New York Mets (30-28) at San Diego Padres (24-37) 10:05pm
Mike Pelfrey (2-6) vs. Josh Banks (2-0)
What to watch: The Mets begin a four game series against the Padres tonight. Mike Pelfrey looked good in his last no decision start but he’s been inconsistent. He goes against Josh Banks, a rookie who threw a complete game with no earned runs on Saturday against the Giants.
It was great to see Pedro Martinez re-join the Mets rotation after two months off recovering from a strained hamstring. If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a nice addition to the team… Not a great addition. He spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list in each of the last three seasons. And he’s 36 years old and eight years removed from his third, and most recent, Cy Young Award.
His influence as a clubhouse leader has been vastly overstated in my opinion. The Mets don’t need production in the locker room, they need it on the field. If he’s more important as a locker room influence then make him a coach. We need him to produce on the field.
Gerry Fraley wrote a nice column today for the Sporting News about this topic. His contention is that as long as Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey are in the Mets rotation, their problems aren’t cured. I have to agree with that contention. I like Mike Pelfrey and think he has the ability to be a solid starter at the big league level, but he is so unpolished that I think he needs more time in the minors.
Who knows what to make of Oliver Perez? I don’t think that anyone does this season. The Mets may just have caught lightning in a bottle last season with his 15 wins. If he can get out of the first or second inning in games, it’s just unacceptable. Pedro Martinez pitching every fifth day isn’t going to change that.
New York Mets catcher Brian Schneider talks to WFAN’s Joe & Evan. He covers the success that the Mets had on their recent home stand, Mike Pelfrey’s last start, Oliver Perez’ horrible game last night, and Pedro Martinez’ return to the mound.
I thought this game was completely out of hand for the Mets through seven innings. Chad Billingsley was cruising. He only gave up four hits and three walks through seven. But he had thrown 109 pitches and Joe Torre decided to take him out of the game. And that was all that the Mets needed.
After doing nothing offensively for the first seven innings, the Mets came alive against Jonathan Broxton. David Wright doubled and Carlos Beltran hit a huge home run off the scoreboard in right. It was about half way up the board like one of the old Darryl Strawberry shots. Carlos Delgado then singled, and Nick Evans pinch ran for him. Again, Fernando Tatis came up with a big hit to score Evans. I can’t believe how clutch Tatis has been.
Mike Pelfrey had a decent game overall even though it was a rough start. The Dodgers scored one in the first and one in the fourth. His line ended up looking good though, two runs over seven innings is a nice start. He looked like he was taking something off the fastball to try to throw more strikes, at least initially. We’ll see if it was enough to keep him on the roster when Pedro Martinez comes off on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Dodgers (27-27) at New York Mets (26-27) 3:55pm
Chad Billingsley (4-6) vs. Mike Pelfrey (2-6)
TV: Fox Radio: WFAN
What to watch: With Pedro Martinez coming back to the roster on Tuesday, some decisions will have to be made regarding the starting pitching. Mike Pelfrey hasn’t pitched well at all since his no-hit bid two weeks ago. That’s starting to look more like a fluke performance than a view of what he could be in the future. Pelfrey needs to step up his game today if he wants to avoid a trip back to the minors. Frankly, his poor performances have been hurting the team.
There’s no denying that David Wright was the star of tonight’s game. He had two homers off Brad Penny (who can’t do anything against the Mets for some reason). He hit a two run home run in the third inning and then again in the fourth.
The fourth inning was strange with a catchers interference call on Russell Martin with Claudio Vargas hitting. There was a crazy throw by Juan Pierre to third base and he has one of the worst arms I’ve seen since Bernie Williams. The throw got past Blake DeWitt and Brad Penny wasn’t backing him up. The Mets ended up with four runs in the inning.
Claudio Vargas was fair tonight. He went 5.2 innings giving up four runs. It was enough to keep the Mets in the game and give some length to the start, but not a great start for him. He should be trying to take Mike Pelfrey’s job when Pedro Martinez comes back next week. But this start won’t solidify his spot in the rotation.
Once again, the bullpen was incredible. Pedro Feliciano, Carlos Muniz, Scott Schoenweiss, and Joe Smith locked down the Dodgers after Vargas left the game. Those guys have been doing an incredible job. It’s good to see Schoenweiss having some success after last season was such a disaster for him.
I found it hard to believe that I was watching the same team that got clocked by the Braves and Rockies last week. This team has energy, hustle, and desire. Even Carlos Delgado made two nice plays in the field. I can’t believe that I’m even writing that sentence. He must be getting worried about losing significant playing time to guys that want it more than he does.
The Mets are planning to start injured star pitcher Pedro Martinez on June 3 in San Francisco. He’ll make one start for the St. Lucie Mets before joining the team on their road trip next week.
The Mets will have to make a decision about keeping Mike Pelfrey or Claudio Vargas in the rotation, and on the team, at that point. Vargas threw a stinker in Atlanta last week but his other two starts have been solid. He looks to be more consistent than Pelfrey.
Vargas could opt to become a free agent if the Mets designate him for assignment. It’s not a huge loss, but something to consider when making a decision.
My opinion is that Pelfrey needs some time in the minors to perfect his game. He’s got good stuff but isn’t consistent enough. He’s hurting the team.
The Mets Report 