Big Series Starts Tonight
A big series with the Phillies starts tonight and all eyes will be on Billy Wagner. The current Met and former Phillies closer had an MRI today after feeling some discomfort on Sunday. He’s been diagnosed with a muscle spasm and is considered day to day. Wagner is a big part of the Mets bullpen (obviously) and if the Mets have any shot at winning the division he’s got to be running on all cylinders.
The Mets will send Johan Santana to the mound in game 1. The Phillies will be throwing new acquisition Joe Blanton. You have to give the Phillies kudos for trading for Blanton. Their rotation really needed help for them to be able to contend for the division (much like then Mets needed but didn’t get late last season) so they went out and got a quality pitcher. Although Blanton has underachieved this season he is a winning pitcher and they got him for almost nothing. (The centerpiece of the deal was a minor league second baseman that is blocked by Chase Utley.)
Other players to watch this series include Carlos Delgado (can he continue his hot hitting and Oliver Perez (will he be the pitcher he was against the Phillies on July 6 or the one he was when he against the Giants on June 2).
The second half officially heats up from here on out. Both teams had a tune up after the All Star break (even the Phillies got swept by the Marlins) but with a tie for first place and 63 games left (the season is almost 2/3 done) the race is officially on.
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Ready for the Second Half
The Mets had a tumultuous first half of the season that included a managerial change but ended it with a surge as they won their last 9 games to pull within a half game of the first place Phillies. The team obviously cannot continue to play at the level they have in the last 9 games but they have shown that they actually do have the talent to be a winner. In the least they have shown that they will be an interesting team to watch in the second half. Have fun, everyone.
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Wright In All Star Game
David Wright didn’t win this week vote for the final spot on the National League All Star Team but he’s going to Yankee Stadium anyway courtesy of Alfonso Soriano‘s injury. Soriano is on the DL for the second time this season and will not be able to play so NL manager Clint Hurdle named Wright to replace him on the team.
Congratulations, David!
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Alou Out For Season
It turns out that the hamstring cramp that caused Moises Alou to leave a rehab game the other day is actually a tear. Doctors are recommending surgery and Alou is expected to miss the rest pf the season. There is some buzz that this could lead to retirement for him.
The loss of Alou for the remainder of the season is not exactly a surprise. Most fans have been looking at the season without Alou in the mix. But this makes it definite and frees general manager Omar Minaya to address the outfield situation as a priority and not a contingency.
The question is who can the Mets get that will be able to play most days and contribute when their farm system is depleted as a result of the Johan Santana trade last winter? There are several names rumored to be on the block but they all seem to be players that the Mets can’t afford.
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The Other Reyes Is In Today’s Lineup
Argenis Reyes is in the lineup today at second base. It’ll be his first start for the Mets. He’s played very well the last couple of days going 3 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI coming off the bench. He had a heads up play advancing to second on an errant throw last night. At one point I was thinking he’d be the second baseman of the future. I realize that that’s probably not the case but it’s nice to see a young guy come in and play well. And this start sets up a great double play call. Reyes to Reyes to Delgado.
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Mets Beginning To Meet Expectations, Even Alou
The Mets seem to be heading into the All Star break on a high note. They’re finally beginning to hit expectations. They’ve won six of their last seven games and have cut the Phillies lead to 1.5 games. They seem to be hitting on all cylinders right now despite their starting second baseman and corner outfielders being on the DL.
Yesterday was no exception.despite a rain delay the Mets managed to get a lead, tack on a couple of insurance runs later in the game and give Johan Santana his first victory in his last seven starts.
Also meeting expectations yesterday was Moises Alou who left a rehab game in the seventh inning with a cramp in his left hamstring after diving for a ball in the outfield. You’ve got to love the last paragraph of Jon Blau’s report on this on MLB.com:
When Alou played for the Mets this season, he was a force in the batter’s box. His average (.347) ranks as the second-highest mark of his career, with his best year coming in 2000, with Houston, when he hit .355 in 126 games.
Yes, the batting average he has put up in the 49 at bats he has managed to get for the Mets this year ranks as the second best average of his career. But 4 runs and no HRs are numbers that need improving before you can call it a successful campaign. Oh, and more than 15 healthy games would be nice too.
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Vote Wright
Mets third baseman David Wright did not make the All-Star team but his chances aren’t dead yet. MLB is taking votes for the fans to name the last member of both teams and Wright is among the the 5 nominees for the National League. You can vote now on MLB’s site or use the handy widget below.
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What’s Going On With Church’s Head?
Ryan Church left yesterday’s game with dizziness. The Mets have said that the dizziness was due to a migraine and that Church has a history of migraines. I’m curious how they draw the distinction between dizziness from a migraine and dizziness from post concussion syndrome. I’m not a medical person so I don’t have the answer for that. I also don’t know if a concussion would make one more susceptible to migraines or not. A simple Google search turns up some links that would suggest that migraine symptoms after a concussion is a sign of possible further issues.
The Mets have been guilty of mishandling injury issues during Omar Minaya’s tenure. Usually it’s waiting too long to put someone on the disabled list or misjudging the seriousness of an injury. In this case the injury is to someone’s head. I sincerely hope that they are taking this one seriously enough and will take the proper precautions to be sure Church gets the care he needs. It’s one thing if a player ends up with an arthritic knee or elbow after his playing days are over. But it’s much more serious when the damage is to the brain. I’d hate to see Church have trouble speaking or have motor control issues, etc. in his later days because the team mishandles this.
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Shut Up, Hubbuch
What is New York Post Mets beat writer Bart Hubbuch’s problem? For the second time in less than a month he’s written a piece that seems aimed at causing trouble. On June 22 Hubbuch wrote a very negative piece on Mets Manager Jerry Manuel’s comments likening Mets fans to fertilizer. He took the fertilizer line out of context and interpreted it as Manuel calling the fans dung. He completely ignored the rest of the Manuel quote explaining what he meant. Granted it wasn’t one of Manuel’s most eloquent comment but it certainly wasn’t meant the way Hubbuch reported it.
In today’s Post Hubbuch takes his second shot. Hubbuch reports an exclusive story about Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and SNY commentator Keith Hernandez fighting on the plane to St. Louis. According to Hubbuch, Reyes confronted Hernandez over comments he made during Sunday’s game about Reyes’s maturity and how the team treated him with kid gloves. Despite Hernandez and Reyes denials Hubbuch reports that the two nearly came to blows and had to be separated.
I don’t doubt that the confrontation occurred. And frankly it wouldn’t surprise me if it came as close to blows as Hubbuch reported. But I fail to see the sense in reporting it. Commentators criticize players every game. Many times the criticisms gets back to the players. I’m sure that commentators are confronted by players over the criticisms several times a year. And considering how seriously a major league player must take his job I’m sure many of these confrontations become heated. It’s part of the game. Or at least part of big league business. So why exactly is this on the back cover of the Post? Why is it even in the Post? It’s a non-story. The only thing I can think of is that Hubbuch either has an axe to grind or reporting sensationalist stories to make a name for himself.
Here’s a little something to think about, Bart. You’re a beat writer. And a beat writer’s place is very similar to an umpire’s. An umpire is there to call the game and not be a part of it (despite the Brian Runge incident a couple of weeks ago). Similarly a beat writer is there to report the news and not create it. You’re not there to inject controversy where it doesn’t exist. Fall in line or get out of town because this long time Post subscriber is very close to canceling because of your antics.
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Glaus Walkoff Sinks Mets
Things were looking optimistic when I decided it was time to sleep last night at about 11:20. The 47 minute rain delay meant that at that hour it was still only the 7th inning and the Mets had taken the lead, 7-4. I didn’t know that Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano and Carlos Muniz were about to come into the game and give up 1 run apiece. The one Muniz gave up was a walkoff homer by Troy Glaus (video here).
The Mets were down early again in this one as Pedro Martinez struggled to find his niche in the first inning but came back to tie it up and even lead at one point. The run that tied it was scored on a masterful play by Jose Reyes on a fly ball to left by Endy Chavez. The ball was not deep enough to score bu Reyes faked like he was going home. Left fielder Skip Schumaker, mindful of who the runner on third was, made a flat footed throw that sailed high and away from catcher Jason LaRue. Reyes saw what was about to happen on the throw and went home to tie the game. (Video here.)
It was another odd outing for Pedro but he showed some signs of getting in the groove. He pitched 5 innings. The first and fifth were not so great but the second through the fourth were very good. In a third inning interview pitching coach Dan Warthen said that Pedro’s problem is “between his ears” indicating that he’s still got the stuff to get the job done and just needs to clear his head. Last night’s performance shows that this may actually be the case and we could be in for some vintage Pedro as the season moves along.
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