Category: General

Link: Rollins Analyzes Reyes

Mets vs. Marlins March 31, 2008Ben Shipgel of the New York Times has a terrific column today interviewing Philadelpha Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins about what he sees in Jose Reyes. There are many similarities in their games. As a matter of fact, I compared the two back in April which you can read here.

Shipgel writes:

“Sometimes it takes a year or two, but with me, it took three,” Rollins said in a recent interview. “I was the same way until I figured out who the heck I was. I could run, I could play, I was fast, but it was all raw ability. But now, I’m showing off my raw ability, with learning, with knowledge. I’ve learned the game. I understand the game. You come out of that, you’re a completely different player.”

That’s a great quote that he got from Rollins. Reyes still hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but he will. Hopefully he’ll still be a Met when he does because he’ll be unstoppable.

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Interview: Five Questions For Phillies Writer

Since I’ve been busy keeping tabs on the Mets games, I haven’t had a chance to see many Phillies games since the Mets last series against them in April. The Mets are 4-2 so far against Philly but haven’t seen them since mid-April.

I decided to go to the source to find out what’s going on with the Phillies as we approach the All-Star break and the non-waiver trading deadline. I threw five questions at Phillies blog writer Phanatic from U.B.L.a Phillies blog. I also answered five questions about the Mets that you can see on his blog.

Ok, here we go with a state of the Phillies:

MetsReport.com: Brett Myers is the big story for the Phillies this week. How do you think his poor season will affect the Phillies plans for the trading deadline? Do they need to go out and get a starter?

U.B.L.: Brett Myers’ performance will not affect what the Phillies will do at the trade deadline.  The Phils still had all intentions of trying to acquire another starting pitcher.  However, they were hoping that Myers would remain in the lineup so they could have a 1,2,3 punch with Myers, Hamels and someone from outside the organization.  Unfortunately Myers performed so poorly that he is viewed as damaged goods and would be difficult to incorporate into a trade.

MetsReport.com: Speaking of the trading deadline, what’s on the Phillies shopping cart? And do you think the Phillies would use Pat Burrell and his expiring contract as trade bait?

U.B.L.: The Phillies are looking to acquire another left hander in the bullpen to pair up with J.C. Romero.  They obviously would like to pick up another starter with the likes of C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, or Aaron Harang.  Even though they do not discuss it much I have heard that a change in the catcher position would be welcome, but difficult to fill.  Carlos Ruiz has hit an offensive slump, but the problem maybe solved internally with some prospects from the farm league in either Reading or Lehigh Valley.  Pat Burrell will not be able to help out the Phils this year since he has a stead fast no trade clause until the end of the 08 season.  Pat has made it well known that he wishes to finish his career in Philadelphia if possible.

MetsReport.com: Ryan Howard’s stats appear that he’s having a down season. But his stats are really good in clutch at-bats. He’s hitting .155 with the bases empty and .330 with runner in scoring position. What do you make of his season so far?

U.B.L.: Ryan has historically has slow starts to his seasons or at least until after the All Star break.  I have already accepted that Ryan will probably never hit for average, but he is 2nd in the majors for RBIs’ only out done by Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers so, I cannot sound too disappointed.  Understandably he has Rollins, Victorino, and Utley in the lineup prior to him so that helps.

MetsReport.com: Chase Utley is on pace to be the third straight MVP for the Phillies. In only his fourth season of starting full time he’s on track to do things that only Hall of Fame second basemen have done. Is he the centerpiece of this franchise, or is this still Rollins and Howard’s team?

U.B.L.: Chase Utley is definitely the backbone of the team though, he is a silent partner.  If you ask Chase he would say Jimmy Rollins, but that’s only because Jimmy likes all the hype and fanfare.  Chase is a very dedicated player who spends hours reviewing video to improve his swing and learn about the opposing hurlers.  Ryan Howard is another monster who may have played himself out of Philly due to the large salary requirements he received in arbitration.  The Phillies need to sign him to a long deal soon or he may be out of their range.  It would be nice to have 3 MVP’s in a row, but there is so many good players that I would understand if he did not get it this year.

MetsReport.com: Brad Lidge has been lights out this season. His 2006 and 2007 seasons in Houston were forgettable though. How much of a concern is there among Phillies fans that he could crack at the end of the season?

U.B.L.: I do not think that has been considered.  Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee have watched Lidge very closely to ensure that he is not being over utilized.  Fortunately the Phillies have a very strong bullpen to rely on as well as a potent offense when activated so, it reduces the amount of times Lidge is needed.  I can think of several times this year were Manuel has used Durbin, Gordon, Romero, and Condrey to close out the game to allow Brad to remain rested.

Thanks to Phanatic from U.B.L. for the Phillies information.

Mets Roster Move: Carlos Muniz Sent Down

The Mets sent overmatched relief pitcher Carlos Muniz back to Triple-A New Orleans last night. He was optioned back to the minors minutes after taking the loss in last night’s game on a walk off home run by Troy Glaus. We don’t know who will replace Muniz on the roster yet but Jerry Manuel told reporters that he would like to have a position player for today’s game. Manuel has given hints that he’s going to rest Carlos Beltran today, so he could use some outfield help.

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Analysis: Brett Myers Situation From Phillies Perspective

While the Mets were busy ripping the ball all over Busch Stadium last night, I was looking toward the Mets next series in Philly. I wanted to find out what’s going on with Brett Myers from someone that watches the Phillies every day. I turned to phanatic74 from U.B.L. for the answers. This is what he had to say about the Myers situation and where the Phillies rotation will go from here:

I think that Myers being moved to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs was the best move for him and the team.  I have no doubt that he will return to Philly some time in the 2nd half of the season.  Brett still has good stuff, he just forgot how to use it.  They discussed putting him in the bullpen, but he would not get enough playing time to work out his issues.  The Phillies will need to call on him again, but I am not sure as in what type of a capacity whether the bullpen or starting rotation.  He is a good option to keep open in case of someone going on the DL.  Jamie Moyer is not prepared to go down to a 4 man rotation at his age.  My feelings are that they are going to bring up J.A. Happ from "AAA" in Lehigh Valley.  If he falls apart like last year’s trial then they will go to Carlos Carrasco from the Reading "AA" ball club.  Of course both of these pitchers are temporary until they can acquire someone from outside of the organization.  The Phillies are very lean on quality pitchers in their farm system.  Myers length of service with the Iron Pigs depends on how cooperative he will be with the recovery.  However, he has received comments on ways to improve his pitching such as getting the ball out of his mitt sooner prior to the delivery.  He also needs keep more of his foot on the rubber.  There is no definitive time for Myers, but he will pitch again in the city of brotherly love.

It sounds like the Phillies might need to look outside of the organization as the trade deadline nears to shore up their rotation. There are a couple of ex-Phillies that are available now in Freddy Garcia and Vicente Padilla. Maybe they’ll go that route since both are known quantities in Philly. Garcia is supposed to be ready to pitch again, after recovering from shoulder surgery, in August. He’s a free agent so it wouldn’t cost any prospects to obtain his services for the rest of the season.

Thanks to phanatic74 from U.B.L. for the analysis!

Phillies Demote Brett Myers

Lehigh Valley IronPigs

Image via Wikipedia

Myers is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA in 17 starts this season. Myers was optioned so he didn’t have to go through waivers, which he would never make it through. He didn’t have to accept the move having five years of MLB service time. Myers will try to get himself right with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Myers made 31 or more starts from 2003-2006. Then last season the Phillies switched him to the bullpen where he appeared in 51 games (3 of which were starts). He had 21 saves last season. He hasn’t been able to make the switch back to the rotation successfully this season.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Mets won’t get to tee off on Myers this weekend like the rest of the league has this season.

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NL East News: Phillies In Atlanta Video

The Philadelphia Phillies are in Atlanta for a three game series against the Braves starting tonight. The ideal scenario for the Mets is for the Braves to win at least two of the games at home. Considering that the Braves are 28-14 at home this season, that’s likely to occur.

The Phillies are 2-8 in their last ten games. Hopefully, they don’t get hot in Atlanta before the Mets go to Philly for a four game series beginning on Friday.

Of course, the Mets need to win some games in St. Louis this week too. Last night wasn’t a good start to the series with every facet of the game going wrong for the Mets. But there’s an opportunity for the Mets to go into Philly with a chance to take the division lead if everything breaks right this week.

See the ESPN Baseball Tonight preview of the Phillies/Braves series below.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3468523

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Jose Reyes Has Another Tantrum

New York Mets shortstop José Reyes during a Mets/Devil Rays spring training game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Image via Wikipedia

Jose Reyes threw his glove on the ground in disgust yesterday after making another throwing error. It was his eleventh error of the season. The on-field displays of frustration have become somewhat common for Reyes to the dismay of “old school” types everywhere. SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez sure didn’t like it, and has negative comments about Reyes whenever there’s a display of frustration.

After the game Reyes told reporters that he didn’t mean any disrespect to Carlos Delgado for the ball bouncing off his glove. A ball that Delgado certainly should have caught. Reyes said that he’s upset with himself for not making a  play that he should. Obviously, Reyes has become media savvy in his 25 years.

Any infielder playing with a first baseman that has hands of stone is going to get frustrated. Reyes shouldn’t have thrown his glove down but it’s really no big deal. Reyes is the most dynamic offensive player on the Mets’ roster. That allows him to have some latitude with his behavior. Like it or not, that’s professional sports.

Manny Ramirez just pushed the Red Sox traveling secretary to the ground when he couldn’t get 16 game tickets for Manny in Houston. The Red Sox didn’t release Manny. He’s too good. When Shawn Chacon threw Astros GM Ed Wade to the ground by his neck last week, he was released by the Astros. The only reason he was released is because he’s not that good of a pitcher. If he was pitching better he wouldn’t have been released.

Again, that’s professional sports. If you’re playing well enough at the moment, you get some latitude in your behavior. If you, as a fan, have a major problem with that you should stick to college sports.

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