Jorge Sosa.

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After making waste of the Florida Marlins in the first series of the season last week, the Mets were quickly brought back down to reality by an Atlanta Braves team that looks like it is going to be right in the mix of things during this 2008 season. It wouldn't be fair to blame one sole person for the debacle that we saw at Turner Field this weekend, as there were many contributing factors to the lack of production we saw.

In a friendly debate with some of my fellow bloggers during Spring Training, I argued that the Mets have more pressing issues in their line up then they do in their starting rotation. Well after the first week of the season I feel both parties can claim victory in that battle. Pitching wise we lost Pedro Martinez for God knows how long. It looks like it will be up to Nelson Figueroa to help us forget about Pedro. But seriously, there can't be many of us over the age of 16 that remember Pedro in a Mets uniform. I mean I can recall seeing him in a Mets uniform about six or seven times in the past year and a half. My message to Mr. Figueroa is simple...make Pedro expendable. Besides that and a shaky first start from John Maine, the rest of the Mets staff looks great so far. Wait a second, that's less then 50% of the staff...oh man. I want to think Maine's poor performance was a fluke after that awesome spring he had. I also want to think that the Mets will throw a no hitter someday. Yeah well, I'm just going to keep hoping and praying.

Now the lineup is a whole 'nother monster. The Mets offense did not produce in big situations this weekend. We must have had six million chances to drive in runs on Saturday, and yet all we got were five small ball runs. All off season I complained that we don't have much in the ways of hitting after Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran. Well you can scratch Reyes from that trio. That .238 batting average looks great at the top of the order. Wright and Beltran have looked great, and Ryan Church along with Angel Pagan are pleasant surprises. But at the same time the Mets have a mere two home runs this season. Carlos Delgado has only two RBI and that is unacceptable for him. We hired him to bat .275 and drive in 115 runs. I don't care if he's batting over .300, because in the long run that means nothing if he isn't driving in any runs. The Mets followed up their "stellar" Saturday performance with a five hit encore on Sunday. Way to go boys. This lineup needs to wake up if it plans on hanging with the Phillies lineup this week. Then again the Phillies haven't looked to hot to start the season either.

The bullpen has been overworked, overused, and at times some questionable calls have been made by Willie Randolph and his staff. Should Jorge Sosa have been relieved by Pedro Feliciano with the bases loaded on Saturday. Maybe. Is it Randolph's fault that Sosa gave up a grand slam to a guy with a girl's name. Not at all. Stop blaming Willie for trusting his pitchers. Trusting your pitchers will get you much further in the long run, and that is what the Mets need to be looking at. Plus has it crossed anyone's mind that Willie might have liked to save his bullpen for the next inning (or possibly two) of work. Keep in mind that he most likely would have seen the heart of the Atlanta lineup in those innings. Sosa didn't do his job, end of story. Not too mention John Maine recorded a mere 12 outs (for those of us that have a hard time dividing, that comes to four innings of work). On a more positive note, Joe Smith looked great in his one inning of work.

With all this being said, it is time for these bums to shake of the cobwebs of last season, and start playing like the team they should be. Santana looks great, Perez looks great, Christ almighty even Brian Schneider hasn't looked half bad. This is a huge tone setting series coming up this week against Philadelphia. The Mets we see in this series might be the Mets we see all season long. Now I ask myself, is that a good thing or a bad thing?
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The Mets lost their first game against the Atlanta Braves of the 2008 season, going down 11-5 in Atlanta.

It was over when: Kelly Johnson hit a grand slam off of Jorge Sosa in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Braves a 9-3 lead. The Mets put two on the board afterwards but in the end it really didn't matter.

The good: The Mets didn't lay down and die when they fell behind. John Maine gave up a run in the first but the Mets came right back and scored in the top of the second. New York was down 4-1 but scored two in the top of the fifth. They even came back and scored two runs after Kelly Johnson hit his game deciding pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Tenacity is something this team lacked during the stretch run of '07. It's good to see the Mets actually have some toughness.

The bad: Maine was not the same pitcher he was during Spring Training this afternoon. He managed to strike out five but was still very inconsistent, walking three batters and giving up four earned runs in only four innings of work. Jorge Sosa joins Maine as co-goat of the day. It was Sosa that gave up the grand slam to Kelly Johnson (Kelly Johnson? Are you kidding me?) on a batting practice pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Say what you want about the Mets not cashing in with men on base but when you give up 11 runs, the game probably isn't going your way.

The ugly: What the hell was that in the fifth inning? I was on the phone and missed most of it but I'm glad that the umps got together to make the right call. Just another reason why Major League Baseball needs instant replay.

Overall: The Mets were outplayed by a division foe and rival. That's never going to sit well with fans, be it April or September. The Mets may have a potent offense but expecting them to score five runs or more a game is ridiculous, even for Mets fans. The Braves played better and deserved to win.

Grade: C- Read More...

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Last week, six Mets filled for salary arbitration, including Oliver Perez, Pedro Feliciano, Jorge Sosa, Ryan Church, Endy Chavez and Aaron Heilman.

According to MLB rules, a player with more than 3 but less than 6 years of major league service, may file for salary arbitration.

In the arbitration process, both the player and the team submits a proposed contract amount, and an independent arbitrator chooses one number or the other based on what they believe is most "fair" given comparable wages among players with similar ability and service time. In most cases, the process never even gets to the arbitrator, as the team and the player will usually compromise on a new contract.

The Mets and RHP Aaron Heilman avoided the arbitration process last Friday when they agreed to a 1 year, 1.2 million dollar contract for 2008.

Similarly, Tuesday, the Mets avoided arbitration with OF Endy Chavez, by agreeing to a two year 3.85 million dollar contract.

Deals for the other four players will probably be coming in the next week or two. The Mets have not had a player go to arbitration since David Cone in 1992.
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A hot topic around the Mets blogosphere lately has been the recent inefficiency of the Mets Bullpen. Global NYM reader Jill writes...

The Mets will not make the pennant with the Bullpen the way it is. Besides, Wagner and Heilman the rest of them need to get more work. To lose last night's game which Glavine pitched great was a nightmare. When I saw Mota coming, I turned it off. I knew exactly how this would play out and it did. Every night it's the same thing, the parade of relief pitchers that come in and can't get the job done is getting old. I don't understand why Mota was brought in with after all of his last attempts the Mets have lost. Billy Wagner can pitch an extra inning. Tim McGraw used to and so did Jesse Orosco. If I see Mota again, I'm TURNING THE GAME OFF. He might be good one day, but not right now with September right around the corner. I hope in the Winter they can get some good relief pitchers.

I've been a defender of Mota since he returned from his suspension earlier this season, blaming his poor play on the lack of a spring training, but even now, I must agree, this guy is terrible, he never gets the big out when we need it, and is almost money in the bank for opposing hitters. Mota simply cannot get the job done.

I think Mota constantly coming in the games despite his horrendous pitching has been based on two factors. First, Manager Willie Randolph seems to have an endless confidence in Mota, as if Mota were a veteran that you know will bust out of this slump (sort of like why the Mets were never going to bench Delgado no matter how bad he played this season). Secondly, I think it has to do with the economics of baseball, Mota is making $1.8 Million this year, and is signed through next season for the rest of his $5 million contract. Bottom line, the Mets are paying Mota, so they have to play Mota. This would also explain why Mota is used more in big game spots rather than Pedro Feliciano or Aaron Heilman, despite the fact that Heilman and Feliciano have consistently dominated both righties and lefties, for the last two seasons.

The Mets bullpen needs some drastic change. With the rosters expanding Saturday, I don't expect the Mets to up and release Mota, but there needs to be a change in how the bullpen is used.

First, Pedro Feliciano is NOT, I repeat NOT a lefty specialist. Just because someone is left handed and has a small contract, it doesn't... automatically make them a lefty specialist. While lefties are batting an abysmally low .149 against Feliciano, Righties aren't doing much better, batting a mere .202. Ironically, thats the same BAA vs righties as Closer Billy Wagner and setup man Jorge Sosa, it's better than any of the Mets other relievers righty or lefty (minus Ambiorix Burgos who didn't have very many appearances), so how exactly did Feliciano even get this reputation for being a lefty specialist? Comparatively, Scott Shoeneweis who Willie brings in to face righties all the time has a BAA vs righties of .330. If anyone in that bullpen is a lefty specialist, it's Schoeneweis.

Second, The Mets have to bring back Joe Smith when rosters expand, and make him a more instrumental part of that bullpen. Most of us expect Smith to be on the playoff roster, there is no way he should not be on this team in favor of Guillermo Mota or Aaron Sele.

Third, If Sosa is going to be the setup man, use him as such, meaning he pitches the 8th inning, whenever the Mets have the lead. I don't want to see Sosa come in in the 6th inning to face one batter, then come out of the game, so we can see Shoeneweis in the 8th. Bullpens need to have routines. Based on how our starters do, the bullpen should be able to figure out who's going to come in before it happens. I'm sick of Willie randomly flipping a coin to decide who he's going to bring in all the time.

Fourth, I've been asking this for a while, and Gary Cohen said it last week. Is Aaron Sele even still on this team? The Mets got Sele to be the long man out of the bullpen, but when a mets starter gives up 5 runs in 3 innings, we seeing Jorge Sosa or Aaron Heilman warming up in the bullpen. If you're not going to use Sele EVER, why is he even taking up a spot on the roster, especially in a bullpen that has been worn out like the Mets. Not to mention, in the rare situation that Sele actually does come in the game, he can't get anyone out. since August 1st, Sele has made a grand total of 6 appearances,for a total of 8.1 innings, and in that time, allowed 14 hits 0 walks and 6 runs for a WHIP of 1.68, and an ERA of 6.75. So I ask again... Is Aaron Sele still a part of this team?

Unfortunately with Ambiorix Burgos having Tommy John Surgery, the Mets are short on bullpen options, unless they add some one (like minor league relievers Willie Collazo, Jon Adkins, or Steve Schmoll) to the 40 man roster before September 1st, the playoff bullpen roster will be limited to:

Billy Wagner
Jorge Sosa
Aaron Heilman
Pedro Feliciano
Scott Schoeneweis
Guillermo Mota
Aaron Sele
Joe Smith

The only other option would be to use a starting pitcher out of the bullpen; of course, this will be highly dependent on Pedro Martinez's performance in September. 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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Howdy all! First off I would like to apologize for my absence this past week, as my computer stopped working last week. It is still in the process of getting fixed (much like the Mets lineup and bullpen). While gone I finally came up with a name for my weekly column though: Tuesday Two Cents with Jersey Dan. I hope you guys like it. Now off to the races.

The bullpen, yeah we got one, yeah it’s got issues; but like a Chevy it gets the job done, even if you have to tinker with it at bit. Everyone has quickly jumped on the Scott Schoeneweis bandwagon as of late. Have fun riding that wagon, because who knows how rough it will be, and who knows if it will crash or not. Let’s be realistic here, the man has shown up for two months this season, and was just despicable for the rest of the season. His ERA is still above five, and his WHIP is still above one and a half. There is no reason for us to get outlandishly excited over this recent stint of success. Let’s see where Schoeneweis is at the end of the month.

So the Schoeneweis train is full, and that is because everyone is starting to get off of the Wagner Wagon. What is everyone’s problem with Wags? He is having one of his best seasons ever (like I predicted at the beginning of the season), and has shown nothing but composure this season. Last week against Atlanta Wags loaded up the bases with none out, and Brian McCann coming up to the plate, followed by Andruw Jones. What followed was composure that only the best closers in the game show. Wagner throws great pitches and induces McCann to ground to David Wright who fires home for the force. Wagner then throws some more great pitches and gets Jones to ground into a game ending double play. If Wagner weren’t a great closer, the Mets most likely would have blown that lead. His 26 saves 1.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts can close ball games for my team any day of the week.

So does anybody want to tell me what happened to Joe Smith? The man was lights out at the beginning of the season, and then sometime a little before the All Star Break he hit a brick wall that was more solid than a Mo Vaughn turkey sandwich. Hence Smith was sent down to AAA. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but normally Guillermo Mota wouldn’t be a middle reliever on my baseball team. Let’s face it, off the juice Mota is garbage. If Smith can get back on track in New Orleans we can bring him back up and get Mota out of there.

Pedro Feliciano: Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Finally we get to the Met that everyone loves to hate: Aaron Heilman. This guy is having a career year, keeps us in games nine times out ten, usually cleans up the messes that Mota or Schoeneweis leave him, and yet we still ridicule him because of Game Seven of the 2006 NLCS. Get over it people, Heilman is a solid player, pitching in a role that he was thrown into last season. As far as I am concerned he has pitched very well since becoming our set up man and is the least of our bullpen worries.

Point being, this bullpen, if managed the right way can be just as good as Boston’s or any of the other top pens in the league. Now that Jorge Sosa is in the pen he will get a lot of work. Sosa, Feliciano, and Heilman looks like it could work out to be a great bullpen combo. If heaven allows it, and Schoeneweis continues to produce this bullpen could turn lethal. If Smith learns how to pitch again, we can get the steroid train out of there and have one of the best pens in the game. This last month and a half will make or break this pen, and make or break our chances of winning a third World Series.

Afterthoughts

Former New York Yankee shortstop and commentator Phil Rizzuto died today. Scooter was a legendary face to the game of baseball his whole life. He was one of the premier shortstops of his day, and his voice is among one of the most famous in baseball. His play-by-play was so exciting that he was used by Meat Loaf to do the “play-by-play” on his 1979 classic “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.” The Scooter will be missed.

While on hiatus last week, many Major League Baseball milestones were achieved.

Barry Bonds hit #756 last Tuesday. Thank God that is over, and the Giants won’t be on national television anymore this season

A-Rod hit #500 last week. I like A-Rod; he’s a great player that puts up with way too much garbage. I hope we get to see him hit many more home runs (just not for the Yankees).

Tommy Glavine wins #300. This seemed to take an eternity to Mets fans. What was pretty crazy about this win is that it took place in Wrigley Field, which opened in 1914, and only last Sunday saw it’s first 300 win milestone. Glavine is also the first Met to win 300 games while in a Met uniform. Glavine also could be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games, with these boneheaded pitch counts, and five man rotations and such. Congrats Tommy.

On a personal milestone note I must tip my cap to Cardinals OF Rick Ankiel. As much as I despise the Cardinals I cannot be happier for this guys success. If five years ago you were to tell me that Rick Ankiel would be an OF hitting home runs for St. Louis, I’d tell you take another shot of JD and keep dreaming. This is a great story for baseball, and I could not be happier for the guy.

Football is back, and the Giants are already driving me nuts. Six wins is a stretch for them. Thank God NASCAR goes until November.

Speaking of NASCAR, can somebody please instruct Dale Earnhardt’s crew on how to properly build an engine for a stock car? Four blown engines this season, and two in three weeks is just embarrassing.

That’s my two cents…Let’s Go Mets. Read More...

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The Mets will call up Brian Lawrence to start Thursday against the Brewers.

Jorge Sosa was used in relief last night and is expected to remain in the pen for a little while. Lawrence, who had the worst velocity of any right-handed starter in the majors before hurting his shoulder, struggles to break 80 mph now. He's a weak bet to help the Mets. Read More...

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It was the Monday I had marked down on my calendar since Spring Training. June 25, 2007 stuck out like a sore thumb. It was time for revenge... It was time for the redbirds to get what was coming to them.

I'm not going to waste my time with a flashback to October of 2006. We don't need to feel that pain any more. It's a feeling us Mets fans are far too familiar with. The only thing that matters, is what happened on that June evening, in front of 40,075 people at Shea, and an entire city tuned into ESPN. Sure enough, the redbirds brought their "A" game, with newly-acquired Mike Maroth on the mound to battle Jorge Sosa.. and for 10 and a half innings, it looked like we were in for a long night, until finally:

Even in simulation, that Home Run is still majestic.

Next Monday: We flash back to a time I like to call, The Oroscozoic Era. Read More...

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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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For those of you who have been keeping up with the latest baseball rumors, the Mets have been linked to left handed starter for the Chicago White Sox, Mark Buerhle. So far this season, in 14 starts for the Sox this season, Buehrle is 4–4 with 3.39 ERA, during which opponents are batting .238 against him. He has struck out 60 batters in 93 innings while walking just 17. However, there are a few catches to going after this guy.

1) Hes a free agent after this season. Which means it could turn into another Mike Hampton situation

2) Hes said repeatedly that he wants to pitch in his hometown of St Louis

So what do you do in this case? Well the New York Post is reporting that if the trade happens the Mets want a 72 hour time period to negotiate an extention. I like that idea. However, the Mets are not so thrilled with giving up Pelfrey and or Milledge.

If this does happen, one should keep in mind the influx of starters the Mets would have. What do we do if and when Pedro comes back this season?

My suggestions are as follows:

1) Try to get Buehrle for Milledge and a "Tier 2" prospect..someone who probably wont have an impact. We all remember what happened last time we traded our top arm. We got crap in return.

2) Get an extension. Absolutely nothing happens unless the extension has the potential to happen.

3) Deal with what we have and try to fill a spot in the bullpen. I dont want schoenweis or Sele on a potential postseason roster. Either Sosa or Pelfrey should fill Sele's spot.



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