Category: Pitching

Mets Links: Oliver Perez, No Offense, More

The Mets are in a bad way right now. Dropping below .500 yesterday could be a dangerous sign for the 2010 season and where it’s headed. Expect the Wilpons to enter their first decision point in two weeks. If the Mets aren’t moving in the right direction at the end of May, it could spell the end for Jerry Manuel as manager. I would also expect Dan Warthen and Howard Johnson to be fired as well. If Manuel, Warthen, and HoJo make it into June in their current jobs that’s a very good sign for them.

So much has happened over the last few days, here are the links.

The Mets are 4-11 on the road this year and have no offense in those games at all. You would think they would take advantage of getting away from Citi Field but they haven’t. It’s been just the opposite.

It’s been well documented that Oliver Perez lost his spot in the rotation yesterday. But ESPN broke the news that Omar Minaya brought up the possibility of going to the minors and Perez refused. Perez has nine years in the bigs and doesn’t have to agree to go to the minors if he doesn’t want to. I wouldn’t either. If he went, he would have no control over when he came back. They could leave him in the minors all season. The difference between this situation and Steve Trachsel going to the minors in 2005 is that the Mets would have released Trachsel. They won’t release Perez. He doesn’t have to worry about that because of his big contract. There’s no motivation for him to go to the minors. Continue reading “Mets Links: Oliver Perez, No Offense, More”

Audio: Oliver Perez Meltdown Reaction

PORT ST LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 26: Starting pit...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The situation with Oliver Perez has really become intolerable at this point. The Mets can’t keep trotting him out there every fifth day and expect to be blown out in 20% of their games. It’s hurting morale and it’s hurting the bullpen, not to mention the Mets spot in the NL East standings.

There’s been a lot of reaction this morning about Perez’ latest meltdown on the mound. He blamed the cold weather for his last stinker against the Giants but he didn’t have that excuse in Miami last night.

There’s been discussion of who should take Perez’ spot in the rotation. And discussion of the fact that we’re beyond the point of looking for Perez’ upside. Continue reading “Audio: Oliver Perez Meltdown Reaction”

Oliver Perez Rotation Spot Appears Safe

I feel like I’ve written this same post before. Oliver Perez is the kind of pitcher that will give you a decent start or two and then blow up like he did yesterday. Can we just say that we’ve learned that by now? As Denny Green would say “He is what we thought he was”.

There are some viable alternatives to Perez. R.A. Dickey is pitching really well in Buffalo and Hisanori Takahashi has done much better than expected as the long man. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is what to do with Perez if he isn’t in the rotation. He can’t come out of the bullpen if he can’t throw strikes. That just won’t work. The Mets could come up with some “injury” that Perez has like they did last season. Perez got rocked by the Braves on Aug. 18 for 4 ER in 5 IP. Then he completely imploded against the Phillies for 6 ER over 0.2 IP on Aug. 23. That was the last we saw of Perez in 2009 because of a convenient knee injury. Continue reading “Oliver Perez Rotation Spot Appears Safe”

Mets 2010 – Year of the No-Hitter?

It’s well documented that only the Mets, Rays, and Padres haven’t had a no-hitter in their histories. When I started searching the Internet for facts and figures on futility, I came across someone that has a Mets blog about the elusive no-hitter. The Mets are up to 7,673 games without one now. And the Mets have had 33 one-hitters over the years including the famous July 4, 1972 no-hitter that Tom Seaver lost with one out in the ninth against the Padres. You can see the complete list of one-hitters in Mets history.

Tom Seaver would go on to throw a no-hitter in 1978 for the Cincinnati Reds, the year after the Mets traded him away. Nolan Ryan had a one-hitter for the Mets in April 1970 and would go on to throw seven no-hitters in his illustrious post-Mets career including one in May 1991 at the age of 44. Continue reading “Mets 2010 – Year of the No-Hitter?”

Mets’ Mike Pelfrey Tests Shoulder Tonight

MLB: APR 25 Braves at Mets

http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.jsTonight’s game against the San Francisco Giants will be the first game that Mike Pelfrey tests his shoulder since having an MRI on Monday. The MRI was ordered because Pelfrey said he was feeling something in his right shoulder before his start on Saturday in Philadelphia.

We know what happened to him in Philadelphia. The dream season that he was having slammed into a brick wall. Pelfrey was lit up by the Phillies for 6 runs in 4 innings. It was the first bad game that he’s had this season. It was really the first bad inning that he’s had.

Pelfrey’s 2010 was starting to look like it might be legendary. But baseball legends aren’t made in April.

I have to wonder if Pelfrey was shocked when he gave up 6 runs in that fourth inning last Saturday. He had been cruising along so smoothly this year, even picking up a save in that 20-inning game in St. Louis.

Something must be wrong physically? Get an MRI.

We’ll see tonight if there’s really anything wrong or if Pelfrey’s dream season is just over and he needs to figure out how to get hitters out again.

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Mets Links: Mike Pelfrey, David Wright, More

David Wright
Image via Wikipedia

It’s time for an off-day full of links after a poor road trip. The Giants are coming to town tomorrow for a weekend series. And there were several curious decisions made by Jerry Manuel during the road trip that made many of us scratch our heads. It’s a good day to take a breath, get back on track this weekend, and get ready for the Mother’s Day pink bats and sweatbands on Sunday.

Here are the links:

  • Daily News– Mike Pelfrey asked to go back to New York after Sunday’s game in Philly to have his right shoulder examined. He felt some tightness in it before Saturday’s start.
  • Mets.com – The MRI on Pelfrey’s shoulder didn’t show anything and he says that he’s ready to make his next scheduled start on Friday night.
  • Metsblog.com – Interesting stats on the Mets poor pinch-hitting this season. Good questions are raised about some of the guys in Buffalo that are raking right now.
  • Daily News – Carlos Beltran has a new knee brace and plans to start running late this week or early next week. Didn’t we hear the same thing about Beltran a month ago?
  • Daily News – Daniel Murphy is still rehabbing his knee injury in Port St. Lucie with no timetable for a return to games.
  • NJ.com – Kelvim Escobar is having season-ending shoulder surgery. He never even made it to opening day. But the Mets owe him $1.25 million for his troubles this season.
  • Fangraphs – Dave Allen writes a good piece examining Dan Warthen’s strategy for Johan Santana to throw more inside fastballs the first time through the order and then change it up subsequently.
  • Daily News – David Wright was involved, at some point, with the financial advisers that are being sued by Cliff Floyd and Rondell White over a failed real estate deal. The article says Wright isn’t involved in the lawsuit.
  • Fangraphs – R.J. Anderson writes about the odd moves that Jerry Manuel has been making recently, and the fact that this is the kind of thing that could cost him his job.
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2010 Mets – Chokers or Champions?

That graph to the left says it all. The game yesterday was pretty much over by the fifth inning. With the way Roy Halladay was pitching, you could say it was over by the fourth.

I was looking forward to a pitching duel between, arguably, the best pitcher in the National League and Mike Pelfrey, the current NL ERA leader. Until the fourth inning the matchup was living up to the hype.

Then the old Mets showed up. The ones who choke in critical situations. Two pop-ups in the fourth that couldn’t be handled and the game begins to unravel. Continue reading “2010 Mets – Chokers or Champions?”