IGT Mets & Rays 6/12/12 - Chin up!

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

All right time to shake off the lousy week and realize that we're still three games above .500 in mid-June, and not too many expected the Mets to be above .500 at all this season. Let's make the best of it an bedevil some Rays.

Chris Young and Alex Cobb are your scheduled starters.

[Ceetar]

stupid fake grass. stupid DH. stupid Florida. Stupid helping the Yankees win their division. Stupid hoping the Yankees help us win ours.

wow, I'm a curmudgeon today.

Is Duda gonna share the DH position? Bay get a day there maybe? Wright for the sake of the 'half day off' thing? At least these are the last three DH games until October.

[ashie62]

All pretty much true...not to belabor it, but we do need a SS...

[Fman99]

Bay is the DH (Doesn't Hit).

[Ceetar]

Ashie62 wrote: All pretty much true...not to belabor it, but we do need a SS...

I'm pretty sure any 'available' shortstop has a restraining order against the Mets signing them at this point.

[Frayed Knot]

You people do realize that Quintanilla is hitting .314/.442/.514 as a Met -- and that aside from turning Jeter's 80 foot roller into a double the other day (one AB after his 60 foot single) that he's been playing pretty good 'D' too, right?

I mean, yeah it's a small sample size and I'd like to see Tejada back as much as anyone. But, for in the short term anyway, finding a stop-gap SS is way down on the list of priorities.
Certainly it's behind getting the 'power positions' of 1B & LF to say maybe get a ball out of the infield more than once a week. I'd also slot it in back of finding a reliever with an ERA of less than 6.00

[Edgy MD]

I don't know about "you people." This is Ashie's refrain.

If he qualified, Quint would be leading all National League shortstops in OPS. Defensively, the game I was at in Washington, it felt like he was the only real player in the field. Certainly the infield.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: You people do realize that Quintanilla is hitting .314/.442/.514 as a Met -- and that aside from turning Jeter's 80 foot roller into a double the other day (one AB after his 60 foot single) that he's been playing pretty good 'D' too, right? I mean, yeah it's a small sample size and I'd like to see Tejada back as much as anyone. But, for in the short term anyway, finding a stop-gap SS is way down on the list of priorities. Certainly it's behind getting the 'power positions' of 1B & LF to say maybe get a ball out of the infield more than once a week. I'd also slot it in back of finding a reliever with an ERA of less than 6.00

that's actually Q's second 'big' error though It's just bad luck that both came in those spots instead of worthless 2-out dribblers in the second inning. Certainly though it's a race against the clock to see if the bloom comes off Quintanilla's hitting rose and Tejada (or at least Cedeno?) returning.

and i'm still pissed Jeter got a hit on that. I swear 1000 of his hits must be infield squibs that he hit so badly they have so much spin and bounce weird or die in the grass for him to beat out.

[nymr83]

Edgy DC wrote: I don't know about "you people." This is Ashie's refrain. If he qualified, Quint would be leading all National League shortstops in OPS. Defensively, the game I was at in Washington, it felt like he was the only real player in the field. Certainly the infield.

Are you insulting Niewenhuis or was he not in the field that day?

[Frayed Knot]

"Certainly though it's a race against the clock to see if the bloom comes off Quintanilla's hitting rose and Tejada (or at least Cedeno?) returning."

It's not like either one of those guys is a lock either.

[TransMonk]

I'm fine with Q. It's all about the bullpen, bullpen, bullpen...I have no cahnfidence.

Over half of the Mets in 2012 losses have come when the starters have turned a lead or tie over to the bullpen. Yuck!

[Edgy MD]

Nymr83 wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I don't know about "you people." This is Ashie's refrain. If he qualified, Quint would be leading all National League shortstops in OPS. Defensively, the game I was at in Washington, it felt like he was the only real player in the field. Certainly the infield. Are you insulting Niewenhuis or was he not in the field that day?

Niewie made a good enough catch at one point, but in general, there was just this seeming contagious lack of cahnfidence as the game progressed, and everybody was letting the ball play them.

[G-Fafif]

Nieuwenhuis-CF
Valdespin-DH
Wright-3B
Duda-RF
Murphy-2B
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Thole-C
Quintanilla-SS

And Young to pitch.

[TransMonk]

Valdespin-DH

This is why the NL never seems to measure up in these inter-league tilts.

[G-Fafif]

The one guy who seems to love swinging first, seeing the pitch later in the slot where presumably you want somebody who's super selective.

So crazy it might, uh, work?

[Ceetar]

Zobrist scratched.

Jennings 7, Pena 3, Upton 8, Joyce 9, Rhymes 4, Matsui DH, Molina 2, Johnson 6, Rodriguez 5, Cobb 1

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

G-Fafif wrote: The one guy who seems to love swinging first, seeing the pitch later in the slot where presumably you want somebody who's super selective. So crazy it might, uh, work?

I don't see why he's DHing and Muffy is playing second.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: G-Fafif wrote: The one guy who seems to love swinging first, seeing the pitch later in the slot where presumably you want somebody who's super selective. So crazy it might, uh, work? I don't see why he's DHing and Muffy is playing second.

the groundballs hit to second aren't appreciably easier to handle than the ones hit to short.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I don;t know what this has to do with ss. There's virtually no chance Valdespin would be a worse fielder than Muffy.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I don;t know what this has to do with ss. There's virtually no chance Valdespin would be a worse fielder than Muffy.

I think it's practically a given.

[ashie62]

This series has disaster written all over it..Team aint hittin..AL Rules and Par..very good opponent.

Prove me wrong Amazins.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ceetar wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I don;t know what this has to do with ss. There's virtually no chance Valdespin would be a worse fielder than Muffy. I think it's practically a given.

??

Let's go back to what this has to do with SS.

Or not.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Rays don't stand a chance tonight. Not with Dickey and his Radically Altered knuckler. We could beat 'em even with eight Jason Bays in the lineup.

[metirish]

I thought Q was giving a decent showing at SS? , Valdespin is one of a few players who shouldn't be playing up here.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Rays don't stand a chance tonight. Not with Dickey and his Radically Altered knuckler. We could beat 'em even with eight Jason Bays in the lineup.

Never mind.

[Lefty Specialist]

Young throwing 83 MPH fastballs. I hope this works.

[bmfc1]

Second game in a row with a runner on 3d, less than 2 outs, and they don't get the runner in.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

metirish wrote: I thought Q was giving a decent showing at SS? , Valdespin is one of a few players who shouldn't be playing up here.

Got more homers than the regular second baseman.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

OK, fans let's look alive out there! Big chance for Jordanarama here.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: OK, fans let's look alive out there! Big chance for Jordanarama here.

oooh yeah!