Inconsistency is the Name of the Game

(by Brett Kahn)

At 40-41, the Mets have been one of the most inconsistent teams in baseball this season. There are a lot of reasons for this. I would like to analyze the recent subway series against the Yankees to give people an idea of how inconsistent the Mets really are...

GOOD

Carlos Delgado racked up 3 HR's and 10 RBI's in the four-game series.

BAD

He only managed four hits in 15 AB's. (.267) Those four hits also only came in two games.

GOOD

Jose Reyes went 6-for-16 in the series. (.375)

BAD

He didn't drive in any runs, only stole one base, and was picked off.

GOOD

Oliver Perez threw a gem in the finale going seven innings while only giving up one run and striking out eight.

BAD

His ERA dropped to 4.98 on the season.

GOOD

The Mets scored 20 runs in the four-game series. (five runs/game)

BAD

15 of those runs came in the first game and are now batting .211 with two outs and RISP.

Consistency is the key to success. The Mets have yet to figure that out.

Stories to Follow The Subway Series

(by Brett Kahn)

It has been a tough week for me to keep up with this blog, but I want to continue to report on as much as I can. If it becomes too hard for me, I will decide and let everyone know before hand...Thank you for your support and go Mets!

Reyes Steers the Ship

(by Brett Kahn)

It has been mentioned before that when Jose Reyes goes, so do the Mets. So, let's actually prove this is true using stats.

In the 36 wins so far this season, Reyes is batting .340, with six HR's, 21 RBI's, and has tallied 21 SB's. His on-base percentage at home is .401 and his slugging percentage is .604.

Now, here are some of his lead-off statistics. As the first batter of the game, Reyes is batting .324. When he leads off an inning, he is batting .354, with 4 HR's and a .608 slugging percentage.

Lets now look at how Reyes performs in the clutch. With two outs and RISP, one of the most telling statistics in baseball, Reyes is batting .318 with 2 HR's and 10 RBI's, in 27 games. In the eighth inning of games, Reyes is batting .367, with 6 RBI's. In the ninth, he is batting a whopping .421.

It is clear that Jose Reyes is the focal point of the Mets' offense. If he continues to be solid like we have seen in the past, the Mets will be a team to reckon with come the latter months of the season.

I Guess It Had to Happen, but Why Now?

(by Brett Kahn)

Willie Randolph's status as manager was indeed day-to-day. However, after two straight wins, why did Omar Minaya decide to pull the trigger now?

At 34-35, the Mets are far from where they want to be after 69 games. After two straight wins, however, Willie seemed to be safe for another day. That wasn't the case.

At 3:15 this morning, Randolph was given the official word that he was let go, along with pitching coach Rick Peterson and first-base coach Tom Nieto.

Whether it were the on-field pitching decisions that Randolph made, or the off-field racial comments, Minaya decided to step out of the dugout and make an iffy timing call to the bullpen for Jerry Manuel.

Manuel isn't that big of stranger to winning, however. In 2000, he won AL Manager of the year while guiding the Chicago White Sox to the best record in the American League at 95-67.

Although he might be the best man for the job at this juncture, the question will always be asked why now? Why fly Randolph out to the west coast to manage one game? Was it so that Minaya could hide the decision in the throws of the early morning? If so, Minaya might be joining Randolph on the unemployment line earlier than he thinks.

Payroll Disaster

(by Brett Kahn)

Everyone knows the Mets have an enormous payroll. How big is it? $137.4 million. Listed below are all of the contracted players for this season and how much they are making. Judge for yourself who is worth their money and who isn't...(All salaries are in millions of dollars---only players making guaranteed major league salaries are listed)

Carlos Beltran- $18.6
Johan Santana- $16.98
Carlos Delgado- $16
Pedro Martinez- $11.8
Billy Wagner- $10.5
Moises Alou- $7.5
Orlando Hernandez- $7
Oliver Perez- $6.5
Louis Castillo- $6.25
David Wright- $5.28
Brian Schneider- $4.9
Jose Reyes- $4.375
Scott Schoeneweis- $3.6
Ryan Church -$2
Mike Pelfrey- $.199
Ramon Castro- $1.98
Endy Chavez- $1.8
Matt Wise- $1.2
Aaron Heilman- $1.2
Marlon Anderson- $1.05
Pedro Feliciano- $1.025
Damion Easley- $0.95
Duaner Sanchez- $0.85
Fernando Tatis- $0.56
John Maine- $0.45
Ambiorix Burgos- $0.415
Angel Pagan- $0.4015
Joe Smith- $0.398
Jason Vargas- $0.394

SOURCE: ESPN New York Mets Salaries

1 Loss, 2 Loss, 3 Loss, 4

(by Brett Kahn)

It's always tough to lose a game 2-1. You have the satisfaction of knowing that your starting pitcher was solid but your offense was not. Imagine that feeling after three straight 2-1 losses. That is how the Mets feel right now.

Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana, and Oliver Perez all pitched well enough for their team to win, giving up a combined three ER in 17 IP. (1.59 ERA) The only problem was the Mets' bats decided to take three games off.

The Mets offense tallied 30 hits in 134 AB's, a batting average of only .224. In the final game of the series, the Mets were able to bat .286, but a combination of Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner couldn't hold the Mets lead as they fell 8-6.

The Mets now find themselves 30-32, 7.5 games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies. With Ryan Church heading to the DL, look for the blue and orange to use more of Endy Chavez and Fernando Tatis for the time being.

The Amazins' will start a six-game home stand tonight as they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. John Maine will start for the Mets.

Perez Faulters While Martinez Shines

(by Brett Kahn)

The Mets knew if they wanted to compete this season, they needed both a healthy Pedro Martinez and an effective Oliver Perez. So far, neither has really come to fruition.

When Martinez went down with a shoulder injury on April 1st, the Mets knew their starting rotation was in some trouble. However, with the consistency of Johan Santana and the bullpen, (minus Aaron Heilman) the Mets felt they could get by. Yesterday, when Martinez returned, the Mets immediately started feeling the electricity that only he could add. Oh yeah, he also pitched pretty well too. He went six innings, allowing only three runs while striking out three. He threw 109 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Perez was the wild card factor. If he could show consistency like last season, the Mets rotation wouldn't be aching for Martinez to return. That hasn't been the case this season. Perez is 4-4 with a 5.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts. His most recent bad outing came yesterday as he went a season low 1/3 of an inning giving up six runs and two home runs. While he will stay in the rotation for now, look for the team to try and find added rotation help come the trade deadline.

Mets Starting to Rev Up Their Engines

(by Brett Kahn)

Having now won five of their last six games and are now only 3.5 games back of the division lead, the Mets are now ready for a road trip that will take them through two less than stellar teams.

After taking two-of-three against the then division-leading Florida Marlins, the players started banning together and collectively showed their talent. Jose Reyes has now hit in 17 consecutive games and has reached base in 32 consecutive. Whether the rumors of him not getting along with Willie Randolph or true, he is showing the team and fans that he is trying very hard to do all he can.

Carlos Beltran looks like he has finally woken up offensively, having homered in two straight, raising his home run total to six.

Ryan Church started his first game after suffering his second concussion of the season two weeks ago and blasted his 10th home run of the season. This is the earliest in a season Church has reached 10 home runs.

Fernando Tatis has also been one of the key factors in the Mets' new found success. Tatis drove in yet another game-winning run against the Dodgers on Sunday in a 3-2 win. It was the second time he had done so in four games.

Johan Santana pitched very effectively, allowing only one run through 7 2/3 innings. This is the first time since May 4th that Santana has allowed only one run.

The Mets now head west to play the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. The two teams have a combined record of 47-58. Oliver Perez will start tonight for the Mets while Pedro Martinez will make his second start of the season tomorrow, having not made a start since April 1st. Look for Martinez to go no longer than five innings.