Centerfield

I don't mean to let the offense off the hook, they suck too, but it would be nice to see the bullpen hang onto a tight lead for a change. I know we can't rely on them to do it, but would it kill them to do it just once? Anyway, since I started the thread, I guess it's on me to back it up. Since August 1, there have been 12 games (feel free to check to see if I missed any) where the bullpen has been asked to preserve leads of 2 runs. Amazingly, I haven't found a single game where a one-run lead was turned over to the bullpen. This does not include tie games turned over to the bullpen, or large leads turned over to the bullpen (and yes, some of these were blown too), or games where the Mets were trailing and the pen needed to keep them close. Sept. 21: Mets lead 4-2 heading into the 8th inning. Braves score 1 in the 8th, 4 in the ninth. Mets lose 7-6. Sept. 14: Mets lead 4-2 after Perez finishes 7. Shoeneweis and Smith pitch a scoreless 8th, but Ayala, Feliciano and Stokes combine to allow 5 runs in the 9th. Braves win 7-4. Sept. 13: Santana leaves leading 2-0 in the 8th but allows the first two runners to reach. Schoeneweis, Stokes and Feliciano fail strand the runners, allow the go-ahead run, and the Mets lose to the Braves 3-2. Sept. 1: Mets rally in the top of the 8th against the Brewers, featuring Delgado�s 2 run HR. The bullpen is asked to preserve a 2 run lead for 2 innings. Ayala, Smith and Feliciano are perfect and the Mets win 4-2. Aug. 30: Pelfrey goes 6 and two-thirds, leaves the game leading 3-2 agains the Marlins with the tying run on first. Feliciano gives up a hit to his only batter, but Duaner comes in and gets the Mets out of trouble. The relief is short-lived as Sanchez gives up a HR to Jacobs to lead off the 8th, and a Heilman bases-loaded walk finishes the deal an inning later. Mets lose 4-3. Aug. 26: Pedro lasts only five innings against Philly and turns over a 7-5 lead to the bullpen. Pen is strong for innings six and seven, but single runs in the 8th and 9th allows Philly to tie the game. Pen rebounds to pitch 3 scoreless innings before Schoeneweis gives it up in the bottom of the 13th. Mets lose 8-7. Aug. 24: Perez leaves with one out in the seventh against Houston, with the Mets up 4-3 but leaves the tying run on first. Heilman enters and gives up a double, and a single to David Fucking Newhan. Tying run scores, but the lead run is thrown out at the plate by a half-mile. Schoeneweis comes in, gives up a walk, but escapes further damage. Two homers off Feliciano in the 10th sink the Mets. Houston wins 6-4. Aug. 18: John Maine pitches 5 difficult innings against the Pirates but leaves with a 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh scores 2 in the sixth off of Stokes, then gets three in the 8th off of Feliciano and Sanchez before Joe Smith escapes further damage. Pittsburgh wins 5-2. Aug. 15: Pelfrey leaves after blanking the Pirates for 7, leading 2-0. Sanchez and Feliciano give one back in the 8th, but Heilman pitches a scoreless 9th to earn the save. Mets win 2-1. Aug. 12: Santana pitches 7 innings giving up 3 runs against the Nats. A Damion Easly HBP gives the Mets the lead in the top of the 8th. Smith and Feliciano throw a scoreless inning each and the Mets win 4-3. Aug. 7: Santana leaves with a 3-1 lead, but leaves 2 runners on with no outs in the 8th. Sanchez, Feliciano and Smith allow one run to score, but preserve the lead at the end of 8. Schoeneweis allows a homer in the 9th allowing the Padres to tie, but David Wright rescues them in the 9th. Mets win 5-3. Aug. 5. Pelfrey leaves after 6 and two-thirds, leading 4-2. Mets TACK ON 2 runs making it 6-2 after 8. Padres score 3 off of Heilman but Smith and Schoeneweis finish off the ninth and the Mets hang on 6-5. Overall, the Mets are 7-5 in these games, which is less than you'd like to win in games where you have the lead late. Making matters worse, they have lost 7 of their last 8. In two of those 5 wins, the offense bailed out the pen, meaning they got the job done in only 3 out of 12 chances. I realize some of those chances were harder (some starters left after 5, some left runners on) but two run leads have to be preserved at a better rate.

...for putting up with a team like this. How many cock-punch losses is that? Go get K-Rod. Trade the entire farm system for 40 year old Mariano. Whatever it takes, I can't put up with another year of a bullpen that sucks this bad. Two Sundays in a row have been ruined by this pen. Fuck them all.

The best night at MFYS II was not a Met game. It was Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS. I don't think Yankee fans have ever recovered.

Phillies day? What kind of awful school system is that?

Marlon Anderson plays 2B and 3B if I recall, albeit not that well.

Holy crap I was just thinking that. (I was also thinking how we didn't make the playoffs that year. Sorry, I'll stop that.)

FINALLY!!!! YAY CUBS!!! Nice shirt Fafif.

LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO HIGH FIVE...

LEE SINGLES!!!! CUBS WIN!!!!!

Now first and third, two down. Up to Derek Lee.

Brewers get 2nd and 3rd no out in the top of the inning, fail to score. First and second, one out for the Cubs now.

I really thought Soto was going to end it. (Following along on Gamecast).

(SLAPS BEN GRIMM HIGH FIVE!!!!) I GUESS EVERYONE ELSE HAS JOBS OR SOMETHING!!!!

HOLY FUCK!!!! TIE GAME!!!!

Tying run will bat.

Gonna take one hell of a rally now.

This was the second worst game of last year. The worst being the last game. Jorge Sosa sucked. It astounds me that it took until this spring to figure that out.

Bases loaded and one out, but Hardy and Counsell both strike out. Milwaukee settles for just the one run. Hopefully that comes back to bite them later.

Good idea about Anderson. I'd give him the start.

Elster88 wrote: ="mario25"]K-Rod needed badly in 2009..... I'd rather have 3 guys for the same amount of money. One dude isn't going to fix this mess. I agree with the fact that we need three guys, but where are you going to find middle relievers you can rely on?

I understand what michigan is getting at. Maybe if the '07 Mets had collapsed two weeks earlier, they could have rebounded in time to save the season. I would never label this year as a collapse, it's been a back and forth race all season, but losing the lead with 12 games left might let them exhale a bit. They now know they've lost the lead, and can maybe refocus on getting it back. Brew crew floundering gives me hope. Gun to my head, I say they make the playoffs.

10-3? I'd sign up for 9-4 right now. I don't see them doing any better than that.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Please note: Any lucky charms that we might have used LAST September were clearly defective and should not be utilized this time around. This year was the first time in my life I have watched baseball without worrying too much about superstition. I figure, since nothing I did worked last September, all my good luck charms suck.

The Mets can blow me again.

Perez 4 Wright 4 Delgado 1 Smith 1