Praying for Rain
This is from a Cardinals message board that I yanked from the Metsgeek.com comment section.
New York could be in shock after the NLCSThis kid is a douchebag. They are just oozing confidence as a fan base over there praying for rain. The reality of things are is that the Cardinals are throwing up two pitchers who the Mets should have no trouble with to start things off. In the opener, Tom Glavine faces off against Jeff Weaver, who gave up five runs in five innings as Carlos Delgado continued his dominance against the poor guy. Delgado has a .500/.620/.974 line against in him 38 at-bats with four homers and fourteen RBIs. The current Mets team is hitting .296/.387/.525 against him and it does not get much better for Weaver as the Mets can load lefty after lefty against him and as Andrew points out, that is a good thing. A very good thing.
The weather forecast for the NLCS is rain on Wednesday and thunderstorms on Thursday. I’m hoping one of those games is rained out. Here are two scenarios of how the Cardinals COULD win this series, especially if one of the first two games is rained out:
Wed. Weaver (on extra day of rest) loses to Glavine, in a close game, even though Jeff pitches very well
Thu. Suppan (on regular rest) loses to Maine, in a close game (or wins this game but loses game 6)
Sat. Carpenter (on extra day of rest) defeats Trachsel easily
Sun. Reyes (or even Marquis, on a short leash) defeats Perez
Mon. Weaver (regular rest) loses to Glavine in another close game
Wed. Suppan (extra day of rest) defeats Maine this time
Thu. Carpenter (regular rest) defeats Trachsel.
Cards win NLCS 4-3
ALTERNATIVE SCENARIO, WITH A RAINOUT IN NEW YORK THIS WEDNESDAY OR, MORE LIKELY, ON THURSDAY:
Wed. or Thu. Weaver loses to Glavine
Fri. Carpenter (on regular rest) defeats Maine
Sat. Suppan defeats Trachsel
Sun. Reyes or Marquis defeats Perez
Mon. Weaver loses to Glavine in another close game
Wed. Carpenter defeats Maine
Cards win NLCS 4-2
Wouldn’t New York be in shock?!
While the Mets have one of the most powerful lineups in baseball, and arguably the most powerful one still playing, they have the ability to look even better against Jeff Weaver. Why? Because lefties have hit an astounding .340/.396/.609 off him this year. Weaver’s approach to lefthanders is to spread the ball all over the plate, throwing a ton of fastballs and mixing in his curve and changeup.
Wow...just wow. The Mets have looked pretty tight offensively so far and I expect them to keep rolling against the Cardinals. After Weaver, Jeff Suppan is slated to take on John Maine. While Suppan has held the current Met players in check with a .223/.314/.386 career line against them, lefties have hit him at a .302/.369/.464 clip this year.
Because Suppan’s stuff is average, he’s not going to blow anybody away (a hundred and four strikeouts in a hundred and ninety innings), especially not a professional lineup like the Mets. He’ll be looking to induce a ton of groundballs, and the Cardinals infield is a solid one defensively. For a groundball pitcher, Suppan does give up his fair share of homeruns (twenty-one), which just so happens to be the Mets offense’s favorite trick. And, once again, the Cardinals are throwing a pitcher that lefties rock — .302/.369/.464 against this year.
Suppan is the type of pitcher the Mets eat up. He's a rich man's Steve Trachsel, but he is eminently hittable. After Suppan, the Cardinals ace is finally on tap to pitch. Things shook out marvelously for the Mets as Chris Carpenter will not be seen until the third game and they have a chance to really jump ahead in this series. John Maine did get rocked by the Cardinals earlier in the season, but I certainly feel more comfortable with Maine beating the Cardinals current lineup than Suppan beating the current Met lineup.
While the Cardinals fans are praying for rain, I'd have to say Met fans are feeling pretty comfortable these days. It's worth mentioning Yankee fans were feeling very comfortable a week ago, but these Mets are not the 2006 Yankees. They are a deeper, more well rounded, and a closer knit bunch. Two keys for the Mets have been depth and consistency. Depth on a roster that is pretty good one through twenty-five reflects Omar’s never ending quest to build a team from the bottom up and consistency is a testament to Willie Randolph (hell yeah bitches!). Whatever Willie has managed to do over there and however he managed to do it after looking utterly confused in 2005 has been nothing short of amazing. Of course a good team has a way of making a good manager, but he cannot be totally overlooked an he gets his team to play the game the right way.
"It looks good for Joe,'' a source said.
Seriously, does anyone care? I'm glad the most overrated manager is back. I was afraid they would get a guy who really knew what he was doing.
One of these days, the Mets will take Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island. Brooklyn and Queens, too. Not today, though. Definitely not yesterday, either.
As much as the Mets earned their place as king of the hill, top of the heap on Saturday, there hasn't been any changing of the guard. Not even close. It is going to take more than one Division Series win hours after the Yankees were eliminated to make the Mets the talk of the town.
Douche...the Yankees losing is going to be big news. They were the absolute favorites to win the entire thing. The Mets losing would have been big news too. Anything either of these teams do is big news and no one is fooling themselves into thinking the Yankees do not have more fans than the Mets right now as they had 4.2 million + come through the turnstiles this season. Thanks for your pointless article and let Met fans get back to watching the only team still playing in October.
The longest HBP was when Paul Maholm of the Pirates plunked Lastings Milledge of the Mets on the 12th pitch of the PA on September 15th.
posted by michael o. at 11:17 AM
29 Comments:
anyone heard any details on beltran's supposedly minor abdominal injury?
12:07 PM
yeah, I've ignored it. I don't want to hear about it.
12:15 PM
Guys- I linked to this today - check out cardinalsdiaspora.com (the "pond scum" post), and fire away with the comments.
12:59 PM
I wouldn't call the kid a douchebag but I would call him delusional and someone who has alot of wishful thinking.
I still love Gary Sheffield as a player. His power at age 38 is amazing. ANd even if he declines his intimidation factor against the pitcher is huge. I wouldn't sign him though. If I was the PHillies I would ;-)
The ALCS will be sufficient enough entertainment until tomorrow...
1:37 PM
Maybe douchebag was too harsh...maybe used q-tip bag?
I'm torn on Sheff, but his injuries over the last few years tip the scales. If the Mets want an old outfield who can get injured, they can just re-sign the affable Cliff Floyd and have Endy and Lastings split time with him too.
1:57 PM
ae,
Yeah, but Milledge brings so much more.
First of all he's right handed and we are too lefty heavy right now.
Second, he's a much better fielder. His high profile blunders aside, he has a lot of range and a canon of an arm.
Third, with Endy starting, we have no pinch runners. Milledge is fast and if Tucker/Father Time/Woodward get on base Milledge's speed could be the difference between a run scoring or not.
What's Lastings needs to to be part of the team. It's obvious that the team 'leaders' have shunned him. We're not privy to what's going on in the clubhouse, but I can tell you this...
Lastings wants to prove himself if for nothing else, for pride. I'm sure he is burning up in St. Lucie chomping on the bit to prove his detractors wrong. Ledee is sitting there just hoping for the post season roster bonus.
I am so excited to go to Shea tomorrow.
LETS GO METS!
3:09 PM
AE, that is a daring move. However, I tend to think Milledge might help more. Point taken on the issues in the clubhouse with the guy, but I tend to think they minor in relation to what is going on. I don't think he can sour the entire situation going on here. But he has the ability to win games as he has shown us during the season and I'm going by that. Ledee? Not so much.
...and he's right handed.
I'll be at Shea again on Thursday and this time not hung over and ready to drink.
3:37 PM
Well, you know, now that Ledee has taken over Gerald Williams's job mowing Jeff Wilpon's lawn, I'm sure the Mets will let him ride the pine. Every argument above for Milledge is absolutely right. Kid offers more.
But unless the Mets must shelve Cliffy, I'm gambling on Anderson Hernandez being added to the roster. Why? He frees up Woody to pinch hit and play the outfield and is a highlight film in the field (and a basestealer as well).
Mets may take a reliever off of the roster, but I hope not. Again, Cliffy's presence changes everything - the Mets need an extra outfielder if he is on the roster. Without him, however, we are clearly better off with Ring pitching the thirteenth inning or the second big lefty out we have to handle.
The only reason why I won't say the Mets are a lock here is that that would curse the whole enterprise, so I officially admit that the Cards (blowjob!) have a chance. No more than six, perhaps even five. There's my prediction. Praying for rain does not equal a douche but I pity the fucker for thinking that an extra day is going to help the likes of Jeff Suppan & Jeff Weaver. Throw them under the bus gentlecardinalfans and watch their guts on the other end.
Suppan is Trachsell. The only reason why he's the rich man's version is Trachs hasn't been a free agent lately. Willie may give him the early hook again this time, but I think they should send him the bus if he falls apart. Best way to completely waste Carpenter's start besides a 1-0 victory for the Mets. The Cards may counterpunch if they hurt Trachs bad by taking Carpenter out early, but then again, the Cards pen is not the Mets' version. They could blow that gamble.
3:46 PM
In a short series anything can happen/ from 84-88 I would visit St Lou when the mets were in town and with an old army buddy a cards fan we would have a great weekend of it/ this game makes the rivalry live on and you CANNOT discount a team that has Albert on it, I fear this match up the most but I say the Mets in 6.
3:46 PM
Can Woody play the outfield? Is his arm hurt? I thought he had surgery or needs surgery.
Well, I'd take Suppan any day of the week over Trachsel. I like the fact that the Mets worse pitcher is going up against their ace...if the throw up a gem, the Mets most likely won't waste a good start. I'm kind of leaning towards Dave Williams at this point instead of Perez. I think that makes the most sense....
Steve, I'm with you. Nothing is a lock. If it was, the Yankees would have won every year since 2000. But the Mets don't seem to stray off course, stay focussed, and have plenty of ways to beat you...certainly more than the Cardinals and I just think that will rise to top over the Cards.
3:58 PM
The Metropolitan Baseball Club of New York of the National League... is going to run the table.
I'm going to side with the dissenting opinion here and go with Ledee for the last roster spot. You should get the best man for the job. The job is riding the pine and waxing Charlie Manuel's back hair. Ledee's your man!
The argument that The Edge gives you a righty bat doesn't carry weight because he's not going to PH ahead of Franco, Woody, and Fluffy. He hasn't shown himself to be a great baserunner. He's certainly not going to be a defensive replacement for anyone. I just don't see him bringing a lot of useful positives.
Be that as it may... Andy Hernandy could be useful. Can he play 3B? David Wright might deserve a defensive replacement in close & tight games.
Gary Sheffield is nuttier than chinese chicken salad. Forget that.
4:09 PM
I don't understand why anyone wants Dave Williams over Oliver Perez for Game 4. Williams has thrown 1 inning since Sep. 12. One. He is a finesse pitcher. Finesse pitchers need work to be sharp. A simulated game or a bullpen session doesn't get you that. Oh, and this was William's line from his last start on 9/11 at Florida: 3IP, 11H, 2BB, 9ER, 1K
Ollie is the clear choice for Game 4 to me.
4:10 PM
I forgot to make the point about the character of this team.
You can just tell what a tight knit group these guys have become and the confidence that has grown between them. A big part of their winning has been a result of their moxie and temerity. They need to drop anything or anyone that might disrupt that. Ledee might not be an integral part of this team but he knows the drill. He's been on real teams before (late 90's yankees). Does Milledge get it? You gotta drop him if there's any doubt about it.
This is go time. Every man needs to be rowing in the right direction.
4:16 PM
A Hern can play any position, but he cannot hit. I'm more concerned with Milledge's useful bat and game changing ability. I've seen him win games for Mets this year, albeit not that many, but he can do it. Being right sure does not hurt. The Mets are to heavy on left handers right now in the outfield.
Danny, Ollie can throw up a gem or a disaster. I'd give him four innings and pull him regardless. I think Williams has a better shot to be consistent and keep the Mets in it. I guess it really depends on how the series is shaking it. If it's a must win game, I want someone throwing strikes and not throwing someone out there who could implode and make the game unreachable before the Mets have a shot.
Milledge does not get it for sure....But I think he is way off the level of Sheffield or A-Rod in terms of disruption. Putting Ledee on rost because everyone thinks Milledge is bad apple is a mistake. Milledge can help this team win and that should be first and foremost. Shawn Green is all well and fine and he gives the Mets depth, but I'd like to see other people mixed in like the Mets had with their three man COF rotation. I don't want to go to battle with Green every single game.
4:23 PM
Forgot about the old Woodward shoulder situation. Been a while since we've seen him in the outfield but then again, Endy has been awesome. Woodward fields well out there and seems to throw well from the left side of the infield. So, maybe.
4:44 PM
So back to Woodie...is he just a pinch runner/pinch hitter? If he really cannot field, he seems like a very big waste of time. Can anyone add to this one?
4:54 PM
Sports Illustrated polled their seven writers on the upcoming series and not one of them chose the Cardinals. 5 said Mets in 5, two said six.
John Heyman:
The Mets have a swagger now. Their starting pitching may not be great, but their offense comes at you nonstop and their bullpen is extremely solid. They’re on a roll and are lucky to be facing the Cardinals, a team that's played well for about four days this year -- the last four.
Mets in five.
4:54 PM
Of course those polls mean nothing, but it is fucking swell to read, no?
The Cards game #1 start has an ERA near 6.00...just chew on that one. It tastes delicious.
5:02 PM
My memories of Jeff Weaver include giving up a dinger to Alex Gonzalez in the World Series and him giving up a grand slam to Carlos Delgado to tie up a game in which he had a 7 run lead.
I'm loving it. Besides the fact that I want the Mets to not only rock Weaver but to whip that bullpens ASS!
Also, around November 1st, my boy, your boy, and all of ours boy, Daisuke Matsuzaka is going to be posted.
After about 2 years of talking to him, I know your as hyped as I am, Mike.
5:25 PM
shef in the future? cmon. Nahhh.
Do the redsox have any traitors they're looking to get rid of this year? Why don't we get the Big Unit too, and make all the mistakes the spankees have made.
6:37 PM
I don't think any of us said anything about Sheffield on the Mets well atleast being serious about it.
But I will say that Gary Sheffield is hardly somethign I would call "mistake" to the Yankees.
The real mistakes were Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, and Carl Pavano.
The Yankees, if they wanted, could have had Pedro and Beltran.
HoF status players not mediocrities.
Oh well enough about the Yankees. Fuck them. Its all about the Tigers, A's, Cardinals, and the Mets.
7:47 PM
Posted? Finally? That certainly is interesting. The Mets should come away with a stud this off-season, that is for sure.
Sheff was no mistake. He has done nothing but perform. Pavano? Yes. Big Unit? Yes. Sheff? No.
I'm pretty excited. The Mets can beat any team out there right now. Will it be easy? Of course not, but they are right up there with the AL Teams and are the only NL team that could possibly hang with them.
9:14 PM
The Mets won't sign Matsuzaka because he doesn't speak spanish!
11:12 PM
Benny, it says: "Gary Sheffield is most likely done as a Yankee and will turn 38 years old in November. Would anyone take a one or two year deal for him so he can be pissed off and try and prove the Yankees wrong?"
I agree, he has been productive everywhere he's gone, but shef is one notch above "operation shut down" on the top MLB headcases of all time list. You want that in the clubhouse? Torre sat him and he went off to the media just the other day. Also, he's old. And he's retiring anyhow.
The Yanks mistake is building a team around poor character superstars. Thats what i was talking about. I get a little jumpy when people even jokingly want to sign guys like Shef.
Apparently some folks want to make the Japanese import mistake again. That's one play in the Mets management book I think Omar has ripped out. Do you guys really think Gyroball is realistic for the Mets. Zito looks kinda sucky too as a 2007 option.
I forgot to mention that Dawn Perry is a tool.
Mets in 3. Cards will forfeit after loosing the first 3. This is an organization that has signed Cedeno and Looper apparently based in part on what they saw from them as Mets. Their manager wears shades. We can't loose.
11:41 PM
Matsuzaka is no joke man. He is for real. He's the Ichiro of the mound. I'd take a chance on him.
Mets in 3. Cards will forfeit after loosing the first 3. This is an organization that has signed Cedeno and Looper apparently based in part on what they saw from them as Mets. Their manager wears shades. We can't loose.
Classic.
12:03 AM
I have Row A seats on field level tonight out in right. These are prime seats for sign holding and I'm short on ideas. I was trying to send a message about pond scum, support glavine or play on the possible rain. Any ideas? I figured you guys would be a good source...and hey i can't offer you a seat next to me tonight, but maybe I'll hold your sign and you'll see it on TV!
Two that I will be bringing:
(1)I have a 3' X 6' mustache for when Valentine comes to the plate.
(2) I have a giant arrow that will be pointing toward that guy on the loge level by the bullpen who always has a professional sign. I think last round he had the "Reyes the Roof" sign and he usually has a "Believe" sign. Well anyway my giant arrow says "What He Said"
9:00 AM
Some ideas: "take a walk" (for pujols), "weaver needs a reliever", "i heart (picture) rain (crossed out) champaigne (written on top) showers" , "pond (crossed out) arch (written on top) scum", and "not in the cards"
Which one do you like best?
11:31 AM
Joe,
"Omar for Governor"
on the back
"Willie for Mayor"
New York state politics are a friggin' mess. We need someone to turn it around. Omar's your man.
11:34 AM
How about "Pujols Loves the Juice" and then, to make sure you get on the tv, "Thom Brenneman hates the disabled."
That ought to do it.
12:13 PM
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