Acostad

Let me preface this post by stating that I am satisfied with where the Mets are at this point. They’ve been a lot of fun to watch and are certainly a team that is easy to root for.

Let’s be frank, they are over achieving and if anyone tells you they knew they would be five games over .500 and only a handful of games out of first at this point you would be well within your right to call them a big fat liar.

Now on to one of the few players on the roster I could do with out.  Manny Acosta needs to go.  His 11.86 ERA speaks for itself.

For some reason, Terry Collins has made repeated attempts to give him a chance to show us that he can be relied on in somewhat critical points in ballgames.  Enough is enough TC.  The guy has never looked comfortable on the mound this year for whatever reason.  In fact, he looks downright scared at times.  You can see it all over his face.

Maybe the Mets are reluctant to give someone else a shot until Pedro Beato is ready.  Fine, I’m not ready to second guess Mr. Alderson at this point.  Mainly because I have always believed that selecting members to fill your bullpen is a lot like playing Russian Roulette.

But I’m practically begging you TC, please don’t give Manny the ball in a one run ballgame anymore.  I’m tired of getting Acostad.

Cole Hamels Is Almost As Awesome As Chris Young

A Reminder – If you’re looking for a recap of the Mets win in Philly last night, tough luck finding it here. The internet is pretty bitchin’, so you’ll be alright.

Shameless Plugs – If you want updates on what’s happening here, check out Midwestropolitan on Twitter. If you want to read my super awesome commentary and life changing revelations you can find me here. Lastly, if you want to Twitter stalk (or follow, if you prefer) the founder of Midwestropolitan, here you go.

On the Mets 7-1 win…

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Mets did a number on Cole Hamels last night. You probably know that he is 2-9 lifetime against the Mets. You probably know he was bounced early. On and on we go.

But what I find interesting is that the Mets might have helped create the perception that the media overdramatized the Philly staff’s overall brilliance. Cole Hamels just does not fit into the Phantastic Four, or whatever you want to call them. He is really, really good. No question about that. But in my opinion, Oswalt, Halladay, and Lee are on another level entirely. I get that he’s a World Series MVP and that’s freaking impressive. Yet, looking at the big picture, I have no choice but to form the opinion that he is the weakest link of the four. Too inconsistent, too vulnerable. He’s to the Phantastic Four what Chris Bosh is to the Big 3.

Other Observations

• If Hamels struggles this year, the Phillies could be a little closer to earth than some think
• The David Wright for MVP campaign will probably be underway shortly
• Chris Young really is that awesome, and I’ll take this opportunity to say I told you so

Don’t get too excited…

A long season lies ahead and the Mets need to do more than win a couple of ballgames against the Phillies. Last year they went 9-9 against Philadelphia, but one team was playing in the NLCS and the other was out of contention in August. Let’s see the Mets put together a good stretch of baseball against everyone before we get too crazy.

Marlins 10, Mets 8

Sometimes it is painful to be a baseball fan.  Especially, when things aren’t going your team’s way.

A four game sweep makes the cut that much deeper.  Unfortunately, that’s where we now sit as the Marlins swept the Mets.

Here’s a few key events from today’s game:

The Mets had a brutal third inning in the field in which they allowed the Marlins to score six runs.

Jon Niese injured his right hamstring (in the brutal third inning).  You guessed it, the same hamstring he injured last year.

I have to believe he is going to miss some extended time.  Anytime it’s the hamstring, it is going to be a long road to rehab.  Just ask Ryota Igarashi.

This latest injury will more than likely place the Mets’ third best pitcher on the DL.

David Wright had a rough game in the field today.

It all started in the brutal third inning (Are you catching on to the theme?).  He flat out missed a throw from Jon Niese on a sacrifice bunt by Ricky Nolasco.

Nolasco bunted the ball straight back to the mound at Niese who went to Wright with it.  It looked like he was thinking about trying to double off Nolasco at first and he took his eye off of the throw.

Wright also tried a fancy ole attempt on a Cody Ross chopper that allowed a run to score.  It wasn’t exactly an easy chance but I can’t figure out why he just didn’t get in front of it and knock it down.  He had plenty of time.

There were a couple of times when the Fox Sports cameras zoomed in on Wright as the Mets were imploding.

I really am starting to feel for him.  It is evident he is giving everything he has.  He still appears like he is trying to carry the entire team on his back by hitting six run home runs and making the impossible plays in the field.

I wish someone would sit him down and convince him to stop trying to play outside of himself.  He can’t control every aspect of the game.

The Mets fought once again.

They were able to come up with six unanswered runs after finding themselves down 7-0.

They plated three runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.  I started to believe that they had a chance.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards.

Fernando Nieve is either spent, or is coming back down to earth.

Nieve let the Marlins come up with three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh.  He walked a runner, allowed an infield hit, and then gave up a three run bomb to pinch hitter, Chris Coghlan.

One of these days, it will be nice to see a pinch hit three run home run for the Mets.

Coghlan’s bomb pretty much sealed the game.  The Mets were able to score a run in the eighth and the ninth.

Good Riddance Miami!

The Mets can’t get out of South Florida fast enough.  I hope the change of scenery in Atlanta will do them well.

Marlins 7, Mets 5: Box Score Reaction

The Mets’ slide continues.   It is doubly painful because they are dropping games to divisional opponents.

I was at the little league fields and my son’s game went into extra innings, so I did not have to witness this loss.

I thought I would have a little fun and write a post game reaction just by what I see from the box score.  I haven’t watched any of the game so I won’t be influenced by any visuals.

Old school style.

Pitching:

John Maine had an “Ollie” and could only give the Mets five innings.  In those five innings he allowed seven hits, six runs, and five walks (not good).

It appears as though he struggled with his control in the first, because I don’t see any extra base hits in the box score in the opening inning.

Maine’s ERA is listed at an abysmal 6.13.

Offense:

It appears as though the offense wasn’t the problem.  They scored five runs.  Seven men left on base isn’t exactly something to rejoice about, but I’ll take an offensive performance like this over what we have seen lately.

Jose Reyes rewarded Jerry Manuel by going 2 for 5 from the lead off spot and he scored two runs.

David Wright went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBI’s.

Jason Bay went 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Luis Castillo collected two hits as well, including a triple and and two RBI’s.

Rod Barajas had two hits, and Chris Carter added a pinch hit.

Jeff Francoeur continues to struggle mightily.  He was o for 4 and his average has dropped to .215.

Outlook:

The outlook is still bleak for the Mets.  They have dropped to fourth place in the division and are five games back of the first place Phillies.

Jon Niese takes the mound against Ricky Volasco as the Mets try to avoid the sweep.

The Mets could have used a solid performance from Maine.

They already need to fill one spot in their rotation.  I was hoping John had figured things out and was on his way back to being a serviceable starter.

Blog Reactions:

Check out these post game reactions from other Mets blogs if you want a visual.

METSBLOG

METSMERIZED ONLINE

METS TODAY

Giants 6, Mets 5

The Mets lost a tough one today.  Anytime you give up eleven, yes eleven, walks and are in position to win the game in the eighth inning, it is a miracle.

I was able to catch part of the game amongst the Mother’s Day festivities, so this post game reaction will be brief.

Oliver Perez was abysmal today.  He couldn’t get out of the fourth inning, pitching three and a third innings.

Not getting out of the fourth is bad enough, when you throw in seven walks in that time span, it is down right awful.

More on him later tonight.

I didn’t see any of his at bats, but David Wright was 0 for 4 with four strike outs.  He was ejected on his last strikeout, which tells me he is completely frustrated.

Now, the good.

You wouldn’t know it by reading comment sections, but the Mets did win the series against a tough Giants team.

Even in their loss, they battled back from a 4-0 deficit against Tim Lincecum and company.

Ike Davis, Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, and Jason Bay had two hits a piece.

Raul Valdes looked sharp, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings.

Next Up:

John Maine vs. Luis Atilano to kick off a three game series with the Washington Nationals.

Reds 5, Mets 4

Due to work related issues (which basically means I couldn’t watch today’s game because I was at work),  I can’ t provide much of a prospective on today’s game.  I was able to follow somewhat by watching Gameday on Mets.com.

I will say, the Mets definitely had their chances to win this series.

The Amazin’s have shown they still have fight in them, as they repetadly came back from deficits against the Reds.

They just couldn’t put all the pieces together.

The starting pitching was decent.

The hitting wasn’t atrocious, although they couldn’t seem to get many hits with runners in scoring position.

The bullpen was okay, even though they gave up some big home runs.  We can’t expect them to be lights out for every inning.

Check out my blog brothers for more details on today’s loss:

AMAZIN AVENUE

THE REAL DIRTY METS BLOG

METSBLOG

Outlook:

The Mets get the day off on Thursday before playing for seventeen straight days.

The Giants come to New York to kick off a six game home stand.

Mike Pelfrey will pitch Friday.  I am very curious to see how he performs.  He threw about 45 pitches in a bullpen session and claims to be good to go.

A 5-1 record for the home stand would be nice.

Mets 5, Reds 4

The Mets ended their losing streak and have given themselves a chance to go .500 on this current road trip.

John Maine pitched six strong innings only allowing two runs.  The Mets were able to build a 4-2 lead but the bullpen finally faltered and was not able to protect the lead.

Fernando Nieve appeared to be cruising as he retired the first two batters he faced in the eight.

The wheels fell off the wagon at that point as he gave up back to back home runs to Joey Votto and Scott Rolen.

At this point plenty of fans probably said to themselves “Here we go again”.

Rod Barajas quickly erased those thoughts with a blast of his own in the top of the ninth.

Francisco Rodriguez came in for an uncharacteristic one, two, three inning for the save.

Notes:

• David Wright hit his sixth home run of the season
• Jose Reyes went 2 for 4 with an RBI
• Jason Bay added to the scoring with a sacrifice fly

In Their Own Words:

Rod Barajas on his ninth inning home run:

I was pretty sure it was going to be a fastball or a slider and I just took a guess.  I’m a better fastball hitter, so I just sat on the fastball.

Jerry Manuel on John Maine:

John Maine, you look at the [radar] gun and look at the hitters, they don’t seem to match up. He’s throwing 89, 90 [mph] and they are missing it — good left-handed hitters.

John Maine on his performance:

It’s just being around the zone with your fastball. If you put it in the zone enough they are going to put the ball in play and hit it at people.

David Wright on the Mets’ power:

I don’t think we are going to live or die by hitting home runs. But they are a momentum shift. One here or there is going to give us a little boost.

Jose Reyes on his day at the plate:

I feel happy because I got a double off a change-up today. It was good to get a base hit off a breaking pitch.

Fernando Nieve refusing to blame fatigue for allowing back to back jacks:

I’m good. I just threw too many fastballs. But I got the first two outs, and I just tried to get ahead, but the balls were over the middle.

Outlook:

The Mets remain only a half game out of first place in the NL East.   They will send Jonathan Niese to the mound to face Johnny Cueto in the rubber game of the series.

Around The Horn:

Check out what other Mets Bloggers are saying about the game:

NY SPORTS DOG

METS TODAY

METS MERIZED

METS PARADISE

METSBLOG

Phillies 11, Mets 5

The Mets’ bats showed up early tonight and looked to be giving Johan Santana some well needed run support.

David Wright belted a three run home run and Rod Barajas added a two run blast of his own.

Shockingly, 47 year old Jaime Moyer outlasted Santana, who was absolutely shelled tonight.  Johan gave up four home runs and an embarrassing bases loaded walk to Moyer.

Sadly, Santana could not get the eight and nine hole hitters out (back to back walks including the aforementioned Moyer walk) prior to giving up a two out grand slam to Shane Victorino and a two run blast to Chase Utley.

That’s about all the energy I have to write about this depressing game.  For more, feel free to visit Mets Today.

Outlook:

It will be interesting to see how the Mets will react to this loss.

Up until tonight, I have been impressed with this team’s fight.  They simply rolled over after Santana got bombed.  I understand watching your ace getting shelled is demoralizing, but there wasn’t a peep from the Mets’ bats after the fourth inning.

My fear is that Johan’s implosion will hurt this team’s confidence in a long-term fashion.

Only time will tell.

Everyone is saying how loose this clubhouse is and how much fun they are having.  If that is true, they’ll be able to bounce back.

Phillies 10, Mets 0

Well, you can’t win em’ all.  Not much of a game today in Philadelphia.

It started off as quite the pitching duel through the first three innings.  The Phillies exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a three run, home-run by Shane Victorino.

The inning started off a tad quirky as Jose Reyes and Alex Cora both missed difficult catches going into the short outfield.  Both plays initially appeared as they would be outs, but squirted out for hits instead.

The Phillies took full advantage.

This is the exact reason the Phillies traded for Roy Haladay.

I haven’t had the opportunity to watch much of Haladay in the past.  I can see what all of the fuss is about.

Outlook:

This series reminds me of a Rocky movie.  Both of the fighters have dealt huge knockout blows, that in a normal fight leave their opponent down for the count.

The Mets still have to like their position.  They have their ace on the hill on Sunday night, pitching for the series win.

Mets 1, Braves 0

The Mets continue to get some breaks.  A five inning, rain shortened victory helped the Mets secure the series sweep against the Braves.

The only run came in the first inning.  Jose Reyes stole second with two outs.  Jason Bay ripped a ball down the third base line that was snagged by Chipper Jones.  Chipper got up slowly and then threw the ball away allowing Reyes to score on the play.

I can’t remember the last time I watched the Braves play this sloppily throughout an entire series.  However, I don’t want to take away anything from the Mets.  They did apply the pressure with outstanding pitching and timely hitting.

Pitching

Mike Pelfrey was effective enough for the win, throwing another five innings of shutout baseball.  He had trouble with his control, walking five batters.  He repeatedly had to pitch out of jams.

Big Pelf’s performance was impressive in the fact that he never gave in to the Braves’ hitters.  He looked confident in his ability to pitch out of trouble even without his best stuff.

The Lumber

Mets hitters continue to rack up the strikeouts, adding another eight to this seasons total.  I have to give credit to Tommy Hanson.  His curveball was sick and he was able to locate his pitches well.

Luis Castillo seems to be warming up as he had two sharp singles tonight.  He was responsible for two of the Mets’ five hits.

Slump Watch

David Wright was 0for 2 with a strikeout.  Even on his strikeout, he didn’t seem over matched.  He seemed to be right on Hanson’s fastball but chased a pitch high in the zone.

It is obvious that he is pressing.  Maybe a day off is needed to clear his head.

Outlook

Mother Nature granted the bullpen some much needed and well deserved rest.

The Mets are now 10-9 which looks a whole lot better than 4-8.  They start a series against the Dodgers tonight.  The Dodgers will be without Manny Ramirez’s services in this series.

A third straight series win would be a very appropriate way to end this current home stand.