There is no doubt that Terry Collins and the New York Mets staff have slim pickings when it comes to the bullpen. There are a few young guys, a few guys who have struggled, and two veterans who don’t pitch because the Mets never have the lead in the 8th or the 9th.
However, the bullpen problem isn’t just the pitchers themselves. Management and the staff deserve some of the blame too.
Can anyone tell me why Terry Collins hasn’t used Pedro Beato in a big spot yet? He continues to pitch Bobby Parnell who is giving up hit after hit (.290 BAA). It’s ridiculous! Quit using the guy! He has had one good outing this entire season so far and other than that he has been terrible. What do you think will happen, one night he will find it?
Beato, on the other hand, has been the lone bright spot in the bullpen this year. The 24 year old has the second best WHIP (Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched) in the bullpen behind Jason Isringhausen. Yet, thanks to Collins, Met fans have to deal with Bobby Parnell stinking up the show http://www.mindanews.com/buy-paxil/ every night.
Terry Collins shouldn’t receive all the blame either. Remember the couple games Blaine Boyer let get away earlier in the year? Then Sandy Alderson got the point and designated Boyer for assignment and brought up Jason Isrighausen from Port St. Lucie. Boyer shouldn’t have been on the team to begin with. His track record was terrible and he was the third best pitcher in a battle for the bullpen spot in Spring Training.
Manny Acosta, who had a stellar 2.95 ERA, and only allowed 30 hits in 39 innings in 2010, is sitting in AAA Buffalo right now after his stellar Spring Training got him cut from the team in favor of Boyer. So when a bullpen spot comes open Alderson brings up……Ryota Igarashi? I guess Igarashi’s impressive 7.12 ERA in 2010 got him back on this team somehow. All you need to do apparently to pitch on the Mets is have a few impressive games in AAA and you’re on the ballclub.
None of these moves make sense to me. It wouldn’t entirely fix the bullpen, but it would help this team get some confidence late in games, which this team needs to get back.
The Mets Report 