First up is Angel Pagan. What a year this guy is having. He is hitting .325 with a .426 OBP(no wonder it feels like he is always on base lol). Angel got a 2 out double to drive in Valdez after Maine sacrificed him to 2b. Angel however departed later in the game due to some groin/hamstring issues after he played a double off the wall by Hanley Ramirez. We all hope he is ok as he and Castillo have been delivering a 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. Angel has done well this year subbing for Beltran and playing in LF.
Next up is Fernando Martinez. A night after he got his first ML hit, Fmart drove in Sheffield on a double. Sheffield got to second via a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Murphy(noticing a theme here ;p). Jerry put Fernando in the spot light with that play and Fmart delivered. I guess once he got the first hit out of the way, he returned to being what he is known by in Met circles as “The Teenage Hitting Machine”. Good Job Fmart as im sure this is one MUA of many to come.
Third up is Omir Santos. Just one day after Santos ran Castro out of town, he delivers what turned out to be the game winning run via a very well hit double down the left field line. Somewhere Omar Minaya is smiling. Omir is hitting a cool .273 with 3HRs and 17 RBI’s. Im sure people will view Omir as lighting in a bottle and expect him to come down to earth eventually(based off his minor league numbers) but i think we can come to expect what we have seen from Omir so far. I mean he just has such a compact swing that he will make contact at the very least. By the way, he is tied with Shef for MUA’s…This should be an interesting race between these two.
Last up is Jerry Manuel. Welcome to the National League Jerry! Todays game was won on small ball. Daniel Murphy and John Maine both executed excellent sacrifice bunts to move the runners over while Fmart and Angel drove in those runners. Jerry took a page out of bobby cox’s playbook today and called an NL style game. He also saw that Putz was not looking good on the mound and went to Bobby Parnell who did allow a run but nothing after that to keep the Mets with a lead for K-rod. Lets hope this is a game plan that Manuel will revisit more often than not this season.
38 comments
metsfan4decades
5/31/2009-6:23pm at 6:23 pm (UTC -4)
You know what’s great? Every day is a different player and/or pitcher stepping up to the plate and getting the job done to get a W.
- Look at Sheff – he probably gets my #1 vote.
- Omir – he’s done everything he could to show them he belonged on this team. Even if his hitting comes back down to earth (what he did in the minors), the youth, the energy alone is worth it. He’s not a liability anywhere right now from hitting, to running, to calling a decent game.
- Pelfry, Maine, and Livan – better and better as May went on.
- Castillo – having a much better year so far than last and the fact that he’s still standing (along with Wright) he gets +1 for that alone.
- Pagan and Reed – they’ll never be Beltran out there in center but neither one is a liability and have got some timely hits.
- Feliciano looking better than last year and Parnell – what’s not to like?
- Murph is nothing, if not dedicated. He takes nothing for granted and works his butt off.
- Even R. Martinez, after that horrendous defense in LA, picked it up big time in Boston.
I have a good feeling about this team. Just imagine when we get a healthy Beltran, Church, Reyes back…..
rustyjr
5/31/2009-6:27pm at 6:27 pm (UTC -4)
That’s the mark of a championship team – I believe razor shines when he says be knows this team will win it all
metsgirl31
5/31/2009-6:32pm at 6:32 pm (UTC -4)
I agree…and I also have a good feeling about this team. And for sure I wouldn’t have said that about last year’s team if they had the rash of injuries this year’s team has had thus far. They are showing a lot of character. This is what championship teams do. Let’s hope they keep it up this week in Pitt. and Wash.
rustyjr
5/31/2009-6:39pm at 6:39 pm (UTC -4)
Totally agree
saltygary
5/31/2009-6:42pm at 6:42 pm (UTC -4)
The way this team is playing now is a complete 180 from how they played starting the season. Maybe these injuries have been a good thing.
trs86
5/31/2009-6:53pm at 6:53 pm (UTC -4)
I think you guys are right. To lose guys this early, speaking as a coach, is a sure way to build chemistry.
rustyjr
5/31/2009-6:59pm at 6:59 pm (UTC -4)
It also keeps the reserves fresh and on their toes
wannybackstra
5/31/2009-7:07pm at 7:07 pm (UTC -4)
John Maine deserves a Man Up award for pitching six shut out innings after puking (and probably having you know what else between innings).
I really liked John’s approach today (I admittedly only saw the first few innings) of pounding the strike zone — something he does far too infrequently. Perhaps the new approach was initiated by his need to rush to the can between innings…
I am starting to feel concerned about JJ Putz. Just a few days ago I was feeling more confident in him as he had his fastball in the mid 90s. While I didn’t see his inning today — it doesn’t sound very good.
GravediggerHebner
5/31/2009-7:21pm at 7:21 pm (UTC -4)
If you click on the “stomach virus” hotlink in the Post Game post, you can see the “what else” Maine might have been having.
Totally agree he deserved a “Man Up.” So many guys did that today might just be a “Team Up.”
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-7:29pm at 7:29 pm (UTC -4)
it might be coincidental but when Santos catches, the starting pitching seems to be excellent…
gipperpdx
5/31/2009-7:44pm at 7:44 pm (UTC -4)
At what point to the “Fire Ray Ramirez!” chants start???
Overall, just a great game. Small ball, and another win from the reserves. Huge kudos to Feliciano for coming in cold and getting the job done. Putz has to be hurting, no???
rustyjr
5/31/2009-7:48pm at 7:48 pm (UTC -4)
hey gipper yer basset looks adorable – i think u might be right about putz – i just cant see it being his inability to get up for the 8th inning situation
CaseStreet
5/31/2009-8:06pm at 8:06 pm (UTC -4)
maybe he needs viagra
rustyjr
5/31/2009-8:08pm at 8:08 pm (UTC -4)
He reminds me more of a cialis kind of guy on a related note do u think Cody Ross can be the enzyte guy ?? LOL
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:22pm at 9:22 pm (UTC -4)
Damn, that one hurts Case….
gipperpdx
6/1/2009-1:30am at 1:30 am (UTC -4)
Thanks Rusty- of course the pic is from when the basset was just a small pup – he’s sixty pounds now and just shy of b-day numer 1…no way my g/f could lift him like that now!
ceetar
5/31/2009-8:09pm at 8:09 pm (UTC -4)
Manuel’s been better, because the short bench and injuries leave him few opportunities to overthink or mismanage.
He shouldn’t have sac-bunted Murphy though.
rustyjr
5/31/2009-8:11pm at 8:11 pm (UTC -4)
To quote the gym teacher from ” dazed & confused ” ” no ones paying you to think boy !!!”
rustyjr
5/31/2009-8:15pm at 8:15 pm (UTC -4)
Ceetar why about the sac bunt? Fir all we know murph coulda grounded into a inning ending double play
GravediggerHebner
5/31/2009-8:37pm at 8:37 pm (UTC -4)
I agree with Rusty, flesh out your argument. It’s hard to question moving an insurance run into scoring position in the 7th inning of a 1-run game, especially a pitcher’s duel.
ceetar
5/31/2009-8:43pm at 8:43 pm (UTC -4)
Manuel routinely puts no faith in his players. Sure, Murphy could’ve grounded out, or he could’ve grounded out and moved the runner over, or the infielders could’ve booted it. Or he could’ve gotten a hit.
Sure, it’s a pitcher’s duel, _but_ the pitcher just showed a crack, and giving him an out can just get him back into that groove. This isn’t Johan Santana on the mound, it’s basically a rookie. Take advantage, and stop selling the team short. The Mets, even with injuries, aren’t a bad offensive team. Stop acting like they can’t score. Bunting with ‘regular’ players is one of the things I’ll live with, but I hate that he gives away outs when you’re losing in the bottom of the 12th.
One of the biggest issues with this team/players over the last couple of years has been confidence. Manuel keeps doing things like this, suggesting to his players they won’t succeed. He’s the wrong guy to be managing this team.
GravediggerHebner
5/31/2009-8:57pm at 8:57 pm (UTC -4)
I think you have in the past and I’m confident you will continue in the future to make valid arguments as to why Manuel is not a good manager, and over time your continued dedication to that cause has helped me see through the jive talk and realize he’s not as good as I first thought.
But, given the depleted roster, I stand by the sac bunt in that instance, playing small ball, playing National League ball, to help win the game. Confidence is built through winning team play too.
rustyjr
5/31/2009-9:01pm at 9:01 pm (UTC -4)
Totally agree heb – and u also make valid points also ceetar I just feel that small ball was the right choice in this situation
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-9:02pm at 9:02 pm (UTC -4)
I dont think Manuel is a great in game manager either but having your .250 hitter lay down a sac bunt is not something to take issue with.
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-9:01pm at 9:01 pm (UTC -4)
I’m sorry Ceetar but this makes no sense. You say Manuel has no faith in his players but not only did Manuel have faith in Martinez and Santos driving in the run from 2nd but he had faith in Murphy to lay down the bunt.
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:11pm at 9:11 pm (UTC -4)
Gotta disagree, and pretty strongly Ceetar. Murph has barely hit anything in forever, and maybe asking him to sacrifice in that situation WAS putting him in a situation where he could succeed and build confidence, and help the team, which he did. And the sac bunt led to the winning runs.
Jerry makes some weird decisions, like having Feliciano pitch to Diaz (I think it was Diaz) and basically throwing the game away yesterday, but he has us right in the thick of the race, after the pitching staff started off the season horribly, and almost every regular has been hurt.
What about what Jerry has done with Santos and Parnell? Castillo’s resurgence? Shef’s resurgence? Murph succeeding at first defensively after being moved? FMart thus far?
In my humble opinion, bashing Jerry at this moment is utterly unfair, unrealistic, and does not show a good grasp of what is really going on with this team, in my opinion.
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-9:15pm at 9:15 pm (UTC -4)
well in regards to yesterday Redding was not going to beat Johnson. It was pretty much a guaranteed loss so if you are going to rest your everyday guys that was the best time to do it.
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:20pm at 9:20 pm (UTC -4)
Totally true, but we did have Thursday off and we have the 2nd and 3rd Mondays in June off too….and did he have to rest Wright, Shef AND Castillo, with all of the injuries and Beltran sick?
I do like the job Jerry has done thus far this year, but I would agree that maybe Ceetar’s point is right regarding Redding yesterday.
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-9:37pm at 9:37 pm (UTC -4)
the way i see it the Mets were losing that game whether those guys were in the lineup or not. I’d much rather have a refreshed Wright, Sheff and Castillo for the rubber match and the upcoming series…
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:40pm at 9:40 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah, you are right. Johnson against Redding is really not a good matchup for us.
Ultimately I have to agree with you, and we did win 5 of 6 on the homestand.
And the more I think about it, the more I agree—with all of the injuries and illness, resting the regulars is indeed real important.
So, this does have to be another plus in terms of Jerry’s management of the team.
johan4cy
5/31/2009-9:49pm at 9:49 pm (UTC -4)
why not? livan beat lincecum…
rustyjr
5/31/2009-9:17pm at 9:17 pm (UTC -4)
Spot on kong u think Jerry will be mailing dead rats to the phillies ?LOL
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:20pm at 9:20 pm (UTC -4)
Yes, and hopefully in pretty pink boxes, just as Ol’ Dave did back in the day….
Kingman 26
5/31/2009-9:03pm at 9:03 pm (UTC -4)
Gotta say that overall this team looks really good. Pelf and Maine have been pitching like a number 2 and a number 3 for many weeks now. We play with one or two regulars and we find ways to win. Santos may really be a late-bloomer. Parnell may soon overtake JJ for the 8th. KRod looks better than probably any of us thought he would be—I thought he would be great, but he has been better than great—94 mph fastballs at the corners, great breaking stuff, and a fearless attitude. Shef and Castillo have found the fountain of youth in Queens, where apparently Ponce De Leon SHOULD have been looking. Maybe FMart is here to stay.
And we play our next seven against Pitt and Wash.
The real test starts Tues June 9th–as I mentioned the other day, starting then, we have ten series leading to the All-Star break—2 with the Phils, 2 with the Yanks, and one each with St. L, Dodgers, Cin, Mil, TB, and Balt!
metsfaninindia
5/31/2009-11:31pm at 11:31 pm (UTC -4)
Longtime lurker on Metsblog, but never felt like posting because everything seemed so adversarial there. Since last year when I moved to India, I’ve had to count on blogs for my indepth analysis of Mets games.
Just wanted to add to everyone else, and say that you’ve done an amazing job putting this website together in such a short amount of time.
Just one comment, Kingman; it’s true that the real test starts June 9th, but I’m actually more worried about the next seven against Pitt and Wash. It’s our inability to close down games against teams of this caliber that has led to the debacles of the past couple of years. I’m alright with a .500 record against the good teams that we play in a week’s time. I’m feel much more trepidation when we play the have-nots of baseball, because I feel that we SHOULD be and HAVE to win those games this year.
GravediggerHebner
5/31/2009-11:42pm at 11:42 pm (UTC -4)
Allow me to say welcome first of all, and thank you for your kind words.
As far as your trepidation, it’s perfectly reasonable and the Mets have over the years earned their reputation for “playing down to the competition.”
We hope (and that’s all we can do really) that this year will be different, and I will point to the Mets 5-1 record vs. Washington and 3-0 vs. Pittsburgh so far this season as signs that this year may indeed be different.
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-11:44pm at 11:44 pm (UTC -4)
welcome and yes i definitely agree. if the mets do anything less than 5-2 against the Nats and Bucs, i’ll be disappointed.
oleosmirf
5/31/2009-9:54pm at 9:54 pm (UTC -4)
some interesting facts about our catching situation.
The Mets are 4-3 when Schneider started, 10-11 when Castro started and 13-7 when Santos started.