Tag: David Wright

Marlins 7- Mets 4 April 28, 2009

42809Sorry for the late post on this one. Livan Hernandez put up a respectable start last night. It’s pretty much what you would expect from a fifth starter. He got into the sixth inning and gave up 3 runs, 2 of then earned. If he could do that consistently, the Mets would be in good shape this season.

On offense, Alex Cora had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 1 RBI subbing in for Luis Castillo. I thought it was interesting that Jerry Manuel put Cora at the top of the lineup when he always keeps Castillo at the bottom of the lineup. Manuel really has no faith in Castillo. David Wright has a nice 2 out RBI in the fifth inning. Hopefully, that will lead to good things for him.

Sean Green lost the game for the Mets in the seventh when he gave up 2 hits and 2 walks, which turned into 4 runs. Green has been pretty good generally this season but this was his second bad game raising his ERA to 8.49. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.

Box score

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Mets Beltran Won’t Slide And I Don’t Care

Flickr photo courtesy of P Pogo
Flickr photo courtesy of P Pogo

Within a five day span we’ve seen two examples of Carlos Beltran not sliding on plays that he clearly should have. You know what? I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me at all. The simple fact is that when you’re the best position player on the team with the highest payroll in the league you can make judgment calls.

On April 21st Beltran didn’t slide against the St. Louis Cardinals on a play at home. He stepped on Yadier Molina‘s foot and was tagged out. It was a bizarre play that Cards third baseman Joe Thurston made a great hustle play and throw on.

Yesterday Beltran didn’t slide on a steal attempt at second base because he thought that he heard David Wright hit the ball. He slowed up and was tagged out on the throw. Of course, the crowd boo’d him. He admitted after the game that he should have slid.

I’ve heard some people talking about how this is a bad influence on the younger players on the Mets. If any of the younger players on the Mets think that they’re the best position player on the team they should feel free to make judgement calls that are afforded to veterans like Beltran.

Of course, I’d like to see Beltran show the fire and go all out that everyone else wants from him. That’s not the way he is and I’ve accepted that along with his .406 batting average, outstanding defense, and 1.067 OPS. He’s kind of a soft player, not the kind that we like in New York. But he’s also an excellent player, maybe not one of the great ones, but very good.

Frankly, if he can avoid taking a few hits along the way this season he may be able to stay healthy enough to play 161 games like he did last season. That’s no small feat by the way. I’d rather see Beltran playing nearly every game this season than worry about one play and whether he slid or not.

In case you haven’t noticed, Carlos Beltran isn’t the problem with this Mets team. If you feel compelled to boo the home team, make note of every starting pitcher not named Johan Santana. Make sure that you notice Daniel Murphy stumbling around left field like a little leaguer and David Wright‘s .371 slugging percentage. Those are the problems with this team not Carlos Beltran.

Game Preview: Mets at Cardinals [Game 15] April 23, 2009

St. Louis Cardinals logoNew York Mets (6-8 Road: 3-5) at St. Louis Cardinals (10-5 Home: 7-2) 1:40 pm

Livan Hernandez (1-0 4.63) vs. Kyle Lohse (2-0 2.57)

TV: SNY   Radio:  WFAN

What to watch: Jerry Manuel promised to shake up the lineup after last night’s loss. The Mets have now lost three games in a row. Expect to see Gary Sheffield in LF, Alex Cora at 2B, Carlos Beltran batting third, and David Wright batting fifth. It’s up to Hernandez to keep the Mets from getting swept in this series. Lohse had two very good starts but got hit by the Cubs in his last start for 4 runs in 5 innings.

Don’t forget to visit The Mets Report Live Game Chat during the game to chat with other Mets fans!

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Cardinals 5- Mets 2 April 22, 2009

42209Starting pitching was the name of this game. John Maine wasn’t very good again and Joel Piniero was excellent. Piniero got into the ninth inning before being pulled after David Wright‘s leadoff double. He ended up giving up only six hits and two runs.

Maine walked five and gave up seven hits over 5.2 innings. And he very well could have been pulled before that. He had runners on in almost every inning. His velocity looks good but his control was terrible.

The only bright spot of the game was Carlos Beltran was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. His average is up to .385 for the season.

The Mets are down 0-2 in this three game series and try to avoid the sweep tomorrow.

Box score

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Padres Over Mets 6-5 April 13, 2009

Heath BellThe San Diego Padres managed to spoil the Mets grand opening of Citi Field by winning a close one 6-5. Mike Pelfrey definitely didn’t have it for the second start in a row. He went 5 innings giving up five runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. Jody Gerut led off the game with a home run to right field and we knew that we could be in for a long night.

The Mets did manage to put together a four run rally in the fifth inning capped by a 3-run homer by David Wright. But it wasn’t enough.

In the top of the sixth Ryan Church misplayed a fly ball off his glove. The runner, Luis Rodriguez, ended up scoring on a balk of all things by Pedro Feliciano. The Mets are finding new ways to lose in the early going this season.

The Padres win their fifth straight game as the Mets drop to 3-4. Heath Bell ended up getting his wish, he got the first save at Citi Field.

Box score

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

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Wright Call Lands Sheffield For Mets

David WrightThe newest Met, Gary Sheffield, spoke to the media today after the last exhibition game of the season against the Red Sox. Sheffield talked about how his uncle, Dwight Gooden, had spoken to him over the years about signing with the Mets. But it never quite worked out, until now.

One interesting fact that came out during the press conference was that David Wright called Sheffield urging him to sign with the Mets. Jimmy Rollins from the Philadelphia Phillies and Dusty Baker from the Cincinnati Reds had also put calls into Sheffield.It seems that Sheffield was most impressed that Wright made the effort to get in touch with him about signing with the Mets.

From ESPN:

“When you have the face of the franchise making a call to you, that means a lot,” said Sheffield, who’s one home run shy of 500. “You never want to tell other people you’re going the other way, but when he made that call I made my decision.”

Apparently, David Wright really has some clout around baseball now. That’s great for a young guy that hasn’t been around that long to have established himself. We’ll see how much Marlon Anderson, Ryan Church, and Daniel Murphy appreciate Wright’s call to Sheffield. They’re the ones that stand to lose the most by Sheffield’s presence on the team.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia