Category: Pitching

Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez- How Does He Stack Up?

A picture of Francisco Rodriguez I took Openin...
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K-Rod blew his fifth save of the season on Sunday in San Francisco.

Quite frankly, he’s lucky to have only five of those.

In his year and a half in New York, the Mets’ closer has earned a reputation of never making anything easy, and rightfully so. He’s always had a knack for putting runners on base, especially early in the inning, and making things difficult for himself by struggling to throw strikes while those runners are on base.

Most recently, he fell in love with his changeup, of which manager Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen said he was throwing much too often. In response, Rodriguez would make his next appearance (Sunday) and throw far too many fastballs, many of which the Giants put in play for base-hits.

I thought it would be interesting to compare K-Rod to the four closers that are currently closing out games for teams in a playoff spot in the National League. Those teams currently in playoff spots are the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. Continue reading “Mets’ Francisco Rodriguez- How Does He Stack Up?”

Mets Fans: Don’t Blame Jerry Manuel

May 21, 2010 - New York, New York, U.S. - JERRY MANUEL during the Mets vs Yankees at Citi Field in Flushing NY. The Yanks won 2-1.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe axe always falls on the manager. This is the way the world works and it comes with the territory. There are things that we can rightfully question Jerry about. There are, however, things that he has to do, despite what we’d like to see happen. These are some of those unavoidable scenarios we will have to brace for.

1. K-Rod is coming in

Deal with it folks. We are going to win or lose with K-Rod in the 9th. The Mets cannot reach the post season without a closer shutting the door in the last inning. Johan Santana pitched 8 amazing innings and everyone is fed up with him losing victories, but there is nothing Manuel can do. It is up to the Mets bullpen to clinch those wins for Santana and The Mets bats to give him run support. Johan, of all people, is off elbow surgery and is not getting any younger. We cannot expect him to throw complete games every time. K-Rod will also need to work through this mess. The only way to get your stride back is in the game. If Manuel starts displaying a lack of confidence in K-Rod the situation will not magically improve itself. Our bullpen is already a shaky one. The last thing we need is to start meddling around with other closer options.

2. Luis Castillo is going to play

Castillo has become a symbol of the troubles the Mets have faced the last few seasons. He has taken a lot of heat from fans because of his ridiculous contract and of course “the drop” in Yankee Stadium. Although he can be irritating at times, Castillo is our best option at second. He gets on base and knows how to work a pitcher. Manuel may dislike him more than any of us, but like K-Rod, we are stuck with this contract. For as much as young talent excites the fan base, Ruben Tejada has been over matched at the plate. He is simply not ready to hit at the major league level. Castillo’s skill set may be diminishing but he gives us the best chance to win. Continue reading “Mets Fans: Don’t Blame Jerry Manuel”

Mets 2010 Trade Needs – Bullpen

New York Mets relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez reacts in the 10th inning of their MLB National League baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, California July 18, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

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Another big game from our ace who is now 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA in 4 starts this month and if we had a reliable closer he would be 3-0.

Johan Santana has made an awesome comeback, has retaken the team lead in ERA at 2.98 and lead’s the team in K’s with 83. He should also have the team lead in wins but the Mets bullpen and offense have not always been as good.

After yesterday’s game, the Mets biggest pressing need is some bullpen help because our closer could have a 10 win season with 20 blown saves at the rate he’s going and that’s going to cost the Mets a spot at the playoffs.

Unless we find a flaw in K-Rod’s delivery and correct it fast, as Santana has recently done, the Mets really should consider making a trade at the trading deadline for a reliever. Continue reading “Mets 2010 Trade Needs – Bullpen”

Mets’ Hisanori Takahashi Struggles, Keeps Rotation Spot

New York Mets starting pitcher Hisanori Takahashi takes a breather behind the mound before facing New York Yankees batter Jorge Posada with the bases loaded in the sixth inning of their MLB inter-league baseball game at Yankee Stadium in New York, June 18, 2010. He got Posada out to end the inning. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIf about a month ago you asked a Mets fan who was the most pleasant surprise this season, you’d have a lot of responses. R.A. Dickey. Ike Davis. Angel Pagan.

All very deserving names. Another name that would’ve been on that list is 35-year-old Japanese import Hisanori Takahashi.

He wasn’t untouchable coming out of the bullpen, but he was more than serviceable, posting a 3.12 ERA as a reliever. When John Maine and Oliver Perez had to be pulled from the rotation due to a combination of injuries and ineffectiveness, Takahashi was chosen to take one of the open spots in the rotation.

His first two starts were outstanding, against two of the best offensive teams in baseball. Against the Yankees in his first start, he shutout the Yankees for six innings. In his next start against NL East rival Philadelphia, he did the same. Continue reading “Mets’ Hisanori Takahashi Struggles, Keeps Rotation Spot”

Mets 2010 Trade Needs – Lilly, Carmona, Westbrook, Millwood

May 27, 2010 - Chicago, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES - epa02176040 Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ted Lilly throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first innning of their Major League Baseball game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 27 May 2010.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe New York Mets need a starting pitcher if they are going to make a run for the playoffs down the stretch. Roy Oswalt now appears out of the questions as the Mets and Astros can’t come to terms on anything.

That leaves four options for the Mets of guys who have been tossed around baseball. The Indians are looking to trade right-handed pitcher Jake Westbrook. Westbrook makes no sense to me. The man is a mediocre pitcher at best. He is a Major Leaguer. I get it… But unless the Mets can magically get the Indians to throw in Kerry Wood at a halfway decent price, the move makes no sense.

Fausto Carmona is another name the Indians are throwing around. Carmona is only 26 years old and his ERA for the season stands at an impressive 3.64. Moving to the National League may help Carmona as well taking the DH away. The question with him is how he would handle the pressure of New York? Continue reading “Mets 2010 Trade Needs – Lilly, Carmona, Westbrook, Millwood”

Mets 2010 Midseason Report Card

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At the halfway point the Mets sit 8 games over .500 and 4 back of the surging Braves. This season has seen a number of surprises and has exceeded expectations (if there were any after last year). Let’s take a look at my report card for the 2010 Mets so far.

Starting Rotation   –   B

If you would have told me in January that the rotation would be a bright spot, I most likely would have called you a liar. Jon Neise has bounced back from injury to solidify the rotation. He has used his newly acquired cutter in better variation with his signature curveball. His 6-3 mark with a 3.61 ERA will continue to improve if he is able to keep the momentum he has said since his return. R.A. Dickey may be the name most synonymous with the 2010 Mets. A former first round fireballer, Dickey has come into his own at an ideal time for the Mets. He has shown an ability to get out of jams, and drive in his own run support. He set a team record winning the most consecutive starts for a pitcher in his first season with The Mets. His 2.77 ERA could be even lower if he didn’t have a small setback in Puerto Rico against the Marlins. Hisanori Takahashi has served valiantly in his time in the rotation. It seems that he runs out of gas around the 6th inning, but remarkable performances against the Yankees have marked his time here. His return to the bullpen, if and when The Mets acquire another starter, will put him back to where he was dominant early in the year. Mike Pelfrey sprinted out of the gate in 2010. He was an early candidate for the All-Star team (Thanks Charlie) and even the Cy Young Award. He has slipped lately but we have seen the flashes that we needed to see. Hopefully, he was just experiencing a little fatigue, and the break is exactly what he needed. Johan Santana has gotten an undeserved beating from the press this year. The media has questioned his status as an ace and continuously posted his dropping velocity as an issue. Santana could easily have 9 or 10 wins, and still retains in ERA under 3. His big issue has been the problems he has had in big games. He was shelled by the Phillies and then again by the Yankees. Nonetheless, his last start against the Braves put a lid on the constant media banter. He threw a complete game shutout and deterred Jerry Manuel from pulling him after Jason Bay dropped a fly ball in the 9th. We all understand he is not throwing as hard as he used to but his body of work should always give him the benefit of the doubt. Continue reading “Mets 2010 Midseason Report Card”

Billy Wagner May Keep The Mets From The Playoffs

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Billy Wagner (R) is congratulated by catcher Brian McCann after Wagner's 400th save of his career at their MLB inter-league baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Atlanta, Georgia, June 25, 2010. McCann also hit hit the game winning home run. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsOk, this is going to hurt. My theory is as follows:

Billy Wagner, who is currently having a great year, could be in a position to kill the Mets chances at the playoffs.  Here are Wagner’s stats… His ERA is ridiculously low at 1.27, he’s 5-0, 55K’s, 19 saves and 3 blown saves. He’s obviously still throwing heat!

How is our closer doing? K-Rod has a 2.57 ERA, 2-2, 52K’s, 20 saves and 4 blown saves. Not too bad. Most teams would love those numbers from their closer.

Pitching wins championships and Atlanta is proof of that. If you don’t remember those dominate Atlanta pitchers of the 90’s, let me refresh your memory:

A Braves pitcher won the Cy Young Award almost every year during the 90’s:

1991 – Tom Glavine
1993 – Greg Maddox
1994 – Greg Maddox
1995 – Greg Maddox
1996 – John Smoltz
1998 – Tom Glavine

But this time around we don’t have to worry about facing three Cy Young’s in the same rotation. I believe the combination of Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey could match Atlanta’s top two of Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe. The bottom three pitchers of each rotation are also doing very well and these two pitching staffs are pretty evenly matched. Continue reading “Billy Wagner May Keep The Mets From The Playoffs”