Anderson Hernandez is back in the fold

Adam Rubin is reporting that the Mets have reacquired Anderson Hernandez from the Washington Nationals for minor league infielder Greg Veloz.

Hernandez spent four years with the New York Mets after the team traded Vance Wilson to the Tigers for him.  He spent parts of three season with the Mets, never playing more than 25 games.  With the Mets, he hit .138 / .157 / .207, driving in three runs in 89 plate appearances.

Over two seasons with the Nationals, Hernandez has played 105 games, hitting .272 / .335 / .337 with 40 RBI.  This season with the Nationals he hit .251 / .310 / .320 with one home run and 23 RBI in 255 plate appearances.

Veloz, 21, is a Single-A player who hit .232 / .297 / .303 with two home runs and 19 RBI.  He also swiped 18 bases this season.

A-Hern must be better than Angel Berroa.  Right?  …Right?

Fun with the FanWalk

Here are a few shots of bricks from the FanWalk outside the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field… (Click to enlarge)

For Mookie.

This seems so fitting this year. 

Hilarious.

Um…oops?

Did you know the Wilpons had a brick?

Can the Mets consider yesterday’s game a victory?

Wednesday’s 9-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals was one of the more impressive games I’ve seen the Mets play this season.  But can they consider it a victory after possibly losing two more players to the disabled list?

We know Jon Niese will miss the rest of the season after completely tearing his hamstring tendon off the bone and already had the subsequent surgery.  Gary Sheffield is in murkier waters, leaving the game with cramps in the sixth inning.

Sheffield had recently come off the DL, so where he ends up in the next few days is one big question mark.

But back to the game. 

The Mets pounded out 15 hits and plated nine runs.  David Wright connected for a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, setting the tone for the rest of the game.

They got a two-run triple from Nelson Figueroa, who entered the game in relief of Niese and pitched 4 1-3 beautiful innings.

Angel Pagan had the best day of all, going 3-4 with 4 RBI.  In the 6th, he drove a ball into the gap between center and right field, tripling in Jeremy Reed.  Two innings later, Pagan drove a ball to straightaway center, a 425-foot two run home run.  That homer chased in Bobby Parnell, who is 1-1 in his career with a run scored.

Parnell’s efforts on the mound should not be overlooked, either.  Three solid innings in relief, which he needed only 30 pitches, striking out three.  I suggested it and Jerry Manuel may be in favor of it, but it looks like Parnell may get a chance to start this season.

So a solid all-around victory is marred by the definite loss of a young, up-and-coming pitcher and a possible loss of the team’s biggest slugger.  Is that a win?

Manuel’s Musing

“Right now, we're still a sub-.500 team.”

-Jerry Manuel on his team

Now starting for your New York Mets: Bobby Parnell?

Today, I watched Bobby Parnell throw three innings in relief of Jon Niese and Nelson Figueroa. Niese, as you likely know, tore his hamstring attempting to cover first base and left the game. He will miss the remainder of the season.

That leaves a hole in the already thin rotation.

Do the Mets trust Figueroa enough to hand him a starting job after his effort against Arizona? (Though today was absolutely brilliant for the New York native.)

Parnell pitched three innings for a reason. He earned his first career save, picked up his first career hit in his first career at bat and scored his first career run.

(Side note, for those wondering about how Parnell earned a save in a game that ended 9-0, here is the MLB save rule:

1. He is the finishing pitcher in a game won by his team
2. He is not the winning pitcher
3. He is credited with at least ⅓ of an inning pitched
4. He satisfies one of the following conditions:
   1. He enters the game with a lead of no more than three runs and pitches for at least one inning
   2. He enters the game, regardless of the count, with the potential tying run either on base, at bat or on deck
   3. He pitches for at least three innings

Parnell satisfied the three inning rule, therefore earning the save.)

Anyway…

Robert Allen Parnell was drafted by the Mets in the 9th round of the 2005 amateur draft out of Charleston Southern University.

In 94 games in Single-A through Triple-A, Parnell started 92 times. Only when Parnell came to spring training did the Mets move him into a relief role.

So today, as Parnell worked and worked and worked, something in the back of my mind was shouting “Are they really going to make Parnell a starter?” Seems I wasn’t alone in my thoughts, either: Joe Janish jumped on this as well.

With the Mets minor leagues already devoid of talent due to injuries at the big league level and no prospects are seemingly ready to make the jump, this “Parnell, SP” may be something to keep your eye on for the rest of this season and beyond.

Jose Reyes has scar tissue

Unfortunately, not the song.

Jose Reyes had an MRI today on his ailing knee that revealed scar tissue and inflammation behind the knee.  This all stems from the hamstring injury earlier in the year.

Reyes will remain in NYC for physical therapy to try to break up the scar tissue and reduce the inflammation.

With Reyes, Jon Niese and Gary Sheffield all in for MRIs today, do you think the Mets will get a group rate?

Niese tears hamstring and Sheffield leaves game

Jon Niese went down in a heap.  Gary Sheffield simply walked off the field.

Niese injured himself covering first base during the second inning of today’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.  The results from the MRI were just released, and they showed a complete tear of his hamstring tendon.  Niese immediately had surgery on the tear, reports Bart Hubbuch.

As you would expect, he will miss the remainder of the season.  He is expected back for spring training, 2010.

Sheffield walked off the field and into the clubhouse after singling in the sixth inning.  His hit looked like it would have been a double, but the 40-year-old stopped at first base, turned and walked straight into the clubhouse, trainer in tow.

Two more losses for the already injury depleted Mets.  It’s time to bring up the kids.

A day at Citi Field

I’m off to Citi Field for my third Mets game at the new ballpark. I’ll be attending the game with my mother (who is getting to the stadium before my father) and two friends, so it should be a wonderful day. Hope the rain holds off.

Manuel’s Musing

“There's no doubt. It's a tough, tough, tough time for us.”

-Jerry Manuel on tough, tough, tough times

A microcosm of the season

- St. Louis breaking the ice on Ryan Ludwick home run is equal to: Eight losses in 13 games to close out April

- Mets battling back for three runs in bottom of the 2nd is equal to: Winning eight of the first nine games in May

- Mets falling behind by score of 4-3 is equal to: Swept out of Los Angeles in miserable series in mid-May

- Mets again battling back for four runs in bottom of the inning, lead 7-4 is equal to: Winning the series in Boston and winning seven of the last nine games of May

- One run in the 8th for St. Louis on Albert Pujols’ first home run is equal to: A 9-18 June

- Two runs in the 9th for St. Louis to tie the game is equal to: A 12-14 July

- A five run 10th inning, including a Pujols grand slam is equal to: What we have to expect the rest of the season