Well here we are in the homestretch – a week before the All-Star Break, and our Metsies are 45-35 , which is  good enough for second place and only trailing the Braves by two games. I believe if you asked almost any Mets fan prior to the start of this season if they thought that the Mets would be where they were at today, they would scoff and run you out of town faster than Jerry Manuel did with Ryan Church. But In my opinion if there was ever a week that was crucial to making this season successful, it would be the one that starts tonight against the Central Division leading Reds. So far this season, the Reds, like the Mets, have been proving the sports pundits wrong – posting a record of 47-36. They have a good starting rotation with Chapman, Harrang and Arroyo, along with a good offensive line up that features Joey Votto ,Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. I feel that this Mets team needs to take two out of three games against the Reds because after this series we face our division leading Atlanta Braves, who have in the last month crawled out of their graves and surged into first place. But I am confident that the Mets will be on their “A” game , because they are at the friendly confines of Citi Field – where they hold a distinct advantage over their competition.
And with that said….. HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!
                                                                                           
                                                    ” Hopefully Mike puts a end to the Red menace tonight !”
Happy Birthday wishes go out to one time Mets middle reliever from ’87-’93,
Jeff Innis (1962)
New York Mets signed free agent outfielder,Cleon Jones on July 5, 1962. As we all know he would soon become a Mets legend.
Mo Vaughn was steaming mad yesterday after he lost the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island yesterday.It turns out that he lost precious time when he tried to stop Kobayashi from charging the stage. Mo was later overheard bellowing – ” THOSE WERE MY HOTDOGS !! – MINE !!!”
36 comments
rustyjr
7/5/2010-10:07am at 10:07 am (UTC -4)
Anybody put there ?
metsfan4decades
7/5/2010-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
Hey Rusty….I suspect many have a three day weekend they’re taking advantage of. And we all know there are more comments when folks are working – LOL….
Here’s hoping the starters can go deep this week b/c I think our BP is in trouble. Getting another SP and putting Taka back in the BP – who is great for about 5 innings then seems to start making mistakes, is a good start.
I think though we could use another BP arm as well. Some of the problem is Jerry’s BP management, as he playing the ‘hot hand’ in the BP night after night, is not a good idea. But some of it is mediocre arms out there and one man short as well and I don’t know whose fault that is.
Feliciano should be used for what he’s great for: a lefty specialist. His splits with lefty/righty is stark enough that I don’t think he’s ever going to be very successful as a set up guy.
Iggy, although he has a high heat FB, hasn’t quite figured out how to throw it yet for a strike. Don’t know that he ever will but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
Nieve is so hard to gage b/c either he’s been grossly overused and burned out or like lately, very little used. What’s up with that?
Dessens has been good but he scares me. He’s a journeyman with not a whole lot of success. Will they start figuring him out? Or can he continue to be crafty enough to get hitters out with less than a stellar FB?
Parnell is the guy I was hoping would step up to take that 8th inning role. He’s got the stuff. He was doing well in AAA. He’s having a problem with location and/or command this past week but that could be a matter of overuse as anything else – again, Jerry and one arm short, which is just crazy. What do we need 3 catchers for? Is there some nagging injuries to both Blanco and Barajas we haven’t heard about that is preventing either one of them from catching more than a couple of times a week?
I think the ASB can’t come soon enough for some of these guys. Pagan, by his own admission, isn’t quite 100% yet. Jose should have already been on the DL. If one/either of the catchers are banged up, they could use the rest to heal as well.
Hazmet
7/5/2010-11:40am at 11:40 am (UTC -4)
Good morning Mr. Rusty, hope a happy 4th was had maybe including a 5th of one’s favorite adult beverage;)
I’m definitely thrilled with where we are. At the beginning of the season I could have seen this but not via the route we’ve taken. If someone told me at the beginning of the year that Beltran still wouldn’t be back by now and Ollie & Maine continued to find new depths of suckitude and would no longer be in the rotation then no way would I have thought we’d be where we are at 2 games back. Kind of like the old days Braves & Mets battling it out with a less formidable Braves team on top at the moment. The break can’t come soon enough for the Bullpen. The early overuse to tread water the first month of the season as Ollie & John imploded has caught up to them imo. So I’m not sure what we have out there. Certainly doesn’t have the look of a playoff caliber team BP outside of Feliciano & K-Rod. I’d feel 100% better about it if Parnell get’s straightend out, Taka returns to the pen and we could pick up maybe a Dotel type. In the interest of disclosure Octavio is the guy I pined for this offseason to add to be the 8th inning guy so I’m kind of biased. Now though it will cost more than just money to add someone which kind of sucks but gotta go for it, hope Omar’s successful working those phones.
rustyjr
7/5/2010-11:51am at 11:51 am (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t mind dotel or affeldt – if available
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-1:29pm at 1:29 pm (UTC -4)
the problem is Jerry has 4 middle relievers in his BP (Dessens, Nieve, Igarashi and Parnell), he doesnt trust to get the job done and Feliciano who has proven that righties give him trouble, so he pulls them when they get into the slightest bit of trouble or in Feliciano’s case when a righy comes up in an important AB.
Jerry doesnt want Acosta, O’Connor or any unproven arm from Buffalo. He wants an established MLB middle reliever or setup man he expects will get the job done the vast majority of the time.
Even if he calls up Acosta, Jerry will keep “mismanaging” the pen until he gets his guy. What Omar needs to do is go to the Pittsburgh Pirates and trade for any one of these relievers (Carrasco, Lopez, Hanrahan, Dotel). I would prefer Hanrahan b/c he gets lots of Ks and few walks and has experience closing.
Yes i know i omitted Evan Meek but his .96 ERA is not going to hold up in the future so not only will you have to give up too much but you will be getting someone with who has nowhere to go but south…
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-1:29pm at 1:29 pm (UTC -4)
the problem is Jerry has 4 middle relievers in his BP (Dessens, Nieve, Igarashi and Parnell), he doesnt trust to get the job done and Feliciano who has proven that righties give him trouble, so he pulls them when they get into the slightest bit of trouble or in Feliciano’s case when a righy comes up in an important AB.
Jerry doesnt want Acosta, O’Connor or any unproven arm from Buffalo. He wants an established MLB middle reliever or setup man he expects will get the job done the vast majority of the time.
Even if he calls up Acosta, Jerry will keep “mismanaging” the pen until he gets his guy. What Omar needs to do is go to the Pittsburgh Pirates and trade for any one of these relievers (Carrasco, Lopez, Hanrahan, Dotel). I would prefer Hanrahan b/c he gets lots of Ks and few walks and has experience closing.
Yes i know i omitted Evan Meek but his .96 ERA is not going to hold up in the future so not only will you have to give up too much but you will be getting someone with who has nowhere to go but south…
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-1:39pm at 1:39 pm (UTC -4)
i dont know why this posted twice but I will add that if the Mets trade for a SP like Ted Lilly and move Takahashi to the pen you have a bullpen of K-Rod, Hanrahan, Felciano, Takahashi, Parnell and 2 of Nieve/Igarashi/Acosta/Dessens.
with Takahashi and Hanrahan added to the pen, the “mismanaging” should come to an end.
as for Lilly…i think an straight swap of F-Mart (who is becoming less and less vital to the future of this team) gets it done but if they can manage to keep F-mart and get him for less than go for it.
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-2:25pm at 2:25 pm (UTC -4)
Any clue as to what the Cub’s needs are?
stickguy
7/5/2010-2:42pm at 2:42 pm (UTC -4)
a clue to start with.
they need a lot of help, but young talent for if/when their albatross contracts for old broken down guys expire.
see if they wil take something like evans or duda for Lilly and the salary relief (if, of course, the mets can afford to give that!)
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-3:10pm at 3:10 pm (UTC -4)
You really think they could get him for that little? Does Lilly project to be a type A?
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:20pm at 3:20 pm (UTC -4)
yes a type A
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-3:32pm at 3:32 pm (UTC -4)
That being the case and his salary, maybe all it would take is something similar to the Carter/Wagner trade. But then again, I always thought that the Mets sold low on that one, IE, should have gotten something better in return.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:43pm at 3:43 pm (UTC -4)
i know everyone loves F-Mart but with Flores and Ratliff in AA next season, Capt Kirk in AAA, the need for F-Mart is becoming less and less each day. I believe by the time Beltran leaves, Kirk and Flores will be ready to play CF and RF.
I see F-Mart as expendable so trading him and a low level pitching prospect for Lilly and Howry is something i would look at.
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-3:48pm at 3:48 pm (UTC -4)
I’ve no problems with Fmart going. Would prefer to see him stay and thrive, but I get the feeling that most likely won’t be something that we’ll seeing.
And wouldn’t be horrible to stack up on those type A’s, cause I can’t see where the Mets are going to sign a Type A themselves, unless it’s a BP arm or a starting Pitcher for next offseason. All the other spots are filled. Getting some numbers in the 1st/2nd rds would be something desirable for sure.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:53pm at 3:53 pm (UTC -4)
well see I dont believe Mejia is anywhere near ready to be an MLB starter so I believe they will be in the market for a SP.
If Lilly were to pitch well here, i would very certain that he would be back on a 2 year deal. If not guys like Garland, Arroyo maybe even a low risk/high reward like Beckett.
stickguy
7/5/2010-2:49pm at 2:49 pm (UTC -4)
well, this is right about where I expected the team to be at this point, since I was one of the lone wolves that predicted they would win ~90 games, and be in the playoff race!
I still think they need a SP, to push Taka back to the pen. Will it happen? Who knows, may depend as much on how Ollie looks in the 2nd-3rd rehab starts (he must have had #2 by now, right?) as anything else.
My big worry, of course, is that evil jerry has returned. Like a crack addict that goes to rehab, but ultimately falls off the wagon (with a major crash), he is back to panicking with the BP, and using 4-5 guys a night. And with no concern about how many days in a row any particular guy went.
So, any surprise that in day 4 in a row (5 of 6), parnell might not be that sharp?
and pulling guys after 1 batter getting a hit, just can’t happen.
the only thin that will save us from Jerry sinking the ship is (well, other than firing jerry, which won’t happen) is the SPs running off another string of 7-9 inning performances, coinciding with an offensive outburst.
and as others noted, even the 7th man in the pen (while certainly needed) just means Jerry will have another guy in the witness protection program, when Jerry decides to ignore them.
especially this week, with very hot weather, the pen needs some more arms.
stickguy
7/5/2010-2:50pm at 2:50 pm (UTC -4)
also, I actually think the pen has plenty of talent. Jerry just is hopeless in using it effectively.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:23pm at 3:23 pm (UTC -4)
I disagree. I think the BP is too based on potential not enough on results.
lets say Acosta gets called up…which RP does Jerry have faith in to go a full inning?
every single guy the Mets throw out there puts guys on base through walks or hits and i dont think rest is going to change that
stickguy
7/5/2010-2:54pm at 2:54 pm (UTC -4)
as to Rusty’s point, yes, this could be a make or break week. Can’t lock anything up, and get fall out of contention, but certainly can make a move toward either one!
If they take 2-3 from CInci and Atl, and Philly manages 2-3 from the Braves too, assuming Atlanta has a day off this week also, they go into the break tied. And that is never a bad thing!
I know Atlanta is way better at home, and am pretty sure that the Reds are no where near as potent on the road. So, use the citfield magic, and get it done.
4-2 is certainly doable, and not at all greedy.. If they can do better than that, dance in the streets.
If they win tonight, at the exact 1/2 point, they will be on a nice even 92 win pace. That should be enough to get into the dance!
rustyjr
7/5/2010-3:25pm at 3:25 pm (UTC -4)
todays lineup
16 Pagan CF
13 Cora 2B
5 Wright 3B
29 Davis 1B
44 Bay LF
30 Thole C
12 Francoeur RF
11 Tejada SS
34 Pelfrey RHP
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-3:34pm at 3:34 pm (UTC -4)
Cora in the 2 hole? Would actually prefer to see Tejada or even Thole there. I know Thole doesn’t have speed, but Cora’s no big racer and Thole makes a ton of contact. I guess I’m being nitpciky.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:44pm at 3:44 pm (UTC -4)
i like Thole batting 6th b/c he drives in runs. Cora’s bunting and high OBP is better for #2 hole than the other options.
the more I see Thole, the more I think he can be our starting C next season.
stickguy
7/5/2010-5:01pm at 5:01 pm (UTC -4)
I liked Thole last year too. And I agree that he could/should be the starting catcher next year.
I hope he does not get sent off to Seattle, but MO is that Lee will not be coming in.
I will still take Lilly, even though he did not pitch great yeasterday. Blame the wind blowing out of wrigley, a problem he won’t have at citi field!
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-5:30pm at 5:30 pm (UTC -4)
If Thole sticks and can platoon with Barajas (as a re-sign), you’re looking at signing 1+ SP and BP/bench guys. Not a bad position to be in, especially with Thole (hopefully), Ike & Niese being cheap cheap and being nice contributors. I hope for 2010, but as I said in the offseason, 2011 really looks promising. Am I jumping the gun, probably, but I’m in the middle of mowing the lawn in Africa like conditions and have to take Bud Light breaks just to cool down, so I have an exceuse!
ceetar
7/5/2010-3:42pm at 3:42 pm (UTC -4)
I thought the Mets would be right around where they are now. I thought they may even have been in first place with the record they have, and they might had they fired Jerry.
It’s a big series though because it’s impossible to both catch the Braves and lengthen the distance on the Phillies. I think right now the Mets just want to get to the break no further out than they are now, and optimally at least 1 game closer. (Match the Braves the next three, and then beat them 2/3)
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-3:49pm at 3:49 pm (UTC -4)
Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey and Ike have been better than anyone (even you) could have expected.
while I think this bullpen, as is, has 08 disaster written all over it, Manuel sees the problem (Omar is always 6 weeks behind) so I think he will pressure Omar into making a move.
As much as i find Manuel to be a terrible in game manager, he does recognize the team’s weaknesses and knows crap when he sees it aka (Ollie, Maine, Matthews Jr., Jacobs, the bullpen)
stickguy
7/5/2010-4:59pm at 4:59 pm (UTC -4)
Beltran, Santana, Bay, Ollie, and castillo have all been worse than expected. SO it all tends to even out.
If Bay and Santana go on a 2 month tear now, they can practiclaly carry the team.
I really don’t know what the hell Jerry sees, but he certainly takes a very ST, panicky and knee-jerk reactionary approach to managing.
RPs have to get forced days off, much more than Jerry gives them, even if it means extending someone else, or taking the padlock off the dog house now and then.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-5:36pm at 5:36 pm (UTC -4)
Santana and Bay yes, Beltran i dont count, Castillo not really, Ollie is where I expected him.
problem is every guy Jerry has sent out there isnt getting the job done. personally i dont think Bobby Cox could get good results with this group of players. I agree that he has a very very short leash especially in games that arent as close but other than that, what can he do?
stickguy
7/5/2010-4:56pm at 4:56 pm (UTC -4)
well, this should be fun.
Tatis on DL, Valdes back. So, another BP arm that Jerry won’t use, but at least there is a long man in case of an early exit.
But, with Reyes unavailable (if he is), there is no MI BU on the team right now. Better hope none of 3B, 2B or SS go down, since unless Reyes can play (and that would be a stupid idea, if he is stil too hurt to start), you will have what, Feliciano at 2B? Carter at 3B?
There was an earlie quote from the Jidiot that Reyes was doing better, nd could probably start tomorrow since he would hit RH (although to me, if you are still hurt from 1 side, you don’t play), that must mean he could play tonight if need be.
of course, if he does, and pulls something worse and misses a month, heads (multiple) should roll!
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-5:03pm at 5:03 pm (UTC -4)
so Reyes has to play the IF for a few innings big deal.
this still doesn’t help our BP problems as we still dont have a guy that Jerry can trust to go a full inning and battle out of any trouble…
ceetar
7/5/2010-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
There is no such thing as a reliever Jerry will trust without Omar telling him he’s supposed to do. (i.e. K-Rod is a closer)
Manuel never would’ve used Mariano Rivera after 2001.
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-5:26pm at 5:26 pm (UTC -4)
or the fact that not one of the Mets relievers other than K-Rod and Feliciano have ever pitched well for a full season in the MLB.
lets say today Pelf goes 7 IP so top of the 8th the mets are up 3-2 and Phillips, Votto, Rolen are due up…
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-5:27pm at 5:27 pm (UTC -4)
what do you guys do?
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-5:31pm at 5:31 pm (UTC -4)
Is leave pelf in for the 8th an acceptable answer?
oleosmirf
7/5/2010-5:37pm at 5:37 pm (UTC -4)
no combination of 100+ pitches and his turn AB in bottom of 7
njstuckintx
7/5/2010-6:51pm at 6:51 pm (UTC -4)
Well, Gun to my head I’d pick parnell.