Ceetar

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Everyone needs to stop fostering the illusion that the position in the lineup matters. When it's your turn to bat, step up to the plate and do your job. What matters is who the pitcher is, what the score is, what runners are on base, not the position in the batting order. it doesn't matter much..but it does matter. The higher OBP guys you have higher up, the more AB you get in the game. The more AB you get in a game, the more likely you are to win. Duda has been near tops in OBP this season and extends the lineup the more AB he gets.

TransMonk wrote: Duda moved to clean-up after Collins said earlier in the week that he didn't want to mess with a guy going so well. Good move? glad he waited until he cooled off a little. wouldn't want to mess things up.

G-Fafif wrote: Just needing a fly ball and getting a grand slam (as if it's commonplace) always feels a bit greedy. But it did burnish the moment more than a fly ball that fell behind Kemp would have. I always like watching those deep flies just drop behind fielders dejectedly jogging off the field ignoring the ball. It's so opposite what they're supposed to do out there it makes me laugh.

Gwreck wrote: Edgy MD wrote: It's a long time since I saw a five-man infield. I believe this last happened with the Mets using Beltran as an extra infielder. Maybe 2010? This may have been before that time, I think he did it twice, but there was the Jeremy Reed game. At least Mattingly seemed to position them better. The Mets managed to get the grounder they wanted, but it was to Reed who they'd decided would come from the OF to play first place and he threw to the plate like an outfielder and it went wild.. I feel like I was at the game, but I'm not sure I was or if the frustration/pressure of the situation is making it feel that real.

Brisket Sandwich (delicious), cornbread. That's Kevin! Careful of the lower rows of section 131, the high-numbered seats.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Whew. I missed that play. If all it does is end his outing tonight then it was a good play. my first reaction was "crap, he's hobbling away and not even trying to get the ball. where is the ball?" and I figured it was going to be bad, but then he at least walked off under his own power, so there's hope. He could always down that Toradol drug that players eat like candy that seems to make them invincible. Maybe he'll win the Cy Young. And it's not even a PED! Hopefully it's just a one start Collin McHugh type thing. or if they do need to skip him, just DL him and give McHugh two starts and have him and Hefner competing for demotion.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It hasn't been confirmed that Lagares is being promoted; Adam Rubin can still end up with egg on his face. But if so, I'd question the idea of bringing up a guy who's thriving in AAA to sit on the bench in the big leagues, unless it's for a short stint. If he's considered a prospect (and I think he is) he should play. Duda has been doing well, so he should continue to play frequently, but Lagares should be able to steal enough time from Byrd, Cowgill, Nieuwenhuis, and Valdespin to play at least three out of every four games. Nieuwenhuis was considered a prospect too and is now languishing. That's what comes from 6 outfielders, 5 of who are competing for jobs.

Edgy MD wrote: Yeah, relievers often come up because fresh arms are needed. all callups are often because they're needed. I don't have the time now to check on this, but I did look up Lutz, who was the first pinch hitter used on the day he was added to the roster.

Edgy MD wrote: Does he? I haven't really gleaned such a pattern from him. I could be imagining it, but especially with relievers it seems like he tries to get them right out there. Not sure Juan will start, but I bet he's the first righty PH off the bench.

So perhaps Lagares' debut. (950?) Terry does like to throw guys right into the fire after all.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Yeah, we can't read much from the results. Just that he was able to throw 75 pitches. as long as he wakes up with his arm working today, I imagine that means we're ago for Saturday.

Baxter's been..okayish..(needs to hit it harder) and really should be getting more time. Cowgill's been bad (as has Kirk, but he's barely getting any time to prove himself either way) So either Cowgill or go get Kirk some reps. But those are the breaks when you carry 6 outfielders. You could send Valdespin down too I suppose.

Frayed Knot wrote: 5 scoreless innings and 52 pitches for Marcum in an extended Spring game, an outing which most likely puts him in line for the start vs Philly on Saturday, probably with a 90-pitch or so limit. Considering the Phillies are 4th from the bottom in walks, that might be just fine to get through the game.

Frayed Knot wrote: metsmarathon wrote: so the play log for the john buck throwing out of denard span is curious to me. it was a pitch in the dirt by gee. span takes off for second. buck throws him out by a wide margin. but it doesn't really make the box score. it wasn't credited as a caught stealing. the pitch in the dirt wasn't called a wild pitch or a passed ball. it's just, all of a sudden, there's one less baserunner. i assume buck at least got an assist out of the deal...? Yeah that's kind of weird. I never really thought of it before but I guess the fact that Span didn't take off until after the pitch was made means it doesn't get tagged as a steal attempt but rather as an "out trying to advance" as if he was trying to stretch a single or some other type of daring base-running. That's how Gary described it. But that doesn't really make sense to me. It's not like there's a time frame you can steal bases, and the ball wasn't put in play.. I guess if he was safe they would've awarded him the base on the WP not a SB though, although I'd disagree with that as well, since the ball never actually got past the catcher.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Hoyya like the Braves now getting snowed out in Colorado? hopefully a rushed doubleheader of not being able to grip the ball and giving up lots of HR awaits.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Yeah that was bizarre. How the eff do you score that one? if you read the end of the baseball prospectus article i posted, there's an ongoing debate about how to score it/enter it into databases.

Centerfield wrote: Ceetar wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: You should really stick it to The Man and ride your bike there. I should! except I don't own a bike. I could buy a bike and ride over there. I haven't ridden a bike in years, I'm sure the Midtown->Flushing route is a piece of cake right? You could borrow Seo's bike. no, he should come to the game too.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: You should really stick it to The Man and ride your bike there. I should! except I don't own a bike. I could buy a bike and ride over there. I haven't ridden a bike in years, I'm sure the Midtown->Flushing route is a piece of cake right?

This series offers a free ticket if your birthday falls on a non-game day, which mine does (being in March) so i'm gonna go for free..well, for the roundtrip cost of a 7train ride from Times Square anyway.

can we go back to Friday and mention the Segura play where he stole first? http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=20298 Segura steals second, takes off for third and is caught in a rundown. Braun, who was on first, moves up to second figuring someone should stay in scoring position, Segura gets back to second which is his bag by rights, so when both are tagged technically Braun is out, but Segura thinks he's out and starts jogging off the field.. only to realize he's not and dash to first. the inning ending with Segura getting thrown out trying to steal second...again.

I think Hefner actually has a good game today. warmed up, throws strikes.. unless everything sneaks by Turner at SS anyway.

Edgy MD wrote: A little of both is necessary, though. A buzz that brings a promise of an event and the team absolutely delivering on that promise. I dunno, Friday night, back from a road trip, division rival, aces matching up, division rival is the defending champ, Davey Johnson in the opposing dugout, a legend like Gooden in the house, and the team utterly dominates, with just enough drama in the seventh to make it exciting, before absolutely pulling away. All the key bats contribute. The slumbering slugger wakes up. A goofy but harmless thing like Marlon Byrd heading to first on ball three. Good news coming in from outside the park. You can't deliver on the buzz any better. Mets = America does hurt some that it's April though.

Edgy MD wrote: Kinda crazy, but I got the notion that Citi Field was (finally) truly established tonight as the Mets' home, in a way that not even the no-hitter did. Broadcast suggested the same. I don't know if I buy that necessarily, but it could be the idea that the buzz was what drew people to the park, not something that happened to those that happened to be there.

you know, just judging by the Rob Johnson/Matt Harvey thing last year, I wonder if it's entirely possible we see d'Arnaud and Wheeler the same time. They're not looking to have a ton of exposure to each other at this point, but it's not like Rob Johnson had caught Harvey for years either..

Let's make Strassburgers of him.