My last post criticized the MLB Network's on-air analysis, but the theme song for the network's "30 Teams in 30 Days" is excellent. It's "C'mon C'mon" by the Von Bondies, which is also the theme song of one of my favorite shows "Rescue Me." The actual program is decent, as it previews a major league team with interviews and analysis. The Mets version aired this past Tuesday, but you can re-watch it here pretty soon.
In other news, Johan Santana is experiencing some elbow stiffness. It's too early to panic about this, but it's definitely troublesome. Hopefully the Mets handle this better than they did Ryan Church's concussion problems last season.
Showing newest posts with label ryan church. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label ryan church. Show older posts
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 25 Game Thoughts: Mets 7 - Cubs 6
Carlos Bel-TRAN! (as ESPN's own Jon Miller might say) What better way to rebound from the worst loss of the season by winning the next night in the bottom of the 9th, in just about the most inspiring way possible. You can't make this stuff up. Great job Met fans, about 20,000 of whom stayed vocal at Shea despite hard rain and Ricardo Rincon. Maybe Jim Baumbach at Newsday can rescind this insulting column, where he called out Met fans for booing this season. Here are your less enraged game thoughts:
- Ryan Church must have read my post last night suggesting he be benched. How else to explain his 3-3, 1 BB, 2 RBI breakout night. His bob and weave with Cubs catcher Koy Hill to score the tying run in the 8th joins Johan Santana's broken bat single on Tuesday as the most bizarre but awesome plays of the season. Also, major credit to Fernando Martinez and Robinson Cancel, who made this win possible with 2 out hits.
- Where do I begin with my criticism of Daniel Murphy's disastrous AB in the 9th? Here we go:
a) Bunting is stupid in most situations. Why give up outs unless it's a pitcher batting?
b) This is the same Daniel Murphy who hit a triple last night, and is .325/.408/.496 on the season right? And you want him to attempt to give himself up to move a runner over?
c) Guess how many sacrifice bunts Murphy has successfully executed this season, between the minors and majors. I'll give you a hint, it's less than the number of Mets World Series titles (2), and more than Giuseppe Franco's financial interest in Procede (0). Yes, Murph has ONE sac bunt this year. And he goes up there to bunt in a stressful situation, against a guy throwing 95 mph in the pouring rain. Mindblowing. Luckily, Bel-TRAN redeemed him.
d) Murphy was born 1 day after I was, which has nothing to do with his bunting skill. It's just weird that a guy who's basically the same age as me is playing such a big role in this pennant race.
- My brother came up with a solid New York Post headline, had the Mets lost: "Cubs Scrubs Put on a Clinic". I would've gone with "Feel the Hoff-Power". Micah Hoffpauir had the greatest night of his life, going 5-5 with 2 HR, a 2B and 5 RBI. And he's supposedly fighting for a playoff roster spot. The Mets would gladly borrow him if the Cubs don't need him.
- I really hope the Cubs don't rest Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez this weekend vs. the Brew Crew. Lou Piniella: please give Carlos Marmol, pretty boy Jeff Samardzija and Kerry Wood plenty of much needed tuneup work this weekend.
- I admit, I turned the game off to watch the premiere of "The Office" following Hoffpauir's 3-run homer. However, I was following the game on ESPN Gamecast simultaneously. The Office did not disappoint, nor did the Mets.
- Boy does Keith Hernandez want the Mets to beat the Phillies for the division. It's his favorite discussion topic. Also, could you imagine Keith as a manager? Every AB would feature a hit and run, and every 3-0 count he'd have his batter swinging away.
Unfortunately Ryan "Lloyd" Braun (to credit an anonymous commenter) put a slight damper on the night's festivities, hitting a walkoff grand slam against the punchless Pirates. The Mets are 1 game back of the Phillies, and are tied with the Brewers in the Wild Card. I'm slightly nervous, given Mike Pelfrey's struggles this year vs. the Marlins (4 G, 19.1 IP, 7.91(!) ERA, 1.81 WHIP).
The Phils likely face John Lannan, Odalis Perez and Shairon Martis this weekend. The Brewers face a formidable trio of Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The cardiac arrest Mets will be up against Chris Volstad, Ricky Nolasco, and Scott Olsen, who would love nothing more than to embarrass the Mets on the last weekend of the season for the 2nd year in a row.
- Ryan Church must have read my post last night suggesting he be benched. How else to explain his 3-3, 1 BB, 2 RBI breakout night. His bob and weave with Cubs catcher Koy Hill to score the tying run in the 8th joins Johan Santana's broken bat single on Tuesday as the most bizarre but awesome plays of the season. Also, major credit to Fernando Martinez and Robinson Cancel, who made this win possible with 2 out hits.
- Where do I begin with my criticism of Daniel Murphy's disastrous AB in the 9th? Here we go:
a) Bunting is stupid in most situations. Why give up outs unless it's a pitcher batting?
b) This is the same Daniel Murphy who hit a triple last night, and is .325/.408/.496 on the season right? And you want him to attempt to give himself up to move a runner over?
c) Guess how many sacrifice bunts Murphy has successfully executed this season, between the minors and majors. I'll give you a hint, it's less than the number of Mets World Series titles (2), and more than Giuseppe Franco's financial interest in Procede (0). Yes, Murph has ONE sac bunt this year. And he goes up there to bunt in a stressful situation, against a guy throwing 95 mph in the pouring rain. Mindblowing. Luckily, Bel-TRAN redeemed him.
d) Murphy was born 1 day after I was, which has nothing to do with his bunting skill. It's just weird that a guy who's basically the same age as me is playing such a big role in this pennant race.
- My brother came up with a solid New York Post headline, had the Mets lost: "Cubs Scrubs Put on a Clinic". I would've gone with "Feel the Hoff-Power". Micah Hoffpauir had the greatest night of his life, going 5-5 with 2 HR, a 2B and 5 RBI. And he's supposedly fighting for a playoff roster spot. The Mets would gladly borrow him if the Cubs don't need him.
- I really hope the Cubs don't rest Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez this weekend vs. the Brew Crew. Lou Piniella: please give Carlos Marmol, pretty boy Jeff Samardzija and Kerry Wood plenty of much needed tuneup work this weekend.
- I admit, I turned the game off to watch the premiere of "The Office" following Hoffpauir's 3-run homer. However, I was following the game on ESPN Gamecast simultaneously. The Office did not disappoint, nor did the Mets.
- Boy does Keith Hernandez want the Mets to beat the Phillies for the division. It's his favorite discussion topic. Also, could you imagine Keith as a manager? Every AB would feature a hit and run, and every 3-0 count he'd have his batter swinging away.
Unfortunately Ryan "Lloyd" Braun (to credit an anonymous commenter) put a slight damper on the night's festivities, hitting a walkoff grand slam against the punchless Pirates. The Mets are 1 game back of the Phillies, and are tied with the Brewers in the Wild Card. I'm slightly nervous, given Mike Pelfrey's struggles this year vs. the Marlins (4 G, 19.1 IP, 7.91(!) ERA, 1.81 WHIP).
The Phils likely face John Lannan, Odalis Perez and Shairon Martis this weekend. The Brewers face a formidable trio of Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The cardiac arrest Mets will be up against Chris Volstad, Ricky Nolasco, and Scott Olsen, who would love nothing more than to embarrass the Mets on the last weekend of the season for the 2nd year in a row.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday, September 20 Game Thoughts: Braves 4 - Mets 2
In a tidy 2 hours, 38 minutes, the Braves pitching staff held a recently hot Mets lineup to just 6 hits. The only Met runs came on a 2-out, 2-run double by Pedro Martinez. Outside of the 1st inning, the Braves lineup wasn't too impressive tonight either. Here are your game thoughts:
- The Mets lineup just couldn't get anything going tonight. Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy went 0-8, though Murphy had a couple hard hit outs. Ryan Church is a mess right now. In 25 games and 95 PA's since returning from the DL, Church is .218/.284/.322, with 2 HR and 11 RBI. I'd give him the day off tomorrow and start Endy Chavez in right field.
- Pedro's 1st inning troubles are well documented. Including the 3 he gave up tonight, he has given up 21 1st-inning runs in 19 starts this year. For this reason, I don't see him being of much use out of the bullpen either in the regular season or potential postseason.
- I've seen enough of Braves closer Mike Gonzalez's pre-pitch full body shake. "I'm getting car sick watching this," commented Ron Darling. "It looks like he's casting a spell," added Keith Hernandez. Gonzalez vs. the Mets in 2008: 4 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 K. Maybe that's why I've had enough of him.
- For the 2nd night in a row, the Mets bullpen was strong. Scott "The Big Schoew" Schoeneweis and flamethrowing Bobby Parnell combined to pitch 2 scoreless and hitless innings. Schoeneweis has dominated lefties this year (.172 batting average against, .518 OPS against).
- Fun fact #1 that I learned tonight: Bernard Gilkey holds the Mets single season doubles record, with 44 in 1996.
Prince Fielder struck out with the bases loaded to end a game for the 2nd time this week. Being a Brewers fan right now probably feels a lot like being a Mets fan in Sept. 2007. The Mets remain 2.5 games up on the Brew-Crew for the Wild Card. No love from the Marlins tonight, who lost to the Phillies. The Phils took over 1st place, by .5 of a game.
Mike Pelfrey faces 21-year old James Parr in tomorrow's rubber game, while Jamie Moyer and 21-year old rookie Chris Volstad go at it in Phils-Marlins. Fun fact #2: Moyer made his major league debut 3 months before Volstad was born.
- The Mets lineup just couldn't get anything going tonight. Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy went 0-8, though Murphy had a couple hard hit outs. Ryan Church is a mess right now. In 25 games and 95 PA's since returning from the DL, Church is .218/.284/.322, with 2 HR and 11 RBI. I'd give him the day off tomorrow and start Endy Chavez in right field.
- Pedro's 1st inning troubles are well documented. Including the 3 he gave up tonight, he has given up 21 1st-inning runs in 19 starts this year. For this reason, I don't see him being of much use out of the bullpen either in the regular season or potential postseason.
- I've seen enough of Braves closer Mike Gonzalez's pre-pitch full body shake. "I'm getting car sick watching this," commented Ron Darling. "It looks like he's casting a spell," added Keith Hernandez. Gonzalez vs. the Mets in 2008: 4 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 K. Maybe that's why I've had enough of him.
- For the 2nd night in a row, the Mets bullpen was strong. Scott "The Big Schoew" Schoeneweis and flamethrowing Bobby Parnell combined to pitch 2 scoreless and hitless innings. Schoeneweis has dominated lefties this year (.172 batting average against, .518 OPS against).
- Fun fact #1 that I learned tonight: Bernard Gilkey holds the Mets single season doubles record, with 44 in 1996.
Prince Fielder struck out with the bases loaded to end a game for the 2nd time this week. Being a Brewers fan right now probably feels a lot like being a Mets fan in Sept. 2007. The Mets remain 2.5 games up on the Brew-Crew for the Wild Card. No love from the Marlins tonight, who lost to the Phillies. The Phils took over 1st place, by .5 of a game.
Mike Pelfrey faces 21-year old James Parr in tomorrow's rubber game, while Jamie Moyer and 21-year old rookie Chris Volstad go at it in Phils-Marlins. Fun fact #2: Moyer made his major league debut 3 months before Volstad was born.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Mets-Nats trades
The Mets and Nationals completed 2 trades within the last year. One was last offseason, involving Lastings Milledge going to the Nats for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. The other was in August, when the Mets traded Anderson Hernandez for Luis Ayala. Here’s a quick look at how each has performed against their former organization:Church: 70 PA, .271/.362/.475, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .837 OPS
Schneider: 55 PA, .294/.345/.588, 4 HR, 10 RBI, .934 OPS
Ayala: 3 G, 2.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 K, 0 BB, 3 saves
Milledge: 71 PA, .203/.282/.250, 0 HR, 3 RBI, .532 OPS
Hernandez: 19 PA, .235/.316/.294, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .610 OPS
Church and Schneider have torched the Nats this year, while Milledge has struggled mightily against the Mets. He did have a decent series this week though. I’ll hold off until the season is over to determine which team got the better of each trade for 2008.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Wednesday, September 3 Game Thoughts: Mets 9 - Brewers 2
The Mets owned the Brewers this week, punctuating the sweep with a 9-2 destruction this afternoon. This is the 9th series in a row the Mets have tied or won, and it's safe to say they're the hottest team in baseball despite their bullpen issues. Don't look now, but the Mets are just 1.5 theoretical games back in the Wild Card behind the Brewers. This is a good insurance policy, should the unthinkable (but not impossible) happen down the stretch. Here are your game thoughts:- The story of the game was the Mets 6 run 1st. It's pretty hard to come back such a deficit, especially when Oliver Perez is your opponent. Ryan Church hit a grand slam, his first since coming back from the DL, and Brian Schneider followed with a solo shot 2 batters later. The Mets had 1 grand slam through their first 134 games, and now have 2 in their last 6.
- Perez was effectively wild, to use a cliche. He didn't follow my instructions from yesterday, walking 5 in 6.2 innings.
- I hate to be nitpicky after a 9-2 win, but stranding Jose Reyes after a leadoff triple in the 2nd inning was pretty bad. Every run counts, as no lead is safe.
- The bullpen pitched terrific for the 4th game in a row. I need to come up with a nickname for Joe Smith along the lines of "Everyday" Eddie Guardado. Enjoy tomorrow's day off, relief pitchers - there's only 2 more of them the rest of the season.
- Gary Cohen declared Ron Darling the "best pitching analyst of all time" in the 9th inning. I thought he was being facetious or poking fun at Darling, but it was definitely sincere. I need to think about it, but Cohen may be right.
As I sit writing this, the Phils have a 5-4 lead over the Nats. Let's hope old friend Blastings Thrilledge can help the Mets out tonight and lead a comeback. The Phillies series this weekend is an opportunity for the Mets to extend their lead either 1 or 3 games (or decrease/lose the lead). The Mets were swept by the Phils in this series last year, in decidedly embarrassing fashion. I'll write up a series preview Friday.
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