Johan Santana Shoulder Injury Raises Questions

New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana throws a pitch to the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning of their MLB National League baseball game in New York, August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsWell, its that time of the season. Johan Santana has once again, for the third season in a row, been shut down and will need surgery during the off season, this time on his left shoulder. A suitable punctuation to a season highlighted by lackluster play, managerial blunders, and an overall lack of organizational accountability. Of course, this type of grim reality for the ace of a pitching staff can only exist within one franchise, the New York Mets.

Along with agony and disappointment, news of Santana’s most recent injury raises a lot of questions:

Why does the Mets’ medical staff continue to be inept?

Since being acquired prior to the ’08 season, Santana has had some kind of injury/surgery every year. First it was his knee issue, last year he had bone chips in his elbow. What other star player in the league has experienced this type of string? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. I’m no doctor, but I would have to imagine that part of correcting an injury is identifying the measures to prevent future problems. By now, I would have expected that the medical and training staffs have come up with a plan for protecting Santana’s arm. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. This apparent ineptitude has affected other players on the team as well. You have to figure that free agents around the league are probably wary of exploring opportunities with the Mets because of their seemingly shabby and, for lack of a better word, mysterious medical staff. Continue reading “Johan Santana Shoulder Injury Raises Questions”

Preview: Phillies at Mets September 12, 2010

Philadelphia Phillies (82-61) at New York Mets (70-72)  1:10pm

Roy Oswalt (11-13 3.09) vs Jon Niese (9-7 3.85)

TV: SNY  Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets and Phils play the rubber game of the series this afternoon. It’s the first time the Mets will face Oswalt since he got traded to Philly. The Phils have won seven straight games that he started. Niese seems to have hit the wall over his last three starts. Over that span he’s allowed 15 run in 16.1 innings.

Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Facebook page during the game to chat with other Mets fans! Connect with The Mets Report on Twitter too.

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Preview: Phillies at Mets September 11, 2010

Philadelphia Phillies (82-60) at New York Mets (69-72)  4:10pm

Kyle Kendrick (9-8 4.89) vs Mike Pelfrey (13-9 3.96)

TV: FOX  Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets try to recover from last night’s loss to take the last two games of this home series. Kendrick has had four bad starts in a row, three resulted in losses for him. So this could be the Mets best chance. Pelfrey hasn’t been much better though. He’s given up 10 runs in his last two starts over 8.2 innings.

Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Facebook page during the game to chat with other Mets fans! Connect with The Mets Report on Twitter too.

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Phillies 8 – Mets 4 September 10, 2010

April 22 2010: Mets' relief pitcher Jenrry Mejia (32) delivers a pitch in the 9th inning during MLB action between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Mets defeated the Cubs 5-2.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIt was another disappointing start for Jenrry Mejia getting rocked by the Phillies for 6 runs in 4 innings. The Phils just put together hit after hit against him. And Ryan Howard crushed a line drive homer over the wall in left field. I haven’t seen an opposite field home run like that at Citi Field.

The Mets did have a little offense going with 10 hits and 4 runs. Carlos Beltran even hit his first home run of the year left-handed. Josh Thole was 3 for 4 but had a bonehead play on the bases getting caught in a run down between third and home.

The Mets drop the first game of the series.

Box score

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Mets Should Part Ways With Carlos Beltran

July 23, 2010 Los Angeles, CA..Mets Carlos Beltran in action during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The Mets defeated the Dodgers, 6-1..Josh Thompson/CSM.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThis week’s saga of three Mets skipping the teams appearance at a local hospital is just another negative story that has surrounded Carlos Beltran and the New York Mets this season.

In case you haven’t heard, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Carlos Beltran all skipped a visit to the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C.

David Wright had a thought about that “You’d Like to see everybody. I don’t think it’s big enough until you get everybody.

Still some Met fans don’t see the big deal. The visit to the hospital wasn’t mandatory but however you slice it the visit or non-visit by the three Mets is a distraction in what has a terrible season.

For Beltran his behavior has been uncalled for, for a while now. Many fans and people in the front office still don’t understand why the center fielder waited until February to get surgery on his knee when he knew about it since October. Continue reading “Mets Should Part Ways With Carlos Beltran”

Preview: Mets at Nationals September 8, 2010

New York Mets (68-71)  at Washington Nationals (60-79) 12:35pm

R.A. Dickey (9-6 2.91) vs Livan Hernandez (9-10 3.81)

TV: SNY  Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets and Nats play the rubber game of the series this afternoon. Dickey had a terrible game in Chicago in his last start allowing 7 runs in 6 innings. In two games against the Nats this year he has no decisions and a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings. Hernandez has been bombed in his last three starts. Over that span he’s allowed 20 runs in 15 innings. It looks like a late season fade for the old man.

Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Facebook page during the game to chat with other Mets fans! Connect with The Mets Report on Twitter too.

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What are 2011 Mets Biggest Needs?

July 10, 2010 - Flushing, N.Y, United States of America - 10 July, 2010: New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe New York Mets begin to look toward the off-season. There are injuries mounting and disappointments all around. We can only imagine what it must feel like to continue going to work knowing that it means nothing. How can they even pretend to act excited or even mildly interested in the game? Players must be looking at each other wondering who will be with the team next year and who won’t. And so begins the long, slow, excruciatingly painful, end to the season.

Mets fans will now be exposed to some of the young players in the farm system. I do not want to use the term “talent” because I have very little respect for the Mets farm system. We will begin to see players you have never heard of and might never hear of again. There will be a glut of pitching changes throughout the games to allow the youngsters some “in-game experience,” and we will slowly start thinking about football season again.

So what will the Mets do to fix this awful run of disappointing seasons? Well, we can all assume there will be a high priced player or two joining the club. There will be lots of promises of young talent and mending limbs. There will be whispers of big moves and possible trades that will never happen. There will be high hopes and a frenzied fan base waiting for that one miracle season. Continue reading “What are 2011 Mets Biggest Needs?”