It’s Memorial Day, a day many baseball fans traditionally use to take their first real assessment of the team.\u00a0 Now suddenly standings start really meaning something, it’s considered okay to scoreboard watch, and most batting averages and rate statistics have at least a reasonable sample in which to infer some judgement on the player beyond a hot or cold start.\u00a0 (Jose Reyes is batting .335, is the best shortstop in the game and is just plain exciting to watch. Please extend his contract.)<\/p>\n
So where are these Mets going?\u00a0 Right now it certainly doesn’t feel like they’re going very far.\u00a0 They faced the Phillies and the lesser two of their aces and their rotation filler and outpitched all three of them but lost the series.\u00a0 The fielding got sloppy in close games and the bullpen picked the worst possible time to struggle.\u00a0 Still, can you proclaim anything as over in May?\u00a0 The Phillies were 1-3 against the Mets, one game over .500 and 7 games back on Memorial Day in 2007.\u00a0 Sure, the Phillies look better than the Mets right now, but you would’ve said the opposite in 2007.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the Mets need to play better to have any hope at some sort of reverse 2007 season.\u00a0 The latest news on Ike Davis and David Wright doesn’t exactly have them returning immediately, but it won’t be too much longer either.\u00a0 The news on Johan Santana remains good. \u00a0 If the Mets can find ways to win games without them, and that would include hitting better with RISP and fielding the ball cleanly to not force pitchers to have to get 4 or 5 outs too many times, then they can crawl back to .500 and be poised to add two big bats to help them chase the Phillies.\u00a0 They still have nine games against them and won’t face them again for over a month.\u00a0 The Mets play eight of the next 14 games against the Pirates.\u00a0 It is not unreasonable to expect the Mets to slaughter them, and be able to be above .500 after those 14 games.\u00a0 Minimize the losing stretches of baseball and maximize the winning ones.\u00a0 I think two weeks of this losing is enough, it’s time to start another strong run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was a rough weekend for the Mets, but it’s one they can look at and realize that maybe if they field the ball cleanly they win two or three of those games.\u00a0 No excuses; fix the problems or find players that will.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One thing that’s starting to concern me is\u00a0 Terry Collins’ bullpen usage.\u00a0 (#1 thing fans nipick about a manager right?)\u00a0 I really like the Mets bullpen, but i do not like their situational guys, and I wish Collins would stop going to them like they’re gold.\u00a0 These pitchers are not Pedro Feliciano and I would leave Capuano or even Pelfrey in those games.\u00a0 A lot hinges on Buccholz and Beato.\u00a0 Both showed a lot of promise and if they can be relied on in those fringe innings between Isringhausen and K-Rod and the starting pitching\u00a0then Mets will\u00a0have a lot of\u00a0chances to win baseball games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s Memorial Day, a day many baseball fans traditionally use to take their first real assessment of the team.\u00a0 Now suddenly standings start really meaning something, it’s considered okay to scoreboard watch, and most batting averages and rate statistics have at least a reasonable sample in which to infer some judgement on the player beyond … <\/p>\n