Tag: Jose Reyes

Cardinals 8 – Mets 7 July 28, 2010

New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana throws a pitch to the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning of their MLB National League baseball game in New York, July 28, 2010. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIt took a great comeback to get into the game but the Mets ended up losing it in 13 innings. Johan Santana had one of the worst starts of his career giving up 6 runs on 8 hits… In the first inning! He gathered himself to go 5.2 innings but the damage was severe.

The Mets bullpen did a great job including Francisco Rodriguez throwing 2 scoreless innings. He did have a little trouble, as usual, giving up a hit and a walk but managed to work out of it.

The Mets offense was pretty solid with 13 hits and 5 walks in the game. Jose Reyes and David Wright had 3 hits apiece. Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran both had home runs in the nice comeback. Ike Davis had a big 2 RBI pinch hit in the eighth inning that tied the game and would eventually send it to extras.

Pedro Feliciano gave it up to Albert Pujols in the 13th to lose it. That’s a terrible match up for Feliciano but they didn’t have much choice left in the bullpen. Oliver Perez was about all they had left and that’s a bad match up against anyone.

The Mets and Cardinals are even at 1 apiece in the series. They’ll play an early one at noon tomorrow in the rubber game.

Box score

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Dodgers 3 – Mets 2 July 24, 2010

New York Mets pitcher Oliver Perez reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Florida Marlins batter Dan Uggla during the third inning of their MLB National League baseball game in Miami, Florida May 14, 2010. REUTERS/Rhona Wise (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsThe Mets got a fair start from Mike Pelfrey going 5 innings and allowing 2 runs. That’s a major upgrade from his most recent starts. The Mets bullpen took over and threw 5+ shutout innings for Pelfrey and the game went to 13 innings tied 2-2.

The Mets offense was pretty weak with 9 hits and 4 walks over the 13 inning span. Jose Reyes and Jason Bay were both 2 for 5 in the game. But the only extra base hits were doubles by Ike Davis and Luis Castillo. Angel Pagan did have two steals in the game.

Rod Barajas left the game with a strained oblique muscle suffered during an at-bat. Oddly, it was a hit which he hasn’t had many of lately.

Oliver Perez blew the game in the 13th allowing a home run to James Loney. It’s gotten to the point where he can’t do anything right for this team. His new role as lefty specialist isn’t working out so well when he gives up a walk off homer to a lefty on a tough road trip.

Box score

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My Mets Rant After a Week to Forget

Angry Arsenal Fans after Emmanuel Adebayor's 3rd goal Celebration Arsenal 2009/10 Manchester City V Arsenal (4-2) 12/09/09 The Premier League Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International

http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsSo far in the second half of this season, the bad has far out-weighed the good in Mets land. The team has lost 6 of 8 and is currently 4 games out of the wild card spot while trailing the Braves by 6.5 games in the NL East. Jason Bay, despite valiant offensive and defensive contributions in Friday night’s 6-1 win against the Dodgers, is giving fans reason to believe he is a bust. The team has won 4 of 15, all 4 of those wins have been started by ace Johan Santana who everyone (including myself) was writing off prior to the break. Mike Pelfrey has seen his ERA inflate to 4 and hasn’t been the same since Father’s Day weekend at Yankee Stadium. Carlos Beltran has returned quietly. He looks capable at bat, although he is still adjusting. However, not surprisingly, he does not appear to possess the same spring in his step as he has in years past roaming center field. With all this said, and more, this team somehow still finds itself in the mix for a playoff spot.

The San Francisco and Arizona series were extremely painful to watch. The team traveled to the West coast with no vigor, no fight. Instead of making a statement, they were embarrassed, and should have been swept by a solid Giants club, then went to the desert and bowed to Barry Enright and the last place Diamondbacks in a 3 straight. The managing was questionable, the execution was lackluster, and the heart was non-existent. The team looked dead on their feet. The 2009 New York Mets appeared to have been reborn. Continue reading “My Mets Rant After a Week to Forget”

Mets Need Luis Castillo to Step Up

Luis Castillo batting for the New York Mets on...
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Some credited him with a quietly solid 2009 campaign, others couldn’t look past the memory of his dropped pop-up against the Yankees. Luis Castillo has seemingly been synonymous with Mets’ failure since arriving during the 2007 season. I for one can blame Castillo for keeping me up at night with nightmares of constant 6-3 put-outs. Regardless of his past with the team, and his nauseating contract, Castillo will return to the lineup with hopes of having a positive impact on the remainder of the 2010 Mets season.

As much as most fans despise Castillo for his aging knees, slap style of hitting, and depleting range at second base, the Mets will need him to make things happen for them if they hope to stay in contention.

Right now the bottom of the Mets lineup has gotten very little production. Jeff Francoeur wakes up every morning with an 0 and 2 count, Rod Barajas hasn’t driven in a run since the oil spill, and the tandem of Ruben Tejada and Alex Cora wasn’t exactly posing an offensive threat either.

Castillo’s return to the lineup will allow Cora to be relegated to the role of bench player where he belongs, and will send Ruben Tejada back to Buffalo where he belongs. In addition, Castillo can provide some maturity to the bottom of the Mets order, as long as Angel Pagan is in the lineup. He’ll be counted on to work counts (something Barajas and Francoeur are incapable of doing), get on base, and basically just ignite any kind of spark that he has left. Continue reading “Mets Need Luis Castillo to Step Up”

Video: Jose Reyes May Return Sunday

NEW YORK - JULY 10: David Wright #5 of the Ne...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The Mets have been shut out by the Giants in two straight games. The offense has been almost non-existent and for the last two seasons we’ve been talking about how the Mets don’t click when Jose Reyes doesn’t play. He’s been out of the lineup since he left the game on July 10 against the Braves and missed the All-Star game.

Jerry Manuel explains to reporters below what they’re seeing from Reyes’ oblique injury and what he needs to do to return to the lineup. The Mets even called up Justin Turner and optioned Nick Evans to Buffalo to add some middle infield support in Reyes’ absence.

It’s getting a little tiring to hear day after day that he could return “tomorrow”. And tomorrow doesn’t seem to happen. Take Manuel’s words with a grain of salt in the video below.

http://espn.go.com/videohub/player/embed.swf

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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 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”