Morning Report: - 5.15.11 – Dickey, F-Mart, Schwinden, Holt, Cecilliani, Germen, Posada

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Queens:


Considering this team started the season going 5-13, things could be a lot worse. With Saturday’s loss, their record in the past 20 games is 13-7. If they continued at that pace for the remainder of the year, they would finish the season with 97 wins.


It’s not like the Mets are dripping with SPs, but one must consider replacing R.A. Dickey in the rotation. Right now, he looks like the odd man out if and when Johan Santana comes back. Even his pitching coach dissed him after the game. Something about his screwball isn’t working. Do you know what a screwball pitcher does if his screwball doesn’t work? He greets at WalMart.


The Mets may want to consider keeping Fernando Martinez in the outfield. Potentially, he still has a much higher ceiling than anyone in the system, regardless how old his body is. No one has ever questioned his bat. His power, his legs, and even his age… yes… but never his ability to get on base.


FYI… Jorge Posada’s wife was on Twitter last night claiming her hubby didn’t quit on the Yankees last night. She said he hurt his back. Probably looking at the lineup card that had him hitting ninth.



Buffalo:




Photo by Mack Ade

 C Mike Nickeas is experiencing your typical return-to-reality slump everyone seems to go throughafter their first real taste of major league baseball. He’s batting .125 (3-24) since returning to Buffalo.


No one seems to be able to give any explanation for what SP Chris Schwinden is doing different at the AAA level. His fastball remains in the 90-92 range, but it especially has good tail motion down and in to right-handed hitters. The chang-up did go up last year to the 80-84 range, and he has an average slider (84-86) at best. His last and least used pitch is his overhand curve, in the high-70s. Anyone that has followed Chris’s game knows that the key here is command, and the ability to mix his pitches to his liking. I have to assume at this point that he is currently, as we say, in command.


New SP Brian Sweeney doesn’t seem to like first innings. He gave up another four runs Saturday night to start the game up.


Bobby Parnell continues to stink up his rehab, giving up another run and raising his AAA ERA to 6.75. he also gave up three more runs that were on base when he came in. The Mets should consider leaving him in AAA for now. The current Queens pen has been spot on over the past couple of weeks.

Binghamton:


Those of us that do this for a living were quite excited when SP Brad Holt got off to a great start this year, but that might be coming to an end. He has now pitched seven games (34.2-IP) and has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (24). This includes 10 in his last two outings. I can’t see the Mets moving him out of the rotation yet, but, if this continues, he will be re-targeted to the pen and, hopefully, make Queens someday that way.


Robert Carson pitched well on Saturday: 7.0-IP, 2-ER, 8-K, only 1-BB.

Savannah:


I think we’re starting to see the Gnats bats wake up and the key here is CF Darrell Ceciliani. RF Cory Vaughn has been the only starter to hit well all season and could be an RBI machine if someone would get on base ahead of him. Ceciliani (5 hits Saturday) and SS Robbie Shields (8 hits last three games) are both starting to get on base and 3B Aderlin Rodriguez, who bats after Vaughn, hit his 7th home run on Saturday. Watch for these 1-4 hitters to keep improving.


Vaughn had his 11th double of the year, one off the league leader.


SP Gonzalez Germen has now pitched in seven games… he has given up 12-ER in 31.2-IP, including five in his first outing that only went 3.2-IP. That means: 7-ER in 28.0-IP since then.