This isn’t the first rodeo. 

In his first season in Flushing, Juan Soto’s start to his 2025 season hasn’t been idyllic. To say the 26 year old superstar outfielder has been struggling would be underselling it. Soto is hitting a meager .224 this season through the month of May with an OPS almost 200 points lower than his career average at .745 at the time of writing. 

Fan reaction to Soto’s struggles has been mixed to say the least. Depending where on social media you look, you’ll see reactions begging fans to be patient to posts begging the Mets to either bench Soto, or demote him to the minor leagues. After signing a 15 year, $765M deal back in December, the richest contract in both MLB history and all of sports, it’s not unreasonable to say Soto has been a disappointment. But this is far from the first time a big time player has struggled in their transition to Queens. Nor will it likely be the last. Read More...

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After a long day at work on Tuesday, I come home only to hear that closer Francisco Rodriguez has been traded away to the Milwaukee Brewers. My initial thoughts consisted of "Why would we do that? We're still in the Wild Card hunt." and "Uh-oh, here comes the fire sale." But after a few days of thinking about the deal, it actually makes sense. Here's why.

With Jose Reyes becoming a free agent and given the current financial situation that the team is in, the Mets could not afford (literally and figuratively) to pick up the option of $17.5 million if he had finished 55 games this season. Having already finished 34 games, it seemed in all likelihood that the option would be picked up and the Mets would lose Reyes.

Reyes has become invaluable to this team in what could possibly be an MVP type season. Hitting .354 with 30 stolen bases, 15 triples, an on base percentage of just under .400 (.398) [that's a good thing], and slugging a shade under .530 (.529) Reyes will likely land a big contract somewhere including with the Mets now that there is no worry of K-Rod reaching his mark.

With the contracts of Rodriguez, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and Carlos Beltran all coming off the books, the organization can make a legitimate offer to Reyes.

But, the risk with that comes with this trade is that the bullpen becomes unsettled with no roles set for players like Bobby Parnell, Pedro Beato, Ryota Igarashi, and Jason Isringhausen. This could mean that the team falls out of contention and the fire sale begins. This is something that no fan ever wants to see. If that happens then the already slim turnout at Citi Field will become an empty cavern.

The K-Rod trade makes sense, but it will not be worth it if there is no payoff.

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Looking to build off their first series win since late July, the Mets look to continue to cause some havoc in the postseason race when they take on the Florida Marlins. The Marlins find themselves 5.5 back of the Colorado Rockies in the Wild Card and 6 back of the slumping Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Marlins lead the season series 7-5, including 3-3 at Citi Field. Six of the twelve games played against these two have been decided by 1 run; the Mets being 2-4 in those games. Tonight, the Mets get a huge boost to their lineup as Carlos Beltran makes his long awaited (albeit way too late) return. My guess is that this will move Angel Pagan to left field and Cory Sullivan back to the bench.


Pitching Matchups for this series:

Tonight: Rick Vandenhurk (2-2 4.91 ERA) vs. Tim Redding (2-4 5.70 ERA)
Vandenhurk's last start (ND 8-7 vs. ATL): 5IP, 3R (2ER), 6H, 3BB, 3K
Career vs. NYM: 0-1 11.25 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, .314 BAA in 3 appearances (all starts)
Road this season: 1-1 4.80 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, .288 BAA in 3 appearances (all starts)
Redding's last start (ND 2-5 @ COL): 6.2IP, 2ER, 7H, 1BB, 6K
Career vs. FLA: 5-5 5.54 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .271 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)
Home this season: 1-2 6.33 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .260 BAA in 13 appearances (5 starts)

Wednesday: Ricky Nolasco (10-8 5.27 ERA) vs. Pat Misch (1-1 3.25 ERA)
Nolasco's last start (W 8-3 vs. ATL): 6IP, 3ER, 7H, 1BB, 7K
Career vs. NYM: 2-6 6.44 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, .344 BAA in 13 appearances (11 starts)
Road this season: 5-4 5.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .261 BAA in 13 appearances (all starts)
Misch's last start (W 8-3 @ COL): 7IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 3K
Career vs. FLA: 0-1 13.50 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, .333 BAA in 2 appearances (1 start)
Home this season: 0-1 4.61 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, .240 BAA in 10 relief appearances

Thursday: Sean West (6-5 4.61 ERA) vs. Bobby Parnell (3-7 5.25 ERA)
West's last start (ND 9-6 @ WAS): 3IP, 5ER, 7H, 1BB, 4K
Career vs. NYM: 1-0 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .204 BAA in 2 appearances (2 starts)
Road this season: 1-3 6.55 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, .295 BAA in 7 appearances (all starts)
Parnell's last start (ND 6-2 vs. CHC): 7IP, 0ER, 5H, 3BB, 7K
Career vs. FLA: 0-0 6.75 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .368 BAA in 7 relief appearances
Home this season: 2-5 4.94 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .260 BAA in 33 appearances (4 starts)

Don't let the records of the two teams deceive you. This will be a more evenly matched series than people anticipate; plus avoiding Met killer and Cy Young candidate Josh Johnson is HUGE. I'm torn on this. While I would love nothing more than to aid the Marlins and help them catch Philly; after the way they've knocked us out of the playoffs the past couple of seasons (and the celebrations to boot)...I wouldn't have any sympathy for them either. How will the young Marlins handle the pressure of being in the playoff chase? Can Redding, Misch and Parnell build off of their quality starts? How much of an impact will Beltran's return have on our starting lineup? Stay tuned.

For those tracking at home by the way, the Tragic Number to official elimination is 10 in the Wild Card; 11 in the Division. The Magic Number to avoid last place in the NL East is 11 as well.

Random "Why should I care" Fact: I'm going to Citi Field on Thursday for the 4th time. I am 2-1 this season; seeing 2 of Oliver Perez' 3 victories ha. Lifetime in games I've gone to however, I am 1-5 vs. the NL East (1-3 vs. PHI; 0-1 vs. ATL; 0-1 vs. FLA).
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Ahh September. The month that has given every Met fan nightmares over the past two seasons. However, this year don't fret. For the first time since 2005, the Mets don't find themselves in first place in the beginning of September. Ironically enough, the Mets were also in 4th place in 2005...but with a 69-64 record and only 6.5 back of the Atlanta Braves. The roles have changed and now it will be the Mets who look to do some spoiling. 19 games this month will be against teams in playoff contention (Colorado- 3, Atlanta and Florida- 6 each, Philadelphia- 4) and those games will certainly decide the fate of not only the NL East, but of the Wild Card.


In the meantime however, the first task at hand is the Colorado Rockies. Historically the Mets do not fair well at Coors Field. Although they are 15-3 vs. the Rockies at home since 2005...on the road they are a mere 4-8 including 1-5 in the past couple of seasons. In this injury ravaged season there is some good news however. The beloved David Wright will make his triumphant return tonight. He's expected to get the night off Wednesday before playing again on Thursday. Also, Carlos Beltran ran the bases in Port St. Lucie and is expected to have a rehab assignment for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Wednesday. This series will also feature on Thursday the anticipated debut of Josh Thole, a 22 year old catcher that had been playing the majority of the season over in Binghamton. The young fella will wear #30...last worn by the immortal Raul Casanova last season.

Pitching Matchups for the Series:

Tonight- Mike Pelfrey (9-9 4.80 ERA) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (12-9 4.76 ERA). The Big Pelf looks to rebound from a poor outing in Florida last week in which he surrendered 5 runs on 11 hits in 5.2IP in a 5-3 loss. Career-wise versus the Rockies he has odd statistics. Although he is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four career appearances (all starts), his WHIP is 1.43 and the Rockies have managed to hit .282. On the road this season, Pelfrey has been dreadful as he is 4-6 with a 6.11 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and .304 BAA in 11 starts. Meanwhile, De La Rosa has been hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 3-2 to the LA Dodgers where he allowed 3 runs on 8 hits in 7IP, he is 7-2 in his last 10 starts. De La Rosa careerwise versus the Mets is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .189 BAA in 7 appearances (1 start). At home this season, De La Rosa has been aided by run support as he is 7-6 with a 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .265 BAA in 15 games (14 starts).

Wednesday- Tim Redding (2-4 5.94 ERA) vs. Ubaldio Jimenez (12-10 3.33 ERA). Since his return to the rotation, Redding has been solid, allowing 3 ER (all in his last start, a 10-3 win) in 11.2IP to the Phillies and Marlins. In seven career appearances (5 starts) versus the Rockies the Red Dog is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and .246 BAA. The road hasn't been kind to Redding either as he is 1-2 with a 5.77 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .304 BAA in eleven appearances (6 starts). Meanwhile, Jimenez is another Rockie who has been red hot lately. Though he lost his last outing 2-0 in San Francisco where he allowed 2 ER and 7 hits in 7IP, he is 6-2 in his last 10 starts- all of which have been quality starts. Jimenez career-wise versus the Mets is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .211 BAA in three starts. In 12 home starts this season Jimenez is 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .234 BAA.

Thursday- Pat Misch (0-1 3.40 ERA) vs. Jason Marquis (14-9 3.60 ERA). Misch looks to build off the best outing of his career versus the Cubs- where he went 7IP and allowed just 1 ER on 6 hits. He was in line for his first career MLB victory but Brian Stokes fell apart in the 8th inning of a 5-2 Mets loss. In 5 career appearances (2 starts) versus the Rockies, Misch is 0-1 with a 4.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and .321 BAA. He has no decisions in his 10 road appearances (1 start) with a 2.35 ERA but 1.76 WHIP and .310 BAA. He will once again oppose an NL-All Star, this time in Marquis; who if he were to win this start would tie a career high in wins for a season. The Giants were able to get to him in his last start where he took the loss, allowing 5ER and 9 hits in 6IP in a 5-3 loss. In 22 career appearances (15 starts) versus the Mets, Marquis sports a 6-6 record with a 4.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and .283 BAA. In 12 home starts this season Marquis is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .256 BAA.

This September as Mets fans, we're not expecting a miracle playoff run. All we ask for is for the players to give it their all, steal a few games and give teams a taste of their own medicine from the past couple of seasons. Just to get to .500 the Mets would have to go 22-9 down the stretch which is too much to ask, especially considering our weak August...but a good September/early October for once would give some optimism for next season.
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A lot of people in the Global Facebook Group (including myself) have been clammering for the Wilpons to sell the team for years. And those people may soon get their wish. According to a person who works for Fox Business (not the most reliable source), the Wilpons may be forced to sell the team as early as next year due to the money lost in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme.

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Before I even get into this non-sense, I want to go back to Monday's 10-4 loss to the last place Washington Nationals. The expectations were high for the Mets to take at least 3 out of 4 from the pathetic Nats. However, the tables were turned, and the Mets dropped 3 of 4 instead and fell to a mere 20-19. Then we saw the New York media once again calling for Willie's job, pointing out that the Mets have been just a .500 ball club since last May, resurrecting the the epic collapse... again. Some serious questions were surrounding this team's troubles.

Then, the drama began following Thursday's 1-0 loss at the end of Billy Wagner's post game interview with the press...

“Can somebody tell me why the (bleep) the closer being interviewed and I didn’t even play, while they’re over there not getting interviewed? I get it, they’re gone. (Bleeping) shocker.”

In all honesty, I don't see how could any Mets fan could disagree with Wagner on this one. We've all seen the Mets lackluster play this season, and for any of these so called "team leaders" to be missing in action after dropping 3 out of 4 to the Nats is unacceptable.

How stupid is it that reporters have to ask the closer questions about why the team is struggling, when not only did Wagner not even play in the game, but the pitching staff and the bullpen which you could say Wagner is the leader of did its job during the series. Just in case anyone's forgotten, Wagner has given up only 9 hits in 17 innings this season, and has still yet to allow a run. Wagner is far from responsible for the Mets woeful play.

A lot of fingers were pointed at Carlos Delgado, who Wagner was most likely referring to in his comments. Certainly Delgado with his .230 batting average, .310 OBP, only 5 home runs and 19 RBIs has contributed to the Mets sub-par play, but the truth is most of our guys haven't been earning their paychecks.

Reyes' OBP is only .332, and thats including the Yankee series where he played well. Carlos Beltran is only hitting .250 with only 3 home runs, and let's not even talk about Luis Castillo who can't hit the ball out of the infield. We're hitting only .257 with runners in scoring position, and we simply cannot win unless Reyes gets on base.

Our team leaders in innings pitched in relief have been Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa who have pitched to a 5.82 and 7.06 ERA respectively. Whereas our guys who have been lights out; Wagner, Feliciano, Smith and even Schoeneweis, have been used in limited roles like lefty-lefty or righty-righty matchups. Thank god Sosa got DFA'd the other day to make room for Wise.

So tell me why was Billy Wagner wrong in what he said? When was the last time you heard an explanation from Reyes or Beltran or Sosa after they sucked it up on the field?

Thankfully Willie called a team meeting over this non-sense prior to the Yankee series, and seemed to smooth it out and get everyone's heads screwed on straight again. And like Keith Hernandez said, it was good that someone got this out there in the open rather than let it fester for the whole season.

Hopefully the mets winning both games of the Yankee Series has put this issue to bed, and maybe the mets will turn the corner in the coming weeks.
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Some nights it's time to drop the funny business.  Thank god the Mets won that game tonight. For the sake of Carlos Beltran & Aaron Heilman...it's a good damn thing they won that game.

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The New York Mets crushed the Florida Marlins on Wednesday night, winning 13-0. The Mets win their first series of the season, going 2-1 in Florida.

It was over when: The Mets stepped onto the field. Seriously. They took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning and never looked back.

Good: Uh...where to start? David Wright had another 3 RBI game and Ryan Church drove in 3 runs as well. Jose Reyes had 2 RBI and Carlos Beltran had an RBI and his first home run of the season taken away by the umps. Even Carlos Delgado had a RBI tonight. Wow. Meanwhile, Oliver Perez was spectacular in six innings, striking out eight without giving up a single run. Nelson Figueroa was impressive in his first appearance as a Met. I could go on but if you're reading this, you can read the box score.

Bad: Luis Castillo didn't drive in any runs tonight. Seriously. That's it. The Mets won 13-0. You name something bad.

Ugly: The Florida Marlins. Period. The Mets should beat this team at least 70 percent of the time this season. Anything short of that is a failure. This is a AAA team out there and the Marlins have no business out there with the Mets. You almost feel sorry for Hanley Ramirez. Ok. You don't.

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Heartbroken, anger, and disbelief, are just a few of the many emotions being shown by the 15,000+ members in the facebook group after the Mets historic meltdown.

Who can really blame them? This wasn’t the ending we all planned on. Two weeks ago we held a very comfortable 7 game lead with 17 to play. We were sitting in the driver’s seat looking at the SNY pocket schedule, seeing 13 of our last 17 games against the lowly Nationals and Marlins. In a year full of injuries and so called disappointments this is when we were finally going to get it done. Guess what? It didn’t happen, but life moves on.

Though we didn’t win the World Series, there are many individual moments that us as fans can look back on and be very proud of. Watching things like the continuing development of young players Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfrey, exciting plays like the Endy Chavez drag bunt or the Carlos Beltran catch in Houston, the scoreless inning streaks of Pedro Feliciano and rookie Joe Smith, Tom Glavine’s 300th career win, John Maine’s two near no hitters, Shawn Green chasing Hank Greenberg for the all-time Jewish home run record, the return of Pedro Martinez, etc… these are the things that when I look back on the 2007 Mets I’m going to remember.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m just as upset as the rest of you. But in a year in which 99% of us are going to call it a letdown, there are those little things that we should all take with us, that we can all look back on, and that we can all remember to put an instant smile on our faces. And if that doesn’t work? 2008 is just around the corner. Read More...

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The Mets seemed down and out after being swept by the surging Phillies on Thursday, three days later, things couldn't look brighter. The Mets headed into Atlanta over the weekend knowing they had to come with their A game, and they did. Turner Field has never been kind to the Mets in the month of September, but the "new" Mets we're up for the challenge.

The Mets outscored the Braves by a score of 3 to 2 in the final game of the series on Sunday to put the Braves back an insurmountable 7.5 games with only 25 games to play.

The Mets pitching was superb, allowing only 4 runs the entire series, and keeping the Braves big bats of Chipper Jones, Mark Teixeira and Andrew Jones in check throughout the series. The Braves only got one extra base hit the entire series, which was Brian McCann's double in the 9th inning Sunday against Billy Wagner. The highlight of the weekend had to be the fantastic outing by Mike Pelfrey, who earned his first win of the season on Saturday allowing just 1 run on 1 hit over 6 innings. We hope to see more of this in the future from Pelfrey.

The hitting was equally as good, scoring 15 runs on 28 hits, with 2 home runs from Carlos Delgado, who seems to have his swing back, as well as homers from Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Lastings Milledge and Jose Reyes.

The Mets will look to keep the hot streak going, as Pedro Martinez will make his long awaited season debut tomorrow in Cincinnati, he will be faced by Reds ace Aaron Harang.
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Zac posting on a Wednesday? Whatever is the cause? Well, my beloved readers, it is because I have a free moment and I want to touch base about last night's come-from-behind victory. That and, due to a busy schedule at work over the next two days and the fact that the wife and I are heading back to Erie this weekend I may once again miss my Friday post. I know; you're all pretty upset.

I've been on the Padres' bandwagon all season long as I've declared them the team to beat both in the National League West and in the NL Wild Card race. Despite what too many people who read this blog may think the Padres are a good team and are dangerous when playing at home. With that being said it was very fulfilling to watch the Mets come back last night.

Two thoughts have been running through my mind about last night's game.

Just how angry were the fans at Shea last night after the sixth and seventh innings? I have to say that I loved to hear the crowd get that fired up about the Mets' bullpen giving up the lead. Yes, I am that guy who gets loud and boos when the team that I pay money to see is stinking up the joint. I would much rather listen to a stadium that is passionate about the hometown team than be in a place where everybody is sitting on their hands and quietly watching another loss.

Will Carlos Beltran keep this up for the rest of the season? Caros had five RBIs last night, including a two-run shot in the first. In his last six games Beltran is hitting .435 with four homers, 13 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of 1.087. Oh yeah. His on-base percentage has been .517.

Yes.

In a season where many of us were ready to officially declare Beltran's new coming-to-the-plate music be Don't Let Me Down (myself included) Carlos has been coming up big recently. Beltran's bat is the spark that this offense needs heading into October. Ask yourself this question: Do you really want the Mets' offense relying on Moises Alou? Keep it up, Carlos.

Too many times this season the Mets have followed up an emotional victory with a lame-duck performance the next night. It's Brian Lawrence (1-0, 5.06 ERA) against the Padres' Jake Peavy (13-5, 2.19 ERA. No, that's not a typo). This may not necessarily be the match-up Mets' fans want to see but it's games like these where the home-field advantage come into play. That is, if the game doesn't get rained out. Hopefully the bats stay hot, the crowd stays into the game, and the Mets can get to Peavy tonight. Read More...

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There is a large majority of the staff at Global NYM not fortunate enough to attend Mets games on a regular basis, including myself. So when you decide to go to Shea you usually pick the game in advance and hope for a good one. Last night, I got lucky...again.

A year ago I was caught the game against the Cardinals in which the Mets staged that ridiculous comeback that was completed by Beltran's walk-off. Last night was just as good. Next week I'll be back on a more serious note. Today I'm on a bit of a time crunch with some sketchy free interent. So here's a few thoughts from my night at Shea...

There was a guy in the section next to me who became frustrated in the 9th when Wagner loaded the bases. At one of those moments when it's relatively quiet, he stood up and billowed, "CAN ANYONE PITCH ON THIS TEAM?!!" That's exactly what I felt at that moment.

The amount of boos last night were incredibly misdirected by those in attendance. Booing Sosa and Wagner was not really that necessary.

The weather was beyond disgusting. If we would have lost that game, it would not have made me happy that I sat in the rain to also lose feeling in my toes.

The Mets powers that be tried to convince me that last night's attendance was approx. 48, 000. Were you watching? There were not 48, 000 seats filled. It's too bad though...they missed a good one.

Excuse me Mr. Vendor...the pretzels at Shea are not slammin', jammin'. Yes those are the exact words he used.

Who is this guy named Carlos Beltran? And where was he from April until August? Stellar night from Beltran after being named NL Player of the Week.

If Castillo had not earned his full set of stripes after his big hit against Atlanta, then he is now officially outfitted in the orange and blue.

If you have too many drinks from a pineapple while in the Dominican Republic, you too may be able to belly flop like Moises Alou.

It felt like I was watching a different team at times last night. They fought back, at home, and refused to die last night. The pitching was mediocre again, but this team finally flexed it's offensive muscles. Hopefully the Mets can keep building the momentum and get into a real nice groove heading down the stretch. I'll be at today's game as well, which will have a tough job of outdoing last night's. My heart's got a bit of a soft spot for walk offs. Read More...

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Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, fresh off the DL, has been named the Bank of America Player of the Week for the week of August 13th-19th.

Beltran went 9 for 24 (.375) with 4 home runs and led the league with 10 RBIs. Beltran won the award earlier in the year, after his hot start in April.

Beltran beat out his fellow teammates David Wright and Moises Alou who also had big weeks for the Mets.

Hopefully the Mets' hot hitting will continue, as they will be facing San Diego's aces Jake Peavy and Chris Young this week. Read More...

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With some shuffling of the lineup and getting everyone healthy, the Mets may finally have everything they need to play some good baseball. The bullpen will hold its own and if Beltran can stay healthy and find ways to produce, Mets fan may be able to sleep better at night.

One of the most needed lineup changes has come with Willie giving Lastings Milledge more playing time. I have never been crazy about Milledge, but it has been obvious that he needs to play. Shawn Green is probably at the end of his road, which is unfortunate, but that's the way the game goes. Milledge provides this team with much needed youth and defense, while Green has proved to be a liability for the Mets is every sense. Let me add, I really have no idea what the Mets expected out of Green is signing him last August. From '98-'02 he put up significant power numbers and have seen an incredible drop-off since. I know the Mets had a hole to fill in RF last summer, yet all he has provided is a random 4-4 day, awkward belly flops, and a flying hat. Hopefully, Milledge will embrace this opportunity to prove himself to this organization once and for all.

Yesterday I posted an update on Pedro's 2nd rehab start and although all of us have been warned some Mets fans still believe that Pedro is going to come back and be a savior for this ball club. Do not hold your breath friends...you may end up turning blue. If Pedro continues to progress, he will be at best an average pitcher when he returns. The energy that is Pedro should be a shot in the arm if he returns to New York, but he will not be a front end starter who will go deep into games. If he can provide the Mets will quality starts during the stretch run, that would be a success for this season. Expecting too much from Pedro Martinez may only be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Moises Alou used to make me see red. While he was injured, his status was always the biggest mystery of the early summer. What's even better is that while we have no idea if he would return this century, the Mets tease me on the scoreboard with "Moises Alou's favorite vacation spot in the Dominican Republic." Well, that's nice Mo, but could you find your way back to NY? Thankfully he did, and I take back any anger I had towards him in June. If he stays healthy and continues to come up in clutch situations, I am officially an idiot.

Last but not least, some red flags. I still have faith in John Maine and Oliver Perez, but there is some concern regarding these 2 young arms. John Maine has never thrown this many innings, and should we get to the postseason, I don't know if we'll see the Maine of last October. Oliver Perez could be suffering from fatigue as well, yet he has some more experience from his time in Pittsburgh. The Mets do not have the luxury of rest their starters as they did last August with a 15 game lead. These kids need to dig deep and come up big for the Mets as we head for the home stretch.

We're 75% of the way there...keep the faith Mets fans! Read More...

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The Mets placed outfielder Carlos Beltran on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 25, with a strained oblique.

Lastings Milledge will be the Mets' regular center fielder while Beltran is out, guaranteeing that Shawn Green stays in the lineup for at least another 10 days. Beltran will be eligible to return Aug. 9. Read More...

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Prior to today’s game, the Mets recalled Mike De Felice and David Newhan from Triple-A New Orleans, while demoting Mike Pelfrey to New Orleans and designating Jon Adkins for assignment.

Newhan is 12-for-60 for the Mets this season. He would have been an upgrade over Tom Glavine in the ninth inning of last night's loss, but not a huge one. The Mets will probably try someone different once Carlos Beltran is back healthy.

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The 78th Major League Baseball All Star game begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) in San Francisco and on televisions nationwide on FOX. I’m sure over the next 12 hours most of you will hear more than you ever wanted to know about San Francisco, AT&T Park, the All Star Game’s history, Barry Bonds in his home town, the American League’s 9 game winning streak in the Midsummer classic, Barry Bonds and the home run record, the Home Run Derby last night, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey, what AL manager Jim Leyland had for breakfast, Barry Bonds and steroids, the winning league taking home (somewhat literally) home field advantage in the World Series this October, Barry Bonds and the San Fran Fans, and every last random thought (whether baseball related or not) in the minds of the broadcasters, players, former players, fans, and coaches.

But the All Star Game is most of all about the players it showcases, their individual accomplishments this year, and to a lesser extent their team’s accomplishments. Let’s ignore the arguments over who does and doesn’t deserve most to be on this team and to start this game, and look briefly at each of the players on your 2007 MLB All Star Team, and what they have accomplished in the last three-plus months.

First, the “visiting” American League team:

STARTING LINEUP

CF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (7th All Star Game)

SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (8th)

1B David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (4th)

3B Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (11th)

RF Vladimir Guerrero, LA Angels of Anaheim (8th)

LF Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers (6th)

C Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers (14th)

2B Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers (1st)

P Dan Haren, Oakland Athletics (1st)

RESERVES

INFIELDERS

• Brian Roberts, BAL: 322 AVG, 27 SB, 111 H
• Mike Lowell, BOS: .300 AVG, 14 HR, 63 RBI
• Carlos Guillen, DET: .325 AVG, 92 H, 67 RBI
• Justin Morneau, MIN: .295 AVG, 24 HR, 74 RBI
• Michael Young, TEX: .288AVG, 22 2B, 50 RBI

OUTFIELDERS

• Manny Ramirez, BOS: .284 AVG, 11 HR, 45 RBI
• Grady Sizemore, CLE: .280 AVG, 73 R, 15 HR
• Torii Hunter, MIN: .301 AVG, 19 HR, 69 RBI
• Carl Crawford, TAB: .285 AVG, 23 SB, 51 RBI
• Alex Rios, TOR: .294 AVG, 17 HR, 53 RBI

CATCHERS

• Victor Martinez, CLE: .324 AVG, 16 HR, 68 RBI
• Jorge Posada, NYY: .326 AVG, 25 2B, 48 RBI

PITCHERS

• Josh Beckett, BOS: 12-2, 3.44 ERA, 92 SO
• Hideki Okajima, BOS: 2-0, 0.83 ERA, 4 S
• Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: 1.93 ERA, 20 S, 46 SO
• C.C. Sabathia, CLE: 12-3, 3.58 ERA, 119 SO
• Bobby Jenks, CWS: 3.28 ERA, 23 S
• Justin Verlander, DET: 10-3, 3.14 ERA, 97 SO
• Gil Meche, KC: 5-6, 3.44 ERA, 88 SO
• John Lackey, LAA: 11-5, 2.91 ERA, 98 SO
• Francisco Rodriguez, LAA: 2.33 ERA, 24 S, 53 SO
• Johan Santana, MIN: 10-6, 2.75 ERA, 125 SO
• J.J. Putz, SEA: 0.90 ERA, 24 S, 43 SO

And now, the “home” National League team:

STARTING LINEUP

SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets (2nd All Star Game)

LF Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (14th)

CF Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (4th)

RF Ken Griffey Jr, Cincinnati Reds (13th)

3B David Wright, New York Mets (2nd)

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (1st)

C Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers (1st)

2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies (2nd)

P Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (2nd)

RESERVES

INFIELDERS

• Orlando Hudson, ARI: .296 AVG, 20 2B, 47 RBI
• Derrek Lee, CHC: .330 AVG, 102 H, 26 2B
• Miguel Cabrera, FLA: .324 AVG, 18 HR, 61 RBI
• J.J. Hardy, MIL: .280 AVG, 18 HR, 54 RBI
• Freddy Sanchez, PIT: .296 AVG, 96 H, 20 2B
• Albert Pujols, STL: .310 AVG, 16 HR, 52 RBI
• Dmitri Young, WAS: .339 AVG, 23 2B, 43 RBI

OUTFIELDERS

• Alfonso Soriano, CHC: .309 AVG, 60 R, 107 H
• Matt Holliday, COL: .341 AVG, 122 H, 69 RBI
• Carlos Lee, HOU: .297 AVG, 16 HR, 73 RBI
• Aaron Rowand, PHI: .310 AVG, 20 2B, 43 RBI

CATCHERS

• Brian McCann, ATL: .262 AVG, 19 2B, 49 RBI

PITCHERS

• Brandon Webb, ARI: 8-6, 3.37 ERA, 112 SO
• Jose Valverde, ARI: 2.83 ERA, 26 S, 38 SO
• Roy Oswalt, HOU: 8-5, 3.53 ERA, 94 SO
• Brad Penny, LAD: 10-1, 2.39 ERA, 82 SO
• Takashi Saito, LAD: 1.47 ERA, 23 S, 4 BB
• Francisco Cordero, MIL: 2.86 ERA, 27 S, 48 SO
• Ben Sheets, MIL: 10-4, 3.41 ERA, 87 SO
• Billy Wagner, NYM: 1.64 ERA, 17 S, 10 BB
• Cole Hamels, PHI: 10-4, 3.72 ERA, 124 SO
• Trevor Hoffman, SD: 1.91 ERA, 25 S, 6 BB
• Chris Young, SD: 8-3, 2.00 ERA, 99 SO

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Summary only...

Dear fellas,

Hi. It's just Zac. I know it's been awhile since we're talked but you know how it goes with work and what not. I'm just writing this because tonight, as you all know, is the All-Star Game. I'm not really good at beating around the bush so I'm just going to get to the point.

Let's be careful tonight, guys. I know you want to "put on a show" for the crowd and all but remember that this is just an exhibition. Don't let that stupid "home-field advantage in the World Series" rule cloud your judgment on the field.

Jose, it's ok to not stretch that double to a triple. Easing into second base will be just as fun tonight. And I know that you're going to try your hardest to jack one out of the park tonight, Dave, but an easy swing and a single through the hole will work fine. We all loved your catch the other night, Carlos, but how do you feel about not laying out for any fly balls this evening? Billy, everybody already knows you're one of the hardest throwers in the game. Tonight isn't the time to show off that cannon of an arm.

Quite frankly if any of you are feeling a little under the weather or too "tight" or "sore" to play in tonight's game I'd understand and I'm sure the rest of your fans would as well. However, you're competitors and showmen so I know you'll be charging out onto the field tonight. Have fun out there tonight, but guys;

please be careful.

Love always,
Zac

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Summary only...

Over the last few days 2 of the 5 Mets starters have gone down with injuries. First it was Jorge Sosa on Saturday hurting his hamstring while attempting to beat out a throw to first to break up a double play. It was diagnosed as a grade 2 strain which means 2-3 weeks of recovery. Next, Oliver Perez experiences stiffness in his back prompting the Mets to first push back his start. Eventually Ollie decides to have a side session on Sunday in which he made the decision to shut it down completely and go on the DL. I am hoping the stiff back is along the lines of what David Wright gets every so often compared to what Randy Johnson gets.

Now this scenario would make any Mets fan nervous. But I want to take more of an optimistic approach to these injuries. First, the All Star Break is coming which means 3 full days of rest for everyone minus Beltran, Reyes, Wright, and Wagner. Second, the injuries are 15 day DL injuries which mean these guys will be activated as the second half begins. Third, this gives an opportunity for guys like Jason Vargas and Mike Pelfrey to get 2 starts and impress the Mets brass.

These injuries get some young guys in the spotlight and give some rest to some important players. Its better these injuries happen now then down the stretch.
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Summary only...