That's right, hair of the dog
The New York Mets finished the first half of the season suffering from the hangover of more losses than wins. Thursday, the resumption of the season following the All-Star break, they attempted to fight off that hangover by losing more. As the season unfolds we shall see if this unorthodox method works.
Atlanta burns New York Rhetts
Oliver Perez was burned quickly by the Atlanta Braves. He recorded 3 outs on 5 pitches in the 1st inning, but 3 of those 5 pitches were hit hard, as each Met outfielder recorded a put out. In the 2nd inning, Atlanta’s Garret Anderson and Yunel Escobar hit back-to-back home runs to give the Braves a 2-0 lead.
Endorsed with irony by John Kruk
The Mets played their patent-pending version of little ball in the 4th inning to take a brief lead. 3 consecutive singles by Luis Castillo, David Wright and Gary Sheffield led to 1 run, an RBI groundout by Jeff Francoeur plated a 2nd, and a double by Daniel Murphy drove in the 3rd to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. But in the bottom of the 4th the Braves tied it up on a 2-out RBI double by Matt Diaz with a left handed hitter on deck. Brian McCann narrowly scored from 1st on the play as Met catcher Brian Schneider left a skosh of plate open for him to touch.
A quality start
The Mets got an unexpected quality start from Perez, who finished having thrown 101 pitches over 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. To paraphrase SNY post game show guest host Jonas Schwartz, “anytime Ollie walks less than a hitter per inning, that’s good.” To paraphrase his co-host Bob Ojeda, “the Mets lost a normal game. There were no weird plays, they just lost.” So we’ve got those things going for us.
Hopefully this bullpen won't fail
The Mets bullpen failed them. Pedro Feliciano (2-3) walked the 1st batter he faced and wound up the loser. After getting Nate McLouth to fly out to center, he was relieved by Bobby Parnell, who once again did not record an out. He allowed a single to Martin Prado followed by an RBI single to Met killer Chipper Jones. The Braves added an insurance run in the 8th for their 5-3 win.
Peter Moylan's favorite band
Australian side-armer Peter Moylan threw a scoreless 8th inning for Atlanta. Moylan is the answer to the question “can you throw side-arm from Down-Under?”
Please visit yahoo.com for the box score.
I would of bet... } –
49 comments
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:51pm at 10:51 pm (UTC -4)
Um yeah….So i guess its the bullpens turn to join the parade….7 1/2
Joe R
7/16/2009-10:53pm at 10:53 pm (UTC -4)
Oh boy fellow Met fans…I guess its only 1 game…but how come it doesnt feel like that!
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:24pm at 11:24 pm (UTC -4)
because we are 7 1/2 back..
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:29pm at 11:29 pm (UTC -4)
oh yeah
dentulous
7/16/2009-10:54pm at 10:54 pm (UTC -4)
there really isnt much to be said anymore is there? Omar has 2 weeks to make a move since we know that no one is going to be back before August. The Phils arent going to slow down for this lousy team. The FO is delusional if they think that we can stay close enough to make a late run.
This has ugly written all over it.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:03pm at 11:03 pm (UTC -4)
agreed i really think this is very close to being a wrap. Not being negative or panicking but we need to go something like 48 and whatever to get to like 92 wins…a daunting task even if we were completely healthy…idk I really dont.
trs86
7/16/2009-11:25pm at 11:25 pm (UTC -4)
Don’t think we will need 92. 90 will most likely be enough.
dentulous
7/16/2009-11:28pm at 11:28 pm (UTC -4)
will we even get 80? this team wins 2 out of every 8 or 10 games. There is no way we come close to 90 unless something miraculous happens.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:31pm at 11:31 pm (UTC -4)
sad but true
trs86
7/16/2009-11:32pm at 11:32 pm (UTC -4)
Just depends on Omar, the injuries and pitching.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:30pm at 11:30 pm (UTC -4)
so u think Phils will play worse than first half??
trs86
7/16/2009-11:31pm at 11:31 pm (UTC -4)
Very possible
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:06pm at 11:06 pm (UTC -4)
Next year is so far away though lol….cant we fast forward to spring training 2010!
dentulous
7/16/2009-11:30pm at 11:30 pm (UTC -4)
oh what i would give to end this agonizing season right now. It looks to be grueling and nasty right up till the end.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:32pm at 11:32 pm (UTC -4)
or until next week when we are 11 out….
trs86
7/16/2009-11:25pm at 11:25 pm (UTC -4)
When asked why he wouldn’t trade Adrian Gonzalez or Heath Bell before the deadline to bring back as much talent as possible, Towers said “it’s not to say we won’t.” He then mentions that they first need to determine what young players they’re committed to keeping here and what they need to bring in from outside the organization, but if someone approaches them about one of those guys “they need to listen.”
trs86
7/16/2009-11:25pm at 11:25 pm (UTC -4)
Agonz please.
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:25pm at 11:25 pm (UTC -4)
What an unfair game(baseball)…thats all i got to say. This is so unprecedented and totally not fair. I dont know what else to say…
Mr North Jersey
7/16/2009-11:27pm at 11:27 pm (UTC -4)
Can u say check u email.
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:30pm at 11:30 pm (UTC -4)
lol i did..replied
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:28pm at 11:28 pm (UTC -4)
agreed.
maybe one core player and a starter injured but this….just nuts
dirtysanchez
7/16/2009-11:31pm at 11:31 pm (UTC -4)
Im trying my best to stay optimistic but 7 1/2 games….
The mets have the 2nd easiest schedule in the majors for the second half…imagine if we had all our guys back…just totally unfair.
trs86
7/16/2009-11:33pm at 11:33 pm (UTC -4)
But not unexpected Dirty, I told you last week that we would most likely be 10 games out by August if Omar did not get help.
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
too painful…healthy we are 8 games up
gategem
7/17/2009-1:57am at 1:57 am (UTC -4)
I’m sure in the vast history of baseball it has happened before. But it happens frequently in football where your expectations must always be guarded. BTW it’s time to think football!
metsfan4decades
7/16/2009-11:33pm at 11:33 pm (UTC -4)
This is getting so old….
For those of you who get SNY….have you seen those spots they’re doing on the Center for Special Surgery?
They take a doctor, who talks about a sports injury from how it can happen, what you’ll experience, and treatment and/or surgery. All the while, they show a clip of whatever Met player may have experienced that injury. Like Valentine and a torn hammy, or Delgado and the hip, or the torn miniscus(?) and Johan.
So….are they trying to convince us they know what they’re doing with diagnosis and treatment of injuries?
Are they trying to show us it’s not as easy to diagnose and/or treat some of these injuries?
Talk about PR and damage control….
dentulous
7/16/2009-11:36pm at 11:36 pm (UTC -4)
I saw one of them a while back. I havent really watched a Mets game in a while. I dont know how you get the fortitude to watch these agonizing losses, kudos to you
metsfan4decades
7/16/2009-11:48pm at 11:48 pm (UTC -4)
It’s like a bad train wreck. Painful to watch but you just can’t turn away. LOL….
Seriously though, if I don’t watch the games, how will I know what is really going on, what changes need to be done, etc? Box scores never tell the whole story….
asod75
7/16/2009-11:34pm at 11:34 pm (UTC -4)
It’s gotten to the point where the losses don’t faze me all that much anymore. I guess I’ve come to the realization that this team isn’t going anywhere and in a strange, twisted way, I can somewhat enjoy the games again because my expectations are so low. I don’t believe in this team or its general manager (or manager for that matter), so I’m getting less emotionally involved (I often treat these games as life and death and I shouldn’t). It’s not to say I won’t follow every game (because I will) but I guess I’ve just become numb to this team’s utter ineptitude…..
Joe R
7/16/2009-11:36pm at 11:36 pm (UTC -4)
im almost there I guess 10 games back is when i will be calm and emotionally void but i hear ya
trs86
7/16/2009-11:37pm at 11:37 pm (UTC -4)
I am not ready to write off Omar, I think this offseason will be telling. If nothing gets done then we need to move on from the Wilpons, Omar and of course Manuel.
dentulous
7/16/2009-11:42pm at 11:42 pm (UTC -4)
I doubt the wilpons are going anywhere. I was hoping this would be the year that would determine if we keep Omar and Jerry, but of course it will be written off due to injuries. A wasted year.
But yeah, this offseason is key. This team better have the gaps filled and talent worthy of this organizations payroll on the roster. But im not holding my breath
stickguy
7/16/2009-11:43pm at 11:43 pm (UTC -4)
agreed. this was going to be a big off season anyway (wait, didn’t I say that last year?)
Omar probably gets this one last chance, and if he fouls it up, the Wilpons (assuming they dont have to sell to make the rent!) won’t have much choice but to clear cut the FO.
asod75
7/16/2009-11:46pm at 11:46 pm (UTC -4)
Having the Wimpons sell the team would be music to my ears. Don’t tease me like that
trs86
7/16/2009-11:47pm at 11:47 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed, the injuries destroyed this year and Madoff.
asod75
7/16/2009-11:51pm at 11:51 pm (UTC -4)
Yeah had Madoff never happened, I truly believe they would have gone balls out money-wise to fill all the team’s holes. They were moving into a new stadium, coming off two horrible September collapses. You would have seen them make a run at Manny or Dunn and they probably would have ponied up and given Lowe what he wanted (right or wrong, I just think they would have). But I guess we’ll never know…
trs86
7/16/2009-11:53pm at 11:53 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t think Dunn would have happen either way but Manny might have. Lowe, maybe but that would have been a bad idea. 4/65? for Lowe?
asod75
7/16/2009-11:57pm at 11:57 pm (UTC -4)
I’m not agreeing with it, I just think with the added financial flexibility, they may have done it to show the fans that they weren’t going to let the same thing happen again. It’s all hypothetical but it’s just a hunch I have.
dentulous
7/16/2009-11:53pm at 11:53 pm (UTC -4)
I doubt that. the Wilpons never wanted to go above or near the luxury tax. But like you said, we may never know. All I know is they better not decrease payroll, and should actually raise it after charging high ticket prices for a lousy team on the field.
trs86
7/16/2009-11:58pm at 11:58 pm (UTC -4)
They are always near the luxury tax, still are this year.
stickguy
7/16/2009-11:41pm at 11:41 pm (UTC -4)
there really isnt anything wrong about tempering expectations for the year. Sometimes you just don’t have the horses. Not that you can’t still hope for a fantastic finish, just don’t bet the rent money on it.
So saying wait until next year? At least there will be a next year, they start in 1st place, and hopefully have a stronger team on the field (than opening day I mean, it better be stronger than right now!)
Oh, and healthier.
stickguy
7/16/2009-11:45pm at 11:45 pm (UTC -4)
THere is always a silver lining. This one is for Asod and Joe (and your fellow travellers):
Just think about all the stress and anxiety you will avoid in September, not having to sweat out the mets trying to hold off the phils down stretch.
asod75
7/16/2009-11:48pm at 11:48 pm (UTC -4)
I was thinking that myself. I know it’s kind of a defeatist attitude but seasons are much easier on the blood pressure and your overall emotional state when the team flat-out stinks and if you’ve had time to let it sink in and accept it as such. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see my team in it until the very end, but I honestly don’t know if my sanity could take a third straight September collapse, especially if it came to the hated Phils.
trs86
7/16/2009-11:49pm at 11:49 pm (UTC -4)
That’s good because I still don’t think last year was a collapse. Ayala, injured, was our closer.
asod75
7/16/2009-11:55pm at 11:55 pm (UTC -4)
You may not feel that way, but it sure as hell felt like one. In fact, it felt much worse for me given what happened the year before. Bullpen or no, they had chances to beat crappy teams like the Braves and Nationals down the stretch and failed. Had a golden opportunity in the ninth inning of that Cubs game and failed. It was still a collapse in my book, but I know what you’re getting at (the team played mediocre ball under Willie, caught fire under Jerry to rally from a seven-game hole in early July or whatever it was). Still, they let a 3 1/2 game lead fall by the wayside with 17 to play. Maybe not as epic a collapse as the year before but a collapse nonetheless.
trs86
7/17/2009-12:00am at 12:00 am (UTC -4)
But again, that collapse was with no BP. You can’t beat anyone with that BP, regardless if it’s the Nats or Braves.
metsfan4decades
7/16/2009-11:50pm at 11:50 pm (UTC -4)
No chance of a collapse this year. ‘Cause even if we stay competitive, we’ll be chasing all the way down the stretch. No way are we gonna be in first by X number of games, only to ‘collapse’ and give it all away again.
trs86
7/16/2009-11:50pm at 11:50 pm (UTC -4)
Agreed.
jaded1983
7/17/2009-9:19am at 9:19 am (UTC -4)
Last night was a straight up loss, no two ways about it. It is another example (in a long list of them) why we need a legitimate power bat in the lineup. Lets start brainstorming possible solutions for next year and see where the team could be piece by piece.
lineup:
Reyes SS
Castillo 2B
Beltran CF
Power Bat LF
DWright 3B
Murphy 1B (yes I believe he will be there, and too many here are selling this kid short. he is a gap hitter which is perfect for citi and will only get better with experience. fanbase patience is what the mets need)
Frenchy RF
Santos / Thole / FA or Trade C
Pitcher
Rotation:
Santana
Pelf
Maine
Ollie
Niese/Gee/Nieve
Bullpen:
Krod
Putz (will they pick up his option and keep or trade him?)
Parnell
Stokes
Feliciano
Green
Misch?
Dessens?
(back end bullpen guys are always in flux)
Bench:
Cora (hope they pick him up again)
Pagan
2 more bench guys (Sheff wouldnt be bad on a 1yr deal here)
So to sum it all up we can potentially be looking at (for 2010) the need for:
C
LF
2 Bench guys
Set up man
Would be nice, but is not necessarily at the top of the list
Top rotation starting pitcher.
Ill look at some players throughout the day, but I cede to you guys as there are plenty of guys with more baseball accumen here than I have.
thoughts?