Aaron Heilman's two runs allowed were his first let up since June 12. Heilman has seemingly turned it on lately, but still has not quieted doubters of his talent and ability. I still hear people calling for him to be traded for Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes.
I don't get that. It would be like trading for the same guy. They have similar build, similar pitching style, similar numbers. What's the point.
Trust the things you know, I say. Heilman has been great for the last month, and is getting better every day. No need to fret.
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Sticking with the bullpen, I'm not worried about Billy Wagner either.
Every pitcher is going to struggle. His fastballs will go flat, his breaking balls won't break, and hitters will just seem to be able to hit everything he throws. It's going to happen.
Wagner is enough of a veteran to shake off bad performances. He seems to always string together his poor starts, so as a fan, you can rely on him to scare you for a few days every few months, and then be practically lights out otherwise.
He's one of the best in the biz, but for the next few days, I'm going to worry if he comes into the game to try and seal it.
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I don't know how much stock I put into this latest quote from Carlos Beltran. His ill-advised throw to third in the ninth, which was trying to nail a meaningless runner at third, sailed wide, and allowed the run to score to bring the Phillies within one, was questioned by a reporter.
Here's how it happened, via Adam Rubin:
Beltran resoundingly disputed any suggestion he made the incorrect decision throwing to the third base trying to catch Eric Bruntlett in the ninth. The throw allowed the potential tying run, Pedro Feliz, to reach second. When the ball got past David Wright, Bruntlett trotted home and made it 10-9. When an MLB.com reporter told Beltran he didn’t think it was a good decision, Beltran replied: “You’re not a baseball player.” Even Jerry Manuel, though, didn’t think it was wise. Beltran kind of threw Wright under the bus, saying he should have made the catch since he had Bruntlett nailed.Beltran, sans Sunday's game, has been mired in a slump. I'll sort of give him a pass here. He's frustrated at the plate, and now his one constant ability, his fielding prowess is being questioned, it cannot feel good.
His throw seemed to beat Bruntlett, but bounced a few feet left of Wright. It seemed to glance off the tip of Wright's glove as he tried to bring the glove across his body and apply the tag, unfortunately with an empty mitt. The throw had him beat, and I'm almost certain Wright will treat this like water off a duck's back.
Bad idea turned into a run, but the Mets still won. Let's not gripe about it too much.
