Archive for the ‘Jerry Manuel’ Category

BY SCOTT ILOWITE
STACHE WRITER

This afternoon RA Dickey and the Mets beat Livan Hernandez and the Nats 3-2. The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning after RA Dickey helped himself with a single and Angel Pagan followed with one of his own. With the two of them on, Luis Hernandez hit a liner to centerfield that kinda knuckled away from that sukka Nyjer Morgan in centerfield, allowing RA to score. Carlos Beltran followed up with a sac fly to give the Mets the 2-0 lead.

In the 5th inning with Mike Morse aboard on a single, RA served up a meatball that didn’t exactly knuckle to Wilson Ramos, and he deposited it over the centerfield wall to knot the score up at 2.

In an amazing managerial maneuver, Jerry Manuel made a real gangsta move and pinch hit for Dickey after only 88 pitches in the top of the 7th inning. With 1 out and 2 on, Nick Evans was called upon. Evans shattered his bat and hit one past Adam Dunn for an RBI double. Thole came around to score and gave the Mets a 3-2 lead. Read the rest of this entry »

BY EDWIN VASQUEZ
STACHE WRITER

I imagine that next year is going to be one of those rare years in recent Mets history where the expectations are not high; the hype is not there; and the anxiety will be subdued, at best.  The questions we all should be asking are: will NYC throw its support behind a team that is not expected to win now?  Will the youth movement be appreciated for what it is; a bunch of young players looking to establish themselves as a team?  Can the Mets replicate the identity of the Cubs’ “Lovable Losers” persona of yester-year?  But more importantly, will the Wilpons accept the fact that this team is not going to be improved with aged veterans and inflated contracts…

So here we are now…at the conclusions of the 2010 season and we have questions…questions such as, “who is this team”?  What’s their identity?  Who’s the leader of this team?  Is this leader currently on the roster?  I believe so, but I don’t think it’s David Wright…Surprised?  Read the rest of this entry »

BY BRYAN ROTHENSTEIN
STACHE WRITER

The nail in the coffin,
It happened tonight,
Rubber game vs the Marlins,
We lacked a good fight.

Wright got us going,
With a gargantuan blast,
His 21st of the season,
11 more then his last.

It came to the sixth,
With the team up by two,
When Niese really lost it,
All of Citi Field booed.

The decision was easy,
Just go to the mound,
They had guys up warming,
Yet Manuel stood his ground.

7 runnings in an inning,
Your destined for doom,
It’s time for the front office,
To break out the broom.

You can’t win a game,
When your starter implodes,
The Marlins kept feasting,
11 runs on the road.

Call in Jerry,
Omar Minaya too,
Hand them their papers,
And bid them adieu.

Minaya and Jerry,
Must take the blame,
If not for them,
Their’d be less shame.

Find us a winner,
Bobby V or Torre would do,
And for Ollie and Luis,
They can leave with ya’ll too!

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY ANDREW MERLIS
STACHE WRITER

That was the final score of the Mets-Phillies game Friday night. I suppose you’ll look at that score and say, “I thought it was 7-5.” Yeah, technically that was the final score.

But I find the 111-19 score more interesting.

The 111 represents the number of pitches Jonathan Niese threw in the game. Those 111 pitches yielded 4 Phillies hits. The 19 is the number of pitches Bobby Parnell threw in the game.

Those 19 pitches yielded 4 Phillies hits. Of course Niese also recorded 21 outs, including seven strikeouts, with those 111 pitches. Parnell? No outs.

Conventional wisdom these days says you lift your starting pitcher when the 7th or 8th rolls around, especially if he’s thrown more than 100 pitches. Conventional wisdom is, well, unwise.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY MATT ESPOSITO
STACHE WRITER

I’m one of the most lax Mets fans I know. It takes a ton to get me worked up over something Mets related. I’m the kind of person that still completely refuses believe that the Mets are out of it. But Jerry Manuel is really starting to grind my gears, and I may actually be the last Met fans to admit that I feel that way.

But seriously, I absolutely love a manager that knows how to smile and have a good time. I think those are great qualities in management, but now you have Jerry taking it to a whole new level. In fact, he’s cranked the clowning around-o-meter to full blast. Some of these managerial decisions are becoming too costly, especially after seeing how he mishandled Pelfrey and the pen last night.
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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.

Read the rest of this entry »

BY KEVIN KEARNS
STACHE WRITER

It is becoming apparently clear to me that Jerry Manuel is not going to last much longer in a Mets uniform. Fair or unfair, since the all-star break, this team has been atrocious.

This big thing that I take away from this is that come 2011, I strongly believe Bobby Valentine will once again be at the helm.

The bottom line is that things just are not working out for Manuel. Be it because of team chemistry, lack of pitching, or simply a lack of depth, the road leaving NYC has been paved for Manuel.

Luckily for us Mets fans, one of our best managers of all-time has been roaming around looking for work.

Bobby V seems to be rumored every single time a new job opening comes up. However, for some odd reason he always ends up withdrawing his name or simply turning the opportunity down. It is almost fate that the Mets position would finally open up for him.

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BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

The Mets are staring at the brink of an epic disaster in a season where they have missed every landmine possible that have been in front of them. They are in danger of making the final days of Olympic Stadium look like a sell out compared to what Citi Field could look like in August and September. The Mets are going to cost Jerry Manuel his job.

It would almost be perfect to see the Mets fire Jerry this weekend in Los Angeles after he took the job over a little over two years ago in the same area (dont let the Angels fool you, they play in ANAHEIM not LA).

It would even be a simple move for Jerry as well considering he lives in Sacramento during the off season, just a few hour flight up to Sac-town from LA would be better then Willie having to come back to Jersey when he was canned out West at 3 AM EST.

The fact of the matter is that I have hated Jerry Manuel from the second this team fell apart at the end of 2008. Last year was a joke, not because of injury but because the fundamentals were so horrific and that falls on the Manager and his coaching staff.

If the Mets get swept in LA, which is extremly possible, I think it time to take what Howard Megdal told me last Sunday on Stache Radio (Sundays at 11!) and focus on 2011 and I think it could start next Monday.

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