Our bullpen woes

[Guest AG/DC]

is something fans of other teams need to be crying about. Not fans of your team.

The Mets' bullpen has given up the lowest batting average in the league (.204) and shares the third-lowest ERA --- 3.20, tied with the Dodgers and sitting behind Colorado (2.86) and St. Louis (3.14).

And yeah, whine-whine, they ran out of juice down the stretch last year, but the one who didn't is current it-whipping-boy Aaron Heilman, so let's be grateful.

[G-Fafif]

Larger point taken and generally agreed upon, but keep in mind (as I'm sure you do) that bullpen ERA is always a little deceiving. Two nights ago, Aaron Heilman comes in with two on and gives up a three-run homer. Only one earned run to the pen right there.

[Frayed Knot]

Bullpen for the last 5 games:
16-2/3 IPs; 3 Runs; 9 hits; 6 BBs; 16 Ks; 2 HRs; 0.90 WHiP; 1.62 ERA

[Guest *62]

Inherited runners/# scored is a better gauge than ERA in many cases, along with BAA.

[Guest AG/DC]

Oh, ye of little fiath

Yes, penners give up runs of other players. Big whoop. A lot of the runners they allow to score, as well as those they strand, belong to other penners, so a lot of that comes out in the wash of looking at the team as a whole, if not all of it.

[Guest OlerudOwned]

Speaking of the bullpen, what happens when Matt Wise comes off the DL. It feels like it should be happening any day now.

Smith has been impressive again, but has options.

[Guest AG/DC]

That's another good thing about our bullpen: we have no room for Matt Wise.

[smg58]

The pen, like the rest of the team, has performed terrifically this past week. The presence of Sanchez helps, and Smith has been particularly good. If they can keep this up, the pen will be much less of an issue this year. But the pen will still be asked for a lot of innings this year, and your guess is as good as mine as to how many quality innings those two can provide. Heilman has 12 IP in 16 games, and that's a pace he shouldn't be asked to sustain.

I'm not sure what to make of Wise. I don't think he's better than Smith, or even Carlos Muniz. The contract actually makes him likely to clear waivers, and he's not worth $1M even if he does get claimed, so I don't see why options should be an issue. He's also tanked after the All-Star Break the last two years.

[G-Fafif]

smg58 wrote: The presence of Sanchez helps...

Immensely. It's almost like we dropped him off at a pawn shop and just got to pick him up, looking (to this point) as good as new.

[Guest Number 6]

I'm not going to party quite yet.

[Guest AG/DC]

I would hope not. Neither am I.

What I want to do is draw the pitchfork mob away from Heilman's window.

[Elster88]

AG/DC wrote: What I want to do is draw the pitchfork mob away from Heilman's window.

Sadly, fans are too stupid.

[nymr83]

its great having Sanchez back and its nowhere near the time to "get on" Heilman yet.
As for Wise i'd rather have him on the roster than Schoenweis, who is redundant with Feliciano (who is better.)

[Guest Number 6]

AG/DC wrote: I would hope not. Neither am I. What I want to do is draw the pitchfork mob away from Heilman's window.

I'm with ya on that.

[Guest Number 6]

Nymr83 wrote: its great having Sanchez back and its nowhere near the time to "get on" Heilman yet. As for Wise i'd rather have him on the roster than Schoenweis, who is redundant with Feliciano (who is better.)

I think that Feliciano has earned the more expanded role, given that he's had reasonable success against right-handers... Show is useful in the more limited LOOGY role, if you can justify it.

[nymr83]

given that the closer is a lefty and feliciano is a lefty i just dont see the need for a 1-out lefty specialist in this bullpen.
heilman is here to stay, i like both sanchez and smith alot. that leaves 2 spots for Sosa, Schoenweis, and Wise and i like sosa both as a longman and spot starter, roles i dont trust schonweis in. so it really comes down to him and wise for that last spot and i like wise better (unless you think it is worth weakening the team by putting smith in the minors in order to hold on to everuone, i don't believe thats worth it.) [/end run-on sentence]

[Guest Triple Dee]

Nymr83 wrote: i dont trust schonweis in. so it really comes down to him and wise for that last spot and i like wise better ]

The home run Schoeneweis gave up to Utley was the first HR he's given up to a LHB since 2005. I'd like to think the Show can turn it around, and he's shown some positive signs. But with every leap of faith I have, comes an inevitable disappointment.

I'd like to see more of Wise, but I'm not overly optimistic he can do a much better job than Smith.

[Frayed Knot]

That Smith is the only one who can easily and safely be stored in the minors he's the logical one to be sent down if Wise is to be recalled in the near future.

Fair? Perhaps not, but it's also not like it needs to be a permanent solution.
Bazooka Joe wilted under the workload last season after a hot start and cooling his heels nder a more controlled environment at AAA for a bit while waiting for either another injury or a trade to open up a spot wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

If there's one thing we know about bullpens it's that they frequently change wildly from the beginning of the season thru the end so that while the likes of Wise and/or Schoeneweis seem dispoable right now it doesn't mean they won't be needed (even neccessary) a bit down the road.



Speaking of relievers, today's NYPost has a write-up on Eddie Kunz, mentioning, among other things, that a call-up this season isn't out of the question for him.

[Guest AG/DC]

I'm remembering how long Manny Aybar and Felix Heredia lasted after opening the season in the Metpen.

You stick around for a while, watch closely, you realize that the only thing that keeps a fanbase from hating thier bullpen is an offense so battering or so inept that their failures are of little consequence.