The Mets' offense might look a lot better come this weekend as Moises Alou and Brian Schneider are expected to return to the Mets' lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After Alou's off-season hernia surgery and Scheider's staff infection in his thumb, both are expected to at least get a few AB's this weekend.
corrected the club Tuesday when he returned to the Alou almost faced another setback as it was originally thought that his left-ankle, the one he hurt in 1993, was the one that was causing him problems. Alou corrected the club when he returned to the Mets' clubhouse by saying that it was the right that was causing some discomfort.
With both seeing some action this weekend, the Mets will be able to finally see how potent this offense can potentially be.
Here's how the lineup could look when both are healthy enough to start.
1. SS Jose Reyes 2. 2B Luis Castillo 3. 3B David Wright 4. CF Carlos Beltran 5. RF Ryan Church 6. LF Moises Alou 7. 1B Carlos Delgado 8. C Brian Schneider 9. P
This is an easier way to get the information out that I believe to be important...
-After yesterday's rain out, Johan Santana pitched 5.2 innings tonight against the Pirates, giving up two runs while striking out seven in the no-decision.
-Jose Reyes went 3-for-3 with an RBI raising his batting average from .237 to .260.
-Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner both gave up their first runs of the year, while Wagner gave up his first hit as well.
-Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado continue to struggle as both went hitless in tonight's game. Beltran's average dropped to .216, while Delgado's dropped to .194.
The Mets are clearly smack in the middle of the Willie Randolph Era. Randolph has proven his status as an effective manager, leading the Mets to the 2006 NLCS, one game away from the World Series. Despite the collapse in 2007, Randolph is considered one of the nicest and smartest managers in the game. But how does he rank among the greatest Mets' managers of all-time?
In Matthew Silverman's Book "Mets Essential", he lists the top 10 Mets managers of all-time.
10. Bud Harrelson- 145-129 record in 1990 and '91 with the club. 9. Joe Frazier- 101-106 record from 1976 and 45 games in '77 with the club. 8. Joe Torre- 286-420 record from rest of 1977-'81 with the club. Only player/manager in club history. 7. Dallas Green- 229-283 record from 1993-'96 with club. 6. Casey Stengel- 175-404 record from 1962-half of '65. Worst winning percentage of any Mets manager. (.302) 5. Willie Randolph- 280-229 record from 2005-present with the club. Led team to N.L. East title and NLCS in 2006. 4. Yogi Berra- 292-296 record from 1972-'75 with the club. Took Mets to World Series in '73. 3. Bobby Valentine- 536-467 from end of 1996-2002. Took Mets to NLDS in '99 and '00 and to the World Series in '00. 2. Davey Johnson- 595-417 record (most wins of any Mets manager) from 1984-45 games into '90. Won World Series in '86 and took them to the NLCS in '88. 1. Gil Hodges- 339-309 record from 1968-'71 with the club. Won World Series in '69 with a 100-62 record.
Willie Randolph discussed with Mike and the Mad Dog today a little bit about how important the top of the lineup really is. Randolph mentioned the obvious catalyst that is Jose Reyes, but also how valuable Luis Castillo is in the two-hole.
With these two at the top and simply getting on base, the Mets will be able to jump out to an early lead.
In the Cubs series, anyone could see the correlation between scoring runs and the top two hitters getting on base.
Let's run a few numbers on the two so far this season...
Reyes is only hitting .250 as the first batter in the game, with an on-base percentage of only .294. Not to mention he is only hitting .176 in the first three innings of the game.
Castillo has also struggled this season, batting only .216 in the two spot.
These two are looked at as a combination, and if the Mets are to get that early lead, they need to find a way to click.
Tonight, the Mets face the Chicago Cubs and their ace Carlos Zambrano. Last season, Zambrano went 18-13 with a 3.95 ERA while striking out 177 in 216+ innings. It was the fifth straight year he has surpassed 200 innings. He has also finished fifth in the Cy Young race each of the last two seasons. However, there is a Mets' player that seems to fare very well against the fire-throwing righty.
Luis Castillo...
In 10 career AB's against Zambrano, Castillo has managed five hits (.500) and one RBI, while forcing six walks.
After batting in the eight spot in the Mets' lineup for the past few games, Willie Randolph decided to move Castillo back to the number two hole last night to add that base-stealing tandem with Reyes at the top of the order. Also, it's clear that Castillo hits better in the two hole (.301 career) then the eight (.224 career). Willie also knows that keeping the two of them at the top of the lineup will only add to David Wright's ability to keep driving in runs early and often.
If you are a Mets fan right now, last year's collapse is starting to look like more of a fluke every day. We all know these games don't count as much as games in September, but it's nice to know that the Mets are trying to make a statement early.
It's a proven fact that when Jose Reyes hits, the Mets hit and last night, he did. Reyes went 2-for-4 with a HR, his second of the season. David Wright continued his hot streak also going 2-for-4 with 2 RBI's. He is now batting .344 on the season with a Major League-leading 19 RBI's.
Starter Oliver Perez did his part keeping the Phils scoreless through 5 2/3 innings while striking out seven. He is now 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA this season.
Tonight, the Mets go for the sweep with Mike Pelfrey on the hill opposing Adam Eaton. Even though Eaton usually dominates the Mets, Pelfrey has been spectacular this season with a 2-0 record and a 1.50 ERA.
After a three game sweep against the Washington Nationals in which Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran came alive, the Mets earned a nice chest-out walk into Citizens Bank Park for another chapter in this brewing rivalry.
They walked out of tonight's game the same way...
Santana vs. Hamels. It was a pitching match-up for the ages and it lived up to its billing. Both pitchers were very good, but Santana won the night and the game with his 10 strikeouts and no walks in 7+ innings.
David Wright also helped the Mets get off to a good start going 4-for-4 and only missing the cycle by a home run.
Without their MVP Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies offense lacked that extra bat and a presence on the bases causing them to fall just short of victory.
It was a nail biter as always as the Mets nearly squandered a four run lead in the eighth, but Billy Wagner was able to close it out in the ninth preserving the 6-4 win and, more importantly, the momentum in this fierce division rivalry.
Although the Mets are off to a rocky start, let us go back to 1999 for a minute. With players like Mike Piazza, John Franco, Al Leiter, Robin Ventura, Edgardo Alfonzo and John Olerud, the Mets were led by a group of veterans who knew how to handle pressure. They led by example and motivated guys like Todd Pratt, Benny Agbayani, Timo Perez, Matt Franco, Rey Ordonez and enabled them to prosper in a time when Met fans had little hope. In 2008, It is time for the new group of veterans to step up like: Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Moises Alou, Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez. Those guys can motivate the new guys like; Jose Reyes, David Wright, Angel Pagan, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider, and Ramon Castro.
For all of them, it is the perfect time for Met fans to rise up once again and firmly remember the last season in the ballpark that most of them grew up in.
When Pedro Martinez went down earlier this month, the pitching staff looked shakier then ever. Then, a shining star made his debut for a team that he grew up rooting for. Now, a pitcher that not many fans had faith is now 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA to start the season.
The Mets needed a jump start and Mike Pelfrey delivered it. After giving up only two earned runs in his first start, Pelfrey through seven innings without giving up a run last night in a 6-0 win over the Washington Nationals.
David Wright, who had a stellar night with a home run and five RBI's, said that he always had faith in Pelfrey. "I think everyone in here knows Pelfrey has that in him," said Wright. (NY DAILY NEWS)
Pelfrey's confidence definitely showed last night. "I pitched with conviction. Just get it to the glove. No more nibbling. Here it is," Pelfrey said. (NEWYORKMETS.COM) Pelfrey will pitch next in the highly anticipated series against the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend.
OTHER GAME NOTES -It was Jackie Robinson night and every Mets' player wore number 42. -Jose Reyes went 4-for-5 and missed the cycle by a HR. -Duaner Sanchez made his awaited return and pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Another series, another edition of the world renoun Pitcher Ponage. The Mets are going into their first series against the Washington Nationals and will be facing Odalis Perez in game one. Perez is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in two starts so far this season. His best season as a pro came in 2002 with the Dodgers when he went 15-10 with 3.00 ERA and 155 strikeouts. Injuries have worn Perez down as he hasn't had a full season since 2004.
The Met who fairs the best against Perez is...
Louis Castillo.
In 22 career AB's against Perez, He has nine hits. (.409) He also has a home run and two RBI's to go along with that stellar batting average. He has yet to really find his stroke this season but he did look better going 2-for-4 yesterday against the Brewers.
Nelson Figueroa got to live out his life-long dream last night as he made his first start for a team that not only drafted him, but that he's followed his whole life.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Figueroa graduated Abraham Lincoln High School in 1992. In 1995, the Mets drafted Figueroa in the 30th round of the amateur draft. He then attended Brandeis University and graduated with a degree in American Studies in 1998, while posting a 2.35 ERA during his senior season.
Then, when tragedy struck New York on that fateful day in 2001, Figueroa sold t-shirts to help raise money for the victim's families. He was also named to the International League All-Star team that year as a member of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons.
His first major league start didn't come until the age of 26 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has been in and out of the minors since. However, maybe now things will start to move at a faster pace for a guy used to city life. With his family close by, Figueroa will be sure to add that extra sense of pride and enthusiasm every time he steps out onto that mound in the middle of his hometown.
It was another chapter in the Mets Phillies saga and there was no shortage of a dramatic ending. Angel Pagan's single in the 12th inning drove in Jose Reyes for the 4-3 Mets win and the series.
Pagan had another sensational night going 3-for-5 with two runs and that game winning RBI. Ryan Church also had another nice game for the club going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in.
P John Maine looked comfortable but not entirely convincing. He went 6+ innings giving up one earned run but walked five. P Aaron Heilman continued to struggle as he gave up two runs included the tying one in the eighth. Billy Wagner and Scott Schoeneweiss pitched one scoreless inning in the win, while Joe Smith added 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
The Mets will open up a three game set against the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow as Nelson Figueroa will make his first start of the season.
The losing streak is over and the Mets can only hope that the Philadelphia monkey is off of their backs for good.
The 8-2 win over the division rival was ugly, but it was still a much needed win. Damion Easley's first hit of the season culminated in a very strange five run inning for the Mets. The runs, for the most part, came as a result of two errors by replacement SS Eric Bruntlett and another one by C Carlos Ruiz. P Kyle Kendrick was yanked after 2 1/3 having only allowed one earned run. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that he walked six batters and allowed six unearned runs. Strange indeed.
Mets P Mike Pelfrey's night was anything but strange. In fact, it was somewhat pleasant. In five inning of work, Pelfrey allowed only two runs while striking out three.
Offensively for the club, Angel Pagan led the way with two RBI's. He now leads the team with eight.
In the rubber match tomorrow, the Mets will send out John Maine while the Phillies will throw Adam Eaton.
Was it because of the bullpen? Was it because of Carlos Delgado's costly throwing error? Was it because of Willy Randolph's decision to pull P Oliver Perez after only giving up three singles in 5 2/3 innings? Whatever it was, the Mets continued to struggle against a Philadelphia Phillies ball club that has beaten them nine times in a row, this time by a score of 5-2.
After a Carlos Delgado home run (now has 8 HR's against Moyer) and bases loaded ground out by Ryan Church, the Mets had a 2-0 lead with Oliver Perez cruising. However it appears as if Willy Randolph had a premonition and decided to take Perez out during a somewhat shaky sixth inning.
It was all downhill from there...
A costly Delgado throwing error allowed the tying run to score in the seventh. P Scott Schoeneweis surrendered two singles and hit Chase Utley. Jorge Sosa relieved Schoeneweiss only to allow a two-strike two-out single by Jason Werth that scored Utley.
The fact the Mets know they need to play better is a gross understatement. How many more Phillies losses, or any for that matter, will it take until this team gets back on track?
Yet another series and another glorious version of pitcher ponage. Tomorrow, the Mets will face the Philadelphia Phillies in their home opener, the final one at Shea Stadium. They will be facing veteran Jamie Moyer.
There is one Mets player who has not only faced Moyer more times because of his previous American League experience, but who has also had the most success against the left-hander....
Carlos Delgado.
In 65 at-bats against Moyer, Delgado has 28 hits, (.431) including 7 HR's and 16 RBI's. This is somewhat surprising since Delgado is only batting .262 in his career against lefties.
Delgado is off to a quick start this season batting .350 in his first five games.
Delgado probably thrives off of the fact that Moyer is not a hard-throwing pitcher and tends to use his location to be effective. When that doesn't pan out, he is very vulnerable. We'll have to wait and see if Delgado's success can continue against Moyer this season.
I recently got a chance to chat with Mets Daily News blog writer Adam Rubin about various topics. Rubin's blog is entitled "Surfing the Mets" and has been a fixture in the NY Daily News since 2006.
Q: Have you always been a Mets fan and if so, how has that affected your writing? A: I was born in the Bronx, but moved to Long Island in the third grade. I drifted more from a Yankees fan to a Mets fan over the years, but in high school I was pleased when either team was doing well. My favorite player was Don Mattingly. (Sorry, Willie. I did have a glove with your name.) As a journalist, you have to stay impartial, though it's certainly more pleasant when the team is doing well as compared with the lean years under Art Howe. You do tend to privately root for players who have treated you well. But they tend to get dispersed all over the place because of trades and free agency. Just this winter Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey, with whom I had good relationships, were traded to the Twins. You can be impartial and still hope they have solid careers. Q: I know that you attended the Wharton School of Business at Penn. What effect did that have on you becoming a blog writer? A: I can't say Penn had any impact on the blog, but it certainly is the chief reason I'm a journalist. I attended the Wharton School of Business, but got hooked by newspapers when I joined my college paper, The Daily Pennsylvanian, as a freshman. When I started getting internships in the field, that's when that career path really started taking shape. I graduated high school in '91, which was really a couple of years prior to e-mail being introduced to college students, so you can imagine blogging wasn't a big part of my college experience.
Q: Being able to cover the team all the time must allow you to see things that most people can't. Being that as it may, what do you think of the team so far this season? A: It's still early, but at 2-3, the warts are showing. They have the oldest 40-man roster in baseball, so it's no wonder they're already dealing with injuries (Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, etc.) I'm comfortable labeling them the NL East favorite, but they're by no means a lock for the postseason. For more information on Rubin's blog, visit the NY Daily News site at... http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/mets/
The good news: Johan Santana gave the Mets another quality start giving up only one run through seven innings. The bad news: He was credited with a loss because the Mets offense only mustered one run in a 3-1 loss courtesy of a Ryan Church double in the ninth inning.
Atlanta's John Smoltz was sensational, allowing no runs through five innings and striking out six. He left after the fifth and the Braves never looked back.
Are people attributing this to some sort of fall-out from last season? It's possible, and the players in the clubhouse know they are better than 2-3. Those players include 3B David Wright and C Brian Schneider, both of whom have made their thoughts clear on newyorkmets.com today.
The Mets now have a day off before entering their very anticipated match up with the Philadelphia Phillies. Oliver Perez will look to duplicate his first start of the season in which he allowed no runs over six innings, while striking out eight.
Top 9th- NEW PITCHER RAFAEL SORIANO. Wright walked. Beltran struck out looking. Delgado flied out to RF. CHURCH DOUBLED TO RF AND WRIGHT SCORED. Pagan walked. Schneider grounded out to diving 1B Teixteira to end game.
Top 8th- NEW PITCHER PETER MOYLAN. Scheider singles to RF. MARLON ANDERSON PINCH HIT FOR P SANTANA. Schneider out at 2B on FC by Anderson. Reyes flied out on first pitch to LF. Anderson stole 2B. Castillo grounded out to 1B.
0 runs 1 hit 1 LOB
Bottom 8th- NEW PITCHER AARON HEILMAN. Johnson flied out to RF. Escobar struck out swinging. Jones walked on four pitches. TEIXTEIRA HOMERED TO RF. (JONES SCORED) Francoeur grounded out to 3B.
Top 7th- NEW P OHMAN. Beltran flied out to deep LF. Delgado singled to RF. Delgado advanced to 2B on Church ground out to SS. Pagan flied out to CF.
0 runs 1 hit 1 LOB
Bottom 7th- Diaz grounded out to 3B. McCann doubled to rCF. Kotsay flied out CF. BRAYAN PENA PINCH HIT FOR OHMAN. Pena grounded out to diving 3B Wright.
Top 5th- Pagan struck out swinging on a breaking ball. Scheider grounded out on first pitch to P Smoltz. Santana flied out deep to RF.
0 runs 0 hits 0 LOB
Bottom 5th- Kotsay grounded out to SS Reyes. Gotay pinch hit for P Smoltz. Gotay struck out looking. Johnson singled to RF. Johnson out at 2nd on FC by Escobar.
Top 4th- Beltran struck out swinging on a high fastball. Delgado singled to rCF. Church flied out to CF and Delgado was doubled up at 1B.
0 runs 1 hit 0 LOB
Bottom 4th- Teixteira grounded out to SS Reyes. Francoeur doubles on a dropped pop-up by Reyes in LF. Diaz singled off P Santana's foot. McCann grounds into 4-6-3 double play.
Top 3rd- Johan Santana doubled to center that was almost caught by a sliding Mark Kotsay. Jose Reyes grounded out to SS sacrificing Santana to 3rd. Louis Castillo flied out to CF holding Santana at 3B. David Wright struck out swinging.
0 runs 1 hit 1 LOB
Bottom 3rd- Mark Kotsay ripped a double into right field. John Smoltz bunted to pitcher sacrificing Kotsay to 3B. Johnson grounds out to a diving Johan Santana, keeping Kotsay at 3B. ESCOBAR DOUBLES TO LF SCORING KOTSAY. Jones grounds out to 2B Castillo.
Top 2nd- Ryan Church struck out on a low breaking ball. Angel Pagan grounded out to SS Brian Schneider grounded out to 2B.
0 runs 0 hits 0 LOB
Bottom 2nd- Mark Teixteira flied out in foul ground to 1B Carlos Delgado. Jeff Francoeur flied out deep to LF Angel Pagan. Matt Diaz took the first pitch and singled up the middle. Francoeur stole second base on a wide throw by C Brian Schneider. Brian McCann flied out to RF Ryan Church.
Top 1st - David Wright and Carlos Beltran walked then Carlos Delgado got caught looking at a third strike from Smoltz.
0 runs 0 hits 2 LOB
Bottom 1st- Santana struck out Kelly Johnson on a fastball inside. Yunel Escobar grounded out to 2B Louis Castillo. Chipper Jones grounded out to SS Jose Reyes.
Maybe the extra day off gave John Maine too much time to think about things. Whatever it was, Maine didn't look sharp even though the FOX radar gun clocked him throwing 97 mph at one point.
His fastball didn't move as well as it should've and he didn't throw his breaking ball enough. On top of that, the bullpen made things worse. A combined six runs were given up in four innings by Joe Smith, Jorge Sosa, and Nelson Figueroa.
Was it the wet ball or field? Who knows?
On the offensive side for the Mets, Angel Pagan drove in two runs and is now batting .385 to start the season.
Johan Santana will look to the get the Mets back on track tomorrow in the finale.
Friday night's rain out between the Mets and Braves might have been a positive thing for a team still trying to figure out its starting rotation.
John Maine will indeed go today at 3:55 against Tim Hudson as planned, which allows the Mets' pitcher with the best spring training to prove his worth.
Mike Pelfrey, the Mets most consistently-bad pitcher during the spring, will have to wait to get his shot at the division rivals. He will get his shot at the other division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies.
In order to keep Johan Santana on regular rest, the Mets bumped Pelfrey from the Braves series allowing Santana to pitch in the finale. In the upcoming series against the Philies, Oliver Perez will get the opener, Pelfrey the second game, and Maine, the finale. (NY DAILY NEWS)
OTHER NEWS - P Duaner Sanchez gave up two solo home runs in one inning of work last night for Single-A Saint Lucie. (NY DAILY NEWS) - P Pedro Martinez is scheduled to arrive in Ports Saint Lucie on Monday to begin rehabbing his left hamstring. (NY DAILY NEWS) - P Orlando Hernandez is expected to make two additional starts for St. Lucie and then join the Mets after one start by Nelson Figueroa. (NY DAILY NEWS)
Just one night after the Mets lost Pedro Martinez to the DL due to a hamstring injury, Oliver Perez showed why he can be a very reliable starting pitcher in this currently depleted Mets rotation.
Perez showed signs of brilliance tonight throwing six scoreless innings, giving up only five hits and striking out eight fish in the Mets' 13-0 shellacking of the Florida Marlins.
David Wright continues on his torrid pace, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI's. OF Ryan Church also duplicated those stats. Wright has now extended his hitting streak to 20 games carrying over from last season.
The Mets' offense totaled 17 hits, including six extra-base hits in the victory.
John Maine will make his season debut as the Mets travel to Atlanta Friday to face Tim Hudson and the Braves.
It's day two of the 2008 season and already, the Mets are sweating. Not only did the club loose a heart-breaker in the 10th inning to the Florida Marlins, but they may have also lost one of their aces.
Pedro Martinez just never seemed to have his control tonight. Giving up two first inning runs off of a Dan Uggla home run was just the beginning of a rough night for the 209-win veteran. Martinez would go on to allow two more runs off of a Louis Gonzalez home run in the second inning.
Just as things might have been looking up for the right-hander, he pulled his right hamstring during a routine pitch in the fourth inning.
The Mets, minus Pedro, rallied from four down to tie the game in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by LF Angel Pagan after David Wright led off the inning with a single.
The Mets bullpen was stellar for five plus innings until Matt Wise surrendered a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to Renyel Pinto.
Tomorrow at 7:10 EST, the teams will meet in the rubber match as Oliver Perez goes for the Mets.
(By Brett Kahn)
