Now that the dust has settled over Opening Day it is time to put our attention toward the rest of the Met Rotation. Tonight will be the beginning of the REAL MET 2010 season.
We all knew what Johan was capable of doing and on Opening Day he proved it once again. Now Omar and Jerry have to really earn their money putting their stock in Maine, Perez, Pelfrey and Niese. It will be their jobs if these pitchers don’t come through, I think that’s a no brainer. But let me ask you a question: Wouldn’t you feel a lot better going into tonights game with say Lackey on the mound?  I would really feel comfortable knowing that Perez is our 5th starter rather than our 3rd…or 2nd…or whatever they want to label him.
But the Mets Braintrust sold us this off season on the bounce back/recovery/ healthy Met Rotation. I personally believe that the Met pitchers are better than they were last year. But are they good enough?Â
Tonight we’ll see if they sold us and themselves a bad bill of goods.
33 comments
stickguy
4/7/2010-8:05am at 8:05 am (UTC -4)
you want some blind optimism?
I have Maine starting in my fantasy league.
Now that, my friend, is faith. Or being the 20th round in an NL only league and desperate for another SP. One of the 2.
So call me Jeffy, since I did have to sign off on thte “deal” when me Gm proposed it!
metsfan4decades
4/7/2010-8:06am at 8:06 am (UTC -4)
I was lobbying for Lackey before the season was even over last year. I really do think Omar wanted him but either Lackey had no interest in the Mets or he would have seriously had to overpay to get him.
I heard some of Omar’s comments very recently about our MOP and I think he’s got the same concerns the rest of us have. So much so, that I have to wonder if he doesn’t feel he made a mistake by not trying harder for that #2 pitcher, even doing a trade and giving up something – if he had to.
As you say, we’re going to see very shortly here. They have the potential, let’s see what they actually do with it. So much of this season rests on this SP…..
stickguy
4/7/2010-8:29am at 8:29 am (UTC -4)
well, what many seem to overlook is, he still can make a move.
In the off season, I think 2 factors came into play. 1, no one was really sure how the 3 would rebound (with Maine and Ollie needing to come back fully from their injuries). Plus, there really wasn’t likely any market for them, and Pelf was/is/should be still looked at like a building block (and he is cheap right now). So, Omar needed to see what they would look like before knowing what the team needed, and how badly.
2, the pickings did seem kind of slim. I am sure that if a decent SP had become available for a reasonable price, Omar still would have grabbed him.
so 1+2 = 3, rolling the dice on MOP + neise, knowing that they might have to get another SP once the season started.
And if MOP stinks during April, I expect that search will be in full force!
CaseStreet
4/7/2010-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
Throw out stinky MOP!
oleosmirf
4/7/2010-8:29am at 8:29 am (UTC -4)
personally I think once Lackey and Halladay said no, Omar came to the realization that the other options were not much better than what we already had.
So instead, he rolled the dice hoping that Pelf and one of Ollie and Maine can rebound while knowing that he can upgrade Ollie and/or Maine very easily next offseason…
metsfan4decades
4/7/2010-8:35am at 8:35 am (UTC -4)
I agree with most of this, although I don’t know how easy it will be to replace Ollie even next season. If he’s bad, don’t know if anyone is going to take on that $12 Mil contract for one year.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/7/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
Well.. Ollie is still relatively young and has nasty stuff when he’s right. So there might be a team interested in him, but definitely not for the full $12M. I would assume that the Mets will eat most of the $12M if they try to move him.
Maybe Ollie just needs change of scenery. Perhaps Brewers may be interested in him with Peterson being the pitching coach.
udontmesswthejohan
4/7/2010-9:36am at 9:36 am (UTC -4)
Also, I’m becoming more and more convinced that Omar just doesn’t have any real control anymore. He’s forced to go with this team and hope for the best in the same way a lot of us are.
metsfan4decades
4/7/2010-8:33am at 8:33 am (UTC -4)
I see tonight’s lineup is the same as Opening Day.
ceetar
4/7/2010-8:46am at 8:46 am (UTC -4)
I’ll try to spin that .. Jerry is growing. learning. realizing how much he screwed up guys last year bouncing them around (Murphy in particular) trying to let guys get comfortable and know their roles.
Tonight won’t really prove anything. It’s just one game, and a ‘short’ game for the SP anyway as you really push guys early in the season with arm strength, especially Maine. Really just want to see him get through five with a reasonable pitch count, keeping them in the game. I’m not overly worried about him though.
Strawberry called WFAN today to yell at Carton for criticizing his first pitch..and then yells at him to lay off his Mets.
stickguy
4/7/2010-8:58am at 8:58 am (UTC -4)
I guess he just wants to screw up Pagan by burying him on the bench?
ceetar
4/7/2010-9:01am at 9:01 am (UTC -4)
keeping him in the role of ‘fourth outfielder’ probably.
Kingman 26
4/7/2010-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Well, as much as I reacted with excessive negativity when we obtained Matthews, if he has any sort of the form he had when he was a pretty productive player for a few years, he should start.
If Jerry is serious about fundamentals as he said in the spring, then Pagan should play as little as possible; even during ST, his brain was still on vacation.
He is a complete baseball moron, and all indications are that that will never change.
ceetar
4/7/2010-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
Actually, he should play more. Sporadic play is more likely to cause mental mistakes. But repetition creates instinct and that would help Pagan.
Kingman 26
4/7/2010-9:32am at 9:32 am (UTC -4)
Very possibly a good point; but playing more last year sure did not show evidence of this.
njstuckintx
4/7/2010-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
And if matthews gains his contract year form… I’d take that in a heartbeat.
metsfan4decades
4/7/2010-8:59am at 8:59 am (UTC -4)
You go, Straw.
Kingman 26
4/7/2010-9:12am at 9:12 am (UTC -4)
Isn’t it great to have him back around, all sober and grown up?
I was at his first game with the Mets in May of 1983; I hope he sticks around forever.
Maybe he can be a coach during the impending Teufel/Backman era?
Mr North Jersey
4/7/2010-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
Has he ever been approached to be a full time coach?
Kingman 26
4/7/2010-9:20am at 9:20 am (UTC -4)
I don’t know; my guess would be no, due to his past.
But the longer he continues to be obviously clean, sober, and responsible, the more of a role the team will probably want him in.
For me, it is just so great to see him back, and so positive. I remember when the team drafted him first way back in 1980, and I hope he is a Met forever. He is such a great symbol of the great days of the 1980s.
Still, he might be like Keith, and not really want to have the burden of the daily grind of being in uniform every day.
Regardless, even if he is a part-time TV guy and goodwill ambassador, I love it.
Maybe someday Doc can get his act together as well.
CaseStreet
4/7/2010-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
Jerry said he’d change the lineup on thursday when they face a lefty. So expect:
pagan
castillo
wright
bay
francouer
tatis
tejada
barajas
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/7/2010-9:33am at 9:33 am (UTC -4)
He puts way too much stock in this lefty-righty matchup. I know it gives you more advantage, but I think Jerry plays it more than necessary.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea if Tejada hit 8th and Barajas 7th
ceetar
4/7/2010-9:39am at 9:39 am (UTC -4)
He over does it to the extreme. Needs to lay off it and let guys learn to hit everyone. Sends a bad message when you tell Lefties they can’t hit lefties and then don’t let them try or get reps against them.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/7/2010-9:43am at 9:43 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. Also it seems like Jerry automatically assumes you can’t hit lefties when you are a LHB and same thing with pitchers.
prismo
4/7/2010-8:49am at 8:49 am (UTC -4)
That’s what she said!
ceetar
4/7/2010-8:56am at 8:56 am (UTC -4)
nice.
GravediggerHebner
4/7/2010-9:58am at 9:58 am (UTC -4)
Well played sir, well played.
CaseStreet
4/7/2010-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
Steve carell is the best at that
GravediggerHebner
4/7/2010-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
Well, we all knew what Johan was capable of doing, but we all also knew what Josh Johnson was capable of doing (coming in 7-0 lifetime v. the Mets) so I’m not just writing off Monday’s win as “well we knew it would happen.” It was big. It was an “eff you” to Josh Johnson’s alleged dominance and to the division foe (and thorn in our side) Marlins. So I loved it.
Now will tonight show us whether we’ve been sold a bill of goods or not? Probably not. It’s game 2 of 162, or roughly 1% of the season. It can be another building block on top of Monday, or it can topple Monday’s building block leaving us exactly where we were before Monday. It will not a season make, or break.
CaseStreet
4/7/2010-10:14am at 10:14 am (UTC -4)
Btw, I think the reason Jerry changed the order of the rotation is because both Maine and ollie are 6-3 vs the marlins while pelfrey is 1-6.
DNDJohan aka kistics
4/7/2010-10:19am at 10:19 am (UTC -4)
I also think Jerry is playing the Lefty-Righty thing with the rotation too, which is ridiculous.
CaseStreet
4/7/2010-10:20am at 10:20 am (UTC -4)
Sorry, Ollie isn’t pitching against the fish.
ceetar
4/7/2010-10:26am at 10:26 am (UTC -4)
I don’t like the rotation swap, but I’m psyched I get to see Pelfrey Friday.