No Margin for Error

Jae Seo is 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA with a 0.71 WHIP in four Major League starts this season. What does that mean? Well, it could mean nothing. Four games is an awfully small sample size. However, if you have watched his starts, you know that he looks different. He looks better. He has a better fastball than he had in 2004 and he is working in some sliders more. Like Heilman did when he dropped his arm angle, he looked like he had things a bit more figured out. Jae Seo has done nothing but look great when given the opportunities. Steve Trachsel is barreling his way back to the rotation but what can the Mets realistically expect from him? When faced with the decision to start Ishii or Traxx, it is a no brainer. If you throw Jae Seo into the equation who has looked great, you have to scratch your head.

The Mets are sitting three games out of the Wild Card right now and 7.5 games out of first. When you are sitting in those positions on August 7th with some streaking teams, there is no margin of error. It is not a stretch to think that Steve will have some rust, why not let Seo prove that he is not worthy of an extended look? With him, the Mets are solid one through five in the rotation and you can let Steve Trachsel, who might not be with the organization in 2006, know that there is simply too much on the line. The Mets wasted enough time with Kaz Ishii, it is time they get serious and see if Seo can give them what they are looking for. It is unreasonable to ask Steve Trachsel to come in and be as good as he can be, which may not be as good as Seo at this point in his career. He will need to shake off the rust and with less than two months left in the season and about eleven games per starting pitcher left, why not put your best foot forward? Introduce Steve to relief pitching and explain to him how it is unfortunate, but this kind of thing happens and Jae Seo is throwing well enough to make people think. If Seo falters, by all means, give it back to Steve. However, at this point, Seo looks sharp. Of course we are talking about the Mets and they value quite a few things above winning and Seo will assume his position in AAA soon enough. He will most likely get one more start and if he is solid yet again, I just cannot see how Omar and Wilie cannot rolle the dice with the 28 year old Seo.

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Minor update

• Norfolk beat Lousiville 3-2. Angel pagan went 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored and Anderson Hernandez wetn 2 for 3. Heath Bell got the start and went three innings and gave up five hits, one walk, two earned runs, and struck out four.
  
• Binghamton took both halves of a double header against Portland. In game one, the B-Mets won 3-1. Steve Trachsel went seven innings of four hit, one run ball and gave up only four hits while walking none and surrendering one earned run. Kaz Matsui went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. In game two, the B-Mets won 8-7. Mike Jacobs hit his 23rd on the year and went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a walk.
  
• St. Lucie lost to Brevard County 4-3. Grant Psomas went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Brahiam Maldonado went 1 for 3 for the third consecutive game. Aaron Hathaway continues hitting and went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
  
• Hagerstown beat Lexington 7-3. Carlos Gomez went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a walk and Ambiorix Concepcion went 1 for 4 with a walk, three RBIs, and his 13th homer on the year.
  
• Vermont beat Brooklyn 3-2.
  
• Burlington beat Kingsport 5-2.
  
• The GCL Mets were held to two hits and were beat by teh GCL Dodgers 5-0.

You want to know about Lastings Milledge? Scott Lauber has it covered.

Some scouts who've watched him in Binghamton question his size (6 feet, 187 pounds) and ability to hit for power. Since his July 10 call-up, Milledge has lined doubles into the gaps but is still seeking his first Double-A home run after going deep four times in 232 at-bats for St. Lucie.

"Power is the last tool to develop," LaRocque said. "We have no concerns there. He can beat you in a lot of different areas."

From the Journal News:

Brett Harper sits among the home-run leaders in all of minor-league baseball. The 6-4, lefty-hitting first baseman had 30 for the season through Thursday — 10 in 33 games with Class AA Binghamton after launching 20 in 62 games with Class A St. Lucie. Harper, a 2001 45th-round pick, was batting .290 with 84 RBI between the two stops.

Nick Parish gives Anderson Hernandez some ink.