Edgy MD

Not Jeter, you can't.

Plenty of starters get yanked in the third inning. And plenty more relievers get yanked after one, two, or three batters demonstrating that they're not particularly effective that day. Plenty of them go in with other guys warming up right behind them, just in case they don't get it done. This doesn't happen to designated closers, and some of us wonder if that's the wise way to go. My position is that the one-inning closer standard is a poor use of resources.

First farewell tour I recall was for Dr. J.

Well, I didn't say anything about low minors and high minors. Nor do I say anything about players "no one has heard much about." I'm certain that dealing Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki and/or Steven Matz in a package would be painful for the Mets leadership team. What it means to fans, I don't know. They are a wide and varied group.

He took the field alone? HE TOOK THE FIELD ALONE?!! Will the Mets please promise me that they'll never do anything like this with David Wright or any future Met even if he has 3,000 hits, 600 homers, five championships, and saves the president's children? I can't fathom how a fan --- or Jeter himself --- can see these over-manufactured moments as anything but distasteful and embarrassing.

Did the broadcast go off without commercial interruption?

I don't know about Stanton himself. There's no doubt if a team wants to go for an MVP/Cy Young-quality talent, the price would be painful. I would simply think that a lot of the talent given up at this point would come --- unlike the proposed package --- from the minor league ranks, so as not to absorb the hit all over the next 1-3 seasons but divide it among fully ripened talent and talent likely to bloom further down the road. I'm thinking Stanton shmanton at this point. The offseason'll come soon enough. 'Sides, it's unhealthy to get obsessed with one guy, especially one that isn't being publicly shopped.

I don't know who Muddy is either. But I'm more than a little dubious that making Dilson Herrera the Mets regular shortstop makes them "good to go."

OK, San Francisco finishes the evening with a loss to Detroit, knocking all the Wild Card wannabes a half game closer to the lead. The Mets finish the weekend with the Redlegs and the (now plummeting) Padres behind them, leaving you free to root for both teams, although they both play division leaders this week, rather than anybody who sits ahead of the Mets. I added a Games Remaining column, and you see that one advantage the Marlins have over the Mets as they try to stay ahead is that they've played two fewer games. Essentially, the Mets have lost two games the Marlins haven't played yet. One thing I haven't added is a Playoff Pct. column, because no matter who calculates it --- MLB, Baseball Prospectus, whoever --- they all seem to be a day behind with their numbers, but checking today, and the Mets suddenly had a 0.1% chance at the Wild Card. That might have been there for a few days, but... YES! All they have to do is win like wild animals. TeamWLPCTGBNGBL10STRKGamesWashington8061.567��5-5W121Atlanta7469.5177.07.05-5L119Miami6972.48911.015.04-6W121YOUR New York Mets 6875.47613.021.06-4W119Philadelphia6676.46514.527.06-4L120 TeamWLPCTGB1NGB1GB2NGB2L10STRKGamesSan Francisco7865.545��+3.5+3.58-2W219Pittsburgh7468.5213.53.5��6-4W320Milwaukee7469.5174.04.50.50.55-5L119Atlanta7469.5174.04.00.50.51-9L219Miami6972.4898.016.04.512.54-6W121YOUR New York Mets 6875.47610.024.06.520.56-4W119Cincinnati6776.46911.029.07.525.53-7L119Philadelphia6676.46511.532.08.028.56-4L120San Diego6676.46511.532.08.028.54-6L520Chicago6479.44814.052.010.548.55-5L319Arizona5984.41319.097.015.593.54-6L319Colorado5984.41319.097.015.593.56-4W419 Marlins play the Brewers next, putting us in the awkward position of having to root for the Marlins, even though they're still ahead of the Mets. Mets get one more chance at the Fish in a three-game series next week.

Saves are a a funny thing to track, because by a curious tradition, unlike any other statistic, only one guy is allowed to purse them at a time. So two seasons on the job as a designated closer and you have a reasonably good chance of joining the team's all-time top ten.

You just gave up our starting leftfielder, shortstop and catcher in one fell swoop. That's three eighths of our lineup. Not to mention our closer and our seventh-best starting pitcher. Pretty cool that Montero is our seventh-best starting pitcher, though, huh?

Hey, man, we're in Frank Francisco Territory. Saves in a season by a Met 1) Armando Benitez, 2001: 43 2) Armando Benitez, 2000: 41 3) Billy Wagner, 2006: 40 4) John Franco, 1998: 38 5) John Franco, 1997: 36 6) Francisco Rodriguez, 2009: 35 7) Billy Wagner, 2007: 34 T8) John Franco, 1990: 33 T8) Armando Benitez, 2002: 33 10) Jesse Orosco, 1984: 31 T11) John Franco, 1994: 30 T11) John Franco, 1991: 30 T13) John Franco, 1995: 29 T13) Braden Looper, 2004: 29 T15) John Franco, 1996: 28 T15) Braden Looper, 2005: 28 Jenrry Mejia, Projected to Season's End: 27.18 T17) Billy Wagner, 2008: 27 T17) Tug McGraw, 1972: 27 19) Randy Myers, 1988: 26 T20) Roger McDowell, 1987: 25 T20) Francisco Rodriguez, 2010: 25 T20) Tug McGraw, 1973: 25 T23) Randy Myers, 1989: 24 T23) Jenrry Mejia, 2014: 24 T25) Francisco Rodriguez, 2011: 23 T25) Frank Francisco, 2012: 23 T27) Roger McDowell, 1986: 22 T27) Armando Benitez, 1999: 22 T27) Neil Allen, 1980: 22 T27) Bobby Parnell, 2013: 22 Saves in a Career by a Met 1) John Franco: 276 2) Armando Benitez: 160 3) Jesse Orosco: 107 4) Billy Wagner: 101 5) Tug McGraw: 85 6) Roger McDowell: 84 7) Francisco Rodriguez: 83 8) Neil Allen: 69 9) Skip Lockwood: 65 10) Braden Looper: 57 11) Randy Myers: 56 12) Bobby Parnell: 36 13) Doug Sisk: 33 14) Ron Taylor: 28 Jenrry Mejia, Projected to Season's End: 27.18 15) Bob Apodaca: 26 T16) Frank Francisco: 24 T16) Jenrry Mejia: 24 18) Danny Frisella: 22 19) Anthony Young: 18 T20) Doug Henry: 13 T20) LaTroy Hawkins: 13

Not a big game. Rinse. Repeat.

Yeah, given the choice of two guys who aren't going to play much, you certainly want to add guys who you either don't mind leaving unprotected over the winter, or who will be free agents anyhow. Alvarez and Herrera were guys they were going to have to add anyhow.

Milwaukee back to their strategy of getting punched in the face repeadely, losing 9-1 to the Cardinals this afternoon. If the Pirates can hold on to their 10-4 lead over the Cubs (currently in the eighth), then they leapfrog the losing Braves and the Brews for the lead in the second wild card.

He certainly could draw interest, but I'm not about depleting pitching until the offer is awesome. Better idea to me is to increase Familia's profile and allow two-inning saves from both guys, as needed, and go with the hot hand, as warranted.

I guess being handed a three-run lead and ending it with two runs scoring and the bases loaded is the minimum standard for a save. Well, being handed a three-run lead and two outs and ending it with two runs scoring and the bases loaded is the minimum standard for a save, but still.

Delayed bliss!

Ugh. Five yards on Mejia for premature celebration.

I'm not sure C& C is there, but man.

Not a fan of the infield fly rule. It would take an exceptional effort to turn two on that ball if it dropped in.

Put in Lockwood!

Mejia's slider is so hard to hit, I think he follows it up with weak-assed shit just out of boredom.

Ugga. Turned him over.

Wilmer vs. the lefty with the bezzes loaded. I'm excited.