2008 Mets!!! LETS GO METS!!!

Who is this Mike Pelfrey guy? My goodness hes acting like hes won 4 or 5 in a row and starting to blow hitters away. I think its safe to say hes arrived. 5 of the last 7 starts 2 runs or less and 5 of his last 6 decisions are wins. The era and whip are starting to drop accordingly as well.

 

Santana, Maine and Pelfrey have been giving us good work, and Perez has about every other time out. That's 3.5 good starters. I think Pedro's run out of gas, though.

 

I think Pedro's getting closer except hes just missing tangible results. Like for instance the other night in St Louis his slider is just breaking a drop too far and missing the outside corner or not as sharp as it usually does and getting hit 430 feet to dead center by Troy Glaus. His velocity is there as hes consistently around 91-93 on his fastball. But hes missing with location more then anything which is fixable. Basically he looks like hes just finishing spring training. I have faith you will see a much better second half.

 

Phillies over the HAPP-less Mets!!!!

 

Thats just a bad play on words. Just like mets performance

 

It's still a long season so you never know. I just saw the best game ever....the Rockies were losing 13-4 to the Marlins in the 4th inning and they came back to win it 18-17. That's what makes baseball so great. You just never know what will happen. Spilborghs, the Rockie's CF, is going to be a great player if he ever gets more playing time.....4 hour game, great fireworks, a perfect 4th.

 

look at that, 2 out hits, hits with risp and you win the game...who knew?

 

Cholly Manuel blew it by taking out JC Romero and putting in Gordon. Ahhhh well.....we had no reason being up 4-3 in the 7th when we only had three hits. Looks like you might be catching the Marlins who are getting hammered by the Rockies once again.

 

Romero always owns us so he was due to get lit up

 

OK, I just heard a rumor that I just have to report. I have a friend whose girlfriend works at the CBP. Apparently the Phillies may have a deal in the works to bring CC Sabathia to the team.....the deal would involve the Phillies sending their top closer (Lidge) to the Indians. Lidge is probably only a one year rental for the Phils so it might make sense. I would hate to see Lidge go but this is what I am hearing. (The Brewers and Dodgers are also still in the mix, but the Phils may have moved to the top). The deal could be done and announced on Sunday, according to my source. We'll see.

Yep, Romero was probably overdue for a beating, but Howard didn't have it tonight and Manuel just kept him in there.

 

I said this in the other thread, but that makes no sense for Cleveland, and I'm mighty skeptical that your source knows what he's talking about.

 

Lidge just signed a three year extension. Good news!!!! Buster Olney thinks it is still down to Philly or the Brewers for CC.....I think the Brewers are getting cold feet.

 

Goddammit, Wagner!!!!!

 

What happened...I blinked and its tied up now?????

HR???

 

NOTHING..NOTHING surprises me with this team anymore...you see it over and over. I swear to you I said to my son before the inning started that Wagner will give up a tying HR this inning..I just knew it. Perez pitches 7 shutout innings and they use 3 pitchers to try and get 6 outs and they cant!
Between the HORRIBLE job they do with men on base and not scoring runs...the bullpen implodes at the best time. Its been a year and change of the same type of baseball...and I really can't see what is going to change.

 

Well, they pulled it out. I'd have rather Wagner just shut the damn thing down in the 9th, but a win's a win. 2 of 3 in Philthadelphia, and now we're 3.5 back. Yeah!

 

Pedro pitches tomorrow in the last game of the 4 game series. It would be a great time to see the old Pedro.

Nice job by Tatis and Joe smith doing the job late in the game. Good to see Beltran come up with some clutch hits. Still we need another bat. WOuldnt be totally adverse to trading Castillo Delgado and Alou and bringing up Carp (1b), Nick Evans (LF) and Daniel Murphy (learning 2B) and trying to make the playoffs with that group as opposed to the current non productive sludge we have there now.

Hey Roman, Sabathia to the Brewers!

 

If Charlie Manuel keeps playing .210 hitting Ruiz at Catcher, and Geoff Jenkins in RF, the Phillies are not going to go anywhere. The #6-9 hitters on the Phils are sure outs, and Ryan Howard is going to set an all-time strike out record the way he is going. Phils tied it up against Wagner in the 9th and then Babe Ruth Tatis beats us with a homer in extra innings. Phils better start playing better.

 

For as much crap as we've been giving Castillo, he's got a 365 OBP and 13 steals (against 2 caught stealing). He's not our biggest problem. Yes, I know he can't hit the ball out of the infield, but I don't particularly care about his slugging percentage; I just want him to get on base. As for Delgado, at this point, he needs to be platooned. Play Easley at 1B against LHP once Castillo gets healthy. Or Alou; there's less chance of him hurting himself at 1B.

It's nice that we've got what look to be some quality hitting prospects at AA.

Yeah, Roman, you should probably consider getting a new source. The one who clued you in to the supposed Lidge for Sabathia trade couldn't possibly have been more wrong.

 

We're 21-31 with Castillo in the 2 spot. And you cant hit him anywhere else. Making him officially USELESS.

 

That's specious reasoning. He's got a .372 OBP as the #2 hitter. So how is the 21-31 record his fault? His job is to get on base so Wright and Beltran have someone to drive in. He's doing his job.

 

Ya but his idea of hitting with RISP is an RBI groundout. God forbid the guy should get a clutch hit. Sorry, Im not looking for OBP in the 2 slot. Im looking for a doubles hitter with occassional pop. Think Placido Polanco or Derek Jeter type. Good contact who can get on base but is up there primarily to hit the ball.

Theres a reason this team is much better with Church in the 2 slot. Teams are afraid of him. Absolutely no one fears Castillo except Met fans. Further, you simply cant have have him in a lineup that includes Brian Schneider and Endy chavez or Fernando Tatis.

I hated the deal when we got him, and I still hate it.

 

By the way I think I found the solution for Oliver Perez. He is hereby only allowed to pitch vs good teams. He kills the NYY, Braves and Phillies. He lays the egg vs every bad team he should dominate. Still if we wanted to win this year hes got to go for a bat.

 

Well I hated the 4 year contract extension, so no argument there, but you're not looking for OBP in the 2 slot? Boik, call your service provider, I think Tim McCarver's stolen your login info.

Getting a "Derek Jeter" type is easier said than done. Jeter's one of the best #2 hitters in baseball history. Yes, he's got pop in his bat, and yes, he hits for average, but most of all, because he gets on base. Jeter's got a lifetime 387 OBP. Polanco has a 350 lifetime OBP, but 369 in the last three years. Obviously, I'd rather have a guy who could hit for some power AND get on base in the #2 hole, but it's the on base part that's more important. That's how you score runs.

But back to Castillo, you're wrong about his hitting. He's hitting 297 with runners on, and 300 with runners in scoring position. With men on and 2 out, it goes up to an impressive 317.

 

I've noticed that. I honestly think it's got something to do with his concentration. Against good teams, he focuses much better.

 

I am glad my source wrong. In the long run, keeping Lidge is the best thing we can do. Lidge is a solid closer who has been close to perfect. CC is a good pitcher, but he got off to a slow start and he may not have the same stuff in the NL. You also have to give up a lot of good prospects to get a guy like CC and sometimes the price is too high. I still think the Phils will try and acquire another starter since they sent Myers down to AAA, but Happ looked good against the Mets. Hopefully tonight's game won't get rained out. Eaton usually pitches well against the Mets.

 

Setting aside, for the moment, the unlikely prospect that the Indians would have done a Sabathia/Lidge swap (and I don't believe for a second that they seriously considered that), this is the flawed reasoning that pervades WAY too many front offices across baseball. A good starter is worth more than a great reliever. 200 innings of a 3 ERA is more valuable than 65 "Jerome Holtzman-approved innings" (I stole that phrase from Keith Law) of a 1.50 ERA. And in this case, Sabathia is an excellent starter, and I would say he's a better starter than Lidge is a reliever, however good Lidge has been this year.

 

21-31 with him in the 2 spot in the lineup. We score less runs per game with him in the 2 hole. No one is afraid of his bloop singles and rbi ground outs. If you watch the games he ruins big innings, and has a negative affect on the hitters around him. His OPS is below the league average and hes falling apart. Id sooner go with Old Man Easley. Sorry bro the guy flat out blows. If I have to watch him for another 3.5 years Im going to lose my mind.

[/] rant

 

Ha good luck with that. Seattle is going to sell him at 60 cents on the dollar with the year hes had and the fact hes unhappy there? I dont think so. Philly will have to give a package close to the Sabathia package and for a pitcher who has had 1 good year and hasnt been as good this year without rockin leo. I HOPE they get him and commit big money to him cause it will drain a mediocore farm system for a mediocre pitcher in a boombox. Gillick is known for midseason deals too as he did some brilliant moves with Toronto but this is a different situation.

 

I am not too crazy about Bedard. Gillick has made much better moves than Ed Wade, their previous GM who got beat down by Chacon a couple weeks ago. I think the Phils will likely stay pat and see what Happ can do....most of the Philly writers think if Myers come back it will be to the bullpen and not as a starter. Heck of a game tonight......from 10-1 to 10-9...I thought Billy was going to blow another one. Looks like things are tightening up in the NL East, but the Phightins are still in first.

 

I think the Phils need to go after it now actually. Just going with happ imo is a bad idea as well. They should be looking around, as a guy like Harang-a-tang could have a similar affect for their team as a Sabathia would and cost much less. The Braves farm is reloading and the Marlins are gonna have this group for a while and should be pretty scrappy. The Mets have 40+ million coming off their books which you know they will respend on players that probably address at least some of their flaws. Philly also has Howard due an extension at some point or its going to get ugly, Hamels arby years coming up, and Im not sure on the status of Utley and Rollins contracts but with escalating payroll costs around them and the fact youre getting a good year from Burrell which you cant always rely on...well I think you see where Im going with it. The Phillies time IS right now or its not going to happen for a long time imo.

 

jesus christ... i think Billy Wagner is purposely trying to be the cause of multiple heart attacks throughout NYC...

 

I'm sorry, but you can't just ignore the numbers in favor of impossible-to-prove stories. (This is the same method of argument that's unfortunately going to put Jim Rice in the Hall of Fame, even though the numbers clearly show he doesn't deserve it.) Yes, his OPS is below the league average for a #2 hitter. Way below, in fact. However, OBP is much more important than SLG, especially for a #2 hitter.

 

New rule: Oliver Perez must pitch in every Philly series, and Billy Wagner must be given three days off during every Philly series.

 

Well, in terms of money, that's true, but the Reds are going to want a sizeable return if they trade Harang. I don't know that the Phillies have the prospects to get it done. I didn't particularly think they had enough for Sabathia, and with Harang younger and under team control for longer, Harang could easily cost as much or more.

Oh, and as long as we're talking about trade deadline stuff and the Reds, now's the time for me to get my usual Adam Dunn pitch in. Get him, Omar! There's not much interest, he can be had for a nominal price!