FJM takes down Matthews

Wallace Matthews, you have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat Fire Joe Morgan?

Bye-Bye Brady

Brady Clark has been designated for assignment to make room for Gustavo Molina.

Brian Schneider will not need a trip to the disabled list, as he will need some IV and should be better within a few days.

Bye Brady, I always liked you.

Game Preview: Mets @ Nationals -- 4/24

The Mets look to sweep the two game series in Washington tonight, a 7:10 p.m. start.

Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
2B Luis Castillo
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Angel Pagan
C Raul Casanova
SP Oliver Perez

Perez vs. Shawn Hill

Same lineup as last night, sans Brian Schneider, who is already back in New York having his infected thumb looked at.

Schneider out with infected thumb

According to Adam Rubin, Brian Schneider is already back in New York, after being sent home to have his infected thumb looked at. Rubin believes this may require some time on the disabled list, so expect Gustavo Molina to be promoted soon.

If Schneider doesn't hit the DL, expect Brady Clark to be the casualty to make room.

Joe Smith does not like Cubs fans

The language is rated R, so be careful blasting this around children.
Joe Smith got heckled in the outfield in Chicago, and did not enjoy it. He yelled back.



I can only imagine what they were yelling to him, but it's not very professional for a major league baseball player to retaliate like that. Smith, you are on probation and your nickname of "The Man" is suspended for the next week.

By the way, the man with the camera gives such insightful play by play. "This is Joe Smith, heckling the fans." Thanks buddy, I couldn't get that from the video.

[Video via Home Run Derby]

David Wright with the Answer Man

First of all, if you don't read Big League Stew, you must begin, immediately. Go back to the beginning and start from there.

One of the features they do is "Answer Man," an interview featuring some unorthodox questions, stuff you wouldn't usually find in a normal interview. The latest edition takes on David Wright.

A few of my favorites:

Q: What about the widely held belief that you are the Austin Powers of the majors, in that men want to be you and women want to be with you?

DW: I don’t know about that [laughs]. It’s fun to be single and living in New York, playing for a good organization. I have no complaints there. As far as the other end of it, if I can take care of business on the field, then there are some nice perks that come along with a winning team.

---

Q: Could you tell if the monster in Cloverfield destroyed your apartment building?

DW: I did see a couple of landmarks near my apartment, but I don’t live in a real big high rise, so he might have missed mine. Fortunately, I think it was spared.

---

Q: Ever go up to Mr. Met and say, “Hey, buddy, why the big head?”

DW: It’s funny, trying to see him walk through doorways; he’s gotta turn sideways but his head is the same size no matter how it’s turned. He’s … he’s a good mascot.

Wright is probably one of the luckiest guys in the world. Single, young, living in NYC, rich, plays baseball for a living. What else could you want? I envy you, David.

Oh, and yes, Mr. Met is a good mascot, the best in the league, I would say.

The many theories of who can play first

Here is a short rundown of the managarie of theories I've heard about to play first base, since Carlos Delgado has sputtered so far this season:

1. Angel Pagan to first.

I'll admit it, this was of my own doing. It could work, right? He's young(ish), athletic, and hungry to play. Maybe not.

2. Moises Alou to first.

Ha. Ha. Funny joke.

3. Alou to left, Pagan to right, Ryan Church to first.

Plausible. But Church hasn't played first, either. Give it a shot, maybe? How much can it hurt?

4. Brady Clark to first.

His days are numbered with Alou coming back. Too late to even bother.

5. Mike Carp to first.

Sure, he's tearing up AA ball, and I'd like to see him get a shot, but it's not going to happen. Alou coming back bumps Clark off the roster, so if Carp comes up, who goes? No one, because it's not going to happen, barring injury.

Any others?

Harold Reynolds to join SNY

Neil Best, in his Watchdog blog for Newsday, breaks the news that Harold Reynolds will join SNY as an studio analyst.

From Best:

Harold Reynolds, formerly of the Alaska Goldpanners, Seattle Mariners and ESPN, and currently of MLB.com, has joined SNY as a part-time studio analyst, the network will announce this morning.

Reynolds will make his debut Friday night on the pre- and post-game shows for Mets-Braves, the first of about 20 appearances this season.

Reynolds was fired from ESPN for alleged sexual harassment. He sued ESPN, and the two sides reached an agreement last week.

I like Reynolds, so I like this move. Reynolds was always great at the Little League World Series, something I never miss, so I'm sure he'll be just fine at SNY.

Minor league possibilities

I received a comment asking for a report on any minor league players that can fill in at first base, possibly sometime this season due the the decline of Carlos Delgado. For that, I will grab a quote from my buddy Tejesh, one of the guys from Mets Prospect Hub, and build off of that.

From last night's Minor League Report:

Mike Carp may be the hottest hitter on the planet (not named Chase Utley, that is) - he had another 3 hits, including a double and 2 RBI, and is now hitting an absurd .442/482/.727/1.210. What is very encouraging, and it's something we've pointed to for as long as the blog's been in existance, is his numbers vs LHP. Right now, he's 14 for 33, with 9 runs, 2b, 3 HR, 7 RBI vs LHP, .424/.441/.727/1.168. He was 19 for 110 vs LHP last season.

Carp is a 21-year-old out of Long Beach, California. The Mets drafted him in the 9th round (254 overall) of the 2004 amateur draft. Clark is rebounding off an injury and a terrible year. Last year, Carp broke his finger last season, and when he returned, only hit .251/.337/.387/.724 (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS).

This season has been a bit of a different story. Carp, along with Dan Murphy and Nick Evans have been tearing up AA ball. Murphy, who can play third, first, and even second, is bringing down some hefty numbers of .342/.383/.603/.985. Evans, also playing third, first, and the occasional OF, completes what MPH has dubbed "The Trinity." Evans is batting .392/.438/.532/.970.

In our "Ideal Lineup" discussion on Mets Lounge, my buddy Ryan Punzalan, who will be contributing some articles here in the near future, projects both Carp and Evans to be in the 2010 Mets starting lineup.

Of the three, I can see Carp getting called up sometime this year. If Delgado continues his downward slide, and the Mets are unable to find a decent first baseman on the cheap, Carp could get a call sometime this year.

Willie's Angels

Your mission, if you choose to accept it: Stop a three game losing streak.

Mission: Accomplished.