Ceetar

Maybe Manuel just had the AL mindset in his head with the impending road trip and stopped thinking about bunting cause he knew he'd be able to use his animal-dh Carter and he'd drive in a Ortizian 25 runs on the trip.

yes, it's time to win on the road. Crappy teams (and teams we've proven we can beat already and it's another 'psuedo-home' series.) You'd like to win all three, 6-3. it's the road, you'd settle for 5-4. I'm gonna say I want 7-2, because Reyes is going to go on a monster tear and Bay is going to bop a couple of home runs. They'll drop one to Baltimore and one to the Yankees(but not on either Sunday, cause I'll be there) and come home in first place.

Blanco 1.5 PFeliciano .5

Called it: 7 Jose Reyes � SS 27 Jesus Feliciano � CF 5 David Wright � 3B 29 Ike Davis � 1B 23 Chris Carter � LF 21 Rod Barajas - C 12 Jeff Francoeur � RF 11 Ruben Tejada � 2B 49 Jonathon Niese � LHP

Edgy DC wrote: I certainly endorse that possiblity. By the way, one more bunt-free tilt this afternoon. Jerry's transforming himself before our eyes and we're talking about a butterfly flapping its wings. I'd have gladly taken an idiotic bunt if it meant we had someone on base to bunt over..

(Benjamin Grimm: I'm drawing a blank on who, but someone actually 'accidentally' struck out looking a couple of weeks ago. Asked for time and didn't get it) Only because you're missing my point. I don't have a problem with taking pitches for those reasons. I have a problem with taking pitches on the off chance a batter may be running and somehow benefits from it. It seems to fly in the face of the logic that says a baserunner tends to give a batter better pitches to hit/more fastballs. So take advantage of that instead of giving it back by taking the fastball that he's throwing to give his catcher a better shot at the runner. Edgy DC wrote: Yeah he's a moving target. ...and intentionally not swinging at one slightly hurts those chances. And increases your chance of a walk. And extends the pitch count. And gives you one more look. And gives the team one more look. People take intentionally all the time.

It's one thing if the runner _is_ going, which Wright was not. And 1-0 to 1-1 doesn't significantly hamper your ability to still have a good AB, but the Mets have struggled with this so-called situational hitting this year, and I'd rather they focused on the actual at-bat and not fringe things like if the runner is going or just making contact for a fly-ball Sac. You're only going to have a chance to actually get a hit on a limited amount of pitches, and intentionally not swinging at one slightly hurts those chances.

Frayed Knot wrote: I think that one was just him taking a pitch thinking maybe Reyes would steal. Don't think he ever intended to bunt that one. That actually makes it worse though. Then it's just giving up a strike for the off-chance of an extra base for Reyes.

duan wrote: duan wrote: can't find that pagan one for love nor money, maybe it wasn't him. Last Friday, Dickey gets a hit scoring Tejada, Reyes gets a hit. 1st and 2nd, no outs. Pagan takes the first pitch call strike, then gameday lists the second pitch as 'foul bunt'. Don't know if that was an attempt at a hit or not, but giving up the second strike puts you in an 0-2 hole and makes it unlikely you'll succeed. (he GIDPd) I feel like I've noticed indecision within AB before as it pertained to bunting, and I can't imagine it helps the batter to switch philosophy's halfway through an AB. that was the one. makes sense now cause I also saw where Dickey did the butcher boy thing and presumably they were two at bats apart. Pagan just did it again. 1-0 count, attempted bunt for a strike. giving up a strike, and ends up K'ing. bleh.

METS: Reyes-SS Pagan-CF Bay-LF Davis-1B Wright-3B Francoeur-RF Cora-2B Blanco-C Santana-P changes. odd.

This homestand must feel like a road trip for the Orioles. Red Sox, Yankees, Mets. And the Nats/Strasburg as home during the same time.

Castillo 7 Maine 4 Santana 3 Pagan 2 Valdes 2 Dickey 2 Cora 2

Edgy DC wrote: Ceetar wrote: Manuel, and Willie and Howe etc etc before him, do learn. everyone does. Manuel's is so incredibly slow at it that it rarely can be called learning. Maybe we can just call it 'philosophy' but the way he pulls Santana (and maybe now Pelfrey) in tie games or close games isn't learning when the bullpen again blows a save. A year of solid performance from Pagan wasn't enough to play him over a decent spring from GMJ. It took a whole week. And I'm still not sure it was Jerry that finally got him off the team. Let's talk about bunting --- and almost 100 innings without a non-pitcher sacrifice. Yippee!! Baby Steps. Who knows, maybe we'll swap Mejia for Parnell one of these days.

bmfc1 wrote: Going Saturday, June 12. Section 52, row 9. Sunday for me. (and the Sunday after at the Sales Pitch in the Bronx) I haven't bought tickets yet, but I see $20 terrace level seats behind home plate on Stub Hub. First time in Camden Yards. Now just have to figure out what to do in Baltimore on Saturday night (I'd go to the game, but alas, I have to compromise)

duan wrote: can't find that pagan one for love nor money, maybe it wasn't him. Last Friday, Dickey gets a hit scoring Tejada, Reyes gets a hit. 1st and 2nd, no outs. Pagan takes the first pitch call strike, then gameday lists the second pitch as 'foul bunt'. Don't know if that was an attempt at a hit or not, but giving up the second strike puts you in an 0-2 hole and makes it unlikely you'll succeed. (he GIDPd) I feel like I've noticed indecision within AB before as it pertained to bunting, and I can't imagine it helps the batter to switch philosophy's halfway through an AB.

I'd find it hard to believe, but I haven't watched even close to every inning lately. It'd be nice to see. I'd see it as a mixture of the situation not calling for it, Castillo being on the DL (At the risk of starting another tangent and being criticized for not being able to know this, I suspect Manuel doesn't really care for Castillo that much and bunts with him more because of it. I'd use the rate at which he's used Cora this year, and the comments he's made when he does so "I just wanted to get Cora in there" to draw this conclusion. Or the way he used him coming back from the DL in '08, which still makes me seething mad), and the Mets hitting some home runs. Manuel is obsessed with power, and if the Mets are hitting some home runs, it reinforces to him that maybe he doesn't actually need to play for one run at a time. Manuel, and Willie and Howe etc etc before him, do learn. everyone does. Manuel's is so incredibly slow at it that it rarely can be called learning. Maybe we can just call it 'philosophy' but the way he pulls Santana (and maybe now Pelfrey) in tie games or close games isn't learning when the bullpen again blows a save. A year of solid performance from Pagan wasn't enough to play him over a decent spring from GMJ. It took a whole week. And I'm still not sure it was Jerry that finally got him off the team.

Monday 7/26 seems to be the only time the Padres are even in the vicinity. Padres are in Pittsburgh the day before. Mets are in LA, possibly for Sunday Night Baseball. However, the Padres need to be in SD on Tuesday, so I can't imagine them going an extra 400 miles out of their way on their off day to play a makeup. I have absolutely no idea where I'm sitting. *crosses ingers that it's somewhere really good and that it isn't wasted by being a rain delay*