According to the Elias Sports Bureau...

GIANTS NOT SO PLUCKY
The Mets held the Giants to exactly three hits in each game of their three-game sweep at Shea Stadium. It was only the third time in franchise history that the Mets have allowed three or fewer hits in three consecutive games. They also did it in a three-game home sweep of the Astros in April 1992, and in the last three games of the 1999 season, beating the Pirates twice and the Reds in a wild card tiebreaker game. The Giants have had three or fewer hits in three straight games only one other time since moving to San Francisco for the 1958 season: May 15-17, 1995, a three-game home series against the Cubs.

SCHOENEWEIS FINALLY GETS FIRST METS WIN
Scott Schoeneweis earned his first win in a Mets uniform in his 112th career game for New York. That's by far the most games any Mets pitcher has needed to earn his first win. The previous record was held by Heath Bell, who won his first game for the Amazins in his 50th game in 2005.

NOTE: tonight the Rockies once again got 3 hits, making it the first time in mets history they have allowed 3 or fewer hits in 4 consecutive games... Read More...

According to ESPN Mets lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis reportedly received six steroid shipments from Signature Pharmacy while playing for the Chicago White Sox in 2003 and 2004.

According to a source in Florida close to the ongoing investigation of Signature, Schoeneweis' name appears on packages that were sent to Comiskey Park while the White Sox were battling to win the AL Central title in 2003. Two more shipments arrived at the stadium in 2004, months before Schoeneweis underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow.

Well doesn't this one just rub salt in the wounds. First Guillermo Mota gets busted after the Mets were eliminated last season, and now Schoeneweis appears to be involved with steroids as well. Well Omar, you sure know how to pick 'em.

thanks to our own Zac Wassink for breaking this
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When I write my article next Thursday all the MLB trade rumors will be over and done with, due to the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline passing this upcoming Tuesday. This means no more thinking that the Mets will acquire Dontrelle Willis for Scott Schoeneweis (hahahaha); or something else wild that we can only dream about. Of course with the trade deadline coming, the debate of "Do we trade prospects for ballplayers that are established?" will come into play. Will players like Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, and Fernando Martinez be a Met after July 31st? I most certainly hope so.

While thinking of what to write about before the deadline, I came across a great article on the SNY website; written by Ted Berg. It's almost like we share a brain, because I agree 110% with what he is saying. While we have our share of veterans like Delgado, Green, and Lo Duca, we also have a lot of up-and-coming players that have already contributed. Players like Gotay, Gomez, Reyes, Milledge, Maine, and Perez--all of which are between the ages of 22 and 26--could help out the Mets for a while to come. In addition to these ballplayers who have contributed, we also have Mike Pelfrey, and Mike Carp waiting in the wings.

Why trade any of these ballplayers for a guy who might only be here for 3 months, and then go back to his old team (Mike Bordick anyone)? Of course it's hard to tell if Gotay will pan out to be a great, like Wally Backman; or a dud, like Carlos Baerga. Will Lastings Milledge be the next Dave Kingman, or the next Alex Ochoa? Let's not make the same mistake that Jim Duquette did in 2004, by trading our stud Scott Kazmir for a broken Victor Zambrano. Let's make it so that we are not just contenders in 2007, but contenders for years to come.

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Now that the all star game is over, the Mets can settle into playing everyday again after their layoff. With the season more than half over, here begins the stretch run towards the playoffs. That first step in the stretch run is the trading deadline where teams can wheel and deal in attempts to make their team better, without having players pass through the waiver wire. Mets fans can remember numerous deadline deals made over the last several years including the infamous Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano deal (Kazmir is free in 2011 and a Boras client for those of you wondering.).

The most important thing for any team this time of year is to figure out whether or not you want to be a buyer or a seller. Obviously, the Mets are in a position to be a buyer whether that means acquiring a starting pitcher, reliever, or corner outfielder. This trading deadline is trickier than normal though. First off, we have several ballplayers that are coming back momentarily in the pitching and outfield department. For example, even though we were in a pinch for starting pitching before the all star break, Oliver Perez and Jorge Sosa are due to be activated shortly after the all star break. With Pedro Martinez starting his rehab assignment shortly, that will be adding a boost to the rotation. Hopefully, since Martinez is coming back that means that Scott Schoenweis is shown the door.

The outfield is another tough area right now to decide upon. Gomez, Alou, Chavez, and Milledge are all in the wings. Gomez is the farthest off as he probably won’t be seen until the early part of September. However, Alou and Milledge should be back shortly with Chavez coming back within the next few weeks. Do we continue to wait around? It’s inevitable that the surplus of outfielders and pitchers will happen, but how patient can we be?

So what is the answer to these questions? Nobody really knows but the Mets general manager Omar Minaya. I am positive that Omar is on the phone seeing who is available with regards to keeping Pelfrey and Humber. It should be an interesting next 3 weeks for Mets fans, especially if we become consistent.


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As I mentioned yesterday in my post, Scott Schoeneweis has not been an effective reliever. I know the guy has a bad left leg and maybe some time on the disabled list would be good for him.

After Wagner and Mota effectively pitched their one inning each, our favorite reliever comes in and gives up a bomb to Brendan Ryan when he has 2 strikes on him. In his 2/3 of an inning, Schoeneweis gives up 2 hits 2 runs (1 ER) along with walking a guy. Horrible.

What bothers me the most is, its becoming a normal occurrence. Even though his previous 4 appearances were a bit better and he really has not had a blow up since June 7th, his ERA is still well over where it should be and us Mets fans know that the game is over when he comes in.

Well whats the solution then? Good question. What lefty reliever can we acquire to take this guys spot if we did let him go or even put him on the DL for a while? I do not know of any. We are stuck in the meantime.

Many of you may be thinking "Well what about Aaron Heilman?" While Heilman has been another favorite whipping boy (especially giving up the temporary go ahead run), may I remind everyone that when Duaner Sanchez went down after his cab incident (which I think we are still feeling sour for) Heilman filled in beautifully as an 8th inning guy.

So I think the verdict is still out on Heilman, but it looks like Schoeneweis better figure something out fast. We are all hoping his days are numbered as a Met.



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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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