Catcher and Second

[Guest AG/DC]

How about the Mets going into a game last night that was more important than the Wall Street buyout, and starting Robinson Cancel and Ramon Martinez in the seven and eight holes?

Scary thing is how much we needed them to come through and they did. That's juju you just can't count on every day. But the dice came up seven last night.

Brian Schneider, who had so rallied (or frightened) his team by telling them how intensely also-ran teams (with whom he's spent his career) take the opportunity to draw some blood from top teams before gonig home, was a late scratch with "back discomfort.'

On one hand, I'm hoping that was just something aggravated by the rain. On the other hand, the rain isn't going anywhere.

On the third hand, when did I start caring whether or not Brian Schneider was in the lineup?

Anyhow, can you imagine Manuel's scratch work when making out the lineup card last night?

1. Jose, ss


2. Murphy, lf


3. Wright, 3b


4. Delgado, 1b


5. Beltran, cf


6. Church, rf


7. Castillo, 2b (fans murdering him)
   Easley, 2b (strained quad)
   Argenis, 2b (just not ready)
   Castillo, 2b (head not in game)
   Ramon Martinez, 2b (we're hoping for what exatly here?)
   Valentin, 2b (fuckin' Valentin!)
   Castillo, 2b (they'll murder me!)
   Ramon Martinez, 2b (so it's come to this)


8. Schneider, c (back)
   Castro, c (getting exposed against decent righthanders)
   Cancel, c (no time for a Crash Davis storyline)
   Castro, c (clogging up basepaths when he does get on)
   Cancel, c (note to self: kill Omar)


9. Pedro, p

[metirish]

I thought Gary Cohen set things up nicely last night when R Martinez came to bat in that inning.

Cancel has caught a lot of games for Pedro I think.

[Benjamin Grimm]

If the Mets survive this weekend and make the playoffs, the composition of their post-season roster is going to be very interesting.

Do you take Easley? Is he healthy enough? If not, you have to bring either Argenis Reyes or Ramon Martinez. I'd opt for Ramon.

Who's in the bullpen? Jerry will suddenly have to deal with an 8-man pen (I assume) rather than the 35 guys he has out there right now. Heilman has been buried lately. Would he get bumped in favor of a guy like Parnell?

Marlon Anderson? Nick Evans? Pedro Martinez? None of these guys would be sure things either, though I think Evans would make it and there aren't any viable alternatives for Pedro. (And he did reasonably okay last night.)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Apparently, Castro's hammy was too sore to go -- again. If that fat fuck wasn't a thtreat to hit one out every so often I'd send him to Kingsport with the promise he could come back as soon as he gets in shape. I mean, really. Three years in a row now he can't answer the bell. He's a fucking backup.

The Schneid apparently saw doctors at the hospital for special surgery (as opposed to, you know, routine surgery).

Anyway we could all use a day off I guess.

We saw Martinez in the on-deck circle before his AB Wednesday and couldn't figure out who it was for a few minutes. Too skinny to be Cancel... right handed... oh, him. His Met batting average of .000 wasn't too encouraging, but by his next appearance he was batting .500. Not bad. And he almost hit an HR.

The other guy missing the other day, and this belongs in the Wifey WaTcH thread, was The Show whose woman had his 4th kid the other day.

[HahnSolo]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: If the Mets survive this weekend and make the playoffs, the composition of their post-season roster is going to be very interesting. Do you take Easley? Is he healthy enough? If not, you have to bring either Argenis Reyes or Ramon Martinez. I'd opt for Ramon. Who's in the bullpen? Jerry will suddenly have to deal with an 8-man pen (I assume) rather than the 35 guys he has out there right now. Heilman has been buried lately. Would he get bumped in favor of a guy like Parnell? Marlon Anderson? Nick Evans? Pedro Martinez? None of these guys would be sure things either, though I think Evans would make it and there aren't any viable alternatives for Pedro. (And he did reasonably okay last night.)

I think Cancel's ability to hit off the bench certainly warrants some consideration for a roster spot. I would leave Marlon off the roster; and I would activate Easley. If he can't go, RMartinez gets my nod over AReyes. Evans almost has to be there.

[Guest AG/DC]

TI think about that stuff too (eight relievers? really?), bt three days means a lot of baseball (and strained obliques) before we have enough data for this discussion to be meaningful.

I just want to talk about who the deuce we go with tonight.

[HahnSolo]

If healthy: Schneider and Easley.
If not: Cancel and Martinez.

[Gwreck]

Wow, how bad must Marlon Anderson's defensive skills be that he can't even get consideration in fantasy-Jerry's consideration of 2B options?

[Benjamin Grimm]

="AG/DC"]TI think about that stuff too (eight relievers? really?)

That's my guess, anyway. 12-man pitching staff. Santana, Perez, Pelfrey, Pedro, and eight others.

[HahnSolo]

Gwreck wrote: Wow, how bad must Marlon Anderson's defensive skills be that he can't even get consideration in fantasy-Jerry's consideration of 2B options?

What is funny to me about this is every time we see Marlon look shaky going after a fly ball (which is every time one is hit his way) announcers always tell us that he is "not familiar with the outfield." yet when injuries open up his original position, he gets zero consideration.

[willpie]

In MLB PowerPros 2008, I just traded Oliver Perez for Aaron Hill. 2B solved!
Catcher is still a problem, though.

[Guest AG/DC]

Martinez and the Schneid tonight.

Crack open a bottle of Schneidernay tonight.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

If you recall in our offseason fantasy dealing I traded Maine to the DBaggs for Orlando Hudson and that Montero guy, solving 2B and C.