Hello everyone! This Sunday was a busy one for me, so as a result I’m turning in my homework late. Dock me a couple of points for the unfortunate tardiness, and then delve with me into the latest New York Mets Stir-Up Sunday! This past week, we saw our team go 4-3 on a road trip through Houston and Pittsburgh. The record’s all right considering how the Mets have usually performed away from Citi, but these 2 teams sport more problems and worse records then the Mets do. It would have been nice to see our boys go 5-2 or 6-1 instead. Also, congrats to the team for FINALLY winning a road series against a National League opponent. It may have been the Pirates, and it may have included a rain-shortened victory, but with the Mets, one must take what they can get.
Two typical ingredients that have been included in the vast majority of Mets games as of late would be the team’s ability to pitch amazingly, but also their inability to score runs. Ron Darling brought up a few nights ago how all the talk surrounding the club heading into spring training was all about how the team would be fine offensively but fall short due to their lack of pitching. He finished his thought by saying that all that talk means nothing once the real games start. And he’s right. Who would have thought this offense would be held accountable for so many winnable games this season? And at the same time, who’d have thought the team would get such great numbers out of its question mark-filled staff this season? Lately they’ve been better than ever! Santana sports a 1.67 ERA over his last 4 starts, the last 3 being complete games. But he’s just 2-2 over that stretch. Pelfrey seems to have certainly deleted the glitch that harmed him not to long ago. His ERA since declaring himself fixed is 1.64. Rookie lefthander Jon Niese has really opened some eyes in 2010; he’s given up 1 run in each of his last 4 starts, a span of 26 innings. He’s certainly got me believing in him, and at the very least he should garner some Rookie of the Year votes. We all know what RA Dickey’s done since his call-up to the big leagues. He’s been brilliant all year, and in the last 2 months alone, his ERA is a ridiculous 1.99! Even 5th starter journeyman Pat Misch (Pat Misch for God sakes!) is getting in on the action. Ignore him going winless his first 2 starts, he’s been the victim of errors and zero offense. His 11-4 record in AAA with a 3.23 ERA just goes to show you what he is capable of doing. However with the offense, which is 13th in the NL in runs scored, sputtering like it is, it’s no wonder we can’t catch a break ever. Pitching is vital in the grand scheme of things, but the 2010 Mets are a prime example that offense matters just as much!
Speaking of hitting, the Mets did away with a guy who hasn’t done much with the bat in a while, as they shipped catcher Rod Barajas to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. This was kind of an inevitable move for a couple of reasons. One, it’s totally unnecessary for a National League ballclub to carry 3 backstops on their roster since it hampers it immensely. With Oliver Perez disgracefully taking up space in the Mets bullpen, – I’m completely failing to see why he hasn’t been released yet – we can’t afford further instances of understaffing. And two, with Josh Thole’s emergence this season, the Mets couldn’t afford to drop him, and had no choice but to cut ties with one of their 2 light-hitting catchers in Barajas and Henry Blanco. Barajas did well by us early in the season, and the Mets got what they could out of their slugging catcher for a solid 2 months. But with his magic all dried up, it’s no longer a shame to see Barajas head west to Hollywood. Best of luck to you Rod!
And with Barajas’ departure, it looks like Josh Thole is now officially the Mets #1 catcher while Blanco will remain his backup. Thole raked at a ridiculous rate when he was first called up to the show, but his production has tailed off recently, despite the fact its maintained respectability at .289. We all knew that he wouldn’t hit .400/.500 forever! Josh makes good contact, hits for a nice average, gets on-base at a healthy clip, and his throwing and game-calling certainly seem to be in order. Thole will not hit for power, he’s only got one dinger throughout his first 150 AB’s in the majors, and only has 10 minor league home runs over 1700+ plate appearances. Growing up watching Mike Pizza catch for my favorite baseball team, I guess I’ve become a tad spoiled and wish Josh would crack out more home runs then he’s going to. I’ve just got to accept the fact that those Piazza-worshiping days are behind me I guess. Here’s to a great career in blue and orange Josh!
What do you guys have to say? Don’t you think this offense is completely unworthy to call the guys in our pitching staff teammates? Any thoughts on the Rod Barajas deal? And what do you have to say about Josh Thole being christened the Mets starting catcher? Comment below, sorry for the tardiness, and thank you endlessly for stopping by!
