IGT, 4/15/2009 vs. San Diego

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ollie matches up with Kevin Correja tonight, with a Jackie Robinson Day that includes the dedication of the rotunda. Here's hoping Butch Huskey, Cliff Floyd, Roger McDowell, and Ron Hodges will be in attendance.

A biggish story tonight is the debut start of Gary Sheffield (and Alex Cora and Ramon Castro, for all I know), despite the presence of a righthanded pitching opponent. This may be related to the celebrations of the day, as Marlon Anderson's DFA makes Sheffield the last African American born in the fifty states (though it's not like Afro-Caribbeans aren't inheritors of Robinson's legacy also).

Look for (but hope against) players taking egregious advantage of the one-day waiver on the retirement of number 42. My thinking remains that one and only one player --- the one who most embodies Robinson's legacy of courage, persistence... um, hygiene? --- should be selected by his team to wear the number for the day each year. And he can only wear it once.

[TransMonk]

Is it to early to start questioning Jerry?

One of the things I really liked about him last year is that he was anti-Willie as far as playing the "hot hand" and FWIW the Mets won a bunch of games last season while he was doing it.

This season he has been annoying, if not questionable, in his mathcing up of lefty vs. righty with the bullpen. And now this Sheffield start...why? Sheffield's starting lineup debut should wait for a game against a lefty pitcher, preferably not after an off day and not when Church has been hitting consistently at the plate. This makes no sense to me.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the looming #500? I doubt it, but him getting the start tonight blows my mind.

[metirish]

What I don't like is that it was announced last week that Sheffield would start tonight...why announce that then?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I forget where I read speculation that he actually wouldn't start tonight.

In general my understanding is that Jerry's one of those guys who more or less plays the early games with a different outlook than he would later in the year. He's every much about trying things and tinkering. It's frustrating to see that happen while the team isn't playing well though.

There hasn't been real clicking yet

[metirish]

I'd put Castillo hitting second just to shake things up .

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Lineups posted

Hairston
Eckstein
Giles
Goinzalez
Headley
Kouzmanoff
Hundley
Rodriguez
Correia

Reyes
Muffy
Wright
Delgado
Beltran
Sheff RF
Schnied
Castillo
Ollie

[TransMonk]

FWIW, Church makes a great lefthanded bat off the bench.

[G-Fafif]

Hurrah, Jody Gerut is sitting!

[metsmarathon]

murphy...!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, Muffy is an awful fielder.

But we put 'em aside in the first, even the walk didn't come easy, and it's time to hit.

[metsmarathon]

is it me, or does david look really uncomfortable at the plate, setting up prior to each pitch?

[ashie62]

Please! Enough of Jackie Robinson and the dadgum rotunda..We already know who he is and he never played for the Mets Fred.

[ashie62]

metsmarathon wrote: is it me, or does david look really uncomfortable at the plate, setting up prior to each pitch?

Yup..you are most correct..he has developed an uppercut and goten away from going the other way. Murphy may be the better 2 strike hitter in time

[TransMonk]

Ollie looks slightly better today. We need some runs...I'm actually going against everything that brain is telling me and am rooting hard for Sheff to do well.

[metsmarathon]

well, i meant wrights getting in teh batters box routine. it seems different to me.

[metirish]

Jesus , can the Mets get some hits here?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Joe Morgan forgets that the point of an interview is to ask a question, then wait for an answer. Joe thinks he is supposed to ask the question, then tell people what he thinks.

Poor Rachael Robinson.

Joe also says "the jury is still out" on the new park.

By game 2? Ya think?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Sure would have liked to have seen Ryan Church up in that situation with the bases loaded. Sheff gets in a run, but the double play is a killer.

[metirish]

What the fuck was that from Murphy?

[Guest Kong76]

An rbi pop fly to right.

I don't know what irish meant but it just lined up this way in a dead IGT
later in the 7th.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Wow, Padres can't field worth crap.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Reyes just scored from first on a wild pitch!

[Frayed Knot]

In the ranks of fielding Hundleys, this dude finishes well behind Todd & Randy.
Even before that last inning clusterfuck he had boxed around a bunch of pitches.

[Guest Kong76]

A62: Please! Enough of Jackie Robinson and the dadgum rotunda..We already know who he is and he never played for the Mets Fred <<<

It will wear off in a few days. I really don't get why it has some people so
riled up. I also don't get the whole Brooklyn Fred hate thing either. I could
probably come up with five better reasons to dislike the Wilpons but this
is an IGT and the Mets are up 6-1.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Great upper deck KABOOM for Delgado!

[RealityChuck]

Why does the ESPN game log show the Padres with four outs in the 8th inning?

[Guest Swan Swan H]

I blame Joe Morgan.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Some moron threw the homer back! I hat that crap.

[Guest themetfairy]

Put it in the books!

[metirish]

Kong76 wrote: An rbi pop fly to right. I don't know what irish meant but it just lined up this way in a dead IGT later in the 7th.

A quite IGT . I was talking about Murphy's "cut off" throw that went to Reyes and not Wright.......