Tag: Taylor Buchholz

Giants 7 – Mets 6 May 3, 2011

Carlos Beltran
Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

The Mets and Giants went back and forth exchanging the lead throughout the game. R.A. Dickey wasn’t very sharp at all again. He went 6 innings and gave up 6 runs. He hasn’t looked like the guy that was unstoppable last season.

The Mets had some good offense going tonight with 11 hits and leaving 11 runners on base. They put up 6 runs, which should be enough to win most games. Jose Reyes and Josh Thole both had 3 hits. And Carlos Beltran had a big 3-run homer down the line in right field in the first inning. At that point I was thinking things were looking good for the Mets. But Dickey couldn’t hold it.

Taylor Buchholz gave up a solo shot in the tenth inning to Aubrey Huff to lose the game. The other story line to mention was Thole having trouble getting his glove on the ball. He had a throwing error but just holding onto the ball was a struggle for him. It isn’t easy with a knuckleballer on the mound but he has some work to do.

Box score

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”

Mets Alderson Emails Update on Player Acquisitions

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: Fred Wilpon, General M...
Image by Getty Images via @daylife

From Sandy Alderson to the Mets email list:

January 7, 2011

Dear Mets Fans:

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday.

With Spring Training just six weeks away, I wanted to update you on our preparation for the 2011 season.

Yesterday, we wrapped up two days of meetings in Port St. Lucie where we went over organizational philosophy and how to implement it throughout the major and minor leagues. It was also the first opportunity for Terry Collins and his staff to sit down and discuss the mechanics of Spring Training and determine how they will emphasize fundamentals, mental and physical preparation and hard work. As Terry has said, the driving force will be playing the game the right way, which will lead to more wins.

Over the past two months, we have followed our plan of filling out our roster with reasonably priced players who have significant upside potential. As I have said before, our payroll – which will be among the highest in baseball – gives us limited flexibility, but we do have money to spend. We have acquired players who we think can thrive at Citi Field and complement our existing group of players.

As you likely know, earlier this week we signed pitchers Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz. Chris is a former All-Star and 18-game winner who last year came back from his second Tommy John surgery. We are confident he has the ability to re-establish himself as a dependable starter who can excel in our ballpark. Taylor has fully recovered from elbow surgery and has the potential to be a solid arm out of the bullpen.

Every year players come out of nowhere to become success stories. Look no further than R.A. Dickey. He signed a minor-league deal last January, became a fixture in the starting rotation in May, and finished the season with 11 victories and a 2.84 ERA. I believe some of our offseason acquisitions can be this year’s version of R.A.

We are excited about 2011. We have a solid core group of players who we expect will make significant contributions to making the Mets a success. As we have said all along, we will put ourselves in the best position possible to succeed both in the short and long term.

There will be an exciting brand of baseball played at Citi Field this year that matches the passion and intensity that you have for the team.

Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark.

Sincerely,

Sandy AldersonSandy Alderson
General Manager

Enhanced by Zemanta

Mets Sign Capuano, Buchholz, Designate Igarashi

Throwing the ball.
Image via Wikipedia

We can all see where this is going. Chris Capuano is a soft-tossing lefty starter that could easily replace Oliver Perez on the Major League roster. Taylor Buchholz should find a spot in the bullpen as a right-handed middle reliever. The Mets had to make room on the roster and Ryota Igarashi was designated for assignment.

Capuano signed for 1-year/$1.5 million with performance bonuses. Buchholz signed a non-guaranteed $600,000 contract with bonuses. The Mets are on the hook for $1.75 million for Igarashi for this year as part of the lost http://www.mindanews.com/buy-levaquin/ money they’ll be responsible for.

Capuano has been through two Tommy John surgeries and couldn’t keep a spot in the awful Brewers rotation last year. Although his numbers look like Felix Hernandez compared to Perez. He was 4-4 with a 3.95 ERA last year in 9 starts and 15 relief appearances.

The bottom line is that the Mets are signing some players on the cheap as we knew they would. They’re not making any major financial commitments and hoping they can find a diamond in the rough.

Enhanced by Zemanta