213 Miles From Shea

On Wednesday we looked at the first edition of the 2010 Elimination Update where it looked like the Orioles were on the brink of the end with an elimination number of 3. As we look again today, we will see how the Orioles some how have held on some form of mathematical hopes while other teams are falling off fast. While no team has been eliminated yet, the Orioles who looked destined to be eliminated first and still can be today, may be able to push it back so a team like the Pirates get eliminated before them (not that it means anything though, except for pride):

The second opinion may not be in yet (should be coming over the next several days) but the dark news for the Nationals franchise is in that their star phenom pitcher will require Tommy John surgery and will need a recovery time of about 12 months (one year – which is normal for pitchers who have the procedure done).

This is a huge blow for the Nationals for a variety of reasons. The first problem the Nationals have is the same that any team has when they lose a player to injury. Strasburg is one of the best if not the best player on the roster right now due to his early success and his high ceiling. This team needs Strasburg on the roster if they want a chance to win or if they want to be able to attract free agents to get them excited about this team. Now they will have the issue of what will he be like after he came back. There are a good amount of pitchers who have had success after the surgery like Carpenter and Burnett. Than there is one player that is so similar to Strasburg: Kerry Wood. Wood was phenomonal before Tommy John. Since then he still has been good, he has been better than average, but never really returned to his standing as a young breakout star.

The next impact for the Nationals is the money. Strasburg brought in on average 12,000 for games that he was expected to start. It is next to impossible to get tickets for a reasonable price when Strasburg is pitching because the fans know when he is on the mound, they have a much better chance of seeing something special. Not having Strasburg is a critical blow for the economic status of the Nationals, who need help to continue to revitalize their fanbase (and now really need help because Strasburg is where they put all their eggs in the basket).

All of baseball is the final group that feels the negative impact of Strasburg getting injured. His existence on the mound was fantastic for baseball as he brought sold out games on the road no matter where he went. He demanded National TV coverage with people watching across the state getting interested in baseball due to this young star. The baseball card market, which has seen some struggles over the last decade had a peak this summer when Strasburg first made it, dipped when he first got injured, came back when Strasburg came back, and we can all guess where its going now that some Kerry Wood fears are coming to fruition.

Strasburg injured is bad for the Nationals, and bad for Baseball.

The Mets lost an ugly game last night as a 4th inning implosion set the tone for the rest of the night. They look to get back on the winning track against the Astros tonight as they open up a series against them at home. The Mets look for Pelfrey to continue his late resurgence. In his last three games he has pitched 22.0 innings with a 2-1 record while posting an ERA of 1.64. The Astros have these numbers on Mike:

The Mets draw Figueroa again. He has now made two consecutive starts now, including one against the Mets, and he has allowed only 2 ER in 11 innings. He hasn't been stellar against his old team though this year as he has now logged in 7 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 earned over 8 hits. The Mets have the following numbers against the former disgruntled (well probably still disgruntled) Met:

Let's Go Mets!

For the last edition of Racing Things At Baseball Stadiums, for now, we
visit Houston for probably the most ridiculous race of all. Unlike the
other races, the ridiculousness isn't just because it is a mascot race,
but the over arching corporate bombardment just makes it very odd.
Behold, the Taco Bell Hot Sauce Race of
Houston:

The Mets almost came back to take one from the Marlins last night but fell just short of the comeback. Tonight the Mets will try to take the rubber game against the fish behind Jon Niese. Niese is 8-5 on the season with a 3.33 ERA and is coming off of a “complete game” 5 inning performance where he allowed one earned run making it now 4 straight games where he has done just that. This season he has made three starts against the Marlins with a 1-2 record and a 3.60 ERA. The Marlins have these numbers on Jon:

The Marlins will be sending out Sanchez to the mound with his 10-8 record and a 3.16 ERA. He has been great in his last 3 games as he has pitched 19.2 innings allowing only 2 ER, or a 0.92 ERA. Against the Mets this year he is 1-1 this season with a 4.62 ERA. The Mets have these numbers on Sanchez:

Lets Go Mets!

The Diamondbacks started a race recently where they have legendary players in their franchise race against each other. As you can see in the video below, the costumes are very similar to the ones in Washington. The four players are Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Mark Grace and Matt Williams. Check it out:

The interesting statistical young players continue to come out of Brooklyn. This week lets focus on Joe Bonfe, the 22-year old third basemen out of Minnesota. Before getting into specifics about Bonfe, there are two things that work in tandem that really strike me about Bonfe. The first is that he was drafted in the 21st round of the 2009 draft, so he was a late round pick. He also seems to hit, a lot. In fact that is just about what he does. He performed great in Kingsport last season, but then only got one hit in eleven AB's in Brooklyn. This season he has been quite the opposite in Brooklyn:

The thing about Bonfe is he hits. He is getting the ball in play at the lower levels. Of course this only means so much, he in order to really be a prospect he needs to do this at higher levels, and I hope he gets a chance (whether its winter ball, or next season) at a tougher level. If he continues to get hits, then he is going to deserve some attention from the organization. Also, his defense does leave something to be desired (which is important when considering his stock).

Bonfe may be young, but he already has some impressive accolades to his resume. This season he was one of the 8 All-Stars from the Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2009 he was chosen to be the Big 8 Conference MVP and he was chosen to the JC All American team. He was also the MVP for his team, Sierra College Baseball Team. (Please note that this Big 8 is the Big 8 for California Community Colleges, not the Big 8 Conference that disolved in 1996).

The Mets and Marlins play game two tonight after last night's walk-off victory for the Amazin's as they beat the Marlins by the score of 6-5. In order to continue their winning ways the Mets will have to take down Sanabia tonight while the fish will attempt to take a crack at Misch. Misch is 0-2 this season in as many starts with a 3.00 ERA. His first game was fantastic as he allowed only one run against the Phillies over 6 and he had a quality start against the Astros. In both games he was a victim to a lack of offense by the Mets, thus a poor pitching record (or at least as poor as it good be for pitchin two games this season). Last season he was 1-1 in as many games against the Marlins as he allowed 5 ER over 15 innings (3.00 ERA). The fish have these numbers against Pat:

The Mets will get their first looks at rookie Alex Sanabia as a starter. This season he has appeared in 8 games, 5 of them starts with a 2-1 record over 31.0 innings with a 3.77 ERA. He has had one outing against the Mets were he pitched two innings allowing 2 runs, 1 earned and picked up the loss. The Mets have these numbers on Alex:

Lets Go Mets!

The title says it all. In Jenry's last several starts he has been amazing. Overall, since joining the Binghamton Mets, Mejia has pitched in 6 games and has totaled 27.1 innings and in that time he has had a 1.32 ERA. However it has been his last two outings that have been amazing:

It is numbers like this that get me really excited for Mejia being a starter next season. He proved earlier this season that he could be an effective pitcher in the majors, albeit a relief pitcher, and we are nearing the time when he should get a shot at being a starter next season (and maybe a starter this season if they decide to shut down Niese due to innings pitched).

Of course, it is hard to be happy about these numbers without being upset at the same time. Infused with 20-20 hindsight, most fans wanted Mejia to go down to the minors at the start of the season. To be a starter the entire season. However Jerry really liked what he saw and the Mets, who have been notorious over the last few seasons for doing this, bumped Mejia up to the majors to be in the pen and to not pitch on a consistent basis. It is hard to extrapolate any positive or negative effects from this experiment, but it does boil the blood a bit (especially when it is compounded with other boneheaded roster moves this season).