Yet, another loss for the Mets and let’s be honest, this is NOT the way I envisioned the Mets starting this road trip which six games in, is very important. Not important in the sense for the season but for several people like Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya; two of the team’s biggest linchpins. No matter how unreasonable it sounds to judge a team 6 games in, we knew coming into the season that Manuel and Minaya would be judged on their first month’s W-L record. This is NOT the kind of start that the Mets or their fans envisioned.
– One of the biggest problems fans have with Jerry Manuel is he’s so even keel and relaxed despite everything going wrong around him and that worries fans who want to see fire; you know what the fans were looking for in Willie Randolph when they fired him. It seems like his demeanor equates to him not caring which I don’t see because I’m like that as well. I’m an optimist and very rarely do you see me get upset or angry and I dont consider myself a person who doesn’t care. Guys like us emote in times when people can’t see us so that we can keep a brave face.*
*= I started by writing happy face but in context of Jerry its definitely brave face. Also shoot me for comparing myself to Jerry Manuel, quite possibly the most loathsome figure on the Mets right now.
– 4th Inning an interesting question was brought up by Gary Cohen: The Mets all off season talked about competition for the 8th inning role, 1st base and the extra bench spot and yet never did so for the pitching staff. Maine, Pelfrey, and Ollie were all guaranteed spots in the pitching rotation and never had to worry about competition despite being out pitched by the waived Nelson Figueroa, Hisanori Takahashi and the optioned Pat Misch. If they continue to struggle, what do they do? Keith Hernandez didn’t have the answer* but I thought about it and came up with this: If the Mets pitching staff struggles, its difficult to just release them and let them walk and be left with unproven rookies for the rest of the year because it tells your fan base that you don’t care. These guys have some kind of skill but for instance: John Maine has a tailing fastball but his location sometimes is bad. His change up was working in spots. Its all about consistency and hitting your spots whenever you pitch. Its not that Maine loses his concentration its that he loses his cool and begins throwing instead of pitching. When he does that bad things happen. Maine’s problem has been his inability to get his fastball to go to 93-94 range that it used to be. Is he back from surgery or not? The Mets need to be realistic with their pitchers and not throw these guys out there hoping that they are back.
*= God bless Keith Hernandez. He rarely goes to the deeper part of the well for answers to Gary Cohen’s questions. He’s more of an adder-on to Ron Darling’s responses. If its about hitting Keith can talk for hours, and he can make the occasional joke but he’s out of his comfort zone when he’s asked to lug more than he can in a conversation.
– John Maine pitched 3 innings and gave up 8 runs. The biggest problem with Maine? 8 runs surrendered with 2 outs. That’s just unacceptable. The weird part was, Maine would let the first two guys on. Get the next two guys out and seem like he was recovering then boom, the inning would go on as hitters teed off on his first pitch fastball. Guys are clearly seeing a routine out of John and his fastball just isn’t quick enough to get it by hitters. He has no movement and its just a straight, flat fastball that tails in on lefties right over the heart of the plate and guys will tee off.
– Maine gave up 8 runs in 3 innings but I felt like he should’ve been out there in the fourth and on. I understand he gave up 8 runs but Jerry needs him to figure it out on the mound. He’s not going to figure it out in the dug out with talks to Dan Warthen*, or in bullpen sessions. He needs to work it out and Jerry should’ve sent him out there. Right now he’s slated to pitch the final game against the Cardinals which scares me because if his confidence right now is at rock bottom**, imagine where it will be once Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick get done with him? One bit of news that came out of twitter via Metsblog was Kevin Burkhardt’s*** tweet that his gut feeling being that Maine won’t make that start which begs the question: who will? Well. The Mets with the day off on Monday can move guys up in the rotation and skip Maine’s start which means they can either have him go against the Cubs at home or let a full turn go and get him against the Braves. Who knows what that tweet meant but perhaps Kev knows something is brewing.
*= Dan Warthen looks like a friendly grandfather but he’s the first guy that should get fired once Manuel does. Like I said, I don’t have a problem with Manuel’s personality, it would be better served if his pitching coach and hitting coach were doing a better job and they aren’t. Those guys should be fired. I think Manuel’s cool would be a much better fit on a better team with better surrounding coaches. Maybe I’m over-playing this but I’ve hated Dan Warthen since he came here. The Mets just do NOT know how to hire coaches. I love Ho-Jo but he needs to be fired as well, the Mets just aren’t producing and maybe its philosophy and that falls on the hitting coach.
**= Is there a guy who batters himself harder than Maine? He’s so tough on himself. My cousin Chris usually does the Homer Simpson “ohhhhh” when he does something wrong. Well Maine has that face too and, this is just an observation so take it how you will, but Maine walks off the mound like he has the biggest wedgie and he’s trying to pick it by walking with his legs so far apart. He just looks like a, and I hate to say this about a Met, dweeb in the truest essence of the word. Out of all the pitchers the Mets have, I have the least bit of confidence in Maine and honestly I don’t see much confidence in him either. Ever. That’s the biggest troubling part of it all.
***= Story from Saturday’s game involving Kevin Burkhardt: I saw him come to area of the stadium that I was at and I told my friend James and his girlfriend Mitali that I wanted to take a picture with him. I went there and Kevin said after the inning he would just in case he was asked to do something mid inning. Meanwhile he was talking to some of the older fans and very personable with them. A few minutes later I noticed Kevin walking away and a worker there told me I had to hound him. I looked at him like he had three heads and said to him “really? Hound him? He’s Kevin Burkhardt. If this were Keith Hernandez yes, Ron Darling yes. Darryl Strawberry? Yes. Kevin Burkhardt is a field reporter. Come on. I’m not saying Kevin has a big head but that was a dumb statement by the kid working there who thought I was going to walk up to him and beg for an autograph or something. By the way, I walked by him three more times and snubbed him, SO THERE! No, I dont sound like a I’m upset at all.
– Fernando Nieve finally had a bad outing issuing two walks and loading the bases and seeing 3 runs score. By the way that’s the first set of runs the Mets relief staff have given up in almost 25 innings which is a pretty good stretch. Again, this is why Maine needed to see more innings. Raul Valdes came in and struck out 3 in two innings and I dont want to see him overworked in the first 20 games of the season and there are a few other guys who I can see being overworked already and its not a good sign because if this team ever gets going offensively their pitching staff won’t be able to keep it going all season and that may be a problem.
– Funny moment in the 8th inning when the SNY booth decided to start taking phone calls and a caller asked whether any of the Mets considered seeing a sports psychologist because they seem tight and it just so happened that David Wright made a play and the camera was on him as the caller was making the comment. I’ve been on Wright all season, but he’s the tighest guy on this team and he just can NOT afford to be if this team has any hope of going anywhere. Wright seems to get his hits in garbage time and for all his .300 average got him last year I thought it was the worst .300 hitting year I’ve ever seen because he seemed to collect hits in blowout victories or blowout losses and he never did it when it counted despite what simple stats may tell you. His K rate was up and it just seems as if when the game is decided one way or another and Wright isn’t asked to win a game with his bat he seems to come alive and not put so much pressure on himself. He needs to think like that all the time which naturally brings up my second radical strategy of the week:
SEND DAVID WRIGHT TO A HYPNO-THERAPIST. Get him hypnotized before each game and get him loosened up. Sure I got this idea while watching Office Space but maybe the Mets need a bit of strange to get righted. He seems so comfortable when there is no one on base or when there isn’t pressure that the difference is startling to me. Think about it, on plays that Wright is expected to make and a bit of pressure to get the easy out is on him he always bobbles and overthrows the baseball to first but when a sharp liner is hit to him and the fan won’t be surprised if he misplays it, he makes. It makes NO sense what so ever. Just a thought David.
– Its early and its only 7 games in a season but how long can we afford to keep saying that? I don’t agree with Adam Rubin who wrote this morning that the Mets don’t have the players to compete in the NL East. The Mets have the talent, its just about putting it together. Last night was the first game the Mets got completely outplayed by the competition. Two soft throwing pitchers have beaten the Mets now on back to back days and its a bit disconcerting to think. I don’t think its panic time at all but if you’re Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya it certainly IS at that point but should fans start being upset? No. But if the Mets don’t improve then don’t get me wrong changes should and will be made.
– I still have faith that this Mets team will bounce back. Everyday can be the start of the rally back to prominence. Let’s GO METS!
SEASON: 2-5
My Prediction: 4-3*
*= If Willie Harris drops that liner by Barajas on Saturday and the Mets come back and win that game that the Marlins bullpen was giving us, I’d be right on about this team. I’m just saying.
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