Forget The Bullpen, Mets Need Offense to Step It Up

Other then the majestic blasts of Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, Ike Davis, etc., the Mets offense can easily find itself at a Stop Sign waving the other cars on.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning of today's 2-1 loss to the Reds, the Mets had men on second and third, with one out. Daniel Murphy and David Wright due up, the meat of the order. Conclusion? Two strikeouts, back-to-back. Even Cincinnati's starting pitcher, Alfredo Simon, was able to muster up a base hit.

The bullpen will hopefully work it's way back. But if the Mets can't score many runs, well, they won't win many games.
 

Fifth Annual UCB Progressive Game Blog

Daniel Shoptaw of the United Cardinal Bloggers reached out to me about two weeks ago to see if I would be interested in participating in the UCB 5th Annual Progressive Game Blog.

Here's how it works: various bloggers are each given a specific inning from a selected game to blog about. This year's game features today's 4 PM Cards/Mets game at Citi Field. The wrinkle this year is that Mets bloggers will be featured as well as Cardinals bloggers.

Click here for the link to which bloggers, Mets or Cards, will be giving their take on today's game. I will covering the seventh inning.

Wish me luck and LET'S GO METS!

Mets 2011 Season Report Card

Last week, I was asked to contribute my take on the Mets 2011 season using a report card-style format, here it goes.

Rotation: B-

How many wins the Mets rotation earned this season does not tell the whole story. Durability is more like it. R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey, and Chris Capuano were each able to take the mound more than thirty times during the 2011 season and gave the Mets some stability in the back-end of their rotation. Let’s just hope help is on the way with the addition of a healthy Johan Santana and a rested Jonathon Niese to shore up the front-end for 2012.

Bullpen: F

This grade to me was a no-brainer. After shipping out their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets bullpen became its own worst enemy. A closer by committee ensued with the end result being a very serviceable Manny Acosta. All kidding aside, right-hander Bobby Parnell overcame his bouts with poor circulation, Ryota Igarashi was shown the door while young lefty Danny Herrera, all 5’6”, 165 lbs. of him proved that it doesn’t take much to be invited to the MLB Fan Cave. This area of the Mets roster was one disaster after another, beginning with the signing of D.J. Carrasco to the lack of a set-up man. Even if K-Rod had stayed, chances are slim that he would’ve been capable of exercising his highly-publicized option with this crew.

Catchers: C

Honestly, I gave the Mets catchers a “C” because the word, catcher, starts with C, meaning there’s not much to get excited about in this department. I’ll admit the signing of Ronny Paulino did raise the grade. However, Josh Thole’s bat was as unspectacular as his glove which isn’t saying much and the reason he was able to stay on the roster was due to his ability to catch the knuckleball.

Infield: C+

If there was such a grade as “I” (I for infield, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) the Mets infielders would’ve earned it. But in this case, the letter “I” would be for inconsistency. Correct me if I’m wrong, but at one point in the season, all four of the Mets Opening Day starters, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Daniel Murphy, and Ike Davis, were either on the DL or unable to perform on a daily basis. However, there is a silver lining in all of this and it goes by the name of shortstop Ruben Tejada, the Mets version of a blue-chip prospect on the rise.

Outfield: B-

For this category, you could accuse me of judging lightly. Coupled with an underperforming Jason Bay and Angel Pagan (who further exemplified the injury woes that still plague this Mets team) and the Carlos Beltran trade, you could grade this category lower than it actually is. The saving grace, you ask? A budding star in Lucas Duda whom Mets fans anticipate will fill the void left by the departed Beltran and give the ball club some desperately-needed power.

Best Offensive Player

If ever there was a player who could define the phrase “limitless potential”, it would be Jose Reyes. In addition to his speed, Reyes was able to bring home the franchise’s first NL Batting title. Owner of the fan-favorite chant, “Jose, Jose, Jose,” Reyes was the star attraction the entire season, whether it was on the field, singing reggaeton, or nursing a very temperamental hamstring.

Top Pitcher

Dillon Gee. I know what you’re thinking, Gee is just a rookie and of course, it would be unfair to compare his rookie season with that of say, Hall of Famer Tom Seaver’s, but you have to be pleased with the competitiveness he showed on the mound. His ability to effectively change speeds and give MLB hitters different looks at the plate earned him an above-average first full season.

In summation, the Mets need bullpen help, bad!

Check out my baseball podcast, Mets Public Record, airing this Tuesday night at 11 PM EST!

Talking Mets on Monday Night with Justin Silberman

In case you missed it, Justin Silberman of the Blog Talk Radio show, Mets Live! Wright or Wrong? was a guest on the podcast last night.

Check it out!

Another Loss to Braves, Mets Lose Reyes and Murphy

While driving back from the bagel store with my morning coffee listening to the radio, WFAN's Howie Rose calls Jason Heywood's solo HR putting the Braves up, 1-0, TOP 2nd.

Jason Bay continues his hot-hotting with a single up-the-middle to extend his hitting-streak to nine games, he would later score in the bottom half of the second thanks to a base hit by Mets starting pitcher Dillon Gee...Nick Evans would eventually cross the plate as well giving the Mets a 2-1 lead over the Braves.

SNY reports Jose Reyes out of today's game with a stiff left hamstring, MRI pending, this is not good news for Mets fans. BTW, Mets have lost four Sundays in a row.

As a wild pitch uncorked by Gee proved costly, the Braves were able to tie up the ball game as Jose Constanza, who moved to third on the WP, scores on an unsuccessful double-play attempt to get the speedy Michael Bourn at first, BOT 4th, 2-2

The situation for the Mets goes from bad to worse as Dillon Gee fails to retire Jason Heyward, walking him with 2 outs which leads to back-to-back HRs, a 2-run shot by Alex Gonzalez and a solo blast off the bat of Jose Constanza, 5-2 ATL TOP 5th

Feels like another loss?? Very depressing, I am very close to turning this game off after witnessing Carrasco's terrible pick-off attempt of Michael Bourn.

I decide to give this game one more chance and it pays off, for now, with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Daniel Murphy produces a squibbler down the third-base line allowing Jason Bay to score...Willie Harris, playing for the injured Jose Reyes, plates another run with a single out of the reach of 2nd baseman Dan Uggla, 5-4 ATL, TOP 7th

Acting as the Mets 4th second baseman of the game, Daniel Murphy's knee is caught between second and the base runner's spike, Murphy is taken out of the game with the help of his trainers, awaiting the extent of the injury...Manny Acosta gets out of the inning unscathed.

Head's up play by Bay as he steals second uncontested, Angel Pagan records a sinking liner that dips under the glove of LF Martin Prado allowing Bay to score the tying run, 5-5 BOT 7th...

anxiously awaiting word on Murphy's status

A make or break at-bat for Bobby Parnell as PH Brooks Conrad is caught looking leaving runners on first and third, the score is still tied. TOP 8th

As predicted, Chipper Jones slaps a single to right field scoring the go-ahead run, TOP 9th, 6-5 ATL

Bobby Parnell slips and falls as the Mets experience another "crushing defeat."

Latino Night - Mets vs. Braves

Jose Reyes swings at the first pitch vs. Tim Hudson, BOT 1st, 0-0, Murphy hit a 2-out single....Ike Davis season may be over...David Wright clubs a 2B off the CF wall, Murphy scores, 1-0 Mets...TOP 2nd, Dickey looks good...Uggla, 0-for-1

Just realized that RHP Tim Hudson is batting 8th for the Braves with Jose Constanza batting 9th, Braves now lead 2-1 in the BOT of the 2nd, "Los Mets" uniforms were at first a good idea, although with the the score now, 2-1, not so grand...

BOT 4th, Mets strand 3 runners, Lucas Duda gets hit on first pitch, Bay executes a ground-rule 2B, a shame because Pagan would have easily scored with the tying run...

Uggla strikes out, 0-for-3, 25-game hitting streak in jeopardy, Dickey with 5 SO thus far, 5.1 IP...gets out of the inning w/RISP, BOT 6th...

With one out, David Wright called safe on a botched routine grounder to short from Freddie Freeman, error, dropped the ball, nothing comes of it as Jason Bay is caught looking with the final out

Ron Darling, "if I'm R.A. Dickey, cannot led up another run...don't want to have to deal with that Atlanta bullpen, for more on ATL BP (link)

BOT 7th, Reyes pops up to end the inning, Dickey out of the game with the possibility of his tenth loss of the season?

Wright makes a head's up play tagging Constanza in a run-down trying to score from third, Uggla up for the 4th time, unsuccessful thus far, may be the at-bat of the game, Igarashi on the mound, Uggla extends his hitting streak, two runs score, Braves up, 4-1...Gary Cohen, "the Mets go after hot-hitting Uggla"

Very realistic at this stage of the game that the Mets could be on the verge of losing five in a row and slip nine games behind the Braves and light years beyond the Phillies.

Mets rally with runners on first and second, 1 out, Pagan flies out on the first pitch he sees vs. Johnny Venters, Jason Bay grounds out to second with the second pitch he sees, TOP 9th

If the Astros were in the NL East, they would be 35 games behind Philadelphia.

"Hairston down swinging and the ball game is over"

We Know Fred's A Fan But This Is Ridiculous

Is it possible that Fred Wilpon was feeling a bit victimized back on April 20th from all the bad criticism he had received for buddying up with the biggest con man in U. S. history? It's possible. Using that theory, Wilpon compelled himself to publicly lambaste his star players in a recent interview with the New Yorker. Perhaps to force someone else to carry the burden of his discontent.

NYC Braces For the Subway Series

I spotted a couple of Mets fans darting into the F, M, B, D stop on 6th and 40th earlier today. They both were headed to Yankee Stadium, I would imagine, to watch tonight's game. With them long gone, I thought to myself how fun NYC becomes when the Mets and Yankees square off in their customary home-and-away duel to win the right for local supremacy.

With the start of another Subway Series, life in the Big City becomes a little more tolerable. The smell of bad odors seem to be whisked away, the loose cannons who share your commute home for the weekend seem somewhat charming. I don't know what it is about playing the Yankees. Who know's? Maybe having the Mets play their cross-town rival is not such a good thing. Looking at it with a bitter pill, I feel that perhaps it exposes the inferiority of the Mets more so than when they are scheduled to play only those in their respective league.

The Yankees, with their obnoxious payroll, have been under the microscope as of late. And the Mets haven't...only if you count a billion dollar lawsuit that continues to hover above the franchise's head. Enjoy the game!