Mets Avoid Sweep, May Lose Santana
You knew that Johan Santana was going to win tonight. The Mets were coming off a loss and he pitches much better when trying to start a winning streak, rather than keeping one going.
His last three starts have all followed wins and Santana dropped all three. In the previous seven games in which he followed a Mets loss, he was 5-1 (the team was 6-1); so a win tonight was a no-brainer.
That he would do it throwing only five innings and the fewest pitches (65) in a game this season was the real surprise. Santana left the game with what is being described as a pectoral strain. Although no one is exactly quite sure what the problem is.
“He felt his shoulder wasn’t right. Somebody said pec. I don’t know. I’m really not at ease,” Dan Warthen, Mets pitching coach said. The Mets are going to be overly protective of their star, especially since yesterday was the one-year anniversary of his elbow surgery.
“You never want to see a guy get taken out of the game due to injury,” third baseman David Wright said.
Santana (11-9) and four relievers helped the Mets avoid a four game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves as the Mets took down one of the NLs best pitchers in Tim Hudson (15-6), who hadn’t lost in his past eight starts. Hisanori Takahashi pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his 3rd save in as many chances.
The offense also chipped in with four runs. That might not sound like a lot, but it was the first time in 14 games against the Braves that the Mets scored more than three runs. David Wright hit his 22nd homerun and he cemented his place at the Mets hitting star of the season. He is on pace for 25 homers and 100 RBIs.
The victory for the Mets ace allowed him to avoid losing four straight starts since May/June of 2004. The five inning victory was the first of its kind for Santana since July 9, 2008.
The good news for the Mets is that they do not have to return to Turner Field this season, a place where they are 38-78 since it opened. The Mets continue their road trip by heading to Chicago to play the Cubs, a team they last faced way back in April when the season still held potential.
Mets August Recap
So, how was your August?
If you were the New York Mets, it wasn’t the best month of the season, and amazingly so, it wasn’t even their worst month. In fact it was right in the middle, third best or third worst, depending on how you think this season is going.
The Mets continued their trend of playing badly in months with 31 days (33-50) and great in months with 30 days (32-17), so September should be great.
The good thing about August was that the Mets never lost three games in a row. Sadly, they lost two games in a row on five separate occasions, only winning two in a row twice.
Team Offense (D-)
The Mets were dead last in runs scored, average, homers, total bases, slugging and a half dozen other stats. They were just dead last in runs scored, they scored 20 fewer runs than the next closest team.
The Mets averaged just 2.8 runs a game for August. How they won 12 games is something less than miraculous. They were only shut out once, but scored 1 run eight different times. The Mets never hit more than a single homerun in any game. There was really little the Mets right all month on the offensive side of the ball and it showed.
Hitting Star of the Month – no one
No one single Met deserves this award, so no one gets it. Only Angel Pagan had 10 or more RBIs, only Jose Reyes had more hits than games played and only David Wright (4) and Jeff Francoeur (2) had multiple homeruns all month. It was a bad month all around for the offense and further puts a stamp on the reason why this team is suffering.
Team Pitching (B+)
Fourth best ERA in the month of August (3.50). The three best starters Mike Pelfrey, Johan Santana and RA Dickey threw 121.1 innings in 17 starts (more than 7 IPs per start) and had a 2.60 ERA as a group, yet they went 7-7. The other two Mets who started, Jon Niese and Pat Misch went 1-7, to balance the good with their brand of crap.
The pen’s ERA was 4.13, the highest since May, but thankfully, the relievers weren’t called on much. They pitched their fewest total innings in any month, just 61 innings, less than three a game. The pen was helped out by five complete games, three from Johan Santana.
With their closer out for the season, they had two other pitchers record saves. Hisanori Takahashi was one of those and he had the best month of any reliever. He allowed just two runs in 11.1 innings and picked up a pair of saves.
Pitcher Star of the Month – Mike Pelfrey
The Big Pelf went 3-2 in his five starts in August with an ERA of 1.82. He dropped his yearly ERA by almost a half a point and went 7 or more innings in his last four starts. After his horrible July, August was a nice turn around for Pelfrey and put him back on track for 15 or more wins and 200+ innings.
Hitting both of those milestones is going to cost the Mets. Pelfrey is in the final year of his original contract and will be arbitration eligible this winter. The Mets will have a chance to sign him contract, probably only three years, as he could become a free agent in 2014. Look for the Mets to offer $8-$10 million a year.
Derek Jeter To Be Mets SS In 2011
Both New York teams have a decision to make about their shortstops.
The Mets, if they want to keep theirs; and the Yankees, if they want to resign theirs.
Here’s a noble idea, how about they switch teams. No wait, hear me out.
Derek Jeter is in the final season of his 10-year/$189 million dollar contract and will probably ask for somewhere in the $15 million dollar range for at least four years.
Based on his recent production even Omar Minaya wouldn’t give a 36-year old that kind of money. Hanley Ramirez, arguably the best offensive shortstop in the game, only got $70 million over six years in 2009, and he’s 11 years younger than Jeter.
But this is Derek Jeter. The Yankee Captain, owner of five rings, certain Hall-of-Famer, all time Yankees hits leader, etc.
Should the Yankees reward him with that kind of money because he is all of those things? Wasn’t the last contract reward enough? Should they pay him so he retires as a Yankee? Wouldn’t it be strange to see him in another uniform?
Its a big decision for them. How can they pay their aging star $15 million a year when they have a couple of guys becoming free agents (Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher) who are going to need big contracts to stay in pinstripes? They are also going to need to replace Andy Pettitte in the rotation and Mariano Rivera in the pen soon as well.
Can they allow the face of the franchise for the past 15 years to simply walk away? They might have to. The Steinbrenner well isn’t deep enough to give everyone on the roster $15 million a year. Cuts need to be made.
They will offer Jeter less than he wants (or expects) because he just isn’t worth that kind of money anymore. He hasn’t had 50 or more extra base hits in a season since 2007. This year, shortstops like Ian Desmond (414), Yuniesky Betancourt (424) and Jhonny Peralta (406) have higher slugging percentages than Jeter (384).
The Yankees are also in the process of turning over, becoming a new team. The only hold overs from the Joe Torre dynasty are Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Jorge Posada. Only Posada is signed beyond the end of this year. Pettitte seems destined for retirement; Rivera will probably get another 2-year contract, enough to get him to 600 saves; Posada will DH next year as long as he is healthy; that only leaves Jeter as a question mark.
And do Yankee fans really want to see one of their all-time favorite players slowly decline? I understand that you want him to get 3000 hits as a Yankee, but he’s already the teams all-time leading hitter. When you are the teams all-time hit leader in front of guys like Gehrig, Ruth, Mantle, Berra, DiMaggio and Mattingly, do you really need to get to 3000 hits as a Yankee?
So why should the Mets go after an aging shortstop who is going to want a lot of money?
Did I mention that it was Derek Jeter? Owner of five rings, etc.
Think what the Mets needed this year. A leader in the dugout and someone to teach the youngsters in the lineup how to play (and win) in New York. Is there anyone better suited to fill that role than Jeter?
He’s still a good number two hitter, something the Mets lack. Angel Pagan is nice, but he’s really better suited to be a lead off hitter and the Mets already have one in Jose Reyes. As they’ve shown this year having two leadoff hitters doesn’t make the top of the order twice as effective.
Why should the Mets get rid of the shortstop they have?
Reyes has an $11 million dollar option for 2011, and isn’t worth it, at least not any more. Wouldn’t you rather have an $11 million dollar pitcher and start a rookie at short?
At one time Reyes would have been worth that kind of money, when he was still the ‘Games Most Disruptive Player,’ but not now. Now it takes him two seasons to steal 60 bases and four seasons to hit 30 triples, instead of one and two.
Lets face it, the Reyes/Wright Leftside Of The Infield 10-year plan is never going to come to fruition. Its time to cut one loose and Reyes is the easy choice. He’s oft-injured with nagging/bizarre maladies and -of the two- less likely to return to his previous form. Most of his ailments center around his legs, and it was his legs that separated him from the other shortstops in the game when he was the ‘Most Electrifying Player’ in baseball back in 2008. Without his speed, he’s just another shortstop that doesn’t get on base enough for someone hitting lead off.
So, the easiest thing to do is buy out his contract and let him go. The money owed to Reyes next year would be better spent on a starting pitcher. Or maybe a better shortstop. From the Bronx.
Plus, Mets fans, be truthful here, are you really feeling the Reyes vibe anymore? Don’t you think he’d be best served in a new location. Preferably in the AL just in case he rebounds. The last thing we want is for him to haunt us for years like Jeff Kent did when he went to the Giants.
But then why would the Yankees want Reyes?
First, he’d be cheaper than Jeter. If Reyes hits the free agent market he’ll probably get about $6 million dollars a year. Jimmy Rollins makes $8 million a year and Reyes probably won’t be able to command that much, not after the last two years.
The Yankees could pick up Reyes for about half as much as Jeter is going to ask, and four years isn’t out of the question for someone who is going to be 31, not 40, when the four years are up.
They also don’t need Reyes to be the player the Mets do. The Mets need him to be a spark plug, a rally-starter, a terror on the base paths. The Yankees wouldn’t need him to do that. If there is one thing that the Yanks do well is score runs, and they do that without stealing bases.
Adding him would make the top of the order even more exciting. Think about a lineup with Reyes at the top, then Brett Gardner in the 2-hole, hitting in front of Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano.
Reyes would also find that short porch in right field much more appealing that the airport that is Citi Field and he should make a run at 20 homers in a season.
There are your reasons why Derek Jeter belongs in Flushing in 2011 next to David Wright and why Jose Reyes would be better suited to turning two with Robinson Cano for the next four years.
You’re welcome New York. I’ve solved your 2011 shortstop problems.
Goodbye 2010, Wish We Didn’t Know Ya
Are there any more words to say about the disappointment that is the 2010 New York Mets season? The last two months have been a sixty day suckfest, that has seen a once promising season turn to dust.
They had a great chance to win the NL East this year. April ended well with the Mets in first, and when June ended they were 10 games over 500 and just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and still in the thick of things. The pre-season team to beat (the Phillies) had been fighting major injury troubles all season, were not the dominant team of the past two seasons and were in third.
Then there was a six week period where the only things Mets fans were dreaming of was a Wild Card spot. Yeah, that wasn’t (and isn’t) going to happen. Stop dreaming Mets fans. They are as likely to pull a 2007 Colorado Rockies comeback as I am to run a marathon in the next week.
Remember, that Rockies team was already four games over 500 when they won 14 of their last 15 to get the Wild Card. This Mets team needs a caravan journey just to get within binocular range of four games over 500.
Chalk up 2010 as another bust. Not on the scale of 2007 or 2008, but a bust none the less. Another season of fans complaining about the manager and the GM and the crappy product they put together.
Mets fans always complain about them not going after the big free agents, but remember we got Carlos Beltran all those years ago. We were happy (after the second year of the contract), but now it weighs us down and keeps us from moving on. Then we landed Johan Santana, and he’s been solid. The best pitcher the Mets have had in many years.
For every semi-decent free agent signing, there are spectacular busts. I shouldn’t even need to mention the Oliver Perez signing. Who thought this was a good idea? Three years, $36 million? Really? What kind of blackmail material does Perez on Omar Minaya? This was never a good signing and even fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates laughed at us for this one.
It feels like the past series against the Florida Marlins is a microcosm of the Mets season.
The walk-off win against the Marlins in the first game of the series was the best of the Mets have shown us this season. The 9-1 home stand, the short trip to first place, the surprising power from unexpected sources.
The loss in game two was the middle of the season. The near come back, the failure of the offense to get enough runs to back the pitching staff.
The finale of the series was the kind of game that Mets fans have come to expect from this team in the last couple of weeks. It was a meltdown and a beat down wrapped together in a nice sub-500 package.
Where do the Mets go from here? Who knows. Do they shut down Jon Niese to keep his innings down so what happened to Strasburg doesn’t happen to him? Do they continue to play four rookies and hope they learn to hit major league pitching in the final month so they are able to shed some payroll heading into 2011? Do they let Oliver Perez start and find out if he is still the albatross that all Mets fans expect?
Whatever the Mets do from here until the end, this season is over.
Mets Almost Sweep
Even when things are going well for the New York Mets, games like Sunday happen and the momentum they were building disappears like David Wright into the dugout after another strikeout.
The Mets looked impressive the first two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 7-2 and 5-1, in 5 innings. The newly revised lineup with rookie Chris Carter in the clean up spot and Wright in the five-hole was paying dividends. Carter homered in the first game, and Wright in the second game. The Mets had 22 hits in the first two games, something unheard of from them recently. Those offensive numbers might not seem that great, but it had been almost a month since the Mets had that many hits in consecutive games, and one of those games lasted 13 innings.
A sweep look inevitable, the Mets had ace Johan Santana on the mound against the Pirates Zach Duke, who was 5-12 and had lost eight of his previous 11 starts. They even scored first, putting up a run in the first inning.
But then, this is the 2010 Mets, so guess what happened next.
That’s right, they lost, and blew their first chance to sweep a road series against an NL team in over a year.
Santana (10-8) pitched well again allowing just four hits in eight innings. It was his third straight complete game, which would sound more impressive if his record wasn’t 1-2 in those games. Like his previous start, he allowed two more homeruns, a pair of solo shots that gave the Pirates their two runs.
Duke (6-12) allowed the Mets just five hits in his seven innings. This is the same Duke who allows other opponents to hit .321 off him. The five hits in seven innings yields an average of under .200.
The Mets managed just one run and failed Santana again. This is the third time this season that he has lost a 2-1 game, and the Mets are averaging under three runs a game in support of Santana.
With the loss the Mets sank back to 500 as they head home to take on the Marlins and Astros before ending the month in Atlanta.
The offense shows no signs of showing up, so staying at 500 will be the job of the pitching staff. Its a job they have handled quite well this season and they show no signs of faltering, which is good for the Mets and the future.
