Lawrence

[HahnSolo]

Probably an easy answer that I missed, but why Lawrence and not Pelphrey against the Nats tonight?

[MFS62]

Wilie said he wants to keep Pelphrey on his regular turn.
A better question should be "Why not Humber?"

Later

[metirish]

Didn't Pelfrey last pitch out of the pen on the 11th?

[Benjamin Grimm]

The News said something like, if Pelfrey started tonight, then Pedro would have to go on his regular rest, but if Lawrence starts tonight, then Pedro's next start comes with an extra day of rest.

I'm not sure how that makes sense. I didn't do the math to figure that out.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

What he wants to do is give Pedro an extra day of rest.

Lawrence. Yipee.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Good people have paid money to see tonight's game.

[Willets Point]

Dickshot and MFS62 look a lot alike these days.


Lawrence is pitching tonight because tonight is the night he throws the first no-hitter in Mets history.

[metirish]

Willets Point wrote: Dickshot and MFS62 look a lot alike these days. Lawrence is pitching tonight because tonight is the night he throws the first no-hitter in Mets history.

Wouldn't it be gas if he did that?

[TransMonk]

So we're looking at 7 different pitchers over the next 7 days.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd REALLY like to see the Mets get a win tonight because I fear that a loss may trigger a freefall that will cost us our October.

Not thrilled that our hopes for tonight are in the hands of Brian Lawrence.

[Willets Point]

Remember: Magic number is 11.

Cahn-fidence people!

[Benjamin Grimm]

If the Mets go 7-7, then the Phillies have to go 10-3 to tie.

The Mets should do better than 7-7. If they go 9-5, then the Phillies need to go 12-1.

Those numbers look pretty good, but the numbers looked a lot better three days ago.

A few days ago, Baseball Prospectus had the Mets 99% to win the division. Now they're at 94.6%. Still pretty darn good, but heading in the wrong direction.

[HahnSolo]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: I'd REALLY like to see the Mets get a win tonight because I fear that a loss may trigger a freefall that will cost us our October. Not thrilled that our hopes for tonight are in the hands of Brian Lawrence.

I'd like to get a win as well, obviously. But am I the only one who has more confidence in this team on the road? I feel like they will play well the next seven days. I predict when they come home next Sunday night the magic number will be down to 4.

[MFS62]

Willets Point wrote: Dickshot and MFS62 look a lot alike these days. Lawrence is pitching tonight because tonight is the night he throws the first no-hitter in Mets history.

That would really screw up everything. Last year I predicted that Humber would be the first Met to toss a no-no.

As for Dickshot and me. I guess that means there are TWO two good looking guys on this board.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

Brian Lawrence is lucky that he doesn't work for Michael Vick.

[Guest Edgy DC]

While I visited bfmc last night, Lawrence was cruising. bf looked up and said "I wonder how long he can kep this going."

"Keep it going?" I replied, "He did give up a hit in the first... this isn't a no-hitter."

"Yeah, I just meant keep pitching well at all. I'm sitting here waiting for the four-run inning."

So, he's either gifted with awesome awareness or cursed with the ability to project his fears into reality.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Or he knows that history often repeats itself.

[Guest Edgy DC]

You have awesome awareness too!

[Benjamin Grimm]

It's a blessing and a curse.

I find that I wish I could go into suspended animation for the next thirteen days. When I come out, I'd either be able to watch the Mets in the playoffs, which would be good, or I'd have missed their collapse, which would also be good.

Meanwhile, I hope they never again hand the ball to Brian Lawrence.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I mean, at least you knew Ishii had some ability: You'll get thumped along the way, but you knew he at least was capable of whiffing 11 guys in 7 innings.

With Lawrence you're only allowed to dream that the other guys won't adjust to 82mph junk the 2nd time through the lineup. That's the best-case scenario.

[nymr83]

Lawrence's career: 4.19 ERA, 1.341 WHIP
Ishii's career: 4.44, 1.528
Lawrence also has a much better K/BB ratio.

Ishii is horendous, Lawrence is having an uncharacteristic bad year (in all of 29 innings)
next please.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

??

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lawrence is also a post-op case who has been trending downward for years.

[bmfc1]

Two days too late:

From the LoHud Mets Blog...

The Mets brought up lefty Dave Williams and designated for assignment Brian Lawrence.

[Guest Edgy DC]

What kind of assignment could they possibly be desginating him for?

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Nymr83 wrote: Lawrence's career: 4.19 ERA, 1.341 WHIP Ishii's career: 4.44, 1.528 Lawrence also has a much better K/BB ratio. Ishii is horendous, Lawrence is having an uncharacteristic bad year (in all of 29 innings) next please.

I wasn't comparing their careers. My point was that on their best days, Ishii was a guy with 13-K stuff, while Lawrence is always gonna be hittable, requiring total precision and for his fielders to make all the plays, etc...

When you're handing out "puncher's chance" kinda opportunities give me the guy with more raw talent.

[nymr83]

I'd wager that Lawrence's "best days" match up favorably with Kaz Ishii's. Would you care to go into their game logs and give me the numbers to back up your claim that Ishii's "best days" are better? use the top 10 or 20 percent of their starts to define "best days" or some other criteria of your choice, either way provide some numbers unless what you are really saying is "i like ishii better even though i have nothing to back it up."

[TransMonk]

Regardless of 13-K stuff, Ishii's career high for strikeouts in a game was 10, which he got once in 2002 during his first ML game and never reached again.

Lawrence's career high was also 10, which he achieved twice in 2002 and once in 2004.

Just glancing at the game logs, I would guess that Lawrence has just as many "best days" as Ishii.

However, they are both useless to me in 2007.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

You guys aren't paying attention. As I said already, I wasn't talking about their career stats but a feel for the peaks of their abilities while they were barely-hanging-on candidates to make starts for the Mets. That said, I think I overemphasized Ishii's characteristics some by confusing his background with that of Chan Ho Park.

The only wager I'll take is a gut-feel one: If "talent" were money, who'd drive a better car?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Jeez, what fun is that? If we can't lay high-stakes wagers on which pitcher who came to us going nowhere had the better past, what can we wager on.

Ishii
Starts: 102
Average Game Score: 50
Top 20%: 20 Starts
Average Game Score of the Top 20%: 72


Lawrence
Starts: 146 (not including this year)
Average Game Score: 50
Top 20%: 29 Starts
Average Game Score of the Top 20%: 72

Yuck. A tie.