Monday, July 03, 2006
Yankees 16, Mets 7
The Mets need better pitchers. Aside from Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine they don't have anyone I want to even think about starting a playoff game. At this point I'm not too eager to see Alay Soler start another regular season game.
Last night Soler gave up eight runs for the second consecutive start. He lasted just two and two-thirds innings, gave up seven hits, thee walks and two home runs and didn't strike out anyone. He looked absolutely terrible doing it, too, apparently either terrified or unable to throw a strike. Neither John Maine nor Brian Bannister impresses me much as a potential replacement, but after this week, I have no interest in seeing Soler pitch against a good team ever again.
Willie Randolph certainly took his time in determining that Soler was not going to get out of his own mess in the third inning. The first six batters of the inning reached base and five runs had already scored when Soler first recorded an out. After the second out and the sixth run of the inning, Randolph finally went to Heath Bell. Bell immediately surrendered a two-run home run to Nick Green before finally ending the inning. Bell wound up pitching two and one-third innings and allowing eight runs on six hits and two walks. Four of the runs were unearned as they scored after Xavier Nady dropped an inning-ending fly ball in the fourth. But the three runs that Bell allowed in the fifth were all his.
Randolph thought long on whether or not to remove Soler because Darren Oliver was scheduled to start tonight. Pedro's bad hip will cause him to miss this start and thus Randolph tried to use Soler as long he could. As a result the game was pretty well out of hand before Bell entered. Bell certainly didn't help matters, but Randolph's slow hook almost made the performance of the bullpen irrelevant.
It's a shame the Mets couldn't find any major league caliber pitchers to pitch this game, because their offense had a pretty good night. Carlos Beltran had four hits including a double and two home runs to give him twenty-four on the season and finally wrest the team lead from Carlos Delgado. Jose Valentin and Julio Franco each had two hits. Both of Franco's were doubles as was one of Valentin's. Jose Reyes had a triple and a walk. And Paul Lo Duca added two singles and one temper tantrum.
In some ways, it was a good day for the Mets. David Wright was named National League Player of the Month and six Mets were named to the NL All-Star team. Beltran, Reyes, Wright and Lo Duca will all start and Pedro and Glavine were chosen for the pitching staff. Billy Wagner is also eligible to be chosen by the Final Vote, though I cast my ballot for Nomar Garciaparra. Lo Duca doesn't belong on the roster and Pedro probably won't go, but it will still be cool to see so many Mets fighting to start the World Series at Shea Stadium. But whether it's at home or away, they really need to find a guy to pitch that third game.
Things get a little easier this week, as the Mets (48-33) host the Pirates (28-55), who own the worst record in the major leagues, for four games. Oliver (3-0, 2.45) will probably make his first start of the season tonight. Paul Maholm (2-7, 4.97), who gave up just one run in six innings in a losing effort against the Mets two months ago, will start for Pittsburgh. ¶ joe | 3:36 PM |
The Mets need better pitchers. Aside from Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine they don't have anyone I want to even think about starting a playoff game. At this point I'm not too eager to see Alay Soler start another regular season game.
Last night Soler gave up eight runs for the second consecutive start. He lasted just two and two-thirds innings, gave up seven hits, thee walks and two home runs and didn't strike out anyone. He looked absolutely terrible doing it, too, apparently either terrified or unable to throw a strike. Neither John Maine nor Brian Bannister impresses me much as a potential replacement, but after this week, I have no interest in seeing Soler pitch against a good team ever again.
Willie Randolph certainly took his time in determining that Soler was not going to get out of his own mess in the third inning. The first six batters of the inning reached base and five runs had already scored when Soler first recorded an out. After the second out and the sixth run of the inning, Randolph finally went to Heath Bell. Bell immediately surrendered a two-run home run to Nick Green before finally ending the inning. Bell wound up pitching two and one-third innings and allowing eight runs on six hits and two walks. Four of the runs were unearned as they scored after Xavier Nady dropped an inning-ending fly ball in the fourth. But the three runs that Bell allowed in the fifth were all his.
Randolph thought long on whether or not to remove Soler because Darren Oliver was scheduled to start tonight. Pedro's bad hip will cause him to miss this start and thus Randolph tried to use Soler as long he could. As a result the game was pretty well out of hand before Bell entered. Bell certainly didn't help matters, but Randolph's slow hook almost made the performance of the bullpen irrelevant.
It's a shame the Mets couldn't find any major league caliber pitchers to pitch this game, because their offense had a pretty good night. Carlos Beltran had four hits including a double and two home runs to give him twenty-four on the season and finally wrest the team lead from Carlos Delgado. Jose Valentin and Julio Franco each had two hits. Both of Franco's were doubles as was one of Valentin's. Jose Reyes had a triple and a walk. And Paul Lo Duca added two singles and one temper tantrum.
In some ways, it was a good day for the Mets. David Wright was named National League Player of the Month and six Mets were named to the NL All-Star team. Beltran, Reyes, Wright and Lo Duca will all start and Pedro and Glavine were chosen for the pitching staff. Billy Wagner is also eligible to be chosen by the Final Vote, though I cast my ballot for Nomar Garciaparra. Lo Duca doesn't belong on the roster and Pedro probably won't go, but it will still be cool to see so many Mets fighting to start the World Series at Shea Stadium. But whether it's at home or away, they really need to find a guy to pitch that third game.
Things get a little easier this week, as the Mets (48-33) host the Pirates (28-55), who own the worst record in the major leagues, for four games. Oliver (3-0, 2.45) will probably make his first start of the season tonight. Paul Maholm (2-7, 4.97), who gave up just one run in six innings in a losing effort against the Mets two months ago, will start for Pittsburgh. ¶ joe | 3:36 PM |
