SB Nation - Bobby Parnell

Sherman's Second Plan To Top Atlanta

Sam Page — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

Recently at the Post, Joel Sherman threw some water on the John Lackey dreams of many Mets fans, instead proposing a series of buy-low candidates the Mets would be prudent to acquire. His criteria reads:

So if the obvious avenues are blocked, where do the Mets go? I am going to recommend three starters that have this in common: They are AL flyball pitchers with high-end stuff, coming off bad years (all had 5.00-plus ERAs).

He is overstating the effect of switching leagues by totally ignoring qualified National League pitchers, but is definitely considering some qualities the Mets should pay more attention to. Did his search yield anyone worth acquiring?

Sherman's first suggestion is Jeremy Guthrie. He starts with a pretty convincing case against Guthrie:

Guthrie is coming off, by far, his worst season (10-17, 5.04 ERA), and his strikeout rate fell for a fourth straight year, never a good sign.

His strikeout rate didn't just decline, it went from barely average to bad:

via www.fangraphs.com

Guthrie seemingly never had very good stuff, which would violate Sherman's high-end stuff condition. But wait!

But Yankee hitters continued to praise his stuff.

That's a basically meaningless statement, since you wouldn't expect the Yankees to trash their opponents publicly. The assumption there, however, that a drop in "stuff" hasn't led to the drop in strikeout rate, is supported by Pitchf/x finding virtually no change in his pitches' movement. As for his extreme flyball tendencies, Sherman conflates some trends, and ignores most of his career numbers.

He yielded the most homers in a season in the AL since 2006 (35). Fewer than half (17) came at home, but he was the second most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009.

Guthrie, the third most extreme flyball pitcher among qualified AL starters in 2009, posted a 10.9% HR/FB, which is actually exactly equal to his career mark. In fact, the huge number of homeruns was the result of Guthrie going from a career extreme groundball pitcher to flyball pitcher suddenly. As a result, his homeruns allowed should only be expected to come down if you think he will revert back to a groundball pitcher suddenly, which is much less likely than simply regressing from some bad luck. While this expectation may be a decent gamble in itself, best-case Jeremy Guthrie is a groundball pitcher with averageish stuff, which is basically the opposite of what Sherman was trying to find. That being considered, Ruben Tejada and Bobby Parnell, Sherman's proposed package, is a horrible trade for a pitcher who is best case Pelfrey-lite and worst case, useless.

For his second proposal, Sherman does something odd, pointing out how team-abuse led to Gil Meche injuring his arm, then quotes the organization that abused him to prove Meche would be alright:

But he was doing bullpen sessions late in the year and two Royals officials told me that if the team was in contention, he would have been able to pitch.

Was it the same Royals official who said Meche's injury came from having the wrong "mindset"? Meche did have some bad luck with homeruns, the difference between bad 5.40 tRA and a not-good-at-all regressed 5.04 tRA*. There's precedent, however: throughout most of Meche's mostly forgettable Seattle career he posted similar HR/FB numbers. Bottom line: why trade for and subsequently pay $24MM dollars for two years of a huge injury risk, with higher-upside, cheaper, injury risks on the free agent market? Busted Gil Meche for two years or Rich Harden for one? Sherman fittingly proposes trading Castillo, because the Royals need fielding help, Sherman and Dayton Moore being the last two people on Earth who believe Luis Castillo plays anything better than horrible defense.

His third idea, Ervin Santana, is like Gil Meche in that he did have some bad luck with homers last year, but has the larger red flag of arm issues and a big contract. Unlike Meche, however, Santana is a year removed from a great 6 WAR season and could be worth the risk. For that same reason, though, he'd likely cost more in trade.

Not being one to criticize without contributing, however, I'll add three buy-low pitchers, who don't necessarily conform to Sherman's criteria (much like his own three).

1. Felipe Paulino- Paulino went 3-11 with a 6.27 ERA, which likely makes Astros GM Ed Wade's eyes bleed. Underneath those superficial stats, however, Paulino had very good peripherals and an absurd HR/FB rate, making his tRA* an above-average 4.42. He's got blazing stuff, a very unfavorable home ballpark, and his value couldn't be lower. Trading for Paulino seems like a total no-brainer.

2. Sergio Mitre- I think Mitre fits Sherman's rubric for a trade target better than any of his three. Mitre demonstrated middling stuff with improved control, but somehow gave up 10 homeruns in just 51 ML innings. With an ERA of 6.79, and an xFIP of 4.19, Mitre may be worth the rare cross-town trade.

3. Braden Looper- Seriously. Looper surrendered a crazy 39 homeruns, playing his home games in hitter-friendly Miller Park. In Citi Field, Looper could likely replicate his solid back-of-the-rotation or better performances with the Cardinals.

Similar buy-low candidates: Ricky Nolasco (the king of bad luck: pitched like an ace, ERA like someone on the Mets), Brett Myers, Aaron Cook, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe.

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.

Hyperbole Alert

Sam Page — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:00:37 -0000

Quiz: Do you think the Mets would have been competitive, had they had no injuries? What about one major injury? Two minor ones?

There's no factual answer to those questions. Looking at my preseason WAR projections, however, I calculated that those players who missed significant time this season accounted for 40% of the teams projected production this season. In my opinion then, while recognizing other factors like underachieving players, bad roster management, and random variation could make the results very different than the projected 94 wins, the Mets would have been at least competitive with a healthier roster.

While the rash of injuries around this team exposed the Mets' depth issues, top heaviness, and in turn, Omar Minaya, they don't mean 2010 is necessarily lost. A recent Jayson Stark column, however, seems to subtly insinuate that prophesy with its three titles:

"New York Mets' Future Looks Downright Gloomy"

"Mets in impossible spot going forward"

and of course: "Trading Jose Reyes could be a huge step toward jump-starting moribund franchise"

Granted this column was written by a guy who penned a book that argued Andruw Jones was "the most overrated CF of all time," more overrated than Juan Pierre even, so hyperbole and nonsense should be expected. Still, it's the most comprehensive forward looking article on the Mets, so naturally metsblog and others are weighing in on it. Matt Cerrone echoed the call for rebuilding (emphasis of everything except "SNY" and "Citi Field" his):

…the Mets need a three-year, re-building plan… the thing is, though i believe Mets fans are willing to see them through it, assuming the team is clear about what they’re doing, i don’t think ownership is willing because of SNY and Citi Field…

So before this "rebuilding" idea passes through the realm of opinion into inescapable fact/unanimous voice of the Mets fan, let's consider the content of this Stark piece. After some bad jokes, he begins:

The trouble with that, though, is this: As soon as this lost season is over, it will be time to contemplate a question almost equally scary:

Then what?

I dunno, lunch? A nap? A 8-year/$90MM Jeff Francoeur extension?

Well, fortunately for the Mets, Rumblings and Grumblings is here to help them answer that question. Unfortunately for them, Rumblings is not here to paint a real attractive picture.

The way he talks about the name of his column, you'd think it was the big scary monster that requires you to answer his riddle before you can cross the rightfield bridge. In fact, here's a picture of Mr. Grumblings promoting his new book Worth The Wait: Tales of the 2008 Phillies:

But before we get into what officials of other clubs think the Mets should do about this mess they're in, we want to give Mets GM Omar Minaya his take. And we'll say this about Minaya: For a man who has spent the past six months finding out what it feels like to be a human pinata, he's remarkably upbeat.

"I think it's a challenge," he said. "But I've dealt with challenges before. I had to build the Montreal Expos situation from scratch [after MLB took over the club]. That was a challenge. When I came here to New York in 2004, that was a challenge. So I've dealt with challenges before, and we'll work very hard to deal with this challenge."

Oh boy this off-season will be like when MLB took over the Expos. You know, when Minaya traded prospects Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Cliff Lee for a year of Bartolo Colon, the trade many consider the worst ever. What would be the modern equivalent, Fernando Martinez, Jenrry Mejia, and Jose Reyes for a year of Kevin Millwood?

"Positive" wouldn't be the word we'd use to describe the reviews we got from a half-dozen baseball men we surveyed about the Mets' future. Here's a sampling:

• "You look at their team and think, 'What does the next three or four years hold?' and it's not real pretty," said one American League executive.

Who cares if the person is an "American League executive"? If that's all you're going to get out of them, I'd rather read some guy rambling on a message board. At least he watches the team.

• "There's no quick fix out there for them," said a National League executive. "They've got to rebuild half the team on the field and the whole damn [starting] pitching staff."

C: Thole/Santos, 1B:??, 2B: Castillo, SS: Reyes, 3B: Wright, LF:??, CF: Beltran, RF: Martinez/Francoeur?

SP: Santana, ??, Pelfrey, Niese, Perez/Maine

• "They've got no choice but to rebuild," said an official of an AL team. "It's hard to do in New York, but they've got to bite the bullet for a couple of years and redevelop their system. I don't see that team as being a free agent or two away. I know that."

What does rebuilding mean? Trading Reyes/Wright/Beltran/Santana? That seems ill-advised. What if those two free-agents are Matt Holliday and Rich Harden?

• "They should probably get rid of the general manager and a lot of the people who have been there, and go in another direction completely," said a longtime NL scout. "Just blow it up. But I'm not sure how. They've got a lot of players that people don't want, guys who are making a lot of money, and they're overpaid. And there's not a whole lot in their system. So unless they outspend their mistakes, they've put themselves in a hole for maybe the next six to eight years."

We meet again, mr. anonymous scout.

OK, so not all the folks we spoke with were quite that bleak. This was, after all, a team that watched 19 players head for the disabled list this season.

Woops! I cherry-picked all those quotations! lolz!

So we did hear one comparison of this Mets team to the 2008 Mariners, another underachieving debacle of a club that got healthier, consciously set out to upgrade team chemistry and at least bounced back to respectability this year.

Horrible comparison. The 2008 Mariners planned to use Jose ".612 OPS" Vidro as their opening-day DH. The 2009 Mariners to set out to upgrade their talent and added Franklin Gutierrez and Russell Branyan, two of the most productive position players in the AL at minimal cost, and in one of those cases, at the expense of the Mets.

But after a season like this -- and the two painful finishes that preceded it -- can these Mets really take the approach that if they just tweak the roster a little and get everyone healthy, they'll be OK?

"No," said one NL scout, "because they won't be."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Can I anonymously quote you as calling all of the Mets prospects garbage?"

"Sure. Now if you'd excuse me, I need to get back to watching the Vermont Lake Monsters."

Jayson Stark premises his whole article on this one warrantless claim about by someone who, for all we know, watches the Mets three times a year. As people keep beating the rebuilding drum this season, remember how it all started "No, because they won't be." Starting printing those posters: "Your 2010 Mets: No, because they won't be." (Can someone please make this?)

"If they have an embarrassing September, I can see them cleaning house," said one baseball man. "If they play respectably, I'd bet both [Minaya and Manuel] keep their jobs. But if they don't -- if they don't even compete and it's embarrassing -- I'd bet they'll both be gone."

Record in September so far: 3-3. There's a shot.

As big a nightmare as the big league season may have been, life wasn't exactly nirvana down below, either. The Mets' Triple-A and Double-A teams are a combined 60 games under .500. Not one full-season Mets affiliate has a winning record. And we haven't even gotten into the whole Tony Bernazard affair.

Yes, learning top prospect Tony Bernazard was in fact 53, not 19 as he claimed on his rookie contract and in an interview with SNY, was a hard pill to swallow. Oklahoma City is 7 games under .500. Why is that important? The Rangers top rated-farm system must actually be horrible.

"That's not a good system," said an AL exec. "The good prospects they do have are a long ways away. They don't have depth in their system or on their roster."

-snip-

"the obvious approach is to trade off players," said the same AL executive. "But in that team's case, I'm not even sure that will get them where they need to go."

And why is that? We're about to tell you.

We're about to tell you, Mr. Rumbling and Grumbling and I.

"What are they going to do for a rotation behind Johan [Santana]?" asked one scout. "Oliver Perez has turned into their Adam Eaton. [John] Maine has reverted back to a Triple-A pitcher. [Jonathon] Niese is a rookie. Bobby Parnell is Aaron Heilman all over again. [Mike] Pelfrey is just a [No.] 4 or 5 [starter]. So they have to go out and get at least two, and probably three, starters."

Perez will be the 5th starter, and will probably be passable in that role, assuming his health. Jon Niese looks like an average pitcher with above-average upside; not sure when "rookie" became such a horrible curse. Pelfrey is also somewhere between average and above-average, despite whatever label people want to put on him this season. That leaves room for another good starter to complement Johan and some decent depth additions.

"They need to think character, and bring in high-character players," said one baseball man we surveyed. "The single greatest difference between the Phillies and the Mets is that the Phillies have guys in their clubhouse who care about each other and they're all about winning. The Mets don't have nearly enough guys like that."

huh

So the logical solution is: Trade one or two of those stars. Re-stir the mix. And help heal the scars left by three straight seasons that turned out all wrong.

Logical must mean something different these days.

OK, that sounds logical.

Mr. Stark either: A. has a split personality named Mr. Grumbling who he is agreeing with, B. is giving a subtle hint that this whole article is parody, C. forgot he said the same thing three sentences ago.

Santana? No way. K-Rod? They just signed him.

So? They just signed him...last year. I know they won't trade him, but I can still hope.

So now we're down to two: Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes.

"If you conclude that's the solution -- that you have to make a change to your core group -- then you have to trade one of the two of them," said one baseball man. "And it has to be Reyes."

So why is that? Because Beltran has a complete no-trade clause. And because he has $37 million left on his contract for the next two years. And because his 2½ months on the disabled list, with what is still being described as a "bruised knee," haven't exactly made him the most attractive trade candidate alive.

Beltran's 2.5 months on the DL has really hurt his value, as opposed to Reyes' 4 months on the DL.

"They'd better think twice before they move that guy," said an official of one team. "Guys like that are hard to find. The reputation he's got now is, he doesn't want to play. But look at the games played before this year -- 159 last year, 160 in '07, 153 in '06, 161 in '05. So this guy plays. Sorry. No way I'm trading him if I'm them. Absolutely no way."

But if the Mets don't trade him, does that mean they don't trade anybody? And if they don't make some kind of significant change to a mix of players their fans have lost faith in, can they possibly sell the 2010 Mets to a town where Yankees caps now seem to outnumber Mets caps by about 1,000 to 1?

Stark's specious logic overcomes the one rational executive he quoted in this whole piece. Wanna convert a bunch of Yankees fans to Mets fans? Trade their second best player. Sell low, buy high. Good work team, the ticket orders should start rolling in. 2010 Mets: "Maybe, because they might be."

So you thought the past five months felt like a ride on the Titanic for this team? Uh, stay tuned. The GM says he likes challenges, right? Well, we hope so -- because, if he hangs onto his job, the biggest challenge of his career hasn't even begun.

Wouldn't a five month ride on the Titanic be a good thing? Or did it take five months to sink into the ocean? What did they say about the Titanic before it set out? "No, because it won't sink."?

It's Up To You, New York, New York: Cubs vs. Mets Preview, Friday 9/4, 6:10 CT

Al — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:00:20 -0000

by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Write your own caption.

View full size photo »

NEW YORK -- There wasn't any traffic coming into NYC -- everyone's leaving for the holiday weekend, and even Manhattan traffic wasn't bad. I'll report from Citi Field on tonight's game tomorrow morning, but let's hope the Cubs have as easy a time with the Mets as I did getting here this afternoon. They'll need to start a winning streak rightfreakingnow if they want to continue to have any shot at the NL Wild Card.

As first posted in drodd's FanShot, the Cubs have claimed pitcher Thomas Diamond on waivers from the Rangers. Diamond is a 2004 #1 draft coming off Tommy John surgery. At one time he and John Danks were considered the two top pitching prospects for the Rangers; you know what Danks has done, and the Cubs are trying to catch the proverbial lightning in a bottle with Diamond. He'll be added to the 40-man roster (which now stands at 39 players) and get a chance to compete for a spot in spring training next year.

Sad baseball news: also originally posted in a FanShot by N Oakley, legendary Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell, now 91 years old and retired, has inoperable cancer. I wish him well; if you never heard Ernie call a game, google around. There are recordings of him available and every baseball fan should hear Ernie call a game at least once.

And if you think Cubs games are slow, be glad you're not Jonathan Papelbon -- he's been fined for slowing down games. I thought every time I turned on a Red Sox game it seemed like it was taking forever.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Carlos Zambrano Cubs	vs.	Bobby Parnell Mets

7-6	W-L	3-7
3.91	ERA	5.80
108	SO	52
60	BB	32
9	HR	6
vs. NY	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Carlos Zambrano	7-6	29	22	0	0	0	0	131.1	128	64	57	9	60	108	3.91	1.43

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Bobby Parnell	3-7	59	5	0	0	1	4	66.2	80	45	43	6	32	52	5.80	1.68

The Cubs beat up on Bobby Parnell last Saturday at Wrigley Field. He gave up nine hits including a grand slam to Jake Fox. Let's hope for more of the same. Incidentally, Parnell is the grandson of Mel Parnell, who pitched for the Red Sox in the 1940's and 1950's and later became a baseball radio broadcaster.

The Mets beat up on Carlos Zambrano last Sunday at Wrigley Field. He gave up 11 hits in less than four innings, including a triple to Anderson Hernandez. I don't know anything about Z's grandfather, but I'm sure he is a very nice man.

Today's game is cable-only in New York (SNY) and Chicago (CSN). For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

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Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin' Avenue.

Overflow comment threads will post today at 7 pm, 8 pm and 8:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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)

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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

The Cubs Will Break A Major League Record Today: Cubs vs. Mets Preview, Saturday 8/29, 3:10 CT

Al — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:00:11 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Just what did Carlos whisper in Geo's ear when this photo was taken?

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That got your attention. The Cubs will break a record when they get their first hit off the Mets' Bobby Parnell this afternoon.

You're still wondering what this is all about. Let me explain.

On September 20, 1958, Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm threw a no-hitter against the Yankees, while pitching for the Orioles. The Yankees then went 6,980 games without being no-hit, until six Astros pitchers no-hit them on June 11, 2003, about 44 1/2 years' worth of games.

The last time the Cubs were no-hit was Sandy Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965, a little less than 44 years ago. Through yesterday, the Cubs had completed 6,980 games without being no-hit. Thus, when the Cubs get their first hit this afternoon, they'll break that record. Thanks to SABR member Madison McEntire for the research and confirming to me the exact date of this record-breaking event.

The other big issue to discuss this morning is: where are Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman going to finish the year? Both have been claimed on waivers, Harden by the Twins, and Heilman by the Giants. (Ironic -- Heilman was brought in, at least in part, to replace Bob Howry, who was signed by the Giants. Now, they could become teammates, and further, the Cubs could wind up facing Heilman in San Francisco in September.) My feeling is: let Heilman go -- he's not likely to be back next year and the Cubs could easily replace him with Jeff Stevens or Justin Berg, for now. As for Harden, if the Cubs keep him and he then leaves as a free agent (presuming arbitration is offered, which it likely would be), he would net the Cubs two draft picks. Jim Hendry thus has to find out whether he can get two prospects from the Twins who would be worth more to the organization than the draft picks. If so, let him go -- because you could then re-sign Harden anyway as a free agent.

We'll know the results by Monday, the last day a player can be traded to a new team and still qualify for postseason play.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Ryan Dempster Cubs	vs.	Bobby Parnell Mets

7-7	W-L	3-6
4.07	ERA	5.08
122	SO	50
54	BB	30
18	HR	5
vs. Hou	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ryan Dempster	7-7	23	23	0	0	0	0	143.2	141	75	65	18	54	122	4.07	1.36

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Bobby Parnell	3-6	58	4	0	0	1	4	62.0	71	37	35	5	30	50	5.08	1.63

Bobby Parnell was supposed to be a mainstay of the Mets' bullpen this year. He was doing a pretty good job of it till mid-June, when he started to get pounded; in 25 relief appearances between June 10 and August 5, he put up a 5.56 relief ERA. Then, due to injuries, he wound up in the Mets' rotation; he is 1-3 in four starts with an even worse 8.82 ERA. He made two relief appearances vs. the Cubs last September; no current Cub has more than two AB against him.

Ryan Dempster's career numbers vs. the Mets aren't too good -- 8-4, but with a 5.54 ERA, in 23 lifetime appearances (12 starts). However, all of those starts were in his previous incarnation as a starter with the Marlins and Reds -- he didn't start vs. the Mets last year. Most of the Mets who hit him well (Carlos Beltran, David Wright) are on the DL.

The Cubs and Mets are on Fox-TV today. Surprisingly, this game is being considered Fox's "A" game. The list of markets is too long to post here; click here to see if the game is on in your city. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

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Overflow comment threads will post today at 4:15 pm, 5:15 pm and 6 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Hello, Old Friends: Cubs vs. Mets Preview, Friday 8/28, 1:20 CT

Al — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:30 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

This oughta be good: tell the rest of us what Lou and Ted were saying to each other yesterday.

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Let's push controversy aside for a while, shall we, and try to just enjoy a baseball game this afternoon?

The last time the Mets visited Wrigley Field was more than 16 months ago, on April 22, 2008. That isn't that long ago in baseball terms, but of the eight starting Cubs that day, four are no longer with the team and one is on the DL. Five other Cubs who appeared in the game are elsewhere as well. As for the Mets, four of their starting eight from that game won't appear due to injury and three others have departed.

Ronny Cedeno hit a grand slam in that game, just to remind you of blasts from the past. It's still his only slam. (That's just about the time we started calling him ONEDEC.)

Two very different teams will take the field at Wrigley this afternoon from that long-ago day in 2008 (the Cubs did face the Mets last September, still almost a year ago, when the Mets were desperately trying to win a playoff spot, which they lost on the last day of the season). The Mets have been decimated by injuries, both to their starting lineup and pitching rotation -- the three Mets probable starters in this series, Pat Misch, Bobby Parnell and Nelson Figueroa, were definitely not the pitchers Jerry Manuel envisioned in his rotation in April.

OK, I suppose I can't resist a couple of links and comments regarding the current Milton Bradley situation. Phil Rogers says the Cubs should just cut him, which would cost north of $20 million and I think is a ridiculous idea, but Rogers also offer some suggestions of other teams' bad contracts that could result in a trade:

The only way to trade Bradley, according to executives with other clubs, is to up your ante to take on someone else's bad contract. You know the names -- the Blue Jays' Vernon Wells, owed $98.5 million over five years; the Giants' Barry Zito, $83 million over four years; the Astros' Carlos Lee, $55.5 million over three years, maybe the Giants' Aaron Rowand, $36 million over three years.

The best of those scenarios involves the Rangers' five-year, $80-million deal with Michael Young, who at 32 is a productive player. He's owed $16 million a year for four more seasons.

In a cost-cutting mode because of ownership problems, Texas might consider a Bradley-for-Young trade. But it wouldn't do it during its ongoing playoff race and it's going to be increasingly awkward for them to try to wade through a hugely problematic trade.

As Rogers says, Texas is in a playoff race and probably wouldn't do it now. So are the Giants with Zito, who has actually pitched very well since the All-Star break. The Vernon Wells deal would be more palatable to the Cubs if it didn't have five years and nearly as much money as Alfonso Soriano's. But I'd do it. Wells is virtually the same age as Bradley (about eight months younger) and, though he's had a couple of tough years since he signed his monster deal, at least he does have proven power numbers from the past, and could play CF, allowing Kosuke Fukudome to move back to RF next season (with Reed Johnson retained to back them both up).

And strangely enough, the best local media words on this situation come from the Tribune's Steve Rosenbloom, who I almost never agree with and who often writes ridiculous bombast. But today he nails it, in a column titled Bradley's response ought to anger those who take on racism seriously:

Racism is serious. If you are concerned or angry enough to put that in the public discussion, then you seemingly should be motivated to explain when and where this happened. How else do you take a step toward keeping it from happening again?

But when Bradley offers only cynicism and sarcasm, he diminishes the severity of the issue. Moreover, he does a disservice to those suffering abuse but who are willing to fight the fight head on.

...

Under no circumstances does anyone deserve to be abused racially. Underachieving baseball player and racial epithets are dots that should never connect.

But Bradley’s history and now his dismissive response to questions following his serious charges invite the suggestion that he’s looking for ways to shield himself from his problems, self-inflicted or otherwise.

One hundred percent correct, Mr. Rosenbloom. Bravo.

Try to enjoy today's game.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Ted Lilly Cubs	vs.	Pat Misch Mets

9-8	W-L	0-1
3.40	ERA	4.09
116	SO	13
27	BB	13
21	HR	1
vs. NY	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ted Lilly	9-8	21	21	0	0	0	0	135.0	123	56	51	21	27	116	3.40	1.11

Pat Misch's stats below are with the Mets only; see the pitcher box for his full-season stats.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Pat Misch	0-1	15	0	0	0	0	1	18.2	18	6	6	1	10	13	2.89	1.50

There's no profile photo of Pat Misch in a Mets cap available (at least not in that size), so you get one of him with his former team, the Giants. The Mets acquired Misch on waivers in July and he's spent the last couple of months shuttling between Buffalo and New York, making 15 relief appearances with the Mets (after four with the Giants). He is a Chicago-area native who graduated from Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook in 1999 and has made three career relief appearances vs. the Cubs, all in 2007. This will be his first start as a Met. Only one current Cub has a hit off him -- Koyie Hill (1-for-2), but that's covering only eight total at-bats from all current Cubs.

Ted Lilly is 2-1, 3.86 in five career appearances (four starts) vs. the Mets. His last two starts against them, one in 2007 and one in 2008, were both wins, the last one in the April 22, 2008 game mentioned above. The current Met who has the most AB against Ted is Gary Sheffield; Sheffield is only 5-for-28 against him.

Cable-only today in Chicago (CSN) and New York (SNY). For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

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Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin' Avenue.

Overflow comment threads will post today at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Big Man Bust this Citi in Half: Phillies 6, Mets 2

dajafi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:28:05 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

3 months ago: Philadelphia Phillies- Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run in the third inning of the baseball game against the New York Mets at Citi Field in New York, Monday, August 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

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After yesterday's freaktacular 9-7 win over the Mets at Citi Field, the Phillies were looking for a more conventional and relaxing win to close out their four-game visit to Flushing. After some early weirdness, that's exactly what they got, with Ryan Howard's power and Cliff Lee's poise leading the way to a 6-2 win.

For the second straight afternoon, the Phils played longball to take an early lead. After Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch and Chase Utley walked, Howard took a 2-2 fastball from Mets starter Bobby Parnell out to left-center and a quick 3-0 advantage. Two innings later, with Jayson Werth on first, Howard got Parnell again with a second-deck smash to right. That was it for the Phils until the ninth, when doubles by Utley and Raul Ibanez added an insurance run.

Lee shook off the worst defensive play of Utley's career in the bottom of the first. Angel Pagan, who started yesterday's game with an inside-the-park home run, popped up to shallow right field. Utley settled under it with two hands--but the ball squirted out of his glove for an error. He committed a second miscue on the play with a wild throw toward second base that eluded Eric Bruntlett and headed toward the left-field foul line; by the time Ibanez retrieved the ball, Pagan was circling the bases with a "Little League home run." The Mets added another run in the inning on a Gary Sheffield triple and Fernando Tatis sac fly, but Lee held them off the rest of the way to finish with seven innings, six hits allowed, no walks and five strikeouts. He's now 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA in five starts since joining the Phillies late last month.

The club heads to Pittsburgh for a three-game set with the Pirates starting Tuesday night. Joe Blanton will face Ross Ohlendorf in the series opener.

Parn-Smell: Braves 15, Mets 2

Eric Simon — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Tim Redding is bad at baseball. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Bobby Parnell, well, he didn't quite have "it" tonight. For the unindoctrinated, "it" is something that only baseball people like Steve Phillips and Fran Healy can understand, and I'm told that it can prevent things like allowing nine hits and nine runs in three innings. Last start Parnell had "it". Tonight, less so. It's just one start, which is probably what we should have told ourselves after last time.

Parnell was spelled by Nelson Figueroa, who allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. Figgy turned it over to Tim Redding, who coughed up another three runs on four hits in three innings. Sean Green, yep, one run on two hits in one inning.

Only two players had positive WPA contributions, and both were negligible (.3% for Will "The Spill" Valdez; .2% for Omir ".300 OBP" Santos). 38,602 miserable humps showed up to watch this debacle, and I pity them and everyone that looks like them.

Johan Santana and Kenshin Kawakami face off tomorrow at 7:10pm, and we can only hope they inspire something better than this pitiful recap.

Haiku by Howard Megdal

Parnell woes enhanced
By Castillo's indifference
The floodgates open

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
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Win Probability Added

Big winners: Wilson Valdez, +0.3% WPA, Omir Santos, +0.2% WPA
Big losers: Bobby Parnell, -42.0% WPA, Gary Sheffield, -2.2% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Church flyout in second, +4.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Diaz two-run single in second, -9.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -42.6% WPA
Total batter WPA: -7.4% WPA
GWRBI!: Omar Infante

Game Thread Roll Call

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

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	KeithsMoustache	148
2	metsguy234	73
3	blueandorange4life	70
4	Michkin	69
5	Jadden Hopkins	62
6	aparkermarshall	55
7	fxcarden	52
8	firejerrynow	37
9	Mex_17	31
10	lstorie1971	25