Zambrano: What's Wrong & What Happens Next

[soupcan]

Here's a nugget - The gal who cuts my kids hair is supposedly the girlfriend of one of the Mets trainers. According to my wife who saw this gal yesterday, she said her boyfriend said (I know, I know) that the Mets are more than just a little pissed off at Zambrano for not letting them know about his 'discomfort' and that his career as a Met is pretty much done.

[Elster88]

Is that a joke to make fun of reporters? I think that's one of Healey's sources.

[soupcan]

Not intended to be a joke, just passing along info.

Take it for what its worth.

I believe the gal's boyfriend is one f the trainers. Wife is going to get his name today to be certain.

Will report back.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Well, the source may not be rock solid, but the report is plausible anyway.

I would expect that the Mets are pissed at him. As for him being done as a Met, I'm less sure about that. But I suspect that the proverbial "change of scenery" would be best for both Victor and the Mets.

[Guest cooby]

Haircuts two days in a row?

[Elster88]

I hope you don't get the chick in trouble. I can totally see the trainer's girlfriend's client's mother's husband's message board being used as an "unnamed source close to the Mets" by certain folks.

[soupcan]

How much would a trainer actually know about that part of the issue anyway?

Stupid hair cutter gal.

She's pretty hot though if that matters.

[soupcan]

cooby wrote: Haircuts two days in a row?

Dontcha love how cooby's mind works?

2 different kids.

[Elster88]

It matters.

[Guest cooby]

Does your wife have her own parking spot at this clip joint yet? She should

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

How often does she pee?

[Guest Rotblatt]

BP's Christina Kahrl weighs in on Zambrano. I completely agree with her, although I think her knock on Oliver is a bit unfair, and she labels Sanchez as merely "fine."

]Zambrano's done for the year, which is pretty amusing when you consider that he was acquired for Scott Kazmir on the Mets' faith that Kazmir would break down irretrievably and soon. Now that it's Lima Tima ("kaboom sound included"), at least Mets fans can take solace in the knowledge that there is now somebody definitively worse than Darren Oliver on the roster, although Oliver does seem to be enjoying one of his rare good seasons in the early going. But as I noted in the NY Sun, the real answer to this team's rotation issues is in their bullpen, and the sooner they just accept that Aaron Heilman is the third starter this rotation otherwise lacks, the better for their prospects now and into the postseason. Futzing around with the Olivers, Limas, and Jeremi Gonzalezes of the world is not going to fix the rotation, and finding good pen help is much more easily done. If Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson are dismissing the suggestion out of hand, it's worth bringing up the folly of relying on their own experience too heavily. Instead, a little bit of recognition of a capacity for error needs to be acknowledged, particularly concerning Peterson's part in getting Zambrano for Kazmir. The bullpen might seem shallow, but that's not really the case. Beyond closer Billy Wagner, Duaner Sanchez has been fine, Chad Bradford and Pedro Feliciano have their situational uses. The problem has been turning around Jorge Julio, because while he's doing a much better job of throwing strikes, he's also still doing a great job of catching too much of the plate in a way that only creates instant happiness (and souvenirs) amongst bleacher creatures. Enter Bell, who you might hope could help shore up the pen after notching 20 Ks in 13.1 IP at Norfolk. As we noted in this year's edition of the annual, Bell was among the most unlucky pitchers in baseball last season when it came to BABIP, but if he's finally harnessed his fastball/split combo, he could wind up being the second quality setup man the pen would seem to require to reassure Randolph's anxieties over moving Heilman to the rotation. We can certainly hope so, even if you aren't tired of seeing the Braves win--I'd much rather see the Mets take their best shot than allow their season to be poisoned by the contributions of Jose Lima and his ilk.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I agree that Heilman is a good place to look, but she doesn't seem to be payinng much attention to the team thus far, and seems to have a lot of opinions formed based on a pre-season perspective.

Scary that she threw in a Kaboom.

[soupcan]

]Now that it's Lima Tima ("kaboom sound included"),

Lurker.

]...and finding good pen help is much more easily done.

Really? Tell that to the Yankees.

] If Willie Randolph and Rick Peterson are dismissing the suggestion out of hand, it's worth bringing up the folly of relying on their own experience too heavily. Instead, a little bit of recognition of a capacity for error needs to be acknowledged, particularly concerning Peterson's part in getting Zambrano for Kazmir.

20/20 hindsight.

]The bullpen might seem shallow, but that's not really the case. Beyond closer Billy Wagner, Duaner Sanchez has been fine, Chad Bradford and Pedro Feliciano have their situational uses. The problem has been turning around Jorge Julio, because while he's doing a much better job of throwing strikes, he's also still doing a great job of catching too much of the plate in a way that only creates instant happiness (and souvenirs) amongst bleacher creatures.

Captain Obvious.

]Enter Bell, who you might hope could help shore up the pen after notching 20 Ks in 13.1 IP at Norfolk. As we noted in this year's edition of the annual, Bell was among the most unlucky pitchers in baseball last season when it came to BABIP, but if he's finally harnessed his fastball/split combo, he could wind up being the second quality setup man the pen would seem to require to reassure Randolph's anxieties over moving Heilman to the rotation. We can certainly hope so, even if you aren't tired of seeing the Braves win--I'd much rather see the Mets take their best shot than allow their season to be poisoned by the contributions of Jose Lima and his ilk.

Am I the only person who has a freakin' calendar? It's MAY.

[Elster88]

]at least Mets fans can take solace in the knowledge that there is now somebody definitively worse than Darren Oliver on the roster, although Oliver does seem to be enjoying one of his rare good seasons in the early going.

How do you take a shot at someone while admitting it's undeserved?

It takes a special breed of....er, writer....to do that.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I agree that it would be best if we saw as little of Lima as possible. Hopefully Bannister will be back soon, although that only solves half the problem. Maybe Maine will be a better pitcher with a healthy finger, but I'm still not thrilled with getting 24 starts each out of Bannister and Maine over the rest of the season. It doesn't sound like a recipe for the postseason.

For the shorter term, I wonder what will happen if there's a rainout tonight in Philadelphia. (There's heavy rain in some of the forecasts.) Pedro is scheduled to start against the Brewers on Sunday. I'd like to think that he'd still get that start, and that either Lima or Gonzalez would get bumped. Unfortunately I'm not all that sure that that's what would happen. We might end up seeing Trachsel, Lima, Gonzalez against Milwaukee, which would be a terrible decision.

[smg58]

It's a fair assessment. I think you'd need to commit to a long-term look at Heilman -- moving him into the rotation for one or two starts until Bannister and/or Maine gets healthy would be counterproductive. I can see why the Mets would be reluctant to do that right now, but that option absolutely has to be taken seriously over the long haul.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Elster88 wrote: How do you take a shot at someone while admitting it's undeserved? It takes a special breed of....er, writer....to do that.

Oh, that's no so terrible. She's saying he sucks, although he's been decent for the first month of the season. I don't see where she said it's undeserved.

[Elster88]

How about making Heilman a starter and making Maine the last guy out of the bullpen?

[Willets Point]

Move Heilman to the rotatation and sign Clemens. Heilman and Rocket, hey don't knock it!

[Guest Rotblatt]

soupcan wrote: 20/20 hindsight.

20/20 foresight too. Most of us noted that he had had elbow problems prior to making the trade.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Indeed. But Peterson's role in the trade is still highly speculative.

[MFS62]

They could get some short term help from Mother Nature. They're predicting as much as 3 inches of rain in Philly tonight. If the game gets washed out, Traschell starts Friday, with Gonzales or Lima on Saturday and Pedro on Sunday. Then, by the next weekend, Bannister could be ready to pitch on Saturday.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Is that official, 62? Or speculation? That's what I'd speculate, too, but I don't have that much confidence in Randolph and Peterson's wisdom.

Yancy Street Gang wrote: For the shorter term, I wonder what will happen if there's a rainout tonight in Philadelphia. (There's heavy rain in some of the forecasts.) Pedro is scheduled to start against the Brewers on Sunday. I'd like to think that he'd still get that start, and that either Lima or Gonzalez would get bumped. Unfortunately I'm not all that sure that that's what would happen. We might end up seeing Trachsel, Lima, Gonzalez against Milwaukee, which would be a terrible decision.

[Guest Rotblatt]

MFS62 wrote: They could get some short term help from Mother Nature. They're predicting as much as 3 inches of rain in Philly tonight. If the game gets washed out, Traschell starts Friday, with Gonzales or Lima on Saturday and Pedro on Sunday. Then, by the next weekend, Bannister could be ready to pitch on Saturday. Later

Pedro and Glav, then rained out phans.

[soupcan]

That doesn't even rhyme. Boo!

[MFS62]

Yancy, it was mentioned in today's Daily News suburban edition. Don't know if it was speculation or fact. That's why I said "could".

Later

[Guest sharpie]

If the Mets are rained out tonight and elect to use only one of the suspect pitchers, they should probably go with Lima - then there would be no need to even bring up Gonzalez, thereby having to do some 40-man shenanigans.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Yancy wrote: Unfortunately I'm not all that sure that that's what would happen. We might end up seeing Trachsel, Lima, Gonzalez against Milwaukee, which would be a terrible decision.

I'd be awfully suprised if he did that. Pedro will get an extra day's rest anyway with the off-day on Monday--I can't see us giving him 6 full days off this early in the season.

[Elster88]

I also doubt Willie would do that. He already left people (or at least Glavine) on regular rest once instead of pushing everyone back to account for the rainout.