Carlos Beltran and His 32 Game On Base Streak are Gone!

DENVER, CO - MAY 12: Carlos Beltran #15 of th...
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For all the complaints I have made about Carlos Beltran in the past… how selfish I think he was, how he never stood up to be a leader in the clubhouse or on the field, how he didn’t show up to a Veteran’s Hospital visit, how he ended the 2006 NL Championship with his bat on his shoulder and even his preference to play for the Yankees for a discount before he settled on the Mets… his bat and glove will be missed.

Let me make that clear… His bat and glove will be missed. The player will not be.

He has had a productive career here but he was (and still is) clearly playing for his next contract and a chance to win now. Who can blame him? He currently has a 32 game on base streak that dates back to June 16th. It’s the second longest active streak in the majors. He’s leading the NL in doubles with 30 and he’s seventh in the NL with 66 RBI’s. He’s http://laparkan.com/buy-sildenafil/ also tied for 2nd with 47 extra base hits.

Basically, Beltran was having a monster season and showing everyone he was finally healthy, proved he could still play the field and was still dangerous on the base-paths. This was a 4 month audition for his next team. Nothing more so I had no emotional attachments to Beltran this year. I’m not glad he’s gone, don’t really care he’s gone either.

I am glad he went to the Giants though. I can now root for the Giants. Beltran’s going to have a monster 2 months and he still has the capability of carrying that team all the way to the World Series. I would love to see Beltran help the Giants beat the Phillies and the Yankees at some point. The trade is bittersweet but had to be done. We did get a great pitching prospect in return and the future looks a little brighter for it.

So I will say Goodbye Carlos Beltran. I’ll enjoy watching you hit homers out into the San Francisco Bay.
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Mets Trade Carlos Beltran to Giants

DENVER, CO - MAY 12: Carlos Beltran #15 of th...
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The Mets finally pulled the trigger today on a Carlos Beltran trade. For those of us holding tickets for a game in 2011, we just lost out big time as the Mets threw in the towel on the rest of the season. There’s not much reason to go to Citi Field or watch on TV anymore this season for the casual fan. We’ll check in with you in February for spring training. Only the hardcore fans will remain and it seems like there’s getting to be fewer and fewer of us left.

I don’t blame the Mets or Sandy Alderson for making the deal. They got Zack Wheeler from the Giants a single-A pitcher that was taken sixth overall in 2009 and top 40 prospect. That’s not a bad haul for an aging star with two months left on his contract and a clause that doesn’t allow the team to offer salary arbitration.

My point is now that the Mets have traded their closer and their starting right fielder there’s nothing to really look forward to this season from the Mets. It’s too bad that the Mets haven’t been able to get themselves into contention like the Giants, Phillies, Braves, etc. I wish the Mets were looking to add pieces for a playoff run. It’s incredibly disappointing for a team with one of the highest payrolls in baseball.

Mets 8 – Reds 6 July 26, 2011

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: RY ...
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The Mets won a strange game scoring 6 unearned runs off Johnny Cueto. That’s right, I wrote “unearned” runs. The Reds defense was completely asleep in the first half of the game. They were literally kicking the ball all over the field.

The Mets needed the help too because Jon Niese was pretty bad giving up 5 runs in 5 innings pitching back home in Ohio. He gave up 4 in the fifth inning and the capper was a 2-run homer by Joey Votto into the left field seats.

In addition to the errors, the Mets were hitting tonight with 12 hits and 3 walks in the game. The big game came from Daniel Murphy who went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI’s.

The Mets bullpen gets the game ball though. They got through 4 innings while Ryota Igarashi allowed the only run. They didn’t have Jason Isringhausen or Bobby Parnell available so it was a mix and match job for Terry Collins. Tim Byrdak got the save. That tells you how much the bullpen was held together with duct tape and gum.

The Mets won the second straight game in Cincy and go again tomorrow afternoon in what’s supposed to be some scorching hot weather.

Box score

Who Will Get 300 Saves First? Isringhausen or K-Rod?

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: Jas...
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So with Carlos Beltran pretty much gone and the Mets having almost no shot at the wild card, there’s not much left to watch the Mets for. At least for the rest of the season. Especially since I don’t see a massive fire sale going on. Beltran’s trading may be the last big story for a while.

I am curious as to who gets to 300 saves first, Jason Isringhausen or Francisco Rodriquez. Izzy has 296 career saves, KRod has 291. KRod should have more save chances but Izzy is the guy I want to see get to 300 first. Wouldn’t you?

So let’s watch this little race to 300 saves. I’m really rooting for Izzy to have a better year than KRod. I feel like Izzy is homegrown talent who’s come home to finish out his career. It may be the only bright spot to the rest of an irrelevant year.

Let’s hope the Mets do the right thing and acknowledge the achievement. Do they even know it’s coming up? This save race may be the only race interesting enough to watch for the rest of the year and of course, 4 saves could take less than a week if the Mets get on a roll but who knows…

If the Mets are out of the hunt, what other milestones will you be watching for this year?

Mets 4 – Reds 2 July 25, 2011

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 11: Jason Isringhausen #...
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What a game! R.A. Dickey pitched really well going 6.2 innings and allowing only 2 runs. He had 7 K’s and only 1 walk too. Although he gave up 8 hits, he was pretty sharp. It was one of his best starts of the season.

The Mets scored all 4 runs in the seventh inning when they strung several hits together. Even in a pronounced hitter’s park, they didn’t have any home runs tonight. But they did have a lot of traffic on the bases with 11 hits and 3 walks. Daniel Murphy and Jason Bay had the run scoring doubles in the seventh inning.

It was an exciting finish as Jason Isringhausen got a save the hard way. He loaded the bases. Although one runner was on by a David Wright error. Then Izzy struck out Brandon Phillips to end the game. It was a real thriller!

The Mets take the first game of the series in Cincy and go again tomorrow night.

Box score

Marlins 5 – Mets 4 July 24, 2011

David Wright
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The Mets lost a close one when Bobby Parnell blew the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. They went into the eighth with a 4-3 lead and Parnell gave up 2 runs to lose the game.

Dillon Gee was struggling more than I’ve ever seen him before. But he got through 5 innings while allowing only 3 runs. It could  have been much worse as he gave up 7  hits, 3 walks, and hit a batter.

The Mets had a lot of offense today with 12 hits as a a team. David Wright was 3 for 4 with a HR, 2 runs and 2 RBI’s.

Daniel Murphy dropped two pop-up’s in foul territory and failed to get in cut off position from first base. It’s become comical how bad he is in the field. The Mets can’t hide him anywhere.

The Mets lose the series in Miami to the last place Marlins before heading to Cincinnati for three games this week.

Box score

Video: Mets Weekly Report – Carlos Beltran and Trades

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: Car...
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This week I talk to Kerel Cooper from On The Black about the upcoming non-waiver trading deadline. The deadline is next Sunday at 4pm and there are several Mets that are being mentioned pretty heavily in trade rumors.

Of course, nobody in baseball is being talked about more heavily in trade rumors than Carlos Beltran. There are several teams tied to Beltran including the Phillies, Braves, Giants, Rangers, and Red Sox.

In this week’s video we talk about some of the other Mets that could be traded this week. And we talk about whether we think the Mets front office will completely break down the team in a “fire sale”. Check out the video below.