Mets Forever

2004-05-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

Hello Everybody this is Dan from Detroit Sports and Motown Tigers. Max gave me his password and username about a month ago so I could fix his site,that is why its says "Posted by Max" at the end of this post. As you can see Max hasn't posted in over 2 weeks. I used to AIM him and email him a lot. Since he stopped posting I haven't seen him online and he hasn't emailed me. He never said that he was going to stop posting or anything. Maybe he is just gone or maybe his computer is broken. I have no clue why he hasn't posted. Whatever the reason I am sure that everybody will be waiting for him to come back and write about the team he loves.

2004-05-11T07:06:00.000-04:00

DImondbacks 12, Mets 8
W: Daigle (2-1)
L: Baldwin (0-1)

Both Baldwin and Wheeler pitched very bad. They could blame the ballpark and say that the ball was carrying, which is true, but they weren't making their pitches. Hanging sliders, no movement fastballs. Baldwin gave up 2 home runs and Wheeler gave up 3. The home runs cost the Mets the game as they outhit the Dimondbacks 17-14 and scored 8 runs. I don't understand why Bladwin is up here. I really don't. He is a old, doesn't have good stuff, and the Mets could be giving his spot to someone young. Don't they want to build for the future. In other news, the Mets will be facing some great pitchers this week, so get ready for a lot of 1 run games, knowing the Mets. They will be facing Randy Johnson, and this weekend's seires against the Astros, they will be facing Oswalt, Pettite, and the one who must not be named. (Roger Clemens.)

2004-05-08T10:06:00.000-04:00

Milwaukee 7, Mets 5
W: Davis (2-2)
L: Glavine (4-2)

For a box score go here.
For a game summary go here.

Game Notes
Tom Glavine- Other than the 3rd inning he didn't pitch bad. That inning though, he gave up 2 home runs and 4 runs. If you take the third inning out of Glavine's night here are his end stats: 5 innings. 1 hits. 3 walks. 3 strike outs. Not too shabby. Everyone has a bad inning once in a while.
Joe McEwing- He had a great night going 2-3 with a walk. He also hit what turned out to be a meaningless 2-out three run homer in the bottom of the 9th. He didn't play the greatest centerfield but you can't expect that. I hope there were a few balls Cameron would have gotten to but he made up for it with his offense.
Mike Stanton- He pitched 2/3 of an inning last night and didn't give up a run. That brings his scoreless streak to 10 games (11 1/3 innings) Over those innings he has given up 7 hits while walking only 2 and striking out 7. Looks like he is coming around.
Ober Moreno- He didn't pitch that bad but was taken out and must have no confidence. Let's take a look at the inning he pitched:

-Top of the 7th inning
-O Moreno relieved T Glavine.
-S Podsednik singled to left center. (Blooper over Matsui's head.)
-S Podsednik stole second. (On a pitch out.)
-C Counsell reached on bunt single to third, S Podsednik scored on throwing error by third baseman T Wigginton. (Another error.)
-K Ginter flied out to center.
-M Stanton relieved O Moreno.

Howe has to keep throwing Moreno out there to build up his confidence.

Tom Glavine's Game Score: 45

Jae Seo
Art Howe said Jae Seo will probably make his Monday start in Arizona despite cracking his right index fingernail Wednesday. It should be noted Seo split his nail while throwing 62/3innings of one-hit ball at Florida last June 17. He didn't start again until June 27 and lost his next six decisions; but Howe said "We feel like we've caught it earlier than last year. At this point it's not as bad."

Mike Cameron
Cameron was out of the lineup last night with a strained ligament in his right pinky suffered Wednesday. X-rays were negative and he was available to pinch-hit, but the Mets were using caution. He should play today with his pinky taped to his ring finger. "They'd rather have me not just for [yesterday] but for 130 games," said Cameron, who was injured trying to score on Wednesday. "We've been playing pretty good, so there's no feeling for me to rush back in there and do something stupid and be out 15-20 days."

Today's Game
Tyler Yates will be on the mound today, and will be opposed by Adrian Hernandez Yates has never faced the Brewers and Hernandez has never faced the Mets. Yates last start did not go well. He gave up 5 ER in 4.1 innings on 7 hits while only striking out 2 and walking 5. He is going to have to have better control this time or he'll have to expect the same results. This will be Hernadez's first start of the year. His last start was on May 22, 2002 against Toronto. In his 4 career starts, he is 0-4 will a 6.63 ERA. Enjoy the game!

Q & A with Peter Abraham

2004-05-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I had to honor of being able to ask Peter Abraham, the Mets writer for The Journal News, a few questions about himself and the Mets. I found it really interesting and I hope you do too.

Mets Forever: When did you become a baseball fan? What was your favorite team growing up and who were your favorite players?

Peter Abraham: I've been a baseball fan all my life. My grandfather managed a team in the local industrial league, my dad played, I played in high school, etc. I grew up in Massachusetts and my favorite team was the Sox. My favorite players as a kid were Yaz, Fred Lynn, Rooster Burleson and Butch Hobson. I can give you a pretty good breakdown on every Red Sox team since 1974 or so.

Mets Forever: When you were a kid, did you read about baseball in the newspaper everyday and read a lot of books about baseball, and if so which ones?

Peter Abraham: I read the Boston Globe religiously every day. Peter Gammons was their beat writer at the time and he influenced me tremendously. I think I read almost every book about baseball. My favorite was "Inside the Sixth Game" by Gammons and "Why Time Begins on Opening Day" by Thomas Boswell. There was no internet when I was a kid but I loved Boswell on the Orioles and used to go to the library to read the Washington Post.

Mets Forever: What is your background in journalism, and how did that transfer into a job with The Journal News as a Mets writer?

Peter Abraham: My background is I started writing for my hometown paper, the New Bedford (Mass.) Standard-Times when I was 15. High school swimming of all things. I stayed with them until I graduated from UMass-Amherst, where I was editor of the Daily Collegian sports section. I think I worked for 13 years at The Norwich Bulletin covering UConn men's basketball. I also have freelanced for many magazines. I left Norwich in 1999 for The Journal News. It was within the same company, Gannett, and I always wanted to try my hand in the New York market.

Mets Forever: Were there any writers that influenced you to decide you wanted to write about baseball?

Peter Abraham: Gammons, Boswell, Leigh Montville. Those three.

Mets Forever: What do you do during a typical gameday during the season and what do you do in the offseason?

Peter Abraham: Typical gameday: Get to the park 4 hours before the game. Update my personal stat books, read the competition on the net, etc. We get clubhouse access 3.5 hours before the game. I have 2 stories a day to write plus I update them each at least once over the course of the night. I usually leave an hour or so after the game. The offseason is dictated by the team's activity. Lots of calling agents, GMs, etc. I take most of my vacation in the offseason.

Mets Forever: You wrote an article early this year entitled "A Growing Sports Voice." It was an article about the growing world of baseball blogging. Do you ever take time to read baseball blogs, and do they ever help you or give you ideas for your baseball writing?

Peter Abraham: I read some blogs, most just to get an idea what the fan is thinking. Some guys are funny. I don't usually get ideas from them, however.

Mets Forever: Many bloggers follow sabermetrics. What is your take on the "sabermetric revolution" and how much do you follow it?

Peter Abraham: The saber stuff is fascinating but it's difficult to write for several reasons. It takes up lots of space, the average newspaper reader has a 7-9th grade reading level and it's a little too much like schoolwork for the average fan to really want to read. I employ it to give me perspectives on particular players that I may not have thought of. I am much less old school than I used to be because of the Baseball Prospectus people.

Mets Forever: What do you think about the 2004 New York Mets?

Peter Abraham: They are generally going nowhere because they lack talent, depth and the manager is over his head in New York. Reyes and Floyd are so fragile and when they are out the talent level sinks.

Mets Forever: How would you describe the atmosphere of the Mets clubhouse before a game?

Peter Abraham: Quiet, professional. Guys watch video, review charts, etc. Baseball players eat a lot, shower a lot and spend time stacking their fan mail, most of which is autograph requests from collectors.

Mets Forever: Who do you think is the hardest worker on the Mets?

Peter Abraham: In this order: 1. Ty Wigginton, 2. Mike Stanton, 3. Kaz Matsui,, 4. everybody else.

Mets Forever: How do you think Jim Duquette has done so far since becoming the Mets GM and are they headed in the read direction? Also, what do you think is the best move he has made so far and what do you think is the worst?

Peter Abraham: Jim has done well, especially robbing the Dodgers the way he did for Burnitz. They are headed in the right direction if they can find a manager who is not so old school. The best thing they did was hire Rick Peterson. I think ultimately moving Reyes to second will be a mistake. He's better defensively than Matsui could ever dream of being.

Mets Forever: There has been some discussion between Mets fans over Art Howe's managing this year. He has been making a lot of defensive replacements, causing some of the Mets best hitters not to be in the game in the 9th inning. How do you think Art Howe is doing as the Mets manager and do you think he is the right manager for the Mets?

Peter Abraham: The defensive replacement panic is overrated. He generally tries to cling to leads, which is fine. But in general I don't think his style works. He tries not to offend any of the players at the expense of victories. He also handles the media poorly. A lot of New York is perception and that seeps into the clubhouse. The perception around the Mets is that he's a rube and the team is mismanaged and they attitude infects everything.

Mets Forever: The Mets seem pretty excited about Scott Kazmir and David Wright. When can we expect to see them in a Mets uniform and what kind of numbers should we expect when they are?

Peter Abraham: Wright will be fine, likely here in September then to compete for a job next spring. Kazmir is pretty fragile. I think it's a matter of time before he has some kind of surgery then it'll become a question of whether he can come back or not. The Mets, I suspect, know he has a bad elbow and that is why they baby him so much. I can't predict their MLB numbers based on Class A and AA ball.

Mets Forever: There seem to be a lot of great personalities on the Mets. Which player or players are the pranksters or jokers? Also, whom would you consider the Mets clubhouse leader?

Peter Abraham: The Mets have a lot of good guys, funny guys. Franco, Cameron, Matsui, Stanton, McEwing, etc. Nobody is a prick, which is great for somebody in my business. In terms of a clubhouse leader, that stuff is overrated. Vance Wilson, to a degree. But nobody really. Baseball is such an individual sport. You don't need to be led like a football or basketball team. One player can't make somebody around him better in baseball. Just can't happen.

Mets Forever: There were some people, and are still some people, who would have preferred it if the Mets had left Jose Reyes at SS and instead of getting Kaz Matsui, spent the money on a RF. They feel by moving Reyes to 2B, he becomes a lot less valuable. One scout even described moving Reyes to second as having a Ferrari but only driving it 20 mph. What is your opinion? Do you think they did the right thing by getting Matsui even though they had to move Reyes to second?

Peter Abraham: I like Matsui a lot but I think he would have agreed to play second base if pressured. Vlad wasn't the answer and I share the concerns about his back. He's getting old in a hurry. I'd like to see them find a corner outfielder but it's a matter of Fred spending the money.

Thanks again Peter for taking the time to answer these questions. I know there are a lot of readers who look forward to your columns every day. Keep up the great work!

Padres 7, Mets 6

2004-05-01T08:35:00.000-04:00

W: Lawrence (3-2)
L: Yates (1-3)
S: Otsuka (1)

This is getting ridiculous. I feel asleep during the third inning and I was very confident because the Mets had a 5 run lead at that time. I guess I shouldn't have been so confident. Tyler Yates has proven nothing against a Major League Team. (No I do not cosider the Expos a Major League Team.) I think he will come around but he has to work on his command. He has some nasty stuff and and had it last nigh tbut he lost command. Another thing he has to work on is getting ahead in the count and being able to put batters away went their are 2 strikes. Todd Zeile is still looking great. I keep waiting for him to fall of track and start playing crappy but he hasn't. Mike Cameron got a double but he struck out 3 more times. He really has to work on cutting down on those strike outs. Kaz Matsui made his fifth error of the year and you could say it cost the Mets the game. We are in the majors here and that play has to be made. It cost the Mets 2 runs. On a good note, the Mets bullpen pitched well and it looks like the bullpen has been getting a lot better. Stanton has been pitching great and last night, they took over for Yates in the fourth and shutout the Padres.

Discussion Question of the Week
The first week of doing the "discussion question" has come to an end. For those of you who missed it I asked the following question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

I asked people to e-mail me what they thought. Only two people emailed me but here is what they had to say:

G. Collins from Dunnellon, FL.:

You're kidding right?? When the Mets signed him, my 15 year old son asked "WHY", and my head almost exploded! Combined with getting Mo Vaughn, the two WORST moves made in recent history! Has he done ONE thing to make you think he ought to be managing ANY major league team, let alone the Mets?!

He has no clue how to use relief pitchers (or starters for that matter), has no feel for the game, cannot/will not 'work' the umpires (a la Bobby Cox) to help his pitchers get calls...the list goes on and on. Do we REALLY believe that with Reyes and Floyd that we'd all be singing Howe's praises?? Come on! Granted, the bench he has to work with couldn't play on my recreation softball team, but it's obvious he has no 'feel' for the game. I've got to stop before I have a stroke!

Nick:

HOWE IS DEFINITELY USING STANTON TOO MUCH, TO ME STANTON IS A ONE INNING GUY OR JUST A LEFTY SPECIALIST, I FORGOT THE GAME BUT I REMEBER HOWE USING HIM FOR TWO AND HE GOT ROCKED. I ALSO AGREE THAT THE LATE GAME SUBBING IS WRONG WITH A TWO RUN LEAD YOU DONT TAKE PIAZZA OR FLOYD (WHEN HEALTHY) OUTTA THE LINE UP AND HES DONE THIS. I ALSO BELEIVE HE IS OVER MANAGING SOMETHING BOBBY V USED TO DO AND I HATE IT. ITS FUNNY BECAUSE HOWE REALLY NEVER HAD THAT REP BUT SINCE HES BEEN HERE IN NY HES DOING IT. I GUESS IT'S THE MEDIA PRESSURE BUT IM GETTING SICK OF IT. NOT TO BEAT AN OLD DRUM BUT IMAGINE IF THAT CHEAP SOB WILPON WOULDA OPENED HIS POCKETS AND LET VLAD COME HERE I WOULD FEEL SO MUCH MORE PROUD TO BE A FAN. FLOYDS CAREER HAS BEEN PLAGUED AND THEY WERENT HINDERED TO SIGN HIM ANS SO FAR VLADS BEEN OK. ANY WAY LETS GO METS!!!

I also asked Jerry Crasnick the same question and here's what he had to say:

Not to sound wishy washy, but it's probably a little bit of both. I don't think Art has had much to work with, but he's a pretty low key guy (that's putting it mildly) and he just might not be cut out for New York. He sure looked a lot smarter managing that team in Oakland.

Finally it is my turn to tell you want I think. Honestly, I think he is a pretty bad manager, and a horrible one for New York. He doesn't have a lot of talent to work with but he makes some of the stupidest moves during games I have ever seen. He also is a very low-key guy which is not good for New York. New York fans need someone who is going to argue calls and put some emotion into the game. He won't do that.

Now, for next week the discussion question is:

Today, it was announced that Jose Reyes has been sidelined again. He was first hurt in Spring Training and was at first questionable for Opening Day. It has been almost a month since opening day and he is still not back, and even worse today it was said he will be out at least three more weeks. When do you think Reyes will be back? Also do you think this is going to be an ongoing problem throughout his career? In the meantime, should the Mets try to find someone in the trade market who can play 2B or do you think they should stick with Garcia and Gutierrez?

Send in your answers to me. Please include your name and where you are from. I would really like to have more people this week so please try to write at least a little. Just try! Thanks.

Injury Update

Jose Reyes had an MRI taken of his right hamstring on Friday and the results, according to Jay Horwitz, the club's vice president for media relations, showed that the injury has not healed. Whether the injury had simply never healed or did heal and Reyes reinjured it Thursday night while running our a grounder in a rehab game is not clear.

What is clear is that Reyes was taken off Major League rehabilitation and will begin undergoing treatment at the team's Spring Training site at St. Lucie, Fla. There is no time frame for his return or for when he will be able to play in a game. He will continue to work in the facilities hydro-works pool and do whatever limited baseball activity of which he is capable.

"I'm not happy about it but it is what it is," manager Art Howe said. "We'll deal with it. We just have to be patient. It's out of our control."

The Mets have already been patient with Reyes, who originally suffered the injury on March 14. General manager Jim Duquette indicated on Thursday that the strain Reyes suffered was probably closer to a Grade II strain, or more severe strain, than a Grade I strain which was the original diagnosis.

Peter Greenberg, Reyes' agent, said that Duquette has given Reyes permission to speak with fitness specialist Mackie Shilstone but Reyes is reluctant to do so at this time. Regardless, Shilstone is currently working with boxer Roy Jones, Jr., training him for an upcoming fight and would not have time to see Reyes.

"He's pretty down," Greenberg said. "He was very frustrated. We'll talk again in the morning. But he's been through this so much at least he knows where he's at. Now he'll just wait until he's 100 percent.

"What can you say? He was feeling better every day and improving. I spoke to him on a regular basis and he felt like he was getting close. It was healing but he aggravated it. It wasn't completely healed. It was like he kind of got it to 80-90 percent and then he set himself back a few percentage points."

You know what is more frustrating. This:

Mackie Shilstone, a New Orleans-based fitness expert who has helped many major leaguers recover from hamstring injuries, whould have gladly helped Reyes.

Shilstone said he would have required three to seven days to cure Reyes, a 20-year-old second baseman, but Reyes refused to leave Port St. Lucie because he wanted to continue his baseball workouts, and the Mets went along with his thinking.
Shilstone said Friday that he was surprised Reyes had not returned to action. "But in the heat of battle, teams are sometimes stuck on dealing with symptoms," Shilstone said. "I would have looked at the root of the problem and taken care of it. Until the Mets address this, it will be a nagging thing. Unless they get to the bottom of it, even if Reyes comes back, I'd say there's a 60 percent chance he'll get hurt again."

"You can't do this in-house," said Mack Newton, a hamstring specialist. "You have to look outside your organization and look at all the resources, or you're really not serious about being successful. You're not insuring your investment and that's stupid. If the people in-house knew what they were doing, how did it get to this point in the first place? It's not like this started the day before yesterday."

Shilstone and Newton have not treated Reyes, but they hypothesize that there is scar tissue or an adhesion in the hamstring that will require deep-tissue massage. They also believe Reyes must learn how to run differently and take better care of his legs.

This is crazy! I can't believe it. My respect for Reyes has been greatly lowered. Refusing to go to a speicalist who would have cured him in 6 to 7 days. Disapointing.

Cliff Floyd made no significant progress with his strained right quad yesterday. The leftfielder took batting practice in St. Lucie but is still not ready to play in a game. The Mets would like Floyd to play at least one rehab game before returning to the club.

Ty Wigginton (ulcer) is in St. Lucie and should be taking part in baseball activity next week.

Scott Erickson (strained left hamstring) does not have a timetable.

Shane Spencer, who has a tight right hamstring, did not start again last night but was available if needed.

In other news...

Tom Glavine was named the Mets' Sharp Pitcher of the Month for April. The veteran left-hander, who wraps up the Padres series tomorrow, is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in five starts.

Mike Stanton hasn't allowed a run since April 16, recording 91/3straight scoreless innings. The lefty reliever has also proved to be reliable, working all three games of the Dodger series. "I feel fine," Stanton said. "I come to the ballpark every day ready to pitch, regardless of what I did yesterday."

James Baldwin will be a Met for at least 18 more days. The veteran right-hander, who's been pitching for Triple-A Norfolk all season, could have exercised his out-clause yesterday and become a free agent if the Mets did not put him on their major league roster. Instead, the two sides agreed to extend their relationship until May 18 and see where things stand then. "The Mets like him and he likes the organization," Rex Gary, Baldwin's agent, said. "We mutually agreed to it."

Danny Garcia started at second base last night and played a solid game. The Mets may be ready to give him a shot to play regularly until Reyes returns. Howe said that Ty Wigginton, who was a minor-league second baseman and replaced Roberto Alomar when he made his major-league debut in San Diego in 2002, was not an option to play second base if Reyes is unavailable for several months. "He used to play it," the manager said. "But we're not looking at that right now," he said.

Despite coming off a victory Thursday and his team winning its first series in weeks, Todd Zeile shaved his beard after completing his shoot for an upcoming feature film for his production company, Green Diamond Entertainment. Zeile said some of his teammates had asked him to keep it, but he couldn't wait to shave it off.

2004-04-30T07:24:00.000-04:00

Mets 6, Dodgers 1

Great Win! Jae Seo pitched great. I was really impressed. And finally are offense came through. We even got to see Mike Staton single and drive in a run.

Bad News Report
I decided to change the title from Injury Update to Bad News Report since Reyes just doesn't want t6 get better. Here's the latest. Jose Reyes suffered yet another setback Thursday night in his attempt to return from the strained right hamstring that has already kept him on the shelf for nearly two months. Reyes, who went 0-for-2, was playing for St. Lucie in a Florida State League game against Vero Beach when he removed himself after a fourth-inning groundout to shortstop. He felt some pain in his leg and decided to shut it down, ending any chance he had of rejoining the team this weekend in San Diego. In fact, the setback could also jeopardize any potential return during next week's homestand. General manager Jim Duquette called the setback minor but also admitted that the strain Reyes originally suffered was more of a Grade 2 strain -- a more serious injury -- than the Grade 1 strain it was initially described as. Reyes, who played well in his first rehab game Wednesday night, has been out for 46 days. "He didn't aggravate but he wasn't feeling 100 percent," Duquette said. "When he was running down the line he felt it." Not good! I don't know if he is ever going to come back. He definetly has to go see a hamstring specialist. In other injury news:

Duquette and manager Art Howe also said that Cliff Floyd (quadriceps) still isn't quite ready to play in a rehab game. Howe added that he "is coming along" but that he would like to see Floyd get into at least one game to see if he can handle playing left field before he is activated. The chances of Floyd joining the team in San Diego are remote.

Joe McEwing remains day-to-day after spraining an ankle Wednesday afternoon fielding grounders

Ty Wigginton (ulcer) was cleared to resume baseball activity and will head down to St. Lucie to begin getting back in game shape.

Remember
Don't forget about "the discussion question of the week." If you haven't heard what it is , I'll explain. Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to me and next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

2004-04-29T07:16:00.000-04:00

Dodgers 3, Mets 2
W: Perez (2-1)
L: Trachsel (2-3)
S: Gagne (6)

Another disappointing lose. Another 1 run lose. I am getting sick of these. Offense! Offense! And we had so many chances. In the 8th, in the 9th. I really can't wait until Floyd and Reyes are back. Matsui looked good last night, going 2-5 with a home run and a single in the 9th against Gagne with a runner on first that kept the game alive. Franco struck out the side in the one inning he pitched. WOW! Trachsel pitched alright, as the 3 runs he gave up came on home runs.

Injury Update

Scott Erickson left a rehab start for the St. Lucie Mets after 19 pitches last night, after experiencing discomfort in the strained left hamstring that has sidelined him. Though GM Jim Duquette described the re-injury as less severe than the original strain, the flare-up gives Jae Seo , tonight's starter in the series finale against the Dodgers, a rotation spot for the foreseeable future.

Jose Reyes (hamstring) started for St. Lucie for the first time, going 1-for-5 with a double. It was a step toward joining the Mets when their home stand opens Tuesday against the Giants.

Cliff Floyd (quadriceps) also appears on target to return that series. Duquette said it's possible Floyd could rejoin the team in San Diego on Saturday, but the Mets wouldn't fly him to the West Coast solely for the road trip finale on Sunday.

Mr. Wright
John Manuel's weekly edition of Prospect Pulse profiles Mets third baseman David Wright, who after years of playing in the shadows of well-known prospects, is finally finding some limelight of his own. Check it out.

Weaver
Duquette plans to watch Long Beach State's Jered Weaver (12-0, 1.13 ERA, 132 Ks in 87-2/3innings) tomorrow, though the Padres likely will select the righthander with the first overall pick. The Mets, who pick third in the June draft, could turn to RHP Justin Verlander of Old Dominion or RHP Jeff Niemann of Rice. "He's putting up more ridiculous numbers than Mark Prior had," said brother Jeff Weaver (1-2, 6.75 ERA), who faces Seo tonight. "He's got all the pitches. I mean, I never even really knew what a changeup was until I got to the big leagues, and he's incorporating that, which is a huge pitch for anyone in the big leagues."

Remember
Don't forget about "the discussion question of the week." If you haven't heard what it is , I'll explain. Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to meand next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

2004-04-28T07:08:00.001-04:00

Mets 9, Dodgers 5
W: Glavine
L: Nomo

The Mets Won! The Mets finally won! It was a good night overall. Lets look at some players:
Mike Piazza-He went 1-4 but his one hit was a homer which tied the all-time catchers home run record.
Shane Spencer-Shane Spencer, who didn't start Sunday because of a tight hamstring, played left field tonight and went 2-for-4 with a homer. Spencer is hitting .345. He'll keep playing regularly until Cliff Floyd returns.
-Jason Phillips-Jason Phillips ended an 0-for-29 skid with an RBI single tonight. It's a start. Phillips also drew a walk in the game.
-Tom Glavine-He didn't pitch very well giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. This was his worst start of the year.
Braden Looper-Looper worked a perfect ninth.

Injury Update

Jose Reyes was scheduled to face the Dodgers last night. The Vero Beach Dodgers, that is. But that was positive news. Reyes stole two bases in an extended spring training game Monday without being given the signal. That suggested to the Mets that Reyes is being less tentative with his hamstring, and led team brass to pencil him into the leadoff spot last night for Class A St.Lucie. However, after an afternoon rainstorm, St. Lucie manager Tim Teufel recommended to GM Jim Duquette that the Mets wait until today to begin the official rehab assignment. Duquette said the Mets have yet to decide whether Reyes will do all of his rehab work in Port St. Lucie, or whether he will join Triple-A Norfolk. The GM left open the possibility that Reyes could join the Mets in San Diego this weekend, but he is more likely to return when they return home Tuesday to face the Giants. "It's better than last week," Reyes said. "I'm still trying to run at full speed on the bases." I still can believe this is taking so long. It's pathetic. We need him back.

Cliff Floyd (strained right quadriceps) could return before Reyes and face the Padres since the Mets believe he won't need as long to regain his timing at the plate. I can't wait until he is back. Protection for Piazza.

Scott Erickson (strained left hamstring) is scheduled to have his first rehab assignment today, pitching five innings for St. Lucie.

Ty Wigginton (ulcer) has another doctor appointment tomorrow, and could head to the Florida complex by the weekend. He is eligible to return from the DL next Thursday.

Remember
Don't forget about "the discussion question of the week." If you haven't heard what it is , I'll explain. Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to meand next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

2004-04-28T07:08:00.000-04:00

Mets 9, Dodgers 5
W: Glavine
L: Nomo

The Mets Won! The Mets finally won! It was a good night overall. Lets look at some players:
Mike Piazza-He went 1-4 but his one hit was a homer which tied the all-time catchers home run record.
Shane Spencer-Shane Spencer, who didn't start Sunday because of a tight hamstring, played left field tonight and went 2-for-4 with a homer. Spencer is hitting .345. He'll keep playing regularly until Cliff Floyd returns.
-Jason Phillips-Jason Phillips ended an 0-for-29 skid with an RBI single tonight. It's a start. Phillips also drew a walk in the game.
-Tom Glavine-He didn’t pitch very well giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. This was his worst start of the year.
Braden Looper-Looper worked a perfect ninth.

Injury Update

Cliff Floyd (strained right quadriceps) could return before Reyes and face the Padres since the Mets believe he won't need as long to regain his timing at the plate. I can’t wait until he is back. Protection for Piazza.

Scott Erickson (strained left hamstring) is scheduled to have his first rehab assignment today, pitching five innings for St. Lucie.

2004-04-27T07:07:00.000-04:00

Mets Weeek Review
The Mets have been playing pathetic. The pitching staff has been very good but the hitting has been horrible. The Mets as a team are batting .229 and have a OPS of .670. Some ridiculous numbers! They are going to have to start hitting soon if they don't want to fall fast. They have been losing way to many 1-0 games or 2-1 games. The coaching staff may be cleared soon, excluding Peterson, who, from the looks of the Mets pitching staff this year, has been doing a pretty good job. Here's what Star Ledger had to say about him:

In spring training, all the pitchers raved about how Peterson had helped them with their mechanics, and he is known as the foremost authority on preventing injuries to pitchers. But once the season started, the Mets pitchers saw even more when he broke out his scouting reports.

Peterson pores over scouting reports, scans videotape of opposing hitters like a detective searching for clues from a surveillance camera, and provides the pitchers with some of the most unique data they have ever received.

"He is as prepared for a game as anyone could possible be," Howe said. "He puts in hours and hours looking at tape and sifting through reports. He's got information on everything under the sun. If he wants to know what toothpaste they're using in the morning, he'll find out."

As with most teams, before every series Peterson gathers his pitchers and catchers and goes over the opposition. But he goes further. The players sit in a group and look over color-coded charts that contain revelations about opposing hitters. Peterson doesn't just tell the pitchers that the leadoff hitter is aggressive. He shows that he hits .492 when he puts the first pitch into play.

"So, expand the strike zone," Peterson tells them. "The point is to provide clear data that shows what a hitter's tendency is."

For example, if the batter is hitting .190 on the first pitch, 0-1, 1-0, 1-1, or 2-1, but raises his average to .320 at 2-2, then it's obvious you must throw strikes early in the count.

"It's more detailed than I've ever seen," said Tom Glavine, who takes a 2-1 record with a 1.00 ERA into his start against the Dodgers tonight.

To provide the data Peterson needs, the Mets subscribe to scouting services that break down what a batter does with a particular pitch. A certain hitter might be 14-for-28 against right-handed curveballs. Once pitchers see that, they know what pitches not to throw.

Peterson also breaks down each hitter according to count, location, and type of pitch, and then gives the pitchers three options from which to choose on each count, narrowing the guesswork involved. With fewer variables, the pitchers can then concentrate on execution.

"He doesn't tell you how to pitch," Glavine said. "But he says, 'Look, this is what the numbers say.' It's pretty compelling."

To match the data with the performances, Peterson also charts every pitch, using a multi-colored pen to keep track of balls, strikes, foul balls, hits and swings and misses.

I think he is a pretty cool guy. He knows what he is doing. However, another Met coach, Art Howe, I think has no clue what he is doing. A few players have begun to question some of his moves lately. He is beginning to look like a horrible manager. Last year, I guess his bad managing was hidden because of the bad team.

Norfolk Pitching Staff
It's early in Norfolk's season, but the starting pitchers who own the most impressive early numbers aren't Aaron Heilman (5.06 ERA), James Baldwin (4.15) or Jeremy Griffiths (7.20). Try Randy Keisler and Matt Ginter . Keisler, the former Yankee southpaw, is off to a blazing start, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.25 ERA. In 16 innings, he has a sparkling 19-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-handed Ginter, acquired from the White Sox in spring training for Timo Perez , is 0-1 with a 1.20 ERA in three starts. Soon, we might try to mix things up and bring up one of these pitchers.

MLB Draft: Jarred Weaver
In today's NY Post they talk about Jarred Weaver, Jeff Weaver's Brother, who is considered by many scouts as the best ametur prospect in the country. On Friday, Mets GM Jim Duquette will watch Weaver pitch against UC Santa Barbara. Although the Mets are not scared off by what happened to Jeff in New York, there's still a very good chance that the Mets will never have the chance to even draft Jered. He's projected to go to the Padres with the first pick in the draft. In 87 2/3 innings, Weaver has walked 12 while striking out an incredible 132. That's amazing.

Remember
Don't forget about "the discussion question of the week." If you haven't heard what it is , I'll explain. Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to meand next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

2004-04-25T17:56:00.000-04:00

Don't forget...

Discussion Question of the Week
Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to meand next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

2004-04-25T08:52:00.000-04:00

This is my first article since starting my blog so here it goes.

Third Basemen Galore
The Mets minors leagues the last few years have become much stronger. The Mets are not only being talked about now at the major league level, but are also making so noise in the minors. Some of the names you have probably been hearing are: Scott Kazmir, Matt Peterson, Lastings Milledge, Royce Ring, Victor Diaz, and of course, David Wright. Wright is said to be the playing the Mets hot corner by sometime next year and has the upside to be a "Scott Rolen" type player. However, he is not the only third basemen in the Mets system that people should be making noise about. Third base is definitely the most stocked position in the Mets system. They have a good third basemen at every level of their farm system though you normally don’t here about them because of Wright’s potential. At Norfolk, the Mets Triple-A farm system team, the Mets have a third baseman by the name of Rodney Nye. So far this year, he has gotten off to a slow start, hitting only .244/.273/.317. However, last year he hit 312/.387/.483 in Binghamton, the Met Double-A farm team. The only thing that is against him now is time. He is already 27 and time is running out. He has the potential to be a average major-league starter if he can get everything together but if probably more destined to be a major league back-up. Here is a scouting report on him from NYFS:

No one in the Mets organization has paid more dues than Rodney Nye. After three seasons toiling in AA, Nye finally earned an overdue promotion to Norfolk on the strength of a .312/.387/.483 that included 41 2Bs. Constantly pointed to by teammates as the player most overlooked in the Mets' system, Nye is an excellent defensive player and a quality professional hitter.

Next stop. Double-A. Here we will find David Wright. This is the Mets third base prospect with the biggest upside. Scouts have been raving about him. His defense. His patience. His work-ethic. His picture-perfect swing. All the scouts love him. "He's going to be a good, good player for a long time," Brevard County manager Doug Sisson said. "He has power and he controls the zone pretty well for a young guy. The ball jumps off his bat and he plays a good third base. He can go to his left and his right; he can make the play on the bunt and throws to first on the slow roller real well." He is a doubles machine and hopefully, as he gets older, will develop more power. Right now, in Double-A, Wright is off to an amazing start. He is hitting .364/.485/.727 with 11 doubles, 3 home runs, and 8 walks in only 15 games. If he keeps this pace up, he will be over seating Ty Wiggington at third base in no time. This past February, Baseball Prospectus ranked him 5th best prospect in all of baseball. Here is what they had to say about him:

Generally speaking, it’s dangerous to call any prospect “the next Joe Smith,” where Joe Smith is an established major league star. It places unfair expectations on the prospect while simultaneously selling short his own unique talents. But if anyone on this list is worthy of such a direct comparison, it’s David Wright, the next Scott Rolen. Like Rolen, Wright is a right-handed-hitting third baseman with a wide array of talents, including the ability to hit for average and power, plate discipline, above-average speed, and Gold Glove defensive potential. He has shown these talents over two consecutive seasons, and last year excelled in the difficult Florida State League. He trails Marte in these rankings primarily because Marte’s a year younger. But much like Rolen shone in a late-season call-up before winning the Rookie of the Year honors, Wright could be up by August and a Rookie of the Year candidate by April ’05.

Now onto Port St. Lucie where we will find a third baseman by the name of Aaron Baldiris. He has gotten off to a hot start this year, hitting .386/.464/.474 with 1 double, 2 triples, 10 walks, and 3 stolen bases in 15 games. Some said he has the potential to be an Alfonzo-type player. Baldiris has moved steadily up the ladder hitting well over .300 at every level and providing steady defense at third. He may move around the field a little this year though, as the Mets try and find a position for him that isn't as blocked in the upper levels as thirdbase. Now, our last stop of the day. Capital City where we will find a third baseman named Shawn Bowman. He has also got off to a hot start this year, hitting .306/.414/.531 with 3 home runs in 13 games. The one thing he has to work on is cutting down on strike outs as he already has 15 this year. He has a slick glove at third and a compact stroke. Many scouts saw him as another eric hinske when he was drafted; someone who could hit .290, 20 homers with good defense. He only slipped to the 12th round of the draft because he had given the indication that he was going to college. That's the last of them. Four, at worst, average third baseman. Maybe some trade bait because, though we all don't want to believe it, the Mets have many holes.

2004-04-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

Cubs 3, Mets 1
W: Maddux (1-2)
L: Seo (0-3)
S: Borowski (3)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
Jae Seo-He pitched bad again going 6 innings and giving up 3 ER on 4 hits. He also walked 3. (Very un-seo-like.) He has looked horrible this year so far. Does it mean last year was a fluke? I don't know. But something is obviously wrong and the Mets might want to send him down to Norfolk where he can work on his mechanics or something. I mean, I would rather have anyone else pitching in him so right now. Maybe Peterson can fix what ever is wrong with him.
Shane Spencer-He had a great game. He went 3-4 with a SB. He also had two nice catches, one of which was amazing. (ESPN Top Ten Quality!) He has been playing really well lately. I have been really impressed with him offensively and defensively.
Mike Piazza-What is up with him. I was so mad when he grounded into that double play in the 2nd. Is it possible to have the bases loaded with no outs and not score a run? I don't think it is. Well anyway, He hasn't been playing well lately. He looks fooled a lot.

MVP of the Game-Shane Spencer (3-4 with 2 nice catches)
LVP of the Game- Jae Seo (Very Disappointing!)

Good Article
There's a good article over on MSG by Fran Healy. He discusses his early impressions of the Mets. Check it out.

Mets Offense Horrible
This was taken from the NY Post:

The Mets were hitting .242 (third-worst in the NL, heading into last night's action) and have scored 65 runs (fifth-worst). With the offense struggling, hitting coach Denny Walling was asked whether he's worried the organization might use him as a scapegoat if things don't improve. "That would be their option if they chose to do that," Walling said. "It would be nice to get a couple of big hits early in the game to reiterate it. That would be good medicine."

Fast Facts

Mike Cameron struck out three times yesterday and is on pace to fan 200 times.

Jason Phillips went 0-for-4 today, leaving him in a 3-for-40 slump.

Strikeouts Galore!
I was over at the Amazinz Message Board and found this "insane" stat:

Combined, the Binghamton pitching staff has struck out 112 batters in 118 1/3 innings so far this season. That comes out to 8.5 K's per 9 innings. That's insane. In comparison, the big club has struck out 4.7 batters per 9 innings. This shows the number of power arms we have in our system.

That's crazy. At least something to look forward to in the future.

Mets Minor League Notebook
Over at the Insiders they have a article on the Mets Minor Leagues. Check it out.

Scouts' Views
In the scouts' views section of the latest Sporting News magazine, an anonymous scout has this to say about Matsui:

Watching Mets shortstop Kaz Matsui in Japan, I thought he was somewhat turf-reliant--he really knew how to play on turf. I though he was Bucky Dent with a little better arm. Very fundamentally sound, making all the routine plays, a tremendous technican. But I didn't see the great body balance and great range. I don't think he is as gifted as Jose Reyes who they moved to second after Matsui signed.

Interesting!

Top Ten Players At Each Position
From a month and a half ago, to the last fews weeks, Dayn Perry has been ranking who he thinks were the top ten players at each position. (Not for fantasy baseball,) The Mets ranked in the top ten at 5 of the positions: C, 2B, SS, LF, CF. Here is what he had to say about each position:

Catcher: Mike Piazza (6th Overall)

He's the greatest offensive catcher in baseball history, but the years have caught up with him. As great as his career numbers are, it's easy to forget that Piazza has spent his entire career in some pretty brutal parks for hitters. He's a sure Hall of Famer, defensive shortcomings notwithstanding. That said, his production declined notably last season, and he's been taking grounders at first this spring. His days as a full-time catcher are probably done, but he still has the power skills to be a run producer. He's the greatest catcher of his generation, but his time is passing.

2B: Jose Reyes (9th Overall)

Here we have a projection ranking, which is at once strong praise for the potential of Reyes and an indictment of the current crop of second basemen's top-to-bottom quality. Reyes was brought up through the organization as a shortstop, but once import Kaz Matsui was signed, Reyes was forced to move to second. He hasn't put up eye-popping numbers in the high minors, but he did hold his own in the International League as a 19-year-old and that's remarkable. Also to his credit is a strong 274 ABs in New York last season. It'll be a few years before he realizes his potential, but he's a future All-Star. He'd have been even better if the Mets had left him at short.

SS: Kaz Matsui (7th Overall)

It's highly speculative business, ranking a player as the seventh-best shortstop in the game after he's logged only seven at-bats. Still, there's reason to believe Kaz-Mat's skills will translate nicely to the majors. He showed great power and an ability to hit for average in Japan, and he may wind up something a little north of Rich Aurilia circa 2000. And that's a high-quality shortstop. Some say he'll be even better than that.

LF: Cliff Floyd (6th Overall)

When healthy, Floyd is a highly skilled offensive performer, but that qualifier is the problem. Floyd, as a Marlin, put up an MVP-caliber season in 2001 and has been in top tier of left fielders since 1999. He managed only 108 games last season for the Mets, but when he was healthy he put up strong numbers: .290 AVG/.376 OBP/.518 SLG. He's developed a more patient approach at the plate over the years, and his power has developed as scouts always said it would. He'd be highly useful for a team with genuine designs on contention, but that's not the Mets.

CF: Mike Cameron (6th Overall)

Cameron had a down year at the plate last season, but Safeco made it look worse than it really was. On the other hand, his glovework in '03 was without peer. Many observers get hung up on his strikeouts, but those aren't that important in a player like Cameron. He has good power, takes his walks and provides genuine Gold Glove-caliber defense. If Tom Glavine winds up making big strides this season, a large part of it will be because he has Cameron's outstanding glove behind him. Shea's also a tough place to hit, so his offensive numbers may not improve a great deal, but in a neutral context he's a solid hitter.

I was pretty amazed with some of his picks. I know Piazza hasn't been amazing the last few years but I thought he would be higher than 6th. I also was amazed how high Floyd was ranked. 6th in the majors. WOW!

Mets Sign Williams
Gerald Williams signed a minor league contract with the Mets on Friday. The 37-year-old outfielder reported immediately to Norfolk. Williams has played 1,072 games with five different teams. Last season he hit .129 in 27 games with Florida. He went to camp with the Marlins before getting released on April 2. Williams is a career .256 hitter with 80 home runs and 351 RBIs. Why the Mets make these kind of moves is beyond me. I would rather have a young kid taking up a spot at Norfolk rather than Williams.

Is This Embarrassing Or What
This is from an article by Jacob Luft over on SI.com:

It's hard to glean much useful information from the hit parade this early in a baseball season. Anybody can be sizzling or frigid for 50 at-bats at a time. But for sheer amusement factor, try this one on for size:

AL Batting Leaders
T9. Marco Scutaro, OAK .339

This might not qualify as "ha-ha" funny, but it is worth at least a chuckle to anybody not rooting for the Mets. Yes, this is the same Scutaro who patrolled second base for 48 games with the Mets last season, posting a crummy .213 batting average, .333 on-base percentage and .347 slugging percentage in a tiny sample size of 75 at-bats. In the offseason, the Mets exposed the 28-year-old nonprospect to waivers -- and Oakland's superior talent-evaluation skills.

Now Scutaro is filling in admirably for A's second baseman Mark Ellis, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. The Mets' regular second baseman, Jose Reyes, is hurt, too. Reyes hasn't played all season since suffering a hamstring injury in spring training. Here are the combined numbers his replacements, Ricky Gutierrez and Joe McEwing, have posted: .169-.234-.203. You won't find those guys on the hit parade, now or anytime soon.

Again, unless you are a Mets fan, that is at least a wee bit humorous in a Moneyball, small market-big market sort of way.

Mets Forever Poll
My poll, which was in the right side bar, has been up for a few weeks and I decided it is time to change it. Before I do though lets take a look at the results. The question was: How many home runs will Mike Piazza hit this season? Let's take a look at the results:

15-20 2 (7%)
20-25 4 (14%)
25-30 8 (28%)
30-35 14 (50%)
35-40 0 (0%)

I have to say before I go on that I was a little disappointed that only 28 people voted. THANKS TO THE PEOPLE WHO DID VOTE! Now let's take a look. Most people said he will hit between 20-35. I would have to agree with that. I know he has gotten off to a slow start, home run wise, but I really think he's going to pick it up once he breaks the record. When you get a chance, go and take my next poll. The question this time is this: What is the weakest part of the Mets this year?

Mets Top Prospect Diaz
Check out this article about the Met's prospect Victor Diaz. He has been making the switch to RF because he has a great bat. It looks like he's making good progress. Might make a good bat off the bench in a few months.

Carlos Beltran
For those of you who really wanted him in a Met uniform but know he is going to end up in pinstripes you have a well-known baseball writer who agrees with you. In the ESPN chat, Rob Neyer was asked where he thought Carlos Beltran was going to end up and he replied:

He'll be wearing pinstripes, for sure. Maybe as early as this July if the Royals don't start pitching.

I hate the Yankees!

Today's Game
Today, on the mound will be Tyler Yates for the Mets and Kerry Wood for the Cubs. Yates has to prove that he can dominate a team who has a good line up, since his one win came against the Expos. Kerry Wood has been dominant this year with a 3.48 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a .219 BBA. He also has K/9 rate of 10.02. A few weeks ago, he was named by Sean McAdam as having the second best out-pitch in all of baseball. Here's what Sean McAdam had to say about Wood's curveball:

Like Nolan Ryan, the Texas gunslinger whom Wood emulates, the combination of a 95-mph fastball and a hard-breaking curveball presents a lethal combination. Not many pitchers throw an over-the-top curve anymore, as the slider has become the breaking pitch of preference. But Wood not only has the 12-to-6 break, he also throws it nearly as hard as some lesser pitchers throw their fastball. "That hard, sharp break is filthy,'' says one major league manager.

Hopefully, it will be a good pitchers duel though I would love to see the Mets score some runs. Here is Wood's scouting report:

Wood is one of the hardest throwers in baseball; in fact, having shelved his changeup, he throws just about everything hard. His fastball runs in the mid- to high-90s, and when it comes in above thigh-high few can get on top of it. His curve is a hard downer. His slider may be his best pitch of all; it has good downward tilt and better velocity than many pitchers' fastballs. Wood's only remaining weakness is a tendency to occasionally get out of sync and lose the strike zone for or an inning or two. Since he's so tough to hit, he's always prone to go deep into counts, even when he's on. He is a workhorse in the truest sense, consistently working deep into games and getting stronger as the game goes on.

Enjoy the game!

Discussion Question of the Week
I would like to start something this week called "the discussion question of the week." Each week on, I will post a new question on some aspect that I would like to discuss. Everyone who has an opinion on the question can send there answers to me and the following Saturday I will publish all the opinions. Here this weeks question:

So far this year, there has been a lot of controversy over the managing done by Art Howe. Some feel he has done a horrible job substituting some of the Mets best players late in close games for defensive replacements. Some also feel he has misused the bullpen, bringing in the veterans too much. (Mike Stanton.) How do you feel Art Howe is doing? Do you think he is doing a bad job managing or is it not his fault but lack of a quality team?

Send in your answers by Friday with your name and where your from to meand next week on Saturday I will publish all the answers I got. If you have any questions about it, please email me.

Also, check back here tomorrow. I will post an article on the Mets 3B prospects.

2004-04-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

Mets 3, Expos 2
W-Trachsel (2-2)
L-Bentz (0-1)
S-Looper (4)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
Art Howe- I don't understand him. How in god's name could you take out your best hitter in the 7th inning. It is beyond me. I don't understand him. He is driving me crazy.
Mike Piazza-He was great again today going 2-3 with a BB. He also drove in the go ahead run in the 7th. I would also like to point out that since Piazza this year has also been playing first base, the Mets were able to keep his bat in the line up today where as last year he would have sat out.
Steve Trachsel-He pitched great going 7 innings and allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.
The 9th-DEFENSE! DENFENSE! What happened? How do you make two errors in the 9th inning of a close game. Looper did a good job of getting out of it even though there were 2 errors made. Good job Looper!

Nice Article
There is an article over on MSG that analyzes the Mets. Check it out.

Wiggy to DL
The New York Mets placed third baseman Ty Wigginton on the 15-day disabled list Thursday and recalled infielder Danny Garcia from Triple-A Norfolk. Many people wanted the Mets to recall Wilson Delgado, who was hitting .368/.442/.500 in 11 games. However he was not on the Mets 40-man roster. Than doesn’t mean Garcia is a horrible choice. He was hitting only .222/.364/.278 in 10 games at Norfolk but is not a horrible hitter and is a good defensive 2B. This brings me to my next point though. The Mets bench sucks. It is horrible. Let’s take a look at the stats:

Todd Zeile- .286/.364/.393 in 38 AB's.
Vance Wilson - .333/.429/.333 in 6 AB's.
Ricky Gutierrez- .152/.235/.196 in 46 AB's.
Shane Spencer- .310/.370/.429 in 42 AB's.
Eric Valent- .182/.280/.455 in 22 AB's.
Jeff Duncan - .143/.250/.143 in 7 AB's.

This bench is pretty bad. The bench is the most underrated part of a ball club, in my opinion. Late in a game that is tied and the Mets have runners on first and second and the pitcher's spot is up, Art Howe is going to call on a pinch hitter. The game is in this hitter's hands. Will he win the game for the Mets or lose it? It is such a hard job to pinch hit but people don't realize that. They just want you to come off the bench after you haven't played in the last few games and expect you to drive in that winning run. That's really hard especially when you don’t see live pitching that much. The Mets bench was pretty ridiculous coming into the season and much of the blame should be on Mets management. (I think Duquette did a great job with this club other than the bench.) Now however, the Mets bench is even weaker because the bench's best hitters are now starting in place of the Mets starters that went on the DL. (Floyd, Reyes.) Zeile and Spencer have probably been the best of the bench from the bench this year. However its not really fair to put them ahead because they are getting a lot more at bats than the Wilsons or the Eric Valents. And it's not as if management couldn't get anyone good for the bench in the offseason. Sitting at home each day, I wonder what is going on in their heads. I see all these pretty good hitters getting signed to $1 million contracts that the Mets could easily put on their bench. Some examples: Macro Scutaro. He was ours. We lost him on waviers. We wanted McEwing more. Well, now he is only Oakland and has landed the starting job since their starting 2B, Mark Ellis, is out for the season with an injury. This year so far, Scutaro is hitting .339/.355/.441 in 59 at-bats. How about another example. Mark Bellhorn has hit only .167 but has a .417 OBP in 42 at-bats. He leads the AL with 17 BB's and isn't even the starting 2B. WOW! Options, options, options. It's about making the right decisions. Seeing the whole picture. There were a lot of great players out their the would have made our bench a lot better. Instead, we resigned McEwing.

Injury Update

Howe said injured second baseman Jose Reyes had "a good day" yesterday in his Florida-based rehabilitation. Reyes told reporters he's "working toward" playing for the St. Lucie Mets "maybe in three days." But he also said his hamstring is "about 70% " healthy and that he's "running, but not running like I'm supposed to." Here’s what the Bergen Record had to say:

It's become a daily routine for Howe to provide medical updates on Jose Reyes. Like clockwork, the manager says the organization was satisfied with Reyes' work in extended spring training in Florida that day, but he refuses to speculate when the young second baseman, who has yet to play because of his strained right hamstring, will return from the disabled list. Privately, several team officials reportedly are not happy with Reyes. They feel that he is unwilling to test himself and are questioning his commitment to his rehabilitation. Their thinking is that he has been out for five weeks with an injury that usually takes two to three weeks to heal.

I agree. It is getting ridiculous. When is he going to be back.

RHP Scott Erickson (hamstring), who was supposed to throw three innings in an extended spring training game today, will instead throw a simulated game. Howe said Erickson is not ready to sprint to cover first if a grounder is hit to the first baseman.

Cliff Floyd (quadriceps) also could return as early as Tuesday in Los Angeles, and said he might appear in a minor-league game this weekend in St. Lucie so the organization can assess whether he's ready. Floyd believes he's "about 80%" healed, but says "that's not enough."

Interesting Stats

The Mets are 1-5 in one-run games.

In games when Matsui gets at least two hits, the Mets are 4-1 - when he has less than two hits, they are 2-7.

Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Al Leiter and Tyler Yates have an ERA of 2.51.

The bullpen's ERA is 6.14.

Mike Piazza has not hit a home run in 46 at-bats, and has only one RBI during the same span.

Matsui In Slump
Although he walked twice and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, a slumping Kaz Matsui went 0-for-3 Thursday. The shortstop was 1-for-15 in the series and 4-for-27 on the homestand, with his average dropping from above .300 to .267. Matsui thinks he has a remedy. Pitchers have been working him on the outside corner, the switch-hitter said through his translator, and he says he might try standing closer to the plate to combat that. When a Japanese reporter asked Howe whether he was considering resting Matsui, Howe answered: "No, not now. He's going to like Wrigley Field.

Mets Starters Pitching Great
The Mets' starters have a 2.28 ERA in their last eight games. They have been pitching great. However, in those last 8 games the Mets had a record of 3-5, averaged 2.625 runs per game and have a bullpen ERA of 4.01. It seems like every time the Mets pitch well, they hit poorly. And visa versa.

Minor Legue Update

Durham 10, Norfolk 2
Jared Sandberg and Bubba Trammell both slammed three-run home runs and Luis Ordaz added a double and two RBI to lead the Durham Bulls to a 10-2 rout over the Norfolk Tides. Sandberg was 3-for-4 on the day, while Trammell went 3-for-5 to raise his average to .438. The home run was his fifth, tied for second in the league. Anton French scored twice and was 2-for-4. Dicky Gonzalez (1-0) overpowered Norfolk batters. Gonzalez threw six scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out five, lowering his ERA to 2.25 for the year. Norfolk starter Jeremy Griffiths fell to 0-1, and allowed seven runs on seven hits in five innings. Craig Brazell had two hits including a double in the loss, as the Tides fell to 5-7, dropping four straight.
Norfolk Record: 5-7

St. Lucie 5, Hammerheads 3
The St. Lucie Mets ended thier two game losing streak by defeating the Jupiter Hammerheads 5-3. Mets starter Miguel Pinango pitched six and two-thirds innings of solid baseball, scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run. Aarom Baldiris continued to swing a hot bat, pacing the Mets at the plate with a 3-for-4 night. Jonathan Slack, Forrest Lawson, Brett Harper, Alhaji Turay and Zack Clements all got hits for the Mets. It was Harper's double in the bottom of the eighth that scored two runs and put the game out of reach.
St. Lucie Record: 10-4

Today's Game
Today the Mets head out to Chicago to begin a three game series with the Cubs. Today’s game is at 3:20. The Mets will send Jae Seo to the Mets. Seo will be opposed by Greg Maddux. Both of these pitchers have struggled a lot this year and both were very good last year. Hopefully, Seo will begin the turnaround of his season today. Here are some Mets hitters Maddux is going to have to look to neutralize: Piazza (has gone 16-57, a .281 avg., with 4 home runs against him.); McEwing (6-19, a .316 avg., with 2 doubles against him. Here are their scouting reports:

Seo is at his best when he moves his pitches around in the strike zone. He went through a minor dead-arm period at midseason, causing his fastball to lose some juice during his six-game losing streak before he was able to start hitting the low 90s again. The righthander has a good slider and an above-average changeup, but he tends to rely on the latter offering too often when his fastball gets hit. Seo has excellent command, and the Mets actually feel that he would be more effective if he tried to coax hitters into chasing some pitches instead of being so fine around the plate. He was reluctant to take manager Art Howe's advice to add a two-seam fastball to run inside on righthanded hitters, but Seo realized as the season progressed that he needed more bullets in his holster.

After struggling early in the year to find the consistent feel for his pitches, Maddux rediscovered his groove at midseason and continued to confound hitters with his ability to dominate without overpowering stuff. His fastball did not have its normal movement and command at times, and umpires seemed reluctant to give him a few inches off the plate, a result (in the Braves' minds) of the controversial QuesTec system. Maddux has as much deception as anyone in the game, and he registers success by constantly getting ahead in the count with his brilliant control and ability to change speeds. He also gets more from less-Maddux has thrown fewer pitches per inning than any starter over the past two years.

Enjoy the game. Remember to stop by here this weekend for a minor league season update.

2004-04-22T16:12:00.000-04:00

I didn't have much time this morning to write my post so here's a little more.

Injury Report

The Mets sorely miss Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes. And while Floyd (strained right quadriceps) could return when he is eligible to come off the DL Tuesday in Los Angeles, Reyes' 2004 debut again is a mystery. Reyes, who hasn't played this season because of a right hamstring strain, wasn't willing to run full throttle during an extended spring training game Tuesday. He was given yesterday off, but no minor-league rehab assignments are yet scheduled, according to Art Howe, meaning a return on the same day as Floyd - which appeared the goal - now looks doubtful.

Scott Strickland, recovering Tommy John elbow surgery he underwent in June, faced his first batter this week - Floyd. Strickland is on the 60-day DL, which means he can't return until June 3 at the earliest.

Scott Erickson (strained left hamstring) is scheduled to pitch three innings in a simulated game tomorrow. He should go on a rehab assignment shortly if he has no problems.

All I have to say is the Reyes situation doesn't look good. i don't understand how it could be taking so long. This is not a good sign. If it takes him this long to heel everytime he gets hurt, and I think he is going to have a career with so injuries, then things don't look so good. Also, when Strickland comes back, hopefully our bullpen will improve because right now it sucks.

Wiggy Hospitalized
Mets third baseman Ty Wiggintonwas hospitalized after fainting at home and feeling dizzy at the ballpark. Wigginton was in NYU Medical Center after complaining during Wednesday night's game against Montreal.He is expected to miss New York's road trip to Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego, and it's likely that he will be placed on the 15-day disabled list."He looked pale and weak when he came to the ballpark and then he had dizzy spells during the game," manager Art Howe said.

Not good. They third player already ont the Mets to go on the DL. Not like he was playing so great but ....

Kazmir Update
Last night, Scott Kazmir returned to form and threw 5 shutout innings in a 3-2 loss to the Jupiter Hammerheads. Kazmir struck out 4 and did not walk a batter before in the 5 innings he pitched. Here's what NYFS has to say about the start:

Kazmir had been sidelined for about a week when, a day before his opening day start, he strained an abdominal muscle and was pulled from the opener less than two innings into the game. He made his return last Friday, but struggled through four innings of decidedly un-Kazmir like performance as he tried to shake off the rust of just 1+ innings pitched in two weeks. Last night, though he continued to try and find the touch on his slider, Kazmir was able to produce a much more typical stat line. Kazmir's velocity was just a touch below his standard mid-season form, consistently registering 92/93mph on the gun. His offspeed pitches worked effectively, but his slider continued to elude him, resulting in a couple of hard hit balls that left him visibly frustrated. He was also not helped much by a home plate umpire calling a tight strike zone, several times forcing Kazmir to deliver fastballs over the center of the plate after he had delivered outside corner strikes that went uncalled.

This is some goos news. As long as he stays healthy he's going to be a great major league pitcher. Enjoy the game tonight and let the Mets win!

2004-04-22T07:03:00.000-04:00

Expos 2, Mets 1
W: Hernandez (1-2)
L: Glavine (2-1)
S: Biddle (4)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
Tom Glavine- How the hell didn't he get the win? He pitched great again going 7 innings while giving up 1 ER on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 6. He looked great again as he has all year. Very impressive! The Mets starting staff isn’t that bad. The bullpen has been the problem lately. However, tonight it was an error and a greta throw to the plate. (Tough Luck!)
Mike Piazza-He had another nice night going 2-4 with his 3rd double of the year. He came up with the tying run on second and singled but threw runner was thrown out at home. He was also thrown out at the plate.
Overall-This game was very upsetting. The Mets have lost 2 of 3 to the expos, the worst team in baseball, and the two loses were 2-1 loses. It was also sad that 2 runners were thrown out at the plate.

MVP of the Game-Tom Glavine
MVP of the Game-Mike Cameron(0-2, made the error which gave the expos the lead run.

Tonight's Game
Tonight, Steve Trachsel will be on the mound and will be opposed by John Patterson. Trachsel so far this year has an ERA of 5.82 and a WHIP of 1.41. Patterson, on the other hand has an ERA of 4.09 and a WHIP of .82. Here are their scouting reports:

Trachsel is an unheralded hurler who keeps his team in games every time he pitches. He does an excellent job of mixing his two-seam fastball, curveball and changeup, and has plus command of all three offerings while keeping them down in the strike zone. He wastes few pitches, which allows him to go deep into games and eat innings. The righthander is determined to get ahead in the count with first-pitch strikes and is not afraid of hitters making contact and putting his fielders to work. His stuff is far from outstanding, with his heater rarely breaking 90 MPH, but his methodical pace can be irritating to opposing hitters.

Patterson threw in the mid-90s before reconstructive elbow surgery in 2000. Now he tops out at about 92-93 MPH. He still has a sharp, 12-to-6 curve he can throw for strikes or bounce in the dirt when looking for a swinging strike, but his split-finger is a work in progress.

Enjoy the game! This weekend, I will be doing so sort of review of the minors so far this year so check back.

2004-04-21T06:53:00.000-04:00

Montreal 2, Mets 1
W: Day (1-1)
L: Weathers (1-1)
S: Biddle (3)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
Al Leiter- Leiter pitched great again, giving up 1 ER in 7 innings on 5 hits and two walks while striking out 4. He was dominant again, even though he gave up his first ER of the year. I have liked what I have seen from him this year and hope he continues to pitch like this.
David Weathers-Once again the bullpen ruined a great pitching performance. The victim was Al Leiter. Weathers came in and gave up what turned out to be the game-winning homerun to Jose Vidro. If there is one extreme weakness of this team, it is the bullpen. Jim D. should keep an eye on this situation and if it gets any worse look into some trades.
Todd Zeile- He went 1-4 with 2 K's but that's not what I want to talk about. In the 4th inning, with runners on first and second, the batter hit the ball on the ground to Matsui who threw to Guterriez for the force play. Then Guterriez threw onto first but his throw wa bad. When Zeile recovered the throw, he made a perfect one of his own to home plate to nail the guy coming home. Nice play.

MVP of the Game- Al Leiter (Another great performance!)
LVP of the Game- David Weathers (Gave up game winning home run.)

An Outfield Idea
JD Arney over at Reds Daily, suggested that the Mets and reds should make a trade, as the reds have an abundance of outfielders and the Mets are in need of some. Here's what he has to say:

April is generally not a month associated with a high volume of player movement in baseball. After the sorting of spring training, most teams are content to let things play out a bit before making any serious moves. Unless a crisis hits.

The New York Mets can be said to be having a crisis. A right fielder crisis.

These are the players that the Mets have ran out in right field thus far in 2004, due to injury and lack of depth:

Karim Garcia - Age 28 with a career .244/.282/.432 line.
Shane Spencer - Age 32 with a career .260/.325/.429 line.
Eric Valent Age 27 with a career .159/..217/..234 line.

The Reds happen to have a glut of outfielders. Besides the obvious starters in Ken Griffey Jr. ,Austin Kearns , and Adam Dunn , the Reds have a potential star as their fourth outfielder in Wily Mo Pena .

After that the Reds have options (not good ones but hey, we're talking about fifth and sixth outfielders here) in Reggie Taylor and Jacob Cruz .

There's one guy that I haven't mentioned yet, who's put up consistently good minor league numbers, and is getting rather old. That guy is Steve Smitherman . Smitherman is a player who could be a solid major leaguer, but who has little to no future with the Reds. At best he's always going to have Wily Mo in front of him. Even if Junior or one of the other big three gets traded or hurt he still won't be able to slide in and get playing time, because he's not fourth, he's fifth on the depth chart. Smitherman is going to turn 26 this year, and he's completely and utterly blocked in the Reds organization.

The solution is clearly to trade him and the Mets seem like a perfect fit. Even when Cliff Floyd returns from injury New York is going to need a solid fourth outfielder. It seems to me that Smitherman has far more upside than an Eric Valent or Shane Spencer.

At some point Smitherman is going to have to be traded. Otherwise the Reds are going to waste this guy's potential, which would be a real shame for Steve Smitherman the human being. He probably has major league talent, but may never get to make major league money, simply because he was drafted by an organization with a deep outfield. Ideally the Reds would surely like for him to put up some monster numbers in AAA before trying to move him, but Dan O'Brien has to be careful not to hold onto him for too long. He's about to lose his prospect status due to his advancing age, not to mention that he'll be a minor league free agent relatively soon.

I like this idea. Smitherman seems like a player on the rise who has potential and the Mets have an abundance of major league ready pitchers (For a game summary go Jeremy Griffiths , Aaron Heilman ext.) who they could trade. If the Mets wouldn't have to give up to much, it would be a good deal.

Injury Update

Second baseman Jose Reyes, still on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, went 0-for-5 in an extended Spring Training game in Florida Tuesday. Though Howe said Reyes still isn't 100 percent, the 20-year-old looked to be running well while going back on pop flies. He's not expected back until the end of the month.

Right-hander Scott Erickson (left hamstring) threw 80 pitches on the side Tuesday and is scheduled to pitch a three-inning simulated game Friday in Florida.

Left fielder Cliff Floyd (strained right quadriceps and out until at least April 27) took live batting practice from right-hander Scott Strickland, who is on the 60-day disabled list while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Calvin Pickering
Calvin Pickering, once a top prospect, has gone unnoticed the last few years. This year, however, he is being widely noticed. So far this year in Triple-A he is batting .500/.595/1.607. He has 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and 45 total bases in just 28 at-bats. If you put that in to full season form (155 games) here are his stats: 17 doubles, 172 home runs, 396 RBI, and 189 runs. Amazing huh! However, Pickering is in an organization (Royals), that already has 1B/DH options. The Mets should defiantly call up the Royals and at least see what it would take to get him. I know the Mets have 1B blocked and there is no DH in the NL, but as a pinch-hitter he would be awesome. Call Allard Baird up Jim! Here's a little scouting report courtesy of tsn.ca:

Assets- Pickering, at 6-5, 283 pounds, is a huge man that puts every ample thing he has behind his bat to post some scorching numbers. He also has a good eye at the plate, taking a fair share of bases on balls.
Flaws- He's a bit too big for his own good, clogging up the base paths and having very little mobility around first base. Lefties give him trouble and he is quite injury-prone.
Career Potential- Just needs to stay healthy and get a break and he could become a 100-RBI man, but time's-a-wastin'.

Mets Work Out John Steitz
The Mets worked out free agent right-hander John Steitz in the bullpen, the Star-Ledger reported. Steitz was the Brewers No. 3 pick in the 2001 draft after a standout career at Yale, where he earned a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. If the Mets sign him, he will go to Class-A St. Lucie. If not, he will go to Yale Law School. Tough call.

Tonight's Game
Tonight, Tom Glavine will be on the mound and will be opposed by Livan Hernandez. So far this year Glavine has been great. He has a WHIP of 0.70 and opponents are batting .152. In his one start this year against the Expos, he went 7 innings and gave up no ER. Hernandez, so far this year, has an ERA of 3.79. He has a WHIP of 1.26 and opponents are batting .274. Here are their scouting reports:

Despite his difficulties last year, including a bone spur in his left elbow, blister problems on his fingers and the controversial QuesTec system, Glavine threw the ball nearly as well as he ever has. While he failed to get as many calls on the outside corner, he maintained good command. His fastball continues to register in the high 80s, possesses good movement and looks even faster because of his outstanding changeup, which continues to rank among the best in the game. Glavine's strikeout totals have dropped sharply in the past three years while the lefty focuses on moving his pitches around in the strike zone with the hope of inducing groundballs.

The resilience of Hernandez' arm continues to amaze observers. He racked up 13 outings of at least 120 pitches this season, and his career average of 110.3 pitches per start is second only to Randy Johnson among active starters. He throws four pitches-a fastball that tops out at 92 MPH, a slider, change and curve. Since none of those offerings are above average, he uses location and selection to get hitters out. While his weight and conditioning remain a concern, his competitiveness has never been questioned.

Enjoy the game!

2004-04-20T06:57:00.000-04:00

Mets 4, Expos 1

W: Yates (1-1)
L: Ohka (0-3)
S: Looper (3)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
Tyler Yates- He pitched great going 5 3/4 innings while allowing 1 run on 5 hits. I was impressed but remember the two times he has pitched good this year were against the worst offensive team in the majors. So hopefully his next start we will find out the truth. I liked what I saw though other than the 3 walks.
Mike Piazza- He finally had a good night going 2-3 with a walk and a double. His double missed being a home run by a few inches and his lone out, he drove the ball far. He hasn't been doing very well so hopefully this was his breakout game and he will return to being the normal Mike Piazza we are all used to.
Branden Looper- He got the save but did it in Benitez style. He gave up 3 hits and loaded the bases with 2 outs before getting Tony Batista to ground out. I really have been impressed so far this year though with him. He goes right after the hitters and looks like he has so nasty stuff.

MVP of the Game- Tyler Yates (Great Performance!)
LVP of the Game- Kaz Matsui (0-4)

Injury Update

Jose Reyes, out since spring training with a strained right hamstring, played four innings of an extended spring game, starting at second and going 0-3 with a walk. He's expected to play five innings today. But manager Art Howe was noncommittal about when he expected the second-year phenom to be able to start a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk, and they clearly still don't expect him back for this weekend's series in Chicago.

Cliff Floyd, on the DL since April 12 with a strained right quadriceps, was expected to take live batting practice for the first time yesterday from a coach.

No. 5 starter Scott Erickson was eligible to come off the DL today, but does not seem ready. He was to throw one or two simulated innings in the bullpen.

Minor League's Update

Louisville 6, Norfolk 0
Matt Belisle tossed a complete-game, six-hit shutout in the Louisville Bats 6-0 win over the Norfolk Tides.

Belisle (1-2) scattered six hits, allowed one walk and struck out six in earning his first complete game of the season.

Felipe Lopez and Tim Hummel combined to knock in five of the Bats six runs in the game. Lopez finished 2-for-4 and hit his second home run of the season. Hummel went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a two-run home run in Louisville's second straight win.

Norfolk's Matt Ginter (0-1) went five innings in the loss. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out five in the Tides' second straight loss.
Norfolk Record: 5-5

New Britain 7, Binghamton 6
Jason Kubel knocked in three runs, including the game tying run, and scored the game winning run on a Kevin West single to lead the New Britain Rock Cats over the Binghamton Mets 7-6 in a come-from- behind win.

New Britain fell behind 4-0 before rallying to take the lead 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Binghamton answered with two runs in the top of the ninth. Chase Lambin knocked in both runs with a two out double. That set the stage for the two run ninth by New Britain.

Kubel finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Kevin West was 2-for-4 with a double. Billy Munoz smacked his third home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth.

Lambin was 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Prentice Redman had a big night for the Mets by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, a double, and a triple.

Binghamton falls to 8-4 on the year, but remains in first place in the Northern Division of the Eastern League. New Britain goes to 3-7 but still trail Binghamton by four games in the division.
B-Mets Record: 8-4

Tonight's Game
Tonight, Al Leiter will be on the mound and will be opposed by Zach Day. Leiter, in his last start, shutout Atlanta through 5.1 while allowing 3 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strike outs. Leiter, in his first start, pitched against the Expos and gave up no runs in 5 innings while allowing 3 hits. Day, in his last start, gave up 3 ER in 7 innings while allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 3. Day, in his first start, pitched against the Mets and gave up 2 ER in 5 innings while allowing 3 hits, 4 walks, and striking out 7. Here are their scouting reports:

Leiter is an intelligent pitcher who is a capable of dominating hitters even though his stuff is not overpowering. His hard, cut fastball sits in the 90-92 MPH range and possesses incredible sinking action just prior to reaching the plate, making it most difficult for righthanded hitters to hit. He uses his slider and regular fastball mostly against lefthanded hitters, always working the outside half of the dish. His changeup also is an effective offering, provided it stays low in the strike zone. Leiter gets in trouble when he fails to complete the follow-through in his delivery, which causes his pitches to rise.

Day relies on a hard sinker that ranges from 88-92 MPH. He'll mix in a slow curve that has a medium break, a slider and changeup. His sinker is extremely hard to elevate, and his 2.72 groundball-flyball ratio was third-best in the National League among pitchers with at least 20 starts. Day keeps his infielders happy by working quickly and, on days he has his control, throwing strikes. He tends to miss low and/or away when he's struggling. In addition to improving his control, he will need to refine one of his other pitches to keep hitters off-balance on days his sinker isn't there.

Enjoy the game! And remember, hopefully Leiter will throw less pitches at the beginning of the game so he can stay in longer.

2004-04-19T06:55:00.001-04:00

Minor League's Update

Louisville 7, Norfolk 3
Steve Lomasney went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, as the Louisville Bats pounded the Norfolk Tides, 7-3. The Bats (4-6) pounded out 12 hits and three RBI en route to the victory.

The Tides (5-4) scored in the top of the first, as Craig Brazell singled in a run.

The Bats grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the second, as Lomasney slugged a one-out, two-run homer. Louisville added another run in the third on a Jacob Cruz round-tripper.

Norfolk cut the lead back to a run in the top of the fourth on an Esix Snead RBI double, but Lomasney struck again in the bottom of the frame. He stroked an RBI double to up the advantage to 4-2.

Norfolk cut the lead to a run again in the sixth, but a Brandon Larson home run highlighted a three-run eighth inning that accounted for the final score.

Mike Matthews (1-0) got the win in relief of Louisville starter Bubba Nelson.

Norfolk starter James Baldwin (0-2) allowed seven hits and four runs over six frames. He walked just one and fanned six, but was touched for two home runs in the loss.
Norfolk Record: 5-4

Portland 11, Binghamton 9
Mets CF Prentice Redman was 4-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in, but the Mets lost 11-9 Sunday afternoon at Portland, settling for a series split with the Sea Dogs.

Redman hit a three-run homer in the second inning giving the Mets a 7-4 lead that would not last.

Shawn Sedlacek (0-1) took the loss in his first start with the B-Mets. He was roughed for eight runs on nine hits while failing to record an out in the third inning.

After taking an 8-7 lead in the third inning on a Mike Campo groundout, Portland did not look back. The sent the Mets (8-3) to their first loss in a game that did not go extra innings.

Redman hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and SS Chris Basak added his own in the eighth.
Binghamton Record: 8-3

Capital City 5, Braves 2
The Capital City Bombers closed out an impressive home stand Sunday afternoon, defeating the Rome Braves 5-2. The victory gave the Bombers three wins in a row and six wins out of seven from the week of home games.

Rome drew first blood with a solo home run from outfielder Josh Burrus in the third inning, but Capital City offered a swift response. In the bottom of the third, first baseman Ian Bladergroen doubled off the center field wall to drive Jesus Linares and Derran Watts (who had both singled) home to take the lead.

After the Braves tied the game in the fifth, the Bombers offense got back to work in the sixth inning. A single from Jamar Hill and a double from Blake Whealy put two men in scoring position for catcher Jimmy Anderson, who nailed a double to left to bring both runners home. Hill added a solo homer in the eighth inning as insurance, putting the final score at 5-2. His round-tripper gave the Bombers at least one home run in ten out of eleven games this season!
Capital City Record: 8-2

For player stats go here. to read the whole article.

Robinson on Cameron
Ted Robinson has an article up over on MSG about Cameron. He feels the best move of the offseason was signing Cameron. Go here. to read the whole article.

Tonight's Game
Tonight, Tyler Yates will be on the mound and will be opposed by Tomo Ohka. In Yates last start, he pitched horrible, giving up 5 ER in 2.1 innings. In Ohka's, last start, he didn't pitch well going 4 innings and allowing 3 ER. Here is Okha's scouting report: (no scouting report for Yates because it is his first year.)

Ohka throws five different pitches, but only his curve is above average. His fastball is straight and averages in the high 80s, but he can tune it up to 91 MPH. He spots it on both sides of the plate and complements it with his curve, a change, splitter and slider. Most of his struggles came in the first inning of games, when batters hit .326 against him and eight of the 24 home runs were surrendered. Ohka is prepared and has a game plan for each hitter, pitching specifically to his opponents' weaknesses. He works quickly and throws strikes, perhaps too many strikes at times, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of hits he gave up over last year.

The Mets really have to win this series. It is against a bad team and the Mets need some wins. Don't panic though because two of the Mets top hitters will be back soon. Enjoy the game!

2004-04-19T06:55:00.000-04:00

Minor League’s Update

Louisville 7, Norfolk 3
Steve Lomasney went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI, as the Louisville Bats pounded the Norfolk Tides, 7-3. The Bats (4-6) pounded out 12 hits and three RBI en route to the victory.

The Tides (5-4) scored in the top of the first, as Craig Brazell singled in a run.

The Bats grabbed the lead for good in the bottom of the second, as Lomasney slugged a one-out, two-run homer. Louisville added another run in the third on a Jacob Cruz round-tripper.

Norfolk cut the lead back to a run in the top of the fourth on an Esix Snead RBI double, but Lomasney struck again in the bottom of the frame. He stroked an RBI double to up the advantage to 4-2.

Norfolk cut the lead to a run again in the sixth, but a Brandon Larson home run highlighted a three-run eighth inning that accounted for the final score.

Mike Matthews (1-0) got the win in relief of Louisville starter Bubba Nelson.

Norfolk starter James Baldwin (0-2) allowed seven hits and four runs over six frames. He walked just one and fanned six, but was touched for two home runs in the loss.
Norfolk Record: 5-4

Portland 11, Binghamton 9
Mets CF Prentice Redman was 4-for-5 with two home runs and five runs batted in, but the Mets lost 11-9 Sunday afternoon at Portland, settling for a series split with the Sea Dogs.

Redman hit a three-run homer in the second inning giving the Mets a 7-4 lead that would not last.

Shawn Sedlacek (0-1) took the loss in his first start with the B-Mets. He was roughed for eight runs on nine hits while failing to record an out in the third inning.

After taking an 8-7 lead in the third inning on a Mike Campo groundout, Portland did not look back. The sent the Mets (8-3) to their first loss in a game that did not go extra innings.

Redman hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and SS Chris Basak added his own in the eighth.
Binghamton Record: 8-3

Capital City 5, Braves 2
The Capital City Bombers closed out an impressive home stand Sunday afternoon, defeating the Rome Braves 5-2. The victory gave the Bombers three wins in a row and six wins out of seven from the week of home games.

Rome drew first blood with a solo home run from outfielder Josh Burrus in the third inning, but Capital City offered a swift response. In the bottom of the third, first baseman Ian Bladergroen doubled off the center field wall to drive Jesus Linares and Derran Watts (who had both singled) home to take the lead.

After the Braves tied the game in the fifth, the Bombers offense got back to work in the sixth inning. A single from Jamar Hill and a double from Blake Whealy put two men in scoring position for catcher Jimmy Anderson, who nailed a double to left to bring both runners home. Hill added a solo homer in the eighth inning as insurance, putting the final score at 5-2. His round-tripper gave the Bombers at least one home run in ten out of eleven games this season!
Capital City Record: 8-2

For player stats go here. to read the whole article.

Robinson on Cameron
Ted Robinson has an article up over on MSG about Cameron. He feels the best move of the offseason was signing Cameron. Go here. to read the whole article.

Tonight's Game
Tonight, Tyler Yates will be on the mound and will be opposed by Tomo Ohka. In Yates last start, he pitched horrible, giving up 5 ER in 2.1 innings. In Ohka's, last start, he didn't pitch well going 4 innings and allowing 3 ER. Here is Okha's scouting report: (no scouting report for Yates because it is his first year.)

Ohka throws five different pitches, but only his curve is above average. His fastball is straight and averages in the high 80s, but he can tune it up to 91 MPH. He spots it on both sides of the plate and complements it with his curve, a change, splitter and slider. Most of his struggles came in the first inning of games, when batters hit .326 against him and eight of the 24 home runs were surrendered. Ohka is prepared and has a game plan for each hitter, pitching specifically to his opponents' weaknesses. He works quickly and throws strikes, perhaps too many strikes at times, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of hits he gave up over last year.

The Mets really have to win this series. It is against a bad team and the Mets need some wins. Don't panic though because two of the Mets top hitters will be back soon. Enjoy the game!

2004-04-18T19:34:00.000-04:00

Sorry I didn't post this morning about last night's game but I have been extremely busy. Lets get to business.

Pirates 8, Mets 1

W: Benson (2-0)
L: Seo (0-2)

For a game summary go here.
For a box score go here.

Game Notes
First Thoughts- Nice good. Getting swept by the Pirates in never good. Today's game was a disaster. Let's get more in-depth.
Jae Seo- What happened? He was horrible giving up 7 ER in 4 1/3 innings while walking 2. At the beginning he wasn't horrible but later on he couldn't get anyone out. It is amazing how bad he has been. He was great last year and looked really promising. Hopefully, Peterson will be able to fix what is wrong with him. However, Art Howe didn't seem concerned. "It was his first start of the year," he said. "Most of the hits were ground balls through the infield. They just found holes. It was only his first outing. Give him a chance."
Grant Roberts- Same as Seo. What happened? He came so close to being our 5th starter. He wasn't horrible today but he was so dominant in spring. It's a shame.
Kaz Matsui- Nice game again even though he got throw out at the plate. He went 2-3 with another walk. He also had a double.
Todd Zeile- Great game! Went 2-2 with 2 walks. I think he has proven a lot of us wrong, When they signed him, I was mad because I thought he was too old and a bad player. Obviously not.

MVP of the Game-Todd Zeile
LVP of the Game-Jae Seo

Bottalico Receives Pen Call
The Mets re-signed Bottalico late Thursday night, approximately two weeks after cutting him at the end of spring training. The right-handed reliever was set to debut at Triple-A Norfolk yesterday. While he's in Norfolk now, Bottalico is a good bet to return to the big leagues soon, especially with the Mets' bullpen hurting. Wheeler and Grant Roberts both have struggled and the Mets have blown several late-inning leads or allowed games to get much closer than they needed to be (witness last Monday's win over the Braves, which went from 10-0 to 10-6). Bottalico's contract terms are the same as his original minor-league deal, which calls for him to earn $500,000 this year plus incentives. I think this is a good move. Bottalico pitched well in spring training, posting a 2.51 ERA, and right now the Mets bullpen is struggling.

Injury Updates

Jose Reyes will play in an extended Spring Training game on Monday, and if all goes well, he will begin a rehab assignment later this week at Port St. Lucie. General manager Jim Duquette said that, barring any setbacks, Reyes would likely rejoin the club in either Los Angeles or San Diego on the upcoming road trip. The Mets open the nine-game trip in Chicago on Friday, but Duquette said Reyes meeting the club there isn't a likely scenario. "He's been running better," Duquette said. "He ran yesterday. He's still not 100 percent, but he's good enough to get in a game. We'll see where he is once he starts his rehab assignment. He'll probably be back [with the Mets] somewhere on the road trip. I'm not sure, though, if it will be Los Angeles or San Diego."

Cliff Floyd (strained quad) is hitting off a tee and will begin flat-ground activity on Monday.

Scott Erickson threw a side session and did well, but still felt tightness in his leg while running. Erickson will continue to throw in a controlled situation for the time being, but could begin seeing action in rehab games in a week to 10 days. Duquette said that Erickson would have to pitch in some rehab games to get his arm stretched out again before he could be activated.

Mets Leaders- (I know its early to be doing this but I thought it would be fun to take a look. I will give you some of the basic statistics and then get into more of the sabermetric statistics which are the ones I like. Also, just to let you know, I will never use RBI or Win-Loss record (pitcher). I find them absolutely pointless, though some of the ones I will use you might find pointless too.):

HR- M. Piazza(3)-(T-16th in the NL)
2B- K. Matsui(6)-(T-5th in the NL)
BB- K. Matsui(10)-(T-7th in the NL)
SO- M. Cameron(9)-(T-16th in the NL)
SB- M. Cameron(4)-(T-4th in the NL)
BA- K. Matsui(.333)-(T-23rd in the NL)
OBP- K. Matsui(.456)-(10th in the NL)
SLG- M. Piazza(.524)-(36th in the NL)
OPS- K. Matsui(.989)-(25th in the NL)
P/PA- K. Matsui(4.1)-(20th in the NL)
RC27- K. Matsui(8.27)-(29th in the NL)
IsoP- M. Piazza(.227)-(35th in the NL)
SecA- M. Cameron(.474)-(17th in the NL)
BB/PA- K. Matsui(.189)-(10th in the NL)
BB/K- J. Phillips(1.75)-(10th in the NL)

ERA- T. Glavine(0.90)-(4th in the NL)
K/BB- S. Trachsel(2.50)-(T-46th in NL)
K/9- S. Trachsel(5.29)-(70th in the NL)
P/PA- T. Glavine(3.4)-(98th in the NL)
P/IP- S. Trachsel(14.9)-(86th in the NL)
AGS- T. Glavine(65.7)-(T-8th in the NL)
G/F- S. Trachsel(1.58)-(28th in the NL)
WHIP- T. Glavine(0.70)-(4th in the NL)
BBA- T. Glavine(.152)-(5th in the NL)
OPS(against pitcher)- T. Glavine(.389)-(3th in the NL)

As a team the Mets rank in the NL(Hitting Statistics):
AVG- 11th (.252)
OBP- T-9th (.331)
SLG- 10th (.405)
OPS- 10th (.732)
BB- 7th (42)
SO- 8th (71)
HR- T-9th (11)

Now the Pitching Statistics ranked in the NL:
ERA- 12th (5.06)
BB- T-5th (37)
SO- T-13th (56)
WHIP- 9th (1.457)
BAA- 10th (.273)

2004-04-17T09:55:00.005-04:00

Pirates 7, Mets 6

W: Wells (2-1)
L: Moreno (0-1)
S: Mesa (4)

Game Notes
Tom Glavine-Great Performance! He gave up 1 hit and no runs in 7 innings while walking 1 and striking out 2. He was amazing. He was getting of the hitters off balanced and most of them were out in front because he changed speeds so well. I feel bad for him because he should have defiantly had the win. Oh well.
Bullpen-Horrible. All they needed to do was not give up a run for two innings. Instead they give up 7 ER in 2 innings. Glavine pitched so well and they blew it for him. The mets should deintly look and see if there is anyone he could try for to solitify the bullpen. So far this season, other than injuries, this is the only main problem I have seen. And now even the whole bullpen, The closer has been getting the job done. Its just that one or two innings to take the game from the starter to the closer. Don't like what I see.
Eric Valent- Impressive! Coming off the bench and hitting a three run homer to keep the Mets in the game. He is 2-12 this year but his two hits have been home runs. Nice!
Mike Cameron- He had a great night! He went 2-3 with an RBI, a double, and a walk. He keep the late inning rally going with the double which he scorched pass the third baseman. But that's not all he did this game. He was great in the field. He makes everything look so easy. He make a great play early in the game, and make some more nice ones at other times. He covers so much ground, It's great.

For a box score go here.

For a game summary go here.

MVP of the Game- Glavine (I feel really bad for him. He pitched so well.)
LVP of the Game-Bullpen (Horrible!)
Glavine's Game Score- 76

Wilpon Speaks for First Time
Addressing the media for the first time this season, Mets owner Fred Wilpon was all smiles yesterday, raving about his coaching staff and his team's solid start. Of course, this was BEFORE the Mets blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning and lost a disaster of a game last night. Still, Wilpon was pleased about his team (now 5-5), a noticeable departure from his comments late in spring training, when he said the slumping Mets needed to turn things around. "I think we played pretty well. I think the thing that I'm most impressed with is, when we didn't play well, we corrected what was wrong instead of letting it lag on," Wilpon said. "Clearly that's the manager and the coaches and [GM] Jim Duquette . They really got on it, saw what needed correcting and they did that. That's very encouraging. In 162 games, you must make adjustments frequently." Wilpon also has been pleased with the early buzz surrounding his team. "I think the fans are enjoying this team so far. They're not waiting for the right fielder to come out so they can bury him," Wilpon said in an obvious slight to former Met Roger Cedeno . "They like them."
Wilpon said there was nothing new to report on plans for a new Mets stadium, but added that there may be some meetings a few weeks from now to address the situation.

Wilson to Start
Vance Wilson , the only position player not to start this season, is scheduled to catch this afternoon. In the two previous games in which Mike Piazza played first base, Art Howe decided Jason Phillips would catch to keep Piazza's bat in the injury-depleted lineup.

"I didn't expect it this way, but it obviously is the way the team has gone and the direction they want to go," Wilson said.

Minor League's Update

Norfolk 10, Louisville 9 (11)
Recap
Rodney Nye doubled home Danny Garcia followed by a Wilson Delgado RBI single, as the Norfolk Tides put up two in the top of the tenth to outlast the Louisville Bats 10-9.

Louisville would score once in the bottom of the tenth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Larson to cut the lead to one, but Jacob Cruz flied out with the tying run on third to end the game.

The game featured seven home runs, four by Louisville and three by Norfolk.

Victor Diaz went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI for the Tides. Mike Jacobs and Craig Brazell also homered and knocked in two in the win. Brazell's homer was his fourth, tying him for the league lead.

Jose Parra (1-0) got the win for Norfolk, allowing a run on two hits in one inning. P.J. Bevis notched his first save, allowing one run and two walks in an inning of work.
MVP of the Game- Victor Diaz
LVP of the Game- J Roach (3ER in 2 innings)
Norfolk Record-5-3

Binghamton 6, Portland 3
Recap
The Mets picked up their runs in the seventh on an RBI triple by Wayne Lydon, followed by an RBI double by Ron Acuna. Acuna would then score on an error by Sea Dogs catcher Edgar Martinez.

Tim Lavigne (1-1) picked up the win, throwing 3 innings of scoreless, hitless ball. Lavigne struck out two. Kole Strayhorn picked up his second save of the season, pitching a perfect ninth.

MVP of the Game-C Basak (2-4)
LVP of the Game- C Lambin (0-4)
Binghamton Record-7-2

Daytona 8, St. Lucie 7
Recap
The Daytona Cubs came from behind with three runs in each of the last three innings to defeat the St. Lucie Mets 8-7 and end the Mets six game winning streak.

Scott Kazmir made his second start of the year lasting just four innings and surrendering five earned runs.

MVP of the Game- B Harper (3-4 with 2 doubles)
LVP of the Game- S Kazmir (I hate to say it)
St. Lucie Record-7-2

Capital City 10, Rome 5
Recap
Capital City narrowed the gap between first and second place back to a half-game by knocking off Rome 10-5 Friday night. The Braves committed three errors and the Bombers took advantage to even the series at one game apiece.

The Bombers answered with Shawn Bowman's two-run homer in the bottom of that frame to tie the ballgame, but Cap-City was far from done. Another pair of runs in the sixth gave the Bombers their first lead at 4-2. The seventh and eighth innings saw the home team parade a half dozen unearned runs across the plate with reliever Brad Nelson on the mound for Rome. First baseman Ian Bladergroen drove in three of those runs with his giant home run (tying him with Bowman for the team lead at 3 HR each).

MVP of the Game- S. Bowman (2-3 with a homer)
LVP of the Game- T Houston (0-4. You can be great every night.)
Bombers Record-6-3

Today's Game
Today, Steve Trachsel will be on the mound and will be opposed by Oliver Perez. Trachsel, in his last start, pitched well. Perez in his last start gave up 3 ER in 5 innings against the Reds. Here are their scouting reports:

Trachsel is an unheralded hurler who keeps his team in games every time he pitches. He does an excellent job of mixing his two-seam fastball, curveball and changeup, and has plus command of all three offerings while keeping them down in the strike zone. He wastes few pitches, which allows him to go deep into games and eat innings. The righthander is determined to get ahead in the count with first-pitch strikes and is not afraid of hitters making contact and putting his fielders to work. His stuff is far from outstanding, with his heater rarely breaking 90 MPH, but his methodical pace can be irritating to opposing hitters.

Perez has an excellent arm with a fastball that reaches 96 MPH and regularly sits in the 92-94 MPH range. His best pitch is a wicked slider with a huge break that can tie hitters up. When Perez gets the slider over for strikes, he can be dominating, as evidenced by the combined 24 strikeouts he posted in back-to-back starts for the Padres in August. He also throws a changeup that is a work in progress. There are some questions about his stamina and his ability to eat up innings over the grind of a 162-game season, and some scouts fear his violent delivery will lead to arm problems.

Enjoy the Game!

Comments and Advice Follow-Up
Thank you so much to the people who left me some comments about my site. I really want to make my site the best one, and while I know I big part is my writing, I need to know what you all like to read about. What would you all like me to add? Do you like game diaries? Would you like me to try and do interviews? Would you like Mailbag editions? Anyone else who has something, anything, to say take 2 minutes of your time and try and make this site better. It really, really will help me. PLEASE LEAVE SOMETHING!

2004-04-16T07:09:00.000-04:00

Mets 4, Braves 0

W: Leiter (1-0)
L: Ramirez (0-1)

For a box score click here.

For a game summary click here.

Game Notes
Al Leiter- He pitched great. He also looked great. When he came off the mound in the 5th, to field a bunt, he looked great fielding it and made a great throw to second to get the lead runner. He even got a double and walked. (Too bad he didn't go for the triple like last year.) Impressive for a pitcher who had 1 hit last year in over 50 at-bats. Go Al! The only problem I had with him last night was his pitch count. He needs to throw more strikes and retire batters faster or his is never going to be able to go further than the 6th inning. He has to improve at that, but other than that, he has been extremely impressive. I have to say though, the umpire's strike zone sucked. It was very inconsistent so you can't totally blame Leiter.
Kaz MatsuiHe had a nice game going 1-2 with 2 walks. It's amazing the rate he is walking at. (Though one of them was intentional.) Everyone though his main problem was going to be being able to talk walks but obviously it isn't. His speed is also amazing. He would have scored on that ball in the first inning if Galante hadn't held him up. Great job, Kaz!
Branden LooperWow! He has been pitching great. Retired the side in order in the 9th with ease and even added in a strike out of Larry for all of us. He stuff is nasty and he has gotten of to a great start this year.

MVP of the Game-Leiter (Great Performance! Man I Love Him!)
LVP of the Game- Wiggy (0-4, not a great though, though he did hit the ball hard a few times)
Leiter's Game Score*- 61

*For those of you who don't know what the Game Score stat is, he is the definition of the stat: Start with 50 points. Add 1 point for each out recorded, (3 points per inning). Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th. Add 1 point for each strikeout. Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed. Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed. Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed. Subtract 1 point for each walk.

More On Duquette's New Assistant
Yesterday, I announced that Duquette had chosen John Ricco to be his assistant. Here's so more information about Ricco. Ricco has worked for the Baseball Commissioner's Office for the last 12 years in a variety of roles, most recently as the director of contract and salary administration for Major League Baseball. He will serve in a similar capacity with the Mets. Ricco has worked in the past with club general managers and assistants assuring compliance with the collective bargaining agreement, assisting them with the interpretation of the agreement and advising them of deadlines. In addition, he oversaw administration of the Competitive Balance Tax rules, calculating player salaries, club payrolls and taxes owed. He also represented MLB in negotiations with the Players' Association over issues that affect Major League rules. Here's what Duquette had to say about his new assistant:

"John has a solid background in so many different facets of the game; salary arbitration, the basic agreement, waivers and contract negotiations," Duquette said. "He will be able to help us in a multitude of areas. He is a bright young executive who will be a tremendous addition to our organization."

And here's what Ricco had to say:

"I couldn't be more excited," said Ricco, 36, a 1990 Villanova University graduate. "Ever since I came to the Commissioner's Office it was my dream to assimilate as much knowledge as I could so that I could one day come work for the a club. To join the Mets is a dream come true. I just want to help Jim any way I can."

I think he will help and it is nice Duquette finally chose an assistant.

Gammons Discusses Mets
In Peter Gammons latest article, he discussed the Mets twice. First he wrote the following:

The Mets dearly wanted Milton Bradley, but told the Indians that they wouldn't give up either third baseman David Wright or left-hander Scott Kazmir, and the Indians wouldn't do the deal without Wright.

I am happy the Mets didn't do this deal. I also really wanted the Mets to get, as he would have greatly improved the Mets line-up. However, he had of problems of his own, and I really believe Wright is something special. Plus, he is supposed to be a great guy, unlike Bradley. Now, onto the second time the Mets were discussed:

With Tom Glavine and Al Leiter in the rotation, the Mets focus on the left side of the infield, which is why Ricky Gutierrez will play a lot of third base behind the veteran lefties when Jose Reyes is back at second base.

I don't really understand this. All know Wiggy is not a great defensive third baseman but I thought Gutierrez wasn't either. Here's what ESPN's scouting report said about Gutierrez's defense:

Picture a slow man running in sand. That's how Gutierrez looked playing defense or running the bases. Worries that the converted shortstop could not turn the double play were unfounded, but his lack of range and speed made every grounder an adventure.

To go even further, I took a look at his career stats. He has only play 42 games in his career at 3B and during that time, he hasn't made an error. However, he only has a range factor of 1.64. (League avg. is 2.29.) Since he has played a very little amount of games at 3B it is hard to tell. I have a feeling he will play the kind of defense Wiggy plays. The balls he gets to he will handle, but he won't have much range.

Gammons referred to the Mets in two other places also, though not directly. First, he talks about a prospect, who the Mets lost to the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Here's what he had to say:

The Red Sox are very high on left-hander Lenny DiNardo, whom they took in the Rule 5 draft from the Mets. DiNardo had some arm problems in the spring and opened the season on injury rehab with Sarasota, but they think his natural 86-88 mph cutter and curveball/change repertoire could make him a contributor to their bullpen this year and a starter down the line. In his last outing of spring training, one scout put down slider on every one of his fastballs, meaning that the ball cuts so much it looks like a slider.

Too bad they lost him! Well that's baseball. And the Mets ended up picking up Eric Valent in the draft who hasn't be so bad himself. (Though nothing special, other than being able to hit a 66-mph curve out of the park.) The final thing has to do with a player who is on the Mets. This is what a scout had to say:

"Seattle still doesn't have power (one homer in its first 5 games). They're just finding out how much Mike Cameron covered for everyone else. Defensively, they're nowhere near as good as they were last year."

For All You Yankee Haters
Jim Calhoun, the Head Coach of the Uconn men's basketball team, who's team just won the championship, was asked by the Yankees to throw out the first pitch at an upcoming game. Calhoun, a long time Red Sox fan, rejected the offer. "No chance," Calhoun, 61, said Wednesday. "Sixty years of torment is enough." According to sources, Calhoun said something to the effect of, it would be "over my dead body" the day I throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. The head coach, however, gladly accepted an invitation to throw out the first pitch against the Yankees at Fenway Park. Red Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino said it was "very cool" that Calhoun turned down the Yankees. I also thought it was pretty cool, giving the Yankees what they deserve.

Cerda Impresses Neyer
Rob Neyer is very impressed with Jaime Cerda and wrote about it in his April 14th entry over at Rob and Rany. Here is what he had to say:

The other good thing is that I did get to see Jaime Cerda, and he's worth seeing.

I just can't figure out why the Mets would let this guy get away. In two innings he struck out four Sox, and the two runs that scored shouldn't have (the defense let him down, details not worth relating here). Here's my scouting report . . . Cerda's a two-pitch pitcher, which is okay considering 1) he's a reliever, and 2) the two pitches are both good ones. He mostly throws low-90s fastballs, and spots them around the knees on the outside part of the plate. That's not his strikeout pitch, though. His strikeout pitch is a hard breaking ball, a slurvy sort of pitch that continually befuddled the right-handed hitters (notable because Cerda's a lefty). Cerda employs a compact, short-arm delivery, and I suspect that makes his fastball look a bit faster than it is.

Damn! Why does this stuff always happen to the Mets! They leave and really impress. Maybe Mets management just can't spot talent.

Stat Pack
ESPN is now offering a "stat pack," which includes scorecards, updated stats, game day information and more. They are printable, free, and a prefect thing to take to a Mets game. If you don't believe me, look at their stat pack for tonight's met game here and click on Pit at Mets. It is really cool.

Mike Cameron wins an award
In an article by Page 2's Eric Neel, he awards Mike Cameron with the Brian Giles award. (A spot reserved for unheralded greatness.) Here's what he has to say:

After Andruw Jones, probably the best defensive center fielder in the game, and he has some pop and draws some walks. Plus, he wears his cap slightly off-center, and it's hard to overestimate the day-in-day-out value of a thing like that.

Seo Still On Track
Jae Seo will still start Sunday against the Pirates though he isn't viewing it as an audition for regaining his spot. Seo said that he has regained control of all his pitches since being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk on April 2. He's been working on a splitter in his side sessions and is hoping to be able to incorporate it into his repertoire during a game.

Minor League's Update

Norfolk 7, Indianapolis 6
Recap
Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Mike Jacobs scored on a Craig Brazell double in the top of the ninth to give Norfolk a 7-6 win over Indianapolis.

Brazell finished the game 2-for-5, including a two run home run, and three RBI. Jacobs went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and an RBI. Wilson Delgado had a perfect day at the plate with four hits in four at-bats, including two doubles, a run scored, and an RBI.

P.J. Bevis (1-0) pitched one inning and got the win. He held the Indians scoreless on two hits.

Chris Michalak (1-1) gave up one run on three hits in the ninth inning.

Norfolk's second win in a row evens up their record at 3-3, while Indianapolis falls to 3-2.
Norfolk Record: 3-3

Portland 2, Binghamton 1 (11)
Recap
Portland, OR (Sports Network) - Kenny Perez drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eleventh inning to give the Portland Sea Dogs a 2-1 victory over the Binghamton Mets.

The Mets Jeremy Hill (0-1) walked lead-off batter John Hattig to start the eleventh. Hill then hit Jeff Bailey to put men on first and second. The next batter Hill retired, but gave up a single to Eric Johnson to load the bases. After a strikeout of Mike O'Keefe, Hill surrendered the game-winning walk to Perez that plated John Hattig.

Sea Dogs starter Charlie Zink went five innings in the no-decision. He surrendered four hits, one earned run and two walks while striking out three in the Sea Dogs second win of the season. Joe Nelson (2-0) picked up his second win in relief.

Mets Neal Musser gave up five hits, one earned run, three walks and struck out four in six innings of work.

Portland's only other run came on a Jeff Bailey RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.

Binghamton's Prentice Redman knocked in the Mets only run with a double.
Binghamton Record: 6-2

St. Lucie 4, Daytona 2
Recap
The St. Lucie Mets fell behind early 1-0 but were able to overcome the early deficit and extend their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Daytona Cubs.

Starter Kevin Deaton looked dominating at times allowing just six hits and one unearned run while striking out four. Deaton earned his first victory of the year. The Mets bullpen was again solid in relief allowing just one unearned run. The team of Tim McNab and David Byard combined over the last four innings to allow just five hits. Byard recorded his first save of the year.

At the plate six different Mets collected hits. Jonathan Slack, Justin Huber, Brett Harper, Zack Clements, Robert McIntyre and Corey Ragsdale accounted for the Mets offense. It was Ragsdale two run home run to deep left center field that put the game out of reach for the visiting Cubs.
St. Lucie Record: 7-1

Rome 7, Bombers 3
Recap
Thursday night in Columbia, Rome jumped out to an early lead and kept the Bombers at bay the rest of the night. The Braves held off Capital City's bid for first place in the SAL Southern Division and ended a three-game winning streak for the Bombers by a final score of 7-3.

Capital City starter Vincent Cordova struggled with the Braves from the beginning, as the first two batters in the first and the second innings all notched hits (including a home run by designated hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia) and came home for a quick 4-0 lead.

Rome continued to knock the ball around for the rest of the night, outhitting the Bombers 15-6 along the way. The bulk of the offensive output for the Braves came from the first four batters in the lineup: Josh Burrus (4-5), Mike Hanson (2-5), Steven Doetsch (2-5), and Matt Esquivel (3-5).

Capital City had its moments, but could not bunch hits or baserunners together. The two home runs from the Bombers were both solo shots (from Shawn Bowman and Tyler Davidson), not putting much of a dent into the Rome advantage.

The victory for the Braves gives them a 1.5 game lead over the Bombers in the early battle for first place.
Bombers Record: 5-3

For individual stats, go here.

Tonight's Game
Tom Glavine will be on the mound tonight against Pittsburgh and will be opposed by Kip Wells. Tom Glavine pitched great his last start allowing no ER in 7 innings on 5 hits while walking one and striking out one. Kip Wells, in his last start, gave up 2 ER in 6th innings on 7 hits, allowing 4 walks and seven strike outs against the Cubs. Here are their scouting reports:

Despite his difficulties last year, including a bone spur in his left elbow, blister problems on his fingers and the controversial QuesTec system, Glavine threw the ball nearly as well as he ever has. While he failed to get as many calls on the outside corner, he maintained good command. His fastball continues to register in the high 80s, possesses good movement and looks even faster because of his outstanding changeup, which continues to rank among the best in the game. Glavine's strikeout totals have dropped sharply in the past three years while the lefty focuses on moving his pitches around in the strike zone with the hope of inducing groundballs.

Wells always has had a great arm, but he now is figuring out the nuances of pitching. His fastball tops out at 96 MPH and sits comfortably in the 91-93 range with outstanding movement. He is gaining confidence in throwing his other pitches for strikes, including a curveball, slider and changeup. Wells has a tendency to run up high pitch counts in the early innings, but he improved his efficiency during the latter stages of last season. He also is developing a reputation of being tough with the game on the line, as opponents hit just .169 with runners in scoring position last season.

Should be a fun game! Enjoy!

Comments and Advice Follow-Up
Thank you so much to the people who left me some comments about my site. I really want to make my site the best one, and while I know I big part is my writing, I need to know what you all like to read about. What would you all like me to add? Do you like game diaries? Would you like me to try and do interviews? Would you like Mailbag editions? Anyone else who has something, anything, to say take 2 minutes of your time and try and make this site better. It really, really will help me. PLEASE LEAVE SOMETHING!

2004-04-15T07:24:00.000-04:00

Last night’s game was a disaster. Yates totally lost it and the hitting didn’t do jack. I didn’t watch most of the game because I couldn’t bear it so today I won’t be doing Game Notes. However, I will be doing the MVP and LVP below:

MVP of Game: Wiggy (has a nice game going 2-4 with a double)
LVP of Game: Yates (5 ER in 2.1 innings)

I promise I will have game notes for tonight’s game though.

Mets Hire Assistant
The Associated Press reports the Mets have decided to hire John Ricco of the commissioner's office as an assistant GM for Duquette.

Continuation of the Mets RF Talk
I am very sorry and apologize for the many mistakes in yesterday’s article about RF. I wrote about many RF I thought were going to be free agents this off season but were actually not. I would like to make up for it and clarify the mistakes I made. For starters, I wrote that Trot Nixon would be a free agent after this season, forgetting he had signed a three year extension which the Red Sox. In addition, I also said Berkman would be a free agent this off season. However, I was reminded that even though his contract expires at the end of the season, he is not eligible for free agency until after next season. There was also some confusion over whether or not Jermaine Dye is a free agent. He is not an actual free agent as he has a mutual option for 2005 for $14 million. However, it is highly unlikely the A’s will pick it up. I am sorry for my mistakes and all the confusion I caused but I’m not perfect. However, in better news concerning the RF situation, the deal between Magglio Ordonez and the White Sox is beginning to face some problems. Ordonez wants 5 years and the White Sox right now are only willing to offer 4. Here’ s what he had to say about it:

"This is going to be my last big contract and I have to take advantage of that," Ordonez told the Chicago Tribune. "It's my last opportunity to get something done.

"If they give me something fair and the years I want, it'll be fine," he said. "If not, I guess I'll have to go to free agency."

Hopefully, it doesn’t get worked out and the Mets get a chance to sign him, knowing that Carlos Beltran will probably be a Yankee. Remember, however, that the chance of the Mets signing Ordonez aren’t very high if he becomes a free agent as the Mets always say they will not sign a contract for more than 3 years and he seems to want 5. Oh, well.

Mets 13th in Power 10 and Bottom 5 rankings
ESPN’s weekly Power 10 and Bottom 5 rankings ranked the Mets at 13th. Here’s what they had to say about our Mets:

Off to a good start, which was imperative with all the new faces. Raise your hand if you were surprised by Cliff Floyd going on the DL.

Good Job Mets! If you want to see all the rankings go here.

Reyes Update

General manager Jim Duquette said that Jose Reyes made strides in the rehab process but added that he couldn't say definitely whether he would be back during before the current homestand ends. Reyes, who is continuing to rehab his strained right hamstring, remains several days away from playing in any minor league game. "At some point we'd like to see him go through some rehab games. Whether that's three or four games, we want to make sure when we test him everything is okay. Most likely he'll play a couple of games in Florida and then we'll take it through (Triple-A) Norfolk."

Duquette said cold weather wasn't a determining factor in Reyes' return. Therefore, it's possible he could rejoin the team in Chicago on April 23 rather than waiting for the warmer weather in southern California later in the trip. Still, Duquette added that all three games in the Cubs series being day games will benefit because it will be warmer.

I can’t wait until he’s back. He’s such an important part of our line-up.

Minor League’s Update

Binghamton 3, Erie 2
3B D. Wright went 2-3 with 2 doubles.
LF R. Acuna went 2-4 with an RBI and a run.
Matt Peterson gave up 1 ER in 5 innings on 4 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strike outs.

Binghamton 5, Erie 2
3B D. Wight went 2-3 and was caught stealing.
C Javier Cardona went 3-3 with 2 doubles, 1 run, and 2 RBI.
RF Prentice Redman went 1-2 with a walk and a run.
Jose Diaz pitched 5 shutout innings allowing no hits, 4 walks, and 8 strike outs.
Binghamton Record: 6-1

St. Lucie 12, Daytona 4
3B Aarom Baldiris went 3-5 with 2 RBU and 2 runs.
RF Bobby Malek went 3-4 with 2 runs, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and a walk.
1B Brett Harper went 3-5 with 2 runs, 1 double, and 3 RBI.
Brian Bannister gave up 3 ER in 5 innings allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and 5 strike outs.
St. Lucie Record: 6-1

Capital City 2, Greensboro 0
DH Tyler Davidson went 1-4 with a walk and two runs.
1B Ian Bladergrone went 2-5 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBI.
Tanner Osberg gave up 2 ER in 4.2 innings while allowing 5 hits, walking none, and striking out 7.
Capital City: 5-2

Tonight’s Game
On the mound tonight will be Al Leiter who will be opposed by Horacio Ramirez. Al Leiter pitched very well in his last start, throwing 5 innings of shutout ball while giving up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strike outs. Ramirez, on the other hand, in his last start, pitched even better, throwing 7 innings of shutout ball while giving up 4 hits, 5 walks, and 5 strike outs. Here are their scouting reports:

Leiter is an intelligent pitcher who is a capable of dominating hitters even though his stuff is not overpowering. His hard, cut fastball sits in the 90-92 MPH range and possesses incredible sinking action just prior to reaching the plate, making it most difficult for righthanded hitters to hit. He uses his slider and regular fastball mostly against lefthanded hitters, always working the outside half of the dish. His changeup also is an effective offering, provided it stays low in the strike zone. Leiter gets in trouble when he fails to complete the follow-through in his delivery, which causes his pitches to rise.

Ramirez is a purebred product of the Atlanta farm system. He mirrors the organizational philosophy for southpaws by throwing mostly sinkers and changeups down and on the outside part of the plate. His fastball resides in the low 90s, and his natural cut fastball has a sharp break when his mechanics are in sync. He does not hold runners well for a lefty, but at bat he can help himself with a bunt.

Comments and Advice
I would really love to hear what you all think of my site. How is the writing? Do you like the things I focus on? It has been a full week since I started this blog and its time for some evaluating. If any of you will leave me a comment, just telling me what you think of it and any other advice, comments, or more things you would like to see me write about, you don’t know how much I would appreciate it. Thanks!

2004-04-14T07:38:00.000-04:00

I hope you all have a great day off from the Mets. (It’s hard but we all get by.) Let’s get right to business (or Mets-ness)

Being Optimistic
Someone left a comment yesterday that made me think. He wrote:

Optimistic Mets' Fan After Seven Games: We're tied for the wild card!

Pessimistic Mets' Fan After Seven Games: We have the same record as we did last season, on our way to 65 wins.

It’s completely true. Yes this is a different year, but you could draw many comparisons, if you wanted to, from this years start to last years start. I’m not saying the Mets this year are going to play let the Mets last year did as I feel the Mets will won at least 80 games. But lets just take a look at some off the comparisons other than the same record:

Mike Piazza sat out the home opener (Last year: suspension, This year: hurt)

Hole in the outfield caused by injury (Last year: Burnitz, This year: Floyd)

Major part of the Line Up goes down (Last year: (Piazza, This year: Floyd)

One of the spring training invites who made the team gets hurt (Last year: Cone, This year Erickson)

However, the are many differences (improvements) from last year:

Our defense

Younger and more athletic

Our rookies from last year have a year of experience under their belts (Phillips, Reyes)

What I’m trying to say is, you could defiantly make compassions to last year, but most teams can do that. What you have to look at is the improvements. Be optimistic. The Mets are a better team this year!

Review of the Week
1. Glavine pitched well in two games giving up 2 ER in 13 innings and getting both wins.
2. Trachsel gave up mixed results giving up 8 ER in 3 innings in his first start but only 1 ER in 6 innings in his second start.
3. Kaz Matsui has been on a tear hitting .357 while walking more times than he has struck out, 8 to 7.
4. Two people, Erickson and Floyd, had to go on the disabled list. Also, Reyes’s return has been delayed.
5. Grant Roberts has been a disaster giving up 9 ER in 1.2 innings. And we wanted him to be our fifth starter.
6. Moreno and Looper have been very impressive, together giving up 2 ER in 8.2 innings while striking out 7.
7. Zeile has shown us he isn’t done, hitting .417, and making nice and big plays in the Mets season so far. (RBI double to win the game.)
8. Tyler Yates showed us how great it is to have a power arm. I am looking forward to seeing him pitch this year, blowing stuff by people.

There are many more highs and lows of the week, but for now that’s it. I would say this week was a good one ending with us having a winning record and a better winning % than the Yankees. It’s only the beginning of the year and there will definitely be some more tough roads ahead but for the start, I’d say we have done well.

Fast Facts

Kaz Matsui has reached base in 18 of 34 plate appearances this season.

Mike Cameron has a seven-game hitting streak.

The lone walk Tom Glavine gave up on Sunday was the 1,209th of his career, tying him with Cy Young for 46th on the all-time list. He also has 2,139 strikeouts, leaving him 10 shy of Dennis Martinez for 49th on the all-time list.

The Mets are 27-16 in home openers.

Mike Piazza on the State of the Mets

"The mood in here is great. We've proven we have a lot of guys capable of stepping in and doing the job."

Scutaro Makes All-Good Decision Team
For those of you who were very mad when the Mets lost Scutaro to the A’s through waviers, and wished he was the player whose role Ricky Gutierrez is playing right now for the Mets, he’s more to be mad about. Rob Neyer put together a team “composed of players with everyday jobs thanks to the wisdom of their employers.” Scutaro made the team at 2B. Here’s what Neyer had to say about him:

There's a part of me that's reluctant to give the A's too much credit for giving Scutaro a chance to play, because if Mark Ellis hadn't suffered a season-ending injury before the season even started, Scutaro would still be on the bench (or playing every day for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats). On the other hand, it's not like Scutaro was the default choice when Ellis went down. When Ellis went down, I saw one report that listed Frank Menechino and Esteban German as replacement candidates ... with no mention of Scutaro at all!

So the A's deserve credit for skipping past the guy with the experience (Menechino) and the guy who's been in the organization forever but doesn't have the skills to play every day (German), and settle on the guy who can actually play. I don't know if the A's are actually better off with Scutaro than Ellis -- it depends on whose analysis of defense you believe -- but he's one hell of a fill-in.

Man, I wish he was still on the Mets. (If you want to read the whole article, go here.)

Mets Options Lessening
ESPN reported today that the Anaheim Angels and Garret Anderson have agreed on a $48 million, 4 year contract extension. This is horrible. Our list for RF is shortening by the day. The other day it was reported that the White Sox and Magglio Ordonez were close to a deal. Let’s take a look at some of the remaining options:

Lance Berkman- Last year he hit .288 with 25 home runs and an OBP of .412. He slugged .515 and walked almost as many times as he struck out, 107 to 108. He is an average outfielder and a slow but smart base runner.

Trot Nixon- Last year he hit .306 with 28 HR and an OBP of .396. He slugged .578 and struck out almost double the amount of times he walked, 96 to 65. He’s an average fielder and is a smart base runner.

Carlos Beltran- Last year, he hit .307 with 26 HR and an OBP. Of .389. He slugged .522 and walked all most as much as he struck out, 81 to 72. He is a great defender and great base-runner stealing 41 bases last year.

Jermaine Dye- Last year, was a horrible season for him. He batted .172 and was injured most of the season. This year though, so far he has batted .321 with 3 HR and an OBP of .387. He is a good fielder will a great arm and is a good base stealer.

Richard Hidalgo- Last year he hit .309 with 28 HR and an OBP of .385. He slugged .572 but struck out almost double his amount of walks, 104 to 58. He is a good fielder but has a cannon for an arm.

(He isn’t technically a free agent but his team option is of $15 million and is highly unlikely they will pick it up.)

J. D. Drew- Last year he hit, .289 with 15 HR and an OBP of .274. He has always been a good player, but injuries have ruined his carrer so far. He is a good fielder and is good on the basepaths.

These are the main top quality outfielders that are free agents this off-season. My choice would be to go with Carlos Beltran. He is the best defender out of these choices and is a 5-tool player in his prime. That would be my choice, but I would love to hear what you all think!

Minor League’s Update

Norfolk 2, Louisville 0
1B C. Brazell went 1-3 with a run.
C M. Jacobs went 1-3 with a run.
M. Ginter pitched 4 scoreless innings of one-hit ball while walking 1 and striking out 6.
P. Strange pitched 3 scoreless innings of one-hit ball while walking 3 and striking out 5.
Norfolk Record:2-3

St. Lucie 7, Brevard 5
CF F. Lawson went 1-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI.
SS C.Ragsdale went 2-4 with a double, a triple, and a run.
M. Meyers gave up 1 ER on 4 hits in 4 innings while walking none and striking out 3.
T.McNab picked dup the save, pitching 2 perfect innings and striking out 1.
St. Lucie Record:5-1

Capital City 5, Greensboro 0
SS W.Batista went 2-2 with a SB and 2 BB.
1B T.Davidson went 2-4 with a double and a strike out.
I.Bladergroe hit a pinch hit homer.
M.Lindstrom picked up the win, pitching 5 shutout innings while allowing 1 hit, walking none, and striking out 8.
Capital City Record: 4-2

Tonight’s Game
The pitching match-up for tonight is Tyler Yates (0.00 ERA) vs. John Thomson (3.60 ERA). Yates, in his last start, tossed six scoreless innings against the Expos in Puerto Rico on Friday night. John Thomson, who faced the Mets in his last start, earned a no-decision after allowing two earned runs on five hits in five innings. The player Yates is going to have to look to neutralize is Marcus Giles. He has hit safely in all seven games this year and is 10-17 against the Mets this season. Thomson, on the other hand, is going to have to look to neutralize the two Mike’s, Mike Piazza and Mike Cameron. Piazza is 6-14 (.429) with a pair of homers against Thomson while Cameron is 5-14 (.357) against Thomson. Here is Thomson’s scouting report (No scouting report for Yates because he didn’t pitch in the majors last year):

Thomson flourished while working with first-year pitching coach Orel Hershiser. Hershiser emphasized using the changeup more, and the combination of a hard sinker and the change forced hitters to be ready to swing early in the count. Thomson was rewarded with his fair share of groundballs. He also kept his walk total down, allowed only 2.03 free passes per nine innings. He was 9-5 with a 3.89 ERA from June 30 on, and he produced quality starts in 12 of his final 18 outings.

Enjoy the Game and let the Mets win!

2004-04-13T16:28:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody, I didn't write much for today and I know I'm putting it on pretty late but enjoy.

Minor League's Update

Binghamton 7, Erie 1
DH A. Pagan went 1-4 with a 2 run homer and 3 RBI.
CF W. Lydon went 2-4 with a run and an RBI.
C Joe Hietpas went 1-2 with a homer and a walk.
3B D. Wright went 1-3 with 2 RBI and a double.
W. Ough pitched 4 shutout innings while giving up 1 hit, walking 2, and striking out 5.
Binghamton Record: 4-1

St. Lucie 6, Brevard County 5
DH J. Huber went 1-5 with a homer.
SS C. Ragsdale went 2-5 with a SB.
C B.Wilson went 2-5 with a double.
R.Paulk gave up 1 run in 4.2 innings on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2.
St. Lucie Record: 4-1

Capital City 12, Greensboro 1
DH I.Bladergroe went 4-4 with a double, a triple, a sac fly, and 3 RBI.
RF J. Hill went 3-4 with a double, a homer, and a SB.
CF D. Watts went 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBI.
Y.Petit gave up 1 run on 3 hits in 5 innings, while walking 3 and striking out 7.
Capital City Record: 3-2

Observations of the New York Teams
Over on MSG, there is an article by Joel Sherman on some observations he has had watching the New York teams. Check it out.

MLB Misery Index
ESPN Page 2 published a list of the most miserable teams. Go check it out. By the way the Mets were ranked 20th.

Mets Reactions on Yesterday's Game
Art Howe

It's good to win opening day here. Guys really came out swinging the bats well. Two outs in the first with no one on, we put three hits together, and got on the board right away. It seemed like everybody up and down the lineup did a great job offensively. We made some outstanding defensive plays too. It was a great team effort. We had a great crowd today.

It was nice to just come out and get the energy going. The fans were totally supportive and they were into it. I didn't think I was going to have to use my closer to win it today, but whatever it takes. With your three and four hitters out of the lineup, you're asking a lot of your other guys, but they showed today what they are capable of doing.

We had Mike (Piazza) and Cliff (Floyd) out of the lineup the other day in extra innings and we won the ball game, so that's a big lift for the rest of the guys to know we can win without them.

Mike Cameron

One of the reasons why I came here was to help this team defensively. I'm sure there will be many more days that I will have to make plays out there, probably more difficult, and I'm prepared for it. It's satisfying for myself, but more so for (Steve) Trachsel . That stops the bleeding. They had a couple guys on base and that solidifies what we're trying to do here: Be consistent and help the pitchers out and not make too many errors out there.

Braden Looper

Today was one of those days I was sitting down there when the boys put up the 10 runs, I thought for sure I wasn't going to pitch. That's the way the game is sometimes. I didn't have a long time to get loose, but I was able to come in and make a couple of good pitches and get the big ground ball. In those situations, you don't have time to think. You're just trying to get loose as quick as you can and you go out there and try to make a good pitch. You can't look at the situation as it is, you just got to focus pitch by pitch.

Steve Trachsel

I think it was important for me to go out and throw some innings up and pitch well. I was thinking on that last game a few times and I still believe that I executed well, but even though we were executing pitches, we didn't follow the game plan once we got that big lead. So, that was the main focus, especially once we got the lead is to not do that again. The guys went up there and worked the plan that Denny (Walling) has been talking about. Go up there and get good swings, work the count and try to get yourself into position to drive the ball and its been working for everybody.

Ty Wigginton

We want to make it tough for opposing teams to get in here and play us. I think we definitely started out on the right foot. (Mike) Hampton is always a tough pitcher. He always finds a way to win and be in ball games. That's what made him so successful. It was nice to come out and swing the bats well early and give our pitchers a little breathing room. Obviously, we're not going to put 10 spots up every day but we can definitely put some runs up on the board.

2004-04-13T14:28:00.000-04:00

2004-04-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

Mets 10, Atlanta 6
W: Trachsel (1-1)
L: Hampton (0-1)
S: Looper (2)

Game Notes
Steve Trachsel- Great outing!
Mike Cameron- He had a nice day going 2-5 with a nice catch in center field. He is really going to help these pitchers this year in spacious Shea.
Todd Zeile- He had a great day going, 3-5 with 2 runs and also a nifty play at first. He has really proven me wrong about him. He is still a pretty good smart hitter and plays good defense at first. (At least better defense than any of the other Met first basemens would be playing.) He is a very smart guy. There were two plays where he showed this. First, in the 3rd, while on first base was put into a hit and run. He started off for second, but when the batter struck out and he knew he would be thrown out, he retreated to first. Then, in the 4th, Cameron doubled and Zeile made a great slide under the catcher. Good game Todd!
Grant Roberts- What has gotten into him? He was so close to being our fifth starter and all the fans wanted him to win it. He gave up 4 runs in 1 innings and gave up two bombs. He just hasn’t been himself. Not good news.

The Injuries Are Driving Me Crazy
Let’s take a look at who is hurt’in:

Cliff Floyd (strained left hamstring, 15-day DL)
Scott Erickson (strained left hamstring, 15-day DL)
Scott Strickland (recovering from right elbow surgery, 60-day DL)
Jose Reyes (strained right hamstring, 15-day DL)
Mike Piazza (hyper extended right elbow, day-to-day)
Karim Garcia (broken right ring finger, day-to-day)

This isn’t good. If we want to be a better team, we have to stay healthy. (Thank you captain Obvious.)

Nice Article on Seo
There is a nice article on Jae Seo over at The Hardball Times by Studes. Go take a look.

A- for Mike Piazza
Baseball Tonight Extra gave Mike Piazza an A- for his play at first on Monday, acknowledging the difficulty of playing it for a full game for the first time. "I remember my first game at first base,'' Kruk said. "You want things as easy as possible."

Karim Garcia
Since his finger injury is only a chip fracture, Karim Garcia won't need to go on the disabled list.

Mets Recall Duncan
Mets recalled outfielder Jeff Duncan from Triple-A Norfolk. Here’s what Rotoworld had to say:

Raul Gonzalez should have been called up to replace Cliff Floyd, but he's not on the 40-man roster and it's clear the Mets don't want to lose another players off waivers.

Day Off
Tomorrow is an off day. I will probably do a little write up summarizing the last week. I will also post tomorrow my daily write-ups about the minor leagues. Have a good day without the Mets. (It’s going to be so hard.)

2004-04-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

Mets 4, Expos 1
W: Glavine (2-0)
L: Hernandez (0-1)
S: Looper (1)

Game Notes
Tom Glavine- Glavine was very impressive, giving up 1 unearned run on 5 hits in 7 innings. He also walked 1 and struck out 1. He will never blow the ball by people but he did a good job of setting people up and made his pitches, so good job Glavine. He also helped himself out with the bat going 1-2 with a walk and a run.
Eric Valent- Mixed day. When he first came in I was very upset. Coming in, he was 0-7 this season. Then in the 3rd, with a runner on third and one out, Vidro hit a fly ball to right field. The runner on third darted home after the ball was caught by Valent, and Valent airmailed the throw home. I'm not saying he should have had him at the plate but his throw should have been some where near Phillips. However, in the 6th, he made me change my mind about him. With a runner on third, he sent a 66 mph curveball from Livan Hernandez into the right-field bleachers. He finished the day by going 1-2 with a walk.
Todd Zeile- I was very impressed with his sacrifice fly in the 6th. Both the runners, Matsui and Glavine moved up, and Glavine scored. Small Ball Wins Games!
Cliff Floyd- When running to first on an infield grounder, Floyd injured himself. It didn't look good from the beginning as he had to be carried off the field and was screaming in agony once he was in the dugout. Floyd is being diagnosed with a strained right quadriceps muscle. He will be examined tomorrow by team physician Dr. Andrew Rokito and will undergo an MRI. The question now though is, who will take his spot on the roster if he goes on the DL, which he almost defiantly will. My choice would be Raul Gonzalez, though I would love to hear what you guys think.
Mike Piazza- He played a pretty good game at first base despite getting into a collision because of a bad throw. He is said to have hyper extended right elbow because of the collision and make sit out today. Back to his defense, he is still learning and you can tell that when your watching him. He doesn't have great footwork right now, but it will improve with more playing time. On the hitting side, Mike Piazza has gone cold since the Atlanta series. He is 0-11 in his last 11 at-bats. He doesn't looked as locked in as he did against Atlanta. Oh well.
Mets Bullpen- First, lets start with Looper. He has some nasty stuff. Struck out the side! 97 mph on the fastball. He's sick. He also got his first save. I was also impressed with Weathers. He struck out the first two batters he faced and then got the third batter to fly out to left, but Spencer lost the ball in the sun and it fell in for a hit. Then the next guy up he walked, but he got some bad calls on balls that should have been called strikes. So it wasn't his fault. After that, Art brought Stanton in and he retired the one batter he had to face on one pitch. Oh Ya! Finally, the bullpen didn't blow the game. Good Job!

MVP of the Game- Glavine (Very impressive performance!)
LVP of the Game- Shane Spencer (Went 0-3 with a strike out, and lost a ball in the sun which dropped in for a hit.)

Mets Leaders-(I know its early to be doing this but I thought it would be fun to take a look. I will give you some of the basic statistics and then get into more of the sabermetric statistics which are the ones I like. Also, just to let you know, I will never use RBI or Win-Loss record (pitcher). I find them absolutely pointless, though some of the ones I will use you might find pointless too.):

HR- M. Piazza(3)-(T-4th in the NL)
2B- K. Matsui(4)-(T-2nd in the NL)
BB- K. Matsui(7)-(T-1st in the NL)
SO- K. Matsui(7)-(T-7th in the NL)
SB- M. Cameron(4)-(2nd in the NL)
BA- C. Floyd(.350)-(T-23rd in the NL)
OBP- K. Matsui(.500)-(T-8th in the NL)
SLG- M. Piazza(.692)-(18th in the NL)
OPS- M. Piazza(1.209)-(12th in the NL)
P/PA- K. Matsui(4.4)-(10th in the NL)
RC27- K. Matsui(10.76)-(20th in the NL)
IsoP- M. Piazza(.400)-(T-9th in the NL)
SecA- M. Cameron(.778)-(T-4th in the NL)
BB/PA- J. Phillips(.273)-(1st in the NL)
BB/K- J. Phillips(.300)-(T-2nd in the NL)

ERA- A. Leiter and T. Yates(0.00)-(T-1st in the NL)
K/BB- A. Leiter(4.00)-(T-12th in NL)
K/9- A. Leiter(7.20)-(T-30th in the NL)
P/PA- A. Leiter(4.9)-(2nd in the NL)
P/IP- A. Leiter(19.4)-(T-5th in the NL)
AGS- T. Yates(66.0)-(12th in the NL)
G/F- T. Yates(2.00)-(T-9th in the NL)
WHIP- A. Leiter(0.80)-(T-10th in the NL)
BBA- A. Leiter(.167)-(T-10th in the NL)
OPS(against pitcher)- T. Yates(.455)-(12th in the NL)

As a team the Mets rank in the NL(Hitting Statistics):
AVG- 10th (.260)
OBP- 6th (.348)
SLG- 4th (.461)
OPS- 4th (.838)
BB- T-3rd (26)
SO- 9th (43)
HR- 3rd (10)

Now the Pitching Statistics ranked in the NL:
ERA- 13th (5.43)
BB- T-7th (20)
SO- 12th (32)

Garcia Hurt More Than We Thought
Karim Garcia was found to have a broken right ring finger. Here's what Rotoworld had to say:

Garcia figures to be placed on the disabled list soon. If Cliff Floyd is also going to miss some time, Shane Spencer will be a regular for the next couple of weeks. Raul Gonzalez could be called up to split time with Eric Valent and Joe McEwing in Floyd's place.

More bad news! DAMN!

Howe on the Hot Seat
There was an article in yesterday's Star Ledger by Lawrence Rocca, that said Art Howe could be fired if the Mets start to falter. The article said "the Wilpons are not going to sit idly by if the Mets fall out of the race quickly again this year." Here's how the article described Art:

Howe has proven himself to be a total zero as Mets manager, thoroughly unequipped for the demands that come with a rebuilding team in a major media market. Howe doesn't inspire his players and has no ability to excite fans, yet the man Fred Wilpon said "lit up the room" during his job interview, the man Wilpon bragged about deciding to hire in only five minutes, looks like he's going to have at least one more year to keep things dim at Shea Stadium.

Not so sweet, huh. That's brings me to the big question. Is Art Howe a good manager and is he doing a good job managing the Mets? I would have to say I feel he is a good manager but I don't think he is the perfect fit for the Mets. After the 2002 season, when the Mets fired Bobby Valentine, I was very upset because I felt he was a great manager for the Mets. He brought fire and wasn't quiet like Howe is. I feel Bobby-V would be doing a better job right now, bit that's just my opinion. I would love to hear what you guys think.

Mando Getting the Job Done
Armando Benitez has gone 5-5 in save opportunities and with a WHIP of 0.80. Batters are hitting .211 against him and he is averaging a strike out an inning. Why the hell couldn't he do this last year for us. He blew practically every game last year for us. This makes me so mad!

Yates to stay on Schedule
Tyler Yates will stay on schedule and make his next start Wendsday against the Braves. There was talk that Jae Seo might start in place of Yates but Mets management wants Yates to stay on schedule. Seo credited David Cone this weekend for some of his success:

"I learned how to pitch from him and that you don't have to have a 95-mile-an-hour fastball to be a pitcher," Yates said. "I learned to change speeds and still be aggressive. I charted a couple of his games in the stands when he was there with his hip. In the big leagues, anyone can hit a fastball. But if you don't change speeds, they'll cheat on you and hit it very far."

They met when Cone was rehabbing an injured hip last year in Port St. Lucie while Yates was working his way back from Tommy John surgery. It is good that Yates learned the valuable lesson that you can't always just blow stuff by people. As Howe said in spring training, pitchers aren't throwers, pitchers are pitchers. You have to set people up and change speeds. You can't just throw 97 mph fastballs to everyone. They will adjust and hit it out of the park. Look at Benitez, for example. He would throw so hard but hardly ever used any other pitches or changed speeds so hitters would sit on the fastball and hit it out of the park. Pitch, don't throw!

Minor League's Update
Louisville 12, Norfolk 3
RF V. Diaz went 0-4 lowering his avg. to .176
1B C. Brazell went 1-4 but his one hit was a homer
SS W. Delgado went 3-4 with a double and an RBI.
J. Baldwin gave up 4 runs in 5 innings on 9 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 3.
Tides Record: 1-3

Binghamton 3, Norwich 2
CF A. Pagan walked twice, stole 2 bases, and scored 2 runs
3B D. Wright went 1-4 with an RBI
J. Scobie gave up 1 run in 5 innings on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4.
Binghamton Record: 3-1

Intresting Fact: When 3B D. Wright singled yesterday, it was the first time all season he had a single yet he was still batting .438.

St. Lucie 7, Vero Beach 6
Justin Huber was 1 for 4 with a walk, including his first homer of the season.
Brett Harper goes 1-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and a RBI.
Aaron Baldiris was 2 for 4 with a walk, a triple, and 2 RBI.
RF A. Turay went 2-4 with homer and SB.
M. Pinango pitched 5 innings of shut out ball while giving up 5 hits and striking out 4.
St. Lucie Record: 3-1

Columbus 4, Capital City 1
DH T. Davidson went 3-4.
1B I.Bladergroe went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI.
J.Pimentel gave up 1 run in 5 innings on 5 hits while walking 1 and striking out 6.
Capital City Record: 3-1

Howe Eventually to Split Up Lefties
Art Howe said eventually he would split up lefties Tom Glavine and Al Leiter in the rotation. The two southpaws were slated to be first and third but after Leiter got skulled by an Alex Gonzalez line drive in his final exhibition start, the rotation was changed.

MVP of Series
Kazuo Matsui was voted series Most Valuable Player by going 5-12.

Previewing the AL
Over at Amazinz.com, they are previewing the American League and offer their World Series prediction. Check it out here.

Today's Game
Today Steve Trachsel will be on the mound for the Mets to square off against Mike Hampton in the Mets home opener. Both squared off against each other last week on Wednesday, in a very interesting game. The game started off with a two-run homer by Mike Piazza followed by another shot from the other Mike, Mike Cameron. By the middle of the third inning it looked like the game was over, a 6 run lead for the Mets. I was so excited because I thought the Mets were going to start off the season 2-0. Then, however, it all fell apart. Trachsel gave up 3 runs in the 3rd. Then in the 4th, he gave up 3 runs before being taken out of the game. When he was taken out, he left 2 runners on base and had not recorded an out yet in that inning. When it was all said and done, he was credited with 8 ER in 3 innings. Not impressive. Hopefully, he will pitch much better today and make all us Mets fans glad he just signed an extension instead of mad. Here are the scouting reports for both pitchers:

Trachsel is an unheralded hurler who keeps his team in games every time he pitches. He does an excellent job of mixing his two-seam fastball, curveball and changeup, and has plus command of all three offerings while keeping them down in the strike zone. He wastes few pitches, which allows him to go deep into games and eat innings. The righthander is determined to get ahead in the count with first-pitch strikes and is not afraid of hitters making contact and putting his fielders to work. His stuff is far from outstanding, with his heater rarely breaking 90 MPH, but his methodical pace can be irritating to opposing hitters.

Here is Hampton's scouting report:

Hampton benefited from the insight he garnered from Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who got the lefthander to make some mechanical adjustments. Mazzone convinced Hampton to slow his delivery and stop throwing across his body, a tendency that had negated the effect of his sinker-particularly on the inside part of the plate to righthanded hitters. By reducing his velocity, he improved the movement of his sinker as well as his ability to locate the pitch on both sides of the plate. Hampton overpowered lefthanded hitters, limiting them to a paltry .164 batting average.

Should be an exciting game. GO METS!

2004-04-11T09:33:00.010-04:00

Expos 1, Mets 0
W: Patterson (1-0)
L: Seo (0-1)
S: Biddle (2)

Game Notes
Mets Hitting- Its amazing that on the one night where the pitching staff only allowed 1 run, the Mets can't hit jack. They had some opportunities but couldn't capitalize as they went 0-8 with runners in scoring position. They were also 0-9 will runners on base, which is horrendous. Also, no one had more than one hit and only three players had one.
Al Leiter- Very nice start. He threw five shutout innings, while allowing three hits and striking out four. He was put in a tough position in the fourth because of a Garcia error but pitched his way out of it. It must be hard for hitting after getting hit by that line drive in the temple. He flinched a little but I don't blame him as it must be very hard having that in the back of your mind.
Mike Cameron- He had a fairly nice night, going 1-3. He also stole 2 bases. He is pretty fast. Its nice to see that the Mets really do have so players that will be able to steal bases this year.
Todd Zeile- I must say I'm impressed. I admit that when the Mets signed Zeile I was very unhappy but so far when the Mets have put him it clutch situations, he's been, as Art Howe said, "money!" It is early in the year and there is plenty of time for him to falter but so far I've been very impressed.

MVP of the Game- Al Leiter (Nice Performance!)
LVP of the Game- Karim Garcia (0-4, flew out to left with a runner on second in the 8th, and made an error. He also got his finger in the way of a ball he caught and had to leave the game.)

Great Article
Article on Baseball Prospectus about earned runs so check it out here.

Scott Kazmir
Kazmir was diagnosed with a slight abdominal strain. His status for his next start is unclear, though knowing how careful the Mets have been with Kazmir, except them to take it slowly with him again, meaning that he will probably end up on the St. Lucie's DL.

Matsui's Opening Day Home Run
Here are all the things Matsui accomplished from that homerun:

-- Matsui became the first player to hit his first career homer to lead off a game on Opening Day since Emmett Mueller of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1938.

-- He became only the third player in Mets history to homer in his first at-bat, joining Mike Fitzgerald (1983) and Benny Ayala (1974).

-- He became the first Met to have three hits in his debut since Preston Wilson on May 7, 1998.

-- He became the first person to open his team's season by belting a homer on the first pitch since Gerald Williams did it for Tampa Bay in 2000.

-- He became the first player since Boston's Dwight Evans in 1986 to homer on the first pitch of the season.

-- He is the 20th player to homer on the first pitch in his first Major League at-bat. The last player to do so was the Yankees' Marcus Thames on July 10, 2002.

Michael Jacobs
Mets prospect Mike Jacobs had a cyst in his shoulder drained this week and probably won't play for Triple-A Norfolk until Wednesday or Thursday. Here's what Rotoworld had to say:
Jacobs, who hit .329 and slugged .548 in Double-A last year, would be the top catching prospect in most organizations. However, with Mike Piazza and Jason Phillips in the majors and Justin Huber on the way up, the Mets are expected to take a look at him at other positions.

Roger Cedeno
Roger Cedeno is expected to go on the disabled list after straining his hamstring Saturday. Wow! Already hurt. Glad we got rid of him.

NOOOOOOOOOO!
We all had it planned out. After the season, the Mets would swoop in and sign Magglio Ordonez. But no! Instead, the Daily Southtown Newspaper is reporting that Ordonez and the Sox are closing in on a deal. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Zeile to Start
Todd Zeile is expected to start at 3b in place of Ty Wigginton, who is hitting .136. I think this is good for Ty, as he needs to take a break and return to what he what doing in spring training, where he hit .337 and slugged .556. He has to keep trying to hit to the opposite field.

No Good News About Jose
The Newark Star-Ledger reported the following:
Jose Reyes (2B) NYM will be out about two more weeks with a strained right hamstring. It will about 10 days before he can test his leg in a few minor league games.
Damn! We need him back.

Minor League's Update
Tides 5, Indy 2
CF Duncan, SS Delgado, 2B Garcia and Pascot had 2 hits apiece.
R.Keisler went 5 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, while walking 0 and striking out 6.
RF Diaz went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks.
Tides Record: 1-2

Binghamton 6, Norwich 5
3B David Wright went 3-4 with 3 doubles. And a stolen base.
1B Josh Pressley went 2-3 with 2 doubles and a walk.
CF Angel Pagan went 2-3 with a triple.
N.Musser went 4 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 5.
S.Sedlacek pitched 3 shutout innings giving up 1 hit, while walking 0 and striking out 1.
Binghamton Record: 2-1

St. Lucie 4, Vero Beach 3
1B B. Harper went 2-3 with a homer.
K. Deaton gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, while striking out 3 and walking 1.
R. Olsen picked up the win, going to innings of shutout ball, while allowing 1 hit and fanning 2.
St. Lucie Record: 2-1

Capital City 5, Columbus 4
1B T. Davidson went 3-5 with a triple, a home run, and 2 RBI's.
V.Cordova went 5.1 innings and gave up 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 3.
M.Miramontes went 4.2 innings and gave up 2 ER on 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 2.
Capital City Record: 2-1

Today's Game
Tom Glavine will be on the mound for the Mets to square off against Livan Hernandez. Glavine's last start, wasn't all that amazing, but he got the job done against the Braves, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings while striking out 2. Hopefully he will build on that start. Livan Hernandez, in his first start of the year, went six strong innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 8. Here are their scouting reports:

Despite his difficulties last year, including a bone spur in his left elbow, blister problems on his fingers and the controversial QuesTec system, Glavine threw the ball nearly as well as he ever has. While he failed to get as many calls on the outside corner, he maintained good command. His fastball continues to register in the high 80s, possesses good movement and looks even faster because of his outstanding changeup, which continues to rank among the best in the game. Glavine's strikeout totals have dropped sharply in the past three years while the lefty focuses on moving his pitches around in the strike zone with the hope of inducing groundballs.

Here is Hernandez's:

The resilience of Hernandez' arm continues to amaze observers. He racked up 13 outings of at least 120 pitches this season, and his career average of 110.3 pitches per start is second only to Randy Johnson among active starters. He throws four pitches-a fastball that tops out at 92 MPH, a slider, change and curve. Since none of those offerings are above average, he uses location and selection to get hitters out. While his weight and conditioning remain a concern, his competitiveness has never been questioned.

Hopefully today, the bullpen will hold the lead. Enjoy the game and LET THE METS WIN!

2004-04-10T12:02:00.000-04:00
Mets 3, Expos 2
W: Weathers (1-0)
L: Ayala (0-2)
S: Moreno (1)

Game Notes
Art Howe- What was he doing during the game? Taking out three of the Mets best hitters (Piazza, Floyd, Phillips) in a game where they are only up by 2 runs. CRAZY! I mean, I know Piazza and Floyd are having leg problems and Phillips isn’t the greatest defensive first baseman, but can’t he leave at least one good hitter in.
Tyler Yates- Great start! Finally a pitcher on the Mets who can be overpowering. He went 6 innings and only gave up 5 hits which striking out 4. He also didn’t walk anyone. Very impressive. I know it was only against the Expos but it was his first major league start and watching him face Vidro and overpower him his first at bat was just beautiful. He looked comfortable out on the mound and hopefully next time Art will let him stay in the game for longer if he’s pitching this good.
Mets Bullpen- This has been giving me nightmares. Can anyone get a guy out? Once again, the Mets had a lead and the bullpen (Stanton and Looper) blew it. On a good note though, Moreno looked great closing the game. He has some good stuff.
Mets Offense- So far this year, the Mets offense has looked great. They have scored 25 runs so far, and it seems like everyone, for the most part, is contributing. Everyone in last nights starting line-up other than Gutierrez and Wiggy, are batting at least .286. And, Gutierrez will return to the bench soon when Reyes comes back, and Wiggy hopefully will make adjustments. Remember though, he is hitting in what most think is the hardest spot in the batting order because they can just pitch around him.
Kaz Matsui- 3 walks. WOW. Kaz has walked 7 times this year. So much for no plate discipline. He also had two hits last, one of which was a double. However, he was thrown out stealing and thrown out at the plate in the 9th. Speaking of the attempted stolen base, you don’t always get there and he was also running against a catcher who led the NL in caught stealing %. He should still run a lot and not become scared because he was thrown out once. When he was going home in the ninth, I could not believe they sent him home. I know he is fast but it was the 9th inning in a tie game and the outfielder had already gotten the ball when he passed third. Well, at least they won. Nice Hit Zeile!

MVP of the Game- Tyler Yates (pitched great in his first big league start and hopefully was the begging of many great things to come.)
LVP of the Game- Stanton and Looper (they can’t even hold a 2 run lead for a kid who made his major league debut and pitched great. Shame! Shame! Shame!)

Mike Piazza
Piazza will make his first major league start at first base tomorrow. I think it is good he is getting some time in at first. He is never going to be a good defensive first basemen, but hopefully he will be around average. This should get him some rest as he has been playing a lot of catcher, which is very tiring. Not only that, this game will be the first day game following a night game of the year.

Seo To Get The Start
Jae Seo apparently will get a start after all. The Mets have Seo scheduled in to pitch Wednesday against the Braves at Shea.

Can It Get Any Worse
Look at this from the Daily News:
The return of Jose Reyes (hamstring) isn't close. "There's still no real significant progress," GM Jim Duquette said.
It seems like he won’t be back for a long time and it is taking much longer to heal than expected. Let’s just hope and pray!

Minor League Update
Indians 4, Tides 2
1B Craig Brazell hit his first HR of the season.
RF Diaz had a good night at the plate going 2-5 with a SB.
J Griffiths pitched 5 strong innings, allowing 5 hits and 1 ER with 1 walk and no K’s.
Royce Ring took the loss, allowing 3 H and 1ER in 2 1/3 IP.

B-Mets 9, Navigators 3
3B David Wright went 2-4 with a HR, a 2B, a BB, and a SB.
2B Chase Lambin went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a walk.
Jose Diaz went 3 innings giving up 4 hits and 1 run, while walking 2 and striking out 3.
Ken Chenard went 4 innings. He gave up 2 hits and 1 run, walked 3 and struck out 3.

Dodgers 5, St. Lucie Mets 2
CF Jon Slack went 2-2 with 2 SB, and 2 BB.
Brian Bannister allowed 6 H and 4 ER in 5 innings, but struck out 6 and walked no one.

Bombers 5, Catfish 4
1B Bladergroe went 2-3 with 2 runs.
Osberg went 5 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 runs, while walking none and striking out 7.

Tonights Game
Leiter will be on the mound for the first time the season tonight. He first appearance was delayed because he was hit in his temple from a line drive. He reported to spring training in much better shape and that is a good sign. Last year he had mixed results. At the beginning of the season, he was horrible. However, in the second half he was one of the best pitchers in the majors. Last year, he had a EQERA of 4.70. He needs to gain better control this year or he’s in for a ride. The starting pitcher for the Expos is John Patterson. Last year he was on the Diamondbacks and recorded a EQERA of 5.08 though he is only 26 years old and will improve. Here are their scouting reports:

Leiter is an intelligent pitcher who is a capable of dominating hitters even though his stuff is not overpowering. His hard, cut fastball sits in the 90-92 MPH range and possesses incredible sinking action just prior to reaching the plate, making it most difficult for righthanded hitters to hit. He uses his slider and regular fastball mostly against lefthanded hitters, always working the outside half of the dish. His changeup also is an effective offering, provided it stays low in the strike zone. Leiter gets in trouble when he fails to complete the follow-through in his delivery, which causes his pitches to rise.
And now Patterson’s scouting report:

Patterson threw in the mid-90s before reconstructive elbow surgery in 2000. Now he tops out at about 92-93 MPH. He still has a sharp, 12-to-6 curve he can throw for strikes or bounce in the dirt when looking for a swinging strike, but his split-finger is a work in progress.

It should be an exciting game!

2004-04-09T16:38:00.000-04:00
Braves 10, Mets 8
W-Cunnane
L-Franco
S-Smoltz

Game Notes
Scott Erickson- This makes me mad. To start off, I didn't want him in the rotation in the first place. Then he took Jae Seo’s spot which mad me even madder. Now he gets hurt 11 minutes into warming up. He thinks he will back so though, and the Mets don’t need a fifth starter for a few weeks anyway because of the schedule.
Dan Wheeler- I thought he did a fairly good job, considering he only knew he was starting right before the game and had no time to prepare.
Mets Bullpen- The bullpen is a disaster. No one can get a guy out. Everyone in their bullpen other than Looper has an ERA over 6.00. I know it’s early in the season so the ERA’s are inflated but the bullpen can’t stop anyone. Franco looked horrible last night and when Weathers came in I was relieved at first because last year he could get someone out but I guess not this year.
Mets Defense- The Mets made 3 errors. Two of them came from their two big defensive players they acquired this past winter, Cameron, and Kaz. Cameron looked horrible out there yesterday. Its just one game and no one is perfect and hopefully our defense will improve.

Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson was claimed off waivers by the Indians yesterday. I liked Anderson but the Mets had to make room for Matt Ginter so it’s baseball. It makes me mad though because this means we pretty much got nothing for Benitez.

Kazmir Hurt
Scott Kazmir, the Mets top pitching prospect, suffered from pain in his midsection. He was removed from the game right away but thinks it might have occurred earlier in the week while he was running. Kazmir is listed as day-to-day, though I’m sure the Mets will be really care with him as they have always been.

Heilman Pitching Great
Heres what rotoworld had to say:
Aaron Heilman fanned nine while allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings for Triple-A Norfolk yesterday.
They added:
If Heilman hadn't been pitching, it's possible that he, not Jae Seo, would have been called up following Scott Erickson's injury. He'll get his opportunity eventually.

Yankees on Trial
Last night, on ESPN, at 7 o’clock, was a program called, “Break Up the Yankees: The Yankees on Trial.” ESPN held a mock trial questioning whether the Yankees overspending was upsetting the competitiveness in baseball. The judge was Catherine Crier, who was once a real judge but now a court TV host. The mock prosecutor was Alan Dershowitz, and the mock defendant was Bruce Cutler. There were four witnesses from each side. Alan Dershowitz knew from the beginning it wasn’t going to be easy, as the last three World Series weren’t won by the Yankees but small market teams. Some of the people that testified included Jim Bouton and Mike Veeck. Culter’s argument was that the Yankees still have to be competitive as they haven’t won the World Series in 3 years and all three that won it were small market teams. Dershowitz argued that the Yankees are on another level that teams because of their money and that is the only reason they are good. As Dershowitz said in his closing argument, “We hear the Yankees and Steinbrenner are great, but we don’t know because of their money.” He added that no one would ever know if Steinbrenner is truly amazing “unless we level the playing field.” As Jim Bowden pointed out though, “Why aren’t the Red Sox on trial?” They have approx. $120 million payroll, which is about $90 million dollars more than the lowest team. He went on to add that the problem is not with the Yankees, but with the system. Dershowitz argued that the Yankees have made the free agent market into a league of their own. Culter argued back, that any team has a chance too win these days and that if some of the small market teams used the money they gained from revenue sharing instead of putting it in their pocket, they would improve. Dershowitz argued back that the small market teams don’t bother because they know they don’t have a chance. In the end, the jury voted, 10-2, in favor of the Yankees though it was a little unfair. The verdict was decided by majority, and when each person said what they voted, they also had to say why. About half of the peoples reason’s didn’t awsner the question. How does a reason like I vote no because I think the Yankees are the symbol of America answer the question: is the Yankees overspending was upsetting the competitiveness in baseball. It doesn’t. However, the fans that voted online voted 73% against the Yankees showing that true baseball fans that understand the game realize it is. In conclusion, I feel that, as Jim Bowden said, the problem is with the system but starts with the Yankees. I feel that a team that has more money during the season has a better chance but during the playoffs the ball is in anyone’s court. As one juror said, “If baseball was Monopoly, I feel like the Yankees would start the season with $25,000 and everyone else with nothing. Money does help but the Yankees aren’t doing anything wrong. They are playing by the rules and until baseball realizes the luxury tax isn’t doing jack and makes a salary cap or makes some significant changes in the revenue sharing policies, baseball is not going to be as competitive a sport as it could be.

Mets Third Most Valuable Franchise
Yesterday, Forbes magazine estimated the Mets are worth $442 million. Ahead of the Mets, in second is the Red Sox, at $553 million, and in first, is the Yankees, at $832 million. The team that is the least valuable is the Expos estimated at $145 million.

Tonight’s Game
Yates will be on the mound for the first time. He is the first power arm the Mets have had in a long time and it will be exciting to see him pitch. He is going up against Zach Day who had a 4.32 EQERA last year. Here is his scouting report (no scouting report for Yates because he hasn’t pitched in the majors):
Day relies on a hard sinker that ranges from 88-92 MPH. He'll mix in a slow curve that has a medium break, a slider and changeup. His sinker is extremely hard to elevate, and his 2.72 groundball-flyball ratio was third-best in the National League among pitchers with at least 20 starts. Day keeps his infielders happy by working quickly and, on days he has his control, throwing strikes. He tends to miss low and/or away when he's struggling. In addition to improving his control, he will need to refine one of his other pitches to keep hitters off-balance on days his sinker isn't there.