Mets @ Dbags 7/20:Won't someone please think of the children

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

(This IGT is dedicated to CF's nephew).





As bad as things have been going, I really feel like we're one good offensive night away from turning the ship around again. Dbags opposite Dickey tonight with rookie righty Barry (Barrrr-ry! Barrrr-ry) Enright, who will be making his 4th big league start.

Enright has pitched fairly well in 3 starts, despite a 1-2 record. Let's kick his ass.

[Ceetar]

After two days in the desert sun, my skin began to turn red.

[metirish]

A classic Harper column today , we ain't winning anything anyway so stay away form the big arms but by all means go get Westbrook RIGHT NOW to start Thursday.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2010/07/20/2010-07-20_untitled__harper20s.html


Jake Westbrook, not Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt, is the answer for New York Mets as trading deadline looms

The Mets aren't getting Roy Oswalt or Dan Haren at this trading deadline, but they don't need those aces to stay in the playoff race over the next couple of months. What they do need is to make a deal for a starter right now, today, so they can get Hisanori Takahashi out of the rotation before his next start on Thursday in L.A. Look, the way Francisco Rodriguez is going and the way Mike Pelfrey is struggling after his latest disaster Monday night, the Mets aren't winning a championship this season anyway, so they need to be prudent in holding onto their few top prospects. Yet they have to move quickly to get a serviceable arm because even a No. 4-type starter could make a crucial difference at the moment in giving them a chance to get to October. All of which means it's time for GM Omar Minaya to go ahead and pull the trigger on Jake Westbrook. I know, I know, that's not exactly a name that makes Mets fans ecstatic. Personally, of the available pitchers in that category, I'd rather have Ted Lilly, Brett Myers, Ben Sheets or Jeremy Guthrie, but all indications are those pitchers' teams are all looking for at least one top prospect in a trade. None of them are worth Jenrry Mejia or Wilmer Flores, and there is doubt among baseball people about whether Fernando Martinez is highly regarded enough these days to get such a deal done. The Indians, meanwhile, would trade the 33-year-old Westbrook in a minute for a mid-level prospect if the Mets would pick up most of what's left on his $11 million contract this season. Westbrook is 6-5 with a 4.67 ERA in 113 innings, and he pitched poorly against the Mets when they were in Cleveland a few weeks ago. That outing caused some Mets people to "jump ship" on him, according to one person in the organization who still thinks the righthanded sinkerballer is worth a shot. "He's a veteran with a reputation as a gamer," the Mets person said, "so you have to think he'd be revitalized by getting out of Cleveland and getting into a pennant race. His sinker-slider type stuff would get a boost coming to the National League, too." The timing is all-important. Now that teams have seen a lot of Takahashi and his change-up, he's outlived his usefulness in the rotation, but he could still be of value in the bullpen, giving hitters no more than one look at him in any one outing. The Mets need all the help they can get in that bullpen, which is why they were scouting the Blue Jays in Baltimore last week, looking at Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs, two relievers who are available. As for a starter, the Mets would love to get an Oswalt or a Haren, but all indications are they wouldn't be willing to deliver a package of top prospects it will take to satisfy either the Astros or the Diamondbacks - nor would they want to pick up their pricey contracts. As for the others on the market, Myers' stock has risen most of late because he has put some strong starts together, but he's making only $3.1 million with a $2 million buyout on his contract - plus a mutual option for $8 million next year - so the Astros aren't necessarily looking to merely dump his contract. And the problem, according to scouts and executives, is that because there are so many teams in contention range to be buyers, it's a seller's market. "It's going to go down to the deadline for at least a few of these guys," one NL executive said Monday, "because there are so many potential buyers." If the Mets think they can make a better deal by waiting until the July 31 deadline, they need to remember the Yankees are now hovering again because of Andy Pettitte's groin pull. GM Brian Cashman may be committed to Sergio Mitre at the moment, but if he decides he'd rather have Lilly or Myers, he has more to offer than the Mets. Finally, with Johan Santana looking like an ace again, the Mets aren't desperate for a difference-maker. But they desperately need one more starter to eat innings and improve their shaky bullpen at the same time. Westbrook may not be a sexy deal. But the Mets don't need a savior. Mostly they need someone besides Takahashi to start against the Dodgers on Thursday. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2010/07/20/2010-07-20_untitled__harper20s.html?page=1#ixzz0uE9O3Oto

[seawolf17]

Wait wait wait. "Barry Enright"? Like "The Joker's Wild?" Who the hell names their kid Barry Enright?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Look, the way Francisco Rodriguez is going and the way Mike Pelfrey is struggling after his latest disaster Monday night, the Mets aren't winning a championship this season anyway, so they need to be prudent in holding onto their few top prospects. Yet they have to move quickly to get a serviceable arm because even a No. 4-type starter could make a crucial difference at the moment in giving them a chance to get to October.

They aren't winning a championship anyway, but they should move quickly to move to get to the playoffs.

What kind of mental twisting does it take to achieve a mindset that a championship is unwinnable but the playoffs (and the futility we will find there) remain a noble goal?

[Ceetar]

Look, the way Francisco Rodriguez is going and the way Mike Pelfrey is struggling after his latest disaster Monday night, the Mets aren't winning a championship this season anyway, so they need to be prudent in holding onto their few top prospects. Yet they have to move quickly to get a serviceable arm because even a No. 4-type starter could make a crucial difference at the moment in giving them a chance to get to October.

They aren't winning a championship anyway, but they should move quickly to move to get to the playoffs.

What kind of mental twisting does it take to achieve a mindset that a championship is unwinnable but the playoffs (and the futility we will find there) remain a noble goal?

[Guest Edgy DC]

So Harper aside, how about some lineup suggestions? Considering all the negative Schaefer I've been giving to Bay and Barajas, we don't have to look far to find more at-bats for Carter and Thole.

Davis seemed to be hitting the ball well all night, but not getting lucky.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Barajas over the last month:

.135 / .207 / .154 // .361

And it's not like his slumping began only a month ago.

Bill Doran once was in a slump so deep that he said it shouldn't be called a slump anymore. That other guys who were slumping had begun saying "I've been in a Billy Doran recently."

That's how deep he's slumping.

[Ceetar]

So Harper aside, how about some lineup suggestions? Considering all the negative Schaefer I've been giving to Bay and Barajas, we don't have to look far to find more at-bats for Carter and Thole.

Davis seemed to be hitting the ball well all night, but not getting lucky.[/quote:g7i4haar]

How about we run the exact same lineup out there. Try for some consistency and stability?

But I'm pretty sure the Mets have already said they're playing Thole.



Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Davis, Pagan, Bay, Thole, Dickey?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'd stick with Bay unless he's banged up, though I'd give Barajas the Francoeur treatment right now. As it is they're pitching around Bay to get to Barajas.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Davis, Pagan, Bay, Thole[/quote:8cdrwsso]

I might tweak the sequence a bit, but those are the guys I'd send out there as the starting eight more often than not.

[Guest Edgy DC]

How about we run the exact same lineup out there. Try for some consistency and stability?[/quote:28t48fp4]
I think I've seen enough consistency out of Barajas.

[Centerfield]

So are we no longer signing Rod Barajas to an extension?

I don't know what lineup will work, but can we score some fucking runs please?

[Guest The Second Spitter]

After two days in the desert sun, my skin began to turn red.[/quote:p17azulp]

That was gonna be my IGT title!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

PSST! Thole walks a lot, makes contact a lot, and may actually have something like doubles power. #2, perhaps?

Reyes
Pagan (lefties)/Thole (righties)
Wright
Beltran
Davis/Bay
Bay/Davis
Thole/Pagan
Castillo
Dickey

[Ceetar]

After two days in the desert sun, my skin began to turn red.[/quote:1w47ilo4]

That was gonna be my IGT title![/quote:1w47ilo4]


I figured as much. ;-)

[Centerfield]

In the states for a few weeks and he's got an IGT named after him. What a country!

[metsmarathon]

y'know, if he wants to improve his english, what better place to learn than a forum populated with such erudite mets fans. and if he wants to learn a much more interesting vocabulary, introduce him to fman.

[Guest Edgy DC]

How about some punctuation? There's some Korean youth out there learning English all wrong thanks to metsmmarathon posts.

In fact, all of you, shape up.

[Frayed Knot]

How about some punctuation? There's some Korean youth out there learning English all wrong thanks to metsmmarathon posts.

In fact, all of you, shape up.[/quote:1nbjnjnm]

"Shut up", he explained.

[G-Fafif]

Reyes SS
Pagan RF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Thole C
Castillo 2B
Dickey P

[TransMonk]

Reyes SS
Pagan RF
Wright 3B
Beltran CF
Davis 1B
Bay LF
Thole C
Castillo 2B
Dickey P[/quote:25zm23jg]
Now, that's a good lookin' lineup.

[G-Fafif]

Snakes in the grass:

Young CF
Johnson 2B
Upton RF
LaRoche 1B
Reynolds 3B
Drew SS
Snyder C
Parra LF
Enright P

[Ceetar]

Ollie is throwing, like, right now, like! He's got a full beard! Warthen is watching!

Will he be activated? Only time will tell.

[ashie62]

LETS!

[Zvon]

[Willets Point]

[ashie62]

Where did the Game go?? Technical frailties?

[Guest themetfairy]

We're getting the pix on the Arizona feed, thanks to the MLB package (which is having its post All-Star game free preview).

[Fman99]

SNY figured out how to properly cover a team that has played unwatchable baseball recently.