Things Are Getting Kind of 'Ticklish'

So the Mets have 29 blown saves this season. That is a very troubling number as they move towards a potential playoff birth, but I need to take a step back for a moment and think a bit more positively about this situation. For one, Jerry Manuel is not Willie Randolph. He believes in the dynamic nature of human beings and that sometimes you have to stray from some notion that you may have had at a previous point in time. Amazing.

While it was clear some of the guys that were supposed to be depended on in 2007 out the bullpen were not getting it done, Willie thought nothing of it. According to him, the sky was not falling. In September of this season, the top four relievers in innings pitched are Brian Stokes, Joe Smith, Luis Ayala, and Nelson Figueroa. Shit, Manuel is not a afraid to get Bobby Parnell into the mix late in the game if it means Ws in his pocket.

The Mets will have to take eight relievers into the playoffs if they squeak in to compliment their four starting pitchers and there really is no choice. Stokes has been striking a lot of people out while not walking many, Schoeneweis has been death on lefties, Figueroa has been surprisingly effective out of the bullpen and has been looking great doing it, Bobby Parnell throws gas, Smitty has humiliated righties, Feliciano has made lefties look like Andruw Jones, Heilman has been rather effective against righties, and Ayala has been effective in a Joe Borowski circa 2007 kind of way. John Maine might even make it back in time to be thrown into the bullpen, which I am not counting on.

Too many guys who are effective against only one side of the plate? Yes. But figure on Jerry managing his games in the playoffs like this one. If it takes the entire bullpen throwing five pitches each to make it through the game, who cares? It may not be pretty, but they are competant enough.

* * *

Yes....Duaner Sanchez was left off of the above list and I know he will probably make the playoff roster, but it should not be a foregone conclusion and I would love to see Parnell get a legit look. At least he is different...

The other day when Manuel had Bobby in for two innings, he said that he needed to get a good look at him on the mound at Shea. I take that to mean he is pretty open minded and with the Mets having enough injured players, they can get whoever they want on the playoff roster.

Four years to fix the bullpen? Am I the only one who looks around and thinks things are not as bad as they seem in the bullpen...at least beyond 2008? Stokes and Parnell look like good bets, Heilman is better than he has shown, Kunz (his GB% is tasty!) and Smith will be useful even if they won't be stellar against lefties, Nelly Figs might have found a home out there, and the Mets have cash.

I remain optimistic long term as additions get made and some guys come into their own, but I just hope they can sort things out sooner.

Reyes is good. He is having his best year yet and anyone that has ever had bad thoughts about Reyes (trade him for Johan!) should be ashamed.

Minaya gets four more years and that is a good thing. If you take a look at his worst three moves, are they really that terrible? Also, take note on how Brian Bannister and his 76 ERA+ are now off the list as one of his worst moves. I was never a believer in Bannister and things finally caught up to him.

I like Daniel Murphy, but Keith LOVES Daniel Murphy. Going so far as to call him the future #3 hitter with David Wright on the team seems a bit ambitious for me, but I'll take Keith's word for it since I believe whatever the man says.

Today's action...

-> Reyes vs Myers (Biiiig edge Phillies. Hitters are batting .353 against Reyes in the 2nd half)
-> Maholm vs Sabathia (Ummm...biiiiig edge Brewers.)
-> Zambrano vs Perez (5.51 post-all star ERA....slight edge Mets.)

It is go time. The Mets need to man-up.

A Heaping Helping of Awesome

Joe Smith? Off the charts with a 208 ERA+. Pedro II? Off the charts with a 186 ERA+. Mr. Billy Wags? Off the charts with no hits and one walk in seven innings. Dirty? Looking like he is off the charts with some great looking outings.

As a team, they have a 118 ERA+ which is just great. Heilman will come around and Johan will get into a groove and look sharper. Perez has looked like the ace of the staff by far with a 155 ERA+ while making people look stupid. Every game he goes out there this year, Scott Boras is seeing the piles of cash just multiply innumerably.

I cannot say any of the above is all that shocking because I believed in those arms. However, Pelfrey and his ERA+ of 122 is good for second on the staff and a welcomed surprise. The Mets now have five above average starters that I can see continuing to perform at their current level for the remainder of the season, or in Figgy's case, until Pedro comes back.

With the Mets three games over .500 and .5 games out of first, it is hard to not feel good. Amazing how much difference a week makes.

* * *

Chase Utley is awesome.

Willie lays it down.

"Welcome to the club, just like everybody else," Randolph said. "No one feels sorry for us when we have injuries, so we're definitely not going to feel sorry for them, that's for sure. Injuries are part of the game. We've got guys out, too."

No Alou? No problem. No Pedro? No problem. Shit is part of the game.

David Wright is awesome.

David Wright & Chase Utley are awesome. Why do I think the MVP is going to come down to those two?

Alou is making his way back.

Philly fans? Classless.

Jose Reyes is killing it these days and it amazes me how quickly Mets fans get down on some players. Guys like Heilman and Reyes are too good to keep down and will be alright.

Lucky # 15

John Maine pitched a tight game last night and ended up without the victory thanks to a some late inning hijinks. With Heilman in the game, Willie lifted him with two outs and men on first and third. He brought Feliciano to face a lefty and he failed to get an out. Then, Mota is brought in to take care of the problem and predictably proceeded to melt down.

"He shouldn't be caught up in the crowd," Randolph said. "For the team and for us he needs to get over the hump. I'm going to keep going to him. He's got some of the best stuff in our bullpen. He needs to continue to work to be more consistent with things."

First, let me admit how utterly and completely wrong I was as it relates to Mota. He is useless. However, only one person seems to not see that and I fear he will be used for the remainder of the year in big innings and used in the playoffs as well. Second, Willie's blunder goes beyond using Mota, but why pull your 8th inning guy who has been great in the second half when the going gets tough? Isn't that precisely what he should be able to navigate himself out of?

His 2.56 ERA in the second half is tight. Let Heilman work out of his own jams because he is your second best reliever out of the bullpen. He is equally adept at getting righties and lefties out and while Feliciano is obviously more adept at getting lefties out, there was no reason to use him. And if you had to use him, why use him against one batter? Righties are batting .211 against Pedro #2 and a cool .295 against Mota. Be afraid Met fans when Willie has to manage. Reasoning gets completely tossed out the window.

* * *

Gotay made a great play in the field yesterday and I think it is time we put more faith in his glove. I'm not basing everything off of one play. Yes, the guy has made some mistakes but he is young and can get better. He has shown he has some ability out there so there is reason to be optimistic.

Beltran is stud.

Piazza is not ready to retire and will be playing for his third team in as many years after leaving the Mets.

This is really such a non-story right now. How about the Mets worry about the World Series and worry about Glavine in the off-season.

From johnf in the comments last night:

Glavine is guaranteed up to $13M (based on 200 IP) from the Mets if he wants to come back, not 4-7M. It is his option, not the Mets.

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2004/12/new-york-mets.html

Tom Glavine p
1 year/$10.5M (2007), plus 2008 player option

* re-signed as a free agent 11/06
* 07:$7.5M, 08:$9M player option ($3M buyout)
* 2008 player option:
o guaranteed with 160 IP in 2007
o additional $1M (up to $13M) for each additional 10 IP in 2007
o may be declined by Glavine if it becomes guaranteed

Andy is not mulling retirement as much as he is looking for another year tagged onto his player option at a hefty price.

El Duque's foot is still hurting and if it is hurting as the Mets head into the playoffs, he has to take a seat or head into the bullpen. It is that simple. The Mets are too deep to head out there with a injured starter.

Weiner ponders the viability of a third NY team.

Over the five decades since the Dodgers and Giants left New York, no one has suggested putting a third team in the New York City marketplace. No one, that is, until the owner of the Oakland Athletics, Lewis Wolff, spoke to a New York Times reporter recently about placing a second Major League Soccer franchise in the area. Wolff told the Times ,"Frankly, I'd like to see a third baseball team in New York."

Could the area support one? 100% yes. Should it happen? It would be good for baseball since it is still such a tremendous market, but it will never happen. New Jersey? Maybe, but I fear any New Jersey team will fall to the problems the Devils and Nets face when people are forced to fight through traffic to get to a weekday game. With no effective mass transit to get people to the games from work to the game on time, it is virtually impossible.

The Mets are holding onto homefield advantage by one game. With such a big lead in the NL East it might seem OK for Willie continuing to manage without much thought, but I want homefield throughout the playoffs and Willie needs to wake up a bit.

I'm back and with me comes a win...coincidence?

I'm back in business for the foreseeable future. I had family in town from Colorado and then I had to head up to Newport, Rhode Island for a wedding. It was great, thanks for asking. While in Newport I was able to partake in what has been coined one of the twenty hamburgers you must eat before you die at the Spiced Pear. It is called the 'Not Just a Burger' and it wasn't just a burger and it was craptastic. It is 1/2 pounds of fresh ground Kobe beef stuffed with Kobe brisket. Just let that sink in..... Then it is served with caramelized red onion tomato jam and topped with Vermont white cheddar cheese and coleslaw.

Needless to say, it was good. Really good. The view didn't hurt either and it was a delightful culinary experience all around. In regards to the list, I've also had a White Mana burger (though not from the Hackensack location) and typically get a double bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg upon some drunken late night food runs. I need to make more of an inroad in the list as there are plenty of places close to me serving up tasty delights. Back to baseball though, this Met team looks light years away from last years baseball team. They are for more inconsistent in all facets than last years version and the bullpen is far, far worse.

It is good to see Lastings making his way back, but I just cannot see many positives at this point to take away. Mike Pelfrey continues to look like a minor league pitcher and the Mets overall pitching depth looks horrific. With Buehrle back on the market, you would have to wonder how the Mets do not make a hard push for him. However, I suspect Williams will be hard to deal with as usual and will be looking for young pitching. While the Mets could certainly deal one top pitching prospect, should they? Would Milledge even be appealing?

A big issue is one of draft pick compensation. No team that figures to be heavily involved with courting Buehrle is going be in the bottom fifteen. That means no first round pick. Do the Mets give up a premium chip for possibly 1/2 a year of Buehrle, a sandwich pick, and a second round pick? Does he even fix the Mets problem? Pedro and another starter into the mix allows Sosa and The Duque to move the pen which just might fix their problems entirely. Add in the prospect of Dave Williams contributing some meaningful innings and I think the Mets will go a long way to solidifying their spot as the NL's #1 team.

One thing is certain that after watching the Red Sox, Tigers, and Angels hit a bit of a lull, no team in the bigs right now stands out head and shoulders above the rest at this point. The Mets are frustrating, but they not far off. If the Mets have to overpay for a chip, so be it. The Mets are flawed and need some tweaking, but they are still big time contenders.

* * *

John Maine won for the tenth time this season is looks like he is going to make a run at twenty wins. If he does win twenty, he would be the first since Frank Viola in 1990. If Maine is going to pull it off, he'll need to pick it up as well as the Mets offense.

We officially have a bullpen problem. It's really ugly. So ugly I'd consider bringing in Scott Williamson. I say give him a workout in front of Rick Peterson to see if there is any chance he looks useful.

Of course, the Mets are looking into Hector Carrasco so they are predictably going to be looking at anybody and everybody.

Always looking for bullpen help, the Mets are "monitoring" reliever Hector Carrasco, who was designated for assignment by the Angels yesterday. Carrasco, 37, had a 6.57 ERA in 29 games this season. A Mets official said the club is checking with scouts to see if he might be an option worth exploring.

And you might as well forget about Duaner making any sort of comeback this season.

Duaner Sanchez, who is rehabbing from two shoulder operations in a span of nine months, was placed on the 60-day disabled list yesterday to make room on the 40-man roster for Alomar. Ricco said Sanchez recently picked up a baseball for the first time and still is a long way from returning.

You have to be on the big league roster prior to September to be included on the playoff roster, but that does not apply to people on the DL. Sanchez could be available for the playoffs even if he returns in September, but counting on him would just mean the bullpen situation has gotten that bad, which it just might become. Adding a guy to the playoff roster who would just be coming back after well over a year off would be a bad sign. The Mets need to start thinking outside the box here.

I'm still not holding my breath, but all of this has to be very encouraging. The Mets need some innings, which he will most likely not be able to provide. However, he does have the ability to chew off six innings with 80 pitches. He cannot be ridden hard, but his inclusion to the rotation will signal someone's exclusion where I think the biggest benefit will be. The only question is, who is the better candidate? Jorge Sosa or The Duque?

Rich Harden returns to the rotation this weekend and although Billy is a shrewd man, maybe he's ready to sell and not watch Harden follow the path of Kerry Wood. Beane may be ready to sell while he still can. Their rotation has been their strength and it has not included Rich Harden all season. For the Mets, we all know it's worth the upside. Even if Harden is used strictly out of the pen this season, it would be a huge boon for the Mets. This definitely warrants a conversation or twelve.

Mike Hargrove retiring mid-season while his team is exceeding expectations is truly a bizarre event. I'm not sure anyone could have seen that one coming and it will be interesting to see how the team responds...good or bad.

I'm just sayin'....

1.45 ERA and 0.85 WHIP
3.82 ERA and 1.36 WHIP
1.96 ERA and 1.26 WHIP

While Heath Bell was never going to get a chance here and the trades did not look bad at the time, I'm sure Omar would love to have a mulligan on those even if Owens has been out for a month.

I think Dave Williams is the likely choice despite the few innings he has pitched this year, but Phil is definitely in the mix. Alomar says he is ready and his last two starts were impressive, but he's not striking out a lot of people. If the Mets want to satiate some curiosity, he's the choice. If he comes up and tosses up a strong performance, he might get another shot at some point.

Better Late Than Never

If you come to this site for timely reporting of news and up to date debates on hot issues, you have probably been a bit disappointed lately. This was supposed to be Wednesday night's post, but alcohol happened and I'm going to post it anyway despite the fact the word on the street is he is not going anywhere and it's gotten plenty of ink of late.

Brad Lidge is none too happy with being removed as closer of the Houston Astros. His decline along with Derrik Turnbow's last season are certainly mysteries. Turnbow's decline is a bit more mysterious because he was having another stellar season before falling apart mid-season and never really recovered in '06. I am all to familiar with this situation because he was one of my fantasy baseball closers last season. Lidge was pretty much off all last year and it was primarily due to the fact that he gave up a few more homers and few more unintentional walks than he did in '05. Of course that may be dumbing it down and a bit, but in 2006 he had a .238 BAA with 12.48 K/9. Based on those two numbers alone, you would assume he was dominant. After all, in 2005, he had a 2.29 ERA with a .223 BAA and 13.12 K/9. The big difference is in OBPA and SLGA with Lidge and in '06 he had .332 and .403 respectively which was up significantly from years past.

This year has started off worse than last year and it is certainly mysterious given his peripherals over the past few seasons, but he certainly still has the ability to be completely dominating again from what it seems. I would love to get him in the hands of Rick Peterson with his old friend Mr. Billy Wagner on the team, but these guys are almost impossible to acquire unless a team is completely fed up with them, which I do not think is the case. At this point, Lidge does not really have much trade value which would mean the Astros would have no incentive to trade him. A team looking to acquire him would be hesitant to acquire him because the team that has him might be asking too much factoring in what he could be. However, Tim Purpura and Omar Minaya were able to almost broker a three team deal last year with some substantial talent involved.

Basically, these are two men who genuinely look towards improving their team over ripping someone off and seem to be able to find a common ground that works for everyone. Lopsided deals are not always things GMs gun for and if anyone can try and work something out, Omar seems to be that guy. Now, the obvious thing would be that the Mets would have to overpay in regards to what his true market value is at this point to make it worth Houston's time and Houston cannot act like it is 2004. One thing that I see working in the Mets favor is that they finally seem to have those mid-level guys in the minors. With some recent trades and player development, they seem to have a deeper system than they had even just last year and might have the wherewithal to get something done. This is certainly something that bears looking into and I'm sure many teams have called Houston wondering about his availability. I do not know if he is necessarily available since Houston may never get what they want, but he could certainly answer a lot of questions for the Mets in terms of the 7th and 8th innings.

* * *

What Josh Hamilton did on the other day is nothing short of amazing. 1 for 3 with a homer and two walks in your first big league start after 50 pro at-bats in '03, '04, '05, and '06 with none of them coming above short-season? C'mon. that's just ridiculous even if it was luck. As if that wasn't enough, he homered in his second start and went 1 for 4 with a run scored, two RBIs, and a walk in his third start. In his first three at-bats in his third start, he faced Carlos Zambrano three times and went 1 for 2 with an RBI and a walk. We all read a lot about how patient he is at the plate and he has four walks to compliment his four hits. I hope the Reds push this experiment to see what they really have here. With the history of Rule 5 drafts, Hamilton could easily be the best Rule 5 pick (sorry Dan Uggla) and the Reds could look like geniuses.

Ed (CT): What are your thoughts on Josh Hamilton? I know many say he will not start, but the guy is a patient hitter and I think Narron wants him to start. Who will sit? Freel or Griffey?

SportsNation Jayson Stark: I don't think we've reached the stage yet where the Reds are planning to bench either Freel or Griffey so Josh Hamilton can play every day. But this guy is so talented, and having such good at-bats, that I can foresee a situation like the one they had with Austin Kearns -- essentially juggling four "regular" outfielders. In case you hadn't noticed, Josh Hamilton is the best story in baseball. And it's getting better all the time.

You still have to be tentative at this point, but it's hard to ignore what he is doing.

Brad, Columbus OH: What should the Reds do with Hamilton?? 2 HR in 2 starts, plus fielder, where do they find a spot for him?

SportsNation Keith Law: What they should do is work out a deal with Tampa so that they can send him to AA or AAA and let him play every day. I think if they make him a regular in the majors, he's going to struggle big-time. There is really no precedent for a hitter to miss that amount of time and come right back and perform well at a higher level of ball. Look at Jason Kubel - he missed a year, and his first year back was a huge disappointment.

When Keith says there is no precedent, he is not kidding. It's downright unthinkable for him to simply do what he's been doing over a three game span much less being able to keep it up all season.

Pelfrey looked good in his '07 debut. His fastball was overpowering and his slider looked extremely good at times. You have to be happy about his performance. However, he was having control issues and while it's early, you have to be concerned with the manner that the Mets are beating themselves more than the opposition. Early on it seems like they are their biggest obstacle, but I have no reason to believe they will not straighten out.

Tim (NY): Phil Hughes or Mike Pelfrey in terms of upside?

SportsNation Keith Law: Pelfrey, easily.

ESPN thinks the Mets are #1...the Braves fan do not.

beachuga (4/13/2007 at 1:30 PM)

How are the Mets ahead of Atlanta??? The Braves took 2 out of 3 head to head last weekend and showed resiliency by bouncing back after dropping game 1 of the series 11-1. Even the .500 Yankees are ahead of Atlanta. ESPN is not afraid of displaying its New York bias. Yeah, it is early in the year, but you have to base the power rankings on what the teams have done so far this year, not what they are capable of accomplishing. The Mets cannot be #1 right now after losing a series to a division rival.

Douchebag.

joeysprite (4/13/2007 at 2:18 PM)

U guys aren't getting this. If it's up to u guys, the rankings would just go by record. It's about who's team looks best. The Mets obviously look poised to take the division and prolly the NL this year. That's not bias. That's just the odds. If you don't understand that. Take a look at the vegas odds as of today and they will have the mets as the odds on favorite to win the NL. AKA the best team in the league. THERE IS NO NEW YORK BIAS IN VEGAS YOU IDIOTS. Regardless of the fact that they're a whole """"1"""" game out of first place and lost a staggering 2 out of 3 in Atlanta. Shut up.

Not a douchebag.

felicia__nicole (4/13/2007 at 2:36 PM)

How is it that the team with the best record in baseball is only ranked 6th? Perhaps if they change thier name to the New York Braves.......no respect, ESPN disgusts me.

Douchebag.

Mrollman01 (4/13/2007 at 2:49 PM)

As stated at the beginning of the article - " little bit of winning percentage here, mixed with a pinch of run differential there...".This is NOT soley about win/loss record. That would be 'standings'. This is Power Rankings which take into account the way a team is playing, along with wins. The Mets are second in the majors in runs scored and runs allowed. How can you argue that they should not be first? Because the Braves have one more win?Please drop this "Ohh no! East coats bias!!!!" Its being used in every single arguement on ESPN, its getting very lame. Notice how they have the Dodgers ahead of the Braves too?

Braves fans are not exactly the most well versed. This Mets team is really, really good. Not to say the Braves aren't, being ranked sixth is still pretty good in fact. However, you'd be hard pressed to find many people prepared to hand the division to the Braves.

joheher (4/13/2007 at 3:18 PM)

People are so stupid. Win-Loss records are meaningless at this point of the season. The Braves have a combined .226 batting average and only won two out of three because of errors committed by the Mets. The Mets rank ahead of Atlanta in runs, hits, triples, total bases, RBI's, batting average, OBP, slugging %, OPS, ERA, and rank #1 in BAA. Unlike you idiots, ESPN actually does its research. If you knew anything about baseball you'd quit your whining about how Atlanta won two out of three and pity the fact that you got shut out by the Nationals last night with Smoltz pitching.

It should also be noted that the Braves were ranked the highest by ESPN further making these Braves fans look like douchebags for repeatedly complaing about ESPN's blatant East Coast bias. Maybe...just maybe...and I know this is a stretch here....they are not as good as the Mets. Silly bitches.

As I was watching the Mets game on my DVR, I was also writing this shitty post. In the 7th inning, Wagner walked Valentin to bring up the pitcher's spot at which point they announced Julio Franco was coming up. Just as I was saying "oh shit" to myself, I read this craptastic headline.

Franco delivers clutch hit as Mets rally to beat Nats

I'm sorry for doubting you.

Not to beat the Power Ranking issue to death, but BP has the Mets as #1 as well with the Braves and Yankees seventh and eighth respectively.

The line of the day also came from their rankings...

How to Recognize a Small Sample Size, Lesson #476: "Royce Clayton" and "torrid" can credibly appear in the same sentence, as the Toronto shortstop is hitting .364/.440/.545 so far.

Is this the year Jose Reyes wins his first Gold Glove? Might be hard with the Vizquel getting an automatic write in while he is still playing, but Reyes is going to make it hard for people to not vote him as the best field short stop in the National League.

Can we all point and laugh at the Phillies? ...and more specifically Jimmy Rollins?