RP John Magliozzi was transferred from Low-A Brooklyn to AA-Binghamton, to fill the hole created when RP Gerson Bautista was promoted to the MLB-Mets.
Also, the Mets signed veteran hurler Vance Worley and are assigning him to extended spring training before deciding where he should go. With Mickey Jannis having been dispatched to AA, it may be he takes the opening in Las Vegas. His best season was with Pittsburgh in 2014 when he went 8-4 over 17 starts with a 2.85 ERA for the season.
Anthony Swarzak was shut down and had his rehab appearance that was coming up cancelled.5
ReplyDeleteSwarzak - I was only heading when I asked which year he was coming back. It is SO typical. With obliques, I'd gauge when I thought a guy was ready and then hold him back a week for more healing - they seem to have lots of setbacks.
ReplyDeleteBut we have Vance Worley now - all is good.
Seriously, let's hope Gerson Bautista is a quick learner.
In regards to the pitching staff firstly...
ReplyDeleteI still like the four of Thor, Jake, Steven and Zach. You have to realize that not every start of these pitchers is going to be an ESPN highlight reel start,especially in frozen tundra land. Be not too critical. Wait until the 70 degree weather is here. Ditto on Matt Harvey as well. No one likes pitching in this weather. No one.
Thor and Jake have been exceedingly consistent so far.
Steven may not have gone deep every start, but you have to admit that he has outstandingly learned to settle back down quickly after giving up a key homerun, or some other disappointment.
Nelson Figueroa (yesterday SNY) may have hit it on the head with Steven, not sure. He said that it's about Steven's ball release point being a little too soon (pre 12:00 o'clock) thus making the pitch sail too high instead of down which requires a later release point. 12 o'clock to 1:30. Nelson said this will help Steven keep the ball down and lower in the strikezone, not sail up into a sluggers' wheelhouse.
And Zach man, I am very impressed with him. He is close now to being automatic again and in the Zachzone, cool and calm. To me Jake and Zach have very similar pitching styles. Smooth yet hard pitches, crisp control, location hitting. Remember, Zach is coming off serious down time from injury. Patience advised.
Matt Harvey. Just needs to modify his style a bit to include more advantageous secondary pitches with a mph difference away from the 91-94 mph fastball that he has right now. By doing this, he could easily see similar results to his now infamous "Dark Knight Days." Yes, it's a revised Matt Harvey, but he really has needed probably to make this adjustment towards being a more complete pitcher for sometime. Can he? Yep!
Jason Vargas. I just cannot recall from the early 2000's, when Jason was first a Met, how well he actually did. I did study Jason's stat sheet again recently. I will have to see him here all season starting again, to be able to tell for certain what the Mets have in him right now. But a successful lefty added in here someplace is optimal for this staff and team. Six man time?
Non-Pitchers...
OF/1B Jay Bruce. Has that Plantar Fasceitis (PF) thing, most athletes get at some point. To define, it is the Achilles Tendon pulling up off the heel bone where it attaches. Is it risky to keep playing on it? Some say yes, other doctors say no. Not a wrap, not a new shoe, not a compress helped. Two weeks shutdown. Crutches. Then try again running and see. It's a play it by ear type injury.
Overall Batting:
The Mets hitting from two games ago thru the bottom of the eighth last night had reminded me of somekind of a crazy Old Timers Day Game. Like every Met batter had taken a sleeping pill, or something. (Only the batboy looked seriously alive.) Then comes the bottom of the eighth last night and everyone wakes up. Bingo, bango! It was like Christmas in April I swear. Truly Amazing Mets!
What's important to take from these three last games? 1. Teamwork, live and die as one. 2. When in a batting slump, go first for the singles and not the homeruns. Once a batter has the singles stroke back, then more power can be added to that. But singles first every time..
Undrestand that singles hitting in the eighth inning last night was how this Mets team won this game. Once batters were getting on base, that old Met "Salt/Pepper confidence" kicked back in. Getting hits is so darn contagious. It really is.
Great game last night!