Category: Latest News

Pedro’s Father Passes Away

Pedro Martinez learned during last night’s game that his father, Pablo, had died due to the brain cancer that he’s struggled with for some time. Pedro left the team for the Dominican Republic and there’s no immediate timetable for when he’ll re-join the Mets.

Pedro has been playing the season, and past few years, with his father’s condition deteriorating due to inoperable brain cancer.

The Mets will need a starter against the Cardinals on Saturday. Most likely they’ll call up a pitcher from Triple-A New Orleans and replace Carlos Muniz on the roster. Brian Stokes is scheduled to start for the Zephyrs on Saturday, so he may get the call.

Lunch Links- Mex, Billy Martin, MLB Network, and More

While I’m here getting pumped up for the Phillies series, I decided to put some links out today. Some of them I’ve had for a while now but I think you’ll like. Anyway, onto the links…

  • This one is from July 7th but I thought you’d want to see it anyway. David Pinto wrote a piece for Yahoo Sports about the parallels between the Yankees 1978 firing of Billy Martin and the Mets firing of Willie Randolph.
  • David Peters, a PhD professor of engineering from the Washington University of St. Louis wrote a tremendous piece about how lefties have an advantage in baseball. It’s really compelling information and got picked up by Sporting News.
  • Cyril Morong, writer of the excellent blog Cybermetrics, writes that fast players such as Jose Reyes aren’t “blocked” from hitting doubles and triples with slower runners on base in front of them.
  • ESPN’s Jayson Stark picks the Phillies to win the NL East in his “That’s Debatable” column.
  • John Donovan tries to make sense of the NL East in his column for Sports Illustrated.
  • Awful Announcing has some good information on the upcoming MLB Network. Included is the rumor that they’re considering adding analyst Harold Reynolds from SNY to the network.
  • SI’s Jon Heyman gets into the latest trade rumors including the Mets interest in Seattle Raul Ibanez and Cleveland’s Casey Blake. He says that Omar Minaya especially likes Blake.
  • SNY analyst Keith Hernandez talks to WFAN’s Boomer & Carton about the Mets and his reported dispute with Jose Reyes. Listen here.

Phillies Myers Is Back And Talking About Mets

PHILADELPHIA - APRIL 29: Brett Myers #39 of t...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Phillies “ace”, and I use that term loosely, Brett Myers is back from a three week stint in the minors and is already talking about the Mets. He’s likely to start Wednesday against John Maine. Myers told reporters as reported by Philly.com:

“I can’t think of a better team for me to come back against,” he said yesterday.

Why?

“I don’t like ’em,” he said. “We’re not supposed to like them. Nothing against the guys on the team – they’re our rivals. We like beating them; they like beating us.”

This season Myers is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA in 17 starts. Between the lack of skill that he and Adam Eaton have shown this year, it caused Phils GM Pat Gillick to trade three prospects for Oakland A’s Joe Blanton last week.

Bring it on Brett!

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Audio- Eddie Coleman And Baseball Today

The news of the Mets tying the Phillies for first place in the NL East has been all over the mainstream media and the blogs today. It’s thrilling to have the team, that was thought to be dead in the water a month ago, back in first place and looking stronger than at any point this season.

Here are a couple of audio links for you this afternoon on the topic of the Mets. Mets beat reporter checks in with WFAN’s Joe & Evan. And ESPN’s Baseball Today covers all of the top stories in baseball including the Mets shaking up the NL East. Peter Pascarelli and Steve Phillips discuss the events of the day.

WFAN Audio

ESPN Audio

Phils Acquire Blanton From A’s

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 8: Joe Blanton #55 of the...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Phillies pulled the trigger on a three for one deal with the Oakland A’s to acquire Joe Blanton to take over a spot in their starting rotation. It’s certainly appropriate that the Phils brought in some help on the day that the Mets entered a tie with Philly for first place in the NL East.

Blanton is a big right-hander that consistently pitches a lot of innings. He’s having a down year this season but he’s only 27 years old and he’s under contract through 2010.

His 162 game career average is: 13-13 | 215 IP | 229 H | 108 R | 57 BB | 122 K | 4.25 ERA | 1.330 WHIP.

It’s a nice pick up for the Phils and I assume that he’ll take Adam Eaton’s spot in the rotation. It amazes me how Billy Beane keeps trading away good young pitcher in Oakland. But his “reverse” philosophy seems to be working out for the A’s. They’ve done as well as you could expect with limited resources.

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Report: Mets To Promote From Within

Joel Sherman of the NY Post reports that Omar Minaya may pass on trades this month in favor of moving some of the Mets top prospects to the big leagues. Specifically, the Mets are thinking about moving Fernando Martinez into the outfield. Lefty Jon Niese could fit into the rotation and Bobby Parnell or Eddie Kunz may get work in the bullpen.

If Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez cool off they could give Martinez a shot in left field. At 19 years old he has to play every day. If he’s not in the lineup every day, he shouldn’t be in the majors.

Apparently, the Rockies wanted Carlos Beltran in a trade for Matt Holliday so the Mets weren’t interested.