nymr83

metsmarathon wrote: i think that typically you want your #2 hitter to be your best contact hitter, outside, perhaps, those who would be better served batting first, third, or fourth.. nope. I want my #2 hitter to get on base, and thus be my 2nd best OBP guy that isn't already batting 3rd or 4th (where i've already put my best OPS 3rd, the best remaining SLG% 4th, and the best remaining OBP leading off) ="Vic Sage"]i think, ideally, you want your #2 hitter to be a hitter you want to give more ABs too than you'd choose to give to the least productive hitter on your team. ding ding ding! we have a winner. this is why Cairo batting 2nd was the epitome of stupid. ]reyes doesn't need a contact hitter to score. he just needs fewer outs made behind him. fewer outs would be a better method of scoring him than bunting him over or otherwise making outs. ]i think, by and large, lineup order has little overall consequence, beyond simply giving your best hitters more ABs than your worst hitters. Which is why LoDuca hitting in the top 3, and Wright hitting 5th, is so irritating to me. at the beginning of the year i could have easily said Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Delgado, Floyd, RF, LoDuca, 2B made the most sense. the way Valentin is hitting you can reverse him and LoDuca, but considreing that the Mets lead the NL in runs scored i won't get worked up over it. Ideally, the Mets trade for Vidro and bat him 2nd (if they batted loduca 2nd over him i'd beat willie's head in)

i would probably have given Bradford nothing for the 9th inning of a 4-run game, its the fact that he ended the threat in the 8th AND then pitchedt he 9th that had to be rewarded.

Valentin will crash back to earth (and by earth i mean his average numbers over the last few years.) But the Mets are ready and willing to replace him when that happens just as they have replaced the previous two slackers this season.

I don't think anyone is claiming, now that Reyes has shown a great improvement in his walk rate, that the Mets have a better option to leadoff. The biggest complaint anyone might have about this lineup is LoDuca not batting 7th or 8th, but again there is no obvious solution to that unless you want to move guys who are doing really well around (which you may or may not like doing) or if you want to experiment with Nady or the 2nd baseman for the month hitting there.

Benitez had a "rep" as a guy who choked in clutch time as an Oriole, I'm not an Orioles fan so i couldn't list his "accomplishments" in that department but I know he was on the mound when that kid stole the ball over the wall against the yankees in the playoffs.

don't we have a special thread (or three) for beating up the Mets everytime Kazmir pitches?

Shea, at least historically, supresses batting average and right-handed power, but not left-handed power which is odd for a symetrical park but i guess has to do with prevailing winds (or the huge scoreboard blocking winds from right blowing in?)

Gwreck wrote: I think that because Billy Wagner (and Mets closers in general) have to live in the shadow of Mariano Rivera they can tend to get a short leash. That certainly doesn't hurt, but Franco was getting ragged on before Rivera was around. Part of getting paid the big bucks to close on a contender is getting hammered when you don't pitch well, you can either deal with it, or take alot less money and be a middle reliever in Tampa Bay where nobody cares. Wagner is fortunate in several respects: he has't (yet) blown a save in a "big spot", he is replacing Looper after Looper's worst year, and he's been lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to only give up enough runs to blow the game...you don't see him pounded for 5 runs or coming into a 3-run game and giving up 2 runs while gtting hte save, consequently his ERA looks better than he has pitched.

Edgy DC wrote: Somebody post a Billy Wagner Deathwatch thread. i was going to post comparisons to Benitez and Looper's worst seasons as a Met but i couldn't find blown saves on baseball-reference and who really cares about ERA for a reliever?

Wright 4 Martinez 2.5 Beltran 1 Franco .5 Reyes .5 Milledge .5 Bradford 1

Reyes 4 Valentin 2 Wright 1 Beltran 1 Bell .5 Oliver .5 Heilman .5 Soler .5

Millwood is still around right? how about John Rocker and Kerry Lightenberg as injury-insurance?

cleonjones11 wrote: ="Elster88"]You may disagree with as much respect as you want, but you're still wrong as of today. You know nothing about baseball.Too caught up in Bill James and new style stats. Have you ever played the game beyond little league? You are totally wrong about Reyes Hey! Bring back Elster ya nitwit way to be dead wrong. the fact of the matter is Reyes (and the Mets) haven't won anything yet and thus Reyes is, by definition, not a shortstop on a championship team. This has nothing to do with his abilities. As for "new style stats" you may want to try reading about them, its good for you. Or you could continue claiming that the earth is flat and ignore scientific claims to the contrary. your call.

i was there tonight. i've dropped to 5-2 on the year

i hate cliches. let Milledge say what Milledge thinks. I'd hate to hear a guy NOT say that he wants, and deserves, to be in the big leagues

yankees lead the phillies 9-7, Torre is desperate to win this one as he brought Rivera in to face the bottom of the lineup in the 8th and Rivera batted (he struck out swinging) in the top of the 9th.

Trachsel 4.5 LoDuca 2.5 Delgado 1.5 Nady 1 Reyes .5

OHernandez 3.5 Beltran 2 Reyes 1 Valentin 1

the Mets lead the NL in runs scored (pending the outcome of tonight;s dodgers game)

KABOOM! last met pitcher to homer? Shawn Estes off of the rocket.

]Lo Duca came up just as Todd Hundley was falling apart, and the starting job became suddenly available, and he filled it. he did have a good rookie year with the bat, i think everyone keeps expecting him to repeat it. i'd be happy to play Castro more because i like him better. As for who bats second i wanted beltran there from day 1 but i'd be a bit adverse to.. OMG as i am typing this STEVE TRASCHEL HAS HOMERED!!!!! ...switching the lineup around when we're doing well. if loduca sits more i'd bat Nady/Milledge 2nd.

in the 9th inning of a game that you trail by more than one run a solo shot is essentially a single, or at best a double since theres no possibility of a DP after it. is Beltran getting points for that from everyone? or is it just the first inning RBI groundout?

ah, fuck.

1 pitch out for Valentin, Nady will bat...

Wright singles and the tying run will bat.