Some Quick Vacation Thoughts

This will probably be the only time I post during my vacation, but I wanted to share a couple of quick thoughts. I'll return to posting full-time on Monday:

1) Like I said a couple of weeks ago, injuries are the best way to derail championship aspirations. What's that they always stay in sports: We're a good team if we can stay healthy. You're seeing that with the Mets this year.

2) I'm disappointed with the way some Mets fans are viewing the season. It really does look like a lost season, but injuries are mainly to blame. You can only ask so much from a bunch of backups, second-year players and rookies. The fact of the matter is the Mets are missing three everyday players, two starting pitchers, their setup man, and a some what solid backup outfielder. That's why I can only shake my head when Yankees fans say Mets fans are using the injuries as an excuse. Seriously? Do you see what the Mets are working with? I'm shocked when they win and not surprised when they lose. What the Mets are going through would be like the Yankees missing Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Andy Petiitte. Even the Yankees don't have the guns or money to overcome that situation.

3) What do the Mets see in Bobby Parnell? He pitched an inning tonight and allowed two earned runs on three hits. And his ERA continues to balloon. At what point are the Mets going to send him down to the minors to get straightened out?

4) I'm starting to lose confidence in Jerry Manuel. Some of his lineups, strategy, and post-game analysis are head-scratchers. Why was Daniel Murphy leading off Sunday against the Yankees? Why was A-Rod intentionally walked in one situation, but not the other? Why does it seem like Manuel doesn't take losing seriously?

5) Everybody knows the Mets needs a power bat, but I agree there is none to be had, especially with a weak minor league system. The Mets are not going to trade Fernando Martinez. At this point, the Mets can do without Parnell. Again, Minaya's inability to trade for a power bat is partly due to a weak minor-league system, which is a poor reflection on the organization as a whole. Why more teams don't use the Boston Red Sox model is another head-scratcher. Theo Epstein and his gang find great talent, stockpile it, and then use it to trade for any missing pieces they need. And they do it combining a high payroll.

I'm afraid I won't have a season to write much about when I get back. The Mets season could be done by Sunday evening.

A Ray of Hope

I don't think Monday night was the best win of the season for the Mets, but it may turn out to be the most important. Some quick thoughts about the win:

1) Tim Redding has added a cut fastball and was in control for most of this game. He had pinpoint control early and didn't allow any baserunners to reach base ahead of Albert Pujols. It was a well-deserved win for a man whom had not won in 10 previous starts leading back to last year.

2) Alex Cora and Daniel Murphy set the tone for the offense tonight in the top two spots and finished a combined 4-for-9 with three RBI and two runs. Murphy hit a solo homer in the fifth inning. Is it me, or is the ball starting to carry in Citi Field?

3) Luis Castillo is doing everything he can to make Mets fans forget what happened two Fridays ago against the Yankees. He was 3-for-3, including an RBI double in the fourth inning, and scored two runs. He also made a nice defensive play when he tossed out Yadier Molina from his knees.

4) Omir Santos continues to impress. With Brian Schneider getting hot, the Mets may have the most productive catching duo in baseball.

5) This really was a total team effort. Brian Stokes got Albert Pujols to ground into a 1-6-3 double play in the eighth. Fernando Martinez, fresh off a plane, layed down a sacrifice bunt in eighth and helped add an insurance run. K-Rod shut the door in the ninth.

This isn't going to be easy. But it never is with this franchise.

A Fine Line Between Hurt and Bad

Injuries are the best way to derail championship aspirations, but this is getting ridiculous. This season just got a little tougher for the Mets.

Carlos Beltran is now on the list of the walking wounded with a bum knee and Fernando Martinez is on his way back to Flushing. Here is what tonight’s lineup looks like without Beltran: Alex Cora, Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Fernando Tatis, Ryan Church, Omir Santos, Jeremy Reed, Luis Castillo and tonight’s pitcher, Tim Redding.

Is it time for the Mets to panic? That’s the question I asked myself yesterday afternoon after the Mets latest series loss, this one against the Tampa Bay Rays. A part of me thought no, not yet. Despite the recent string of poor play, the Mets are still only two games behind the Phillies in the division. Players are hurt, but on the way back. Starting pitchers Oliver Perez and John Maine may be back by the end of next week. And yes, I know I shouldn’t be comfortable about Perez rejoining the rotation. Those were my thoughts before today’s news. Now? Yes, it’s time to panic, but what can the Mets really do?

Hope for the best, I guess. The trade market is quiet and there are still a lot of teams fighting for a playoff spot so there are few teams willing to part with talent. And the teams that are at this point are asking way too much in return. I don’t know exactly what the Nationals want for Adam Dunn, but all reports indicate it is a lot. So the Mets seem stuck with what they have.

With Beltran on the DL, all eyes will turn to Wright to carry this ballclub to some level of consistency. Wright is in the middle one of his cold streaks, which could probably get worse with the added pressure. I enjoy his passion for the game, but this is a time when Wright needs to step back, relax and try not to force things despite the excruciating circumstances.

In times like this, one would hope every player looks at themselves in the mirror and ask what they can do better. But I fear this may be too much to overcome. This also is going to be a good time to learn more about Jerry Manuel’s managerial style. While I still believe players need to execute, it’s going to be interesting to see who Manuel thinks those players are.

Stay tuned to my blog tonight as I'll be tweeting during the game and I'll post again later.

Another Missed Opportunity

I often wonder what baseball players who are in a pennant race think when they see the division leader has lost. Is there a jolt of energy? Do they realize there's a chance to gain a game in the standings? The Mets are certainly watching what the Phillies are doing and they missed another opportunity Wednesday night to gain ground on the NL East leaders. As the Phillies were on their way to a loss against the Blue Jays, the Mets were tied against the Orioles. A short time later, they found themselves still three games behind the leaders.

The Mets could easily be in a better position right now. Outside that Sunday afternoon loss to the Yankees, the Mets had the lead in the five previous games and only won two of them. Even if the Mets had taken two of three from the Phillies and Yankees and won tonight, they'd be 36-27 instead of just three games over .500. They'd be in first place by one game. That is very different from what the standings look like now. But you wonder how long the Mets can keep this up.

If it wasn't for Brad Lidge, the Mets would probably be seven, maybe eight games behind the Philles. The Post's Mike Vaccaro's wrote a couple of weeks ago that Lidge is the Mets' MVP so far this season. Jose Reyes is supposed to be ready after the All-Star break and maybe Carlos Delgado by July 31, but what will the standings look like by then? Omar Minaya doesn't appear to be pursuing any trades though the Mets desperately need another big bat in the lineup. The offense lacks punch and Jerry Manuel put it best Thursday night: "Our thing is the bob and weave and jab and that type of stuff. They’re hitting us with body blows." I couldn't have said it better.

Thole Could Be The Answer

Omir Santos has become something of a folk hero for the Mets this season. He solidified that status when he hit a two-run homer against Jonathan Papelbon in Boston a couple of weeks ago. But we're kidding ourselves if we believe Santos is the long-term solution behind the plate for the Mets.

It's never too early to look ahead and with Brian Schneider slated to become a free agent at the end of the season, the Mets should start thinking about their options. And one of those possibilities is playing at Double A Binghamton at the moment.

Josh Thole is hitting .348 in 207 at-bats this season for the Binghamton Mets. He's hit only one homer, but has a .418 on-base percentage. I don't know what the quality of pitching is in the Eastern League this year, but usually the best pitching prospects are found is Double A. The knock against Thole is his defense behind the plate. It may not be enough to make him a full-time starter at the major league level, but the word is his athleticism may help get him there.

Thole wasn't even the No. 1 rated catching prospect in the system when the season started. That distinction belongs to Francisco Pena, who is the son of former major leaguer Tony Pena. One would hope Francisco has it in the genes, but you can never be sure. Plus, Pena is in the same position as Fernando Martinez right now: he's only 20-years-old. The organization is not going to rush a young catcher who is still learning the game.

In an effort to get younger, there's no reason why the Mets couldn't open the 2010 season with a catching duo of Santos and Thole. Unless the Mets plan trade for a catcher, the options are slim via the free agent market. The biggest name on the market could be Cleveland's Victor Martinez, who has a $7 million club option for 2010 with a 250,000 buyout. Ramon Hernandez also has an $8.5 million club option with a $1 million buyout. And then there's Bengie Molina. How many times have we heard a Molina brother rumored to be coming to the Mets?

Thole is a lefthanded hitter and whoever is the manager next year could use a platoon next year with Santos, who is definitely not going anywhere. Thole will probably finish the season in Double A, maybe play in the Arizona Fall League and then compete for a roster spot in spring training. Something like that is within his grasp if he finishes the season strong.

Round 1 Goes to the Yankees

Unlike their previous three losses, the Mets just got beat today. It was an old-fashion butt kickin' and one of those losses that happens two or three times per season. I'm surprised the Mets didn't throw out a position player on the mound today. But I don't think any one expected this kind of loss with Johan Santana on the hill.

Here are a couple of stats to consider when dissecting Santana's outing today:
1) Before that meltdown in the fourth, opponents were hitting .146 with runners on base against Santana and .113 with runners in scoring position.
2) In Santana's first seven starts, he had a 0.78 ERA. In six starts since then, counting today, 6.50 ERA, allowing 45 hits and 26 ER in 36 IP. That stat is courtesy of David Lennon at Newsday.

Something is wrong with Santana. His fastball didn't have the usual zip today, he was wild, he was just plain bad. I'm sure Santana will say he's fine, but if he isn't going through a dead arm period, I'd be surprised. I was reminded today by someone that Santana went seven days in between starts a couple of weeks ago. It's definitely something to consider. As I said on my Twitter feed during the game, you can kiss the season good-bye if Santana misses a significant amount of time.

The Mets didn't do themselves any favors at the plate either. I saw today why some Yankees fans have complained about A.J. Burnett. He entered the top of the fourth with a 4-0 lead, quickly lost track of the strikezone and loaded the bases. And the Mets could do nothing, which has been a problem all season. I've never seen anything like it. The Mets crumble with the bases loaded. Against Burnett, they couldn't lay off that nasty spike curveball. And it wasn't like he was throwing it for strikes in that inning. You wonder how the game would have turned out if the Mets were able

The schedule doesn't get much better for the Mets this week. Baltimore is playing better baseball despite being 10 games under .500 (26-36). Then next weekend it's the Rays, followed by a four-game series with the Cardinals and then the Yankees again. It's not a good time to be playing some of those teams with a suspect starting rotation. As I've said before, the Mets have to find a way to stay competitive till at least Reyes comes back. Injuries are a great way to derail a promising season.

Speaking of promising, I know Jerry Manuel wanted to use some of these interleague games to determine Fernando Martinez's fate with the Mets. I think we've seen enough. Martinez is clearly overmatched at the plate. He also made a couple of bad throws in left field. I think we'll see Martinez back in Triple A Buffalo by the end of the week and the Mets will recall Wily Mo Pena. Of course, if Gary Sheffield needs to go on the DL after his MRI this week, Martinez may stick around a little longer.

Just Move On

For the last 12 hours, I've been trying to think of the right words to describe what happened last night. I'm still thinking of some. But I do realize what happened last night was the Mets' season in a nutshell.

The Mets are a good team when they want to be. Despite the injuries, they've shown they have the goods to play a competitive brand of baseball for most of the game. But then something goes terribly wrong, either a bad pitch, an error, or a mental mistake. For a team that stressed good fundamental baseball and teamwork in spring training, most of this season has been the exact opposite. But there is still time to get things straightened out.

It's June 13 and the Mets are only 4 games behind the Phillies in the division. There are 101 games left in the season. No one knows for sure how a game like last night affects the rest of the season, but aren't the good teams supposed to overcome that kind of stuff? I guess the question remains if the Mets are a good team in the long run. Right now, they're pretty average.

Some say Jerry Manuel's decisions are holding this team back from reaching their full potential. That may be true. I think we were all questioning him last night when the rookie Jon Switzer was summoned to face Hideki Matsui in the sixth inning with two on and one out. Godzilla homered to give the Yanks a 7-6 lead. Obviously, the case for Pedro Feliciano easily can be made in that situation, but what happens if you need him later in the game? With the Mets up 8-7 in the eight, Feliciano retired Matsui and Melky Cabrera to end the inning. It should have been game over at that point.

A lot of fans want to blame Manuel for what plagues this team. Some how they believe Manuel believes it's ok to lose and that rubs off on his players. Why would anyone think it's ok to lose? Fans tend to forget it goes both ways. I've always been a firm believer that everything falls at the feet of the players. The manager puts the team in the best possible position to win, but it's the players that have to execute. Manuel can't get on the field and catch that fly ball for Castillo. How many times can you put the blame on the manager? We saw that last year with Willie Randolph and it was a travesty. At what point that does that stop? Bobby Valentine is not going to come walking back through the clubhouse door. If somebody is to blame, then it's Omar Minaya for not getting the players who can execute.

Today is a new day and the Mets need to treat it like one. There is more than half a season left.