Frayed Knot

Gee - 1.0 Igarashi - 1.0 Byrdak - 0.3 Acosta - 0.1 Bay - 1.7 Pagan - 1.0 Wright - 0.5 Pridie - 0.5 Harris - 0.5

Niese - 3.5 Carrasco - 0.8 Duda - 1.5 Wright - 0.7 Turner - 0.5

Thole - 3.0 Tejada - 1.5 Evans - 1.0 Wright - 0.5 Pridie - 0.7 Baxter - 0.8

When you're losing as many 1-run games as we are lately (4 of the last 6 losses) and leaving so many runners on base it's impossible to look at the simultaneous absence of Reyes, Beltran, Davis & Murphy and not see how one or two extra hits can turn a result around. Mets are at +6 RS/RA for the year and the D'Backs at +23. That's hardly a big difference even before you factor in health & division strength.

Ceetar wrote: I've got no data to back this up, but this team has to be the worst in the league at turning simple come-backers into outs and into GiDPs. Two were botched tonight when they got a total of two outs instead of four. And they don't hit well. I'd like to see the pitchers round out their game somewhat. They bunt like shit too. The thing is, had you asked me before the season started, I'd have said that our starting staff as a whole was above average athletically and would probably have an edge over most other teams in hitting, fielding & bunting. Instead, they've pretty much been awful all around. Pitchers as hitters: NYM -- .114/.150/.129 NL -- .145/.178/.189 Plus, if you factored the Mets' ineptness out of the NL stats the gap would be even wider. Not that the gap in hitting alone would make a huge difference in the standings, but I've just been surprised by how poorly the hurlers have executed their fundies all season, especially in little things like come-backers. Just in the last few games there were two potential GiDPs screwed up last night on top of Dickey's error the other day which led to two runs.

I've got no data to back this up, but this team has to be the worst in the league at turning simple come-backers into outs and into GiDPs. Two were botched tonight when they got a total of two outs instead of four.

I had forgotten that Sean Burroughs is even back in baseball much less on this team (he wasn't during the first series) until seeing him in the starting lineup. As a one-time LLWS hero and the son of former AL MVP Jeff, Sean was the 8th overall draft pick by SD and an uber-prospect by the early 2000s. But this can't-miss prospect missed anyway as he totaled all of 11 HRs over two full seasons and parts of three others (1,600 ABs) and then ... he retired. He sat out most of 2007 and then all of 2008, 2009, and 2010 (no minors, no independent ball, no nothing as far as I can tell) before getting a minor league deal with Arizona this past winter. After 100+ ABs with Reno in AAA he was called up in May.

Edgy DC wrote: Turner, man. Turner. 90% of life is just showing up.

I don't understand how those pitches off the hand don't break a bone like practically every time.

WTG is Pagan doing on Harris's little bloop with two outs? He's reverting to his former brain-dead self.

... and what the heck are they doing in first place? These are the guys who looked turrible when the Mets faced them earlier in the year as the Mets swept all three* which started to right their ship after the 6-13 start. But suddenly this squad has won 65 games already this year despite winning just 65 games all last season! They�re being helped by posting a record 4 games better than their �Pythagorean Record� but still a stunning turn-around. In fact, the only thing that surprised me more than discovering them being in first place is opening the KTE thread a few hours ago to discover that I had the assignment for this series! So how are they doing it? (like I know) Pitching: Well they�re not particularly good at run prevention, not when they�re giving up R/G at a higher clip than all but 4 NL teams (just ahead of us). Of course their hitter-friendly park plays a factor in that. Hitting: Well there they�re 3rd highest in the league - and, again, it�s one slot higher than us. They sport a BA & OBA that are around average but have a near league-best Slugging Pct. Most likely Lineup: C - Miguel Montero -- .271/.344/.447; 38 XBHs 1B - Lately it�s been a combination of rookie call-up (9 ML games) Paul Goldschmidt and ex-Met Xavier Nady .248/.284/.359 2B - Kelly Johnson -- .209/.291/.416; 44 XBHs 3B - Ryan Roberts -- .264/.357/.453 (he's that dude with the ugly neck tattoo in'nt he?) SS - Willie Bloomquist -- .278/.326/.369 LF - Geraldo Parra -- .296/.360/.440 CF - Chris Young -- .245/.327/.439; 48 XBHs RF - Justin Upton -- .302/.374/.550; 61 XBHs Closer: J.J. Putz (oh, yes, him) - 2.83 ERA; 1.04 WHiP; 34 Saves/4 Blown Rule 5 draftee Joe Patterson seems to be their main LHP out of the pen supplemented by converted starter Zach Duke DL: Geoff Blum & Stephen Drew Game 1: 9:40 PM EDT Dillon Gee vs Ian Kennedy [14-3; 3.20; 1.102 WHiP] The guy drafted in the first round by the Yanx some 20 slots ahead of Joba the Fat is turning out to be the better pitcher even though he was ignored somewhat by the folks back in the Bronx. in favor of both Joba & Phil Hughes. Kennedy wound up in the desert via the three-way deal which landed Curtis Granderson in pinstripes and Austin Jackson in Detroit; a rare three-way swap which is working out well good for all sides at this point. Game 2: 8:10 PM EDT Mike Pelfrey vs Daniel Hudson [11-8; 3.83; 1.265] Hudson, a 5th round 2008 pick out of Old Dominion University by the ChiSox, wound up with Arizona in exchange for Edwin Jackson just over a year ago at last season�s deadline, the Sox obviously getting fooled by Jackson�s flukey no-hitter two years back. Game 3: Sunday 4:10 PM EDT Chris Capuano vs Jason Marquis [8-6; 4.48; 1.50] Marquis was a deadline acquisition this year from Washington although he�s been awful in his two games for Arizona since the deal [15 runs, 11 earned, in 8 innings]. * Mets win 4-1 -- Pelfrey goes 7 IPs with 1 run. Mets score twice in the 7th (Ike 2R HR) and twice in the 8th Mets win 6-4 -- Gee wins as Murphy & Bay drive in 5 Mets win 8-4 -- Niese wins and Wright (twice) and Pridie HR

Reese's week gets him some love from BA's 'Prospect Hot List' Why He's Here: .435/.536/.739 (10-for-23), 7 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 5 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB The Scoop: In an alternate universe, a healthy Reese Havens might already have claimed the Mets' second base job. ... But when he's healthy, as he's been lately, Havens still has the potential to be an above-average offensive second baseman. He draws some walks, has some pop in his bat and can hit for average. If healthy, he could be in the mix for the Mets' second base job in 2012, but the "if healthy" caveat applies more to him than almost anybody else.

Capuano - 0.5 Isringhausen - 1.0 Carrasco - 0.4 Duda - 1.8 Pagan - 1.6 Tejada - 0.5 Hairston - 1.3 Paulino - 1.0 Bay - 1.0 Wright - 0.9

Pelfrey - 1.0 Isringhausen - 0.7 Pagan - 1.0 Wright - 1.8 Turner - 1.5 Duda - 2.0 Bay - 1.0 Pridie - 0.5 Baxter - 0.5

Carrasco - 0.4 Acosta - 0.4 Byrdak - 0.2 Gee - 1.0 Bay - 1.8 Pagan - 1.0 Harris - 1.2 Evans - 1.4

Byrdak - 0.5 Parnell - 0.2 Thole - 2.0 Pagan - 2.0 Bay - 2.0 Turner - 2.0 Wright - 0.8 Reyes - 0.5

What a waste of a lead-off four-pitch walk

I don't like Harris bunting there. What is it with guys named Willie and bunting? ... and I especially don't like Paulino grounding out on the first pitch right after it.

Well, a whopping total of 3 hits combined through 4 innings. Luebke has struck out 7 and walked 3 so has thrown a lot more pitches than you'd expect for only 4 frames.

We're facing something named Cory Luebke today. The 26 y/o left-hander from Coldwater, Ohio was a 63rd overall pick in the 2007 draft who was called up last September. He now has 41 ML games under his belt, 11 of which are starts (37 and 8 this season). Sporting a 3.06 ERA while giving up less than a base-runner per inning [.962 WHiP], it looks like he was moved into the rotation in late June where he's gone 3-4 in 8 starts since [2.92; .932] including coming off a 7 inning, 1 run, 5 hit, 9 K, 0 BB performance against the Pirates. Tough on LHBs if the fairly small sample of data is to be believed [.150/.220/.187 across 119 PAs/against]. He has never faced the Mets.

I always figured it was the year in Fonzie's birthday that was in question, not the date.

Edgy DC wrote: Thole got snookered on the double-steal. More Harris, I think, than Thole. Baxter looked like he might have turned a double into a single but it probably wasn't a gimme so I'll let him slide on that one.

The roster of culprits last night reads like a nearly complete list of who played: - Duda - on the play where Parnell failed to touch first big Lucas started off the problem by once again ranging too far to get the ball. Turner had it easily. - Parnell - aforementioned failure to touch 1st then holding on to the ball while the runner is trapped off 3rd, plus shitty relieving in general - Turner - left a small island of folks stranded - Tejeda - on the night he decides to hit he suddenly forgets to slide. Also had a possible out at home and a certain one at 3rd so he takes the one at 1st. That play let in one run and a subsequent single let in another. - Bay - an oh-fer which killed his 11 game hit streak and several scoring chances - Pagan - horrid throw, then quickly left the game so it looks like the bad back caused the throw - Beato - not good - Dickey - not good pitching (lots of early fastballs?!) plus his own error Ummmm, Thole was good. However, I was sitting next to a Greek couple who had never been (nor watched even) a game of baseball before. Tell them to come back and watch a good game next time.

3 RBIs by the 6th inning but none by anyone in the starting eight (Dickey, Evans, Pridie) That's got to be a fairly unusual occurrence.

We made him throw enough pitches over the first 4 innings - just didn't do enough with them. Two potential Sac Flys and two hits w/RiSP produced a grand total of one run.