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(by Brett Kahn)
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.
(by Brett Kahn)
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.
(by Brett Kahn)
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.
(by Brett Kahn)
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.
(by Brett Kahn)
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?
(by Brett Kahn)
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.
(by Brett Kahn)
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/
(by Brett Kahn)
