There have been many reports that Jenry Mejia will be sent out to be “stretched out and return as a starter.” Some predicted that it would happen in this transaction.

I’ve never like the idea of making this kind of change during the season with any pitcher and especially not with a jewell like Mejia. Maybe last night’s performance changed their mind for the good.

Mejia struck out Brett Gardner and Mark Teixeira in a huge spot during the seventh. With the Mets having only one starter in Johan Santana that demonstrates he can at least get to the eighth, they are going to need arms like Mejia’s to give them a chance to win.

Still the formula cannot sustain itself. I know we got another run last night, but Mike Pelfrey needed to go another inning. Jerry Manuel has to use four pitchers to get through the last three innings as a result. Franciso Rodriguez had to get five of the last six outs and may not be available tonight.

Pedro Feliciano and Fernando Nieve are tied for the league lead in appearances. This is an obscene embarrassment for the organization to have two pitchers at the top. The two quite frankly cannot contunue at their current pace and will likely break down before the season is over.

This obscene embarrasment has gone on during the entire tenure of Omar Minaya. Willie Randolph needed at least four pitcher to win a game as well.

The Mets will have to change their philosophy and culture of pitching if they intend to be a winning organization. If they want to win this year, they’ll have to go out and get two starters that can consistently get them into a game’s last two innings on his own.

Posted under METS

My hometown paper, the Northwest Florida Daily News, has an editorial that takes a rare look at some of the hopeful signs in clean-up efforts:

One month after the oil rig Deepwater Horizon erupted in flames, unleashing a so-far-unstoppable gusher of crude a mile down in the Gulf of Mexico, there is reason for cautious optimism here in Northwest Florida. Our sandy shore and emerald waters remain unspoiled by oil. There is a chance — perhaps a better chance as each day goes by — that the worst won’t happen

To be fair, the NWFDN is focused on the local coastline. If the spill gets into the loop, it can theaten the Keys and other loactions. Still, alot of good people are working around the clock to fight this tragedy. It’s not good for Louisiana, a state that can hardly take much more. The damage to that particular ecosystem may prove to be incalculable in long-term harm.

Posted under BLACK TIDE, METS

From left to right: Time Teufel, Howard Johnson, Bobby Ojeda and Ron Darling

What a classic!

Posted under METS

It was a mistake from the start by all parties concerned to publically downplay the seriousness of the injury to Carlos Beltran. The “bone bruise” angle was intentionally misleading and masked the injury’s true nature. It was probably known by all that Beltran had a microfracture somewhere along the boney surface of the knee joint and that they chose to take a conservative approach. With the results of current microfracture surgery still iffy, it wasn’t really a bad idea to see what would have happen with rest. We don’t really know.

They’ve tried that and a half measure sugery seems to have been attempted by Dr. Richard Steadman in Colorado earlier this past offseason. It’s not clear what faith that Steadman has in his own technique for microfracture surgery, but current management of Beltran’s injury leads one to speculate that there isn’t a concensus between Steadman and David Altchek. Or perhaps it is Steadman whom doesn’t have enough faith yet in potential results to have recommended attempted microfracture surgery last year when it first happened.

The Mets are at fault only in their attempt to spin the story as it to deterioating their relationship with Beltran. The club’s public stance that downplayed the injury cuased miscomunication among all parties. Honesty and candor would have been a far better policy.

The narrative for all from the beginning should have been that Beltran’s injury was serious and that yes, his career is at stake. The current surgical options are not necessarily good. The potential results are not known. Rest will be attempted first and after a period of time further decisions will be made that are in the best interests of Beltran.

I agree with Bob Klapish’s assessment today of where we are with Beltran’s injury.

If they’d have been candid from the beginning, this wouldn’t have been the soap opera drama it became.

Posted under METS

Maine’s obviously a wreck. If you get a muscle spasm in your other arm (never seen that) because of the way your throwing, you’ve got serious issues. The Mets will be doing him a favor. My vote is for Dillon Gee as Hisanori Takahashi has been far too valuable in his relief role.

Other Mets Bric a Brac:

And please keep Jose Reyes batting third for now. Whenever..if ever…Carlos Beltran returns, they can revisit it.

I see that Luis Castillo is getting another day off. He lookedlike his sore calf muscles were killing him again during that 20 inning affair last Saturday. But neither he nor Alex Cora have been particularly useful offensively in the #2 hole. How long will the Mets let that go on? There doesn’t seem to be any help in the minors. As they are now both back home, perhaps the Mets should consider the Wally Backman-Time Teufel platoon. We’d be soooooo pumped!

I thought the Braves would be pretty good this year and would finish ahead of the Mets. Winning this series could change that.

Best guesses on players that won’t be on the active roster in August: Gary Matthews Jr, Frank Catalanotto, Castillo, Fernando Tatis, and Manny Acosta. I’m just saying.

Sean Green is scheduled to be about ready. I bet he gets optioned to Buffalo.

What happens when Daniel Murphy returns? He’s certain to get a rehab assignment. Hope he’s not hurt more than the Mets are letting on. Heaven knows they’ve done that before and it bites them in the ass every time. Anyhow, as things look now, he won’t be replacing Ike Davis. Maybe Murphy can be the primary pinch-hitter. Murphy has significant value though as he can play both 1st and 3rd, and someone may want him. Could he be part of a potential trade this season to improve the club’s rotation or at 2B?

Posted under METS

Forgive me in my frequent attempts to wax poetic about the team I have found myslf passionately rooting for again. This season I decided to drop baseball from my cable package, so last Saturday’s game was the first game I saw in it’s entirity. And, yes, I watched every pitch. My son an I texted or chatted throughout the whole game. Admittedly I couldn’t bear watching to see if Mike Pelfrey could get the last three outs. I told Rob that I was going to bed and to text me when it was over.

The giddiness in the dugout during the game – the rally caps -was indicative of something that began the night before in the game that Oliver Perez pitched so well. They lost the lead, but made a valiant effort to come back in the ninth. Something happened that night that carried over to the next.

Suddenly, the pitching is beginning to hold up and the Mets have the league’s best ERA. Pelfrey had another solid start last night after one by Jon Niese. The bullpen is pretty good although the loss to a hamstring injury to Ryota Igarashi is disappointing.

With things going so well maybe it will turn into a good thing for someone else. Omar Minya did a good job of increasing organizational depth and there are arms at Buffalo the club are anxious to see anyhow. It might even be time to see if Dillon Gee can make quality starts and get John Maine out of his missery and put him in the bullpen to work things out.

Invariably I’ve become a hopeless sap about the club and occassionally I just can’t help myself in seeing the links in the club’s rich history. Ike Davis, the new kid we have so much hope in, wears #29 – Dave Magadan’s old number. Jon Niese who pitched the other night was born on the same day we won the World Sreies in 1986. Howard Johnson played for that storied team and was in the dugout Monday.

We all sense a certain bit of mystery and magic surrounds the Mets with it’s own unique aura. The lows are historically tragic, but the highs somehow transend the greatest dreams and possibilities.

Somethings happening.

Peter Frampton’s epic 1970′s live album opens with an upbeat song of hope and promise, “Something’s happening”.

Yeah, ooh baby, don’t ever let it bring you down
Ooh baby, That’s not the way I want it to sound
Ooh baby, don’t ever let it bring you down
Ooh baby, I’ll pick you up “

Posted under METS

Adam Rubin has a new home at ESPN New York. His recent post come from an interview with Jeff Francoeur and his support for Jerry Manuel.

The media take on Manuel’s job security is probably ahead of reality. But Francoeur’s statements are important as he has emerged as a leader in the Mets’ clubhouse. Francoeur reflects player sentiments.

It’s not like headline narratives are implying.

Posted under METS

Maybe this is the one that can do it. Sometimes its a series that signals a turn in a season’s fortunes. Yesterday’s extra-inning gut check win assured the Mets would at least hold serve to the first-place Phillies. If Pedro Martinez can recapture some of his own magic tonight, the Mets will gain three games in the loss column.

With three months to play, we’ve seen two straight Oliver Perez starts of notable quality on the road. Mike Pelfrey is emerging as a starter. Carlos Delgado is beginning to hit. Yesterday’s blown save by Billy Wagner aside, the bullpen seems to be adapting to Jerry Manual’s reshuffle to clearly defined roles.

Please forgive me if I found Joe Smith sudden death work during three innings reminding me of Terry Leach. This was Terry Leach’s type of game that required his kind of guts. It looks as if Smith has Leach’s guts now, too.

Now we have tonight. As its likely Martinez will not go very far in the game, the bullpen will shoulder the last 10 to 12 outs. They’ve had a pretty good weekend and seem to want to ball. Its a small ballpark in Philly, so it may not be pretty at times. But a win tonight in what is this season’s biggest game could signal the end of the Mets mallaise.

Posted under METS

Make no mistake. Keith Hernandez cares deeply about this club. Maybe more than he should as a broadcaster. I imagine he may know this, but comfortable in his own skin, Hernandez sunderstand his identity is as a New York Met. This alone distinguishes him from Jose Reyes. Not that Reyes doesn’t care, he’s not yet matured to the point he has the personal investment that has Hernandez.

Hernandez has won in New York and is at the center of the clubs greatests legacies. Reyes, whom along with David Wright, will likely go down as among the Mets greatest everyday players. But, like Wright, has not yet experienced a championship as a Met. If this ever happens, it will cement Reyes’ pride and assure him his place in history. Something that Hernandez has.

In many ways Hernandez is the conscience of the Mets. His abrupt, biting criticisms are not new. Calling out Darryl Strawberry during spring training in the late 80′s and challenging Bobby Valentine’s club in 2002 weren’t about any selfish want on his part. They were about the ballclub, something that Hernandez knows is larger than himself.

Now it is Reyes turn to absorb the critical gaze of Keith Hernandez. It was Reyes’ history of selfishness that prompted Hernandez to say something. Reyes’ constant pouting and temper tantrums have been a ball and chain on what is larger than him – the ballclub. He’s not been effectively been held accountable. Its certain that Willie Randolph probably attempted to but was undermined by enablers outside the clubhouse.

Hernandez is more than a broadcaster. He’s a club icon. When criticism comes from a club icon – like a Cal Ripken or Brooks Robinson for the Orioles – its peer pressure at its greatest. Its understandable that Reyes would reject the criticism, but a public rebuke like this will leave him with a lasting memory. Men who played the game before him are watching.

Posted under METS

…even picking up Andy Phillips? He appeared in four games. He was DFA’d today to make room for Tony Armas. Perhaps Carlos Muniz will go to the way of last season’s pitcher that was held hostage – Aaron Sele. The Mets are carrying 13 pitchers.

Posted under METS