Jerry Manuel vs Livan Hernandez

I got a great chuckle yesterday when Jerry Manuel seemed confused about a lack of intensity against Livan Hernandez.

Jerry, please take a good, long look in the mirror--it's not emotion, it's math.

You DID NOT put the team in a position to win yesterday, and you certainly could have.

Here is the starting lineup and their career batting average against Livan:

Reyes-.277
Cora-.244
Wright-.333
Bay-.250
Jacobs-.267
Francoeur-.400
Mathews-.077
Barajas-.000

Why not bat Fernando Tatis and his .450 average and 1.450 OPS against Livan (9 for 20)?

How about Henry Blanco and his .381 average and .959 OPS against Livan (8 for 21)?

Jeff Francoeur has a career 1.367 OPS against Livan, yet you once again hit him behind Mike Jacobs.

Wouldn't a 3-4-5-6 of Wright, Bay, Francoeur and Tatis made a bit more sense yesterday?  Can Jerry at least acknowledge the math?  

I honestly want to know who on the Mets staff is responsible for feeding Jerry information on matchups and what the statistics say.

So here's my lineup to begin yesterday's game:

Reyes-.277
Pagan-No history
Wright-.333
Bay-.250
Francoeur-.400
Tatis-.450
Blanco-.381
Cora-.244

The margins are razor thin this year, so it's up to the manager to have every kernel of data at his disposal and put the team in the best chance to succeed at all times.

With Jerry it's all about feel, and he swung and missed yesterday.

How's that for intensity?

Bad Jerry Manuel Decision #76

The situation:

The Mets are in the 3rd game of a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. That's right, from June 16th to July 6th, the Mets have 20 games, 20 days, no days off.

Brutal schedule.

Mets are up 4-2.

On the hill is rubber armed Livan Hernandez, and he is pitching a beauty.

7 innings, 2 runs, and he is only at 100 pitches.

Moreover, of those 100 pitches, 64 were for strikes--a phenomenal ratio.

So what would you do? What did Jerry do?

What you do is leave him in the game. He is easily capable of 20-30 more pitches, perhaps even a complete game.

What Jerry did is go to the bullpen.

He went to Pedro Feliciano, who leads the league in appearances.

He went to Sean Green, who is pitching beautifully, but who has also appeared in 6 of the last 7 Met games.

He went to Frankie Rodriguez, who leads the league in games finished.

• Frankie is on pace to appear in 81 games--a new career high!
• Feliciano is on pace for 93 games--a new career high!
• Sean Green is on pace for 76 games--a new career high!

So yes, what would you do with the game going to the 8th, up 4-2 with Livan on the mound at exactly 100 pitches, in an AL game where there is a DH, no pinch hitting, and no at bats to further tire your starter?

You'd leave Livan in the game--it made all the sense in the world to leave him in.

20 games in 20 days, 100 pitches, a 4-2 lead, a tired and overworked bullpen that is breaking down before our eyes, and Nieve on the hill the next day.

How about the overworked bullpen in June?

• Parnell, 0-2, 7.20 ERA
• Frankie, 0-2, 2.20 ERA, 3 for 5 in saves
• Feliciano, 0-1, 4.50 ERA

A perfect day to stick with your horse.

But Jerry is Jerry....and he made a bad decision...again.

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

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Round one of the 5th starter panic sweepstakes clearly went to Livan Hernandez. The veteran was ultra-cool, calm and collected in picking up his 148th big league win against a tough Florida Marlins club.

Livan's best pitches were his off-speed stuff--in fact, one of the very best pitches of the night was a 60 mph "curve-changeup" that he used to strike out Cameron Maybin. Another one, this time in at 62 mph, twisted Hanley Ramirez into a pretzel as he violently swung and missed.

All told the crafty veteran gave up six hits and two runs in 6 2/3rds innings of work. It was the longest outing so far by a Mets starter, and it gave the bullpen a much needed break.

"When you have a veteran like Livan who commands his pitches and can put a little on and take a little off, he can be tough for a young, aggressive-swinging team like that," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "He was able to throttle back and forth, which made him very effective."

The hitting star of the night was none other than Luis Castillo, who almost had a five hit night, but settled for four (and a sacrifice) and a Mets win. Castillo also scored three runs. Prior to the game Casillo took 100 swings of extra batting practice, and it paid results immediately.

"I feel better," Castillo said. "I don't want to think so much, and that's what I've been doing. I get frustrated sometimes, but I know what kind of player I am."

In addition to Castillo, several Mets had big games as part of a 15-hit attack.

Jose Reyes had his first three RBI of the season, including a two-run homer. Carlos Delgado finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Ryan Church had two more hits and is now hitting a ridiculous .526 to go along with his excellent rightfield defense.

All in all a great game for the Mets. Today we get to see Johan Santana against Josh Johnson in what should be a fantastic pitching duel.

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (3-2) «	0	0	1	0	3	1	0	3	0	8	15	1
Florida (4-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	11	2

Player of the Game

New York L. Hernandez IP 6.2 H 6 ER 2 BB 3 K 4

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	5	1	2	3	0	1	2	.286
Daniel Murphy, LF	4	2	1	0	1	0	1	.348
Darren O'Day, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Francisco Rodriguez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
David Wright, 3B	5	0	1	1	0	2	1	.316
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	0	3	2	1	0	0	.421
Carlos Beltran, CF	5	0	1	0	0	1	4	.381
Ryan Church, RF	4	1	2	0	1	0	2	.526
Brian Schneider, C	5	1	1	0	0	1	4	.200
Luis Castillo, 2B	4	3	4	1	0	0	0	.357
Livan Hernandez, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Brian Stokes, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a- Alex Cora, PH	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000
Jeremy Reed, LF	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.333
Totals	38	8	15	8	3	6
a-grounded out for Feliciano in the 8th
Batting
2B - Jose Reyes (1, Nolasco), Carlos Delgado (1, Nolasco), Carlos Beltran (1, Miller), Ryan Church 2 (5, Nolasco, Miller)
HR - Jose Reyes (1, Nolasco)
SH - Luis Castillo (1), Livan Hernandez 3 (3)
RBI - Jose Reyes 3 (3), David Wright (1), Carlos Delgado 2 (8), Luis Castillo (1), Alex Cora (2)
2-OUT RBI - David Wright (1), Carlos Delgado 2 (4)
Team LOB - 10
Fielding
DP - Wright, Hernandez-Reyes-Delgado
E - David Wright (1, Throwing)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Livan Hernandez (W,1-0)	6.2	6	2	2	3	4	0	2.70
Brian Stokes	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Pedro Feliciano (H,1)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.57
Darren O'Day	1.1	3	2	0	0	1	0	0.00
Francisco Rodriguez	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Pitches-Strikes - Livan Hernandez 99-62, Brian Stokes 4-3, Pedro Feliciano 1-1, Darren O'Day 33-21, Francisco Rodriguez 13-8
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Livan Hernandez 5-9, Pedro Feliciano 1-0, Darren O'Day 2-2
Batters Faced - Livan Hernandez 27, Brian Stokes 1, Pedro Feliciano 1, Darren O'Day 8, Francisco Rodriguez 3

Mets Starting Pitching: So Far, So Good

Thanks to a really nice effort from Livan Hernandez, the Mets starters get a "B" for their first time through the rotation.

To recap:

NY Mets	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA

Santana (W, 1-0)

5.2

3

1

1

4

7

0

1.59

Pelfrey (W, 1-0)

5.0

5

4

4

4

2

1

7.20

Perez (L, 0-1)

4.1

5

8

8

5

7

1

16.62

Maine(no-dec)

5.0

2

2

2

1

5

2

3.60

Hernandez (W, 1-0)

6.2

6

2

2

3

4

0

2.70

All told Mets starters won 3 games and went 26 and 2/3 innings with 25 Ks. The only truly bad start came from Ollie Perez.

Let's Go Fishing

This weekend's pitching matchups look pretty good for the Mets. All three Mets starters have had great success against the Marlins, and we get to see John Maine's first regular season start in 8 months.

• Friday: Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez vs. New York Mets RHP John Maine, Dolphin Stadium.

• Saturday: Marlins RHP Ricky Nolasco (1-0, 7.50 ERA) vs. New York Mets RHP Livan Hernandez, Dolphin Stadium.

• Sunday: Marlins RHP Josh Johnson (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. New York Mets LHP Johan Santana (1-0, 1.59 ERA), Dolphin Stadium.

Pedro Owes Us a Year

Let me preface the following by saying I love Pedro Martinez...yes, I have a man-crush on the guy and would like to go shoot pool with him, or have a man-date that involved the two of us taunting Yankee fans and then going all Zimmer on them.

That said, I think he owes us a year--a cheap year.

Pedro made $41M with the Mets and produced a 32-23 record over 4 years with injuries that caused an incredible amount of drama, tremendous pitching rotation shuffling, stressed the bullpen to its limits, and allowed starts by AAA pitchers and major league has-beens or never-weres that had no business on the mound for a team hunting after a championship.

As of now we have Livan Hernandez as the front-runner for the 5th starter position. This is the same Livan Hernandez that went 13-11 with a 6.05 ERA last year and hasn't had an ERA+ over 100 since 2005.

Pedro--if you are listening, the Mets need you--we need you to come back and right a wrong.

Come back on the cheap--take a deal with $1.5M to $2M guaranteed money and another $2.5M in incentives.

Come back and help the Mets win a championship and have your name remembered forever--as a man among men who did the right thing and kept his promise of bringing a championship to NY.

Come back and give the clubhouse your joy, the young pitchers your intellect, the vets your presence and positive influence.

Come back and pitch wherever and whenever you're needed.

I think you owe that to the Mets....you owe us a year.

And Then There Was Pedro....

They say timing is everything.

Freddy Garcia can only hit 86 mph on the gun, and is being outpitched by (gulp), Livan Hernandez.

Johan Santana has a tendon that's barking, and the Mets are preaching "caution". He may need more tests.

Tim Redding was shut down because of his shoulder and finally threw off the mound yesterday. He is scheduled to throw in a game---a week from now.

Jon Niese is doing his best to make opponents bats hit his pitches.

John Maine is coming back from shoulder surgery.

Look! Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, it's...it's...it's....Pedro Martinez?

Yes my friends, Pedro Martinez is scheduled to fly in to Florida today for the World Baseball Classic.

While a lot of folks were adamant about Pedro and the Mets parting ways, the once closed door has certainly opened a crack.

What if Pedro pitches well in the WBC? What if his fastball is once again in the low 90s with consistency?

Would the door open further? Would the Mets welcome him back, and he would he accept a limited role as a starter or reliever?

Who do you have more faith in--Livan Hernandez or Pedro Martinez?

So let's run this down for a little reality check:

Johan Santana: Elbow problems stemming from triceps tendinitis, and he is coming back from knee surgery
John Maine: Coming back from shoulder surgery
Oliver Perez: All good thus far
Mike Pelfrey: All good thus far, Verducci effect be damned
Freddy Garcia: Coming back from injury, mixed results now with decreased velocity
Tim Redding: Shut down once already, 4.95 ERA last year including a 6.49 ERA in his last 10 starts, another guy coming back from surgery
Livan Hernandez: Looked good in 2 innings, 6.05 ERA last year including a 7.91 ERA in his last 10 starts
Jon Niese: Got bombed this week, very much looks like a AAA pitcher at this point

And then there was Pedro...

Career: Batting | Pitching | Fielding
SEASON	TEAM	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV		ERA
1992	LA	2	1	0	0	8.0	6	2	2	0	1	8	0	1	0		2.25
1993	LA	65	2	0	0	107.0	76	34	31	5	57	119	10	5	2		2.61
1994	Mon	24	23	1	1	144.2	115	58	55	11	45	142	11	5	1		3.42
1995	Mon	30	30	2	2	194.2	158	79	76	21	66	174	14	10	0		3.51
1996	Mon	33	33	4	1	216.2	189	100	89	19	70	222	13	10	0		3.70
1997	Mon	31	31	13	4	241.1	158	65	51	16	67	305	17	8	0		1.90
1998	Bos	33	33	3	2	233.2	188	82	75	26	67	251	19	7	0		2.89
1999	Bos	31	29	5	1	213.1	160	56	49	9	37	313	23	4	0		2.07
2000	Bos	29	29	7	4	217.0	128	44	42	17	32	284	18	6	0		1.74
2001	Bos	18	18	1	0	116.2	84	33	31	5	25	163	7	3	0		2.39
2002	Bos	30	30	2	0	199.1	144	62	50	13	40	239	20	4	0		2.26
2003	Bos	29	29	3	0	186.2	147	52	46	7	47	206	14	4	0		2.22
2004	Bos	33	33	1	1	217.0	193	99	94	26	61	227	16	9	0		3.90
2005	NYM	31	31	4	1	217.0	159	69	68	19	47	208	15	8	0		2.82
2006	NYM	23	23	0	0	132.2	108	72	66	19	39	137	9	8	0		4.48
2007	NYM	5	5	0	0	28.0	33	11	8	0	7	32	3	1	0		2.57
2008	NYM	20	20	0	0	109.0	127	70	68	19	44	87	5	6	0		5.62
Total	--	467	400	46	17	2782.2	2173	988	901	232	752	3117	214	99	3		2.91

I hope he remembered his cape.