Be Careful What You Wish For

On Wednesday I went on record to say that Chris Schwinden is not the answer in replacing the injured Mike Pelfrey.  I know, pretty ballsy call on my part.

I really didn’t have a preference in terms of who would get the shot.  I guess if you put a gun to my head I would have liked to see Jeremy Heffner get a nod.  This was based solely on the fact that he seemed to be effective in the handful of innings he worked a few games back.  Not much to base an opinion on so I’m not too broken up that he isn’t getting the call.

Miguel Batista is a logical choice based on the fact he has always been pegged as the spot start, long relief guy.  However, now that D.J. Carrasco is on his way back I really don’t feel too comfortable knowing that Batista, Manny Acosta, and D.J. Carrasco are all available to pitch.  The percentages show that we are going to have to see at least one of them much more frequently.

Chris Capuano’s 4-0, 18 2/3 scoreless inning streak, and 2.21 ERA looks pretty good right now.

Shit.

Time To Build The 2012 Mets

Life is unfair and so is Major League Baseball.  If the Mets were in the National League Central they would be in the hunt for a division title.  They’re not, so it’s time friends.  Time for Mr. Alderson to show us what he can do.

He has given Terry Collins and his players enough time to prove they can compete for a playoff spot.  After this weekend’s disappointing series loss, it is clear that chances are slim to none, and slim left town with Logan Morrison’s eighth inning home run this afternoon.

As much as I don’t want to see it, I know Carlos Beltran will be dealt.  It also seems pretty clear that Jose Reyes is staying and the Mets are going to attempt to re-sign him.

What isn’t clear, is what else Sandy Alderson has in the works. Between now and opening day of 2012, Mr. Alderson has his work cut out for him.

Being the giver that I am, I figured I’d share with him who I’d like to see move on.

• Mike Pelfrey– I like Big Pelf and will always hope he does well.  However, I feel as if he has peaked as a Met and needs a change of scenery to see if he can thrive elsewhere.  The Mets have given him an ample amount of opportunities to prove he can be a reliable starter.  Too many ups and downs for me.
• Jason Bay– He’s not going anywhere anytime soon, but he belongs on this list for obvious reasons.  Maybe the Mets’ front office can blackmail high ranking officials from another team forcing them to make a deal for Bay.  It could happen.
• Angel Pagan– Similar to Pelfrey, Angel has been given plenty of opportunities to prove he can be an impact player.  He has regressed this year and his decision making ability irks me.
• Ryota Igarashi– Iggy is a bust.  His 6.25 ERA in 53 career appearances is explanation enough.
• D.J. Carrasco– Wasn’t a huge fan of his signing, and he hasn’t disproved my initial opinion.
• Bobby Parnell-  Parnell is last on this list for a reason.  I am still holding on to hope that the time he has remaining with Jason Isringhausen will help him get over the hump mentally.  Clearly he has electric stuff, he just doesn’t carry himself as if he believes in it.

I realize some of these players will log innings for the Mets in 2012 just as it is a reality that a number of players I didn’t list will not.  I just figured Mr. Alderson would want to get some feedback from Midwestropolitan.com before he starts building the 2012 Mets.

Good luck Mr. A., we believe in you.

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Fourteen Runs?!?

With 8,000 other Mets blogs out there surely you’ve read a riveting recap of the Mets 14-5 win by now. So, as always, I’ll take no part in that.

Anyway, the 14 run outburst had me wondering just how good the Mets offense is. Naturally I consulted the Midwestropolitan Research staff, and let’s just say I was surprised to find that the Mets are the highest scoring team in the division.

Ok, Atlanta, Washington and Florida are all pretty bad offensively. But I figured at least Philadelphia would be ahead of New York (the Mets hold a 12-run advantage, 329-317).

The difference? The Phillies lead the NL in ERA and the Mets are 12th, almost a full run higher. That’s why the Mets only (slim) shot is the Wild Card…unless another one of the fantastic four goes down to injury…

So who is to blame?

Well, the Mets team ERA of 3.99 would be pretty awesome any other year, but it is the year of the pitcher. Clearly Mike Pelfrey (4.78 ERA) is the one dragging down the starting staff. Capuano has picked it up, Gee has been great, Dickey gets no run support and Niese is solid.

Four names have really messed up any chance of the team having a lower ERA though – Carrasco, Misch, Boyer, and Acosta. All of them have 5 or more games pitched and an ERA ranging from 6 point something to 11 point something.

The Point?

There is none!

Unites States of America California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Series Expectations

I’m going to cut to the chase here.  The Mets should win their upcoming series against the Angels. The Angels are struggling lately, and the Mets continue to show the league that they are a tough team to defeat.

I’ve got the Mets favored in two of the three pitching match ups as I am giving an edge to the Angels in the Haren vs. Pelfrey game.  Big Pelf should have a good showing but I would be silly not to give Haren and his 2.54 ERA the nod.

What To Watch For

How will Francisco Rodriguez and D.J. Carrasco react to last night’s melt down?

Depending how you look at it, fortunately or unfortunately, KRod has been here before.  We all know full well he has the ability to bounce back mentally from dramatic blown saves.

Carrasco’s case is a little more interesting.  Balking in a winning run isn’t exactly a run of the mill way to lose a ball game.  I am not sure how that will affect his psyche considering the fact that he has been fighting for his roster spot all season long.  He is a veteran pitcher so you would think he has the mental game to put this behind him.

Is Jason Bay Breaking Out of His Slump?

Lost in last night’s drama was Bay’s second consecutive multi-hit game.  He even drove in a run last night.  It is crazy to thing about what the Mets can do if he starts producing.

The Reyes Watch Continues

Jose is now batting a robust .348 after his 3 for 6 performance last night.  That is nutty and for some it might even make them cringe as they worry about his value increasing with every hit.  I don’t buy into the Jose is unaffordable talk.  People tend to forget that the Mets have quite a bit of salary coming off the books next season.  They can afford him.  The issue then becomes what can they afford after they pay him.

The only thing that annoys me is reading about every other team salivating over him.  Check out this post to see what kind of package the Angels Fans feel they could put together to obtain Jose’s service.  The fact that other teams covet one of our players isn’t the annoying part.  Picturing him in that team’s uniform is what gets me.

How Long Will Tom Continue To Use The Term Brah?

Tom has found a new favorite term. Check out the comment section in my last post.  I have to admit, it is quite fun to use.  And it is one of those phrases that you can stick on the end of every sentence so it has multiple uses.  For example:  Why do the Angels seem to be in love with over the hill center fielders Brah?

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The Big Picture

Inevitably, there will be those that cry to the hill tops about how the Mets blew tonight’s game. “Same ole’ Mets” they probably will say.  Francisco Rodriguez giving up a two run bomb in the bottom of the ninth to blow a save and D.J. Carrasco’s losing balk certainly lends credence to that thought process.

My thoughts?  Quit your belly aching you Negative Nancies.

I am equally disappointed in the way things turned out tonight.  However, the difference is that I haven’t lost sight of the big picture.  The Mets took two of three in Atlanta, a place that has traditionally been extremely unkind to them.

If you want to focus on two horribly disgusting plays and forget the fact that the Mets actually won the series, there really isn’t much I can do for you.  Hell, you can actually look at tonight’s game alone  and find some positives.  The Mets could have easily mailed it in when they found themselves down by four.  They had already won the series.

Instead, they fought back, took the lead, and put themselves in position to win.  Obviously, it didn’t work out tonight, but I for one appreciate the effort.

If you want to call me a homer go ahead.  That is another example of your shortsightedness.  After all, I expected the Mets to drop two of three prior to the beginning of this series.  Instead, I am looking past tonight’s tough loss and grasping reality.  The Mets exceeded my expectations this series.

For those of you who want to bitch and moan about the small stuff and ignore the big picture, there isn’t much I can do for you.