Author: Dave Doyle

Frequently disappointed Mets fan

Pick ’em: Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins

This is the first post in a series called “Pick ’em” that I decided to run to compare somewhat similar players at a position. The premise is that you get to pick one of the two players to fill the position on your team. Of course, I’ll give my thoughts and then let you have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

I decided to start this series with Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins. It’s a timely comparison with the Mets on the verge of sweeping the Phillies tonight on national TV. I think it would be universally recognized that these are two of the premier shortstops in the National League if not all of baseball. For the purpose of this comparison we’ll ignore any current injuries. Specifically, Jimmy Rollins has a sprained ankle that we’ll disregard.

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There are, of course, other tremendous shortstops out there that may be compared to Reyes in the future such as Hanley Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, Stephen Drew, and even Alex Rodriguz (the best shortstop in the world that doesn’t play shortstop), among others. Continue reading “Pick ’em: Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins”

Moises Alou Return Days Away

Moises Alou played in his second consecutive minor league game yesterday, going 2 for 5. He also played five innings in the field. Playing the field has been the key indicator in his ability to return to the Mets after his hernia surgery. It would be logical for Alou to re-join the team next Friday when they get back from Washington to face the Braves.

Source: New York Post

On Deck: Sunday April 20,2008

New York Mets (10-6) at Philadelphia Phillies (8-10)   8:05pm

TV: ESPN Radio: WFAN

Mike Pelfrey (2-0) vs. Adam Eaton (0-0)

What to watch: The Mets go for the sweep tonight in Philly. There isn’t much that would be sweeter than sweeping the Phillies in their own ballpark on national TV. Mike Pelfrey pitched a terrific game in his last start Tuesday against the Nationals. Jimmy Rollins is still limited to pinch hitting duty for the Phillies. They’re such a different team when he’s in the lineup. He’s missed ten games now, we’ll see if he tries to come back from his ankle injury tonight.

D-Backs Front Office Blogger

The Arizona Diamondbacks logoImage via WikipediaI’m sure you all know about Curt Schilling’s 38 Pitches blog. There are other baseball insiders blogging too. I read in The Hardball Times today that A.J. Hinch has a blog as well. He’s the Director of Player Development for the D-Backs. His blog is called D-backs On Deck. It’s very interesting reading.

Although we haven’t seen the D-Backs yet this season, I’ve seen plenty of highlights on my favorite show, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Everyone knows about Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson but they’ve got a ton of really good young players on that team. They could contend for years with that team.

The success of the D-Backs makes Hinch’s blog especially interesting. Check it out.

Manny Acta Orders Haircut for Young

Washington Nationals manager and former Mets coach Manny Acta ordered Dmitri Young to get a haircut after their loss Thursday to the Mets. Young agreed to cut his hair in Miami and showed up sporting a new ‘do. Apparently, Young’s personal barber is in Miami. Acta cited team “structure” as the reason for the order.

I’ve never heard of anyone’s hair being a distraction to a team before. Young’s hair was pretty wild so I’m not surprised that Acta said something to him about it.

Read more on this hilarious story at Babes Love Baseball.

Mets Win 4-2 in Philly

Philadelphia, PA- Seven Met pitchers combined to finish the game and get the win for starter Oliver Perez (2-0).  Perez pitched 5.2 innings giving up no runs with seven strikeouts, but allowed five walks.  This was a classic Perez game, brilliant and unhittable at times and completely losing his command at others.Once again, David Wright was the offensive catalyst going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s in the first inning off Jamie Moyer. Jose Reyes hit a two run homer in the seventh, his second of the year as part of a 2 for 4 day, scoring  2 runs, and stealing a base. His home run was celebrated in classic Reyes style with extended handshakes and a dance in the dugout. It’s great to see the “old” Reyes back!

Chase Utley hit a solo homer in the  seventh off Scott Schoenweiss. The eighth inning was pretty intense with Aaron Heilman coming in with one out and two men on. He gave up a hit to left by Carlos Ruiz to load the bases. I was hoping that Heilman wouldn’t implode in a key situation again. He came through with flying colors striking out pinch hitter Geoff Jenkins and Jayson Werth to leave the bases loaded.

Watching on TV it sounded like there was a pretty sizable Mets contingent in the stands. The game was halted briefly in the ninth inning while a scuffle in the right field stands was dealt with by stadium security. Of course, Fox didn’t show any of it on TV so I’ll have to check YouTube to see if there’s any video of what actually happened.

The Mets win the first two games in Philly to win the series and go for the sweep tomorrow. They’ve got a five game winning streak going and really look to be hitting their stride early in the season.

Box score 

Video Highlights