Archive for June 11th, 2009

David Wright has made a couple of big errors in 2009.

BY MIKE BARRETT
STACHE WRITER

As cliché as it may be, the old motto that the best offense is a good defense is something the New York Mets should attempt to take to heart. Most notably David Wright.

For those of you who missed it, let me recap the events of last night. With the bases loaded for the Phillies, a chopper was hit to Wright who charged in, bobbled the ball and allowed a run to score and the runner to be safe at first. The Phillies went on to tie the game later in that inning. Now who am I to say that even if Wright makes that play and cuts down the runner at home for the force that the Phillies don’t come through to tie the game, but still it in my eyes was the turning point of that game.

Defense has been something the Mets have been lacking this season. It seems that in some of the more devastating losses the Mets have suffered this season, a mental lapse on defense can be found that contributed to that loss. This team, though it has great defensive players don’t get me wrong, is a far cry from the turn of the century Mets that brought the Mets to their last World Series.

And for those o you who don’t believe that great defense is a key for champions, it pains me to say just look at Jayson Werth. A great catch against David Wright saved the go ahead run from scoring in the bottom of the tenth and in turn, made it possible for Chase Utley’s solo shot in the top of the eleventh to be the game winner. That’s what championship ball clubs do, they are clutch on defense to make way for their offense.

So hopefully the Mets can take something from their hated counterparts for the series finale tonight, because the thought of losing two out of three to the Phillies at hoe before traveling to Yankee Stadium is something that every Mets fan should be concerned about.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

I almost peed my pants when I saw this the first time. Enjoy!

Tim Redding has been less than stellar so far in his short tenure with the Mets.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Dear Tim Redding,

Tonight, you will be thrown into the fire. You are coming off possibly your best start of the season when you held the Nationals at bay for six solid innings, but there are still many doubters in New York. Apparently, one solid start against the Nationals is not enough to gain the trust of New Yorkers everywhere. And truthfully, I think that is completely justified.

A lot of people think that the Mets made a mistake when they signed you. The barrage of fans that wanted to see a Pedro Martinez reunion in New York never really seemed to be on your side, and we all know that you have worked your backside off to get back on the mound and compete. We have already seen one guy signed who couldn’t get the job done in Freddy Garcia. Are you going to be any different than him? Frankly, I am not so sure.

Thus far, you have looked like you are part of the crap shoot of players that have been thrown out there because of injury concerns over the past few seasons. Guys like Jeremi Gonzalez, Jose Lima, Brandon Knight and others come to mind when you pitch, and to be honest, I think you are better than all of those guys.

You won 10 games as the member of the Nationals. That is something to be commended.

Nobody in New York cares what you have done in the past. We like to go by a “What have you done for me lately?” philosophy. Tonight, you are going to have your chance to truly be accepted by the New York faithful. You will go to battle with perhaps the toughest lineup in the National League in the Philadelphia Phillies.

Surprisingly to me, this is a team you have had success against. You are 5-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 starts and the Phillies are hitting just .215 against you. It is time for you to get win number six, and that way, this will give the Mets a feeling of momentum heading into their weekend series with the crosstown Yankees.

Do you have the guts? Tim, I am daring you right now to not let failure be an option. The Mets’ bullpen was heavily used last night, so they could use a quality start. We all know Pedro Feliciano will be in the game at some point, but Mets’ fans would love to see you put up zeroes as the batters take their swings against Jamie Moyer.

Time to step it up big Tim, and maybe New York will finally accept you as one of its own.

Chase Utley celebrates his game deciding homer in the 11th.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

What a heart breaker.

The Mets had the Phillies by the throats tonight, but unfortunately, they let the game slip away. After building a 4-1 lead, the Phillies stormed back to tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh, and then a Chase Utley homer in the 11th sealed the game for the Fightin’ Phillies.

The Mets had a big offensive night as they cranked 16 hits on the day, but when they started to build rallies, it was often station to station, which is much evidenced by the fact that 15 of their hits were singles, and the only extra base hit was by Mike Pelfrey, who had his batting average rise almost 100 points tonight.

Let me tell you who I have a problem with in this game. Let’s start with the manager, Jerry Manuel. With the bats like Utley, Howard and Ibanez due up, how could you send in a fireballer that throws predominantly fastballs? That is not a recipe for success, and as my good friend Matt Falkenbury can attest to, I told him before the inning started, “I would be shocked if the score is still tied after this half inning.”

Unfortunately, Chase Utley didn’t take much time to prove me right. There are other options in the bullpen. I would have gone with Takahashi personally, but I am not sure how he would respond in such a spot. We also have guys like Stokes and Nieve who can mix it up, but neither is proven. I think the trust in Parnell is what got him the appearance, and Jerry got burnt.

Another guy who was awful tonight was Fernando Tatis. As much as I compliment him, it is time for me to give him a little bit of criticism. This guy has been putrid recently when runners are on base. He just can’t seem to get a hit with runners on base since what seems like April. I would be a big advocate in giving Tatis the day off against Moyer tomorrow. Daniel Murphy was good in the series finale against Washington and it would be nice to see him get a start.

Another guy who is in a serious rut is Gary Sheffield. It seems like he is becoming all or nothing with that gargantuan swing. Although he had a hit tonight, he has been making a lot of weak outs recently, and it may be a nice time to get him a day off before the Yankee series. I am sure he is going to want to be in there against his old mates. If I was the skipper, Fernando Martinez would be in left and batting second tomorrow night.

Kudos goes to Jeremy Reed, who continues to be the most underrated player on this team. He made a big leaping catch against Ryan Howard in the 11th, and he might be earning himself some playing time if he keeps on impressing the manager. Since I am handing out kudos, another goes to Pedro Feliciano, who may be the best lefty specialist around. He went through Utley, Howard and Ibanez like they were the bottom three four the Nationals. Well done.

I love the fight, but we need to execute more and make sure to do the little things. If there’s a runner on second and nobody out, hit a ground ball to the right side. Then a fly ball will score a run. Little things like that are what makes teams win championships.