213 Miles From Shea

The Mets try to get past last night's poor showing of offense against the Marlins by going up against a pitcher who really knows how to handle the Mets. That's right folks, tonight the Mets draw Josh Johnson. This season Josh is 12-3 with a 2.99 ERA over 165.2 innings pitched and in his last three games he is 2-1 with 17.2 innings pitched and a 3.06 ERA. Against the Mets this season he is 2-0 over 22.0 innings and has a 2.45 ERA. Here are what the remaining Mets have been able to do against him:
     Francoeur 7-19
     Murphy 2-11, 2B
     Schneider 3-12
     Tatis 5-9
     Castillo 2-6
Francoeur hit a couple of screaming doubles last night and he has success agianst Johnson meaning that the Mets will be pinning a lot of their offense hopes on Jeff tonight. If the Mets hit like they did last night (and I am talking about with runners in scoring position) then they are going to need Pelfrey to pick up a lot of the slack.

Pelfrey is 9-8 on the seaosn with a 140.2 innings pitched and has a 4.67 ERA. In his last three starts he is 1-1 over 19.1 innings and has a 4.19 ERA. He has made one start against the Marlins this year where he has pitched 7.2 innings, allowed one earned run, walked one and struck out 6. Here are some Marlins stats against Pelfrey:
     Ramierez 4-23, HR
     Uggla 7-21, 4 2B
     Hermida 4-14, 3B
     Cantu 6-16, 3 2B
     Ross 5-14
In past seasons the fish have really giving Mike some trouble. The Mets could use him tonight to repeat his last start against them and keep the runners at bay so the Mets can finally get into the win column again. Lets Go Mets! Fry the Fish!

First off, I have no idea how many parts this article will run, probably a zillion because the Mets will make a bunch of small moves that go with this plan and against this plan but anyway here we go. Somehow over the season the Mets raised their payroll up to 150 million and the first step for next year is at least bringing it down a little (and to free up money for future contracts). This is going to be easier thanks to the trading of Wagner who already knocks off about 7 million. Then there is Delgado, who we shouldn't bring back, and this year (the last year on his contract) he was getting 12. Finally there is Putz who next year he would get 8.6 million (on this payroll he is getting 5). All in all that means the Mets are getting about 27.6 million back.

What do we do on the field though. Lets start with Delgado. The Mets have a few solutions here. The first is to keep Murphy there and make him a first basemen. The other is to use Carter, who they just got in the trade with the Red Sox, and see how he does, moving Murphy back to left field (which takes care of another position mystery). Of course this gets a little tighter when the Mets want to use Fmart, who would fit in left while Murphy plays first.

When it comes to the pen, which is hit hardest in this scenario the Mets are going to probably hope that their starters are healthy and working again so they can put Parnell to a set up role. They might also be hoping for someone else to emerge from Spring Training like Parnell did this year. Look to see a lot of attention on players like Holt and Mejia because their success as possible starters will help keep the guys in the bullpen out of the rotation making both situations solid.

Now this is only one way though that the future could unfold, it really depends on which the Mets decide to do build. 

The Mets start a three game set with the Marlins tonight and they will try to play with their new uniforms made entirely from bubble wrap. They have also been blessed by leaders of just about every religion on Earth. On a serious note; Figueroa gets the start tonight for Santana who will have surgery to clean out the bone chips in his elbow in order to be ready to pitch by next spring. Anyway Figueroa is 1-2 on the season with a 6.30 ERA over 20 innings pitched. In his last three games he has pitched 5.1 innings, has a 6.75 ERA, has walked three and struck out two. In two games agaisnt the Marlins last season he pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings with two strikeouts. Here are some Marlins stats against Nelson:
     Johsnon 2-5
     Helms 0-2
     Ross 0-2
     Cantu 0-1
Between Santana being out and the health of Perez in question, Figueroa looks to have a few chances not to prove what he's got. This is a great opportunity for hima nd hopefully he takes advantage of it.

On the other side of the rubber, West looks to face the Mets for the second time this season. He is 4-5 this year with a 4.70 ERA over 69.0 innings pitched. In his last three games he is 1-1 over 14.0 innings and has a 3.86 ERA. His last time agianst the Mets he pitched 7 innings and allowed one run, one walk and one strikeout. Here are the Mets stats against him:
     Castillo 1-2
     Pagan 0-3
     Santos 1-3, HR
     Sheff 0-3
     Tatis 0-3
Hopefully the Mets offense will able to put some runs together like they were able to do a few times in the last several games (for example scoring in a bunch of bunches on Sunday). Like Figueroa, this is a great time for players like Murphy, Hernandez and Pagan to show their stuff.  Lets Go Mets!

The Mets traded Wagner today to the Red Sox for two players to be named later and as part of the trade, the Red Sox agreed to not activate Wagner's option for next season but retain the right to offer arbitration for two first round picks.

Before we even can get to how this impacts the Mets next season and for future seasons, lets first reflect on how wild the last two days have been. The Red Sox and Mets have wanted to make the deal and all they were waiting for was Wagner to waive his no trade clause which he didn't want for a variety of reasons including (first) a contemplation of retirement due to the stress that baseball puts on his family and (then) because he wanted to be healthy next season and didn't want to pitch in high stress situations.

All of a sudden, he waives his no trade clause going back to his original statement days ago that it would be nice to pitch for a winner.

This is surprising because out of all of the players on the Mets roster, I never expected Wagner to be the flip flopper because he always seemed to be a voice of reason and consistency.

Anyway the reason I'm worried is I want to make sure we at least got prospects that are decent for Wagner. Chances are that Wagner would not have taken arbritation from the Mets next year meaning the Mets would get two additional first round picks which would be ncie considering we had none in this last draft. Therefore we could have just basically done a salary dump. If these guys are decent though, then this is a good move. However, what will really determine how effective this move is is what the Mets do with the rest of the offseason. This salary dump is worthless unless the Mets do another one (or two). This is mainly directed at Delgado. I'm pretty sure the Mets have an option for next season and they should not activate it. Let him walk and keep Murphy at first to really free up some money. (Now offering arb is tricky because its very possible Delgado will take it but this is a topic of coversation for another post).

The Mets and the Phillies finish their four game set this afternoon as the Mets try to win one and split the set. To do that though, they will have do something that no National League team has been able to do yet this season which is to get the best of Cliff Lee. Cliff Lee was well above average before he came to the Phils but since he has arrived he has elevated his game to a new level. Cliff Lee will also have to do something today that he has never done in his life which is face the New York Mets. This season Lee is 11-9 with a 2.72 ERA over 185.0 Innings pitched. However in the four games he has pitched for Philly he is 4-0 over 33.0 innings and has a 0.82 ERA. Here are the stats for the only three Mets to ever face Lee:
     Sheff 4-16
     Castillo 4-14, 2 2B
     Reed 1-5, 2B
For the most part yesterday, the Mets really fought as they tried to score runs in small bunches. They are going to have to be pesky again today to beat Lee. They need to get runners on and move them over then move them in. It would also help if the Mets can get some reliable starting pitching.

Parnell did not have a good start his last time out, however it was still one of his first starts and it was against a very good offensive club.Well he gets another chance against a good offensive club today as he battles the Phillies. There shouldn't be any pressure as Perez yesterday was just terrible. Anyway Parnell is 3-5 on the year with a 4.74 ERA over 57.0 innings pitched and in his last three games he is 1-2 with 11.1 innings and 11 ER (mostly due to the 8 ER from his last start). Against the Phils this year he is 0-2 over 6 games and 5.1 innings with 2 ER, 2 BB and 3K. Here are some Phillies stats against him:
     Feliz 2-4
     Rollins 0-2
     Werth 1-2
     Dobbs 0-2
     Victorino 1-2
Lets hold them with pitching! Lets fight back with hitting! Lets Go Mets!

The Mets will take on the Phillies tonight in a great game at Citi Field. The game will be started off with an on field ceremony honoring the 40th anniversary of the miracle Mets that brought a World Series championship back to the National League Fans of New York. When the actual game starts it will feature Happ of the Phils, who has been wonderful this year and he will be going against Redding who has just recently returned to the rotation for Livan Hernandez.

Happ on the year is 9-2 with a 2.66 ERA over 128.2 innings pitched. In his last three games he has a 2-0 record over 22.2 innings pitched and a 1.19 ERA including a complete game shutout. He has pitched against the Mets three times this season with one start with totals to 11.0 innings pitched and a 3.27 ERA. Here are some stats the Mets have against Happ:
     Francoeur 2-9
     Castillo 0-5
     Tatis 1-3, 2B
     Santos 0-3
     Murphy 0-1
The Mets got a quick 4 runs yesterday and that was all they needed to win. If the Mets can score early (and often) again then they should be able to get enough run support to help out Redding.

In order for that plan to work though, Redding has to be effective. On the season he is 1-4 with a 6.53 ERA over 71.2 innings. In his last three games he has pitched 6 innings and has allowed 6 runs (yes folks thats a 9.00 ERA). He made one start against the Phils this year he pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs. Here are some stats the Phils have against Redding:
     Rollins 6-35
     Howard 3-24
     Utley 9-21, 2 HR
     Victorino 6-19
     Feliz 7-19, HR
If Redding can be effective and the Mets can hit tonight then well the Mets should win. If the Mets of 69 can rub off some magic on the Mets tonight! Lets go Mets! Take the series!

And now for tomorrow's game. I will be traveling to NJ/NY tonight so I will not be around a computer to write up tomorrow's preview and the resaon is because I will be attending tomorrow's game (my first trip to Citi, and I am very excited!). Anyway the big thing you need to know about the game tomorrow is Pedro will be returning to New York and so far with the Phillies he has been effective as a starter. Now the last time he returned to a former team was when he started in Fenway as a Met and we all know how badly that went for the Mets, so here is hoping that happens tomorrow. Lets not give him a rude homecoming, but we should bust the party!.

Seriously, you might have no umpiring experience and no baseball experience, and you might still do a better job than the umpires have done this year. Now I am generally never critical of umpires for a good reason. I am a referee. I was a soccer ref in college last fall for a few intramural leagues and during the summer I ref and umpire pretty much all sports at a summer camp (something I have been doing for 9 years now). So I understand how rough the job and how much pressure there is to make the right call. I know that mistakes happen and that refs and umps have to keep on trucking.

That being said it seems like this year they have been terrible and I think last night could have been the last straw. I understand that the ump has no way to see that play because of where the Phillie body is. However if is standing one foot to either side of where he was, he would see that Francoeur avoided the tag by at least a foot. The umpire/referee's main job is to have a clear line of sight of the play, if the line of sight doesn't exist, then they must move to a clear line of sight. It is that simple. So lets get it together major league baseball and learn how to ump because this season has just been bad, real bad.

The Mets open a three game set with the Phillies tonight as the two starting pitchers have so many statistically similarities that its scary. The pitchers tonight are Hamels for the Phils and Pelfrey for the Mets. Hamels is 7-7 this season. Pelfrey is 8-8. Hamels has a 4.69 ERA on the season. Pelfrey has a 4.75 ERA on the season. Hamels has recored 134.1 innings. Pelfrey has recorded 134.2 innings. It should be really interesting to see how these pitchers do tonight as Pelfrey will have to handle a very hungry Phillies lineup and Hamels will have to handle the B and C squad of the New York Mets.

Hamels has pitched 16.1 innings over his last three games to the tune of an 0-2 record and a 6.61 ERA. He has made one start against the Mets this year where he lasted 5 innings and 4 ER. The remaining Mets do not have great histories against Hamels with Francoeur at 7-35, Schneider 4-12, Pagan 2-11, Castillo 2-6, Tatis 0-6, and Pelfrey 2-3, 2B. Yes thats right folks. The only player that can play for the Mets tonight that has an extrabase hit against Hamels is Pelfrey.

Pelfrey is 0-2 over his last three games over 18.1 innings and has a 3.93 ERA. Against the Phillies this year he has pitched three games with a 2-0 record and a 3.93 ERA. The Phillies over their carears have some hitting experience against Pelfrey and the Mets:
     Howard 6-17
     Utley 5-18
     Victorino 4-17
     Werth 5-14
     Dobbs 6-11
Its Irish night tonight at Citi Field so beat them down Murphy! Lets Go Mets! Beat the Phillies!

If you didn't see the game last night, and you have been looking over the blogosphere about news from last night's game, then you probably have seen just about everybody saying the same thing. That we all have not been happier with the Mets in months. Now that sounds really confusing, the Mets lost 3-2 and left a lot of men on base (again). Why are we so happy then?

Listen to Enter Sandman and you will know. After being out for around a year and 11 months after Tommy John, Wagner came back to New York and in a big way. He got a standing ovation running out on the field and then he pitched. First batter, strike out. Got the second batter out. Then the third batter strike out. His slider looked good and his fastball looked fantastic as it approached 96 mph. He left the field to another standard ovation.

It was a great moment on the season as the Wagner represented a come back story and a player the Mets would love to have back around. One has to think about how JJ feels now, especially considering he is the next pitcher due back. Now of course all of the trade rumors will start. Will Wagner stay, will he go. Will the Mets keep him and unload JJ? What will the role of the three closers be next year? While this is all important talk, lets hold off on it for a little bit, and remember how special last night was.

The Mets and Braves play the rubber game of the three game set tonight. The series has been defined so far by 8 run innings. In the first game, the Mets were down 4-0 before an 8 run 4th put them in the lead for good. Last night, the game was 0-0 and then in the second the Braves had their own 8 run inning as they went on to beat the Mets by a whopping score of 15-2. Johan Santana and Kawakami will try to show both clubs tonight that Baseball is supposed to have low scores as they each take the mound.

Santana (13-8) has a 3.10 ERA over 159.2 innings on the season and in his last three games he has been a work horse pitching 22.2 innings with a 1-0 record and a 3.97 ERA. This season he has been excellent against the Braves with a 1-1 record over 13.1 innings in two games where he has given up 0 earned runs. Here are some stats the Braves have on him:
     Anderson 7-26
     Infante 2-24
     Diaz 11-20
     Escobar 5-15
     LaRoche 1-7
     Church 1-5
The Mets pitching staff as of late has shown very little consistency. It would for Santana to start to close the season strong (just like how he started it). He will of course need something that he lacked at the start of the season and that is run support.

The Mets bats after scoring 9 runs went back to a silent state last night as they drove in two runs. They will need to fivure out Kawakami tonight who is 5-9 on the season with a 4.13 ERA over 124.1 innings pitched. In his last three games he is 0-1 with 19.1 innings logged, a 2.79 ERA and has walked 3 while striking out 9. Against the Mets this year he is 0-2 over 11.2 innings but has a nice 3.09 ERA. Here are the numbers the Mets have against him this season:
     Castillo 1-5
     Murphy 1-5
     Pagan 2-3
     Francoeur 1-3
It would be very nice to take a series from the Braves and frustrate their playoff hopes and also to help us to climb back to .500. Lets Go Mets! Take a Series from the Braves!