Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

On Deck: Monday May 5, 2008 -Dodgers

New York Mets (16-13) at Los Angeles Dodgers (17-14) 10:10pm

Oliver Perez (2-2) vs. Chad Billingsley (1-4)

TV: SNY Radio: WFAN

What to watch: Get ready for some late night baseball tonight and tomorrow night. The Mets go into LA riding high off a series win in Arizona. Oliver Perez really needs to rebound from his 1.2 inning start last Wednesday. That horrible start led to Billy Wagner sounding off about Perez and the state of the team. Perez is in a contract year too. So if he expects to get a long term contract next year, he needs to start pitching like he wants it.

Pedro Martinez Isn’t Close To Returning

Pedro Martinez waves goodbye after signing some autographsImage via Wikipedia

I’ve been scouring the Internet today looking for an update on Pedro Martinez’ injury status. This is his sixth week on the disabled list since straining his hamstring in his first start of the season.

Finally, this evening MLB.com posted an update on what Martinez is doing. He’s still throwing side sessions from a bullpen mound in Port St. Lucie. He hasn’t faced live hitters yet but expects to as early as this week.

He’ll need to throw a simulated game or an extended spring training game first. Then he’ll need to make some rehab starts in minor league games. It could be a while before he’s back.

A month ago Pedro was making noise to Dominican newspapers about how he’s going to surprise everyone and be back in New York before the end of April. It’ll be interesting to see what the Mets do with the rotation when he gets back. Mike Pelfrey or Nelson Figueroa will be out. Pelfrey could go to New Orleans and work on his control. I’d prefer to see Figueroa stay in the rotation but he’s probably better suited to come out of the bullpen than Pelfrey.

Mets Take Series From D-Backs With 5-2 Win

There wasn’t a lot of hitting today which was no surprise with Johan Santana and Dan Haren matching up. David Wright had the only homer of the game, which was one of only six Mets hits on the day.

Connor Jackson made a huge throwing error in the ninth inning that opened the door for the Mets to score three runs and win the game. Marlon Anderson had a big pinch hit RBI single in the ninth.

Johan Santana gutted through six innings giving up only one run. We still haven’t seen his best stuff yet. But I love the way he always keeps the Mets in the game. He never lets a game completely get away from him. It’s easy to see why he’s one of the best pitchers in the game.

This was a huge win today and will hopefully propel the Mets. Going into Arizona and taking a series from the team with the best record in the league has to be a big confidence builder for the Mets. That was a great game going right down to the ninth inning, maybe the best game of the year so far.

Box score

Video Highlights

Mets Pitcher Billy Wagner: Bully Or Team Leader?

The biggest story with the New York Mets over the last week has been closer Billy Wagner ripping Oliver Perez after Perez’ dreadful start against the Pirates on Wednesday. It’s raised many questions about the Mets as a team.

Do the Mets need a team captain?– They could probably use a team captain but I don’t know who would be the logical candidate. They would want someone that’s going to be around for several years like Jose Reyes, David Wright, Johan Santana, or Carlos Beltran. I doubt that it would be Santana. Typically, captains are position players. Wright and Reyes are pretty young to captain a team of veterans. Beltran is usually so quiet that it’s hard to picture him as the team leader. I don’t think that Billy Wagner would even enter the discussion on this topic. Continue reading “Mets Pitcher Billy Wagner: Bully Or Team Leader?”

Reader Poll Results- Carlos Delgado Verdict

The latest reader poll results are final. The question was: Will Carlos Delgado be on the Mets roster for the entire 2008 season?

The results are very mixed:

Yes- 56%

No- 44%

Clearly, we’re divided as Mets fans on this issue. I’m sure that the “yes” answers have taken into consideration Delgado’s recent improved hitting and contract that far outweighs his abilities. Thus, the difficulty trading or releasing him must be considered.

The “no” answers have to consider that Delgado has been hurting the Mets both offensively and defensively this season. Very little is expected of Delgado defensively, but his weakness in the field becomes more glaring if he’s not hitting… and hitting with power.

We’ll keep an eye on the Delgado situation as the season continues. Maybe we’ll have to re-run this poll when we get closer to the non-waiver and waiver trading deadline. My guess is that Delgado will be the first player put through waivers in August.