This week in Daily Baseball video will focus on the always fun race at the stadium but not that crappy computer generated figures racing against each other. I'm talking about the mascot type, the good kind. First up this week is probably the most famous out of all Stadium Races: The Brewers' Racing Sausages.
You're driving on Major Deegan or on the NJ Turnpike and you are following a van. From a far away distance it looks like they have a bunch of stick figures on the back of their car. As you get closer, you realize that the stick figures represent each member, including pets, of their family. As you pass that vehicle you leave knowing a little information about the lives of the people inside. How about learning their preference for sports teams…..
After two breakout games for the offense, the Mets bats went back to the hole they have been hiding in today, spoiling Santana's complete game performance. This makes three straight complete game efforts by Santana in a row and he has now lost the last two of them. Last time out he allowed 4 ER over 8 innings this time he allowed only 2 ER over 8 innings as he received only one run of support.
For the most part today the Mets offense just wasn't there. Runners would get on, and then the Mets would do nothing with it. The ninth inning is a great example. Ike Davis got a lead off single, and he never moved off of first base. Not only did no one else get hits, no one else was even able to move him into a scoring position. Ike gave the Mets a chance but the bats couldn't do anything with that chance.
This was of course frustrating for the same reason all month. As a fan, you cannot ask for better pitching than the Mets have recieved this month. If this pitching was around in the latter half of 2007 or 2008, with the offense those years, you could argue that the collapse wouldn't happen. Also adding to the frustration is at the start of the season, it was the bats that was supposed to be the nonissue with the pitching to be the main worry.
Well frustrartions mount while the season slips away. The 2010 Mets.
Something incredible happened last night in baseball. For 5 questionable calls last night, the umpires used video replay. Don't remember? You were probably watching the wrong league then. In the Little League World Series, they expanded video replay for plays in the field and it was used 5 times.
Guess what? Three of the five calls were overturned to become the correct calls.
It took an average of 4 minutes (according to an ESPN broadcast). The game wasn't interrupted. There were no arguments.
This could be an important step for baseball. Yes the Little League World Series is not close to professional baseball. However, it gives us an idea of what it would be like to have video replay for close plays in the field. The verdict, at least for last night, is that not only does it work, but it keeps tempers down and it keeps the game on the correct course, which is nice. It brings back (back being used casually, because this was never there) a sense of integrity for calls made during the game.
One of the main reasons this hasn't been introduced in the MLB yet is a worry about if it will disrupt the flow of the game. As long as the review is under 3 minutes, it really shouldn't disrupt the flow of the game too much.
No matter where you stand on the issue of video replay in baseball, its use in the Little League World Series is not only intriguing, it is an important test and one that has to be looked at.
Ready for a random obscure former Met who once looked like he was going to breakthrough, then had a ton of residency issues and by the time he came back, we found out he really wasn't all that we thought he was going to be? Yes? Good. Here's a recent video of Michel Abreu hitting a long homer:
The Mets go for the road series sweep this afternoon as they take on the Pirates and Zach Duke. Last night the Mets beat the Pirates in a rain-shortened evening game by the score of 5-1 which featured a “complete” game 5 inning performance allowing only one earned run as David Wright smacked a three run shot. The Mets hope to keep the offense this afternoon.
Johan Santana gets the nod for the Mets and he was the hard luck loser in his last start. He had a horrible first inning allowing three runs on a homer and then would pitch through 8 innings, before allowing a solo shot to make the score 4-3 and the game would stay that way. In 31.1 innings this month he is 2-2 with a 2.30 ERA. Last season he pitched a quality start against the Pirates allowing 3 earned runs over 6 innings and picked up the loss. The Pirates have these numbers against Johan:
The Mets have had success with the bats in the first two games of the series and they hope to continue that against Duke who is 5-12 this season with a 5.33 ERA. In the month of August he is 0-4 with 22.2 innings logged and a 6.35 ERA. Last season he had a brilliant start against the Mets where he picked up the win while allowing one earned run over 7 innings. The Mets have these numbers on Zach:
Lets Go Mets!
Mark your calendars because it finally happened.
On August 21st, 2010, the Mets finally won a road series in the National League guaranteeing that they would not be the first team since the 1909 Washington Senators to go the entire season without winning a road series in their league.
The Mets beat the Pirates by the score of 5-1 in a rain shortened game (ending in the sixth) where the Mets won thanks to starting pitching and hitting. The pitching was fantastic again tonight as Niese picked up his 8th win of the season pitching a complete game 5 innings, allowing one earned run, walking one batter and striking 5. He didn't have his best outing of the season tonight but he was able to get himself out of trouble which kept runs from coming across the plate.
The Mets bats played aggressive from the start of the game. In the first inning, with runners on first and second, as Carter struck out and the pitch was sent to first base, Reyes went home to score and Pagan advanced to third base. It was that type of play that dictated the game. The Mets would later score a second run on a sacrifice fly by Tejada.
The big blow in the game that put it away for the Mets came from David Wright as he crushed his 19th homer which was a three run shot increasing his RBI total to 81 on the season.
Up next for the Mets is a Sunday game against the Pirates as they hope to continue the offense production that they have seemed to find in Pittsburgh. Lets Go Mets!
The Mets try to make it two in a row tonight as they take on the Pirates for game 2. Yesterday was an all around great game for the Amazin's as they pitched well (starting with a great outing by Big Pelf and finished off by Parnell) and hit well (7 runs, 15 hits including 3 from each Wright and Reyes). The goal will be to keep that going with Niese on the mound and the Mets bats against McDonald.
Niese has been fantastic this season with a 7-5 record and a 3.38 ERA. In each of his last three starts he has allowed only one earned run while pitching 7 innings (or a 1.29 ERA over 21 innings pitched) while walking only 5 and striking out 19 batters. Last season he picked up a no decision against the Pirates as he allowed 2 earned runs over 6 innings of work. Even though he faced the Pirates last year, only three batters on their roster have had AB's against him (LaRoche 1-3, Cedeno 0-2, last night's SP Karstens 0-1).
The Mets bats look to duplicate last night agaisnt James McDonald who has turned his season around since joining the Pirates. He started off 2010 with the Dodgers where he allowed 7 ER over 7.2 innings. Since joining the Pirates he has allowed 5 ER over 17.2 innings (2.55 ERA). He made two relief apperances against the Mets this season in which he allowed runs in both. The combined numbers are 0.2 IP and 3 ER. The Mets have these numbers on James:
Lets Go Mets!
Remember back in the day when we had Paul LoDuca? Remember that 2006 NLDS where Paul LoDuca tagged out two baserunners trying to score on the same play? Long time ago.
Winning generally feels good no matter what the circumstance is. Winning feels great when you don't win for a while or win on the consistent basis that you are supposed to win on. Winning with an all around complete game effort in terms of offense, starting pitching, and bullpen help feels amazing, with a slight bit of pride when it is all of your guys doing it. When the players are all from your farm system, it almost feels like your own children are winning and that was last night.
In the starting lineup, the only player who was not a homegrown Mets talent was Carlos Beltran (I'm essentially counting Carter as home grown talent because he started off in the minors, and since we didn't pay big bucks for him, I see him as an adopted Mets child). Even taking substitutions into account, the only two players the Mets used last night that weren't from our farm system were Beltran and one AB from Francoeur (since we the help from the Bullpen was drafted Mets talent).
Despite our troublesome payroll, despite the troublesome team we've had for the last month or so, it was our guys, our guys, who went out on the field last night and registered 15 hits, crossed the plate 7 times, and only kept the Pirates to one earned run. It is just nice to see the farm system to come together like that for a change.
Granted, because this happened yesterday, it doesn't do much for helping our slim chances of making the playoffs, but on a season with so many negative story lines, prima donna players (Oliver Perez),, disgruntled veterans (Castillo), and bad veteran experiments (GMJ), it is nice to have a “proud” moment of the season.