Posts Tagged ‘Ruben Tejada’

« Older Entries

Mets Hope Shutouts Keep Coming Against Phillies

August 14th, 2010

Check out Sammy's video preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2egK0V_FMk

NEW YORK: The theme for the Mets this season has been, lose heartbreakers or shut opponents out. In fact, the Mets have now compiled the most shutouts in the Majors this season with their one last night, 18.

Against the Phillies, they just don't allow anything. The Mets' last five wins against the Phillies have been shutouts, including all four games at Citi Field.

Last night, the string continued, behind R.A. Dickey's one-hitter. Once again, the Mets would be denied a no-hitter, as the only hit off Dickey was a Cole Hamels sixth-inning single.

It might be difficult for the Mets to shut out the Phillies tonight though, as they will rely on minor league call-up Pat Misch.

He made his Mets debut on June 24, 2020, and appeared in 22 games for them, while starting seven. In the seven starts, he went 3-3 with a 4.69 ERA.

This season in 23 starts for Triple-A Buffalo, Misch was having a good season. He was 11-4 with a 3.23 ERA and had a more than four-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Going for the Phillies will be their ace Roy Halladay, whom the Mets faced on Sunday and lost to.

Trailing 6-2 after three, the Mets staged a rally but fell one short, losing 6-5. The Mets got to Halladay for five runs on nine hits in seven innings of work, although he did strikeout 10.

Overall, Halladay has had a great first season with the Phillies, going 14-8 with a 2.34 ERA.

Tonight's Mets lineup will look very different than last night's. Whenever a right-hander is on the mound, the Mets will have a younger lineup, being all of their young players are lefties.

Tonight's lineup should feature Ike Davis back at first base, Fernando Martinez back in right field, and Josh Thole back behind the plate. Perhaps Luis Castillo will get the start over the struggling Ruben Tejada at second base.

The Mets are working on a good home stand so far, having gone 3-1 against the Rockies and Phillies. All three wins have been shutouts, and their last two games have been complete-game shutouts.

It has been shutout-mania this season at Citi Field for the Mets, and they'll hope that Misch can continue the trend tonight.



Player moves
RHP Francisco Rodriguez taken off restricted list (violation)
LHP Pat Misch recalled from Triple-A Buffalo
RHP Ryota Igarashi demoted to Triple-A Buffalo
LHP Raul Valdes demoted to Triple-A Buffalo

Pat Misch vs. Philadelphia (career)
0-1, 5.09 ERA, 17.2 IP, 14 hits, 7 BB, 16 SO

Roy Halladay vs. New York this season (2 starts)
2-0, 2.81 ERA, 16 IP, 12 hits, 2 BB, 16 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)

April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

Aug. 6: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
Aug. 7: New York 1, Philadelphia 0
Aug. 8: Philadelphia 6, New York 5

Aug. 13: New York 1, Philadelphia 0

Mets lead series 6-4

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Preview/Prediction, new york mets

Tags:

The New York Mets’ ‘He’s Great, but No Bat’ Debate

August 12th, 2010

We have all heard the old adage "defense wins championships". This may or may not be true. That depends on who you ask. I could run the numbers of any sport and present an argument that would hold water against anyone to back that up. But the truth is, offense puts people in the seats.

It really doesn't matter what sport you mention. People want to see scoring. They also want to see defense, but not at the risk of neglecting offense. The New York Mets have pondered this very question for several years. I recall in the mid to late 90's and early this decade, the Mets had a player that sparked the debate, Rey Ordonez.

He was a three-time gold glove winner at shortstop for the Mets. During his time in Queens, he never hit for a higher batting average than the .257 in his rookie season. His most explosive home run season was in 2001 when he hit three. He never was a base stealer either. His highest total there was 11 in '97.

Yet, everyone wanted him in the lineup for his glove. When his defensive skills started failing him, he was chased out of New York. While here, the debate raged on, anemic offense and solid defense or potentially solid offense and mediocre at very best defense. I bring Ordonez up because, these days the same debate is brewing at second base.

Just about everyone hates Luis Castillo. In fact, Carlos Mencia could make that into a WB show to rival Everybody Hates Chris. It is certainly a hot topic these days. What to do with Luis? Trade him? Cut him? Play him? Bench him? His range and defensive skills have been under question for quite a while now.

The intense scrutiny of which has caused even Jerry Manuel to play rookie Ruben Tejada in his place. Tejada is the quintessential example of poor offensive skills that wields a great glove. He is batting .191 as of the time of this article. By the time it is published, that may plummet even further.

In comparison, Castillo was obtained for offense and experience. Now, his glove has become such a detriment, that he is riding the bench with his massive contract. However, his current .245 batting average does not make it worth keeping him in the lineup when his glove is so suspect. But when looking at his career, he does have greater offensive potential than Tejada.

They released Alex Cora, who was just the same mold as Tejada, in that he can't hit but has a good glove. So it is down to two players as options. It is sad that this is the state of the team. They are forced to decide between an old player that is hitting .245, or a young player that is hitting .191 and it is disheartening as a fan.

The only reason Castillo is still in the discussion is due to his contract. He is currently making $6.25M this season. That's too much money to have on the bench or in the minors. If he was making $1M or $2M, then there would not be a debate. He would have been cut long ago. That would have made financial room for the team to sign or trade for a better option at the position.

So once again, it comes down to the front office. The team is in this bind because they failed to have the foresight to not trade for Castillo in '07. He was getting older then and he is decrepit and ancient now. They traded for him when he was declining. That lack of vision has crippled them this season and for the next few to come.

In other words, the team is in this position to have to choose bad or worse because they put themselves in that position. The immediate future is not so bright with these options. Though Tejada is young, he really does not seem to have figured out how to hit at the major league level.

Finances being what they are, however, these are the options for the next year or more. So the debate will rage on, but with these players struggling more and more at the plate, the lack of offense will have to force the Mets' hand to make some type of move for someone in the off season.

Though the experts all say they will not be able to spend, empty seats will make them at some point. After all, if defense wins championships and offense fills the stands, then the fans will eventually dictate the direction of this team.



Comments Off »

Posted in Alex Cora, Jerry Manuel, MLB, MLB History, Opinion, new york mets

Tags:

Mets Return Home, Face Off Against Baseball’s Best Jimenez

August 10th, 2010

NEW YORK: The Mets return home tonight to Citi Field against the Colorado Rockies to begin a six-game home stand.

They will try to rebound from a 2-4 road trip against the two teams in front of them in the NL East.

Not only did the Mets lose ground in the division, but they lost some players in place of a youth movement.

When the Mets take the field tonight, they will be playing guys like Fernando Martinez, Ruben Tejada, and Josh Thole, not the veterans like Luis Castillo or Jeff Francoeur.

It's a move to audition some younger players for next season, so it'll be difficult for the Mets to win tonight.

They'll be facing 17-game winner Ubaldo Jimenez, who has been baseball's most dominant pitcher of 2010. Not only is he 17-2 with a 2.61 ERA, he has allowed 44 fewer hits than innings pitched.

He did go through a rough stretch of starts from June 23-July 24. In six starts, he pitched to a 7.64 ERA, allowing four earned runs or more in five of the starts.

He has bounced back though, allowing exactly one run and four hits in seven innings in each of his last two starts. His last start was a great one against a good team in the Giants.

On Wednesday, he allowed one run on four hits, walking two and striking out nine in seven innings.

It'll be a tough challenge for the Mets to hit him, especially with all of the inexperienced hitters now in their lineup.

Going for the Mets will be the struggling Mike Pelfrey. After getting off to an amazing start this season, Pelfrey continues to try to fine himself.

He has lost four straight decisions spanning seven starts. In his last start against the Braves on Wednesday, he allowed five runs (three earned) on eight hits, he allowed two home runs and hit a batter.

He has been all over the plate recently, and his sinker has been flat without any velocity.

If the Mets are indeed thinking of 2011, they must see better things from Pelfrey, who is on the verge of giving up a spot in next year's rotation.

The Mets are planning to rest Carlos Beltran tonight after he didn't look well at the plate or in the field on Sunday.

It'll be the Mets trying to beat a pitcher with two losses all season, looking for something to be positive about in front of their home crowd.

Mike Pelfrey vs. Colorado (April 15)
Win, 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, 0 BB, 6 SO

Ubaldo Jimenez vs. New York (career)
2-1, 2.79 ERA, 29 IP, 20 hits, 11 BB, 18 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Colorado)

April 13: Colorado 11, New York 3
April 14: Colorado 6, New York 5 (10)
April 15: New York 5, Colorado 0

Rockies lead series 2-1

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Preview/Prediction, new york mets

Tags:

Mets Lineup vs. Roy Halladay a Step in the Right Direction for Organization

August 10th, 2010

Yesterday the Mets faced Phillies ace Roy Halladay one day removed from news that veteran Alex Cora would be cut.

Also leaving the team was journeyman Jesus Feliciano, youngsters Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez were recalled to fill the roster spots.

The Mets lineup versus Halladay was unique, in that it consisted of seven home grown players—Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, David Wright, Ike Davis, Josh Thole, Tejada, and Martinez. It was the most home grown players to start a Mets game since 1990!

While the Mets ended up losing the game, there were a lot of positives to come out of it.

First, the Mets proved to be resilient. It takes a lot of heart and desire to win comming back from a 6-2 deficit and score 5 runs off of a great pitcher like Halladay. It's especially impressive upon knowing that in Halladay's previous four starts before yesterday's game Halladay was 4-0 with a 0.43 ERA.

Second, and most importantly in my mind, it shows that the organization is starting to get the picture. In this league, developing prospects is the easiest and sometimes best way to win. 

The Mets are not the Yankees, and they cannot buy championships like them. Instead, they need to start developing these players and cementing a core to build a team around.

They already have Wright, Reyes, and Pagan, but players like Davis, Thole, and Tejada can get meaningful playing time during the stretch, when the Mets will more likely than not be playing meaningless games as far as 2010 goes. 

The Yankees not withstanding, each other great team in the MLB is generally lead by home grown players. The Mets need to learn from other teams and continue to build through youth. 

Not surprisingly, it was also the two players that were not homegrown players who had arguably the worst games last night. I love RA Dickey to death, but he did not have a good performance and gave up six runs, four earned, in only three innings. Also, Carlos Beltran looked awful both in the field and at the plate.

While the Mets are stuck with some pretty bad contracts—namely Beltran's, Luis Castillo's, and Oliver Perez's, they need to take these contracts and learn from them. Not signing overrated veterans to ridiculous contracts forces the team to ride or die through the home grown talent. It also means the Mets organization needs to draft better and develop players better than they have been in recent years.

Although yesterday's lineup was an anomaly, I hope to see similar lineups in the future for the Mets. Not only will it save the team money, but it will make the fans happier, and it may even win some games. It's the right thing to do going forward. 

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Opinion, new york mets

Tags:

Carlos Beltran: The Right Move

August 10th, 2010

Please be sure to check out Mets Paradise and our forum for everything Mets!!

-----

First off, I'd like to welcome myself back from my weekend vacation without Internet or cable. I was unable to watch any of the games or do any sort of reporting, but it's OK—I'm back now. From looking at the final score of these games, it seemed like the Mets were in all these games. This seems to be a reoccurring theme for this season: The Mets are just one hit or pitch away for getting a victory, but they fail to get it.

This team's "collapse" seemed to start about the time Carlos Beltran made his return. I don't think it's because of Beltran—it would be crazy to think that. However, Beltran isn't the same player he use to be, you can just see it. Right now, he is not the best center fielder on this team—that title belongs to Angel Pagan.

With the Mets trying new things, like bringing up Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada and letting go Alex Cora, they should try moving Beltran to right field. At this point, it would be the best thing for him and the team.

I'm sure Beltran won't be happy about it, but he needs to do whatever this team needs him to do. If he doesn't want to, he'll be wearing a different uniform.

**Read the rest...**

Comments Off »

Posted in Carlos Beltran, MLB, Opinion, new york mets

Tags:

New York Mets Fight Hard, Fall One Short Against Philadelphia Phillies in Loss

August 9th, 2010

PHILADELPHIA-- The Mets have completed another losing road trip. This one coming against the two teams in front of them in their own division.

The Mets had to face Phillies ace Roy Halladay today, but they thought they had a chance to match him with R.A. Dickey on the mound.

It didn't happen. In fact, what was supposed to be a pitchers' duel turned out to be a hard-fought slugfest.

The Mets got off to a promising start. They hit Roy Halladay hard in the first inning, producing a run two batters in. Jose Reyes doubled and was driven in by Angel Pagan, giving the Mets a quick 1-0 lead. Pagan would then steal both second and third base and scored on an Ike Davis infield single off the glove of Halladay.

The Mets seemed in pretty good shape with Dickey pitching, having thrown six quality starts in his last seven.

Although the Phillies didn't score in the first inning, signs were not pointing in the right direction. The three hitters all hit the ball hard against him, as Dickey's knuckleball wasn't sharp.

It would only take until the second inning. Jayson Werth hit what appeared to be a pop fly, but the ball carried over the center field fence to cut the deficit to 2-1. Carlos Beltran kept going back on the ball, and bumped his head against the fence, not knowing where the wall was.

After a shaky first inning, Halladay settled down to retire 10 batters in a row, while the Phillies kept hitting Dickey.

They knocked him around in the third, and Dickey suffered his worst inning as a Met. The Phillies sent 11 men to the plate, scoring five runs on seven hits to take a 6-2 lead.

After a Jimmy Rollins double, Jose Reyes made a fielding error. Lately, he has been making some errors, and most of them have opened the door to big innings. It did once again.

Two batters later, Raul Ibanez hit a three-run home run, giving the Phillies a 5-2 lead. Later in the inning, former Met Brian Schneider would add a run on a single.

Dickey would be done after three innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits, and one walk.

The Mets started to rally back from the four run deficit against Halladay in the sixth. Just like in the opening inning, Jose Reyes doubled and Pagan singled him in, making it 6-3.

The Mets bullpen did a great job keeping the team in the game, not allowing a run after Dickey's departure.

The Mets continued to fight back in the seventh. Fernando Martinez led off with his first Major League hit of the season. Josh Thole followed with a double, moving the runner to third.

Ruben Tejada grounded into a run-scoring play. That was followed by a Chris Carter pinch-double, cutting the Phillies lead to 6-5.

With two on and one out, down a run, Pagan flew out and Beltran struck out for a third time to end the inning.

In the ninth, facing Brad Lidge, the Mets got a leadoff single from Thole; his third hit of the game. After two straight groundouts moving Thole to third, Reyes flew out to center, as the Mets fell 90 feet short of completing the comeback.

The shame of it is, the Mets did a good job against Halladay, and their young players contributed in the comeback effort. Unfortunately, Dickey just didn't have it, and therefore the Mets finish off a losing road trip.

They were not helped out by their middle of the order, especially Beltran and Wright, who each struck out three times.

Beltran hasn't looked good at the plate since his return, and he looked awful today in the field. So much so, that he was pulled in a double-switch in the seventh inning.

The Mets are now 0-7 in road rubber games this season, and have gone 40 straight games without winning consecutive games. That run of futility is the longest streak of such games without back-to-back wins in the Majors this season.

The most important note of all, is that with today's Braves win, the Mets fall nine games out of first place.

They'll try to turn things around at home, starting Tuesday night against the Rockies. It'll be a tough challenge for the Mets, as they'll face Ubaldo Jimenez.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 64-47
Philadelphia 62-49 (2)
NY Mets 55-56 (9)

NL Wild Card (Leader and Mets)
San Francisco 63-49
---------------------------
NY Mets 55-56 (7 1/2)

Next series probable pitchers:
August 10
New York: Mike Pelfrey (2010: 10-6, 4.16 ERA) vs. Colorado: UIbaldo Jimenez (2010: 17-2, 2.61 ERA)
August 11
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 7-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jeff Francis (2010: 4-4, 4.67 ERA)
August 12
New York: Johan Santana (2010: 9-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Colorado: Jason Hammel (2010: 8-6, 4.38 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
August 10-12 vs. Colorado Rockies
August 13-15 vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Colorado Rockies:
August 10-12 @ New York Mets
August 13-15 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

Comments Off »

Posted in Game Recap, MLB, new york mets

Tags:

By Calling Up Youngsters, Mets Are Planning For 2011

August 8th, 2010

As much as the Mets don't want to admit it, by calling up two of their top minor league prospects, they are planning for 2011.

Perhaps their thinking is that the young players is what energized them early in the season, but it's too late for that now.

There are so many negatives that outweigh every potential positive. By bringing up Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, a couple of veteran players are upset. Of course, Mets fans don't care about feelings and they shouldn't.

The problem is, one of those players means a lot to the Mets clubhouse. The Mets have said that Martinez will platoon in right field with Jeff Francoeur.

If Francoeur wasn't already upset when he lost playing time to Angel Pagan, now he has every reason to be.

Although he was upset when Pagan took his job, he shouldn't have been as Pagan earned it. This move though is a little strange.

Martinez hadn't had a Major League at-bat all season, and has really been a bust so far. He was supposed to be an up-and-coming star young player that has never hit on the big league level. He has always been injury prone, having had knee surgery last season.

Francoeur has proven way more in his career between the Braves and Mets. He can occasionally get into a hot streak, which Martinez hasn't shown, and he has a superior glove to Martinez, who isn't an established right fielder.

Regarding the Tejada-for-Castillo situation, it's a smart move on the Mets part, but it doesn't mean it won't get Castillo fired up.

It's extremely shocking that the Mets went in this direction. Tejada was sent down for more seasoning at the plate, and Castillo was to play when he returned from the disabled list because of his contract status.

The positives did show in Saturday night's Mets win, with Tejada making some stellar defensive plays at second, which Castillo wouldn't have had the range to make. Defense is probably why Tejada is here.

But the thought of having both Luis Castillo and Jeff Francoeur on the bench for the majority of the games doesn't make much sense. Castillo is virtually useless off the bench other than a need for a sacrifice bunt, and Francoeur as we've seen, can't stay fresh as a pinch-hitter.

According to reports, Francoeur once again has asked Omar Minaya to be traded. For that to happen, he'd obviously have to be claimed off waivers by August 31.

The Mets have been desperately trying to deal Castillo but no one wants his bad contract.

Looking that the roster as a whole, the Mets now have three useless backups in Francoeur, Castillo, and Oliver Perez.

The reason why the Mets made these moves is because they're holding open auditions for 2011. Fernando Martinez wouldn't have a role, unless Carlos Beltran is dealt in the offseason. Jason Bay and Angel Pagan are locks to be back and starting next season.

Tejada, though, could replace Castillo assuming the Mets can rid of his contract. The Mets won last night's game, and it had nothing to do with the moves that they made.

It had to do with their ace stepping up, and odd-man out Jeff Francoeur hitting a long ball. There wasn't any renewed energy in a 1-0 win. The team was rather flat.

But the Mets, hovering around .500, have decided to start thinking next season. Now how disappointing is that considering where the Mets were in June?

Comments Off »

Posted in Jeff Francoeur, MLB, Opinion, Ruben Tejada, new york mets

Tags:

MLB Trade Rumors: Yanks Tried To Swap Joba Chamberlain for Jose Bautista

August 7th, 2010

I have decided to start dishing out MLB rumors as well. There are a lot of them so let's get started. 

Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada were scratched from their Triple-A lineup. It seems the Mets are working on a deal that may send them to Seattle.

I wonder for whom? Cliff Lee is the only true rental player they had. Of course there is also Brandon League as playoff teams often need relievers at this time.

Also in regards to Martinez and Tejada neither of them have been placed on waivers so a deal is not imminent. 

The Marlins like most teams are having a hard time negotiating with their first round pick. Expect it to go right up to the August 16th deadline, but they should get a deal done as the Marlins need all the prospects they can get.

Bryce Harper is also making the Washington Nationals think as he is of course playing hardball with them in contracts.

Or is he? Sometimes the agent has a lot more say than the player and this can make a player miss out on some money like second round pick Jake Eliopoulos.

The Yankees and Blue Jays discussed a trade that would have sent Jose Bautista to the Yankees for Joba Chamberlain and Brett Gardener.

My guess is this is what the Blue Jays asked for as getting a reliever like Chamberlain (who can probably close) and Gardener who is under team control and is a solid outfielder for Jose Bautista who is having a breakout season seems to be an offer Anthopoulos cannot turn down. Not to mention both Gardener and Chamberlain are under salary control for the next several years.

The Boston Red Sox want a left handed first baseman. So they worked out Carlos Delgado in Yankee Stadium.

This is interesting as he is old, and has shown signs that he cannot do that well anymore. Furthermore, by working him out in Yankee Stadium the Yankees can see how he did.

Zack Greinke suggested that the Royals will not compete when his contract expires. He is not asking for a trade but I think he is fishing for one. This is just awful as he has only one great season under him, he's not Halladay!

There are a lot of teams interested in Carl Crawford. I just don't see the Rays trading him as they have a shot at the title and are not sellers. So all these teams will be disappointed.

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Preview/Prediction

Tags:

The Expendables: Five Prospects The New York Mets Can Afford To Move

August 7th, 2010

The one word that can sum up the Mets at the trade deadline is silence.

As an organization hungry for some sort of a move, the Mets remained inactive as the deadline passed. 

It is hard to fault the Mets for retaining their most prized prospects, but that doesn't necessarily mean moves shouldn't have been made. 

Now entering the waiver trade period, the Mets could utilize some prospects as trade bait. Rumor has it, the Mets are chasing after Mariners infielder Chone Figgins.

Here are five Mets prospects that should ideally be included in any trade that would reel in some value to the Mets active roster.

In terms of position players, infielder Ruben Tejada and outfielder Fernando Martinez could both be on the block.

With Tejada, he hasn't suddenly become expendable based on his performance. It is more of a matter that the Mets have other options for the middle infield in the minors.

Between Wilmer Flores and Reese Havens, one of those two may be be more likely to start in the big leagues for the Mets somewhere down the line.

Tejada's youth and all-around game would be coveted by teams looking for a young shortstop.

Once indispensable, Fernando Martinez and his future with the Mets is in question. Still a good all-around lefty bat in the outfield, F-Mart has been bitten by the injury bug this year and it has really seemed to put a damper on his development.

If he continues to show a lack of durability, the Mets will show a lack of interest in him and consider moving him.

In a year in which many pitching prospects have hit a wall for the Mets, there are a duo of struggling young arms that the Mets might want to move. 

Righty Scott Moviel has put up some ugly numbers this year, but is trying to turn things around in relief work. His freakish 6'11'' stature gives him upside and trade value.

There are plenty of teams out there that will love to see what they could do with his body type.

Then there is Brad Holt, the Mets compensatory pick in 2008, has struggled so much he's been demoted to single A St. Lucie. The Mets could even be willing to see how other teams feel about him.

Finally, right-handed pitcher Josh Stinson has flown under the radar for the Mets this year. He's gone 9-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 30 games and 12 starts. He's had some ups and downs through his minor league career and the Mets could bait teams while he's pitching well.

These five prospects could be key players if the Mets ever decide to play Major League Baseball's version of "Let's Made a Deal."

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Opinion, new york mets

Tags:

Johan Santana Tries to Play Stopper Against Phillies In Southpaw Battle

August 7th, 2010

PHILADELPHIA-- The Mets had a grasp on last night's opener against the Phillies, but couldn't secure the final six outs. With that, they fell below the .500 mark for the first time since May 23rd.

They must win the final two games of this series to even be considered a contender down the stretch.

In reality, the Mets are cooked in 2010. But, if you want to spin it from a homeristic point of view, you can say "Ya Gotta Believe." After all, that phrase worked for the Mets 37 years ago.

Think about this: in 1973, the Mets were 49-60 through 109 games; the 2010 Mets are five better. That team was 10.5 games behind, further behind where this year's Mets are.

The 1973 Mets' 109th game was also played on August 6. Final result: National League champions; lost game seven of the World Series. Thus the phrase "Ya Gotta Believe."

Now, how can the Mets make such a run like the one of the Miracle Mets? Right now, they look lifeless, shot, without any confidence.

The Mets need to start streaking tonight, and they will have Johan Santana on the mound. Their ace has not been dominant though lately.

Over Santana's last two starts, he's allowed nine first-inning runs. In his last start against the Braves to begin the road trip, he did strike out 11, but gave up four runs and nine hits. The Mets offense didn't show up and they lost, 4-1.

This would be the worst time of year for Santana to fatigue. The Mets are not going anywhere or channeling their inner 1973 if Santana fades off. It seems right now as if he is fatiguing.

Teams are trying to get to Santana early in counts, especially in the first inning. He has no velocity on his fastball, thus there's no differential between it and his change-up.

The last time Santana pitched in Philadelphia back on May 2nd, he suffered a career-worst start. That was on a Sunday night in May. Tonight, he must step up on a crucial Saturday night in August. Although he is a 31-year-old veteran, you just hope that start doesn't get to him at any point in the game.

The Phillies will be pitching their left-handed ace, Cole Hamels. He may be playing third-fiddle on a team that has a couple of Roy's on top, but he is back to being the "good" Cole Hamels.

After bursting on to the seen back in 2006, Hamels put together two consecutive quality seasons in 2007 and 2008. He went 29-15 over that time, and won both NLCS and World Series MVP in 2008.

Last season, he declined, and seemed mentally drained. He had a losing record and pitched to a high ERA by his standards.

This season, he has rebounded back into old form. He's only 7-7 but that's due to the lack of run support. His one bugaboo has been the long ball, as he's given up 21 home runs in 139 innings pitched.

He received a no-decision in his last start against the Nationals in a Phillies victory. In seven innings, he allowed four runs on six hits, he walked none, and struck out ten.

After last night's Mets loss, it was reported that top prospects Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada were scratched from their minor league game.

Sources say Martinez may be dealt to the Seattle Mariners, while Tejada could potentially replace Luis Castillo if he were traded as well.

The Mets will try to beat the Phillies and get back on track tonight, with Santana looking for some revenge.

Johan Santana vs. Philadelphia (May 2)
Loss, 3.2 IP, 10 ER, 8 hits, 2 BB, 1 SO, 4 HR

Cole Hamels vs. New York (May 27)
Loss, 6.1 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 hits, 1 BB, 3 SO

2010 season series (New York vs. Philadelphia)
April 30: New York 9, Philadelphia 1
May 1: Philadelphia 10, New York 0
May 2: Philadelphia 11, New York 5

May 25: New York 8, Philadelphia 0
May 26: New York 5, Philadelphia 0
May 27: New York 3, Philadelphia 0

August 6th: Philadelphia 7, New York 5
Mets lead series 4-3

 

Check out http://metsorangeandblue.tumblr.com/

Comments Off »

Posted in MLB, Preview/Prediction, new york mets

Tags:




eXTReMe Tracker