Injured and have gone on the DL:
Injured and have not gone on the DL:
This bodes well.
That was for sure.”
-Jerry Manuel after a win over Boston
The Mets scored runs. The Mets pitched well. The Mets realized this is how to win baseball games.
The New York Mets (23-19) beat the Boston Red Sox (25-18) by a score of 5-3.
With Johan Santana on the mound, the Mets actually gave him some run support. The Mets got on the board early with a Gary Sheffield home run off the foul pole in left field in the second inning.
Jason Varitek got it right back with a solo home run of his own in the bottom half of the inning.
The Mets then picked up three RBI singles in the fourth inning, from David Wright, Omir Santos and – wait for it – Ramon Martinez.
In the bottom of the fourth, Martinez gave two runs back when his fielding error allowed two runs to score.
Angel Pagan added an insurance run in the 7th inning with an RBI single.
Santana scattered seven hits and allowed three runs (two earned) over seven innings. He struck out eight.
Bobby Parnell and Francisco Rodriguez each pitched 1-2-3 innings, one to earn the hold and one to earn the save.
Ryan Church was removed from the game in the middle of the fourth inning with a sore hamstring.
Angel Pagan took over in right field.
Church left the game and received treatment for the injury. He will not start tomorrow, but may be available off the bench.
Yikes. Who is next?
Friday night in Fenway.
Join fellow Mets fans to discuss the game before, during and after.
(Chat removed, as usual.)
With the Mets usual leadoff hitter, Jose Reyes, on the bench with tendinitis, one would expect Luis Castillo to take over as the first man in the order. Think again.
Tonight, Daniel Murphy will be the first batter Daisuke Matsuzaka faces in the Mets lineup. Ramon Martinez will fill in at shortstop once more.
UPDATE – 5:55 p.m.: Beltran, Sheffield and Reed have all be shuffled. Batting order stays the same, though. Beltran is apparently suffering from “right knee soreness.” And it begins.
I also like Church batting second. He had a good run of it last year before the concussions. The lineup really drops off after Wright, though. Reed is not someone that should be protecting Wright.
Head over to Fenway West to check out a little Q&A I did with Matt O’Donnell. Here’s a sample…
FW: What are your predictions for this 3-game series with the Red Sox?
The 'Ropolitans: Hopefully the Mets can win one game. If any, I think the first game is their best shot with Dice K coming off the DL and facing Santana. Beckett and Pelfrey should be quite a show, though. And I don't think the Mets stand a chance against Wakefield. There will be quite a breeze blowing through Fenway from all the over-eager swings on Sunday.
I touched on this in my last post and in the comments, but here are the splits for when Gary Sheffield bats fourth and when he doesn’t in 2009.
Batting fourth: 13-37, 5 BB, .371 AVG, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI
Not batting fourth: 5-34, 9 BB, .147 AVG, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
With Interleague Play about to kick off, the Mets will look to Sheffield to provide some power in the cleanup spot, especially with Carlos Delgado out of the lineup.
Sheffield has been battling some food poisoning, but should return to the lineup tonight, hopefully batting fourth.
Yesterday, I asked my Twitter followers for two internal roster moves they would make as general manager. Today, I’m expanding on that to a few more moves and trading some players.
Here’s my plan to get the Mets back on the winning side of things.
Put Jose Reyes on the DL
Tendinitis or no tendinitis, the man is in pain. I may not be a doctor, but I know the basics of being an athlete. Ever stub your toe, then limp around on the other leg for a while? Doesn’t that other leg start to hurt more from the added effort? Think of that, but multiply it by 100.
He’s better served to the Mets sitting out for two weeks in May than two months. They would be able to call up another player, preferably one with pop and not named Fernando Martinez. Javier Valentin, who only has seven hits after signing last week, also has two home runs in his short stint.
Don’t call up F-Mart
Unless the top prospect is going to get into five games a week, it’s not worth it. Having to compete with Ryan Church, Fernando Tatis, Gary Sheffield and Angel Pagan for playing time is unfair for all the players. The outfield is already overstuffed with players. Don’t throw another name into the mix.
Trade J.J. Putz
This one might be a little drastic, but hear me out.
The Cleveland Indians need a closer (Kerry Wood’s 7.71 ERA just isn’t cutting it) and the Mets fancy Mark DeRosa. The contract numbers are fairly similar, with Putz owed $5 million this year and DeRosa earning $5.5 million.
Putz does have a team option for next year, another reason the Mets would probably land another player as well. Putz should be able to return at least another major league player, and maybe two decent minor leaguers. I could see the Mets getting two major leaguers and two B-level minor leaguers for Putz.
The Indians have a few players that could be up for the taking, such as Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee and Kelly Soppach. Obviously, to snag Lee, the Mets would have to sweeten the deal with F. Martinez and a few other very good players (Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz, Nick Evans). V. Martinez is intriguing as he can play both catcher and first base. He has seven home runs this season and is batting .400 over 42 games.
Bobby Parnell would take over in the 8th inning for the Mets. This means the Mets would have no backup option if Francisco Rodriguez did suffer an injury, but I think it’s worth the trade.
If the Mets could somehow land DeRosa and Martinez, a lot of answers would be solved.
Send Ramon Martinez packing
He can’t hit, can barely field and is a waste of a roster spot. I’d rather see a player with a much better glove (Argenis Reyes) trying to learn a “new” position and stinking at the plate over a player who is bad on both sides of the ball. Promote A-Rey in place of R-Mart.
Keep Daniel Murphy at first base
Say the Mets do land Martinez from the Indians, let him be the backup at first base and catch most of the games. Begin grooming Murphy for his future role at first base or keep him there as a showcase if you plan on trading him this season. I think Murphy could be a very good first baseman, but power needs to be found elsewhere in the lineup.
Play a consistent roster
With Interleague Play coming up, stick Sheffield at DH, batting fourth, for the whole shebang. Play Church in right field for the next 15 games. On the other side of the outfield, play Pagan for the next 15. Consistency helps players and the constant roster shuffling is nauseating.
Jeremy Reed is a late-game defensive replacement and not much else. Fernando Tatis is the super-utility player. Let him come in every two weeks for a start, have him pinch hit (even is he’s pretty awful at it) and keep the same seven fielders fielding, day in and day out.
These are just a few fixes that you may or may not agree with. I think if the Mets brass pulls a few of these moves (or non-moves) the team would be in better shape.
The results are in and who didn’t see this one coming?
Two weeks ago, after his suspension, I asked if Mets fans still wanted Manny Ramirez on their team. Here are the results…
I voted “No!” Though he’s a great hitter, I could only imagine how he’s going to act once he gets back to the team. It’s going to be an absolute media circus in the clubhouse, something that could be very distracting to other players.
Though the Mets need power from their lineup, especially with Carlos Delgado out, but would Manny have been the answer? We will never know.
Where did you fall?