Words Of A Leader

"If you aint the lead dog, the view is the same: butt holes!"

~ Dan Warthen ~

Source: Brian Costa

Mets vs Phillies lineup April 30th, 2010

As the Mets start there 6 road trip tonight against the Phillies here is there lineup.

Pagan CF
Castillo 2B
Reyes SS
Bay LF
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Francoeur RF
Barajas C
Niese P

Reunion for Gary Matthews JR and Senior in Philly.

Adam Rubin over at ESPN New York has a pretty cool reunion/fluff story on Mets bench player Gary Matthews Jr and his dad Sarge, Gary Matthews Sr, who now broadcasts for the Phillies.

Senior played 16 years in the Majors and played 3 years with the Phillies from 1981 to 1983. Matthews went to the postseason after the 1981, 1983 and 1984 campaigns and was voted the MVP of the 1983 NLCS when he hit three home runs and collected 8 RBI in four games, leading the Phillies past the Los Angeles Dodgers

According to the article Matthews Jr. said. “The truth is he’s rarely seen me play live because he’s still involved in the game and our schedules never coincide. So I always find myself battling nerves a little bit when I know my father is in the house. You’d think I’d be used to it. I think maybe this time it’ll be different. I’m hoping it will be different. I usually fight nerves a little bit. I think it’s probably natural.” I think most people who play in front of there parents would press a little bit but Ike Davis seem to do ok.

Matthews Jr has said all the right things so far since he was traded from the Angels for reliever Brian Stokes. He has no rbi’s and has not been able to jump start his season yet playing off the bench.

Mets Open Series Against Phillies In Phliadelphia

This might not what we were waiting for two weeks ago, but there isn't a Mets fan who isn't "amped" for the weekend series against the Phillies.

Surprisingly the Mets hold a 1/2 game lead over the Phillies, and are in first place going into this weekend series.

The Mets are coming off a superb 9-1 homestand, where they have won seven in a row. It is their best homestand since they had the same record in 1988...the year the won the NL East.

One thing all Mets fans must remember; it is only April/May. If the Mets do well - go 2-1 or 3-0, this won't clinch the NL East and send the Phillies reeling.

Conversely, if the Mets go 1-2, it won't wrap the division up for the Phils.

The Mets had dominated the Phils the first half of the season in 2007 - didn't have any bearing on how the season ended.

The Mets rotation sets up well against the Phillies:

Friday - 7:05 PM WPIX:

Jon n Niese takes the hill against Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick has a 0-0 record, but his ERA is a bloated 7.71. Niese has pitched well, but hasn't dominated, going 0-1 with a respectable 3.68 ERA.

Saturday 3:10 PM Fox

Mike Pelfrey opposes the legendary Roy Halladay. Halladay is 4-1 with an amazing 1.80 ERA. Pelfrey has been solid thus far and is 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA. Big Pelf has the best ERA in the Majors. Call me nuts, but I like this match-up.

Sunday - 8:05 PM ESPN

Johan Santana will take on the ageless Jamie Moyer. Moyer is a disappointing 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA. Santana also has been disappointing in the early going this season. He is 3-1 with a respectable 2.08 ERA, but hasn't pitched like we were expecting. I look for Johan to have a break out game on national TV.

There you have it. I'm not saying the Mets will go 2-1 or 3-0 this weekend. Their rotation matches up well this weekend, and we can take some solace at where we are right now.

So, sit back, pop a few cold ones, and enjoy this series. It could be the beginning of a real fun rivalry this season.

Thanks to Baseball Reference for the pitching stats, and CBS Sportsline for the schedules and pitching line-ups.

Phillies series has its place but Road wins is Key to Mets success in May.

Everyone is all pumped now that the Mets are on the right track and have won 8 on a row. Well now they take on there rival Phillies for a weekend showdown. Ahhh a bit too early to worry about what the Mets do in this series. I mean of course the Mets losing by via a sweep would kind of throw them for a loop. No one wants to see that happened.

Also you want to see the hot hitting of Davis and Bay to continue in homer happy Philly.

If you look at the schedule in May after a month that just ended with 16 games at home, the Mets need to play well on the road and not just in Philly. The Mets play 18 of there next 30 on the road starting today. They play the Phillies and the Reds this road trip and then the Marlins, Nationals and the Braves on the next one and finish the month against the Brewers and San Diego.

To really see what type of team the Mets have they have to play close to .500 ball on the road. The first step starts today.

R A Dickey throws 1 hitter for Buffalo Bisons

35 year old RA Dickey was amazing tonight in Buffalo. He threw a 1 hitter tonight for the Bisons. He gave up a lousy single to lead off the game and then goes on to retire the next 27 batters of the Durham Bulls!

Dickey retired the Bulls on 90 pitches as the 12-9 Bisons won 4-0.

Congratulations to the Knuckleballer.

Bay and Wright finally wake up during Mets 7 game win streak. Mets offensive stats during win streak.

Mets have a 7 game winning streak as they head to a weekend series with Philly. Of course having Jason Bay and David Wright warming up as helped as well as the Rook Davis. The Mets as a team have raised there batting average to .240. Checking out who has been hot during the win streak are the guys you expect to produce.


Well if you take a look the 4,5,6 hitters in the Mets lineup they have being doing there job including rookie 1st baseman Ike Davis. Davis leads the regulars with a batting average of .400 which include 3 doubles and his first home major league home run. Which was more like a blast last Friday. Davis has a on base percentage of .480 over the last 7 games.


Wright has averaged a run batted in per game over the last 7 Mets wins along with a batting average of .348

The 66 Million dollar man Jason Bay has been hitting .333 over the Mets winning streak with his first Met home run, 2 triples, 2 doubles and 5 rbi’s as well as 5 runs scored.

Everyones punching bag Luis Castillo is hitting .286 with an on base percentage of .444 which includes 4 walks

Jose Reyes leads the team with 8 runs scored in the 3 slot in the order and is hitting .280

Frenchie came out of his slump and was batting .273 while the Mets piled on 7 wins.

Look for Daniel Murphy to supplant Smithtown’s Frank Catalanotto

Don’t expect Murphy to be the first baseman when he returns from his DL stint. Ike Davis will be the everyday first baseman unless he starts hitting like the Braves rookie Heywood who was on the bench yesterday and has 1 hit in his last 23 at bats for the reeling Atlanta Braves who have now lost 8 in a row.

Daniel is back to running this week and just started taking reps this week in the batting cage. At some point he will be pushed into some games down in St Lucie. Then when he is ready to return look for him to replace Frank Catalanotto as the lefty off the bench. Frank has done nothing so far this year.

There is chatter that fans want him to work at second base so he can replace Castillo. I do not see that happening right now. His bat is needed even if he just a pinch hitter. Fans hate Castillo but he continues to get on base.

Mets Sweep Dodgers With 7-3 Victory

The Mets got a much needed disciplined outing from John Maine. Maine, who has looked like a sinking ship thus far this season, provided his best performance to complete the Mets sweep of the Dodgers.

Maine gave up three runs in six innings, striking out 9, walking three, and allowing four hits. He only had one bad inning, which was the fifth when he allowed a 2 run HR to Russell Martin. Aside from that, Maine was clutch.

David Wright continued his hot hitting by going 2-4 scoring a run.

Francoeur had a key two out double to knock in a run.

Throughout the game, the Mets, as they have of late, picked up runners in scoring position. The picked up RBI's with two outs; Pagan, Francoeur, Cora, and Davis all drove in runs with two outs.

A great finish to a great homestand. Mets are off tomorrow, and will open a three game series against their arch rival, and nemesis, Philadelphia.

Sources: CBS Sportsline, ESPN

Mets vs Dodgers Matinee Lineup April 28th, 2010

Mets have a day game where they can go for a sweep of the Dodgers. They can win 3 games in less the 24 hours time. Right now the Mets are in first place. .5 game up on the Phillies who play the Giants on the West Coast later today. No off day for Wright after his base path clearing triple last night. Castillo takes a breather. What ailment will sideline John Maine today? Lineup below for the 1:10 pm start.

Pagan cf
Cora 2b
Reyes ss
Bay lf
Wright 3b
Davis 1b
Francoeur rf
Barajas c
Maine p

Is this the same Mets team that was 4-8?

Ok what gives here. 9 games ago the Mets had just finished there first road trip and were sitting at 4-8 and every one wanted Manager Jerry’s neck. They also wanted the Mets to bring up Ike Davis and do something with dead arm John Maine.

Well 9 games later everyone seems to be doing the snoopy dance as the Mets wake up this morning in … dare I say it First Place!!!! Ok yeah I will temper my joy but hey its better 9-12. Today they go for the sweep against the Dodgers and we can finish the homestand 9-1 . Which would match the best homestand the Mets had since 1988.

Ok so the Cubs ,Braves, and Dodgers are not the cream of the crop. Well the Cubs went on to beat up on the Brewers after they left Citi. The Braves were a team lot of teams picked to contend. There just not hitting. The Dodgers bullpen is horrible I will give you that.. Ok so what has changed with the Mets.

12 games in a row the starters have not given up more then 3 runs a start. Jason Bay has been warming up finally . He has hit a couple of doubles, triples and finally hit one out last night.

Mets have been getting key 2 out hits. Just look at Nuke last night. A bases clearing triple to right center.

When they make errors it doesn’t cost them the game . Like last nights brain fart by Angel Pagan on a ball hit between him and Bay in the 9th inning. I loved Bays reaction to it.

Also look at Henry Blanco taking the extra base last night on a ball hit to centerfield. That was outstanding. Great read on Kemps non hustle to the ball.

Mets are 3 games over .500. The Mets are playing like a team with a purpose. Keep it up boys.

Looky Here!

After the Mets swept the double-header from the Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants did the Mets a solid by beating the Phillies 6-2 out in San Fran.

With the loss, the Phillies dropped to 2nd place, a 1/2 game behind THE METS!

You read right...the team that at one point was 4-8 is now 12-9 and in first place.

The Mets-Dodgers series ends this afternoon, and after an off day tomorrow, the Mets travel to the City Of Cheesesteaks, to take on the Phillies. Could make for an interesting weekend.

I know it's early, and the NL East division lead can change a dozen times or so between now and the end of the season, but it is fun to see them playing well. Even Nuke LaLoosh (aka David Wright) had a good set of games yesterday.

I along with all Mets fans will enjoy this moment. Hopefully this can be the start of something special.

Mets sweep Dodgers 4-0 and 10-5: close in on 1st place

What a difference a home stand makes. The Mets behind 6 innings from Santana and yes a home run from Jason Bay and a clutch 2 rbi single by every ones Met who they wanted traded Luis Castillo beat the hapless Dodgers 4-0 in Game 1

The old Ollie was back for game 2 who only lasted 3 and 2/3 innings . That didnt matter since the Mets scored 3 in the first and then just lit up the Dodgers bullpen. David Wright had a bases loaded triple while Ike Davis plated a couple with a double as the Mets beat the Dodgers 10-5 in the night cap.

Takahashi had another great relief outing pitching 3 and 1/3 innings while giving up 1 run and striking out 5

The Mets are 8-1 on this homestand and have a 6 game winning streak heading into Wednesday's contest with the Dodgers.

If the Phillies lose out west to the Giants the Mets and Phillies will be tied for 1st place in the division.

Pic Source Reuters.

The Fans Have Voted: Time To Retire #17

As I posted back on April 18, 2010, the Mets should retire #17 in honor of their Captain, Keith Hernandez.

As I stated in the post, the Mets could have the special night on June 6th - which is the last home date the Mets have before June 15, which 27 years before, was the date they acquired Hernandez, and he changed the face of the franchise.

After that post, we ran a poll, and an overwhelming 73% agreed that his #17 should be retired. I was shocked that there was an astounding 26% that said no. I wonder how many, if any, of the 26% that voted actually saw Hernandez play.

As has been noted, Keith was the best. End of story. He isn't Albert Pujols, no, but in all of Pujols greatness, he wasn't a fraction of the 1B Hernandez was.

Hernandez was a key cog on two different World Series Championship teams; the 1982 Cardinals and the 1986 Mets.

Hernandez, like his former teammate Ozzie Smith, re-invented the position. Where Smith didn't really re-invent the SS position, he was acrobatic and could track down any ball. Ozzie is in the Hall.

Hernandez re-defined the position - where it wasn't the big fat guy who couldn't move, who played there.

He invented how to field the bunt as a 1B. No one was better.

No one was better on the 3-6-3 double play. No one could guard the line like Keith.

No one commanded the respect like Keith.

Time for Fred & Jeff Wilpon, along with Omar Minaya to not only give Keith his due, but his day.

The fans have spoken.

Mets Lineup Game 1 of DH V. Dodgers - April 27, 2010

Thanks to Adam Rubin for today's game 1 lineup:

1. Angel Pagan, CF
2. Luis Castillo, 2B
3. Jose Reyes, SS
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. David Wright, 3B
6. Ike Davis, 1B
7. Gary Matthews Jr., RF
8. Rod Barajas, C
9. Johan Santana, LHP

Jeff Francoeur is getting the first game off this afternoon. Manuel hasn't released the lineup for game 2, but it is expected he will be back in RF.

Could be interesting to see if the Dodgers challenge Matthews arm in RF. Francoeur has been solid in throwing runners out this season. Will Dodgers try and take advantage of RF in Francoeur's absence?

Let's Play Two!

To quote the immortal Ernie Banks, "Let's Play Two!"

With last night's game between the Mets and Dodgers being postponed due to rain last night, they, according to Kevin Burkhardt, are scheduled to play a double header today starting at 4:00.

Kudos to the Mets catchers Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco

They kind of fall by the wayside at times but the Mets made some moves this off season that shouldnt be over looked. They dumped catcher Brian Schneider and let the Phillies sign him. Smart move. Even smarter was the catcher signings of Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco.

These 2 catchers who have some pop in there bat have really helped the Mets pitchers. Blanco has done a great job with Pelfrey . Pelfrey has even said that he has helped immensely with talking about upcoming batters between innings and even in his last start against the Braves he worked with Pelfrey getting out of some tough jams.

Barajas has been able to work with head case Ollie Perez and get him really chimed in on 1 of his starts. Look for him to possibly work with Ollie in tonight's back end of the double header.

Blanco, when it comes to rifling runners out at second, right now is 4 for 4 in catcher would be base stealers. In catchers that have caught over 30 innings he is the only one that does not have a successful steal against him. Another stat that is over looked at times is passed balls. The Mets catchers have 0 passed balls. I remember Schneider last year had 2-3 on the first 10 days.

Sometimes its the defense behind the plate that can make a huge difference on a team and so far it shows with Barajas and Blanco .

Mets game rained out.

Oh boy guess Ollie cant lost tonight.Mets will play a single admission double header on tuesday with the first game starting at 4pm. Look for Santana to start game 1 and Ollie for game 2.

This might make it possible for the Mets to have Santana to pitch on sunday against Roy Halladay and the Phillies if the Mets skip Ollie.

Met game still on as of now. Lineup Mets vs Dodgers April 26th 2010

The Dodgers supporting so far a 2-4 road trip come to town to face the Mets for the first time in 2010. Dodgers are right now under .500 at 8-10 in fourth place under Joe Torre.

Pagan has scored only 1 run since being inserted in the # 1 spot in the lineup . Weather is iffy for tonight’s game so check 718 507 Rain for updates.

Some of the Mets enjoy facing Kuroda who has a ERA over 10 and 2 loses against the Metsies. No Fenchie tonight. Strike out extraordinaire Gary Matthews Jr gets the start. What Ollie will we see tonight?

Jose Reyes .600, 1 RBI, 5 AB
David Wright .571, 3 RBI 7 AB
Gary Matthews Jr. .500, 4 AB
Luis Castillo .333, 2 RBI, 6 AB

Mets lineup tonight is

Pagan,
Castillo,
Reyes,
Bay,
Wright,
Davis,
Matthews
Barajas,
Perez


Source –Adam Rubin ESPN NY

Citi Field where homers go to die

Ok so now at least I have seen it in person. Rod Barajas, Jeff Francoueur, Jason Bay, David Wright. Over the last couple of games the Mets have seen some massive shots off the bats of these players with home runs expected as they past first only to have them motor into 2nd with a double.

The other night Frenchie hit a home run, I mean a double that was about 15.5 feet up the 16 foot fence in left field. The next inning he was in right field having a conversation about it with the bullpen catcher Rachinelli instead of warming up his arm. Bay hit one the other day that hit off the base of the wall. Ok so maybe that was more due to it being cold and it might have gone out mid summer.

The bottom line is we have to get used to seeing these moon shots falling for doubles and triples instead of home runs. Check out our latest poll and let us know how many homers you think Citi has cost us this homestand.

Mets get the brooms out against the Braves and win 1-0

Ok so it was not a 9 inning game. Pelfrey had to use 61 pitches to get out of the first 2 innings and the Braves are not hitting on all cylinders. None the less, the Mets won last night in a rain shortened game 1-0.

Pelfrey was not as sharp as usual but he did get the sinker working at least to get the Braves to hit into double plays that limited the damage to 0 runs against big Pelf in 6 innings. The Mets are now 6-1 on this home stand and will now have the Dodgers for 3, who are reeling. They lost yesterday to Scott Olsen and the Nationals 1-0. No Manny since he is on the DL and the pitching for the Dodgers has been spotty at best lately. They are under .500 at this point in the season.

The Mets after the sweep are just 1.5 games behind the Phillies who lost to the D backs yesterday in a slug fest in Arizona.

Mets send Ollie Perez to the mound tonight against Hiroki Kuroda who is 2-0 in 3 starts. He gave up 6 runs and lasted 5 plus innings in his last start in a game against the Reds in a Dodger 14-6 win.

A Look At The Mets Hall Of Fame

On Friday night, Long Island Met Fan and I had the pleasure of watching the Mets beat the Braves 5-2.

Before getting to our seats, we were anxious and excited to check out the much bally-hooed and long over-due Mets Hall Of Fame.

I was fortunate enough to have a digital video camera, and was able to take a video of the Hall. Please be aware that this isn't the greatest of quality, but you are able to get a sense of the room that houses our Mets heroes of a bygone era.

JaKobs Added To Buffalo Roster

Mike JaKobs has accepted and been added to the Mets AAA affiliate, Buffalo Bisons, roster.

As tweeted by Adam Rubin, Buffalo has "Officially" added JaKobs to the roster. We don't know what this will mean for Chris Carter, who has been doing pretty well this year. Will JaKobs be the starter, or will he come off the bench?

It's amazing how far this guy has plummeted in the last two years.

Mets and a 3 game winning streak

Ok its just 3 games but a week ago the Mets were 4-8 and everyone wanted Manager Jerry's head. Now the Mets, winners 5 of there last 6 and holding on to a 3 game winning streak, go into tonight's game with the chance to go over .500 for the first time in 2010.

Now not sure if the game will get played but if it does Pelfrey takes the mound. Now the Braves have there own issues of late. There 25 in the league in hitting, with a team batting average of .227 while the Mets are at .230.

What has changed over the last 7 days for the Mets. Well playing 2 teams that are floundering surely helped there confidence. The fact they have scored 29 runs averaging a little of 4 runs per game has helped. bay and Davis are hitting .350 over the last week and even Reyes has been hitting over .300 in that time span. In contrast the braves have scored 14 runs in there last 6 games.

In the last 7 games the Mets are 5-2 with a ERA of just 2.61 as a staff. They have given up 58 hits in 62 innings but there walks lead the league and had 36 walks in there last 7 games which is meaning there averaging a dreadful 5 walks per game!

Of course the Mets have the Manny less Dodgers coming in starting on Monday. The Dodgers took off from where they were last year and are hitting .271. So Bay, who has not been striking out the last couple of games needs to keep hitting .

John Maine whats wrong now?

Well you werent sure what to expect with Maine tonight but he actually had a good inning in the first. That of course didnt last long since John Maine left tonight's start after 3 2/3 innings due to muscle spasms and pain in his left elbow.

Yes his non throwing elbow. This happened to him back in 2008 as well. Thankfully Hisanori Takahashi, had seven strikeouts in 3 innings of relief work .


Maine is day to day at this point. This guy is a train wreck and maybe its just time to call it a day with him in the rotation.

Mets Open Weekend Series Against Atlanta...My Take

Tonight begins a three game home series for the Mets against the Braves.

As my colleague, Long Island Met Fan, so eloquently informed us, it is expected that Jose Reyes will bat in the three hole starting tonight. General Manuel's logic is simple: The troika of Wright, Bay, and Francoeur has been anemic. Although both Nuke LaLoosh and Francoeur had RBI's in last night's game, these three together have struck out too much, and have failed miserably in the clutch.

I have stated in the past that Reyes is a premiere lead-off hitter, and it is inconceivable to bat him in the third position. One thing I will give Manuel, he feels he has to do something to wake this impotent offense, and for that, I will give him his due.

But, using that same mentality, why then is John Maine still in this starting rotation? We had a poll up last week where the majority of the fans, over 35% believed he should be removed from the rotation. A close second and third believed he should be sent to the minors or to the bull pen. Maine, although his fastball hit 90-91 MPH on Sunday night's debacle, he still is getting hit hard and walking too many batters. It's time to send Maine to the minors to work out the kinks, a la Bobby J Jones and Steve Trachsel. It worked well for both pitchers, and could do the same for Maine.

Speaking of Maine, Long Island Met Fan and I have the "pleasure" of seeing Maine pitch in tonight's game against the Braves. This will be our first venture to Gil Hodges Memorial Park, er Citi Field this season. Hopefully Maine can find a little something in the tank to defeat the Braves, who are being led by a rookie off to an incredible start, Jason Heyword.

This series is important for the Mets. After losing 2/3 of their games until this week, the Flushing Fab have battled back to within 2 games of .500. If they take 2 of three against Atlanta, not only will they attain the .500 mark, but they will have gotten off to a good start against the once formidable club that dominated this team over the last 15 years.

We are looking forward to tonight's game, but more importantly, tonight will go a long way in determining what kind of season we can expect from John Maine. Let's hope he proves me wrong.

Lets Go Mets!

Reyes batting 3rd starts friday night at Citi Field?

Looks like the Mets lack of hitting as made Manager Jerry make a move with the batting order starting friday. Mr Rubin is reporting that the Mets will send Jose Jose Jose Reyes to the 3rd spot in the order starting with Friday's night action with the Braves in front of the 66M dollar man Jason Bay.

What this does for Jason Bay who added to his total of strikeouts last night means he will hopefully see more fastballs. The Mets need him to get going so they can ride his shoulders for a couple of weeks while Beltran is out.

I am not a big fan of this move. I think Reyes is a # 1 hitter and maybe I can see him batting 2nd with Pagan batting first but not 3rd. Also Manager Jerry had mentioned that he would like to put a lefty in between the 3 righties.

Can tonights lineup be something like. Pagan,Castillo,Reyes,Bay,Wright,Davis,Francoueur,Barajas,Maine?

Just a note about seeing fastballs. Bay has seen plenty of fastballs he is just missing them or not swinging at them.

Of course the lineup could be just the same as always. Which means look for the buzz kill twins of Wright and Bay to kill a rally or 2.

Jake Clears Waivers - Shuffling Off To Buffalo

According to Adam Rubin, Mike Jacobs has cleared waivers (surprise, surprise) and will report to AAA Buffalo.

He will report on Sunday when the Bisons play Pawtucket.

The Big question becomes: what happens with Chris Carter? He has played well, probably should have made the Mets, and now with JaKobs in Buffalo, will that move Carter to the bench?

Mets Lineup V. Cubs April 22, 2010

Here is tonight's lineup thanks to Kevin Burkhardt:

SS Reyes
2B Castillo
3B Wright
LF Bay
RF Francoeur
1B Davis
C Barajas
CF Pagan
P Santana

After the speculation if Manuel would try to split up the troika of Wright, Bay, and Francoeur, Manuel has decided to stick with the three coldest batters back-to-back-to-back. The Mets will need Johan and the offense at their best...

April 22nd - This Date In Mets History

Do you believe in Karma? Can't say that I do, but for those of you who might, here is some history for you:

On this date in 1970, Tom Seaver struck out 19 Padres to tie an NL record. More impressively, he struck out the last 10 batters he faced in the Mets 2-1 victory. To say Seaver was dominant is an understatement. Not only 19 batters for the game, but the last 10 in a row!

Fast Forward to April 22, 2010 - can some of this Karma rub off on Johan tonight against the Cubs? Lets hope so. The Mets can salvage this series against the Cubs with a victory tonight. That would be nice heading into the weekend series against the Braves.

It would be great to have some of the Tom Terrific Magic rub off on Johan and the Mets tonight.

Sources: Baseball Almanac, Metsmerized Online

Quotes from Mets Manager Jerry Manuel

I am sure at this point Manager Jerry is a bit frustrated by the lack of production out of the Mets big hitters Bay and Wright. Now of course Francoeur is in a 0 for twenty slump as well.

Some of his thoughts after last nights game.

He does not feel fatigue is an issue for Bay, Francoeur or Wright, though a mental break could be help them. Will Manager Jerry give them a day off probably not.

He will likely break up the three-consecutive right-handed hitters, in Bay, Wright and Francoeur, the next time they face a right-handed pitcher. Which wont be tonight since they will face a lefty. Wright crushes lefties. He just seems lost. Not sure if he is pressing or what. There are times where if he would just dump a ball off the plate into right field. That is how he usually recovered from slumps in the past.

In regards to breaking the 3 of them up, Does that mean we will see Reyes or Pagan 3rd and have Davis bat behind Bay? Or please don’t tell me he is planning to have Davis bat 4th.


Have to love this quote from Manager Jerry regarding Ike Davis.

"He looks like he knows what he’s doing at first base, ‘He has a nice way about him as a baseball player.’" Can anyone tell me what the heck this means? When was nice a comment that described a players ability? Hey Wright nice error you had last night. Hey Gary Matthews Jr nice strike out you had pinch hitting.

Done on the Farm -Thole-Tejada-F Mart

The Bisons are holding there own up in Buffalo after a disastrous 2009 campaign. The Bisons added career minor league slugger Mike Hessman this year to there lineup and he leads the Bisons with 4 dingers and 13 rbi's as the Bison have a 6-7 record so far this season.

Mets prospect catcher Josh Thole had had a rough start batting just .143 in 9 games with 1 double in 35 at bats.

Ruben Tejada, who the Mets had on the big club until Reyes returned, has been slow to get going with Buffalo. He is hitting .167 in 36 at bats 2 doubles and 2 runs scored.

F Mart has picked it up of late . He is hitting .275 with 1 homer and 4 rbi's. He has been pretty aggressive down there. In 51 at bats he still is looking for his first walk.

On the pitching front Dillion Gee has not let up a run in 13 innings while striking out 12 and walking only 1 and is 2-0.

Lefty Misch has a ERA of 2.76 after 3 starts but has no decisions.

Parnell has been in 5 games so far with a ERA over 6. He has been pretty wild walking 7 in 5+ innings.

Mets Lineup V. Cubs April 21, 2010

Adam Rubin has posted tonight's Mets lineup:

SS Reyes
2B Castillo
3B Wright
LF Bay
RF Francoeur
1B Davis
C Barajas
CF Pagan
P Perez.

Ryota Igarashi heads to DL :Mets call up Manny Acosta

The Mets have sent for former Brave Manny Acosta to join them at Citi Field as they place
Ryota Igarashi placed on DL with hamstring issue steming from last nights attempt at picking up bunt.

The right-hander was 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA in 36 games with Atlanta last season over 37 1/3 innings. Mets picked him up when the Braves released him this spring

He is 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA in five relief appearances with the Bisons.

Kiko Calero was one of the last cuts this spring in Mets camp so Acosta must have jumped him during the first couple weeks of the season.

update 4-22**** He was awful in his first apperance. Acosta's line in last nights 9-3 loss to the Cubs*****

3 runs 2 hits 1 home run 3 strikeout and 2 walks in 1 and 1/3 innings.

Welcome Back Jose!

Jose Reyes is back. Although his first game this season was on April 10th, the real Jose didn't appear until last night. Reyes had been oh for his last 18 entering last night.



Not only was he not hitting well, what was missing was Jose's exuberance; his big smile, the hand claps, the crazy hand-shakes - all were missing. So were the triples. Last night Reyes was 4-5 with two RBI. He also hit his first triple of the regular season - something we should see much more of from Jose at Gil Hodges Memorial Park, er Citi Field.

Wright still looks terrified on any pitch, especially the curveball, that is thrown inside. Bay is still struggling a bit. Both men are striking out too much. The Mets need both men, but the Mets go as Jose goes

This why Jose must bat lead off. We must not forget, this is Jose's Spring Training. He was shelved due to his over-active thyroid. What compounds that is that Reyes hadn't played in a pro game since May 2009. We had to realize it would take a little time for the rust to wear off.

What was so disconcerting was Jose's smile was gone. He looked slow afoot, slow with the bat, and he looked lost.

Last night that all changed. Jose is back. He smiled, he hit. He won't go 4-5 every night, no, but I believe last night was Jose's coming out party. With Wright and Bay having difficulties now and Beltran out until who-knows-when, it is imperative that Jose is hot.

He was last night. Hopefully it is the start of a great season for the Mets LEADOFF HITTER!

Photos courtesy of CBS Sportsline.

No Carlos Beltran until at least June

Our Centerfielder who didnt get knee surgery right after the 2009 season but waited until early in 2010, Carlos Beltran was examined yesterday by the doctors who performed offseason surgery on his right knee in Vail, Colo. While they noted he's "making progress" in his rehabilitation, Beltran still has not been cleared to resume running or other baseball activities. According to mutiple sources

No one really thought Beltran would be back before mid May but in the last couple of weeks news about Beltran seem to be the same. That there waiting for him to be cleared for baseball activities. The Doctor visit this week was expected as part of the rehab process.

Look for Angel Pagan to get the bulk of the starts in Centerfield since he is hitting and Gary Matthews is just striking out every chance he gets.

When asked about a timetable Omar's response was ....."with that being said"

As The Reserve Turns...These Are The DFA Of Our Lives...

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Mike Jacobs is "giving mixed signals about whether he'd accept assignment to AAA. On waivers now. If he clears, can become FA."

I have a difficult time believing he will be claimed. Granted, his salary isn't that bad, the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, but he had a poor 2009 and 2010 has not shown any promise.

The interesting thing will be if he clears waivers, will the Mets assign him to AAA? They do have Chris Carter, who after a solid spring, is deserving of a chance.

Stay tuned for the on-going soap opera we know as Mike Jacobs...

Mets line up game 2 Mets vs Cubs April 20th, 2010

The Mets and rookie Ike Davis face the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano in game 2 of 4 tonight at Citi Field-Aka Shea Nu. Look for Ike's father Ron to get some tv time
since he will be in the crowd I am sure as a guest of the Mets.

Here are how the Mets have faired against Zambrano .Carlos is 1-1 with a ERA over 9 so far this year. He is lifetime 4-2 against the Mets and 3.71 ERA- Thanks to Mr Rubin for the stats.

Luis Castillo .529, 1 RBI, 17 AB
Angel Pagan .500, 6 AB
Jason Bay .359, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 39 AB
Jeff Francoeur .227, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 22 AB
David Wright .167, 3 RBI, 18 AB
Jose Reyes .167, 18 AB

Mets lineup tonight is

Reyes,
Castillo
Wright
Bay
Francoueur
Ike Davis
Pagan
Blanco
Pelfrey

Breaking News Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez suspended 50 games

According to Jon Heymans twitter feed Reds pitcher edinson volquez suspended 50 games for PEDs.

He has been on the DL and had Tommy John Surgery in Aug of 2009.

Story is breaking as we speak.

check out SI.com

Mets flashback April 20th, 1967 Tom Seaver earns first victory against the Cubs!

Ok this is slightly ironic if you ask me. On this date Mets HOF pitcher Tom Seaver won his first game of his career against the Cubs. Get this, the score was 6-1.

He did have a start previously that he had a no decision against the Pirates earlier in ’67 season.

Seaver went 7 + innings against the Cubs at Shea in front of less then 6,000 people.

Ike gets his first rbi and hit of his career against the Cubs on the 19th in a 6-1 victory and 43 years before Mets great Tom Seaver win his first on the 20th against the same team and same score. Now of course I am not comparing the two players but it has to mean something!

Noting like a little acid flashback to begin your afternoon!

Mets ranking offensively –pitching and defense.

Since everyone loves numbers, I have the Mets rankings in some of the major categories after 13 games. The Mets are 5-8 after 13 games this year and we all see that there hitting is a major part of the reason there only have 5 wins.

So far this season the Mets are hitting a paltry .228 which is 26th in the Majors. Frenchie and Pagan lead the team with averages of .327 and .297 . No one else who is a regular is hitting over .260. The Mets are 21st in On base percentage at .318

They are tied for 13th in runs scored and tied for 9th in the Majors with 10 homers. The Astros have the fewest with 3.

As a team the Mets have been struck out 104 times which is 4th in the league-Bay has been struck out 19 times in 49 at bats. Wright 16 in 44 at bats and Gary Matthews Jr has struck out 44% of his at bats. He really has been pretty useless in the Mets first 13 games.

They are near the top in walks with 58 There defense has been pretty good so far with 8 errors which makes them tied for 5th in the majors. The Twins incredibly only have 1 error!!!

They rank 5th in pitching with a team ERA of .3.50. The Cardinals lead the majors with a ERA of only 2.42


Source MLB.com

Highlights of Ike Davis's first day in the show as a Major leaguer

It must be a pretty awesome feeling to start your day ready to play a triple a game and end your day getting Pie in the face as the Mets new slugger played in Queens and helped the Mets beat the Cubbies 6-1.

He had planned to play against the Scranton Yankees yesterday and even took BP. He was suppose to hit 4th for the Bisons.

Around 12:10 yesterday he learned he was going to the show. Since his father Ron was in Arizona he wouldn't be able to make his first game but he will be there for tonight's game.

The Bisons pulled him from there lineup around 12:25 . He then had to fly to Queens .

When the news got out that Davis was going to be called up the airwaves went buzzing with chatter about how it was about time he was brought up.

With the Mets having no production out of the 1st base position I can understand the move. Daniel Murphy is just starting to hit the ball off the tee so he is still a couple of weeks away. Now who knows if he will have a position.

Davis arrived at Citi Field around 4:30 to find he would be wearing # 29 after tonight's tributer to JRobinson and batting sixth in tonight's game against the Cubs.

He has a quick press conference to talk about how nervous he his etc. Just wants to help the ball club.

He does alot of hugging with the Mets coaches and of course Frenchie gets to him and bust his chops.

Mets take the field and there is Mr.Davis chumming it up with the first base umpire around 7:10pm

Sees his first breaking ball around 7:35 and gets his first hit on the 6th pitch of his 1st at bat!!

Later he gets his first major league RBI as the Mets beat the Cubs 6-1.

Davis does a post game interview and his welcome to NY with a pie in the face from Frenchie (check out Kevin B. losing it in the background)

Cant ask for a better way to spend your monday.Now he wakes up tuesday set to do it all again. Good Luck Ike.

pic source -daily news

Ike Davis Era Begins Tonight: Time For Mets Fans To Be Excited, But Understanding

Tonight is the night Mets fans have been waiting for since June 5, 2008 - the day they drafted Ike Davis with the #18 pick.

I feel bad for Daniel Murphy who ran into bad luck, but so did *Wally Pipp.

I along with with esteemed colleague, Long Island Met Fan, believe Davis should have been given the entire year to grow and learn, but truth being said, I am looking anxiously for the Ike Davis Era to begin.

One point to note though; the Mets and their fans need to be patient. Davis has not spent much time in the minors, and he might very well struggle. He also might achieve some success, but no matter what, we must be patient.

Looking back to 1988, the Mets had a can't miss stud. He played third base, but when brought up, after the All Star break in '88, was moved to 2B. He hit like a Hall Of Famer, and helped the Mets finish off the rest of the NL East in their inevitable clinching of the NL East title.

All was great. All was wonderful. He wasn't ready. He replaced a fan favorite in Wally Backman, but by his second year, he was merely average, and was quoted as questioning rhetorically, "Why am I here. I don't know what I'm doing here..."


Gregg Jefferies had a respectable career, but it didn't even scratch the surface of what the Mets and their fans were anticipating. I don't want the same sequel to Gregg Jefferies with Ike Davis. Manuel, as well as Minaya and the Mets, need to monitor this young man carefully.

If Spring Training was any showing of what might lie before us, we might have the 1B that teams will envy. That being said, we need to temper our excitement with understanding and a sense of caution.

Daniel Murphy started his pro career as a .320 hitter, and by the time 2009 had finished, he wasn't a .300 hitter.

To Ike Davis: Enjoy Tonight. This is something that the majority of young boys dream about.

To Mets Fans: Be patient and understanding. But, enjoy tonight. It could be the start of something special.

To Jerry, Omar, and the Wilpon's: Be careful. This could be a great move, or one that not only haunts the Mets for years, but destroys a young mans career.

Metsfan73 wishes the best for Mr. Davis. I hope he is the reincarnation of Keith Hernandez. He will wear #42 tonight, but 29 normally. Just like another can't miss prospect, Dave Magadan.

* Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp when Pipp claimed to be ill and asked out of lineup. Gehrig went on to play in 2,130 consecutive games.

Source: LoHud.com

Ike Davis in lineup tonight. Mets vs Cubs April 19th, 2010

Ike Davis will make his much awaited major league debut tonight and bat 6th. Jose Reyes gets a much needed breather since he looked pretty tired yesterday. He was behind the fastball all last night.

A quote from Manager Jerry regarding Mr Davis " I don’t see him as a savior, I see him as a compliment.”

The Cubs are in a slump themselves and Sweet Lou will rearrange his lineup to help jump start the Cubbies who are 5-7 .

The Cubs send Randy Wells who is 1-0 this year. After allowing six hits in six innings of a 2-0 win in Atlanta in his season debut, Wells gave up four runs and 10 hits with seven strikeouts in Wednesday's 7-6 home win over Milwaukee, but didn't get a decision. Wells pitched against the Mets last year allowing 2 runs on seven hits in 6 innings.

Pagan-CF
Castillo-2B
Wright-3B
Bay-LF
Francoeur-RF
Ike Davis-1B
Barajas-C
Cora-SS
Niese-P

David Wright needs to remember Manager Jerry’s drill about hitting curveballs.

It is like the old bugs bunny cartoon. 1-2-3 strikes your out. Of course there might be a foul ball in there but David Wright has to realize that pitchers have his number.

During the Rockies series I began to notice that pitchers have a plan with Mr “Nuke” at the plate. How many times have we seen David flinch when there is a breaking pitch thrown to him where his entire body basically steps away from the pitch. I understand he is under self preservation mode in regards to the beaning he took last year from Giants pitcher Matt Cain.

Now though pitchers are using this against him . They might throw him a breaking pitch to start off the at bat and then throw him a fastball that he seems to be late on and fouls it off. Then they either waste a pitch or just drop in a curveball and poof Wright is out. Of course the Cardinals have 2 pitchers that know how throw some nasty curveballs in Carpenter and Wainwright.

David needs to change his approach and quick or its going to be a pattern for every team that pitchers against him Maybe he needs Manager Jerry to throw him some curveballs and knock them to right field.

Wright maybe needs some pointers from Pagan who made an in game adjustment last night and knock a curveball to left. Wright needs to stop flinching and start hitting

Ike Davis removed from Buffalo lineup-Being Called up to the Show at Citi Field tonight!

Now via Kevin Burkhardt twitter feed Ike Davis has been removed from the lineup at Buffalo and will be at Citi Field tonight.


KBurkhardtSNY
Mets have made Ike Davis move official. Roster move to come tonight.

Ike Davis Watch- In lineup today at Buffalo call up might have to wait until Tuesday

According to AdamRubinESPN Ike Davis is in today’s lineup in for the Bisons. That means the Mets more then likely wont be calling him up today.


********1230 update Ike removed from Buffalo Bisons lineup! Coming up today!

Rubin Mentions by calling him up tomorrow would push back free agency a year, but he'd still be a Super Two .

Ike Davis had 2 hits yesterday and is (.348, 8-23) in his last 7 games with 2 dingers.

The Mets bullpen has been taxed but they only through 12 pitches last night besides Stoner.

So that means we will be subjected to another night of no production out of our 1st baseman in our game against the Cubbies tonight.

Mets lineup tonight no Jason Bay - Mets vs Cardinals April 18th, 2010

Tonight with the Mets playing in the National game on ESPN you want here alot of chatter on the move the Mets made today and what it means for Ike Davis. Jason Bay gets a day off after 0-7 and 4 strikeout performance yesterday. With Mike Jacobs gone, Frank Catalanatto gets the start at first base. Ike Davis might be on his way to the majors before the week is out.

Reyes,
Cora
Wright
Catalanatto
Francoeur
Matthews
Barajas
Pagan
Maine

Mets Designate Mike Jacobs-Ike Davis not far behind

Thanks to Adam Rubin at ESPN NY - The Mets have designated Mike Jacobs for assignment to make room for Tobi Stoner who was called up from AAA Buffalo.

I guess Alex Cora's defense last night was enough for the Mets to believe they can do without Jacobs terrible defense and anemic offense. Wonder what Jerry is going to do without having a lefthanded hitting 1B...unless Catalonotto gets some reps at first.

update ***Look for Ike Davis to possibly be on the team later this week** Mets need a first baseman. Daniel Murphy is not ready.***

check out our Monday update on Ike Davis-

What's Mex Jeff? Here Is An Idea

We have pounded Mets ownership in this space in the past. We did credit the team on the new stadium, but wanted more Mets Memories on display.

Voila! The Mets Hall Of Fame.

I personally have hammered this ownership for their lack of a sense of history, and now this August, they will enshrine Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Frank Cashen, and Davey Johnson in the Mets Hall Of Fame. All men are well deserving of this honor.

Attendance has been rather disappointing at Gil Hodges Memorial Park, er Citi Field. Here is an idea to not only draw fans, but appease them.

On June 6, 2010 retire #17 and emblazon the OF wall with #17 Hernandez.

This is long over due. I will personally guarantee the Wilpons a sell out crowd on that Sunday.

Why June 6th? Easy. It is the last weekend home game before June 15, which will mark the 27th anniversary of the Mets acquiring Hernandez from St. Louis for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

Secondly, they are playing arch rival Florida. What better fan pump, as well as team pump than to finally recognize, celebrate, and honor the man known as Mex?

Can you imagine Hernandez addressing the crowd and offer that intensity that made him Captain? To quote Benigno, it would be "Stellar"

The man who single-handedly taught a young group of talented ballplayers how to not only play, but how to win, which culminated with a World Championship in 1986.

Remember in Houston with Hernandez on second base glaring at Strawberry, who was batting, and tapping his right shoulder - instructing Straw to keep his front shoulder in? Strawberry's front shoulder was opening up too quickly, thus diminishing Straw's power. For Davey Johnson, he was a manager on the field.

Just ask Darryl. Just ask Ron Darling. Jesse Orosco. Keith was the man, and what better way to honor the Captain than by retiring his #17 so that no one will be permitted to wear it ever again?

For us old time Mets fans, seeing such ballplayers wear #17 was a disgrace:

Jeff McKnight
Brent Mayne
Mike Bordick
Kevin Appier
Dae Sung Koo
Jose Lima
Fernando Tatis

No offense to any of these players, but they aren't 17. Keith Hernandez is and always be 17 in fans hearts. Now it should be that way in Mets lore.

Time for the Wilpon's to honor the man who made the Mets respectable again. Time to retire #17.

Source: Mets By The Numbers

Stoner To The Rescue?

Adam Rubin reports that after last night's epic marathon, the Mets are expected to recall Tobi Stoner for tonight's series finale against the Cardinals. Stoner can help out in the bullpen, and might be called upon if John Maine implodes.

Maine says he has found his flaw, and will return to his former (2007) self. We'll see...

It is not known what the Mets will do to make room for Stoner. Stoner is on schedule; he is supposed to be the starter for Buffalo tonight.

**** Update: 1:05 PM ****

Adam Rubin believes that Raul Valdes might be sent down to AAA because he has options and hasn't pitched well.

Mets take 6 hours and 53 minutes to win 2-1 in 20 innings

The Mets and Cards played 20 innings yesterday of no one wants to win baseball. Wow talk about a game that would never end. The game of course takes a back seat yesterday in baseball dailys since the Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez pitched the franchises first no hitter against the Braves. Back in 1993 was the last time there was a no hitter and a 20 inning marathon on the same day which to me is really hard to believe.

The game started with a pitchers duel between Johan Santana and Jaime Garcia who both left after 7 innings.

The Mets waited until the 6th inning before Angel Pagan could get a hit. Then they would not get another hit until extra innings.

Jason Bay, Reyes and Francouer all took collars last night. Bay struck out 4 times.

You would think the Mets played the longest scoreless game in there history but they did play one longer The Mets and Astros went 23½ innings scoreless, which is a major-league record on April 15, 1968, before Houston scored to win 1-0 at the Astrodome.

The Mets bullpen did not let up a run until the 19th when K Rod having his first save opportunity of course blew it. According to K-Rod he was wiped by the time he entered yesterdays contest. Said he warmed up 10 times and threw more than 100 pitches before came in for 19th, had "dead-arm." The Mets scored 2 runs against the Cardinals position player Joe Mather. This is after shortstop Felipe Lopez pitched a scoreless 18th.

The Mets left 13 on base while the Cardinals left 22.

Mets will need Maine to go along distance sunday night since everyone in there bullpen was used in this marathon. The Mets pitchers threw 341 pitches.

Check out the box score

here

Pic source-AP

Bobby Valentine says Manager Jerry up for the task

Lots of speculation going around with the Mets starting off 3-6. My colleague here started his Jerry getting canned watch earlier today. How long will the Mets go with Manager Jerry.

According to ESPN's Bobby V "Jerry Manuel is up for the task. I think that he has a tough road…There’s no doubt about it, and he’s got to keep his head above water until his center fielder comes back and obviously has to get that pitching staff in shape."

So at this point the former Met manager is being a good solider. Honestly though the Mets would probably start with Bob Melvin if the Mets did a manager change. Bobby V more then likely would want full control of the entire roster and I do not see that happening with Omar as a GM even if he is part puppet at this point. Maybe for 2011 Valentine might be a brighter choice.

Right now I would still prefer Manager Jerry get the guys moving. It has only been 9 games.

Mets Lineup V. Cardinals April 17, 2010

Thanks to Surfing The Mets for today's lineup:

SS Reyes
2B Castillo
3B Wright
LF Bay
RF Fancoeur
1B Tatis
C Barajas
CF Pagan
P Santana

Good to see Reyes still in the leadoff spot. Hopefully Jerry won't be an abomination to managing, and let his players play, thus resulting in a Mets win.

Thanks Ollie P for getting out Albert P

On the commute to work yesterday, WFAN was doing an annoying parody directed at Mr Ollie Perez. It was horrible so i just put in a CD as I thought about what to expect from the Met pitcher in his start against the Cards and that guy Albert P. Maybe he will just give up 1 homerun.

Before the game we learned that Alberts side kick Matt Holliday would be out sick and we are like maybe they can walk Albert 4 times.

Then in the first inning last night Albert is up against Ollie P with 2 runners on and no outs and everyone is like ok its 3-0 before you know it.

What happened next was of course unexpected as Pujous hit into a 5-3 double play. It was beautiful!

Ollie was not the Ollie of old last night. He used his off speed and a splitter at times to keep the Cards off balance and always seemed in control. I remembered 1 maybe 2 pitches at most that was way outside. It was like who is this guy?

He made it into the 7th inning and faced Pujous 3 times and did not let the slugger get 1 hit after going 8 for last 16.

Thanks Oliver for giving us a chance to win. It was the bullpens fault last night in the Mets 4-3 win.

Oh and Manager Jerry, there are other pitchers in the pen sides Nieve.