We’re Still Watching

At the beginning of the season, April 4th to be exact, I shared something with you that is contrary to what most bloggers believe:

“A message to new readers of this blog:

I am not a believer of forcing the issue,  in terms of providing content for this blog that is.  I do enjoy the stolen base and the squeeze bunt however.

Although I have been writing quite frequently lately, there will be times when that is not the case.  You see, I believe in quality not quantity.  The quality part is a matter of debate for some of you I’m sure.

There are a number of great Mets Blogs out in the blogosphere which helps makes this team fun to follow.  There are also a number of them out there that aren’t so great.  One reason for this, in my humble opinion, is some people tend to force the issue and post content just for the sake of posting content.”- Me

I share this because I wanted to let you know that we’re still here, and still watching.  There hasn’t been much that has inspired us to write.  New developments and interesting subject matter have been hard to come by.

There are three reasons for this:

1. The Mets are not in playoff contention and haven’t been for quite some time.
2. The trading deadline has come and gone.
3. Due to injuries, we are quite familiar with the Mets’ young talent.  In reality, their September call-ups found themselves on the MLB roster in April and June.

Just like you, we are keeping a close eye on the following situations :

• The Jose Batting Title Chase:  I am a bit surprised that this hasn’t received more attention.  After all, the Mets have never had a batting champion.  I realize it may be counter productive, but I am pulling for Jose.  I don’t care that it adds value to his side of the negotiating table.  I want it to happen.
• Is Lucas Duda A Full Time Solution In The Outfield?
• The Bench Mix:  Tejada, Murhpy, and Turner have all played well this season.  Now Nick Evans is showing his stuff for his homies as well.
• Pitching Woes:  The weak link that needs the most attention on this team.  Who stays?  Who goes?

I guess we could share our thoughts on the topics above each day.  The problem with that is, I for one, am taking this time to observe.  I haven’t made up my mind on what I think should happen and I want to play the season out before I start weighing in.

So never fear friends, we haven’t left you.  As exciting as Scott Hairston’s strained oblique is, it doesn’t make the cut.  Once things get a little more juicy, you’ll hear from us more frequently.

Until then, stay thirsty my friends.

Biting Toungues And Other Randomness

We try to make it a point not to write when we are frustrated with the Mets.  The last thing we want to have happen is for this to become a “rant a day” type of website.  We hope you visit for the humor and intelligent (I’ll let you be the final judge there) opinions we provide.

I’m not sharing this with you because I am practicing for an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show, ummkay.  I’m sharing this because I was in no position to publicize my thoughts about last night’s loss.

Heading into the game, I was genuinely excited.  I was anticipating a well-played ball game from the Mets.  Instead we got a dud.  R.A. Dickey was average, the offense was MIA, and defensively the Mets looked atrocious.  Not exactly how the second half of the season should start.

Had I written about it last night it would have been an expletive filled tirade that would have made most gangster rappers squeamish.  After a night of shut eye, I’m still disheartened about the performance.  However, it is just one game.  The Mets still have a chance to win the next two games and meet my expectations.

They certainly have their backs against the wall now.  But this team seems to be okay with that position.

A Couple Of Random Thoughts

No one has ever accused me of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I am somewhat surprised at the number of Mets fans that are caught up in K-Rod news.  Who cares how his option has changed with the Brewers?  The trade has been completed.  He is no longer a Met.  Let’s move forward.

Last night I shared the following thought on Twitter:

There really is no need to elaborate, I just wanted to share this with you.

While I am in the mood of sharing my tweets, I was a bit over zealous on this one:

I’m an honest guy.  I can admit when I’m wrong.  redturn2 is Justin Turner’s Twitter account for those of you that do not follow him or partake in the world of Twitter.

Well, on to this afternoon’s game.  Hopefully, Jon Niese will pitch the Mets into a tie in the series.

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Missing Gloves

Just a quick observation for your Sunday morning…

Don’t mistake this for belly aching, as the Bisons have done a formidable job and it has been fun as hell to watch them play.  However, last night’s game was a prime example that we not only miss Ike Davis and Jose Reyes’ bats, we also miss their defensive skills.  There were three double plays last night that I argue would have been turned had Jose and Ike been in the game.

Sometimes we forget about just how good Ike Davis is at first base, especially picking low throws out of the dirt.  I’m not knocking Lucas Duda, he is trying to play in a spot that is unnatural for him, but not gloving a low throw from Ruben Tejada in the first inning was costly.

Jose’s cannon masquerading as an arm makes up for a number of things.  Justin Turner has always been a hair slow on the turn, it was hard to notice with Jose firing the ball to first.  He is also quicker at starting a double play than Ruben Tejada.

Speaking of Ruben, he seems to be better suited for second base defensively now that I have had a chance to watch play a string of games at short.  This is a bit surprising to me knowing his natural position is at shortstop.  There were a couple of times that he seemed a step out of place last night, particularly on the missed tag.

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40-39

Extremely Good Player On The Right

The Mets broke through the .500 barrier in a big way.  Some pretty important things happened tonight.  Here they are for those of you that had other “obligations”…

• The New York Mets have now won five of six and have put together a lovely little three game winning streak on the road against the big bad American League.
• Jose Reyes went 4 for 4……again.  Seriously, we have reached the point of utter insanity where there is nothing left to say about how unbelievably well he is performing.  God forbid he has a string of games in which he goes 1 for 4.  Everyone will be proclaiming he is in a major slump.  I know we had a little bit of fun with it earlier today, but it is utterly ridiculous that Troy Tulowitzki has a chance to start in front of Jose in the 2011 All-Star Game.

VOTE FOR REYES DAMNIT!

• Jason Bay broke the 299 game grand slamless streak with a blast down the left field line in the fourth inning.  While I am tickled pink that my namesake was able to make this happen, you won’t find me claiming or hoping this means he has broken out of his season long slump.  Fool me once, shame on you Jason……
• Not to be outdone, Carlos followed with his own grand slam the very next inning.  Brilliant.
• One could almost forget that R.A. Dickey pitched a nice little game tonight.   He has given the Mets at least seven innings and no more than three earned runs in five of his last six starts.  His ERA is now at 3.77.
• Angel Pagan had the quietest three for three/reach base all five times imaginable.  It was so quiet, I failed to include it in the original draft of this post.
• Keep an eye on Justin Turner.  I have a feeling his thumb is bothering him a bit more than he is letting on.  He has certainly cooled off at the plate.  That alone is not an indicator of a troublesome thumb.  His “easy” throw to first on a throw in the second that lead to an error may be the key.  He doesn’t strike me as a guy that takes plays off, so I am wondering if his thumb is more of  a factor.
• Josh Thole said, “Screw slap singles.” and delivered his first home run of the season.
• Manny Acosta lowered his ERA below 10.00 with a scoreless inning in the ninth.  Baby steps.
• Who’s counting, but …..aw who the hell am I kidding, I am.…the Mets have scored 36 runs in their last three games.  That is an average of 12 runs per game (thanks Midwestropolitan Stats Department).

Tom’s prediction of taking two of three in the Motor City is looking pretty good right now.  Damn…..I’ll never hear the end of this…

Thoughts Before the Quick Turnaround

Six days after losing on a balk-off the Mets walk off on a hit batsman. Kind of crazy. Nice job by Justin Turner to sort of move into the pitch while turning his back away.

Additional thoughts:

• K-Rod is pretty quickly turning a stellar season into an average one. His ERA has risen from 1.73 to 3.34 in a matter of ten outings. He’s blown two straight saves and looks really hittable (thanks captain obvious).
• These past two games have felt like American League baseball. Ugly as hell. Games take forever. It doesn’t help that last night Dillon Gee couldn’t throw a strike nor does it help that the A’s love taking pitches.
• Oakland’s grey pants with the yellow tops are gross. In my opinion their green jerseys with the white pants look fine. They should just wear gray on the road.
• I didn’t get to mention it last night, but why was Keith’s scorecard the focus of the SNY broadcast all night? Was it because the game was so unwatchable?
• J-Bay-Bay followed up his good night with an 0-5. Last year when he went yard twice against the Yankees a lot of fans believed he was breaking out. I don’t think many fans are holding their breath this time around.
• Game ball goes to R.A. Dickey who followed up a bad outing with yet another outstanding performance.

Other Notes:

• Jason’s little league team lost tonight. You can send him your condolences and well wishes by emailing midwestropolitan@gmail.com. He could really use some cheering up. He’s kind of like the Manny Acta of the wheelbarrow league. He just overthinks everything. Jason, you don’t need to pull a double switch or go lefty-lefty every game.

Don’t Forget About Pagan

Five days ago I made the following statement:

“It’s official.  Dillon Gee is my new favorite pitcher on the New York Mets.” -Me

So who’s with me after tonight’s start?  Eight innings, one run, and more importantly, NO WALKS.  Gee is now 7-0 with a 3.05 ERA and probably doesn’t have to pay for a meal in New York for quite some time.

What a top-notch way to begin a series.

Along with Jose Reyes’ continuation of owning opposing pitchers, plenty of people will laud Lucas Duda’s performance in his first game back.  Deservedly so.  He was able to drive in 20 % of Jason Bay’s total RBIs in just one game.

At this rate, Duda will catch up with Bay in four more games.  Sorry I had to go Rain Man on you there.

Many others will also be singing the praises of Justin Turner, who yet again came up with a huge hit for the Amazin’s.

Let us not forget about Angel Pagan my friends.  It is no small coincidence that the Mets have been playing a better brand of baseball while Angel is warming up.  He is hitting .350 in his last ten games.

This squad may not thrill the ladies with the long ball but they’ll certainly slowly bleed an opponent to death with bunches of singles.  You know what?  I don’t have a problem with it either.

I’m not the only one either.  Check out what #17 had to say tonight during the game:

“You don’t need a lot of power in your lineup to score runs.  Baseball got away from that.”- Keith Hernandez

The current offense is much like an annoying little brother that keeps poking you repeatedly with his index finger until you acknowledge his presence.  He’s too tiny to deliver a massive upper cut that will knock you out cold so you’re not worried about him initially.   However, he does have the ability to annoy the absolute shit out of you.

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Gee, Turner, Bay, and The Jurrjens Death Stare

The Mets picked up a nice Don’t Disappoint Game win tonight thanks to the one and only Dillon Gee.  He is a monster. Simple as that.

You know you are doing something right when people continually say “This guys knows how to pitch.”

Justin Turner Likes Playing Baseball

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned Justin Turner in one of my posts.  It is almost as if I have come to expect his daily dose of solid play.  I know I am going to get at least one hit out of him, be reliable with the glove, and do the little things to win.

Tonight was no different.  One for three, solid D, and a nice two strike sacrifice fly to bring in the Mets last run of the night.

The guys on SNY briefly brought up the conversation of who would play second base when Wright and Davis get back.  Ron Darling had a good point.  He said that these things usually have a way of working themselves out.  Basically, we shouldn’t expect Tuner, Murphy, and Tejada to all play this well for the entire stretch of Wright and Davis’s injuries.

Regardless, another solid game from Red tonight.

And on the complete other end of the spectrum…..

Jason Bay, Our Right Fielder

The worst beginning to a Mets career ever continues with an 0 for 4 evening.  To be honest, I am no longer frustrated with Jason Bay.

I actually feel bad for him in a way.  It has to do tremendous damage to his psyche when he and everyone watching the game in the park and on TV know he is going to see an outside breaking ball with two strikes and he still looks utterly foolish waving it at for strike three.  Over and over and over again.

Wow.  That was a really long second sentence.  We may have to open up the coffers here at Midwestropolitan and hire an editor. 

Allow me to share how I prevent this monstrosity of a season from affecting my daily life.

You see, I have a substantial amount of experience as a little league coach.  If you have ever participated in or watched a little league game you inevitably know who the kids are that are an automatic out in your lineup.  You are just hoping that they draw a walk or get hit by a pitch because you and everyone else knows they won’t be getting a hit.  They typically play right field on defense.

Jason Bay is the Mets version of the “Little League Right Fielder”.  It has gotten to the point where I am surprised when he gets a hit and I place it in the category of offensive production I didn’t expect tonight.  Much like when little Johnny miraculously places a swinging bunt in the perfect spot on the infield and scampers to first for his only hit of the season.

So now when he gets to the plate, all of the anger and frustration are no longer present.  I am rooting for him to do well, but have come to expect little production.

This is a much better option than getting angry and saying mean and hateful things about him and his family all the time.  It’s not like the guys isn’t trying.

Midwestropolitan Public Service Message:

If you are the guy that is saying mean and hateful things about Jason Bay and his family, stop.  Call this 1-800 number linked here for help.  And remember, only you can prevent forest fires.

Jair Jurrjens Death Stare

In this day and age the camera picks up everything.  After Jose Reyes’ huge triple in the seventh inning, SNY showed Jair Jurrjens’ reaction (the starter that had just been pulled for those of you that did not get to see the game).

He threw his hands up in the air and shot over a very scary looking death stare in the direction of his manager, Fredi Gonzalez.  I swear, I thought laser beams were going to come out of his eyes or possibly daggers, maybe poisonous rattle snakes.

I have to agree with Jair on this one.  Why bring in the pen there Fredi?  You have arguably your best pitcher on the hill facing his first sign of trouble at only 80 or so pitches.  A big reason why he was in trouble was because his shortstop booted the ball around to begin with.  It’s not like the Mets were owning him all game long.

Sometimes I think managers feel they have to make moves just to remind everyone that they are still present.  Almost like that annoying clinger friend we all had in high school, “Hey guys, what’s up?  I’m still here.  What are you guys doin’?”

Regardless, I thank you Fredi Gonzalez.  Again.

A Very Interesting Insight On Justin Turner

By now I’m sure you’ve noticed that I tend to ask a rhetorical question or two.  On Thursday, I had a few about the very impressive start of Justin Turner.

“This morning I started wondering how long we can expect to see this kind of performance from Justin.  All year? Multiple years? Two weeks? Two more days?”

-Me

Normally, I wind up answering myself or field a few outside answers on a rare occasion.  This Thursday was slightly different.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the following feedback from Justin Turner’s uncle:

“Let me give you my very biased opinion. I have watched Turner play ball his whole life. I can tell you that it only gets better,the kid knows baseball. He will give you 110% period. He loves the game and has dedicated his life to get where he is right now. He is not done yet. How do i know well like i said i have known him his whole life and it is just getting better and better. Lets just watch and i’m sure we will be very impressed. Way to go Red, We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!”

-James Turner (Justin Turner’s uncle)

I don’t know about you, but after reading that I became excited about the possibility of Turner getting even better.  Just like everyone else, I wasn’t expecting him to contribute at the level he has so far.

It was equally exciting for me to learn about Turner’s approach to the game from an inside source.

Uncle James also shared a few other things after I followed up with him:

• He set his sights on being a major league ball player at a young age.
• Justin’s parents were very dedicated to helping him fulfill his dreams of playing in the Majors.
• With Justin, it’s not about money or being famous it’s about baseball.

And my personal favorite as it is near and dear to me…

• When he is home, Justin is always involved in coaching the young kids and sharing his knowledge of the game.

As I stated previously, I have no clue how long this great play will last.  After receiving Uncle James’ admittedly biased insight, I can’t help to believe in the possibility of it happening for a prolonged period of time.

Thanks Uncle James!

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A Sight For Sore Eyes

NEW YORK METS    W: 22  L: 22     %: .500

wordpress is pissing me off

so now i am going to have to make this white colored font

Justin Turner On His Way To Becoming First Adopted Midwestropolitan

What more can be said for Justin Turner’s clutch hitting.  Not only did he drive in another huge run tonight, but he showed off his mad bunting skills by perfectly placing a bunt down the third base line for a hit.

Much more on Turner later tonight in another post (nice teaser huh?).

Izzy And KRod Deserve A Lot Of Credit

Much has been said about the starting pitching staff starting to find their way.  Let us not forget about how huge Jason Isringhausen and Francisco Rodriguez have been for the Mets.  They have literally been lights out.

Tonight was no different.  Izzy and KRod mowed down the Yanks in the eighth and ninth innings.  Lovely gentlemen, lovely.

Chicks May Dig The Long Ball But….

We spend a shit load of time dissecting the Mets lineup.  It is certainly fun, I won’t disagree there.

However, this current stretch shows how important solid pitching and solid defense are in this game.

I don’t think it’s a huge coincidence that the Mets seem to be coming up with the timely hit on a nightly basis.  The fact that they need only one or two timely hits is a huge difference than needing three or four timely hits in a game when they are down by a handful of runs.

The Bisons Win!

I realize that the Nats aren’t exactly the cream of the crop, but I really don’t care.  Any win the Mets can earn while under this current barrage of injuries should be rejoiced.  It has to be pretty sweet for the nine guys that spent time down in Buffalo this season.

Gee Does It Again

Dillon Gee continues to impress.  Normally, I am a glass is half full kind of guy, but I feel it is necessary to share a couple of things that we need to be wary of with this win.

1.  The Nationals are obviously the worst offensive club in the National League.  We can’t expect Gee to lock down everyone he faces like this.

That being said, I am very confident that he has the ability to throw a quality start against anyone.

2.  Every impressive start Gee provides means we get “witty” headlines shoved down our throats like, “Nothin But A Gee Thing” or “Gee Whiz, Mets Pitcher Shuts down (enter team name here)”

It was cute last year for his first few starts but now it makes me want to vomit.

The Justin Turner Phenomena

Another game, another big hit.  Justin Turner also added a couple of fine plays in the field.  One of them was umpire aided admittedly, but an out is an out.

This morning  I started wondering how long we can expect to see this kind of performance from Justin.  All year? Multiple years? Two weeks? Two more days?

I abruptly stopped wondering.  For me, it doesn’t matter.  I am going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.  Worrying about when it is over ruins the fun.