June 2010 ~ Small Ball

Rehabbing Mets

6/30/2010 10:03:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets had two players rehabbing down in St. Lucie tonight. We all know Beltran's there working his way back, but Oliver Perez also made his first rehab appearance in St. Lucie tonight.

We'll start with Perez, who was, well, Perez. He went six innings, gave up five hits, one walk and four earned runs, including two homers allowed. He did strike out seven on the night, though. Not an altogether terrible start for Perez, but not great either. The seven strikeouts and only one walk were definitely the silver lining. The two home runs? Not so much.

Beltran had himself a very encouraging night, playing all nine innings in CF. He had five balls hit to him all night, but only one putout (the other four were singles or doubles he had no chance of reaching). Nice to see Beltran get tested out in the field tonight. Will be even nicer if all is well with the knee tomorrow. Beltran had a good night at the plate as well, going 2-4 with two singles and an RBI. He's now batting .391 during his rehab assignment. Keep it rolling, Carlos.

Reyes Hurt During Warmup

6/30/2010 06:12:00 PM Josh Alley

Jose Reyes apparently injured his side while batting in the cages before the game. He was escorted into the clubhouse by the trainer, came back out to test it, then was sent back in the clubhouse with the trainer. Not good. We'll keep you posted.

Update 6:12: Reyes has been scratched with a stiff lower back. New lineup:

1. Jesus Feliciano CF
2. Ruben Tejada SS
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Chris Carter RF
7. Rod Barajas C
8. Alex Cora 2B
9. Mike Pelfrey P

Hmmm.....I Didn't Know That

6/30/2010 04:55:00 PM Josh Alley

That's right ladies and gentleman, it's Wednesday, which means it's time for your little known Mets fact of the week. This fact is going to revolve around my favorite Met of the past five years, Carlos Beltran.

Did you know that Carlos Beltran was a standout volleyball player all through high school, only to finally give up volleyball for baseball at seventeen thanks to his father's convincing? Could you imagine if Beltran had gone with volleyball instead? Talk about a waste of talent. I think everyone needs to go out and buy a nice gift for Beltran's dad.

Notable Mets History

6/30/2010 04:25:00 PM Josh Alley

On this day in 2000, Mike Piazza caps an historic comeback for the Mets against the Braves with a three run bomb. The ten run inning still stands as a Mets franchise record for a single inning. Perhaps more impressively, the Mets scored nine of those runs with two outs to finish off the 11-8 win. Sometimes I forget just how special that 2000 team was. If only they didn't have Benitez as their closer.

Starting Lineup - 6/30/10

6/30/2010 04:18:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets look to avoid the sweep in their three game set with the Marlins at San Juan. They'll send their ace Mike Pelfrey (10-2, 2.71 ERA) to stop the bleeding against Chris Volstad (4-7, 4.40 ERA). This is where the Mets need Pelfrey to step up and be the stopper he is quickly becoming. The lineup:

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Jesus Feliciano CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Chris Carter RF
7. Rod Barajas C
8. Alex Cora 2B
9. Mike Pelfrey P

It is essential that the Mets get the win tonight and put the nightmare series behind them. They're currently 0-6 against the Marlins on the road this year and I'd definitely like it if they not go 0-7. They'll have their work cut out for them, though, as Volstad has a nifty 2.70 ERA against the Mets in four career starts. However, he is only 1-2 against the Mets in those starts, so they've found ways to win against Volstad despite not scoring many runs.

Down On The Farm - 6/29/10

6/30/2010 03:57:00 PM Josh Alley

Sorry for the delay on this folks, but I had to be at work extra early this morning, leaving me with no time to post. However, it was a perfect day for the Mets' core four minor league teams as all of them picked up the win.

Buffalo won their game at home aagainst Syracuse, 6-1, behind the strength of some fantastic pitching by Dillon Gee. He started and went seven, giving up only three hits, a walk and one earned. He struck out six on the day. Lucas Duda homered for the second straight game, a solo shot. Mike Jacobs and J.R. House each picked up two hits, a double, and two RBIs. Fernando Martinez added two hits, a double, run scored and RBI of his own. Solid effort all around.

Binghamton picked up the win at home, as well, beating Altoona by a score of 9-5. The MVP of the game was undoubtedly Raul Reyes. He had two hits on the day, including the game winning grand slam in the third inning. He had a total of five RBIs in the game. Mike Nickeas added two hits and two runs of his own, Nieuwenhuis picked up his first hit since returning to the lineup, a double. Nick Evans picked up two more hits and a run to continue his very solid season. Eric Niesen started for the Mets and picked up the win despite not having his best stuff. He went five, gave up five hits, three walks, three runs and struck out three.

St. Lucie, also at home, picked up their win against Jupiter, 7-3. Leadoff hitter Jordany Valdespin set the tone with a 3-5 day, scoring a run and driving in two more. Wilmer Flores was also 3-5 with a run scored. His average in 27 ABs since joining St. Lucie is now at .481. Small sample, but still impressive. Beltran was 1-5 with a single as the DH. Brad Holt pitched fairly well despite walking just about everyone in the stadium. He went five, gave up two hits, one run and walked five. He did strike out 5, though.

Savannah picked up the lone road win of the night, winning 6-1 at Greenville. The pitching was the key in this game as three pitchers combined to give up only one unearned run. John Church, making his first appearance as a starter, went four innings of shutout ball and gave up only a hit and a walk while striking out three. Luis Rojas and Gabriel Zavala combined to go the last five, giving up only three baserunners and striking out five between them. The unearned run was charged to Zavala. On the offensive side, Cesar Puello and Alonzo Harris both picked up two hits, with Harris' three run homer putting the game away in the sixth. Pedro Zapata, 1-5 on the day, pushed the game winning runs across the plate with a two run single in the second.

Post Game 6/29/10 Marlins 7 - Mets 6

6/29/2010 10:23:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets got things back to normal by scoring in the top of the first. Angel Pagan hit a ground ball to Hanley that knocked him down and then Ramirez threw the ball off his leg to allow Pagan to reach base. After Wright singled him to third, Bay drove him in with a sac fly to make it 1-0. Wright was caught tagging to second on the play to end the inning. It was a smart risk by Wright nonetheless.

The Mets extended their lead in the top of the third when Tejada lead off with a single, Takahashi pushed him to second with a bunt and Reyes drove him in with a double (he moved to third on an errant throw) to make it 2-0. Pagan pushed Reyes past the plate with the second Mets' sac fly on the night to go up 3-0. Once again, Wright made the third out at second. He hit a single to center and then on the first pitch of Bay's at bat was thrown out trying to steal.

Takahashi did a fantastic job of giving up the lead in the bottom of the third. After loading the bases up for Hanley, Takahashi gave up the slam to make it 4-3 in a swing of a bat. Two batters later, Takahashi gave up a two run shot to make 6-3. Wow, talk about awful. Cliff Lee anyone?

In the top of the seventh, the Mets got themselves back on the board after three quiet innings. Tatis lead off with a bloop double that should have been caught by more than one Marlin. Franceour followed with a bloop single of his own the Coghlan misjudged to put runners on the corners. Tejada then grounded into what seemed to be a double play except that Hanley botched it, resulting in only the out at second and a run to come home to make it 6-4.

The Mets just wouldn't go away quietly in this one. Rod Barajas lead off the ninth with a single to left field and The Animal drilled a double into left to put runners on second and third with no outs. After a Franceour groundout scored Barajas to make it 6-5, Josh Thole became the unlikely hero with a single up the middle to tie it at six.

Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough tonight. The Marlins won it in the bottom of the ninth on a two out double by Cantu and a single by Uggla to drive him in and end the game, 7-6. Tough loss. Come back and get them tomorrow guys.

Hypothetical Situation

6/29/2010 07:10:00 PM Josh Alley

My friend (a Yankees fan) posed the following hypothetical situation to me the other day:

Him: If, for $30 million tax free, you had to cost the Mets game 7 of the World Series in a manner slightly worse than that of Bartman, would you do it?

Me: Wow, that's a an awfully tough one.

Him: Not only that, but every time David Wright came to bat afterwards, a video would come up on the Jumbotron of him saying, "I hate Josh Alley more than anything in the world".

Me: Laughing hysterically. I think I'd have to go with no???

Him: No way! You wouldn't take the cash?

Me: Nah man, some things are just worth more than money.

That, in a nut shell, describes my love for the Mets.

Oliver Perez Rehab Official

6/29/2010 04:48:00 PM Josh Alley

According to Adam Rubin at espnnewyork.com, Oliver Perez will officially start his rehab assignment tomorrow, pitching for the St. Lucie Mets. Also, according to Rubin's Twitter page, the Mets have signed Michael Barret to a minor league deal. Wouldn't be surprised if this was in an effort to get some catching depth at Buffalo pending a trend involving Thole. Just speculation on my part, though.

Starting Lineup - 6/29/10

6/29/2010 04:41:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets look to bounce back from the home run festival yesterday and pick up a win in the 7:10 PM start in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They'll be throwing Hisanori Takahashi (6-3, 3.78 ERA) out to face fellow lefty Nate Robinson (5-6, 4.89 ERA). The lineup:

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Angel Pagan CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Jason Bay LF
5. Rod Barajas C
6. Fernando Tatis 1B
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. Hisanori Takahashi P

It's good to see Pagan back in the lineup, however, I hope he's fully ready to play as we don't need him worsening his injury. I'll also be interested to see how well Bay plays today after busting out with two homers yesterday. Would be nice to see him come back strong today and get hot. The Mets beat Robinson the only time they faced him this season, roughing him up for six earned in 4.2 innings. Takahashi took a no decision in his only start against Florida, giving up five earned in 5.1 innings.

Your Daily Dose Of Beltran

6/29/2010 03:44:00 PM Josh Alley

Carlos Beltran started at DH in an early St. Lucie game today. He went 1-5 on the day again, once again with a single. My guess is that Beltran didn't play the field simply due to the fact that it was an early game and they didn't want to overtax the knee. I have a feeling he'll starting playing back to back games in the field within the next couple of days.

Vote The Wright Way

6/29/2010 03:40:00 PM Josh Alley

According to the updated NL All-Star voting results released today, David Wright trails Polanco by only 22,635 votes for the starting 3B slot. Wright closed the gap by over 100,000 votes over the last week and has until the end of Thursday to surpass Polanco. With Polanco on the DL, Wright is all but certain to start. However, let's do our job and vote him in like he deserves. You can vote for Wright by going here. By the way, you can vote up to 25 times.

More On Cliff Lee Possibility

6/29/2010 10:23:00 AM Anonymous

In a post written by Tim Dierkes of MLBTraderumors.com, Tim goes on to suggest that the Mets may ultimately exclude themselves from the Cliff Lee sweepstakes...

In my opinion, the Mets probably couldn't swing a Lee trade with Fernando Martinez as the centerpiece. He's hitting .248/.299/.397 at Triple A currently. Starter Brad Holt is struggling at Double A, though second baseman Reese Havens is raking. We heard from Rosenthal in on June 7th that the Mets are high on infielder Ruben Tejada, enough that they would be reluctant to include him in a Roy Oswalt trade. In a June 23rd article, Mark Hale of the New York Post found the Mets unlikely to include Mejia, Davis, or Jonathon Niese in a Lee offer. He opined that the Mets would have to build the deal around names like Tejada, Martinez, Wilmer Flores, Jeurys Familia, and Josh Thole. From where I'm sitting, the Mets don't seem like the team that will ultimately make the best offer for Lee. -Tim Dierkes MLBTRADERUMORS

I have fought over and over again about my stance on this but I will repeat it anyway. The Mets should not mortgage the future AGAIN. We have finally seen some of these guys breakout and start progressing through the system it would feel disappointing to just throw it away for a rental player. The Mets are a young team and they don't need to take on a win now mentality and mortgage away long term options.

Barajas Breathes A Sigh Of Relief

6/29/2010 10:14:00 AM Anonymous

When Henry Blanco started yesterday with R.A. dickey it marked the third straight game in which he did so. A trend that will likely continue for the foreseeable future. When questioned about Barajas not catching Tricky Dickey Jerry Manuel had this to say...

"I like Blanco and Dickey. It's a little better match for us catching him, a little easier for Henry than [Rod] Barajas. When Barajas catches him, it's such work that we really don't feel we have him for the next day."

Can't say I blame him as Barajas spends more time chasing after the Knuckler than actually catching it.

Retro Video

6/29/2010 09:10:00 AM Josh Alley

Check out this video from WNBC news after the Mets won the World Series in '86. Enjoy.

Down On The Farm - 6/28/10

6/29/2010 08:16:00 AM Josh Alley

Yesterday was an up and down day for the baby Mets as they dropped three and picked up two. Unfortunately for Savannah, they accounted for two of those losses. Let's take you through it.

The Bisons lost a tough one down in Charlotte, 13-12, in what proved to be a pretty wild game. Recent pickup Ramon Ortiz was the main culprit, going three innings while giving up 12 hits, two walks, nine earned runs and striking out only one. Obviously, Buffalo's offense fared pretty well though. Russ Adams was 3-6 with two homers and three RBIs, Andy Green was 2-5 with a solo homer, Val Pascucci was 3-5 with a solo homer, and Lucas Duda was 2-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs (not a grand slam). Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough.

The Binghamton Mets had a close one of their own, but came out on top 7-6 after six runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off with the win. The heroes of the day were definitely Sean Ratliff and Luis Hernandez. Neither had multiple hits, but Ratliff's three run homer in the bottom of the ninth made it 6-4 and Hernandez' two run double was the walkoff winner. By the way, Kirk Nieuwenhuis made his return to lineup after being out for just over two weeks and went 0-4.

In Jupiter, the St. Lucie Mets won their game handily, 7-4, despite a scare in the bottom of the eighth when they let up all four runs. Hector Pellot was the hero for a change, hitting a grand slam with two outs in the fourth and adding an RBI groundout in the eighth. Carlos Beltran played the full game in CF, going 1-5 with a run scored. Wilmer Flores went 3-5 and is now batting .455 through his first five games in St. Lucie. Kai Gronauer, Mike Fisher and Joey August each picked up two hits, with Fisher adding an RBI on top.

In Savannah, the Gnats dropped both games of their doubleheader. The drop the first game, the continuation of yesterday's suspended game, 9-0. Savannah managed only eight hits in both games combined, with Willy Tovar going 3-3 in the first game for the only real offensive highlight. The pitching was fairly awful on the day until Taylor Whitenton went five innings in the second game, giving up four hits, three walks, two earned and striking out four. It just wasn't enough, though, on a day where Savannah's offense was non existent. Savannah just hasn't been the same since all the promotions.

Carlos Beltran Update

6/28/2010 10:15:00 PM Josh Alley

After getting the day off yesterday, Beltran returned to the St. Lucie Mets lineup and played all nine innings in CF. According to the Mets' twitter page, which you can check out by clicking here, Beltran had only one put out on the day while going 1-5 with a single and a run scored. The tell tale sign is always going to be how he feels the day after increasing his workloads. So if Beltran is back in the lineup tomorrow night, things are definitely looking good.

Post Game 6/28/10 Marlins 10 - Mets 3

6/28/2010 09:51:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets were not first to get the scoring going for a change. In the bottom of the first, Chris Coghlan lead off with a walk and then stole second. Gaby Sanchez bunted him over to third and Hanley Ramirez drove him in on a hard ground ball that Reyes couldn't corral to put them Marlins up 1-0. Reyes was charged with an error on the play. Two batters later, Uggla swung and missed on a pitch, sending his bat flying into the stands. The fan who caught it threw it back onto the field. Interesting.

It didn't take the Mets very long to get it back, though, as Jason Bay hit a one out solo homer to right center, tying the game at one. That raised Bay's homer total to five on the year.

The Marlins kept the runs coming in the bottom of the third when Ricky Nolasco ripped a two strike double over Feliciano's head, Coghlan bunted a single to move him to third and Gaby Sanchez drove them both in with a double into right field to make it 3-1. After a passed ball moved Sanchez to third, Hanley drove him in with a double to make it 4-1. Dickey appeared to be on his way out of the inning but Reyes made another error on a ground ball that should have ended the inning, but instead bounced off his glove into center to score Ramirez and make it 5-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Marlins extended their lead again on a solo shot by Cody Ross to pretty much the same spot as Bay to make it 6-1.

Just when it seemed the Mets were dead in the water, David Wright broke up a string of 15 straight batters retired by Nolasco with a single. After an Ike Davis strikeout, Bay hit his second homer of the game to get the Mets back in it, 6-3.

Chris Coghlan did his best in the bottom half to keep the Mets at bay with a solo homer of his own to make it 7-3. Geez. Talk about a bandbox.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Marlins finished things for good when Mike Stanton hit his second ML homer, a three run shot to left to make it 10-3. I'm no longer a fan of the San Juan experiment.

I suppose Dickey had to lose sometime and tonight was the night. He just didn't have his knuckleball going and without that he's not very effective. Hopefully the Mets' pitching staff got it out of their system and will go back to what we've all been used to starting tomorrow.

Oliver Perez

6/28/2010 07:49:00 PM Josh Alley

Word has it that Oliver Perez may start his rehab assignment later on in the week. This bit of news makes me wonder if there's any way possible to get Shooter McGavin's buddy to take out Perez Happy Gilmore style. Shoot, I'd even settle for Tonya Harding. Just kidding. We love you Oliver. Well, maybe not, but I still don't wish injury upon you, just that you never make it back to NY.

Starting Lineup - 6/28/10

6/28/2010 03:02:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets will open up a three game series against the Marlins tonight at 7:10 PM in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Mets will see R.A. "Trickey" Dickey (6-0, 2.33 ERA) face fellow righty Ricky Nolasco (6-6, 4.92 ERA). The lineup:

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Jesus Feliciano CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Jeff Franceour RF
7. Henry Blanco C
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. R.A. Dickey P

Should be interesting to see how a free swinging Marlins team will do against the new look Dickey. Traditionally, Dickey has not pitched well against the Marlins, though he did defeat them the last time he faced them on June 4. In that game, Dickey went 6.1 giving up seven hits, two walks, three earned and he struck out four to earn the win. Once again, the Mets will be attempting to surpass the Braves for first, coming in just a half game back. Let's go Mets!

Bullpen's Air Tight

6/28/2010 02:52:00 PM Josh Alley

The #Mets bullpen has allowed one run over its last 26.1 innings (0.34 ERA) dating back to June 17. - Mets, via Twitter

Wow, that's an impressive stat for sure. Sometimes I forget how good the bullpen has been because of how well the rotation has been. What a great problem to have.

Mejia Update

6/28/2010 02:28:00 PM Josh Alley

According to the Mets, Jenrry Mejia has a posterior cuff strain and will return to throwing when his pain subsides.

Judging by what occurred with Sammy Gervacio earlier in the year with the Astros, we can probably expect Mejia to miss in the range of 2-3 weeks. My guess is a month and possibly even more, though. According to this site, healing can take up to three months.

Gervacio was placed on the DL on April 7th with the same exact injury and then activated 17 days later. He went on to re-aggravate that injury a week or so later. After being optioned to Triple-A a few days after that, Gervacio made a handful of appearances with Round Rock before being placed on the DL after his May 16th appearance. He's still on the DL today. What doesn't help, though, is that Gervacio has one of the most unorthodox deliveries in baseball, so that has to have made it worse.

Basically, the injury is not a major one should the Mets proceed with caution and bring him back only after he's completely healthy. I doubt, though, that any team will trade for him until he proves he's healthy and that's not likely to happen before the trade deadline.

Your Retro Video

6/28/2010 02:00:00 PM Josh Alley

Back with more video, this time of the confetti shower that took place in Manhattan after the Mets won the '69 Series.

My favorite part has to be the music. I fully expected Superman to come flying into the picture halfway through the video, only to see Lex Luther attempt to take him out. Sadly, I went away disappointed.

Your Daily Cliff Lee/Trade Rumor Update

6/28/2010 01:30:00 PM Josh Alley

For your daily update on the saga that is becoming the Cliff Lee pursuit, head over to mlbtraderumors.com, where Tim Dierkes sums up an article from Joel Sherman on the Mets pursuit of Lee, and a new target yet to be mentioned, Ted Lilly.

The idea of Lilly intrigues me as he's been a very good pitcher over the past few seasons. However, I believe that if you're going to trade top talent for a lefty starter, you go all in and get Lee. If I'm the Mets, I offer Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores, Thole and either Familia or Valdespin. But that's probably why I'm not the GM.

Video Of Corona Cleanup

6/28/2010 11:30:00 AM Josh Alley

I always love to see this type of stuff happen and often times people forget that teams/players do a lot of this sort of community outreach. The Mets have been fantastic at doing that type of outreach throughout the years and this serves as yet another example.

Alex Cora: Future Manager

6/28/2010 10:59:00 AM Josh Alley

I was preparing an opinion piece today on the role of Alex Cora on this team and the importance that it serves. However, Andy McCullough of The Star Ledger beat me to the punch this morning. He serves up a fantastic profile of Cora's baseball lineage, his role on the Mets, and his future in coaching. Those guys over at the Star Ledger continue to do some really impressive work and have always been among my favorite reads.

Inside the dugout, he often consults with infield coach Chip Hale to make sure rookies Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada are positioned properly, reading signals correctly, holding runners effectively. Sometimes he sneaks away to the clubhouse video room to rewind the game tape and check on the kids. There is talk that, in time, he will follow in his brother’s footsteps again. - Star Ledger

A lot of people considered the Alex Cora signing in the offseason to be a foolish one. I am not one of those people. First of all, there were a handful of other teams vying for his services besides the Mets. Secondly, he brings an invaluable guidance to younger players that not even coaches can bring, because he is their peer, their equal. Lastly, he's not a liability at second, in fact, he's fairly solid with the glove. He may not be great at the plate, but keep in mind it's hard to hit for a high average when you play once a week.

Also, I think a lot of people need to understand that the contract they signed him to also had a lot to do with keeping him in the organization longer. That increases the chance that when he does retire, he'll stay with the Mets in a coaching capacity. Some people will scoff at that notion, but when you get a guy who is great at developing and teaching young talent, you hold on to him at all costs. Think of how many teams throughout history have had a wealth of minor league talent but never quite saw them pan out. The Pirates are a perfect example. Despite routinely drafting low in the first round, they still aren't very good. A lot has to do with scouting, but a lot also has to do with development.

Bottom line is, I'd like to see Cora stay with the Mets for years to come, as I think he'll not only have an impact in the clubhouse and on the field, but he'll have an impact on the future stars of this team, as well.

Notable Mets History

6/28/2010 09:46:00 AM Josh Alley

Today's bit of notable Mets history didn't happen during a Mets game, or technically by a Mets player, but I thought it to be pertinent nonetheless. Here we go.

On this date in baseball history, Darryl Strawberry hit his 300th homer, a two run shot to win the game for the Yankees. Yes, it does irk me that it came with the Yankees and not the Mets. But, Strawberry is and always will be a Met at heart, so I'm proud of his accomplishment, even if it did come on the dark side.

Down On The Farm - 6/27/10

6/28/2010 09:04:00 AM Josh Alley

It was a fantastic, if not rainy, day for the Big Four minor league teams. Three of the four teams picked up the win while Savannah's game was suspended until today. The rundown:

In Buffalo, the Bisons picked up the win 6-3 after trailing for a good part of the game. Pat Misch put out a pretty solid effort in the start for Buffalo. He went six innings, gave up seven hits, one walk, two earned and struck out two to pick up the win. In the top of seventh and traling by two, Buffalo plated Jorge Padilla on a wild pitch to close it to 2-1. Five batters later, after the Bisons loaded the bases up on two walks and a HBP, catch J.R. House drove two in with a double to make it 3-1. In the next inning, Val Pascucci put the game away with a three run homer to make it 6-1. A more than one hour rain delay came during the ninth inning, but Pettyjohn came on to close it out with no problems. House and Jorge Padilla both finished with two hits and a double while Pascucci was 1-3 with two runs scored and the homer. Fernando Martinez added a 1-4 day of his own.

In Binghamton, the Mets finished off their sweep of Akron by defeating the Aeros 8-5. As mentioned yesterday, Mejia was pulled after 1+ and 43 pitches with right shoulder stiffness. According to the Mets, it was only precautionary. Chris Schwinden did a great job relieving Mejia, going five innings and giving up only four hits, two runs (one earned), no walks and striking out three. The offense was the key, though. The Mets saw four different hitters notch two hits, including a two hit and two run performance from Raul Reyes, a two hit and two RBI showing from D.J. Wabick, as well as two hits and an RBI apiece for Luis Hernandez and Salomon Manriquez. Sean Ratliff and Brahaim Maldonado added a solo homer each on the day to cap the win.

In St. Lucie, the Mets dispatched the Jupiter Hammerheads 7-3 behind solid pitching from Familia and solid offense from their 5-8 hitters. Familia went 6.1, giving up four hits, four walks, three earned and striking out five. The bullpen finished by going 2.2 superb innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two. On the offensive side, St. Lucie's number five hitter, Wilmer Flores, went 4-5 on the day with a run scored and an RBI. Their six hitter, Juan Lagares, went 3-5 with a run scored and two RBIs. Their seventh hitter, Joey August, went 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI. And their eighth hitter, Rich Lucas, went 1-3 with a triple and two RBIs.

In Savannah, the Gnats were trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning before the game was suspended due to rain. It will be resumed today at 5:05 PM.

Valentine Will NOT Manage Marlins

6/27/2010 06:42:00 PM Josh Alley

Former Mets and Rangers skipper Bobby Valentine is no longer being considered for the Marlins' managerial vacancy, according to a Major League Baseball source. - Jon Heyman, SI.com

I can now breathe a huge sigh of relief. Valentine is one of my favorite Mets people of all time. It's hard enough to think of him managing a team other than the Mets, but having to watch him manage against the Mets 19 times a year was just too hard to swallow. Hopefully this story doesn't take another about-face.

Pagan Suffers Setback

6/27/2010 06:18:00 PM Josh Alley

Unfortunately for the Mets, Pagan suffered a setback when swinging the bat from the left side of the plate in cages today. Unfortunately, that means that Pagan won't be in the lineup tomorrow, as had been expected. Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger has the scoop.

Center fielder Angel Pagan experienced pain while swinging from the left side today and won't be in the starting lineup on Monday against the Florida Marlins when the Mets start a three-game series. - Star Ledger

Pagan was obviously disappointed with the setback, though he expects to play on Tuesday against lefty Nate Robinson, as he's had no issues when batting righty. If Feliciano wasn't hitting so well and Beltran wasn't getting so close to a return, I'd be a lot more concerned. However, it still sucks to see Pagan suffer a setback. I feel for you Angel.

Mejia's Start

6/27/2010 04:59:00 PM Josh Alley

In Mejia's second start since being demoted to Binghamton, he managed to go only 1+ innings on the day. He struggled a bit in that 1+, giving up two walks and two hits, though he did strike out two and let up no runs. No word as to what caused Mejia to leave so early. But I wouldn't be shocked if you see some people speculate on a possible pending trade. I sincerely doubt that possibility. More info to come as it becomes available.

UPDATE: Early indications seem to point toward a possible injury. We'll keep you posted.

UPDATE 2: After today's Twins game, the Mets informed reporters that Mejia left with right shoulder stiffness. Hopefully it's not serious.

Post Game 6/27/10 Mets 6 - Twins 0

6/27/2010 04:26:00 PM Josh Alley

It took a little while, but the Mets got on board first in the bottom of the fourth. It started with an Ike Davis single up the middle. After a weak pop out by Bay (he heard some boos afterward) and strikeout by Barajas, Frenchy smoked a line drive two run homer on a slider over the middle of the plate to make it 2-0. Ruben Tejada would then hit a single to extend his hit streak to 10 games, the longest by a Mets rookie since Jason Phillips did it in 2003. Remember those goofy goggles?

After Niese did a fantastic job wiggling out of a second and third with one out jam in the top of the fifth, the Mets gave him all he needed in the bottom half. Tejada picked up his second hit on the day, a double down the left field line that should have been caught. Wright then hit a line drive two run homer to left of his own to make it 4-0. Big Ike followed with a homer of his own, a long drive to the bridge in right center to give the Mets back to back shots and a 5-0 lead. After Jason Bay became only the tenth Canadian born player with 1,000 hits by driving a triple to right, Barajas brought him home with a single to make it 6-0.

Niese pitched well in 6+ for the Mets today to pick up the win, going to 5-2 on the season and lowering his ERA to 3.84. He gave up four hits, walks and no runs. The Mets bullpen was just as good. Dessens skated out of a jam in the seventh, Feliciano pitched a dominant eighth and Parnell finished it out with a scoreless inning of his own.

With the win, the Mets finished up 13-5 on the season in interleague play, a new franchise record for wins in a single season. The win also moved them back into the major league lead with 11 shutouts. Throw that in with what looks to be an impending loss by the Braves and the Mets are now a half game back of first once again.

Remember To Vote For David

6/27/2010 03:55:00 PM Josh Alley

If you haven't already, don't forget to vote for David Wright to start at 3B in the All-Star game. As of the last update, Placido Polanco leads Wright by roughly 130,000 votes. If Polanco starts at third, there's no chance I go anywhere near the All-Star game ever again until they change the vote process. Polanco has no business being at the All-Star as anything other than a spectator. It's not even debatable. Click here(or the image) to vote for David Wright.

One Thing Jerry And I Agree On

6/27/2010 03:10:00 PM Josh Alley

As you may already know, I'm usually one of Jerry's biggest critics. However, you can't deny that he's done a great job getting the most out of the talent on this team. It's just his in-game managing that makes me long for more sometimes. There is one opinion, though, that I certainly share with Jerry. It comes courtesy of Anthony McCarron, Kristie Ackhert and Sean Brennan of the NY Daily News.

"I don't think you can interfere with history, with a guy trying to make history. You got to give him every opportunity to do that," Manuel said. "I don't have a problem with (leaving Jackson in). I think to some degree, back in the day ... they used to throw about 150 pitches a game. I think we've probably taken (pitch counts) a little too far for me." - Jerry Manuel via NY Daily News

Pitch counts have always been something I've hated. These guys are top notch athletes who work hard everyday to stay in top shape. The pitcher should always be the determining factor on pitch counts. There is simply ZERO evidence that limiting pitch counts prolongs a pitchers career, prevents injury, or makes a pitcher more effective.

This article is also full of Mets tidbits and info, which probably explains the three headed writing collaboration. Of note is info on how the flooding impacted Trickey Dickey's house in Nashville, which caused his basement to completely fill with water. Also, we got an update on K-Rod's back, quotes from Prince Harry's visit, and word of rest for Reyes and Wright.

Beltran Will Not Be In P.R.

6/27/2010 02:50:00 PM Josh Alley

Kyle Maistri of mlb.com brings us news on Beltran's "attempt" to make it back for the series in Puerto Rico against the Marlins, which starts tomorrow.

"I wish it would've been maybe five or six days later, Puerto Rico, so he would get the chance to play in front of his family and friends, that would've been a possibility," manager Jerry Manuel said. - MLB.com

I don't think anyone realistically expected Beltran to be back for the Marlins series in P.R. So this latest bit of news shouldn't be much of a shocker for Mets fans. Jerry seems to indicate that if things go well, my hunch that Beltran could make it back for the home series against the Reds starting July 5th may turn out to be true.

Maistri also brings us news of the Mets being a pitcher short in the pen, which doesn't seem to be bothering Jerry Manuel. He also brings an update on Pagan, who should definitely be starting against the Marlins tomorrow night.

Notable Mets History

6/27/2010 01:50:00 PM Josh Alley

Today I bring you two interesting pieces of Mets history, one very bad, one very good.

On this day in 1993, the infamous Anthony Young sets a major league record by losing his 24th straight decision. It's a wonder how anyone could have let Young go that long. It's probably pretty certain that Young would have been DFA'ed or outright released had he played during this current generation.

Now for the good one. On this day two years ago, Carlos Delgado breaks Dave Kingman's 32 year old record by driving in nine RBIs against the Yankees. Delgado hit two home runs in that game, a grand slam and a three run shot. He also added a two run double. Most impressive Mr. Delgado.

Mejia Starting Today

6/27/2010 11:24:00 AM Anonymous

At the same time the Mets big league club will get under play the B-Mets will throw Mejia for his second minor league start since being demoted. It will be interesting to see how long they will let him pitch since, in his first start, they limited him to a 2.1 innings pitched. I'm sure they're watching his pitch count but I'd like to see more than a 2+ inning outing from him.

Debuting Higher Up

6/27/2010 11:01:00 AM Anonymous

Yesterday Mark Cohoon made his Binghamton Mets debut but was knocked around pretty handily. He ended up going 5,2 innings while giving up 11 hits and 5 runs. Even with the poor showing the B-Mets went on to hand Cohoon the win by scoring 10 runs in the first 6 innings.

Brandon Moore faired much better with St. Lucie giving up 2 runs in 6 innings while striking out 6 to earn the win after St. Lucie backed him with 7 runs.

Good to see Moore excel at the next level but Cohoon looks like he would rather be with Moore again.

Starting Lineup 6/27/10

6/27/2010 10:36:00 AM Anonymous

The Mets will look to take the rubber game against the Twins today as they run Jon Niese(4-2 4.17) out there to do battle against Scott Baker(6-6 4.61). Niese, like Pelfrey, is a better pitcher at home and his counterpart is not so good away from his home. Baker is 1-4 with a 5.93 ERA away from Target Field this year.

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Jesus Feliciano CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Rod Barajas C
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. Jon Neise P

After losing a game to the Braves after yesterday afternoon's loss, the Mets would do well to come out gunning today against a pitcher they faced last year and managed to garner 7 hits in 5 innings of him. They haven't lost a home series since May 10-12 against the Nationals. Let's hope they can keep up with this trend and take this game.

Carlos Beltran: I'm On My Way

6/26/2010 09:04:00 PM Josh Alley

The good news on Beltran just keeps coming. Beltran started in CF for the St. Lucie Mets today and played seven innings in the field. He went 3-4 at the plate on the day, notching a double, two RBI, and a run scored. If Beltran keeps up this pace and of course barring setbacks, I think it's entirely possible you'll see Beltran back in time for the six games at home against the Reds and Braves starting July 5. I am not one of those people who believe we need to baby Beltran along. I think if Beltran plays 7-10 games in the minors, including four or five straight, you bring him back. He's been hitting a lot longer than he's been fielding and running. So if he can prove that he can field and run the bases in four or five straight without setbacks, there's no sense in wasting him in the minors.

Speaking Of Santana....

6/26/2010 09:10:00 AM Josh Alley

In a great piece by Roger Rubin and Kristie Ackhert, the Daily News brings us news that Santana isn't, in fact, fully recovered from his offseason surgery. Santana had this to say when questioned:

"After the last surgery I am still recovering from it," he said. "Having bone chips in my (left) elbow changed my mechanics a little bit. But I feel much better now. ... I am making progress and I'm adjusting." - NY Daily News

I don't think this really comes as a surprise to anyone who's watched Santana consistently this year. It's quite obvious he's still trying to get a feel for his pitches and mechanics. He mentions his '04 season when he pitched to a 5.50 ERA in his first 12 starts after offseason surgery and the great bounce back he had after that. So maybe we are all freaking out a bit, as Santana knows his body better than any of us ever could.

Rehab Update: Carlos Beltran

6/25/2010 10:29:00 PM Anonymous

Carlos continued his rehab assignment tonight in St. Lucie going 2 for 3 with a single, double and walk as a DH. It's good to know that Beltran can handle back to back games even if he didn't play the field today. He's obviously healthy enough to run the base paths but I still think they are going to take it very slow with his rehab games, the last stage in his comeback. Don't believe that he'll be playing in the bigs this weekend when the Metskies travel to Puerto Rico to play the Marlins starting Monday. It's been echoed on various shows and articles(here and here) but ultimately it would be hazardous to expose Beltran too early if he hasn't completed multiple back to back games while playing the field for all 9 innings.

No Hitter In Florida...

6/25/2010 10:19:00 PM Anonymous

Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks threw the fourth no hitter of the season tonight in a grueling outing. Jackson needed 147 pitches to finish the job against his former mates, the Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays. His feat is ridiculous if you consider the fact that he threw more balls than strikes and walked 8 batters. Even so, Well Done, its good to see a pitcher disprove the theory of regulated pitch counts.

Postgame Run Through 6/25/10

6/25/2010 09:59:00 PM Anonymous

Tonight the Mets bounced back from their loss last night to down the Twins 5-2. Pelfrey went 6 good innings to earn the win while Wright, Reyes and the bullpen did the rest. This was another big win for the Mets as they are currently chasing Atlanta, only 1/2 a game back, who also won tonight.

Key contributions...

David Wright- 2 for 3 with a HR and RBI double. He also accounted for another run with heads up base running, on a single by Ike Davis, after Denard Span overthrew Mauer with no one backing up.

Ruben Tejada- 1 for 3 with a run scored. He also made a great diving play to rob a hit away from Delmon Young in the top of the 4th.

Jose Reyes- 2 for 3 with a run and RBI. He like Tejada also had a great diving catch to rob Jason Kubel in the 7th.

The loss last night didn't phase the Mets in the slightest they came out as the victors without a dominant performance by Pelfrey. Pelf who ended up needing 117 pitches to complete the 6th battled all night but still only gave up 6 hits and no walks. As a whole this team is really starting to gel in part thanks to the solid play from Reyes who was sorely missed last year. In games where Reyes scores a run the Mets are an astounding 132-33. The Mets will now look to take a second against the Twins when they face Carl Pavano tomorrow afternoon.

Starting Lineup 6/25/10-METS vs TWINS

6/25/2010 03:18:00 PM Anonymous

The Mets look to continue with their great play at home when they square off against the Twins at Citifield. They'll send Mike Pelfrey (9-2, 2.69 ERA) to the mound to face soft tossing righty Kevin Slowey (7-4, 4.58 ERA). The Mets enter the 7:10 PM game still just a half game behind the Braves for first place after the Braves dropped last night's game. Will this be the night they finally overtake them?

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Jesus Feliciano CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Josh Thole C
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. Mike Pelfrey P

Consistent pitching has been the key to the teams success thus far and I expect this one to be a good matchup. Slowey may not throw faster than 91 but he is a control pitcher which should translate well if he pitches to Citi Field's dimensions. However, Mike Pelfrey is 5-0 at home this year with a 1.87 ERA in 53 Innings Pitched. Two nights ago the Mets picked up their major league leading tenth shutout and moved past the Braves in team ERA to take over the sixth spot in the majors. Could you imagine what Cliff Lee would do to an already strong staff? I'm salivating at the thought.

All Eyes On Niesen

6/25/2010 10:11:00 AM Anonymous

Last night Eric Niesen of the Binghamton Mets went 7 innings while giving up only 1 run against the New Britain Rock Cats. So far this year Niesen has held opposing hitters to a .190 average. He's a couple of wicked pitches that have some real movement on them. If you check out his stats year to year you'll notice that the year after he's been promoted he starts to figure out that level. It started with St. Lucie in 2008 and now with his second year with Binghamton he's put up a line of 2.66 ERA/40.2 IP/2 HRA/30 BB/ 30 K. The only cause for concern would be his SO/BB ratio. this year he has walked as many batters as he's struck out which is a far cry from his 85 K's and 41 BB's for Binghamton last year. That being said this kid could eventually see some time in Buffalo with the hopes of progressing to the majors in another two or three years, if he can figure out this walk issue.

The following is a video highlight reel from last year focusing in on Niesen strikeout ability...

Omar Minaya Interview Part 2

6/25/2010 09:04:00 AM Anonymous

In the initial post yesterday morning I recapped an interview between Boomer and Carton, of 660 WFAN, and the Mets General Manager Omar Minaya.

Here is the remainder of the key points touched upon...

How is the roster going to be handled when Beltran returns from the DL?

When the time comes, Pagan will shift around the outfield giving everyone some rest, when needed. Also, Beltran will be handled tenderly and won't play throughout the week without an off day. At the same time there may be points where Pagan may substitute late in games for Beltran. Ultimately, he wants Pagan to get some consistent playing time when Beltran is back but he doesn't want to run Beltran into the ground too quickly.

The roster concerning Luis Castillo's return?

Castillo is his man at second which would cause Ruben Tejada to be sent down, unless the circumstances change. Not that Tejada hasn't been adequate while showing good composure being just 20 years old. However, the main reason to send Ruben down is to provide consistent playing time.

The plans for Mejia?

Originally they had intended to keep Mejia at AA to start the year but were concerned about their bullpen depth coming out of spring training. Now they plan, like they were planning since spring, to use Mejia as a starter as a long term solution for his development path.

Citi Field and the Mets overall performance there thus far?

The ballpark was built for pitching and defense. Something the Mets have been doing very well with. the players are comfortable knowing the strengths of the new stadium and are using it to their advantage even more this year. Finishing his point by saying it's also due to all the tremendous support by all the great fans.

This transcript was paraphrased, not fabricated, from Omar Minaya's interview with WFAN's Boomer and Carton 6/24/10. This was the second post of a two part entry. To see the first post click here.

Minor League Musical Chairs

6/25/2010 08:30:00 AM Josh Alley

The Mets made several roster moves in their minor leagues yesterday, sending a bunch of guys up a level or two and even sending some guys down a level. Most notable:

Mark Cohoon, coming fresh off his three straight shutouts and All-Star appearance, was promoted from Savannah all the way up to Binghamton. Rarely do you see a guy skip St. Lucie, so the Mets must think very highly of Mark Cohoon. Or maybe they're trying to drive his trade value. Hmmmm, we shall see.

Brandon Moore, another standout pitcher and All-Star for Savannah, wasn't quite as lucky I guess, as he was promoted just one level up to St. Lucie. Still deserving of congratulations.

Highly touted SS prospect Wilmer Flores was moved from Savannah to St. Lucie, as well, where he went 1-5 in his debut, a 6-3 loss for St. Lucie.

And, of course, who can forget Juan Lagares, who was also promoted from Savannah to St. Lucie where just like Flores, he went 1-5 in the loss.

We'd love to bring you all of the roster moves, but there were TONS of them and many of them are not even worth mentioning. Check our daily down on the farm results for other names of note.

Josh Thole...Call-Up In His Best Interest?

6/25/2010 08:11:00 AM Anonymous

Josh Thole was called up to the majors yesterday with the Mets optioning Raul Valdes to Triple A. This is an intriguing move in that the team had to option a reliever in order to get another catcher to back up Henry Blanco, since Barajas woke up with stiffness in his back. I can't think of a good reason to have called on Thole unless they feel that Barajas's stiffness is something more worrisome. If not, than why not call up someone else who isn't finally getting his game together hitting .318 since May 1 for Buffalo. It would be ideal for his defensive development but how often would he play if they keep him up? Let's hope that, at the very least, he can continue hitting and prove to other teams that he's a great up and coming catcher.

Down On The Farm - 6/24/10

6/25/2010 07:45:00 AM Josh Alley

In a full night of action, the "core four" minor league teams had a rough go of it, managing only one win out of four games. Here's the rundown:

In the final game of a four game set in Georgia, Buffalo dropped a bad one to Gwinnett, 10-4. Unfortunately, Dillon Gee was the main culprit as he started, went only three innings, and gave up nine hits, seven earned (double ouch) and struck out four. Little to see on the offensive side, though Fernando Martinez went 2-3 with a double, a run scored and a walk while recent acquisition Jorge Padilla hit his second home run with the club, a two run shot in the fourth off the rehabbing Jair Jurrjens.

In Binghamton, the Mets faired much better, taking an easy one from the Rock Cats, 5-1. It was all thanks to two guys really, starter Eric Niesen (more on him later) and LF Brahaim Maldonado. Eric Niesen went seven innings, giving up only four hits, two walks, one earned and striking out four. In the bottom of the seventh, after scoring a run to tie the game then loading the bases with no outs, Maldonado came up and crushed a grand slam to put the game away. Way to be Brahaim. How could I forget reliever Manny Alvarez? He went the last two, giving up only one hit and striking out FIVE.

In St. Lucie, the Mets lost their opener at home against Palm Beach, 6-3. Jordany Valdespin continued his torrid season with another 2-4 day and two RBIs. Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares, fresh off their promtions, both went 1-5 in their debut. Erik Turgeon, also making his first appearance since being promoted, went 1.2 innings in relief, giving up a hit and striking out two. That was about all the silver lining there was.

Down in Savannah, the new look Gnats got shutout by Asheville, 2-0. Pedro Zapata got the only extra base hit of the night, going 1-3 with a double. The Gnats managed only two hits overall. Armando Rodriguez had himself a decent start, going 4.1, giving up four hits, a walk, one unearned run and struck out two. The bullpen did a good job hold Asheville to only one run over the next 4.2, but it just wasn't enough on a night where Asheville's pitching was one step ahead.

Post Game 6/24/10 Tigers 6 - Mets 5

6/24/2010 10:36:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets unfortunately missed out on a golden opportunity to seize the division lead tonight (Braves lost 2-0) by dropping the finale to Detroit, 6-5. The highlights:

Unfortunately for the Mets, Takahashi just didn't have it tonight. He gave up all six earned runs in only four innings of work, giving up eight hits, walking four, and striking out four.

The top of the order was the catalyst for the Mets tonight, as Reyes went 1-3 with two walks and a run scored, Jesus Feliciano went 3-5 with two runs scored, and David Wright went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored (though he sruck out to end the game).

Ike Davis, Jason Bay, and Chris Carter all added an RBI apiece.

I suppose I can't be all that upset about the loss. The Mets fell behind 6-1 early and managed to come back and make a game of it. Also, they took two out of three from a pretty good Tigers team when facing their three best pitchers. It would have been great to take over first, but so long as the Mets continue winning series, they'll be just fine. Tomorrow starts another tough series, as the Mets look to chop down the Twins.

Check Out This Blast From The Past

6/24/2010 12:20:00 PM Josh Alley

Two words. Simply. Hilarious.

Who doesn't love the eighties? The Piscopo appearance at the end is just classic. Hope you enjoyed.

Notable Mets History

6/24/2010 11:30:00 AM Josh Alley

Once again, I bring you just one nugget of Mets' history today. It's probably the most peculiar one I've brought to you so far.

On this day in 2005, the Mets became the first National League team to get three sac fly's in one inning, doing it against the Yanks. Ramon Castro got it started off, followed by Jose Reyes to score David Wright and then capped off by Mike Cameron's sac fly to score Doug Mientkiwoiuljwinindnoiwicz. What a character that Mientkiewicz was.

That Cliff Lee Chatter Grows Stronger

6/24/2010 10:44:00 AM Josh Alley

Yesterday morning, Mark Hale of the New York Post gave us some tantalizing news about the possible acquisition of Cliff Lee. Mr. Hale had this tidbit to say, among others:

...the Mets potentially could offer Seattle a package built around such prospects as Ruben Tejada, Fernando Martinez, 18-year-old shortstop Wilmer Flores, 20-year-old righty Jeurys Familia, and Triple-A catcher Josh Thole. - Mark Hale, New York Post

Hale also mentions that the Mets' front office is willing to go for it and rent Lee without requiring a 72 hour window to negotiate an extension. I've been bouncing back and forth on this one, but I've made my mind up. Go for it, boys. If you can get them for that package or a similar one, do it. That's a lot of talent, but Flores is blocked at all possible positions, as is Martinez and possibly even Thole. They don't yet have a formidable replacement for Tejada, but if Reese Havens can get healthy, they sure will. Otherwise, they can always turn to the FA market or a trade.

I'm thoroughly convinced the Mets need to go get Lee. There's nothing I would enjoy more in the world then to see Lee take it to the Phillies down the stretch for letting him go. Not to mention it would easily give us the best 1-2-3 punch in the majors. Let's just hope and pray on this one, as apparently the Twins and Dodgers have attractive offers of their own on the table.

Suggested Viewing/Reading

6/24/2010 10:01:00 AM Josh Alley

I bring you video of Dave O'Brien and Rick Sutcliffe discussing Trickey Dickey's impressive start last night. Check it out:

For more reading on Dickey's start from last night, go here, here and here.

I'm so sorry I missed Dickey's start last night as I was genuinely excited to see what he'd do against such a righty heavy lineup. My gut instinct turned out to be true, as he dominated the Tigers, keeping them off balance and shaking their heads all night long. I just Jerry Manuel would have let Dickey finish the game, as Dickey pleaded with him to do, but of course Jerry felt it more important to get K-Rod into the game. I guess I can understand Jerry's reasoning, so I won't kill him for it. But, it would have been nice to reward a guy who has worked so hard to get to this point and has been so key to our success. There's always next time, Dickey.

Minaya Interview On WFAN Part 1

6/24/2010 09:37:00 AM Anonymous

Today Omar Minaya was a guest on Boomer and Carton this morning. They talked about different Mets topics including Dickey's performance, Luis Castillo, Johan's Velocitiy, K-Rod's "traffic", Citifield and more. Here were his responses to some of the questions he yielded...

When talking about the unexpected performances by both Takahashi and Dickey...

Of course it wasn't a surprise to see these guys come out and perform as they have but he believes both pitchers will continue to be successful for two reasons, they field their positions well and most importantly they throw strikes. In addition to Dickey, Minaya reminds us that Knuckleballers usually don't put it all together until late in their careers which is why R.A. might keep this up(He's only been throwing the knuckler exclusively for the past 3 years).

In regards to trading away prospects like Mejia or Tejada...

The Mets are going to do everything they can to keep these guys in the system but Minaya does not like labeling a player as "untouchable" when looking to upgrade the team.

Talking about concerns over Johan's velocity...

Omar said he is not worried in the least. Johan is a slow starter and usually turns it up midseason to be the immovable object that he is. The one thing he touched on was that given some more run support, Santana could easily have had 4 or 5 more wins by this time. Dispelling any conversation as to a diminished velocity.

Of K-Rod's inability to work a quiet 9th inning...

After signing him he had a conversation with the GM for the Angels who told Omar to expect a lot of "traffic" on the base paths. Even with all the noise he creates, K-Rod is one of the best in the game which he proved in LA with his record breaking save season.

More on this interview later where we'll discuss Citifield, plans for Pagan when Beltran comes back and more.

A word from Elias

6/24/2010 09:33:00 AM Anonymous

In last nights game Jose Reyes had three hits and three runs scored, making it two consecutive games in which he's done so. Only five other Mets have done so...

Ron Hunt (1966), Gary Carter (1985), Kelly Stinnett (1994), Edgardo Alfonzo (1997) and David Wright (2005).

The people over at Elias do a wonderful job analyzing the games and bringing the fans great comparisons...Well done.

Lttle Known Mets Fact

6/24/2010 09:18:00 AM Josh Alley

I know this is a day late from it's usual Wednesday. Very sorry for that. Yesterday was a particularly busy day at my regular job and therefore I didn't get the few minutes I normally get to pop up a few more posts. Without further ado, I present your little known Mets fact.

Did you know the Mets broke the 1948 Yankees record for attendance by a New York team in 1970 by drawing 2.7 million people? They held the record until 1999 (they would break their own record five times in that span), when the Yankees finally surpassed them after winning two World Series' in three years. Talk about fair weather fans. Oh Wikipedia, how I love you so.

Down On The Farm - 6/23/10

6/24/2010 08:41:00 AM Josh Alley

Last night was a pretty good one for the farm, as three of our big four were in action with two picking up the win. The details:

Down in Georgia, Buffalo beat Gwinnett in the the third game of their four game set, 5-4. It was all thanks to Lucas Duda and Mike Jacobs who each tallied solo shots in the sixth, with Duda hitting the game winner. Each added RBIs in the first inning, as well. Duda finished 3-4 while Jacobs had himself a 2-4 day with two runs scored. Manny Acosta came on for the second straight night to get the save, this time picking it up in four outs. Buffalo will go for the series win tonight against the rehabbing Jair Jurrjens. Should be a tough one.

In Binghamton, the B-Mets got their butts handed to them, 10-2, in Jenrry Mejia's return to the minors. The Mets started him off nice and easy, as he went only 2.1, giving up two hits, two walks, one earned and struck out three. Not bad for his first back. Apparently the umpires had woken up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday, because three different people were ejected by two different umpires. In the fifth, Rock Cats' SS Chris Cates was tossed by the home plate ump. In the seventh, B-Mets manager Tim Teufel was tossed by the 3B ump and in the same inning, B-Mets pitcher Scott Shaw was thrown out by the home plate ump. Geez.

Down in Bradenton, the St. Lucie Mets salvaged a split in their four game series against the Marauders. They won in extras, 3-2. Highly touted prospect Jordany Valdespin continued his great season by going 1-4 with a triple and an RBI. Stefan Welch did the same, going 3-5 and scoring two runs, including the game winner in the 11th. Joey August was the hero, though, going 2-5 with a double and the single that plated Welch in the 11th to win it. The Mets' bullpen may have been just as valuable as they went six shutout innings to preserve the win.

Savannah was out of action again due to the All-Star break. They'll open up a five game set tonight at home against the Asheville Tourists. Gotta love those minor league team names. No word yet on who's pitching for the Sand Gnats.

Player Update: Angel Pagan

6/23/2010 11:16:00 PM Anonymous

During tonight's game Pagan was pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning. The cause was his at bat in the bottom of the fifth after he took an awkward swing during his at bat against Bonderman. According to Jerry Manuel, Angel was experiencing muscle spasms in his right side and decided to pull him and most likely sit him tomorrow. The one thing I heard during the play by play was that, in the clubhouse before the game, Pagan was icing down his midsection pretty heavily. Gary and Keith both made mention to that and when extending the conversation they heard it was an abdomen issue, which baiscally means something in and around the entire middle part of your body. I hope he ends up being ok because with Beltran still not ready it leaves the outfield shaky.

Postgame Run Through 6/24/10

6/23/2010 10:57:00 PM Anonymous

Tonight the Mets handily defeated the Tigers once again by the score of 5-0. R.A. Dickey was without a doubt the key performer in the game. He held the Tigers to just 4 hits and was only in trouble once, the first inning, overcoming a bases loaded jam. Also, during the television broadcast, as stated in an earlier post, Jerry Seinfeld joined the SNY crew minus Ron Darling. I am happy that he steered all the attention towards the game. Ultimately it was like having a fan in the booth helping with the play calling, disjointed at times but otherwise refreshing.

Some key contributors...

-Jose Reyes went 3 for 4 and like Pagan the night before, he fell one hit(A double in Reyes case) shy of a cycle. He accounted for 3 of the Mets runs while stealing a base and lining a homer over the Mo Zone in right.

-R.A. Dickey was a cool character tonight, keeping Detroit off balance and unable to put good wood on the Knuck. Overall, 8 IP/4 H/2 BB/4 K while throwing 97 pitches.

-Ike Davis was clutch in the bottom of the 7th with a big two out single to plate Dickey and Reyes, in order to put the game beyond reach. Davis finished the night going 2-4 with the 2 RBI's.

A side note to the game Angel Pagan was pulled in the seventh after tweaking his midsection while he was at bat in the 5th.

Special Guest During Game

6/23/2010 03:46:00 PM Anonymous

The SNY crew will welcome Jerry Seinfeld to the booth during the 3rd inning of todays game with the Tigers. Let's hope that Jerry, Keith and the rest of the guys don't get too caught up in Keith's appearance on Seinfeld years ago. It's about the team guys, which should be the only reason you've invited Jerry to the booth, because he's a die hard fan.

Link to the article

Starting Lineup - 6/23/10

6/23/2010 03:44:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets look to make it two in a row against the Tigers in tonight's 7:10 PM start at Citifield. They'll throw R.A. "Trickey" Dickey to the mound (5-0, 2.82 ERA) to face fellow righty Jeremy Bonderman (3-4, 4.06 ERA). The lineup:

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Angel Pagan CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Jeff Franceour RF
7. Henry Blanco C
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. R.A. Dickey P

The Mets are coming off an impressive shelling of the Tigers last night. They'll look to move to 11-3 in interleague play this season and clinch the three game set against Detroit. Should be interesting to see how Dickey does against a fairly righty heavy lineup such as the Tigers. On paper, he should match up well, but that's why they don't play the games on paper. Let's go Mets!

Jerry Manuel....Headscratcher Yet Again

6/23/2010 11:28:00 AM Josh Alley

Let me start off by saying I'm sorry. I know there's a lot of Mets fans that will criticize me for this post, since we're ten games over .500. But just because we're winning doesn't mean Jerry Manuel hasn't made some questionable moves. I'll give you my take.

-Manuel lobbies hard for Mejia to be in the opening day bullpen. I understand this is ultimately Minaya's decision, but all indications seem to point to Minaya conceding to Manuel to avoid more controversy to start the season.

-The hit and run. I've literally counted on one hand the number of hit and run's Manuel has called for this season. With Jose Reyes leading off and Pagan making such consistent contact, most manager's would hit and run with fervor, especially since Reyes can steal second outright should Pagan swing and miss.

-Batting Jose Reyes third. This move was universally panned and yet it took Reyes struggling BADLY for Manuel to slot him back in the leadoff spot. Big shocker, Reyes has gone back to being Reyes since going back there.

-Manuel's comment about Maine starting on "off days". What purpose does that serve? You have a pitcher who's at an all time low and you basically kick him when he's down. That was a pure lack of class on Manuel's part and something you should never see from a manager.

-The decision to bring Niese back out after sitting through a one hour rain delay and a half hour inning by the Mets' offense last night. Not only did Niese come back out a different pitcher and get roughed up, but it also puts him at an unnecessary injury risk. To make matters worse, Jerry took him out after he let up five runs and loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth.

Again, I know we're ten games over .500 and only a game and a half out of first. But I can't help thinking that this team is now winning despite Jerry. Time and time again he's made decisions that are grossly miscalculated. To make it worse, they're decisions even we, as fans, know are bad. If your fans can make better decisions than you, it's time to reexamine your style.

Down On The Farm - 6/22/10

6/23/2010 10:43:00 AM Josh Alley

It was a busy, busy day down on the farm. Mets' teams took three out of four games on the day and watched their Gnats shine in the All-Star game. The summary:

Down in Georgia, Buffalo beat the Gwinnett Braves 6-3. The long ball was the Bisons' best friend in this one. Recent acquisition Jorge Padilla hit his first with the club, a three run blast, to highlight a 3-5 day. Val Pascucci added a 2-4 day, including a two run shot of his own. Pat Misch pitched pretty well, going eight, giving up eleven baserunners, three runs and striking out three for the win. Manny Acosta struck out all three batters he faced to get the perfect save.

In Binghamton, the B-Mets put an awful hurting on the Rock Cats, winning 13-3. The MVP of the game was definitely Sean Ratliff, who went 3-5 with three runs scored, two homer runs, and five RBIs. Luis Hernandez gave him a run for his money, going 3-4 with two runs scored, a double, triple, and three RBIs. Josh Satin added a 3-5 day with two doubles and two RBIs. Josh Stinson had himself a decent start, going five, giving up four hits, three walks, three runs (one earned) and striking out six. He left the game tied and the bullpen, keyed by Eddie Kunz (he got the win), shut them down the rest of the way.

In St. Luice, the Mets dropped the first game to Bradenton 5-2 but won the second game 3-2. In the first game, Eddie Kunz got knocked around in four innings. He served up eight hits, a walk, five runs (four earned), and struck out only two. Raul Reyes added a solo shot in the loss for the only significant offense. In the second game, the pitching wasn't spectacular, but was just barely enough to stave off Bradenton. On the offensive side, Stefan Welch and Raul Reyes both had 2-3 days and Richard Lucas hit the game winning two run homer in the top of the seventh.

At the Sally league All-Star game, the North and South stars played to a 5-5 tie. Talk about kissing your sister. Gnats' player fared pretty well. Wilmer Flores went only 1-5 but picked up two RBIs. Juan Lagares went 1-4 with a double and a run scored. Kai Gronauer got only one at bat and did nothing. The pitching fared much better. Why Mark Cohoon didn't start, I have no idea, but he did pitch the second, giving up only a walk and striking out two. Brandon Moore came on for the fifth, striking out all three batters he faced for a perfect inning. James Fuller did not pitch.

Mets Futures Game Representative

6/23/2010 09:52:00 AM Anonymous

Jeurys Familia will represent the New York Mets during the Futures Game in Anaheim on July 11th. Previous Mets invites include Wright, Reyes, Mejia and Flores. I'm not sure I agree with this move as there have been many other more deserving minor leaguers in the Mets system. Here are some of the disappointing stats on the year for Familia...

0-4/6.16 ERA/49.2 IP/50 H/32 BB/49 K

That line is a far cry from his line last year in Savannah. In fact, he's a little bit passed a third of the amount of innings he pitched last year. His stats in '09 were...

10-6/2.69 ERA/134 IP/109 H/46 BB/109 K

So far his K/BB rate has plummeted even though he's on pace to strike out more batters per 9. Hopefully he can right the ship and reclaim his title as top ten prospect while earning the right to be in the futures game.

Here is some video of Familia's seemingly effortless delivery...

Climbing Those Power Rankings

6/23/2010 09:19:00 AM Anonymous

One of the big reasons for the major jump from 24th to eventually the 8th spot was there run of 12 wins out of 13 games up until the final two games at Yankee Stadium this past weekend.

Post Game 6/22/10 Mets 14 - Detroit 6

6/22/2010 11:27:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets got on the board first in this one. Reyes lead off the bottom of the first with a single on a weak dribbler to third. Two pitches later, Pagan tripled in Reyes to make it 1-0. David Wright plated Pagan with a sac fly to make it 2-0. That RBI gave Wright 54 on the season, 615 for his career, and pushed him out of a tie with Ed Kranepool for fourth on the Mets' all time list.

The Mets continued their scoring in the bottom of the third when Wright walked to lead off the inning, Ike knocked him over to third with a single and then Bay drove him in with a double to make it 3-0. Then came the rain and the tarp.

After a nearly one hour rain delay, played resumed with runners on second and third. Rookie Jay Sborz, in his major league debut, hit Barajas with a pitch to load the bases and then proceeded to hit the next batter, Franceour, to force in a run and make it 4-0. Rough. Ruben Tejada followed with a hard, one hop liner to Inge, who then threw wild to home, allowing Bay to score and make it 5-0. Reyes ripped a two-out single to left to score Franceour and make it 6-0. Reyes promptly stole second base and Pagan drove both runners in with a single to make it 8-0. After a pitching change, Ike Davis crushed one off the left field wall (really should have been caught) that landed for a double, driving in Pagan and Wright to make it 10-0.

In the top of the fourth, Detroit finally got in on the scoring when Brennan Boesch launched a two run bomb over the 415 mark in right center to make it 10-2. I'm sorry, no reason why Niese should have been back out there. He was obviously off after coming back from the rain delay and long inning. There's just no point.

After the Mets added a run on an RBI double by Pagan to make it 11-2, the Tigers came back in the top of the fifth to close the gap just a bit more. Austin Jackson doubled in a run to make it 11-3 and Laird singled him in to make it 11-4. Laird would then be singled in with two outs to make it 11-5. Just a flat out terrible decision by Manuel to leave Niese in after the delay and then again after he got roughed up. That's how you drain a young pitcher of his confidence. Yelling at my TV now. Worth finished the scoring with a single off Nieve to make it 11-6.

But the Mets' offense kept going in the bottom of the sixth. Reyes reached on a strikeout that got away, Pagan singled to go 4-4 on the day and Wright doubled in Reyes to make it 12-6. Davis singled in Pagan to make it 13-6 and then Bay hit a sac fly to plate Wright and make it 14-6.

Welcome back Bobby Parnell, who pitched a scoreless eighth and stuck out two. In an unrelated note, I'm trying to shorten up these postgames for you guys, but it's hard when there's so much going on.

Shining In Savannah

6/22/2010 09:42:00 PM Anonymous

Juan Lagares went 3 for 5 with two runs and an RBI on Sunday as the Savannah Sand Gnats wrapped up the South Atlantic League South Division crown. So far this year Lagares has torn it up. The 21 year old right handed hitting LF from the Dominican Republic has hit .300 with 42 runs, 39 RBI's, 5 HR's, 9 3B's, 12 2B's and 18 SB's in 290 AB's. Juan originally signed with the Mets as a non drafted free agent in May of 2006. Since then he's split time in Brooklyn and Savannah for the past three years but it wasn't until last year that he started to progress from his typical numbers. While Lagares has been on the radar of scouts, to some extent, he has not been touted as one of the Mets top prospects. As of right now you probably still wouldn't say much about his prospect status but if he continues to put up these numbers than by the offseason review of the minors expect him to creep up to the top 20 maybe even top 15.

Injury Update: Carlos Beltran

6/22/2010 04:18:00 PM Josh Alley

UPDATE: Beltran will begin his rehab assignment on Thursday. I'm sure there's not much that needs to be said other than WOOHOOOOO. Hat tip to Ted Berg at Metsblog.com for the info.

Over at mlb.com, Adam Berry does a fantastic job covering Omar Minaya's recent trip to St. Lucie to watch Beltran work out. Check it out:

"I had not been here for a while, and we had been getting reports, but watching him, the leg seems to be getting stronger," Minaya said. "I can tell you that I'm pleased. Talking to the staff, watching him run and watching him run the bases, he was getting after it. Understanding that he is still coming off an injury, I think the progress and the work these guys have done here has been outstanding." - Omar Minaya, via mlb.com

I am not one of those people that believes we should be rushing Beltran at all. As long as we get him back in time for the late August/September stretch I'll be happy. But the key is he has to be fully healthy and capable of doing what Beltran does. Otherwise he's meaningless to us and besides, having him fully healthy next season is very important, as well. So if he starts his official rehab assignment next week, two weeks, or a month from now, I don't care. Just as long as he's healthy when he does.

Starting Lineup - 6/22/10

6/22/2010 03:22:00 PM Josh Alley

The Mets open up a six game home stand tonight with the first of three against Detroit. They'll send lefty Jon Niese (4-2, 3.64 ERA) to the mound to square off against young Tigers ace Justin Verlander (8-4, 3.54 ERA). This should be an awfully fun one to watch, as I know I'm excited for the 7:10 PM start.

1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Angel Pagan CF
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Rod Barajas C
7. Jeff Franceour RF
8. Ruben Tejada 2B
9. Jonathan Niese P

I, for one, am happy to see Chris Carter out of the lineup. I'm not particularly enamored with his all or nothing approach at the plate. Not to mention the Mets were batting him in front of two more of those kinds of players, Barajas and Franceour. Should be interesting to see how the Mets fare against one of the best young pitchers in the game and the offensive juggernaut that is the Tigers. Hopefully, you'll see the Mets come back hungry after dropping two straight to the Yanks and send a message to MLB that they are, in fact, for real.

A Wealth Of Blogs

6/22/2010 12:22:00 PM Josh Alley

One of the things I noticed before I started blogging about the Mets, but have especially noticed since, is that there are tons of different Mets themed blogs out there. Undoubtedly, this comes from the deep passion Mets fans have for their team. That is what spurred me to do it, along with my love of writing. One thing I've noticed, though, is that there's a decent amount of competition out there, as well. I've noticed a few writers out there taking content from other blogs, rewording it, and using it as their own. I've noticed writers changing the time on their posts to make it look like they had the scoop first. I've even noticed some writers just flat out stealing content, no rewording, no credit, nothing.

Sometimes I wonder if this is just coincidence, since we all get our info from basically the same sources, or if it really is the heat of competition. Either which way, it's fascinating (and funny) to watch. I imagine these sorts of things happen with Yankees blogs, Jets blogs, Giants blogs, etc. just the same. NY is a competitive place and everyone wants to be on top. Here at SmallBall, we just want to have fun. Your thoughts?

Injury Update: John Maine

6/22/2010 10:55:00 AM Josh Alley

We have some more, if not minor, news on what's going on with John Maine and his "injured" shoulder/ego. Take a look:

Mets pitcher John Maine did not see a team doctor on Monday, a Mets official said, the day after both his manager and general manager indicated that would be the plan once reported discomfort following his second minor-league rehabilitation start on Friday night. - Andy McCollough, Star-Ledger

Not much to see here really. My guess is that there's something going on behind closed doors, though. If you want my guess, it's that Maine is throwing a tantrum and refusing to see the doctor. That's just my hunch, so it could be totally off base. At this point, it's time to just cut bait with Maine and move on.

Notable Mets History

6/22/2010 10:20:00 AM Josh Alley

On this day in the Mets history, we saw two fairly significant events happen. One was a fairly somber day for Mets fans, the other was a happy one.

On this day in 1987, Tom Seaver ends his comeback with the Mets and retires from MLB. He finishes his hall of fame career with 311 wins, 198 of those coming with the Mets. There's perhaps no Met more beloved to this day than Tom Terrific. Sometimes I think all these current gen Mets fans don't realize just how much of an impact he had on the franchise.

On this day in 1995, another famous Met, John Franco, became the leader in save by lefty, notching his 253rd against the Braves. Again, I think the value of Franco to this club is under-appreciated by a lot of current Mets fans. Did he lose some skills towards the end of his career? Yes. But what player doesn't? This is a guy, after all, who saved 276 of his games with the Mets. He's also a guy who, with 411 career saves, is still fourth in MLB history in that category. Not to mention he's Brooklyn born.

Mets' Pitchers Want Another Ace

6/22/2010 09:37:00 AM Josh Alley

The Mets' world was buzzing today with news of the Mets own players clamoring for Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt. You can catch the story at the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and Newsday.

It's such a tough decision to make, as the Mets will undoubtedly have to give up some good talent to get either one of those guys. Seemingly, the Mets would never want to give up Niese for Lee, but at the same time, could you imagine a rotation of Pelfrey, Santana and Lee pitching down the stretch? This should definitely play out as one of the most intense, interesting stories over the next month or so. Who'll blink first? The Mets? The Mariners/Astros? Anyone at all?

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