Aaron Heilman is smart

According to Adam Rubin's notebook, Aaron Heilman is one of two MLB players to serve on the panel looking into broken bats in baseball.

Rubin:

Heilman said the issue is more complex than simply banning a certain type of wood. The group is studying how the bats are manufactured and such criteria as grain, dryness and shape. As an example, Heilman said it's possible that maple itself isn't a problem - just that inferior maple perhaps is being used because the prime material is steered to such things as table legs.

The main offender in baseball has shown to be of the maple variety. Carlos Delgado should know, as he was speared with a shard of bat in spring training, when a Brady Clark bat exploded.

I've posted about the maple bats before, and I came to a pretty simple conclusion: Ban them. Immediately.

Sadly, it's going to take someone to get seriously injured before a shift is made. If MLB can make it through this season without incident, I doubt we'll see those bats again next year.

Well go use that Notre Dame education, Mr. Heilman. Just make sure when the Mets call on you, your mind is on the batter you need to retire, not the trajectory of a possible flying bat spear.

Game Recap: Mets 10 -- Nationals 8

Incompetent baseball at its finest, thankfully the Mets were just a tad bit better.

Pitching Performance

Well, that stunk. Oliver Perez was staked to a three-run lead, and quickly game it back and then some. Perez lasted only three 1-3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three.

What to say...what to say. That was a miserable outing by Perez. That is all.

Nelson Figueroa came in to mop up for Perez, and allowed two runs to score. Luckily for Figueroa, those runs were charged elsewhere.

As I said in a previous game recap, on the days the starting pitching fails to show, the bullpen usually shines. That was the case tonight, as the pen combined to throw five 2-3 innings, allowing only one run charged to them. Brandon Knight was the man to surrender the run.

Joe Smith pitched one 2-3 innings, allowing only one hit, walking one, and striking out one. Thanks to Los Carloses, Smith ended up earning the win. Luis Ayala came in with a two-run lead in the ninth, and worked a perfect inning to close out the win.

Another one to sweat out, but another "eek-out" win by the Mets.

Offensive Output

The Mets needed all the runs they could get tonight, and thankfully the bats came to play.

Damion Easley got it started in the second inning, knocking a two-run double to left, bringing in Carlos Delgado and Fernando Tatis.

Just the beginning of a huge night for Delgado.

In the next inning, the Mets picked up more runs, with Ryan Church blasting a solo home run to deep right. A few batters later, Delgado crushed a two-run home run off the scoreboard in right.

Smell that? Something is on fire, and I think it's Delgado.

In the fourth, a Church ground ball drove in another run, followed by a single by Wright to drive in another.

Down one run, entering the sixth, Los Carloses teed off. Carlos Beltran blasted a two-run home run to left center, followed by another Delgado goner, this one of the solo variety.

Last September, these two were MIA. This time around, they're front and center.

The Rest of the Story

All Mets position players picked up a hit, and only the six, seven and eight hitters were held to one.

The teams combined for 18 runs and 26 hits.

Game Ball: Carlos Delgado

Wallace Matthews and I agree, again

I'm starting to get a little worried. This is the second article where I've agreed with what baseball curmudgeon Wallace Matthews has had to say.

In his latest article, Matthews believes that the Mets should "rally around Wagner."

Since Billy Wagner went down, the Mets have lost only 11 games. Roughly half of those can be blamed on the bullpen, so it's nothing extremely out of the ordinary. The team can win without him, and Matthews wants them to stop making excuses and win even if they don't have their closer.

Rather than take this as yet another excuse for failure, built-in reason No. 629 for why once again, the $140-million Mets just couldn't quite get it done, they ought to try something new this season.

Such as winning in spite of Wagner's injury, rather than losing because of it.

The Mets haven't done their best, at least as well as I think they could have done, since Wagner went on the DL on August 3. They've only lost 11 games. Think about that, would they have done the same if Wagner was there, or maybe even worse?

The Mets have been able to patch together the bullpen since the few days following losing their closer. Luis Ayala, though hittable, has been able to convert five saves so far, and a handful of guys have also picked up some along the way.

My vote for closer, right now: Brian Stokes. This guy has really come out of nowhere and has been able to get guys out with consistency. His fastball is lively, and he has poise on the mound. Ayala is decent, but I'd like to see what this guy can do.

With or without him, the Mets have to win. Since there's no chance he's coming back anytime soon, the Mets need to buck up and prepare for life without their closer. Win or lose, it's because of the team on the field, not the guys on the DL.

A new home run apple will be used in Citi Field

That's right everybody, we can all sleep easier tonight as the "Great Apple Dilemma of 2008" has now been solved.

The Daily News is reporting that a brand, spankin' new apple will be used to cap off home runs in Citi Field when it opens in 2009.

I don't think the people at SaveTheApple.com will be terribly pleased, but they have to be just a little bit happy that at least there is still an apple, even if it's not the same exact one.

The question now is, who is going to put up the cash to buy the old one??

Hopefully it can find a wonderful home in the dwelling of a die-hard fan, or place it somewhere in the parking lot for people to rub for good luck. Maybe even somewhere around New York City.

Commence the curse

"Registration for Mets playoff tix opens"

Oh, crap.

I hate when teams do this. I know it's a necessary evil, but it just stinks of "jinx."

But for those with the cash, get your name in now for the possibility of possible playoff tickets.

Maybe losing Billy Wagner isn't all that bad

I present to you, Billy Wagner's postseason numbers. Take it as you will.


And for reference, Luis Ayala's October numbers.

Oh, wait. There are none.

So long, Billy Wagner

It looks like Billy Wagner has thrown his last pitch of 2008, and well into 2009.

The fireballer will undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery and will definitely miss the rest of this season. Next year will see a lot of rehabbing, and he may miss all of that season as well.

Hello, Francisco Rodriguez.

As bad of an injury that may be, I'm glad it happened when it did. The bullpen already has had to live without Wagner to close games, and now must get used to it as the rest of the season will be like this. We've seen what Luis Ayala can do, and while he's not lights out, he's semi-capable in that role.

It's my hunch that Wagner has thrown his last pitch as a member of the New York Mets, and probably as a closer in the major leagues as well. Should be interesting to see where he goes from here.

It'll be even more interesting if the Mets pursue K-Rod this offseason, something I thought they were on the fence about during the year. Now, they have a need and he would more than fill it.

Two up, nineteen to play

I'm am far from a pessimist. I almost always see the bright side in life and generally expect the good to happen over the bad.

But I can't help myself to look at the Mets this year and think about 2007 all over again. I've been pretty vocal about forgetting about last year, putting it behind us and just moving on. Well, the Mets have made that kind of hard to do.

Thankfully, they salvaged a win last night, as Johan Santana was masterful and the offense (Carlos Delgado) found a groove. Serious talk must be had about the year Delgado is having, and if the Mets can make it into the playoffs, he may very well win the MVP.

But here the Mets stand, with nineteen games to play and a two game lead. The two teams share almost the same schedule, with all but four games coming against similar teams. The Phillies get the Brewers, the Mets play the Cubs.

So it will be a test, a test of who can beat the Braves, Nationals, and Marlins. Who can take down the NL East rivals down the stretch, something the '07 Mets failed to do.

I hate to say it, but here we go again. Here's to another crazy September, another three weeks of scoreboard watching, another 23 days of agida. Break out the Pepcid, it's time to worry.

Game Recap: Mets 6 -- Phillies 3

Hey Phillies, put away those brooms.

Pitching Performance

Looking to save his team from a sweep and from falling into a tie for first place, Johan Santana came to play. He got into a little bit of trouble early, allowing a run in the first inning when Ryan Howard singled in Chase Utley.

In the third, Howard got to Santana again, knocking a solo home run to deep left field. Santana ended up throwing seven 1-3 innings, scattering five hits. He walked three and struck out six, en route to his 13th win of the season.

This is why he gets the big bucks. He threw 116 pitches, 71 of which went for strikes. Can't ask for much more than that. Well done, Johan. We love you.

Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes combined to finish out the eighth inning. Feliciano retired Ryan Howard and Stokes got Pat Burrell on one pitch to end the inning.

Luis Ayala allowed a run in the top of the ninth, but was able to close it out without further issues. He allowed two hits, the one earned run, and struck out one.

You better like that role, Ayala. It looks like you're going to be there for the rest of the season.

Offensive Output

The Mets were down by one run before they even came to bat, but they rallied for three runs in the first inning off of Cole Hamels. Carlos Beltran put the Mets on the board with an RBI single, driving in Ryan Church, who doubled earlier in the inning. Carlos Delgado followed that up with a two-run single to center, starting his huge night.

I love when the Mets score early, but I always fear that they won't score again the rest of the game. Thankfully, that wasn't the case tonight.

In the third, Delgado continued his hot night, with a solo home run deeeeep to right field. In the fifth, Delgado continued his hot night, with a solo home run to deeeeep to right field.

Yes, I know it's the same sentence twice, with only one word changed. But hey, it works.

The Mets added an insurance run in the 8th. After a Damion Easley triple, Brian Schneider hit a sac-fly to right, pushing Easley across.

Notice Luis Castillo was MIA all day. Thank goodness.

The Rest of the Story

Both leadoff hitters went 0-5.

Delgado picked up his 100th RBI.

Game Ball: Johan Santana and Carlos Delgado.

Billy Wagner done for the year?

Strike two on the day.

David Lennon is reporting that Billy Wagner may be done for the year.

Wagner was throwing a simulated game at Shea Stadium, but was unable to continue after only a handful of pitches, even hitting one of the batters he faced.

Lennon relays a pretty telling quote from Wagner: "That's it. I can't do it anymore."

Looks like the Mets should just settle in with the thought of not having Wagner for the rest of the season. Groom Luis Ayala for the closer role for the rest of the season and hopefully into the post-season.

The only thing that could make today worse is getting swept at home by the Phillies.