Mike's Mets

The 2008 Mets are a rollercoaster ride to futility. Some players who have been struggling goes on a hot streak with the bat and you think maybe the team is finally going to hit. Next thing you know, their bats cool off and runs are still hard to come by. They win a couple of games, looking pretty good, and you could almost bet that are a couple of stinkers just around the corner. If the pitching is strong you can bet that the hitters will struggle to score. When the bats are working the pitching suffers.

Almost everyone knows someone who has a lot of promise but can't deliver on it. The 2008 Mets are like that weird, middle aged genius uncle who still lives with mom and works the night crew at the supermarket.

By the way,better than expected start from Mr. Vargas.

You may notice this post is short on game analysis. More on that later.

View Claudio Vargas' Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 2:52 PM Thursday, May 15, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Updated Thursday, May 15, 2008

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Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 1:47 PM Thursday, May 15, 2008 | Permalink

I received a press release today from GaryKeithandRon.com, a new web site from the SNY announcing crew:

Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez & Ron Darling Create Website for a Good Cause

T-Shirts Being Sold With Net Profits Going to Announcers' Favorite Charities

(NEW YORK CITY, May 14, 2008). SNY television announcers Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez & Ron Darling today launched their "Pitch in for a Good Cause" website where fans can purchase custom designed tee shirts with net proceeds from the sales going to the New York sportscasters' favorite charities. The website is also interactive with fans being able to submit their favorite Gary, Keith & Ron stories, as well as photos of people wearing the tee shirts. Fans can also learn about their favorite sports announcers through a "Getting to Know 3 Guys in a Booth" page, where they can ask questions.

"It takes a community to weather the storms of life," said Gary Cohen, voice of the New York Mets. "We're asking our fans - our community - to join us in helping others."

The website is offering four different tee shirts. One has Cohen's signature phrase, "It's Outta Here." Another features caricatures of Hernandez's fans all wearing his #17 jersey, sporting his mustache, wearing his famous footwear and enjoying a pop. Darling's tee pays tribute to "Mr. Perfect," as well as his many numbers and nicknames. The fourth is the official "Gary, Keith and Ron tee-shirt," providing a humorous but loving portrait of the sportscasters' fans. All fans who purchase a tee shirt will be invited to an end of the year fundraising event.

"My mother died of Alzheimer's at the age of 59, so for the last 15 years I've helped raise funds for the Cobble Hill Health Center in Brooklyn because of its terrific care for the elderly with dementia, Alzheimer's and other related disorders," explained Hernandez. "And that's the charity I've selected."

"I chose the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation because of its dedication to finding a cure for juvenile diabetes," Darling said. "Since my youngest son was stricken with JD at the age of 11, one of my goals is to make his life and lifestyle as promising as any other child's."

"Domestic violence touches everyone, and I've picked the Women's Shelter of Greater Danbury because of the enormous life-changing impact this safe house has on women and their children," explained Cohen.

The official Gary, Keith & Ron tee shirt can be purchased for $22.99, and the other three tees featuring the individual sportscasters cost $20.99. All four can be purchased for a discounted price of $75.00. The Gary, Keith & Ron website is http://www.garykeithandron.com.

The SNY trio has (and deservedly so) tremendous popularity with the fan base. Rather than cash in for a few extra bucks in their own pocket they are doing it for charity. I hope you'll take a moment to check out their web site and perhaps buy a t-shirt.

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Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 7:03 PM Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's clear that John Maine is someone who you really have to see pitch to appreciate. Most die-hard Mets fans who have seen many of Maine's performances over the last 2+ seasons believe the young right-hander is the real deal. The Mets as an organization clearly believe in him. Yet, with the exception of Oliver Perez, no player on the Mets has performed as well as Maine has done only to met with tremendous skepticism from the world outside of Flushing.

I can't count how times I have read or heard someone in the national media talk about John Maine as if he's still unproven. I've read bloggers for other teams and scads of self-appointed Fantasy baseball experts who confidently assert that Mets fans "overrate" John Maine.

Maine had a solid year for the Mets last season, but faltered at the end. Rather than cut him some slack in his first season of pitching major innings, many commenters felt the post-Break Maine was the "real John Maine." (I'm looking at you, John Kruk)

I strongly suspect that the "real" John Maine is the pitcher we have seen over his last 7 starts. Thank God for that in a season where many things have not gone very right for the Mets.

Other observations from this game:

The only reason why I refuse to admit that I was wrong about Ryan Church is that I'm afraid the minute I do he stops hitting. So I refuse to admit I was wrong. Even if I was. Which I'm not saying...

If Moises Alou can avoid another long spell on the DL -- a big if -- I think the offense will be okay. He just amazes me. I always knew he was good, but I honestly didn't realize what a great hitter he was until these last 2 seasons watching him a lot. I know it won't happen, but if I was a writer with a Hall of Fame vote I would consider casting it for Alou when he becomes eligible. He might be one of the top 10 pure hitters I've actually had the chance to watch.

Duaner Sanchez has solid cast iron cojones. If he could just find that extra 4-5 mph on his fastball.

View John Maine's Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 2:40 PM Wednesday, May 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (4)

I was at this game last night with Greg Prince from Faith and Fear in Flushing. I enjoy talking baseball and life with Greg, which was fortunate, because last night had absolutely nothing else going for it.

The weather was reminiscent of late March/early April. Although we didn't see a drop of rain, it was cloudy, cold and windy. The wind was probably the dominant feature of last night's weather. It was blowing so hard it made things feel much colder than the actual temperature which was in the low 50s. I'm sure it made it a tough night to pitch, particularly for a guy like Nelson Figueroa who depends on breaking pitches.

Having said that, Figueroa was awful. Odalis Perez gave up a lot of hits, but he threw strikes and allowed his defense to make plays. Figueroa gave up a fairly low hit total -- 5 in 5 innings -- but also walked 5 batters and was extremely fortunate not to give up more runs. Moreover, his excruciatingly unprofessional performance on the mound seemed to drain some life out of his own team.

While the conditions contributed to Figgy's woes, this was just the continuation of a trend we've seen in his recent starts. His first two starts featured an aggressive Figueroa with only 4 walks in 13 IP. Since then he has started 4 games and pitched a 3.1 inning relief performance against the Pirates. The numbers speak for themselves:

19 Walks in 23.1 IP is unacceptable for a veteran like Figueroa. I've just heard that the Mets designated him for assignment, and I'm not surprised. I wish the fairy tale could have gone on a little longer, but he has no one to blame but himself. It was ridiculous that he was criticizing the Nationals players for celebrating since he was practically throwing a party for them with his "generosity".

Jorge Sosa, also designated for assignment, also had a rough night. I thought Sosa would be a valuable member of the bullpen in the long relief role, since he has decent stuff. Instead he has pitched to an ERA over 7. He had been better in his last 5 outings before last night, allowing 0 runs on a couple of hits. I wish the Mets could have held on to Sosa and tried to straighten him out, but not demoting Joe Smith was the correct move.

As for the Mets, Greg and I both had a feeling going into the game that things might be turning around a little. Maybe it was just a pitcher who couldn't throw strikes, but the end result was a Mets team that seemed lifeless by the end of the night and the proverbial "one step forward, one step back" that has characterized this club for a year now.

View Nelson Figueroa's Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 5:18 PM Tuesday, May 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'll be heading out to Shea in a few minutes, braving the wind and rain and hopefully seeing a game tonight.

I'll be meeting up with Greg Prince from Faith and Fear in Flushing.

We'll be in the Loge Reserved: Section 3, Box B, Seats 1-2. If you want to stop by and say hi, please do so.

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Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 2:42 PM Monday, May 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two components of the Mets that have been MIA for much of the season wree present in winning the rubber game of the Reds series Sunday afternoon: Oliver Perez and extra base hits.

First Perez. For the first five innings, we saw the Oliver Perez who won 15 games last year. His fastball and slider were both effective, and his control was good enough.

It was after the Mets staked him to a 6-0 lead that Perez showed some cracks in his last inning of work, the sixth. With Griffey on first and one out (on a great catch by Church on a foul ball in the RF corner) Edwin Encarnacion hit a deep fly ball to Alou in LF. Alou got turned the wrong way and still managed to get a glove on it, but it fell for a double. If he made that catch there would have been a man on first and 2 outs, and it's conceivable Perez could have escaped the sixth.

A Dunn sac fly scored Griffey, and then a Jeff Keppinger triple plated Encarnacion. Perez capped his night by wild-pitching Keppinger home before securing the final out. Again, not a perfect afternoon for Perez, but a solid performance.

The hot-and-cold Jose Reyes showed up for this one, going 3-5 with a double and scoring a pair of runs. Carlos Beltran had a homer and 3 more RBI, pushing his total to 8 in the series and 21 on the season. I pointed out a few days ago that Beltran only had 13 RBI in 1/5 of the season. Obviously he realized it was time to step up.

The bad news is that Luis Castillo left the game with quad tightness, but the Mets are a little stronger offensively with Easley or Marlon Anderson playing second anyway.

The Mets now sit at 3 games over .500, 19-16, and you wonder whether this is the start of a run of solid play or just another tease. Stay tuned.

View Oliver Perez's Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 11:54 AM Monday, May 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

I started writing about this game last night after it was over, but it felt like a was writing version 117B of the same post I've written so often over the past 12 months. Moreover, I didn't even think I was being fair, as it was clear that Bronson Arroyo really was pitching very well.

Beat writers follow a team on an almost every day basis, but it's a job and even the ugliest loss doesn't bother them -- nor should it. Most bloggers and die-hard fans follow the team virtually every day, and losses hurt. Sometimes my first reaction is just to be pissed off, and that's certainly how I felt last night.

With a night's sleep under my belt, and the knowledge that the Mets won today's rubber game, I feel less inclined just to complain about last night. And I'll certainly give Arroyo credit for how well he pitched. There are times in baseball when a pitcher who is on top of his game will simply beat you. To a large extent that's what happened last night.

Good professional offenses can make even a pitcher who is pitching well work harder, and get him out of the game sooner. The Reds bullpen isn't great, and if you get to them an inning or two earlier maybe you have a chance to steal the game. We haven't really seen this ability to battle and extend pitchers who are really pitching well from the Mets very often this season, though. We really haven't seen it very often since 2006, really, and part of the reason they have been mediocre is tied to that.

Anyway, Arroyo's effort led to another loss for Mike Pelfrey who, after 3 lousy starts in a row, really did pitch well enough to win. He did give up 8 hits in 6 innings, but only 1 walk. Recognizing that he couldn't consistently throw his 2-seam sinking fastball for strikes, Pelfrey abandoned it and used his 4-seamer and off-speed stuff. He also has apparently abandoned the mouth guard. The Reds are a pretty decent offensive team, so you have to give Pelfrey some credit to holding them to 2 runs in 6 innings without his best pitch.

View Mike Pelfrey's Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 7:05 PM Sunday, May 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Johan Santana left his two starts with the lead, but the bullpen cost him the victory both times. Today the Mets rewarded a gritty if not particularly awe-inspiring performance from their ace with enough runs to ensure his fourth victory. Still, for a while it wasn't easy.

Staked to leads of 4-0 and 6-1, Santana needed 38 pitches to negotiate the sixth inning. The Reds touched him up for 2 runs on a triple and 3 singles, and brought Corey Patterson to the plate as the tying run with 2 on and 2 out. Santana's struck him out on a 2-2 changeup.

The 10 hits allowed by Santana equaled his career high. That's two straight performances where he allowed more than his share of baserunners but gave his team a chance to win. In 12 innings in his 2 May starts he has allowed 21 men to reach base via hits and walks, but only 4 of them scored.

For the offense, it was the second consecutive 12-run performance. Reyes and Castillo both went 0-4 to continue their struggles, but David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Brian Schneider all had big days.

After a good game to start the previous road trip in Arizona, Wright slogged through a 2-21 stretch the remainder of the trip. He bounced back with a solid 2-3 with a pair of walks.

I was particularly impressed with an at bat in the sixth. After the Reds scored twice in Santana's final inning to close the game to 6-3, the Mets started the inning with men on second and third, no outs. Bad at bats by Damion Easley and Castillo sandwiched around a Reyes walk brought up Wright with bases loaded and 2 outs. If the Reds could have escaped that thread they would have had momentum in a game that was still within reach. We've seen Wright over anxious in these spots, chasing pitches and getting himself out. Instead he worked a patient walk.

Beltran was up next, looking for a fastball from a pitcher who had just walked in a run. He got it, tripled in all 3 baserunners, and the Mets had breathing room. According to Gary Cohen, it was his first hit with men in scoring position and 2 out. I believe he had been 0-19 before that hit. Also, after only driving in 16 runs in the first 32 games, Beltran had 5 RBI total this afternoon.

Delgado was 3-4 with a double and a home run after being dropped to seventh in the order. Schneider followed Delgado's seventh inning homer with one of his own -- his first extra base hit in 69 AB on the season.

Another game tonight. It will be interesting to see if the Mets can build on this performance.

View Johan Santana's Full Season Stats

Box Score

Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 6:04 PM Saturday, May 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Add Newark Star-Ledger columnist Dan Graziano to those calling for the head of Mets manager Willie Randolph. After making the point that the Mets are 71-71 since last June 1, Graziano accuses the Mets of not playing up to their talent level, and places the blame squarely on Randolph's shoulders:

Where Randolph comes up short is in his failure to recognize what kind of team he has and manage accordingly. Randolph is a decent man who cares deeply about his team and his job and believes strongly in himself. But he's also stubborn, and that's what has him in trouble.

Randolph came from the Yankees, where the championship teams of the late '70s and the late '90s were packed with hard-nosed winners. He believes he shouldn't need to motivate or fire up big-league players, because his teams never needed that.

In principle, he's right. He shouldn't need to remind major-league players that it's important to raise their games in big spots, or not to take games or at-bats off.

But unfortunately for Randolph, his players are soft. His players are the types who don't raise their games in big spots, who do take at-bats off. His players coast through long stretches of the season, assuming their talent will carry them through without any extra effort or emotion on their part. His players are not self-motivators, and they are a group that might respond well to being scared every now and then.

While I do believe that Randolph has himself to blame in many ways for the tenuous nature of his job security, I don't agree with Graziano that the Mets players are "soft". I think you could certainly have made that argument last season, but I don't see them coasting this season. If anything, they seem to be pressing a little too much at times on offense. "Scaring" the players doesn't seem a recipe for a turnaround.

A team always looks like they're flat when they're not hitting. Nothing is tougher to watch than inning after inning of little offensive action. Scaring, screaming and discipline don't usually make things better. Slumps are most often caused by players trying too hard and not letting the game come to them rather than through disinterest and a lack of toughness.

Carlos Delgado's woes (.216/.308/.362) have been beaten to death, but he has lots of company:

Jose Reyes has been hot and cold so far. He has scored only 18 runs in 32 games, which would translate out to 90 in a full season. That doesn't cut it.

David Wright is batting .262. Does anyone believe he's coasting?

Beltran is hitting .218. He only has 13 RBI on the season, which would translate to 65 for a full year. He only has 2 HR. That would work out to 12. Remember, this is our cleanup hitter.

C Brian Schneider has zero extra base hits in 65 AB. I repeat, zero. Even the light-hitting Luis Castillo has three doubles.

It's not just hitting. Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa are off to bad starts, and Pedro couldn't make it past 3 innings into the season before getting hurt.

I'm no homer. I repeatedly called the Mets on what I perceived as a lack of commitment to putting it all on the line last year. I honestly haven't seen that this season. They're just not playing well right now.

Willie is an easy target, because he continually gives the impression that he's just fiddling while Rome is burning, and somehow doesn't recognize that his team needs a kick in the ass. Actually, when you look at the offensive numbers they've probably done well to play close to .500 ball up to now.

You have to believe that Reyes, Wright and Beltran have some hot streaks coming. Delgado is showing some signs of being something more than an automatic out. Ramon Castro is coming back and should provide some punch against lefties.

Other than Ryan Church, I don't think there is a guy on this team -- pitcher or position player -- who got off to a hot start. I've already listed several who have struggled. Given that, I have to believe that there's probably some better baseball coming. Things have a way of evening out.

Perhaps Randolph's days as manager are numbered. If they continue to stumble along, I could see it happening. It's too easy, however, to make him the sole scapegoat for a somewhat slow start. You need to see where this team is once these players start performing closer to their potential. If they're still hovering around mediocre, then it will indeed and fairly be time for a change.

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Authored by Mike Steffanos, Posted at 7:09 PM Friday, May 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1)