IGT Rockies @ Mets - 04/11/11

[soupcan]

I flipped over to 'Law & Order:L.A.', did Wright homah?

[ashie62]

Nymr83 wrote: I am always trying to quit but am aware that the taxes I pay on smokes and the 216 billion dollar Philip Morris settlement to the U.S. government 11 years back are helping to close all 50 states budgets. and the cumulative effects of Phillip Morris' products over the last XX years may very well have had an even higher cost on the budget through Medicare and Medicaid. What does this have to do with the game going on right now?

PSA commercials were discussed.

[nymr83]

yeah!!!!!!

[Guest Edgy DC]

WonderMet Powers, activate!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Bunt at your peril, Terry.

[nymr83]

rally dying....help!

[Piggiestomatoes]

[Willets Point]

[Guest Edgy DC]

Triple again, Jose.

[soupcan]

Yuck.

[nymr83]

Booooooooo!

[metirish]

feels like late September already with this effort.

[ashie62]

Collins is mellow but his face is getting redder.

[Frayed Knot]

If NYM relievers could:
a) throw their pitches over the plate
and
throw fielded balls TO the plate
we'd have won this game.

Parnell's error attempting to throw home and Iggy botching the DP with a wide throw home were killers.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: If NYM relievers could: a) throw their pitches over the plate and throw fielded balls TO the plate we'd have won this game. Parnell's error attempting to throw home and Iggy botching the DP with a wide throw home were killers.

Those were the big ones. They also suffered some bad luck (And some good luck too). the shift killed them twice. Willie Harris dropped a pop fly.

Those pitches to Jose looked low and outside from Street. And then he ended up expanding his strike zone and flailing at a pitch.

No excuses. I just hope some of this flailing helps give the coaches areas to target, and helps Sandy cull the crap from the bullpen and leave us with beautiful out-getting roses.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't think culling is the answer. I think the approach is just awful.

I pray that Terry and Warthan dig that, because DW --- as a holdover --- has got to be finding his seat to be a hot one.

This team, I'm certain, is finding itself, and has something worth finding. Maybe the offense will lead the pitchers to pitch with some courage. Maybe Paulino will bring some guts to the staff. I'm not confident in either of these being the answer. I do agree with yesterday's suggestion that a lot of guys could stand to learn from Young's performance. But that seems like grabbing at big fat straws too. What a shellshocked group.

[Ceetar]

if it's the approach, it's on Warthen. And we know I think he's horrible.

I think it may be overreacting a bit. it's been a quick and heavy workload, and it is a lot of small samples. The backend guys will come and go, but if we can start with more leads we've got one of the best 9th inning guys, and enough talent that we can find a second guy that can pitch well before him.

As Collins figures out who's going to burn him, and who he can trust, that bridge will get easier. And as it gets warmer and more arm strength and the starters go longer (they will, they're not nearly as bad as people make them out to be), things should settle in. It's 10 games.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

We (me, Gwreck, LWFS) had a fun time at the game despite the shit result. We agreed that Byrdak sucks, and Parnell ought to spend some time in Buffalo. Maybe just Parnell for Tankersley at this point.

Credit due to the Rockies for coming back 3 times in this game and for making a couple of excellent plays in the field, where obviously, a few bad plays by us were very costly. Pelf did himself few favors by putting so many guys on base and zooming to 100 pitches in 5 innings, even if he acquitted himself well on the leadoff triple.

Gonna go see the Dexter Fowler Trio at Birdland this weekend.

[Gwreck]

Parnell - you get Buffalo. Pronto. You've got options. Until you can throw your slider for strikes, we've got little use for you.
Byrdak - you're on notice, mostly because we still have no other left-handed pitchers.
Igarashi - you get Xanax. Calm down.
Pelfrey - you get a swift kick in the ass. Man up already. I am convinced your problems are in your head and not due a lack of talent.
Gonzalez and Tulowitzki - you get my grudging respect, particularly for your great arms.
LWFS and Lunchbucket - you get my thanks for the good company tonight.

[G-Fafif]

My fourth straight game @ Citi to start the season -- I'm in the lineup more than Beltran. Perhaps I've built up a tolerance to suck, because I know this game sucked, but punctuated by the unsuck, it was a lovely evening; Sunday sucked more gamewise and it was lovely, too. Curse you, habit, for dulling my discernment.

Hahn Solo introduced himself in the right field corner prior to game time, so that was value added. He and Izzy were good to see. Mets pitcher fielding practice going awry...not so much.

[ashie62]

I'd like to see 1 or 2 more position players.

Collins made it clear thebullpen performance was unacceptable and if anyone cannot take the pressure they perhaps should not be on the team.

It may not be early for DW to start sweating.

For those that were there how was the attendance?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

When I yelled at Igarashi to CALM DOWN, it echoed.

Seriously, though, I don't know what else can be done to light a fire under the relievers we've got. Threaten corporal punishment? The threat of release ain't working, and you can only churn so many.

Nice to see some signs of life out of Wright and the meaty part of the order, though, and nice to see Jose continue to price himself out of our market. Muffy did okay with that glove, too, eh?

T'was good times, thanks to GWreck y JCL, but, man... did we leave all the more bummed for having our hopes raised a bit near the end there. It'll take a lot of smooth, smooth saxophone from Dexter and the Fowl Four to sooth this burn.

[smg58]

Ceetar wrote: Those pitches to Jose looked low and outside from Street. And then he ended up expanding his strike zone and flailing at a pitch.

If Jose is going to bend his knees that much and then take two pitches that cross the plate at the same level as his overly bent knees, he deserves to be two strikes in the hole. And if he then swings at the pitch that breaks in the dirt, he deserves to strike out.

Half of me thinks that Parnell going from the eighth inning guy here to the closer in Buffalo ten games into the season would be an extremely ill-advised panic move. But the other half is really angry at him right now. I could almost forgive the home run, if it wasn't the second straight night where a reliever buckled in the face of adversity. The wild pitch and the horrible throw home were worse, from a mental perspective.

The focus is on the pen, but the starters really need to get deeper into games, starting with Pelfrey. His game is control and pitching to contact, and he's throwing 100 pitches in 5 innings. Not acceptable. I don't have a problem with carrying an extra pitcher until Bay is healthy, because the pen is overworked. It's not like Duda was forcing the Mets to keep him up.

The bizarre thing is that all of our relievers have legit major-league credentials -- except for Beato, who's naturally the only guy who's pitched well. They're better than this. They were much better than this only a month ago. I think the whole lot of them just need to settle down and get through this.

[Ceetar]

Yeah, they need to let things settle, they're a remarkably new team (44%) with new leadership (mostly) and still getting a feel for things.

I agree about Parnell, and that's the thing, he probably lost the role as "go to 8th inning guy" at least for now. Something that'll get outs will get that. That's what happens, the pen will be a state of flux but it's too early to declare it disgustingly terrible and the Mets will never hold leads.

I wasn't expecting Pelfrey to go from his last start to how he pitched in April last year overnight. He didn't implode (only gave up 1 unearned RBI hit with the other two being inherited runners scoring) and while he missed the strikezone a lot and worked full counts too much, he did battled or whatever. Except for the hit and run by the pitcher which kinda infuriates mef or some reason, he would've probably gone 6. I'm not sure why he couldn't retire the 8th hitter, and I hope the Mets at least take a look at his scouting report today and question if maybe they need to approach him differently. That was probably the crux of it. Had Pelfrey retired him even just twice, he'd have led off the next inning with the easy out, and maybe ended up looking a little more economical.

Dickey had a nail issue, Niese is going to have the occasional "I got rocked" moments in his youth. The Chrises are probably goign to be babied along to building up arm strength, but I think in another couple of weeks they'll all be giving us a little more length than now. It is April after all.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Whatever the issue with the bullpens -- I think the anointment of Parnell and Byrdak to their respective roles were awfully early calls without a lot of strong evidence to support them -- the Mets have to start winning games like this or the mojo's gonna vanish and the Pons will absolutely go broke.

[TransMonk]

Mullets for all!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not to harp too much on it, but that's a part of why you let Chris Young take it as deep as his abilities allow. It's not just right for the game, it's right for the next game where you're going to be needing those releivers you needlessly put to work the day before.

That's harping too much on it. I'm sorry.

[soupcan]

Ceetar wrote: Yeah, they need to let things settle, they're a remarkably new team (44%) with new leadership (mostly) and still getting a feel for things. I agree about Parnell, and that's the thing, he probably lost the role as "go to 8th inning guy" at least for now. Something that'll get outs will get that. That's what happens, the pen will be a state of flux but it's too early to declare it disgustingly terrible and the Mets will never hold leads. I wasn't expecting Pelfrey to go from his last start to how he pitched in April last year overnight. He didn't implode (only gave up 1 unearned RBI hit with the other two being inherited runners scoring) and while he missed the strikezone a lot and worked full counts too much, he did battled or whatever. Except for the hit and run by the pitcher which kinda infuriates mef or some reason, he would've probably gone 6. I'm not sure why he couldn't retire the 8th hitter, and I hope the Mets at least take a look at his scouting report today and question if maybe they need to approach him differently. That was probably the crux of it. Had Pelfrey retired him even just twice, he'd have led off the next inning with the easy out, and maybe ended up looking a little more economical. Dickey had a nail issue, Niese is going to have the occasional "I got rocked" moments in his youth. The Chrises are probably goign to be babied along to building up arm strength, but I think in another couple of weeks they'll all be giving us a little more length than now. It is April after all.

-Ceetar, the Optimistic Mets Fan

[Guest Edgy DC]

My new band name: The Chrises.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: My new band name: The Chrises.

Dickey and the Chrises?