Niese Pitches Well in Davis Debut
Congratulations to Ike Davis for having a successful major league debut last night.
The real story of the game, though, was Jonathon Niese. Niese pitched 5 2/3 of 1 run (0 earned runs) ball that kept the team in the game. The Mets won the game by scoring 5 in the 7th inning (including Davis’ first major league RBI) so Niese didn’t get the win. But since everyone has been saying (correctly) how the Mets fortunes depend on how well their starting pitching is I wanted to highlight the good start.
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Davis Needs Fans Support
The Mets have pulled the trigger on the Ike Davis call up. He’s been pulled from the Buffalo Bison’s lineup this afternoon and will instead be traveling to CitiField where he will be on the roster for tonight’s game.
Now comes the hard part. We all know Davis can play. He’s proven it at the minor league level. But despite the clamoring fans most baseball people thought he should remain at AAA this year to gain some more experience before being called up. The fact is that we don’t know how well he’ll perform. For all we know he’ll fall flat on his face. And then what? Do fans boo him all the way back to Buffalo?
What is important for Davis’s development is acceptance. Sure he’ll have the acceptance of fans tonight. But what if he starts his major league career going 0 for hist first 15 at bats? I’ve been to enough games in New York venues over the years to know that anyone, from the most experienced and accomplished player on down, will get booed when they’re in a slump.
As fans we have a responsibility to help Davis in his development and not hamper it. If the kid doesn’t perform well it’s our responsibility to encourage him and not deflate him. I’m not asking fans to be happy with mediocrity (if that’s what he ends up bringing on this trip). But to be patient as a young kid takes his first major league steps. If he develops properly he could be a great compliment to David Wright and Jose Reyes in the infield for many years to come. But fans need to be patient if it takes longer than they expect.
The fans are the ones who have been screaming for him. Now to accept what comes with it.
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Ike Davis To Save The Day?
Following Saturday’s 20-inning odyssey the Mets DFAed Mike Jacobs in order to open a roster spot for an additional pitcher, Tobi Stoner, on the roster.
My first reaction to this move was to realize how much the game has changed. The Mets used 8 pitchers in relief on Saturday. Only 3 of them were pitching for the second consecutive day. Another, Mike Pelfrey, clearly is not an answer should the team have needed another reliever on Sunday. That still left 4 relief pitcher for Sunday’s contest should they be needed, two lefties and two righties. Not that Jacobs performance has him deserving to play in the major leagues but when a team is afraid to pitch relievers on consecutive days the times have indeed changed.
Another aspect of this move is desperation. Mets management is clearly feeling the heat and are doing things that they might not ordinarily do. Saying goodbye to Jacobs opens the door for first baseman of the future Ike Davis who has been tearing it up at AAA. In the past the Mets have said that Davis would spend the year at AAA. That’s where he belongs to continue developing so I didn’t expect to see him until the September call ups. But with Daniel Murphy injured, Jacobs failure to produce and no other natural first basemen in site it’s looking like Davis is Citi bound at least until Murphy is ready to return. Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel and their staffs are grasping at every straw to turn this start around and attempt to save their jobs.
Indeed this has been a rough start so far. Though at 4-8 there are still 150 games left in the season there is still significant pressure to turn things around quickly. When you enter the season already on the hot seat it doesn’t take much to hit the boiling point. We’re not quite at that point yet but we’re quickly getting there. Minaya and Manuel are hoping that Davis can help reverse things and appear to be ready to take that chance.
As of now Davis is in Buffalo’s lineup today. This doesn’t mean he can’t be at CitiField tonight but it would seem to indicate that he will not be called up today.
It’s been reported that Davis has been removed from the Boson’s lineup and will be at CitiField tonight.
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Phillies Fan Purposely Vomits on Girl
The feel good moment at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia captured in my previous post is overshadowed by this story from the previous game. Follow the link for details but this is the crux of the story:
“I actually heard the individual behind me say, ‘I’m gonna get sick’, then I couldn’t believe what I saw. He actually had his fingers down his mouth and into his throat to make himself vomit. He vomited and lurched forward and it was hitting my daughter,” Vangelo explained.
Gotta love Phillies fans.
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Have a Foul Ball, Son
I don’t have to like the Phillies but I have to like this guy. David S. Cohen, who writes The Good Phight blog about the Phillies, took his son to yesterday’s Phillies game against the Nationals. After explaining foul balls to the 4 year old here’s what happened:
As a dad I appreciate moments like this. It was, indeed, the catch of a lifetime.
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Don’t Pull Maine From Rotation Just Yet
After John Maine‘s bad outing the other night there was talk of Maine being pulled from the Mets starting rotation. Manager Jerry Manuel actually had to sleep on the decision before coming out yesterday to say that Maine would remain in the rotation. I’m trying to figure out what the big deal is about.
Yes, Maine has had a lousy start to the season. His start the other night in Colorado, in which he gave up 8 earned runs in 3 innings, juiced his ERA up to 13.50. He’s allowed 18 hits in 15 innings. Obviously the numbers are lousy. But does that warrant being pulled from the rotation at this point in the season?
I say no.
For starters it’s only a week into the season. Very few players, particularly pitchers, are in midseason form at this point. Obviously Maine isn’t and needs a little more time to get there. But even if this was July I’d say that two starts shouldn’t get him pulled from the rotation. The only times someone should be pulled from the rotation based on two starts is when he’s hurt or in the late parts of a pennant race when you’re trying to get your best pitchers more starts to seal a playoff berth.
Besides, who would replace him in the rotation? Jenrry Mejia would be a candidate but he’s too busy becoming the next Joba Chamberlain in the Mets bullpen instead of starting games at AAA. The Mets don’t have any other established starters and the prospect of Bobby Parnell or Pat Misch is not that appetizing.
The argument that your number two starter can’t be pitching this badly is moot. The juggling of the rotation that started the season (in which Oliver Perez was pushed further back to start against the Nationals) was less an assignment of starters 2 through 5 than it was a message to Perez to settle down veiled in a strategic move to have him pitch against a lineup he’d have a better shot against and proves that management knows that their current numbers 2 through 5 are interchangeable. Maine is not actually the number 2 starter anyway. The Mets have no number 2 starter. They have Johan Santana and four number 4 starters.
And if Maine is pulled from the rotation what he do? His trade value would drop even lower than it already is and he’d get no work out of the bullpen.
At this point in the season Maine needs to be coached, trained and worked if he’s going to have any chance at all of coming around. It’s way too early to be giving up on him.
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Delgado Visit a Non-Story
Everybody is reporting about Carlos Delgado visiting the Mets clubhouse yesterday. I’m still trying to figure out how people are making such a big deal out of it.
Yes, the Mets need a first baseman. The current solution at first base (Mike Jacobs, Fernando Tatis and, when he gets healthy, Daniel Murphy) is not acceptable.
Yes, Delgado would like to extend his major league career. He would not like to end it with an injury.
But these things have been known since he went down with the injury last year. This is not news. It’s old.
But since everyone is commenting about it here’s my 2 cents on the subject. As much as the Mets need a better solution at first base Delgado won’t be the answer. That ship has sailed. Stop living in the past and look for the future. Look for the Mets to acquire an expiring contract later in the season to keep first base warm for Ike Davis, who will probably be the starter next season.
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When Things Start Bad
We’re only 6 games into the season so it’s a little early to get too negative. But losing 4 out of 6 (including 2 of 3 from the lowly Washington Nationals) is not the way you want to start the season.
So why am I so down on the Mets already? A few reason:
- Sean Green was put on the disabled list yesterday. 2010 is looking a lot like 2009 already.
- Both Jerry Manuel and Jeff Francoeur alluded to the idea that the team just wasn’t prepared against the Nationals yesterday. I don’t care which team your playing against, when you’re at the major league level you better be prepared. When this happens the manager is to blame but it’s not only too early in the year for a managerial change but such a change wouldn’t add the needed fire.
- During Friday’s game David Wright thought a a fly ball was going to clear the fence for a home run and failed to run hard. The outcome of the play is irrelevant to the fact that a team leader like Wright must run hard until the umpire makes the call.
These are symptoms of bad teams. If gone unchecked things will only get worse.
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Don’t Repeat History, Put Castillo On The DL
With Jose Reyes expected to make a return to active duty tomorrow you’d say that things would be looking up for the Mets even in light of a mostly poor season opening series against the Florida Marlins in which they lost 2 of 3 games. You’d also probably be right. But I can’t help but morbidly amused at the news that Luis Castillo is having trouble with his calf.
I don’t have very high expectations for Castillo despite having previously been a fan of his (in his pre-Met days). And I know it would be foolish to expect him to stay healthy all season considering his history. Many people would say he helps the team when he doesn’t play and they may be right but only if he’s on the disabled list and can free up a roster spot for someone else.
But it’s looking like Castillo will probably remain on the active roster while waiting to see how quickly his calf heals. This means the Mets will have to keep Ruben Tejada on the roster for infield depth until a decision is made on Castillo. That means that either a relief pitcher or other position player (perhaps Frank Catalanotto) will need to be cut from the roster.
I’d think the Mets would be better served by putting Castillo on the disabled list now instead of waiting until later. This would allow the team to stay with it’s roster strategy and not cut someone who really needs to stay. It would also give Castillo plenty of time to heal and (hopefully) be 100% healthy and ready for the long run of the season.
Omar Minaya and the Mets medical staff need to learn from the past. The last several years of Mets history is littered with these wait and see situations and the end result usually goes one of two ways:
- After a few days rest the player comes back and hurts himself worse than before.
- Players ends up sitting out several games before it’s discovered that the injury is much worse than originally thought and a long DL stint ensues.
So why wait? Put Castillo on the DL now. Let him get better without the pressure of needing to be on the field and without the distraction of needing to accommodate his position with another roster move. Then when he’s eligible to come off the DL (if he’s healthy) he can be activated and Tejada can be sent down as originally planned anyway.
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Mets Getting Ready To Play Likes It’s 2009
Mets camp is winding down and opening day just a few days away but I find myself without the optimism I usually have this time of year. Most years there something to get excited about. A fresh start, some hot new rookie, etc. But this year it seems as if the season will begin where last season left off.
The Carlos Beltran situation stung early having happened just before spring training but if that was the only issue I wouldn’t feel quite as negative as I do right now. Sure, Beltran is a key player and part of the core of the team. But he’s only one player. As important as he is the team can survive the first month of the season without him if that what it takes to get him healthy and productive.
During spring training Jose Reyes‘s comeback from last season’s injury hell hit a snag when he was diagnosed with a thyroid issue. Nobody could have seen this coming and I obviously wish Reyes nothing but the best in working his way back. However, the condition will keep him on the disabled list for at least the first week of the season. Just as with Beltran I’m inclined to be patient and believe that the extra week Reyes will need to get ready is a small price to pay to get him back at full speed for the remainder of the season.
These two stories, though involving extremely important pieces to the 2010 puzzle, are not what have me thinking so negatively. My frame of mind can be attributed to Daniel Murphy.
Murphy sprained his knee on Tuesday and will be out for 2 to 6 weeks. He’ll likely be replaced by Mike Jacobs.
Murphy is not nearly as key to this team as Reyes or Beltran (or even any of the 5 pitchers in the starting rotation, but don’t get me started on that issue). Though his hard work and continuing maturity as a ball player is very important he just isn’t (and I predict never will be) a superstar whose production cannot be replaced.
So why has Murphy’s injury affected my attitude so much? Maybe it’s because it’s the third injury related story (bad news comes in threes). Maybe it’s because I’m not following camp as closely as I normally do (a new job has a way of taking your focus away from other things, as evidenced by the low number of posts I’ve written this spring compared to other years). Or maybe it’s because it seems like this season already bears a similar look to last year with 3 starting position players out of the lineup, a questionable starting rotation (behind Johan Santana) and no improvements made to the team over the winter. (I’m not the kind of fan that believes a big splash has to be made every offseason but this offseason was ridiculous.)
The best medicine for this is a good start to the season so when these players return they can add to something that’s already good as opposed to being required to be the saviors of a team floundering in it’s own ineptitude. Unfortunately I fear the latter is probably the way it’s going to go.
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