Mets Hope To Draw Power from their Outfield

Last year, one of the Mets main problems was they didn’t hit home runs. The most home runs they got any player was from first baseman Daniel Murphy, who hit 12. Right fielder Jeff Francoeur hit 15, but five of those for the Atlanta Braves. As a team last year, the Mets hit just 95 home runs, last in the major leagues. The next worst team, the San Francisco Giants hit 122. Think home runs aren’t important? The two top teams in home runs, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees ended up playing in the World Series last year.

With a sketchy pitching staff, the Mets will need some home runs to keep them in games. This year, they’re hoping that power will come from their outfield. All three starting outfielders are legitimate home-run threats. Of course, center fielder Carlos Beltran will not be back until sometime in May presumably, but once he does come back, the Mets will have one powerful outfield.

In left field, the Mets will start #44 Jason Bay. Bay hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 runs batted in for the Boston Red Sox last year. 36 marked a career-high for Bay, and it’s unlikely those numbers will carry over to pitcher-friendly Citi Field. Still, Bay should be counted on for 20 to 30 home runs this year, which would represent a vast improvement for the Mets.

In center field, the Mets will eventually start #15 Carlos Beltran, who is one of the best all-around players in baseball. A great fielder, runner, and hitter, Beltran brings it all to the table. At 32 years old, he should still be able to produce, although it remains to be seen how his injury will affect him when he is back on the field. In limited plate appearances last season, Beltran hit .325 with 48 runs batted in, 10 home runs, and 11 stolen bases. Assuming he comes back in late May, the Mets should be able to count on Beltran for 15-20 home runs, 15-20 stolen bases and 80 runs batted in this season.

Finally, in right field, the Mets start one of the more pleasant surprises of last season, #12 Jeff Francoeur. The Francoeur for Church trade is looking like a good one for the Mets. Francoeur hit .311 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in just 75 games for the Mets last year. Francoeur, still young at 26 years of age, is a potential 20 home-run and 100-RBI type of guy and is a definite threat at the plate.

On the bench, the Mets have #16 Angel Pagan, who hit .306 and stole 14 bases in 88 games last year. Pagan is a potential .300 hitter, and a great asset to have. He should be a more-than-capable replacement for Beltran early in the season. The Mets also have #19 Gary Matthews, a capable experienced backup, and #25 Fernando Martinez, who is said to be loaded with talent.

All in all, the outfield should be one of the Mets strengths this season. Two very dangerous players in Bay and Beltran. An unpredictable one in Francoeur. And a dark horse in Pagan. They should be a fun group to watch.

A Cautious Optimism Awaits the 2010 Season

After blowing two large division leads in 2007 and 2008 and limping to the finish in 2009, much of the optimism created by the Mets magical run in 2006 has faded away. Too many hopes have been dashed to get really excited about the upcoming season. Yet that being said, the Mets bring a potent offense into the 2010 season, and if they can get some quality outings from the middle of their rotation, the Mets could contend for the Wild Card. At the very least, they ought to improve on last year’s 70-92 record.

Coming up, a preview of the Mets lineup and starting rotation. Here’s hoping for a much improved season at Citi Field.

- Jonah

Mets Start Homestand With 3 – 0 Win Over Giants

Bobby Parnell was mainly a starter in the minor leagues, but had been doing relief work for the Mets ever since he came up last year. But, last Saturday, after 60 major league appearances from the bullpen, the 25 year-old got his first major league start, and failed to make it out of the third inning. This time was a little different. This time, on a Friday evening at Citi Field, Parnell pitched beautifully. He threw six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants, giving up just three hits and no walks while striking out seven.

He was truly masterful last night. And he was backed up by a couple big hits and some solid work from the bullpen.

Offensively, the Mets managed just five hits. But they were efficient with what base runners they had, leaving just three runners on base Friday night. In the first inning, Angel Pagan homered. In the fourth, Luis Castillo led off with a single and JefF Francoeur doubled him in with two outs to give the Mets a 2 – 0 lead. And then in the sixth, Castillo led off with a walk, Wright doubled moving Castillo to third, and then Gary Sheffield’s fly ball brought Castillo home.

And three runs turned out to be plenty enough for the Mets Friday. Parnell needed just 86 pitches to make it through six innings, but was replaced anyway in the top of the seventh by Brandon Stokes. Stokes pitched a nice clean seventh, before giving up a couple base runners in the eighth. Pedro Feliciano came in to relieve Stokes and get the Mets out of trouble in the eighth, before Francisco Rodriguez came in to pitch a perfect ninth for his 26th save of the year.

A good smooth win for the Mets, who are now 31 – 25 at home. The Mets remain 12 back in the NL East but move to just nine and a half back in the Wild Card chase.

Mets Fall to 1 – 5 on West Coast Trip

This West Coast trip shouldn’t have been so bad. 7 games in 7 days is a little exhausting, but the opposition is hardly tough. First, 4 games in San Diego, against a Padres team that is 48 – 66 and currently in last place in the NL West. The Mets, of course, lost 3 out of 4 in San Diego, barely avoiding the dreaded four-game sweep. Then, 3 games in Arizona, a place the Mets have historically done well in, and playing against a Diamondbacks team that was 50 – 62 going into the series and remains in second-to-last place in the NL West. But the Mets have dropped their first 2 games to the Diamondbacks, and are now on the verge of being swept.

There’s very few reasons why anyone would want to watch the Mets right now. They’re falling out of contention. They’re losing pretty much every game they play. Their offense lacks firepower. Their pitching is deeply flawed. And their fielding is highly lackadaisical at times. In short, it’s tough to be a Mets fan.

All of these aspects applied Wednesday night. Their offense managed 8 hits but only 2 runs. Livan Hernandez was terrible on the hill, giving up five earned in just four innings of work. And they made 2 errors, although the one against Cora may have been a little harsh.

Pretty much the only reason to watch a Mets game these days is to see Jeff Francoeur play. Francouer went 2 for 4 with a home run and a triple last night. The triple was particularly fun to watch. Francoeur may not be very fast, but he’s a hustler. He runs hard on the bases and in the field. And he’s hitting over .300 since joining the Mets. He’s been a real spark. And as the announcers pointed out last night, it seems like he really enjoys the game. That smile, that type of enthusiasm is what I like to see out of a player. In short, Francoeur has been a pleasure to watch.

Oh, and you might also tune in just to see what other teams can do against the Mets. Tonight, Diamondbacks rookie Trent Oeltjen went 4-for-4 with 2 singles, a double, and a triple. He nearly hit for the cycle. Who knows what he’ll do tomorrow against our pitching?

The Mets are now eleven and a half back in the NL East. Tough times indeed.

Mets Fall 7 – 4 In Arizona

Mets In Midst of 1 – 4 West Coast Trip

In the list of things the Mets were counting on to help them bring home the NL East this year was offensive spark provided by Jose Reyes, power from Carlos Delgado, and good setup work by J.J. Putz. Injuries got in the way of those items. But another thing the Mets were counting on was Mike Pelfrey to step up as the team’s #2 starter and form a powerful duo with Johan Santana. Santana has done his part, but Pelfrey has struggled this year.

Pelfrey had another rough start Monday night giving up five earned in six innings. He gave up eight hits and two walks, striking out five, and is now 8 – 8 with a 4.88 ERA on the season. Hardly what the Mets were hoping for out of the #2 spot in the rotation.

On the bright side, Pelfrey was efficent, throwing just 94 pitches in six rough innings. They then brought in Dessens, who had two rough innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk. So, while neither pitcher was pretty, they both soaked up innings, meaning that the bullpen should be well-rested as the Mets hope to mount a strong finish to what has been a dreadful West Coast trip.

The Mets offense, meanwhile, didn’t fare very well against Doug Davis. Davis had his fourth strong start in a row, giving up just two earned runs in seven innings of work. Yet no matter how good Davis might be (and he didn’t seem all that good to tell the truth), this game was disappointing because of the multiple missed opportunities. Davis began three innings with leadoff walks.  But the Mets were able to do very little with these chances.

Luis Castillo had another strong game, going 2 for 4 with a walk to bring his average above .300. David Wright went 1 for 3 with a walk. Anderson Hernandez had another good game, going 2 for 3 with a run scored and a run batted in. Hernandez also walked once. But other than that, the offense was quiet.

Add in a sloppy play by Daniel Murphy failing to cover first, and a couple sloppy plays by Angel Pagan in center, and you see just how tough a game this was for the Mets.

The Mets are now 10 back in both the NL Wild Card and NL East. Their playoff hopes are slim to none, and hang on the balance each night the Mets step out onto the field.

Santana Pitches Beautifully, Mets Escape San Diego With 5 – 1 Win

Sunday  marked Johan  Santana’s second attempt at 13 wins. Last time Santana pitched, he gave up five runs in eight innings of work. He left with a 7 – 5 lead, only to watch Francisco Rodriguez blow the save, and the Mets lose it in the tenth.

This time around, Santana pitched a much better game, giving up just one earned run on five hits and two walks in eight strong innings. He also helped himself at the plate, getting two hits, including a 2-RBI double in the top of the sixth that put the Mets up by a score of three to nothing. Santana was absolutely brilliant, and this time left with a  4 – 1 lead. Daniel Murphy’s RBI-single in the top of the ninth made it 5 – 1, and this time Francisco Rodriguez was able to shut the door on the opposition.

Santana is now 13 – 7 on the year with a 3.00 ERA.

The Mets got two-hit games from five players Sunday. Jeff Francoeur had another fine game going 2 for 4 with two runs. He is now hitting .262 on the season. (He is hitting .292 since being traded to the Mets.) Luis Castillo went 2 for 5 and is now hitting .297 on the season. Anderson Hernandez went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk. Daniel Murphy was 2 for 5. And then, of course, Santana went 2 for 3.

It was a nice game for the Mets. Great pitching. Good hitting, although they did leave eight men on base. Good fielding, including a slick double play in the second inning. And they got to rest their bullpen.

With the Phillies losing their third straight Sunday, the Mets are now 10 back in the NL East, and with the Giants losing as well, the Mets now find themselves just 9 back in the Wild Card hunt.

No Offense, No Chance – Mets Lose 3rd Straight to Padres

The second batter of the game for the New York Mets, Alex Cora, hit a solo home run to put the Mets up 1 – 0. That was the only run the Mets would score all game Saturday, as they fell 3 – 1 to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

The Mets really struggled on offense. They managed just five hits in the entire game. They failed to get a single  runner in scoring position from the third inning on. In short, it was another embarrassing display from a Mets offense that can’t seem to get it done against the Padres. Aside from Cora’s two hits and a hit from pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed, the only two other Mets to record hits were Daniel Murphy and Jeff Francoeur. Francouer, who went 1 for 3 with a walk Saturday, is now hitting .260 on the season and has gotten a hit in four consecutive games.

It was also a disappointing night for Bobby Parnell in his first start of the season. Parnell was unable to get out of the third, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks in two and a third innings of work. His early departure forced the Mets to dig deep into the bullpen. The bullpen hero of the night was Tim Redding, whose three innings of scoreless relief not only helped save the bullpen arms but also kept the Mets in the game. They were still down just 2 – 1 in the eighth when David Eckstein’s single gave the Padres a seemingly insurmountable 3 – 1 lead.

The Phillies lost their second straight so the Mets remain eleven back in the NL East. With the Giants’ 4 – 2 victory over the Reds Saturday, the Mets are now 10 back in the NL Wild Card.

K-Rod Blows Another One, Mets Fall 6 – 2 in San Diego

With Oliver Perez on the mound for the Mets Friday night, who would’ve thought that two runs would’ve been enough to win? Yet, it nearly was.

Perez pitched his best game all year Friday night at Petco Park, giving up just one run in six and a third innings. He was dominant in the first six innings, giving up no runs and just two baserunners. He collapsed a bit in the seventh, walking the first two batters and then giving up an RBI double with one out before getting pulled from the game, but overall Perez was great. He struck out seven, and most importantly, walked just two.

Then, Brandon Stokes did a great job getting Perez out of trouble, coming in with runners on second and third and one out, and stranding both runners. He also pitched a scoreless eighth, pitching in and out of trouble, with help from Daniel Murphy, whose sterling backhand play kept the Mets in the lead going into the ninth.

That’s when Francisco Rodriguez came in and proceeded to blow his second save in a row and his fifth save of the season. It started, as it always seems to with K-Rod, with a walk. Then, he gave up an RBI double. (To be fair to K-Rod, the run shouldn’t have counted. Replays showed that the runner was clearly out at the plate, so instead of it being 2 – 2 with a runner on third and no outs, it should’ve been 2 – 1 with a runner on third and one out. ) Then, he walked another hitter, walked the next guy intentionally, and finally gives up a walk-off grand slam to Everth Cabrera, who isn’t exactly the best hitter in the National League. Really bad game from K-Rod.

Also, a tough day for the Mets offense. Things got off to a good start when David Wright singled in Angel Pagan in the top of the first, and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Mets a 2 – 0 lead. The Mets got three hits in the top of the third, but failed to score, in part due to a double play grounder by Daniel Murphy. Then, after the third, the Mets offense went limp, getting just two men on base for the rest of the game.

David Wright had a good game, going 3 for 4 with the RBI single. Jeff Francoeur also had a good day, going 2 for 4.

The Mets defeat Friday puts them nine and a half back in the NL Wild Card race. The Phillies also lost, so the Mets remain eleven back in the NL East.

Mets Begin West Coast Trip On the Wrong Side of a Blowout

New York Mets 3 @ San Diego Padres 8

After a couple strong bounce back starts, Livan Hernandez struggled Thursday night, giving up six runs in the first three innings and seven runs in his five total innings of work. The big blow was Adrian Gonzalez’s two-run homerun in the bottom of the third that turned a 2 – 0 lead into a 4 – 0 one. That was followed by a few more runs in the third, and a run in the fifth, which gave the Padres a 7 – 0 lead.

The Mets mustered a bit of a rally in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs on a couple of walks and a couple of singles, but the inning could’ve potentially been a lot bigger if Daniel Murphy didn’t hit into an RBI double-play with runners on first and third and just one out.

After putting up a good fight in the top of the sixth, the Mets offense slumped to the finish, failing to get a runner past second in the final three innings.

Angel Pagan and David Wright both had rough days, striking out twice. Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy got two hits apiece. Tatis’s single in the top of the sixth drove in the Mets second run of the evening.

On the bright side, by making it through five innings, Hernandez saved the Mets bullpen some work. Manuel ended up using Sean Green, Tim Redding, and Elmer Dessens to get through the final three innings, thus giving Pedro Feliciano some much-needed rest. So by soldiering through five tough inning, Hernandez avoided ruining the Mets bullpen for a week, instead just ruining their chances in one game, something that ought to be appreciated.

Hernandez is now 7 – 6 on the season with a 5.08 ERA.

With Thursday’s loss, the Mets are now 11 games back in the NL East and 9 back in the Wild Card hunt.

Mets Break Three-Game Losing Streak, Trounce Cardinals 9 – 0

Jonathan Niese had been competent if not spectacular in his first four starts for the New York Mets. He lasted just one and a third innings Wednesday before becoming the latest Met to succumb to the injury bug.

That was the bad news. On the bright side, the Mets managed to break their three-game losing streak, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 9 – 0 at Citi Field.

They were helped by big performances from the lineup and bullpen.  David Wright and Angel Pagan fueled a potent Mets offense Wednesday. Wright went 3 for 4, knocking an opposite-field, two-run homerun in the bottom of the first. Meanwhile, Pagan went 3 for 4, with an eighth-inning homerun and four RBIs overall. The Mets also got a fine game from Jeff Francoeur, who went 2 for 3 with a walk to help break a recent slump. Francoeur is now hitting .257. When he came to the Mets, he was hitting just .250.

The bullpen, meanwhile, was fantastic, pitching seven and a third shutout innings after Niese’s sudden departure. Nelson Figueroa pitched four and a third scoreless after a rough start Monday, and Bobby Parnell pitched three scoreless, marking his second consecutive nice outing following a blown save this weekend.

The Mets got more good news Wednesday with the return of Gary Sheffield. That being said, this really is a ragtag lineup. With Luis Castillo out as well, the Mets were forced to start Alex Cora at 2nd and Angel Berroa at short. Pagan was in center.

The Mets still have a lot of ground to make up. They are 10 back in the NL East and 8.5 back in the Wild Card.