A lot of people are getting very sick of Willie Randolph. That's understandable, as the very expensive Mets are only two games over .500. Here's my issue: I've never seen more fickle fans.
Sunday night and into Monday morning, Mets fans were riding high after taking two of three from the NL leading Diamondbacks. Emotions quickly turned as the Mets dropped the first game against the Dodgers Monday night.
One day he's doing everything right, the next he's in the doghouse again. Make up your minds!
I don't want to come across as some sort of Willie apologist, and I truly understand he is pretty awful at managing a bullpen. People were complaining last night that Randolph used three pitchers in the game. It's not his fault that Oliver Perez threw 95 pitches through six innings and gave up three long balls.
Do you want to keep the game close and have a few pitchers throw or tax a pitcher and have him stay in a game he's already performed poorly in?
Fans just can't seem to make up their minds, as usual. Again, sorry if I sound brash, but it's really just getting silly at this point. Do you want him to stick with a pitcher or have them try and win the game?
Randolph has quickly become the scapegoat, though Rick Peterson is not far behind. I know fans are passionate, because I am one, but until the team starts to tank, could you hold off for a bit? Again, they just took two of three from Arizona. Remember? It wasn't that long ago!!
Give him, and me, a break.
5/6/08
Honoring a fan
This isn't Mets related, but it's something I am truly behind.
If you haven't heard by now, a Red Sox fan was killed by a Yankee fan after a baseball infused argument. The Yankee fan then ran down a group of Boston fans with her car, killing one.
For the full story, go here.
A friend of The 'Ropolitans, Red Sox Monster, has started a petition to have a Matthew Beaudoin memorial day at Fenway Park.
Please, take a second out of your day and sign the petition.
Thank you.
If you haven't heard by now, a Red Sox fan was killed by a Yankee fan after a baseball infused argument. The Yankee fan then ran down a group of Boston fans with her car, killing one.
For the full story, go here.
A friend of The 'Ropolitans, Red Sox Monster, has started a petition to have a Matthew Beaudoin memorial day at Fenway Park.
Please, take a second out of your day and sign the petition.
Thank you.
Photo of the Day: Perez
Again, this photo says it all. Oliver Perez gave up three home runs Monday night.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Game Recap: Dodgers 5 -- Mets 1
The Dodgers were fans of the long ball tonight, knocking three off of Mets starter Oliver Perez, and coasted to a 5-1 win in the series opener.
Perez struggled through another start, this time lasting much longer. He threw six innings, giving up six hits and two walks, which allowed five earned runs to score. Perez kept the walks down, only giving away two free passes while striking out three batters.
Perez gave up his first dinger to the first batter of the game, as Rafael Furcal homered an 0-2 pitch to center field. Juan Pierre followed this up with a single and a steal, and was driven in by a Russel Martin two out single to center to field.
Perez then got the side in order for two straight innings in the third and fourth. He did not have the same luck in the fifth, as Blake DeWitt crushed his first home run of his career to straight away center field. After getting the first two outs of the inning, Perez allowed a two out walk to light hitting Pierre, and paid for it as Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run to right field.
This is actually a better start for Perez. Kept his walks low, which was big, but he wasn't hitting the glove where Brian Schneider wanted it. He kept it over the plate too much, and it showed as the Dodgers took him deep three times. A step in the right direction, but he needs a few more of these before Mets fans will trust him again.
The Mets got on the board in the sixth inning as Carlos Beltran smoked a ball down the right field line. The ball rattled around in the corner and Kemp booted it once or twice. Beltran coasted into third with a triple, but was being waved around by third base coach Sandy Alomar Sr. It was a moot point as Moises Alou followed it up with a single up the middle, easily scoring Beltran.
Beltran didn't pick up Alomar until it was too late. They have to get the basics down, or they're not going to win anything. Nice to see Alou contributing while he still adjusts to major league pitchers.
Where the heck does the offense go? One day they're there and smacking the ball left and right, the next day they're nonexistent. So far, through these 30 games, this team has been extremely inconsistent. One day they play great, another day they stink up the joint. They need to get into a rhythm somehow and I thought they sort of did that in Arizona. Guess not.
Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Mets. Sosa allowed one base runner, as Kemp singled during his stint on the mound.
Nice to see these guys turning in scoreless innings. Wish they meant more, like if the Mets had a lead, but alas.
Game Ball: Beltran
Perez struggled through another start, this time lasting much longer. He threw six innings, giving up six hits and two walks, which allowed five earned runs to score. Perez kept the walks down, only giving away two free passes while striking out three batters.
Perez gave up his first dinger to the first batter of the game, as Rafael Furcal homered an 0-2 pitch to center field. Juan Pierre followed this up with a single and a steal, and was driven in by a Russel Martin two out single to center to field.
Perez then got the side in order for two straight innings in the third and fourth. He did not have the same luck in the fifth, as Blake DeWitt crushed his first home run of his career to straight away center field. After getting the first two outs of the inning, Perez allowed a two out walk to light hitting Pierre, and paid for it as Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run to right field.
This is actually a better start for Perez. Kept his walks low, which was big, but he wasn't hitting the glove where Brian Schneider wanted it. He kept it over the plate too much, and it showed as the Dodgers took him deep three times. A step in the right direction, but he needs a few more of these before Mets fans will trust him again.
The Mets got on the board in the sixth inning as Carlos Beltran smoked a ball down the right field line. The ball rattled around in the corner and Kemp booted it once or twice. Beltran coasted into third with a triple, but was being waved around by third base coach Sandy Alomar Sr. It was a moot point as Moises Alou followed it up with a single up the middle, easily scoring Beltran.
Beltran didn't pick up Alomar until it was too late. They have to get the basics down, or they're not going to win anything. Nice to see Alou contributing while he still adjusts to major league pitchers.
Where the heck does the offense go? One day they're there and smacking the ball left and right, the next day they're nonexistent. So far, through these 30 games, this team has been extremely inconsistent. One day they play great, another day they stink up the joint. They need to get into a rhythm somehow and I thought they sort of did that in Arizona. Guess not.
Scott Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Mets. Sosa allowed one base runner, as Kemp singled during his stint on the mound.
Nice to see these guys turning in scoreless innings. Wish they meant more, like if the Mets had a lead, but alas.
Game Ball: Beltran
5/5/08
Game Preview: Mets @ Dodgers -- 5/5
After taking a series against the NL leading Arizona Diamondbacks, the Mets head further west to Los Angeles to take on Joe Torre and his Dodgers, a 10:10 p.m. start.
Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
RF Ryan Church
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
LF Moises Alou
1B Carlos Delgado
C Brian Schneider
2B Luis Castillo
SP Oliver Perez
Another day, another great lineup. I love it. Not much to say here. Good luck staying awake for the late game, I guess.
Mets vs. Chad Billingsley
Reyes: 0-1
Church: 0-4, BB, 2 K
Wright: No experience
Beltran: 0-1
Alou: 0-3, RBI, K
Delgado: No experience
Schneider: 1-4, 2 RBI
Castillo: 1-4
Boy, those are some great numbers. A combined 2-17.
Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
RF Ryan Church
3B David Wright
CF Carlos Beltran
LF Moises Alou
1B Carlos Delgado
C Brian Schneider
2B Luis Castillo
SP Oliver Perez
Another day, another great lineup. I love it. Not much to say here. Good luck staying awake for the late game, I guess.
Mets vs. Chad Billingsley
Reyes: 0-1
Church: 0-4, BB, 2 K
Wright: No experience
Beltran: 0-1
Alou: 0-3, RBI, K
Delgado: No experience
Schneider: 1-4, 2 RBI
Castillo: 1-4
Boy, those are some great numbers. A combined 2-17.
Again, before anyone asks
I hate to do two of these in a row, but I know for a fact that some sites will reccomend him as the perfect fit for the Mets and that is just downright insane.
Injury updates: Pedro, Wise, Castro
David Lennon in Newsday relays info that Pedro Martinez has begun throwing off a mound in Port St. Lucie.
According to Assistant GM John Ricco, Pedro could face live hitters as early as this week, but in the end, "it just depends on how he's feeling. Patience is part of the process."
A few weeks ago, Pedro was not missed. Now, with Mike Pelfrey beginning to struggle a bit, the Mets could use a guy like him back in the rotation. Don't hurry yourself, Pedro.
*****
Adam Rubin reports in The Daily News that both Matt Wise and Ramon Castro may be activated by next weekend's series against the Cincinnati Reds.Wise, who went on the DL with a strained forearm on April 2, is expected to throw in back-to-back games to test his arm and stamina, a la Duaner Sanchez's recovery benchmarks.
Castro could have been actiavated already, according to Rubin, but the Mets don't want two catchers with health issues on the roster at the same time. Leaving Raul Casanova up with the big squad gives them a steady, healthy catcher in case Brian Schneider can't go due to his thumb.
When Wise comes back, the Mets have a decision to make. Joe Smith has options, and is the most likely one to head back to AAA. So does Jorge Sosa, who before Arizona was almost entirely ineffective. Joe Janish from Mets Today also points out Aaron Heilman has options, but I think some barnyard animals need to sprout wings and take to the air before he goes anywhere.
And I've missed the Darth Vader walk-up music at Shea this year. Great to see Castro coming back soon.
5/4/08
Game Recap: Mets 5 -- Diamondbacks 2
The Mets were outhit today, but that didn't seem to bother them. After the bullpen blew the win for Johan Santana, the Mets rallied back in the ninth inning to take the rubber game and the series over the Diamondbacks by a score of 5-2.
Santana, like all Mets pitchers this weekend, struggled with pitch counts and getting through innings quickly. Santana pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and four walks, while striking out eight. He did not have one inning where he set down the side in order.
A lot of pitches, but only one run. Santana isn't even dealing his best stuff yet. Just wait...it's going to be amazing. Santana needed to get through some innings a lot quicker, but I'm not worried and you shouldn't be either.
The Mets got on the board in the third inning after Luis Castillo grounded into a fielders choice and was sacrificed over to second by Santana. Jose Reyes followed that up with a two out single to right, driving in Castillo.
In the fourth inning, David Wright lead off with a solo home run to deep left off of Arizona starter Dan Haren to put the Mets up by a pair.
Beautiful. Wright's swing was just so sweet on this pitch. Let's get these young guys into some hot streaks.
In the fourth, with Justin Upton on second base, Chris Snyder hit one of the strangest balls I've ever seen. The ball went deep to left field, bounced off the top of the wall, and ricocheted along the left field wall, running away from Moises Alou. Snyder slid into third with a triple as Upton scored easily.
Santana is lucky it didn't go an inch further, or it would have been a tied game. Again, I've never seen a ball bounce like that. Strange angles on the wall.
Santana got into trouble as he had the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, but got Chris Young to fly out to right to end the inning.
Good stuff.
Joe Smith came in for the Mets in the seventh inning. After striking out Augie Ojeda and Eric Byrnes to start the inning, Smith allowed a single to Conor Jackson before walking Upton. Mark Reynolds then hit a broken bat flare into left field, allowing Jackson to score and tie up the game. Smith rebounded by striking out Snyder.
Lucky hit here. Broken bat single just dropped in. If the bat doesn't break, it's an out. Poor Santana. Another win taken away by the bullpen.
For the eighth, Pedro Feliciano came in to pitch. Chris Burke dropped down a bunt to start the inning. Feliciano came off the mound to field the ball, but his throw to first went wild and into foul territory down the right field line. Burke dug it out for second, and as Ryan Church fielded the ball, Burke turned to go to third. Church then threw a one hopper to Wright at third, who applied the tag for the first out.
Amazing play. Went from disaster to spectacular in five seconds. Church has an absolute cannon for an arm in right. This was his fourth outfield assist of the year.
Feliciano then allowed an infield hit to pinch hitter Micah Owings before being removed in favor of Jorge Sosa. Sosa retired the next two batters and handed it off to the Mets bats in the ninth.
Beltran led off the ninth inning with a single off of Chad Qualls. Alou then picked up his first hit of the season, topping a ball, and thankfully putting some top spin on it, allowing it to scoot by Ojeda at short. Alou was removed for Endy Chavez, who pinch ran. Carlos Delgado, swinging first pitch, grounded a ball to first. Jackson fielded it, spun, and airmailed the throw to second base into left field. Beltran came around to score and put the Mets ahead by one.
Address all thank you cards and fruit baskets to Conor Jackson at 401 E. Jefferson Street in Phoenix, Arizona 85004.
After Brian Schneider sacrificed the runners over, Arizona made the very strange decision of intentionally walking Castillo to try and set up the double play. Pinch hitter Marlon Anderson made the Diamondbacks pay, singling the first pitch he saw to right field, driving home Chavez. Reyes followed it up, swinging on the first pitch, and hitting a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Delgado to tag up and score.
I love this. Way to get on a pitcher with a 0.00 ERA and knock him around for a few runs late in the game. This team showed fight, which has been lacking lately.
Billy Wagner entered for the ninth inning to close it out and earn the save, striking out Upton to end the game and retire the side in order.
Good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight. Wags for the save!
Game ball: Reyes
Santana, like all Mets pitchers this weekend, struggled with pitch counts and getting through innings quickly. Santana pitched six innings, allowing one run on six hits and four walks, while striking out eight. He did not have one inning where he set down the side in order.
A lot of pitches, but only one run. Santana isn't even dealing his best stuff yet. Just wait...it's going to be amazing. Santana needed to get through some innings a lot quicker, but I'm not worried and you shouldn't be either.
The Mets got on the board in the third inning after Luis Castillo grounded into a fielders choice and was sacrificed over to second by Santana. Jose Reyes followed that up with a two out single to right, driving in Castillo.
In the fourth inning, David Wright lead off with a solo home run to deep left off of Arizona starter Dan Haren to put the Mets up by a pair.
Beautiful. Wright's swing was just so sweet on this pitch. Let's get these young guys into some hot streaks.
In the fourth, with Justin Upton on second base, Chris Snyder hit one of the strangest balls I've ever seen. The ball went deep to left field, bounced off the top of the wall, and ricocheted along the left field wall, running away from Moises Alou. Snyder slid into third with a triple as Upton scored easily.
Santana is lucky it didn't go an inch further, or it would have been a tied game. Again, I've never seen a ball bounce like that. Strange angles on the wall.
Santana got into trouble as he had the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, but got Chris Young to fly out to right to end the inning.
Good stuff.
Joe Smith came in for the Mets in the seventh inning. After striking out Augie Ojeda and Eric Byrnes to start the inning, Smith allowed a single to Conor Jackson before walking Upton. Mark Reynolds then hit a broken bat flare into left field, allowing Jackson to score and tie up the game. Smith rebounded by striking out Snyder.
Lucky hit here. Broken bat single just dropped in. If the bat doesn't break, it's an out. Poor Santana. Another win taken away by the bullpen.
For the eighth, Pedro Feliciano came in to pitch. Chris Burke dropped down a bunt to start the inning. Feliciano came off the mound to field the ball, but his throw to first went wild and into foul territory down the right field line. Burke dug it out for second, and as Ryan Church fielded the ball, Burke turned to go to third. Church then threw a one hopper to Wright at third, who applied the tag for the first out.
Amazing play. Went from disaster to spectacular in five seconds. Church has an absolute cannon for an arm in right. This was his fourth outfield assist of the year.
Feliciano then allowed an infield hit to pinch hitter Micah Owings before being removed in favor of Jorge Sosa. Sosa retired the next two batters and handed it off to the Mets bats in the ninth.
Beltran led off the ninth inning with a single off of Chad Qualls. Alou then picked up his first hit of the season, topping a ball, and thankfully putting some top spin on it, allowing it to scoot by Ojeda at short. Alou was removed for Endy Chavez, who pinch ran. Carlos Delgado, swinging first pitch, grounded a ball to first. Jackson fielded it, spun, and airmailed the throw to second base into left field. Beltran came around to score and put the Mets ahead by one.
Address all thank you cards and fruit baskets to Conor Jackson at 401 E. Jefferson Street in Phoenix, Arizona 85004.
After Brian Schneider sacrificed the runners over, Arizona made the very strange decision of intentionally walking Castillo to try and set up the double play. Pinch hitter Marlon Anderson made the Diamondbacks pay, singling the first pitch he saw to right field, driving home Chavez. Reyes followed it up, swinging on the first pitch, and hitting a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Delgado to tag up and score.
I love this. Way to get on a pitcher with a 0.00 ERA and knock him around for a few runs late in the game. This team showed fight, which has been lacking lately.
Billy Wagner entered for the ninth inning to close it out and earn the save, striking out Upton to end the game and retire the side in order.
Good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight. Wags for the save!
Game ball: Reyes
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