Santana Bites the Dust

Season ending surgery for Johan. Memo to Carlos and Jose: if your problems require surgery, just get it done. Get it done now and just be healthy come March 2010.

J.J. Putz was scheduled to have a rehab start tonight, but was scratched. Heck, shut him down too. Just be healthy for 2010.

Is there anyone else that should be shut down that is not already? Luis Castillo? Frankie Rodriguez? Eh, those guys can keep on playing, not sure I'd be too worried about their inevitable injuries. We can simply go after Orlando Hudson and offer Wags a chance to come back and close, since that's what he wants. Come to think of it, can you imagine K-Rod getting hurt, expected to miss the first few months of 2010, and the Mets sign Wagner to close? Yeah I'm still dreaming about that three-closer bullpen that was not to be.

Wagner, of course, was traded to Boston. I know they've won enough recently, but go Sox. Give us something to cheer about if the LCS and WS goes through the Bronx and Philly.

One Step Forward, One Back

The Mets made a shocking, although proper move in releasing Livan Hernandez to make room for Billy Wagner. Apparently Livan was not very happy about it. Look at your performance over the past couple of months.

Then there is the story of Gary Sheffield. Apparently the Mets had a taker, but they pulled him back. So Sheff requests an extension of all things, gets denied, cries about it and decides to have a seat on the bench. That's the Sheff we all knew and feared when he was signed back in the spring. Sheff, go follow Livan out of town please. You sure fooled us being the good soldier all season.

Nice to see Billy Wagner back. Although SNY showed the replay when they returned from break, it was a poor job by them going to commercial just as he was coming out of the bullpen. You can't make up for that ad space somewhere else in the broadcast? Speaking of ads, why is it we have to hear that "your family is safe and secure" insurance spot MULTIPLE times in one half inning on the radio broadcast.

Wags looked vintage and put K-Rod, who pitched the next inning, to shame. A run was not given up, but oh those walks. Watching the 8th inning really made you had to wonder what if- what if Putz, K-Rod and Wagner were all healthy and the Mets were in contention? Hmm, let's see lefties coming up in the 7th? Call Wags. A few righties instead? Call J.J. and we'll have the other one pitch the 8th. As it is, hopefully Wagner gets enough chances to prove his worth to a contender in the next few days and we can get as much as we can for him.

Oh yeah, the Mets lost the game.

We'll Take It

It was not pretty, but it will end the streak, thank you very much.

Was there a full moon tonight? What the hell was going on with players and umpires in the first couple of innings alone? Carlos Beltran gets thrown at third with two out (I know, how positive of me, in a Met win, to post an image of that), David Wright does the same (except he was called safe by the umpire), Cristian Guzman does not go after a popup, and Fernando Tatis is called out on a play at first in which he was clearly safe. Everyone was having a rough go of it.

David went on to get thrown out at third for what seemed to be the rest of his at bats. I understand the one with one out. But trying to steal third with no one out after scoring a couple with the douple?? You can score on two outs, let alone a ball that finds a hole!

Keith's description of Guzman letting Adam Dunn go after that popup: "Shortstop's gotta know that's a strat-o-matic 4 out there". Or a ptp D. Whatever your flavor of tabletop, those games are addictive. I'm still shaking my head over Jose Rijo letting me down in a recent 1993 league.

With no J.J. Putz out for at least three months, we can only hope Bobby Parnell continues to pitch well. Even Sean Green looked like the Sean Green we were hoping for in the offseason, a very good sign. Yes, these are the Natioanls, but you have to remember, they are fourth in the N.L. in runs per game.

Tim Redding was solid I guess. I still don't expect much when he gets out there. Thanks to the rainout, we have Johan for the Phillies and Yankees, very important. The schedule overall is looking rough in the month ahead.

Thundersuck

This was going to be the headline for the Sunday game recap had J.J. Putz stayed in the game and eventually blow one to the Marlins. I guess we did not have to wait too long. Yesterday was batting practice and the Pirates were working on shooting it up the middle.

Pittsburgh is a house of horrors. Wait, this sounds familiar. Oh right, I've only been saying it all winter for the Rangers. At least unlike the NHL, the Pirates are not in our division. Thank goodness for that realignment that brought us the wild card in 1995 and knocked them out of the East. Just look at the recent history there, as described by Faith and Fear in Flushing. I was there to personally experience that brutal 7/8/05 collapse. Ouch, wrong word.

It's a shame because watching the game last night on TV made me want to plan a trip back to that ballpark, despite the wonderful outcomes. It certainly is one of the nicer ones out there. Just go there with thick skin. Nothing like hearing a five-year old on your way out from a game like the one in 2005 saying "Daddy, the Mets suck!" You bunch of losers, when was the last time you won anything? I hope Detroit wins in four to clinch on your home ice again. You know they're all Penguin fans. What else is there to do in Pittsburgh?

Mets 3, Marlins 2

Thankfully, John Maine lasted six innings before the stomach pains finally got to him. First Beltran yesterday, now Maine. Who's next? Something's going around and you know somebody's going to get it. My money's on Castillo or Wright, one of the final couple of regulars not miss any time due to injury recently.

Maine was on his game today. He was throwing strikes, very unlike what he's shown this season. Hopefully we'll see this type of performance in most of his outings the rest of way, minus the early exit of course.

J.J. Putz tried his best to blow one today, turning a 3-0 lead in the eight into a 1st and 2nd one out situation with the score at 3-1. Bobby Parnell eventually put out the fire, not before giving up a first pitch single to Hanley Ramirez to make it 3-2 with 1st and 3rd one out. Further damage was prevented with a big strikeout of Jorge Cantu and a flyout by Jeremy Hermida. Is Parnell slowly taking over as the eight inning guy? Putz is sliding down the depth chart and will continue to do so until he finds his command.

K-Rod continues to do his thing, striking out the side in the 9th, despite walking one. At least one half of our winter pen-bolstering duo is performing up to standards. K-Rod is still perfect on the year in save opportunities.

Angel Pagan, Spider-Man pictured on the right, left midway through this game after pulling up lame in the outfield. Looking at his reaction, you gotta feel for the guy.

That wraps a nice 5-1 homestand. Continue to take care of business on this upcoming road trip please. Seven games vs. the Pirates and Nats.

Detroit beats Pittsburgh in game 1 last night. Go Wings.

Home Sweet Reviewable Home

The Mets tried their best to give the Nationals a chance to come back and win the game, an affair in which the final three innings took longer to complete than the first six. It started with a video review and continued with a load of walks.

Gary Sheffield was saved by the lack of a camera in the left field corner that could show the trajectory of his homerun as it came down and eventually would have struck the wall below the orange line (barely) had a fan not interfered. The inconclusive replay was not enough to overturn the original call on the field, which was a homerun.

I don’t have a problem with instant replay on homerun calls. The problem is seats that allow a fan to reach over and interfere with a fair ball, especially homerun balls. You would think something like this would be remedied with new parks, but it has only gotten worse. There’s a simple fix for Citi Field. Get rid of the high wall in left. The park is deep enough already. Simply put an additional fence, about half the height of the current left field one, and put it a few feet in front of where the current one stands. No more controversial homerun calls in left field and half-hour delays in getting the call right.

Marquis Grissom has let it go since retirement. You wouldn’t have thought this guy was once a threat on the bases for the Expos back in the day.

John Lannan is a Ranger fan, but was also a Yankee fan. Boo.

Bobby Parnell had to know he hit 100 on the gun the other night. The fastball tonight was a. nowhere near the strike zone and b. not close to 100. You wonder if it affected him even a little bit.

Apparently a road trip of over a week is still not enough time for someone to install a camera in the visitor’s bullpen so SNY can give you a decent shot of whoever is warming up.

We’re still waiting for J.J. Putz version 2007. We’ll continue to wait if he keeps walking the leadoff hitter.

5-5 Trip

If you were told the Mets would go 5-5 on the long road trip just completed, you would take it. It was against three of the best home teams.

Omir Santos shocked everyone with a go-ahead two-run homerun in the 9th inning off Jonathan Papelbon on Saturday. After issuing a leadoff walk, Papelbon had struck out David Wright and Jeremy Reed. It was over. He was blowing everyone away. Santos saw that he was throwing nothing but dead-red, looked for it and nailed it.

J.J. Putz can thank his defense for his second save of the season. Every ball was hit hard. We need a few outings of dominant J.J. before we can restore our faith in him.

Ramon Martinez had the game of his life defensively. He still has no arm and needs to replaced at shortstop ASAP.

Mike Pelfrey settled down and was on cruise control after a rough first inning. No case of the yips in this one.

Papelbon blows his first save of the season, and over in the Bronx, Brad Lidge blows one for the Phillies. The Mets and Yankees really helped each other out on Saturday. However, there was still a part of me that was disgusted the Yanks came back with a dramatic 9th inning victory. I can't help it, no matter what the standings say. It's May, for crying out loud. I know, I know, but what if we lose by a game in the standings...

Sunday was a different story. Tim Redding looked like the Steve Trachsel he initially reminded me of in that first inning in L.A. Failing to get the final out in the 5th, he handed the ball to Sean Green, who in one pitch managed to blow a Met lead.

Brian Stokes has come back to earth. 1.1 innings, 6 hits and 5 runs. Yikes. Hey, the ERA is still a respectable 2.89.

Ramon Castro hit a pop up to left field that was a homerun. Only in Fenway park.

David Ortiz is on the interstate with a .195 batting average. Amazing. OK, now it's time for Big Papi to heat up.

I Hate L.A.

At least the Mets don't have to go there anymore, unless there's a postseason encounter a la 2006.

J.J. Putz continues to look ordinary and not the lights out reliever we anticipated. The more he's out there, the less you are confident. The guy had two seasons of 70+ innings pitched where his walk totals were 13 for each season. He has 12 in 23 innings so far this season.

With a steady backup like Alex Cora out, the last thing we need is Jose Reyes to miss any time. After leaving the game and heading back to New York for an MRI, it revealed only tendinitis. Ramon Martinez is an automatic out and it's time to explore other options down on the farm if this continues.

Now it's time for three games at Boston, with our buddies from Philadelphia in town to play the Yankees. A rare few days where Met and Yankee fans are united. By the way, how many homeruns do you think you are going to see in that series? For that matter, when was the last time a Met hit a homerun?

Walk- Phillies 6, Mets 5

August 30, 2008 and May 2, 2009, Aaron Heilman or Sean Green, the result the same. The Mets lose on a walkoff walk.

Awful performances by the pitching staff at the start and finish overshadowed what was an impressive effort in the middle by the bullpen, with the exception of a Pedro Feliciano pitch to Raul Ibanez. It was the second straight night our lefty specialist gave up a homerun to a lefty. Oliver Perez was a disaster again. Ken Takahashi was great as a long, going 2.2 scoreless. He could be making the next Perez-scheduled start on Thursday. Bobby Parnell and JJ Putz pitched three scoreless. Green was awful, loading the bases, then walking in the winning run in the 10th and that was it.

Just when it looked like the Mets were going to go another game without solving Jamie Moyer, Daniel Murphy and Ramon Castro hit back to back homeruns to tie the game in the 6th.

Jose Reyes is mired in a deep slump. After Alex Cora led off the 10th with a single, Reyes could not even get a bunt down. How long before we see Cora spot Reyes a game at short?

Luis Castillo made his return to the lineup and was removed in a double-switch in the 6th. If he keeps sliding like he slid into home in the 3rd, we're going to see a lot less of him. That was a tumble that looked like nothing but hurt for the 33-year old who looks like he's 43.

The Sportsync radio worked like a charm today. Fox's HD-feed was 8 seconds slower than the radio call, just enough to delay the handy radio to the max 8 seconds and be able to watch while listening to Howie on the Fan.

Should Be Working Instead

There's nothing like a midweek day game. Most people are working, but a bunch of them are enjoying a relaxing day at the ballpark. Unless you're a Met fan.

The Mets found a way to blow another one today. It was the first weekday matinee of the season, and my first of the season as well. Last season I went to four. The Mets are now 0-5 since last season in these games. All of them memorable:

4/8/08- Opening day vs Philadelphia. We're looking good with a 2-0 lead after 6 until the bullpen and some shoddy defense takes over, a sign of things to come. Phillies spoil the home opener with a 5-2 win.

4/30/08- A beautiful sunny day, yet the game was delayed 40 minutes. Not a cloud in the sky, but a water main break in the area. Oliver Perez gives up a 7-spot in the second inning and the Mets lose 13-1 to the Pirates.

5/15/08- Mike Pelfrey takes a no-hitter into the 7th inning. The problem was the game was still scoreless at that point. The Nationals get a leadoff hit in the 7th to end the bid, and scratch out a run in the 8th. With Carlos Beltran on third and one out in the 9th, Carlos Delgado lines out to first, Beltran's too far from third and gets doubled up.

6/12/08- 4-2 Mets lead the Diamondbacks in the 9th. Enter Sandman. Wagner gives up 2 in the 9th, Heilman one in the 10th and the Mets lose 5-4.

4/29/09- Johan has a new bullpen now to protect his leads. However, up one run in the 8th, JJ Putz walks the first two batters of the inning, a sac bunt and 2-rbi single later the Marlins take the lead. After the Mets have the first two reach base in the bottom of the 9th, they fail to score one, capped by a bizarre decision to pinch hit Omir Santos, who had to run in from the bullpen, for Ramon Castro, who had two hits on the day. Santos popped out to end the game with the bases loaded.

Slide! Cardinals 6, Mets 4

Despite all the other blown early leads this season, this obviously takes the "worst game of the season" tag thus far.

Heck it could've been worse earlier. Oliver Perez walked the leadoff man on four pitches. He regrouped after that, but then it all fell apart in the 5th inning in typical fashion. Three chances to get one more out and qualify for the victory and our $36 million man could not get it done.

The Mets had an easy 5-4 lead in the 8th. Carlos Beltran, however, chose not to get dirty. Instead he steps on Yadier Molina's (I'm sick of this guy) foot instead of home plate and gets tagged out.

How much longer do you go with Daniel Murphy in left field? You think the kid has any pressure on him to keep up that .300+ batting average? He turns a line out to left field into a triple. JJ Putz finally gets knocked around and gives up two runs and that's your ballgame.

Mets 9, Reds 7

There we go, that's more like the stuff we're used to. A good old, sweat it out, load the bases in the 9th and hold on for the victory save. K-Rod decided to walk everybody, then get out of the bases loaded one out jam. That error on Delgado, a questionable call by the first base umpire for leaving the bag too early on the throw to first did not help matters.

Scary first inning for Mike Pelfrey, but he bounced back nicely.

Here's to more of the Carlos Delgado from the second half of last season. Nice to see that homerun out of the way early in the season.

Damn, JJ Putz gave up a run in the 8th. Sean Green allowed an inherited runner to score the inning before that. It's not supposed to be this way.

Why is David Wright sliding head first into home?

Let's erase the demons of 2005 by sweeping the opening series in the matinee today. Damn afternoon workday games.

Mets 2, Reds 1

Aside from the new stadium, there has not been opinion and commentary on the Mets themselves here. With opening day now having come and gone, it's time to get going.

We have a bullpen now. Not since 2006 have we been able to say that. Yes it's only one game. But this is exactly what the braintrust had in mind over the winter meetings. Santana-Putz-K-Rod not quite. On this cold and frigid Cincinnati day, we needed Sean Green to come up big as well.

Daniel Murphy is awesome. He's the perfect #2 hitter and showed it with a patient at bat before launching one into the rightfield seats.

Freakin MLB gameday did not pick up the WFAN feed today. So those of us stuck at work without a radio and who did not speak Spanish had to listen to the Cincinnati feed (WADO, home of the Met broadcasts in Spanish, was available on Gameday radio). Made us root harder for Putz when those clowns were hoping for a walk and a blast from Votto in the 8th. Of course they made it a point to remind us that Votto hit a double off JJ while playing for Team Canada in the WBC. Sit down Joey!

Hey, Luis Castillo had a double.

The Mets offense picked up right they left off last season, leaving 50 men on base.

It was opening day, listening to the game at the office was not enough. The DVR was rolling come evening time. Welcome back Gary, Keith, and Ron. I only watched maybe a couple of innings of spring training, all 45 days or so of it.

Oh baby, baseball's back. Thanks to what the Mets have done the past couple of seasons I'm pretty numb to what the Rangers are doing right now. Although the same cities are kind of making it irritating. On the diamond, Philly gets in the last two years because we lose to Florida. Now on the ice, Florida could get in because we lose to Philly.

Citi Field Review

After almost three years of looking at construction photos, it was finally time. The first game at Citi Field. Coming into the day, all that you could think was "just get me in the damn ballpark" considering the weather. It was a steady rain most of the day. Any other day you complain about the Mets not calling the game early enough and making people come in, pay for parking, pay for dinner and beers, sit for an hour, then find out there's no game. Not on this day. Just get us in, game or no game.

Going down the stairs to exit the "Mets/Willets Point" stop was nothing new. You get out and head left towards Gate E. No more. At the foot of the steps, you were transported to a different place. It's amazing, the last game last October, the new place was up and pretty much done on the exterior, yet this time without our big blue toilet bowl casting a shadow over it the scene is completely different. There was a sidewalk and new parking where what used to be day of game ticket sales and the Mets bullpen.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda was packed as expected. It was just several minutes before first pitch, so we made our way over to the left field game walking along what used to be the spot for the old apple and just beyond the visitor's bullpen. How appropriate it was that the left field gate featured a silhouette of "the catch", not too far from the spot Endy gave us hope in game 7.

Damn the place smelled good as you walked in. If you were slightly hungry, you were quickly starving. We took the stairs up to the promenade. A good way to get the blood moving on a chilly evening. After nightmares of plexiglass and stairway obstruction, I was relieved to find that my seats were just fine. Perfect view of every scoreboard. Solid seats that you don't have to pull up. Maybe people will be less inclined to hop down seats when making their way down a section. I can't tell you how many broken seats I sat in at Shea.

After one inning, we left our seats to explore the park. Every line for food was at least a 10 minute wait. Centerfield on the field level was shoulder to shoulder. The early start and curiosity of the new place had people hungry and wandering. Wide concourses to ease congestion? Not today, but give it a few games.

Approaching kiddie field and the dunk tank came my first minor gripe. Where the video/audio of the game? No clue what's going on if you're out here. Maybe that will change by the opener.

The Pepsi Porch was above us, but how the heck do you get up there? That's for later. Over the bridge, we peered down at the old Shea apple. The 360 was completed as we arrived at the Rotunda. How quickly the place changes to a museum.

We can take elevators now? That we did, back up to the Promenade for dinner on the picnic tables behind homeplate.

Caesar's Club on the Excelsior level was very nice. A good place to warm up on a cool night or cool down on a steamy one. However, it's probably the only time we'll ever get in. There was no one checking tickets at the door we entered. They were everywhere else, and again later when we tried to get in again.

Exiting the club on the right field side we found the entrance to the Pepsi Porch. Again, another place to hang out and watch the game from a different vantage point. Those junkyards out back gotta go.

One other negative about the place is that maybe there are too many hiding spots. There were more than a few people lighting up to smoke.

An hour rain delay did not ruin things one bit. We were not really paying attention to the game anyway, but if we wanted to we wouldn't miss much. There are TVs everywhere you look. Except Kiddie Field of course.

The old apple in the bullpen plaza got a nice restoration job in the offseason. In a way you kind of wish they kept it dingy and beat up the way it was. It's a heckler's delight down there, with only a chain fence separating the fans from the visitor's bullpen.

Can you believe this is home now? I thought I was on a road trip and was expecting to either go back to my hotel after the game or drive a few hours to get home. Looking forward to a return on opening night and many more games after that. Oh yeah- the Mets beat the Red Sox and closed the game with Putz in the 8th and K-Rod in the 9th. Looking forward to many more results like that as well.