The Mets are streaking on both sides of the ball

I was gearing up for a lengthy post on how the Mets have turned it around since Jerry Manuel took the helm and how well the players have been playing in July.

Unfortunately (or probably fortunately), Eric Grissom over at Phillies Flow has beaten me to it.

Here's an excerpt of the article, titles "Men on fire":

Overall, the difference between the Manuel and non-Manuel pitching numbers is far more dramatic than the difference between the Manuel and non-Manuel hitting numbers. The Mets are scoring about 4.96 runs per game since he took over compared to about 4.80 per game before he took over, but the difference between the pitching numbers is much larger. After allowing about 4.67 runs per game before Manuel took over, the Mets have allowed about 3.81 runs per game since.

There's some great statistical breakdowns of the starters in July and the runs scored / runs against breakdown between the two months of June and July.

The Mets have been the team that we thought they could be, finally. Mike Pelfrey has blossomed into a wonderful pitcher, Johan Santana has plugged away at his consistently wonderful pace, and Olvier Perez has switched his mechanics and seen great results.

The bats are back too, as Carlos Delgado is getting on track (maybe), Jose Reyes is on an absolute tear after getting off to a slow start, and Damion Easley is filling in admirably at second base.

The All Star break couldn't come at a worse time for the hot Mets, but hopefully it will carry over into the second "half," down the stretch, and beyond.

Great stuff, Eric. Truly worth a read.

Pelfreyized

I love that term. Enjoy...



I have a post on "Sign Guy" in the works.

Early Morning Madness: What happens if the Home Run Derby gets rained out? edition

I woke up to pounding rain this morning, so it immediately sparked the question of what happens if it's pouring later tonight for the Home Run Derby?

It looks like it's supposed to pour later tonight. Does it get rained out entirely? Do they play through the rain? Is it moved to Wednesday night?

So many questions, and no answers.

** * **

Mike Pelfrey is amazing.

He won his sixth straight start last night, throwing eight innings and only allowing six hits. He induced 12 ground balls, which went for 15 outs with the help of three double plays turned behind him. Only four of his outs came from fly balls.

It seemed every time Pelfrey would allow a hit, he'd follow it up with a double play ball. In the first, he allowed a lead off single, and the got the very next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. In the fourth with runners on first and third, he got an inning ending double play, third to second, to first. And in the fifth, he allowed another lead off single, and again on the very next batter got a ground ball to short to start a double play.

Amazin'.

** * **

Nick Evans should only play against the Rockies.

In his career, Evans is a sparkling 5-9, with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored. Against everyone else, he's 2-21, driving in no runs and scoring only twice.

TSTDIA: Mets 7 -- Rockies 0

This is absolutely amazing. Mike Pelfrey threw eight innings of shutout baseball as the Mets trounced the Rockies by a score of 7-0 en route to their ninth straight win as they head into the All Star break.

I don't think yesterday's game is getting enough hype

Yesterday afternoon, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Muniz, Aaron Heilman, Scott Schoeneweis and Billy Wagner combined to throw a one hitter against the Colorado Rockies.

This was the 33rd Mets one-hitter in team history, and the 33rd time the Mets have come this close to a no-hitter. A truly amazing performance from the staff, especially considering Pedro Martinez was pulled from the game in the fourth inning due to shoulder tightness.

The move was made as a precaution, as Pedro fought to stay in the game, but lost that battle and found himself on the bench for the start of the fifth inning. The Mets bullpen coasted through the next five innings, with Muniz walking only one in two innings of work. Heilman, Schoeneweis and Wagner put together three perfect innings of relief, stifling the Rockies once again.

For the fifth straight game, Mets pitching has held their opponents to three hits or less. In the last five games, Mets pitching is 5-0 with a 0.80 ERA. The opponents are hitting a mere .091 at the plate. The bullpen has only surrendered two hits in 18 1-3 of an inning.

Truly amazing.

Tonight, the Mets best pitcher over the past two months, will take the mound on national television as the Mets look for their second straight win and their ninth in a row. Mike Pelfrey will face Mark Redman tonight on ESPN in the final MLB game before the All Star break.

Get some, Pelfrey.

Is Mike Pelfrey the Ace of the Mets?

Ace?

Mike Pelfrey jumped out of the gates of 2008 with two wins, completing a task that took him 12 starts to complete in 2007. With those two wins, he picked up 2/3 of his '07 season midway through April.

In his third start, he received a no decision. His next six appearances all resulted in losses, even though he carried a no hitter into the top of the seventh inning on May 15 against the Nationals. He was tagged for 23 earned runs in 32 innings over that span.

On May 31, he pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs, but did not earn a decision. His next start, he pitched six innings, allowed only one earned run, and again did not factor in the decision. On June 11, he pitched eight innings of five hit ball, allowing only one earned run to score, and once more, did not earn a decision.

Since June 16, Pelfrey has pitched in five games. On that day he allowed six earned runs through six innings, but earned the win. Since then, he's allowed five earned runs in 24 2-3 innings of baseball. He has won his last five starts, and hasn't lost since May 26.

Pelfrey turned in his second seven inning performance in a row, allowing only nine hits and one earned run over those 14 innings. He's only walked two while striking out 11 in that span.

He is currently 7-6 on the season, but has looked positively brilliant for a while now. In only his third season of professional baseball, things are looking up for Mike Pelfrey, and I, like any Mets fan out there, couldn't be more pleased. Sure, we had to wait a few years, but this guy seems like the real deal, and the ace of the 2008 Mets as of late.

TSTDIA: Mets 7 -- Giants 0

Mike Pelfrey was absolutely dominant tonight, throwing seven innings of three hit ball, all the Giants could muster all night.

The Mets got home runs from Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and Fernando Tatis and Argenis Reyes picked up his first major league hit as the Mets moved to within 1.5 games of first place with a Philadelphia Phillies loss.

Cooler heads prevail...and write a whole lot less

Every weekday morning, I awake roughly around 6 a.m. and begin to prepare myself for another day of train rides, subway platforms and a constant stream of news.

Instead of coffee, I start my morning with a dose of Google Reader. Reader, for those that don't know, is an RSS reader. I'm sure you've always seen those little orange logos with the bars (this). It works like e-mail. Every time a website posts something, it gets routed to you RSS reader, so you're never behind.

Anyway, I usually wake up every morning and check my latest RSS items. Currently. I'm subscribed to 181 different blogs and websites, most of them Mets related. If there is a Mets blog out there, I'm probably subscribed to it.

Over the last 30 days, I've read 14,481 different articles in all. When I wake up in the morning, I usually have 80+ items, over 75% of them dealing with the Mets. This morning, I woke up to only 50-ish, only 30 of them had to do with the New York Mets. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.

By the time I get to work, usually around 10 (but 9 today) I have well over 120, without fail. This morning, getting to work just an hour early, I only had 33.

The moral of the story: When the Mets win, bloggers write less.

I guess this makes a lot of sense. Most things I read and rants and raves picking apart a managerial decision, blasting a player for not doing something correctly, or things to that effect. A win seems to calm things down, though it doesn't make it go away. I read only a handful of articles about Willie Randolph pulling Mike Pelfrey in the 9th inning, and rightly so.

Pelfrey was working on a stellar game, but you don't want it to get away from you. At the time, I said I would have given him one more batter. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and unfortunately, the game got away from the Mets anyway, with Billy Wagner giving up a game-tying home run in the top of the inning to Mark Reynolds.

I can't fault Randolph here. You bring in your closer, one of the best ever, to finish out the game and earn you a win. Sometimes a pitcher just doesn't have it, and Wagner has been going through a bit of a rough patch (see: Tony Clark's home run) right now.

The game ended up swinging in favor of the Mets with a swing of Carlos Beltran's bat. Thankfully, for the sake of the Mets and my morning ritual.

Early Morning Madness: Wishful thinking edition

Last night's performance from Mike Pelfrey was inspiring. Billy Wagner owes him a few steak dinners.

Pelfrey has been pitching very well, but isn't getting wins to show for it. It's encouraging to see him possibly start to turn it around, with good starts coming more and more. Maybe he's turned the corner?

*****

The win last night could be a turning point for the season. Battling against one of the best pitchers in the league, watching the win slip away, and then battling back to win the game.

Maybe this team has turned the corner?

*****

Craig Carton of the Boomer & Carton show on WFAN divorced the New York Mets yesterday morning. I can't wait to hear what he has to say this show.

I love Carton, but he comes off just a little too brash sometimes. Sure, it's probably just an act, but when Boomer Esiason is your voice of reason, how good does that make you look? (I'm a Giants fan, if you were wondering).

TSTDIA: Mets 5 -- Diamondbacks 3

After an absolutely spectacular performance from Mike Pelfrey and a blown save by Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran wins it in the bottom of the 13th inning with a screamer over the outfield wall.

Please, let this be the game that turns everything around.

Move made official

A move we all saw coming in the first inning was made official after last nights game debacle.

With Oliver Perez throwing batting practice to the Giants, he was pulled after only recording one out. Claudio Vargas, now "firmly" situated in the bullpen, came in and pitch 4 2-3 scoreless innings for the Mets. Mike Pelfrey will stay in the rotation, as Carlos Muniz, who allowed four runs on Monday night, was sent down to AAA.

Muniz was sent down to make room for Pedro Martinez, who is making his return tonight against the Giants.

I hope Martinez can do something worthwhile for two reasons:
1. I want him to do well, obviously.
2. The bullpen was slightly overworked last night.

I can see Pedro pitching into the sixth inning, struggling, and coming out with a line somewhere near 5 2-3 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 6 K's and 2 walks. I would happily take that from Martinez on his first start back.

A nightmare inning

Well, another disaster start from Oliver Perez.

It's currently 4-0 in the bottom of the first, only one out.

It's now 6-0. Still one out.

That actually happened as I was writing.

Claudio Vargas is up in the bullpen, making it pretty known what the Mets are going to do when Pedro Martinez is activated tomorrow. Vargas will, or should it be has, moved to the bullpen, while Mike Pelfrey will stay in the rotation.

I like this. Pelfrey is part of the future for the organization, so let him stick around and do his thing. He's been effective between some miserable stretches. He just needs to iron things out.

Perez still has not recorded another out, and his day is done. 1-3 of an inning, 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 runs, and the smallest hop over the first base path I've ever seen him take.

Something needs to be done about Mr. Perez. He just doesn't seem to have "it."

TSTDIA: Mets 3 -- Dodgers 2

After looking hapless for most of the day, the Mets battled back in the 8th with a 2-run blast from Carlos Beltran to tie and a single up the middle from Fernando Tatis ended up being the game winner.

Mike Pelfrey made the start, and he barely looked like he was going to make it out of the 1st inning, ended up logging a solid start, allowing only two runs through seven innings.

Game Recap: Nationals 1 -- Mets 0

This game went from promising to frustrating very quick.

Mike Pelfrey was sensational as he carried a no hitter through the sixth inning and into the seventh. Unfortunately for the Mets and Pelfrey, Aaron Boone led off the 7th inning with a single to right field to break up the no-hitter.

What else can I say about this? He walked three, eventually allowing three hits and one earned run through 7 2-3 of an inning. Pelfrey struck out four during his stint on the bump.

If his start against the Reds was telling of things to come, I can only imagine how he'll follow up this performance. Amazing, simply amazing. I'm very pleased by his poise on the mound his last few starts. He's really starting to blossom into everything the Mets thought he could be. Go Big Pelf!

The only run of the game came in the top of the 8th, as Jesus Flores doubled to lead off the inning. After pinch hitter Willie Harris, who would play a huge role in the next inning sacrificed Flores to third, Felipe Lopez hit a long fly ball to left field, deep enough to score Flores for the game's only run.

They executed this inning perfectly. Hats off to them. Wish the Mets could do that once in a while.

Jason Bergmann, a product of Rutgers University, matched zero's with Pelfrey the entire day. Bergman ended up going seven strong, allowing only thee hits and walking two while fanning nine. The Mets had huge chances in the 8th and 9th, but nice plays by the Nationals and bad luck for New York foiled their chances.

Jose Reyes led off the 8th inning with a swinging bunt up along the third base line. Luis Castillo was up next, and laid down a beauty of a sacrifice bunt to move Reyes to second. Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman came in to field the bunt, so third base was unoccupied. Reyes spotted this and took off for third. Again, unfortunately for the Mets, short stop Christian Guzman saw the vacant base and took off a few steps ahead of Reyes. A perfect throw from Aaron Boone from first to Guzman on the run, and a behind the back tag nailed Reyes for the second out, killing any rally in the 8th.

I like the idea, but not the execution. Man on second, one out with your 3, 4, 5 hitters coming up is something you kill for. Bringing the man to third would be nice, but only if you're absolutely sure you're going to make it. Reyes should have only taken off if Guzman was unaware of the empty bag.

In the ninth, with Carlos Beltran on first after leading off with a single, Ryan Church came to the plate and blooped a ball down the left field line. Harris, who as mentioned earlier was brought on in the 8th and laid down a successful sacrifice to help bring in the only run, made an absolutely amazing diving backhand grab on the foul line in left to erase Church and chase Beltran back to first.

Absolutely amazing. One of the best catches I've ever seen.

The bad luck wasn't done for the Mets in the 9th. With Carlos Delgado batting, Beltran broke for second, Flores popped up and airmailed the ball into centerfield, allowing Beltran to move all the way to third base with only one out. A few pitches later, Delgado smoked a ball to the right side, where Boone made a very nice catch at first. Beltran had broke for home on the ball, and was easily doubled up off the bag to end the game.

Rough game to cap off a rough series. You have to count on plays not going your way and need to cash in on the opportunities handed to you. Dropping three out of four to the Nationals is not good. Not good at all.

This has to be the most heartbreaking and frustrating loss all year.

Game Ball: Pelfrey, without a doubt.

Poor Joe Smith

Ed. note: This entire post seems to be moot now.

After striking out the side on Monday night, the Mets rewarded Joe Smith with a demotion.

The Mets sent Smith back to the minors to make room for a spot starter for Wednesday's game, rather than pitch Johan Santana or Mike Pelfrey on short rest.

As I mentioned before, Adam Bostick was pulled from his start in AAA after three scoreless innings. According to Adam Rubin, Willie Collazo's name has also been tossed around.

Rubin also reports that after Wednesday's game, when the spot starter, whoever he is, is sent back to the minors, the Mets will activate Matt Wise from the disabled list.

Really, poor Joe Smith. He's probably been the best pitcher in the entire bullpen, aside from Billy Wagner. Just because he has options, and they don't owe his $2 million (Jorge Sosa), he gets demoted. Hopefully, the Mets realized their mistake and cut Sosa and eat the $2 mil.

They probably make that much off hot dog sales between the 3rd and 5th inning of a Wednesday night game anyway.

Game Recap: Reds 7 -- Mets 1

The revenge of Jeff Keppinger.

The Reds pounded out 14 hits in the nightcap, after knocking 15 earlier in the day, and beat up on the Mets bullpen, scoring five in the late innings to put them up 7-1 and earn a split of the doubleheader for the day.

The best part of the game, at least for the Mets, was the way Mike Pelfrey pitched. Pelfrey allowed only two earned runs on eight hits through six innings. Pelfrey was in control, only walking one while striking out three.

Very, very good start from him. Allowed a bunch of hits, but really limited the damage all game. He really didn't deserve the loss here. Good start from him, which is good to see from him as he's been struggling a bit of late. Very happy with this.

Single runs bookended Pelfrey's start, as a Ken Griffey Jr. single in the first drove in one run and a Scott Hatteberg double in the sixth chased home the other run for the Reds charged to him.

Dusty Baker took a chance starting Hatteberg, who had been batting well under the Mendoza line coming into the day, and he answered by driving in three. Figures it's against the Mets.

The Mets were shut down by Bronson Arroyo who had his most dominant start of the year. Arroyo only allowed four hits through eight innings, and didn't allow a baserunner from the fifth inning on. New York scratched out their only run in the third inning when David Wright singled to drive in Jose Reyes.

Arroyo looked like classic Arroyo. What a dominating start from him, especially since he's struggled all year. Great performance from him, and again, figures it's against the Mets.

The Reds got to both Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner for multiple runs to put the game out of reach. In the 8th, back-to-back singles from Hatteberg and Paul Bako each drove in a run each. Wagner allowed three runs, all unearned, after two straight errors from the Mets. Wright had a fielding error and Carlos Delgado committed a throwing error.

Ex-Met Keppinger went 5-5 on the day, picking up his fifth hit with an RBI single in the 9th. Hatteberg picked up his third RBI with a sacrifice fly to left. Bako added another run with an RBI single to the right side.

I really hate to see key bullpen pitchers come in when the Mets aren't leading, and I really really hate to see them get roughed up. Why not burn a guy like Joe Smith, especially if he might get sent down very soon? I don't get that thinking.

Game Ball: Pelfrey

Two games and Delgado batting seventh

I know it's pretty bad how the Mets handled the rain out last night, waiting until 8 p.m. to postpone the game, but I love doubleheaders.

I'm pumped. I remember Mike Pelfrey pitched in a doubleheader before (trip down memory lane here) and the Mets put up a 17-spot against the Marlins. Let's hope for the same results tonight. (Yes, Pelfrey is starting tonight as Johan Santana is pitching the day game.)

And last night, Carlos Delgado was planned to bat 7th in the batting order. I like this, as Willie Randolph tries to break up the lefties in the batting order, and protects Carlos Beltran was going to bat in front of Ryan Church.

Smart move, Randolph, though I still think Church should be batting second.

Flip-flop

The Mets are planning to flip-flop their starters in the doubleheader today.

Johan Santana will start the 1:10 p.m. game, while Mike Pelfrey will pitch the nightcap, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Injury updates: Pedro, Wise, Castro

David Lennon in Newsday relays info that Pedro Martinez has begun throwing off a mound in Port St. Lucie.

According to Assistant GM John Ricco, Pedro could face live hitters as early as this week, but in the end, "it just depends on how he's feeling. Patience is part of the process."

A few weeks ago, Pedro was not missed. Now, with Mike Pelfrey beginning to struggle a bit, the Mets could use a guy like him back in the rotation. Don't hurry yourself, Pedro.

*****

Adam Rubin reports in The Daily News that both Matt Wise and Ramon Castro may be activated by next weekend's series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wise, who went on the DL with a strained forearm on April 2, is expected to throw in back-to-back games to test his arm and stamina, a la Duaner Sanchez's recovery benchmarks.

Castro could have been actiavated already, according to Rubin, but the Mets don't want two catchers with health issues on the roster at the same time. Leaving Raul Casanova up with the big squad gives them a steady, healthy catcher in case Brian Schneider can't go due to his thumb.

When Wise comes back, the Mets have a decision to make. Joe Smith has options, and is the most likely one to head back to AAA. So does Jorge Sosa, who before Arizona was almost entirely ineffective. Joe Janish from Mets Today also points out Aaron Heilman has options, but I think some barnyard animals need to sprout wings and take to the air before he goes anywhere.

And I've missed the Darth Vader walk-up music at Shea this year. Great to see Castro coming back soon.

Game Recap: Diamondbacks 10 -- Mets 4

The Mets gave Brandon Webb a little trouble, knocking around the 6-0 starter for four runs in his worst start of the year, but Webb still came out on top, keeping his perfect record intact. The Mets dropped only their second game in Arizona since 2005, by a score of 10-4.

Mike Pelfrey started for the Mets, lasting only five innings and giving up five earned runs. Pelfrey allowed nine hits and walked nine, while only striking out one. Pelfrey did not have an inning where a Diamondback did not reach base. His cleanest inning came in the first when he faced only three batters, thanks to a double play.

Pelfrey and the rest of the Mets pitchers had huge problems with three batters: Justin Upton, Conor Jackson, and especially Augie Ojeda. These three combined to go 6-10, scoring five runs and driving in seven. Ojeda drove in six of those runs on a single and two doubles.

He wasn't terrible, but he just couldn't put away hitters, even when he got ahead in the order. Again, the D-Backs made the starter work, as Pelfrey needed 102 to get through five. Another OK start. The Mets are going to need more work out of their starters, that's for sure.

By the way, I'm naming my first child "Augie." What an awesome name.

The Mets scratched out four runs against arguable the best starter in the league. Raul Casanova put the Mets on the board in the second inning with a single to center field, scoring Carlos Beltran.

With the Mets down 5-1 in the top of the sixth, Carlos Delgado came to bat after a single by Ryan Church and a walk by Beltran. Delgado then crushed a pitch from Webb deep to right field, bringing the Mets within one.

He's still got the power, he just needs to get more consistent. I don't think he's done yet, but he's getting close to the end of his rope. The Mets got to the best pitcher in the league for four runs. Pretty good, but they needed to capitalize on his struggles for more and get to the bullpen for some runs.

Jorge Sosa pitched one inning of one hit baseball, striking out one. Aaron Heilman pitched the seventh, loading the bases without giving up a hit as he walked a man before plunking two batters in a row. Heilman then got Miguel Montero to strike out looking on a pitch right on the inside corner to end the inning.

These guys pitched shut out innings? On the same day? It's a miracle!

Duaner Sanchez started the eighth inning. Sanchez gave up three straight singles to start the inning to load the bases with no outs. A wild pitch allowed the first run to score before Sanchez got Conor Jackson to pop up for the first out. Sanchez then allowed another single and a walk before being removed for Scott Schoeneweis. Schoeneweis fared no better, allowing a double and a sac fly to chase in three more runs.

I don't like Sanchez coming into a game down by a run, especially when you don't want to overwork him. I'd understand if he didn't pitch the day before, but I just don't like this move by Willie Randolph.

Game Ball: Delgado.