N.Y. Mets ~ Amazins Have Much Hinging on June

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  Sandy Alderson Wastes No Time; Continues To Address Bullpen Issues.  Manny Acosta Gets Designated for Assignment After Game One of Most Competitive Stretch in Amazin's Schedule So Far.

Mets Must Generate Power To Stay Cool This Summer.

Popular Opinion has it the Mets will not be able to sustain this level of play through the summer.  If the Mets keep getting injured at this rate, the Opinionated might be right.  If the Mets stumble, and fall during this next 19-game stretch; including Monday's loss to Philadelphia, the Opinionated might again, be right.  Nineteen games from now lands the Mets in a series with Baltimore, then it's right back against the Yankees again in the Citi Field portion of the Subway Series.

In other words, it's time to sink or swim boys.  Moving forward, they will be defined by June.  Not April or May.  Because that's what happens when you're only (for now) five games over the .500 level.  And that's what happens when the Braves hit a horrific stretch and suffer eight consecutive losses heading into Tuesday's games.  And that's what happens when Philly gets ravaged by Met-Like high end injuries.  Make what ever you will of the Marlins.  But now that Memorial Day has passed, no one will remember all the Feel-Good the Mets gave us for the first two months of Spring.

Right off the bat, Monday night, I feel the Mets failed to seize the moment.  They had Cole Hamels on the ropes, and damn near out-lasted him, hitting two, two-run home runs off the Philly hurler.  Jon Niese did little however, to help his own cause with five walks in five innings pitched.  Even then, the bullpen, namely Manny Acosta, couldn't keep the Phils where they were.

This season, the 31-year old Manny Acosta, was in a word, terrible.  In twenty-two innings pitched, he possessed a still escalating 11.28 ERA.  He gave up thirty-five hits and walked another fifteen.  And in those twenty-two innings, he gave up six dreadful home runs.  Like D.J. Carrasco before him, Manny Acosta was designated for assignment by Sandy Alderson Tuesday.  Chris Schwinden was recalled to fill the roster spot.

With offensive statistics starting to paint a very grim picture for the upcoming Mets' Summer, every lead is precious as you can imagine.  Especially since the Mets are still somehow defeating the odds.  So, Sandy Alderson decided he can't have Acosta polluting his bullpen a single game longer.  And say this for the Mets' General Manager - there is no such thing as paralysis through analysis with him.  He's fair, but when it comes time to cut the cord on someone, Sandy does not hesitate.  He wields his scythe swiftly.

Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, and the Purge, were different matters.  I'm taking about the move he made last season at second base, when it was clear Brad Emaus wasn't the answer there.  He promptly DFA'd him, and we moved on nicely at second base since then.  If only we can have some of that fortune rub off on the bullpen.  Because this makes two arms Sandy has jettisoned now, due to lack of performance.  At least Frank Francisco is looking like he might have some staying power.

Back to matters of injury, add Justin Turner to the list of wounded.  No one is about to say shortstop is now haunted, but talk about having some horrible luck at the position this season.  Tonight, they sported shortstop number four, or even five.  I lost count.  The Mets might finally catch a break however, once Ruben Tejada returns.  But even he is having a tough time getting back on the field.

All these factors exist to test the Mets' resilience, and maybe even their temerity.  After all, there is something to youthful exuberance.  It's what the Mets have been relying on.  How much longer will it last?  If Scott Hairston is answering that question, he'll say all season long!  He had a pinch hit home run for the Mets Tuesday night - his sixth of the season.  He now leads the Mets.  David Wright, Lucas Duda, and Ike Davis, are all behind him.  There's an obvious problem there.

As with the problems Sandy Alderson is having plugging the fifth spot in the rotation, he will not easily pluck someone from the farm system for instant power either.  That sort of tact may work with the bullpen for now.  But unless Sandy can find that fifth starter other than by utilizing some of the burgeoning talent the Mets have percolating in the minors, the only other solution to the Mets problem in the back end of the rotation, and with their dearth of hitting power, are simply, player production.

Tuesday night, the latest fifth starter made his third start as a Met.  For a night, Jeremy Hefner made Sandy Alderson look like a smart man.  Not only did the kid hit his first MLB home run to help his own cause, he left on the winning side of a 6-3 game.  Jeremy allowed three earned runs on six hits.  He walked none and struck out four.

Then.., about that bullpen - Bobby Parnell pitched a scoreless seventh.  In the eighth, John Rauch allowed a lead-off single to Jimmy Rollins.  A couple of batters later, the rains came and interrupted the game.  But for the purposes of this post however, I do not need a final score.

It's enough to say - if the Mets regular power hitters can just show up, like Jeremy Hefner did in Game Two versus the Phils Tuesday, they'll succeed in making many June games, important ones.



Read my articles on the New York Mets at Rising Apple.com




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Mets ~ Flame Out

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET





NEW YORK METS:  Dark Smoke Joins The Storm Cloud Hovering Over Citi Field.


Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the chop-shops across the street from Citi Field.  A fire might have been started by a stray shooting spark that jumped across the street while Prince Fielder and the Brewers were torching up the Mets 7-1, over the first six innings of Saturday's game.


But it was the Mets' offense that ignited to finally heat things up at home.  Amidst the rising smoke behind Citi Field, they staged a near-miraculous comeback against a new Fan nemesis; Francisco Rodriguez.  Boos rained down from the stands upon Frankie as furiously as the black curtain of smoldering soot rose beyond center field.  Then for the Mets, through the smoke rose an Angel from the outfield; - Pagan connected on a booming home run to right.  And from being down 7-1, they fought their way back and beyond, to take an 9-7 lead after eight innings.


Then in the ninth inning, Terry Collins let Izzy play with matches and well, ...he got burnt.  Izzy gave up a hit and walked three batters to force in a run; making the game 9-8, Mets.  Izzy got charged with arson three more runs he set up by leaving the bases loaded; and that Manny Acosta assisted getting across the plate by allowing two more hits after Coach Terry made a switch. 


Although seemingly heroic for a moment, seeing-eye base hits past an out of position Justin Turner just fanned the flames at Citi even more.  When the cross beams gave way below them, the Mets came crashing through the floors of their house to lay in the hot ashes of an 11-9 loss.  And so there's a lesson to be learned somewhere in Saturday's meltdown boys and girls; - where there's smoke, there's fire.   And, oh yeah; ...bases on balls kill.


Flame out.


All you can really do after an afternoon like that is get up and dust yourself off; ...take a body count making sure everyone is OK and accounted for.  But, why walk away from a game like this angry, when you can just walk away?  There's still jobs to be won.


They showed a lot of Chutzpah.  Give Terry's Kids that.






Mike.BTB

N.Y.Mets ~ The Flushing Power Company

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET




NEW YORK METS:   The Roosevelt Avenue Sluggers Pound Out Four Home Runs Against The Tomahawk Chaps.

Tie Series At One Game Apiece; Rubber Game Sunday.


That was a nifty little comeback wasn't it?  The game turned into a semi-rain soaked blow-out in the end, but what the hey...  The win ties this series with the Braves at one game apiece.

You watch a game like Saturday's unfold, and you start asking yourself, what ails this team when they play Washington and Miami (or in Dan Uggla's case, former Marlin players)?  If you're R.A. Dickey, you have to be asking yourself when am I going to get treated to a game like this?  And for the Fans, this is just the other side; the prettier side; of a Jekyll and Hyde battle against games like last Wednesday in Florida.

And the Mets have been just that; a Jekyll and Hyde team.  They are good half of the time.  The other half of the time they're down right scary.  The feel-good from a game like Saturday's is transient in nature, because ultimately, it got us nowhere.  We returned to the spot we were in Friday at the start of this series, which is most likely, too far behind the Braves in the Wild Card race.  A dramatic up-tick in the Mets winning percentage, and a severe drop-off by the Braves are both needed if the Mets are to play "meaningful games in September".


....Perchance to dream.  Win one; Lose one.  Win four; Lose four.  ...Aye, there's the rub.


Did Jon Niese pitch a good game?  Um..., I don't think so.  Atlanta tagged him up for ten hits and five runs over five innings pitched.  But thanks to Justin Turner (two home runs) tapping into his inner Dave Kingman, Jon Niese won his 11th game of the season against 8 losses.


Indeed, while Justin Turner; Jason Bay; and Josh Thole all scoffed at the notion Citi Field is anti-batter, the walls of Citi Field mocked and laughed at David Wright yet again.  In the first inning, an apparent Ruthian blast to left center dropped in and bounced high off the wall for a double leaving the Face of the Franchise with a look of bewilderment on it.


Last night; as I have championed many times this season; I said I wanted Josh Thole to be left alone as the starting/full-time catcher now that this supposed race against (the trade deadline) and the Braves is over.  Tonight, he only went 3 for 4 with a home run; an RBI; and two runs scored.  Can we let the kid play every day please?  I'd appreciate it.  Thanks a lot.


There will be a rubber game on Sunday which is quite appropriate considering the Mets are still bouncing around the .500 mark.  They needed a win just to get to the break even point....again.  Catching up to the Braves is such a non-issue at this point.  Learning about the players who fit into next year's plan....is.


In that regard, Bobby Parnell tossed an inning and threw 12 strikes in 17 total pitches thrown.  He walked one batter; struck out one; and surrendered no hits in the eighth inning.


And finally, Murphy's Law remains in full effect over at first base.  Tonight, Daniel committed his latest fielding atrocity in what is becoming a crime scene over at first base.  And now that it's all but guaranteed Ike Davis is done for the year, what ever can go wrong over there most certainly will.  So prepare yourselves so as to not be so hard on him when things go awry for him in the future.


You can't be disappointed with what you don't expect.




Mike.BTB

Mets Get A Whole Day To Bask In .500 Sun

Welcome to the ...Mets are off today; I have softball after work; Lunch Time Droid version of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET.

So the trip to the Ballpark Next to Six Flags Over Texas turned out to be a lot of fun after all. But the Texas heat must have gotten to the Mets' heads. For a weekend, they forgot they were offensively challenged. Home runs were still scarce but singles abounded. That just made for more running; more sweat; and for Met Fans, more fun.

Jose Reyes seemed to enjoy the heat and spent the weekend burning up the base paths; whether be it with triples or stolen bases. Carlos Beltran should have 50 RBI before June is over. And Justin Turner continues to be the unknown Gift to Met-Kind.

But let's size up this game with whom it belongs; Dillon Gee. He pitched 6 innings and gave up 8 hits, while allowing 3 earned runs and a home run to Michael Young. But Dillon Gee won Sunday afternoon because he only walked two batters over 102 pitches thrown. That's why he won, Francisco Rodriguez withstanding.

Dillon Gee and Jon Niese (on Saturday) accomplished again what this team desperately needs; back-to-back wins from the starting pitching.

The fact that if the Mets' offense has a decent day, this starting staff can string together some wins. R.A. Dickey is next on the hill and he seems to be the most hard-luck hurler on the staff. He's pitched quite well and has gone deep into games that the offense still kept him on the shy side of winning. These injuries are hell to over come.

So, being back at .500 feels good, and we get a whole 24 more hours to enjoy it. Then, we'll see. Will we hold on to .500 this time and surge forward? Or will we take a few steps backwards again?

I'll get into that and more when I get home tonight from softball.

Tonight the Ball Busters take on the Blues (I think) at 86th Street and 14th Avenue. See you there!






Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ Memorial Day Mets Grillin' and Chillin'

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

NEW YORK METS:  David Einhorn Working on a Sweet Deal.

Say hello to our new 1/3 owner of the Metropolitan Baseball Club.  As far as being 60% owner?  That would be and Inside-The-Park Home Run.

Right?


David Einhorn said he can't reveal many, if any, of the details regarding the pending deal between him and the Wilpons, yet.  We may have to wait till later in June for that.  And the Wilpons are denying everything regarding details and how the proposed deal is going down; while not denying they are in exclusive negotiations with Einhorn.  That much is established.

You may not be able to snag a cotton ball on this guy's baby face, but he wasn't born yesterday.  Of course we don't know the true specifics of the as yet un-agreed upon deal, but the scuttlebutt sure makes it sound as if Einhorn is in a win/Win/WIN situation.  I think we all were scratching our heads as to why someone would just cut the Wilpons a check without any tangible purchase power to speak of.  That part always sounded like a fairy tale to me.

After a couple of days to digest the latest developments in METropolis, I think I understand the deal so far as such:
Right now David Einhorn's $200 million buys him a third.  He has a window to buy upwards of 60% of the team within three years (to five years).  Or, the Mets can pay him back his original principle and Einhorn still keeps 1/6 ownership of the team, which I think keeps him in the 16% to 17% realm of ownership.  But do yourself a favor and get a better grasp on the deal with this Daily News article from yesterday.

So, if that be the case, I'd shut up and be a very silent partner too.  If there's one thing Mr. Wilpon has done extremely well since taking over this organization, it's been ruining it.  Nelson Doubleday's prophesy of Fred running the organization into the ground has materialized, and stops just short of self-destruction, before our very eyes.  So with a little patience, a little more folly on the Wilpon's behalf, and some creativity on Madoff Trustee Irvin Picard's part, the Mets and this fan base might finally be free of the dark clouds that hover over Flushing as if the Addams Family lived next door to Citi Field and be done with The Age of Wilponianism once and for all.

Today that prospect remains a pipe-dream wrapped around a fat chance.  Much still has to go wrong for Wilpon The Elder to relinquish majority control of the team.  But like Tug McGraw once championed, "You Gotta Believe!"


Mets Salvage Final Game of Series Against Rival Phillies:

Forget what happened Friday and Saturday.  It's for the best.  David Einhorn did.  Remember what he said during his press conference-call; -  He understands there's winning, losing, ups and downs when involved with an MLB team and he's prepared for the whole gambit.  Then, to Fred Wilpon's dismay, the Mets gave Einhorn and us, a pleasant surprise with a rather convincing victory over Philadelphia on Sunday.

The Mets jumped on Philadelphia starter (the mysterious) Vance Worley early and often.  The Mets scored eight runs in the first two innings.  Only five of those were earned, but they turned out to be enough as the game finished with a 9-5 final.  The Mets also pounded out seventeen hits against Philly pitching as well; twelve of them surrendered by Worley in his three innings of work.

There was a time late in this game when it seemed the Mets' bullpen had different ideas as to how Jon Niese's win-loss record would reflect by the end of the day.  But the combination of Taylor Buchholtz and Pedro Beato did juuuust enough to protect a very good effort by Jonathan Niese that was most worthy of a win.

The Niese Line:
6.1 ~ innings pitched
122 pitches thrown; 78 strikes
5 ~ hits
1 ~ run/ none earned
4 ~ walks
6 ~ strikeouts

122 pitches in 6.1 innings with four walks allowed means quite and simple..., he labored through the game and kept finding ways through the Philly line-up; in particular the third inning; - Thank you Jose Reyes.  Jon Niese still has to get a grip on his walks allowed, but to me there's little doubt Jon Niese is a keeper.  Any lefty with a good curve ball is.


OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:

Jose Reyes continues his brilliant Farewell Season.  He was 4 for 5 Sunday raising his season batting average to .335 and hitting his eighth and ninth triple of the season.  Justin Turner, batting .330, drove in his Amazin' twentieth RBI since being called up from Buffalo.  And My Guy, our embattled catcher; Josh Thole went 3 for 4 Sunday and knocked in three RBI of his own.



Memorial Day Series Opener Versus Pittsburgh Pirates:
Dillon Gee gets the start today against Pittsburgh; a young team on the uptick and playing at a comparable winning percentage as the Mets.  Since Dillon Gee's first call up last season, he's done nothing but provide quality starts for the New York Mets.  He's 4-0 (3.83 era) since his call-up this season and 6-2 overall.

But what's important to me is that we begin to see, Jon Niese, Gee, and Mike Pelfrey start to double, and triple-up on victories.  If they are to be mainstays in a young Mets' rotation of the future (Sandy Alderson transactions aside) they need to start operating as a staff and not surrendering to their own little Private Idaho's.  Yea; that was a little cheap shot at Pelfrey.

But it's Dillon Gee who's stepped in several times and stopped losing streaks.  Jon Niese has pitched some hard luck games.  But Dillon Gee has pitched consistently.  I joked and tabbed him a Stopper once before.  Let's leave it at that.  The Mets won yesterday so he's not stopping anything today.  But what I do want this evening is a well pitched game by Dillon Gee to double up on Jon Niese's Sunday outing.

Consistent outings by these three pitchers will determine whether the official start of Summer ushers in Hot Times In The Citi, or, a fan base falling victim to heat and team exhaustion.


If they double-up and triple-up on good, quality starts, everything will be cool.




Media Biting at the Ankles of David Wright Trying to Get Him to Feed Their Agenda.

A weekend series against the Phillies and the introduction of David Einhorn into our lives has come and gone since the day Fred Wilpon's comments regarding certain members of his team were made public.

Naturally, the Media went seeking player reactions from Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright.  The players all low-keyed the perceived slights leveled against them.  And if left alone, that dog would have wagged it's tail happily in the yard chewing on a bone.  But not satisfied with that, the Media embarked on a Campaign of Insistence that David Wright offer more of a reaction than he did, and seemed to be begging for him to take a less tactful stance regarding his employer because after all, it was the Media who bestowed the title of  "Face Of The Franchise" upon him in the first place.  Am I Right?  The fans didn't call him that; the Wilpon's didn't call him that; the Media did as they do when sitting around talking to each other and telling each other how great they are.  And this time around, they rushed to dig a hole they were sure they'd being burying something or somebody in.


It's the Media who won't stop barking, and continue their attempts at trying to transform David Wright into a rabid, malcontent dog in light of Fred Wilpon's comments about him.  So far, David Wright has been too smart to bite back and I congratulate him for it.  Because when the Media takes on that Pack Mentality and want something from a given situation, they are hard to tame.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. METS ~ Back to Back Stellar Starts Beat Nationals

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET


NEW YORK METS: Bullpen Indeed!

Dillon Gee just showed everyone why he should have never been in the bullpen when he was called up from Buffalo.  The kid is a starting pitcher; period.  There's a job description that comes along with that which states - START GAMES. 

If you recall, I wanted him no where near our bullpen.  For that I would have preferred he stay with the Bisons.  Truth be told, I wish he was still back in Buffalo.

But here is; the former 2007 Brooklyn Cyclone crowd favorite.  And since being called up after the first time Chris Young missed a start due to discomfort, Dillon Gee has done nothing but sparkle just about every time he's climbed atop a Major League mound.  This afternoon's victory over the Nationals make him 3-0 on the season and 5-2 for his brief MLB career.

TODAY'S LINE vs. Washington Nationals:
7.2 innings pitched.
107 pitches/69 strikes
2 hits.  No hits allowed over first 5.2 innings.
0 runs allowed.
3 walks allowed.
3 strikeouts.

Today's victory should be kept in perspective.  After all, it came against Washington with whom we are wrestling with to stay out of last place.  But being what it is, the kid pitched a hell of a game.  And it doubled up an equally impressive start by Jon Niese last night in rain-soaked Citi Field.

JOHN NIESE Line a/o May 18th vs. Nationals:
7.0 innings.
112 pitches/72 strikes.
6 hits.
0 runs allowed.
1 walk
7 strikeouts.

Hey!  Who can find an issue with that?  And Mike Pelfrey has been stringing together some solid starts of late also.  So, let's chalk one up for some home grown pitchers, won't we?



This Is How ADDITION By SUBTRACTION Works;  Pay Attention:
I'm not about to predict anything about Justin Turner, but this kid justifies every reason why second-base needed to be freed from Luis Castillo's clutches.  It showed how malignant 2b had become and how a stagnated situation can cripple a team.  You can argue that we had to get through Brad Emaus to get to Turner.  But the point is 2b became available for someone to step in and make good on a chance.  Yes, the Mets have problems.  But second base is so much less of a problem today that it has been in four years.  Not because how well Turner has stepped in, but because the opportunity for someone to step in, in the absence of Luis Castillo, was made available by his release.

The Mets are 7-3 with Justin in the line-up.  He's batting .333 since being called up from Buffalo and his .393 OBP is stellar.  The kid also has 13 RBI in ten games!


And there you go; One Happy Post.

We aren't playing all that badly lately.  We've taken some series' against teams we should have beaten, but you play who's on the schedule.  We now sit 21-22 for the season.  The New York Yankees are next.  It's time for the Subway Series again.    ....(next post).


Let's Go Mets!




Mike.BTB