The minor league season is drawing to a close. What ever will we talk about once it ends? Hopefully not Jeurys Familia’s inconsistencies. Here’s to ten more days or so of excitement. Onto the recaps!
Pawtucket 4, Buffalo 1
I give up. Someone else try to make heads or tails of Jeurys Familia’s latest start. This time he went five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and five walks with two strikeouts. Not that he got much help, as the Bisons only managed five hits – and two of them were courtesy of Zach Lutz, who provided the Buffalo scoring with a solo homer. And there’s Pedro Beato, picking up the save in his first appearance for the PawSox.
Binghamton 5, Richmond 2
Allen Dykstra (two runs scored) and Eric Campbell (pone run scored) each went 2 for 4 with an RBI to pace the B-Mets attack, which jumped on the Flying Squirrels for an early 5-0 lead. Gonzalez German saw that it held up, going seven solid allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and three punch outs. And nice to see Reese Havens back at second. He was 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Charlotte 5, St. Lucie 4
The Lucies battled back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the score at four in the eighth, but Jeffrey Walters loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, and Jack Leathersitch gave up a single to give the Stone Crabs the victory. Danny Muno went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored, but folks, when your pitching gives up fourteen hits in 8.1 innings, you probably aren’t going to win the game.
Hickory 5, Savannah 3
Michael Fulmer’s struggles in August continue, which may be just getting fatigued at the end of his professional debut. In 22.1 IP this month, he’s give up ten runs, but he’s also been in some hitter friendly parks – and he’s never had to pitch this often, for this long, against competition this good before. I’m not too worried, but it does warrant mention. Yesterday he tossed 5.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out eight. Matt Reynolds extended his hitting streak to a modest six games with a 1 for 4 effort, including a run scored. Brandon Brown also went 1 for 4 with a solo homer.
Brooklyn 2, Vermont 0
Kevin Plawecki was all the offense the Cyclones needed, belting two solo homers and raising his slash line to .259/.365./.414. The Brooklyn pitching staff held the Lake Monsters to just three hits, highlighted by Hansel Robles (6IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 3K), who improved to 4-1, with a 1.34 ERA.
Elizabethton 3, Kingsport 2
Matt Budgell allowed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, and was relieved by Edioglis Villasmil. Villasmil looked like he was going to get out of it after allowing the go ahead run to get to second, but a throwing error by SS Anthony Chavez allowed the Twins to take the game. Gavin Cecchini, who was DH’ing, was 0 for 2, while OF Jorge Rivero supplied the offense for the K-Mets, going 2 for 4 with a two run homer.
26 comments
NJstuckinTX
8/20/2012-9:21am at 9:21 am (UTC -4)
Oh Familia…
Stickguy
8/20/2012-9:25am at 9:25 am (UTC -4)
He certainly is a head scratcher.
and I still get confused why many people think that a guy that throws hard but has no control is a good option for the back of the pen. Haven’t the mets seen enough of RPs that have no clue where the ball is going, and walk the first to men they face?
srt
8/20/2012-9:36am at 9:36 am (UTC -4)
‘Haven’t the mets seen enough of RPs that have no clue where the ball is going, and walk the first to men they face?’
As a Met fan who has watched all games, I know I have.
SaltyGary
8/20/2012-10:13am at 10:13 am (UTC -4)
A buddy of mine was at the game (same one who I went to the other one and did the write up) I need to get his perspective. He sent me a text at the start of the game saying he was throwing gas.
Bryan
8/20/2012-2:26pm at 2:26 pm (UTC -4)
I’m actually encouraged by this. Most of his starts lately he’s either been really good or really bad, but this was kind of in the middle. He walked a lot and put a lot of guys on base, but managed to last 5 innings and only give up 3 runs (2 earned). In the past, a game like this might have snowballed on him, but this one didn’t.
Stickguy
8/20/2012-9:27am at 9:27 am (UTC -4)
Fulmer could be gassed. COming out of HS right to the Sally could do it. But still, 8 Ks and 1 BB is certainly a good sign. Especially if they were nto hitting him hard.
and I know the reasoning, but I still think they punted on Beato too early.
srt
8/20/2012-9:38am at 9:38 am (UTC -4)
Speaking of Beato…anyone know how that PTBNL actually works?
I’m sure the losing team wants to give over crap and I’m sure the gaining team wants a top prospect.
Does the losing team give over a list and the gaining team picks one from that?
Stickguy
8/20/2012-9:42am at 9:42 am (UTC -4)
sometimes it woks like that. I think there are also other reasons they want to postpone the announcement, such as if they guy is on the DL and can’t be traded.
NJstuckinTX
8/20/2012-9:42am at 9:42 am (UTC -4)
I wouldn’t doubt it. He’s pitched fantastic so far. I would think he should be shut down at this point.
As for Beato, I just got a text from Santana’s from (but in Beato’s writing style) saying that they were going to the Wilpons to get Sandy to start spending more, as they weren’t happy at all.
Stickguy
8/20/2012-9:48am at 9:48 am (UTC -4)
well good then, he obviously was a cancer!
srt
8/20/2012-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
HAHAHA
Stickguy
8/20/2012-9:47am at 9:47 am (UTC -4)
Pet peeve of the day.
I see a lot of “the Mets waved the white flag at the deadline”.
I say bullshit.
To me, waving the flag means trading away guys that are helping you win. Like the Phils did.
But, in the Mets case, people are talking out of both sides of their mouths.
1 side, “The Mets are in a playoff spot, so they are good”
then, “The mets did not add XYZ players, so they have no chance, and the FO punted”.
Well, it can’t rally be both ways, can it? If the team through July was good enough to be where they were, it should have been good enough to not start the 2nd half of the season horrid because they did not change a bunch of players!
Now, I think they had some weak areas that could have standed reinforcement. Of course. But, I also don’t think that the FO gave up on the season (waving the white flag is conceding) because they essentially said we could not get anyone better based on who was available and what they had to spend, so the team needs to just keep doing what they were doing.
NJstuckinTX
8/20/2012-9:54am at 9:54 am (UTC -4)
I actually believe they may have made a move or two if that horrible falling off the cliff losing streak didn’t happen. Was just the oddest of times, but I guess better it happens before the trade deadline than after.
Water finds it’s level, as they say…
And malcontents are only happy being, well, malcontent.
srt
8/20/2012-10:12am at 10:12 am (UTC -4)
From everything I read, the Mets did try and get Shoppach by the trade deadline but perhaps the price was too steep. Not that he was going to be the answer in the second half.
We said as early on as ST this team had some holes and big question marks. It would take everything breaking right to make the playoffs.
It’s as simple as everything did not break right. Can’t fix those kind of wrongs at the trade deadline.
The OF is a mess and with Bay still here, hard to work around that, for starters. Duda didn’t pan out this year. It’s just one big 6 man platoon out there.
Stickguy
8/20/2012-10:29am at 10:29 am (UTC -4)
well, I didi say at the beginning of the year that the mets had the talent to compete if everything broke right, but it was going to be up to the guys in the system to do it. Adding a few more fringe guys (they were not getting cliff lee or a stud closer) to replace the ones we had was not going to make the difference.
srt
8/20/2012-10:18am at 10:18 am (UTC -4)
Per Rubin:
Collin McHugh, who tossed seven scoreless innings at Fenway Park against Pawtucket, has been named International League Pitcher of Week.
***********************************************
Nice….I’d leaning more and more towards wanting to see a call-up for this kid. Find a way to get him on the 40 man. It would be interesting to see how he fares up here.
Stickguy
8/20/2012-10:27am at 10:27 am (UTC -4)
I believe he has to go on this off season anyway, so might as well do it now.
I would have no problem with calling him up to take the rest of Santana’s starts. And there is your 40 man spot. Put Johan on the 60 day DL and shut him down!
srt
8/20/2012-10:48am at 10:48 am (UTC -4)
So if a player on the 40 man is put on the 60 day DL, his spot on the 40 man comes off? Interesting…I don’t think I knew that…..
Stickguy
8/20/2012-10:54am at 10:54 am (UTC -4)
yup. Pretty sure they freed up a spot that way with Gee, Pelf, and maybe a couple others that went down for the year.
Problem is, it expires at the end of the season, so the DL guy has to go back on the 40 man when it resets (or get released of course).
The Met 40 man roster is going to be a mess after this year. Too many guys, especially younger ones that are not ready for majors but you still don’t want to lose. Plus dudes like Lutz where he is close, and good depth, but they may not be able to protect him.
I was hoping that Sandy and the boys would get busy and start trading some volume this off season, but with that not happening, just expect to see a lot of guys like Lutz, Havens, Satin all being waived (and claimed/signed by some other team).
srt
8/20/2012-10:57am at 10:57 am (UTC -4)
Why don’t you think we’ll be trading any of these prospects this off season?
Heck, if we’re going to lose them to waiver, I hope he could put some kind of packaged deal together to trade some of them…..
Stickguy
8/20/2012-11:00am at 11:00 am (UTC -4)
simple.
Electricity costs money. So turning on all the lights, computers, etc. in the office will cost too much. So the FO is just going to shut down for the off season, since they are not planning to do diddle one anyway.
Stickguy
8/20/2012-11:03am at 11:03 am (UTC -4)
seriously, why start now? In 2 years, they have shown no inclination to try an bring in assets they don’t have by trading anyone, so why expect them to start now?
NJstuckinTX
8/20/2012-11:04am at 11:04 am (UTC -4)
Me too. They needed to trade some of the upper 40 man margin players, even if it was for Single A players with better projected upside.
srt
8/20/2012-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
‘Electricity costs money. So turning on all the lights, computers, etc. in the office will cost too much. So the FO is just going to shut down for the off season, since they are not planning to do diddle one anyway.’
LOL….we Met fans are getting pretty disgusted as whole, aren’t we?
I’m still thinking the org. Sandy & Co. inherited wasn’t in all that great a shape. Between a bottom feeder farm system and $$ problems, it’s just too soon yet to either praise or disparage much of what’s been done so far.
I still don’t believe SA will be here long enough to see a contending team here. He’s just laying the foundation.
Stick
8/20/2012-11:54am at 11:54 am (UTC -4)
I agree with the comment about Sandy. He was brought in to stabilize/rebuild the foundation (however you want to look at it) from the bottom up. And no, this is not the same as “saving the team for the Wilpons” but still, why are people amazed that the owners of a business have job 1 as saving it financially?
srt
8/20/2012-12:24pm at 12:24 pm (UTC -4)
‘…why are people amazed that the owners of a business have job 1 as saving it financially?’
I think it’s because some of the Met fans don’t believe the Mets are broke. They believe that settling the Madoff/Picard lawsuit meant they’re solvent again. Far from it, IMO.
The 25 MIL MLB loan (one Selig allowed to go past the 12 month due date) and the 40 MIL bridge load that allowed them to get to the minority investors just pointed out how deeply in debt the team was. Most of that money went towards paying 2012 bills.
With down revenues likely from this season, I don’t think there’s any money to spend for next season. That’s why all those reports of payroll staying stagnant for 2013 don’t surprise me.