Mets record

To find this out, I'm going to use a stat called WAR or Wins Above Replacement. It is explained here. A team full of replacement level players would have a .300 Winning Percentage.
The Mets batting and Fielding WAR is 7.7. The pitching WAR is 7.9. After 133 games (how many the Mets have played) a .300 WP would mean a team had a record of 40-93. (rounded). So the Mets have 15.6 Wins Above Replacement. Added to 40 gives the Mets 56 wins, which is pretty damn close to what they have (59). So, I'm not saying they should have 56 wins, I'm saying that is what the talent level on this team is.

Who has been the best since Johan went down?

Using FIP (fielding independent pitching, it is on an ERA scale), the best has been Nelson Figueroa, and the worst has been Ollie, and Parnell. Note, these are from all starts following Santana's last start.
Here is the link.

Figgy! Win, 4-1

We have found the ace of the staff. Please step up, Nelson Figueroa. Figueroa went 7 innings, scattering 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out a career high 10. His only iffy inning was the first, where he walked Bradley, gave up a single to Lee, and then a run scoring single to Ramirez. But, he struck out the last 2 to get out of the jam (he struck out the side in the 1st). He had 12 swinging strikes out of 117 pitches for 10.2%. Swinging strike percentage has a linear relationship with strikeout rate, and can indicate future performance. The league average for pitchers is 7.8%.
Every Met starter had a hit (including Figgy, who went 1/3). The Mets scored 2 in the third when Pagan singled, Castillo singled, Murphy singled to score Pagan, and then Francoeur singled to score Castillo. In the fourth, the Mets scored 2 when Schneider singled, and then Anderson Hernandez tripled. Figueroa then helped out his own cause by singling in Hernandez, through a drawn in infield. Brian Stokes came on in the 8th, gave up a single, but then got Lee to hit into a double play, and got Ramirez to pop up. Nice comeback from Brian. Frankie Rodriguez came in, gave up a single, got a fielder's choice, runner went to second on a wild pitch, but then struck out Fontenot and got Soto to pop up to Hernandez for Rodriguez's 28th save. Not that that matters.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Jerry saying he's going to platoon Thole. Not smart. As proven on an earlier post.
Random Thought of the Day: Why does Jeremy Reed get to play, Jerry? Why not Evans? He's up anyway.
Clutch Play of the Game: Hernandez triple in the fourth. +.141 WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: Off day, then go to Colardo to face the Rockies on September 1.
Brian Schneider Line: .189/.272/.318. The Day before it was .188/.273/.319. So it went down.
Bryce Harper Sweepstakes™: Mets have the 9th pick, tied for 10th. 3.5 back (ahead) of the Padres for 5th.

Another Great move by Jerry

Mets won today, recap later
But some news: Jerry Manuel is going to platoon Josh Thole when he is up. He'll only face righties. BTW, it's pronounced toll-ee.
Josh Thole vs righties: .328/.396/.437/.833
Josh Thole vs lefties: .328/.391/.388/.779
granted they are MiLB stats

Omir Santos vs lefties:
.234/.268/.377/.645
congrats, Jerry

130 down, 32 to go. Lose 11-4

The Positives: 4 hitters had 2 hit games, Francoeur and Schneider knocked in a pair each with doubles, Bobby Parnell an 8/4 groundout-flyout ratio. He also had 10 swinging strikes out of 109 pitches.
The Negatives: Parnell gave up 8 runs in 4.2 innings. Lance Broadway gave up 2 in 3 (he did strike out 3 and walk 1). There were 3 players who went o-fer. The Mets only got 2 walks. Aaron Heilman shut us down in 2 innings.

Parnell has been pretty bad recently. Since being a starter, in 21 innings he has given up 29 hits, 10 walks, 24 runs, 4 homers. He has struck out 14. For those following at home, that is a 10.29 ERA, and a 5.77 FIP (so something says he's been unlucky). He should continue to make his last 6 starts, because the Mets have no one better. But, next year, I would stick him in the bullpen. He's much better there.

The Brian Schnedier Line: .188/.273/.319. Up from .179/.267/.307
Stupid Decision of the Day: Nothing. But the next time we face a lefty, I want Evans to play.
Random Thought of the Day: Where is Nick Evans? In Jerry's doghouse? He has just been a pinch hitter since he came up.
Clutch Play of the Game: Schneider double in the fourth. +.171 WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: Mets at Cubs, 2:20 ET
Nelson Figueroa (1-3 5.40 ERA 5.37 FIP 6.98 tRA) takes on
Carlos Zambrano (7-5 3.80 ERA 3.95 FIP 4.63 tRA)
Bruce Harper Sweepstakes™: Mets are tied for 8th. 2.5 back (ahead) of the Padres, for 5th. You can do it guys. You can win.

Oh Stokes. Lose 5-2

Usually when the bullpen lows the game this year, Brian Stokes is not involved and/or did not come into the game. But in fact, Stokes did the blowing, though Jerry did not help. After giving up a double to Milton Bradley, a Derek Lee flyout moved Bradley to third. Jerry then moved the infield in. This decision backfired as Ramirez singled just past Wilson Valdez at short. If Valdez had been playing back, maybe Bradley doesn't score; even if he does, there are two outs. Baker then walked, and then bad pitch calling by Santos/dugout meant Stokes hung a curveball for Soriano to jack out of the park. Elmer Dessens came in to finish the inning, but the damage was done, and the good work that Pat Misch had done was all gone. Misch didn't strike out a lot (2 and one was Tedy Lilly), but he was effective in keeping Cubs of the bases, and runs of the socreboard. He only gave up 6 hits, and he walked 2. He got 9 ground outs, and 9 flyouts, and deserves another start (other options: Lance Broadway ugghh and Dessens ughh). Also, he could probably be effective at Citi Field if he gets 9 flyouts; the big outfield should make it easier for flyballs to be caught. The Cubs got on the board first, in the first, but the Mets tied it up in the second, when Francoeur doubled, Tatis singled him to third, and the Santos hit a pop up that Bradley dropped at his shoetops. It was called a hit, and Francoeur scored. The Mets could've scored more but Sullivan lined out to Baker, Valdez grounded out and Misch struck out. The Mets got the lead in the 8th, when Pagan doubled, and Castillo bunted him to third. I had a problem with this, but I'll discuss later. Murphy walked, Francoeur struck out, but Tatis doubled off the ivy, as Pagan scored. Murphy was thrown out at the plate, which was dumb, so the inning was over. The Mets went quietly in the 9th, despite Santos' walk.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Jerry having Castillo bunt Pagan over. Not only does it give the Bus an out they don't deserve, but it also lowers the Run Expectation for the inning:
Before: Runner at second, none out:1.14103
After: Runner at Third, one out: 0.96654
It also lowers the Win Expectancy from 54.17% t0 50%. And not only that, Castillo is your best hitter. He is the best player at getting on base (.404 OBP). So you shouldn't be bunting with him. Murphy walked, s0 if Castillo had gotten on base (via a walk, infield single or run scoring single) the bases could be loaded. Pagan would've socred on Tatis' double anyway. So, unless it's the pitcher, or the bottom of the 9th, no bunting Jerry.
Random Thought of the Day: I really hope this rumor that the Wilpons have to sell is true. If it is, I propose the fans own the team, and every year there is an election for President, who represents the club.
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis double. +.179 WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: mets at Cubs, 4:10 PM ET (FOX)
Bobby Parnell (3-6 5.08 ERA 4.17 FIP 4.21 tRA) tries to make it 3 quality starts in a row. He'll face
Ryan Dempster (7-7 4.07 ERA 4.23 FIP 4.99 tRA)
Bryce Harper Sweepstakes™: We're now the #9 pick!!!! Only 5 back (ahead) of Baltimore for #3. We can do it guys! Bryce Harper here we come!!!

Fixing the Mets, Part 4

Outfield
Seeing as Carlos Beltran could miss a lot of next year with recovery from micro fracture surgery, the Mets will need to find someone to play centerfield. Angel Pagan, despite filling in nicely, has just a .335 OBP (though he does have a .492 slugging). One thing that worries me about Pagan is his .327 BABIP, which is well above the .302 league average, and above his career norm, .310. That might have to do with his 17.0% Line Drive%, or his 43.6% Groundball percentage (because he's fast, he can get infield singles). However, seeing as he has a 5.6 IFH%, I don't think that's it. Pagan is a useful Endy Chavez type 4th outfielder, who could get exposed playing every day for 162 games. One option is Matt Murton, who has just been DFA'ed by the Rockies. Murton is a career .287/.353/.438 hitter, and would be a better option offensively than Francoeur. Free agents that could be cheap for 2010 include Xavier Nady, Mike Cameron and Rick Ankiel. Nady would provide a little better league average offense, and could be had for $7 million, due to the fact he is coming back from injury. Jason Bay could also be signed, but seeing as he is coming off of a 4 year, $18.5 million dollar contract, he would most likely cost money the Wilpons could not afford. It would be interesting to see if the Mets could trade for Carl Crawford, seeing as he is a free agent after the 2010 season. Crawford makes $10 million next year, and would be worth it. Another free agent after 2010 who I would love to sign is Adam Dunn. He should've been signed before this year, and despite bad defense makes up for it by posting .900 OPS and hitting 40 homers consitently. He would provide the Mets with power, somthing they need. Also, someone who will be in the Majors and should be prodcuing by 2011 is Fernando Martinez. In fact, he might be starting in 2010. Another player is Jeff Francoeur, though he will be payed $5 million next year. I am going to go out on a limb and say they could sign Francoeur to platoon him, seeing as he hits lefties very well, to a tune of .292/.335/.476, a 102 point increase on his OPS against righties. However I do not want Francoeur over Murton especially seeing as Murton will be much cheaper than Francoeur, and better.
Outfield: 2010
LF: Murton
CF: Beltran/Pagan (If Beltran is out for a while)
RF: Nady, 1 year/$7 million
OF:Pagan and Fernando Martinez
Outfield 2011
LF: Dunn
CF:Beltran
RF: Murton
OF: Pagan and F-Mart.
Depending on how well Martinez does in 2010 could make it so that the Mets do not need to sign Dunn for 2011.

Tim Redding=Ace...Daniel Murphy=Slugger

The Mets finally ended their 5 game winning streak on Thursday with a resounding 10-3 win over the Florida Marlins. Tim Redding pitched well for the second time since coming back in the rotation, going 6.2 giving up 3 runs, striking out 5, and walking 2. The Mets scored 10 runs. 10.
And this was the lineup:
Pagan
Valdez
Murphy
Francoeur
Sullivan
Tatis
Santos
Hernandez
Redding
Only 3 had above league averages in OBP. Only one had an above average slugging (Pagan for christ sakes). And yet this group of players scored 10 runs off of Anibal Sanchez and co. Sometimes you have to wonder what could've been if the core didn't get injured.
All of the 8 position players had multi-hit games, and Elias, I want to know the last time that happened for the Mets. For christ sakes, Anderson Hernandez had 3 hits! Tatis and Pagan hit homers.
Big Performers: Pagan, 2/4 3 runs 2 bb, Murphy 2/5 3 rbi's, Valdez 2/5 2 runs 1 bb, Tatis 2/5 2 runs, HR, Hernandez 3/4 bb 2 runs.
Stupid Decision of the Day: I do wonder about going to Feliciano in the 8th when we had an 8-3 lead. He's already pitched in 70 games this year, and is on pace for 89, don't you want to rest him?
Random Thought of the Day: Does Nick Evans start soon? Hopefully against the left handed Ted Lilly he does.
Clutch Play of the Game: Murphy RBI double in second. +.106 WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: Mets start a 3 game series with Chicago.
Mets at Cubs, 2:20 PM ET
Pat Misch (0-1, 4.09 ERA 4.26 FIP 6.14 tRA) will try to pitch better than Oliver Perez.
Ted Lilly (9-8 3.40 ERA 4.01 FIP 4.61 tRA) goes for Chicago.
Bryce Harper Sweepstakes™: Mets are still 10th.

Perez out for season, lose 5-3

They're dropping like flies! In this week alone we have seen Francoeur, Santana and Perez injured, with the latter 2 out for the year. We have seen Putz get shut down. Forgive me if I missed someone. So, Oliver Perez is out for the year with a hurt ego for surgery to fix his patellar tendon tendinosis. Whatever that is.
The Mets scored twice in the second with a Tatis double and Hernandez single, but Mike Pelfrey was not that good, and gave up 2 in the third on a Cody Ross triple, another 2 in the fifth on a Ronny Paulino homer, and one more in the 6th. He went 5.2, walked 5, struck out 2 (one of them the pitcher), and gave up 5 runs. It was not an ace of the staff moment. The Mets scored one in the 6th to make it 4-3, when Sullivan hit a sac fly, after Murphy doubled and went to third on a wild picth, but that was that, and the Mets would not score again. Apparently Sheffield is hurt again. With back spasms. Excellent.
Stupid Decision of the Day: We're not even stupid anymore.
Random Thought of the Day: It all ends October 4th
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis RBI double +.120 WPA
Bryce Harper Sweepstakes™: Mets are still 10th. But, only 3.5 back (ahead) of San Diego, who are 5th.
Up Next for the Mets: Finale, 1:10 PM ET
Tim Redding (1-4, 6.10 ERA 5.08 FIP 5.17 tRA) will try and end the Mets 5 game losing streak. He faces
Anibal Sanchez (2-4 4.97 ERA 4.72 FIP 5.38 tRA)

Mets Offense and Defense Fail, lose 2-1

Maybe the Mets feel they can win this way:
Because, right now, thats the only way the Mets will win. Nelson Figueroa, starting in place of Johan Santana, was pretty good; going 5 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs (one earned), striking out 2. He only went 5, I assume to the same pitch count that Redding was on. Sean Green loaded the bases, but escaped, and K-Rod came in the 8th, and walked one, but did strike out 2. Sean West went 6 innings, giving up 1 run despite the Mets having 9 baserunners. Well, the Mets left 9 on. They managed 1 hit and 1 walk against the Marlins bullpen in 3 innings, and both came against the same person. The Mets scored when Tatis drove in Francoeur, after he had doubled. The Mets had the bases loaded, and one out in the 5th, but Francoeur fouled out to first, and Tatis struck out. Anderson Hernandez had some bad defense that led to the second Marlins run. So in honor of him, this is what you get when you type "Anderson Hernandez fail" on google images.
Luis Ayala. By the way, one of the results from "Fernando Tatis fail" is Benny Agbayani. Interesting. Nick Evans has been called up, by the way!!! Finally.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Pagan getting caught stealing in the seventh. The break even point is 70%, meaning Pagan has to be a 70% base stealer. This year Pagan is 11/17, meaning a 64.7% success rate. So, he shouldn't of run.
Random Thought of the Day: As Oliver Perez might miss Friday's start (hurt ego) our rotation is now Figueroa, Pelfrey, Redding, Misch, Parnell.
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis RBI single in 4th. +.114 WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: Mets at Marlins, 7:10 PM ET
Mike Pelfrey (9-8, 4.67 ERA 3.97 FIP 4.60 tRA) makes his first start as ace of the staff. He faces the Marlins ace,
Josh Johnson (12-3 2.99 ERA 3.15 FIP 3.43 tRA)

PS Livan Hernandez has been signed by the Nationals. He will throw a no hitter against our lineup.

The Races

I'm really bored so I'm going to write a post. Does anyone actually read this, or is it just a place for Aidan to vent?
Edit, Aidan G: People read this.
Edit, Spencer R: Alright, who?

AL East:
The Damn Yankees have run away with this one, and they are now 7 games ahead of the Red Sox. But what did you expect, having shelled out $423.5 million in the offseason. The Sox have one more series with the Yanks at the end of September, but unless anything major (i.e. a big winning streak for Boston coupled with a big losing streak from New York), this series will be all but meaningless in the East race.
Key Series: September 25-27 at New York

AL Central:
What happened to the Central being the strongest division? Its leader, the Detroit Tigers, are 66-58 but still 3.5 games up on the Chicago White Sox. The winning percentage alone of these teams makes the Central the weakest division in the majors. The Minnesota Twins are 4.5 games behind the Tigers, making this an intriguing, 3-way race. Even so, it's quite a leap from last year for the Tigers, who finished in last place in 2008.
Key Series: September 28-October 1 vs. Minnesota, October 2-4 vs. Chicago

AL West:
The Los Angeles Angels are 5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers for the lead, and they have the second-best record in the majors. Then it's Seattle, which is 11 games behind.
Key Series: September 28-October 1 vs. Texas

AL Wild Card:
There are 3 teams really in contention here: The Boston Red Sox, the Texas Rangers, and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox are in first, the Rangers are 1.5 games behind and the Rays are 3 games behind.
Key Series: Boston vs. Tampa Bay September 11-13, Texas vs. Tampa Bay September 25-27

NL East:
No question. The reigning champ Philadelphia is going to win the division again. They are 7 games up on the Atlanta Braves for 1st place. Also, the Phils have a very easy schedule going forward, no Cardinals or Dodgers. Don't count out the Marlins either, they're just a game back of the Braves.
Key Series: September 18-20 at Atlanta.
PS. The Mets are not even worth mentioning here

NL Central:
Somehow the St. Louis Cardinals ran away with this one. Oh yeah, the addition of Matt Holliday probably helped. And having Chris Carpenter healthy and dominant. And the fact that the Cubs have crashed and burned majorly. The Cardinals are 8 games up on them.
Key Series: really none, but Sept 18-20 vs. Chicago

NL West:
Intriguing race here. The LA Dodgers started out the season on fire, but have cooled off a bit recently. The Colorado Rockies have done the opposite, heating up since the ASG and tightening the race to 3 games. If the Rocks keep this up, this could go down to the wire. The Giants are also 7 games back of LA.
Key Series: Oct 2-4 vs. Colorado, and right now vs. Colorado

NL Wild Card:
This is a 4-team spread, with the Rockies in first, the San Francisco Giants 4 games back, Atlanta 4.5 games back, and Florida 5.5 behind. This could go anyway, given the Colorado's second-half surge, but also the Giants' superior starting pitching.
Key Series: Colorado vs. SF Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 14-16. Atlanta vs. Florida Sept 30-Oct 3

Poor Mets

I feel genuinely bad for them. I really do. All those damn injuries...
Carlos Beltran
Alex Cora
Carlos Delgado
John Maine
Fernando Martinez
Ramon Martinez
Jon Niese
Fernando Nieve
J.J. Putz
Jose Reyes
Johan Santana
David Wright
Bold equals Pivotal

Out of all of these guys, the only ones who have a chance to return this season are Beltran, Maine, both Martinezes, Nieve, Putz, and possibly Wright. I hope they feel better next season.
Edit, Aidan G. : Just learned from WFAN that Putz is shut down for the year. I don't think Maine is coming back, and I seriously hope Beltran and Wright don't come back.

Billy Wagner traded to Sox

He's been traded to the Red Sox will decline his $8 million option, but they will offer arbitration, meaning they will get a draft pick. The Mets will get 2 players to be named later, which according to Bart Hubbuch are 2 AA players. We here at MetsMD wish him the best of luck with the Red Sox, and thanks for all the memories, Billy. (The good ones, not the 4 run blown save against the Yanks in '06, or the 2 inning failed saves against the Phils in '07. Or the '06 playoffs)

Johan Santana to undergo minor elbow surgery

According to this source. He will be ready for spring training. It's bone chips in his elbow. Well, thats a relief. I'm glad he doesn't go out and get more hurt. By the way, the ace of the staff is now Mike Pelfrey.

IT's all pathetic, lose 6-2

First of all, Johan Santana has a sore elbow, and has been pitching with a sore back since the all-star break. Why. Did. They. Let. Him. Continue. To. Pitch? I sometimes wonder whether the Mets doctors, Omar Minaya, and Jerry Manuel have a brain. He might need season ending surgery. From the same article, we learn that Jeff Francoeur has a torn ligament in his none throwing hand from making a diving catch. Jeff, I urge you to go on the DL. Nevermind your grissiony record of not going on the DL, just do it. Its for your own sake. Jeff Francoeur, you are now a true Met.
And now to the game. Bobby Parnell gave up a 3 run homer to Howard in the first, and then another homer to Howard in the third, this time a 2 run homer. Angel Pagan led off the first with a pop up that Chase Utley dropped, then overthrew second, throwing the ball into left field. Pagan scored with what Gary Cohen called "a little league homer". Gary Sheffield hit a triple, and scored on Tatis' sac fly. However, that would be all offensively for the Mets, as Cliff Lee was his dominant self, scattering 6 hits, striking out 5, and walking none. He lowered his ERA to 0.68, as both runs were unearned. He has a .86 tRA, which equates to about a 0.79 tERA (the rule of thumb is to multiply tRA by .92 to get tERA, because about 92% of all runs are earned). Feliciano gave up a run in the 9th, but Brad Lidge shut the Mets down anyway.
Parnell went 5 innings, gave up 5 runs, struck out 3 and walked 3. The good thing about Parnell is that he does have a 50.8 groundball percentage. The bad news is that he has a 5.68 tRA as a starter (5.23 tERA), and his FIP is about 5.50. I would keep him in the rotation for the rest of the year, but next year, have him be a reliever again.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Not having Johan shut down earlier. Pitching with a sore back since the all-star break when you have nothing to play for does not show good management.
Random Thought of the Day: Luis Castillo needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap. And maybe have a bubble. Hey, Ken Takahashi and his 4.88 tRA is back.
Clutch Play of the Game: Pagan little league home run. +.085 WPA
Up Next f0r the Mets: Start of a 3 game series at Florida, 7:10 PM ET
Nelson Figueroa (1-2, 6.30 ERA 5.99 FIP 7.60 tRA) takes Johan's place. He faces
Sean West (4-5 4.70 ERA 4.89 FIP 5.10 tRA)

Really Johan

Are you kidding me Santana!? Do you want to join your buddies on the DL or are you just toying with the fans to test our allegiance. You were the only hope that we had for the rest of the year and now you are gonna miss your next start because of discomfort in your pitching elbow. Oh and Frenchie, you're not out of the woods yet either. You have a torn ligament in your left thumb? I broke my thumb and I felt like I could play the next week. You were the best hitter lately and like every other good player that the Mets have had this year you got hurt. I'm surprised actually the you weren't already hurt. So I guess it's good that you got this far. Both you and Santana need to man up and play through your injuries if you want to play on a respectable team. But by losing games on unassisted triple plays, I guess it's hard to respectable.
Edit: Here is where me and Trevor disagree. I feel that Johan should've been on the DL a while back, seeing as we have nothing to play for. Oh look at that, surgery needed.

No, its not a bad dream. Lose, 9-7

Yes, that did happen. The Mets lost with an unassisted triple play. Way to lose 103,476.
Oliver Perez went .2 innings, and gave up 6 runs. He was pulled with a 3-0 count on Pedro effing Martinez for christ sakes. However, Angel Pagan hit 2 homers off of Pedro Martinez, one inside the park, and one outside. Pedro went 6, gave up 4, walked 1, struck out 5. It is exactly the kind of start he would have for us last year. A day after his blown save, Pat Misch provided good 4 inning scoreless relief. Elmer Dessens pitched a scoreless 9th, but Sean Green gave up a run in the 8th, making it the 3rd straight game he has done that, and 7 out of the last 10. Nelson Figueroa went 2.1, and gave up 2 runs. He now has an ERA of 6.30, a 7.60 tRA and a 5.99 FIP. Jeff Francoeur tripled in the first, with one out, and it could've been 6-3, but both Sullivan and Tatis failed. Fast forward to the ninth, where Angel Pagan reaches third on a Ryan Howard error (BUCKNER!!!). Then Bruntlett boots Castillo's grounder to make it 9-7. Then Murphy does the same except it's an infield single. So there are none out, and the tying run at the plate is Jeff Francoeur. The count is 2-2, and then Jerry inexplicably sends the runners, and Francoeur lines it up the middle. Bruntlett, who is covering second catches it, tags second, and then tags Murphy for the unassisted triple play. It would've been a single if the runners don't go. And thats how the Mets lost. Jerry, trying to stay out of the double play, got the triple play.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Sending the runners. Oh why Jerry. You played the effing dice, Jerry, you played the effing dice. You seriously are a dice player with the way you manage.
Random Thought of the Day: Aren't you glad we have Oliver Perez for the next 2 years, at $24 mill/per. Ollie threw the same amount of pitches in the first, as Misch did in 4.
Clutch Play of the Game: Murphy single in 9th. +.144 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: The finale of the 4 game set with the Phillies
Bobby Parnell (3-5, 4.74 ERA 3.70 FIP 3.77 tRA) will attempt to picth more than .2 of an inning
Cliff Lee (4-0, 0.82 ERA 1.66 FIP .77 tRA) is awesome.
Take heart Mets fans. While me might have lost by a dropped pop up, walk off walk, grand slam, and go ahead wild pitch, we still have not lost on a walk off balk or catcher's interference. Or someone stealing home.

Misch Fails, Bullpen fails, lose 4-1

On the 40 year celebration of the '69 Mets, these '09 Mets tried to recreate how the '69 Mets did offensively, by only scoring 1 run. However, Jerry and Co did not realize that the '69 version won 100 games mainly because they only allowed 541 runs, second in the league (to the Cardinals-540). These '09 Mets don't have that luxary, and they don't have Seaver, Koosman, Tug McGraw, or even Nolan Ryan. Nope, tonight we had Tim Redding pitching. And to be fair to Tim, he went 5 innings, and gave up 1 hit, walked 3, k'ed 4. And he didn't allow a run. However he was on a 80 pitch count, so he was done. Jerry Manuel turned to newly called up Pat Misch. Which was a mistake, because he walked Victorino, and then gave up a 2 run homer to Chase Utley. Then Sean Green came in, struck out Werth for out number 2, and then gave up a double, another double, and finally got out of the inning after IBB Ruiz, when Happ grounded out. Elmer Dessens pitched a scoreless 7th, but then Feliciano walked Howard to lead off the 8th, gave up a double, got Ibanez to foul out, and then intentionally walked Feliz, leaving the mess to Brian Stokes. Who only allowed 1 run, in a situation where 1.58 runs are expected to score. So kudos to you Brian. Nelson Figueroa pitched a scoreless 9th. In the 9th, the Mets went down 1-2-3. The Mets only left 7 on.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Bringing in Misch. I could get into how bad he is, but do I really need to? He has an ERA of 5, a FIP of 4.97, and a tRA of 6.81. HE SUCKS. You could've gone to Dessens. Or Stokes. Or Billy Wagner.
Random Thought of the Day:If they trade Wagner, please get someone good in return. Like Clay Bucholz. Or Michael Bowden. Oh. Never mind.
Clutch Play of the Game: Omir Santos RBI single in the 2nd. +.093 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: Finale, 1:10 PM
Oliver Perez (3-3, 6.06 ERA 5.93 FIP 6.60 tRA) takes on former Met great (be nice to him, Citi faithful)
Pedro Martinez (1-0, 4.50 ERA 3.09 FIP 3.98 tRA)

Big Pelf, Frenchy, if only it mattered. WIN, 4-2

3 months ago this was a series that was supposed to have mattered. A big 3 game weekend series, sublimely put in by MLB schedulers, so they could have "rivalry weekend". Well I guess the Red Sox-Yankees is still interesting. But, the Mets did win, maybe showing 38,243 (how the hell are they still getting that many?) what can happen. It was a heated game, after a rain delay, and Cole "Choker" Hamels plunked Big Pelf. And he hit Tatis. So Pelfrey hit Werth. You know, I'm not a big fan of the whole hitting people, and brawl thing (Our players could get hurt, if they already aren't hurt), but Pelfrey, if Hamels hit you, hit him back. Especially seeing as he was the first batter in the next inning after you got hit. When the Phillies took the lead, I thought that was that. Yes, I do not have much hope, even though its the first inning. But we came back. In the second Tatis led off with a triple, Murphy drove him in with a ground out, Santos singled, Hernandez flied out, Pelfrey got plunked, and then pagan drove in Santos with a single. Francoeur homered in the third, then Tatis got plunked, Murphy doubled, and Santos brought Tatis in for the Mets 4th and final run. The Phillies got one back in the 6th. Feliciano struck out Victorino and Howard, and Stokes got the final out in the 7th, and pitched a scoreless 8th too. Blow-Rod made it interesting in the 9th, giving up a double to Rollins and an infield single to Victorino, with one out but he struck out Utley and Howard to end the game.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Not going back after Hamels. Cause it would also be payback for the Mets are chokers comments. Even if they're true.
Random Thought of the Day: We're only 13.5 back!!! (Our elimination number is 29)
Clutch Play of the Game: Rollins fly out in 6th with bases loaded, 2 out. +.107 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: Second game, 7:10 PM ET
Tim Redding (1-4, 6.53 ERA 5.20 FIP 5.29 tRA) tries to show he is better than Livan.
J.A. Happ (9-2, 2.66 ERA 4.18 FIP 4.79 tRA)
By the Way, Jeff Francoeur's OBP reached .300. When we got him, it was .282.

Wagner has been claimed on waivers

Apparently it is the Red Sox or Rays. I do not like it. Both those teams will screw us. I'd rather keep Wags, and get 2 draft picks next year, (he's a Type A free agent) or make him the closer and trade Blow-Rod. Because Blow-Rod's walk rate is higher than ever, and his k-rate is lower then ever, all signs of a pitcher's decline. And he has a player option in 2012 for $17.5 million.

The Mets fail at Life; Lose 3-2

The big news of the night was that Billy Wagner made his return. Entering Sandman was playing, and Billy came in and had a dominant 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2, and threw 95 MPH on average. When is the last time we had a bona fide closer not walk anyone? I say trade Francisco Rodriguez, and keep Billy Wagner, (and maybe Putz too). More on that later today. The other big news was that, when Wagner was activated from the DL, the Mets released Livan Hernandez. Finally.
Johan went 7 innings, gave up 9 hits, and only struck out 2, which is a little concerning. Cory Sullivan got the Mets run in the 3rd. The Mets threatened in the 8th; Jeff Francoeur reached on a throwing error by Larry Jones. But then Gary Sheffield (who had been left out of the lineup after asking for a contract extension) struck out as a pinch hitter. But Tatis walked, and Omir "Short Swing" Santos pinched hit for Schneider, and got an RBI single. Francoeur scored, and it looks promising. Until Anderson Hernandez grounded out weakly on 2-0 pitch. Castillo did single in the 9th, but the other Mets went quietly. Ryan Church out hit Francoeur.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Not pinch hitting for Anderson Hernandez. I know, I know, who would pinch hit for him:Wilson Valdez? Andy Green? At this stage, Nick Evans really should be up.
Random Thought of the Day: I hope Tim Redding doesn't start now that Livan is gone. Maybe they'll give it to Figgy, or maybe bring up Tobi Stoner. What's that? Tim Redding is starting on Saturday? Against J.A. Happ? Great.
Clutch Play of the Game: Omir Santos RBI single in 8th. +.128 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: Spoiler series against the Phillies.
Mike Pelfrey (8-8, 4.75 ERA 4.01 FIP 4.62 tRA)
Cole Choker Hamels (7-7, 4.69 ERA 4.15 FIP 5.10 tRA)

Shocker

I know it's late but I have to talk about it. Is anyone shocked that the Mets let up 15 runs after a come back. That is how the season has gone. Big hopes and to no ones surprise they fail. This is just another chapter in my big book of why the season is over.

Lost 15-2

The Atlanta Falcons defeated the New York Giants today, 15-2, in front of just 38,602 fans at Giant Stadium. The Falcons scored 8, after Anderson Hernandez fumbled, and Omar Infante returned it to the endzone. The Giants then let Brian McCann take it in himself for the 2 point conversion. The other touchdown was scored when Bobby Parnell threw an interception that was returned by Matt Diaz. The Giants got their 2 points when Chipper Jones uncharacteristically got tackled in his own endzone for a safety. After the game, Coach Jerry Manuel said the fumbles and interceptions were due to "a lack of communication." The next Giants game is at the Miami Dolphins.
Wait, what? Oh, right. Football season hasn't started yet. Except for pre-season. Oh. Sorry, about that.
Ok, the baseball game: Parnell gave up a bunch of soft hits, then Anderson Hernandez bailed on him defensively, (and so did Castillo), and then Parnell gave up a 3 run bomb. He should still be left in the rotation for this year, but he has more promise as a reliever. Nelson Figueroa gave up 2 runs in 2 innings, Tim Redding gave up 3 runs in 3 innings, and Green gave up 1 run in an inning. Parnell went 3 and gave up 9. The Mets got their runs in the 3rd and 5th, but the Braves could've pitched Tom Glavine right handed, and they still would've won.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Luis Castillo not going to second, and Anderson Hernandez not throwing to first. You are taught in little league to get the sure out. This is the Majors, Anderson.
Random Thought of the Day: It's 15-2, and a position player doesn't even get to pitch? Jesus, Jerry, give these fans something entertaining. At least it takes their mind off the drek that they paid to watch.
Clutch Play of the Game: Church flies 0ut to center in the second. +.040 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: End of the series. 7:10 PM ET
Johan Santana (13-8, 3.10 ERA 3.75 FIP 3.78 tRA) looks to keep it closer than a football score. He'll face
Kenshin Kawakami (5-9, 4.13 ERA 4.59 FIP 4.92 tRA)

What Torture? Win 9-4

Its a rare thing these days when the Mets get one hit, so imagine how surprised I was when they set a team record for hits in an inning, with 10. Yes, that's right. The Mets got 10 hits. In one inning. (I should predict no hitters more often) The Ten hit men were, in order: Pagan, Castillo, Sheffield, Francoeur, Tatis, Santos, Hernandez, Oliver Perez (.250/.286/.250), Castillo, Sheffield. The outs were made by Daniel Murphy (groundout and strikeout), and Pagan (RBI Fielder Choice). The Mets tacked on a run in the 8th, and Brian Stokes came in to end the game, striking out one in the 9th. He lowered his ERA to 2.96, despite a 5.35 tRA and a 4.39 FIP. Oliver Perez went 5 innings, and gave up 4 runs. But there are some positives: 3 of the runs came on a homer, and not an endless inning. He threw 81 pitches in those 5 innings. He could've gone at least one more inning. He struck out 4, and walked 1. That is right: On the day the Mets get 10 hits in an inning, Oliver Perez walked one batter. And the Mets won. And Ryan Church went 0/4, Jeff Francoeur went 3/5. Which of these things do not belong?
Stupid Decision of the Day: I cannot find anything wrong with the way Jerry Manuel managed this game. But he should still go at the end of the year, along with Omar. I lobby for Omar to be fired (not a grammar mistake, the "lobby")
Random Thought of the Day: They say lightning doesn't strike twice, but then how did the Mets AAA team (with some other MLB caliber players) get 10 hits in an inning and 8 runs?
Clutch Play of the Game: Sheffield 2 run double in the fourth. +.126 WPA
Up Next for the Mets: second game, Mets vs Braves, 7:10 PM ET
Bobby Parnell (3-4, 3.50 ERA 3.43 FIP 3.52 tRA) faces a stronger lineup. He faces
Jair Jurrjens (9-8, 2.99 ERA 3.71 FIP 4.26 tRA)

Grission

Grit and Passion. It's on urban dictionary.
and here is a shirt:

This is Painful. Lose 10-1

The big news of the evening was that Steven Strasburg signed a 4 year deal worth $15 million. Great. The whole point to lose these games was so we could get Strasburg. We were the only team that could afford him. The Mets signed there top pick, Steven Matz. Glad Fred Wilpon can still shell out $895,000 to him. You know what the Mets could get for $895,000? A pitcher who is better than Livan Hernandez (they could get someone like that for $400,000).
But, back to the game. Livan was terrible. Absolutely godawful suckyness. 5.1 innings of 6 run baseball. JERRY EXPLAIN TO ME WHY HE IS STILL ON THE TEAM?????????? He has a 5.72 DERA (Baseball Prospectus ERA scaled stat, defence independent, and I'm using it because I get minor league translations). You know who has a lower translated DERA for Buffalo? (And who is younger) Tobi Stoner (5.29), Kyle Snyder (5.29). You know who has that at Binghamton? Ryan Coultas (4.06) and Chris Mason (3.38). Not to mention Nelson Figueroa who is in the bullpen (gave up a run today). At this point Tim Redding could be better. Actually, probably not. Seeing as he gave up 3 runs in an inning. And we scored 1 run. And guess who is pitching tonight: Oliver Perez. When does it end? I mean, come on. I think when Livan pitches and when we have expanded rosters, the AAA AA team should play. Alex Cora went on the DL to have surgery for his ligament. Well, he showed grission by playing for 3 months with that injury.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Cory Sullivan getting thrown out at home in the first. Using Win Expectancy, the break even point is 124%. That means that he has to be safe on those plays 124% of the time for it to be a good decision. Obviously, thats impossible. So using Run Expectancy we see that the break even point is 77%. So Sullivan has to take the extra base successfully 77% of the time. And Francoeur was on deck. Francoeur probably would not have hit into a double play, as he's only hit into 1 as a Met. So Razor Shines, shame on you.
Random Thought of the Day: You know its a sad state of affairs when the lead story on Mets.com is about David Wright's leadership. When he is on the DL (he's the leader of the people on the DL, there's almost enough for a whole team!)
Clutch Play of the Game: Sheffield RBI single in the third. +.112 WPA(*100 to get%)
The Next Torture Session for Fans: Braves at Mets 7:10 PM ET
Oliver Perez (2-3 5.97 ERA, 5.83 FIP, 6.48 tRA) looks to make this torture quick.
Derek Lowe (12-7, 4.08 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 4.32 tRA) will throw a no hitter.

Murph!!! Win 3-2

The Mets won their first game of the post David Wright playing every day era. As the third baseman was put on the DL (hopefully for the rest of the year, and OMG OMG OMG Omar didn't do something stupid!!!), his teammates were celebrating in a walk off dogpile, which could provoke more injuries. With David Wright out, his teammates tried to replace his prescience in the lineup. There was Fernando Tatis striking out in his 2 official at bats. And, then there was also Luis Castillo hitting a home run to the second deck. Is this some kind of bizarro world that we live in? No, its not. Because, with a 2-1 lead going into the 8th, and having thrown only 90 pitches, Jerry left Big Pelf in, and he promptly gave up 2 doubles to blow the lead. But Brian Stokes and Pedro Feliciano came on, and got the job done. I feel that Feliciano and Stokes should be the relief aces (closers), and used like Orosco and McDowell were in 1986. The Mets did nothing in the 8th, and in the top of the 9th Blow-Rod came in (to the nervousness of all the 38,793 Citi Faithful). But, he struck out the side, to become K-Rod again. And, then Francoeur singled (to the shortstop), Tatis bunted him over, and Daniel Murphy hit the walk off single.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Leaving Pelfrey in for the 8th. Because this year batters are batting .333/.500/.333 against him in the 8th, and not only that, but batters are batting .360/.429/.440 after 101 pitches (he threw 104). And, not only that but the fourth time around the order (which is what Pelf was in), batters are batting .333/.500/.500 (compared with
.297/.355/.464 in the third time.)
Random Thought of the Day: Seeing as Wright is now on the DL, maybe Murphy should play third, just to see if his bat will play there. His bat really doesn't play for first. Oh yeah, I hope they call up Nick Evans to replace Wright. That would be nice. Hold on? What's that? They called up Andy Green? a 32 year old who is a career .199/.280/.265? But, wait he can play everywhere. I think Mestradamus was right when he said they were grooming utility players. Not Nick Evans who has gotten his average up 100 points since going back down to AAA? And who crushes lefties? Ok. Thanks, Omar. (Green-translated .231/.295/.368)
Clutch Play of the Game: Daniel Murphy walk off!!! +.299 WPA (multiply by 100 to get percent)
Up Next for the Mets: Finale of 4 game series with Giants
Livan Hernandez (7-7 5.08 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 5.74 tRA) will try to be the Giants by eating all of them. He'll face
Joe Martinez (2-1 6.00 ERA, 3.01 FIP (someone's unlucky), 4.85 tRA)

David Wright- Out For The Year?

If David Wright is actually out for the season, as Jerry stated today, this could be a huge hit to the team even though the season is pretty much over for them. On Saturday David was hit by a pitch squarely on the head and was kept at the hospital over night, having concussion like symptoms. Wright is probably the best player on the team and when talking about players you absolutely have to keep, he is always the first name. His injury would go on a long list of injures that the Mets have suffered this season. Names like Reyes, Delgado, and Beltran are already on the list, so David would just be another name on the all star DL. The thing the Mets need to do is that if he is done for the year, don't risk it by trying to shorten his recovery time. The Mets need to accept that they have nothing to play for any more and leave their injuries alone. That means that Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, maybe Wright, and all other major players that are injured should not play this season to make sure that they are fully recovered for next season.
----Aidan G.: There are 11 people on the DL right now.

Did the game really matter in the end? Lose, 5-4

Did anyone care about what happened to the game after Wright got hit? Well, I mean we did care, but I think everyone was more concerned about Wright. For those of you who don't know (how do you not know) David Wright got hit in the head in the fourth inning. He left the field under his own power, went to the hospital, the CT scan was negative, but he has a concussion, and stayed at the hospital overnight. Seeing as how the Mets messed up when Ryan Church had a concussion, I have no confidence in this medical staff doing anything right. I would shut Wright down for a week, (if not the rest of the year; what's the point) and then have his head examined by an independent, professional doctor. So yeah. By the way, our chance of getting into the playoffs is .2%, according to coolstandings.com.
So, the game. Well, we went 1 up, but Johan was just not good enough, and gave up 4 in 6.2. Really, Johan you must do better than that. But then, down 4-1, we came back! Sullivan singled in Hernandez with one out, Castillo walked, Tatis singled in Sullivan, moving Castillo to third, and then Sheffield hit a sac fly. Murphy was intentionally walked, but Francoeur flied out. Francisco Rodriguez came in the ninth, and got a 1-2-3 inning. The Mets did nothing in the 9th, and Blow-Rod gave up a homer to Bengie Molina in the 10th. The Mets went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the tenth.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Santana not hitting Sandoval. Because on the next pitch he hit a homer. You drill him, Johan. Come on.
Random Thought of the Day: How the hell do 39,652 still go to the games? What is there to watch? Cory Sullivan, Fernando Tatis and Livan Hernandez take on Adam Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman and JD Martin of the Washington Nationals. I'd rather watch the Nats.
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis RBI single in the 8th. +.234 WPA (times by a hundred to get the percentage)
Up Next: 3rd game of 4 game set at 1:10 PM
Mike Pelfrey (8-8 4.88 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 4.83 tRA) who looks to hit every Giants batter in the head*. He'll face
Jonathan Sanchez (5-10 4.61 ERA, 4.13 FIP, 4.39 tRA)
*-In no way does MetsMD promote violence against San Francisco Giants.

Mets uniforms

As my first post in about a week and first as a 24 year old, I would like to talk about the uniforms the Mets wore for game against the Giants today. They were white with a N on one side of the buttons and a Y on the other side. Really. For some reason the Mets don't believe in dressing well. First it was those dominos pizza like patches, than the ugly black hats, and now these uniforms. What's next, orange pants? The Mets play very close to NYC, one of the major fashion cities in the world, and they don't know how to dress. I don't see the Yankees putting out a new uni every week, or the Red Sox. The Mets need to keep the traditional uniforms, with the white pinstripes, white pants, and blue hat.

tRA now on fangraphs.com

I used to get it from statcorner.com, and still might, I'm not sure. The tRA on fangraphs will be a little different then on statcorner, because they use different batted ball info, and different park factors.
By the way, tRA is not on a ERA scale. To get it to a ERA scale (tERA) multiply the tRA by .92.
Here is some info on tRA. (Read the comments; some of them have more info)

Parnell: 3-0

In front of 38,997, Bobby Parnell showed us a glimpse of what could be in 2010. Sure, it was against the anemic San Francisco Giants lineup (they had 3 guys who had OBP's above the league average. Even in our injured state, we have 5), but he went 6 efficient innings, striking out 7, walking none, and scattering 3 hits. He threw 86 pitches, 61 for strikes, and he had a 7-4 groundout to flyouts ratio. The Mets got their runs in the first, fourth and sixth. In the first, Angel Pgan hit a leadoff homer, in the fourth, Francoeur hit a 2 out double, and in the sixth, Sheffield hit a sac fly. In the sixth, the Mets could've made it 4-0, as Wright was at second with one out, but Francoeur and Tatis grounded out. Brian Stokes pitched a 1-2-3 7th, and got the first in the 8th, but then gave up a single and walk. Pedro Feliciano came into his 64th game, and got out of the jam. In the 9th, Francisco Rodriguez came on to get the save, and looked very happy when he got it done. (Maybe Parnell threatened to use his hunting skills against him if he blew it)
Stupid Decision of the Day: Nothing. Nada.
Random Thought of the Day: If Parnell turns out to be good, I could see a rotation of Johan, Pelfrey, Niese, Parnell, Perez. But I would like a dependable number 2. Trade Perez.
Clutch Play of the Game: Francoeur RBI double in fourth. +11.4 %WPA
Up Next for the Mets: second game of 4 game set with Giants, 4:10 PM ET (FOX)
Johan Santana (13-8 3.00 ERA, 3.74 FIP, 3.59 tRA) takes on
Matt Cain (12-4 2.44 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 3.97 tRA)

Mets Rundown 8/13

• David Wright could be injured. He denies it.
• Delgado had a setback. Is anyone surprised? Meanwhile, Wags is closer.
• Jerry is deciding whether to drop Livan from the rotation. Does it matter?
• Sam Page of Amazin Avenue looks at Jeff Francoeur
• The Mets start a 3 game set with the wild card leading Giants. I predict a sweep. (as in us getting swept)
  

Rundown 8/12/09

Possible Playoff Match-Up:
Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-2
Are things back on track? With their third straight win, the Sox still lead the Wild Card and are still within striking distance of the division title. Josh Beckett pitched 7 innings of 2-run ball to achieve his league-leading 14th win, and together the Sox hurlers only let up 3 hits. The offense continued its rise, getting 11 hits (2 homers by Jason Bay and Mike Lowell). Today Boston goes for the four-game sweep.
Los Angeles Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-5.

Pitching Performance of the Night:
Felix Hernandez, SEA: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 10 K vs. Chicago White Sox
King Felix and Chicago starter Mark Buerhle both pitched terrifically, but after 14 innings it was the Mariners who came out in front of the 1-0 contest. Hernandez was helped by his defense, who turned 2 double plays, threw out a runner at home (who but Ichiro) and a pick-off at first base. Hernandez is now 6th in Ks and 7th in ERA in the MLB.
Honorable Mention: Francisco Liriano, MIN: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Hunter Pence, HOU: 2 for 5, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI vs. Florida
Pence struck the ball well twice tonight, but he was fortunate that both homers were 3-run shots. He took advantage of a slug-fest against Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco, who let up 10 runs in 3.1 innings (great, for my fantasy team). Luckily, Pence is also on my fantasy team. Carlos Lee also had a great game, getting 3 hits with 3 RBI. The Astros won 14-6.
Honorable Mention: Jason Bay, BOS: 3 for 3, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

No 1 pick standings, updated

The Mets are still the 10th worst team in the Majors. And we are now 13 behind (ahead?) of Washington. 1.5 back of Arizona, and 1.5 ahead (behind?) of Toronto.

Walks City, Win 6-4

The Mets salvaged the third game with the Diamondbacks with a 6-4 victory in front of 22,320 D-Back faithful. The Mets scored 3 in the 6th, and carried a 3-1 lead into the seventh. Oliver Perez went 5.1, walked 6, k'ed 7, and gave up 6 hits, but only 1 run. But in the seventh, Sean Green and Pedro Feliciano conspired to blow the lead, and make it 3-3. But, the Mets scored twice in the 8th (Castillo single, Sullivan triple), and even though Blow-Rod made it interesting in the 9th, the Mets came away with the victory.
Jeff Francoeur walked twice. One was intentional, the other wasn't.
(This is a short post because I'm on a time limit on internet in a Holliday Inn in Miami.)
Stupid Decision of the Day: Putting Sean Green in. He sucks. Stop using him, Jerry.
Random Thought of the Day: Why didn't Angel Pagan start?
Clutch play of the Game: Castillo RBI single in 8th, +24.4%WPA
Up Next for the Mets: Off day, then home to Citi. Giants vs Mets, 7:10 PM
Bobby Parnell (2-4 3.94 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 8.36 tRA as starter, 3.80 tRA as reliever) makes his second start. He takes on
Barry Zito (8-10, 4.40 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 4.91 tRA)

Mets Lose again

So yeah, this is a quick post. The Mets put up this lineup: Sullivan, Castillo, Tatis, Murphy, Francoeur, Reed, Cora, Schneider, Herandez. So, we scored 2 runs, gave up 6, and we could be swept by Arizona.
We suck.
Clutch Play of the Game: Francoeur homer in second. +10.2% WPA.
Up Next: Mets vs Diamondbacks, 3:40 PM
Oliver Perez (2-3, 6.38 ERA, 6.01 FIP, 6.62 tRA)
Jon Garland (6-10, 4.33 ERA, 4.62 FIP, 5.16 tRA)

Rundown 8/11/09

Possible Playoff Match-Up:
Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 7-5
The winning streak continues. The Tigers got to Sox starter Junichi Tazawa early (scoring 3 runs in the first inning) but Boston came back thanks to 2 home runs by Mike Lowell. Lowell would not have even come into the game if starter Kevin Youkilis had not charged the mound in the second inning, resulting in his and Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello's ejections. Youk sprinted out to the mound after getting hit by a pitch (apparently in retaliation for Miguel Cabrera getting beaned earlier) and threw his helmet at Porcello before tackling him to the ground. I can tell you, it was a lot of fun to watch. There was a little drama in the ninth, with Curtis Granderson homering off Jonathon Papelbon, but it passed and the Red Sox won, giving Tazawa his first major-league victory. Coupled with the Texas Rangers' loss to Cleveland, the Sox are now 1.5 games up in the Wild Card.
Los Angeles Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0

Pitching Performance of the Night:
Ervin Santana, LAA: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K vs. Tampa Bay
What seemed like a lost season for Santana may have been reversed last night after he pitched a shutout against the Rays. He needed only 97 pitches to get through the powerful Tampa Bay lineup. The only hits Santana gave up were 2 singles and a double, all coming in separate innings. He also lowered his ERA from 7.20 to 6.38. Last year was a career year for Santana, when he went 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA. This year was derailed by arm problems and general suckiness.
Honorable Mention: John Danks, CWS: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Adrian Gonzalez, SD: 6 for 6, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI vs. Milwaukee
Gonzalez accomplished something that has only been done twice this season. He hit 6 hits in San Diego's 13-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Strange that a power hitter who has a low average would have 5 singles in a game. Oh well, six hits is good, even if only one went for extra bases. The Padres' usually sickly offense knocked 22 hits in the game, including home runs by Will Venable and Henry Blanco. Gonzalez set a franchise records for hits in a game.
Honorable Mention: Miguel Olivo, KC: 3 for 5, 3B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB

Rundown 8/10/09

Possible Playoff Match-Up:
Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5
Yes! The 6-game losing streak is over! Combined with New York's loss to Toronto, that means the Sox are only 5.5 games back now! And the Rangers did not play last night, so Boston has a half- game lead in the Wild Card too. Even so, yesterday's game was not exactly the best game ever played. The Red Sox jumped out to an early 4-0 lead over Detroit starter Edwin Jackson, who they chased after 4 innings. But the Tigers ate away at their lead until it was 5-5 in the 7th inning. In the bottom of the inning, though, Nick Green came through with a sacrifice fly to give the Sox a 1-run lead, which is the way it stayed for the rest of the game thanks to Jon Papelbon's 4-out save. Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay, and Green all homered in the win.
And Aidan, here is the Tampa Bay/Los Angeles series, even though there is no way the Rays are getting in the playoffs:
Los Angeles Angels beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-7

Pitching Performance of the Night:
Gio Gonzalez, OAK: 6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K vs. Baltimore
Gonzalez had a good game, pitching 6 shutout innings...against Baltimore. The Orioles have a terrible offense, but shutting out a team is worth commending. Gonzalez gave up 5 singles and 2 doubles in his reign, but he was helped out because Baltimore went 0-12 with runners in scoring postition. Mark Ellis had 5 hits and Ryan Sweeney hit 2 doubles in the 9-1 victory.
Honorable Mention: Jorge De La Rosa, COL: 7.2 IP, 7 H, ER, 4 BB, 11 K (he should have gotten PPotN, but I already wrote the whole thing about Gonzalez, so...)

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Troy Tulowitzki, COL: 5 for 5, 2 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 R, 7 RBI (hit for cycle) vs. Chicago
Tulowitzki hit for the cycle last night, marking the first of his career and the sixth this year in the MLB. He hit a 2-run shot in the first inning off of Tom Gorzelanny, singled in 2 runs in the second, hit an RBI double in the fourth, and tripled to lead off the seventh. As if that wasn't enough, he then hit a 2-run single in the next inning. Congratulations to him. The Rockies won 11-5.
Honorable Mention: Kendry Morales, LAA: 3 for 4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
Mark Ellis, OAK: 5 for 5, 2B, 4 RBI (he probably would have had more runs scored if he wasnt batting 8th in the order)

Mike Pelfrey 2008 and 2009

After Last night's performance, Mike Pelfrey's ERA went to 4.88. This is a far cry from his ERA of 3.72 ERA last year. However, I think this has to do with the defense that has been behind him. His FIP (fielding independent pitching on ERA scale) was 3.96; this year it is 4.12, so there is not a lot of difference. This year, his K/9 is higher, his BB/9 is higher, but his groundball percentage is a percent higher, at 50.9 compared to 49.6. His HR/9 is a touch higher. This should account for the higher FIP, and the more groundballs might account for the higher ERA, seeing as the Mets defense has been pretty crappy this year. Another stat to measure pitchers is xFIP, and is available on the Hardball Times. Instead of HR, xFIP is expected FIP. Here is an article on the two. The formula for FIP is (13*HR+(BB+HBP)*3-K*2)/IP. Because pitchers sometimes have less control on home runs (due to park factors, altitude, etc) The Hardball Times replaced HR with the league average of HR/FB%, and used that to multiply flyballs. So the formula for xFIP= ((FB*HR/FB%)*13+(BB+HBP-IBB)*3-K*2)/IP. This is another good article. So Pelfrey's xFIP is 4.50, compared to 4.70 for last year. His BABIP is also higher this year, indicating he's been unlucky. So don't worry about Pelf, he'll be fine. ZiPS (Fangraphs.com projections) predicts that he'll have a 4.31 ERA for the rest of the year. So Pelf is fine, and is a good number 3 starter. Just not the number 2 guy.

#1 Pick Standings

A new feature on MetsMD will be the standings for the number one pick. (Don't ask how I have time for this)

Team W L PCT GB
WSN 40 72 357 -
KC 43 68 387 4
Pitt 45 66 405 5.5
BAL 46 66 411 6
SD 47 66 416 6.5
CIN 48 63 432 8.5
CLE 48 63 432 8.5
OAK 50 62 446 10
ARI 51 62 451 11.5
NYM 52 60 464 12

Lose Again, 7-4

I didn't stay up to pay attention to this game. And I'm glad I didn't, because sleeping is much better than watching the Mets fail again. Mike Pelfrey went 6 innings, and gave up 5 runs and all oif them were earned. Apparently there was horrible defense, (they commited 2 errors) and Pelf suffered. But yeah, it's September one month early. The Mets have dropped 9 of 12, play that last surfaced in September of '07 (sorry everyone for reminding that). But I mean, that is no reason not to go to Citi Field and watch the Mets. Because they are slashing ticket prices (about time). But hey, you can see Anderson Hernandez (2/3 walk, rbi yesterday), who as a Met has more walks than Francoeur has. You can see Fernando Tatis (triple yesterday), Luis Castillo (2/4, walk run), David Wright (1/3 run, walk), Francoeur (1/4), and Angel Pagan (1/5, rbi). You can see Livan Hernandez play third base and bat clean up. Or you can see Elmer Dessens give up 2 runs in 2 innings. But you know, when Gary Cohen starts a countdown, you know the season is over.
Stupid Decision of the Day: The Mets thinking they can play baseball. Because, they might be better sending out the A Cyclones, to field. (They could be better than Tatis)
Random Thought of the Day: Nick Evans Nick Evans Nick Evans. I want Nick Evans.
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis Triple in fourth. +15.9% WPA
Up Next: Game 2. 9:40 ET
Livan Hernandez (7-6 5.08 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 5.78 tRA)
Max Scherzer (6-6 4.01 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 3.31 tRA)

Rundown 8/9/09

Non-Existent Playoff Match-Up:
New York Yankees eat the Boston Red Sox alive, 5-2
At least we led for 10 minutes. The first time the Red Sox have led in a game since the third inning of Thursday's 13-6 loss to the Yanks. Victor Martinez's two-run bomb in the 8th gave the Sox a one-run lead (and ended a 31-inning scoreless streak). But in the bottom of the inning, Daniel Bard (whom I immediately dropped from my fantasy team for personal reasons, along which being he has sucked of late) retired the first two batters easily, then promptly served up a solo homer to Johnny Damon. Darn, says Boston, now we may not win. Next pitch goes out of the yard, crushed by Mark Teixeira. The Yankees tacked on two more insurance runs, but it wasn't needed. Mariano Rivera got the save in the 9th. Andy Pettitte pitched 7 scoreless innings to get the no-decision. The Sox are now 6.5 games behind New York in the East, and tied with Texas in the Wildcard.

Pitching Performance of the Night:
Derek Holland, TEX: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K vs. Los Angeles Angels
Holland was masterful last night against LA's dangerous offense, throwing a complete game, 3-hit shutout. He only needed 96 pitches, 73 of which were strikes. All three of the hits against him were singles. Holland's ERA now stands at 5.04, lowered from 5.60.
Honor. Mention: Javier Vasquez, ATL: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Michael Cuddyer, MIN: 4 for 5, 2 HR, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI vs. Detroit
Michael Cuddyer continues his resurgence year, going 4 for 5 last night with 3 extra-base hits. After hitting 3 homers all of 2008, he has 19 so far this year with almost twice as many RBI (56) and a + .30 BA (.277). He even hit for the cycle back in May. Nights like this cement Cuddyer's status as one of the more underrated players in the game.
Honor. Mention: Franklin Gutierrez, SEA: 3 for 5, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI

Johan Stops the Bleeding, win 5-1

Finally, Johan Santana got it. He has to pitch well, and be the offense, and he did just that, going 2/3 with a walk, and an RBI. The other notable offensive performances were Anderson Hernandez (2/3, walk, RBI), Jeff Francoeur (2/4) and Murphy and Castillo (2/5). Every Met got a hit except for Wright and Pagan. Santana got his 13th win, to tie the Majors, by going 8 strong, allowing 5 hits, a run, 2 walks and struck out 4. The lack of strike outs in worrying, but Santana did get 12 ground outs, compared with 8 flyouts. The Mets scored one in the second, when Anderson Hernandez brought in Francoeur, scored 3 in the 6th, and added one in the 9th, when Murphy's little flair to left brought home Pagan.
But back to Johan: His velocity was about normal,(click to make bigger)
and the fastball changeup differential was good. He induced groundballs, and overall, he pitched well.
Francisco Rodriguez came in the 9th with a four run lead, but held San Diego.
The Mets have pick #10.
Stupid Decision of the Day: None. Overall, a good game.
Random Thought of the Day: Those Padres uniforms kind of suck.
Clutch Play of the Game: Santana RBI single in 6th. +13.6%WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: 3 game series with Diamondbacks
Mike Pelfrey (8-7 4.75 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 4.86 tRA) makes his first start as a father
Doug Davis (6-10 3.67 ERA, 4.57 FIP, 5.15 tRA)

Rundown 8/8/09

Playoff Match-Up that is getting less and less probable by the game:
New York Yankees rape the Boston Red Sox, 5-0.
And Aidan thinks he has it bad. At least his team has been out of it for a while. The Sox are now 5.5 games behind the Yankees, while just a week ago they were only a half game back. This is unacceptable. Boston fans are getting distraught. Do you know how many runs the Sox have scored in their last two games? Zero. They have 8 hits since then as well. And this is after getting V-Mart. CC Sabathia pitched 7.2 two-hit innings last night, and Derek Jeter homered to bury the Red Sox. Clay Buccholz pitched well enough also, going 6 innings while allowing 2 ER but walking 5. On the plus side, David Ortiz only struck out twice. He has left 12 men on base in the past three games.
Aidan G: Spencer, at least you are in a playoff race, the Wild Card. You know what we have to look forward to? 10th pick.

Pitching Performance of the Night:
CC Sabathia, NYY: 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K vs. Boston Red Sox
Honorable Mention: Jered Weaver, LAA: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Prince Fielder, MIL: 3 for 6, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI vs. Houston:
Some Home Run Derby winners complain that the contest hurts their power swing for the rest of the season. Prince Fielder has proved them wrong. He has continued to slug .583, right around the same as before the ASG. He has 5 HR since the All-Star Break, which is right in keeping with his season stats. Fielder had another great game last night, finishing with three hits (one of them a 2-run home run) and 7 total bases.
Honorable Mention: Billy Butler, KC: 3 for 4, 2 R, 3 RBI

What more would you expect; lose 3-1

When Tim Redding does better than the starter did, and lasts longer, you know maybe you should've started him. Because Bobby Parnell was never going to be that good. First of all, his fastball, which is 95, but he only threw 12 pitches that weren't fastballs. He had a pitch count of 60, he was never going to get to 5 innings, or maybe even 4, and all in all, he is more valuable to the bullpen then to the rotation. However, the Mets management, having finally thrown in the towel, wanted to see Parnell and I quote mets.com "for 2010 and beyond". But by all means give him another start. But if you are going to do that, can we also see Nick Evans, Josh Thole and either Brad Holt/Jenry Mejia instead of Cory Sullivan, one of the catchers and Elmer Dessens? No better time to see where you are going for next year. And they'd be in a pennant race. The race for the number one pick, and the Mets are currently in 1oth for that race, 12.5 worse than Washington. Come on guys, we could get Strasburg if Washington don't sign him.
The Mets got their only run when Alex Cora hit a homer in the 1st. It was his 35th of his season career. The Padres got a run in the 1st, a run in the 3rd, and a run in the 8th, that resulted from a Cora error. The Mets bullpen pitched well again, going 5.1 scoreless. In fact the bullpen has been good recently except for Blow-Rod and Sean Green. In the 9th, Murphy got on with an infield single, but then Francoeur (WHO WALKED!!!) grounded into a 5-4-3 DP. This was the heart of the order in the 9th inning, our 4-5-6 guys: Murphy, Francoeur, Sullivan. Strong lineup.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Francoeur getting caught stealing in the fourth. He doesn't run very fast, over his career he's stolen 14 times, and been caught 13 times. Using Batting Runs, which is a stat that gives a number value to everything ( any hit is worth .47 runs, a double .38 more, a triple .55 more, a homer .93 more; a walk is worth .33 runs, and an out is worth -.3 runs) shows that Francoeur costs a team 1.86 runs below an average player when stealing bases. Of course Jerry doesn't use this, but Schneider was next, and he could've got on base (he has a better OBP then Francoeur, despite hitting .197) and then triples machine Figueroa was next.
Random Thought of the Day: We could get swept by the Padres. Good thing the D-Backs are worse than us. That'll be fixed when we play them next, and we'll gain a place in the 1st Pick Sweepstakes.
Clutch Play of the Game: Cora homer in the 1st. +11.3% WPA.
Up Next for the Mets: Final game of series. 4:05 PM ET
Johan Santana (12-8 3.10 ERA, 3.77 FIP, 3.62 tRA) looks to pitch the Mets out of the losing streak.
Tim Stauffer (1-3 3.12 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 5.60 tRA)

Rundown 8/7/09

Possible Playoff Match-Up:
New York Yankees crush the Boston Red Sox's spirit in 15 innings, 2-0.
This game could be the turning point of the season for Boston, and not in a good way. AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett eached pitched more than 7 shut-out innings. After that, relievers didn't allow any runs until the 15th, when A-Roid hit a 2-run, walk-off home run, much to the delight of the imbeciles still at the game.
This game is bad for the Sox in a few different ways. 4 days ago, Boston used 7 pitchers in a crushing, 13 inning loss to the Ray. Then last night, we used 8 different hurlers. Our bullpen is spent, our offense is struggling majorly, and our starters cannot seem to go past the 7th inning. With this loss, the Red Sox are 4.5 games back of the Yankees in the AL East, and only a game up on the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card. We need to start stepping it up, and soon.

Pitching Performance of the Night:
Josh Beckett, BOS: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K vs. New York Yankees
Honorable Mention: AJ Burnett, 7.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 6 K
I'm gonna give it to Beckett because of the 4 fewer walks. Although he allowed more hits, all but one were singles and the Sox just could not capitalize on the 6 walks in the first 7 innings handed to them by Burnett.

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Kelly Shoppach, CLE: 3 for 4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI vs. Chicago White Sox
Shoppach had a night seemingly taken from last season, when he had 21 home runs in 112 games. He hit two homers off Perfecto Buerhle, and then added an RBI single in the 6th. This type of game has been hard to come by for Shoppach this season. He is only batting .220 this year.
Honorable Mention: Maicer Izturis, LAA: 3 for 4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI

Are you kidding me!

Ok, the Pujols grand slam was understandable, but letting up a walk off grand slam to Everth Cabrera, a rookie short stop. He's played 52 games this year. 52! K-Rod is terrible. I know he had 62 saves but saves don't mean anything. He has 4.22 tRA, which last time I checked isn't good for a closer to have. The league leader (Mariano Rivera) has a tRA of 2.90. The Pujols grand slam was hit off of Sean Green, who hasn't even had a good year. K-Rod was the best closer in the league last year. He shouldn't be letting up walk off anything. The ump did though screw the Mets, when he called Kyle Blanks safe when he was clearly out. The Amazin's just haven't been getting the breaks this year either from the umps or the baseball gods (because they exist). Cabrera was 0-3 in the game and Frankie and struck him out the last time they faced each other. Last time the Mets had went into extra innings in San Diego, they went 17, so they still might have lost, but it couldn't have been as bad as what happened. K-Rod had the rookie at a full count and still gave him a pitch to hit. With a rookie up with a chance to win in the 9th why wouldn't you think he was nervous and just attack him. Maybe the K-Rod signing wasn't the best thing the Mets could have done.

Other Options to Close

After Frankie's recent meltdowns, I have decided to write a post exploring who would be a better closer. I'm using a stat called clutch, from fangraphs. It measures how well you do compared to normal situations, which is why it's called clutch. Seeing how being a closer means you are clutch, I'm going to see how clutch some of our bullpen members have been. The formula is WPA/pLI- WPA/LI. What the hell does that mean? WPA is win probability added. pLI is a player's average leverage. WPA/LI is the win probability divided by Leverage for every event in a game. Okay, still with me? The most clutch pitcher on the Mets is Johan Santana. Brian Stokes is the most clutch revliever, with a Clutch of .69. (The leader this year in the Majors, Arroyo (!!!) is 1.41)
Pedro Feliciano could be an option, with a rating of .26. K-Rod, btw is -.50. With such greats such as Takahashi, and Switzer.

Extreme Blow-Rod Fail, Lose 6-2

I hate you Francisco Rodriguez, I really hate you, and you are actually really crap, and if we were to go to the playoffs I could not see us advancing because of you, and you blowing games. Oliver Perez pitched well, extremely well, 6.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 7 k's, and a run. Stokes came in for 1.2, walked 2 (both intentional), struck out one, and did not let an inherited runner score. He walked the leadoff man, Blanks, then gave up a tieing double to Venable, walked Blanco, intentionally walked Salazar, and gave up a walk off grand slam to Evereth Cabrera. He did not get an out. We scored our runs in the first, when Wright drove in Pagan, and then scored on a wild pitch. Wright went 3/4, and Francoeur 2/4. But, back to K-Rod. One of the best ways to evaluate closers is by Win Probability Added, which measures the chances a team has to win before and after a play. When a team has a lead in the 9th, they have a higher chance to win, whcih goes down if the closer allows runners on, or ties the game. This year, K-Rod's WPA is 1.31, below such great pitchers as Pedro Feliciano, and former Met for a week, Darren O'Day. Last year, he had a 3.33 WPA. Alan Schwarz wrote a good article on it, last year. I think that Rodriguez should not be the closer anymore. He has blown the last 2 games he has been in, he always has rough innings. Let someone like Stokes, or Feliciano close.
Stupid Decision of the Day: K-Rod not having back spasms, or something, and letting someone else get the save.
Random Thought of the Day: At least it was not a walk off balk.
Clutch Play of the Game: Wild Pitch scoring Wright, +8.8%
Up Next for the Mets: Mets at Padres, 10:05 PM ET
Bobby Parnell (2-3 3.74 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 3.75 tRA all as reliever) makes his 1st start.
Mat Latos (3-1 2.66 ERA, 5.23 FIP, 6.20 tRA) pitches for San Diego.

MLB Rundown 8/6/09

I'm covering for Spencer, who hasn't been heard since yesterday's Red Sox debacle.

Key Division Series

Yankees 13 Red Sox 6

The Yankees knocked around John Smoltz and Billy Traber for 13 runs, scoring 8 in the fourth. Joba Chamberlain threw in an Oliver Perez start, but got the win. Yankees bullpen shut down the Red Sox offense, except for Anthony Claggett.

Possible Playoff Matchup

Philly 3 Rockies 1

In his home debut, Cliff Lee shut down the Rockies, giving up 1 run in 7. Brad Lidge got a save without giving up a run.

Pitching Performance of the Night

Cliff Lee 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K, W

Batting Performance of the Night

Ryan Zimmerman, 4/4, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 3b, HR, 2b shy of the cycle.

So this is what it'll be like. Lose 8-3

The man replacing Jon Niese is going to be Bobby Parnell, and he will pitch Saturday, because Mike Pelfrey is becoming a dad (congrats, Big Pelf). Now, if Niese hadn't got injured, it could of eventually meant the end of Livan Hernandez. Despite such horrible starts, like tonight, for instance, it looks like the "34" year old will still be in the rotation. Livan went 5, gave up 7 , walked 4 and struck out 2. The Mets scored 3 in the 6th, on a single by Francoeur that drew and error, a Tatis single, and then Murphy grounded into a double play that scored a run. Tatis and Murphy both went 2/4. Elmer Dessens and Sean Green went scoreless innings, while Tim Redding reverted back to his usual form, and gave up a run on 3 hits and a walk. Really, there's not much to say, except that we're 11 back in the East, and 9 back in the wild card, 6 under .500, and since we won 5 in a row, we've gone 2-6.
Stupid Decision of the Day: Nitpicky, very nitpicky, but playing Angel Berroa. I thought Tatis could play second? Jeremy Reed/Cory Sullivan are better than Angel Berroa.
Random Thought of the Day: I really wish the Mets got rid of Livan. He's been there far too long. By this time, you might as well pitch Alex Cora, except you need him at second.
Clutch Play of the Game: Tatis RBI single in 6th. +4.8%.
Up Next for the Mets: Mets at Padres, 10:05 PM
Oliver Perez (2-3, 7.03 ERA, 6.48 FIP, 7.25 tRA) looks to get out of the 5th inning.
Kevin Correia (7-9, 4.73 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 4.56 tRA) goes for San Diego

Emotional View on Niese

Besides the fact that the season is completely lost, it just gets worse for the Mets. Jon Niese, Aidan's favorite pitcher has been hurt and will not pitch for the rest of the season. He was the lone bright spot for the rest of the season. It just adds to the long list of injuries that Mets fans have had to suffer through this year. On the bright side, Niese has proven him self to the Mets (hopefully)but on the downside will not be the same pitcher because the Mets doctors will mess it up somehow and will be able to return next year. He through will have to go through a lot of physical therapy and might never be the same pitcher. I feel really bad for this young pitcher. I think that if he hadn’t gotten hurt yesterday he would have been able to continue and go 5 or 6 shut out innings. He has shown he can pitch at the Major League Level and brings young spirit to a team that has been down this entire year. I really hope that Niese can come back next year and continue to grow as a pitcher. However, knowing the stupidity of the Mets, he will be traded to the Nats for Josh Bard and Nyger Morgan brilliance of the front office will be in a trade that gets us a front line starter.

Parnell to rotation?

The latest news out of Bailout Citi Field is that the Mets are apparently thinking of using Bobby Parnell as a starter. I think this is extremely foolish. Last year as a starter, in AA Binghamton, Bobby Parnell had a translated 6.02 DERA (average is 4.5, replacement level is 5.75). He had a 5.42 untranslated tRA. Don't like these stats? He had a 4.30 ERA, unadjusted. This year, out of the pen he has been pretty good. He has a 3.75 tRA, and throws a pretty quick fastball. Don't move him. I'd rather see Figgy or Brad Holt pitch in the majors.

Mets trade for Anderson Hernandez

He's baaaaacccck. And better then ever before, as he is batting .257/.310/.320, much better than his career average. At least he replaces Angel Berroa. And knows how to field. The Mets traded second base "prospect" Greg Veloz for him. Veloz, 21, had been "hitting" .232/.297/.303.

Rundown 8/5/09

Possible Playoff Match-Up:
Philadelphia beats Colorado, 7-0:
Although the Rockies won yesterday, the Phils got a brilliant start from emerging ace J. A. Happ (9 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 10 K). This bumped him up to 8-2 on the year. Jorge De La Rosa was terrible for the Rockies, allowing 7 ER in 5 IP and serving up 3 homers. Josh Fogg actually pitched 3 innings of scoreless ball in relief, but it wasn't enough to save them. Pedro Feliz, Jayson Werth, and Jimmy Rollins all homered for Philly (J-Roll's third in as many games). With this loss, Colorado falls a half-game back of the Giants for the NL Wild-Card lead.

Pitching Performance of the Night:
J. A. Happ, PHI, see above
Honorable Mention: Justin Lehr, CIN: 9 IP, O ER, 4 H, 4 K

Offensive Performance of the Night:
Jim Thome, CWS: 2 for 4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI vs. Los Angeles Angels
Jim Thome had a great night against LA's pitching last night. He hit a home run in the fourth inning and another in the sixth. Of course, this homer-hitting trend is nothing new to Thome, who has 561 career round-trippers. Still, any game with 2 home runs is a big night by anyone's standards. The White Sox beat the Angels easily 6-2.
Honorable Mention: Pablo Sandoval, SF: 3 for 4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI vs. Houston

And the Red Sox lost again, unfortunately, by a score of 6-4. Six homers were hit in that game. Brad Penny continued his struggles and J.P. Howell picked up the save for Tampa Bay.

My Take on Fixing the Mets, Part 2

After Part One covered the pitchers and catchers, Part Two will cover the Infield.
First Base
Daniel Murphy has done a good job defensively, his UZR is 1.5 and his UZR/150 is 3.4. He has 7 homers, and ZIPs predicts 5 for the rest of the season. However, he has been a bit dissapointing based by last years performance. He had a .386 BABIp last year, and this year it is .272. Because this is his second year, you don't know what his BABIP will be, but his Line Drive percentage is down, his fly ball percentages is up, and his HR/FB% is down. In the end, you don't know who you get, but for next year, I would find having Murphy at first base perfectly acceptable. In 2011 though, I want to see Ike Davis. This year, at AA Binghamton, Ike is batting .301/.382/.534. He has 8 home runs and 10 doubles in 165 PA's, so the power is there. He should be in Buffalo in 2010, and hopefully Queens in 2011. On the Free Agent market, in 2010, Albert Pujols. Other cheaper options include Carlos Pena, Lyle Overbay, and Derek Lee. Overbay and Lee would be older (34 and 36 respectively) while Pena will be 33, and Pujols 31. My choice after Pujols would be Pena.
Second Base
Luis Castillo would be in the last year of his contract in 2011. Internal options include Jonathan Malo and Jose Coronado, in AA, but both of them are having pretty sucky seasons. Another option could be Reese Havens, who projects to be a second baseman, but this year in PSL, he is hitting .237/.351/.419 although with power, it translates to a .207/.265/.339 line. Hector Pellot could be another option; in Port St Lucie he is hitting .261/.339/.362. Free Agents after 2010 include Freddy Sanchez, Kaz Matsui, and Akinori Iwamura. If I had to sign anyone, it would be Iwamura.
Shortstop
Jose Reyes. It will be his option year, if exercised, but the Mets should really extend his contract. He is one of the better shortstops in the game, and one of the faces of the franchise. I am not one of those people who think he should be traded, unless you could get a good shortstop in return (with Boston, Ellsbury and Lowrie had been discussed, I still want to see how Lowrie plays). The only other internal options are Ruben Tejada, a good glove no hit shortstop, Wilmer Flores (who will probably be moved to the outfield) and Reese Havens (who predicts to be a second baseman). The only viable free agent is JJ Hardy, but I would not replace Jose Reyes with JJ Hardy. His career OBP is .323, and his wOBA (weighted On Base Average, a stat that uses linear weights, on a OBP scale) is .326, compared to a career .337 OBP and .342 wOBA for Reyes, which is not great, but which has been improving steadily.
Third Base
David Wright. There is no one else I want at third base. No one. No one internally, no one externally. 2011 he will make $14 Million.

Thats it for Part 2, Part 3 will cover the outfield and Bench, and Part 4 will cover budget and lineups.