Friday, August 06, 2004
Mets 11, Brewers 6
I had planned to be busy this evening. About a week ago I still had it in my head that I'd head over to Trenton to see the mini-Evil Empire get blown away by a certain starting pitcher on the visiting Binghamton Mets. It was going to be the first time I saw this particular starting pitcher in action anywhere, let alone live and in person. I was, understandably, somewhat excited about the idea of it all. But then...well, yeah. So, given that my newfound free time coincided with the Mets debut of the guy the Mets received in exchange for that particular minor league pitcher, I figured I might as well take a look at how Victor Zambrano did in his first start.
It wasn’t a Kris Benson-level disaster, but it hardly gives one reason to believe that Zambrano is or will soon be the dominant starting pitcher that Rick Peterson and the Mets are claiming he can be. The starting rotation’s latest savior lasted just five and one-third innings and allowed six runs in the process. Now, only four of those were earned, but he did allow eight hits and three walks while striking out seven. The strikeouts are a good sign, and he actually lowered his walk rate for the season with this performance, but in the end the results weren’t much better than what you could expect from Jae Weong Seo in an average start. I suppose I should give Zambrano credit for weathering several defensive mistakes without completely falling apart, but even with that being said, the man pitched like an inconsistent work in progress, which just leads one to question the timing of the trade.
The Mets’ excuse for rushing to get the Benson deal done rather than, say, waiting until the offseason when all they’d have had to give up would be cash and perhaps a draft pick, has been that they were afraid that if they didn’t snatch Benson up, the Braves would have, which I suppose is a legitimate concern if you’re really desperate to build your starting rotation around Kris Benson in the years to come. But given that the Mets were, barring a miracle, out of the National League East race when they made these deals and that each of the pitchers they acquired is admittedly a project for Rick Peterson to work on rather than an instant difference maker, what exactly was the rush to get Zambrano? Turning him into the ace they allege he can become is obviously going to take more than the "ten minutes" Peterson has boasted. Given that there were apparently no other teams pursuing him, the Mets likely could have gotten him for less after the season, especially with the added leverage that they could just give up on him and go after someone who’s a more proven commodity, like free agent Matt Clement. Today’s start is just a reminder that the Mets badly misjudged either their place in the National League East or the power of Rick Peterson’s magic touch. If Peterson wants to take on a bunch of project without results to match their alleged "stuff", I guess that’s okay, but overpaying so that he can do it during a pennant race that’s already gotten away from the Mets is just foolish.
Of course, today’s game also illustrated that even after last week’s disaster, there are still reasons to pay attention to the Mets, as David Wright continued to heat up and led the team’s offensive explosion, driving in six runs. Wright smacked a pair of doubles and his third major league home run and is now hitting .273/.298/.545 through fifty-five at bats. Jose Reyes also had a hit and his fourteenth stolen. He’s still got a long way to go in his plate discipline, having drawn just three walks though 171 at bat. But with a few good moves in the offseason, this team could be fun to watch again next year, even with its starting rotation full of aging mercenaries.
¶ joe | 1:00 AM |
I had planned to be busy this evening. About a week ago I still had it in my head that I'd head over to Trenton to see the mini-Evil Empire get blown away by a certain starting pitcher on the visiting Binghamton Mets. It was going to be the first time I saw this particular starting pitcher in action anywhere, let alone live and in person. I was, understandably, somewhat excited about the idea of it all. But then...well, yeah. So, given that my newfound free time coincided with the Mets debut of the guy the Mets received in exchange for that particular minor league pitcher, I figured I might as well take a look at how Victor Zambrano did in his first start.
It wasn’t a Kris Benson-level disaster, but it hardly gives one reason to believe that Zambrano is or will soon be the dominant starting pitcher that Rick Peterson and the Mets are claiming he can be. The starting rotation’s latest savior lasted just five and one-third innings and allowed six runs in the process. Now, only four of those were earned, but he did allow eight hits and three walks while striking out seven. The strikeouts are a good sign, and he actually lowered his walk rate for the season with this performance, but in the end the results weren’t much better than what you could expect from Jae Weong Seo in an average start. I suppose I should give Zambrano credit for weathering several defensive mistakes without completely falling apart, but even with that being said, the man pitched like an inconsistent work in progress, which just leads one to question the timing of the trade.
The Mets’ excuse for rushing to get the Benson deal done rather than, say, waiting until the offseason when all they’d have had to give up would be cash and perhaps a draft pick, has been that they were afraid that if they didn’t snatch Benson up, the Braves would have, which I suppose is a legitimate concern if you’re really desperate to build your starting rotation around Kris Benson in the years to come. But given that the Mets were, barring a miracle, out of the National League East race when they made these deals and that each of the pitchers they acquired is admittedly a project for Rick Peterson to work on rather than an instant difference maker, what exactly was the rush to get Zambrano? Turning him into the ace they allege he can become is obviously going to take more than the "ten minutes" Peterson has boasted. Given that there were apparently no other teams pursuing him, the Mets likely could have gotten him for less after the season, especially with the added leverage that they could just give up on him and go after someone who’s a more proven commodity, like free agent Matt Clement. Today’s start is just a reminder that the Mets badly misjudged either their place in the National League East or the power of Rick Peterson’s magic touch. If Peterson wants to take on a bunch of project without results to match their alleged "stuff", I guess that’s okay, but overpaying so that he can do it during a pennant race that’s already gotten away from the Mets is just foolish.
Of course, today’s game also illustrated that even after last week’s disaster, there are still reasons to pay attention to the Mets, as David Wright continued to heat up and led the team’s offensive explosion, driving in six runs. Wright smacked a pair of doubles and his third major league home run and is now hitting .273/.298/.545 through fifty-five at bats. Jose Reyes also had a hit and his fourteenth stolen. He’s still got a long way to go in his plate discipline, having drawn just three walks though 171 at bat. But with a few good moves in the offseason, this team could be fun to watch again next year, even with its starting rotation full of aging mercenaries.
¶ joe | 1:00 AM |
