At first it was dazzling
Jenrry Mejia‘s (0-3) 1st major league start for the New York Mets this afternoon was not exactly a rip-roarin’ success. In fact, he lost to the enigmatic Carlos Zambrano (7-6) and the Chicago Cubs. He threw 97 pitches over just 5 innings, allowing 8 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs, all earned, while striking out 2. The 1st of his 2 strikeouts was, hopefully, a sign of things to come from Mejia. With 1 strike on Marlon Byrd with 2 outs in the bottom of the 1st inning, Mejia threw a dazzling curve that began in the lower outside portion of the strike zone then danced even lower and away from a lunging Byrd for a swing and a miss. The next pitch was a 95mph fastball with movement also placed perfectly on the outside corner that Byrd swung through for the final out of the inning. But from my perspective that was the high point.
Then he got in over his head
It was a scoreless tie in the bottom of the 2nd. Xavier Nady was on 2nd base with 2 outs when Geovany Soto doubled to left scoring Nady for a 1-0 Cubs lead. The following inning a Nady sacrifice fly plated Byrd and Chicago had a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th the Mets cut that lead in half in an exciting way. Luis Castillo led off with a walk then Carlos Beltran singled putting runners on the corners with none out. David Wright flew out bringing rookie Lucas Duda to the plate. As Duda struck out swinging for out number 2 Beltran attempted to steal 2nd base and the Cubs catcher Soto threw to 2nd. When he did so Castillo took off from 3rd and scored on his steal of home as a nifty Beltran slide eluded the tag at 2nd for what would have been the 3rd out of the inning. You’ll tell your grandchildren where you were when Castillo stole home. 2-1 Cubs after 3 1/2.
In the end someone else got the girl
A Byrd RBI double in the 5th plated rookie sensation Starlin Castro to make it 3-1 Cubs then with Byrd on 3rd base Mejia struck out Tyler Colvin swinging for the 3rd out of the inning but in the process threw a wild pitch that went 5-hole on Mets catcher Mike Nickeas who was making his 1st major league appearance. Colvin arrived safely at 1st base and Byrd trotted home with the Cubs 4th run while Nickeas retrieved the ball. After 5 innings it was 4-1 Cubs. That would be Mejia’s last inning of work. Fast forward to the top of the 7th when Ike Davis hit his 1st home run since July 29th, the 16th of his rookie season, cutting the Cubs lead to 4-2. But the Cubs answered back in the bottom of the inning when reliever Elmer Dessens gave up a solo blast to Aramis Ramirez that made it 5-2 Cubs. The Beltran-Castillo combo worked again in the 8th off of Chicago reliever Andrew Cashner. With 2 outs Castillo walked and Beltran laced a double to deep center driving him in with what proved to be the final run of the game. Carlos Marmol closed it out by striking out 3 batters, all looking, in the 9th for his 27th save. Final score Chicago 5, New York 3.
22 comments
GravediggerHebner
9/4/2010-4:35pm at 4:35 pm (UTC -4)
I don’t remember exactly when in the game it occurred but anyone who didn’t get to see the game check your highlight shows for what must be considered quite the defensive gem by Ruben Tejada.
Aramis Ramirez grounded a ball deep into the hole between short and third. Tejada ran back, gloved it, and while still in the motion of turning around fired a throw to 1st base to get Ramirez. It was very impressive, at least to me.
rustyjr
9/4/2010-5:03pm at 5:03 pm (UTC -4)
yes it was a highlight real play for sure
It looks to me that Jerry just wants to tell the press corps that he quits lol Mejia looked good from what I saw but like I said before one excellent start in AAA doesn’t mean that he was ready to start up hear just yet
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-5:23pm at 5:23 pm (UTC -4)
It was one of the earlier innings – 2nd or 3rd maybe?
Too damn bad Tejada doesn’t have any kind of bat.
stickguy
9/4/2010-5:30pm at 5:30 pm (UTC -4)
guess I picked a good day to be out back to school shopping all afternoon. did not miss much.
it seems that Mejia did OK for his first ML start (hey, I have seen much worse!) I honestly don’t think anyone (although best not to speak for the FO…) thought he was really “ready” for a spot in the rotation. But, given the mets being out of it, having an available start (misch not being the future), and him needing more innings, it was a “might as well” situation.
as long as he looks comfortable and has some measure of success, it is not a bad thing having him up and starting. As long as he does not show enough to delude the FO into penciling him into the 2011 rotation. Get another SP, and have him start (and build slow) in AAA until ready and needed.
and nice to see Ike hit a HR finally. time for him to have a bit of a rebound and strong finish.
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-5:36pm at 5:36 pm (UTC -4)
Good thing I didn’t have anything better on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
‘Cause that was one of the more boring NY Met games this season.
Bobby O is right. How many times are the Mets going to get the lead off hitter on and fail to get him around? No execution, was how he put it.
I think the highlight of the day was just listening to Keith.
- Of Manny he declared, ‘He’s finished’.
- At one point he was talking about the hurricane that missed his area and KB jumps in with ‘sorry to interrupt your patio furniture update but I wanted to talk about a conversation I had with David Wright’.
- Of Parnell: ‘Man, he’s throwing some gas’.
Pagan got hit by a pitch his second time at bat, I believe it was. Off his ankle or foot and Jerry and the trainer came out to first. They were all laughing. I’m like ‘WTF’?….until I found out in all the years he’s been playing, in all the at bats Pagan has had, that was the very first time he got hit by a pitch.
Well……told you this game was boring.
stickguy
9/4/2010-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
you raise a key point.
there are still many people that insist the mets need a 2nd ace/1A/top #2 SP. sure, if you can (since so many are floating around).
but way more important (and what I would take given the choice of the 2) is a middle order thumper bat run producer type.
someone like manny from a coule of years ago. Even delgado, when he was good. Basically that guy that tended to get the big hit, and drive in a ton of runs.
I don’t think Wright is the guy that is going to thrive in that role (hitting cleanup). Beltran? damned if I know if he will get enough back next year. Bay? I don’t know if he ever was, but as his best, he comes close I suppose. still too streaky.
maybe some day ike (or my BFF Duda!) develops into that type of hitter, but i don’t see that by next year.
hard to see a guy coming in though this off season. Really only looks like 2B and RF in play. Not many 2B qualify. So, do they go out and get a vet (likely aging) RF bat for a year? If so, who?
or, just do without, and hope the lineup of above average but not dominant comes through?
I am actually willing to live with the 4 man OF rotation of bay, beltran, pagan and Duda (under the assumption that Beltran is back) for a year and see what happens, while also finding a viable bat at 2B
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-5:41pm at 5:41 pm (UTC -4)
Oh, and does anyone have a clue why Jerry would pair Mejia up with a catcher making his ML debut? (Nicke whatever his name is).
Jerry said in the post game show something about they did well the first couple of times through the order together but maybe I should have brought in a ‘relief’ catcher after the third inning.
Sigh…..
stickguy
9/4/2010-5:51pm at 5:51 pm (UTC -4)
my understanding was because the catcher (name I forget at the moment!) caught him in the minors, and jerry thought he would be more comfortable with that. And that the C would have a better idea of what has been working for him.
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-6:04pm at 6:04 pm (UTC -4)
I see. I got the impression from some comment made somewhere that they only worked together once before but maybe that was wrong.
stickguy
9/4/2010-6:15pm at 6:15 pm (UTC -4)
could be. I know he caught mejia in AAA last week. No idea if they hooked up in AA.
hey, jerry was going to start him sometime, so I guess this made as much sense as any game.
hazmet
9/4/2010-8:41pm at 8:41 pm (UTC -4)
This Jerry move made absolutely zero sense to me. Starting a minor league catcher just because he caught Mejia in the minors. So not only do we a have, at a minimum, an amped up Mejia in his MLB debut as a starter but also a catcher up for his first start ever in the bigs. So basically, 2 guy’s with stars in there eyes as today’s battery. Maybe if the Mets had a big league catcher on their roster, maybe someone who’s been around, maybe even played in CHICAGO, oh wait they do. Why oh why would they not have had Blanco guide the kid through his first big league start, a guy familar with how the stadium plays with the wind blowing out, a guy who’s caught Mejia anyway earlier in the year and knows his stuff. F’in Jerry, what a great thinker, “where’s the pectoral muscle again Jer?” Unreal, throw the kid out there “good luck now, bring that same stuff ya had last start”. What a freakin moron. All and all it’s surprising they did as well as they did over 5. Was it really too much to ask to hook our best pitching prospect up with a saavy vet catcher on his first big league start?
stickguy
9/4/2010-8:45pm at 8:45 pm (UTC -4)
it is jerry. not exactly the deepest thinker ever for a manager.
hazmet
9/4/2010-8:48pm at 8:48 pm (UTC -4)
lol – I can’t wait for him to be gone, every time I think he can’t find away to really get under my skin he does.
At least I got that out of my system, ahhhh
hazmet
9/4/2010-8:47pm at 8:47 pm (UTC -4)
Oh also, I’m sure Nickeas was soooo familar with the batters on the Cubs….unreal
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-6:15pm at 6:15 pm (UTC -4)
The Fox Tex/Twins game today is at least worth watching.
Jim Thome with 2 HRs…tied, then passed McGuire for 9th now on the all time list.
Francoeur made his debut with Texas to PH in the 7th, swung at the first pitch to pop up to the IF.
Alex Cora playing 3rd for the Twins now.
12-3 Twins going into the 8th.
Fans really into the game, which is understandable given their first place standing. I forgot what it sounds like when the fans are into the game.
metsfan4decades
9/4/2010-6:16pm at 6:16 pm (UTC -4)
Meant Alex playing for TX of course.
oleosmirf
9/4/2010-10:04pm at 10:04 pm (UTC -4)
you guys do realize that if Mejia is really good down the stretch our rotation next season will be Santana, Pelfrey, Niese, Dickey, Mejia right?
stickguy
9/4/2010-10:20pm at 10:20 pm (UTC -4)
well, that sounds like Omar. But, maybe the new regime (jeffy puppet?) will have better sense?
regardless, I don’t think that he is likely to be so scary good that they can’t imagine not breaking camp with him.
If they re-up Dickey (no brainer IMO), and get add 1 more solid/reliable guy for the rotation, mejia can start in the minors and build up gradually 9a good thing), and still be the 6th/7th man in the rotation.
oh, add another couple of flyer guys (this years Dickey) for more depth/options.
oleosmirf
9/4/2010-10:33pm at 10:33 pm (UTC -4)
regardless of GM ownership will sell Mejia as the next Doc Gooden in order to not spend the money on a SP…that’s if he pitches well enough to create the buzz.
stickguy
9/4/2010-10:41pm at 10:41 pm (UTC -4)
possible. good thing it is unlikely that he does it.
and if that is how they are planning to operate this off season, might as well save money on a new GM. just keep omar.
GravediggerHebner
9/4/2010-11:30pm at 11:30 pm (UTC -4)
No substantial or relevant contracts come off the books after 2010.
I don’t believe they’re going to spend any significant money toward 2011 anyway so I submit we’re better off if Mejia does do well.
Otherwise we’re looking at the cheapest of Dave Bush/Braden Looper/Kevin Millwood/Jeff Suppan, and it won’t be Millwood who’s the only one I’d want.
Or next year’s equivalent of R.A. Dickey and are we going to gamble that bet pays off 2 years in a row? We all laughed or cried or both when they signed him.
So like I said, hope Mejia does well.
stickguy
9/5/2010-12:23am at 12:23 am (UTC -4)
I guess the key will be how close they come to a solid/reliable/legit SP guy, vs. a few of the names that you mentioned, that are probably closer to Dickey/flyer guys!
I am sure a popular off season topic of debate will be “the” SP that they should get (and I only expect 1, so make it count).