-Jerry Manuel on Johan Santana’s resistance to coming out of the game last night against the Phillies
6/10/09
Mets draft Steven Matz and Robert Shields
Here’s the press release from the New York Mets:
FLUSHING, N.Y. -- The New York Mets selected left-handed pitcher Steven Matz with their first selection, 72nd overall, in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
Matz, a senior at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, NY, went 6-1 with a 0.47 ERA in his first seven starts of the season. In 44 innings, he allowed 11 hits, 15 walks with 81 strikeouts.
Matz, 18, tossed a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks in a complete game in the first round of the Class AA playoff on May 19th. The 6-2, 192-pounder also went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.
With the 103rd pick, the Mets selected Robert Shields, a 6-0, 220-pound shortstop out of Florida Southern College. The 21-year-old Shields, a junior, hit .345 (76-220) with 65 runs scored, 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 37 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 57 games for the Division II Moccasins this season. A native of Dade City, Fla., Shields hit .329 (215-653) over his three-year career at Florida Southern, while starting all 167 games. He was named second-team all Sunshine State Conference as a sophomore.
6/9/09
Game Recap: Mets 6 – Phillies 5
I thought you couldn’t hit home runs in Citi Field?
The New York Mets (31-25) beat the Philadelphia Phillies (33-23) by a score of 6-5.
Johan Santana did not have his best stuff, surrendering four (4!) home runs to the Phillies. Santana pitched seven plus innings, allowing eight hits and five earned runs. All the runs scored on home runs.
After being staked to a 3-0 lead, Santana gave up back-to-back two-out solo home runs to Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. In the sixth, Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run homer to left field.
With only 88 pitches, Santana came out to start the 8th inning and let up a solo shot to Chase Utley. Jerry Manuel went out to get him, and he was not too excited to come off the mound.
Santana induced 14 fly balls tonight.
Bobby Parnell pitched to one batter, letting up a hit. Pedro Feliciano came in to relieve him and on four pitches, got three outs -- a double play off the bat of Howard and a ground ball from Ibanez.
Francisco Rodriguez entered for the ninth, nursing a one-run lead. A leadoff single by Jimmy Rollins got Mets fans heart rates up, but a strikeout and fielder’s choice (thanks to a perfect takeout slide by Rollins) put Greg Dobbs at the plate with two outs and a runner on first. K-Rod got him swinging to end the game.
The Phillies hit four home runs, but the Mets countered with three of their own.
In the bottom of the second inning, David Wright broke a 100 at bat homerless streak with a solo home run to left field, putting the first run on the board in the game.
The next inning, Carlos Beltran hit a two-run home run to left field, giving the Mets an early 3-0 lead. The Mets loaded the bases after Beltran’s shot, prompting the Phillies to get the bullpen working. But J.A. Happ responded and avoided further damage.
Fernando Tatis started the sixth inning off with a double to left and moved to third after a snap throw by Carlos Ruiz went into centerfield. A Ryan Church ground ball to first followed and Howard threw home to get Tatis at the plate. (At least that’s how home plate umpire Lance Barksdale saw it. Replays showed he was safe.)
Omir Santos singled after Church, putting runners on first and second with one out. Santana came to the plate and after fouling off a bunt, he pulled his bunt back and ripped a double down the right field line, plating Church to tie the game at 4-4.
Alex Cora later ripped a two-out single up the middle, giving the Mets a one run lead.
In the 7th inning, Church crushed a two-out home run to straightaway centerfield. The ball landed in the home of the Home Run Apple. This sixth run for the Mets ended up being the game winner.
What. A. Game.
And it came on just the right day as it was my cousin Jonathan’s 9th birthday yesterday. He’s a Mets fan, much to the chagrin of his Yankee-fan mother. But he has seen the light and is a true Mets fan! Let’s go Mets and Happy Birthday Jonathan!
Game Chat: PHI @ NYM [Game 1]
The Mets will welcome the Phillies into Citi Field for the first of a three-game series, weather permitting of course.
(Chat removed, as usual.)
Lineup for game one
No Fernando Martinez, as I expected. Gary Sheffield playing his second game in five days, getting the start in left field.
- Luis Castillo – 2B
- Alex Cora – SS
- Carlos Beltran – CF
- Gary Sheffield – LF
- David Wright – 3B
- Fernando Tatis – 1B
- Ryan Church – RF
- Omir Santos – C
- Johan Santana - LHP
Putz’s bone spur removed
J.J. Putz went under the knife at the Hospital for Special Surgery and had the bone spur removed from his right elbow.
Putz is expected to start throwing in six weeks and could return in 10-12 weeks.
I noted on Twitter, “I hope he wears it around his neck, a la Turk Wendell.”
Phillies put closer Lidge on DL
The Philadelphia Phillies have placed struggling closer Brad Lidge on the disabled list with a right knee sprain.
Lidge, who was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities last year, has blown six saves in 2009 and has a 7.27 ERA.
ESPN notes that Ryan Madson will likely pick up the closing duties.
Chipper Jones won’t be naming his next child ‘Citi’
In an interview on “Ripken Baseball” on Sirius XM, Chipper Jones lays out his distaste for the Mets new ballpark. He also drags David Wright into the fray.
It is the biggest park that I have ever played in in my life. It is a huge ballpark to center and right center and right field. You know, I actually feel sort of sorry for some of the guys out there because their power numbers are really going to take a hit; guys like David Wright, [Carlos] Beltran, [Carlos] Delgado. The days of them hitting 35, 40 homers -- they're over
I juiced the ball just right of center field, as hard as The Good Lord can let me hit a ball, and it hit midways up the center-field wall for a double. And every time there was a long fly-out or a double that hit off the wall or something, David Wright would run by me and go, 'Nice park.'
[Wright] is a little frustrated with it, but on the flip side of that, you got a guy like Jose Reyes who's liable to hit, in a healthy year, 25, 30 triples in that ballpark, because if you split a gap you can run forever.
Seems like Jones is trying to make some waves for the Mets. Saying one of the forefront players of the team is “frustrated” with the expensive new ballpark is quite substantial.
Sure, it may be true, but there’s really no need to bring it up unless you want to stir something up. This is just like Chipper.
Dispelling the myth of the David Wright HR Derby stigma
A bit of a war of words was sparked in the comments section of yesterday’s “Be prepared for a David Wright cold streak” article.
A brief glimpse of quotes from the comments…
MCJ wrote:
He used to consistently drive the ball into the right field power alley and was a doubles and triples machine. He also used to be very stingy swinging at bad balls. I believe it all changed from the '07 All-Star HR hitting contest on. Think about it. He has not been the same since. He tries to be the video game David Wright instead of the real one. He now swings for the fences most of the time, opens up way too early trying to pull everything, and strikes out a TON more than he used to.
To which darknova responded:
I'd say that Wright, post-collapses, is no longer viable on a New York scale stage. He puts so much pressure on himself in front of the home fans that he starts trying to hit it out again whenever he plays at home.
To which NYM712 answered:
Was he effected a bit mentally by the past collapses? Probably. But no longer viable on a NY stage? I think that's a bit extreme. Yes his home numbers are off from the norm thus far this yr, but this season with this team there is tons of pressure to win a play well each game wherever it is - home or road.
And later:
Wright did the HR Derby in 2006, not 2007. And the year following the Derby... 2007... was his best year to date (should have won the MVP that yr). He is striking out at a much higher rate this particular season and that needs to stop, but his K/PA rate had actually gone down a bit every season prior to this one. So it is absolutely not true that the HR Derby ruined him. The HR Derby wouldn't have just suddenly started effecting his K rate 3 years later.
Alex tries to put it all to rest with this:
It really annoys me when people bring up the home run derby. Anyone who does, did not watch the Mets play in 2007. Wrights best year was in '07 which was AFTER the home run derby!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, let’s take a look at some numbers to see if anything really went wrong with Wright.
Wright participated in the Home Run Derby in 2006 at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit 22 total home runs, with 16 coming in the first round alone.
Before the All-Star Break in 2006, Wright was hitting .316 with a .386 OBP and .575 slugging percentage. He had 20 home runs, drove in 74 RBIs and struck out 70 times. After the HR Derby and the ASB, Wright hit .306 for the rest of the year, a difference of 10 points. His OBP for the second half was .375, only 11 points off from the first-half. His slugging percentage dropped significantly, all the way to .469, a change of 106 points.
He managed only six home runs the rest of the year, driving in 42 runs.
But in 2007, the year after his Derby showing, Wright put up arguably his most impressive season to date.
In 2006, he struck out 113 times. 2007: 115. 2008: 118. He has struck out 54 times so far in 2009.
His slugging percentage, from ‘06 to ‘07 went up, from .531 to .546.
His OBP went up, from .381 to .416. He drew 28 more walks in 2007 than he did in 2006.
He struck out about the same and hit nearly the same amount of doubles. From ‘06 to ‘07, he hit more home runs and walked a lot more. His batting average rose 14 points and his OBP went up 35 points.
The numbers support it.
Yes, Wright went cold after the HR Derby in 2006, but he shook that all off for the next year, putting up his best year to date. Yes, he started slow in 2007, but he eventually went on a tear and brought his stats way up.
It’s no surprise he finished highest in MVP voting that year, coming in fourth.
Don’t attribute Wright’s numbers to what happened in 2006. He bounced back after the “poor” second half and has become the team’s most prolific hitter. He hasn’t hit under .300 since his rookie season, has driven in 100 runs every year since 2005. He’s hit 40+ doubles each year, with at least 25 home runs every season after 2004.
He struggled through the end of 2006, got off to a slow start in 2007, but turned it around and carried his team down the stretch that year. The stats show this.
Enough is enough. Stop bringing it up.
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