The Disabled: A new movie featuring your 2009 New York Mets

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Manuel’s Musing

“With Oliver, everybody might throw. 
I might throw.”

-Jerry Manuel on days Oliver Perez starts

What I missed while I was hugging the porcelain throne

Last night was terrible.  Hopefully it’s only a 24-hour bug.

Anyway, here’s what I missed…

- Bobby Parnell will make a start on Saturday, filling in for Mike Pelfrey.  Pelfrey will be back with the Mets in Arizona, starting on Monday.

I like the idea of seeing what the Mets might have in Parnell, but don’t you think they should stretch him out a little more?  Though he was on the mound for three innings on Wednesday, he only threw 30 pitches.  I guess the Mets are hoping to get just five innings out of him, as he will be held to a 60-75 pitch limit, reports Adam Rubin.

- Angel Berroa DFA’d to make room for Anderson Hernandez.

Oh, goody.

- Gary Sheffield and Luis Castillo may not be as injured as we all thought.

Sheffield was in one of the lineups for the Mets last night, but ended up sitting out.  Castillo may return as early as Saturday, said Jerry Manuel.

- Mets lose to Padres by a score of 8-3.

Not much to see here.  Livan Hernandez had a rough first inning, as usual, but couldn’t stitch together much after that.

Elmer Dessens promoted

The Mets have brought back Elmer Dessens to take the roster spot of Jon Niese.

Dessens pitched 12 1-3 innings for the Mets previously this season.  He has a 3.65 ERA and 1.135 WHIP over nine games.  He’s allowed two home runs, walked six and struck out five.

Adam Rubin notes that Dessens is closing in on his full pension due to 10 years of service time.

No Pelfrey in San Diego

Mike Pelfrey will miss his scheduled start on Saturday in San Diego for the birth of his first child.  Pelfrey did not make the trip to California.

That, coupled with Jon Niese’s injury, leaves two holes in the Mets rotation over the next week.  Here’s how the pitching matchups look for the next five games…

• Livan Hernandez, RHP (7-5, 4.77) @ Clayton Richard, LHP (4-3, 4.47)
• Oliver Perez, LHP (2-3, 7.03) @ Kevin Correia, RHP (7-9, 4.73)
• TBA @ Mat Latos, RHP (3-1, 2.66)
• Johan Santana, LHP (12-8, 3.10) @ Tim Stauffer, RHP (1-3, 3.12)
• TBA @ TBA (First game of Arizona series)

The way I see it, Pelfrey can work the first game of the Arizona series, slotting back in behind Santana.  That means the Mets will need just one pitcher to fill in on Saturday.

Nelson Figueroa was more than serviceable yesterday, coming off a disaster of a start against the Diamondbacks.  Bobby Parnell’s named has also been tossed around as a starter, so that could be an option.

And don’t bother looking down at the minor leagues.  No pitcher is near the “major league ready” level of Jon Niese, so don’t expect a call-up to fare well.

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.