Mets 2010 Second Half Begins on West Coast

Tim Lincecum
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With the first half of the season now a thing of the past, the Mets will start their second half quest to the pennant on the West coast for 11 games. They’ll be in San Francisco for four, Arizona for three, and back to California for four against the Dodgers. Here are some keys to each series I’ll be paying close attention to.

San Francisco 7/15-7/18
Expect pitching, pitching, and more pitching… And also the return of Carlos Beltran. The Mets will be facing a formidable quartet of Giants pitchers in the spacious confines of AT&T Park. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are as good a 1-2 punch as there is in the league at the top of any rotation. With that said, I’m confident in the Mets starters not only because the Giant lineup is far from imposing, but because the rotation proved themselves to be stingy in the first half. I foresee a series where Jerry Manuel’s strategic make-up will be tested, and a lot of “small” ball being executed. Like all Met fans are, I’m anxious to see Beltran back on the field, but my expectations are low, seeing as how it took Jose Reyes so long to adjust to the speed of the Major Leagues upon his return in April.

Arizona 7/19-7/21
The Mets are going to have to bring the lumber to the desert when they take on the D-Back’s for a three game set. Although the big bats of Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds can change the tide of a game with one swing, The Arizona pitching staff is about as effective as John Daley after 12 cold ones on the 15th hole. They are worst in the NL in ERA and earned runs allowed. The Mets have proven to be capable of coming from behind this season, so the lineup should be able to touch up the D-Back bullpen in the later frames if they fall behind. In addition, the Mets historically play really well at Chase Field. I’m expecting an abundance of offensive output in this series from the Met lineup. We’ll also see two players who are attracting a lot of attention on the trade market in RHP Dan Haren and left-hand hitting 2B Kelly Johnson. Continue reading “Mets 2010 Second Half Begins on West Coast”

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”

Preview: Mets at Giants July 15, 2010

New York Mets (48-40) at San Francisco Giants (47-41) 10:15 pm

R.A. Dickey (6-2 2.77) vs Tim Lincecum (9-4 3.16)

TV: SNY   Radio: WFAN

What to watch: The Mets and Giants start up a four game series tonight in San Fran. The Giants have won 7 of their last 9 games. But Lincecum has two of his last three starts. The Mets have lost the last three games that Dickey started after his incredible beginning to his season on May 19 when he joined the big league roster.

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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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”

Video: Johan Santana Bullpen Session

On Sunday July 11, I gave up my tradition of getting a free Slurpee on 7/11 day to attend the last Mets game before the All-Star break. What a sacrifice! There was a great pitching match up between Johan Santana and Derrick Lowe, perfect weather and it happened to be Jason Bay Bobble head day. Yes, Bay did not play on his Bobble head day but I can understand getting Bay some rest. The tough part of the season starts on Thursday.

Santana had his 2nd great outing in a row and I was able to get some video of Santana warming up in the bullpen just before the game. He was popping the mitt good. I’m confident he will have a great 2nd half.

After that I suffered through the 30 minute wait on the Shake Shack line. I can’t go to Citifield without getting Shake Shack. It’s a tradition even if it’s only a year old one.

I also got a chance to meetup with Dave Doyle of the MetsReport , who allows me to blog the Mets from here. We discussed the in’s and out’s of blogging as well as the Mets and I also was introduced to Kerel Cooper who blogs the Mets from his site, OnTheBlack.com. Continue reading “Video: Johan Santana Bullpen Session”

Video: David Wright at 2010 All-Star Game

Mets third baseman David Wright addresses the media at the 2010 All-Star game. Check out the video. He’s one of those guys that really “gets it” and appreciates what’s going on around him. You can tell by the way he talks about getting a chance to play with Reds third baseman Scott Rolen.

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