4/20/09

The Mack Attack - April 20, 2009




Mets:


Wanna buy a great t-shirt?





A brilliant Johan Santana start, seven innings worth of it, and flowed by the intimidating precision of the Mets 1-2 knock out punch from the bullpen in the form of Putz and K-Rod saw the Mets shut Brewers batters down for the day. Completely. Shhhh, we're trying to enjoy this. Don't ask aloud why the Mets only scored one run and even that, barely so. Don't spoil the party by bemoaning more pathetic plate performances - that the Mets for example, went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.





-there’s a considerable amount of concern for RISP this year… let’s look at it from another angle… maybe the Mets are just getting too many base runners…



This is not a complaint. Nobody should complain about such a beautiful ballpark as Citi Field. This fancy ball yard has everything for the comfort and delight of the fan. If it were adorned with gold and other jewelry, it would be the Taj Mahal, only a lot bigger. But, as far as I'm concerned, something is missing. To walk around it and gaze at its splendor, you keep looking for something that's not there. I suppose some people might feel what I find lacking is a minor thing, but think of the old dyed-in-the wool Met fans, those same loyal fans who, in 1962, yearned to have a National League club after the Dodgers and Giants abandoned our rich city. I ask you to think of who was instrumental in bringing the Mets to New York and who it was who nurtured a pick-up team, gave it uniforms and dared to put it on the field (then the Polo Grounds) to play against the hardened pros of baseball.




-is Bill Gallo still alive?



Minors Thoughts:


Bisons:


SP Jonathan Niese (8.76) continues to struggle… I was told recently that he’s having some difficulty keeping the ball down



B-Mets:


I do feel sorry for SS Ruben Tejada [(.194). Last year, he played the entire season a lvel higher than he should have been on… sure enough, this year he’s playing AA ball when he should be at A+.


Two more excellent relief appearances by Adam Bostick (1.29) and Roy Merritt (5 saves in 5 opportunities). Merritt’s ERA stayed at 0.00.



Lucy:


SP Eric Niesen got his second start of the season: 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1.80… the 7-headed rotation monster continues...



Gnats:


I wrote an email to a relative of one of the current Mets’ young minor league pitchers yesterday and tried to break down just how clogged up the rotation is at both the A+ and A level. When I got to Savannah, I tried to explain that, when the season started, I had Eric Beaulac as the SP1, and yet, he can’t even get himself into the rotation. This morning, I get the starting lineups emailed to me and, low and behold, Beaulac got his first start on Sunday. He did pitch 4.0 innings earlier this year, as the back part of a piggyback, but this time, Eric tossed 5 more scoreless innings… that’s 9 innings with a 0.00 ERA. I’ll be there tomorrow and try and figure out if the coach has figured out what the five-man will be in the future.




Mets Alumni:


Pedro Martinez continues to work out and wait for the right offer from the right team so he can resume his career. The former Red Sox ace is waiting for teams to realize that he would be a better gamble than some of the low-cost wagers that have not panned out early on. “He’s working out, he feels great; he’s not in any hurry to make a decision,” said his agent, Fernando Cuza. “He’s waiting for the perfect opportunity and he’s glad he didn’t make a couple of early decisions that he could have

made.”


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