What does this and the Mets have in common? They both Suck!!!!!

BY ZACHARY SCHULMAN
STACHE WRITER

For all the problems that have afflicted the Mets this year, I attribute it to one thing: the losing culture of this team. It doesn’t shock me in the least that this team has quit. It doesn’t shock me that we just got swept by the Nats, the Nats have had better players on the field than us for almost 4 months now and certainly have a brighter future.

When everyone talks about how Mike Pelfrey took a step back , it makes me scratch my head. If the Mets were whole this season Pelfrey would have 15 or 17 wins and be 10 games over .500 right now. But since the whole team is hurt and the healthy players have thrown in the towel, would do you expect.
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BY GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

Going into the month of May, the New York Mets were still trying to find themselves. They were 9 -12 and it looked as if the starting pitching wasn’t going to shape up. Well, they’ve shaped up big time. Since May 1st, which is has been 12 games, no Met pitcher has given up more than 3 earned runs on any start. The Mets are 9-2 during these 12 games and have improved their record to 18-14.

One of the reasons why the New York Mets have improved their record is because of the improvement of Mike Pelfrey. After his horrible performance against the Sad Diego Padres, which he let up 8 earn runs, Pelfrey has allowed 3 or less earned runs in his last 4 starts. Also in his last two starts Mr. Wichita State has gone 7 innings and only walked one batter in each of those games.

Also, the Mets have gotten tremendous hitting from Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Luis Castillo and have gotten help from Alex Cora, and Fernando Tatis on the bench. Luis Castillo has slowed down a bit but he has been a pleasant surprise so far this season. David Wright seems to finally be getting it right at the plate and he is currently hitting .317. Beltran has been nothing but spectacular thus far this season. He kept his bat on his shoulder to end the game tonight but it actually ended in a Met win this time. Beltran already has 46 hits on this young season. Great bench play from Cora and Tatis has also contrubited to the Mets hot streak in early May.

Tomorrow’s game is extremely important I feel because they need to take as many games from division rivals as possible.

Castillo seems like a man on a mission, and he has shown some value here in 2009.

BY GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

Could we be seeing the resurrection of Luis Castillo? Last year he was a dismal player and when he came to the plate you could say he’d be almost an automatic out. His fielding took a step back because of his ailing knees and he’s speed on the base paths also suffered. This is all true but in 2009 we are not seeing the same guy. He’s on fire at the dish and is doing a very good job patrolling second.

Through the first fourteen games of 2009, Luis has collected eighteen hits bringing his average to .383. In his last 10 games Castillo has had multiple hits in five games and was held hitless and only two. To go along with those numbers, his on base percentage is through the roof at .889. The most important number of them all is that he is hitting he’s batting .385 with runners in scoring position, which has been tough for most Mets thus far.

I’m glad to see the Jerry Manuel has placed Castillo in the second slot in the lineup because he has earned it. And a little side note – Carlos Beltran is now batting a cool .400 on the year, they need a big year from him if the Mets are going to go anywhere this season.

Carlos Beltran decided he was too good to slide, and he was thrown out at the plate.

BY GREG BARRA
STACHE WRITER

The season is still very young and there really is really no need to panic at all. The Mets have blown three games when they have lead by at least three runs. That’s not a good stat to have early in the season, but there are some positives.

One that really sticks out to me is that the New York Mets have not been blown out of any games thus far this season. Every game they could have come up in the win column but just didn’t have it all clicking. Some games the pitching is doing fantastic and the Mets can hit the baseball even if they had a barnyard door. Or there are games when they are getting the hits but the pitchers can’t find the zone. Once these two come together the Mets are going to be a tough team to beat.

Second positive is the Mets have seven starters hitting above .300 and one Luis Castillo at .400 (who’d a thought right?). So that
brings the first point out even more.

Third positive is the fact that the Mets have Johan Santana and he currently has a 0.47 ERA.

Although one thing that really bothers me in the early going are the amount of errors the Mets have committed through twelve games. Through the twelve games, they have committed 8 errors, which cannot continue if they want to be a championship contender.

I believe that these the starting pitching will settle down and that the Mets will make the big hits when it counts. We just haven’t seen it yet, so down get frustrated yet Met fans. We got a long, long way to go.

Carlos Delgado had a big day to help put the Mets back above .500.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets defeated the Marlins by the score of 8-4 in Miami tonight to give the Marlins their first loss of the season. It took a big effort from Livan Hernandez and some timely hitting for the Mets to get it done, and they got it from an unlikely hero tonight. Luis Castillo was an excellent 4-for-4 during the game, and it was especially important, considering the fact that Castillo is going to be facing the Mets’ faithful on Monday in Citifield. I think we should all greet him with a resounding cheer.

What can I say about Livan Hernandez? He was excellent tonight. Before the game was actually aired on television, and we were forced to look at the box score while watching a boxing match, Livan found himself in a jam. But, that is exactly where he seems to be comfortable. After putting runners on first and third with nobody out, Cody Ross popped out, and then Livan knuckled down and struck out Cameron Maybin and Ricky Nolasko. He ended up working into the seventh and got some nice support from Pedro Feliciano. My favorite thing about Hernandez tonight was the fact that he completed three sacrifice bunts.

Ryan Church has been on a tear. He had another two hits tonight, and he continues to tell Jerry Manuel to keep Gary Sheffield on the bench. It’s hard to argue with him right now, considering the fact that he seems to be hitting a double every other time up.

Jose Reyes gave us a scare when Cameron Maybin tried to break up a double play. Maybin’s knee and Reyes’ shin got to meet each other, and Reyes came up limping. But fortunately for the Mets, Reyes is alright. He contributed nicely to the cause tonight with a homer and three RBI.

Delgado is in mid-season form with three hits. Delgado is only hitting a whopping .421 so far on the season.

Tomorrow, we have one heck of a match up. Impressive right hander Josh Johnson goes for the Marlins against Johan Santana, who hasn’t lost a game since last June. Happy Easter everyone!

Castillo can be an excellent defensive player.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Luis Castillo is off to a slow start to the 2009 season, and the people of New York are probably foaming at the mouth for the chance to boo him. Last night, he had an at-bat that upset a lot of people. With runners on base in the seventh, Castillo took three strikes and never even swung the bat in an RBI situation. Although he was far from the only Met to fail with runners on, the Mets want to see him swing the bat more, and the crowd will continue to become more and more restless if he neglects to do so.

Now, I have never really been an advocate for booing. Castillo reported to camp in shape and he seems truly devoted to turning his disappointing Mets’ career around. I know what you are thinking. What makes him think he can just slack off for the first season and then start to care? Well, that is the million dollar question.

Castillo can be a very important player for this ball club. He posts a high on base percentage, and I really think he will most likely end up back in the two hole eventually, but I would advise Mets fans to lay off for the time being. Four games have been played in 2009, and Castillo has 158 games to turn it around. I am not ready to give up on him yet.

Remember, he had all of those great years with the Marlins where he made up one half of a gold glove double play combo, and he batted .300 while stealing a ton of bases. I am not saying we are going to see that exact player, but it is apparent that Luis is affected by the boos, and the only thing that the boos can do is make him play worse. Give the little guy a chance.

Carlos Delgado is one of the guys who is going to convert on more opportunities to push this team to the next level.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

If the Mets are going to be successful in 2009, they are going to need to be good at doing the little things. Some things that fall into this category are sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies and even grounders to the right side. These are some areas that the Mets struggled in in 2008, and they may have won several more games if they executed the little things. Players that are going to be key in this are Daniel Murphy and Luis Castillo.

It really all depends on who is the number two hitter, and it depends on what Jose Reyes does before them. For example, if Reyes triples, the number two hitter should try to put the ball in play up the middle, because even if the ball is fielded, the Mets will be able to secure the run. If Reyes hits a double, a grounder to the right side would serve the number two hitter well. Reyes would advance to third and the Mets would have David Wright and Carlos Delgado coming up with two chances to drive the run home.

If Reyes singles, on the other hand, the number two hitter needs to be patient to give Reyes the opportunity to get a read on the pitcher, and then if Reyes steals second base, they can proceed accordingly. Another key to playing small ball is sacrifice bunting, and the people who try to do that most often are the pitchers, and the Mets have a couple of guys who can use a serious improvement.

The two hitters I am satisfied with in the starting staff are Johan Santana and Livan Hernandez, but John Maine and Oliver Perez have been terrible at execution. Sure, they will get a hit every now and again, but they both struggle with their bunting, which should be their main concern when they come to the plate.

The final aspect of small ball is sacrifice flies. When there is a runner on third and less than two outs, the batter needs to hit the ball either up the middle or into the outfield. This requires patience, because if you are trying to hit a fly ball, you are more likely to pop it up, and it would have been a wasted opportunity.

This team needs to execute more. Plain and simple. That is the key to winning the championship that has evaded their grasp since 1986.

Jeremy Reed's big spring helped secure him a spot on the Mets' bench.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets have made it official. The opening day lineup is set, as the team has reassigned Elmer Dessens and Bobby Kielty to minor league camp, and they have informed Fernando Nieve that he will not be making the squad as well. That means that there are no surprises. The team will shape up line this in Cincinnati next Monday.

Lineup
1. Reyes
2. Murphy
3. Wright
4. Delgado
5. Beltran
6. Church
7. Schneider
8. Castillo

Rotation
1. Santana
2. Pelfrey
3. Maine
4. Perez

Bullpen
1. O’Day
2. Parnell
3. Feliciano
4. Green
5. Putz
6. Rodriguez
7. Stokes

Bench
1. Castro
2. Tatis
3. Cora
4. Reed
5. Evans
6. Anderson

This team is certainly formidable to compete, and there will be plenty of changes as the season goes along. You never know what will happen with injuries and whatnot. Remember, Nick Evans is going to be riding the shuttle for the Mets until Livan Hernandez’s first start. His stay in the big leagues is going to be a brief one, at least when the season starts.

Some people who I can see being plagued by the injury bug are Luis Castillo, who has a history of knee problems, and he has never proven to be healthy; Ryan Church, who is coming off of a season in which he never was 100 percent after suffering a concussion; Ramon Castro, who has been out of shape the past two seasons and that has inhibited him and hit bat from becoming the number one catcher in Queens; John Maine, who has tired arm issues late last season, and he should be watched closely and monitored as the season progresses.

I know it is going to be a roller coaster ride, but I am ready to get the show on the road.

BY ADAM KRAMER
STACHE WRITER

Okay, the leadoff spot has been debated already and no clear answer has been established just yet. Hey, it’s early! One thing that has been decided by skipper Jerry Manuel however, is the fact that young lefty Daniel Murphy will soon become the Mets’ everyday left fielder. And so the lineup debate continues.

Ladies and gents your 2009 New York Mets opening day lineup… (In my opinion of course)

1. Jose Reyes
2. Carlos Beltran
3. Daniel Murphy
4. David Wright
5. Carlos Delgado
6. Ryan Church
7. Brian Schneider
8. Luis Castillo

To me, this makes the most sense. The two things that stand out are without a doubt your two and three-hitters. Beltran’s high OBP (.376 in ‘08) is exactly what the team needs to compensate for Reyes’ good, but not jaw-dropping OBP. He hit in the two-hole some last year and saw pretty good success. He has the speed, his legs are healthier than a year ago, and hopefully he can be more of a threat on the bases once again.

Sliding Murphy into the three-hole is the ideal solution to balance out what still is an abundance of lefty bats. Three out of your last four hitters are lefty with Castillo being a switch hitter and a more natural hitter from the left side. By doing this you break up Murphy and Delgado with right-hander David Wright.

The sweet swinging 23-year-old is ready for this. By all accounts, he’s looked fabulous through the early part of spring training and Jerry Manuel seems to already expect big things from the next great homegrown Met. Every moment I look for a spring training update, it seems Matthew Cerrone on Metsblog is reporting that Murphy is in the batting cage taking more swings. You have to love it.

Both Reyes and Wright were thrown into the fire as young “can’t miss prospects”, and each turned out to be a superb talent. Watching Murphy’s approach at the plate tells me he’s ready to be included in this conversation and he belongs in the heart of the order. He will also have big, established bats all around him so he’ll see plenty of good pitches to hit.

Keeping our/his expectations grounded however is key. If Murphy is able to bat .285, hit 15-20 homers, and drive in 75-90 runs, would there be a better 1-5 in the majors?

Jerry is looking for a spark, someone ready to add another element to this lineup, and perhaps hitting Murphy right in the thick of things is just what this team needs.

Let’s see what the kid can do.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Today, the Mets started their exhibition season against the Baltimore Orioles, and they got big days out of two big question marks on their team, Luis Castillo and Ryan Church. These are two guys that could be real wild cards that determine how well the Mets do in the 2009 season.

Church has been a health question since his first concussion knocked him out for an extended period of time. We all know the talent is there, and he is capable of being a solid right fielder as well. For him, I wonder if he will ever be healthy for the Mets for an entire season. Concussions frequently occur for a second, third and fourth time. The fact is, if you have a concussion, it’s more likely to happen again. That’s why it is reasonable to worry about the Mets’ projected right fielder.

Castillo, on the other hand, has been the chew-toy for Mets’ fans since last season. His atrocious campaign was riddled by injuries and inconsistency that made him become the perennial Roberto Alomar for the Mets. He still has a chance to make up for it though. He reported to camp 17 pounds lighter, and he seems to be on a mission to prove everyone wrong, and for some unforeseen reason, I have faith in him.

Today, Church was able to clobber an RBI-double and a two-run single for a three-RBI day. Castillo, on the other hand, was able to one-up Church with a two-run single and two-run double in three at-bats. These are two guys that have the microscope on them, and it is going to be fun to see if they persevere through the adversity.