» Philadelphia Phillies

Wow, it has been a long time since I have been able to post here! I just got married, and boy were times crazy…but a good type of crazy!

Anyway, when we last left off, the Mets had a chance, the Mets had hope, the Mets were looking half decent…but here we are now…and as the whole world knows, the Mets completely fell apart. We can’t put the full blame on the players who led us to the record we finished with, but it was more of a combination…When you combine injuries and an overall lack of “Cohesiveness” led them to this end.

Well enough about the Mets..how about those Yankees! That’s right the Met’s blogger is 100% for the Yankees. Unlike a lot of Mets fans I am not at all a Yankee hater. I only dislike the Yankees when they beat the Mets, OR lose to the Phillies! Speaking of the Phillies…tonight is the night…tonight is the night to end their little run and bring the glory back to New York.

The Yankees absolutely must win this game tonight. Pettite has to step up big and the bullpen needs to be ready…ready to face a motivated and very dangerous Phillies lineup. A-Rod and Damon, in my opinion, will carry them through tonight. I also believe Jeter will have a HUGE game.

So from this Met’s fan…I want to let the whole world hear this…. “LET’S GO YANKEES”

Any friggin’ Mets fan out there that is rooting for the Phillies in this series need to check themselves..take off the Red and White you would never ever wear during any regular season (or post season for that matter) and slip into some pinstripes for tonights incredible game!

Wowzer. 3-4 years ago, I thought the Braves and Mets would never trade with each other again in the history of baseball. I thought only the Red Sox and Yankees were less likely to make a deal – a now it’s Phillies and Mets of course. Interesting deal! The potential out of Jeff Francoeur I like a lot more than the injury potential of Ryan Church. Jeff Francoeur is a great right-fielder, fairly healthy, and young enough where he can improve – ten-fold from how he’s performing now. He’s only 25 and went back to back years with 100+ rbis in 2006 and 2007. He hit for average in 2007, but I don’t know if he’ll ever really do that again, and if its his mind making him perform bad in Atlanta…well, I don’t think that will get much better in New York, but again, I still like the deal. It’s a small shakeup. The Mets need to do a lot more, but they won’t with the market and asking prices. So lets hope this and JJ Putz, Billy Wanger (I mean Wagner, but I figured i’d leave the mispelling), and Carlos Delgado can help the team enough in August and the same for Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes when they get healthy (as well as John Maine & Oliver Perez who already had the epitomic Oliver Perez-like start). And most importantly, the Mets need the help of the Phillies, that they have somewhat received early season until now, but may not any longer.

After the first loss to the Phillies this past series, MetsBlog.com writer, Regis Courtemanche wrote, “Win or lose, I love the way the Mets are playing right now.  They seem completely focused on the task at hand, and Citi Field seems to have finally come alive. Still disappointing to let this one get away though.” FYI, MetsBlog is one of the best (Mets) Blogs out there. To be honest, I disagree with the statement, however the Mets are without their starting SS, 1b, 2 SP’s and both our set-up men. That’s right – “both.” Eventually this season, the Mets will have Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, JJ Putz, Billy Wagner, Oliver Perez (and John Maine now) all coming off the DL. The Phillies are only 4 games ahead, but with a bullpen of K-rod, and potentially healthy and effective relievers, such as Wagner and Putz, the Mets rotation will only have to pitch 6 effective innings each night (for the most part). And that’s great because it seems Redding , Maine , and Oliver (and often times Santana and Pelfrey) can never pass that plateau. The offense will have to come out romping, however – something they couldn’t do last year and something they haven’t been able to do this season even prior to Reyes and Delgado going down. With that said, I’m still very willing to “wait and see” how the Mets perform after Reyes, Delgado, Maine, Oliver, Putz, and Wagner come back, however, the question is and will be – is it too late?

Do the Mets need to do something to shake the team up? In a prior post (http://www.majorleagueblogging.com/major-league-baseball/lets-play-gm-mets-crazy-trade-scenarios/), I talked about the potential need to shake up the team, and I threw out some crazy trade scenarios. The reality is, people, reporters, and teams are catching on that the Red Sox have 9 at least effective or ready major league starters. It’s also fairly clear they could use an effective shortstop, which is where, to me, the Mets should come in to play. I love Reyes, but could he land us both Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden? I think he could. I think that’s worth it – for both teams. We could potentially add a catching prospect to the deal (Francisco Pena or Josh Thole) – they’re young, but the Red Sox have and may have a need for a catcher in the future if they don’t trade for/sign Joe Mauer/Twins (after or during) next year. Another potential aspect I would add to to the deal (if I were Omar Minaya) is Oliver Perez. This is only to free up salaray to trade for and sign another need (Matt Holliday)? That’s not essential, but if the Red Sox were willing to take on Perez’s salary in addition to losing their top 2 pitching prospects in the deal, then I would do that. I’d then, however, ask for a more than effective reliever: Manny Delcarmen/Takashi Saito. So i’d potentially like to see:

Mets Receive: Clay Buchholz/sp; Michael Bowden/sp; Takashi Saito/rp; Jed Lowrie/ss

Red Sox Receive: Jose Reyes/ss; Oliver Perez/sp; Josh Thole or Francisco Pena/c

I guess there’s a contingency – Jose Reyes’ health. Would this prevent such a trade? The Sox do still have Nick Green and Julio Lugo to hold down the ss job while Reyes is out. Again this would then allow us to potentially go for Matt Holliday, Mark Derosa, or other outfielders via trade this season or free agency after, so Daniel Murphy could stay at first next year with the assumption that Carlos Delgado will be gone. Our lineup would obviously hurt without Reyes for the rest of the year, but if we trade for another bat for the lineup, the Rotation with Buchholz and or Bowden would be much more effective than Tim Redding.

Agreed?

Well, it’s a day or so late, but I want to share with all of the sites loyal visitors this Mets Authors’ first Citi Field experience…

Going to a game is great, but going to a game with great people is an even more incredible experience…I had the pleasure of attending my first game at Citi Field thanks to an incredible mid-day invitation from a colleague (to be shown later), and two of his (now mine as well) friends. What was even more incredible…we sat 1’st base side…row 6! Not bad for the first Citi field experience eh?

So after a quick train/subway ride, a sandwich, and a few beers the majestic exterior or Citi Field came into focus..I was floored by the appearance of the stadium, I absolutely loved it. It has an incredible likeness to the historic Ebbets Field and it totally, 10000% blew away Shea…Let’s face it…Shea was not much of a looker thats for sure…

My Very First View Of Citi Field

Shortly after I snapped this photo….

Another Look At Citi Field

So enough about the exterior…when entering Citi Field, one can’t help but to look all around at the incredible tribute to the great Jackie Robinson # 42… the Rotunda is really a wonderful site to see. I was really impressed with the quotes, images, videos, and the overall ambiance of the Citi Field entrance. Take a look…

An Incredible Tribute...

Rotunda Quote

 Moving on…past the rotunda….up the escalator… 

Welcome To Citi Field

So we took a look at our tickets…and we see this enticing caption “Admit One To Acela Club” … so we figured…well we absolutely have to check out this prestigious, top notch, exclusive lounge/club…more on this later… So we head up the stairs, and track down the sign that tells us where to go….

To The Acela!

Before we get to the Acela club…we pass through 3-4 ticket security checks to make sure we weren’t freeloading…they certainly tightened up their security..(At least near the Acela/Caesars areas..) – Was a bit lacking in the 100’s seating section though  

Anyways, we pass through the Caesars Palace Club thing…

Caesars Lounge

So we marched onward towards the esteemed Acela club, passing through Caesars without hesitation…And we arrive after another solid security point…So worth it…

Acela Club

So we arrive at the Acela club, and we promptly determined that it sucked ass, and left…Yeah it wasn’t all that great…$40 hamburger meals..and a decent view…We’ll pass…Elliot gives his review below…

Not O-Kaye...The Acela Club Doesn't Live Up To The Hype..

So we promptly headed back to the Caesars lounge, grabbed some beers…and hung out until around game time…

The Erriot At Caesars

Wait...That's Me!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot…as an extra measure of security Citi Field has decided to ID evvvvveryone when buying some beers…and I do mean everyone…really I do…  I was on line waiting for a beer, and a couple behind me (Must have been about 70….)  were asked for ID…it was a great dialogue…it went as follows:

Vendor: “ID please”

70 Year Old Man: “Hahahahahah”

Vendor: “I’m Serious…” 

70 Year Old Man: <—- Shocked beyond belief… “Honey…do we even have our Id’s?”

Me: <—Internally laughing my ass off… 

So yeah they finally gave them the beers, crazy right?

Ok so onto the game….

I couldn’t have asked for better seats, a better opponent, or a better experience in general…it was truly that game that featured everything a fan could want…

1. Jamie Moyer Getting Shelled in the 1’st and 2′nd

2. 3 Mets Bombs in the first few innings…

3. Fan fights in right field nose bleeds…Phillies Vs. Mets…what do you expect?

4. A manager ejection…JERRY, JERRY!

5. A Mets Win…

6. A Phillies Loss…

Have a gander at some of these images…

The View From Our Seats...Awesome

Rollins and Delgado (obvious )

And...He's Gone!!! 2 Innings +...

Mr. Met Blasting Out Some Shirts

Jerry Arguing Victorino Call...And He's Gone!

Mets Blogger...Checking Out Of Citi Field

Well that does it everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this Bloggers view of the new Citi field…I must admit I really had a blast…and a big thank you to the crew that invited me to the game…what an awesome experience!

Til’ Next time…Let’s Go Mets!

Hopefully you read one of my last posts regarding Johan Santana as the NL MVP for 2009 (http://www.majorleagueblogging.com/baseball-news/mets-rotation-johan-santanamvp-trade-needed/). Basically it gave Johan Santana’s stats up to that point and iterated the need for a starting pitcher via trade.

In Santana’s 1 loss, he had a line of 7 innings; 3 hits; 2 runs (BOTH UNEARNED); 1 walk; and 13 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he went up against Josh Johnson/FLA. Last night he went up against Chan Ho Park/PHL (horrendous). Nauseatingly, Park went 6 innings; 1 hit; 2 walks; 1 HBP; and 5 strikeouts. Santana 1-Up’ed him (not in hits) going 7 innings; 2 hits; 3 walks; and 10 strikeouts.

Johan Santana is now 4-1 with a .91 ERA and a .91 WHIP. He’s got 54 K’s in 39.2 IP. He’s 2nd in the NL in wins; 1st in strikeouts; 2nd in WHIP; and 1st in ERA.

Prior to last night’s game he was giving up 1.1 runs a game and was only getting 2.2 runs a game from his offense. Now he’s given up only .91 runs a game (not even a run a game!) and in last night’s win, he got less than half his 2.2 runs a game support. The Mets really need to start provding him with some runs. No matter how much I stress that statement, it will still be the understatement of the world.

Johan Santana is still undefeated against the Phillies, the Mets new and beyond obvious, nemesis. He is now 3-0 lifetime against the Phillies in 7 career starts with a 2.44 ERA – phenomenal.

Johan Santana now has 31% of the Mets wins on the season. With complete concerns and inconsistency from Mike Pelfrey, Livan Hernandez, Oliver Perez, and John Maine (pitched solid other than bb’s in his past 2 starts), Johan Santana is infinitely important. I understand that the CY Young is the award to receive for a pitcher, and it epitomizes how great of a season a starter had, however, the MVP is how fantastic a player is and helps his team. There’s no doubt in my mind that Johan Santana at this point is the NL MVP and should be by season’s end. Of course the obvious competition is Albert Pujols/1b-STL. He is absolutely amazing: .364avg-28r-11hr-31rbi-4sb-.467obp-.747slg-1.215ops. According to ESPN, he’s on pace for 167r-66hr-185rbi-24sb. These stats are sensational. He’s the best hitter in the MLB. And if those stolen bases keep up he’ll be by far the best fantasy player (even with out them he will be). If you’re willing to trade him for needed roster slots, you better get a top notch player at each position you need: I’m talking Youkilis/1b; Hamels/sp; McCann/c. And then you can provide an extraneous SP & C back (just a wee-bit of fantasy talk).

Honestly, it’s up in the air, and Albert Pujols (#1 overall on ESPN Player Rater) is so utterly valuabe to the Cardinals. They have other hitters performing right now though – Ryan Ludwick/of; Chris Duncan/of; and Yadier Molina/c. They also have 3 starting pitchers performing well: Joel Pineiro; Kyle Lohse; and of course Mets’ horror Adam Wainwright. I’ve explained before in my last post. The Mets have solid offense: Reyes-Murphy-Beltran-Delgado-Wright, but they only have one great starter: Johan Santana (#5 overall on ESPN Player Rater) – http://games.espn.go.com/flb/playerrater?

Talk about a much needed win….that’s exactly what the Mets got today against the Phillies. Playing on the road facing Chan Ho Park…Big Pelf at the helm…talk about a must win….

So let’s rewind…in the last few days we have seen a few major bullpen meltdowns…this is totally 100%, completely nothing like the Mets…imagine that…a bullpen blowing the game..well it happened…twice. The Mets came into this game needing a big stop and they got it.

Pelfrey performed well, Murphy came up big, and even David Wright got in on the action. K-Rod took care of business..excellent.

Tomorrow the Mets will face someone who they should (but often dont) slap around…Jamie Moyer. We have our own excitement to add though, Olly Perez…which Olly will we see tomorrow? …  Only Time Will Tell…

Let’s G Mets!

The losing way that is.

After wining their home opener on Friday 3 to 10 against the Phillies the Rox dropped the 2 weekend games 8 to 4 on sat & 7 to 5; then they traveled to the Windy City of Chicago and was welcomed by the rain, wind and Ted Lilly, the Cubs won the first game shutting out the boys 0 to 4 and almost came close to a no-hitter as well but Garrett Atkins broke that up in the 7th inning. The Rox did win Wed’s game 5 to 2 then flew to LA where Manny Ramirez & the Dodgers cleaned the Rox’ clocks clean by sweeping them in the 3-game set: 3 to 4 Fri, 5 to 9 Sat & 14 to 2 on Sun.

Monday the Rox are in Phoenix taking on the 4th place Diamondbacks of Arizona for 3 games, let’s hope Jason Marquis can work his magic on the D’backs by shutting them out — although I’ve heard Jon Garland is pretty good pitcher — either way the Rox need to get a winning streak started.

Daniel Murphy looks to be a perfect two-hole hitter and a fantasy baseball stat provider. Thus far, in 2009 he’s batting .296 with a .345 obp, including a Home Run in his 3^rd at bat. In 2008, he hit .313, but, considerably more significant was his .397 obp. His offensive approach and surprising patience, will provide Jose Reyes a chance to run and David Wright a chance to drive in someone other than (and in addition to) Jose Reyes. I see Murphy providing the following fantasy line:

93runs-15homeruns-73rbis-6stolen bases-.283avg-.357obp.

I think Daniel Murphy is exactly what the Mets needed in so many different ways. Probably the only way, he’s not extremely needed, is that he hits left-handed, however, this guarantees him hitting 2^nd all year (without any slumps) because the Mets wouldn’t bat Delgado-Murphy-Church-Schneider back to back. I think Reyes(s) Murphy(l) Wright(r) Delgado(l) Beltran(r) Church(l)/Sheffield(r) Shneider(l)/Castro(r) Castillo(s)/Cora(l) is what they will go with all year. Maybe against phenomenal lefties, he could hit toward the bottom of the lineup, but I would say at least 85% of his at bats comes from the 2-hole.

I posted this factor in my first post of the season – NL East Projections/Previews, but I think one of the most important aspects surrounding Daniel Murphy, will be the Met’s ability to trade Fernando Martinez. Maybe they want to keep him for RF, which of course, they should (if he pans out), but I really think we should trade him in addition to one of our top SS prospects (Wilmer Flores/ Reese Havens) and one of our top P prospects (Jon Niese/Brad Holt/Eddie Kunz) for a top notch starter, such as Roy Halladay, Erik Bedard + Jose Lopez, or Jake Peavy. I think Fernando Martinez is expendable because of Murphy; Havens/Flores is expendable because of Reyes; and even our 3b prospect, Jeff Marte is expendable because of Wright. Why not trade these pieces for another starter and 2b while we’re at it:

If they deem Jeff Marte effective, this allows the Mariners to also trade Adrian Beltre(3b), and they then can have a successful fire sale. The Mets lineup and rotation would look as follows:

This trade would not only make the rotation and lineup look significantly better, but the Mets would have Johan Santana – Erik Bedard – Oliver Perez (Lefty-Lefty-Lefty) against the Phillies. I guess I’m subconsciously dwelling on the Phillies, but METS… PLEASE DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE BRAVES – AND MARLINS!!!!!