Time for a Change

No, I'm not talking about Peter Brady's voice cracking saga, I am talking about Jerry Manuel's fan cracking saga.  It's really just way, way, way past time for Jerry Manuel's dismissal.

We've been through the litany of his bad moves and ineffectiveness all season, in fact, there is a list I kept somewhere back that I could dig out, but it's really just not necessary right now.

Just look at the simple fact that the team cannot win more than one game in a row.  Or the fact that the team is devoid of any spark whatsoever.

But what really got to me last night was the fact that one day after proclaiming Hisanori Takahashi his "8th inning guy", Jerry pulls him after giving up a walk and a single after he got the first two outs....and went to Manny Acosta.

This is not a manager that has a strategy, much less a winning strategy.

This is not a manager that understands leverage.

This is not a man who understands advanced statistics, trends, and match-ups.

This is not a manager that will fight with every dying breath, and at all costs, to win.

A manager has four basic functions:  Keep the players motivated to play their best and win, put out the best starting lineup, manage the bullpen, and make the tactical in-game moves that maximize the team's chances to win.

In my opinion Jerry fails on all four counts, and his most egregious failures occur  with his bullpen moves and in-game tactics, like bunting a man over in the first or second inning of a game.

Not putting in Frankie Rodriguez with 2 outs in the 8th in a 2-1 ballgame was just mind-boggling.  Not staying with his anointed "8th inning guy" becuae he was in the slightest bit of trouble was bad.  And going to Manny Acosta as the choice was just one more example of what an awful in-game manager Jerry Manuel is.

Time for a change......way past time.

Hey Jerry, Excuse Me, Got a Sec?

Jerry, yeah you.  Come here a sec...let me make a recommendation for you:

Reyes
Pagan
Wright
Beltran
Bay
Davis
Thole
Castillo

That is your fucking lineup every goddamn day except the catcher.

Set it, and leave it the fuck alone.

I thank you for your time.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

How sweet it is!  The Mets are playing inspired baseball, they have won 10 of their last 11 games and they are a remarkable 17-5 since the 21st of May.

Yesterday Jon Niese kept the streak alive with 7 solid innings and the offense took care of the rest as the Mets beat the Indians 8-4.

Niese won his third start in a row in his hometown (or close to it) and has proven to everyone that he has the stuff to be a solid middle of the rotation starter.  In the month of June, Niese is Niese is 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA

"This is what we anticipated," manager Jerry Manuel said after the Mets tied a season high with seven doubles, two by Ike Davis. "We're built on pitching and defense. If we stay hot with the bats, we'll be a really, really good team."

The offense was solid throughout, and each starter had at least one hit.  The only down news was Jason Bay leaving the game with a thigh bruise that he received after another hustle hit.  The hustle hits have been a staple of Bay's game all year long, but this one is likely to cost him at least one game.

"It knotted up on me," Bay said. "My left leg hit his butt. We'll see how I feel tomorrow."

David Wright hit a key double to plate two.  He now leads the National League in RBIs with 52.

NL RBI LEADERS		RBI
David Wright	1. David Wright, NYM	52
	2. Troy Glaus, ATL	51
	3. Albert Pujols, STL	49
	4. Jonny Gomes, CIN	48
	5. Corey Hart, MIL	47

Angel Pagan finished the game with 3 hits and 3 RBIs--he looks like he's out of the mini-slump.  When Pagan and Reyes are both hitting at the top of the order the Mets score runs in bunches--yesterday they did just that.

And finally, another tip of the cap to Elmer Dessens for pitching two innings to close out the win.

This is Mets baseball, this is your team, and this is why we endure...it's a magical run.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (37-28) «	0	0	5	0	0	3	0	0	0	8	14	0
Cleveland (25-39)	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	4	9	0

Player of the Game

New York
A. Pagan	AB	5
	R	1
	H	3
	HR	0
	RBI	3

Related articles

• Post Game: Mets 8, Indians 4 (metsblog.com)
• Mets 8, Indians 4: Mets Win Their Sixth in a Row (nytimes.com)
• Mets double up Indians, make it six straight victories (cbssports.com)
• New York Mets Score Plenty Of Runs For Jonathon Niese In Sixth Straight Win (bleacherreport.com)
• What to do with Angel Pagan? (metsreport.com)

2nd Spot in the Order Still a Puzzle

I applauded Jerry Manuel's move of Angel Pagan to the 2 hole, but thus far, the results have been less than stellar.

With the small sample size for Pagan (39 at bats), it's likely that he was moved just as he went into his first slump of the season, and I'm still hopeful that he retains his place there as that is where his skills are most useful.

On the season, the Mets have received astonishingly poor production from what is a key position in the order.  This isn't surprising given that Luis Castillo and Alex Cora have manned it for the majority of the season.

With the Mets surging, it's tantalizing to think just how good this lineup can be with a hot Jose Reyes and Pagan as the table setters.

I have a very strong feeling that we're going to see this offense take off when the two of them get hot at the same time, which will hopefully begin tonight in Cleveland.

Below are the Mets totals for the season by lineup position:

Split	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	GDP	BAbip	sOPS+
Batting 1st	296	271	37	76	11	7	5	31	13	3	18	32	.280	.330	.428	.758	4	.301	113
Batting 2nd	287	241	22	54	8	3	0	28	10	2	34	20	.224	.318	.282	.600	8	.240	67
Batting 3rd	282	245	37	63	15	2	7	30	16	2	34	55	.257	.352	.420	.773	7	.306	94
Batting 4th	275	245	35	59	14	2	4	28	5	0	25	70	.241	.316	.363	.680	4	.318	68
Batting 5th	269	235	41	67	17	2	11	40	6	3	28	61	.285	.353	.515	.868	8	.331	114
Batting 6th	259	223	33	59	13	1	7	25	4	1	31	53	.265	.359	.426	.785	3	.315	109
Batting 7th	252	235	29	59	10	0	11	40	5	0	8	43	.251	.280	.434	.714	4	.259	96
Batting 8th	248	220	32	63	13	0	9	32	3	2	18	39	.286	.347	.468	.815	4	.305	133
Batting 9th	241	211	17	42	6	0	1	15	2	0	12	61	.199	.242	.242	.484	1	.275	70
Bat1-2,non-P	583	512	59	130	19	10	5	59	23	5	52	52	.254	.324	.359	.683	12	.271	90
Bat3-6,non-P	1085	948	146	248	59	7	29	123	31	6	118	239	.262	.345	.430	.775	22	.317	96
Bat7-9,non-P	605	551	72	144	26	0	21	81	10	2	32	107	.261	.307	.423	.730	9	.285	108

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/15/2010.

Jerry Manuel has a Doppelganger

Jerry Manuel has a Doppelganger, though he likely would not be flattered by the comparison.  

From Wiki:  Dr. Hassan 'Abd Allah al-Turabi (الدكتور حسن عبد الله الترابي al-Duktūr Ḥassan 'Abd Allah at-Turābī in Arabic), commonly called Hassan al-Turabi (sometimes transliterated Hassan al-Tourabi) (حسن الترابي) (born c.1932), is a religious and Islamist political leader in Sudan, who may have been instrumental in institutionalizing sharia in the northern part of the country. He has been called a "longtime hard-line ideological leader."

The two men could swap places and it might benefit both organizations.

Jerry could bring his calm personality to a fiery situation, and Al-Turabi could bring his ideology to the Mets, where it would be summarily ignored so these guys could keep playing baseball.

If nothing else we would never see a sacrifice bunt again.

Good Morning Mets Fans!

How sweep it is!

After taking the first two games in relatively easy fashion, the Mets used the hot bat of Jeff Francoeur, and the positive energy of skipper Jerry Manuel, to come back from a 5-0 deficit and complete the sweep of their Florida rivals.

The Mets fell behind on another sub-par outing by Takahashi, who gave up two long balls yesterday and  did not look sharp, especially after the first time through the order.  Not willing to quit, the Mets chipped away and benefited by Fredi Gonzales strange deicion to pull Ricky Nolasco after only 82 pitches.

That move ignited the Mets.

Jeff Francoeur is hot---boiling hot--at the plate, and he proved his mettle again yesterday with a tying, three-run homer in the seventh inning.  It was the big blow that keyed two rallies that put the Mets on top and upped their home winning streak to 8 games.

"I know this is a big yard but I knew I got that one," said Francoeur, who is batting .500 (18 for 36) during his 10-game hitting streak. "I was sure nothing was going to stop it."

Prior to the Francoeur bomb, Angel Pagan demonstrated why he has become one of the most valuable men in the lineup.  Pagan smoked a two-run single in the sixth and scored the go-ahead run when Ike Davis grounded into a double play in the eighth.

"Right now our offense is a lot better than three or four weeks ago," Pagan said. "We can do more things and I think this comeback helps us. ... We just kept fighting."

David Wright chipped in with 3 hits and continues to mash.  His strikeouts are down, and he is driving the ball with authority.

The Mets are now 18-4 in their last 22 games at Citi Field. They have the best home record in baseball, including 22 home wins.

"This was one of those games that tests your character," catcher Rod Barajas said. "That tells you what you're all about. That was an awesome win being down 5-0 early."

The Mets also received a big boost from their skipper.  I've been tough on Jerry all year, but he definitely out-managed his counterpart yesterday. Manuel kept the team positive, and he also put Angel Pagan in motion on a key full-count pitch to Bay, with great results as Bay stroked a single that sent Pagan to third, where he ultimately scored the key run.

"We've been taking chances and our baserunners are making good reads," Manuel said. "We felt like if it's a breaking ball we might get a stolen base. The only thing you worry about is hitting a line drive at somebody, but with people moving around it's a lot harder to hit a line drive at someone. If you do, you just tip your cap."

The bullpen, for the most part, did their job.  Igarashi had a rough time of it, but Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano and Frankie Rodriguez were all up for the task.

Feliciano got the win, to go 2-2 on the year, and Frankie picked up his 12th save of the year.

The Mets are off today and face the Padres at home tomorrow.  We all get a chance to breathe and enjoy our coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida (28-30)	0	0	0	1	0	4	1	0	0	6	10	0
N.Y. Mets (30-27) «	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	1	x	7	12	2

Player of the Game

New York
J. Francoeur	AB	4
	R	1
	H	2
	HR	1
	RBI	3

 Related articles

• Post Game: Mets 7 Marlins 6 (metsblog.com)
• Mets 7, Marlins 6: Mets Win With a Rare Display of Power (nytimes.com)

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Hey, the kids are alright after all.

Jonathon Niese was absolutely dominant yesterday in leading ythe Mets to their 9th win in the last 13 games.  In another good sign, David Wright went yard, and Ike Davis smoked 4 hits.

When it was all said and done, the Mets had a 6-1 win over the rival Marlins, and the energy level of the team appears to be peaking.  It was the Mets seventh straight home victory.

David Wright has 3 RBIs on the day and looked extremely comfortable at the plate.  His homerun was an absolute bomb and sent the Citi Field faithful into a frenzy.   Jeff Francoeur, who has really hit the ball well of late, chipped in with an RBI single and newcomer Ruben Tejada, who looks like a real talent, stroked a run-scoring double.

The real story of the day was Jonathan Niese.  He had pinpoint control, changed speeds, and was locked in on every batter.  He worked quickly and looked like he could have easily completed the game if not for the fact that he was coming back from injury.  Fox cut to a camera angle of Niese and Jerry Manuel in the dugout after Jerry let Niese know he was done for the day, and you could see Niese plead for one more inning...the kid is a gamer.

The struggling bullpen came on and finished it off in fine fashion.  Jenrry Mejia and Fernando Nieve each tossed a scoreless frame, and Mejia had great life on his pitches.

The Mets are the best home team in baseball.

"If you watch us play at home, I expect us to win the division," Francoeur said. "We've accepted we're going to play to our advantage with this field."

David Wright now has 10 HRs on the year, and if not for the high K rate, we'd be talking about his solid numbers.  He is back on a hot streak and pulling the ball with authority.

"This really is a park that you have to be able to hit the ball down the lines," Wright said. "I don't really consider myself that good of a pull hitter. I like to try to stay up the middle. It felt good to be able to pull the ball and then the next at-bat be able to stay on the ball and go up the middle. So hopefully that's a good sign."

Ike Davis was actually using Jeff Francoeur's bat in the game, and the results were spectacular.

"I just felt good today swinging the bat," Davis said. "Been working on some things, just slowing it down a little bit. Happened to find the barrel a couple times. It feels good to find some grass out there." 

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida (28-29)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	7	0
N.Y. Mets (29-27) «	0	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	x	6	10	0

Players of the Game

New York I. Davis AB 4 R 3 H 4 HR 0 RBI 1

New York J. Niese IP 7.0 H 6 ER 1 BB 1 K 6

Related articles by Zemanta

• Niese, Davis Lead Mets to Win Over Marlins at Citi Field (bleacherreport.com)
• Mets 6 - Marlins 1 June 5, 2010 (metsreport.com)
• Jon Niese Returns to Mound, As Mets Go for Series Against Marlins (bleacherreport.com)
• Niese sharp in return from DL for Mets (cbssports.com)

Good Morning Pelf Fans!

Mike Pelfrey's career is taking off like a rocket, and Mets fans are enjoying the ride as their home grown stud becomes more like an Ace with each start.

Confident, poised, in control--these are words that weren't used to describe the tall righthander in the past, but they certainly are being applied to him now, and with regularity and good reason.

Last night the words "poised" and "in control" fit him to a tee as he quickly and efficiently worked through the Padres batting order to improve his record to a sterling 8-1with a 2.39 ERA.  His fastball in particular was overpowering and he was able to locate it with pinpoint control.

Pelfrey finished the night with 8 innings pitched and 8 Ks, a season high.  Moreover, the Padres couldn't even muster a fly ball against him--he was that good.

"He is coming into his own," Jerry Manuel said. "I think you can now start to talk about him in the same breath as other young pitchers: (Josh) Johnson, (Ubaldo) Jimenez, those of types of guys."

From a stats-perspective it can be argued that Pelfrey is now the 2nd best pitcher in the National League. He is second in MLB in wins and 9th in ERA.  His K numbers are terrific, and he has allowed 2 or fewer runs in 8 of his 2010 starts.

2010 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	P/GS	WHIP	BAA	ERA
Season	12	11	0	0	71.2	61	19	19	3	28	52	8	1	101.8	1.24	.240	2.39
Career	94	91	2	0	550.2	593	278	263	40	209	327	36	33	101.2	1.46	.280	4.30
Last 7 days	2	2	0	0	15.0	7	1	1	0	7	13	2	0	--	0.93	.156	0.60
Projected	37	34	0	0	217	186	58	58	9	86	159	24	3	101.8	1.24	.240	2.39

 A Pelf start has now become must-see TV.

For more on last night's game, see what my friends are reporting:

• Mets 4 - Padres 2 June 1, 2010 (metsreport.com)
• Mets Back Brilliant Pelfrey in Much-needed Win (bleacherreport.com)
• Post Game: Mets 4 Padres 2 (metsblog.com)
• Mets 4, Padres 2: Eight Steps To Pelf-Improvement (amazinavenue.com)

Jerry Manuel Continues to Hurt the Mets

Last night the Mets had a chance--a real chance--to get themselves in a position to win.

Sadly, Mets manager Jerry Manuel saw to it that the team was put in the worst position to fail, and they did.

The Situation:

Top of the third, 2 outs, bases loaded, pitcher's spot up, Manny Parra on the mound, Mets down 5-2.

Jerry's Options:

On the bench are three pinch-hitting options:  Chris Carter, Fernando Tatis, and Gary Matthews, Jr

Parra is a lefty, so Chris Carter is not the best option.

Fernando Tatis is a switch hitter.  He is 1 for 2 lifetime against Parra with a double and an RBI.

Gary Matthews Jr is a switch hitter and has no history against Parra.

Narrowing It Down:

On the season Fernando Tatis is 6 for 13 with 2 walks as a pinch hitter--.462 BA, .533 OBP, .769 Slg %, 1.303 OPS

On the season GMJ is 3 for 18 with 0 walks and 10 Ks as a pinch-hitter--.167 BA, .167 OBP, .167 Slg %, .333 OPS

The Decision:

Despite all the evidence clearly pointing to Tatis, Jerry Manuel goes with GMJ, who struck out. 

It was another unfathomable decision in a season full of them.

There were other poor decisions in the game, but that was clearly the one, above all others, that Jerry could have correctly made with ease.

A titanic head-scratcher of epic proportions.

Jerry ball?

Jerry Manuel Will Never Change on the #2 Hitter

Jerry Manuel is absolutely clueless on the true value of a #2 hitter.  We see this each day as he trots out Luis Castillo or Alex Cora in one of the most valuable spots in the lineup.  There is no question that Luis Castillo and Alex Cora are hurting the team from the #2 hole.

Last night it was Alex Cora's turn.  Yes, the same Alex Cora that has a .615 OPS:

2010 Season Stats
A. Cora	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	28	73	6	17	3	1	0	11	6	3	1	1	.233	.313	.301	.615

A #2 hitter in the lineup will get key at-bats and must be able to contribute in a plethora of way, from getting on base, to hitting with power, to working counts and moving runners along as the key cog between leadoff and the big power behind them.  Jerry sees Alex Cora and Luis Castillo in that role for their ability to bunt, which is another way of giving up the most precious asset an offense has--outs.

I would ask Jerry simply this--is the value of a potential bunt worth more than the value of a player that can get on base, hit extra base hits, and drive in runs?

Every bit of mathematical analysis says that you bat your second best hitter second if you want to maximize your lineup.

From the wonderful article on optimizing your lineup from Beyond the Boxscore:

Lead-Off

The old-school book says to put a speedy guy up top.  Power isn't important, and OBP is nice, but comes second to speed.
The Book says OBP is king.  The lead-off hitter comes to bat only 36% of the time with a runner on base, versus 44% of the time for the next lowest spot in the lineup, so why waste homeruns?  The lead-off hitter also comes to the plate the most times per game, so why give away outs?  As for speed, stealing bases is most valuable in front of singles hitters, and since the top of the order is going to be full of power hitters, they're not as important.  The lead-off hitter is one of the best three hitters on the team, the guy without homerun power.  Speed is nice, as this batter will have plenty of chances to run the bases with good hitters behind him.

The Two Hole

The old-school book says to put a bat-control guy here.  Not a great hitter, but someone who can move the lead-off hitter over for one of the next two hitters to drive in.
The Books says the #2 hitter comes to bat in situations about as important as the #3 hitter, but more often.  That means the #2 hitter should be better than the #3 guy, and one of the best three hitters overall.  And since he bats with the bases empty more often than the hitters behind him, he should be a high-OBP player.  Doesn't sound like someone who should be sacrificing, does it?

The Third Spot

The old-school book says to put your best high-average hitter here.  The lead-off hitter should already be in scoring position and a hit drives him in.  Wham, bam, thank you ma'am.
The Book says the #3 hitter comes to the plate with, on average, fewer runners on base than the #4 or #5 hitters.  So why focus on putting a guy who can knock in runs in the #3 spot, when the two spots after him can benefit from it more?  Surprisingly, because he comes to bat so often with two outs and no runners on base, the #3 hitter isn't nearly as important as we think.  This is a spot to fill after more important spots are taken care of.

Are Luis Castillo and Alex Cora the Mets second best hitters?  Clearly they are not, but we see Castillo and Cora in the 2 hole every day--like clockwork.  Hey, they can bunt.

Big fucking deal.

2-Hole At-Bats (minimum 70 at-bats)
RK	PLAYER	TEAM	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1	Kosuke Fukudome	CHC	78	15	26	7	0	5	17	2	1	15	13	.333	.432	.615	1.047
2	Matt Kemp	LAD	74	22	20	3	1	7	18	5	3	12	19	.270	.375	.622	.997
3	Ryan Ludwick	STL	159	25	49	12	2	7	20	0	3	18	37	.308	.392	.541	.933
4	Carl Crawford	TAM	186	36	59	15	4	4	23	15	4	18	33	.317	.375	.505	.880
5	Brandon Phillips	CIN	98	22	29	11	0	3	4	3	2	10	12	.296	.367	.500	.867
6	Dustin Pedroia	BOS	179	33	50	14	0	8	25	2	1	20	23	.279	.354	.492	.846
7	Daric Barton	OAK	154	21	45	12	2	2	16	0	1	30	30	.292	.406	.435	.841
8	Adam Jones	BAL	80	10	24	2	3	3	8	1	2	0	17	.300	.317	.513	.830
9	Michael Young	TEX	195	30	61	10	1	5	29	2	1	19	34	.313	.372	.451	.823
10	Cristian Guzman	WAS	80	12	29	3	1	0	7	1	1	3	10	.363	.393	.425	.818
11	Stephen Drew	ARI	94	18	26	5	3	2	8	1	0	8	15	.277	.340	.457	.797
12	Bobby Abreu	LAA	130	21	35	11	0	4	14	6	2	16	24	.269	.347	.446	.793
13	Johnny Damon	DET	146	29	39	11	1	3	13	2	0	24	26	.267	.372	.418	.790
14	Orlando Hudson	MIN	188	36	57	9	2	2	13	4	0	20	24	.303	.379	.404	.783
15	Placido Polanco	PHI	178	26	53	11	0	5	21	2	0	9	18	.298	.335	.444	.779
16	Edgar Renteria	SFO	83	9	27	3	0	1	11	2	0	7	14	.325	.374	.398	.771
17	Martin Prado	ATL	136	19	42	9	0	2	12	0	1	8	21	.309	.349	.419	.768
18	David Eckstein	SDG	173	19	52	12	0	1	12	4	1	11	5	.301	.360	.387	.747
19	Jeff Keppinger	HOU	138	14	41	15	0	0	17	1	0	9	7	.297	.340	.406	.746
20	Scott Podsednik	KAN	113	11	34	2	2	1	10	7	2	10	21	.301	.355	.381	.735
RK	PLAYER	TEAM	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
21	Gaby Sanchez	FLA	95	14	25	5	0	3	12	1	0	6	17	.263	.314	.411	.724
22	Orlando Cabrera	CIN	72	8	19	3	0	3	15	1	0	4	6	.264	.288	.431	.718
23	Carlos Gomez	MIL	96	15	25	6	0	3	11	4	0	4	20	.260	.297	.417	.714
24	Nick Johnson	NYY	71	12	12	4	0	2	8	0	1	22	23	.169	.379	.310	.689
25	Brett Gardner	NYY	75	13	20	2	1	1	4	4	1	6	16	.267	.321	.360	.681
26	Dexter Fowler	COL	109	17	24	4	2	1	3	5	2	20	25	.220	.341	.321	.662
27	Aaron Hill	TOR	140	23	23	5	0	7	16	1	0	20	27	.164	.273	.350	.623
28	Luis Castillo	NYM	123	10	29	1	2	0	11	7	1	20	7	.236	.338	.276	.614
29	Chone Figgins	SEA	168	21	33	9	1	0	13	9	3	31	46	.196	.315	.262	.577
30	Grady Sizemore	CLE	127	13	27	6	2	0	13	4	2	8	34	.213	.268	.291	.559