Hump Day Thoughts

TAKE IT EASY TC

“[Davis] is going to become one of the premier first basemen in all of baseball. He’s already as good defensively as there is in either league. He has absolutely enormous power, and I think he’s going to learn to be a better hitter and therefore a little more selective hitter. He’s going to get better pitches to hit, and he’s going to do a lot of damage. I can see Ike Davis in the future being that certainly legitimate number four hitter.”

Like many others, I am a fan of Terry Collins’ passion and excitement. However, comments like the one above can lead to unrealistic expectations. It is one thing to believe in a player, it is entirely different to proclaim a guy is the next coming of Lou Gehrig.

Ike is coming up on his first full season. There will still be a few hurdles for him to leap.

“His range to his right is incredible, and those left-handed first basemen, the [Will] Clarks and some of those guys, that’s what they did,” Collins said. “That just changes the whole defense of the infield. The second baseman can play up the middle, and it changes the whole dynamics of how they play.”

This is more like it. It is extremely complimentary but doesn’t go too far. Not to mention it is pretty insightful in terms of the overall impact on the defense.

COURAGEOUS

Rich Coutinho shared on MetsBlog that TC politely dealt with a fan venting about the team’s lack of power.

These types of fans amaze me. I admire their courage, no matter how misguided it is.

Note to courageous fan: The team’s alleged lack of power isn’t really something the manager can control. This is more of an issue that you should address with the Wilpons or Mr. Alderson.

However, kudos to you sir or ma’am. If I was fortunate enough to be at spring training I freely admit I wouldn’t have the stones to confront the manager about an issue with the team.

It is far more likely I would utter some sort of uncomfortable greeting and maybe muster up the guts to shake his hand. Maybe.

I am content to voice my opinions hidden quite nicely behind my laptop hundreds of miles away.

BEATING A DEAD HORSE

Today, Terry Collins commented on whether or not he would have used Jenrry Mejia in the bullpen last year. It is my assumption that someone asked him his opinion on the matter. Why else would he bring it up?

A question to the media: What is the point of continually kicking Jerry and Omar now that 2010 is far removed from our rear view mirror?

Move on people. It is clear to all that this was a mistake.

As I have said in the past, I probably would have done the same thing if I were in Jerry’s shoes. Put things in perspective. If you were fighting for your job would you not do anything in your power to try to win? The front office is as much to blame as Jerry was. They should have put their foot down at the very beginning of this poor idea.

Let’s stop writing about 2010, please.

UPDATE (2/24): TC’s actual comments verifying he was prompted to comment on this subject.

“You’re putting me on the spot, aren’t you?” Collins replied Wednesday. “Well, I understood exactly what happened last year. I certainly don’t blame the decision that was made. I will never second-guess that decision.”
“I, in turn, as the guy on the other side of the field, in the development side, from what I had heard, thought he should go start [in the minors].”

“They made the decision, which they thought was right for them. I’ll certainly back it up and support it. But everybody I have talked to on the other side [at the minor league complex], who are good baseball people, think this guy has got a chance to be a top-of-the-order starting pitcher. So I’m going to give him his chance.”

TAKE IT EASY TC

“[Davis] is going to become one of the premier first basemen in all of baseball. He’s already as good defensively as there is in either league. He has absolutely enormous power, and I think he’s going to learn to be a better hitter and therefore a little more selective hitter. He’s going to get better pitches to hit, and he’s going to do a lot of damage. I can see Ike Davis in the future being that certainly legitimate number four hitter.”

Like many others, I am a fan of Terry Collins’ passion and excitement. However, comments like the one above can lead to unrealistic expectations. It is one thing to believe in a player, it is entirely different to proclaim a guy is the next coming of Lou Gehrig.

Ike is coming up on his first full season. There will still be a few hurdles for him to leap.

“His range to his right is incredible, and those left-handed first basemen, the [Will] Clarks and some of those guys, that’s what they did,” Collins said. “That just changes the whole defense of the infield. The second baseman can play up the middle, and it changes the whole dynamics of how they play.”

This is more like it. It is extremely complimentary but doesn’t go too far. Not to mention it is pretty insightful in terms of the overall impact on the defense.

COURAGEOUS

Rich Coutinho shared on MetsBlog that TC politely dealt with a fan venting about the team’s lack of power.

These types of fans amaze me. I admire their courage, no matter how misguided it is.

Note to courageous fan: The team’s alleged lack of power isn’t really something the manager can control. This is more of an issue that you should address with the Wilpons or Mr. Alderson.

However, kudos to you sir or ma’am. If I was fortunate enough to be at spring training I freely admit I wouldn’t have the stones to confront the manager about an issue with the team.

It is far more likely I would utter some sort of uncomfortable greeting and maybe muster up the guts to shake his hand. Maybe.

I am content to voice my opinions hidden quite nicely behind my laptop hundreds of miles away.

BEATING A DEAD HORSE

Today, Terry Collins commented on whether or not he would have used Jenrry Mejia in the bullpen last year. It is my assumption that someone asked him his opinion on the matter. Why else would he bring it up?

A question to the media: What is the point of continually kicking Jerry and Omar now that 2010 is far removed from our rear view mirror?

Move on people. It is clear to all that this was a mistake.

As I have said in the past, I probably would have done the same thing if I were in Jerry’s shoes. Put things in perspective. If you were fighting for your job would you not do anything in your power to try to win? The front office is as much to blame as Jerry was. They should have put their foot down at the very beginning of this poor idea.

Let’s stop writing about 2010, please.

UPDATE (2/24): TC’s actual comments verifying he was prompted to comment on this subject.

“You’re putting me on the spot, aren’t you?” Collins replied Wednesday. “Well, I understood exactly what happened last year. I certainly don’t blame the decision that was made. I will never second-guess that decision.”
“I, in turn, as the guy on the other side of the field, in the development side, from what I had heard, thought he should go start [in the minors].”

“They made the decision, which they thought was right for them. I’ll certainly back it up and support it. But everybody I have talked to on the other side [at the minor league complex], who are good baseball people, think this guy has got a chance to be a top-of-the-order starting pitcher. So I’m going to give him his chance.”

Favorites & Frustrations

The game of baseball provides numerous opportunities (162 to be exact) to observe your favorite team in action.

As many of you can relate, you tend to pick up on a thing or two that you love about your team, and a thing or two that drives you crazy.

I took the time to think of a few of our favorite things to see while watching the Mets, along with some of the must frustrating things. Here are a few in no particular order:

FAVORITES

* The Jose Reyes Triple.
* SNY’s Gary Cohen’s home run call “It’s outta here!”
* The Jeff Francoeur muskrat look when he hits a home run.
* Getting to call Henry Blanco “Hank White” (it never gets old).
* Watching Angel Pagan run the bases (a frustration in 2009).
* David Wright driving the ball to the opposite field.
* David Wright driving the ball into the left field stands.
* The Jerry Manuel clap when he argues with an umpire (I have no idea why, but I love it when he does that)
* Johan Santana telling Jerry Manuel to go back to the dugout (I know this only happened once this season, but it was so great that it made the list).
* Ike Davis flying over the first base dugout railing as he catches a foul ball.
* Anytime Chris Carter gets an at bat. You get to say “The Animal”.

FRUSTRATIONS

* Stretches when Jerry Manuel thinks the only reliever in the bullpen is Raul Valdes
* Oliver Perez warming up in the bullpen.
* The Jose Reyes pop up.
* Jeff Francouer swinging at the first pitch.
* The Jeff Francouer muskrat look when he pops up.
* Mike Pelfrey licking his fingers.
* Jason Bay flailing at an outside breaking ball.
* A Jerry Manuel visit to the mound.
* Another Jerry Manuel visit to the mound.
* The Luis Castillo slap chopper.
* Francisco Rodriguez insisting on putting at least two men on base during every appearance (mysteriously absent last night…).
* Giving up another home run to Chipper Jones or Pat Burrell

Jerry Manuel Is Pressing

Last night, Jerry Manuel replaced Mike Pelfrey with Raul Valdes during the sixth inning to pitch to Kelly Johnson with a runner on first and two outs. Johnson proceeded to blast a Valdes fastball over the center field fence.

I understand the lefty/lefty match-up. However, at that point in the game Pelfrey had settled down and had retired what should have been nine batters in a row (counting the Reyes error).

Normally, I don’t like to play Monday morning quarterback, or in this case Saturday morning quarterback, but this decision just smells of over managing.

I give Manuel credit for trying to be proactive, but in this case I would have liked to see him show confidence in Pelfrey who seemed to have found himself after another disastrous first inning.

Jerry may be pressing as he tries to help this team create a spark to ignite an overdue winning streak.

Here is Jerry in his own words about the sixth inning:

“That was truly a surprise, because I thought that was a tremendous match up in our favor — even going on the small bit of history that they had against each other. As I recollect, the couple of at-bats in Arizona it just looked like there was no chance that he would get a hit. But he gave up that home run.”

Originally published on Mets Gazette.

The Effectiveness of Team Meetings

Before tonight’s game, Jerry Manuel held a fifteen minute team meeting. I really can’t blame Manuel for making this decision.

He is in a tough spot. Some of his critics would murder him for not holding a meeting to try to clear the air for his team.

As reported by our own Wendy Adair, there was a bit of an issue in the clubhouse last night that needed to be addressed.

I’m sure Jerry also wanted to take an opportunity to try to motivate his team into playing better baseball.

The problem with the motivational team meeting is it doesn’t really accomplish much. What could Jerry Manuel possibly say that the players don’t already know?

Here’s how I envisioned the way things went.

Jerry Manuel (JM): Well guys. We’re not playing that well right now. But I really believe we’ll be fine. We’ve got a good lineup, now that everyone’s back. Alex. What happened last night?

Alex Cora (AC): I was upset after we lost….AGAIN….and didn’t like the fact that the reporters were laughing in the clubhouse after the game.

JM: What were they laughing about?

AC: I don’t know. Why does it matter?

JM: Was it funny? You know I like a good laugh.

AC: Ask Pelf. He was talking to them.

Mike Pelfrey: Yeah, it was pretty funny skip. We were quoting movie lines from A League Of Their Own. Mike Puma does a great Tom Hanks.

JM: Yeah? Which part?

MP: He does the standard “There’s no crying in baseball” bit. But he really has the part nailed when Tom Hanks is complaining to the team owner about having girls instead of ball players. You know? The part where he goes: “BALL PLAYERS?! I don’t have ball players. I’ve got girls! Girls are what you sleep with after the game, not, not what you coach during the game.”

JM: Hahahaha. That’s great Pelf! You’ve got that down pretty well. I love that part.

MP: Thanks skip.

JM: Oh yeah…almost forgot about the meeting. Listen up everybody. We’re fine. I really believe we’re going to turn this thing around. Luis you’re gonna get some rest tonight. Rod, you’re catching Niese. Go get em fellas!

Well. I guess we’ll see if this works.

Originally published on Mets Gazette.

Another Example Of Organizational Indecisiveness

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I still don’t buy the reasoning for Reyes batting second in the lineup.

In essence the Mets are trying to bench Reyes but yet play him at the same time.

It is yet another example of how the Mets can be organizationally indecisive.  Here are a few other examples of organizational indecisiveness that comes to mind:

1. The handling of Carlos Beltran’s injury.

Should he have surgery? Should he not have surgery? Oh wait, I guess he did have surgery. We didn’t approve it. We did approve it.

2. The handling of Oliver Perez and John Maine.

These two pitchers have been given an abundance of opportunities to establish themselves as big league starters. Many other organizations would have cut ties with both of them a long time ago. Not the Mets. They are both on the horizon of returning. Or are they?

3. The handling of Jennry Mejia.

Mejia is needed in the bullpen and is crucial to its success. Let’s only pitch him during non-critical situations. On second thought, let’s send him down to develop as a starter.

Back to the latest head scratcher.

Jerry Manuel believes by batting Reyes second you bring more things in to play for the hurting Reyes. For example, if Pagan gets on, Jose can bunt for a hit.

Why can’t he bunt for a hit from the lead off spot?

If he is also considering sacrificing Pagan over, Cora or Tejada are perfectly capable of accomplishing that task. The advantage with them doing it is Jose is not jeopardizing his health.

Reyes is also refraining from sliding head first. So now, not only is he refraining from batting left handed, but he also has to make an unnatural adjustment in a split second when on the base paths.

This whole situation makes me wonder who is in control. I remember the first game Jerry Manuel managed after Willie Randolph was fired.

The Mets were facing the Anaheim Angels (or whatever they were called back then). Reyes came up a bit lame running out a ground ball and Manuel decided to pull him.

Reyes was visibly upset and wouldn’t leave the field at first. Manuel stuck to his guns and had a “heart to heart” with Jose in the clubhouse. I was impressed with how decisive Jerry was in a difficult situation. What has happened since then?

Fellow editor and the Yoda of our staff, Tom Greenhalgh, made a great point last night when he stated “Manage your players. Don’t let them manage you.”

How much of these “Reyes Rules” are Jose’s idea and how much are Manuel’s?

It might be hard to believe, but there is a silver lining to this history of hesitancy by the Mets organization.

It is a sign of a group of people trying too hard. They find themselves in these situations because they try to take the best pieces from two different options and turn it into one. Unfortunately, this option isn’t the most realistic in most situations.

Look at it this way. At least they’re not like the Pirates organization. The last two owners they have had have made it perfectly clear they could care less about winning or the product on the field.

Originally published on Mets Gazette.

Facing The Man In The Mirror?

During his pre-game interview, Dusty Baker made the statement that the Reds and Mets are very similar ball clubs.

He elaborated by saying both clubs have the ability to score a lot of runs in a hurry.

They also play “all 27 outs”. This took me a second to realize he was actually speaking about an entire series, which I felt was a nice compliment.

I can’t believe I am actually going to write this, but Dusty actually made me stop and think for a second.

He makes a valid point. Both teams had huge question marks to start the season and still have to convince most people that they are real contenders.

I imagine this is part of the reason these clubs seem to never quit in games or in a series.

There is another similarity that Baker failed to mention. Both he and Jerry Manuel started the season with little support from their respective fan base. They both also have the reputation to make questionable decisions in terms of bullpen use and game strategy.

Say what you want about these often beleaguered managers, you can’t argue that they are getting the most out of their respective lineups up to this point.

Originally published on Mets Gazette.

AL Dominance: A Sign The Mets Are For Real

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

It has been a well established fact that the American League has had the upper hand for quite some time when comparing the two leagues.

Take a look at All-Star Game results and inter-league records if you don’t believe me.

After another home-series clinching win over the Minnesota Twins, the Mets have completed the 2010 inter-league schedule with a very impressive 13-5 record.

They are by far the cream of the crop in terms of representing the National League.

To put it into perspective, the San Diego Padres (NL Best 45-30), own a 9-6 record.  The defending NL Champion Phillies finished up with a 10-8 record.

Granted, the Mets were fortunate to face the Baltimore Orioles and the Cleveland Indians, two of the worst teams in the American League.  I argue that the Amazin’s 6-0 record against these basement dwellers is still impressive based on the fact that all six games were played on the road.

The Mets were also charged with the task of playing the Yankees, Tigers, and Twins, three teams that are perennial playoff contenders.  They more than held their own, sporting a 7-5 record against these talent laden teams.

How Did They Do It?

The answer to this question is also the answer to how they have improved their team over all.  It comes down to two huge factors.

1.  Wright and Reyes have returned to form in every facet of the game.

As of today, David Wright is sporting a .300 batting average, fourteen home-runs, and is leading the National League with sixty-one RBI.  People also tend to forget he is one of the league leaders (currently seventh) in on base percentage.

He looks like a completely different player than he did a month ago.

After the “let’s bat Jose third in the lineup” debacle, Reyes has gotten his legs underneath him (literally) and is wreaking havoc on opposing pitchers at the plate and on the base paths.

His .279 average can be deceiving to opposing teams, especially considering his horrid start to the season.  He is second in the NL with six triples, second in the NL with 19 stolen bases, and fifth in the NL with fifty runs scored.

2.  Omar and Jerry have made the right decisions in terms of fixing the problems they had with their roster early in the season.  I’ll be the first to admit, most of the issues were of their own doing.  They deserve credit for recognizing that and making changes quickly.

We are quick to ask for their heads on a silver platter when things are going wrong.  It’s time to recognize what they did right.

• Signed Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco to do the catching.  Both are strong defensively, and work very well with the pitching staff.  They have provided more offense than anyone expected in the first half of the season.
• Removed Oliver Perez and John Maine (due to injury) from the starting rotation.  They’re hand was forced here, but I applaud Manuel for having a quick hook on Maine and demoting Perez to the bullpen instead of trying to fit a square peg in a round role.
• Inserted R.A. Dickey and Hisanori Takahashi in the rotation.  Dickey has been one of the best stories in all of baseball with his 6-0 record in his first six starts.  Takahashi has been effective and eaten up plenty of innings for the Amazin’s.
• Called up Ike Davis.  Ike Davis has cemented himself in the lineup and has been so effective that he is batting cleanup.  He has shown power, flashed the leather, and carries himself like a five-year veteran.

There are plenty of examples of teams afraid to make changes early in a season much to the dismay of their fans.  Omar and Jerry, in an effort to save their jobs, made adjustments until they found the right combination for success.

R.A. Dickey Is Ridiculous

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

R.A. does it again.  This story really can’t get any better.

Dickey pitched eight shutout innings to garner his sixth straight victory.  No other pitcher in Mets’ history has started their Met’s career off at 6-0.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that he didn’t get the opportunity to go the distance.  Jerry Manuel decided to have Francisco Rodriguez pitch the ninth because he had not had work in quite some time.

Manuel had this to say about the decision:

I know that we have to keep Frankie on some type of game regimen and it’s a difficult, difficult decision that you hate to deprive a guy of a complete-game shutout.

I understand Manuel’s reasoning and admire his commitment to making decisions for the long-term.  I’m not sure I would do the same thing.

That’s probably why I’m writing this blog instead of sitting in the Mets’ dugout making these types of determinations.

Dickey’s emergence is one of my favorite things about this team’s success.

Not only is his personal story an interesting one, but he has very quickly helped us forget about the constant roller coaster ride that Oliver Perez and John Maine gave us.

Side note:

Photos of Dickey give me a chuckle.

If you didn’t know he was a knuckleball pitcher when looking at his action photos, you would think he is throwing the ball 100 mph based on how he looks like he is letting out a primal yell when he is releasing the ball.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons why he has been so effective.  His delivery (including the grimace) combined with the unpredictable movement of the knuckleball makes him difficult to hit.

Off Day Observations: Jennry Mejia, Johan Santana, and More

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

I find that on off days I like to reevaluate where the Mets stand in the baseball world.

Even thought they haven’t played inspiring baseball in their last two games, the Mets have put themselves in a nice position this month.

They are 2.5 games behind the Braves in the East and are leading the Wild Card chase.

Wild Card Teams	W	L	PCT	GB	E#	L10	STRK
NY Mets	39	30	.565	–	–	8-2	L2
LA Dodgers	38	30	.559	0.5	94	4-6	L3
San Francisco	38	30	.559	0.5	94	6-4	W1
Cincinnati	37	33	.529	2.5	91	3-7	L3
Philadelphia	35	32	.522	3.0	92	4-6	L2
Colorado	36	33	.522	3.0	91	6-4	L1

Honestly, how many of you truly thought they would be in this position on June 21st at the end of May?

I know the end of the Yankees series was disappointing, particularly offensively.  That being said, I don’t believe the Mets recent winning streak was an aberration.   I still feel confident about this team.

Expectations For The Upcoming Home Stand

There is cause for relief in the fact that the Mets will be returning to Citi Field where they own a 24-10 record.

The next six games will be no cake walk, however.  Detroit and Minnesota are a combined 78-59.  They are fighting each other for first place in the AL Central and have established themselves as perennial playoff contenders.

It is time my friends.  We need to raise our expectations a bit.

Based on the fact that the Amazin’s play outstanding at home and they are a confident bunch, I expect the Mets to go 4-2 on this home stand.

Jennry Mejia Down, Bobby Parnell Up

Last week,  I wrote about Mejia and how he was being developed on the major league roster.

Apparently, those lessons have been learned and the Mets have decided its time to lengthen him out and have him develop his secondary pitches in the minors.

Bobby Parnell will take his place even though he hasn’t exactly burned it up in Buffalo.  He comes to the Mets with a 4.24 ERA in 40.1 innings.

The Mejia situation is another example of why the Mets appear to be without a plan when it comes to certain situations.

Is this a case of Jerry Manuel holding on to him as long as he could until Omar Minaya finally said enough?

It’s not like Mejia’s role has changed over the last few weeks.  Why now?  A complete head scratcher in my book.

Here’s what everyone involved had to say on the matter:

Jennry Mejia

I’m going down, but I don’t have to put my head down, because I’m going to continue to work hard.  I don’t think they’re sending me down because I didn’t do my job.

Omar Minaya

He has a focus, he knows what he wants to do and he knows where he wants to get.  He sees himself as a starter down the line.

Jerry Manuel

We felt that the development and the progression had leveled off here.  It was a tremendous experience for him and he did everything we asked, but we felt to get him to the next level he needs to pitch on a regular basis and work on a regular basis.

What’s Going On With Johan?

I have to admit, I am  baffled on what to think about Johan Santana.

I am officially on the fence folks.

Normally, when I am in this spot my heart and my head are at odds with one another.

My heart wants to believe in Johan so it agrees with Jerry Manuel’s assessment,

He’s historically been a second-half pitcher. I think he’s starting to gear up for that.  That’s been his history, but I’ll take what he’s been giving us. I still see a guy that competes.

My head is telling me that Johan is starting to show signs of decline.

Normally, I try not to read other blogs while I am in the middle of writing a post.  I don’t want them to influence what I see.  My normal operating procedure has me reading other work when I am finished posting.

As far as the Johan situation is concerned, I deviated from the norm.  In this case, my heart was fighting with my head.  It was telling me to look for ways to explain Johan’s decline.

Instead,  I found an excellent post that actually summed up my head’s perspective.  Sorry heart.

Tom Greenhalgh from The (Happy?) Recap wrote yesterday how he no longer expects greatness when Johan takes the mound.  He just hopes for a win.

Santana’s fastball has lost velocity. Therefore when he throws his change up, the differential in speed is smaller. The result? Unless he has pinpoint control, swings and misses are far and few between. Couple that with the fact that he hasn’t been compensating for his lack of “stuff” with great control, and you get statistics like this:

In his last four starts, Johan Santana has struck out a grand total of ten batters.

If my head’s perspective is correct, than what is the cause?

Is it simply the fact that Santana is getting older?  Could it be that he is still not completely recovered from his surgery?

Will it be heart or will it be head?  Only the second half of the season will tell.

The Improbable Road Trip Continues

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Image

The Mets shut out the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

That’s right.  You read that correctly.

The improbable road trip continues for the Amazin’s.  At the end of the game, I had the feeling that the Yankees were a bit shocked that this was possible.  I imagine that is a common feeling across much of the Big Apple.

Their current eight game winning streak (the last seven wins have been on the road) brings the Mets to eleven games over .500.

Tak Terrific Returns

Hisanori Takahashi has now given the Mets two consecutive solid starts.  His six innings of shutout baseball against the Yankees was impressive.

My hope is that this performance helps solidify his role in the starting rotation.  I have read the discussion about John Maine returning to the rotation, forcing Tak back to the bullpen.

Frankly speaking, this would be a mistake.  John Maine has had plenty of opportunity to be a main stay in the rotation.  I understand he has been dealing with injuries, but that’s life sometimes.

All The Small Things

At times we are all guilty at focusing too much on how David Wright performs at the plate.

We tend to forget all of the “small” things he does to help this team win.

He was one for five at the plate tonight but contributed in important ways that you don’t realize unless you watched the game.

Wright’s effect on the game started in the first inning.  Not much will be said about this in the media, but his slide at home on Ike Davis’ single to right field was tremendous.

Nick Swisher will never be accused of having a cannon in the outfield. However, he came up throwing quickly and accurately.

D. Wright was able to just swipe the corner of the plate as he avoided the tag of Francisco Cervelli.  The most impressive part of this play is that the throw clearly beat Wright.

People that have never played the game of baseball don’t fully appreciate the type of awareness and skill this play requires.  It was a demonstration of Wright’s pure athletic ability and his great instincts for the game.

At times Wright is error prone, but he has a knack for making the difficult chances at third.  His bare hand play  on a Jorge Posada chopper in the sixth was huge.  The bases were loaded and the Mets had a one run lead at that point.

Angel Pagan Delivers Again

It seems like it is becoming a daily habit to write about Angel Pagan coming up with a big hit.

His two run double in the eighth  gave the Mets two gigantic insurance runs.

The Emotional Pedro Feliciano

Jerry Manuel wanted this game in a big way.  He sent a message to his team by using Feliciano for two innings.  This move also sent a message to Feliciano.

Pedro responded in kind.  He was very impressive and showed a little more fire than usual in his performance.

As he completed the eighth, he gave a few primal screams and some emphatic high fives on his way back to the dugout.  This reaction even got me excited, and I’m over 700 miles away.

Franky Closed The Door Effectively

I’ve come to expect drama every time Francisco Rodriguez comes into a game.

Last night’s drama was not of his doing, however.  Manuel decided to start the inning with Raul Valdes as the Mets had opened up a four run lead.  Valdes was able to get the first batter he faced, but preceded to allow back to back singles.

Rodriguez walked the first batter he faced which brought up Derek Jeter.  I’ve seen a fair share of Jeter at bats in situations like this.  I have never seen someone frustrate him like Rodriguez did.

Franky was able to entice Jeter into a check swing strike out.  He than got Nick Swisher to foul out to David Wright behind third base.

It was a huge performance for Franky.

Three In A Row?

This victory puts the Mets in a great position to take their third straight road series.  They will have Mike Pelfrey going today and Johan Santana starting on Sunday.