tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50187022011-09-02T10:09:25.041-04:00Disseminating descriptions and accounts of New York Mets games without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball or the New York Mets since 2003.joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.comBlogger6301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-43118720099546674022010-10-02T17:21:00.001-04:002010-10-02T17:21:41.446-04:00

...there will be words here.So be on the lookout for that.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-65256978295615995672009-07-27T19:08:00.002-04:002009-07-27T19:09:35.143-04:00

I wasn't all that upset with the manner in which the Mets fired Willie Randolph last June. The New York media was up in arms about the Mets flying Randolph across the country to fire him in the middle of the night and while I agreed that it wasn't the ideal way to deliver the news, I didn't dwell on it. The Mets had fired a bad manager and that was good enough for me. Improving the quality of

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-8765297809333842162009-07-10T22:14:00.002-04:002009-07-10T22:36:26.827-04:00

The author of those words of wisdom, twenty-five year old Jeffrey Braden Francoeur, is now a New York Met and I can hardly believe it. I can't even muster the energy to be sarcastic about this. Jeff Francoeur is terrible at playing baseball. And now he's going to be in right field every day.Francoeur is hitting .250/.282/.352 this season for an OPS+ of 68. This makes him the new worst hitter

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-3315159241011978442009-07-08T18:49:00.002-04:002009-07-08T18:58:07.733-04:00

Things don't look good for the Mets right now. The team is four and a half games out of first place, losers of fourteen of their last twenty games. Sixty percent of the team's core is on the disabled list and not coming back any time soon. David Wright's OPS has dropped over a hundred points in the last three weeks. But tonight, things start to turn around. Tonight, the Mets have hope.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-9147033934119001422009-06-12T23:34:00.003-04:002009-06-13T00:38:52.990-04:00

I would like to argue that tonight's loss by the Mets to the Yankees was perhaps the worst June loss in the history of the sport of baseball. Sure, it can't compare to some of the worst September or October losses suffered by this team or others, but I don't see how a loss in June could get much worse. Let's review the facts.The starting pitching matchup was Livan Hernandez vs. Joba Chamberlain

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-57748985812589425442009-05-17T21:36:00.002-04:002009-05-17T21:57:24.764-04:00

I don't know if there's anything worse than ESPN's current Sunday Night Baseball announce team. I don't mean in terms of announce teams, I mean I don't know if there is anything worse in the world. Steve Phillips is completely intolerable, at the same time encouraging Joe Morgan's worst tendencies and making Morgan seem reasonable by comparison. Tonight they've spent entire innings

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-26074806012358073752009-04-29T19:02:00.002-04:002009-04-29T19:12:23.608-04:00

Prior to about 4 PM today, I was not too worried about the Mets. Yes, they've gotten off to a slow start. But David Wright isn't going to strike out in a third of his at bats for the whole season. Oliver Perez is going to get his ERA under nine at some point. Getting a bunch of runners on base will eventually lead to a lot of runs being scored. But now I'm wondering if any of that matters

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-3645291264333234352009-04-05T20:39:00.002-04:002009-04-05T20:44:39.321-04:00

The 2008 Mets' pitching and defense weren't as superlative as the offense, but they still bested the league average by allowing 4.41 runs per game (the average was 4.63). The team's 103 ERA+ ranked sixth in the league. This year's starting staff is basically the same as the group that did a solid job last year, aside from perhaps some improvement in the fifth starter role. The bullpen, however

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-44539566558285344262009-04-04T19:29:00.001-04:002009-04-04T19:31:16.815-04:00

Throughout the offseason a number of people have talked about the Mets' need to add a bat. But really, the fact that they scored five runs in the last three games of the season doesn't change the fact that the Mets had a great offense last year. The 2008 Mets tied for second in the National League in runs scored with 799, 4.93 per game, and ranked third in the league with an OPS+ of 100. And

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-47039564569350721832009-01-11T21:35:00.002-05:002009-01-11T22:16:21.250-05:00

I am not yet sure what to make of the Mets' signing of Tim "lightning storms lit up all downtown" Redding. Tim Marchman makes a good case for Redding's adequacy, but I'd feel better about the Mets' rotation if Redding was a sixth starter/swingman rather than the fifth starter. Maybe I overestimated the Mets' budget or underestimated the market for Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, but I still

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-46676630651159167842008-12-11T20:10:00.001-05:002008-12-11T20:10:36.888-05:00

There are a number of reasons to be less than ecstatic about the Mets’ acquisition of JJ Putz. Here are some of them. The Mets gave up seven players to get three players. They gave up perhaps the best defensive outfielder in the game and replaced him with a twenty-seven year old failed prospect who’s never hit at the major league level. They gave up a young reliever who owns right handed

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-46593720163018213542008-12-10T23:36:00.001-05:002008-12-10T23:37:31.008-05:00

You will be missed.More tomorrow.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-40630795741317313472008-12-10T18:44:00.000-05:002008-12-10T19:09:09.948-05:00

The Mets announced earlier today that they have come to an agreement with free agent Francisco Rodriguez. They will pay him $37 million to be their closer for the next three years. The bullpen was the most obvious hole in this team, both in the fantasy land where New York sportswriters and talk radio callers live and in the real world. So it didn't take a lot of imagination to guess what would

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-59149203721514109952008-09-14T22:11:00.002-04:002008-09-14T22:14:32.965-04:00

If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything in a while, I assure you I have a very good excuse. Things had been going so well for the Mets since I last posted that I didn't want to do anything to jinx them. But now that the team's fortunes have taken a bit of a downturn in the last few days, I thought I'd come back and try to talk Mets fans off the ledge. With fourteen games left to play

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-60427972644049119962008-07-22T00:38:00.000-04:002008-07-22T00:39:10.596-04:00

With the Mets in a first place tie, winners of eleven of their last thirteen games while the trade deadline looms like a mythical beast from the deep, lurking just below the surface, threatening to take a chunk out of the farm system at any moment, I thought I'd take this time to peer into the future of the 2008 New York Mets. The next sixty-three games seem likely to culminate in another photo

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-51636895210828790282008-07-06T16:39:00.000-04:002008-07-06T16:40:38.358-04:00

The All-Star rosters have been announced and, as usual, the fans, coaches and players have made some odd choices. The only Met on the National League roster is Billy Wagner. Johan Santana, top five in the league in ERA and strikeouts, didn't make the cut. David Wright (.288/.385/.508, 137 OPS+) couldn't beat out Aramis Ramirez (.280/.379/.493, 126 OPS+) for the backup third base spot, but at

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-54554618043932480922008-06-17T19:08:00.001-04:002008-06-17T19:10:30.227-04:00

As you may have heard, Willie Randolph is no longer the manager of the New York Mets and Omar Minaya handled the firing with the sort of tact and professionalism we've come to expect from this organization. The bottom line is that Wilie is out, which I regard as a good thing, and Jerry Manuel is in, about which I don't really have an opinion. Manuel was 500-471 with one division title in six

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-3077288785439226902008-06-12T23:39:00.000-04:002008-06-12T23:40:34.511-04:00

Mets starting pitchers over the past seven games: 42 1/3 IP, 40 K, 14 BB, 2 HR, 2.34 ERA.Games won by the Mets during this stretch: One.First it was the offense going limp as the Mets lost three straight 2-1 games in San Diego. Once the bats came to life, the bullpen decided to pick up the slack, blowing leads of at least two runs in each of the next four games. Billy Wagner has now blown three

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-6348415361621715862008-06-05T23:20:00.002-04:002008-06-05T23:28:03.064-04:00

The Mets organization had some reason to smile entering Thursday, having won three straight series and holding three of the first thirty-three picks in the MLB draft. And Met fans could be forgiven for smiling too after the Mets didn't use any of those top picks on college relief pitchers. In fact, the Mets used only one of their eight picks today on a pitcher, taking right handed starter

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-35806451416961026302008-05-28T22:56:00.003-04:002008-05-28T23:05:44.785-04:00

Aaron Heilman pitches two perfect innings, striking out four. Endy Chavez hits a game-tying pinch hit home run in the bottom of the ninth, just as I'm cursing Willie for taking out Ramon Castro. And after Duaner Sanchez gives up a twelfth-inning home run to Alfredo Amezaga of all people, the Mets fight back, capped off by a two-run double by Fernando Tatis. If this game doesn't wake the Mets

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-22849591028699676842008-05-26T23:42:00.000-04:002008-05-26T23:43:36.862-04:00

The Mets did not elect to fire manager Willie Randolph today and as a result will probably never win another game. I don't know who the Mets could or would hire that would be able to turn things around, especially given that both Bobby Valentine and Earl Weaver are likely unavailable. But I don't really think the team is going to be able to find a new first baseman, a new second baseman, a

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-71516709833196213202008-05-21T00:40:00.002-04:002008-05-21T00:45:11.757-04:00

Today one of the greatest New York Mets off all time officially said goodbye to the game of baseball. Michael Joseph Piazza, most recently of the Oakland Athletics, announced his retirement, beginning the five year countdown to his Hall Of Fame induction. The only questions that remain are which hat, Mets or Dodgers, will adorn his plaque in Cooperstown--judging by Piazza's statement, he'd

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-42739062190306892242008-05-11T21:46:00.000-04:002008-05-11T21:52:29.247-04:00

The Mets had another mediocre week, splitting six games with the Dodgers and Reds. The offense does appear to be coming around as they put 38 runs on the board in these six games. They even put together back-to-back twelve-run efforts. Of course, they wouldn't be the Mets if they didn't follow that up by being shut down by a pitcher of dubious quality. This time it was Bronson Arroyo who the

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-74319294531502822312008-05-04T22:57:00.002-04:002008-05-05T18:35:52.432-04:00

The Mets had a pretty good weekend, as they tend to do when they head to Arizona. They won two of three and put their theoretical everyday lineup on the field for the very first time in the season's twenty-ninth game. Moises Alou and Brian Schneider are back, Carlos Delgado is starting to hit and the Mets are just half a game out of first place in the NL East. It's enough to trick you into not

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-47794430843622076002008-04-27T23:35:00.000-04:002008-04-27T23:37:29.545-04:00

The Mets' performance over the weekend wasn't exactly dominating, but it was certainly an improvement over the previous week. Facing the three best pitchers the Atlanta Braves had to offer, the Mets managed to take two out of three with neither Johan Santana nor Oliver Perez taking the mound. The starting pitchers only pitched fifteen and two-thirds innings, but the bullpen was solid (Jorge

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-19727648974314923652008-04-25T00:24:00.002-04:002008-04-25T00:28:39.929-04:00

After reaching the lofty heights of a 10-6 record last weekend in Philadelphia, the Mets have gotten an early start on this year's collapse. They've now lost four of their last five, outscored 32-18. Their means of defeat have ranged from inadequate starting pitching to inept offense to incompetent relief.The bats have seemingly all gone cold at once. Except for Carlos Delgado, who was cold to

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-3236241432065496982008-04-16T00:07:00.001-04:002008-04-16T00:09:03.814-04:00

Twelve games into the season, the Mets' record sits at an even .500. This despite the fact that they have outscored their opponents 64-47. Some things have not gone as planned, as evidenced by the fact that Scott Schoeneweis has thrown more innings than Pedro Martinez. But there have also been some pleasant surprises, and I'm not just talking about Angel Pagan's ridiculous .381/.462/.500

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-40759956575524423382008-04-06T21:49:00.000-04:002008-04-06T21:52:47.811-04:00

The Mets' season is five games old, so I think it's about time I start complaining about Willie Randolph's bullpen management. I will give him some credit for apparently having figured out how to use Scott Schoeneweis. In Schoeneweis's first two appearances, he faced a single lefty and in his third, he faced a lefty and a switch hitter. Of course, that third lefty got a run-scoring hit and the

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-62902475148207099932008-04-02T23:35:00.000-04:002008-04-02T23:58:13.515-04:00

Only the Mets could find a way to outscore their opponents twenty-four to seven over three games and come out feeling like losers. Yes, the Mets' offense thoroughly pounded what passes for major league pitching in the Florida Marlins organization. And yes, the Mets got a good first start from their big offseason acquisition and an even better one from their talented but inconsistent third

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-90888342567375312422008-03-30T01:55:00.000-04:002008-03-30T01:56:41.299-04:00

The Mets' pitching was in the middle of the National League pack in 2007. They allowed 750 runs, 4.63 per game, good for seventh best in the league and a completely average ERA+ of 100. They got off to a much better start than that, posting a team ERA of 2.96 in April, but that number rose every single month, all they way to 5.14 in September. Things were even worse in the final seventeen

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-91484098483995324012008-03-29T15:07:00.001-04:002008-03-29T15:10:24.777-04:00

As you may have heard, the Mets' 2007 season did not end as well as they or their fans might have liked. It's hard to blame the team's offense for the historic collapse, though. In those fateful seventeen games when the Mets went from prohibitive pennant favorites to historical punchlines, the team scored 98 runs or 5.76 per game. They put a total of 804 runs on the board in 2007, 4.96 per

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-53270302659904066692008-03-05T23:07:00.002-05:002008-03-05T23:12:59.023-05:00

Things that happen in Spring Training tend to be pretty meaningless in the long run. Some no-name hitter getting hot for three weeks batting against other teams' minor league relievers isn't cause to run out and buy his jersey. Your team's ace getting knocked around while experimenting with a new pitch shouldn't lead you to sell your season tickets. Still, the first three weeks of baseball

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-16941760720279979162008-01-29T23:34:00.000-05:002008-01-29T23:48:58.319-05:00

This hasn't been an easy offseason to be a New York Mets fan. For months it seemed the Mets would either do nothing significant to improve the 2008 squad or they'd sacrifice the farm system for the sake of a short-term splash. The Milledge trade made it appear that they'd much prefer the latter approach. I never would have figured they'd pull off what they did today. The Mets have acquired

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-89628223381069077942007-11-30T19:28:00.000-05:002007-11-30T19:31:12.489-05:00

Prior to today, I thought the Mets had been having a decent offseason. They hadn't made a big splash, but they had said goodbye to their two worst everyday players, Paul Lo Duca and Shawn Green, making room for better, younger players. The starting rotation would be the same as the one that started 2007 except that Tom Glavine would be replaced by Pedro Martinez, quite a swap if Pedro stays

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-72211776484721745502007-11-20T22:49:00.000-05:002007-11-20T22:54:32.935-05:00

It has been a whirlwind few days for the New York Mets. Or at least as whirlwind as you can get when you're not losing anyone better than Tom Glavine circa 2008 or getting anyone better than Luis Castillo. Regardless, things have happened.First of all, Glavine returned to the Braves. This leaves the Mets with a hole to fill in their starting rotation, but it also leaves them with two first

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-73835123221439930822007-11-17T23:42:00.000-05:002007-11-17T23:45:30.937-05:00

The Mets' deal with Yorvit Torrealba fell through. But Ramon Castro is signed. So they are still in need of one catcher. Hopefully Paul Lo Duca is so insulted by the Mets' treatment of him this offseason that he refuses to negotiate with them.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-76164770180801717992007-11-15T20:39:00.000-05:002007-11-15T22:08:06.585-05:00

The Mets are apparently about to sign a couple of catchers. According to various reports, Yorvit Torrealba will sign a three-year deal to be the starter and Ramon Castro will sign up for two years as his backup, though Castro is expected to start more often than he did in 2007. This is hardly ideal, but I'll take it.The appeal of Torrealba eludes me. He's a career .251/.313/.391 hitter who's

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-70500270255908881242007-11-11T23:24:00.000-05:002007-11-11T23:32:57.023-05:00

This has the potential to be a rather boring offseason. Collapse or no, the Mets are a good team without many obvious holes. At the moment they could use a catcher, a second baseman and a starting pitcher. But the weak free agent class and the paucity of tradeable commodities in the Mets' system makes it unlikely any of these spots will be addressed in headline-grabbing fashion. But even the

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-87859746918373800562007-10-08T23:19:00.001-04:002007-10-08T23:19:59.927-04:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.Registration code: 9015267

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-4846621426861475842007-10-04T19:04:00.000-04:002007-10-04T19:50:04.074-04:00

You may have seen some Mets fans referring to Sunday's loss as something of a relief, coming as it did on the heels of an often difficult season of baseball to watch. They might have told you that this particular band of New York Mets was somehow unlikable or that the players had "quit" on us, the fans. Maybe they think that the bullpen would have gotten this team slaughtered in October. I am

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-45092861293677911182007-10-03T18:08:00.000-04:002007-10-03T18:10:30.473-04:00

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-18283310856517321112007-09-30T18:40:00.001-04:002007-09-30T18:40:35.509-04:00

Whatever it was, I'm sure I'm sorry.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-53853356761855093522007-09-29T22:20:00.000-04:002007-09-29T22:25:01.973-04:00

The Mets woke up Saturday in second place for the first time in more than five months. They did all they could not to stay there for long. The offensive was explosive from the start. John Maine was absolutely brilliant. And with a little help from the Washington Nationals, the Mets are once again tied atop the NL East with one game to play.Maine's performance was the best by any Mets' starter

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-11865978262893708032007-09-29T00:13:00.000-04:002007-09-29T00:16:02.828-04:00

What else can ya do?The Mets lost again, this time to the the last place Florida Marlins, while the Phillies beat the Nationals to claim sole possession of first place in the National League East. For the first time since the thirteenth of May, the Mets are not in first place. They have lost eight straight home games and now need help to even manage a tie for the division lead.Oliver Perez was

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-39612544326578324412007-09-27T23:03:00.000-04:002007-09-27T23:12:05.738-04:00

The Mets got a well-pitched game for the first time in ages (or five days) but it was not enough as they were shut out by Joel Piñeiro. As a result of this and the Phillies' 6-4 win over the Braves, they are now tied atop the NL East and one game behind the Padres in the NL Wild Card race. The Mets still control their own destiny as all they have to do is win all of their remaining games to win

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-47531546319178976132007-09-26T23:03:00.000-04:002007-09-26T23:04:43.246-04:00

I don't know why I even care if the Mets make the playoffs. There's no way they could go anywhere with pitching this astonishingly atrocious. Thirty-two runs allowed in three games to the Washington Nationals in this series. Fifty-seven runs allowed in six games in the last two series. To the Washington Nationals.Four games left. One game up. Tomorrow it's one game against the Cardinals.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-4205632038022951832007-09-23T22:51:00.000-04:002007-09-23T22:52:53.679-04:00

Nothing comes easy for these Mets. This week they scored fifty runs in seven games and barely managed to escape with four wins. They allowed 47 runs, 19 of which were scored against the bullpen. They led in each of the three losses and nearly blew a fourth on Sunday. But an extra-inning win left them with a 2.5 game lead and a magic number of 5 with seven games to play. All seven are at home

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-29768584988787999612007-09-16T23:55:00.001-04:002007-09-16T23:55:48.073-04:00

The Mets' play against the Phillies recently has been nothing short of embarrassing. The bullpen has been awful. The defense has been sloppy. The offense has been shut down by some very ordinary pitchers. Thinking rationally, it is obvious that the Mets are not this bad and the Phillies are not this good. But right now I would rather these two teams didn't meet in the NLCS.The bullpen, which

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-37766278117129526922007-09-12T23:51:00.000-04:002007-09-12T23:54:35.054-04:00

The Mets are going to win the NL East. This much is obvious. They have a lead of seven games and a magic number of 11 with seventeen to play. The Braves and Phillies took their shots and came up woefully short. Now it's time to figure out the postseason roster without getting anyone hurt.The biggest question right now surrounds the starting rotation. Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez and Orlando

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-84137744778228459282007-09-03T22:23:00.000-04:002007-09-03T22:25:24.588-04:00

A lot can happen in four days. For four days last week it seemed like the Mets would never win another baseball game. The last four days have given reason to reevaluate that assessment.First there was a shocking three-game sweep of the Braves at Turner Field, not a place where the Mets have played particularly well over the years. The offense, starting pitching and bullpen all performed more

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-40246515054074694132007-09-01T15:08:00.001-04:002007-09-01T15:28:36.354-04:00

The Mets beat the Braves convincingly on Friday night and for once got some good news out of their bullpen. No, it wasn't the two scoreless innings pitched by Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis, though those were nice, too. The big story on Friday was a bullpen session in which Pedro Martinez threw 68 pitches and impressive enough to earn the starting nod for Monday afternoon's game against

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-23482144156415602822007-08-30T23:46:00.000-04:002007-08-30T23:49:29.341-04:00

Now I am a little bit concerned. The Mets' bullpen is a complete disaster. It would be so based on the performances of the pitchers alone, but Willie Randolph seems intent on making things worse.On Thursday afternoon, Orlando Hernandez had a rare bad start, giving up five runs in three innings. Randolph had little choice but to bring in Aaron Sele given that Jorge Sosa had pitched two innings

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-76308576755758076272007-08-28T23:35:00.000-04:002007-08-28T23:41:13.712-04:00

After a disappointing homestand in which they won just three of six from the Dodgers and Padres, things have only gotten worse on the road for the Mets. Monday's 9-2 loss was neither surprising nor disappointing given than Brian Lawrence was the Mets' starting pitcher. Lawrence has been an adequate short-term fifth starter, but there was never any reason to expect much from him against a good

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-38144712840166878402007-08-19T18:52:00.000-04:002007-08-19T19:11:18.255-04:00

New York pitching was shaky again this week, but the offense exploded, enabling them to win five of six from two of the National League's weakest teams. After a spectacular bullpen implosion cost the Mets a sweep of the Pirates on Thursday, there was plenty of reason to worry about this team. But a weekend sweep in the nation's capital leaves the Mets with a five-game lead in the division,

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-34951363223238208432007-08-12T19:06:00.000-04:002007-08-12T19:07:55.505-04:00

The Mets continue to be an extremely frustrating team to root for. This week they lost their fourth straight series to the Braves in agonizing fashion and followed it up by doing no better against the Marlins. Thanks to a ten-run outburst on Sunday, they wound up outscored by just one run in these six games, but their lead in the division will be three games at most at the end of the day. The

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-3263190664746920042007-08-12T13:08:00.000-04:002007-08-12T13:22:02.111-04:00

Paul Lo Duca has been placed on the disabled list with a straight right hamstring and the Mets have called up Mike DiFelice to take his place on the roster. Willie Randolph is still doing everything he can to keep Shawn Green in the lineup despite his being one of the worst starting right fielders in the majors, but at least we won't have to watch Lo Duca ground out to second base for a couple

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-27280789606477452962007-08-06T00:21:00.000-04:002007-08-06T00:23:56.269-04:00

Tom Glavine pitched well in both of his shots at win number 300, but on Sunday he got enough support from his offense and his bullpen to etch his name in the record books. He gave up two runs on six hits and one walk in six and one-third inning and exited with a four-run lead, much more comfortable than the one-run margin he left with on Tuesday. He was relieved by Guillermo Mota and Pedro

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1601180593810606752007-07-30T20:35:00.000-04:002007-07-30T21:33:55.879-04:00

With less that twenty-four hours remaining before the trading deadline, Omar Minaya made a deal that, in a break from Mets July tradition, seems perfectly reasonable. Minor leaguers Drew Butera, a twenty-three year old catcher, and Dustin Martin, a twenty-three year old outfielder, are on their way to the Minnesota Twins organization in exchange for Luis Castillo, who will play, and likely bat,

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-83485937887615810772007-07-30T00:08:00.000-04:002007-07-30T00:10:49.855-04:00

Even more disappointing than winning just two of three from the Pirates is splitting a four-game series with the Nationals. As has happened so often this season, the New York bats were shut down by some less than distinguished starting pitchers. The Mets got excellent starting pitching from Orlando Hernandez and John Maine in games two and four, respectively, but Jorge Sosa and Mike Pelfrey

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-23549456534262273992007-07-26T22:49:00.000-04:002007-07-26T22:54:36.666-04:00

When is winning two of three a disappointment? When you're the New York Mets playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets' offense fared well enough against some decent starting pitching. But one bad inning from Oliver Perez on Thursday brought an end to dreams of the team's first series sweep in a month. The Phillies and Braves are doing all they can to keep the Mets comfortably in first place,

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-19163195477982172772007-07-23T00:14:00.000-04:002007-07-23T00:24:24.640-04:00

The Mets' latest trip the the west coast began inauspiciously with losses in two of three games in San Diego. But the offense finished up strong to help them win three of four from the Dodgers and come out ahead for the week. They're still not quite running roughshod over the National League, but taking four of seven on the road from a couple of playoff contenders is a step in the right

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-934398571244416702007-07-16T00:11:00.000-04:002007-07-16T00:13:30.427-04:00

The second half of the season began with a bang for the Mets as hitting coach Rick Down was fired and Rickey Henderson was hired to replace him. The Greatest Of All Time has already done some occasional coaching for the Mets, working with Jose Reyes in particular in Spring Training. Reyes is having his most Rickeyesque season yet, with his OBP a career high .389, so I can't wait to see what

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-41836981375752831402007-07-11T22:58:00.000-04:002007-07-11T23:04:38.347-04:00

The Mets reached the artificial midway point of the season two games ahead of their nearest competition and lucky to be there. After a strong start that left them with 34 wins and 18 losses at the end of May, they've gone 14 and 21. They are only two games behind their pace from last season in which the division race was decided somewhere around the middle of June. But the significant decline

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-91522999522775522962007-07-08T23:43:00.000-04:002007-07-08T23:52:08.350-04:00

After two straight winning weeks, the Mets stumbled into the All-Star break losing five of their last seven. The offense continued to struggle as they scored just twenty-six runs. The pitching got absolutely slaughtered in a three-game sweep at Colorado, giving up thirty-four runs but they settled down a bit, allowing just seventeen in a four-game split in Houston.Carlos Delgado did have

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-5507520561344482982007-07-02T20:34:00.000-04:002007-07-02T20:45:44.577-04:00

I guess more than one consecutive week of good news is too much to ask for. After sending Jorge Sosa to the DL over the weekend, the Mets' starting rotation has been dealt another blow. The sore back which kept Oliver Perez from starting as scheduled on Sunday will shut him down for fifteen days. Jason Vargas will take his spot on the roster and start Tuesday's game in Colorado. Perez's

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-27806232431392983242007-07-02T00:30:00.000-04:002007-07-02T00:38:02.743-04:00

The Mets salvaged the month of June after a poor start thanks to a return to National League competition. They went a respectable 8-7 in interleague play, and if the World Series is changed to a best-of-fifteen format I like their chances, but they've put up a much healthier 38-27 record against the NL. This past week they took five of seven from the Cardinals and Phillies, finishing June with

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-30297954512530281582007-06-25T00:07:00.001-04:002007-06-25T00:07:44.379-04:00

This week began just like any other in June with the Mets losing a series, this time to the Twins. The offense came to life in a game one win, but they were unable to repeat the performance in game two or three. But over the weekend they bounced back at long last, sweeping the A's for their first series win in seven tries.Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and John Maine each pitched excellently

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-79380833113356696672007-06-18T00:02:00.001-04:002007-06-18T00:02:59.397-04:00

The Mets are just awful at everything right now. They lost five of six games this week, outscored 37 to 17. Only once did a Mets starter pitch more than 5.2 innings or allow fewer than four runs. The team hit just .243/.285/.328. And the bullpen ERA was 4.41. Oliver Perez pitched a heck of a game against Roger Clemens, though.The Mets scored three or fewer runs in five of these six games,

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-65676032334445208802007-06-10T23:24:00.000-04:002007-06-10T23:54:13.803-04:00

A Mets starting pitcher was bound to have a bad day eventually. Jorge Sosa shutting out the best offense in baseball for eight innings on Friday only served to tempt fate. The Mets' offense showed some signs of life, scoring as many runs in each of the last two games as they did in the entire Philadelphia series. Still, what may be the Mets' toughest two weeks of the season did not get off to

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-51250210969537785742007-06-08T17:53:00.000-04:002007-06-08T18:02:34.363-04:00

It may not be Scott Schoeneweis, but it's a start. The Mets have sent David Newhan (.200 /.298/.280) to New Orleans and called up Ricky Ledee (.287/.361/.471 in 177 AAA at bats). Of course, this is the same Ricky Ledee who hit .094/.194/.219 in 32 at bats with the Mets last year. But Ledee at least has some history of being a decent bench player, which is more than Newhan can say. And Ledee

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-13535771718643074602007-06-08T00:02:00.001-04:002007-06-08T00:03:40.883-04:00

What an awful series. The Mets got three excellent starting pitching performances and wasted them with a combination of bad hitting and worse relief pitching. And to top it all off, Endy Chavez pulled his left hamstring and likely won't be back anytime soon.Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez and John Maine combined for twenty innings pitched in this series and allowed just four runs. That makes

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-53228147255919872342007-06-04T23:38:00.000-04:002007-06-04T23:42:02.914-04:00

Numerous injuries finally started to catch up with the Mets this week as they won a mere fifty percent of their games. This was the first Monday-to-Sunday period this season in which the Mets failed to win more games than they lost and the weekend series against Arizona was their first series loss to a team outside the NL East. They haven't had a win streak longer than four games all year, but

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-84851351182796682472007-05-28T23:18:00.000-04:002007-05-28T23:19:17.489-04:00

It is Memorial Day and I, like much of America, did not have to go to work today. So of course the best baseball team in the biggest media market in the country did not play a game. Bangup job, MLB.The Mets did have a pretty good week as far as the standings went as they won four of six and extended their division lead to four and a half games despite losing their third straight series to the

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-84585489554356472962007-05-21T00:17:00.000-04:002007-05-21T00:26:08.429-04:00

Watching the Mets beat up on the National League and win a series against the Yankees is a lot of fun. This weekend's series provided both a tight pitchers' duel, with great performances from Oliver Perez and Endy Chavez, and an offensive explosion led by David Wright. But part of the fun of being a Mets fan is having a player or two on your own team to hate.Even during last year's great run we

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-90373325989517137032007-05-17T19:30:00.000-04:002007-05-17T19:35:22.571-04:00

One of the keys to the Mets' success in the first quarter of the season has been the good play of their reserves. The team has had to deal with significant, if not surprising, injuries and the way some guys have stepped up to fill the holes has allowed the Mets to just keep rolling. This has never been more true than in the games of the last two days.After splitting the first two games of a

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-12532355546369852532007-05-14T00:25:00.000-04:002007-05-14T00:36:30.334-04:00

Another week, another four wins for the Mets. They slipped to second place, a half-game behind the Braves, and Moises Alou got hurt again but otherwise it was another good week for New York's leading baseball franchise.It was a pretty ordinary week for the offense as they scored thirty runs in six games. Not so ordinary was the contribution of David Wright, whose bat seems to be finally coming

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-19363744561390268002007-05-06T23:34:00.000-04:002007-05-06T23:43:52.932-04:00

A week ago, the Mets held a half-game lead over second place Atlanta in the National League's Eastern Division. A tumultuous week in which the Mets went four and three against the Marlins and Diamondbacks only served to reduce that margin by half a game. Now some health concerns leave the Mets' shared spot atop the heap as tenuous as it's been in a while.Orlando Hernandez and Jose Valentin hit

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-54503209911126810952007-04-30T00:30:00.000-04:002007-04-30T00:36:27.928-04:00

Despite the general awesomeness of the Mets' offense, they have a tendency to make the strangest pitchers look like Cy Young contenders. This weekend was a prime example, as they scored a grand total of three runs in eighteen and one-third innings against Jason Bergmann (career ERA prior to Sunday's game: 5.25), Jerome Williams (2007 ERA after six shutout innings on Saturday: 6.11) and Matt

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-55374273816956296402007-04-25T23:30:00.000-04:002007-04-26T00:11:26.414-04:00

In Mike Pelfrey's first two starts, he at least managed not to fall completely apart. There wasn't too much to be encouraged by beyond that, but for a guy only a year into his professional baseball career, it was something. Start number three did not even reach those lofty heights and the day may be approaching when the Mets have to reevaluate their short-term plans for their first round draft

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-37905755500003681302007-04-23T00:27:00.000-04:002007-04-23T00:32:19.753-04:00

The Mets' offense remained hot over the last five games, putting thirty-six runs on the board against the Marlins and Braves, even smacking around Dontrelle Willis and John Smoltz along the way. They were able to take two games in Florida with relative ease, but bad defense and relief pitching allowed Atlanta to win two of three at Shea. At least the starting pitching was pretty good.John Maine

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-87020205052356732732007-04-17T23:34:00.000-04:002007-04-18T00:15:43.720-04:00

It seems only Mother Nature can prevent the Mets from beating the Phillies because the Phillies themselves aren't much good at it. After two days and two nights of rain, the Mets saw the light and the light's name was Freddy Garcia. A thirteen-hit attack led by Moises Alou combined with solid pitching and good defense to give the Mets their third win in four games against the NL East

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-77514589602922875922007-04-16T21:24:00.000-04:002007-04-16T21:43:50.242-04:00

Prior to being rained out on Sunday and Monday, the Mets played two-thirds of a series against the lowly Nationals and failed to beat them so badly that they got relegated to AAA as one might have hoped. Mike Pelfrey pitched adequately on Friday while Orlando Hernandez got smacked around on Saturday. The offense didn't put up much of a fight in either game, managing just five runs on sixteen

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-11716265498663990742007-04-12T22:28:00.000-04:002007-04-12T23:55:44.614-04:00

The Mets took Rollins up on his offer in two out of three games despite less than stellar starting pitching. On Monday a Rollins error opened the door for the Mets to take batting practice against the Phillies' bullpen in a seven-run eighth inning. Overall they scored eleven runs despite just one extra base hit. Wednesday's game saw Adam Eaton somehow hold them to just two runs on four hits

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-21617694810282725712007-04-09T00:08:00.000-04:002007-04-12T23:51:32.564-04:00

After Friday night it seemed like the Mets were on course to cruise to October, but reality had to go and intrude on the proceedings over the weekend. Still, it wasn't the soft underbelly of the starting rotation that did the Mets in on Saturday and Sunday as much as their failure at the hitting and the fielding and the relief pitching. At least two of those areas figure to improve as the

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-29535056138587420142007-04-05T22:59:00.000-04:002007-04-05T23:54:01.859-04:00

There are few better ways to begin a season than by stomping the defending Champs in their own ballpark for three games. As might be expected in the cold of early April, offense was difficult to come by at times for both teams. But the Met bats were able to get by in the first two games before breaking out on night three. Meanwhile, the New York pitching and defense silenced the Cardinals and

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-63906287329529295412007-03-31T17:56:00.000-04:002007-03-31T18:02:22.310-04:00

In 2006, the Mets' offense was the third best in the National League as they scored 834 runs, their highest season total since 1999. They got some big years from some players who shouldn't be expected to repeat, but they also had some significant holes which have since been filled. Several key contributors are still in the prime of their careers (or younger). As good as the offense was last

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-33953465643013218592007-03-27T23:52:00.000-04:002007-03-28T00:22:37.036-04:00

A lot of negative things have been written about the Mets' starting rotation in recent months, and justifiably so. The surest thing in the bunch is a soft-tossing forty-one year old. Even now that the list has been pared down to the final five, question marks abound. There's plenty of reason for concern among Mets fans. But I think there's at least as much reason for excitement.Beyond the two

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-62369882873759727952007-03-22T21:00:00.000-04:002007-03-22T21:46:59.644-04:00

It was a pretty slow offseason for the New York Mets. Spring Training has been fun, but soon we'll have forgotten all about Shawn Green's hot streak and the Aaron Sele experiment. In short, the wait for Opening Day, for actual baseball, has been interminable. But now, at long last, something important has happened.If you follow the link above you will see that mets.com is conducting a poll,

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1161317972734029702006-10-20T00:15:00.000-04:002006-10-20T00:19:32.753-04:00

I don't want to talk about it.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1161231044214042502006-10-19T00:04:00.000-04:002006-10-19T00:30:37.180-04:00

All the Mets needed from John Maine was for him to pitch the game of his life to save their season. So of course he went out and did that. Now things get a bit more interesting.Maine did not start off well, allowing two hits and hitting a batter in the first inning as he struggled with his control. But he was able to escape a bases loaded jam. Jose Reyes then homered to lead off the bottom of

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1161144324749573142006-10-17T23:56:00.000-04:002006-10-18T00:05:24.770-04:00

Shawn Green is terrible. If he were standing on home plate, he probably couldn't catch some of the pitches that have been called strikes in this series. Maine vs. Carpenter tomorrow. Ya gotta believe!I'm going to sleep.

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160971816961589162006-10-16T00:04:00.000-04:002006-10-16T00:10:16.983-04:00

The dominant storyline entering this game was the uncertainty surrounding the Mets' starting pitcher, Oliver Perez. The Mets' hitters didn't waste much time beating that story into submission. Perez kept the Mets in the game just long enough for the bats to wake up and once that happened, even Steve Trachsel probably couldn't have screwed it up.It only took the Mets until the third inning to

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160931233715564452006-10-15T12:48:00.000-04:002006-10-15T12:53:53.736-04:00

This was a total team effort. Bad starting pitching, bad defense and a completely impotent offense left the Mets in serious trouble. Darren Oliver pitched a heck of a game, though.Steve Trachsel was awful from the start, putting the first three batters he faced on base. He picked off leadoff batter David Eckstein to limit the damage somewhat, but Trachsel was never in control. Still, he had a

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160882759696576622006-10-14T23:23:00.000-04:002006-10-14T23:25:59.720-04:00

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160850167706228382006-10-14T14:17:00.000-04:002006-10-14T14:22:47.726-04:00

The Mets bullpen was pretty bad in the NLDS, but the offense and starting pitching were good enough to overcome it. In the first and third games of the series, the relievers pitched more than half the game and did not acquit themselves well. Game two of the NLCS saw them tasked with the majority of the innings again, and again it did not go well.In the first round, the Mets non-Glavine starters

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160711372801134602006-10-12T23:46:00.000-04:002006-10-12T23:49:32.836-04:00

Both starting pitchers cruised through the early part of this game, aided in part by an inconsistent, sometimes large, strike zone. In fact, for five and two-thirds innings, Jeff Weaver seemed in total control. He'd allowed just one hit and one walk, striking out one.But with two down in the sixth, he gave up a single to Paul Lo Duca. Carlos Beltran came to the plate having lined out and

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160343474171451662006-10-08T17:30:00.000-04:002006-10-08T17:37:54.196-04:00

Steve Trachsel didn't exactly step up in his first postseason start and the bullpen that's been a strength all season was a bit shaky as well. But another balanced offensive assault was able to overcome any pitching troubles and finish off the sweep for the Mets.Trachsel gave up just two runs, but he was removed with one out in the fourth having allowed six hits and one walk while striking out

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160110098071916792006-10-06T00:20:00.000-04:002006-10-06T00:48:18.096-04:00

I read more than once that the Mets don't have enough starting pitching to make it through these playoffs. I guess it just goes to show...Tom Glavine can't read. It's sad, really.The Mets' de facto ace took the ball in game two and pitched six excellent innings, doing more than enough to compensate for a less than stellar offensive evening. He shut the Dodgers out, allowing just four runs and

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1160020312418618572006-10-04T23:47:00.000-04:002006-10-04T23:51:52.523-04:00

Playoff baseball is the best.Relaxing moments in this game were rare and fleeting. The Mets got pretty good hitting and pitching, but defensive lapses, some surprising and some not, helped turned this into a very tense game. Still, the Mets got a win despite replacing their starting pitcher at the last minute, leading one to wonder if anything can stop their march to the pennant.Given the state

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5018702.post-1159927629363945852006-10-03T21:50:00.000-04:002006-10-03T22:07:09.440-04:00

The Mets may have lost another starter to a calf injury, as Orlando Hernandez "felt discomfort" in his right calf while jogging on Tuesday. He's now questionable for his game one start and likely to be replaced by John Maine, though the extent of the injury is not yet known. If El Duque is unavailable to pitch at all in the series and the Mets therefore have to use Oliver Perez or Darren Oliver

joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01362010025559387458noreply@blogger.com1