» Putz

Well the Mets gave us a little scare yesterday but held on to win thanks to the efforts of the Mets Offense, and a break or two at the end of the game…

To start things off, Pelfrey was shaky. Very Shaky. 4 Runs in the first kind of shaky. HE did not keep that up for long though…he totally redeemed himself in the following innings. He buckled down and simply shut the door on the offense for the next 4 innings +

The offense showed up as well, Beltran and Delgado had great days at the plate, and they had contributions from many others as well. Overall is was a sound offensive performance for the most part.

K-Rd gave us a bit of a scare in the 9′th…a bases loaded jam was ended by a deep, deep fly ball that could have very well been a game ender, and not in a good way for the Mets. All in all the Mets hung on and are now 2-0. Plain and simple a win is a win. The Mets will go for the sweep today against the Reds at 1:00 EST. Let go Mets!!!

The Mets won their season opener against the Reds. Plain and simple I really enjoyed (as always) watching Johan pitch, he gave the Mets a strong 5 1/3 and then the bullpen came in to close the deal, without allowing a hit.

Like many Mets fans, I was super impressed with the bullpen, and of course Daniel Murphy. Driving in both Mets runs (1 with a homer) he propelled the Mets to victory on the offensive side of the game. Also, you can call me selfish…but I wanted a close game today. I wanted to see the one-two punch that is Putz – Krod. They looked good, especially K-Rod. I expect to see the same result throughout this season.

Overall, it was a good game to watch, good defense, good pitching and an overall good way to start the season (Especially for this Mets fan!)

Looking forward to Game 2!

If there was one thing the Mets really, really needed it was the solidification of their weak bullpen of 2008. As a Mets fan, I was disgusted with the number of late inning leads blown throughout the 2008 season. Looking back on it, I remember myself dreading innings 6-9 each and every day I watched them play. This has changed though, and in my opinion, it changed a great deal. (Keywords…Great Deal ) 

The Mets signed K-Rod to a three-year, $37 million deal this offseason to become their closer, then completed a 12-player trade with the Mariners and Indians as well. That deal netted them Putz, reliever Sean Green and outfielder Jeremy Reed in exchange for Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, Joe Smith and four Minor Leaguers.

Minaya Said: 

To get one closer like Frankie would have been a good winter. I think to get two guys like this is a great winter. And that being said, we’re not done yet.

I couldn’t agree more. We all know K-Rod is quite capable of finishing out games. Granted, those games were with the Angles, but I feel the same or similar opportunities will present themselves here with the Mets in 2009. The same goes for Putz, although he is used to closing as well, I feel he will adjust well to the new role as setup man or a top 3 closer in baseball, K-Rod.

So, way to go Minaya! This falls into the number 2 slot in his top 5 moves by Minaya. Coming soon…the number one pickup for Minaya…I am sure you can all guess whats coming.

Until next time, Happy Blogging!

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Finally, finally….I am quite comfortable with the tail end of the Mets Bullpen. After the last two seasons, Mets fans were left with nothing more than shattered hopes and dreams. One of the core reasons for this was clearly the lack of stablity in the bullpen.

You know the numbers: the 2008 Mets had the best record in the major leagues if games ended, as they do in Little League, after six innings.

Looking at it now we pick up K-Rod and Putz. Two guys who clearly can make a serious difference when the game is on the line in the late innings.

So the Mets signed Rodriguez, a free agent, to a three-year, $36 million contract, and they traded with Seattle for Putz. Last year, Rodriguez set the major league record for saves in a season with 62.

Rodriguez has saved at least 40 games four years in a row, tied for the longest streak in history. He is the first pitcher ever to lead the American League in saves, then switch leagues the following year. A switch of leagues doesn’t appear to be an issue for him, nor is the pressure he might feel as being one of the saviors of the bullpen, if not the team. 

Again, I want to see K-Rod step up when it counts as he has in the past. In those big Mets and Phillies showdowns, I want to see the lights go out on the Phils offense in the later innings!

I can;t wait to see this revamped bullpen in action.