the Bing, wrote the following:

First of all, here's an unofficial breakdown of Jenrry Mejia's outing:
1st inning: 2 balls, 6 strikes, 8 total.
2nd: 9 balls, 13 strikes, 22 total.
3rd: 5 balls, 13 strikes, 18 total.
4th: 3 balls, 8 strikes, 11 total.
5th: 4 balls, 4 strikes, 8 total.
6th: 9 balls, 13 strikes, 22 total.

Totals: 31 balls, 57 strikes, 88 pitches.

Yes, as I wrote yesterday ... one of his pitches hit 102 on the gun on the scoreboard at NYSEG Stadium. I don't know exactly how accurate that is ... but Mejia was throwing in the high 90s with his fastball.

Just as impressive was his use of the curveball, especially a couple times as a strikeout pitch. When you're throwing a fastball in the high 90s and a curveball in the high 70s, you've got good stuff.

The more we see and hear with Mejia, the more exciting it is...this is a potential star for us.

Call me crazy, but he throws a little like Pedro.

Well THAT was Fun

Great game yesterday.

Loyal NY Sports Dog readers know I predicted this--actually, I predicted 10 runs, but hey, no one is perfect.

How good has Fernando Nieve been? 3-0? 1.31 ERA?

One thing is for sure--the Astros got it wrong on this guy.

Just look at his minor league numbers, and you'll see some very impressive indicators: terrific BB to K, nice WHIP, and very few HRs against him in a homer happy AAA.

This kind of pitching obviously can't last forever, but I'm certainly enjoying the ride.

How nice is it to see Ryan Church looking relaxed and confident at the plate?

Church is batting .309 in June with a .381 OBP and .491 Slg %. He's essentially doing what he did in April to start the year before Manuel played games with him and his hammy acted up.

Jerry: leave Church alone--please. He is your rightfielder this year....period.

Another NY Sports Dog tip of the cap to Brian Schneider.

Kid Schneider has 12 RBIs in 33 June at-bats to go along with his .303 BA...he looks fresh.

Another game, another win, another game gained on the Phils.

1.5 games back....keep clawing, keep fighting, and keep winning.

It's anyone's NL East in 2009.

Maybe even the Mets.

SP World - Antonini To Pen; Owen To B-Mets; OP

Mike Antonini was told by B-Mets Hector Berrios that he is now a part of the pen instead of a rotational starter.
"We were given instructions to put him in the bullpen," Berrios said, which is exactly how it works with Omar & Co. We always called the phone in Manager Tim Tuefel’s office, in Savannah, the Bat Phone. As a Mets reporter, you learn early… don’t ask the manager or the pitching coach why someone is pitching or not; it simply isn’t their decision to make.

At the same time, Dylan Owen, who was demoted to the Lucy pen from the B-Met rotation, got the call to go to the airport and he is starting tonight for Binghamton. Don’t look for a long lease here, and I expect he too is future pen material for the Mets.

The next domino effect will actually happen from both ends of the organization. John Maine will eventually be reactivated by the Mets, sometimes during next week, which will start the return process to Buffalo of either Tim Redding or Fernando Nieve. Nieve’s future in Queens is probably heavilty weighted on how he does tonight against the Cardinals. I mean, how do you send down omeone that is 3-0?

In addition, Scott Moviel, has quietly come off the St. Lucie disabled list and pitched effectively for the GCL Mets last night.

Let’s assume Maine is activated and Moviel moves over one locker in Florida… The current Lucy rotation is one man short (Jeffrey Kaplan, Brant Rustich, Angel Calero, and Scott Shaw), with Nick Carr going on the DL. Moviel would fit in their perfectly.

My guess is the Mets will either release, or demote Redding, and there’s a good chance with the state of poor pitching in the majors right now, he wouldn’t clear the DFA process. But if he did, and wound up back in Buffalo, either Brandon Knight or Lance Broadway would return to the pen or be cut.

The whole process starts again when AAA-prospect Dillon Gee comes off of the DL soon.

And, then there’s Oliver Perez.

Here’s my spin.

If he starts going lights out in the minors, he will wind up back in Queens, but possibly as a long man. The Mets would have to decide which inconsistent flake they would want in rotation, Nieve or Perez.

If he continues to stink it up, he will go back on the DL for the remainder of the season, and confidential negotiations will begin with his agent for a buyout of his contract.

(But what did I ever know about OP’s future as a Met?)

Mack

Tonight's Lineup Blows

So of course the Mets will probably score 10 runs.

Cora ss
Castillo 2b
Wright 3b
Church rf
Tatis lf
FMart cf
Evans 1b
Schneider c
Nieve p

Seriously, how many years has it been since we put such a feeble group of players out there?

One All-Star, a couple of journeymen, a pinch of scrap heap, a dash of mediocre regulars, a small spoonful of overmatched kids....and a whole lot of delicious.

Butch Huskey would bat cleanup with this bunch....and I'm talking 1998 Huskey.

David Wright K Rate Slowing Down

David Wright and his strikeout totals are a frequent topic of conversation on SNY.

But truthfully, they are not that bad of late, and he has been trending in a positive direction for a while.

After striking out 113, 113, 115, and 118 times the past four seasons, he in "on pace" for 166 Ks in 2009.

Yes, it's a lot, but a month ago, it was far worse--he was on pace for 190.

• In April, DW struck out once every 3.03 at-bats
• In May, DW struck out once every 3.77 at-bats
• In June, DW is striking out once every 4.53 at-bats

Last year he struck out once every 5.31 at-bats.

If he keeps up with his June pace the rest of the way he will K 147 times on the year. If the positive trend continues and he normalizes to his career rate for the remainder of 2009, he will finish with 137 Ks.

Not great, but not horrible either.

For horrible, look at the current top 5 from among the top 10 strikeout guys in MLB on the year--Chris Davis is on pace for 246 Ks.

Sortable Batting
RK	PLAYER	TEAM	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1	Chris Davis	TEX	225	26	44	9	0	13	28	0	0	14	102	.196	.249	.409	.658
2	Mark Reynolds	ARI	258	45	69	15	1	19	49	13	4	33	97	.267	.355	.554	.909
3	Carlos Pena	TAM	251	53	59	15	1	22	52	0	1	49	91	.235	.369	.566	.935
4	Ryan Howard	PHI	269	44	69	17	2	20	55	3	0	28	86	.257	.331	.558	.889
5	B.J. Upton	TAM	267	45	65	15	1	5	24	26	5	32	79	.243	.323	.363	.687
6	Adam Dunn	WAS	244	33	65	10	0	18	50	0	1	55	76	.266	.400	.529	.929
7	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	189	20	48	7	0	6	25	0	2	13	71	.254	.300	.386	.687
8	Alfonso Soriano	CHC	277	44	62	14	0	14	30	7	2	24	70	.224	.289	.426	.715
	David Wright	NYM	257	44	89	21	3	4	39	18	8	41	70	.346	.437	.498	.935
10	Jack Cust	OAK	242	40	55	9	0	13	37	2	0	31	69	.227	.315	.426	.741