Astros 6 – Mets 1 April 18, 2011

Jon Niese
Image by slgckgc via Flickr

The Mets dropped the first game of the three game series to the lowly Houston Astros. Jon Niese took the loss to drop to 0-3 but he didn’t pitch that badly giving up 2 runs over 6 innings. He wasn’t especially sharp giving up 7 hits and 5 walks but managed to work out of a lot of trouble.

For all the talk about playing the game the right way, the Mets look like a bumbling crew that doesn’t play the game the right way to me. The bullpen was terrible Ryota Igarashi and Tim Byrdak not getting the job done. And Bobby Parnell had another melt down on the mound balking in a run before he threw a pitch and then giving up an RBI hit.

Scott Hairston blew another ball in left field for an error. It’s just a sad state of affairs. The Mets only had 4 hits as a team and the only run was scored on Carlos Beltran’s solo home run. There wasn’t much to cheer about for the few fans that showed up to Citi Field tonight.

Box score

Rockies 7 – Mets 6 April 11, 2011

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 08:  Bobby Parnell #39 of...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The Mets lost their third consecutive game to the Rockies tonight. Mike Pelfrey pitched poorly but not as poorly as his two prior starts. Pelf reduced his ERA to 10.80 by throwing 5.1 IP and allowing 4 runs (3 earned). He gave up 6 hits and 4 walks in the game. Way too many baserunners to be successful.

Despite Pelf’s start, the Mets had a tie game going into the 8th inning. They were stringing together hits to score. They had 10 hits and 1 walk as a team with 2 RBI’s apiece by David Wright and Willie Harris.

Bobby Parnell blew up in the 8th inning throwing a wild pitch, making an error on a throw to home, and allowing a 2-run homer to Troy Tulowitzki. It was a complete disaster of an inning and Parnell was boo’d off the mound after the inning. His ERA is an awful 8.31 now and he just can’t get it done in the 8th (or any other) inning right now.

Box score

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Nationals 6 – Mets 2 April 8, 2011

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 08:  R.A. Dickey #43 of t...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The lowly Nationals ruined the Mets home opener by a score of 6-2. R.A. Dickey had one of his worst starts as a Met, fighting through a broken nail on his pitching hand. The game was announced as a sell out despite the empty seats and availability of tickets online as late as last night when I last checked.

The Mets offense couldn’t come through in the clutch leaving 7 runners on base including 3 by Angel Pagan. The team, as a whole, only scrounged up 7 hits and 2 walks in the game.

The home opener was a major disappointment. Nearly as disappointing as Tim Byrdak and his 10.80 ERA who allowed the Nationals to get a rally going in the eighth. Bobby Parnell came in and threw gas on the fire. The bullpen could be a sore spot for this team.

R.A. Dickey post-game

Josh Thole post-game

Box score

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Mets Start 2011 with More Questions than Answers

Carlos Beltran
Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

As the Mets and Marlins get ready to begin the 2011 season tonight, I can’t help but think that the Mets team is going to look very different when this season ends. The financially struggling Wilpons didn’t bring in Sandy Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi, and Paul DePodesta to stand pat like they did all winter. There are going to be moves this season and probably some big ones.

The Infield

Ike Davis looks like he’s on his way to becoming a solid, if not spectacular everyday player. David Wright is the face of the franchise and locked up in a contract until 2012 with an option for 2013. After that, things are much more in question. Is Josh Thole an everyday catcher? Will Jose Reyes sign an extension, get traded, or just play out his contract with the Mets? Are Brad Emaus or Daniel Murphy going to solidify second base?

The Outfield

Angel Pagan looks like a solid center fielder on the rise in his career. Scott Hairston and Willie Harris look like capable fourth and fifth outfielders. The other two-thirds of the outfield are question marks. Does Carlos Beltran have anything left that could justify all (or even a small portion) of his $18.5 million salary for this season? Will Beltran waive his no-trade clause at some point during the season? Will Jason Bay do anything productive for the Mets or is he another big free agent bust? Continue reading “Mets Start 2011 with More Questions than Answers”

Video: Mets Spring Training, Secret Loans, Bench

Kerel Cooper of the On The Black and I got together again to talk about the state of the Mets. This week we cover spring training games starting, MLB issuing a secret loan to the Mets, the bullpen, and the candidates for the bench in 2011.

A couple of issues we talked about that are worth discussion are that I love Jenrry Mejia in the bullpen and hate Nick Evans coming off the bench. Check out the video below to see why.

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Mets Pitching Report: Starters Unclear, Bullpen Taking Shape

Meeting on the mound
Image by afagen via Flickr

With just under four weeks till pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the 4th and 5th spots of the rotation are up in the air but the bullpen is starting to take shape. Here are the highlights (or lowlights) of this week:

Starters:

With the 1 – 3 spots expected to be filled by Mike Pelfrey, R. A. Dickey & Jon Niese, Chris Capuano, Dillon Gee and Jenrry Mejia will all be vying for those back-end spots.

Free agent Jeff Francis signs with the Royals for a one year, $2 million contract and could earn another $2 million in incentives, too steep a price for the budget-conscious Sandy Alderson. Francis was one of two starters that the Mets targeted for the rotation and would have slotted in as the number 4 starter. So the Mets focus their energy on their 2nd choice…

Chris Young, the other free agent on the Mets radar is still close to making a decision on where to play. He is the top remaining starter available now that Jeff Francis has signed with the Royals. The Mets have been rumored to be close to signing Young for two months now. The Nationals were also rumored to have an interest in Young.

Johan Santana has been cleared by Mets doctors to begin a throwing program leading into spring training. That does not mean he will start throwing just that he has been cleared to throw. He’s expected to be out for the year but being the bulldog that he is we may be lucky enough to see him pitch this year. Continue reading “Mets Pitching Report: Starters Unclear, Bullpen Taking Shape”

Phillies 7 – Mets 5 August 6, 2010

July 16, 2010 - San Francisco, CA, United States of America - 16 July 2010; San Francisco, CA: New York Mets Jonathon Niese.

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets looked like they were in great shape to win this game in the eighth inning. Jon Niese had an outstanding start going 7 innings and only allowing 1 run. He was in complete control after the first inning when he got out of a bases loaded situation.

The bullpen gave it up in the eighth with Bobby Parnell and Pedro Feliciano getting rocked for 6 runs and blowing the game.

The Mets had some offense going with 10 hits but no walks. Jeff Franoeur is back on a hot streak going 3 for 4. And the Mets made a run at a come back in the ninth but it was too little too late. Mike Hessman hit a 3-run homer to make it closer than the game really was.

The Mets continue their incompetence on the road with another loss as the season goes down the drain before our eyes.

Box score