On Deck: July 4- Mets At Phillies

New York Mets (42-43 Road: 20-25) at Philadelphia Phillies (47-39 Home: 22-18) 7:05pm

Johan Santana (7-7 3.01) vs. J.A. Happ (0-0 0.00)

TV: SNY  Radio: WFAN

What to watch: Tonight’s game is a must-win for the Mets. They’ve got their ace Johan Santana going up against Happ making his first start of the season after being called up from the minors. The Mets have had some offense going this week in St. Louis so there’s hope that they can keep up with the Phils. Let’s hope the Mets can put a damper on the Phillies fireworks for the 4th of July.

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.

Report: Reyes- Hernandez Separated On Team Flight

ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 17: Jose Reyes #7 of the N...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Bart Hubbuch of the NY Post is reporting this morning that Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and SNY broadcaster Keith Hernandez almost started throwing punches on the team charter flight Sunday night from New York to St. Louis.

Basically the story is that Reyes was alerted by family and friends after Sunday’s game that Keith was speaking negatively about him during the broadcast. Remember, that’s the game where Reyes threw his glove to the ground after making an error. Reyes then confronted Keith on the plane and it was a heated conversation. They were separated and Reyes is still mad about the whole situation.

First, Bart Hubbuch is the same idiot that reported manager Jerry Manuel called the Mets fans “fertilizer”. That story turned out to be a misinterpretation.

Second, Fox Sports had a link to the Hubbuch’s story up this morning and has since taken it down.  So there are some serious credibility issues here.

I’m going to withhold judgment on the validity of this story until it’s confirmed by other beat reporters. The Post has no conscience and Hubbach specifically is a terrible beat reporter. His work is trash.

Here’s a link to the story for you to make your own judgment.

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Pelfrey Leads Mets Blowout Of Cards 11-1

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Video Highlights

The story of the night was Mike Pelfrey having another solid start. He went seven innings giving up only one run. His sinker was running down and in on right-handed hitters who had trouble getting the bat on the ball.

The Mets offense was on again tonight which is a great sign for this team. The leaders were Jose Reyes who had a bases loaded triple in the third inning and Carlos Delgado who had his 15th homer in the sixth. David Wright left the game injured in the sixth and we’re awaiting word of the severity of the injury. It looked like he tweaked his back when he ducked to avoid a line drive over his head.

The Mets fly to Philly tonight for the start of a four game series beginning tomorrow night.

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Mets Roster Moves: Castillo to DL, Aguila Recalled, Reyes Called Up

No, not that Reyes! Argenis Reyes is a second baseman at Triple-A New Orleans. He’s being called up to fill Luis Castillo’s spot in the roster. Castillo is going on the disabled list with a strained left hip flexor.

Outfielder Chris Aguila is coming back from New Orleans for his second tour of duty with the Mets this season. He’ll replace Carlos Muniz on the roster. He might even get a start in St. Louis tonight. Jerry Manuel plans to rest Carlos Beltran tonight.

Read the full story from Adam Rubin of the Daily News here.

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Audio: Olney On Mets Trading Jose Reyes

ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney talks to Michael Kay about the possibility of the Mets trading Jose Reyes. He says that it’s not out of the realm of possibility if the right deal comes along. Specifically, he mentions the Rays as a team that could put together an adequate package to satisfy the Mets.

ESPN Radio

There are a couple of things that I’d like to mention on this topic:

  1. Omar Minaya would have to be completely insane to trade Reyes. He wouldn’t find another player that’s an equal replacement to lead off. Reyes’ contract is extremely reasonable. The list goes on of reasons not to trade Reyes.
  2. The Rays are mentioned in every trade discussion now even though they’ve never been a major player in trade deals in the past. Just because the Rays have a wealth of talent doesn’t mean that they’ll become dealers overnight. Until the Rays start making major deals I don’t want to hear about them being linked to every player that may become available for trades.

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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