Omar Minaya realizes his mistake: To shop Luis Castillo

There couldn't be much better news than this.

Adam Rubin writes:

Luis Castillo signed a four-year, $25 million contract last winter. But the Mets are signaling they intend to shop the second baseman this offseason, even if it means eating some contract.

I know of a few readers who might be moved to tears after reading that. Tears of joy, that is.

The Mets have options at second, and it looks like they're going to move Daniel Murphy there full time. Murphy will play in the Arizona Fall League after the season is over, and is expected to see almost all of his time at second base.

To me, Murphy just doesn't look like a normal second basemen. I'm so used to seeing guys like Roberto Alomar, Kaz Matsui, Damion Easley and Castillo at second. They're smaller and quicker. Murphy is a bit larger, and wouldn't seem to have the same range as the players previously mentioned.

Can't forget Argenis Reyes, who might be the backup at second and short next season.

Either way, if the Mets could find a suitor for Castillo, they better be ready to eat a lot of contract. I can't think of any team that would want the gimpiest player in the league, but if the Mets can get a bag of balls for him, they must pull the trigger.

The make or break series

With 22 games to play, the Mets will welcome the Phillies into Shea one last time in a series that could put the kibash on the Phillies season.

Obviously, no lead is safe, as we learned last year, but the Mets have been playing much better baseball than they were in '07.

If the Mets could take two of three, say, the first and last games, they would be up four games with 19 to play. The rest of the season for the Mets has them play six more against Washington, another six against Atlanta, four against the Cubbies and three against the Marlins.

The Phillies finish out their season with six more against the Fish, four games at Milwaukee, six against the Braves, and a three game series with the Nationals to end the season.

A fairly even schedule between the two teams.

Again, no lead is safe, but a big series for the Mets here, and one could almost smell October baseball.

The Darryl Strawberry "Chocolate Strawberry" song

Don't mind the video, just listen to the song.



Now I know where Chocolate Rain came from. Tay Zonday, you have some explaining to do!

Off Topic: Proof MLB doesn't belong in Miami

On Wednesday, the Marlins welcomed the Braves for a day game. Only 600 people showed up to watch.

You read that right. Six hundred. 6-0-0.

According to the AP, the park was so sparse "home plate chatter could be heard."

That's just sickening. Sure, the Marlins are falling out of the playoff race fast, and the Braves have put together one of the worst seasons in franchise history, but 600? Minor league teams could easily draw more that that!

This is just another case for moving the Marlins out of Miami. A better market, like Portland, OR or even Las Vegas, NV would do wonders for the team.

In Vegas though, you still have the issue of nomadic fans. I'm sure the residents of Las Vegas would embrace them, but like Miami, it's a huge tourist destination, and many of the fans attending the game might just be people passing through and not fans of the home team.

If the Marlins were to move out of the NL East, which is unlikely as they are getting are supposed to be getting a brand new stadium in Miami, the logical move to even out the divisions would be to move the Pittsburgh Pirates into the division.

It's probably a moot point, but something needs to be done down in Miami. 600?!?

Vintage Steve Somers [Video]

First off, it looks almost nothing like him. I dig the little fro there, Shmooze.

Also, his voice is so different. I guess he didn't really find that magical, mythical drone until he hit WFAN. Around 2:45 you catch a glimpse of the voice we've come to know and love as Mets fans.

Billy Wagner could be back by Tuesday

The bullpen has had it's ups and downs all season. Without Billy Wagner they've seemed to struggle mightily to end games. Finally, thankfully, it looks like Wagner could return next week.

According to David Lennon in Newsday, Wagner threw 20 pitches at Shea Stadium yesterday as he attempts to come back from a sore left elbow that landed him on the DL.

I hope the Mets aren't rushing him back, but I think they've learned their lesson on how to deal with injuries this season. In Wagner's absence, the Mets have lost a few games they should have won due to the closer, but nothing that Wagner might not have done himself.

His absence allowed for players like Luis Ayala, Brian Stokes, and even Aaron Heilman to see time in tougher situations to see how they would hold up.

When Wagner comes back, I can see Ayala shifting into more of an eighth inning role, even though Jerry Manuel likes to keep things fluid in his bullpen.

Either way, getting Wagner back will be a big plus for the Mets in their drive for the playoffs and as long as he stays healthy and converts his chances, all will be right with the bullpen again.

Game Recap: Mets 9 -- Brewers 2

Sweep those brooms.

Pitching Performance

Handed a six run lead before he even entered the game, Oliver Perez gave up only two hits before the sixth inning. A Corey Hart double drove in the first Brewer run in the sixth, and J.J. Hardy added a solo home run in the seventh, accounting for all the Brewers runs.

Perez allowed five hits, but struggled with his control, as he also walked five batters. Fittingly, Perez also struck out five.

I feel like a broken record: He was good, but not great. He held on to the lead he was handed and did what he needed to do. The walks are something to keep an eye on though.

Joe Smith needed only four pitches, three of which went for strikes, to get Ryan Braun to end the 7th. Duaner Sanchez and Scott Schoeneweis finished out the game, each throwing a scoreless inning to bring the game to a close.

Bullpen, baby! Lately, they've been excellent. No complaints here.

Offensive Output

The Mets were able to bust out an early lead and actually held on to it.

Carlos Delgado got the Mets on the board in the first inning, singling to right field to drive in Daniel Murphy. After a Carlos Beltran walk loaded the bases, Ryan Church blasted a grand slam to deep right field.

Glad to have him back. Hallelujah!

Brian Schneider added a solo home run in the first, finishing out the six run inning, all the Mets would need today.

This guy has come out of nowhere and started hitting home runs. I don't know why or how, but who am I to question?

The Mets were held off the board until the 8th inning, when a ball off the bat of Nick Evans was deflected, allowing Beltran and Luis Castillo to score. They added one more in the ninth on a David Wright sac-fly, driving in Murhpy.

The offense is clicking, on all levels. Murphy has been an amazing addition, along with Evans. The rookies have helped jump start the team, and now the rest of the guys are picking up what they started.

The Rest of the Story

Wright Watch: 1-4, RBI, run, K.

Murphy: 2-4, BB, 2 runs.

The Mets bullpen threw two 1-3 innings, and needed only 22 pitches.

Game Ball: Ryan Church.

The perfect lineup

Here's today's lineup as the Mets look for the sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers:

Jose Reyes, SS
Daniel Murphy, LF
David Wright, 3B
Carlos Delgado, 1B
Carlos Beltran, CF
Ryan Church, RF
Luis Castillo, 2B
Brian Schneider, C
Oliver Perez, P

To me, that's the best lineup the team can field. One could make an argument for Fernando Tatis over Church, and even for Damion Easley over Castillo, but neither is a huge advantage over the other.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Mets perfect lineup.

The best defense is...a good defense

In Tuesday night's win over the Brewers, some Mets pitchers needed a little bit of help from their players behind them.

Three plays come to mind, two of which are of the outfield assist variety.

In the fourth, with Nelson Figueroa on the mound and Corey Hart at the plate, Hart was able to reach out and poke a blooper into shallow center field. Carlos Beltran, who was in the lineup despite a "knee contusion" from sliding into umpire Ed Rapuano, was able to charge the ball, make a strong throw through Carlos Delgado's wickets, and nail J.J. Hardy at the plate.

One cannot doubt Beltran's fielding prowess. He's got a cannon for an arm, and the wherewithal to pick up what's going on in the field in front of him, and make the play. He may not be the greatest hitter ever, but there is no one I would want more in center field.

Another OF assist came from Endy Chavez. With one out in the eighth inning, Brian Stokes was facing off against Rickie Weeks. Weeks pulled one down the third base line, and started motoring towards and around first. Chavez, who was playing left field, came charging down into foul territory and picked up the ball on the bounce. Chavez turned and threw a bullet to second, where Jose Reyes was able to apply the tag on Weeks, who also slid into an umpire, this time it was Brian O'Nora.

As I said in my game recap, Chavez, though not an everyday player, continues to build his legend as a member of the New York Mets. From the NLCS catch, to the drag bunt to win the game against the Rockies, to this OF assist and eventual game winning sac-fly, I think Chavez's number might be retired before Keith or Piazza.

With Joe Smith on, and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hart stung a ground ball down the third base line, forcing David Wright to move to his right and make a diving stop. He was able to jump up, set, and throw to first. What I thought was a lollipop throw, arrived on time to Delgado at first, and Hart was out by a step.

Wright still seems to be struggling at the plate, but his defense is the hold steady. His errors almost always come on routine plays, ones he may or may not take for granted. But plays like this, ones that require every single aspect to go perfectly, he almost always pulls off without a hitch.

These three plays were so instrumental in the Mets earning the win last night. The defense has been nearly perfect lately, and it's really benefitting the team both on the field and in their mind.

Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Brewers 5

The bullpen was amazin'. Simple as that.

Pitching Performance

Making his Major League debut, Jon Niese was tagged with for a home run while facing his first batter. Rickie Weeks took Niese deep to left on his third pitch of the game. He got into more trouble in the inning, but was able to work out of it.

He pitched well through the next few innings, but wasn't able to work out of the fourth inning. Niese let up four more runs in the fourth inning, before being removed. His final line: 3+ IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.

The second and third were all right, I guess. He has nasty stuff, but I'm sure his nerves were wreaking havoc on his composure. Nice to get a few innings out of him. I think he'll be better the next time around.

From here on out, the game was in the bullpen hands, something Mets fans do not want to see. Surprisingly and amazingly the bullpen threw seven innings of shut out baseball, allowing only four hits.

Four! Wow.

Nelson Figueroa came into the game after Niese, and ended up throwing two scoreless innings. Figueroa let up three hits, but was able to work out of trouble. He also walked one and struck out three. Duaner Sanchez threw an inning of perfect baseball. Brian Stokes looked absolutely brilliant, throwing two plus innings, allowing one hit and a walk, while striking out two.

Stokes was spectacular. I love it. Sign him. I love his fastball.

Pedro Feliciano worked out of a jam, getting a double play ground ball in the ninth inning. Joe Smith came on and ended the ninth, and moved the game into extras.

Luis Ayala was handed a one run lead in the bottom of the tenth, and of course had to make it interesting. He allowed a two-out double, and then walked a batter before getting Weeks (who went 4-6 on the night) to strikeout.

Whewwwwwwwwwwwww! Hear that noise? That's every Mets fan in the world taking a sign of relief. Ayala, I'll be sending you my bill for my heart medication. Thanks.

Offensive Output

Instead of the first again, the Mets waited an inning and struck in the second inning. Fernando Tatis and Damion Easley picked up RBI's in the second, Tatis with a double and Easley with a ground ball to short.

Tatis is swinging a hot bat. Keep Ryan Church in the PH role and spot started. Play the hot hand, please.

In the third, Carlos Beltran crushed a three-run home run to deep left field, driving in David Wright and Nick Evans.

The Carloses are getting toasty. Watch out, NL, here come Los Carloses!

With the game tied up in the top of the tenth, Daniel Murphy came up to the plate and again delievered in a clutch situation. Murphy singled to lead off the inning, followed by an attempted sacrifice bunt from Jose Reyes to move him into scoring posisition. Jason Kendall picked up the bunt and made the throw to first, but the ball was dropped by Weeks, who was covering, allowing Murphy to move to third base. Endy Chavez followed it up with a sac fly to deep right, plating Murphy and giving the Mets the upper hand.

Thank you, Endy. Way to come through in the clutch again. He may not be the best player, but he will go down in the annals of Mets history as a legend for some of the things he has done.

The Rest of the Story

Wright Watch: 1-5, run, K. Still looks lost at the plate for most of his AB.

The umpiring was a bit iffy most of the night, especially in the tenth. Some close pitches would go for a ball, others that were further out of the zone were called strikes. Frustrating, to say the least.

Game Ball: The entire bullpen.