STIGT 3-25 Astros at Mets

[stevejrogers]

8 runs down, 2 outs, runners on corner
Step on it!

[stevejrogers]

And thats your ballgame. Damn. I want to say "ah well it's only ST" but still, a little more pride would have been nice, even if the game was torpedoed by a guy who will be in New Orleans in April.

[Benjamin Grimm]

From the Associated Press:

]Mets outfielder Lastings Milledge was hit on the right hand by a ninth-inning pitch from Matt Albers and left the game. Tests revealed only a bruise. Milledge was prescribed anti-inflammatory medicine, ice and a few days off.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

It was a Floyd-esque performance in the "Owie" department but it was pretty clear once he got up and seemed to be using both hands that he wasn't going to miss half a year or anything.

W/ or w/o injury, I think fans holding out for him to make the opening day squad over Green are fooling themselves. Now if he's tearing it up in Nawlins and Green hasn't established something though his first 150 PAs, then the talk gets louder.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I was there today.It was scary when Millege went down.

What seemed kind of strange was the D from both Wright and Reyes. Seemed like each waved at a couple that were playable. I wonder if Willie told them to avoid getting hurt at all costs, which I guess is fine.

Sosa looked brutal.

[Frayed Knot]

I thought of the Cliff analogy too while Milledge was down on the ground like he was shot.
I'm betting - now that it's confirmed as not a break - that some of the vets are going to give him a hard time about the rolling around in the dirt part.

I suspect the Green death watch is going to start a lot sooner than 150 ABs - like around the home opener for instance unless he manages to net 2 or 3 game-winning hits before then. Green, Park & Sele are prime candidates for the foul-line introduction boo-a-thon.

[Gwreck]

Not much to add from what was already discussed. Missed the Milledge HBP as I had to duck out after the 7th inning stretch to ensure that I made my flight.

One thing that I found somewhat disturbing was some seriously bad plate discipline from Reyes and LoDuca. Yeah, it was a hot day in the sun but I got the distinct feeling that excepting perhaps Reyes' first PA that there was a lack of effort from both of them.

Al Jackson was conducting pitchers fielding practice this morning with most of the starters (I saw Perez, Glavine, Maine, Schoenweis, and Sele) but not Pelfrey (who screwed up on covering first early in the game).

Juan Padilla: White Hummer H4.

[nymr83]

the "green death watch" should start right away. not that the fans shouldnt support him until he actually does fail, but when the team has a player who is a huge upgrade defensively and looks to be one offensively ready to go theres no need to let a green slide last too long. its hard to speak definitively about how long he gets and how much he must suck, and milledge's numbers at AAA probably factor in as well.

i think what the mets should do is decide internally what they expect, at a minimum, to get out of milledge if they play him every day (.265/.315/.425?), factor in the defense (maybe 20 pts of ops to be conservative?) and then give milledge the job if green isn't producing those numbers or better. how many ABs do you give it? well i think it depends how far below expectations he is. if he's hitting .200 after 50 ABs it might not be time to can him yet, if he's doing it after 150 ABs say hello to milledge. of course if he's hitting .100 in 50 ABs its milledge time!
i'd hope the Mets have a plan something like that, and i wouldnt expect them to publicize it.

[Guest iramets]

Pay a guy bazillions to sit on the bench so a rookie with more ability plays full-time? The Mets? A plan?

No, Green would have to be batting .150 in July (about 300 ABs) and Omar-dolls would have to be burned in effigy and Willie-dolls stuck with pins, first. Personally, I think I would need to have about three strokes on this one issue before they change policy about who plays RF.

And even then they wouldn't announce a change in policy. They would invent some transparent nonsense ("Green is mourning the loss of his pet guppy Fido, and is taking a few games off. During this troubled period, we will start a variety of rightfielders, including but not limited to Milledge, Art Shamsky and the late Richie Ashburn...")

[Benjamin Grimm]

This talk of Milledge sticking on the roster for the first two weeks and then getting sent down reminds me of a similar plan for Benny Agbayani in 2000. He got off to a good start and ended up sticking around for the entire season.

I'm hoping that Milledge has a similar experience this year.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I just like 150 as a number because it's twice what seamheads believe is the largest sample size that can still fool you.

I believe the rule of thumb is "anybody can hit anything in 75 ABs." 100 ABs, or 150, is much, much harder to fake.

[Frayed Knot]

]Green would have to be batting .150 in July (about 300 ABs) and Omar-dolls would have to be burned in effigy and Willie-dolls stuck with pins

Well Matsui - who was owed more money than Green currently is - was dumped (w/money eaten) in favor of less promising backups in early June after 130 ABs last season and was removed as a starter prior to that.

Not sure if dolls or curses were a factor in any way.