SB Nation - Fernando Tatis

The State of the Rockies (Post GM Meetings Edition)

Jabberwocky — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:55:40 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Chris Iannetta got his. Will Clint Barmes be next?

Well, the 2009 Winter Meetings could have gone two ways for the Rockies. One, Dan O'Dowd could have dangled Brad Hawpe, the Rockies could have made overtures to well...anyone of significance. This was unlikely, and did not come to pass. Instead, Rafael Betancourt did the smart thing and accepted arbitration from the Rockies while Jason Marquis made an equally good business decision and declined. The Rockies didn't select anyone in the Rule 5 draft, nor did they have anyone selected. Pretty ho hum to be sure.

However, some significant events did take place regarding the Rockies during the Winter Meetings, giving fans an even clearer picture of the way the roster will shake out. Betancourt's acceptance of arbitration was obviously the most significant, as the Rockies were prepared to bring back LaTroy Hawkins for two years, $7.5 million--a move that for some reason screamed Luiz Vizcaino 2.0 to me--if he had declined. So I'm glad that the Rockies will have an accomplished 8th inning man next year so long as they can fit it into their budget.

As I've said before, if there's a year to spend a little for an extra marginal win or two, it's this one. The NL West crown has never seemed more up for grabs for the Rockies than it appears this year, especially with the Dodgers shuffling through a bizarre offseason, the Giants yet to secure a big bat, and the Padres nickeling and diming their roster. Meanwhile, it was the Diamondbacks who were the big movers of the NL West at the GM meetings in trading away high-upside Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit as part of a three team deal that netted them All-Star pitcher Edwin Jackson as well as Yankees pitcher Ian Kennedy to solidify their rotation for at least 2010. Should Brandon Webb come back strong from surgery, that is one scary rotation developing in Arizona for 2010--and a reason why they will be overrated by about 10 wins in preseason predictions by pundits everywhere. At least, that's my prediction--the Diamondbacks coming in at around 78 wins next year because I'm not sold on their hitting nor their health.

In any case, the Rockies made a move over the winter meetings in locking up Chris Iannetta through his arbitration years (three years, $8.3 million) plus a cheap club option ($5 million) for his first year of free agency. Rob Neyer applauded the move and I agree with him. Love him or like him, this is a solid move for the Rockies, and here's why...

The Rockies are paying Iannetta roughly market value for a player of his stature...if he repeats his 2009 season for four more years. Many people, myself included, seem to believe that Iannetta will perform a bit better than that. Fangraphs' Matt Klaassen projects Iannetta for 2.5 WAR in 2010 (assuming only 100 games played) and explains that he's being paid to be a 1.5 win player this year when you adjust for the fact that the contract is buying out his first arbitration year and not a free agency year. The fans on FanGraphs who have projected Iannetta seem to believe that he will be a 4 WAR player in 2010--which is a little optimistic for me (I see him in the 2.5-3 WAR range next year given adequate playing time), but Iannetta is entering his baseball prime and I wouldn't rule the upper range out.

In return for the security of having a guaranteed paycheck for the next three years (something the soon to be non-tendered Garrett Atkins might be wishing for right now), Iannetta has given up potentially larger arbitration salaries over the next few years--and if he plays as well as Klaassen and myself have predicted he will, CDI will ultimately be a large bargain (to the tune of $30-40 million in net value) for the Rockies over the life of his contract.

The Rockies are busy negotiating multi-year deals with Huston Street and Clint Barmes, but it is unlikely that either of those deals, if signed, will be as team friendly or have a comparable net value (especially in Street's case due to his 3 year, $30 million demands).

The Torrealba Situation

In his Iannetta article, Klaassen bemoaned the handing out of multi-year contracts to aging, marginal at best catchers like Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Kendall. While Yorvit Torrealba is only 31 and has definitely shown that his bat has some life last year, he's far closer to those catchers in value added than he is to Iannetta. Meanwhile, he has seen that Rodriguez got 2 years, $6 million and wants the Rockies to match this number. The Rockies have countered with $5.6 million. Either contract will give Torrealba way more money than he's worth in tangible on the field value. At most he's worth $4 million over two years. At most. Any more is, quite frankly, ludicrous. Just because the market for aging backup catchers who can't hit or field particularly well but can "handle a pitching staff well" has gone crazy doesn't mean that the Rockies need to succumb to it. In all honesty Torrealba should be happy that he has garnered as much interest in his modest skill set as he has.

Look, it's no secret that I'm neither a fan of Torrealba as a player nor am I convinced of the importance (or tangible benefit) of the attributes for which he is valued. So take my advice how you will. But the only way that makes sense to me is to evaluate a player based largely on his quantifiable production (I'm not advocating that this is the correct way to do so, just that it is the way that I do it), and the numbers that I value rate Torrealba at a very low level. He has been an important part of the Rockies' Rocktober runs as an emotional leader and as someone who has produced well in high leverage situations, and for that I thank him sincerely. However, it's just time for both parties to move on.

Free Agency Update

For the Rockies, moving on from Torrealba could land Miguel Olivo, formerly of the Royals, in their laps for a similar 2 year deal. Olivo, who is four days older than Torrealba, is famously lacking in patience (BB rate of 4.6% in 2009) but he does have some pop in his bat (23 HRs) and he did produce 2.2 WAR for the woeful Royals last year. You could call him a Chris Iannetta without patience. Looking at his career numbers, Olivo's 2009 stands out as a clear career year at the plate, so he could be due for some regression that could be mitigated somewhat by moving to the NL and a hitter-friendly park. If he can be had for 2 years, $4-5 million, the Rockies could certainly do worse than Olivo as a back-up.

As for other previous targets, the Winter Meetings saw prospective utilitymen Pedro Feliz and Bobby Crosby got snapped up. Orlando Hudson remains a possibility, albeit one that would only be consummated very late in the offseason at a discounted price. Meanwhile, the Rockies appear to have shied away from several other potential players to fill the Garrett Atkins role. However, there are a few that I haven't gone over yet that have been linked to the Rockies:

Fernando Tatis: The utilityman will be 35 on Opening Day, has been bumming around the majors since 1997 for five teams but has accrued only 7.105 years of service time, a testament to his journeyman status. However, in 2009 Tatis was quite good in part time status, producing 1.5 WAR in 340 PAs with positive value in both hitting and fielding. He can probably be had cheaply (around $2.25 million), can provide depth at several positions, and has demonstrated his ability as a pinch hitter (as Franklin Morales can attest). I'm putting him at the top of my revised wish list.

Melvin Mora: The 37 year old Mora has been at least a league average player as recently as 2008 (and much better than that in the recent past), but does he have anything left in the tank and would he accept a part-time slot? That and his likely $4-5 million asking price is enough to scare me away.

Rob Quinlan: Quinlan is a 32 year old AAAA player who has spent parts of the last seven years with the Angels as a reserve corner infielder. At this point it's clear to me that he's pretty much a replacement player and I wouldn't advocate signing him to a major league deal.

The Rockies have talked with Jose Contreras about him returning, though the Rockies want to pay him as a reliever while Contreras wants starter money. Quite frankly, he should be paid as a starter given his FIP (4.11) last year. Colorado has also approached Jason Giambi about returning to fill Atkins' spot, though he is searching for a DH job that will give him more PAs next year. If Giambi does become available, having his bat on the bench definitely provides the Rockies with an intimidating edge for opposing managers to worry about.

Roster and Payroll 2010 Update

There has been some discussion by some that I've projected Betancourt's arbitration award too high at $6.4 million, and they do certainly have a point. Betancourt does not measure up well in saves, the traditional reliever stat valued highly by arbitrators, and the Darren Oliver case that I've cited in projecting Betancourt's salary does seem like an outlier. In any case, when I was projecting Betancourt's salary (indeed, any salary in this projection) I have been erring on the high side, being conservative on the amount of money the Rockies have to spend.

For this projection, I'm going to switch gears a little bit and reduce Betancourt's salary to that of his $5 million option that the Rockies declined. Plus, I'm adding Iannetta's salary (represented as $2 million, which is what I've heard) into the players under contract category. Outside of the Rockies selling the rights of OF Matt Murton to Japan's Hanshin Tigers, the Rockies made no 40 man roster moves at the Winter Meetings--and since Murton wasn't projected to be on the 25 man roster not much has changed on that front (though the Rockies do now have three open 40 man roster slots).

Players Under Contract (Torrealba and Embree are team option buyouts)

Player Name	ML Service Time	2010 Salary	Add. Min. Obligation	Years After 2010
Todd Helton	12.059	$16,600,000	$23,700,000	1
Aaron Cook	7.02	$9,833,000	$10,583,000	1
Brad Hawpe	5.058	$7,500,000	$500,000	0
Jeff Francis	5.04	$5,875,000	$0	0
Troy Tulowitzki	3.033	$3,500,000	$25,750,000	3
Manuel Corpas	3.076	$2,750,000	$3,750,000	1
Ubaldo Jimenez	2.087	$1,250,000	$8,000,000	2
Yorvit Torrealba	8.03	$500,000	$0	0
Alan Embree	15.059	$250,000	$0	0
Matt Belisle	4.02	$850,000	$0	0
Randy Flores	5.061	$650,000	$0	0
Chris Iannetta	3.029	$2,000,000	$6,300,000	2

Total		$51,558,000	$78,583,000

Pre-Arbitration Players: While I'm still projecting Phillips as the back-up catcher for now, I'm not holding my breath on that one and am expecting an expenditure of roughly $2.7 million in 2010 on the back-up catcher's roster spot.

Player Name	ML Service Time	2010 Salary
Eric Young Jr.	0.042	$412,000
Dexter Fowler	1.027	$413,030
Franklin Morales	2.01	$414,060
Ian Stewart	1.154	$416,120
Carlos Gonzalez	1.06	$415,090
Seth Smith	1.119	$415,090
Matt Daley	0.155	$412,000
Paul Phillips	2.06	$427,450

Total		$3,324,840

Arbitration Players: With the subtraction of Iannetta from the ranks of the arbitration eligible, the Rockies now have seven potential arbitration cases this winter counting Betancourt.

Player Name	ML Service Time	2010 Salary	Difference from 2009
Huston Street	5	$8,775,000	95.00%
Jorge De La Rosa	5.015	$5,600,000	180.00%
Clint Barmes	4.122	$4,225,000	160.00%
Taylor Buchholz	3.14	$1,055,000	0.00%
Jason Hammel	2.153	$2,026,560	380.00%
Rafael Betancourt	6.079	$5,000,000	50%
Ryan Spilborghs	3.072	$788,500	90.00%

Total		$27,470,060	136.29%

Grand Total Payroll: $82,352,900

Remember, this roster has only 24 players on it (with Buchholz starting the year on the DL)--it still requires a replacement for Garrett Atkins. In other words, it will likely end up around $84.5 million--by far the highest in Rockies history. The increase from last week's projection is due to the fact that Iannetta's salary increased by larger than the 350% I had projected (actually it is a 482% raise from 2009).

Well, that's it until next time (TBD). I'd love to hear any and all thoughts, Rowbots--just please try to keep it civil.

Poll

Who would you rather have as the backup catcher for the Rockies in 2010?

The Most Depressing Quote of the Offseason

Adam J. Morris — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:47:47 -0000

From T.R. Sullivan's story tonight on the Rangers needs at the Winter Meetings:

The Rangers need a big hitter in the middle of the order. He could be an outfielder, designated hitter or occasional first baseman paired with Chris Davis. Among the possibilities are Vladimir Guerrero, Jermaine Dye, Troy Glaus, Gary Sheffield, Mike Cameron and Fernando Tatis.

So there you go, Rangers fans. Time to get fired up. The team's biggest need is a middle of the order hitter, and we're going to end up with Jermaine Dye or Gary Sheffield hitting cleanup.

Cameron and Glaus are the only players on that list who should even be everyday players anymore, and these are the guys we're looking at to hit cleanup for the Rangers in 2010.

I'm disgusted. At this point, if this is what we're dealing with, it makes me wonder if the Rangers wouldn't be better off just trading Kevin Millwood and Frankie Francisco, their two players who will be free agents after the season, and conceding that they aren't serious about contending this year.

Tuesday Rockpile: Arbitration offer deadline is today - Rockies to decide on Betancourt

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:08:19 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Arbitration: some people get it, and some people just don't.

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It is December 1, meaning today is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration, at least to qualify for draft pick compensation. Betancourt is likely the only Rockie to receive salary arbitration offer, writes Troy Renck, leaving Joe Beimel, Jason Marquis and Yorvit Torrealba free. Betancourt is a no-brainer. If he accepts arbitration, he'll make less than he would have made had the Rockies exercised his option, but if he declines and signs elsewhere, the Rockies will receive two high and shiny draft picks. Also, as WolfMarauder noted, Troy Renck also suggests the Rockies are interested in Fernando Tatis, Bobby Crosby, Rich Aurilia, Justin Duchsherer and Miguel Batista.

On a national scale, MLBTradeRumors has spent time inquiring the minds of beat writers everywhere to compile his Arbitration Offer Predictions For Free Agents.

Two highlights from FOX Sports Offseason Buzz: the Rockies will likely keep Ryan Spilborghs and the Diamondbacks are looking at improving via trade rather than free agency.

The Rockies received their postseason share (Renck). Their share of the player's pool totaled over $1.77mil. Just as the Rockies did with the family of Mike Coolbaugh, the Angels awarded a full share to the family of Nick Adenhart.

Samuel Deduno is a hot name on Rockies' farm (Harding). The 26-year old could be a strong dark horse to join the bullpen next season if the cards fall right.

Thomas Harding also writes that "about 200" broadcasters have applied for the job to replace Jeff Kingery in the radio booth. The club will decide sometime in "early 2010," which only tells us they are handing it out as a holiday gift.

Speaking of broadcasters, Chip Caray is out at TBS, a divorce reported as mutual. Hat tip to RhodeIslandRoxFan

It is certainly a bleak year for free agent pitching. The Hardball Times searched for someone to best compare top free agent John Lackey to, and you might like the comparison. Click under the fold to find out:

Clone Wars: John Lackey and Jason Hammel
That's right, Jason Hammel.

W ERA K BB WHIP K/9 BB/9 GB% HR/FB% FIP BABIP
John Lackey 11 3.83 139 47 1.27 7.09 2.40 44.9% 9.1% 3.73 0.309
Jason Hammel 10 4.33 133 42 1.39 6.78 2.14 46.2% 9.7% 3.71 0.337

Granted, the author isn't saying Hammel is as good of a bet to best Lackey next season, but for your value either in a fantasy draft pick or salary dollar, which pitcher would you rather have?

Tuesday Rockpile: Thanks for a great season, Rockies

Poseidon's Fist — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

No, this picture had nothing to do with last night. But wouldn't you rather look at this than another picture of a dejected Huston Street. This is what I'll remember the 2009 Rockies for anyway.

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I don't even know where to start. One thing is for sure though: despite the both premature and surprisingly late end to the Rocktober season last night, this 2009 Rockies team deserves to be celebrated. After the toughest game I have ever witnessed, muzia02, I, and a handful of others fought back tears to stand and applaud the Rockies as they walked off the field. They deserved it. What an incredible ride 2009 was. And my, how bright the future is. We finally got a glimpse of it last night.

As is often the case, Drew Litton depicts it better than anyone.

www.drewlitton.com

We'll be reflecting back upon this season a lot throughout the offseason, but I found myself unwilling to let go of this team last night, like I was a woman at her lover's premature funeral. I poured through the Purple Row archives, and I urge you all to remember everywhere this team has been.

The High Times:

April 27: Dexter Fowler steals 5 bases in 12-7 victory over Padres
That's two in a row after the Rockies defeated the Padres 12-7 tonight.

May 29: Torrealba and Marquis lead patient Rockies to win in Tracy's first game as Rockies manager
The Rockies used a patient approach that Clint Hurdle couldn't draw out to defeat the Padres on Friday night, winning Jim Tracy's managerial debut for the club.

June 14: Rockies Make it 11 Straight Victories: Rockies 7, Mariners 1
This one does indeed go to eleven.

June 19: Rockies Go Over .500, Win 14th of 15: Rockies 7, Pirates 3
Some said they would be happy to see the team reach .500 by the end of the season. It was just one of many milestones the team pushed past expectations.

June 20: Rockies 9, Pirates 7: DID I JUST SEE THAT?! Rockies clinch another series
The Rockies win again, this time in the most dramatic fashion of the season.

More high times, low times, and all the news that's fit to click after the jump.

June 22: Rockies 11, Angels, 1: On Brad Hawpe's birthday, Aaron Cook picks up 59th victory to become winningest Rockies pitcher
The Rockies have now won 17 of 18. Woo!

June 28: Rockies 3, A's 1: Rockies Sweep A's, Win 20th out of 23 - Purple Row
The epic streak knows no bounds.

June 30: Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: Jason Marquis (well, and Brad Hawpe). Seriously.
Rockies 3, Dodgers 0: Jason Marquis delivered arguably the best performance in franchise history for a starting pitcher.

July 12: Rockies End 1st Half in Dramatic Fashion, Defeat Braves 8-7
Rockies End 1st Half in Dramatic Fashion, Defeat Braves 8-7.

July 20: Rockies 10, Diamondbacks 6: Rockies take Wild Card lead on Whacking Day!
Rockies take the Wild Card lead!

July 22: Rockies 4, Diamondbacks 3: Todd Helton hits game-winning homer and 500th double to take two of three
Todd Helton was the man of the day for hitting his 500th double and the game-winning home run.

August 10: Troy Tulowitzki hits for the cycle in victory over Cubs
Troy Tulowitzki hit for the cycle. He is only the third player to hit for the cycle and turn an unassisted triple play.

August 17: Ringolsby: Tyler Matzek signs for $3.9 million

August 25: Rockies 6, Giants 4: Ryan Spilborghs hits walkoff grand slam in the 14th
The Rockies just won on a walkoff grand slam in the 14th. Celebrate!

September 2: Rockies 5, Mets 2: Giambino's first hit wins game for Rockies
Jason Giambi delivered with the go-ahead RBIs.

September 11: Amazing Eight! Mujica tries to bust Rockies mojo, but Yorvit Torrealba rallies Colorado to win with ninth inning double
The Colorado Rockies seven game win streak was snapped by the San Diego Padres Friday night, but the Rockies didn't lose any ground in the wild card chase.

October 1: Cook stellar as Rockies clinch playoff spot, team's patience shines through in season and game
The telling stat from the Rockies playoff clinching win on Thursday might have been the sheer volume of pitches they saw.

The Low Times:

April 25: Dodgers 6, Rockies 5: Time to Pull Your Hair Out
The Rockies lose 6-5 - again - after another poor outing by Ubaldo Jimenez.

May 16: Critique of Pure Reason: sometimes Rockies just Kant win
The Rockies were meant to lose to Pittsburgh on Saturday night, or maybe they weren't, but how could we possibly know that from our experience?

May 17: A Treatise on the Sufferings Wrought by the Rockies on Rox Girl and a Manifesto of what has to be changed.
Rox Girl has had enough.

May 25: Memorial Day Massacre: Dodgers 16, Rockies 6
The Rockies let the Dodgers win in a bloodbath, giving up seven runs in the fourth inning, eight in the seventh in a loss on Monday afternoon.

May 29: Rockies fire Clint Hurdle

June 3: Colorado Rockies lose fourth straight game: Astros 6, Rockies 4
Luckily, we know now this was literally rock bottom.

July 4: Diamondbacks 11, Rockies 7: Bullpen explodes before fireworks show
Joel Peralta blows Aaron Cook's chance at NL's 2nd best 9 wins

July 27: Fernando Tatis and Mets imply that Rockies bullpen might still need help
The Rockies lost to the Mets 7-3 on a Fernando Tatis grand slam.

July 28: Mets 4, Rockies 0: Offensive struggles doom Rox again
Mets 4, Rockies 0: Offensive struggles doom Rox again

August 30: Giants 9, Rockies 5: Bullpen hands San Francisco share of wild card lead - Purple Row
Colorado is tied for the wild card lead, but it's not so exciting how it happened this time

The Denver Post has an impressive assortment of articles by a slew of writers about last night and the entire season. My numbness and lack of time don't allow me to read everything yet, but here it is.

The Final Game of 2009

Phillies fight off Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 at Coors Field - The Denver Post
Phillies fight off Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 at Coors Field

Rockies, fans stunned in Phillies comeback - The Denver Post
John Ingold knows how to to bring on the tears. He just pulled the kid card:

"Eleven-year-old Mark Auger gazed dejectedly down at the suddenly empty baseball diamond, then took the inside-out rally cap off his head and flipped it back outside-out.

Rocktober was over."

Wild Mood Swings: Phillies 5, Rockies 4 - The Good Phight
Stomachs churned, fists pumped and voices went as the Phillies took a thrilling 5-4 win over the Rockies to close out the National League Division Series in four games.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies - Recap - October 12, 2009 - ESPN
MLB Baseball Recap: Final statistics from the Philadelphia vs. Colorado game played on October 12, 2009

Inside the Colorado Rockies " Street Suffers A Bitter Loss | Major League Baseball in Denver I love Huston Street. He absolutely must come back as the Rockies' closer next year.

Kiszla: Weight of world tough to bear for Rockies' Street - The Denver Post

NLDS Game 4: Bests and worsts - The Denver Post
NLDS Game 4: Bests and worsts

More Reflection

Armstrong: Phillies no match for Gonzalez' big bat - The Denver Post

Phillies expect to see Rockies in postseason again - The Denver Post
Phillies expect to see Rockies in postseason again

Instinct takes over as Fowler leaps into second - The Denver Post
Instinct takes over as Fowler leaps into second

Krieger: Rockies bring love to LoDo before questions for next year - The Denver Post
Krieger: Rockies bring love to LoDo before questions for next year

BtB Power Rankings: End of 2009 Season Data - Beyond the Box Score
For those sabermetrically inclined, the Rockies finished 4th in MLB in JinAZ's final season power rankings, behind the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox. Yes, there's no NL team in there.

We'll have plenty of time to banter about the future. Let's give this team the applause it deserved. It was a heck of a ride.

Justin Maxwell Hits A Walk-Off Grand Slam!!! Washington Nationals Win 7-4, Sweep New York Mets.

Ed Chigliak — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:15:20 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' Justin Maxwell cleans the shaving creamfromn his face after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning against the New York Mets in a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, in Washington. The Nationals won 7-4. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!

• Justin Maxwell works the count full with the bases loaded and two down in the ninth with NY ahead 4-3, and J-Max takes the Mets' high-priced closer Francisco Rodriguez deeeeeep to left and GONE for a walk-off Grand Slam in the last home game of the season in Nationals Park...DO YOU BELIEVE!!!!

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

See How The Mets Fans Took It At: Amazin' Avenue.

Check Out the Post Game And The Full Game Report (You Know, For The Completists), AFTER THE JUMP!!!

• Shadows from the stadium lights and the upper deck of Nationals Park are stretched in a large swath across the field of play from the left field grass, over third, the mound and wrapping around first as DC lefty John Lannan starts the final home game of the season against the New York Mets with a scoreless frame that Mets’ starter Tim Redding matches.

• Jeff Francoeur thinks for a moment that he’s hit a two-run HR to left off John Lannan in the top of the second, but it’s ruled a double upon further review, though the two runners who would have scored if it had been called correctly as a HR cross anyway when Fernando Tatis follows with a sac fly to right and Omir Santos hits an RBI single. 2-0 NY after two.

• Mets’ right-hander Tim Redding retires the first ten batters he faces before Elijah Dukes singles up the middle with one down in the fourth. Redding strands Dukes, but the Nationals finally get on the board in the fifth. Josh Willingham hits a leadoff single to center, moves to second when Josh Bard walks, third when Ian Desmond grounds out, and the Hammer comes home on a sac fly by Alberto Gonzalez to make it 2-1 NY after five.

• E: 140, 141...Angel Pagan hits a weak grounder to short with one down in the sixth, and Ian Desmond misplays what should have been the second out. E: 140. One out later, David Wright rrrrips a grounder to third, and Ryan Zimmerman sidesteps it and tries to snatch it with his glove and misses, E: 141. OUTCOME: Two on, two out. Carlos Beltran singles to center to score Pagan, 3-1 Mets’ lead after five and a half.

• THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Ryan Zimmerman gives the DC Faithful reason to believe with a solo shot to center off Mets’ reliever Bobby Parnell in the eighth inning. Zimmerma---THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! hits his 33rd of ‘09 to make it 3-2 NY.

• E: 142. Ryan Zimmerman’s always had a habit of side-stepping hard hit grounders and trying to snap it up with his glove, but he’s missed two tonight and it might be time to start getting in front of them, cause his 17th error costs DC another run. OUTCOME: Jeff Francoeur reaches on the Zimmerman error and takes second. Fernando Tatis singles Frenchy over to third, and Omir Santos puts a perfect hit and run single behind the runner at second to score Francoeur for 4-2 NY lead...

• And Now The Epic Bottom Of The Ninth...

The New York Mets gave Francisco Rodriguez to a 3-year/$37 M dollar deal to close games for them, and the hard-throwing right-hander, who set the Major League record for saves last season, was called upon in the ninth tonight with the Mets desperate for a win against the pesky Washington Nationals who were threatening to sweep and seriously embarrass New York. Rodriguez, who'd converted 34 of 40 save opportunities this season, started Alberto Gonzalez with a 91 mph heater for a called strike and followed with a change that Gonzalez ripped to short and beat to first, sliding in headfirst ahead of Wilson Valdez's throw. Pinch hitter Mike Morse worked the count full in the next at bat and lined a K-Rod change back up the middle. Willie Harris fouled off one bunt attempt before getting a successful sac down to move Gonzalez and pinch runner Jorge Padilla into scoring position for Elijah Dukes, who worked the count full and took a gutsy ball four to load the bases for Ryan Zimmerman. Zim K'd swinging on the third pitch he saw, (curve for a called strike, fastball fouled off and an 0-2 change), to bring up Adam Dunn. The Big Walky battled K-Rod to a full count and took three straight out of the zone for a bases loaded walk and a one-run game which NY still led 4-3. Enter Justin Maxwell:

• Justin Maxwell...(1) Took a curve for ball one from Francisco Rodriguez then watched as a (2) second curve dropped in and the veteran hit the low outside corner with a (3) fastball for a called strike two. A four-seam fastball followed (4) that Maxwell took for ball two, 2-2, and then fouled off a fastball (5) and took a change outside (6) and looow to work the count full against K-Rod. 4-seam fastball up high (7), fouled off, four-seam fastball down low, (8) fouled off, and then a third straight fastball (9) that gets LAUNCHED TO LEFT AND GONE!!! GRAND SLAM!!! GRAND SLAM!!! Justin Maxwell wins it with a walk-off Grand SLAM!!! Nationals win, 7-4!!!

FULL GAME REPORT:

New York Mets At Washington Nationals. Game 158 Of 162.

Josh Willingham takes a knee to catch a low line drive from Angel Pagan. Anderson Hernandez makes Willingham spring to his left and leap up for a second hard-hit line out. David Wright flies to right and Elijah Dukes stares into the sun and makes the catch...Jeff Francoeur catches the first out for Tim Redding off Willie Harris’ bat. Elijah Dukes goes the other way with a high fly to right. Ryan Zimmerman swings through a high fastball to end the first inning.

Carlos Beltran walks to start the second and Jeff Francoeur lines one off the very top of the wall for what might be a HR? They’re taking a look. It’s ruled a double. Fernando Tatis flies out to right, Elijah Dukes tries for a throw home, but has no chance, 1-0 NY. Francoeur takes third on the bad throw. Omir Santos scores Francoeur with a single to center. 2-0 Mets. Lannan gets the DP grounder from Wilson Valdez, Alberto Gonzalez to Ian Desmond to Adam Dunn, double play...Adam Dunn flies out to left field for the first out of DC’s second. Josh Willingham grounds weakly to short. Josh Bard pushes Angel Pagan back to the track to end the bottom of the frame.

Tim Redding starts the third against Lannan with a ground ball to third for the first out. Angel Pagan lines out to Ian Desmond. Anderson Hernandez sends Elijah Dukes breaking back but he makes catch to end the Mets’ third...Ian Desmond’s grounder to short is cut off by David Wright, who fires to first. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to short. John Lannan is the ninth-straight Nationals’ batter retired.

David Wright skies one to Dukes in right. Carlos Beltran’s way out in front of a two-strike change. Jeff Francoeur grounds to third, Zimmerman snaps it up and throws to first to end NY’s fourth...Willie Harris hits a high fly ball to center, Carlos Beltran makes the catch. Elijah Dukes singles up the middle to break up Redding’s streak of ten-straight set down. Jeff Francoeur avoids the stands that stick out into right and catches a foul ball from Zimmerman. Adam Dunn just pulls a long fly foul and ends up lining out to first to end the fourth.

John Lannan throws a high two-strike fastball by Fernando Tatis. Omir Santos grounds out Ian Desmond at short. WIlson Valdez rolls the first pitch out to third and Ryan Zimmerman’s throw ends the Mets’ fifth...Josh Willingham starts DC’s fifth with a sharp single to center. Josh Bard works a walk. Ian Desmond hits a swinging sac bunt toward first to advance both runners. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to center to score Willingham from third, 2-1 NY. John Lannan slaps a two-out single through short. Willie Harris K’s swinging through a fastball outside to end the fifth.

Tim Redding K’s in the first AB of the sixth. Angel Pagan grounds to short, and Ian Desmond gets a bad hop and misplays it. E: 140. Anderson Hernandez pops out to Dukes in right after a long AB. David Wright rips a grounder through Zimmerman at third. E:141. Carlos Beltran singles up the middle to score Pagan from second, 3-1 New York. Jeff Francoeur flies out to right...Elijah Dukes drops a surprise bunt down the third base line and David Wright can’t make a play. Ryan Zimmerman pops out unproductively. Adam Dunn's up when a wild pitch moves Dukes to second. Dunn flies out unproductively to center. Josh Willingham swings at the first pitch and grounds out to end the frame.

Fernando Tatis lines to left and beats the throw to second for a leadoff double. Omir Santos flies out to right field. WIlson Valdez takes a two-out walk and Gary Sheffield gets pinch hit intentionals to bring up Angel Pagan. Pagan grounds to Ian Desmond, who takes the force at second...Bobby Parnell vs Bard. Bard battles for 10 pitches and eventually walks. Ian Desmond grounds into a force at second in the next AB. Desmond avoids a ground ball from Alberto Gonzalez and Anderson Hernandez tries to get the force at second, but his toss is late. Two runners safe. Pinch hitter Cristian Guzman pops out unproductively to third. Willie Harris works the count full. Willie Harris grounds out to second to end the seventh.

Zach Segovia’s on to pitch the top of the eighth. Anderson Hernandez K’s swinging to start the inning. David Wright grounds out to third. Carlos Beltran pops out to the infield and Ian Desmond’s catch ends NY’s eighth...Elijah Dukes gets jammed and grounds out to the mound. Parnell vs Zimmerman. Ryan Zimmerma--THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! HR to straight center, 3-2 NY. Pedro Feliciano comes on to face Dunn. Adam Dunn pops out. Sean Green vs Willingham. Josh Willingham grounds to third, David Wright fields and throws...by first, Hammer is safe, and he takes second. Justin Maxwell runs for the Hammer. Josh Bard works another walk to put two on for Ian Desmond. Desmond grounds up the middle, Anderson Hernandez gets there and tosses to second for the inning-ending force.

Jeff Francoeur vs Segovia in the ninth. Francoeur grounds sharply to third that Zimmerman can’t come up with, Zimmerman drops it and throws way over first, E: 142. Frenchy takes second. Fernando Tatis lines a single over short. Omir Santos smacks a hit and run single through second to bring Francoeur home, 4-2 NY. Wilson Valdez grounds back to the mound. Segovia gets one out at first. Ron Villone replaces Segovia and gets a weak grounder toward first from pinch hitter Daniel Murphy grounds out to first. Ryan Zimmerman throws out Angel Pagan to end the Mets’ half of the ninth...Alberto Gonzalez singles to short, deep in the hole and Gonalez beats Wilson Valdez's throw to first. Mike Morse makes a pinch hit appearance, and he singles to center!!! Jorge Padilla comes on to run. Two on for Willie Harris. Harris gets a sac bunt down. Second and third for Dukes!! Dukes works the count full and walks. Ryan Zimmerman K’s swinging through an 0-2 slider. Adam Dunn works the count full, and walks in a run!! 4-3 ballgame. Justin Maxwell works the count full, fouls off two fastballs, and then OH LORD!! IT’S GONE!! J-MAX takes K-ROD Deeeeeeeeeeep to left and GONE!! GRAND SLAM!!! GRAND SLAM!! GRAND SLAM!!! THE NATIONALS WIN!! THE NATIONALS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7-4 final. Francisco Rodriguez is on to end it. Alberto Gonzalez reaches safely on a grounder deep in the hole at short.

Nationals now 55-103!!!

Ross Detwiler Claims First MLB Win, 2-1 Over The Lowly New York Mets.

Ed Chigliak — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:55:33 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

2 months ago: Washington Nationals' starter Ross Detwiler pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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• Ross Detwiler's First MLB Win...The Mets' SNY announce team of Gary Cohen, former Nationals' announcer and Mets' pitcher Ron Darling and Seinfeld star Keith Hernandez criticized Ross Detwiler at one point, claiming that he should still be pitching in the minors as raw as he was, and on any team other than the Mets or Nationals he probably would be, but Ross Detwiler, (the 6th overall pick and the 3rd pitcher taken in the '07 Draft behind #1 overall David Price and left-hander Daniel Moskos, who went 4th overall to the Pirates), was able to beat the Mets tonight, so...Enjoy the rebuild Citi Field season ticket holders!!!

Detwiler goes 6.0 IP and allows just 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 ER as he earns his first MLB W...Here's How It Happened...

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Are Still Watching...

• Check Out The SB Nation's New York Mets Blog: Amazin' Avenue GameThread.

• "Revenge of the softball girls" - by Doghouse.

FULL GAME REPORT AFTER THE JUMP...

• A productive groundout by Ian Desmond moves Justin Maxwell from second to third after a leadoff hit off NY Mets' right-hander Nelson Figueroa in the first inning tonight, and Ryan Zimmerman follows with an RBI flyout to short right that scores Maxwell on a close play at home, and that’s all the Nationals need for Washington’s first run...oh, that and an error on a backhand attempt by David "Gold Glove" Wright who turns an infield hit into a runner on second to start the game and Ryan Zimmerman’s 102nd RBI.

• After two quick frames, Ross Detwiler gives up a two-out walk to Angel Pagan. A hard-hit grounder by Luis Castilla gets by third when Ryan Zimmerman tries a Zimmermanesque sidestep stab. David Wright steps in with two and two out...Ross Detwiler gets D. Wright looking to end the Mets’ first threat...Still 0-0 after four, Detwiler gives up a leadoff single to Anderson Hernandez in the Mets' fifth, and Nelson Figueroa reaches first safely on a sac attempt when Josh Bard throws late to second, so Angel Pagan’s bunt, which follows Figueroa's, moves two runners into scoring postition with one down. Detwiler gets a line drive out to Ian Desmond at short from Luis Castillo and gets a groundout to short from David Wright. 5.0 scoreless for Detwiler in what is probably his last start of ‘09.

• The Mets get on the board in the sixth. Detwiler gives up a single to center by Carlos Beltran, who takes second on a wild pitch and scores one out later when Fernando Tatis singles to right. 1-1 ballgame. Another wild pitch puts two runners in scoring position with Nelson Figueroa at bat, but Detwiler gets the opposing pitcher swinging to end the top of the frame.

• Mike Morse gives DC back their lead!! Solo shot to right to start the Nationals’ sixth, 2-1 DC. 3 HR’s in 3-straight games for Morse who’s now matched his career total coming into the season...Justin Maxwell singles to start the Nationals’ seventh, and moves to second on a sac bunt by Desmond, but then Zimmerman grounds to short, and J-Max runs anyway and gets thrown out at third...Dunn flies out, DC will have to settle for a one-run lead.

• Jason Bergmann walks the first batter he faces in the seventh but gets out of the frame with the lead when he K’s Jeff Francoeur, throwing a high heater outside by Frenchy with two on and two out. Bergmann comes back in the eighth and retires the side in order, to put the Nationals three outs away from their 53rd win and Ross Detwiler’s first.

• MacDougal Will Do It...After allowing 4 hits and 5 runs in his last two outings, Mike MacDougal...for the first time in 6 trips to the hill...was able to pitch a scoreless frame as he converted the 16th of 17 save opportunities this season and closed out Ross Detwiler's first Major League win...

Nationals win, 2-1 final.

For The Completists, Full Game Report Starts....NOW!!!

New York Mets At Washington Nationals. Game 156 Of 162.

GAME REPORT:

Angel Pagan lines a little too hard to right where Mike Morse takes an awkard leap to catch the first out. Luis Castillo flies weakly to Morse. David Wright lines over first for a two-out double off DC lefty Ross Detwiler. Ian Desmond fields and fires to first to get Carlos Beltran and end the top of the first...Nelson Figueroa gives up a leadoff hit to Justin Maxwell on a high chopper to third that David Wright can’t backhand. Ian Desmond’s groundout to second moves J-Max to third. Ryan Zimmerman flies to short right, Maxwell tags up and breaks for home as Jeff Francoeur throws in and up the line, 1-0 as Maxwell avoids the tag. Adam Dunn K’s swinging to end the first.

Mike Morse hustles back and catches the first out of the second at the wall off Jeff Francoeur’s bat. Ian Desmond throws out Fernado Tatis. Omir Santos flies out just left of center to Justin Maxwell...Josh Willingham hangs one up in the air for Carlos Beltran to catch. Mike Morse rips one to the hole at short, and Anderson Hernandez just knocks it down. Josh Bard pops up the first pitch he sees. Alberto Gonzalez grounds into a force to end the DC second.

Anderson Hernandez grounds out to Ian Desmond. Nelson Figueroa grounds out to third. Ross Detwiler walks Angel Pagan with two down. Luis Castillo gets knocked down but not hit by a fastball inside and ends up singling by Ryan Zimmerman at third when he tries to snatch it instead of getting in front of it. First and third for Wright. Detwiler hits the inside corner with a two-strike fastball for a backwards K...Detwiler gets called out on strikes. Justin Maxwell flies out to the wall in right center. Ian Desmond rrrips a two-out triple off the out-of-town scoreboard. Ryan Zimmerman walks with two down. Adam Dunn grounds to Luis Castillo at second to end the third.

Ian Desmond throws out Carlos Beltran. Jeff Francoeur grounds out to Dunn at first. Fernando Tatis’ double falls in fair down the line in right. Omir Santos flies to center to end the Mets’ fourth...Josh Willingham chases a slider into the left-hand batter’s box. Mike Morse grounds sharply to short, Anderson Hernandez gets there but throws it by first. Morse to second. Josh Bard grounds out to first to advance Morse to third. Alberto Gonzalez gets the intentionals to set Detwiler up with two on and two out. Detwiler K’s to end the fourth.

Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez singles to center, Justin Maxwell charges in to field it on the curly-W in the grass. Figueroa drops a bunt in front of home, Bard throws to second too late, and Desmond holds it at second while Figueroa slowly runs to first. Angel Pagan bunts both runners into scoring position. Luis Castillo lines out to short. David Wright grounds out to short to end the fifth...Justin Maxwell pops out to right. Ian Desmond drops a bunt toward third, Wright barehands and throws behind the runner and past Tatis behind first. Desmond takes second. Ryan Zimmerman gets a two-strike slider inside that’s called strike three. Adam Dunn gets the intentionals. Josh WIllingham grounds into a force at second to end the fifth.

Carlos Beltran singles to center to start the sixth. Jeff Francoeur’s up, Detwiler throws a fastball by home, Beltran to second. Francoeur K’s chasing a high two-strike fastball outside. Fernando Tatis lines to center, Beltran scores and it’s tied at 1-1. Omir Santos flies out to center. Anderson Hernandez grounds to second and reaches safely when Alberto Gonzalez’s throw is late. Another wild pitch moves both runners up. Nelson Figueroa K’s swinging to end the frame...Mike Morse goes the other way with a high fly ball to right and GONE!!!! HR for Morse, 2-1 DC!! Josh Bard pops out. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to left. Jorge Padilla lines out to end the sixth.

Jason Bergmann tries to hold the lead for Detwiler. Leadoff walk to Angel Pagan is not a good start. Luis Castilla’s sac bunt moves Pagan to second. David Wright grounds out to Desmond at short for the second out. Carlos Beltran gets two balls and then gets the intentionals. Jeff Francoeur K’s chasing a curve in the dirt!!! Called strike three!!!!...Justin Maxwell vs Sean Green. J-Max shoots a low-liner to right. Ian Desmond bunts J-Max over. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to short, Maxwell breaks for third and gets thrown out. Figueroa out for Pedro Feliciano. Adam Dunn flies out to left to end the seventh.

Fernando Tatis flies to right and Mike Morse has to make a basket catch to avoid Justin Maxwell as he cuts in front of the right fielder. Jason Bergmann gets a line-drive out to center from Omir Santos. Daniel Murphy pops out to third to end the Mets’ eighth...Bobby Parnell vs Willingham to start the Nationals’ eighth. Elijah Dukes in on to run. Mike Morse K’s swinging. Josh Bard grounds into an inning ending DP...Wait for it...

Mike MacDougal vs Cory Sullivan. Sullivan grounds to first, ONE!! Angel Pagan grounds to Desmond, TWO! Luis Castillo grounds to short, Desmond to first, Ballgame!!! Nationals win, 2-1 final. Ross Detwiler gets his first career W. Congrats, Mr. Detwiler!!!!

Nationals now 53-103.

(C)Loser By Committee: Mets 10, Phillies 9

Eric Simon — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:22:35 -0000

There were two distinct sides of this game for the Mets. The first -- let's call it the "bad" side -- was Mike Pelfrey's performance, which was simply terrible. He allowed eight runs on ten hits in six innings, surrendering homeruns to Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez. Citizen's Bank Park is a tough place to pitch, but I'd expect a groundball pitcher to have a bit more luck there than those who are flyball-prone. Pelfrey did record nine of fifteen in-play outs on the ground, but he coughed up an early Mets lead and dug them a pretty deep hole to crawl out of.

Which brings us to the other side of the game -- the "good" side, which was the Mets' offense in general and their offensive resiliency in particular. Pelfrey left the Mets with an 8-4 deficit when he departed after his sixth inning of work, and the game was 9-5 in favor of the Phillies after the two teams traded single runs in the seventh. Then David Wright took over the game and reminded everyone that he's David "!@#$ing" Wright. With one out and Fernando Tatis on second, Wright strode to the plate and deposited Brett Myers's 1-2 offering over the centerfield wall to pull the Mets to within 9-7. Three of the next four batters singled, the last of which came off the bat of Daniel Murphy, who drove in Carlos Beltran with the Mets' eighth run of the game.

In the bottom of the eighth, Sean Green retired pinch-hitter Matt Stairs on a popup but then walked Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino on eight straight balls. Pedro Feliciano relieved Green, and proceeded to walk Chase Utley on five pitches to load the bases. No worries, though, as Feliciano struck out Ryan Howard swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end the threat.

The top of the ninth began predictably enough, with Jeremy Reed grounding out to first and Luis Castillo bouncing out to shortstop. Tatis kept the Mets alive with a single to left, which set the stage for Wright, who disappointed Philadelphia fans and threw another wrench into the Phillies' muddled closer situation by launching "closer" Ryan Madsen's first pitch into the leftfield stands to give the Mets' a 10-9 lead.

The Mets' own "closer" did his job, retiring the Phillies in order in the bottom of the ninth, capping it with a strikeout of Feliz.

As was pointed out in the pre-recap comments on this thread, I've generally been rooting for a high draft pick nowadays but this one was awfully sweet. The Phillies should still coast into the playoffs while the Mets head home early, but for at least one day it was refreshing to watch a Mets game and actually enjoy it.

The Mets and Phillies play two on Sunday, with John Maine returning against Kyle Kendrick at 1:05pm and Tim Redding facing Pedro Martinez in the nitecap at 8:05pm.

Haiku by Howard Megdal

Season's frustration
Briefly lifts in Philly from
Wright's ninth-inning bomb

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* The Good Phight Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: David Wright, +80.6% WPA, Francisco Rodriguez, +20.9% WPA
Big losers: Mike Pelfrey, -48.1% WPA, Cory Sullivan, -12.3% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Wright two-run homerun in ninth, +71.9% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Ibanez two-run homerun in third, -22.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -26.1% WPA
Total batter WPA: _76.1% WPA
GWRBI!: David Wright

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by fxcarden; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	fxcarden	67
2	metsguy234	38
3	Jadden Hopkins	32
4	Evan_S	30
5	MetsFan4Decades	22
6	Syler	18
7	GenJackRipper	17
8	Jsz	13
9	blueandorange4life	12
10	lstorie1971	11

Bobby Parnell Woeful: Cubs 11, Mets 4

Eric Simon — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:50:17 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Bobby Parnell's smelly armpit is an apt metaphor for his pitching on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Browse more photos »

The Good: Bobby Parnell had an 8-to-4 grounder-to-fly ratio and induced 10 swinging strikes on 109 pitches (9.2%). Jeff Francoeur, Fernando Tatis, Brian Schneider and Anderson Hernandez collected two hits apiece, with Frenchy and Schneid-dog knocking in a pair of runs each.

The Bad: Everything else, really. Despite generally keeping the ball on the ground and getting plenty of swings-and-misses, Parnell was basically awful, allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. That makes three straight terrible starts for Parnell over which he has coughed up 22 runs on 22 hits in 12.2 innings. It can't be doing much for his confidence to keep going out there to get shelled, but the Mets have a lot of games left in the season and few attractive options to start many of those games, so I suspect Parnell will keep heading out there every fifth game to see if he can't figure something out.

The rudiments of promise are there: I dig the groundballs, and I dig the swinging strikes. Those are building blocks that could eventually buttress a successful pitcher. Whether he'll get there or not is a different question, but I vote for keeping him in the rotation until or unless something better comes along. Parnell could still be a meaningful contributor to next year's team, though he has plenty to work on between now and then. Sticking with him as a starter wouldn't preclude a move back to the bullpen at some point, so let's see if anything sticks over the next month.

The A's and Padres both won so the Mets picked up a game on each. They're now in eighth place overall. They conclude their series with the Cubs on Sunday at 2:20pm as Nelson Figueroa takes on Carlos Zambrano.

Haiku by Howard Megdal

Parnell chased by slam
Francoeur proves only good Met
Is an injured Met

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Bleed Cubbie Blue Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Jeff Francoeur, +19.2% WPA, Fernando Tatis, +6.0% WPA
Big losers: Bobby Parnell, -60.6% WPA, Angel Pagan, -11.5% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Schneider two-run double in fourth, +17.1% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Fox grand slam in fifth, -32.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -64.6% WPA
Total batter WPA: +14.6% WPA
GWRBI!: Jake Fox

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by KeithsMoustache; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	KeithsMoustache	54
2	blueandorange4life	54
3	lstorie1971	38
4	fxcarden	28
5	Kepler	23
6	metsguy234	21
7	firejerrynow	16
8	RangersandMets	12
9	dcrockett17	7
10	firejerrymanuel	6

Foxy Day: Jake Fox's Slam, 5 RBI Lead Cubs To 11-4 Blowout Of Mets

Al — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:45:18 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

This guy can hit. Nice work, Jake.

Browse more photos »

All the Cubs can do each day is exactly what they did this afternoon -- come out, swing the bats, come from behind if necessary, make plays in the field... and who knows what might happen in the future?

Jake Fox hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to lead the Cubs to an 11-4 win over the Mets, and now the Cubs have a nice little four-out-of-six run going.

Whatever you think of Fox playing in the field -- and he's obviously only adequate at any of his defensive positions, and wouldn't have come near the nice running catch Sam Fuld made in the 8th after replacing him -- the man can hit, and is a fine player to have on a major league bench. Between Iowa and the Cubs this season, Fox now has 324 at-bats. In those AB, he has combined for 24 doubles, 27 HR and 92 RBI, while hitting .355/.430/.701. Most impressive, and though he won't come close to being voted Rookie of the Year, I could see giving him a third-place vote.

He'll probably play left field again tomorrow, as Lou reported in his postgame press conference that Alfonso Soriano's MRI showed only "inflammation" in his knee, no major damage, and he'll be examined tomorrow and possibly get a "shot" (I suppose Lou meant cortisone, if they still do that), and perhaps Soriano will be available by Monday.

In the meantime, Fox is more than a capable fill-in.

It started out as one of those games that you're glad you're the home team and have the last at-bat; Ryan Dempster got himself in trouble with a walk and a pair of hits leading to two runs in the first inning, and though the Cubs took the lead in the third (thanks in part to Dempster getting the walk back as a hitter), he gave it right back in the fourth. Dempster appeared to be trying to throw as hard as the wind was blowing today; he didn't have good command, though he did register seven strikeouts. The Cubs got a break in what could have been a Mets blowout inning in that fourth; Fernando Tatis tried to score with nobody out and two runs already in when a throw appeared to get away, but Mike Fontenot's relay cut him down. After that Dempster settled down and allowed only two more baserunners, while the offense was bailing him out in the fifth.

Nice game today for Milton Bradley, who had hits in his first three at-bats (making seven straight plate appearances he had reached base, including the four yesterday), and blasted a RBI double off the wall in the third, scoring Dempster. There were some scattered boos early in the game when Bradley was announced, but his play today turned those into cheers by the time he came up and walked in the eighth. I won't boo Bradley -- in fact, I hope he has a great September, because that would truly help the team. Aramis Ramirez also had a nice day today, with a pair of hits and RBI and a nice snag of a hot line drive by Angel Pagan. And Koyie Hill chipped in with two hits, including a RBI double; Hill's triple-slash numbers of .245/.329/.347 aren't great, but they are at least the equal of Geovany Soto's (.215/.322/.377). For now, I think Hill deserves the bulk of the playing time; Soto can get into shape and work hard and win the job back next spring.

Aaron Heilman came in and threw two scoreless innings in what might be his last appearance as a Cub. It was a bit surprising that Lou didn't leave him in to finish the game and get a save, but Sean Marshall hadn't thrown since Tuesday, so I can actually understand Lou's motivation to get Marshall an inning of work.

It was chilly today, and you could see the effects of the strong west-northwest wind in the upper deck seats. The LF upper deck, which was blocked from the wind, stayed full most of the game, but the RF upper deck, fully exposed, emptied out after the seventh inning stretch.

It was 64 degrees at game time and never got much warmer. 64 degrees is the average high temperature in Chicago on October 16. Let's hope this good Cubs play of the last two days keeps up and we have the chance to experience baseball at Wrigley Field on and after that date. Keep the faith.

Pat Misch Impresses, Brian Stokes Doesn't: Cubs 5, Mets 2

Eric Simon — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:04:26 -0000

A well-pitched game by Pat Misch, who didn't do anything spectacularly well but generally kept the Cubs off the basepaths and the scoreboard. He struck out just two Cubbies (Ted Lilly once), but walked only two and allowed just six hits -- five singles and a double -- over seven innings. He's earned himself at least another start now that Oliver Perez is gone for the season; it's not as if the Mets have better options.

Jerry Manuel made two bad decisions in this game; one worked out, one didn't. In the top of the eighth with Angel Pagan on second and none out, the game tied 1-1, Manuel cued Luis Castillo, his best hitter, to sacrifice Pagan to third. While this is probably a better move in the eighth inning than in the first, it's still a dumb call. Based on 2009 data, the win expectancy for the visiting team in a tied game, top of the eighth inning:

Runner on second, none out: 54.17%
Runner on third, one out: 50.00%

The heart of the Mets' order was coming up, but this isn't exactly Murderer's Row we're talking about here. This is Daniel Murphy, Jeff Francoeur and Fernando Tatis, three replacement-level bats. Bunting with a position player is almost always a bad idea, including this time, though it sort of worked out for the Mets as Murphy walked, Francoeur struck out and Tatis doubled home Pagan. Though we can't assume the events would have unfolded in the same fashion had Castillo swung away, if we could then Pagan would have scored on Tatis's hit anyway so it's not like the bunt really bought the Mets anything.

The other bad decision was Manuel's call to bring the infield in with Milton Bradley on third with one out in the bottom of the eighth. I generally hate bringing the infield in, unless you have to cut the winning run down at the plate. In this case, Bradley was the tying run, and a routine grounder probably doesn't score him from third. Aramis Ramirez hit that routine grounder, but it scuttled past a drawn-in Wilson Valdez to bring in Bradley and knot the game at two. Now we have a tied game and a runner on first with one out; with the infield at regular depth we might still have a tied game (might not, though), but at least there would be two out and no runners on. The rest of the inning unfolded poorly for the Mets, as Brian Stokes walked Jeff Baker and then hung a meatball that Alfonso Soriano crushed for a three-run homerun. Maybe Stokes still coughs up the lead if we go back and reconstruct the inning without the infield in, but maybe it doesn't.

The Mets picked up a game on Arizona, Cincinnati, San Diego and Baltimore and are now just five games behind the Orioles for the third overall pick in next June's draft. I'm not the rah-rah type, but I think the Mets can really do this. Gooooo team!

Bobby Parnell takes on Ryan Dempster at 4:10pm EDT on Saturday.

Haiku by Howard Megdal

Mastery by Misch
Momentary; Sori socks
Substandard slider

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* Bleed Cubbie Blue Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Pat Misch, +35.1% WPA, Fernando Tatis, +26.7% WPA
Big losers: Brian Stokes, -65.5% WPA, Cory Sullivan, -16.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play:
Teh sux0rest play:
Total pitcher WPA: -29.9% WPA
Total batter WPA: -20.1% WPA
GWRBI!: Alfonso Soriano

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by firejerrynow; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	firejerrynow	70
2	KeithsMoustache	52
3	itsmetsforme	36
4	Jadden Hopkins	25
5	fxcarden	23
6	David G	21
7	Syler	18
8	dcrockett17	16
9	Michkin	16
10	metsguy234	13