Archive for the ‘Angel Pagan’ Category

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

Ah, doesn’t it feel good to be back in third place again? What, it doesn’t? Even if you don’t like third place, if you’re a Mets fan, you should like the way the Mets played tonight. They trailed late, but persevered and came out on top, just like a winning team should. At 63-62, the Mets are technically a winning team again, even if that winning team consists of a bunch of underachieving bums.

Seriously, though, the Mets played with pride tonight. They refused to fold when Gaby Sanchez crushed a 3-run homer with two outs in the 7th to ruin R.A. Dickey’s nice start. Even with two outs in their half of the 8th, the Mets did not quit. Angel hustled hard enough to turn a single into a double and was quickly rewarded when he rounded third and scored on Beltran’s single.

In the 9th, Ike Davis led off with a swinging-bunt infield single just past the pitchers mound. After Thole lobbed a broken bat bloop over short stop for another single, the Mets ended up with runners on first and second with two outs. Luis Castillo, who was switched into the lineup after Jesus Feliciano pinch hit for Ruben Tejada in the 7th, became the surprise hero by nubbing a soft liner into right field. Right fielder Mike Stanton was playing in, but his throw was off target and everything was good for one night.

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BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

To start things off on a bright note, at least the Mets were not shut out tonight.

Now back to the harsh reality.  The Mets have not won a single game all season when trailing after 8 innings.  So the fact that they scored a run was of little consolation as they lost yet another game, another series, and to the Phillies who they are chasing in the NL East and Wild Card race.

The most disappointing thing with all of these losses is the fact that our pitching has been doing so well and it has become our offense and defense that has been letting us down.  The Mets are now 10 games out and it might be time to start thinking about how to fix things for next season.  As much as I hate to say it, this teams leaves little in terms of hope for the near future.

Tonight’s game featured yet another lackluster offensive performance as they were only able to manage 1 run off of Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick, who earned his 8th win of the season.

On the other side, Pelfrey continued to work towards regaining his early season success by only allowing 3 runs in 7 innings to go along with o walks and 1 strikeout.  The pitching continues to impress as the offense continues to take an extended vacation.

David Wright still can’t seem to get on track.  Although he managed a hit and walk he made yet another error in the field bringing his total to 15 on the season.  Since the All-Star break Wright is batting only .198 and seems to be pressing.  It is understandable with Bay being out and Beltran fighting to find his way but they need him to just relax and be David Wright not Superman.

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BY SCOTT ILOWITE
STACHE WRITER

Tonight the Mets take on the Phillies in the rubber game of this 3 game series at Citi Field.

TV- ESPN (ugh, sorry you have to listen to John Miller and Joe Morgan) 8 PM
Radio – WFAN 660

New York Mets Lineup
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Angel Pagan, RF
3. David Wright, 3B
4. Carlos Beltran, CF
5. Ike Davis, 1B
6. Chris Carter, LF
7. Josh Thole, C
8. Louie Castillo, 2B
9. Mike Pelfrey, P

Interesting Fact/Trend-  Jeff Francouer hit a homer run last time the Mets faced Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick , and is 9 for 22 in his career against him.  What do you know, Jerry isn’t starting Jeff tonight.  Seriously Jerry?

Philidelphia Phillies Lineup
1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Shane Victorino, CF
3. Placido Polanco, 3B
4. Raul Ibanez, LF
5. Jason Werth, RF
6. Greg Dobbs, 1B
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Wilson Valdez, 2B
9. Kyle Kendrick, P

Interesting Fact/Trend – Catcher Carlos Ruiz is hitting .318 with 2 homers and 10 runs batted in, in 11 games this month.  He only has 30 RBI total, on the season.

On The Bump

For the Mets, Mike Pelfrey (11-6 3.95 ERA) looks to build upon his great outing on Tuesday against the Rockies, when he tossed 7 shutout innings for his first victory since June 25th.  Mike is 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four career starts at Citi Field against the Phillies, including a 3-0 victory May 27. Pelfrey is 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA in 13 starts at home in 2010.

For the Phils, Kyle Kendrick (7-5  4.60 ERA) is 2-2 with a 3.34 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He faced them once this year, giving up four runs over five innings in a 9-1 loss on April 30 at Citizens Bank Park. 

Daily Stache’s Keys to the Game:

Mike HAS to have his command early on.  As we all know, Big Pelf either has it, or he doesn’t.  He’s been killing himself with very high pitch counts early on in games.  As Ron had pointed out in Pelf’s last start, he has gone from 12 or 13 pitches per inning, up to around 17 per inning.  That’s not going to allow him to last long.

Jose and Angel have been collecting dust out on the base paths.  It seems as if every time they are on base, they get stranded in scoring position.  Wright, Beltran and Ike HAVE to have a few big hits tonight. David is 3 for 37 with just two walks and 12 strikeouts in August. Also in the second half of the season, Wright has hit just .198 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI with 28 strikeouts in 96 at bats. 

Play solid defense.  The Phillies don’t need any help scoring runs.  Even though they finally scored a run at Citi Field last night, we all know that they score runs in bunches.  With no Howard or Utley in the lineup, you still have to contend with Rollins, Polanco, Werth and Ibanez. 

LET’S GO METS!

BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

It was a long time coming but this is a step in the right direction for your NY Mets. The fact is that some players who dont belong are still here, but no need to jump ahead of ourselves and get mad, a step in the right direction was still taken.

Bringing up Fernando Martinez and Ruben Tejada is a sign that this team is about ready to rebuild and take the talented young players that people last year said didnt exist and give them a chance to shine.

Cora was a nice guy but his contract was insane and Im Happy Omar and Jeff wouldnt allow him to reach that plateau. Feliciano is a thirty one yr old journey man and lets face it is not the future of this team and this team has just a glut of Outfielders.

I know Castillo is still here and so is Frenchy, but I think that if Jerry wants to make one last stand, go out with a blaze of glory. I have always hated Jerry Manuel but if can man up, sit them on the bench, let the young kids play and keep playing, I will respect the way he went out.

The fact is that with a young team like this, although Im not a fan, but If Jerry goes and Beltran is traded in the off-season which alot of people feel could happen. Your gonna have a batting order in which David Wright is the 2nd oldest starter at 28 years old. I like that alot when you think about it.

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BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

You really thought there was a chance they would do something. As you read this, I want you to think about how that no matter how negative you are about this, you thought there was a chance.

Mike Pelfrey was gonna turn it around, French was gonna keep going and have a Revolution and send the Braves to the gallows as the Mets escaped Atlanta with 2 out of 3. You are thinking about that moment when you thought they actually would do that.

Now your pissed off because it didnt happen at all, and lets face it, it never was gonna happen. The Mets are like the girl we all knew in high school, you heard the stories, you saw the looks and yet….nothing but a giant tease and left you alone and hurt.

The New York Mets have played two-thirds of the season and are 54-54, a .500 team. There is no need to try to explain well if they beat such and such team they would be this.

No need to waste time thinking about it. The New York Mets are a .500 ballclub which has little possibilty of really improving but could easily fall apart.

The team is on the brink and when you really think about it, its scary how troubled this team really is. After the jump, you can see how scary it is in written form.

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BY RANDY SHEMANSKI
STACHE WRITER

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com tweeted tonight that the Mets and Royals are talking about a potential trade, and two of the three Mets involved in the talks are guys the fans would be happy to bid farewell to.

Rosenthal did stress that the two teams are simply talking and it’s unclear how far along the discussions are. (Follow Rosenthal on Twitter @Ken_Rosenthal)

Rosenthal said the Mets players in discussion are Jeff Francoeur, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez. Castillo and Perez have been public enemies No. 1 and 1a over the past two seasons – regardless of Castillo’s strong 2009 – and getting them off the roster would please the fan base and help the team.

And, Francoeur has said he would welcome a trade after he lost his starting job when Carlos Beltran returned.

In Francoeur’s case, he’s a solid clubhouse presence, plays hard and is a standup guy, but he’s also the type of player who needs to play regularly to get going offensively, and it’s clear that’s not going to happen in a Mets uniform.

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Has It Really Been Four Years?

BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

This is the 4th season since our last post season appearance which ended with a curve unlike any other.

It was the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs and the Mets needing a big hit from their big hitter. Beltran vs Wainwright. A curve that no hitter from to Ted Williams to Albert Pujols would be able to hit was snapped off and that ended the game and a dream for many a Mets fan.

It was such a disappointing night, especially after the amazing catch by Endy Chavez, who leapt up and into the wall to rob a homerun giving the Mets, the media and their diehard fan base a reason to believe it was meant to be. But then Yadier *#!?# Molina.

Putting them up by 1 run. And that curve. I still can see Beltran in the batters box with his bat on his shoulder, nothing he could do and that ended our season and seemingly the last opportunity for the fans to enjoy playoff baseball in Queens.
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B is for Beltran

BY RAY MALDONADO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Mets have sure had a whirlwind of a week. Coming off a 4-2 home stand against some very good AL teams, Twins and Tigers, some of their better stories have come off the field.

What is it about the golf course that gets the testosterone going for these athletes, Tiger Woods at least had his share of women or the whole Mets team share of women off the course. Johan Santana’s good guy persona went right out the door with these latest stories but we can’t believe every girl that cries wolf but we also can’t believe every athlete who claims he did nothing wrong… Ben Roethlisberger.

That leaves us in about as gray an area as that last episode of Sopranos, Don’t Stop Believing isn’t that the new Mets slogan. In any case, I’m sure Misses Santana will be a lot harder on Johan than the fans were when he gave up those early runs against his former team and lost to none other than “Ironman” Carl Pavano.

Carlos Beltran is finally ready to play some games for the Mets again but he sure has been taking his time. Jerry will certainly have his hands full when Beltran does decide he’s ready to play with the big club, with Pagan playing steadily in center and adding a much needed jolt in the top of the line-up and Francouer hitting again, maybe Beltran can play a little left. Bay hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball but he has been better defensively than advertised.
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Pagan and Mejia for Lee Is A Bit Much

BY TOM GREENHALGH
STACHE WRITER

The Mets and Twins are reportedly the frontrunners for Cliff Lee, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The Twins have what the Mariners want most – a great catching prospect that will never see the light of day behind Mauer – but the Mets may be willing to counter that by giving up both Angel Pagan and Jenrry Mejia.

I don’t even know where to begin with why this is a bad trade.

I guess I’ll start off with the obvious. Many Mets fans are under the impression that it is possible that not only can the Mets make a deal for Cliff Lee, but that we can also sign him to an extension in the process.

Sorry to break it to you, but that’s not going to happen. Lee will head into free agency because he’s going to be able to get an absurdly ridiculous deal based largely on how good he is, and also largely on how big his name has become.

A team like the Yankees will surely throw lots of zeros at him, and if not that, numerous other teams will create a bidding war much like we’re going to see in the near future of the NBA.

So, what if the Mets trade for him, could they feel secure about being able to re-sign him after the year?
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Angel Pagan has been an absolute pleasure to watch. (PHOTO BY ICON SMI)

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Before I approach the task at hand, let me explain my current predicament. It’s 1:32 a.m. Rather than norman people who are sleeping, I am at work at the American Broadcasting Company, otherwise known as ABC or channel 7 on your televisions. I operate the teleprompter, which is about as complex as Mike Tyson’s vocabulary. We do Nightline at 11:35, then I break until 2 a.m., so there is a lot of downtime, and I passed across this on the Mets’ message board about five minutes ago.

The following refers to Angel Pagan.

“He is possibly the best athlete on the team…if they are willing to experiment with Murphy at 2nd..why not Pagan?”

Thanks to Rangers61134465 on the Mets’ message board for that idea, but it quite simply is never going to happen. Although Pagan’s role is soon going to diminish, he is still going to be important. Think of the ways he is still valuable to this team.
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