September 2006
‘Know your place, rook’
Just finished listening to Eddie Coleman on WFAN.
To paraphrase, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Mets thought long and hard about trading Lastings Milledge this off-season after his latest run-in with teammates.
If you haven’t heard, the kid mouthed off to a veteran this week in Atlanta 
and in retaliation, his clothes were stolen from his locker last night. Hung above his cubicle was a sign that read: "KNOW YOUR PLACE, ROOK!"
and in retaliation, his clothes were stolen from his locker last night. Hung above his cubicle was a sign that read: "KNOW YOUR PLACE, ROOK!" It was signed by "Your Teammates."
I admit, I was hoping Lastings would win the right-field job when Xavier Nady was dealt. He did not, and his .244 batting average and four home runs have been disappointing.
If you ask me, most of his infractions (the gold cross; high-fiving fans after a game-tying home run; defensive lapses) could be expected from a 21-year-old kid. Newsday, however, says that he is fast falling out of favor with his teammates. That’s a bit disturbing.
"Milledge, as usual, ate dinner alone seated at his locker, facing inward, as the rest of the Mets crowded the clubhouse cafeteria," the paper reported.
Look. I’ve got Lastings penciled in for left-field next season because he’s young, home-grown and oozing potential. I envision him joining a young core that already consists of David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran.
But it’s not the end of the world if the team decides to move him this winter.
But for this kind of top prospect — no matter what kind of season he had in the bigs — it had better be for something big.
Real big.
It’s official: Pedro’s out
September 29, 2006:
Well… it’s official. Pedro is done for the year.
It seems an MRI last night found a muscle tendon tear in his left calf and Petey will be baseball incapacitated for four to six weeks.
That means if the Mets are to continue their march to the World Series, they’ve got to do it with their ace on the shelf. Is this the end of the world?
No.
El Duque should have been starting Game One anyway.
He’s the only pitcher that can be brought back on three days rest if the Mets face elimination. He is 9-7 since the Mets acquired him from the D-backs and has a 1.69 ERA in his last five starts. In his tune-up last night, Hernandez ended our losing streak by fanning nine Braves in five innings.
He’ll be followed by Tom Glavine in Game Two and probably Steve Trachsel in Game Three and rookie John Maine in Game Four.
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El Duque and Tom Glavine have pitched in a combined 51 playoff games. Here’s how they’ve fared in October:
Hernandez: 9-3, 2.55 ERA in 19 games
Glavine: 12-15, 3.44 ERA in 32 games
We’re taking on water
September 28, 2006:
OK… now it’s time to sound the alarms.
The Mets are losers of 10 of their last 13 games. Their offense — once a juggernaut — is playing like a bunch of entitled fat cats who can’t get out of cruise control. And last night our ace, Pedro Martinez, was beaten like a piñata at Turner Field (apropos, since most of our seasons go to sh*t there) and may not make a single start this post-season.
That means, in all likelihood, we’ll field an October rotation consisting of Orlando Hernandez (he may be 41, but I’d climb into a fox hole with him any day); Tom Glavine (aka Tom Terrific from April-to-June and Tom Mediocre from July-to-September); Steve Trachsel (15 wins with a 5.00 ERA); and John Maine (a fiesty kid, but his next post-season start will be his first). This is one World Series favorite that has gone crashing back to Earth.
Am I ready to concede our shot at a championship has gone down the toilet?
No.
We’re still in the post-season, which is all that matters. And once you get to the tourney — anything goes. Whoever gets hot at the right time wins.
But surviving Pedro’s fall will take a total team effort.
Our offense is going to have to get back to doing what it is capable of. Each of our starters are going to have to man up. And our bullpen will need to provide about four innings of lights-out ball a game.
Are Willie and the guys up to the challenge?
We’ll see.
God knows a couple of wins in these last four games sure would go a long way…
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Tonight: Here he comes to save the day!
Hey Willie… put up our Duques!
September 26, 2006:
It doesn’t matter what Orlando Hernandez’ win-loss record is and I don’t care if he’s 36 or 41 years old.
If Pedro isn’t well enough to start Game One of the playoffs — which seems to be a real possibility — then give the ball to El Duque.
It looks like Willie’s prepping Tom Glavine to start the NLDS opener in an emergency. Tom’s a good guy and he’s been a good Met.
But at this point in the season, he’s not a guy who can hook-up with Chris Carpenter or Jake Peavy two times a series. El Duque, no matter how old he is, still has a shot at pulling that off.
If anyone has fended off the effects of Father Time it’s the wily Cuban, certainly not Pedro or Glavine.
El Duque can still throw in the 90s. He’s still got a spring in his step. He’s been on fire this September with a 2.39 ERA. And he’s got a post-season resume to die for.
He’s been the best pitcher of the bunch since the all-star break, going 5-3 with a 4.36 ERA. During that span, hitters are only batting .233 against him.
Glavine’s second-half numbers: 3-4, 4.70 ERA, .269 BAA.
Pedro’s: 2-3, 6.35 ERA, .243 BAA.
Give the guy the ball, Willie!
Then come back with Glavine and Pedro in Games Two and Three. And if need be, summon El Duque again for Game Four.
Maine a swing man?
September 25, 2006:
Steve Trachsel (15-8, 4.97) and John Maine (6-5, 3.64) exchanged lackluster outings this weekend, and it’s probably safe to assume that since the kid didn’t decisively claim the final NLDS start, the 15-game winner will get the nod.
At least that’s the feeling you get from skipper Willie Randolph, who told reporters he knows "what Steve Trachsel can do" in a big spot. Don’t get me wrong, Trax in a deciding post-season game is my worst nightmare.
But, if Maine indeed does miss out on the October rotation, he actually could be quite a weapon in the bullpen as a swing man. Even if it comes at Darren Oliver’s expense.
Check out these stats:
Opposing batters hit just .163 against Maine during innings one through three. It is usually not until the middle-innings where his opponents touch him up. (Either from fatigue or familiarity, batters have a .259 average against him in frames four through six and hit at a .279 clip in the final three innings.)
With numbers like that, the kid is ideal to come in and throw three or four innings in October if Pedro runs out of gas or Trachsel just doesn’t have it.
Willie… if this is what you decide, don’t be afraid to have a quick hook! If one of our vets is on the brink, yank him and bring in the kid.
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Tonight:
Stumping for Chavez
September 23, 2006:
Endy Chavez got a start last night, and as usual, he got three hits and an RBI.
Whenever the 28-year-old super-sub takes the field, you could just about pencil him in for a couple of hits. Or a big defensive play. Or some key base-running. Or a bunt so beautiful it should be photographed, framed and hung in a museum.
Last night’s performance raised his average to .438 over his last 18 games.
I know his power isn’t going to be sending outfielders scurrying to the fences come October, but he is hitting .317 on the season, with a .358 OBP and a team-leading .333 batting average against lefties. If you haven’t noticed, southpaws seem to own us lately.
With our corner outfielders struggling lately (Cliff Floyd is hitting an anemic .181 vs. lefties and Shawn Green isn’t exactly lighting it up since arriving in Flushing) Willie should really think about giving Endy a serious chunk of playing time in the playoffs.
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Tonight:
The Pedro Saga
September 22, 2006:
The Pedro Saga continued last night, as our ace looked part "Vintage Pedro" and part "Pittsburgh Pedro," the latter version, of course, being the guy last seen getting smacked around by the Pirates.
What did you take out of his outing?
Guess that depends on your outlook in life…
The Glass is Half Full: Pedro didn’t give up a hit through the first four innings.
The Glass is Half Empty: He gave up four runs (three earned,) four hits and a hit-batsmen in the fifth inning.
The Glass is Half Full: Pedro baffled aggressive Marlin hitters by locating his change-up and his hook.
The Glass is Half Empty: His fastball didn’t break 89 mph, and usually was between 82-84. (Though he did say he wasn’t going to air it out until the playoffs.)
The Glass is Half Full: Pedro threw 87 pitches, pushing his arm about 20 pitches farther than his last start.
The Glass is Half Empty: Petey said he felt stiffness in his calf in the fifth inning and had to really hold back.
The Glass is Half Full: Hey, at least he made it through this start without crying!
The Glass is Half Empty: The Marlins won without their biggest threat, Miguel Cabrera, who didn’t start due to an injured shoulder.
For Pete’s sake
September 21, 2006:
The last time we saw him, Pedro Martinez was on the brink of tears after allowing four runs and six hits in a 68-pitch, three-inning outing in Pittsburgh.
Tonight he gets back on the saddle in the only storyline that means anything to the team until Oct. 3: Will our ace be ready to pitch in the playoffs? Petey said the other day he needs to rediscover his confidence in his health. Hopefully he takes a step in that direction against the Fish this evening.
In his last outing, Pedro did hit 90 on the SNY radar gun and his change-up looked decent at times.
According to the Sun’s Tim Marchman (one of our favorite sportswriters), the key will be if Petey can locate his breaking ball. If he can do that, he should be able to keep hitters off what’s left of his heater.
Fingers crossed, Met fans?
—
I know this could be the season we’ve waited decades for, but I couldn’t help but peek to the off-season after watching the D-Train pitch into the ninth inning and hit two homeruns off us last night. Could Dontrelle ever be a Met? Here’s a New York Times article that explores the question.
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Huh? A-Rod thinks he gets booed because he’s good looking and biracial? (Last I checked, wasn’t Jeter biracial too? lol) The SI article on the Yankee third-baseman has everyone talking. Here’s News columnist Mike Lupica’s take on the soap opera that is A-Rod.
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Tonight:
The great and powerful Oz has spoken
September 20, 2006:
The Mets may be the first team to punch its playoff ticket, but not everybody’s sold on our starting pitching.
Take ChiSox skipper Ozzie Guillen, for instance.
"(The AL) will win the World Series, unless something real drastic happens," Guillen told reporters earlier this week. "If you look at the teams, with all respect, the New York Mets have the best record in baseball, but if you check their first three starters and the first three starters on any team in the American League, it’s a little different." In last year’s Fall Classic, Guillen won with good young starters that compensated for a weak bullpen.
The Mets are flipping that method around this season: Hoping decent veteran starters keep them in games for five or six innings until their real strength takes over: Baseball’s best bullpen.
The two philosophies would make an interesting World Series match-up, but the Oz-Factor’s Pale Hose look like their tanking it.
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Many think the Mets are ripe for an early upset. The Padres, they say, have the pitching to make that happen. Here’s another article pushing a San Diego victory over the Mets if their paths cross in October.
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Tonight
The team. The time. The champions.
September 19, 2006:
You know what’s the best part about rooting for a team that’s only been mildly successful over its history?
Nights like the last stay with you forever.
I was nine when the Mets last won their division. Now I’m 26 and married. Seventeen years have passed, and Shea looks exactly the same when it’s rocking on a fall night.
David Wright leaping onto a pile of players in the middle of the infield, with his eyes closed and his mouth wide-open with glee.
Shea going nuts when Aaron Heilman blew away his last batter in the eighth. Then the pitcher never breaking his gaze as he walked back to the dugout amid the cheers.
The standing ovation given to Steve Trachsel, a mediocre pitcher who’s had a love-hate relationship with Met fans but came up huge in the biggest game of his career here.
Paul Lo Duca — pummeled by the media at times this season — spraying fans in the front row with the groundkeeper’s hose.
The Wilpon boys — Fred and Jeff — much maligned over the last few years — giddy and soaked in the clubhouse.
Lastings Millege telling SportsNet cameras he’s having his first drink. (And no, I’m not buying it lol)
And of course, the Shea scoreboard reading: The team. The time. The NL East champions.
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