One of the most troubling problems of this patchwork lineup is the dreadful lack of power. Citi Feild hasnt helped, but that is not the source of it: the Phillies just showed off their power in Citi Feild! As we head across town to face the Yanks, we have a big chance to change that in arguably the most homer friendly park in the game. The new Yankee Stadium is letting up homers at a record pace, so I'd like to see a few round trippers tonight to boost our confidence in the power department.
Submitted by giantsfan7791 on Fri, 06/12/2009 - 20:15.
This is now like four times in three days that the Mets don't do much with the bases loaded. These runs came off of bad pitching by Joba, not off of good playing by the Mets. The hit down the line by Church was really close, but they've got to step up and stop almost doing something. Not to mention that Sheffield needs to be more aggressive at the plate as our DH with Delgado out.
Submitted by robsafuto on Fri, 06/12/2009 - 23:41.
We had a nice live chat going on in the chat room (http://iheartmets.com/chat) over the last few innings. The chat was the only nice thing. The "room" blew up when Castillo dropped the pop up. I'm sick, and so were Alar, Giantsfan, Dorisa and Sgtwarbucks. How could you not be? I really feel bad for David Wright and K-Rod. Wright because he got a big hit to give the Mets the lead. Finally, something other than a single, walk or strikeout. And for K-Rod because he did what he needed to do getting A-Rod to pop one up. Now he's got a blown save and a loss. In the end the whole team lost though and missed a chance to gain a game on the Phillies.
Look, the Mets did fight their way back into the game tonight after Switzer gave up the 3-run homer. I'm sick. I'm upset. But at least the Mets fought to get the lead back in the 8th inning. Time is slowly ticking away on the season and we need to start winning more games if we want to compete with Philly. How that happens without Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and John Maine I just don't know. The first step is to get Reyes back healthy. The second step is for Omar Minaya to get us a bona fide slugger in the middle of the lineup. More tomorrow...
Wow, I'm disgusted. All I could tell from the ESPN Gamecast when I left work last night was that two runs scored on a Castillo error; I assumed it was a throwing error. Now I just saw the replay and am speechless. Sucks for K-Rod but he didn't have to start putting runners on base either. I think it started (again) with Jeter...just get the ********* out for once when it matters.
It was hard to fall asleep last night. I thought maybe, I'd wake up feeling better, but I don't.
I worry that this loss will define the 2009 NY Mets. That's especially sad since in the past few weeks, for the first time in a couple years, the Mets played with passion.
I'd forgotten last night, but was reminded by callers to WFAN, this is not the first game the Mets lost this season as a direct result of not catching a pop-up. Delgado made the same mistake earlier.
Why was Teixeira busting it to home on a pop-up to the second baseman? Why did A-Rod run to first when he realized the ball was going to be caught? I can't help but wonder if the situation were reversed, would the Mets have even tied the game? Would our "Jeter" have run home from third? Would our "Teixeira" have scored? Would our "A-Rod" have been thrown out at first?
If it's a generational thing, why do Yankee players stay alert until the play is dead? If it's not a generational thing, is it our manager? Our coaches? Our players?
I'm not trying to quote Star Wars, but I have a bad feeling about the rest of this series. On June 2nd, someone mentioned the danger of the Mets falling into a June Swoon. I scoffed at it, because cmon the month was only 2 days old. But now that we are almost half way through, and despite 3 games of the Mets fighting only to end up with a loss, I'm starting to worry that this will indeed carry through for the rest of the month.
My only hope is the Mets went somewhere quiet last night, got completely wasted, will wake up late and come out for the mid-afternoon game with a desire to wipe last night's embarrassment off their eyes.
If there is a bright side, I think it's got to be this:
1) this is the kind of thing that can ironically bring a team together as they unite behind Castillo and show that they win or lose as a team;
2) they're playing with house money today i.e. NO expectations that they'll win the game. I don't get to watch many games (being in Minnesota), so I don't even know who this Nieve IS. Maybe the factor of the unknown will be enough to get him through 6 innings?
3) in the absence of anything better to say...Let's Go Mets.
**********
After 6 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball, it looks like I nailed #2 above pretty much on the head.
Submitted by robsafuto on Sun, 06/14/2009 - 10:33.
I reluctantly watched the game yesterday and was surprised with how the team bounced back. I didn't have much confidence in Fernando Nieve but he turned in a pleasant surprise. Omir Santos showed up after being pretty quiet since Castro was traded. Wright and Sheffield represented once again as well.
Jerry Manuel really wanted the win, and rightly so, bringing in K-Rod in the non-save situation in the 9th inning. Also good for K-Rod to start feeling better after his un-just blown save the night before. Of course, that also may mean that K-Rod is not available today. Perhaps Johan Santana can go the distance for a win today.
Yesterday, the Mets played Phillies baseball. We had crisp feilding, solid bats with some power, focused and energized at bats, and hustle on the basepaths. You could tell the whole team was mad as hell over the loss, but instead of shunning Castillo they backed him up, melded as a team and each and every single player upped the intensity and focused on playing as well as they possibly could to make up for it. As a result, we won comfortably.
For that reason, I want Friday's game to stay fresh in all the players memories. The manager always says the team just has to "move on" from a tough loss like that, but I don't want them to move on from it. I don't want them to get demoralized by dwelling on it, but they should keep it in the back of their minds. If I'm Jerry Manuel, I'm keeping this game and the Ryan Church missing 3rd game and every woulda-shoulda-coulda loss this year and last that cost us te playoffs to use as a reminder to the players that EVERY PLAY MATTERS! on a team that has missed the playoffs by 1 game for 2 straight years, we have learned the hard way that a playoff-worthy team can get bounced from contention because of the little things. The margin of error is 0, so it is imperative that every player focuses on every play with the mindset that this could be the play that determines the fate of our season.
If the players do that, and play sharp, focused baseball from here on out, and meld as a team and support each other when we fall and enter each game dedicated to playing it as hard and intense as if it were a playoff game, then I am GLAD castillo dropped that pop-up. you heard me, I'd be glad. If this is what we need to get this team motivated, i'll trade 1 embarrassing loss for a season's worth of changed attitude and hard play. That's a trade I'm willing to make, and it might turn out that that game was a blessing in disguise. Because if the Mets miss the playoffs again this season, I want it to be because we were genuinely not good enough to get in, not because we squandered our opportunity with lackadaisical ball and unfocused play. Maybe Friday's travesty was the kick in the pants this team needed to play hard the whole year through.
What the hell happened here...I got to work, logged in and find us down 13-0 halfway through the game??? 1) How did this happen; 2) How did Johan stay in the game long enough to give up 9 ERs??
How long before Alex Cora pitches an inning or two?
A-a-a-a-a-a-nd the obligatory meanwhile: I left home and Philadelphia was losing 4-0, get here and now they're up 5-4?? Oh, come on already with the comebacks.
Submitted by robsafuto on Sun, 06/14/2009 - 21:47.
I thought that things couldn't get any worse than they did on Friday night. Boy was I wrong. This loss today makes the Friday loss sting even more. We could've had 2 of 3 and this laugher would have been one to write off. On another note I'm concerned about Johan Santana. He's been getting knocked around lately. Something is up.
I think I saw Santana is something like ERA of 6.50 in his last 4 or 6 starts. He says he's fine, feels good, everything is the way it should be this time of year. OK. Every time a player has said that in the past month or two they go have some tests and are fine, go for more tests, then it's right to the DL for some probably we hadn't heard beans about so far.
Mark my word: June 15, 2009 - Santana will be on the DL within 3 weeks
He also brings up the point that occurred to me when I saw the Castillo replay and which I also haven't seen in the commentary elsewhere: where was Castillo throwing? it should've been possible to keep Teixeira on 3rd at worst. What was that flip to 2B??
Sitting here in Minneapolis, it strikes me that the Mets' Subway Series was undone by the two ex-Twins, Castillo and Santana. They threw it away...like a Chuck Knoblauch throw into the 1B stands.....
Meanwhile, had the Mets taken 2 of 3 instead of 1 from Minnesota in 2007, they would've made the playoffs. Grrrr.
vs. 
Chance for Homers
One of the most troubling problems of this patchwork lineup is the dreadful lack of power. Citi Feild hasnt helped, but that is not the source of it: the Phillies just showed off their power in Citi Feild! As we head across town to face the Yanks, we have a big chance to change that in arguably the most homer friendly park in the game. The new Yankee Stadium is letting up homers at a record pace, so I'd like to see a few round trippers tonight to boost our confidence in the power department.
Homers from Wright
Would be a great opportunity for David Wright to break out of his power slump while he's there.
Based Loaded With One Out
And David Wright strikes out looking.
Need clutch hitting
This is now like four times in three days that the Mets don't do much with the bases loaded. These runs came off of bad pitching by Joba, not off of good playing by the Mets. The hit down the line by Church was really close, but they've got to step up and stop almost doing something. Not to mention that Sheffield needs to be more aggressive at the plate as our DH with Delgado out.
RISP
The Mets don't hit with runners in scoring position. Plain and simple.
meanwhile
We can't be giving the Yankees a HR basically every inning.
Chat Room
If you want to do some real time jabbering come over to http://iheartmets.com/chat.
meanwhile 2
All we seem to be doing is flying out, flying out and grounding into FCs. One hit won't get it done.
I'm on a gov't computer here, quite sure any kind of chat feature is blocked unfortunately.
Sheff
There we go, now we're in business. I was thikning he could use a gimme RBI, just a SF, something, he's had a lot of bases loaded Ks, etc., lately.
Why was there a pitching change? Injury or just an early exit?
Joba off
Though he's only given up one hit, he's pitched horribly and threw something like 103 pitches through 4 1/3.
thanks
Just watching it on ESPN Gamecast, can't tell anything qualitative.
I see we've now had the obligatory Jeter HR in every interleague game. Good night.
HRs
Oh come on now, 4 HRs already? I toggle over every few minutes and it's always a new little nightmare.
9th
Insurance. Run(s).
They Suck
What else is there to say? Pathetic. Pathetic. Patchetic.
Ouch
We had a nice live chat going on in the chat room (http://iheartmets.com/chat) over the last few innings. The chat was the only nice thing. The "room" blew up when Castillo dropped the pop up. I'm sick, and so were Alar, Giantsfan, Dorisa and Sgtwarbucks. How could you not be? I really feel bad for David Wright and K-Rod. Wright because he got a big hit to give the Mets the lead. Finally, something other than a single, walk or strikeout. And for K-Rod because he did what he needed to do getting A-Rod to pop one up. Now he's got a blown save and a loss. In the end the whole team lost though and missed a chance to gain a game on the Phillies.
Look, the Mets did fight their way back into the game tonight after Switzer gave up the 3-run homer. I'm sick. I'm upset. But at least the Mets fought to get the lead back in the 8th inning. Time is slowly ticking away on the season and we need to start winning more games if we want to compete with Philly. How that happens without Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and John Maine I just don't know. The first step is to get Reyes back healthy. The second step is for Omar Minaya to get us a bona fide slugger in the middle of the lineup. More tomorrow...
ugh
Wow, I'm disgusted. All I could tell from the ESPN Gamecast when I left work last night was that two runs scored on a Castillo error; I assumed it was a throwing error. Now I just saw the replay and am speechless. Sucks for K-Rod but he didn't have to start putting runners on base either. I think it started (again) with Jeter...just get the ********* out for once when it matters.
Still Sick
It was hard to fall asleep last night. I thought maybe, I'd wake up feeling better, but I don't.
I worry that this loss will define the 2009 NY Mets. That's especially sad since in the past few weeks, for the first time in a couple years, the Mets played with passion.
I'd forgotten last night, but was reminded by callers to WFAN, this is not the first game the Mets lost this season as a direct result of not catching a pop-up. Delgado made the same mistake earlier.
Why was Teixeira busting it to home on a pop-up to the second baseman? Why did A-Rod run to first when he realized the ball was going to be caught? I can't help but wonder if the situation were reversed, would the Mets have even tied the game? Would our "Jeter" have run home from third? Would our "Teixeira" have scored? Would our "A-Rod" have been thrown out at first?
If it's a generational thing, why do Yankee players stay alert until the play is dead? If it's not a generational thing, is it our manager? Our coaches? Our players?
I'm not trying to quote Star Wars, but I have a bad feeling about the rest of this series. On June 2nd, someone mentioned the danger of the Mets falling into a June Swoon. I scoffed at it, because cmon the month was only 2 days old. But now that we are almost half way through, and despite 3 games of the Mets fighting only to end up with a loss, I'm starting to worry that this will indeed carry through for the rest of the month.
My only hope is the Mets went somewhere quiet last night, got completely wasted, will wake up late and come out for the mid-afternoon game with a desire to wipe last night's embarrassment off their eyes.
Let's Go Mets!
on the bright side
If there is a bright side, I think it's got to be this:
1) this is the kind of thing that can ironically bring a team together as they unite behind Castillo and show that they win or lose as a team;
2) they're playing with house money today i.e. NO expectations that they'll win the game. I don't get to watch many games (being in Minnesota), so I don't even know who this Nieve IS. Maybe the factor of the unknown will be enough to get him through 6 innings?
3) in the absence of anything better to say...Let's Go Mets.
**********
After 6 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball, it looks like I nailed #2 above pretty much on the head.
**********
Also good to see Castillo come up with 2 hits.
Omir
Go Omir! I'm not going to get excited until all the day's HRs are done.
...
Ten minutes later I rest my case.
Bouncing Back
I reluctantly watched the game yesterday and was surprised with how the team bounced back. I didn't have much confidence in Fernando Nieve but he turned in a pleasant surprise. Omir Santos showed up after being pretty quiet since Castro was traded. Wright and Sheffield represented once again as well.
Jerry Manuel really wanted the win, and rightly so, bringing in K-Rod in the non-save situation in the 9th inning. Also good for K-Rod to start feeling better after his un-just blown save the night before. Of course, that also may mean that K-Rod is not available today. Perhaps Johan Santana can go the distance for a win today.
Playing with Focus
Yesterday, the Mets played Phillies baseball. We had crisp feilding, solid bats with some power, focused and energized at bats, and hustle on the basepaths. You could tell the whole team was mad as hell over the loss, but instead of shunning Castillo they backed him up, melded as a team and each and every single player upped the intensity and focused on playing as well as they possibly could to make up for it. As a result, we won comfortably.
For that reason, I want Friday's game to stay fresh in all the players memories. The manager always says the team just has to "move on" from a tough loss like that, but I don't want them to move on from it. I don't want them to get demoralized by dwelling on it, but they should keep it in the back of their minds. If I'm Jerry Manuel, I'm keeping this game and the Ryan Church missing 3rd game and every woulda-shoulda-coulda loss this year and last that cost us te playoffs to use as a reminder to the players that EVERY PLAY MATTERS! on a team that has missed the playoffs by 1 game for 2 straight years, we have learned the hard way that a playoff-worthy team can get bounced from contention because of the little things. The margin of error is 0, so it is imperative that every player focuses on every play with the mindset that this could be the play that determines the fate of our season.
If the players do that, and play sharp, focused baseball from here on out, and meld as a team and support each other when we fall and enter each game dedicated to playing it as hard and intense as if it were a playoff game, then I am GLAD castillo dropped that pop-up. you heard me, I'd be glad. If this is what we need to get this team motivated, i'll trade 1 embarrassing loss for a season's worth of changed attitude and hard play. That's a trade I'm willing to make, and it might turn out that that game was a blessing in disguise. Because if the Mets miss the playoffs again this season, I want it to be because we were genuinely not good enough to get in, not because we squandered our opportunity with lackadaisical ball and unfocused play. Maybe Friday's travesty was the kick in the pants this team needed to play hard the whole year through.
huh?
What the hell happened here...I got to work, logged in and find us down 13-0 halfway through the game??? 1) How did this happen; 2) How did Johan stay in the game long enough to give up 9 ERs??
How long before Alex Cora pitches an inning or two?
A-a-a-a-a-a-nd the obligatory meanwhile: I left home and Philadelphia was losing 4-0, get here and now they're up 5-4?? Oh, come on already with the comebacks.
UPDATE: Now tied again at 5-5.
What A Disgrace
I thought that things couldn't get any worse than they did on Friday night. Boy was I wrong. This loss today makes the Friday loss sting even more. We could've had 2 of 3 and this laugher would have been one to write off. On another note I'm concerned about Johan Santana. He's been getting knocked around lately. Something is up.
the pattern
I think I saw Santana is something like ERA of 6.50 in his last 4 or 6 starts. He says he's fine, feels good, everything is the way it should be this time of year. OK. Every time a player has said that in the past month or two they go have some tests and are fine, go for more tests, then it's right to the DL for some probably we hadn't heard beans about so far.
Mark my word: June 15, 2009 - Santana will be on the DL within 3 weeks
Olbermann blog
Keith Olbermann thinks roughly the same (and saw the 15-0 implosion):
http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/06/johan_santana_must_be_hurt.html
He also brings up the point that occurred to me when I saw the Castillo replay and which I also haven't seen in the commentary elsewhere: where was Castillo throwing? it should've been possible to keep Teixeira on 3rd at worst. What was that flip to 2B??
Twins conspiracy
Sitting here in Minneapolis, it strikes me that the Mets' Subway Series was undone by the two ex-Twins, Castillo and Santana. They threw it away...like a Chuck Knoblauch throw into the 1B stands.....
Meanwhile, had the Mets taken 2 of 3 instead of 1 from Minnesota in 2007, they would've made the playoffs. Grrrr.
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