Two Much To Ask? - IGT 4/16/10 NYM @ STL

[G-Fafif]

Calling all Ollies, let's stay hot!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Let's go streaking!

[G-Fafif]

Here's hoping Chris Carpenter shows his ass.

[ashie62]

Calling all Ollies, let's stay hot![/quote:1edwx978]

The hearts of Mets fans are relying on your IGT Mojo

Is that streaker "Steve" from Jackass?

[bmfc1]

The pitching matchup tonight isn't great for the Mets, but this anonymous quote from a scout, via Jayson Stark, gives me some hope:
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Once again this week, let's check in with some of America's finest scouting minds:

� On Chris Carpenter: "His next outing, it will be very interesting to watch his velocity, because he's just not throwing very hard. Everything is 89-90 mph, it's flat, and he can't locate it. He's always been a guy who could reach back and get a little extra velocity when he needed it. But his last time out [sunday against Milwaukee], he just couldn't do it."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings100415

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

... this anonymous quote from a scout, via Jayson Stark, gives me some hope:[/quote:19sgss04]
The scout continued: "You know who never has trouble reaching back for something extra? Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and the rest of the Phillies! Those guys are so clutch, it... it... (garbled slurping sounds and muffled "youse"s)."

[Ceetar]

... this anonymous quote from a scout, via Jayson Stark, gives me some hope:[/quote:3jbhvk3w]
The scout continued: "You know who never has trouble reaching back for something extra? Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and the rest of the Phillies! Those guys are so clutch, it... it... (garbled slurping sounds and muffled "youse"s)."[/quote:3jbhvk3w]


They're not so much "reaching back" for it as being poked with it by a "doctor".

[bmfc1]

METS:
Jose Reyes, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Jason Bay, LF
Mike Jacobs, 1B
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Rod Barajas, C
Gary Matthews Jr., CF
Oliver Perez, LHP

Cardinals:
1. Lopez, 2B
2. Craig, LF
3. Pujols, 1B
4. Ludwick, RF
5. Molina, C
6. Freese, 3B
7. Mather, CF
8. Ryan, SS
9. Carpenter, p

Matt Holliday is sick. Darn.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

No Holliday? Rasmus?

Craig? Mather? Freese?

I most definitely do not know our enemy.

[G-Fafif]

Omar Minaya loves our chances this weekend ... to maybe win once, according to Jon Heyman:

Mets people know that they are going to have to face both Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright in St. Louis over the weekend, but if the team can carry over the good play from Thursday's winning performance against Colorado into St Louis and avoid a fourth straight series defeat to start the year, that might quell the negative talk. "It was good to get the win. It just changes the momentum,'' Minaya said after the Mets had shut out the Rockies behind Mike Pelfrey's strong start. "St. Louis is always tough. If we can win two out of three, that will be outstanding. If we win one, I'll take it. We've got Jose [Reyes] back, and once we get [Daniel] Murphy and [Carlos] Beltran back, we can compete with everyone else.''

So much for quelling the negative talk, unless the general manager admitting his team is maybe capable of playing .333 ball (as opposed to .000) against a good team is construed as positive.

[Guest GYC]

I can't imagine any qualified manager ever being content with taking one out of three in a series.

[G-Fafif]

So tickets and concessions at Citi Field will be offered at a discount until Murphy and Beltran return? The silver lining of the head of baseball operations declaring he is offering a subpar product, I suppose.

[Frayed Knot]

No Holliday? Rasmus?[/quote:227ma2z2]

Rasmus doesn't play regularly against LHPs. Not sure what the deal is with Holliday.

We definitely need to know our enemy better.

[G-Fafif]

I feel we are in Jeopardy of not knowing our enemy. But if we need something to Wolf down until we Sea our way to knowing that enemy, at least 17 items of interest have been compiled by Adam Rubin here.

METS (3-6, fifth place/NL East) at CARDINALS (6-3, first place/NL Central) Friday: RHP Oliver Perez (0-1, 6.35) vs. RHP Chris Carpenter (1-0, 5.73), 8:15 p.m. ET Saturday: LHP Johan Santana (1-1, 4.91) vs. LHP Jaime Garcia (1-0, 1.50), 4:10 p.m. ET Sunday: RHP John Maine (0-1, 13.50) vs. RHP Adam Wainwright (2-0, 1.20), 8:05 p.m., ET Cardinals short hops: Reigning National League MVP Albert Pujols� homer off Houston left-hander Wandy Rodriguez on Monday gave the slugger 371 career longballs. That�s the major league record for the most in the first 10 years of a career, surpassing Eddie Mathews -- and it took Pujols only seven games into his 10th season. Ralph Kiner is third on the list at 369. The re-signing of left fielder/cleanup hitter Matt Holliday for seven years, $120 million appears to be paying dividends in terms of Pujols getting more pitches to hit with the protection. In his first 18 plate appearances with runners on base, Pujols was 9-for-15 with four homers, 14 RBI and three walks. The Cardinals were 52-46 and 1� games ahead of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs when Holliday was acquired last season. From July 24 through the end of the season, St. Louis went a National League-best 39-25 with Holliday. Only the Yankees had a better record during that stretch at 45-22. Still, Pujols� average didn�t jump last year after Holliday�s arrival. It was .324 with a homer every 9.4 at-bats pre-Holliday, and .328 with a homer every 18.1 at-bats afterward. Holliday�s contract is the third richest given to an outfielder. The two larger: Manny Ramirez (eight years, $160 million with the Boston Red Sox in 2000-01) and Alfonso Soriano (eight years, $136 million with the Chicago Cubs in 2006-07). Chris Carpenter, who finished second in the National League Cy Young balloting last season to San Francisco�s Tim Lincecum, has allowed five homers in 11 innings while struggling with his cut fastball control. Carpenter surrendered seven homers in 192 2/3 innings last season. Rookie Jaime Garcia topped the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, allowing one run in six innings in his first major league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2008. Garcia became the first left-handed starter to win a game for the Cardinals since Mark Mulder on June 15, 2006. The drought of no southpaw starter recording a victory was three times the next-longest active streak, by the Atlanta Braves. Adam Wainwright, who has not faced the Mets since snapping off that infamous curveball to Carlos Beltran to complete Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, tossed eight scoreless innings Monday against the Houston Astros in St. Louis� home opener. He finished strongly, retiring the final nine batters, as his fastball velocity sat at 93-94 mph. Wainwright and Carpenter�s combined 2.45 ERA and 36 wins led the majors for a pair of teammates last season. The second-best combined ERA belonged to San Francisco Giants teammates Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum at 2.68, followed by the Braves� Jair Jurrjens and Javier Vazquez at 2.74. The Wainwright-Joel Pineiro combo actually finished second to Wainwright-Carpenter in combined wins with 34. The Yankees� CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte and the Detroit Tigers� Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello combined for 33 apiece. Catcher Bryan Anderson was promoted to replace Jason LaRue, who landed on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, which he suffered Sunday in Milwaukee. Anderson, 23, hit .245 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 53 games last season with Triple-A Memphis. No. 1 catcher Yadier Molina, who dealt with a right oblique strain that cost him the final two weeks of spring training, has shown no ill effects from the injury during the regular season. Molina is hitting .185 with two homers, however, after going 0-for-9 in three games against the Astros. Molina picked off eight runners last season, comfortably tops in the majors, ahead of runner-ups Raul Chavez and Rob Johnson (three apiece). Hitting coach Mark McGwire was received warmly Monday at Busch Stadium, in his first game in uniform since 2001. McGwire had attended the closing of the former Busch Stadium, but otherwise had remained away from Cardinals games until joining manager Tony La Russa�s staff. Brendan Ryan has started slowly at the plate (2-for-24), which prompted La Russa to give Felipe Lopez his first start at shortstop in two years. Right fielder Ryan Ludwick succeeded Ryan as the No. 2 hitter. Rookie David Freese, who is hitting .308, mans third base. He also made last year�s Opening Day roster, but was demoted April 22, 2009 when Brian Barden and Joe Thurston established themselves. Freese then needed midseason surgery on his left ankle -- an injury that lingered from an auto accident. Center fielder Colby Rasmus has a team-high nine walks, four shy of David Wright�s MLB-leading total. Rasmus, who had only 36 walks last season, had a particularly strong spring, hitting .362 with five homers. Before slipping in Thursday�s series finale against the Astros, St. Louis� lone two losses had come via walk-off homers -- Cincinnati�s Jonny Gomes off Jason Motte and Milwaukee�s Casey McGehee off Kyle McClellan. Closer Ryan Franklin had a mediocre spring and isn�t overpowering, but earned his first All-Star Game invite last year.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

OK, nice running by Francoeur (cough) and we have a 1-0 lead.

[Guest Kong76]

David Freakin' Wright!

[bmfc1]

Over-managing by Jerry. I know Ollie got out of the inning but it's only the 2d--perhaps your pitcher can get the #8 guy and then you have the pitcher leading off the next inning.

[Frayed Knot]

OK, nice running by Francoeur (cough) and we have a 1-0 lead.[/quote:3fkob4li]

What da fuck was he thinking?@!?

[Guest Kong76]

Reminds me I need to change my sig line ...

Didn't hate Willie, don't hate Jerry, waiting patiently for Bobby.

[Guest Kong76]

Wright flashes the leather again

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Over-managing by Jerry. I know Ollie got out of the inning but it's only the 2d--perhaps your pitcher can get the #8 guy and then you have the pitcher leading off the next inning.[/quote:1wuti2i9]

Geez. I don' t much like it either, but we lost 3 games in a row on 2_out hits by 8th hitters in the second inning.

[metirish]

Hey Keith , Ollie has been in the big leagues since 2002....

[Fman99]

... this anonymous quote from a scout, via Jayson Stark, gives me some hope:[/quote:yn6rqg29]
The scout continued: "You know who never has trouble reaching back for something extra? Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and the rest of the Phillies! Those guys are so clutch, it... it... (garbled slurping sounds and muffled "youse"s)."[/quote:yn6rqg29]

Stark's gushing Phillie love is a whole lot of journalistic bukkake.

[seawolf17]

I both love and hate when we get Good Ollie. I love it because he's so damn effective, but I hate it because he makes me want this all the time. (Sigh.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That "if only." Yeah, it gets me, too, Wolf. It's like Sid all over again.

[Guest Kong76]

I'm diggin' good Ollie.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Dammit. Bay missed a big-ass hunk of hanger steak right there leading off the sixth.

[Theoldmole]

Ollie's self-destruct inning?

Maybe not -- K's Pujols.

[Fman99]

Ollie just owns these Redbirds. Sit down, Fatty (Albert).

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Pujols on strikes, on three pitches (the last a Mothership-funky slider). VERY good Ollie.