Livan Looking to Lock, IGT vs. Atlanta, 3/18

[Guest Edgy DC]

Our Metro Rican players aren't in the lineup yet as the Mets plan to run some of Livan's competitors out there after him, but I'm guessing a shutout performance against the Braves seals it for him, and a rocky performance rings Pedro's phone.

That Hanson is supposedly a future star for the Braves, and it would send a nice message toward the long-term viability of that plan if we could mmm-bop! him today.

Atlanta	New York
Anderson, J, CF Schafer, RF Johnson, 2B Kotchman, 1B Escobar, SS Prado, 3B Jones, B, LF Boscan, C Hanson, P	Reyes, J, SS Castillo, 2B Murphy, LF Tatis, 3B Church, RF Evans, 1B Reed, CF Rivera, R, C Hernandez, P

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm not gonna count out the Chief until he proves he's the absolute worst option out there.

What I'm saying is, Hernandez can only do his cause good with a strong performance today but if Freddy somehow turns in a strong performance next, you better change those locks.

[duan]

weird trivia.
I worked on the Hanson tour back in 1998 and they were very nice young gentlemen.

[MFS62]

duan wrote: weird trivia. I worked on the Hanson tour back in 1998.

Was it you?
Or was it Lady Caca?

Later

[duan]

lady gaga was about 11 so I doubt it.
for a bunch of new yorkers you're not very hip to one of your own who's sold over a million albums worldwide in the last 3 months.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sales shmales. Show me your soul.

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: Sales shmales. Show me your soul.

Or your Lady Ta-tas.

What? Just beating fman to the punch.

[bmfc1]

Edgy, you've raised the bar for posting lineups. I won't be able to cut and paste from Rubin's blog any longer. Nicely done.

[duan]

she actually rocks and has a lot going on upstairs.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

She looks like Edgar Winter.

[Fman99]

="duan"]weird trivia. I worked on the Hanson tour back in 1998 and they were very nice young gentlemen.

They were guys?

/starts ripping posters down

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

="Fman99"] ="duan"]weird trivia. I worked on the Hanson tour back in 1998 and they were very nice young gentlemen. They were guys? /starts ripping posters down

wham.

Tatis by the way mmmBopped a HR in the first inning. Livan is throwing a shutout thru 4.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Mets lead 2-0, on a first inning shot by Fernando Tatis.

Four two-hit shuthout innings by Livan, with two strikeous and no walks.

[smg58]

Garcia's 6th inning didn't exactly narrow the gap with Livan.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Nosir.

[MFS62]

You cannot stop Martin Prado.
You can olny hope to contain him.
Garcia couldn't.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

POP QUIZ: If Martin Prado is, to paraphrase Baseball Prospectus, a Poor Man's Omar Infante, then Freddy Garcia is a Poor Man's... ?

[metirish]

Bartolo Colon ?

[Guest attgig]

we're wasting innings that other pitchers can prove themselves during spring training. send him to minor league camp, or cut him.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Was thinking Matt Morris, but the judges will accept "Clogged" Colon.

[Guest Edgy DC]

attgig wrote: we're wasting innings that other pitchers can prove themselves during spring training. send him to minor league camp, or cut him.

He threw two innings on March 18th, in an attempt to possibly challenge Livan Hernandez --- a guy with a 6.05 ERA in 2008 --- for the fifth starter spot. How were those innings misappropriated?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

attgig wrote: we're wasting innings that other pitchers can prove themselves during spring training. send him to minor league camp, or cut him.

I don't really get this. I mean, if Freddy's issue is only a matter of arm strength and if there's a chance that getting it back in "training" means he regains something of his old form, then sending him out there for all these beatings will have been well worth it once the games start to count.

And it's a long shot for sure but as it is I don't see a very long line of other candidates getting gypped out of innings and if it's really in or out with the Chief I don't see the rush to cut bait. They're seeing plenty of Brandon Knight already I think. And though they've been better it's not like Niese and Livan have been lights-out.

I also don't trust Livan not to break down or encounter an injury over the next few weeks, it'll happen someday...

[Guest attgig]

there's still a bullpen to sort out. we have

If they gave up on duaner so much earlier than they had to, why not do the same for freddie? same goes for cherry. I don't see what they're getting back in sending Freddy out there. and if it's about him regaining arm strength, he can do that in sim games or in minor league camp.

I acknowledge that having the wbc going on definitely helps in having extra innings to throw at guys, but I think having freddy still throwing is inconsistant with what they're doing with duaner and cherry.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Many more candidates for the pen than the rotation, for one. Also, I'm guessing here, but the Mets prolly knew better what they were looking for from Sanchez in terms of progress.

Seems like Cherry in the meantime would be a Rule 5 flier that still might work if they're able to re-sign him and stash him in the minors.

[Guest attgig]

right. so, 2 innings in the 5th inning. give them to the relievers.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

There aren't any "wasted" innings. Even if this weren't an absurdly long training camp-- and it is-- that would be the case. If you do the math, it's fairly evident.

If the team plays every day, and all but the 25-man plus 5-10 others have been reassigned to minor-league camp, AND a handful of folk are or have been (through last night) WBCing it... there are no wasted innings. If anything, they've been raiding the minor-league camp for warm bodies, especially for the away games (see: Kyle Snyder, Eddie Kunz).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Jerry Sez: Livan brings "a little different energy." Apparently, he WASN'T referring exclusively to gravitational pull.

]PORT ST. LUCIE -- Jerry Manuel came very close this afternoon to declaring Livan Hernandez as the Mets' fifth starter after Hernandez tossed five innings of one-run ball against the Braves while Freddy Garcia struggled badly. Manuel stopped short of officially naming Hernandez as the Mets' No. 5 but raved about the veteran right-hander. Fellow fifth-starter candidates Garcia and Jonathon Niese haven't gotten nearly as glowing reviews from the manager. "He has a good presence about him on the mound and in the dugout," Manuel said of Hernandez, who is in camp on a minor-league contract. "It's like he brings a little different energy for us. I would have to say he's put himself in a real good position." Hernandez's effort today, which included three strikeouts and no walks, lowered his spring ERA to 3.07. Garcia, meanwhile, was bombed this afternoon and is sporting a 16.71 ERA. Manuel tellingly would not commit to any more spring-training starts for Garcia, who like Hernandez is in camp on a minor-league deal as Garcia tries to come back from reconstructive shoulder surgery.

[Guest Edgy DC]

attgig wrote: right. so, 2 innings in the 5th inning. give them to the relievers.

Which relievers do you think have been neglected?

[Theoldmole]

Some guy was trying to produce a Hanson concert at Opus 40 a few years ago, gave me a CD of their new stuff. Good.

[nymr83]

I don't care how well he's pitched in the spring, i'm not comfortable with a "34" (haha) year-old pitcher who had ERAs of 6.05, 4.93 and 4.83 along with WHIPs of 1.67!, 1.60, and 1.50 the past 3 years. 3 years and 600 innings have shown he's got nothing left, a few spring training innings wont change my mind.
I think a merry-go-round of young guys (Niese, Knight, Parnell, whatever) would produce better results. Even if these guys failed we'd at least be getting them quality experience for the future (or determining that their future isn't here.)