Head over to Baseball Digest to read my recently penned article on the Phillies-Mets Double Standard.
6/10/09
Keith blames Latino players for Randolph’s firing
Joe Janish of Mets Today brings us this little tidbit for those still fuming over Will Randolph’s firing.
In case you missed it, Keith Hernandez was a guest on the Leonard Lopate Show yesterday afternoon, talking baseball and promoting a book he wrote with Matt Silverman called Shea Good Bye: The Untold Inside Story of the Historic 2008 Season
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Lopate:
Was Willie Randolph a bad manager?
Keith:
No, I’m not saying that. There was a lot of issues in that clubhouse. I know that particularly the core Latin players didn’t like Willie, that was pretty much written and it was true …
Lopate:
And why was that?
Keith:
I don’t know. I am not in that clubhouse. You know there’s a code of silence in the clubhouse, and things are kept in house. But I do know that a lot of the Latin players — and the key Latin players — did not like Willie. And that’s why they probably felt the move had to be made. Because they weren’t performing. And all of a sudden Jerry Manuel comes in and it’s like someone turned a light switch on. And all of a sudden Delgado is out of his slump and Reyes is playing like heck. So you know, it’s one of those things.
I grew up in an era when we were grunts. And I played for managers I didn’t like — I played for one that I despised. But I’m not gonna go out there and play and pout or let it affect my performance.
For the full article, please head over to Mets Today.
I know it’s old news by now, but I find this quite interesting. Most, if not all of these players are still on the team. How much would it take for them to turn their backs on the current manager?
Clubhouse chemistry is a key to winning, I feel. Hopefully this movement has been quelled to some degree.
Manuel’s Musing for June 9
-Jerry Manuel on Johan Santana’s resistance to coming out of the game last night against the Phillies
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.
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