213 Miles From Shea

For purists, the last two weeks or so of Mets baseball has been tough to manage. The Mets winning streak started when they were donning the black jerseys, thus in all baseball superstition, caused the Mets to wear them for what felt like half a season afterwards (because you know its not because Jason Bay was back in the lineup, it was because the shirt was a different color. Scientifically, peer-reviewed proven statement).

Anyway on Tuesday, in a direct response to killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Mets wore their stars and stripes hat last night which you can read about here. We can have a serious debate on whether this was an appropriate gesture or not (I am in the camp that it wasn't or as MLK would say, “Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate”). Of course like every notion of over patriotic overtones in baseball, it looked really bad. Why? Well the Mets colors are Royal Blue and Orange. The Blue on the hat is the navy blue on the flag. It just looks bad.

However the Mets made up on for all of this last night. Another story, for people who care about uniforms, for the Mets this year has been use of the hybrid hat (blue bill, black top) with the home snow white jerseys. Last night they wore the actual blue home hat! and Chris Capuano wore his socks over his pants! He did great! The offense not so much, but they didn't wear their socks over their pants! Obviously if they did this, we would win every game for the rest of the season.

The Mets lost the opener last night, and it was a rough one. It was a back and forth for the majority in the game and after a high energy top of the ninth where the Mets got out of a runner on third with no outs, they responded with putting runners on in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't get the job done. The Giants hit the go ahead homer in the top of the tenth. Tonight the Mets draw Tim Lincecum as they try to take the second game of this series.

For the Mets, Chris Capuano gets the call with his 2-2 record and 6.04 ERA so far this season. Two starts ago Chris was looking pretty good with a 7 inning outing allowing one run, but in his last outing he struggled allowing 4 ER over 5.2 innings of work. In 2010 he logged 1.2 innings against the Giants where he allowed 1 ER over 4 hits, a walk and a strikeout. The Giants have the following numbers on Chris:

Sanchez 9-21, 2 2B

Burrell 3-8, 2B, HR

Ross 3-7, 2B, HR

Huff 2-4

The Mets batters get to battle with the Freak tonight who has pitched 40.1 innings over 6 games and has logged a 2.90 ERA. He has been good by normal numbers against the Mets, but for overall numbers that Lincecum has posted against other teams, he has “struggled” against the Mets. In his career he has pitched 34 innings against the Mets over 5 games with a 3.71 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers on Tim:

Wright 2-15

Beltran 5-11, 2B, HR

Harris 3-10, 2 2B, 3B

Reyes 4-9

Davis 2-6

Let's Go Mets!

The Mets are coming off an off day after a rough 14 inning win in Philly, where the offense couldn't get it done early, but got done eventually as the pitching kept the Mets in the game all evening. The schedule doesn't get any easier as they start a home set against the San Francisco Giants tonight, and hopefully the Mets will be able to build some positive momentum. The Giants will be sending out Vogelsong tonight as the Mets look to ralley behind Robert Allen Dickey.

Dickey is 1-3 on the season with a 3.82 ERA over 33 innings of work. In his last two starts he has logged 14.2 innings with a 3.62 ERA while striking out 7 batters. Last season he was on the losing side of an amazing outing where he allowed only one earned run in 7 innings of work against the World Champions. The Giants have the following numbers on Dickey:

Tejada 2-8

Ross 2-7, 3B

Huff 1-6

Rowand 2-6

Sanchez 0-4

Posey 2-3

The Mets batters will get a look at 33 year old Vogelsong tonight. Ryan has bounced between the Giants, Pirates and Giants thoughout his career and has a lifetime ERA of 5.73. Before this season, the last season he pitched was way back in 2006, and this year he has had a great start to the year. He has pitched in three games, with one start where he logged 10.1 innings with a 1.74 ERA. In his first start of the year, against Pittsburgh (the baseball universe is a funny one) he logged 5.2 innings allowing 2 ER. His lifetime numbers against the Mets he has made one start and three total appearances totaling 9 innings with a 1.00 ERA. The Mets have these numbers on him:

Wright 2-5

Beltran 1-3, 2B

Hairston 2-3

Reyes 0-1

Let's Go Mets!

Nearly ten years after one of the emotionally charged Mets games in history due to the intersection of reality and sports, the Mets find themselves in a similar situation again where patriotism overrides rivalry.

Before we start, it is important to make clear that I am not asserting that last night's Mets game was even on the same level of emotion as the September 21, 2001 game against the Braves. That night, the first major sporting event in New York after one of the darkest days in American history still brings up an incredible amount of emotion, especially the fan reaction when Mike Piazza hit the homer to put the Mets ahead of the Braves. It maybe the only homerun hit that wasn't a milestone (as in like #700) or in a playoff game that will be mentioned on a Cooperstown plaque.

During the bottom of the eighth last night, it became apparent, if you were on news sites, it became apparent that President Obama was going to make a major announcement regarding Bin Laden, and it became apparent in the ninth inning in the stadium, of what just transpired. According to the reports (I stopped watching the game at this point, to return in the bottom of the 13th), chants of USA started in stadium where Phillies fans and Mets fans were all the same for the rest of the game. Rivalries aside, both fan groups were American and both groups realize the amount of emotion that comes with this type of news. News shows this morning were showing clips of the fan reaction because it was the only national sporting event that was occurring at the time when the news broke. So once again the Mets are the sport team that is involved in the intersection of reality and sports. This becomes more interesting when you think about what sport, especially baseball, means to national identity, and then when news stories center around national identity.

It is also very easy to see how the meaning of last night's win changed with the news of the night. I forgot which commentator said it last night, but last night's game was just another win or a loss for the Phillies, but so much more for the Mets. It was a representation of a complete slide from the 6 game win streak, or another stop and then a step forward. What would normally be a very jubilant night (beating Lee, surviving 14 innings, not getting a crushing defeat) was also immediately scaled with the national news.

Last night was one of those night that will prompt the question, “Where were you when you found out [major political/cultural event]” and for many of us, we were watching our favorite baseball team.

The Mets try to avoid the sweep tonight in Philly as they take on Cliff Lee for the Series concluder. Yesterday the Mets were locked in a pitching duel where they lost to Roy Halladay by the score of 2-1. For the Mets right now, they are on a three game slide after winning 6 games straight, so hopefully they can take a step in the right direction tonight (and go 3-3 on the road trip).

The Mets will be sending out Chris Young tonight who is 1-0 this season with a 2.65 ERA over 17 innings and three games. His last start was his first after coming off of his injury and he struggled, giving up 3 homers in 4.2 innings of work. One of his best starts this season was against the Phillies when he pitched 7 innings allowing only one earned run while he struck out 5 batters and walked only two. The Phillies have the following numbers against Chris:

Ibanez 9-29, 2B, 3B

Howard 2-11, 2B, HR

Rollins 2-11

Victorino 3-12, 2B

Francisco 0-3

The offense this night will get their first 2011 look at Cliff Lee. Lee this season has a 4.18 ERA over 5 starts and a 2-2 record over 32.1 innings of work. The last time he faced the Mets was in 2009 when he went 7 scoreless innings against the Mets while striking out 5 batters. The Mets have the following numbers on Cliff, which are limited because of all the injuries back in 2009:

Bay 3-7

Beltran 0-4

Hairston 0-6

Murphy 1-3, 2B

Let's Go Mets!

The Mets dropped the opener against the Phillies last night, and look to bounce back tonight. The only positive thing the Mets were able to do last night was muscle up on the ball (two homers), but one solo shot and one two run shot is not enough when the pitching falls apart. Hopefully the Mets will be able to get back on the right track today as they look for Niese to go toe to toe with Roy Halladay.

Jon Niese is 1-3 on the season with a 5.10 ERA over 30 innings of work. In his last two starts, he has pitched a combined 13 innings of work with an ERA of 2.77, which is what we expect from Jon. In his last start he really looked like a different pitcher due to how he was confident with his fastball, worked in a nice changeup and then effectively used his curve the second time through the lineup. He already faced the Phillies once this season and it was not pretty as he allowed 6 ER over 4 innings of work. The Phillies have the following numbers on Niese:

Polanco 4-13, 3 2B

Ibanez 2-10, HR

Victorino 3-9

Howard 1-7

Rollins 0-6

The Mets draw the top of the rotation in this game with Halladay who is 3-1 on the season with a 2.41 ERA over 37.1 innings of work. Last year he was 4-0 against the Mets in 4 games as he posted an ERA of 2.56 over 31.2 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against Roy:

Beltran 12-38, 2B, 2 HR

Bay 6-21, 2B, 2 HR

Reyes 10-22, 3 2B, 2 3B

Wright 2-18, 2B, 3B

Thole 7-12, 2B

Let's Go Mets!

While the starting pitching in the major league continues to sway from amazing to horrible, there are a few players in the minors that have gotten the 2011 season off to a strong start, and could provide some interesting internal solutions either this season or next season, depending on the age or experience of the player. Here are some interesting stats to look at:

Jenry Mejia (Buffalo): 1-2, 5 G, 28.1 IP, 2.86 ERA, 14 BB, 21 K

Matthew (Matt) Harvey (St. Lucie): 4-1, 5 G, 26.1 IP, 1.37 ERA, 9 BB, 30 K

Mark Cohoon (Binghamton): 1-1, 4 G, 25.0 IP, 1.44 ERA, 5 BB, 25 K

Chris Schwinden (Buffalo): 1-0, 3 G, 15.2 IP, 1.15 ERA, 6 BB, 17 K

Out of the above list, the only pitcher I would consider moving up this season would be Schwinden, only due to his age. He was born in 1986, and since the others are more serious prospects that need to be groomed, I think we could roll the dice with Chris if necessary. He started the season in AA where he was a relief pitcher and has gotten off to a strong start in AAA if he continues, he could be an interesting option to turn to down the road.

The other three pitchers are looking for rolls with the Mets in 2012 and with their numbers, they will be a hard to ignore. They all have been stellar early in 2011 with fantastic BB to K ratios. Harvey is probably the biggest surprise out of the group since it is his first season with the Mets, and a lot of people, or at least myself, didin't expect the Mets first round draft pick from last season to get off to such a strong start, striking out 30 batters over 26.1 innings. Cohoon started to become a name people spread around last season, and the talk around the Mets pundits (that is exactly how I picture all of us if we sat around a table with cameras pointed at us) basically all said the same thing that he would be a serious contender for 2012 if he had a strong 2011 campaign, and it looks like he is off to that right now.

Lot's to be excited about.

The Mets look to get back to their winning ways tonight against the Phillies. The last time these two teams met was at the start of the season where the Mets roster looked quite different. Since the last the last time we have faced them, the Mets no longer have Emaus, Carrasco, Pagan, and Boyer and now have Bay, Paulino, Turner, Iggy, Izzy and Gee. Tonight Mike Pelfrey will get the start against Vance Worley.

Pelfrey is coming off of a nasty flu bug that has been hanging around the New York Mets of late, and according to some reports has caused Mike to lose 11 pounds. He was cleared to pitch tonight, but just in case Dillon Gee is also available. On the season Pelfrey is 1-2 over 5 games with a 7.23 ERA over 23.2 innings of work. His last start was the best of this season as he pitched 7 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 earned runs, walked 2 and struck out 4. One of his worst starts of the season was against the Phillies where he pitched 2 innings allowing 7 runs, 6 earned. The Phillies have the following numbers on Mike:

Victorino 12-39, 2 2B, 3B, HR

Howard 13-30, 2 2B, 2 HR

Rollins 7-29, 3B, HR

Polanco 2-13

Francisco 0-2

Vance Worley will be making his first start of the season against the Mets tonight. Last year he pitched 13.0 innings in the majors over 5 games and 2 starts where logged an ERA of 1.38 and struck out 12 batters. He faced the Mets once last season, allowing 0 runs in 1 inning of work. In the minors this year he has logged 22.2 innings with an ERA of 2.78. The only current Met with numbers against him is Jose Reyes, who is 0-1.

Let's Go Mets!

It's the last week of April which in my hyper critical world has become synonymous with the start of All-Star Game Ballot. You could have started your maximum of 25 votes per valid email address this past Monday, or near limitless voting at the Ballpark (I'd assume sometime this week). Similar to the argument that I have articulated in previous seasons, my problem from this come from two issues, that are connected.

How can you decide an All-Star less than 25 games into the season?

It is a fair assessment to say that 25 games is still not a good statement of whether someone is having an All-Star season or not. It is still the length of a hot streak. Wright last season was a great example of this. He had a fairly cold April, but then the rest of season he was David Wright. I know that the counter statement for this argument is that voting goes on through June, and that balances it out. Well my response to that is start voting in late May. Yeah it's less votes and less money (which is the driver of this entire process), but it would be a more accurate assessment of All-Star game. Starting voting this early just has people voting for the big names they want to see play.

That brings me to point number 2. That is what this is, a popularity contest. There is nothing wrong with that. If people want to watch a group of players be on the same team and play another group of players, then it is a great thing we do this, but it isn't really an All-Star game. The only part of the All-Star in this now is the pitching and the bench, picked by the manager. Those players, generally, truly deserve to play in a game called the “All Star Game”. Some of the players on the starting roster all deserve this honor, but not all of them.

It is this distinction between All-Star and Fan Favorite that get blurred in having voting start so early. The loser is the weight of accolade the title All Star has, but the winner is still the fan. So in essence, the losers are then really people like me who seek out to complain about this topic year after year, because no one is really hurt by it.

I'll still complain about this again next season.

The Mets go for their seventh win in a row, and a series sweep tonight in Washington, DC. Last night was a night where we saw the grit of this ball club as they fought all sorts of issues to come back with fury. Tonight the Mets will send out Chris Capuano who will face Livan Hernandez.

Chris is 2-1 on the season with a 5.95 ERA over 19.2 innings of work. His last outing was his best this season as he turned in 7 strong innings of work, allowing only one earned run, walking two while striking out 4. He has also faced the Nationals already this season where he allowed 4 earned runs over 6 innings, walking one, striking out 8 (!), picking up his first win of the season. The Nationals have these numbers against Capuano:

Hairston 4-17, HR

Werth 1-7

Ankiel 1-6

Espinosa 1-3, HR

Ramos 2-3, 2B

The Mets will face Livan Hernandez for the first time this season tonight. So far this year he is 2-2 over 5 games and 31 innings of work with an ERA of 3.48. He was tremendous against the Mets last season with a 1-1 record and a 1.89 ERA over 5 games and 33 innings of work. The Mets have the following numbers against the former Met:

Reyes 14-53, 2 2B, 2 HR

Wright 12-45, 3 2B, 4 HR

Beltran 10-31, 2 2B, 2 HR

Bay 3-14, 2B

Davis 3-12

Thole 0-4

Let's Go Mets!